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Institutional pressures, isomorphic changes and key agents in the transfer of knowledge of Lean in Healthcare
|
[
"Knowledge transfer",
"Operations management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The Italian National Health System (INHS) is facing several institutional, social, clinical and professional challenges as well as financial and economic difficulties (Lega and DePietro, 2005; De Belvis et al., 2012; Longo, 2016). To face these issues, Italian healthcare organisations are expected to innovate and improve their performance through adequate asset, knowledge and disease management systems (Lega, 2012). In this perspective, the application of operations management in healthcare is particularly promising to improve the overall organisational performance, even if the Italian system is lagging behind in introducing related techniques and methods (Bensa et al., 2010).\n2. Knowledge on Lean: In the last two decades, some healthcare organisations are proposing themselves, explicitly or not, as the \"Toyota\" of the sector, e.g. the Mayo Clinic model of care (Berry, 2008), the Virginia Mason Medical Center's Pursuit of the Perfect Patient (Kenney, 2011), The Pittsburgh Way (Grunden, 2007), or the Bolton Improving Care System (Fillingham, 2007).\n3. Theoretical framework: Admittedly, in the past decades analysis of the effects of the environment on organisational practices has played a central role in accounting and business research (Bruton et al., 2010; Dacin et al., 2002; Hopwood and Miller, 1994). A pivotal principle of institutional analysis is that the institutional environment exerts strong pressures on organisations in order that their key-decisions have the appearance of being infused with rationality. Organisations are inclined to \"conform [to institutional pressures] because they are rewarded for doing so through increased legitimacy, resources and survival capabilities\" (Scott, 1987, p. 498). According to this view, institutionalisation tends to reduce variety; operating across organisations, it discourages diversity in local environments, thereby pushing organisations towards convergent behavioural patterns (DiMaggio and Powell, 1991; Fligstein, 1991; Covalesky and Dirsmith, 1988; DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Martin et al., 1983), \"if they are to receive support and legitimacy\" (Scott and Meyer, 1983, p. 149; Deephouse, 1996). Notably, institutional sociology has been either applied to analyse the behaviour of for-profit organisations (Bruton et al., 2010; Firth, 1996; Goodstein, 1994; Guler et al., 2002; Mezias, 1990) or to investigate not-for-profit and governmental sectors (Basu, 1995; Carpenter et al., 2007; Dacin et al., 2002), whilst there is still much to learn about the scattered applications to date deployed in healthcare organisations (Kennedy and Fiss, 2009; Scott et al., 2000).\n4. Research method: As already stated in the introduction, Italian empirical evidence is presented to underline the economic, coercive, mimetic and normative pressures (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983, p. 150) impinging on adopting Lean thinking and related knowledge transfer in the INHS.\n5. Results: 5.1 The E.O. Ospedali Galliera\n6. Discussion and conclusions: The cases analysed are examples of Lean implementation at a strategic level and show how different institutional pressures triggered the introduction of this manufacturing practice, confirming the influential thoughts by Palmer et al. (1993, p. 104): institutional theory assumes that organisations will select among alternative structures (strategic decisions, or practices) on the basis of efficiency considerations, primarily at the time that their organisation field are being founded or reorganised. Subsequently, they adopt forms that are considered legitimate by other organisations in their field, regardless of these structures (or strategic decisions, or practices) actual efficiency.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: Application of operations management in healthcare is particularly promising to improve the overall organisational performance, although the Italian system is behind in introducing related techniques and methods. One of the recent experiments in healthcare is the implementation of \"Lean Thinking\". The purpose of this paper is to investigate which exogenous forces are driving knowledge transfer on Lean, both in the private and public healthcare sectors.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Informed by institutional sociology (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Powell and DiMaggio, 1991), the paper builds on the case study methodology (Yin, 2013) to elucidate the environmental pressures that are encouraging the adoption of Lean thinking by Italian hospitals and Local Health Authorities.\nFindings: The study highlights the economic, coercive, mimetic and normative pressures that are triggering the adoption of Lean thinking in the Italian National Health System (INHS). At the same time, the authors reveal the pivotal importance and innovative roles played by diverse prominent key-actors in the different organisations investigated.\nOriginality/value: Considering that little is known to date regarding which exogenous forces are driving the transfer of knowledge on Lean, especially in the public healthcare sector, the paper allows scholars to focus on patterns of isomorphic change and will facilitate managers and policy makers to understand exogenous factors stimulating the transfer of Lean thinking and the subsequent innovation within health organisations and systems.\n",
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High-performance work system and organizational citizenship behaviour at the shop floor
|
[
"VUCA",
"HPWS",
"OCB",
"FMCG",
"Manufacturing structural equation modelling (SEM)"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Automation and fast-pace changes in technology are disrupting conventional business models. As a result, human resource (HR) leadership is under intense pressure to achieve high performance (Thomas et al., 2018; Dubey et al., 2017; Boston Consulting Group, 2013). Sull (2009) asserts that the most pertinent terminology to define the wave of vulnerability is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA). Many firms have recently begun considering the VUCA framework as an opportunity rather than a threat (Watt et al., 2016; Kaivo-oja and Lauraeus, 2018). The workplace's agility (Nejatian et al., 2018), simplification of information technology (Hemingway and Marquart, 2013) and effective HR practices according to today's modern business systems appear as an effective strategy to mitigate the risk of disruption (Nejatian et al., 2018). Meanwhile, effective HR management (HRM) practices allow the identification of skill voids at the shop floor (Mittal et al., 2019). Also, it has been established that with structured capability enhancement initiatives, organizational effectiveness is ascertained at the shop floor of the manufacturing industry.In the scholarly literature, researchers suggested various HRM practices as benchmarks to promote the high-performance-based work culture to meet even the most stringent demands of VUCA. These practices include global staffing (Collings et al., 2018), sustainable development (Lazaretti et al., 2019; Tvaronaviciene, 2014), corporate social responsibility (Bhardwaj, 2016; Govindan et al.,2014; Jabbour and Jabbour, 2016), corporate reputation (Manohar et al., 2019), self-efficacy (Lyons and Bandura, 2019; Gashi and Mihelic, 2018), employee engagement (Ajayi et al., 2017), subjective well-being (Singh et al., 2019c), open innovation (Singh et al., 2019a; Huzingh, 2011; Dahlander and Gann, 2010), knowledge sharing (Grant, 2016), organization ambidexterity (Cegarra-Navarro et al., 2018), transformation leadership to develop amicable organization culture (Watts et al., 2019) and employee performance management (Audenaert et al., 2016).Recognizing the market scenario of the host country, government policy and pull factors such as economy in the labour cost and tax-free salaries that are the key area of concern for the multinational companies (MNC), global staffing can be considered as significant for developing the talented pool of employees (Singh et al., 2019c; Waxin et al., 2018). MNCs appoint their self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) to the host country nation based on their excellence competencies to develop the skills in the employees of the host country nationals: for example, Indian SIEs appointed in the UAE because of the strong demand for trades between India and the UAE (Achkanian, 2017). Meanwhile, sustainable practices depend upon the top management leadership, strategies, employees' social values, employees' contribution and the concept of well-being of an individual as a whole in the organization and society (Kumar et al., 2012). Likewise, the implementation of sustainability initiatives emerged as an imperative strategy to retain the employees (Bhardwaj, 2016; Pradhan et al., 2017). The organization likes to develop self-efficacy and promotes the subjective well-being in their individuals for better organizational effectiveness. According to Bandura (1977), self-efficacy develops mastery, social learning, social persuasion and emotional attachment in the employees. After achieving self-efficacy, employees experience positive emotions, subjective well-being and positive life satisfaction (Azizli et al., 2015; Yap and Baharudin, 2016; Liu et al., 2018). Literature reports that organizational innovation and knowledge sharing are also among the key HRM practices followed by the firms' SMEs to motivate the employees for research and development activities (Burnswicker and Vanhaverbeke, 2015; Dell'Anno, Evangelista and Del Giudice, 2018; Popa et al., 2017). Knowledge sharing updates the information of the employees, promotes the spirit of innovation among the employees in the organization and assists them to cope with the dynamic organizational changes (Cegarra-Navarro et al., 2018; Yu et al., 2018). Organization ambidexterity supports the organization in assessing dynamic changes, analyzing the market and developing strategies (O'Reilly and Tushman, 2002). Likewise, transformational leadership facilitates the development of a cohesive organizational culture and attainment of superior employee performances (Jain and Kurana (2015); Mittal, et al., (in press)). Hence, previous research studies show that organizations follow different HRM practices. There is a pressing need for the study to recognize the bundle of HRM practices for developing the high-performance work system (HPWS) and employee organization citizenship behaviour at the shop floor of manufacturing organization to meet the demand of VUCA in India. 1.1 FMCG industry\n2. Statement of the problem: Amy et al. (2017) explain that the Asia Pacific region, being a dense developing economy, plays a pivotal role in global fiscal dynamics. The Indian industry is forecasted to grow at a fast pace as compared to other countries of the Asia Pacific region, leaving behind key competitors such as China, with a growth rate of 7.6 per cent in the financial year 2019-2020 (ADB, 2018). The FMCG sector has been successful in offering one of the most lucrative career options worldwide (Kavitha, 2012). The key features of the FMCG industry are the growing penetration, increasing product turnover in the market and promising future growth forecast (KPMG report, 2013). However, according to the Mena Report (2018), 84 per cent of the professionals employed by the FMCG sector undergo high levels of stress as they have to launch more diverse products in a shorter span of time as compared to those in the past decade. Jamie and Niels (2007) explain that these FMCG companies, headquartered in western countries, are known to leverage integrated manufacturing systems embedded with HPWS. Therefore, an effective HPWS implementation may foster a competitive advantage over conventional employee-employer practices in the VUCA scenario (Chernyak-Hai, 2018; Wolf, 2007). Osterman (1994) suggests that extensive research work on HPWS has been carried out in Europe and the USA. Guthrie et al. (2008) infer that the HRM practices in MNCs are more mature and consistent over the practices in indigenous companies. Therefore, as an informed choice, the present study aims to further explore HPWS focused on employees working at the shop floor in the FMCG sector. The study also attempts to contextualize HPWS for the shop floor as per developing economy scenarios and seeks to establish whether it influences OCB.\n3. Review of literature: 3.1 HPWS and integrated manufacturing systems\n4. Theoretical framework: There appears to be a dearth in world-class manufacturing systems studies in correlation with HPWS in developing countries, and very few researchers have attempted to establish a link between socio-technical systems in the Indian context. In this context, the labour process (LP) theory brings in critical viewpoints on scientific management, as proposed by Frederick Winslow Taylor in the early-twentieth century. The LP theory takes excerpts from the anti-capitalism stream brought in by Harry Braverman in the early 1970s (Braverman, 1974). The theory relates to immense bureaucratic managerial control, mechanization of labour and treating employees as objects in the process flow. The LP theory delves deeply into the intensification of work, social stratification and the contribution made by skilled employees who are rewarded in the form of wages. Braverman (1974) details out the concept of deskilling, which refers to the organized degradation of work to minimize the employability of the employees. While squeezing the maximum benefit out of human efforts and exhausting the workers, monopolistic management snips employees' skills and degrades the gratifying nature of work. In a nutshell, the management uses all its tactics to deskill and exploit workers, treating employees as cogs in a mechanical system to ensure productivity as a result (Ramsay et al., 2000). Also, the self-determination theory (Ryan and Desi, 2017) and cognitive evaluation theory (Desi, 1975) indicate the role of intrinsic motivation in determining the behaviours of employees towards the well-being of the organization. Such behaviours can be influenced neither by hygiene factors on the job nor by extrinsic rewards.\n5. Research methods: 5.1 Research design, sample and data collection\n6. Discussions: The objective of the research study was to examine the relationship between HPWS and OCB. The present study supports the constructive wave of HPWS implementation wherein HPWS has been found to positively influence OCB, which indicates employee behaviour at the workplace (Qureshi, 2015). The findings are consistent with previous studies regarding HPWS, employee attitude and employee behaviors (Lambert, 2010; Singh and Singh, 2019). The study results show the positive influence of HPWS on the behavior of employees. This implies that altruism is reflected by a new recruit wherein the objective and fair selection process is done and onboarding is persuaded in a pleasing manner (Ludwig and Frazier, 2012; Rurkkhum and Bartlett, 2012). When employees find the company investing in their development by training, seminar, workshops, etc, they feel intrinsically motivated, an attitude that reflects in their citizenship behavior (Chiu and Tsai, 2006; Stephens and Sommer, 1995). Similarly, quality and objectivity in performance assessment, reward and appreciation process with regular information sharing altruism and other behaviors are reflected (Konovsky and Organ, 1996; Schappe, 1998). Further, our results highlight that recruitment (Begum et al., 2014) and performance appraisals (Zheng et al., 2012) are strongly and positively related with citizenship behaviors. On the other hand, other HPWS practices such as training (Ahmad, 2011), compensation and contingent rewards (Zheng et al., 2012), information sharing and differentiation practices (Pare and Tremblay, 2007) demonstrate a moderate positive influence over OCB.It has been also noticed in our study that a few HPWS practices did not show considerable direct influence on citizenship behaviors. Such HPWS practices are employee empowerment, and another cluster of HR practice, including job design, promote from within, grievance handling procedure and team formation, which are to be further analysed (Blattberg, et al., 1995). These findings are also in consonance with the study from Rasool and Nouman (2013), which shared the acceptance of HPWS practices. This has been researched by many academicians in the past and supports the approach of trade unions as an inhibitor for HPWS (Ramsay et al., 2000; Parker and Slaughter, 1988). Especially in India, the huge investments done by MNCs in extending industry leading wages and creating safe and state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure do not resonate with the maturity and capability by trade unions to partner in growth of the industry or the employees (Herald, 2011).This finding is further supported by studies establishing a link between the role of communication in driving OCB at the workplace (Chan and Lai, 2017; Kandlousi et al., 2010; Ganapathi and Panchanatham, 2014). Kanchana and Panchanatham (2012) state that a lack of clarity in the role of incumbent, ways of working, ambiguity in company policies, lack of standard operating procedures, absence of documented guidelines and micromanagement from management may lead to poor morale at the workplace. Mallick et al. (2014) and Olivier and Pascal (2012) in their studies further corroborate their findings in the establishing link between OCB and flow of communication in the organization.\n7. Implications and conclusion: 7.1 Theoretical implications\n8. Limitations and future scope: Although this study significantly contributes to the development of state-of-the-art processes, it has experienced several limitations. First, in this study, data were collected from 395 shop floor employees working in eight FMCG companies located in three Northern Indian industrial clusters. Thus, the study findings cannot be generalized in the context of the FMCG industry on a global scale. Therefore, we recommend that further investigation be conducted with a larger and more diversified sample. Second, our study was based on a cross-sectional research and was limited to data investigation at a fixed timescale with individual level. This limitation further creates challenges for the conclusion based on the cause-effect relationship indicated in our study. Therefore, we recommend that future researchers carry out a longitudinal study with multilevel analysis, which may lead to further comprehensive and reliable results. In future researchers, it would be interesting to examine the employees' attitude and behaviors at the plant level (Muduli et al., 2012). To conclude, though our study captured the data from various age groups that also included millennials, more focused research in the future may also change the interpretations of OCB in the context of millennials (James, 2017; Idris, 2019). In the changing scenario, future researchers may be interested to see how millennials working in shop floors \"respond\" or \"react\" towards VUCA.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: The manufacturing industry is presently experiencing technological disruption on a global scale. Consequently, to tackle such disruption, firms are identifying a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) scenario and seeking ways to counter it. Accordingly, this paper aims to investigate the employee performance through assessing organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among the shop floor employees of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry where a high-performance work system (HPWS) has been implemented.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A descriptive research design was used in the study, and 395 shop floor employees working in leading multinational firms, with a minimum global turnover of US$1bn, were interviewed. These manufacturing firms were located in three industrial clusters in the northern part of India.\nFindings: The results indicate that HPWS influences OCB. Most of the dimensions of HPWS and OCB were found to be positively associated. The findings also disprove the labour process theory in the context of the study.\nPractical implications: The findings report a broad view of the relationship between HPWS and OCB in the Indian manufacturing context. The study offers the practical insights that HPWS is a universally accepted framework and that organizations should focus on the effective implementation of HPWS in a VUCA scenario, which is in line with past studies. The study also provides future directions for research.\nOriginality/value: This paper has established the relationship between HPWS and OCB in the manufacturing sector, especially for shop floor employees.\n",
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Knowledge management at SMEs: five peculiarities
|
[
"Small to medium‐sized enterprises",
"Knowledge management",
"Information systems"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a vital part of any national economy. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, SMEs comprise about 95 percent of enterprises in a nation, and are responsible for employing 60-70 percent of the workforce (OECD, 2000, 2002). In Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies, SMEs make up 90 percent of enterprises and employ between 32-84 percent of the workforce of individual APEC economies (APEC Committee on Trade and Investment, 2004). In the UK, more than 95 percent of all businesses are SMEs; they employ nearly 65 percent of the workforce, and account for 25 percent of the gross domestic product (Ballentine et al., 1998). Statistics on the prominence of SMEs are equally impressive in other countries. For instance, in Australia, SMEs provide 96 percent of all employment, and in New Zealand, SMEs produce 35 percent of the national economic output (ABS, 2000, 2002; MOED, 2000). With these enticing statistics, management scholars cannot ignore SMEs as a viable and interesting research space.All SMEs start out with the S, small, and then through tireless efforts, struggles, and victories, they get to M, medium. If their success continues, SMEs will become larger, expand in scope and reach, and become dominant players in their industries. The success of a small business or an SME can be linked to how well they manage their knowledge (Dollinger, 1984, 1985; Brush, 1992; Brush and Vanderwerf, 1992). Knowledge to represent know-how, expertise, tradecrafts, skills, ideas, intuitions, and insights. Knowledge management has been shown to a powerful ingredient in the success of organizations (see for example Davenport and Prusak, 1998; Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995; Desouza and Evaristo, 2003). Organizations who are successful in leveraging knowledge, normally witness increased efficiencies in operations, higher rates of successful innovations, increased levels of customer service, and an ability to have foresight on trends and patterns emerging in the marketplace. Besides the traditional reasons for managing knowledge, SMEs, in particular, must pay close attention to knowledge management for several salient reasons.SMEs compete on their know-how and hence have to use knowledge to their advantage, even more so than traditional resources. SMEs normally do not have deep pockets to spend on resources such as land, labor, and capital. They must do more with less. Knowledge housed in the SME, must be leveraged so that goals can be achieved in an effective and efficient manner. While an SME might be constrained by not enough capital or labor, their knowledge is bountiful and, in many cases, an unlimited resource. The only way an SME can limit this resource is by not using it effectively. Individuals who open up SMEs do so because they have knowledge in key areas of competencies and think they can compete using such knowledge. It is hence important that they remain successful in leveraging knowledge. Having knowledge is one thing, and using it effectively towards organizational ends is quite another. It will be useful for an SME owner to house knowledge in his/her mind, and not use it for business decision-making.Besides, using the knowledge directly, the owner of SMEs must also transfer knowledge to his/her employees. Seldom, do SMEs have the capabilities to recruit the best minds in the business; hence they must settle for less qualified but motivated individuals. These individuals must be trained and taught how to be successful employees. Training calls for transferring knowledge to the new hires, a function of knowledge management. Moreover, in cases where the SME has plans of expansions, they must be able to duplicate knowledge and the apply knowledge across geographic locations. In one restaurant, the owner spent three years training his protege about the ins and outs of managing a restaurant before he decided to open a new location.In the final analysis, SMEs are judged by the external world, such as lending institutions, investors, suppliers, and customers, on their knowledge and knowledge-exploitation capabilities. The external world puts a burden on the SME to show the depth of their expertise, and their capabilities in leveraging this know-how. Many large companies who have thoughts of buying out smaller enterprises do so because of their know-how. Even if an SME is not brought out, and decides to expand, let's say via an initial public offering (IPO), judgments will be based on know-how and innovative potentials. Consider the recent IPO offering of the once small enterprise, Google.com. Google.com has gained a reputation for being the best search engine on the internet, this know-how and expertise is one reason why investors readily embraced the IPO.Given all of this need to manage knowledge in SMEs, little is known about how SMEs fair in knowledge management (Shelton, 2001; Saarenketoa et al., 2004; Bryson, 1997; Collinson and Quinn, 2002; Dalley and Hamilton, 2000). In this paper, findings from an exploratory investigation into knowledge management practices at 25 SMEs are presented. Our findings show that SMEs do not manage knowledge in similar fashions as larger organizations. SMEs have understandable resource constraints, and hence they have to be creative and clever in working around these limitations. Our focus in this paper is on discussing five key peculiarities that differentiate knowledge management practices at SMEs versus larger organizations.\nMethodology: Our sample consisted of 25 SMEs (see Table I for descriptive details), and included a wide range of SMEs, from cafes to management consulting firms and drycleaners/laundry facilities. The wide assortment of SMEs in our sample helps us generalize the presence of the five peculiarities of managing knowledge. To facilitate comparison across the research sites, the authors decided to have certain commonalities across the SMEs. First, all SMEs, in our sample, were started by one or two individuals. These individuals acquired knowledge in the business domain through past employment, and in some cases educational qualifications. Secondly, all SMEs were in business for no more than five years, had under 100 employees, and their revenues less than $400,000 per year. Defining what exactly constitutes an SME has proven to be a difficult task (Holms and Gibson, 2001). Definition of SMEs is varied by countries (APEC Committee on Trade and Investment, 2004; OECD, 2000). Some use the number of employees (mostly under 250 people) to define a business as an SME or a large enterprise, others use revenue figures (e.g. annual turnover, balance sheet total), and even others use other indicators such as years in the business, number of branches or locations. For our purposes, any business with fewer than 100 employees was considered as an SME, this is consistent with prior studies in the literature (see Holms and Gibson, 2001). Thirdly, all SMEs had a very traditional organizational setup. At the highest level you had the owner, followed by, in some cases, managers, and then the employees. Lastly, all SMEs embraced the use of information and communication technologies, to some extent. This is important as the authors were curious to know how technologies were used for managing knowledge.Data was gathered using qualitative methods due to the novel nature of the phenomena being examined (Yin, 1989; Gummesson, 1991). In addition, the authors were interested in gathering rich data, for which qualitative methods are apt. Using qualitative methods for research on SMEs has rich history and acceptance (Chetty, 1996; Romano, 1989; Gill, 1995). The authors relied on detailed semi-structured interviews with the owners and managers of the SMEs for data collection (Klein and Myers, 1999; Eisenhardt, 1989). In addition to posing questions, the conversation was allowed to drift and emerge; this allowed us to focus on novel concepts, in addition to our originally geared interest. Each interview lasted for about 90 minutes. Data collected from interviews was supplemented by our observation of how work was conducted in practice. The authors visited each research site at least four times to get a sense of knowledge management in practice, and compare these observations with our interview notes. Doing so helped us reconcile differences between espoused practices (information from managers and owners) with in-practice knowledge (observations on work conducted). In cases of discrepancies between the two, further clarification was sought from the owners and managers.\nFive peculiarities of knowledge management in SMEs: All SMEs in our sample, knowingly or unknowingly, manage knowledge. Some have deliberate mechanisms for knowledge management, other conduct it in the peripheral. The authors initially uncovered over 20 peculiarities in how knowledge was managed in SMEs compared to larger organizations. For sake of comparison, a review of existing case studies on knowledge management practices in large organizations was conducted (see for example, Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995; Davenport and Prusak, 1998; Lausin et al., 2003; Davenport et al., 1998). We also drew on our past experiences with knowledge management endeavors in large enterprises. From the list of 20, six practices were deleted, as they were peculiar to the SME from which data was collected. Over several iterations, we agreed that ten out of the remaining 14 practices were indeed unique to how SMEs manage their knowledge.In this paper we will present five of the peculiarities in knowledge management practices at SMEs. We are choosing to present five, as we are confident that they apply to SMEs both within and outside our research sample. Put another way, we are fairly confident of the generalizability of the findings presented here across a whole range of SMEs. Moreover, even though we only gathered data from SMEs based in the US, we are confident that the findings will apply to SMEs based in other countries. Many of the SMEs studied, were operated by immigrants to the USA, and as such their management practices were heavily influenced by their native cultures.The dominance of socialization in the SECI cycle\nConclusion: In this paper we have elaborated on five key peculiarities in knowledge management practices found at SMEs. While we have painted a rosy picture of how SMEs manage knowledge, we must acknowledge that SMEs have their fair share of problems. In a future paper, we could explore the problems and suppressors to effective knowledge management at SMEs. Compared to research on larger organizations, investigations into the intricacies of managing knowledge at smaller enterprises remain largely unexplored. It would be wrong to assume that SMEs practice knowledge management in similar ways as larger organizations with the only difference being in magnitude or scale. We hope this article has opened up avenues for future research, by stressing some of the unique issues involved with managing knowledge at SMEs. Future research is needed to expand on our findings here, validate them across a larger sample, and even help improve the state-of-the art.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - Managing knowledge is a critical capability for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to master because it helps them leverage their most critical resource. Organizational knowledge is the most salient resource at the disposal of SMEs in terms of availability, access, and depth. Successful SMEs are those who can leverage their knowledge in an effective and efficient manner, so as to make up for deficiencies in traditional resources, like land, labor, and capital. The purpose of this article to to discuss five peculiarities about knowledge management practices at SMEs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The article draws findings from a nine-month investigation of knowledge management practices at 25 SMEs.\nFindings: - The research discovered that SMEs do not manage knowledge the same way as larger organizations. Viewing SME knowledge management practices as scaled down versions of the practices found in larger organizations is incorrect. SMEs have understandable resource constraints, and hence have to be creative in working around these limitations in order to manage knowledge.\nOriginality/value: - The paper sheds some light on peculiarities in SME knowledge management practices, which will hopefully entice scholars and practitioners to follow-up with more detailed research undertakings.\n",
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The changing role of convenience stores in South Korea
|
[
"Convenience foods",
"Food retail",
"Food environment",
"Home meal replacement",
"Ready meals"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: After its emergence in 1989 and the following period of development in the 2000s, the convenience store market in South Korea has undergone rapid growth in recent years. The number of convenience stores (based on the top 6 brands) in South Korea as of late 2016 was 34,376, which is equivalent to one store per 1,491 individuals, considering that the total population of the country is around 51.25M (Yonhapnews, 2017). This estimate is around 1.5 times the ratios both in Japan, which is popularly known as the convenience store kingdom with one store for every 2,248 individuals, and in Taiwan, where this business is also flourishing with one store for every 2,222 individuals (Taiwan Business Topics, 2018).\nMethods: Samples of all lunch box products sold during October 2016 at the big 3 convenience stores (CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven) in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do in South Korea were collected for nutritional quality evaluation. A total of 36 different kinds of lunch box products were collected, and among these, 27 products that followed the traditional Korean meal structure of rice, kimchi and other side dishes (CU: 8, GS25: 10, 7-Eleven: 9) were included in the final analysis. Simpler lunch box products were excluded, since this study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality of lunch box products as meal replacements.\nResults: General characteristics\nDiscussion: The rapid growth of the lunch box and ready-meal market built around Korean convenience stores has possibly occurred as a result of demographic and socioeconomic shifts, with the increase in single-person households playing a major role. The number of single-person households in South Korea has undergone a steep growth (at an annual rate of 5.7 percent, which is quite substantial as per OECD standards) due to various underlying factors, such as the aging population, increase in women's economic activities, late first marriage and changes in people's views on marriage (Korea Rural Economic Institute, 2016). Between 2000 and 2016, the number of single-person households increased more than two-fold, from 2.26m to 5.38m, and the proportion of such households also increased from 15.6 to 27.9 percent (KOSTATS, 2018). These figures still fall short of the equivalent statistics in Northern Europe, where the proportion of single-person households is very high at 40 percent, but come close to the 32.4 percent observed in Japan, where the population has already aged. In terms of age groups comprising single-person households in South Korea, those aged under 30s account for the largest proportion at 36.1 percent, followed by those aged over 60 at 33.3 percent, as of 2014 (Korea Rural Economic Institute, 2016).\n",
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop policy recommendations for creating a healthy food environment around convenience stores which has been recently extending beyond the retail to the food retail and even to the foodservice market in South Korea.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study was based on case studies of evaluating the nutritional quality of lunch box products sold by the Korean big 3 convenience store brands (CU, GS25 and 7-Eleven) as meal replacements. Samples of all lunch box products sold during October 2016 in Asan city, South Korea were collected for nutritional quality evaluation.\nFindings: The amount of food items in the \"Meats/Fish/Eggs/Legume\" food group was 2.4 times the recommended intake, while that in the \"Vegetables\" food group was even less than one serving size. The most frequent cooking method both for the animal- and plant-based food groups was stir-frying. The average calories fell short of the reference value for men but exceeded it for women. The percentage energy contribution from fats exceeded the reference range. The average amounts of protein, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium were higher than recommended.\nOriginality/value: This study calls attention to the necessity and importance of establishing a healthy food environment around convenience stores, given the ever-growing reliance on these establishments as a go-to spot for a convenient meal. The results may also provide useful insights for developing countries in Asia, which are being spotlighted as the emerging markets for convenience stores.\n",
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Understanding the role of information communication in the buyer-seller exchange process: antecedents and outcomes
|
[
"Sales force",
"Communication",
"Sales strategies",
"Customer satisfaction",
"Sales automation"
] |
[
{
"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: During the last decade, the notions of cooperative partnerships (Anderson and Narus, 1990) and customer relationships (Crosby et al., 1990) have accelerated the progression of the relationship marketing concept. Notably, relationship marketing can be defined as the combination of all marketing activities \"directed towards establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges\" (Morgan and Hunt, 1994, p. 22). Because of these developments, in recent years the marketing literature has witnessed a greater emphasis on relational exchanges. Interestingly, these relational exchanges create value not only for buyers but also for sellers. There is a wide consensus among marketing researchers that relationship marketing positively effects seller performance, especially when relationships are built with an individual instead of with an organization (Palmatier et al., 2006). To enforce this standpoint, Palmatier et al. (2006) conducted a meta-analysis of relationship marketing empirical research that comprises 111 independent samples from 94 different manuscripts. The findings of the meta-analysis supported the positive relationship between salespeople's relationship marketing strategies and performance.Similarly, in the selling context, Anderson and Dubinsky (2004) popularized the concept of consultative selling, where salespeople act as experts and offer their advice to solve customers' problems. Accordingly, sales organizations have embraced the idea of consultative or solution-centric selling and consequently, the role of a salesperson has evolved from selling products to providing solutions. Findings of a worldwide survey conducted by Development Dimensions International (Thomas et al., 2007) suggest that more than half of industrial buyers perceive their sales contact as a business partner and expect to receive quality advice about products or services. The other key finding of the survey is that the salesperson is second only to the internet as the best source of information in the buying decision process, but, unfortunately, one third of respondents reported receiving insufficient support from salespeople (Thomas et al., 2007). In short, today's competitive business environment generates an amalgamation of opportunities and challenges for sales organizations and therefore, managers are faced with a compelling question of how to make sure salespeople effectively participate in exchange processes.In personal selling, which by nature is a personal communication that seeks to inform buyers about products in an exchange situation (Pride and Ferrell, 2008), an effective and efficient information communication process can be critical for fostering participation. Considering this matter, the current empirical study addresses the question of how salespeople can improve transfer of product information and better support customers. The focal construct of this research is the salesperson's communication of information.Considering the fact that marketing has shifted its focus from discrete transactions to building relationships (Anderson and Dubinsky, 2004), salespeople would be able to satisfy their customers through their competencies and skills. Aligned with standpoint, we argue that salespeople can excel in an exchange process by applying their specialized competence (i.e. knowledge about the product and its usage) along with the use of technology. Notably, we believe that salesperson knowledge and technology use will indirectly influence a customer's satisfaction with the salesperson. Moreover, these relationships will be mediated by the salesperson's information communication.Below, we develop a conceptual framework encompassing these constructs and advance detailed linear and interactive hypotheses as summarized in Figure 1. To solidify the theoretical groundings of our focal construct of information communication, we utilize the propositions suggested by the model of communication for marketing channels (Mohr and Nevin, 1990). To demonstrate empirical support for the study, we test our hypotheses using survey data from a sample of pharmaceutical salespeople along with customer-reported satisfaction ratings. Finally, we discuss the findings and offer future research directions and applications.We believe this research has several theoretical as well as empirical contributions. First, this study responds to the call for more research that examines salespeople's service behaviors required to satisfy customers not only during the purchase decision process but also after the initial sale (Ahearne et al., 2007). In a business-to-business selling environment it is necessary for sales managers and salespeople alike to know about these critical service behaviors. This study adds value to the existing literature by exploring the antecedents and outcome of information communication process. Second, the inclusion of customers to report their level of satisfaction with salespeople addresses previous measurement issues related to self-reported ratings of customer satisfaction. Finally, we discuss in detail the interactions of technology and experience which is a very current, relevant, and important topic for industrial selling researchers.\nTheoretical background: In the relationship marketing literature, the communication construct is defined as \"amount, frequency, and quality of information shared between exchange partners\" (Palmatier et al., 2006, p. 138). It has been argued that communication strengthens relationships in an exchange process by resolving disputes, aligning objectives, and revealing new opportunities (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). Although this construct has been given different names such as bilateral or collaborative communication, information exchange, information sharing, and information communication (Anderson and Weitz, 1992; Mohr and Nevin, 1990; Mohr et al., 1996), the underlying concept remains the same. Often the communication phenomenon, within the context of exchange process and relationship formation, has been considered at an inter-organizational level; however, the phenomenon warrants examination at personal levels as well (Olkkonen et al., 2000).Outlining communication strategies for marketing channels, Mohr and Nevin (1990) proposed a communication model. Notably, this model incorporates the strategies for communication among marketing channels, but it is transferable to a buyer-seller exchange context. Considering the prevalent adoption of relationship marketing in business practices and academia (Palmatier et al., 2006), it is pragmatic to expect that both buyer and seller, as channel members, will be actively involved in the process, both will be concerned about the outcomes, and both will be exchanging information. Moreover, it has been suggested that the customer is also a participant in a value-creation process and that the customer should be treated as an internal entity residing within an organizational loop (Anderson and Dubinsky, 2004). Conclusively, we believe that Mohr and Nevin's (1990) marketing channels communication model provides some critical insights into the buyer-seller communication process.The communication model encompasses communication strategy elements such as frequency (amount of communication), direction (movement of communication), modality (method of transmission), and content (message) (Mohr and Nevin, 1990). The communication content, an important facet of communication strategy, can be referred to \"the message that is transmitted - or what is said\" (Mohr and Nevin, 1990, p. 39). Proposing a communication system for marketing channels, Gross (1968) recognizes \"salesmen\" as a medium for direct flow of information and \"product characteristics\" as a category of information that needs to be transmitted. Also, it has been argued that customers are increasingly trying to obtain competencies regarding products and services and for that purpose they want to utilize their market relationships (Anderson and Dubinsky, 2004). Therefore, in an exchange process, a seller should be able to augment buyer knowledge with highly relevant and readily unavailable information about the product and its usage.Another aspect of communication strategy that is relevant to buyer-seller exchange process is modality. Modes or methods of transmission can be classified on the basis of the capability of the medium (i.e. modality) to communicate information (Mohr and Nevin, 1990). Aligned with this issue, Huber and Daft (1987) suggested that personal interactions are the most capable methods of transmission. Notably, some other important methods of transmission are technology tools such as, video phone, video conference, telephone, e-mails, and so on (Huber and Daft, 1987; Mohr and Nevin, 1990). Considering the fact that the face-to-face interaction is already an innate ingredient of personal selling, it can be deduced that use of technology on the job can further enhance its ability to transmit information.\nResearch model and hypotheses: The research model that we summarize in Figure 1 develops our theoretical viewpoint in the framework of a comprehensive set of hypothesized relationships. Specifically, the model proposes that salesperson's technical knowledge and utilization of technology on the job will have a positive effect on information communication which, in turn will lead to customer's satisfaction with the salesperson. Also, it is proposed that links between technical knowledge and information communication, and technology utilization and information communication will be moderated by salesperson experience. In the following sections, we develop the hypotheses depicting the suggested relationships among constructs.Knowledge about product and its usage\nMethods: Sample\nDiscussion: New relational marketing approaches bring attention to the common theoretical groundings of marketing theory and communication theory and demonstrate the very dependence of marketing on communication (Duncan and Moriarty, 1998). Pursuing the movement, the current study attempts to further explore the importance of information communication in a buyer-seller exchange within a relationship-marketing context. Specifically, we investigated the indirect effects of a salesperson's knowledge about the product and its applications and technology use on customer satisfaction through the information communication process. We hypothesized and empirically evidenced that product knowledge and sales technology utilization directly influence information communication, which in turn, had a positive influence on customer satisfaction with a salesperson. Importantly, the link between a salesperson's knowledge and information communication will be more positive if that salesperson is highly experienced.As evidenced in our findings, the explanatory power for some of the constructs is not extraordinarily high. However, for survey-based research, the amount of variance explained for information communication construct is reasonable (i.e. 16 percent). Looking at the variance explained for customer satisfaction across different sources, we arrive at 5 percent. As this seems like a small amount, one must consider the service-profit chain (i.e. service value -customer satisfaction-customer loyalty-revenue growth and profitability) (Heskett et al., 1994). As customer satisfaction leads to loyalty, which results in revenue growth, a 5 percent increase in revenue can lead to up to a 95 percent increase in profits, we believe that any increase in customer satisfaction is valuable. Although these are broad assumptions, they follow a pragmatic approach and will be valuable for firms.In a business relationship environment, customers seek \"an effective and efficient means of obtaining information\" (Crosby et al., 1990, p. 77). Therefore, business exchanges require enduring commitments and persistent interactions between buyer and seller. During an exchange process, a valuable information communication can provide not only a ground for a winning proposition but also customer satisfaction. Moreover, effectiveness in buyer-seller exchanges satisfies customers and strengthens relationships. This study champions these ideas by providing theoretical and empirical evidence of a positive relationship between information communication and customer satisfaction.Notably, we collect our data from a pharmaceutical field where salespeople are rated by physicians to be a major source of information (Andaleeb and Tallman, 1996). Thus, these results are more significant in situations where a salesperson is considered as an important source of information. In the selling context, where a salesperson's primary job includes personal visits and frequent interactions with customers, it can be assumed that salespeople will perform an adequate amount of communication. In addition, given the collaborative and cooperative nature of relational exchanges, two-way interactions between buyer and seller are likely. Although within this paper one-way communication is considered, we believe findings have a contribution for research and practice alike. It has been argued that information communication serves the purpose of transferring product related information from buyer to seller (Frazier and Summers, 1984); therefore, it plays an important role in a buyer's purchase decision process (Schurr and Ozanne, 1985). Salespeople are considered as linkages between the buyer and seller and recognized as important source of information (Moriarty and Spekman, 1984). Thus, findings of this study add value to the existing rich literature by addressing the question of how to transfer this information effectively. Specifically, we highlight the importance of contents (product knowledge) and modality (technology that enhances the transmission) in an information communication process.The evidence supporting the direct influence of technology use on information communication advances the importance of sales technology. The approach of finding integrative solutions and sharing market knowledge is essential in the relationship building process and salespeople's technology utilization significantly impacts their ability to follow this approach. Sales technology tools such as CRM and SFA will facilitate or enable salespeople to better communicate the information to their customers and in turn, enhance the customer satisfaction with them. Recent studies in a similar stream suggest salesperson behaviors, such as providing customer service, as a mediator between technology use and salesperson performance (e.g. Ahearne et al., 2008). However, there is a requirement for more research that identifies and tests alternative mediating mechanisms between utilization of sales technology and salesperson performance (i.e. behavioral as well as outcome-based).Findings, supporting the moderating effects of experience on relationship between technical knowledge and communication skills, provide some interesting insights. This result can be interpreted within the framework of non-programmable decision-making. Perkins and Rao (1990) define non-programmable decisions as original and unable to processed by a predetermined strategy; they require the decision maker to apply judgment depending on \"experience, insight, and intuition\" (p. 3). Considering the unpredictability of sales encounters, salespeople with higher experience will be more successful adapting to unexpected situations and making decisions regarding product and service offerings. Such salespeople will carry more information and sales scripts in memory to better communicate the relevant and adequate information.We did not find empirical evidence that salesperson experience moderate the links from technology use to information communication. One reason for this could be the fact that, quite often, experienced employees are reluctant to change their sales processes and find themselves uncomfortable with sales technology tools (Pullig et al., 2002). Additionally, there is a probability that some salespeople are more contented with technology tools and use technology more effectively than others. Given the likelihood that different salespeople utilize sales technology tools differently, it may be interesting to examine the impact of technology-efficacy on determining the effective use of sales technology.Managerial implications\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - This study seeks to address the issue of managing buyer-seller relationships. Specifically, a framework incorporating the constructs of information communication, sales technology, product knowledge, and customer satisfaction is proposed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Empirical support was derived from salesperson survey data combined with customer-reported satisfaction ratings. All 254 sales representatives of the women's health care division of a pharmaceutical company were surveyed for this research study.\nFindings: - The results suggest that managers can benefit by extending salesforce training to address not only technical knowledge but also communication skills. Providing technology with the potential to increase customer satisfaction through improved information communication would be beneficial as well.\nPractical implications: - The research suggests that managers should invest resources not only in providing salespeople with technical knowledge, but also in training them in effective communication skills. Further, the benefit has been shown, in terms of customer satisfaction, of providing technology to support communication between salespeople and customers.\nOriginality/value: - The study uses the relationship marketing approach to explore the critical role of information communication construct in a buyer-seller exchange process. Moreover, the inclusion of salesperson experience as a possible moderator of the links to this construct brings additional value.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Does greater school resource allocation improve efficiency in education production? Performance assessment of Spanish public sector-funded schools
|
[
"School-based management",
"Stochastic frontier analysis",
"Efficiency measurement",
"Public sector-funded schools in Spain",
"I21",
"I22",
"D22"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: This paper aimed to develop a better understanding of the education production process in the public sector-funded education in Spain: public schools and subsidized private schools (called centros concertados). It is essential, in the interest of accountability, to measure the efficiency of the institutions which comprise these sectors. If schools get public funds, the society (or taxpayers) should ensure that they perform. Moreover, if centros concertados were not efficient, the public money they receive would not be economically justified.\n2. Background: In educational production, the concept of efficiency refers to the ability of schools to maximize their educational output (e.g. student learning outcomes) from the resources given to them (textbooks, computers, etc.). The common denominator of a vast majority of efficiency studies at non-university levels is whether, on the one hand, greater decentralization of educational systems - a greater decentralization of public expenditure on education - leads to improved efficiency in the production of education. On the other hand, researchers are also interested in knowing if the introduction of market mechanisms in education - various forms of privatization of education - leads to efficiency improvements in the delivery of educational services. In the Spanish case, both facts met. In the early 1980s began the process of decentralization of education to the comunidades autonomas, a process that was completed in 2000. And since 1985, private schools have been subsidized almost entirely by the public sector, schools chosen freely by parents and free of charge.\n3. Methodological framework: In an output-oriented performance assessment, technical efficiency (TE) would reflect the ability of a school to produce the maximum amount of output (e.g. students' test scores) from a given set of school resources or inputs (e.g. books, computers, etc.). Schools that managed to maximize their school output would draw the so-called \"empirical efficient production frontier\" (efficient schools), while schools that fell below the frontier would be labeled as inefficient. Let us think of a school district with five public schools of equal socioeconomic status that produce a school output from a school input. In Figure 1, schools A, B, D and E are efficient because they do not have any other school either on their left or above. These schools exhibit the best practices and they draw the efficient production frontier. A failure to attain the production frontier, given the input quantity, is labeled as technical inefficiency. School C is below the frontier and it is inefficient because, compared to D, it uses the same amount of input but its output is smaller. To become efficient, C should expand its output by moving to the frontier improving its students' academic results. How can school C do it? For example, with greater autonomy in resource allocation (school-based management). This is the central hypothesis in our study.\n4. Data and variables: This paper focused on the mathematical competence in believing that schools play a key role in the education of their students in this ability, unlike the reading competence where the family is more important than the school. In this regard, the fifth wave of the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2012) was centered on mathematics performance, and most variables in the database that can explain the (in)efficiency of schools were related to practices in the teaching of mathematics. More than 900 Spanish schools participated in PISA 2012, being the largest and most representative sample of the Spanish educational system in PISA since 2000[4].\n5. Measuring the performance of secondary education institutions: Model specification\n6. Conclusion: This paper assesses the school-level productive efficiency and its determinants in the secondary education industry in Spain. Education provision is considered efficient when those responsible for education institutions make the best use of available resources. Results indicate that average TE in our sample of public sector-funded schools is around 92 percent. This finding indicates that to operate efficiently, Spanish schools should expand their output by 8 percent, keeping their inputs fixed. There are, however, efficiency advantages of centros concertados over public schools, having considered the socioeconomic status of the schools.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure the efficiency performance of public sector-funded schools in Spain.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using school-level data from Program for International Student Assessment 2012, cross-sectional models were estimated using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). Technical efficiencies of public sector-funded schools (public schools and centros concertados), and their determinants were estimated using a one-step maximum likelihood procedure. SFA models include both a stochastic error term and a term that can be characterized as inefficiency; the non-negative technical inefficiency effects are assumed to be a function of school characteristics.\nFindings: The results show that greater school autonomy and school responsibility for resource allocation are associated with efficiency improvement. Subsidized private schools (called centros concertados) were more efficient than public schools. The former are free of bureaucratic constraints that encumber public schools, and they are able to control many more decisions at the school level (e.g. they select their own teachers).\nOriginality/value: This paper shows the value of school autonomy for educational performance. The author defines school autonomy as the operational empowerment of the principals and teachers. Therefore, the government could grant greater autonomy to public schools (school-based management), since school autonomy is a driver of efficiency. Further, teachers' morale is also an environmental driver of efficiency. Schools tend to be more efficient when teachers work with enthusiasm or value academic achievement. And this is more likely to occur in private schools, even though teachers are hired (they are not civil servants) and have a lower salary than public school teachers. The lack of motivation of many teachers in public schools may be in the absence of incentives - there is no possibility of promotion and everyone is guaranteed a wage increase every three years -and in the bureaucratization of the public school system.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Conceptualizing learning in the public sector: the importance of context
|
[
"Public sector",
"Learning organizations",
"Organizational learning",
"Evaluation and learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Organizational learning (OL) in public sector agencies is critical for the development and implementation of policy, and for improved efficiency and effectiveness in management (Yeo, 2003). But despite significant attention from managers and the academic world, learning remains an elusive goal in public sector organizations. In particular, the lack of use of findings from both management-related and program-related evaluations is widely reported in the literature (Weiss, 1999; Sandison, 2005; Independent Commission for Aid Impact, 2014).\nLearning in public sector organizations: It is important to establish what we mean by OL. The literature is vast and includes many different perspectives (Hussain and Yazdani, 2013). Empirical research is challenging, because definitions of OL are based on abstract learning models which can be difficult to operationalize. While learning occurs within a \"context\" (the environment of the organization) (Argote and Miron-Spektor, 2011), the \"how\" of learning tends to overshadow the purpose and results of learning. In the private sector, these purposes are at least implicitly grounded in the need to improve competitiveness in market situations. In the public sector, on the other hand, the purposes of learning have many forms and properties including agency survival, meeting the expectations of ministers as well as improving efficiency and effectiveness of operations. With this in mind, we define OL as any change in practice within an organization that results from reflection or critique, whether at individual, team or higher management levels. We use the term \"practice\" in this context simply to mean \"the way things are done.\"\nResearch approach: Conceptual studies in learning lend themselves to qualitative methodologies (Bapuji and Crossan 2004). A purposive case study designed to bring out the \"what\" of learning was chosen. The case study, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), was selected because it was a learning-oriented organization, in the sense that its business was encouraging learning in its clients. In addition, ACIAR benefited from a lack of impediments to learning: its environment was not highly politicized; potential learnings did not obviously challenge the status quo; and it faced no obvious bureaucratic threats. ACIAR should, therefore, illuminate public sector learning at its best, as well as suggesting generalizable avenues for learning improvement.\nWhat the case study showed: Interviewees mentioned a range of formal processes as learning-related (or potentially learning related):\nThe learning map: Interview responses and documents giving examples of learning were collated to provide a detailed description of where and how learning occurred. As the study probed deeper into ACIAR's processes, it found that what people learned about, whether formally or informally, could be mapped onto the organization's tasks, functions and activities. In this way, four different learning sites were identified (see Table I) - project, program, operational and strategic. Following an approach discussed in Geiger, learning was located as a practice linking structure (the learning sites) and agency (the activities of individuals and groups) (Geiger, 2009, p. 131). For each learning site, the study identified how and to what purpose the learning occurred. \"How\" included learning applications, defined as the key activities to which learning was applied; and learning mechanisms, which covered the organizational and individual activities involved. By purposes, we mean the outcomes the learning applications were designed to achieve. In turn these identifications enabled links to be discerned to evaluation and other processes that would encourage further learning. The mapping process enabled a critical perspective on how the agency learned to be developed.\nThe overall impact of context: adaptation or learning?: It is important to acknowledge the adaptive elements of ACIAR's strategic response over time. The agency understood both the opportunities and the constraints of the environments in which it operated. Its strong professional identity was critical to being visible and respected while still maintaining a level of control of its agenda. The organization did not try to grow too big, nor did it over-sell itself. From the outset the agency understood the importance of being able to demonstrate, through evidence, that its work was effective. This emphasis on what would later be called \"outcomes\" meant that ACIAR was well-placed to respond to the challenges of new public management.\nConclusion: The literature on OL is predominantly based on, and oriented towards, learning in the business sector. Much less is known about learning in organizations in the public sector (Rashman et al., 2009). The number of empirical studies is relatively small and tends to detail the \"what\" rather than the \"how\" of learning (Moynihan and Landuyt, 2009, p. 1097). We sought to improve knowledge in this area by drawing on the OL and evaluation literatures to highlight the nature of, and challenges to, public sector learning.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Given the importance of context in shaping learning, the authors argue that there is a need for research aimed specifically at elucidating organizational learning in a public sector environment. To address this need, the purpose of this paper is to present both critical and practical insights into the nature of public sector learning, based on a detailed mapping of learning in a knowledge-based public sector organization.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A purposive case study is employed to explore learning in a knowledge-based organization facing few of the known impediments to learning.\nFindings: Learning occurred in a range of ways, through both formal and informal mechanisms. Four learning sites were observed: project, program, operational and strategic. Little use was made of formal evaluation products. Learning was constrained by mental models and organizational context and was, thus, found to be strongest in areas relating to the agency's core business and dominant professional expertise (international agricultural research).\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings of the study are based on the learning experience of a single public sector organization in the applied research and development sector. Further work is needed on public sector organizations operating in a variety of situations to determine the generalizability of the patterns reported here and to develop and validate the mapping approach employed in the study.\nPractical implications: The mapping approach enabled parts of the organization that were not included in the learning conversation to be identified. The involvement of the researchers also precipitated learning activities and consciousness, suggesting that practically-oriented research may be a useful learning catalyst for small organizations.\nOriginality/value: Learning in public sector organizations is usually approached through the \"lens\" of models developed in business settings. Mapping learning provides a way of showing what is learned, how it is learned, and its relationship to the public sector environment, characterized by legislation, political variables and ministerial oversight. This approach offers a way forward in the understanding and development of public sector learning.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The relation between goal orientation and occupational withdrawal
|
[
"Employee attitudes",
"Mediation",
"Goal orientation",
"Occupational withdrawal"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Holland's (1996) career typology postulates that individuals with a poor fit between their personal characteristics and their vocation are less likely to be satisfied with their positions, have increased thoughts of changing vocations, and experience an unstable career path with shifts between differing vocations. This study considers the personal characteristic of goal orientation. The goal orientation adopted by an individual establishes their mental framework which is used in decision making (Silver et al., 2006). Depending upon the goal orientation of the individual, he/she is likely to respond differently to changes in the workplace. For example, an individual high on learning goal orientation is likely to face challenges with a decision to exert additional effort or to try a new strategy. This differs from an individual with a high avoid goal orientation, who is likely to decide to give up or give in when faced with extreme work changes. \"Goal orientation is a promising motivational construct that may explain why some individuals adapt to change better\" (DeShon and Gillespie, 2005, p. 1096).\nTheoretical model: A theoretical model of job withdrawal has been proposed by Hulin and expanded by his colleagues and former students over the years (see also Brett and Drasgow, 2002). In part, this model proposes that worker characteristics are antecedents of withdrawal behavior and this relation is mediated by employee job attitudes. Holland's model also suggests that the relation between personal characteristics and career withdrawal thoughts and behaviors is mediated by satisfaction. While many worker characteristics have been studied in relation to employee job attitudes and withdrawal behavior, goal orientation has not yet been fully considered in this context. Theory does suggest, however, that goal orientation may be a good predictor of job attitudes (Fortunato and Goldblatt, 2006). The theoretical model tested in this study is presented in Figure 2. A discussion of the constructs and the proposed model follows. Income is a common control variable in withdrawal research (Blau, 2007), as such, a measure of income was included in the model.\nMethod: Procedures\nResults: Independent samples t-tests were conducted for all study variables based on wave of data collection and sex. No significant differences were found, an indication that the sample data all come from a single population. We ran two analyses to determine if the data suffers substantially from common method bias. A Harmon single-factor test returned four components with eigenvalues greater than 1 (Podsakoff and Organ, 1986), with at most 25 percent of the variance explained by a single factor (Podsakoff et al., 2003). We then ran two confirmatory factor analyses using AMOS, one with the four factor model (learning, avoid, satisfaction, occupational withdrawal intentions) and a second with an added latent common methods variance factor (Podsakoff et al., 2003). A comparison was made between the hypothesized four factor solution and the solution assuming a common methods variance factor by reviewing the Akaike's Information Criteria statistics (AIC; see Hu and Bentler, 1995). The AIC can be used to compare two models, with smaller values an indicator of a better fit (Byrne, 2001). The AIC was smaller in the four factor model (AIC=324.12) than in the common methods variance factor model (AIC=340.00). The results of the AIC and the Harmon single-factor tests are an indication that common method bias is not a substantial problem in this study.\nDiscussion: Individual employee characteristics, combined with job requirements and attitudes are of interest to managers and researchers alike if they can be used to predict and understand the constructs of occupational withdrawal attitude and behavior. One such individual employee characteristic is that of goal orientation. Prior research (Fortunato and Goldblatt, 2006) suggested that goal orientation may be a good predictor of job-related behaviors, the findings from this study provides some support for that view. Lin and Chang's (2005) study on job turnover concluded that learning goal orientation was significantly related to turnover, in that employees with higher levels of learning goal orientation were more likely to leave their jobs. The results of this study do not support this prior finding. Instead, the results suggest that the relation between learning goal orientation and occupational withdrawal behavior is fully mediated by job satisfaction. That is, higher levels of learning orientation led to higher levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of withdrawal behavior. Past research has overwhelmingly supported the importance of job satisfaction as a mediator between individual employee characteristics and job withdrawal attitude and behavior. The finding that this relation holds for the relation between learning goal orientation and occupational withdrawal is particularly important, as research suggests that goal orientation can be shifted through training and feedback (see Janssen and VanYperen, 2004; VandeWalle et al., 1999). By utilizing training and feedback to increase learning goal orientation, employers have a possible means for effecting job satisfaction and ultimately withdrawal attitude and behavior. \"Task performance may be enhanced for some individuals by training them to understand that many forms of ability can be developed and that effort is an important determinant of performance success\" (VandeWalle et al., 1999, p. 256). Thus, employees who are taught that negative results are due to poor effort (vs poor ability) are more likely to adapt a learning goal orientation which may decrease withdrawal intentions. Managers should also encourage employees with motivation techniques that stress a learning goal orientation (motivation to try harder and learn new techniques) instead of one that stresses a performance goal orientation (competitive sales contests; VandeWalle et al., 1999). A learning goal orientation stresses the importance for employees to adjust their work strategies to ensure continued success (Bell and Kozlowski, 2002; Colquitt and Simmering, 1998) with a focus on effort as a way to overcome obstacles (Creed et al., 2009). In this way, training and feedback programs to increase the learning goal orientation of employees have the potential to significantly increase employee job satisfaction and by association, reduce withdrawal attitude and behavior. Although findings indicate that job satisfaction mediates the relation between learning goal orientation and occupational withdrawal behavior, no such relation was found for withdrawal attitude. This is an interesting finding as it lends support for theory that occupational withdrawal is a long process with many intermediate steps, including thinking, planning, intentions, and behaviors.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the relation between employee goal orientation and occupational withdrawal intentions and behaviors considering employee satisfaction a mediator in the relations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Survey data were obtained from a sample of 241 licensed real estate professionals using a self-administrated questionnaire. Mediation hypotheses were tested using Smart PLS.\nFindings: The results indicate that job satisfaction fully mediates the relation between learning goal orientation and occupational withdrawal intentions and behaviors. A direct positive relation was found between avoid goal orientation and occupational withdrawal intentions and behaviors.\nPractical implications: Worker shortages in many occupations increases the importance of the ability to understand and predict occupational withdrawal behaviors.\nOriginality/value: This study adds to the literature by considering goal orientation as an individual employee characteristics central in predicting and understanding occupational attitudes and withdrawal intentions and behaviors.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Profile of academic entrepreneurship in Brazil: Evidence from the evaluation of former holders of undergraduate research, master and PhD scholarships
|
[
"University",
"Spin-offs",
"Academic entrepreneurship",
"Entrepreneurial profile",
"Entrepreneurial activity",
"Technological entrepreneurship"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Entrepreneurial activity is one of the world's main drivers of economic, technological and social change (Bygrave, 2009; Volkmann et al., 2010). Entrepreneurship positively affects the economy through the development of technological innovations, creation of new companies and markets, generation of new short and long-term employment opportunities and encouragement of firms' competitiveness (Kritikos, 2014). Several authors have demonstrated the special relevance of small technology-based companies for innovation and job creation (Guerrero et al., 2015; Sanchez and Maldonado, 2015).\n2. Concepts and key factors of academic entrepreneurship: The original concept of entrepreneurship is attributed to economists Cantillon (1755) and Say (1821). Since then, several authors have expanded the discussion on what is entrepreneurship and who is the entrepreneur (Austin et al., 2006; Druilhe and Garnsey, 2004; Gartner, 2008). In general, the authors in this area choose two different streams:\n3. Methodology: We collected data for this study from a more comprehensive research, whose objective was to evaluate the scholarship programs for Undergraduate research (IC), Master (MS) and PhD (DR) of Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). The study was carried out between 2010 and 2012, and it used a quasi-experimental design, where the treatment group was composed by individuals who had requested IC, MS and DR scholarships to FAPESP between 1995 and 2009, had their submissions approved and finished their projects by the end of 2009. On the other hand, the control group gathered individuals who had their applications denied by FAPESP, but they received grants from other funding agencies such as the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES). Hence, the assessment focused on the effect of peer review - the model used by FAPESP - for the selection of fellows, compared to the quota model adopted by the other agencies.\n4. Results: After completing the sample's general characterization, this section presents the results from the online questionnaire, organized according to the research hypotheses. All the analyses considered the frequencies for each of the three categories identified: non-entrepreneurs, academic entrepreneurs and nonacademic entrepreneurs.\n5. Discussion: This research had the purpose of studying personal determinants that affect academic entrepreneurship. We carried out bibliographical and documentary research and an online survey with former scholarship holders for undergraduate, master and PhD research who requested support from FAPESP.\n6. Final remarks: The purpose of this article was to contribute to the understanding of the profile of entrepreneurial researchers in the Brazilian academic context, with focus on the state of Sao Paulo. It contributes to the development of the topic of academic entrepreneurship in the country, both from the conceptual and empirical points of view, based on the presentation and discussion of data on the entrepreneurial activity of a sample of former scholarship holders of undergraduate, master and PhD research.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to understand, in the state of Sao Paulo academic environment, the differences between the profiles of academic entrepreneurs, nonacademic entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors collected data from a more comprehensive research, whose objective was to evaluate the scholarship programmes of Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). For data collection, the authors used an online questionnaire, pre-filled with information from the Lattes Curriculum of the sample individuals, as well as information obtained from FAPESP and from coordination for the improvement of higher education personnel. The response rate of the questionnaires was 21 per cent. The authors sought to explore the variables regarding entrepreneurial activities carried out by former scholarship holders, by relating them to other key variables identified in the literature review and explained in the hypotheses.\nFindings: The results indicate that entrepreneurship rates decrease with the higher academic level of the researcher; in general, academic entrepreneurs come from families with a good financial situation, and applied sciences are the areas of knowledge with more entrepreneurs.\nOriginality/value: Despite the great number of theoretical and empirical studies found in the literature on entrepreneurship and academic entrepreneurship, there is still a shortage of practical studies on this latter topic in Brazil. This gap is even more evident when the authors consider the significant growth of entrepreneurial activity in the country in the past years. This paper contributes to fill this gap, and it aims to understand, in the state of Sao Paulo academic environment, the differences between the profiles of academic entrepreneurs, nonacademic entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Effect of channel congruence on a retailer's image
|
[
"Multichannel customer management",
"Channel congruence",
"Website image",
"Store image",
"Retailer image",
"Retailers",
"France"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Now a major marketing function for capturing and retaining customers (Neslin et al., 2006), multichannel management is an efficient source of differentiation for retailers (Rosenbloom, 2007). As it builds the relationship with their customers, it enhances their profitability and loyalty (Kumar and Venkatesan, 2005). In that way, the question of congruence between distribution channels has become critical. This involves combining the channels adequately to make customers' perceived experience seamless (Geyskens et al., 2002; Coelho et al., 2003; Payne and Frow, 2004). The question is about the desirable degree of interactions between those channels. It has two practical implications.The first one is related to channel performance. Should the features of the retail website (offerings, pricing, discounts, layout, etc.) be consistent with the stores' to enable the learning and cross-channel mobility of the retailer's customers (Katerattanakul and Siau, 2003) and thus curtail the phenomenon of free riding highlighted by Van Baal and Dach (2005)? Or should they differ to prevent any risk of cannibalisation (Alba et al., 1997; Geyskens et al., 2002)? Although inadequately addressed at an empirical level, this question has been widely debated at a theoretical level. It will not be tackled in this research.The second implication involves the role of channel congruence as a \"guiding principle\" in sustaining strong retailer image (Del Franco and Chiger, 2002, p. 16). The synergies of front-office (information consistency of the various channels) and cutting consumer learning costs may boost retailers' overall image. A retailer leveraging multiple channels of distribution (Weinberg et al., 2007) under an umbrella brand (Gulati and Garino, 2000) may make its perceived congruence even more essential. Indeed, congruent channels supposedly improve retailer image by helping to trigger a holistic judgment favourable to the retailer both in terms of memorisation and resistance to the competition's actions (Keller, 1993). Still, despite a broad consensus, no research has demonstrated empirically that congruent distributions channels improve the retailer's image. On that issue, Puccinelli et al. (2009, p. 25) argue that \"the importance of consistency between the brick-and-mortar store and the click-and-mortar site remains an open question\".The purpose of this study is to assess whether the image of a retailer - beyond the distinct contributions of the website and the stores - is improved by the perceived congruence of its channels, and for what types of customers. Thus, this quantitative research was conducted on a real B to C case and aims to answer three questions with major managerial implications for retailers:1. Relative to the specific contributions of each channel, what is the actual added value of the site and store's perceived congruence in improving the retailer's image?2. Does the impact of congruence differ depending on whether the customer buys only in-store, only online, or across these two channels?3. Is there any fallout from intermediary incongruence thresholds?First, a review of literature delineates the conceptual framework of this research. A second section verifies the tested hypotheses. A third section presents the methodology and the measurement scales used. The main findings are then encapsulated. Finally, the additional contributions of perceived congruence are discussed in relation to the contributions of each channel.\n2. Review of literature: This research is based on the concept of congruence rather than fit, mainly because of the position these concepts occupy in individuals' cognitive processes. That is, among the few marketing researchers who do not use these concepts interchangeably, Maoz and Tybout (2002) utilise congruence to link together beliefs - compatibility and alignment of the parent brand's image with its possible extensions - prior to any other kind of evaluation (Lee, 1995). In contrast, fit is used to connect attitudes (Maoz and Tybout, 2002; Czellar, 2003). This research looks at channel and retailer images - therefore, beliefs rather than attitudes - engaging the concept of perceived congruence to connect objects that are different in nature: the retail website, the stores and the retailer.2.1 Perceived congruence of distribution channels\n3. Hypotheses development: These hypotheses apply to customers familiar enough with the retailer's site and stores alike, having visited them during the information phase. They can all make congruence judgments. However, they either buy in a single channel only (offline or online buyers) or across both depending on the products or the situation (multichannel buyers). The purchase behaviour of each type of clients is highly dependent on their familiarity with each channel (see sample). Therefore, it is possible to test most following hypotheses by differentiating between each group of customers.3.1 Effects of channel image on retailer image\n4. Methodology: 4.1 Selected environment and sample\n5. Results: Given the research hypotheses tested as well as gaps in perceptions, attitudes and behaviours found in databases between the three respondent subsamples, a multigroup analysis was implemented.5.1 Methodological precautions\n6. Conclusion: Extensively discussed at a theoretical level, the issue of channel congruence has been poorly addressed at an empirical level. Based on a real case and a great variety of customers with very distinct purchasing behaviours, this research is a first attempt at examining the effects of perceived congruence on the image of a multichannel retailer. It also takes into account channel image, making it easier to evaluate the actual added value of perceived congruence in relation to the distinct contributions of the website and stores.The outcome is that, generally speaking, retailer image is improved by congruent channels of distribution. This empirically corroborates Del Franco and Chiger's (2002) conclusions as well as Weinberg et al.'s (2007). The positive effect is all the more significant as perceived congruence between channels is high (versus moderate). The fact that this beneficial effect never peaks at an intermediate stage of congruence, challenges the explanatory capacity of Mandler's (1982) model - at least in terms of multichannel distribution - confirmed in the field of products by Meyers-Levy and Tybout (1989) or Stayman et al. (1992). However, channel congruence cannot be elevated to a universal \"guiding principle\" as advocated by Del Franco and Chiger (2002) because it significantly affects multichannel and online buyers only, with no detrimental impact on the retailer's image. Also, it has no impact on offline buyers as they only take into consideration the images of the two channels.6.1 Implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the image of a retailer - beyond the distinct contributions of the website and the stores - is improved by the perceived congruence of its channels, and for what types of customers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An online survey was conducted on 1,478 customers taken from the behavioural databases of a major French multichannel retailer. Structural modelling and one-way ANOVA were used to test the working hypotheses.\nFindings: - Congruent channels improve retailer image even when these channels have a less good image. However, channel congruence cannot be elevated to a universal guiding principle as it only affects multichannel and online buyers, with no detrimental impact on retailer image.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The study is mainly limited by the type of retailer studied, and the choice of an online questionnaire, limiting the representativeness of the offline purchasers.\nPractical implications: - In order to improve its image, a multichannel retailer must seek maximum congruence of its website and stores. Congruent channels lead to benefits for the retailer even when they are poorly valued by consumers.\nOriginality/value: - Despite a broad theoretical consensus, this is the first study to demonstrate empirically that website and store congruence improves retailer image, and not only online purchase intentions. It is also one of the first published researches that uses congruence as a mediating variable.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How to make your Facebook posts attractive: A case study of a leading budget hotel brand fan page
|
[
"Facebook",
"Communication quality",
"Communications technology",
"Computer-mediated communication",
"Social media",
"Content analysis",
"Marketing communications",
"Social networking sites",
"Budget hotel",
"Super 8",
"Brand–consumer relationship"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social media are regarded as new marketing tools for promoting a brand's products or services, constituting an emerging communication channel through which to shape the relationship between a brand and its customers (Hsu, 2012). Among the ever-burgeoning variety of social media web sites, Facebook is the most popular (Nielsen, 2012), with 1.28 billion active users at the first quarter of 2014 (Facebook, 2014). It has been said that if Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country in the world (Qualman, 2012). Thus, representing potentially the world's third largest market, Facebook has attracted many brands wanting to leverage their appeal to impress and capture potential customers. Activities engaged in by brands on Facebook mainly include marketing and building relationships with customers (Treadaway and Smith, 2012). In either case, brands use Facebook first and foremost for communication - communicating their products, services, value, brand personality and culture to customers.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Facebook as a marketing strategy for hospitality and tourism industry\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Content analysis\n4. Results: 4.1 Descriptive statistics and reliability\n5. Discussion and conclusion: According to the findings, topic of post is not the critical reason for fans' participations in communicating with a brand, although it has been verified that emphasizing hotel products or image may get opposite effects to what a brand expects. The finding confirms Kwok and Yu's (2013) suggestion that people prefer conversational information rather than information on marketing and selling. In practice, delivering a message using a humorous approach can functionally draw more fans to like a post, perhaps because no one wants to talk with a boring person. This result is consistent with Cvijikj and Michahelles's (2013) finding that the posts characterized as entertainment vividness lead to higher engagement of consumers. The results also indicate that a post ending with a questioning sentence, such as \"What do you think?\" or \"What's your opinion?\" will reduce the number of \"likes\" while inducing more \"comments\" as questions require higher levels of cognitive efforts to process. Fans are, therefore, more likely to respond in a cognitive way (by \"commenting\" on the post) not just in an emotional way (just \"liking\" the post). The strategy of attaching a request for fans to \"like\" a post, as in a sentence such as \"Please like the post if you agree\", substantially boosts the number of \"like\". In this case, fans who are invited to engage in a discussion experience a sense of being noticed and valued, encouraging them to be more proactive in engaging in the discussion.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to identify what type of post is most effective in drawing fans to like, comment on or share it, building on the premise that hotels can only benefit when \"fans\" - customers who \"like\" them - engage in discussion and interaction on Facebook.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In the case of the Super 8 Hotels Facebook fan page, 14 underlying factors related to themes, media, characteristics and time are identified in a content analysis of its posts. Multilevel regression is employed in the study to test the effects of these 14 factors on the number of fans who like, comment on or share a post.\nFindings: Posts about hotel products and attributes diminish the attractiveness to the hotel brand's Facebook page. The posts that include award and discount information, expressed in a humorous way or end with requests to like tend to be liked more often by fans. Furthermore, posts ending with a question are likely to get more comments, but these questions have a negative influence on the number of likes the post receives. In addition, posts with pictures or involving environment concerns are more likely to be shared by fans.\nPractical implications: The paper provides hotel practitioners with implementable communication tactics to increase their appeal to consumers on Facebook.\nOriginality/value: The study represents a new academic area of how to communicate using social media and concludes with practical strategies for hoteliers seeking to utilize Facebook as an effective marketing tool.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Primary school principals
'
job satisfaction and occupational stress
|
[
"Job satisfaction",
"Ireland",
"Occupational stress",
"Primary schools"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: School principals are the key factor in shaping a school climate that supports students and teachers. Existing research has established the empirical link between school leadership and improved student achievement (Wallace Foundation, 2013) as well as job satisfaction of teachers (Shen et al., 2012). Over the years the role of the school principal has evolved, becoming exceedingly more complex and demanding (Fullan, 1991) with a range of new responsibilities added to the existing ones (Chaplain, 2001; Blase et al., 2010). The range of tasks includes instructional, administrative and managerial ones as well as day-to-day issues that may arise in a school (Fink and Resnick, 2001). In addition, as societies are becoming more complex, schools are now playing a much wider role in the community, responding to the diverse needs of students and their parents. There is some evidence that the complexity of the role is recognised by principals across different types of schools. A study in the USA found that this was the case regardless of demographic characteristics such as school level, school location, the proportion of low-income or minority students, or the proportion of students performing at or above grade level in English language, Arts and Maths (Markow et al., 2013). The breadth and complexity of tasks is accompanied by the fact that education systems in a number of countries have experienced significant cuts in government spending (Darmody and Smyth, 2013), adding additional strain to the job.\nTheoretical framework: Job satisfaction\nExisting research on job satisfaction and occupational stress among school principals: Over the years, a considerable literature has built up on the job satisfaction and occupational stress of teachers, with only a few studies specifically focusing on school principals. Existing literature refers to the complex relationship between job satisfaction and stress of those in the teaching profession, whereby a highly stressful job can simultaneously provide personal satisfaction (Chaplain, 2008). How an individual perceives the \"target environment\" determines their feelings towards the job (Lofquist and Dawis, 1991). There is now a growing emphasis on accountability, standards, and high-stakes testing, all adding to the workload of the principal. Demands of the job and the time it consumes are two barriers for entering the profession (Else and Sodoma, 1999). The MetLife Survey showed declining levels of job satisfaction due to high levels of stress and the limited control principals have over key academic functions in their schools. Occupational stress has become a serious issue in recent years as school principals attempt to cope with frequent change, increased demands from parents and employing authorities (Green et al., 2001). However, not all stress has a negative impact. According to Gmelch and Chan (1994), there are two different types of stress; one that is positive and other is negative. The physical, emotional and mental exhaustion from stress is referred to as burnout (Queen and Queen, 2005). Cooper and Kelly (1993) found that the most severe stressor of principals in the UK was the workload. Shields (2007) found that responsibilities connected with the home, parenting and transfers for promotions were also found to contribute towards stress. The stress an individual is experiencing is likely to affect his/her colleagues. Westman and Etzion (1999) in Israel found that work-related stress crossed over to teachers and then bounced back or rebounded onto the principal, causing further stress. The way stress is experienced has been found to vary across groups. For example, female, as well as young inexperienced principals of small schools have been found to experience a higher degree of stress than their colleagues (Westman and Etzion,1999 ).\nIreland: system of leadership: The primary school sector in Ireland comprises 3,500 schools, employing approximately 16,000 teachers. School principals hold a central role in these schools, being responsible for leadership; teaching and learning; research management; human resource management; policy formation; administration; and external relationships (Drea and O'Brien, 2001). The Education Act 1998 lists the role and responsibilities of school principals. While some primary school principals have mainly administrative duties, there is a significant proportion of principals who have teaching duties. The significant workload that school principals have was recognised by the establishment of in-school management arrangements for primary schools in 2003, which recognised the need to share leadership, managerial and administrative duties among members of the teaching staff (DES Circular 4/1998). Teachers can take leadership roles in curricular and organisational areas. In acknowledgement of the complexity of the job and need for adequate preparation, Leadership Development for Schools[1], a support service for Principals and Deputy Principals, devised and delivered training programmes for Middle Leaders. Despite the support, a survey by the (Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) (2010)) revealed that up to half of primary principals in Ireland have some work-related health issue. Most problems tend to be caused by growing workload, triggered often by overall cutbacks. Growing workload was seen to prevent the principals from keeping up with their working routine and to disrupt fulfilling their duties efficiently.\nCurrent study: Methodology, data sources and measures\nDiscussion and conclusions: Internationally the evidence indicates that school principals juggle multiple responsibilities and work under increasingly stressful conditions. This frequently results in lower levels of job satisfaction, increased occupational stress levels and sometimes burnout. However, despite recent role changes, added job responsibilities and increased accountability, some principals remain remarkably resilient while working in a turbulent environment and report high levels of job satisfaction. This refers to a complex relationship between occupational stress and job satisfaction.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors associated with occupational stress and job satisfaction among Irish primary school principals. A principal's job has become increasingly demanding and complex in recent decades. However, there is little current research into their levels of stress and job satisfaction, particularly based on nationally representative data. In order to understand how principals perceive their job and how best to support them, new insights into factors contributing to job satisfaction and stress of school principals are warranted.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper draws on an analysis of Growing up in Ireland data, a national representative study of nine-year-old children in Ireland. In order to explore the simultaneous impact of individual and school factors on stress and job satisfaction of principals in Irish primary schools, multivariate analysis was used. Analyses in this paper are based on responses from principals in 898 schools.\nFindings: The results of the study indicate that a significant number of primary school principals in Ireland are not very satisfied and feel stressed about their job. Regression analysis revealed that job satisfaction and occupational stress were related to a complex set of personal characteristics, working conditions, school context and teacher climate.\nResearch limitations/implications: The data are limited to primary school principals. However, this is in itself an advantage since it allows for greater insights into variation across principals in job satisfaction and stress, holding the effect of school level constant.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study of its kind in the Irish context that explores the simultaneous effect of a number of factors on school principals' stress and job satisfaction.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Using knowledge management to revise software-testing processes
|
[
"Knowledge management",
"Customer service management",
"Program testing",
"Learning organizations",
"Australia"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Worldwide, utilities industries are becoming increasingly deregulated and therefore also increasingly competitive. Utility retailers are well aware that their competitive advantage is somewhat reliant on the performance of their customer service business operations, including customer care, billing and credit management. This understanding is consistent with the literature that indicates that a service provider's customer focus can lead to the customer service experience becoming a competitive advantage (Seybold, 2001; Lederer and Hill, 2001).Commonly, customer service departments of such organisations use a Customer Information System (CIS) to store and access customer data. Customer service departments and their systems generally support at least three major business functions - customer care, billing and credit management. The customer care processes are usually operated by a call centre with operators interacting with customers, predominantly via the phone, but increasingly by alternative means such as email. The call centre providing customer care is the first level of customer support, with the billing and credit management business functions providing second level support. Therefore, the ongoing maintenance of a CIS is of prime importance to a customer service department. Maintenance requirements of such systems may be prompted by either or both externally or internally driven change. External change may be driven by the market regulator or competitors and internal change by new product development or bundling. Given the important role of the CIS to a customer service department, the ongoing accuracy of both system functionality and data is of prime importance to business operations. Customer service departments must ensure that the CIS continues to function as required despite system changes being introduced. Software development quality processes must therefore be maintained to a high standard.One aspect of software development quality processes is software testing. With respect to a CIS, the testing scope must include customer scenarios for all three major business processes - customer care, billing and credit management. Traditionally, customer service personnel have worked in one of these three main business functions developing either a greater breadth or depth of knowledge over time. Therefore it is impractical and unrealistic to expect individuals to be capable of testing the large variety of business processes reliant on CIS functions and data. Similarly impractical and unrealistic is the proposal to assemble a large testing team comprising people with the required breadth and depth of knowledge to adequately test existing system functionality and new/changed system functionality. The most practical solution lies in the development and ongoing maintenance of a repository of test cases (knowledge assets) that comprises the necessary breadth and depth of business knowledge to test existing and new/changed functionality.This paper is structured as follows. In the next section we outline knowledge management concepts and in particular the APQC Knowledge Management (KM) framework, followed by a description of software testing principles. We then describe the case study characteristics and how the series of three workshops were conducted to improve CIS production support team members' test planning skills and to define a KM based software-testing process. We then present our findings and discuss the results. The paper concludes with discussion on the value of this approach and its implications. Our intended contribution to the literature is to demonstrate how the APQC KM framework can be used relatively easily and quickly in a workshop environment to develop a KM based process for capturing and conveying tacit knowledge, including the definition of critical success factors.\nKnowledge management concepts: The knowledge management (KM) literature has developed standard definitions of knowledge. Tacit knowledge is know-how knowledge that is held in a person's body and is so embedded in their consciousness that it comes an unexpressed set of assumptions (Polanyi, 1997). Explicit knowledge is accessible to all because of it being well-documented and communicated (Sveiby, 1997).Much of the process of knowledge management relates to a cycle of exchanging tacit knowledge and converting it to explicit knowledge and then re-conceptualising it through the person's worldview and experience into tacit knowledge. Different models illustrate different aspects of this cycle. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) refer to the cycle of knowledge generation as a cycle or spiral of enlightenment.In this model, tacit knowledge is exchanged with tacit knowledge through socialisation, shared experience, mental models and skills. Tacit knowledge is converted to explicit knowledge through externalisation where the hidden know-how is expressed and articulated through metaphors, models, concepts, equations and other forms of explanation. Explicit knowledge can be exchanged and developed through combination, systemising different bodies of explicit knowledge and re-configuring it like placing pieces together in a jigsaw puzzle to create a picture. Explicit knowledge is converted into tacit knowledge through internalisation where the person absorbs it through experience, testing and/or simulating their use of operational knowledge.This leads to the generation of important intangible knowledge assets, often poorly recognised by organisations. These have been categorised (Nonaka and Teece, 2001) into four classes of knowledge asset:1. Experiential - tacit knowledge shared through common experiences comprising skills and know-how of employees, their energy, passion and creative tensions and other culture impacts developed in the workplace.2. Conceptual - explicit knowledge articulated through images, symbols, and language by product concepts, design and brands.3. Systematic - systemised explicit knowledge packaged in documentation, specifications and manuals, databases, patents and licences and other such intellectual property.4. Routine - tacit knowledge recognised and embedded in actions and practices such as daily operational know-how, organisational culture and routines.The transfer of value derived from knowledge assets is dependent upon the way in which individuals (individual competence) relate to each other in sharing and building knowledge, the way in which the organisation (the internal structure) facilitates knowledge sharing and building and the way in which knowledge from outside the organisation (the external structure) is allowed to flow between and permeate through boundaries of individual and organisational knowledge. Sveiby (2000) argues that this interaction, when effectively managed, generates wealth and creates knowledge assets. The importance of open and free exchange of knowledge becomes evident and indicates how an organisational culture and style of leadership can influence the effective building of knowledge assets.A non-proprietary KM framework for developing KM based processes was jointly developed by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC), http://www.apqc.org/ and the Arthur Andersen global consultancy organisation. The APQC proposes that this framework illustrates the process steps of a KM process and also the environmental enablers (critical success factors) required for successful transfer of internal knowledge and best practices (O'Dell, 2000a).The APQC KM framework includes four enablers required to foster the development of organisational knowledge through the knowledge management process of sharing, creating, identifying, collecting, adapting, organising and applying core organisational knowledge assets. Two of these enablers - leadership and culture are considered \"soft enablers\" whilst the remaining two enablers - technology and measurement, are considered to be \"hard enablers\".The combination of the four enablers and the KM process steps are represented as a dynamic system, illustrated in Figure 1. The APQC believes that this framework supports the management of both tacit and explicit knowledge as follows:1. Leadership drivers - leadership practices encompass broad issues of strategy and how the organisation defines its business and uses its knowledge assets to reinforce its core competencies.2. Culture drivers - cultural practices reflect how the organisation views and facilitates both learning and innovation, including how it encourages employees to build the organisational knowledge base in ways that enhance value for the customer.3. Measurement drivers - Measurement practices include not only how an organisation quantifies its knowledge capital but also how resources are allocated to fuel its growth.4. Technology drivers - Technology practices focus on how an organisation equips its members to communicate easily with one another, as well as the systems it uses to collect, store and disseminate information.In terms of the case study, the APQC KM framework was applied by using the steps of the knowledge management process (in the inner circle) as a guide for developing the process for revising the repository of test cases and the four enablers (in the outer circle) were interpreted as defining the environmental critical success factors.\nPrinciples of software testing: The main purpose of software testing is to detect software discrepancies so that they can be resolved prior to being released into a live production environment supporting operational business units.Generally, software testing comprises a number of phases or stages of testing, with each successive stage increasing in scope. The initial stage of software testing comprises unit testing, where a discrete unit of programming is tested by software developers to verify that the unit of software meets it specifications. This initial stage is followed by a number of other stages; the precise number and types of stages is dependent upon an organisation's software testing strategy. Whilst much software testing effort is focussed on testing new or changed systems functionality, organisations must also ensure that existing functionality continues to operate as required. So, some testing effort needs to be expended on testing existing functionality to ensure that it has not regressed with the introduction of new/changed functionality. Testing of existing functionality is called regression testing. Regression testing is reliant on a repository of test cases being executed each time new/changed functionality is introduced. Regression testing can and should be conducted at each stage of testing; to ensure that new/changed functionality has not adversely affected existing functionality. Conducting regression testing in the earlier stages of testing will help identify discrepancies introduced to existing functionality as early as possible\nThe case study: The case study organisation is the CIS production support team within the customer services business unit of an Australian based gas and electricity retailer, one of a number of retailers operating in the deregulated utilities industry in Australia.The CIS production support team's responsibilities include responsibility for testing the CIS on behalf of the customer service business unit. Therefore the CIS production support team is reliant upon having ready access to a combination of business process and system knowledge that will allow them to test both existing CIS functionality and new/changed CIS functionality. The CIS production support team comprises business analysts and technical support staff. To date the business analysts have planned and executed testing of online (screen based) CIS functionality and their technical support colleagues have independently planned and executed testing of offline (batch processing) CIS functionality.The unit of analysis that we focus upon in this paper is restricted to the group of business analysts belonging to the CIS production support team. Technical support staff were excluded from the case study at the direction of the CIS production support manager.When considering the business risks associated with a series of planned CIS software releases that included a relatively large number of major changes to business operations, the CIS production support manager recognised that business analysts' test planning skills and the regression testing process both required improvement. An independent consultant (one of the co-authors) was engaged to address the skills and regression testing process shortfalls. The consultant addressed the shortfalls with a series of three customised workshops. The first two workshops focussed on improving team members' test planning skills and the third workshop focussed on developing a knowledge management (KM) based regression testing process. A KM based process was considered highly suitable because regression testing depends on the identification, collection, sharing, documentation and repeated use of a combination of explicit and tacit knowledge.The KM framework selected, was the one jointly developed by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) and the Arthur Andersen global consultancy organisation. The consultant chose the APQC KM framework because they had previously studied the framework as part of formal postgraduate studies. Further, the APQC KM framework was non-proprietary and therefore readily and inexpensively available via the APQC web site (http://www.apqc.org) and APQC publications.Each workshop commenced with a tutorial style introduction to the workshop topic guided by the consultant, followed by general group discussion and where appropriate smaller sub-group activities.The series of workshops was facilitated and not directed by the consultant, since the business analysts and new testers took ownership of test planning skills development and also the definition and implementation of the KM based process with no post-workshop involvement from the consultant.\nThe action learning cycle: Introduction\nConclusions: lessons learned: The paper reports upon a case study that used action learning to develop and implement a process improvement based on the APQC KM framework.A group new to knowledge management used the APQC knowledge framework as the means of transferring internal knowledge into documented test cases for testing a customer information system. The regression testing process was developed and implemented effectively and efficiently, most probably since as advocated by the Arthur Andersen company, the APQC framework provides a simple, straight-forward and efficient process for sharing and tapping into a knowledge pool (Anon, 1996). Figure 1 illustrated this framework and this case study described how the framework can be used.Lessons learned are presented in Table VI along with the reasons that the authors considered them to be valuable.\nValue and implications of this approach: The most valuable contributions of this action-learning case study are:* Process improvement.* Identification of a template approach that facilitates organisational learning and improved knowledge management primarily through human interaction and socialisation which is recognised as being the most effective form of knowledge transfer (de Jager, 1998; Prusak, 1997).* The development of a community of practice to encourage knowledge sharing which is also shown in the literature as an effective way of knowledge management (Wenger and Snyder, 2000).* Increased motivation that appears to be intrinsic, stemming from self-actualisation and self-esteem because tacit knowledge was acknowledged as being valuable. Self actualisation has been recognised as one of the most powerful of motivational forces (McGreggor, 1960) as has self-esteem (Brutus et al., 2000).Whilst the scope of this case study was quite specific, the business challenges faced by the CIS production support team are also shared by teams operating in different environments who also may wish to apply KM practices. Examples of these challenges include:* a team or organisation having little or no KM experience and yet wanting to capture and convey tacit knowledge;* the need for an easily comprehendible and relatively quick method for defining a knowledge management based process.* the need for a means of determining the impact of a team's operating environment on the outcomes of a knowledge management based process.An important implication that can be drawn from this case study is that project managers, team leaders and line managers should consider the APQC KM framework as a means of defining knowledge management based processes for work required of projects and/or day-to-day business operations.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to use a knowledge management (KM) approach to effectively revise a utility retailer's software testing process. This paper presents a case study of how the utility organisation's customer services IT production support group improved their test planning skills through applying the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) KM framework to define a software-testing process. This included the ongoing maintenance and use of a business knowledge repository comprising software test cases.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An action learning approach was used for workplace training facilitated by one of the authors. Applying and refining learnings gained in a series of three workshops achieved these outcomes. The first two workshops focused on improving test-planning skills and the third on introducing KM concepts, the APQC KM framework and the development of a KM based software-testing process that combined explicit and tacit knowledge.\nFindings: - The combination of workshop outputs, workshop evaluation feedback and lessons learned during the following two months suggests that the KM approach was an effective way for teams or organisations wanting to capture and convey tacit knowledge on software testing.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Participants viewed the described approach as an easily comprehensible and relatively quick method to define a KM based process and define the factors that can influence the success of a KM based process. While our results suggest that this KM approach could be more generally applied to transfer of high-intensity tacit knowledge workplace training situations, the case study was confined to a single group and focused on software testing only.\nOriginality/value: - Provide information on a utility retailer's software testing process.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Authentic leadership, happiness at work and affective commitment: An empirical study in Cape Verde
|
[
"Affective commitment",
"Affective well being",
"Authentic leadership",
"Happiness at work"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The continuous challenges and disruptions that organizations have experienced over the past few years require a new management dynamics, where the human resources that integrate them become the main differentiating element. On the other hand, the business world is increasingly competitive, and to compete successfully, it is critical to recognize the importance of leadership to organizational success. That is, leadership has an essential role in the organizational environment and the style of supervision adopted by leaders can influence, directly or indirectly, employees' attitudes and behaviors. Leadership is defined as an organization management process that consists of providing effective communication, motivation and encouragement to employees to carry out their tasks, which in turn, facilitates the achievement of the objectives outlined (Stoner et al., 2000; Darvish and Rezaei, 2011). However, many leaders have adopted unethical and non-authentic behaviors and the need for other theories such as authentic leadership (AL) has arisen. Such theories are based on the moral character of the leader, concern for others, and congruency between ethical values and actions (Shahid, 2010). The AL consists of the ability of leaders to influence a group to act toward the pursuit of goals, bearing in mind values such as integrity, honesty, a balanced, authentic treatment and a relationship based on transparency (Walumbwa et al., 2008). So, it is necessary to understand how AL influences organizations and, consequently, their employees.\n2. Research background and hypotheses development: 2.1 Authentic leadership, happiness and affective commitment\n3. Method: 3.1 Sample and procedures\n4. Findings: Descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha and bivariate correlations for all study measures are presented in Table I. All the variables seem to correlate positively with each other. AL is positively correlated with AWB and AC. There are also positive correlations between employees' AWB and AC. AMOS 21.0 was used to perform CFA and structural equation modeling to test the proposed hypotheses. Final results are presented in Table II.\n5. Discussion and conclusions: This study examined how perceptions of AL predict employees' AC both directly and through the mediating role of AWB. Through their characteristics, authentic leaders promote employees AWB, which what seems makes them feel more strongly connected to the organization. These results coincided with those of studies by Gavin and Mason (2004) and demonstrated that employees feel more affectively committed to the organization when they perceive certain characteristics among their leaders, such as self-awareness, relational transparency, an internal moral perspective, and the balanced processing of information. Similarly, when they have positive emotions at work, it seems that employees develop strong ties with the organization. The findings reveal a partial mediation of AWB in the relationship between the perceptions of AL and AC (this mediation is possibly partial because other mechanisms can influence the relationship). In others words, perceptions of AL can stimulate employees' happiness at work, which in turn increases their AC to the organization. Other studies have also reached this conclusion showing that the authenticity of leaders is an important factor to promote employee' AWB, which consequently increases AC to the organization (Gavin and Mason, 2004; Abdullah et al., 2017). In other words, when employees feel well treated by the leaders and the organization where they work, they view work not as a duty, but they feel pleasure to realize it and develop positive emotions. These positive emotions awaken them the desire to reciprocate the affection given. As mentioned above, the characteristics of an authentic leader, particularly self-consciousness, innovative cognitive style and intrinsic motivation, are factors that influence the employees' emotional attachment to the organization (Zhang et al., 2011), that may be through AWB.\n6. Theoretical contributions and implications for management: The findings suggest that AL promotes positive relationships between leaders and their followers (George, 2003) that result in better attitudes, which consequently improve their behaviors. In other words, AL predicts employees' AC. Moreover, the results show that this impact can be direct and mediated by AWB. Authenticity may enhance the employees' positive emotions to develop their organizational commitment. This study responds to a call by researchers who have argued that more empirical research is necessary to understand the mechanisms through which AL influences effective employees' responses and also contributes to expanding the nomological network for AL (Avolio and Mhatre, 2012). The results support a theory and new empirical research, suggesting that leader's authentic behaviors may play an essential role in the extent to which employees develop better emotional bond at work. It is appropriate to underline that constructs such as AL and AWB are underexplored in the literature, whereby they deserve additional attention from both researchers and practitioners. This study seeks to contribute to AL investigation, namely in the different context and revealing consideration for the academic community, but also for the business community, particularly in what concerns the introduction of potential corrective actions given the relevance of this type of leadership in improving individual and organizational performance.\n7. Limitations and recommendations for future work: This study presents some limitations in methodology, which indicates opportunities for future research. The first limitation has to do with the fact that the study focuses on just two of the islands of Cape Verde, as it was not possible to conduct fieldwork covering all the islands due to the distance between them. Thus, opportunities to collect data from the other islands exist, thereby widening the picture. Another limitation of this study is that it is based on a cross-sectional data collection. This provides an opportunity to conduct an additional investigation considering a longitudinal data. Future studies may test if the empirical findings of the present research replicate in other cultures and types of institutions, considering that, this study comes from a single culture and work in Cape Verdean organizations. The study contributes to the organizational studies literature, as it examines the influence of AL on employee behavior. The non-inclusion of moderating variables in the study can also be considered a limitation. Future studies should investigate potential moderators such as age, organizational tenure, job satisfaction and organizational identification in the relationship between these variables. In addition, the influence of organizational culture could be explored in the relationships found in this study by future research. Lately, some studies focus on the relationship between AL, diversity and inclusion and gender difference. It would be interesting for future studies try to understand how these relationships operate. Also, it would be interesting to perceive other antecedents of AC, for example, individual characteristics, organizational justice and their consequents, namely, performance, turnover intentions and turnover. Future studies can also investigate more causes (e.g. Workplace Spirituality) and consequences (e.g. turnover, burnout and emotional exhaustion) of happiness at work. Finally, it would be interesting to see if employees' AWB, influence the leader's behaviors leading them to exhibit higher levels of authenticity.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between perceptions of authentic leadership (AL) and affective commitment (AC) both directly and indirectly through the mediating effect of happiness at work.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Empirical research has analyzed the data from a questionnaire administered to a sample of 543 employees belonging to various public and private organizations in Cape Verde. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model.\nFindings: It was found that the perceptions of AL explain employees' happiness at work. Perceptions of AL also predict AC both directly and through the mediating effect of happiness at work.\nPractical implications: The findings suggest that AL predicts happiness at work, which, in turn, explain employees` emotional bond to the organization. These results provide evidence that the quality of working environment created by leaders plays an important role in the extent to which employees develop a better emotional bond at work. So, the organizations, particularly in Cape Verde, should focus on training leaders with authentic characteristics.\nOriginality/value: In addition to verifying the direct relationship between AL and AC, this study introduced the mediating effect of the happiness, providing a model that depicts the chain effect between AL, AC and happiness, integrating these concepts in a single study.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A historical investigation of the strategic process within family firms
|
[
"Family firms",
"Paper industry",
"Entrepreneurs",
"Sweden",
"Finland",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Entrepreneurial researchers have long realized that the strategic planning process that occurs within family firms may differ from that which occurs in other types of organizations (Jones, 1982; Ward, 1988; Zahra et al., 2004). However, recent research suggests that our knowledge of the strategic process in family firms is still quite limited (Steier et al., 2004; Upton et al., 2001). Specifically, scholars have suggested that more research needs to be conducted assessing the manner in which family firms develop their strategies for growth (Sharma et al., 1997; Teal et al., 2003). Accordingly, the primary purpose of this paper was to analyze the manner in which family firms in a variety of cultures developed their growth strategies over time.In order to achieve this objective, we traced the historical and strategic development of four family firms in the paper and pulp industry. These companies represented three different countries: the US (Gulf States Paper Corporation), Finland (Ahlstrom and Schauman), and Sweden (MoDo). An analysis of the companies' enacted strategies provided insights into the growth strategies that these firms have employed over time. Thus, a major portion of the paper examined the evolution of strategies that occurred in family firms in a variety of cultural settings. The cultural diversity of the sample was particularly important, given research suggesting that cultural attributes play an important role in determining the growth strategies employed by family firms (Yeung, 2000).Specifically, the major strategic actions that these four companies have enacted since their founding were classified along two dimensions. The first dimension examined the strategic actions employed by these companies in relation to their competition. The primary focus was on whether or not the actions occurred in the internal or external arena. The second dimension categorized the type of action that was enacted, and whether it was an opening or closing action. Particular emphasis was placed on the emergent strategies that developed within these companies in response to the many environmental pressures that exist in the paper and pulp industry (Mintzberg and Waters, 1982, 1985).\nTheoretical development: In this paper, we defined a family firm as a \"business governed and/or managed with the intention to shape and pursue the vision of the business held by a dominant coalition controlled by members of the same family or a small number of families in a manner that is potentially sustainable across generations of the family or families\" (Chua et al., 1999, p. 25). As such, a family firm can be characterized by two main attributes:1. it is controlled by a family or group of families; and2. this family/families wishes to maintain control of the firm for an extended period of time.Thus, it was expected that family firms would be more long-term in their strategic orientation than other types of organizations.Family businesses have been and still are a central element in most economies. For example, most companies in Western Europe and in the US can be viewed as family firms. Family firms are usually defined as business units, owned and governed mainly by one family or kin. However, this does not necessarily mean that the operative leadership is also in the hands of the family. Furthermore, the close interaction between family and firm, as well as the continuity and succession of the firm from one generation to another, are usually understood as determinants of the success of family firms (Casson, 1982; Colli, 2003; Koiranen, 1998; Schulze et al., 2003).Casson (1999) stresses that some of the features typically associated with family firms are a small to medium size, organic growth through reinvested profits (rather than takeovers and mergers), avoidance of stock market finance, reliance on banks merely for short-term credit, and internal management succession. As Ward (1988) noted, family and family business cannot be understood separately. What is good for the family is good for the business - and vice versa. The continuity of the family firm is an essential question at the time of succession (Pollard, 1965; Rose, 1993).Family firms often display certain benefits and drawbacks when viewed over an extended period of time. Family firms can be seen as dynamic entities due to the personal commitment of the owner (Casson, 1982; Rose, 1993). Another advantage is often the long-term orientation, personal style of management, independence from the resources outside of the family, family identity and culture, and lower levels of bureaucracy. Some of the primary disadvantages are problems related to financing (especially within the larger companies), and related to that, constrained growth possibilities, as well as autocratic management (as a result from lesser bureaucracy), conservatism, nepotism, family/kin feuds, and problems within the successions process (Casson, 1999; Koiranen, 1998).This study examined the development of growth strategies within family firms in a variety of cultures. Specifically, this study explored whether the development of growth strategies in family firms more closely mirrors the strategic process that occurs in entrepreneurial organizations or living companies. While there tends to be an implicit assumption that family firms are entrepreneurial in the formation and implementation of organizational strategies, this may in fact be an inaccurate assumption. The extant literature posits that entrepreneurial organizations exist primarily with short-term profit goals in mind, while family firms are most concerned with the long-term survival of the organization. Drawing primarily upon the entrepreneurship and small business literature, this paper performed an in-depth analysis of the organizational strategies enacted by four family firms throughout their existence in an effort to answer this intriguing question.The strategic characteristics of entrepreneurial firms\nSample: Four family firms were included in these analyses. Information was collected from personal interviews, company documents, and various other external sources (i.e. newspapers, the internet, books, etc.). A list of the strategic actions enacted by each firm since it is founding was then compiled. Utilizing these strategic actions, three time periods were determined for each firm that corresponded with the firm's:1. inception and early strategic period;2. primary growth period; and3. mature strategic period.This was done in order to determine each firm's primary strategic focus during different times in the company's history. It was expected that this focus (as evidenced by the strategic actions implemented by the firm during each time period) would evolve in each company over time. A brief description of each of the four family firms utilized in this study follows.Gulf States Paper Corporation (United States)\nMethods: As is typical in historical research, we preferred a research strategy that combined different longitudinal methods. In the literature, this approach is seen as being especially appropriate when researching issues that are relatively inadequately understood (Glaser and Strauss, 1967). The aim of such inquiry is to facilitate theorizing through a careful examination of relevant data collected from multiple sources, validated both by extant theories and ongoing re-encounters with the data (Eisenhardt, 1989). As the purpose of the analysis was to both \"track\" realized strategies and to interpret the logic behind these trajectories, we pursued a multi-method study.Following earlier studies analyzing patterns of strategy (Miller and Chen, 1994; Mintzberg and Waters, 1982; Murmann, 2003), we engaged in a research process typical in comparative case analyses (Yin, 1989). The quantification part of the study followed the logic of a tight research design in which the coding scheme plays an important role. On the contrary, we also engaged in more inductive narrative analyses in order to enhance the validity of our interpretation. This essentially follows the example of Mintzberg and Waters (1982) when attempting to find the change patterns in strategies but equally the mechanisms driving them. It is also important to note that our study is not seeking a full historical account of the particular companies as much as an understanding of the nature of family owned companies.Data\nResults: An analysis of the arena in which the four family firms' strategic actions took place provides support for the conclusion that these companies have become more outward-looking in orientation over time (Table I). While approximately 70 percent of their total strategic actions during the first two periods took place in the internal arena, this percentage fell to approximately 50 percent during the third-time period. The number of external, peaceful actions employed by the companies approximately doubled during the third period. The number of external, tense actions also increased significantly, from around 12 percent of the companies' total actions during the first-time period to approximately 22 percent of the actions over the third period. Overall, this suggests that family firms tend to become more willing to perform external strategic moves over time.The types of strategic actions practiced by these companies have also continued to evolve over time (Table II). While acquisitions and sales constituted the primary strategic actions in all three-time periods, the emphasis on alliance formation grew significantly as the companies matured. The percentage of alliances formed by the four companies doubled from the second- to third-time period, increasing from approximately 9 to 20 percent. Compared to the strategies employed by these companies during their early existence, they appear to have become much more outward looking and proactive in their strategy formation over time. This also suggests that strategic alliances are one important way that family firms cope with increasing environmental pressures as they reach the maturity phase of their company life cycle.\nDiscussion: Taken together, the four characteristics of living companies are extremely similar to many of the attributes typically associated with family firms. Family firms are often financially conservative, since a common rationale given for the creation of a family firm is to provide for several generations of family descendents. These firms also tend to have very strong identities, and maintain a willingness to adapt to the world around them, all characteristics associated with de Geus's (1997) \"living companies\". As such, it was expected that the four family firms in this study would embody many of the same characteristics posited for these types of organizations. The primary focus of this study was to answer the question of whether family firms typically adopt growth strategies more closely associated with entrepreneurial organizations or living companies.Throughout the early part of their history, these four organizations embodied many of the characteristics often associated with living companies. The firms in our sample tended to enact financially conservative strategies, and were willing to spend money when need be, but also tried to avoid excessive amounts of corporate spending. The geographic expansion of these firms and the diversification of their product lines indicate that the companies were willing to adapt to changes in their external environment. However, these companies did not embody the prototypical characteristics of entrepreneurial firms during their early years. They were neither overly willing to take risks nor were they extremely proactive in their decision-making. During the early part of their existence, they tended to be tightly managed companies that maintained a very inward-looking perspective. However, the companies tended to become more involved in proactive behaviors (alliances, joint ventures, etc.) as they matured. As such, a strong case can be made that these companies became more entrepreneurial over time.Throughout their evolution, the strategies enacted by these four companies have been formulated with two main issues in mind:1. security; and2. control.The financial conservatism that has been so typical of these companies, as well as the lack of willingness by top management to take extreme risks, has been an effort to maintain their financial security. The continuous diversification of their product lines has also helped diminish the companies' overall risk of poor economic performance (Freeman and Hannan, 1983). The more recent use of mergers and acquisitions in the face of environmental pressures is also a common strategy employed by organizations in uncertain environments (Freeman et al., 1983; Hannan and Freeman, 1977). The second goal of the companies appears to have been maintaining the ownership of the firm within the family unit.\nImplications: The results of this study suggest that family firms typically adopt conservative strategies associated with \"living companies\" in the early period of their strategic growth. During their formative years, family firms often implement financially conservative strategies in an effort to conserve their limited resources. Such firms also place an emphasis on maintaining tight control of the strategic decision-making process within the family unit. This is not surprising, given previous research suggesting that the primary focus of family firms is on \"maintaining family control and avoiding debt\" and that family firms often maintain a long-term strategic perspective (Upton et al., 2001, p. 62).However, this study also suggests that increasing environmental pressures often force family firms to embrace a more entrepreneurial posture as the company matures. Over time, these firms tended to make riskier investments and often undergo a transition from family management to professional management. It is interesting to note that, while each of the firms in this study tended to become more entrepreneurial over time, several of the firms were more successful in doing so. For example, Ahlstrom has continued to expand and grow and is a significant player in its respective industry. Also, Ahlstrom is currently in the process of being transformed to a listed company. Gulf States has experienced modest levels of growth, but still remains primarily a regional player. On the other hand, Schaumann and MoDo both merged with other companies. While this study has primarily examined the historical development of growth strategies within family firms, future research should examine the various environmental and competitive factors that impact the success of these chosen strategies.This study has several important implications. First, it appears that the stage in the company life cycle plays an important role in determining the strategic behavior of family firms. These results suggest that family firms tend to be very conservative and inward looking during their early years, but become more entrepreneurial over time. This study also suggests that family firms tend to maintain a long-term orientation when crafting and executing their organizational strategies. Second, even though the firms considered in this study were from various cultures, their strategic development over time was very similar. This tentatively suggests that the evolution of the strategic process that occurs within family firms may be generalizable across cultures. Third, our findings indicate that there may be an important distinction between family firms and entrepreneurial organizations. That is, all family firms are not necessarily entrepreneurial. This research suggests that, at least early in their history, family firms may embrace conservative strategies as a means of maintaining tight control over the company. Future research aimed at replicating the results of this study may help shed further light on the formation of growth strategies that occurs within family firms.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The primary purpose of this paper was to perform an in-depth analysis of the strategic process that occurs within family firms.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This study analyzed the historical development of the growth strategies of four family firms in the US, Finland, and Sweden.\nFindings: - The results of this study suggest that family firms typically adopt conservative strategies in the early part of their life cycle. During their formative years, family firms often implement financially conservative strategies and place an emphasis on maintaining tight control of the strategic decision-making process within the family unit. However, the competitive pressures experienced by family firms over time often force these companies to embrace a more entrepreneurial posture during the latter stages of their life cycle.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The stage in the company life cycle plays an important role in determining the strategic behavior of family firms. Future research aimed at replicating the results of this study may help shed further light on the strategic process that occurs within family firms.\nPractical implications: - Although the firms examined in this study were from various cultures, their strategic development over time was very similar. This tentatively suggests that the evolution of the strategic process that occurs within family firms may be generalizable across cultures.\nOriginality/value: - Our findings indicate that there may be an important distinction between family firms and entrepreneurial organizations. That is, all family firms are not necessarily entrepreneurial, especially early on in their company life cycle.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Supply chain risk management research agenda: From a literature review to a call for future research directions
|
[
"Literature review",
"Risk",
"Supply chain",
"Risk management",
"Structured literature review"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Crisis and catastrophes such as volcano eruptions in Ireland, earthquake in Taiwan and Japan, and hurricanes in the US gulf coast has led the companies to asses \"how vulnerable their global supply chains\" actually were (Wieland and Wallenburg, 2012, p. 890), with an increasing interest from supply chain practitioners as well as academics (Christopher and Holweg, 2011; Wieland and Wallenburg, 2012; Colicchia and Strozzi, 2012). In a study, 400 senior supply chain executives classified supply chain risk (SCR) as one of the biggest challenges, despite only 69 percent reporting that they had risk monitoring processes present (McKinsey Quarterly, 2010; Butner, 2010). The SCR is not a new phenomenon as \"doing business require[d] the acceptance of some level of risk within organisations\" (Olson and Wu, 2011, p. 401). Nevertheless, the supply chain risk management (SCRM) has gained in momentum as it became a supply chain capability, one that supported businesses (Colicchia and Strozzi, 2012) and had the potential to reduce cost (Nelson et al., 1998), considering that a cost of a crisis for a day can surmount to companies 72$ million in profits (Pettit et al., 2013). Barry (2004) noted that it is also imperative to keep a risk and the uncertainty lens as one of the firm's capabilities and for its competitiveness and viability. Due to the fact that \"a supply chain [...] can never be risk free, that is, one cannot eradicate the chance of an undesirable/desirable event occurring\" (Tummala and Schoenherr, 2011, p. 474), the importance of the concept SCR is here to stay.\nResearch methodology: Shapira (1995) noted that that not one definition of risk could encompass all circumstances, as the risk has multiple facets. Hence, the use of SLR provides \"a key tool [...] to manage the diversity of knowledge for a specific academic inquiry\" (Tranfield et al., 2003, p. 208) with the benefit of an evidence trail, whilst minimizing the level of possible bias and error (Tranfield et al., 2003). Adopted from the NHS Center for Tranfield et al. (2003) suggest a three-stage approach: planning the review, conducting the review, and reporting and dissemination of the review, thus, enabling the researchers to assure internal validity, reducing potential possible bias in the analysis. However, in order to reduce the human error, the so-called data extraction forms have been used to ascertain the information from sources such as title, author and year of publication; methods utilized, and emerging theories and concept synthesized (Tranfield et al., 2003).\nDescriptive analysis: Distribution of paper categories\nDiscussion and conclusion: The current study serves as the first step toward understanding the SCR categories, connotations, and context. Thereby this research represents a first attempt toward the mapping of SCRM literature. The structured literature review assisted in the identification and development of categories that made up the current SCR literature compromising the tools used, location, and research methods undertaken. Based on the structured literature review, we have identified four undervalued themes in the literature:\nImplications and further research: This paper highlights the significant role that SCR plays within the management literature context. The literature review highlighted the importance of understanding the SCRM and the role supply chain members, its processes, and resources as the key aspects. Further research in this vein should improve the understanding of the strategic SCR, while identifying how supply chain members interact and collaborate, which resources are required and to what extent the network of supply chain relationships are needed to mitigate the SCR in the long run.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Supply chain risk (SCR) has increasingly attracted academic and corporate interest; however, the SCR debate in academic literature is rather limited to case- and location-specific studies. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to utilize a systematic literature review (SLR) to explore the SCR research trends and gaps within the management literature.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To achieve the research objective an SLR, looking into 25 years since 1990, into supply chain risk management (SCRM) was conducted, which resulted in 114 papers.\nFindings: While the SCRM literature is growing, results from the SLR identified limited organized understanding of what constitutes a holistic SCR process, and high reliance of particular categories for SCR, such as the high reliance on specific country settings (the USA and the UK); limited presence of cross competitive SCR process analysis and challenges in developing conceptual SCR frameworks.\nResearch limitations/implications: The SCR embeds categories of location, scope of supply chain, risk management tools, and the industry sectors involved. The search for related publications was mainly used from a wide range of coverage from accountancy to design in SCR; hence, although there is indication to specific industries, and foci of risk, this could be explored further.\nPractical implications: This review of SCRM identifies various research gaps and directions for future research to develop theory and a practical understanding of SCR.\nOriginality/value: The current literature on SCR has been assessed based on its definition and utilization. The current paper bridges this gap by synthesizing the diverse academic journal papers into the categories based on the design continuum, relationship continuum, process continuum and economic continuum. In addition, it highlights the gaps in industry context, theoretical contribution, geographic location, and research methods applied and addresses the scope for further research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Traditional communities, modernisation and moral behaviour
|
[
"India",
"Social economy",
"Developing countries",
"Common good",
"Community",
"Communitarianism",
"Village community"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Trust, as a moral resource, is crucial for civilised human existence. Its source and nature is likely to vary across contexts. In situations of weak or non-existent formal institutions (FIs), traditional communities evolved informal institutions (IIs) - social norms, understanding, conventions, codes of conduct and moral values to regulate interactions. The endogenously evolved self-enforcing IIs are outcomes of genetic relatedness, informal interaction and sharing of information. However, vitality of IIs depends on voluntary compliance, facilitated by trust.\nTrust: Trust is multifaceted, ambiguous concept sans universally accepted definition. Its interpretation, contingent on different assumptions, varies across disciplines. It has been viewed as a type of behaviour as well as disposition (Nooteboom, 2007). Economists generally ignore behavioural dispositions (Francois and Zabojnik, 2005) and view trust as either calculative (Williamson, 1993) or institutional (North, 1990). Psychologists consider it in terms of attributes of individuals and focus on internal cognitions that personal attributes yield (Rotter, 1967). For them trust is a psychological event within an individual rather than as interpersonal or systemic reality (Lewis and Weighert, 1985). In contrast, sociologists conceive trust as a property of groups, not of atomised individuals. For them, trust is essentially social and normative rather than individual. However, trust has both emotional causes and rational reasons that may go together (Nooteboom, 2007).\nTypes of trust: One may distinguish different types of trust on the basis of its conceptualisation and/or source of trust (Rousseau et al., 1998). As a mechanism of social co-ordination trust facilitates co-operation. But trust and co-operation are not the same thing as co-operation can be an outcome of coercion or control. Trust goes beyond control and self-interest in \"good-will\" or \"benevolence\" (Nooteboom, 2007). However, trust and control have been considered both as substitutes and complements. Moreover, trust allows for less control but trust and control often go together as the former has its limitations.\nVillage communities and modernisation: A typical village community in Punjab is an evolved socio-economic entity of people with shared history and culture. Its core is usually constituted by genetically related land-owing families whose ancestors were the original settlers. Most of the other families came with them to provide necessary services for the maintenance of village economy in a situation of poor communication and uncertain macro-environment. As process of change was slow, self-sufficient nature of village economy, underpinned by caste-linked division of labour, persisted for long.\nModernisation: In contrast to standard assumption of exogenously given stable preferences in economics, there is increasing evidence that they may change in response to change in context (Fehr and Hoff, 2011). So modernisation of village communities, as a process of multi-dimensional change technical, institutional, economic and cultural, may be expected to impact preferences. The consequent behavioural changes may be central to the process of socio-economic transformation of village communications. Three competing perspectives - modernisation, institutional and cultural, are often used to explain the process of transformation. However, because of interlinkages, it would be appropriate to consider them together to evaluate impact of modernisation/development on trust.\nData: The source of data are field survey conducted in 2007 to asses the impact of village modernisation project of Village Life Improvement Foundation (VLIF), Chandigarh. It is an NGO, jointly set up by overseas and local Punjabis to facilitate the involvement of diaspora in modernisation of their ancestral places. Funds for these projects come mainly from overseas Punjabis with supplementary grants from Punjab government, and limited contributions of local communities.\nAnalysis: Caste is an important parameter differentiating traditional communities in India. However under the influence of democratic political dispensation and modernity, its sacral role has diminished. And it has increasingly become the basis of advancement of group interests. Variation in its salience in interactions across religions and regions notwithstanding, cruciality of inter-caste trust for social action cannot be overemphasised.\nRegression analysis: The analysis based on simple correlations and mean differences between different types of trust has its limitation as it does not take into account the influence of age, education, modernisation and institutions on trust. To overcome this limitation, two logistic regressions are estimated to identify sources of inter-caste and generalised trust (Table V). The variables used in estimation are defined in the Appendix.\nSelection of variables: Modernisation or development implies a major shift from traditional to modern economic activities that facilitate socio-economic mobility and emergence of modern values. If modernisation approximates a process of socio-economic improvement at the individual level, it can be expected to promote growth of pro-social value orientations. In other words, modernisation is likely to bring rising levels of tolerance and trust (Chu et al., 2004).\nResults: In case of inter-group trust, coefficients for in-group trust (own caste), trust in neighbours, trust in village council, development (modernisation) and occupation category-farmers are positive and significant. Significant coefficient for trust in one's own caste clearly suggests that in-group trust and inter-group are not exclusive. A possible explanation for positive significant coefficient for occupation category-farmers is that in the traditional agrarian village economy, farmers have been pivotal actors who needed to reach out all other groups for co-operation. So they have acquired greater capacity for inter-group trust than others.\nConclusion: Trust and co-operation are crucial for existence of civilised humanity as well as its progress. As expected, most members of historically evolved village communities, regardless of caste, are found to be trusters, with only a small percentage being cautious. A striking finding is that correlations among generalised, in- and inter-group are positive and significant. Thus confidence in one's own group and confidence in out-group are not mutually exclusive, but complementary.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to ascertain impact of modernisation on moral behaviour in village communities in North India.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Both qualitative and empirical analysis is done to evaluate a set of ideas related to the main objective. The empirical analysis is based on primary data.\nFindings: Limitations of primary data notwithstanding, results suggest that in-group, inter-group and generalised trust are not exclusive. The empirical results also suggest that significant sources of inter-group trust are trust in neighbours, trust in village council, development/modernisation and education. And sources of generalised trust seem to be inter-group trust, trust in village council, development and education.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study pertains to village communities in Indian Punjab embedded in region's evolved syncretic culture. Researchers need to take into account historical specificities while designing studies for other areas.\nOriginality/value: The paper finds that majority of individuals in the evolved, heterogenous communities are inclusive and subscribe to moran values that persist with modernisation. But core values may become dormant in a situation of social disequilibrium. Inclusive development and spread of education in a conducive local institutional framework seem to restore them.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Adding dynamicity to consumer value dimensions: An exploratory approach to intrinsic values and value outcomes in the hotel industry
|
[
"Consumer value",
"Dynamicity",
"Intrinsic values",
"Satisfaction",
"Loyalty"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Hospitality and tourism, more so than other areas, have been services of prolific research and empirical experimentation in terms of consumer value, as stated in several systematic reviews (Gallarza et al., 2011; Oh and Kim, 2017). Indeed, \"a hospitality experience is distinct from transactions in other service settings, as it implies intense, prolonged and multisensory stimulation, as well as post-experience memorabilia\" (Kirillova, 2018, p. 3326). It therefore coheres with the nature of value creation, which is multidimensional (Holbrook, 1999; Sweeney and Soutar, 2001), experiential in a phenomenological sense (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Vargo and Lusch, 2008) and produces post-consumption evaluations as value outcomes (Leroi-Werelds et al., 2014).\nLiterature review: The dynamic nature of value\nMethod and results: Data collection and questionnaire development\nDiscussion and conclusions: Conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamic nature of consumer value by proposing a causal model that shows the existence of sequentiality in value dimensions and in their influence on satisfaction and loyalty. The paper focuses on intrinsic dimensions of value (play, aesthetics, ethics and escapism), which are fully experiential, and therefore less studied in the literature.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The conceptual model proposed was empirically tested in tourist hotel accommodations. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, analyzing the experiences of 285 hotel guests with structural equation modeling-partial least squares.\nFindings: The results reveal that the reactive dimensions of value (aesthetics and escapism) influence the active ones (play and ethics), which in turn affect consumers' satisfaction and loyalty.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper is exploratory and focuses on the intrinsic dimensions of value. Future research should consider the entire extrinsic/intrinsic value duality. This paper is based on a convenience sample consisting solely of hotel accommodation. Further studies based on a random sample and on other hospitality contexts would be required to generalize the results.\nPractical implications: This paper can help hotel managers to understand the role and importance of each intrinsic dimension of value to successfully implement their relationship marketing strategies, defined by the chain value-satisfaction-loyalty.\nOriginality/value: This paper depicts the dynamic nature of value, with concatenated (and not simultaneous) effects of value dimensions on satisfaction and loyalty, which supports research in value co-creation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Defensible decisions: Balancing employer and prospective employee rights in an era of criminal background checks
|
[
"Employment",
"Discrimination",
"Criminal background checks"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Employers have shown an increased reliance on criminal history record checks to make hiring decisions. This once rare practice has skyrocketed in popularity due to the rise of the internet (which makes such checks relatively cheap and easy to conduct), security concerns raised by 9/11 and increased federal support for broad-based criminal background checks[1] (Bushway, Stoll and Weiman, 2007; Bushway, Briggs, Taxman, Thanner and Van Brakle, 2007). As a result, an ever increasing proportion of potential employees are finding themselves subject to criminal background checks for even the most basic employment positions (Denver et al., 2018; Holzer et al., 2006; King and Fliegel, 2011; Pager, 2003; Pager et al., 2009).\nCurrent study: Hypotheses\nFindings: The marginal effects of a candidate's criminal history are reported in Table II. Note that higher order terms for convictions are added as well as interactions between convictions and time since last conviction, to ensure the model captures any non-linearity in the effects of these variables. For ease in interpretation, marginal effects are reported to determine significance, and then average adjusted probability of being cleared is explored at various values of the independent variables to provide a more substantive interpretation.\nDiscussion and implications: In a policy context where employers increasingly use criminal background checks to make employment decisions, this study was designed to better understand how decision makers respond to competing legal mandates and regulations regarding the background check process. This study specifically focuses on a large state agency that was legally required by specific state legislation to balance the rights of individuals with a criminal record against the need to protect the welfare of employers, customers, patients and clients. Prior empirical analysis of civil rights enforcement under Title VII (Edelman, 1990, 1992; Edelman et al., 1999; Suchman and Edelman, 1996) suggests that agencies might develop an internal policy structure that conveys compliance without actually implementing such policies in practice. For example, consider an employer who desired to show symbolic compliance with the law and other mandates but still wanted to restrict employment to those with records. This employer might develop loose guidelines that appear to meet the legal mandates, but continue make decisions that were inconsistent with either the law or their own advertised policies.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Employers using criminal background checks to make hiring determinations must carefully balance the need to protect themselves and their clients against legal mandates designed to protect the rights of individuals with criminal records. Yet, surprisingly little research examines this balancing act. The purpose of this paper is to examine how one large agency, the New York Department of Health (DOH), navigates a myriad of mandates to convey and create legitimacy in compliance with complex legal mandates and contrasting interests.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Prior research on civil right legislation suggests that while companies may create regulations that appear to comply with such mandates, their actual practice does not always comply with their own rules (Dobbin et al., 1988). Therefore, this study addresses two key questions: do the DOH policies appear to comply with the relevant New York State law and does the DOH effectively implement the policies in a way that upholds New York State law. Specifically, this study estimates probit models on a sample of over 7,000 potential employees with criminal records to determine compliance with the criteria established by law and policy.\nFindings: Findings show that the variables indicated by law/regulations such as offense severity and time since conviction work in the intended direction. Using only these criteria the models are able to correctly predict clearance decisions approximately of the time and that extra-legal factors such as race and gender do not further influence final determinations.\nPractical implications: These findings have practical implications for employers as they show that it is possible for employers to design formal rules that navigate this complex landscape while still opening up employment opportunities for individuals with criminal records.\nOriginality/value: This is important as many employers either utilize criminal background checks without regulation or are fearful of embarking on efforts to meet regulations such as those promulgated by the EEOC. This research is the first of its kind to actually document and explore the ability of a large employer to conduct socially responsible criminal history background checks.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Reflecting on impact, changes and continuities: Restructuring workplace cultures: the ultimate work-family challenge?
|
[
"Workplace",
"Working practices",
"Flexible working hours",
"Gender",
"Organizational culture",
"Public policy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The paper \"Restructuring workplace cultures: the ultimate work-family challenge?\" published in this journal in 2001, discussed a case study of an organisation which was addressing issues of workplace culture in relation to work-life policies and gender equity. The work-family challenge in the title of this 2001 paper was first elaborated in a book that I co-edited with one of my sons (Lewis and Lewis, 1996). It referred to the challenges presented by profound and ongoing changes in families, workplaces, and the nature of work. The editors and contributors to the book recognised that if work-family initiatives were to move from the margins of organisational practice to the mainstream (Lewis, 1997; Kossek, et al., 2010) the challenge was to move beyond policies towards systemic changes in workplace structures, cultures, and practices. At that time there was a substantial literature on the problems of managing work and family, largely in the work-family conflict tradition, a growing literature on what were then variously called work-family or family friendly policies and some examples of so-called but often contested good workplace practices. However, less attention was paid to the processes whereby organisations that were committed to supporting gender equity and meeting the work-family challenge managed change, the barriers and facilitators experienced and the learning that took place in these contexts. A case study approach is useful for providing insights into such processes and stories. \"Restructuring workplace cultures: the ultimate work-family challenge?\" was an early attempt to provide the story of one such organisation addressing these challenges.This case study of a progressive public sector organisation (the council) committed to working towards gender equality illustrated how it was possible to challenge some taken for granted assumptions about gender and the nature of work. Considerable progress had been made towards mainstreaming and valuing flexible ways of working. Moreover, this was increasingly becoming legitimatised for men as well as women, including managers, which is crucial if policies are to move away from the margins. The changes taking place at the council produced new stories and metaphors, which are an essential element of systemic workplace change (Smithson and Stockoe, 2005). However, the case study also demonstrated the incremental and circular nature of change. Changes in one system or part of a system bring about new challenges that require further changes and innovative solutions.Before considering the issues raised in the council case study and their impact, it is important to note that the context and timing of the paper are significant in a number of ways. Below I first consider the context for the work-family challenge at the beginning of the decade in terms of dominant discourses, UK Government initiatives. I then reflect on the three emergent issues in the council case study in this context and in the light of some subsequent developments in policy, implementation, culture and practice.\nContext, language, and UK Government initiatives: Although the 2001 paper uses the term work-family in the title and refers to family friendly policies, it also shifts to more gender neutral terms; work-life policies, flexible working arrangements, and diversity. This ambivalent use of such terms in the paper and in the council at the time reflected current debates as well as later discussions of the importance of language in shaping how we construct everyday meanings and experiences (Smithson and Stockoe, 2005; Lewis, et al., 2007). There was an optimistic view at that time that changing the language from work-family to work-life would help to shift the focus from women to women and men and from parents to entire workforces. In particular, a focus on flexibility, especially within the business case discourse was viewed as reorienting the debates to focus on workplace practices and changes rather than individual needs. Since then the terminology of work-life balance has become increasingly a part of everyday discourse although it is criticised, not least because it perpetuates a myth that organisations and work-family issues are gender neutral and that women and men's differential take up of work-life policies are individual choices rather than constrained (Smithson and Stockoe, 2005; Lewis, et al., 2007). The discourse matters because these assumption can perpetuate and reproduce inequities. However, work-life balance remains the dominant and largely uncontested terminology used in public policy and HRM discussions.The work-life terminology was adopted by the UK Government in 2000 (as the 2001 paper was being written) to frame a work-life balance campaign and policy developments. The government adopted a two pronged approach of establishing a base line of entitlements to, for example, family leaves, to comply minimally with EU regulations while focusing on a business case for workplace change to support work-life balance and encouraging the development of flexible working arrangements. So, these discussions were a very live and dynamic part of the context for the council case study.\nReflections on the issues emerging in the 2001 paper and subsequent continuity and change: Progress in the implementation and legitimisation of work-life policies and practices at the council highlighted three emerging issues relating to:1. working time and equity;2. policy as a potential barrier to culture change; and3. inequity between organisations arising from the ongoing impact of gender inequity in the home.Progress on all three issues requires changes in deeply ingrained values and assumptions which underpin workplace culture.The issue of working time and equity was associated with the adoption of reduced hours working at all levels including management. It was noted that despite efforts to treat the long hour's culture as a problem and a drive to focus on outputs rather than inputs, the greater efficiency of those who accomplish their work in reduced hours for reduced pay was not recognised. Reduced hours schemes rarely involved reduced workloads but rather the intensification and compression of work into shorter working hours. However, the inequity of paying some workers less to do the same amount of work as those spreading their work over five days on full pay was obscured by the traditional valuing of what is constructed as full time work. I wish that I could report that such inequities no longer exist, or are being widely addressed. Building on this paper a number of studies have focused on the trade-offs that some workers (mostly mothers) have to make to fulfil their work and family obligations, including loss of income, intensification of work and often lack of opportunities to advance (Callan, 2007; Kelliher and Anderson, 2010; Lewis and Humbert, 2010. While the issues are more widely recognised than they were at the beginning of the decade, the full time male model of work and andocentric career model remain dominant and those who deviate from it often have to pay a price. In many respects the issue has been exacerbated by increased competitiveness, lean workforces, and the need to get more work out of fewer people in many different national contexts (Gambles et al., 2006; Lewis et al., 2009). The global recession has brought about some changes. Arguably, organisations that have embedded flexible ways of working are in a stronger position for weathering the downturn with a sustainable workforce. There is evidence that some companies are recognising the value of more efficient ways of working by cutting down on working hours rather than making people redundant so as to sustain their workforce in preparation for the recovery (Working Families, 2008). Others however argue that in fact many people are working harder than ever in the recession especially in terms of unpaid overtime (TUC, 2010).The council case study also demonstrated that work-life policies could actually become barriers to culture change. It was argued that policies such as job sharing, once considered to be in the vanguard of family friendliness, needed to be reconsidered insofar as they perpetuate standard models of working time rather than encouraging more innovative ways of looking at inputs and outputs. Since then research has increasingly acknowledged that policies are not sufficient for radical change and the potentially negative impacts of policies on gender equity insofar as they are constructed as policies for women or mothers is now well documented (Callan, 2007; Lewis and Humbert, 2010). This has helped to focus on the inadequacy of policies if implemented without a drive for culture change. In practice however change is slow and uneven. While many employers and HRM practitioners now pay lip service to the need to change cultures, in practice many continue to regard the solutions to staff work-life dilemmas rather uncritically in terms of policies alone.Finally, in the 2001 paper the thorny question of how far radical workplace change can be achieved without comparable change within the family was raised. In the council case study, the personnel manager was aware that the persistent inequitable domestic division of labour in the home can have repercussions in the workplace for organisations with supportive work-family policies and a largely female workforce. Their (women) staff took advantage of entitlements to leave to care for sick children absolving the employers of their male partners from having to address these needs. Thus, although the flexible work practices provide the council with a competitive edge in terms of recruitment, there were also disadvantages to the organisation in terms of staff absences if family care was not shared with partners working elsewhere. Subsequent case studies also highlighted this issue (Wise and Bond, 2003). Some attempts were made at the council to ensure that employees' partners did take some responsibility but there is a limit to what individual employers can achieve in this respect. There is an important role for public policy initiatives here, as discussed later.One impact of the 2001 paper lies in its contribution to the growth of organisational case study approaches to understanding how work-life policies and practices play out in specific workplaces. This is an important approach complementing the more prevalent and often decontextualised survey methods. Subsequent case studies that I have carried out with colleagues (Lewis and Cooper, 2005; Lewis et al., 2009; Holt and Lewis, 2009; Lewis and Humbert, 2010) and case studies by other authors (Rapoport, et al., 2002; Callan, 2007; Wise and Bond, 2003; Nadeem and Hendry, 2003) demonstrate that while the impact of work-life policies are context dependent and cannot be generalised, a great deal can be learnt about processes that contribute to knowledge and practice. We have learnt for example, about the importance of making visible and challenging gendered assumptions that undermine work-life policies (Rapoport et al., 2002), even in national contexts where there is a high level of consensus about the importance of gender equity and policies to support this (Plantin and Back-Wicklund, 2009; Holt and Lewis, 2009).How have these insights been reflected in UK Government policy within its work-life balance framework? The issues of working time and equity and of work-life policies as potential barriers to change are both underpinned by the persistence the male model of work that continues to overvalue workers who do not need to modify traditional working patterns for family or other non-work reasons. The government has continued to encourage the development of flexible working arrangements as a way of supporting changes in working practice and culture. Perhaps, the most innovative initiative was the work-life balance challenge fund set up in 2003 which offered financial support to fund advice from specialist consultants for companies that wished to develop tailor made work-life balance policies and practices. Although the outcomes were mixed and the time scale relatively short, this initiative did focus on the need for context specific win-win solutions that in some cases looked beyond policy to ways of achieving culture change. A later initiative, the implementation of the rather weak right to request flexible working arrangements (which employers must consider but can reject for business reasons) also helped to put flexible working arrangements on workplace agendas. The number of such requests has steadily grown, however, many involve the formalisation of flexible arrangements that already existed informally. Moreover, many more requests are made by women than men and men are more likely to be turned down suggesting that gendered organisational assumptions persist. A major weakness however is that by limiting the right to request to parents of young children and more recently carers it continues to focus on individual needs rather than promoting innovative ways of working as potentially advantageous in themselves. The limitation of polices that remained based on a specific model of working time noted in the 2001 paper continue to relegate work-life or flexible working to the margins. In addition the government has resisted calls to remove an opt out of the European Working Time Directive so long working hours remain the ideal in many contexts. This reinforces the assumption that those who work in other ways are second class employees rather than, in many cases, the most efficient workers, as illustrated in the council study.In terms of addressing the third issue of gender inequities in caring and its impact on the take up of work-life policies it is clear that a national policy response enabling and encouraging fathers to take leave or work flexibly for childcare would have more potential impact than the approaches of individual employers, although both are important. The last decade there have been a number of policy developments in relation to family leaves but despite a discourse of supporting work-life balance for fathers as well as mothers developments in the UK on paternity and parental leave are very weak compared other European countries. From 2010 fathers will be able to take some of the mother's paid maternity leave if she returns to work. However, the pay is lower than most men's earnings and take up is likely to below. Morover, this is not an entitlement for fathers in their own right, unlike the use it or lose it provisions in most of the Nordic countries and as such will provide a weak basis for fathers to negotiate with their employers. This reflects an ongoing assumption among policy makers that mothers are the main carers which reinforces rather than challenges gendered workplace assumptions about who should use flexible working arrangements. It is therefore likely to perpetuate the inequities between female and male dominated organisations noted in the 2001 paper.In conclusion the council case study in the 2001 paper marked an important milestone at a time when the UK Government's work-life balance campaign was at full swing, contributing to greater attention to work-life issues and to the need for employers to look beyond policies to culture and practice. The case study illustrated that systemic changes are possible but also highlights the emergence of new problems stemming from persistent and deep seated gendered assumptions. Gendered experiences and gendered workplaces (and families) remain stubbornly difficult to change. Changes in organisational culture to meet the work-family challenge remains slow, uneven and highly sensitive to various layers of context. Moreover, it is not just a matter of shifts in policy and practice that beget new problems. The decade since the council case study was published has seen tumultuous shifts in wider contexts such as the global economy, developing and developed nations and national politics, all of which are reflected in new possibilities and problems in relation to gender equity and the work-family challenge. An important challenge for the next decade will be to find ways of harnessing current and future contexts in support of gender equity at home and at work.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the paper \"Restructuring workplace cultures: the ultimate work-family challenge?\" is published in Women in Management Review, Vol. 16 No. 1, 2001, pp. 21-9.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The impact of the paper is considered within a framework that takes account of national discursive and political contexts in the UK in 2001 and in the present and uses a gendered organisation lens.\nFindings: - The 2001 paper demonstrates that progress towards changes in culture and practice to support gender equity engenders new issues, which, in turn, also need to be addressed. Reassessing these issues at the end of the decade it is clear that there are some changes but also some continuities, rooted in deeply engrained gendered workplace (and family) assumptions.\nPractical implications: - Further culture change will be needed to overcome persistent barriers to effective work-life policies. This will involve challenging gendered assumptions about ideal workers and ideal working patterns. More support from public policy that recognises men's work and family needs and responsibilities is also needed to overcome inequities among male and female dominated workplaces.\nOriginality/value: - These reflections and the original paper highlight the non-linear nature of change towards gender equity in the workplace. New solutions raise further problems to be addressed. Gender equity is a process not an end point so constant evaluation and innovation are needed.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A comparative analysis of the attitudes of rural and urban consumers towards cultured meat
|
[
"Consumer attitudes",
"Republic of Ireland",
"Urban",
"Rural",
"Cultured meat"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Cultured meat is meat which is produced outside of the animal of choice, through the culturing of stem cells which have been extracted from the animal (Bhat et al., 2015).This technology, originally researched for medical application (Post, 2014), holds the promise of what some researchers have labelled \"vegetarian meat\" in that it provides the possibility of meat without killing animals (Hopkins and Dacey, 2008). Cultured meat production has been proposed as a way of meeting the growing global demand for meat, while also substantially reducing pollution to the environment by dramatically cutting down on land, water and energy use which is currently required to produce meat (Pluhar, 2010; Bhat and Fayaz, 2011; Tuomisto and de Mattos, 2011). The biggest challenge facing the commercial success of cultured meat is with public perception and acceptance of the technology; as initial consumer reactions towards new food technologies are usually negative (Henchion et al., 2013). This initial repulsion consumers feel about an unfamiliar product, sometimes referred to as the \"yuck factor\", has been cited by researchers and in media coverage of the topic as a possible reason that consumers may reject the idea of cultured meat (Hopkins and Dacey, 2008; Pluhar, 2010; Goodwin and Shoulders, 2013). De Barcellos et al. (2010) found that consumers were strongly against any beef processing techniques which were perceived as \"invasive\". The further the technology was from a \"natural\" way of processing beef the more negative the response. Rozin (2005) demonstrated that the public's perception of the \"naturalness\" of a product is more related to the process the product undergoes than the content of the product. The manipulation of food or animals using techniques which would not occur naturally in nature has been shown to evoke major negative responses from consumers (Frewer et al., 2011; Siegrist and Sutterlin, 2017). Hocquette et al. (2015) found that educated consumers did not think that cultured meat was the solution to problems within the meat industry and were not convinced that artificial meat would be tasty, healthy and safe enough to be accepted by consumers. Recent studies have also shown that both gender (Wilks and Phillips, 2017) and age (Ward, 2017) affected how receptive consumers may be to this new technology.\n2. Materials and methods: 2.1 Framework\n3. Results: The five main themes identified from the thematic analysis of the qualitative data are outlined in detail below. Within Table I, the coding (G2F, R) refers to Group 2, female and rural, whereas (G4M, U) refers to Group 4, male and urban.\n4. Discussion: The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes of rural and urban consumers towards cultured meat. Urban consumers were more concerned than rural consumers about the ethics and environmental impact of conventional meat production methods. As rural consumers are in closer proximity to agricultural areas and more likely to be involved in the agri-business, they may be more defensive of its practices and therefore less likely to question the methods of current meat production systems. This may also be a factor in why the possible disadvantage of \"damaging effect on agri-business and the livelihood of farmers\" was found to be a bigger concern for rural respondents. As farmers reside in rural areas and an important source of employment in rural areas is in the agri-business sector (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, 2016), this would mean that this would be a potential disadvantage that would more directly impact residents of rural areas.\n5. Conclusion: This study highlighted key differences between the attitudes and behaviours of rural and urban Irish consumers towards conventional and cultured meat. Rural consumers were more frequent consumers of meat while urban consumers bought more organic meat. Urban consumers were found to be more concerned about the environmental and ethical considerations of conventionally produced meat which may be why they are more likely to purchase organic meat and are also more open to trying alternative products. Rural consumers were found to be less willing to try cultured meat. The combined results of the qualitative and quantitative research synthesised to the general feeling that cultured meat would be an unnatural and artificial product. Changing consumers' perception of this would be a significant stumbling block for the acceptance of this technology. Cultured meat will need to be able to mimic conventionally produced meat in appearance, taste, texture and nutritional value, to make it appealing to consumers (Hocquette et al., 2015). Gaining the trust of consumers is vital for the success of new food technologies. Initial consumer reactions towards new food technologies are generally negative (Henchion et al., 2013), especially if they do not understand the mechanisms and applications of the technology (Frewer et al., 2011). As the technology becomes closer to producing commercial products, it is vital that consumers are provided with sufficient information about the process of culturing meat so that they can understand the technology, as increased understanding may increase its chances of commercial success.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to perform a comparative analysis on the attitudes of rural and urban Irish consumers towards cultured meat.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used. This involved collecting qualitative data first, through group interviews, and using the results of these to design the questionnaires for the quantitative data collection, which was analysed using SPSS 24.0 (r).\nFindings: Urban consumers were more receptive towards cultured meat and more concerned about the environmental impact of current meat production practices. Rural consumers were more concerned about the possible damaging effect cultured meat production could have on agri-business and the livelihood of Irish farmers. The safety of the technology emerged as the biggest concern for both sets of consumers.\nResearch limitations/implications: The sample size used for the qualitative research resulted in a 95% confidence level and a confidence interval of 5.55. A larger sample number would give a tighter confidence interval and a more accurate representation of consumers' attitudes.\nPractical implications: This research could give guidance to food companies of how to market cultured meat products towards Irish consumers based on their concerns and their perceived benefits of the technology.\nSocial implications: This research added to previous research performed in Ireland showing that urban consumers are more receptive towards new food technologies than their rural counterparts.\nOriginality/value: This is the first paper comparing the attitudes of rural and urban Irish consumers towards cultured meat and adds to the literature on this emerging subject area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Benchmarking business unit governance in turbulent times: the case of Japanese firms
|
[
"Business unit governance",
"Decentralization",
"Monitoring",
"Two‐tiered agency relationships",
"Wholly owned subsidiary",
"Internal business unit",
"Japan",
"Governance",
"Corporate governance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Japanese firms in their heyday two decades ago had unique organizational arrangements including centralized human resource management (HRM), a high degree of discretion over operational decision-making on the shop floor, and less usage of multi-divisional forms (Aoki, 1988; Kagono et al., 1985; Jacoby, 2005). It is well known that these tightly coupled systems supported Japan's competitive edge by the 1980s (Aoki, 1994). However, facing external shocks (bubble collapse and IT revolution) combined with institutional changes that accelerated since the 1997 banking crisis, Japanese firms introduced more decentralized structures (M-form) into existing forms, while they established subsidiaries through spinoffs and acquisitions. From fiscal 1997 to 2007, total consolidated assets for Toyota Motors surged from 14 to 32 trillion yen, and for Honda Motors from 5 to 13 trillion yen. For both companies, the growth in assets came primarily from the establishment and expansion of overseas subsidiaries. Also, total assets of the top 50 corporations ranked in terms of total consolidated assets grew from 210 trillion yen in 1997 to 321 trillion yen in 2007. Given that Japan's nominal gross domestic product hovered around 500 trillion yen during this time, the rapid expansion associated with group formation implies that Japan firms encountered the two-tiered agency problem. In spite of organizational reforms during this decade, however, many Japanese firms have reduced their weight in the world market in contrast to US and European firms, which have maintained their presence (Black and Morrison, 2010), and the iconic Japanese manufacturer Toyota Motors had a recall problem in the spring of 2010.The purpose of this paper is to examine the characteristics of the new decentralized organizational arrangements, the methods that company headquarters uses to control business units, both in-house divisions and wholly owned subsidiaries, and the potential costs associated with new decentralized organizations. More specifically, this paper intends to address the following research needs.First, we examine how large Japanese firms adopted organizational forms somewhat different from the US multi-divisional form. The debate on convergence on the Anglo-American model or persistence of national characteristics has focused on corporate governance, labor relations, and the corporate law, but very little empirical research has been conducted on organizational issues[1].Second, this paper identifies the determinants of organizational change. We look beyond the well accepted factors such as the deregulation of organizational choice (Sako, 2007), diversification of business portfolios (Chandler, 1962), and changes in corporate governance arrangements to consider linkages with distribution of authority[2].Third, this paper studies how an organizational failure (inefficiencies) may explain the recent performance declines of Japanese firms. We investigate whether Japanese giants have lost their former international competitiveness due to inadequate headquarters' control mechanisms in the face of expanded corporate groups and globalized supply chains.\n2. Literature review: Traditional J-firm\n3. Methodology: In order to assess business unit governance, this study utilizes data on the 251 firms listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) (excluding financial sectors) that responded to the \"Survey on corporate diversification and governance\" conducted in April 2007 by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry (RIETI)[13].Table II compiles basic statistics on the sample firms that responded to the questionnaire survey and TSE First Section firms (excluding financial sectors). Sample firms were slightly more diversified, and had a greater degree of group expansion and substantially more assets than average First Section TSE firms.We measured the degree of decentralization toward business units using the following methodology. Of the 154 firms that responded to the questionnaire, 92 firms adopted either a divisional organization or in-house company system. These firms were then asked how decisions on 14 issues were made at the business unit level:1. medium- and long-term plans;2. annual budget and business plans;3. entry into new businesses;4. withdrawal from existing businesses;5. development of new products and new technologies;6. alliances with other firms or M&A;7. establishment of new subsidiaries;8. important organizational changes;9. external financing;10. hiring regular full-time employees;11. design and management of personnel system (salary, promotions, transfers, etc.);12. appointing heads of business units (heads of divisions, in-house companies);13. choice of suppliers; and14. choice of retailers.Answers were scored with a Likert scale, with \"headquarters decides\" earning a score of 1, \"largely reflects the intent of headquarters\" a score of 2, \"largely reflects the intent of the business unit\" a score of 3, and \"business unit decides\" a score of 4. We defined the average of the scores on the first nine types of decisions as \"degree of decentralization of strategic decision-making,\" the average of the scores on items No. 10-12 as \"degree of decentralization of personnel decision-making,\" and the average of the scores on items No. 13 and 14 as \"degree of decentralization of operational decision-making.\" A higher score means a higher degree of delegation of decision-making authority toward the business unit.Similarly, we asked how decision-making at representative subsidiaries were made, using the same 14 issues described above, although the wording of item No. 12 was changed to \"appointment of president.\" We asked questions regardless of the organizational form of the parent company.\n4. Results: 4.1 Decentralization[14]\n5. Conclusions: Business unit governance\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate headquarters control business units, the governing of which has emerged as a vital issue as business portfolios have grown increasingly complex due to diversification, globalization, and corporate group expansion via spinoffs and mergers and acquisitions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This study utilized questionnaire survey data from 251 firms listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The authors approached the issue of business unit governance by measuring the degree of decentralization and the intensity of monitoring, and compared the governance of internal business units with that of subsidiaries, and analyzed the impact of corporate governance characteristics on business unit governance.\nFindings: - Comparing in-house business units and subsidiaries, the authors found a significant difference in their governance. The degree of decentralization toward subsidiaries was higher for strategic and personnel decision-making. However, the complementarity of decentralization and monitoring was not observed for subsidiaries, whereas it was for in-house business units. Subsidiary monitoring corresponding to decentralization was inadequate. Examining the relationship between corporate governance and business unit governance, the paper found that firms with reformed boards of directors and under a greater degree of pressure from capital markets monitored their business units more strictly.\nOriginality/value: - The paper shows how the business portfolios and governance arrangements of Japanese firms have changed since the 1990s, and analyzes business unit governance based on valuable data obtained from a questionnaire survey.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The past and future of trade unionism
|
[
"Pay",
"Employee relations",
"Industrial relations",
"Collective bargaining",
"Trade unions",
"Trade union recognition"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The past 50 years have seen profound socio-economic change in the UK - from the decline of heavy industry to the growing participation of women in the labour market - and the fortunes of the trade union movement have ebbed and flowed accordingly. Transformation of this kind remains an ever-present reality for trade unionism: globalisation, new technology and the mobility of both capital and labour are increasingly powerful influences. What, then, might the future hold for organised labour?\nGrowth, decline and stability: 50 years of change for trade unionism: There can be no doubt that the past half century has seen radical economic change in Britain, and this has had major implications for organised labour. Trade unions have had to get to grips with the decline of manufacturing and the rise of the service sector; the acceleration of globalisation, international competition and technological change; a greater role for the private sector in the delivery of public services and goods; more women and migrants entering the workforce; and the gradual hollowing out of the labour market, with more jobs at the top, fewer in the middle and many more at the bottom.\nThe future of trade unionism: As the saying goes, making predictions can be difficult - especially about the future. Given the political, economic and industrial turbulence of the past 50 years, seeking to establish where the trade union movement will be in the middle of the 2060s is at best educated guesswork, at worst idle speculation. However, there are some important historical lessons that it would be unwise for today's trade unionists to ignore.\nConclusion: The trade union movement faces some major challenges, notably rebuilding its collective strength in the private sector. But while there is clearly a need for hard-headed realism, there are also grounds for optimism too. With imagination, hard work and a favourable wind, a trade union renewal is not inconceivable.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer a broad practitioner's overview of recent trade union history in the UK, and to investigate organised labour's prospects in the decades ahead.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a review of relevant literature and trade union documentation from the period 1964 to 2014.\nFindings: This paper concludes that the past 50 years has been a period of change and turbulence for the movement, and suggests that this is likely to remain the case in the decades to come. Although external political and economic factors will have a significant bearing on unions' prospects, the paper argues that unions remain powerful agents of change in their own right and that a revival of organised labour is not beyond question.\nOriginality/value: The paper is written with unique practitioner insight from the UK's trade union centre.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Conceptualizing and qualifying disruptive business models
|
[
"Disruptive business model",
"Innovation",
"Technology"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Reflecting the constant changes in the market and the needs of consumers, in addition to innovation in products and services, managers from different areas have focused their attention on innovation in business models (Pereira, Imbrizi, Freitas, & Alvarenga, 2015). This occurs because alternative means of management and value creation allow the redefinition of the business performance in a specific field, as well as the acquisition of competitive advantage (Christensen, 1997; Johnson, Christensen, & Kagermann, 2008; Rodrigues, Silveira, Kono, & Lenzi, 2013; Simmons, Palmer, & Truong, 2013). In this sense, there has been a market competition not only in terms of innovation in products and services (Pacheco, Klein, & Righi, 2016) but also about business models (Gassmann, Frankenberger, & Csik, 2013).\n2. Theoretical framework: 2.1 Disruptive business model\n3. Methodology: Aiming to contribute to the existing literature on DBM, this research, essentially quantitative and descriptive, proposed a review of the literature on this topic under debate, using the LSA technique to consolidate the concepts presented on DBM in the literature, elaborating a set of characteristics that conceptualize and qualify DBM.\n4. Analysis: For the results of this research, the first 20 dimensions were used, as they were of greater weight and relevance for the intended analysis, exhausting the number of analyzed dimensions from the total. Out of these 20 dimensions, three were discarded in this research. The first discarded dimension was the seventh, as it deals with a dimension focused on an article dealing with DBM in the Latin American beef industry, presenting insignificant terms for this research, such as exports, beef, Mexican, market, meat and cattle.\n5. Final considerations: This article aims to consolidate the concepts presented on DBM in the literature, elaborating a set of characteristics that conceptualize and qualify a DBM. This is because, despite the existence of research and understanding about DBM, such findings do not accurately reveal the conceptual limit of this subject, which is imprecise in the literature (Foss & Saebi, 2017; Wu et al., 2010). Therefore, the literature on this subject was analyzed using the LSA technique, complemented by content analysis, to obtain a more precise qualification and conceptualization regarding DBM.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to elaborate a set of characteristics that conceptualize and qualify a disruptive business model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The literature on disruptive business models will be analyzed using the latent semantic analysis (LSA) technique, complemented by content analysis, to obtain a more precise qualification and conceptualization regarding disruptive business models.\nFindings: The results found described concepts already described in the theory. However, such findings, highlighted by the LSA, bring new perspectives to the analysis of the disruptive business models, little discussed in the literature and which reveal important considerations to be made on this subject.\nResearch limitations/implications: It should be noted, about the technique used, a limitation on the choice of the number of singular values. For this to be a problem in the open literature, the authors tried to work not just with the cost-benefit ratio given the addition of each new dimension in the analysis, as well as a criterion of saturation of the terms presented.\nPractical implications: The presentation of this set of characteristics can be used as a validation tool to identify if a business is or is not a disruptive business model by managers.\nOriginality/value: The originality of this paper is the achievement of a consolidated set of characteristics that conceptualize and qualify the disruptive business models by conducting an in-depth analysis of the literature on disruptive business models through the LSA technique, considering the difficulty of obtaining precise concepts on this subject in the literature.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A phase model for solution relationship development: a case study in the aerospace industry
|
[
"Solution",
"Aerospace",
"Triad",
"Business relationship",
"Complex engineering system"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The development of relational approaches in business-to-business (BtoB) marketing during the 80s has fostered the study of business relationships (Hakansson, 1982). Benefits to companies from developing relationships with customers, suppliers and other network counterparts have been emphasized on (Hakansson and Snehota, 1995). The topic of buyer-seller relationship development over time has been under particular scrutiny (Ford, 1980; Dwyer et al., 1987), and the development of supplier-customer relationships has been conceptualized as an evolutionary process. Three decades later, BtoB relationships and the study of these have undergone a major upheaval with the emergence of so-called solution selling or solution marketing approaches (Salonen, 2011).\n2. From dyadic to triadic models of relationship development: Client/supplier relationship development has been a key topic of B2B marketing approaches since the beginning of the 80s, and the advance of relational approaches (Hakansson, 1982). Ford (1980) characterizes the process of establishment and development of supplier-customer relationships over time based on the variables of experience, uncertainty and distance, suggesting that such relationships follow a five-stage evolution process: pre-relationship stage; the early stage; the development stage; the long-term stage; and the final stage/break-up. According to Dwyer et al. (1987), each phase of the dyadic relationship development process represents a major transition in how parties consider one another and can be understood as: awareness, exploration; expansion; commitment and dissolution. Over the past three decades, work on the business relationship development topic has progressed to detail each phase of these models. Certain authors (Havila and Salmi, 2008; Schreiner, 2015) have focused on the relationship termination stage considered as being of particular interest. More recently, focus has returned to the relationship start-up and development stages (Valtakoski, 2015).\n3. Methodology: a triadic approach to solution relationship development: The research presented here is descriptive and exploratory in nature, thus calling for qualitative investigation of real-life business relationships. We have chosen to adopt the case study method which allows for in-depth knowledge of the key episodes marking the relational development between actors in a solution triad. Case study research (Yin, 2003; Byrne and Ragin, 2009) investigates contemporary phenomena within their real-life contexts using multiple sources of evidence. Specifically, the method is based on the study of one or more cases on a given phenomenon to acquire improved understanding or general conclusions on the topic under study. Some authors have argued that a single-case study is justified or even preferable under certain conditions (Easton, 2003; Siggelkow, 2007). However, for theory building purposes, the use of multiple cases is likely to create a more robust and testable theory than single-case research. Multiple cases can increase external validity and help guard against observer bias (Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007; Yin, 2003). Weighing up the pros and cons of single- versus multiple-case approaches, we considered that the optimum solution to achieve the aims of this research would be to combine the two approaches, as discussed below.\n4. Case study analysis: Data were organized to highlight:\n5. Modeling solution relationship development: The research question stated earlier was:\n6. Discussion: Starting with the evolution of the BtoB realm toward solution business, this paper aims at providing a better understanding of how relationships develop over time in such a renewed dynamic context. On the basis of a case study in the aerospace industry concerning the provision of complex engineering systems, this paper proposes a four-phase model of solution relationship development: matching; combining; mixing; and sharing. Each of the phases is detailed to highlight the dyadic or triadic context of the relationships. While termed \"phases\" here, the process can be seen to be not a linear one, and it is not necessarily sequential and definitive.\n7. Managerial implications: The model can be used by solution providers, solution customers and services providers alike as a relational compass at different stages of the journey. It provides a support framework that can be used to better exploit their resources in a timely way when it comes to identifying, building and strengthening solution-providing triads. The phases are mentioned below:\n8. Conclusions: Such a model of solution relationship development offers avenues for further research not only at the level of each solution triad but also at the one of a set of related triads. What dynamics regarding combinations of triads apply for a same core supplier-buyer dyad? What interplay is observed between dyads and triads with focus on not just one supplier-customer dyad core, as in the case presented and analyzed here, but on combinations of the same, relative to a set of customers? Overall, we feel that this model can serve as a basis for a renewal of research on business relationship development and a revised perspective on business solutions in that it breaks free from former evolutionary dyadic models. More than just progressing from one phase to another, the model highlights what is happening in each phase for the three actors in interaction in such complex situations. The naming of each phase gives a clear indication of the major task faced by the actors during the phase.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The evolution of the business-to-business (BtoB) realm toward solution business calls for a better understanding of how relationships develop over time in such a renewed context. This paper aims to propose a phase model for solution relationship development, considering triadic relationships in complex engineering solutions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To depict how relationships develop in solution business, the authors adopt a qualitative approach which allows to detail the episodes of interactions between the actors. A case study approach in an extreme sector - the aerospace industry - allows highlighting certain key traits. Extending conventional dyadic analysis, this empirical study focuses on the aerospace industry, using a case study approach to analyze relationship developments between a worldwide leading aircraft manufacturer, one of its customer and four providers of products and services. The authors adopt a triadic perspective in the selection of cases, considering a total of four manufacturer-provider-customer triads.\nFindings: Four dynamic phases which track solution provision dynamics and involving dyadic and triadic relationship evolution are identified: matching; combining; mixing; and sharing. Each phase calls, from a management perspective, for specific competencies and resources of the actors in interaction.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to the gap about solution relationship development in a changing BtoB landscape. Considering the lens of a triadic approach, the paper also helps to fill the as-yet unattended to gap between dyads and triads in the literature.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Honey: food or medicine? A comparative study between Slovakia and Romania
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Cluster analysis",
"Honey",
"Health aspects"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Beekeeping has been represented throughout human history a factor of progress, which contributed to the improvement of nutrition and health, due to the energy that honey consumption provides (Crittenden, 2011) and its therapeutically effects (Ajibola et al., 2012). The rich content in carbohydrates represents, according to Bogdanov et al. (2008), the most important aspect related to the nutritional and therapeutically properties of honey. In addition to carbohydrates, honey contains various compounds with the following beneficial effects to human body: \"antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiviral, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, anticancer\" (Bogdanov et al., 2008). Saba et al. (2013) also cite honey consumption for medical benefits, due to its nutritional, healing and prophylactic properties. Oryan et al. (2016) summarise the medicinal actions of honey into the following categories: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, debridement action, stimulation of tissue growth and boosting the immune system. In addition, Rao et al. (2016) discuss about the benefits of honey consumption for eye, neurological and fertility disorders.\n2. Literature review on honey consumption behaviour: Honey is an example of a product used for applying the concept of \"nutritive marketing\" which includes, according to Martinovski and Gulevska (2017), the following principles: \"highlighting the nutritive qualities of product\" for a \"better choice of good-quality and healthier products\" and for improving \"people's health and wellbeing\".\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Research findings: The two-step cluster analyses provided various clusters with different profiles based on consumption patterns of honey such as: annual consumption (quantity), consumption frequency and way of consumption (Table II). In case of Slovakia, the sample obtained had a silhouette measure of cohesion and separation of 0.3 (this value indicating a fair cluster quality). The predictors' importance of the three inputs above mentioned was: 1.0 (in case of annual consumption), 0.73 (in case of consumption frequency) and 0.12 (in case of way of consumption). The variable having the highest impact on determining clusters was the annual consumption. Based on these data, three different segments were created in Slovakia: maniacs, regular consumers and occasional consumers.\n5. Discussions: The results of the present study confirm that honey is consumed for different purposes. Two-step cluster analysis, based on categorical data, allowed to automatically create three consumer segments in Slovakia (maniacs, regular consumers and occasional consumers) and four segments in Romania (irregular consumers, loyal consumers, regular consumers and sporadic consumers). The different number of clusters obtained in each country was influenced by differences in predictors' importance.\n6. Conclusions: The present study identified three segments of honey consumers in the Nitra region of Slovakia and four segments in the Cluj region of Romania. The segments were clustered based on consumption patterns (consumption frequency, annual consumption and way of consuming honey) and profiled according to socio-demography, preference and purchasing behaviour. In Slovakia, the following types of consumers were revealed: maniacs (everyday consumption), regular consumers (weekly consumption) and occasional consumers (irregular consumption). In Romania, similar results were obtained: loyal consumers (everyday consumption), regular consumers (weekly consumption), sporadic and irregular consumers (both with occasional consumption). Regarding the purpose of use, honey is more used as food (healthier sweetener instead of sugar) by maniacs and loyal consumers while the highest percentage of usage as medicine is in case of occasional and sporadic consumers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate different profiles of honey consumers in Slovakia and Romania by using a segmentation approach, thus supporting honey producers from both countries and promoting the consumption of honey for both food and health benefits.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A paper and online survey was conducted in two representative regions of Slovakia (n=2,138) and Romania (n=1,100), between November 2017 and February 2018. By carrying out a two-step cluster analysis, several segments of honey consumers based on consumption patterns, demographic profile, purchasing behaviour and honey preferences were defined.\nFindings: In both countries, honey is mostly consumed as food product and medicine and the majority of consumers think honey has healing effects. Based on the data, the authors identified similar segments in Slovakia and Romania, in terms of frequency and annual consumption (\"maniacs\" or \"loyal consumers\", \"regular consumers\", \"occasional consumers\" or \"sporadic consumers\" and \"irregular consumers\"), but, at the same time, those segments are different in terms of the way in which honey is consumed (multipurpose or direct consumption, spreads, beverages and ingredients for cooking).\nOriginality/value: The findings provide honey producers-beekeepers a wider information base, which can increase effectiveness of price, distribution and marketing communication strategies. Furthermore, knowledge from results will allow producers to specialise and place the production by designing different marketing strategies in different segments.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Antecedents of intention to purchase mass customized products
|
[
"Mass customization",
"Structural equation modeling",
"Theory of planned behavior",
"Behavioural intention",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Purchasing",
"Computers",
"China"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The combination of advanced manufacturing, product design, and information technology enables companies to be highly flexible and responsive in providing customized products through mass customization (MC). Desk top (PC for short) is one of the earliest products to be mass customized. Customized PC has following characteristics:* PC is customized by combining different kinds of standardized modules; each kind of module may have different varieties and levels; all modules are identified and produced by manufacturers before consumers make their purchasing decisions; manufacturers identify what range of options in modules for customization.* Needs identification is shifted from vendors (manufacturers or retailers) to consumers, that is, consumers make their purchase decisions on their own through selecting module attributes from options.* Vendors assemble products with standardized modules according to consumers' special requirements identified by consumers, rather than according to needs identified by vendors before consumers make purchasing decisions.Conventional purchasing behavior of standardized products is quite different from purchasing behavior of customized products (Tang et al., 2009). With traditional purchasing, consumers make their decisions after examining and comparing different product alternatives, thus limiting their selections to the existing offerings. Customized PC, however, allows consumers to configure their PCs based on a wide range of module attributes. These differences show that factors influencing consumers' decision making may be different between purchasing customized and standardized products.A few studies aim at identifying underlying factors influencing consumers' decision making regarding purchasing customized products. Some factors were determined. However, little attention was paid to empirical testing relationships between the factors determined and consumers' intention to purchase customized products.We aim at identifying determinants of Chinese consumers' intention to purchase customized PC and their effect levels using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique and latent construct model. The associations in the model are based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), but with broader constructs and relationships. We tested the model using empirical data from 779 respondents.\nLiterature review: Determinants of customized product purchasing intention\nThe research hypotheses: Determinants of Chinese consumers' behavioral intention to purchase customized PC were adapted from TPB with four modifications as follows.(1) Replacing perceived behavioral control by self-confidence\nMethods: Questionnaire design\nResults: Validity of the measurement model\nDiscussion: Research findings and marketing implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to empirically identify factors influencing Chinese consumers' intention to purchase customized desk top (PC for short) and their effect levels.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Survey and structural equation modeling techniques were used.\nFindings: - This research finds that: attitude toward purchasing customized PC, followed by self-confidence, and subjective norm influence behavioral intention most significantly; perceived knowledge has a very strong and positive effect on self-confidence and attitude; and subjective norm and perceived usefulness influence attitude positively. In contrast, a direct effect of perceived knowledge on behavioral intention is rejected. Experience for males and females moderates the confirmed relationships except the relationship between perceived knowledge and attitude for females. Gender for respondents with and without experience moderates the confirmed relationships except the effects of attitude and subjective norm on behavioral intention for respondents without experience and the effect of self-confidence on behavioral intention for respondents with experience.\nPractical implications: - It appears that customized PC providers should be aware that mass customization is applicable to markets where consumers are familiar with PC, hold a positive attitude toward purchasing a customized PC, and have confidence in their capability to make an effective decision in purchasing a customized PC.\nOriginality/value: - Little attention has been paid to empirical testing factors and their effect levels on consumers' intention to purchase customized products. No research has been conducted to empirically identify factors influencing Chinese consumers' intention to purchase customized PC and their effect levels, while this research fills this gap.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The return on trade show information (RTSI): a conceptual analysis
|
[
"Trade fairs",
"Market orientation",
"Information media"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Trade shows comprise a multibillion-dollar business, accounting for 10-15 percent of the business marketing communications budgets of US firms (Dekimpe et al., 1997; Smith et al., 2003). The percentage is even higher in UK companies, who spend up to twice as much of their business marketing communications budgets on trade shows (Herbig et al., 1996; Dekimpe et al., 1997). Industrial trade shows are often held in conjunction with professional industry group meetings, giving sellers a unique opportunity to interact with pre-qualified prospects as well as current customers, suppliers, and other industry associates (Godar and O'Connor, 2000). Over the past several decades, overall activity in the trade show industry has experienced steady growth; according to Jacobs Jenner & Kent Market Research and Frost Miller Group (2007), 62 percent of the companies interviewed in 2007 experienced increased attendance at their trade shows, compared to 60 percent in 2006. In a similar vein, the physical size of the shows has increased as well. Large shows (250,000 square feet or more) account for approximately 22 percent of all shows, representing a 5 percent increase in physical show size (Jacobs Jenner & Kent Market Research and Frost Miller Group, 2007).Owing to the high levels of investment required to participate in trade shows, concerns regarding the contribution of trade shows to the organization's bottom line are common across industries; consequently, firms are demanding higher levels of justification for trade show involvement. The expectation is that trade show participation will yield positive results, similar to other business investments (Hansen, 1999). At a round-table discussion of trade shows, \"investment accountability [was identified] as the greatest challenge facing the prospective exhibitor\" (Gopalakrishna et al., 1995, p. 75).Despite substantial levels of investment in trade shows and widespread participation in trade show activities across various industries, academic research in this area has been spotty at best. Partly in response to the scarcity of trade show research, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) listed support for academic research as one of its top objectives (Skolnik, 1987). This support is based on answering questions such as:1. What happens to the wealth of new information acquired at the trade show once the exhibit is over?2. Is it shared with others back at the home office, or does it remain largely in the purview of the trade show exhibitors and attendees?3. Are trade show participants encouraged (or expected) to report their findings to others in the organization?4. What effect does the perceived quality of this information have on the dissemination of, and use of this trade show information?\nReturn on trade show investment (RTSI): defined: The existence of value in trade show participation is commonly recognized among members of business and industry (Smith et al., 2003; Sind, 1996). What is lacking in the academic literature is not whether trade show participation has value, but rather a systematic consideration of issues surrounding how the value of information gathered at trade shows is manifested, and how this value should be measured. Whereas previous studies overwhelmingly looked at tangible benefits of trade shows (Gopalakrishna et al., 1995; Bonoma, 1983), this paper focuses on both tangible and intangible benefits of trade show information. Tangible benefits include trade show information that affects:* acquisition of new customers resulting in the sale (or purchase) of products and services;* technical updates; and* training and implementation advice given (or received) at the trade show.Intangible benefits include trade show information that enables improvements in sales planning, strategic planning, policy development, marketing communications, customer/supplier relationships, and new product development.With these issues in mind, we propose an index referred to as the return on trade show information (RTSI). It is an outcome measure that allows for simultaneous consideration of both tangible and intangible benefits, and provides a measure of the overall impact and effectiveness of trade show information on the participating firms. RTSI analyzes newly acquired trade show information and is evidenced by benefits resulting from the acquisition, dissemination, and use of trade show information within the trade show attendee and exhibiting firms.\nRTSI: trade show exhibitors versus visitors: This paper investigates RTSI from the perspective of both trade show exhibitors and visitors; \"exhibitors\" refers to participants who occupy display booths at the trade show, while \"visitors\" refers to trade show attendees who do not occupy a display booth at the trade show. Exhibitor trade show success has traditionally been evaluated using more tangible measures such as the number of sales orders or sales leads generated from the trade show, making contact with current customers, and gathering competitive information (Dekimpe et al., 1997; Smith and Smith, 1999; Hansen, 1999; Blythe, 1999). However, research suggests that exhibitors often express dissatisfaction or lack of concrete knowledge regarding their success at trade shows (Herbig et al., 1997). This suggests a greater proportion of intangible benefits than tangible benefits for exhibitors compared to visitors. Conversely, exhibitors might inherently place a lower value on the intangible benefits derived, skewing RTSI.Visitors often state that their objectives for attending trade shows include various information-gathering activities (Blythe, 1999). These activities involve gathering new product information, technical updates, and contact information from both trade show exhibitors as well as other participants (suppliers, distributors, etc.). In contrast to trade show exhibitors, trade show visitors set clear goals for attending trade shows (Blythe, 1999; Gramann, 1994).\nRTSI theory development: The theoretical underpinnings for RTSI are found in the market orientation and information quality literature (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990; Maltz and Kohli, 1996). Market orientation is regarded as the implementation of the marketing concept, defined by Kohli and Jaworski (1990) as the generation of, dissemination of, and organization-wide response to market intelligence. Market intelligence included in the RTSI scale consists of both formal and informal information gathered at the trade show.Formal information acquisition at trade shows consists of one-way or mostly one-way communication; this includes information gathered during a keynote address, press review, product demonstration, or technical update. Informal trade show information acquisition typically occurs as a two-way exchange of information among trade show participants, such as that which takes place between exhibitors, or between exhibitors and visitors. Informal information gathering often takes place in casual \"hall talk\" or \"water fountain\" conversations as well as luncheon and dinner discussions. In addition, trade show information includes information that is directly gathered at the trade show event, as well as information that is gathered within a specified timeframe afterwards. In order to be included in the RTSI scale, post-show information-gathering can occur up to six months after the event, as a direct result of ideas and plans that stem from attendance at the trade show. For instance, this includes acquisition of new information prompted by conversations among participants, brochures obtained, or demonstrations watched at the trade show.In evaluating the benefits derived from information gathered at trade shows, we consider whether and how this information is disseminated within the organization, then consequently used by members of the organization. However, the dissemination and use of trade show information is impacted by the perceived quality of this information.Perceived information quality describes whether the information received at trade shows is perceived to be accurate, relevant, clear, and timely (Maltz and Kohli, 1996). Accuracy refers to objectivity of the information, and implies a certain amount of validity of the information. Relevance describes information that is perceived to be necessary and important for the task at hand. Clarity of information refers to whether the information was easy to follow and \"made sense\" to the trade show attendee. Timeliness describes the usefulness of information received at the trade show, based on temporal priorities of the attendee. In this model, perceived information quality moderates the relationship between trade show information acquisition and dissemination; perceived information quality also moderates the relationship between trade show information dissemination and use.\nDescription of the model: This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of trade shows based on the quality and use of information gleaned from trade show participation. As seen in Figure 1, the model for the proposed research is an extension of one suggested by Gopalakrishna et al. (1995). In the Gopalakrishna et al. (1995) model, measures for evaluating the effectiveness of trade show participation were developed; however, the model only focused on tangible outcomes of trade show participation (prospects, leads, sales). In addition, the Gopalakrishna et al. (1995) model only examined trade show participation from the perspective of the exhibitor.The current model also represents an extension of the model proposed by Li (2006), who looked at antecedents and consequences of relationship learning at trade shows. The Li (2006) study is based on influential information shared between trade show participants, and the long-term effects of this information-sharing on the relationship performance.Pre-dissemination information quality and pre-use information quality are offered as moderators to the trade show information acquisition-dissemination-use relationship. Pre-dissemination information quality refers to the quality of information acquired at the trade show (and up to six months after the trade show), based on the perception of the trade show visitor or exhibitor. We postulate that if information acquired at the trade show is judged to be of high quality, then the trade show participants will have a greater level of confidence in how they will be viewed by the recipients of the trade show information. Consequently, these trade show participants will be more likely to share the trade show information with other organizational members. Therefore, Propositions 1 and 2 are suggested as follows:P1. The higher the perceived quality of information acquired at the trade show, the greater the likelihood that the information will be disseminated to other organizational members.P2. The higher the perceived quality of related information acquired up to six months after the trade show, the greater the likelihood that the information will be disseminated to other organizational members.Pre-use information quality refers to the quality of trade show information that has been disseminated throughout the organization. This perceived information quality is based on the perception of organizational members who received trade show information, but did not actually attend or participate in the trade show. When these organizational members trust that this trade show information is of high quality, they are more likely to utilize this information in on-going organizational processes and in making organizational decisions.Therefore, the following proposition is offered:P3. The higher the perceived quality of trade show information disseminated throughout the organization, the greater the likelihood that this information will be used by other organizational members.By incorporating this newly acquired and disseminated high quality trade show information into organizational processes and decision-making, the organization will reap both tangible and intangible benefits. Therefore, Propositions 4 and 5 are suggested:P4. The greater the level of trade show information use throughout the organization, the higher the tangible RTSI.P5. The greater the level of trade show information use throughout the organization, the higher the intangible RTSI.\nManagerial implications: Several potential benefits are expected as a result of this proposed research. First, a better understanding of the value of information gained from trade shows will be attained. By analyzing whether, and how this information is used in the organization, it may be possible to quantify the impact that this new information has on the organization as a whole. The RTSI index will provide managers with a more complete understanding of the value of information resulting from trade show participation.Second, this research will aid in determining the effectiveness of trade shows as a learning tool. For instance, if exhibitors learn to appreciate the value of other departments in the organization, based on new ideas or procedures learned from other trade show attendees, then this may result in intangible benefits manifested by improved interdepartmental relations, and a higher degree of organizational learning.The RTSI model formally recognizes that informational value is not determined simply when a piece of information is acquired. A more complete valuation of any informational input can be made as it moves throughout the organization as a result of its availability for use in various managerial decision-making contexts. This less direct but potentially more substantial value can only be determined by examination of its movement and use over time. RTSI incorporates both movement and time in establishing an index of the value of the informational outcomes.Further, it is suggested that the use of RTSI in outcome assessment may also improve managerial planning by pointing out the types of information gathering activities by trade show attendees that is most useful, as well as improve the flow of potentially valuable information within the firm once the show is over. Finally, the return on trade show investment depends both upon the ability to evaluate the \"return\" as well as to properly judge the size of the \"investment\". Consequently, the use of RTSI would provide management with a valuable tool to improve evaluation of the return on trade show investment once made.However, there are potential limitations to our analysis of the RTSI concept. For instance, even though the return on trade show information index describes tangible and intangible benefits that accrue to as a result of new information acquired at trade shows, in some cases the same information that is acquired at trade shows is also available from alternative sources, potentially making it difficult to determine true RTSI.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the need for developing a return on trade show information (RTSI) index; this index would be used to measure the impact of information gathered at trade shows on long-term decision making within the organization. Also, the paper aims to suggest differences in how exhibitors and visitors perceive tangible versus intangible benefits that accrue as a result of utilizing new information acquired at trade shows.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper utilizes a conceptual approach, employing the market orientation framework to develop a model for the return on trade show information (RTSI). It incorporates the acquisition, dissemination and utilization of new trade show information, suggesting that perceived information quality acts as a moderator in this relationship.\nFindings: - The return on trade show information (RTSI) index describes both tangible and intangible benefits that accrue to the organization as a result of information acquired at trade shows. However, in some cases the same information that is acquired at trade shows is also available from alternative sources, potentially making it difficult to determine true RTSI.\nOriginality/value: - The manuscript offers an innovative perspective for estimating the value of new information acquired at trade shows, suggesting differences in the way in which exhibitors and visitors perceive, as well as utilize, trade show information. This opens the door to future research in the area of trade show information value; in addition, this can benefit practitioners by providing a different method for evaluating the investment value of trade show participation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The role of time wasted in sales force attitudes and intention to quit
|
[
"Ecuador",
"Financial institutions",
"Sales force",
"Stress",
"Employee turnover",
"Work psychology"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Customer-oriented selling requires salespeople to allocate their efforts to activities aimed at uncovering each customer's specific needs (Brooksbank, 1995). In spite of this, research suggests that salespeople often engage in activities which are unproductive and do not spend sufficient time in serving the customer (Locander et al., 2004; Weeks and Kahle, 1990). Survey findings show that salespeople dedicate only 15 percent of their time to serve the customer while 35 percent of their time is spent on administrative tasks (Johnston and Marshall, 2005).A qualitative study of 133 salespeople revealed that time wasted is one of the most frequently mentioned stressors at work (Narayanan et al., 1999). Hence, the inefficient allocation of time may result in negative consequences for salespeople and, ultimately, the organization. This is because salespeople believe that a large portion of their productive time is wasted in non-selling tasks instead of pursuing sales opportunities that can help them meet their performance goals (Cummings, 2004). The resulting frustration and stress impacts both physical health and emotional well-being (Jex, 1998). In fact, numerous studies have found that salespeople's stress levels result in high emotional exhaustion, high turnover intentions, and low performance (e.g. Babakus et al., 1999; Low et al., 2001; MacKenzie et al., 1998).While both practitioners and academics have recognized that a substantial portion of a salesperson's time is wasted on unproductive activities (Cummings, 2004; Brashear et al., 1997), no published studies have examined the effect of salespeople's perceptions of time wasted on job attitudes and behavioral intentions. Our primary intention is to address this gap in the literature by examining the important relationships among time wasted, role stressors (i.e. role conflict and role ambiguity), emotional exhaustion, job attitudes (i.e. job satisfaction and organizational commitment), intention to quit, and extra-role performance (i.e. help). This study extends prior research on sales force stress by including perceptions of time wasted in the models proposed by Babakus et al. (1999), Boles et al. (1997), Low et al. (2001), and Singh et al. (1994). Figure 1 illustrates the constructs used in this paper and the hypothesized paths.\nPerceptions of time wasted: Time wasted refers to an individual's belief that their time or their efforts have been used ineffectively (Keenan and Newton, 1985). Time wasted has been linked to activities such as engaging in non-sales related chores, preparing paperwork and reports, and attending meetings (Locander et al., 2004). Research indicates that high performing salespeople spend more time selling and servicing customers and have a higher vocational esteem (Brashear et al., 1997). Thus, salespeople who believe that they are able to allocate their time to activities that result in high performance are likely to be more satisfied with their jobs, less affected by stress, and happier (Nonis and Sager, 2003; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Reinforcement theory suggests that the sense of accomplishment that results from achieving high performance is a powerful motivator (Komaki et al., 1991). On the other hand, when individuals are engaged in job activities that are perceived as wasteful, they are likely to feel unproductive and to become demotivated and unhappy (Locander et al., 2004).The above discussion suggests that the salesperson's perceptions of time wasted may have a negative effect on job attitudes and behavioral intentions. Specifically, the demotivation that results from allocating time to activities deemed as wasteful could be negatively related to job satisfaction, which is an attitude that reflects how people like or dislike their job (Spector, 1997). Also, perceptions of time wasted may result in emotional exhaustion indicated by a lack of energy and a depletion of an individual's emotional resources (Babakus et al., 1999; Maslach and Jackson, 1981). Finally, perceptions of time wasted could result in higher intentions to quit. Therefore:H1. Perception of time wasted is negatively associated with job satisfaction.\nRole stress: A role is a pattern of behaviors that the organization requires from its employees (Spector, 1997). Such required behaviors can constitute important sources of stress. In particular, sales force researchers have been concerned by the effects of role stress (role conflict and role ambiguity) on job attitudes and behaviors (e.g., Chonko et al., 2000; Singh et al., 1994; Netemeyer et al., 2004). Role conflict results from perceptions of incompatible demands and expectations about the employee's functions and responsibilities (Rizzo et al., 1970; Spector, 1997). Role ambiguity reflects the degree of uncertainty about job functions and responsibilities (Rizzo et al., 1970; Spector, 1997). In the course of their work, salespeople are faced with increasing demands on their time from supervisors who require numerous reports, e-mails, meetings and status updates (Cummings, 2004; Marchetti, 2003). At the same time, salespeople are also asked to increase their face time with customers as a means of building relationships to procure business (Shemwell and Yavas, 1998). Both inconsistencies in what management expects and a lack of clarity about job responsibilities have been hypothesized as antecedents of salesperson emotional exhaustion (e.g., Boles et al., 1997; Babakus et al., 1999). Accordingly:H4. Role conflict is positively associated with emotional exhaustion.\nEmotional exhaustion: Emotional exhaustion is a chronic type of work-related strain and can be defined as \"the feeling of being emotionally overextended and exhausted by one's work\" (Maslach and Jackson, 1981, p. 101). Emotional exhaustion is one of the three components of burnout; the other two are depersonalization and diminished personal accomplishment. Although all three components of burnout have been used in some marketing stress models (e.g. Low et al., 2001; Singh et al., 1994), this research will not include depersonalization and diminished accomplishment for both conceptual and empirical reasons. First, emotional exhaustion captures the core meaning of burnout. It is defined as \"... a syndrome of emotional exhaustion and cynicism that occurs frequently among individuals who do 'people-work' of some kind,\" (Maslach and Jackson, 1981, p. 99). Second, the discriminate validity of depersonalization and diminished accomplishment with constructs such as self-efficacy and self-esteem is questionable (Cropanzano et al., 2003). Third, of the three dimensions of burnout, emotional exhaustion exhibits stronger relationships with stressors and strain (e.g., Lee and Ashforth, 1996). Emotional exhaustion is linked to negative attitudinal variables such as diminished job satisfaction and high intentions to quit (e.g., Babakus et al., 1999; Houkes et al., 2003). In view of this, it is hypothesized that:H9. Emotional exhaustion is negatively associated with job satisfaction.\nOrganizational commitment: Organizational commitment represents an attitudinal attachment of the individual to the organization (Jaramillo et al., 2005; Meyer et al., 2002). Research has shown that organizational commitment is high when the salesperson is satisfied with his/her job (e.g., Babakus et al., 1999; Schwepker, 2001). Numerous studies have found that organizational commitment is an important indicator of both a salesperson's intentions to quit and his/her willingness to help others (e.g. Cropanzano et al., 2003; Meyer et al., 2002). Consequently:H11. Job satisfaction is positively associated with organizational commitment.\nIntention to quit: Both practitioners and academicians have long been concerned with identifying variables that help retain good salespeople (e.g. Babakus et al., 1999; Schwepker, 2001; McGarvey, 2004). Managing intentions to quit is of significant importance in selling where turnover is more than twice the average of other occupations (Richardson, 1999). As previously indicated, this study suggests that intentions to quit are related to time wasted, emotional exhaustion, and organizational commitment. Another important predictor of intentions to quit is job satisfaction. In fact, numerous studies have found a negative relationship between these two constructs (e.g. Babakus et al., 1999; Low et al., 2001). Based on this, it is hypothesized that:H14. Job satisfaction is negatively associated with intentions to quit.\nMethod: Sample\nDiscussion: Research indicates the financial sector is among the most stressful occupations in the world (Khan, 2001). In spite of this, studies investigating the effects of stress on organizational variables are limited (Khan, 2001). The purpose of this research is to address this limitation by examining the effect of role stress and perceptions of time wasted on emotional exhaustion, job attitudes, and behavioral intentions of salespeople operating in the banking industry. Salespeople who work for this industry operate in an exceptionally demanding and competitive market (Khan, 2001). To be successful, they are required to be effective at time management. However, salespeople are sometimes required to perform activities that they can perceive as a waste of their time. Perceptions of time wasted are likely to result in dissatisfaction, emotional exhaustion, and ultimately high intentions to quit (Keenan and Newton, 1985; Narayanan et al., 1999).Consistent with H2, results indicate that perception of time wasted is an important source of sales force stress, which has a positive effect on emotional exhaustion. Also, results show a positive relationship between perception of time wasted and intentions to quit. As hypothesized (H3), salespeople who perceive that they are engaged in job activities that are wasteful will have a higher intention to quit the organization. The negative effect of time wasted and job satisfaction (H1) is supported at the correlation level (r = -0.26), but not supported in the structural model (Figure 1). Once the effect of role ambiguity in job satisfaction is taken into account, the effect of time wasted in job satisfaction is statistically insignificant (l = -0.08, t = -1.35). Taken together, these results suggest that perceptions of time wasted indirectly impacts job satisfaction by its influence on emotional exhaustion and may constitute an important predictor of sales force turnover.There is a general recognition that the salesperson work environment is pressure filled with too much to do and not enough time to do it in, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed (Narayanan et al., 1999; McKay and Tate, 1999). The results of this study highlight the need for managers to design work that minimizes activities such as preparing reports, attending meetings, responding to routine e-mails, and engaging in non-sales related tasks. These activities are often considered by salespeople as a waste of their time (Locander et al., 2004). Salespeople could maximize their productive time by delegating to support staff, activities such as handling routine correspondence and telephone calls, planning of sales trips, and confirming appointments (Dreyfack, 2004).The findings of this study are in line with previous research which found that emotional exhaustion mediates the effects of role ambiguity and role conflict on salesperson's job satisfaction and intention to quit (e.g. Babakus et al., 1999; Boles et al., 1997). Consistent with H4 and H5, it was found that role conflict and role ambiguity have a positive relationship with emotional exhaustion. Also, results show that emotional exhaustion is negatively related to job satisfaction and positively related to intentions to quit (H9 and H10, respectively). Finally, consistent with Low et al. (2001), this study found that role ambiguity has a negative direct effect on both job satisfaction (H6) and organizational commitment (H7). Bringing additional evidence of the direct effect of role ambiguity on both job satisfaction and organizational commitment is important because previous empirical evidence of these relationships was uncertain. For example, Boles et al. (1997) hypothesized that role ambiguity is negatively related to job satisfaction, but found that the relationship was statistically insignificant. Also, Babakus et al. (1999) hypothesized that role ambiguity is negatively related to organizational commitment and found that the relationship was statistically insignificant. It is likely that the lack of significance of these relationships is explained by low statistical power rather than for conceptual reasons (McQuitty, 2004). The negative effect of role ambiguity is also evidenced by the significance of the negative relationship between role ambiguity and help (H8). This is in keeping with the notion that salespeople who are unclear about their functions and responsibilities will be less likely to allocate effort in helping others.This study provides support for the mediating role of emotional exhaustion in the stressor-strain process. The mediating role of emotional exhaustion is further supported by the significant paths from time wasted to emotional exhaustion (H2), and from emotional exhaustion to both job satisfaction (H9) and intention to quit (H10). These results indicate that emotional exhaustion is the mechanism by which stressors lead to strain.Results of this study are in line with previous research that indicates that job satisfaction has both a direct and an indirect effect on the salesperson's intentions to quit (e.g., Babakus et al., 1999; Low et al., 2001). Consistent with H11 and H12, results show that job satisfaction is an important antecedent of organizational commitment which is a significant predictor of intention to quit. Also, consistent with H14, job satisfaction has a direct effect on organizational commitment. As indicated by Meyer et al. (2002), salespeople who are happy with their jobs are likely to develop an emotional attachment with the organization and are less prone to quit their jobs.This study brings additional evidence of the important role of organizational commitment to sales force research. Results indicate that organizational commitment plays an important role in explaining turnover intentions and helping behavior (i.e. extra-role performance), two variables critical to organizational success. This is consistent with a recent meta-analysis which suggests that organizational commitment has a greater impact on performance in sales when compared to non-sales jobs (Jaramillo et al., 2005). Also, the positive relationship between organizational commitment and helping behavior may be explained by the notion that positive feelings are likely to result in altruistic and helping behaviors (Verbeke et al., 2004).Limitations\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to build on previous research on stress in sales forces to investigate the effect of perceptions of time wasted on salespersons' attitudes and behavioral intentions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Responses from 400 salespeople who work in 49 business units of four Ecuadorian financial institutions were used to test a conceptual stress model. The research hypotheses were tested with a structural equation model.\nFindings: - Salespeople operating in the banking industry are prone to be dissatisfied, emotionally exhausted, and are likely to quit when they believe that their time or their efforts have been wasted or used ineffectively.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Ecuadorian samples adequately represent Latin American banking employees. However, individuals from collectivistic countries, such as Ecuador, have a more relaxed view of time. Hence, perceptions of time wasted may have a greater effect on job attitudes and behaviors in the USA than in Ecuador.\nPractical implications: - Success in sales requires effective time management. However, salespeople are sometimes required to perform activities that they can perceive as wasteful. Managers should be aware that performing wasteful activities leads to emotional exhaustion and high intentions to quit.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first study to empirically test the effect of time wasted on organizational variables.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Lean thinking implementation at a safari park
|
[
"Business process re‐engineering",
"Process efficiency",
"Waste minimization",
"Animal feed"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Lean thinking is all about adding value, where value is defined by the customer. Whilst lean thinking has its roots in manufacturing, there are numerous examples of its impact on operations in other sectors in particular the service sector. Woburn safari park (WSP) falls into the leisure sector and as with other similar organisations the customer interface for many aspects of experience with WSP is at the park during the actual customer experience. This closeness to the customer should be viewed as an advantage to any organisation interested in understanding and meeting their customers' expectations. However, as with other similar businesses such as theme parks, the closeness can also potentially be very risky especially in a business that depends heavily on word of mouth recommendations to attract customers (Mielke et al., 1998; Braun and Soskin, 1999). The management at WSP were interested in implementing lean thinking in the park as a part of the journey towards delivering on their stated mission to be financially secure whilst providing one of the UK's premier leisure destinations and experiences.\n2. Industrial context: Consumer demand for leisure products and services fluctuates with the changing economy like other non-essential household commodities. Personal disposable income (PDI) is one of the key measures for the consumption of these \"products\". The PDI in UK increased by an estimated 12 per cent between 2001 and 2006 (based on 2001 prices), exceeded by the growth of consumer expenditure, which grew by 14 per cent during the same period. These trends are expected to continue towards 2011 where PDI is projected to reach almost PS878 billion and consumer expenditure over PS836 billion (Mintel, 2006).Day-out activities saw an estimated 492 million visits to over 7,000 attractions in UK in 2005. The days out market is currently highly weather-sensitive, with around 40 per cent of all visits being taken in the months of July and August. With 47 per cent of visits initialised by asking friends or relatives for suggestions (Mintel, 2006), word-of-mouth is by far the most significant source of information for day out attractions to attract visitors. The day-out activities are spread out on different types of attractions where Wildlife attractions and Zoos combined accounts for 7 per cent of the visits. This number brings the total expected visitors to Wildlife attractions and Zoos in 2006 to 35 million. These visitors will be spread over nearly 500 Wildlife attractions and Zoos but where the top ten attractions will attract nearly six million visitors alone.2.1 Company background\n3. Literature review: 3.1 Lean definition\n4. Methodology: The methodology upon which the study described in this paper is based was a case study, where WSP approached Cranfield University for assistance with looking for ways to improve their overall performance. The case based methodology is of particular relevance in new or emerging situations where not much is known about the particular area under study (Hartley, 1994). Case-based research is particularly effective at examining a phenomenon in the context of its real business environment (Yin, 2003). The novelty of the particular application to the faculty in the Department of Manufacturing combined with the need to have people on the ground to understand the business context made it a good fit with the case-based approach.The project approach consisted of first understanding the big picture in order to be able to have enough perspective before moving to a lower level of detail. Subsequently, the challenge was to focus on the key areas of improvement and to work out the most feasible solutions to achieve the aim of the project. The team undertook a methodology based on the objectives split into three main stages as outlined in Figure 1, which are linked by two decision points in collaboration with the WSP senior management team.During the first stage, the departments of WSP were analysed to get a clear overview of what is going on in the park and to identify each department's major activities. This phase was the occasion to highlight the areas for potential improvements. Many semi-structured interviews and brainstorming sessions were performed during this stage of data gathering and process selection with employees of WSP at all levels of the organisation. This helped the team to get a clear overview about the key areas, and to create maps for the most important activities.The WSP key measures of success were also obtained, these key measures reflect the parameters that the senior management wants to improve or, at least, to keep at the same level. These key measures were used as decision criteria to determine the areas on which to focus in the later stages of the project. During the meeting at the end of Stage 1 a matrix linking the key measures to 21 key processes identified was created and used to help the team agree on the focus going forward given the limitation in time (Figure 2).The output of this review meeting was an agreement to focus on entrance management, customer flow, feed logistics, retail inventory management and resource allocation within maintenance. Finally, the key factors to consider when investigating these five areas further were: internal customer service level, external customer service level, number of man hours and profit.In the second stage, the current state maps were produced for the five key processes identified. The goal of this stage was to identify the waste in these activities in terms of money, time, transportation and other parameters. To highlight the wastes different tools were used depending on the activities each department was responsible for. A variety of tools and techniques were used including simulation, spreadsheets, integrated computer-aided manufacturing definition language diagrams, flowcharts and process charts. The findings were presented for validation to the staff concerned at a second review meeting. At this meeting it was decided in collaboration with WSP senior management that the resource allocation section of the project be stopped. The Maintenance Department had many constraints that made it difficult to include it in the first wave, and it would potentially have a negative impact and perception on the initiative.In the final stage, the four areas were analysed more deeply in order to elaborate future state maps. Again, these areas are very different and the work was not necessarily to find the solutions to the problems, but rather to develop recommendations to help WSP reach a leaner situation.This paper will present the results from one key area; feed logistics. Feed logistics is the management and distribution of feed throughout the park from receipt from the suppliers, into the storage locations, through to the preparation areas and ultimately to the animals.\n5. Feed logistics - current state: Feed logistics covers all the activities related to the feed acquisition, storage, preparation and distribution. There are two main areas of investigation within feed logistics: the flow of feed from supplier to animal and the flow of information in the other direction (Figure 3).The first flow has been called dispatch system. It includes all the movements, storage locations, transport and distribution of feed. The flow of information includes the dietary demand of each animal, the requirements of each team based on the demand of the animals in their area and the orders based on the aggregated requirements across all the teams.5.1 Downstream flow: dispatch system\n6. Feed logistics - future state: The work carried out and the recommendations made regarding the two main areas for improvement identified will be presented in the following section. Specifically, the dispatch system and the feed requirements will be the main focus.6.1 Dispatching improvement\n7. Conclusion: The key learning from this research project is that when focusing on customer value and elimination of waste across functional boundaries it is possible to produce large savings and increase profit without affecting customer experience negatively. The recommendations, tools and training material provided by the team can, if used consistently, empower management and staff of WSP to continuously improve processes throughout the park and focus on value-adding activities. From the areas analysed in this project a potential annual bottom line improvement of PS91,000 was identified.Through the increased understanding of the processes and their relationships throughout the park, it becomes possible to provide the right information at the right time to customers. A better understanding and a focus on value for the customer leads to improved scheduling of events and staffing, which combined with better customer information enables the customers to enjoy a full day out at WSP completely, hence increase the external customer service level.Mapping processes and value streams within WSP also increases the understanding of the internal customers (i.e. WSP staff) and their expectations which is the first step towards increasing the service level. Providing staff with an understanding of the entire value stream for the external customers creates an understanding on how staff internally can help each other in providing better service. This along with involvement of staff in implementing lean also increases employee satisfaction and in effect staff retention.Implementing lean principles at WSP has only just begun. Throughout the project the team has worked closely with WSP management and staff to initialise this journey. Through this process, the team has proven that lean principles can be applied successfully in the service industry.During the project some of WSP management's perceptions have been challenged by the findings in the four key areas analysed. The project has given WSP a greater understanding of the \"DNA\" of the park, and the deliverables and recommendations will help them improve customer experience as well as profitability.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to report on a research project at a safari park in Buckinghamshire, UK. The aim is to introduce lean principles to the park, to enable the park to increase profits through eliminating waste and improving the efficiency of key processes whilst concurrently increasing customer satisfaction. The research is based on a case study approach within the organisation over a period of three months. The project team worked together with management and staff to deliver tangible benefits to the park.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The research is based on a case study approach within the organisation over a period of three months. The project team worked together with management and staff to deliver tangible benefits to the park. The team adopted a three stage approach linked by two decision points and used a variety of lean tools to help map the current state of practices in the park and to identify areas for improvement in the park's processes.\nFindings: - The project succeeded in identifying several key areas for improvement. The current situation across a range of customer facing processes is mapped and through detailed analysis and simulations, recommendations for improvements have been delivered to the management. The scope of the project is broad and so for the purpose of this paper, only one key area will be elaborated on, feed logistics. Feed logistics is the distribution network of feed throughout the park from receipt from the suppliers, the storage locations, through to the preparation areas and ultimately the animals.\nOriginality/value: - The project demonstrated that in fact the underlying philosophies and tools of lean thinking can be used with significant benefits to drive improvements in the unusual setting of a safari park. The successful application of lean thinking into a safari park proved to be an extremely unique opportunity to observe the impact of those principles in generating both tangible and intangible benefits to that organisation. In particular, as discussed in this paper, the simplification of the feed network and distribution for the park eliminated waste in the form of movement, time and inventory.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A positive approach to management education: The relationship between academic PsyCap and student engagement
|
[
"Psychological capital",
"Student engagement",
"Academic PsyCap"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Increasing student engagement through experiential learning opportunities, promoting extracurricular activities, encouraging student-faculty interactions, and providing significant transformational learning opportunities (TLO) has become a focal point of attention in management education. Defined by Kuh (2003, p. 25) as, \"the time and energy students devote to educationally sound activities inside and outside of the classroom,\" student engagement in empirically derived good educational practices has consistently been found to be one of the better predictors of learning and personal development. For example, prior research has linked student engagement with desirable results such as academic performance and persistence (Kuh et al., 2008; Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005). Importantly, findings from the 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index also suggest that when students engage in educationally purposeful activities, the benefits extend beyond college graduation. Specifically, results from this large-scale study indicated that if undergraduate students engaged in activities such as internships, extracurricular activities and organizations, and comprehensive semester-long projects while in college, their chances of being engaged at work post-graduation were more than doubled (Ray and Kafka, 2014).\nMethods: Sample and procedure\nResults: Table II shows the means, standard deviations, zero-order correlations, and as among the study variables. As expected, PsyCap held a significant, positive relationship with each dimension of student engagement, providing initial support to all three study hypotheses.\nImplications for management education and development: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the positive psychological strengths (i.e. positive PsyCap) of undergraduate business students and their level of engagement. Although extant research has demonstrated connections between positive psychological constructs and student engagement (Finn and Rock, 1997; Medlin and Faulk, 2011; VanRyzin, 2011), this is the first study to take a holistic view of developable, positive psychological capacities, collectively assessed as PsyCap, and examine potential impact on three recognized dimensions of student engagement. The results suggest that PsyCap does play an important role in this relationship. Further, PsyCap explained variance in student engagement, even after controlling for other influences such as year in school or student full-time status. The findings of this study are particularly relevant when considering the nature of PsyCap as a set of developable capacities - where increases in PsyCap through developmental interventions may lead to increases in student engagement.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the positive psychological strengths of undergraduate business students, collectively known as positive psychological capital (PsyCap), and their levels of engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study has a cross-sectional design in which students from two Midwestern universities were surveyed regarding their levels of PsyCap and levels of engagement in educationally sound activities. Item response theory (IRT) and hierarchical regression were used to test study hypotheses. The authors assessed measurement validity using confirmatory factor analyses in MPLUS 7.0 using four-category 2PL graded response models with a weighted least squares means and variance adjusted estimator. Hierarchical regression was used to control for alternative explanations of variance in assessing the effects of PsyCap on student engagement.\nFindings: Using measures of student engagement drawn from the National Survey of Student Engagement, the analysis indicated significant positive relationships between the academic PsyCap of 323 undergraduate business students and their levels of student-faculty engagement (SFE; r=0.30, p<0.01), community-based activities (CBA; r=0.28, p<0.01), and transformational learning opportunities (TLO; r=0.19, p<0.01). A series of hierarchical regressions also indicated that PsyCap is a significant predictor of student engagement as assessed against SFE, CBA, and TLO.\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings from this study suggest that further research examining the relationship between PsyCap development and student engagement could have significant implications for management educators. The positive associations found between these key variables could be utilized by management educators to implement novel and effective teaching interventions for developing the PsyCap of their students and, ultimately, increase their students' levels of engagement.\nOriginality/value: Although extant research has demonstrated connections between positive psychological constructs (i.e. hope, self-efficacy, resilience, optimism) and student engagement, this is the first study to take a holistic view of developable, positive psychological capacities, collectively assessed as PsyCap, and examine the potential impact on three recognized dimensions of student engagement.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Retaining professional workers: what makes them stay?
|
[
"Retention",
"Employees",
"Psychological contracts"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nRetention of professional workers: HR professionals have traditionally used exit interviews as a means of ascertaining why individuals have left an organisation, however, it is perhaps more important to identify the organisational characteristics that make people stay with their organisations than to constantly identify the organisational characteristics that make them leave. The development of a model for employee retention could assist with this. This paper outlines the development of a model for the retention of professional workers. Professional workers are described by Van Maanen and Barley (1984) as a group of people who consider themselves to be engaged in the same sort of work (p. 289). Professions are viewed by Kerr et al. (1997) as a special type of occupation whose members exhibit high levels of characteristics such as expertise, autonomy, a belief in the regulation of the profession by its members and a belief in the importance of the services the profession provides (George, 2009, p. 37). This group is seen as important in relation to retention due to the possible existence of dual loyalties to both the profession and the organisation.\nManagement: The role of management as a key factor in the retention of professional workers has been cited by several studies. Andrews and Wan (2009) link improved nurse retention to manager behaviour (p. 342) and Snyder and Lopez (2002) emphasise the role of leaders in an organisation in encouraging the talent of the organisation to stay. Kaye and Jordan-Evans (2002) talk about the importance of \"a good boss\". There appear to be two aspects of management that are particularly important in retention these being the adoption of an \"appropriate style of leadership\" (e.g. Spence Laschinger et al., 2009) and perceived management support (e.g. Paille, 2013).\nConducive environment: Another important factor in the retention of professional workers appears to be the work environment. Spence Laschinger et al. (2009) obtained results to support the importance of positive working environments in retaining health professionals. An environment conducive to employee retention is one where the working experience is a pleasant one, the resources are adequate and there is some degree of flexibility. HR managers can influence the working environment by ensuring that professional groups have access to sufficient resources and that flexibility within the organisation is reciprocal. Wood et al. (2013) found that resources were an important factor in the retention of midwives as did Alexander et al. (1998) with psychiatric nurses. Flexibility was found to be an important factor in the retention of allied health professionals by Loan-Clarke et al. (2010) and in child welfare professionals by Ellett et al. (2007). Moncarz et al. (2009) noted the importance of having a fun working environment as well as flexibility. Horwitz et al. (2003) also argue that a work place should be a \"fun\" place to work if key workers are to be retained. Consequently the key features of a conducive environment would appear to be the availability of sufficient resources to perform the job, flexibility and a pleasant or fun place to work.\nSocial support: Another important deciding factor in retention would appear to be relationships with co-workers. A study of nurse managers found that the second most frequent reason given for leaving their job was the relationship with their head of department (Jasper, 2007, p. 245) and that relationships between colleagues featured high amongst work place stressors. Pitts et al. (2011) provide evidence to suggest that employees' satisfaction with their relationships with other employees is related to employee retention. Tai et al. (1998) include support from co-workers as part of their retention model as do Alexander et al. (1998). However, Newman et al. (2012) found no link between support from colleagues and retention amongst Chinese employees. Social support can be characterised by feeling part of the team and friendly and caring colleagues who are there to consult with when required.\nDevelopment opportunities: Another deciding factor in relation to retention is the extent to which the employing organisation provides opportunities for personal and professional growth (Horwitz et al., 2003). This is often predicated with talk of the new psychological contract where the responsibility for development is seen as shifting increasingly to the individual (Beck, 2000). The resignation of knowledge workers has been found to be related to issues connected with their career (Horwitz et al., 2003; Rolfe, 2005) and high retention cultures have been found to be characterised by the encouragement of continued learning (Stichler, 2005). Cardy and Lengnick-Hall (2011) assert that developmental opportunities can increase employee commitment to stay as do Kroon and Freese (2013). This is confirmed by Arnold (2005), Herman (2005) and Hiltrop (1999) amongst others.\nAutonomy: Autonomy is a key feature of job satisfaction and has been found to be a job characteristic which is particularly important for professional workers (Alexander et al., 1998; Boyle et al., 1999; Ellenbecker, 2003; Hart, 2005; Tai et al., 1998; Tremblay et al., 2006). Thus the opportunity to behave autonomously is a critical issue in relation to the retention of this group. The degree of autonomy afforded to workers is a function of the style of leadership both at organisational and other levels. Andrews and Wan (2009) assert that autonomy has been demonstrated to reduce intent to leave and Kooker et al. (2007) list autonomy as one of the elements that are essential to professional nursing practice. Autonomy has also been found to influence turnover decisions amongst IT professionals (Ghapanchi and Aurum, 2011). Autonomy is linked with empowerment and Pitts et al. (2011) claim that employees who feel empowered are less likely to leave. This is echoed by Spence Laschinger et al. (2009).\nCompensation: Compensation is often assumed to be a key factor in employee retention. When shortages of professional workers are discussed one of the key factors identified is often compensation. Pitts et al. (2011) emphasise the importance of pay as a strong predictor of employee turnover citing a number of studies (e.g. Lambert et al., 2001). The role of compensation does not, however, appear to be a straight forward one. Hytter (2007) demonstrated that rewards have an indirect influence on retention and Ellenbecker (2004) notes that wage rates only have a modest effect on nurse retention. According to Hayes et al. (2006) pay itself is not a key factor in retention and they cite several studies to support this. Hausknecht et al. (2009) cite extrinsic rewards such as the amount of pay and other benefits as one of their retention factors. However, Horwitz et al. (2003), whilst they mention other models of retention which include compensation such as Baron and Hannan (2002), within their own model an important aspect of retention is the transparency of pay decisions. Thus these studies make the link between compensation and issues of procedural justice. Perceived equity in relation to compensation is mentioned as an important factor in the retention of IT professionals by Pare and Tremblay (2000). Rambur et al. (2005) identified the degree to which employees are paid fairly for what they contribute to the organisation as a key job dimension related to the retention of nurses. Compensation also needs to reflect a satisfactory balance between efforts and rewards (Tremblay et al., 2006) and be consistent with responsibility, ability and workload (Alexander et al., 1998). The key characteristics of compensation in relation to retention would appear to be the perception that decisions relating to pay are transparent and that salaries are fair and based on performance and effort.\nCrafted/sculpted workload: The individualisation of the work place and the adoption of the new psychological contract have also been noted in the tendency for employees to craft their jobs in accordance to their individual strengths, preferences and lifestyle. Some talk of a shift to \"sculpting\" jobs based on the life interests of professional workers (Butler and Waldrop, 2001). Wrzesniewski and Dutton (2001) propose that jobs can be crafted by employees by changing cognitive, task and/or relational boundaries to shape interactions and relationships with others at work. Mittal et al. (2009) found that the ability to craft their jobs was an important factor in the retention of care workers. Thus another important aspect is having a workload that is adapted to the resources and/or the abilities of the individual, with opportunities to be creative and to make full use of individual skills.\nWork-life balance: Work-life balance has become an increasingly important factor for many professional workers. Differences observed across generations suggest that the current generation of professional workers demand flexible work schedules which allow for success in their personal as well as their professional life (e.g. Ellenbecker, 2003, p. 405). The balance between work and other life domains means that some professional workers will sacrifice some degree of success in their work-life if this allows more time for other areas of life. Some working mothers, for example, plan their work schedules along with their children's and home schedules allowing dedicated time for both. Some professional workers who have achieved a significant level of career success may then decide to emphasize other areas of their life in subsequent years. This has led to the phenomenon known as \"downshifting\" (see, e.g. Laabs, 1996). Kyndt et al. (2009) emphasize the importance of a healthy balance between the professional and personal life. Loan-Clarke et al. (2010) found that work fitting in with family responsibilities was one of the reasons for remaining in NHS employment. Leners et al. (2006) state that in order to retain nurses employers need to provide a \"harmonious balance of work and personal life\" (p. 654). Thus being able to find sufficient time for activities other than work is another key retention characteristic.\nMethods: Materials\nResults: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: The \"retention scale\" developed from the characteristics of the eight retention factors identified from the literature was shown to be a reliable measure of intention to remain within an organisation with an a of 0.80. However, as one of the items (work obligation) failed to load on either of the two factors, for future research it is proposed to reduce the scale to 18 items.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate why professional workers actually remain in their organisations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The design of the study was cross-sectional. A number of factors important for the retention of professional workers were identified from the literature. A 19 item \"retention scale\" was developed based on the identified retention factors and their characteristics. It was proposed that the retention factors could be divided into two levels: organisational and job. The retention scale was completed by 138 workers form the UK site of a multinational Marketing company. The reliability of the scale was assessed using Cronbach's a and was found to be 0.80.\nFindings: Factor analysis supported the division of the retention factors into organisational and job levels with a two factor structure in which organisational levels loaded strongly on component 1 and job level items loaded strongly on component 2. Scores on these two subscales predicted individual workers' intention to remain within their organisation using both MANOVA and logistic regression analysis.\nResearch limitations/implications: This is a preliminary look at factors important for the retention of professional workers and as such has several limitations. A more comprehensive review of the literature on retention is required and further testing of the model is required with a larger sample size. Links with the literature on the psychological contract also need to be more fully explored.\nPractical implications: This research has practical implications for practitioners due to the importance of retaining top talent for increased competitive advantage. The factors that have been found here to be important for retaining professional workers have also been observed in high performing companies.\nSocial implications: The retirement of the baby boomer generation means that there has to be a greater emphasis on retaining key employees in organisations to mitigate the loss of key skills and competences.\nOriginality/value: Most previous studies and many HR managers concerned with the retention of professional and other workers tend to concentrate on those aspects of the job or of the organisation that make them leave. This study is concerned with why people stay with their employers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Trends in patient perception of hospital care quality
|
[
"Patient perception",
"Public health service"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Patients' hospital quality perceptions complement standardized care quality process measures and safety indicators (Fenton et al., 2012; Isaac et al., 2010). Patient satisfaction surveys are used in quality improvement incentive programs and may help consumers make more informed choices when selecting hospitals (Goldstein et al., 2005). Hence, inpatient discharge surveys have been carried out with various purposes (Jha et al., 2008; Bruster et al., 1994; Charles et al., 1994; Jenkinson et al., 2002; Antoniotti et al., 2009). During the last decade, major healthcare and social reforms involved France's public hospital staff, including gradual transition to a diagnosis-related group-based prospective payment system in 2004 (Chevreul et al., 2010) and enforcing legislation restricting the working week to 35 hours for full-time employees in 2002 (Chevreul et al., 2010; Woodrow et al., 2006). Moreover public hospitals faced nursing shortages, low investment, saturated emergency departments and growing discouragement among healthcare teams (Dorozynski, 2002; Fauconnier, 2009). Although 65 percent of French citizens were highly satisfied with their healthcare according to a survey carried out in 2004, some authors questioned whether France's healthcare providers could keep their patients happy (Degos et al., 2008). To our knowledge, few studies have monitored patients' hospital quality perception trends during the 2000s (Elliott et al., 2010), so we investigated trends in quality reported by patients discharged from a large public hospital in France between 1999 and 2010. Specifically, we investigate whether patient perception was sensitive to changes in hospital-service quality.\nMethods: Study design\nResults: Of 16,516 patients surveyed, 10,704 (64.8 percent) returned the questionnaire. The response rate decreased from 70.2 percent in 1999 to 58.0 percent in 2010 (p for linear trend < 0.001). After excluding 688 questionnaires with more than six missing values, the analytical sample was 10,016 respondents. Overall, the respondents' mean age was 52 years, 5,241 (53.3 percent) were male and 4,143 (41.4 percent) underwent a surgical procedure (Table I). In 2010, respondents were older, were more likely to present to the emergency department and to be hospitalized in medical departments, had shorter stays and were more frequently discharged to home compared to respondents surveyed in 1999 (Table I).\nDiscussion: This cross-sectional survey pooled analysis totaling more than 10,000 respondents found little evidence for a decreasing trend in hospital quality perception between 1999 and 2010. After adjusting for changes in baseline respondent characteristics, only modest reductions in overall and subscale perception scores were found in the second half of the 2000s, with estimates in 2010 reaching levels comparable to those observed at the beginning of the decade. Indeed, most patients were generally satisfied with their stay, although answers to individual items highlighted significant changes in specific hospital-service quality areas. Despite previous reports on a proven relationship between hospital work environment and patient satisfaction (Aiken et al., 2012), our study failed to show a substantial deterioration in patients' service quality perceptions over the last decade. A potential explanation for this negative finding may be that overall and subscale patient perception scores lack sensitivity to changes in contrast to specific items. Indeed, combining individual items into a single score may disguise divergent judgments on different aspects. This hypothesis is supported by previous studies suggesting that the general way in which patient satisfaction is measured may explain its unresponsiveness (Sixma et al., 1998).\nConclusions: This single-center study casts doubt on the purported declining hospital patient quality perceptions over the last decade in France. Despite growing pressure on public hospital expenditure and new working time regulations, only moderate reductions in perception scores were observed after 2005. Overall, patients were satisfied with their hospital stay, although there were specific areas with opportunities for improvement.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate trends in patient hospital quality perceptions between 1999 and 2010.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Original data from 11 cross-sectional surveys carried out in a French single university hospital were analyzed. Based on responses to a 29-item survey instrument, overall and subscale perception scores (range 0-10) were computed covering six key hospital care quality dimensions.\nFindings: Of 16,516 surveyed patients, 10,704 (64.8 percent) participated in the study. The median overall patient perception score decreased from 7.86 (25th-75th percentiles, 6.67-8.85) in 1999 to 7.82 (25th-75th percentiles, 6.67-8.74) in 2010 (p for trend <0.001). A decreasing trend was observed for the living arrangement subscale score (from 7.78 in 1999 to 7.50 in 2010, p for trend <0.001). Food service and room comfort perceptions deteriorated over the study period while patients increasingly reported better explanations before being examined.\nPractical implications: Patient perception scores may disguise divergent judgments on different care aspect while individual items highlight specific areas with room for improvement.\nOriginality/value: Despite growing pressure on healthcare expenditure, this single-center study showed only modest reduction in patients' hospital-care perceptions in the 2000s.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Belonging at work: the experiences, representations and meanings of belonging
|
[
"Materiality",
"Learning",
"Workplace",
"Belonging",
"Socio-material practices",
"Spaces"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The complexity, rapid changes, globalization, education and digitalization in our society challenge workplaces in substantially new ways. As argued by Fenwick (2010):\nWhat belonging might be: Belonging is known to be an essential human need and critical to human existence. The need to belong influences human cognition, emotions and behaviour (Baumeister and Leary, 1995; Malone et al., 2012). Belonging relates to gaining acceptance and avoiding rejection by being part of interpersonal events and one's environment (Hagerty et al., 1992; Hofmann et al., 2012). The social psychological literature therefore demonstrates reduced prosocial behaviour and increased engagement in interpersonally harmful behaviours when people do not experience belonging (Baumeister, 2012; De Cremer, 2002; Thau et al., 2007; Twenge et al., 2007). \"Belonging to\" refers to belonging as a relational phenomenon, in which people feel valued by being part of a group or an organization (Hagerty et al., 1992). From a philosophical perspective, belonging is a \"process of creating a sense of identification with one's social, relational and material surroundings\" (May, 2011, p. 368) and the sense of belonging to a community of people through social relationships, geographic places or specific localities (Miller, 2003).\nMethods: To investigate what belonging is at work, we used inductive methods and explored participants' own interpretations of belonging or not belonging at work, keeping an open mind about what belonging is to them. In line with our approach to the practice and material turn in social sciences (Bramming et al., 2012; Gherardi, 2017), we found that visual methods would be best suited to highlight the essential performative aspects of belonging and the role of materiality and spaces rather than only using the representational nature of belonging through words. Our choice of method was snaplogs, which highlight the point of performativity and situatedness.\nResults: the components of the experience and representation of belonging: Belonging as being part of\nDiscussion: belonging at work: The aim of this paper was to explore our participants' subjective interpretations of belonging at work, as well as possible links between belonging and socio-material dimensions, following the different modes of belonging in literature.\nConcluding remarks: Previous literature does not account for materiality in belonging, which is problematic. Through our study, which used an inductive and exploratory effort to grasp the represented experiences of people at work, we found that exploring materiality, but also emotions and aesthetics, increases the understanding of belonging, which also adds to the literature on modes of belonging. Understanding belonging is about addressing several aspects that influence belonging simultaneously and not isolating one aspect on behalf of another. Belonging at work is about one's creation of meaning and appearance and one's social construction of belonging at work and to work. Instead of one formula for belonging, a number of central elements for belonging derived from multiple sources were found: social relationships, common activities, symbols, artefacts, profession, inhabited or empty spaces, objects and reference points for the work practices. It was also found that trust, being one among equals, informally bonding at lunch and other meeting spaces, contributing in the best interest of the group, achievements and taking care of each other are important for belonging.\nFuture studies: One limitation of our study is the fact that data were collected at only one point in time and so are unable to fully capture the dynamic nature of belonging. This paper also relied on the authors' interpretations of pictures and texts; informants were not involved in the analysis. This is a promising pathway to pursue in future studies, where the efforts to work on people's representations could be combined with reflexive sessions in which the creation of meaning occurs together with the data analysis and elaborations.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore what belonging is through the represented experience of people at work. The aim is to investigate employees' interpretations of belonging at work and its interrelation with the material, aesthetic and emotional aspects associated to the where, the how and the when workplace is inhabited.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In line with the practice turn in social sciences, this study uses the visual method (snaplogs), which includes pictures and texts.\nFindings: Belonging is situated in and integrated with social interactions, materiality, emotions and aesthetics. Belonging is about being part of something, the process of becoming through constant mediation between material aspects and social components, the process of experiencing boundaries and the attempt to perform, engage and participate (and find spaces for shared practices) in a workplace. Together, they constitute the situatedness, the here and now, of experiences of belonging and the perceived interpretation of being one among equals across organizational boundaries.\nResearch limitations/implications: Data were only collected at one point in time. The authors also relied on their own interpretations of pictures and texts and did not involve the informants in the analysis.\nPractical implications: Being, becoming and belonging comprise material, social and affective dimensions. These dimensions should be addressed for employees to belong at work.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the belonging literature on perceived interpretations of what belonging is at work. The paper is also original in terms of the visual method used to grasp the practice representation of belonging experiences.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Optimising quantity of manufacturing and remanufacturing in an electric vehicle battery closed-loop supply chain
|
[
"Closed-loop supply chain",
"Recycle",
"Profit",
"Reuse",
"Electric vehicle battery",
"Purchasing price"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the aim of achieving sustainable development, electric vehicles (EVs) are considered one of the future directions for the automotive industry. One of the earliest studies regarding EV's history, progress and advantages can be found in Turner and Heusinger (1984). In the twenty-first century, the EV industry is developing and the uptake of EVs is increasing rapidly. According to the International Energy Agengy (2016), from 2005 to 2010 the number of EV sales, including pure battery EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs), increased from 1670 to 12,480 worldwide. Since then, the number of new-energy vehicles has been increased even more sharply. By 2015, the stock of EVs was 1,256,900, which is almost 752 times higher than ten years ago.\n2. Closely related literature: The model developed in this paper is related to EV battery reuse and recycling in a multi-period CLSC. In this section, the relevant literature on battery reuse and multi-period SC is reviewed. The purpose is to justify the differences between our model and existing models, and hence our contribution to the literature.\n3. Model description and formulation: We consider a three-period model to describe an EV battery manufacturing/remanufacturing system as shown in Figure 1:\n4. Numerical study: 4.1 Numerical example\n5. Conclusion: In this paper, we develop a three-period EV battery recycling and reuse model. We determine the unique Nash equilibrium among new EV battery manufacturer, low quality battery remanufacturer and high-quality battery remanufacturer as well as re-used battery remanufacturer. The purpose is to maximise individual's profit through optimal purchase price and production quantity.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Batteries installed on electric vehicles (EVs) should normally be removed when their capacity falls to 70-80 per cent, but they are still usable for other purposes, such as energy storage. This paper studies an EV battery closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) consisting of a battery manufacturer and a remanufacturer. The manufacturer produces new batteries by using natural resources, while the remanufacturer collects returned batteries and makes decisions based on the return quality, that is, to reuse or recycle. The purpose of this paper is to maximise the individual profits through optimising the amount of manufacturing and remanufacturing, respectively, and optimising the purchase price of returned batteries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on the Nash equilibrium, this paper develops a three-period model in the CLSC. In period 1, batteries are made from raw materials; in period 2, returned batteries from period 1 are sorted into low quality and high quality. Some high-quality returns can be reused for other purposes while those non-reusable returns are recycled into materials. In period 3, all the returns are recycled into materials. The analytical results are derived.\nFindings: The result of the analyses suggest that first, among the variables that affect the (re-)manufacturing decision, the purchase price for returned batteries plays a critical role. In particular, the price of low-quality returns has more influence than the price of high quality returns. Second, the higher purchase price for re-usable returns does not necessarily lead to a higher return rate of reusable returns. Third, the manufacturer's profit is normally higher than the remanufacturer's. This suggests the need to design incentives to promote the remanufacturing sector. And finaly, although it is appreciated that maximising the utilisation of batteries over the life-cycle would benefit the environment, the economic benefit needs further investigation.\nOriginality/value: Although the CLSC has been widely studied, studies on the EV battery CLSC are scarce. The EV battery CLSC is particularly challenging in terms of the reusability of returns because used EV batteries cannot be reused for the original purpose, which complicates CLSC operations. This paper explores the interrelationship between manufacturer and remanufacturer, explaining the reasons why recycling is still underdeveloped, and suggests the possibility of enhancing remanufacturing profitability.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Chinese study shows inverted U-shaped relationship between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding
|
[
"Knowledge management",
"Psychological ownership",
"Curvilinear",
"Knowledge hiding",
"Knowledge leadership"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A study of Chinese workers in high-tech companies has revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding. The results showed that psychological ownership moderates the link between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding. The inverted U-shaped relationship between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding was more significant among employees with higher psychological ownership, whereas the inverted U-shaped relationship became weaker among employees with lower psychological ownership.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The authors wanted to study the antecedents of knowledge hiding from a leadership perspective.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors tested two hypotheses on high-tech employees in China. H1 was: \"There is a curvilinear relationship between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding behaviors.\" H2 was: \"Psychological ownership moderates the inverted U-shaped relationship between knowledge leadership and employees' knowledge hiding behaviors such that this relationship is more pronounced among employees with high psychological ownership compared to employees with low psychological ownership.\"\nFindings: Results revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding. Psychological ownership moderates the link between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding. The inverted U-shaped relationship between knowledge leadership and knowledge hiding was more significant among employees with higher psychological ownership, whereas the inverted U-shaped relationship became weaker among employees with lower psychological ownership.\nOriginality/value: The paper was significant because previous researchers had not studied the antecedents of knowledge hiding from a leadership perspective.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Designing more just social futures or remixing the radical present? Queer rhetorics, multimodal (counter)storytelling, and the politics of LGBTQ youth activism
|
[
"Digital literacies",
"Identity",
"Activism",
"Multimodality",
"LGBTQ youth",
"Queer rhetorics"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: When I first sat down with Gabe (all names are pseudonyms inclusive of preferred pronoun), an African American, then 17-year-old gender queer youth, I asked them, like I asked other participants, to bring three artifacts: one representing the past, present and anticipated future. Two years later, I returned to the scene of artifactual interviewing with Gabe. Sitting with my back on the bedroom wall that held the large world map, I watched Gabe scroll through their Tumblr archive.\nTheoretical framework: lifestreaming as multimodal (counter)storytelling: Theoretically, this article connects and intervenes in dialogues across writing and literacies research, queer rhetorics and digital culture studies. With the help of these more academic conversations, tinted through the lens of connective ethnography - the qualitative study of participants' online/offline interactions, perceptions and responses to the internet as a social and cultural artifact - I set the stage for readers to consider how digital practices (e.g. the snap of a selfie or the haptic project of designing with mobile media) drive issues concerning visibility and community for three queer youths. Below, I operationalize what I mean by queer rhetorics and detail how LGBTQ youth lifestreaming is configured as a practice of multimodal (counter)storytelling.\nMethodology: Context and participants\nFindings: logics of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender youth lifestreaming and following the flows of multimodal (counter)storytelling: Findings are segmented theoretically, detailing how the modes of persuasion were rhetorically used by Andi, Gabe and Jack to write activism and remediate personal experiences of inequality. In line with other queer rhetoricians interested in how subjects work against the valence of normativity (e.g. Alexander and Rhodes), logos elicited questions concerning the structure, form and rationale for (counter)storytelling, pathos underscored the affect and aesthetics of experience and ethos highlighted the personal branding moves, reorienting of identities and credibility for narratives deployed. Before I start storying, however, I must provide a provision. The sheer number of textual artifacts Andi, Gabe and Jack streamed to produce their digital archive mitigates any comprehensive understanding or documentation of the distinct logics and affordances these youths used to combat micro-aggressions and/or inequities that surfaced online. A holistic content analysis and description of activist function is not my purpose. Therefore, findings are detailed as \"telling cases\" (Mitchell, 1984), snapshots that Andi, Jack and Gabe lifestreamed as they worked through invention to remix the radical present and were representative of the larger data corpus.\nUnplugging from hate: using multimodal (counter)storytelling to connect, cope and comment: Queer rhetorics, theoretically refracted here through Jack, Gabe and Andi's multimodal (counter)storytelling, highlights how particular everyday acts of personal resistance are made manifest in working against heteronormative structures of gender, sexuality and desire. Aesthetically, textual production (digital and otherwise) created a backdrop for more just social worlds for Gabe, Andi and Jack. Multimodal (counter)storytelling created a radical present that seemed more amenable than uncertain futures. Shared discourses of humanity crystalized for Andi, Jack and Gabe as I decoded their various literacy sitings and compositions of queer desire. These texts were more than just mere stories of identity but rather strategies of disidentification, a mechanism that granted agentic and activist action in the face of majoritarian subjugation. Written on the body, with the screen, or felt in rhythms of movement, queer rhetorics were used to build a self that felt more real than the designed imaginaries others put upon Gabe, Andi and Jack. Youth recycled discourses to remix and remediate what it meant to be an activist. Multimodal (counter)storytelling allowed participants to connect, cope and comment.\nRemixing the radical present: Reading Andi, Jack and Gabe's multimodal (counter)storytelling provided a \"bearing wit(h)ness\" (Fine, 2007) to LGBTQ youth activism that other modes, forms and textual productions did not. For these three young people, queer rhetorics worked not to design more just social futures, but to make the today less tumultuous. It remixed and repurposed the radical present. Whether an anchor needled onto an arm, or a collage of digital imagery streamed on Tumblr, the literacy lives of Andi, Gabe and Jack were threaded into the practices of youth lifestreaming. They highlighted the lived experiences and flesh of queer existence. Human stories and struggles were rendered visible and made possible. These (counter)stories, displaced as narrative moments of possibility, were amplified when read with and across other digital media and multimodal productions. Rhetorically, Andi, Gabe and Jack used queer expressive means to fashion versions of activist selves through multimodal (counter)storytelling.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Plugging into the multimodal aesthetics of youth lifestreaming, this article examines how three lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer (LGBTQ) youths use digital media production as an activist practice toward cultural justice work. Focusing on the queer rhetorical dimensions of multimodal (counter)storytelling, the communicative practice used to (re)name, remix and challenge epistemic notions of objective reality, this paper aims to highlight how youth worked to (de)compose and (re)author multiple identities and social relationships across online/offline contexts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Through sustained participant observation across online/offline contexts, active interviewing techniques and visual discourse analysis, this paper illuminates how composing with digital media was leveraged by three LGBTQ youths to navigate larger systems of inequality across a multi-year connective ethnographic study.\nFindings: By highlighting how queer rhetorical arts were used as tools to surpass and navigate social fault lines created by difference, findings highlight how Jack, Andi and Gabe, three LGBTQ youths, used multimodal (counter)storytelling to comment, correct and compose being different. Speaking across the rhetorical dimensions of logos, pathos and ethos, the author contends that a queer rhetorics lens helped highlight how youth used the affordances of multimodal (counter)storytelling to lifestream versions of activist selves.\nOriginality/value: Reading LGBTQ youths' lifestreaming as multimodal (counter)storytelling, this paper highlights how three youths use multimodal composition as entry points into remixing the radical present and participate in cultural justice work.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Predict employee attrition by using predictive analytics
|
[
"Attrition",
"Intention to leave",
"Predictive analytics",
"Attrition in B schools",
"Email communication",
"Modelling attrition"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Using emails for official communication has become the norm of the day (Moecke and Volkamer, 2013). With the usage of mobile phones for data and voice, communicating using technology has become the integral part of daily official communication (Cousins and Robey, 2015). Also many day-to-day actions and decisions that happen in the real world are now carried out using online platforms. Using social media platforms, short messages services and email communication as a formal means of communication to share information with the real world is particularly increasing in business schools. Increasingly, a number of business schools now rely on social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to share information. As Gmail and G Suite for education are free of cost, many educational institutions and business schools across the world use these as a platform for communication (Mason, 2010). As real-world actions manifest into online data modelling, online behaviour in relation to the real-world behaviour has gained significant importance.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Attrition and its impact\n3. Methodology: The study understands and analyses online social interactions in official email communication and uses the same to predict the intention of a faculty member to quit the business school. We mine the official email repository of teaching faculty members during a specific time period. This mining of mail repository has been done for teaching faculty members who left a business school and also those who did not leave the business school. Privacy issues have been taken care, as all faculty members who use network recourses and email opted-in by agreeing to the terms and conditions of usage, which allows for such study to be conducted with the consent of individuals.\n4. Findings: Table I gives the results of the correlation coefficient of several parameters which are taken from emails. The features have been grouped such as general email communication, specific email communication, after office hour communication, communication inside the organisation, sentiment and expressive communication. Specific parameters have been considered under each of the features. Correlation coefficient has been calculated for each parameter for those faculty members who left the business school and also for those who did not. Correlation coefficient has been computed as faculty members move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 and also from Phase 2 to Phase 3 of their employment period.\n5. Conclusion: The analysis of email repository has helped in identifying specific aspects related to email usage and behaviour that can help in predicting the attrition of faculty members in a business school. Though the results are preliminary, the analysis establishes a data-driven predictive correlation model between faculty members behaviour on email and the real-world event of they leaving the business school.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Research questions that this paper attempts to answer are - do the features in general email communication have any significance to a teaching faculty member leaving the business school? Do the sentiments expressed in email communication have any significance to a teaching faculty member leaving the business school? Do the stages mentioned in the transtheoretical model have any relevance to the email behaviour of an individual when he or she goes through the decision process leading to the decision to quit? The purpose of this paper is to study email patterns and use predictive analytics to correlate with the real-world situation of leaving the business school.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The email repository (2010-2017) of 126 teaching faculty members who were associated with a business school as full-time faculty members is the data set that was used for the research. Of the 126 teaching faculty members, 42 had left the business school during this time frame. Correlation analysis, word count analysis and sentiment analysis were executed using \"R\" programming, and sentiment \"R\" package was used to understand the sentiment and its association in leaving the business school. From the email repository, a rich feature set of data was extracted for correlation analysis to discover the features which had strong correlation with the faculty member leaving the business school. The research also used data-logging tools to extract aggregated statistics for word frequency counts and sentiment features.\nFindings: Those faculty members who decide to leave are involved more in external communication and less in internal communications. Also, those who decide to leave initiate fewer email conversations and opt to forward emails to colleagues. Correlation analysis shows that negative sentiment goes down, as faculty members leave the organisation and this is in contrary to the existing review of literature. The research also shows that the triggering point or the intention to leave is positively correlated to the downward swing of the emotional valence (positive sentiment). A number of email features have shown change in patterns which are correlated to a faculty member quitting the business school.\nResearch limitations/implications: Faculty members of only one business school have been considered and this is primary due to cost, privacy and complexities involved in procuring and handling the data. Also, the reasons for exhibiting the sentiments and their root cause have not been studied. Also the designation, roles and responsibilities of faculty members have not been taken into consideration.\nPractical implications: Business schools all over India always have a challenge to recruit good faculty members who can take up research activities, teach and also shoulder administrative responsibilities. Retaining faculty members and keeping attrition levels low will help business schools to maintain the standards of excellence that they aspire. This research is immensely useful for business school, which can use email analytics in predicting the intention of the faculty members leaving their business school.\nOriginality/value: Although past studies have studied attrition, this study uses predictive analytics and maps it to the intention to quit. This study helps business schools to predict the chance of faculty members leaving the business school which is of immense value, as appropriate measures can be taken to retain and restrict attrition.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Randomized controlled trial of educational intervention to increase consumption of vegetables by Japanese university students
|
[
"Health education",
"Intervention",
"Young adult",
"Vegetables",
"Dietary behaviour"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Fruits and vegetables intake protects against a number of chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, and stroke (Dauchet et al., 2005; Cooper et al., 2012; Johnsen 2004), and significant health improvements can be obtained by increasing fruit and vegetable intake (Khaw et al., 2001) under conditions of sufficient protein intake. The health benefits of fruits and vegetables based on epidemiological findings led to their recommended daily intake.\nMethods: Study design\nResults: Of the 104 participants who registered for the study, 98 (94 percent) completed it and the data of these 98 participants were finally included in our analysis (Table I). The mean age of the participants was 21.6 years (SD 1.1). Of the 98 participants, 24 (24.5 percent) were male students and 74 (75.5 percent) were female students. Those who lived alone accounted for 36.7 percent, while 12.2 percent were smokers and 26.5 percent habitually skipped breakfast. The average daily vegetable intake of the participants was 164.0 g (SD 114.8). This amount was lower than the 286.5 g in adult in the NHNS2012 report. The vegetable intake of male students and female students were 150.8 g (SD 103.9) and 168.3 g (SD 118.4), respectively, indicating that there was no significant gender difference (p=0.52). There was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups for other demographic measures at baseline.\nDiscussion: The purpose of this study was to determine whether an intervention program consisting of three educational projects could increase vegetable consumption by university students. The results indicated that the vegetable consumption of the intervention group was well maintained at the end of the study, whereas that of the control group was significantly decreased. Although there is no clear reason for the decrease in green and yellow vegetable intake which was observed in the control group, a possible explanation was seasonal change (Sasaki et al., 2003). Indeed, a survey on a seasonal variation on vegetable intake based on the FIES2015 reported that there was a clear trend in tomato intake; the intake was high from June to July (The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau, 2016), and rapidly decreased after September (Taguchi et al., 2017). The trend in seasonality in vegetable distribution has been gradually lost, but tomato intake was said to be the highest seasonal changes among green and yellow vegetable (Yanagimoto et al., 1998). Moreover, according to FIES2013, pullbacks in consumer spending on fresh vegetables due to price increases caused by broken weather occurred from October 2013 to December 2013 (The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau, 2014). The follow-up in this study started in May 2013 and ended in October 2013. The monthly reports from the Mie local region wholesale markets indicated that the amount of distributed green and yellow vegetables decreased from October 2013 to May 2013(Mie Prefecture, 2013). A typical seasonal change was observed in tomato, the amount of distributed tomatoes in October 2013 was approximately one-third of that in May 2013, and unit price of tomato as nearly doubled in October 2013 (Mie Prefecture, 2013). Actually, the monthly reports from the Tokyo Metropolitan, Osaka, and Nagoya central wholesale markets, as well as the monthly reports from the Mie local region wholesale markets, reported that the amount of distributed tomatoes in October 2013 was approximately half of that in May 2013 (Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2013; Osaka Prefecture Government, 2013; City of Nagoya, 2013). Moreover, according to FIES2012, purchase volume per person of tomato in October was half compared with May (The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Statistics Bureau, 2013). The mean intake of some nutrients reportedly varied with season, as reported by previous Japanese studies (Owaki et al., 1996; Mori et al., 1981; Tokudome et al., 2002). For example, the intake of vitamin A that originated from carotenoid-rich vegetables was highest during May (Suga et al., 2014). For these reasons, green and yellow vegetable intake of control group might have decreased due to an especially large decrease in tomato intake.\nImplications for research and practice: This educational intervention approach for 25 weeks increased the total vegetable consumption of university students aged 18-24, and improved the knowledge score for the target value for consumption of vegetables in the 2nd Health Japan 21. This approach is a practical and inexpensive method that has the potential to not only improve the eating behavior of university students, but also their future health as well.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention to increase vegetable consumption by university students.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study is an open, parallel randomized controlled trial for 25 weeks. University students aged 18-24 years were divided into an intervention group (n=52) and a control group (n=52). Vegetable intake was assessed using a questionnaire.\nFindings: On investigation, the results indicated that the vegetable intake of the intervention group was well maintained at the end of the study, whereas that of the control group was significantly decreased by the seasonal change. This research showed that using three educational projects could significantly improve the vegetable consumption of university students.\nResearch limitations/implications: These results suggest that the educational approach is a promising method to improve the vegetable consumption status, particularly the consumption of green and yellow vegetables, by university students.\nOriginality/value: This parallel randomized controlled study investigated intervention via educational approaches, including a lecture on the nutritional significance of vegetable intake, a tour of an agricultural farm, and learning of cooking skills, focusing on increasing the consumption of vegetables by university students. Although there have been many intervention studies aimed at improving intake of vegetables in the world, there have been no intervention studies on the vegetable intake of young adults in Japan.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Exploring health-related motive orientations among Dutch seniors
|
[
"Cluster analysis",
"Healthy ageing",
"Food-based dietary guidelines",
"Health-related motive orientations",
"Mealtime functionality"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Worldwide the population aged 60 years or over is growing faster than the total population. According to current estimates, the number of people aged 60 years or over worldwide will exceed two bn by 2050, representing 21 per cent of the total population (United Nations, 2013). Because of the many economic, political and social consequences of this demographic shift, successful ageing needs to be actively promoted. Maintaining a healthy diet in later years can reduce the risk of sarcopenia, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart diseases, and certain cancers, and, thereby, contribute to better health and quality of life (Dawson and Axford, 2014; Fardet and Boirie, 2014; Gonzalez, 2006; Gopinath et al., 2015; Houston et al., 2009; Willcox et al., 2009).\n2. Methods: 2.1 Study design and participants\n3. Results: 3.1 Description of the study sample\n4. Discussion: This study showed that different clusters of older adults can be identified based on their HRMO. These clusters vary in the functionalities that members associate with the consumption of a hot main meal. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that these HRMO-based clusters differed with regard to adherence to the Dutch FBDG for a few protein-rich food groups, e.g., \"unprocessed meats\", \"meat replacers\" and \"unsalted nuts\". These findings are in-line with previous research showing that older consumers are a heterogeneous group of people (den Uijl et al., 2014; Dijkstra et al., 2014), but according to our best knowledge it has not been shown yet that variation in health motives may be related to different consumption patterns with regard to some food groups.\n5. Implications: Overall, older consumers seem to be interested to some extent in \"well-being\" and \"social\" orientations of health. So, for the food groups for which consumption levels are below recommended amounts across all HRMO clusters, i.e., fruit, vegetables, dairy (including cheese) and unsalted nuts, consumption could be promoted for example by stressing the importance of \"well-being\" and highlighting the \"rewarding\" or \"physical\" meal functionalities.\n6. Conclusion: This study showed that healthy community-dwelling Dutch older consumers can be divided into five different clusters. These clusters significantly differed with regard to health-related motive orientations, functionalities ascribed to mealtimes and consumption of few product groups. The effectiveness of tailoring communication strategies and other interventions to the clusters identified in this study should be further explored.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Generally, food intake of older consumers is not in line with dietary guidelines. Insight into personal health-related motive orientations (HRMO) in this target group is useful for developing tailored interventions that support healthy food consumption, a better understanding is needed. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to identify older consumer groups based on HRMO; and second, to compare their consumption of different food groups and functionalities associated with a main meal.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An online survey was filled out by 459 Dutch adults aged 55-90 years (mean age=68.2 years), of the Sento network including 800 vital community-dwelling older consumers.\nFindings: Analysis revealed five clusters of older adults with different HRMO profiles: appearance and achievement oriented, active oriented, altruistic oriented, achievement oriented and less health oriented. In addition, these segments differ in importance of functionalities associated with a main meal, i.e., physical, pleasure or rewarding, and in the consumption of specific food groups, i.e., unprocessed meat, meat replacers and unsalted nuts.\nResearch limitations/implications: Recommendations for interventions and communication strategies to support healthy food consumption in the different HRMO segments are presented.\nOriginality/value: This exploration showed that different segments of Dutch older adults can be identified based on HRMO. Between these segments there are differences in consumption of protein-rich food groups and functionalities associated with a main meal.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Customer relationship challenges following international acquisitions
|
[
"International",
"Customer relationship",
"Integration",
"Coordination",
"Acquisition"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: International acquisitions, that is, the takeover of the ownership majority of a company in a different country (Dunne and Ndubizu, 1995), are a frequent way to reach new customers or markets (Anand and Delios, 2002). Literature has mainly seen it in this regard: acquisitions as a means to internationalise a business and, in addition to motives of cost reduction in production, new capabilities, and risk diversification, describe the obtainment of customers in new geographical areas (Chen, 2008; Seth et al., 2002) or representation on such markets where the acquirer already has customers but not local presence (Stumpf et al., 2002). These motives relate to customer relationships as assets of firms (Anderson et al., 2001; Johanson and Mattsson, 1985). Customer relationships denote how a buyer engages in repeated exchanges with its supplier, and how customers and suppliers potentially adapt to one another and invest in their shared relationship (Ford and Hakansson, 2006; Hallen et al., 1991). Such relationships represent comprehensive values (defined as future cash flows, Blattberg et al., 2001; Senn et al., 2013), not the least in business-to-business market settings, where individual customers may account for extant portions of a firm's revenues (Hakansson, 1982). In the valuation of an acquisition target, such values become imprinted in the price of the firm (Koller et al., 2005).\nTheoretical background: International acquisitions\nResearch method: The empirical data collection adopts a multiple case study approach as the research method (Eisenhardt, 1991). The reason for choosing the case study methodology is that it enables the capturing of companies' context (Welch et al., 2011), and is well suited for grasping changes on business relationship levels (Holmlund, 2004). Multiple case studies enable the comparison between cases, and also enrich the data through providing additional explanations and examples. In the rejuvenation of research on acquisitions and international business, case studies complement the dominance of quantitative studies through providing new insights and perspectives (Meglio and Risberg, 2010; Welch et al., 2011) that allow for (tentative) developments of theory (Eisenhardt, 1989; Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007).\nThree cases on customer relationship challenges: Case I: Toyota's acquisition of BT Industries\nCustomer relationship coordination challenges in international acquisitions: The three cases described above indicate coordination challenges connected with customer relationships in international acquisitions. Figure 1 described different items of coordination (cultural issues, changes in relationships, changes in ways to interact, and customer reactions). The cases are discussed in relation to these issues below and also to see what coordination challenges could be explained by specific pre-acquisition customer relationships and motives.\nConcluding discussion: This paper describes and discusses customer relationship coordination challenges following international acquisitions. It categorises and explains their potential occurrence in various acquisitions through linking the challenges to pre-acquisition customer relationships and motives. The paper points to how it is not enough to consider the integration between the acquirer and the acquired party (cf. Hopkins, 2008; Melkonian et al., 2011) nor cultural differences, but how decisions are impacted by other parties' reactions, how coordination thereby is less about control and more about mutuality in goals and structures, and how multiple parties - the acquired party as well as external ones - need to be considered in international acquisitions.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: An important task following international acquisitions is to coordinate customer relationships; that is, to organise customer interfaces and possibly establish new relationships between customers and the acquirer/the acquired party. Yet, such coordination may prove to be problematic, not the least since customers react to acquisitions. The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss customer relationship coordination challenges following international acquisitions. Focus is placed on business-to-business customers in the country of the acquired party.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper is based on three case studies representing overlapping customers, customers of an acquired party new to the acquirer, and customers new to the acquired party. Non-standardised, face-to-face interviews were the main data source, and were complemented with secondary data such as newspaper items and annual reports.\nFindings: Three main challenges are identified: internal competition and cannibalisation; customers not being interested in the new party; and the acquired party demonstrating its independence through customers.\nPractical implications: Managerially, any coordination of customer relationships needs to be weighted towards risks for customer losses. It is important to maintain ties to customers - sales and maintenance staff, the product/service, etc. - if customers are to continue with the firm. It is also important that sales and maintenance staff see the benefits of the acquisition.\nOriginality/value: While international acquisitions are a frequent means to reach new markets and customers, the problems of coordinating customer relationships following them have not been previously researched. Theoretically, the paper contributes to research through categorising and contextually explaining customer relationship coordination challenges in international acquisitions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Total quality management and high-performance work systems for social capital development: Effects on company innovation capabilities
|
[
"Social capital",
"Total quality management (TQM)",
"Innovation capabilities",
"Knowledge-based view",
"High-performance work system (HPWS)"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The interest in intellectual capital (IC) as a factor connected to competitive advantages based on innovation is growing in business and management literatures in the last few years (Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998; Adler and Kwon, 2002; Maurer et al., 2011; Chuang et al., 2016; Subramony et al., 2018). Firms that seek to improve their innovative capabilities are thus paying increasing attention to the development and deployment of IC assets (Subramaniam and Youndt, 2005; Buenechea-Elberdin, 2017; Berraies, 2019). From the IC \"triad\" formed by structural, social and human capital (Reed et al., 2006; Pedro et al., 2018), social capital (SC) - which represents the value of all the relationships and networks established by firm members inside and outside the organization (Nahapiet and Ghoshal, 1998; Adler and Kwon, 2002) - is particularly receiving increasing attention for its potentiality to build innovation capabilities through extensive access to knowledge via explorative and explorative processes (Carnabuci and Dioszegi, 2015; Heavey et al., 2015). Its importance for firms nowadays can be fully understood in the context of an increasingly changing and interconnected world, where networks - internal and external company relationships - are strategically used by companies to improve business competitiveness through knowledge acquisition and exchange (Wu et al., 2008; Carmona-Lavado et al., 2013; Tata and Prasad, 2015; Ortiz et al., 2018; Subramony et al., 2018). In this regard, innovative companies - those that continuously seek to develop/improve innovation capabilities to achieve competitive advantages based on the introduction of new products or processes into the market, or the implementation of new marketing methods or organizational changes, irrespective of their size of activity sector (OECD, 2005, p. 19) - are progressively interested in creating favorable environments that support them to develop SC. Such environments or \"organizational contexts\" (Sharma, 2000) are especially important for firms when social networks are an essential part of their business models and operations, and position them at the crossroads of information sources for knowledge exploitation and exploration (Heavey et al., 2015; Fjeldstad and Snow, 2018).\n2. Theoretical background and hypotheses development: 2.1 Social capital as a source of innovation capabilities development\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Statistical analysis and results: The study hypotheses were tested by means of the partial least squares (PLS) technique, with a structural equations model (SEM) including all the hypothesized relations. PLS is a statistical tool of multivariate analysis used for modeling latent constructs, even when non-normality conditions for data are present and sample size is small (Hair et al., 2014). A PLS path method is typically applied in two stages. First, the measurement model is analyzed; second, the structural model is calculated, and the hypotheses tested.\n5. Discussion: As expected, a HPWS strongly contributes to enabling firms to develop networks of relationships in the organization by being oriented toward encouraging interaction among and between internal and external agents, along with collective learning (Zhang et al., 2014; Jeong and Shin, 2019). The study also shows a positive relationship between TQM and HPWS, supporting the idea that firms with a higher focus on TQM have a higher tendency to implement \"commitment\" HRM systems that support TQM, where it is essential to train and empower people toward problem-solving issues, promote teamwork and develop mindsets based on continuous improvements. HRM literature recognizes the existence of systems of human resource \"quality\" practices (i.e. HPWS) needed for TQM implementation (sometimes closely intertwined), being very difficult understand the effectiveness of an aspect without considering the other (Perdomo-Ortiz et al., 2009). Our study shows that companies with a stronger orientation toward a TQM philosophy goes beyond quality certifications (e.g. ISO, EFQM) by designing a \"commitment\" model of HPWSs that propel and guide TQM principles to eventually develop intangible assets (i.e. SC). From an IC perspective, HPWS supporting TQM goes beyond a process to improve productivity and costs control and becomes a dynamic capability that allow the firm to develop SC (Wang and Ahmed, 2007).\n6. Conclusions: This paper has focused on the analysis of organizational contexts for SC development based on TQM supported by HPWS. This research makes sense in a new business context where change, globalization, digitalization and social connectivity are aspects that propel companies toward the development of innovation capabilities to survive and/or achieve competitive advantages. Companies need to pay attention to aspects related to quality improvement and innovation as paths to develop valuable capabilities. To achieve this objective, firms should invest in creating intangible/intellectual assets, which would allow them to sense and seize new business opportunities through knowledge exploration and exploitation (Teece, 2009). Competitive advantages of companies will strongly depend, in increasingly dynamic and complex environments, on building organizational contexts enabling the development of SC and innovation capabilities for knowledge exploration and exploitation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse social capital (SC) development oriented to innovation. The relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWSs) and total quality management (TQM) philosophy is considered in this paper as an enabling factor that allows firms to accumulate SC oriented to develop radical and incremental innovation capabilities (IIC).\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper establishes hypotheses and a model based on partial and total mediating effects of SC to develop innovation capabilities, which are focused on previous unexplored connections between HPWS and TQM and their effects on SC. The model and hypotheses are statistically tested through a partial least squares approach to structural equations models in a multi-industry sample of Spanish companies.\nFindings: The study results show a system of specific human resource practices connected to SC development. Moreover, SC is found to be a mediating factor in the relationship between TQM and IIC, although the effect is not significant when radical innovation capabilities (RIC) are considered in the model. Finally, it is shown that HPWS partially mediates the relationship between TQM and SC.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper mainly contributes to the study of organizational context enablers for intellectual capital (IC) development from a knowledge-based view, especially when firms are seeking to build or improve innovation capabilities. As a managerial approach, HPWSs and TQM are shown as powerful tools to establish prolific contexts for SC development, especially when TQM is rightly supported by a HPWS.\nOriginality/value: This is a quantitative study that analyses, for the first time, predictive relationships between popular tools such as TQM and HPWSs to create an organizational context for SC development, considering a multi-industry sample of firms. Important implications are also drawn to help managers to create IC assets related to social interaction and network relationships.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Portfolio dynamics under illiquidity
|
[
"Asset pricing",
"Illiquidity",
"Portfolio dynamics",
"G11",
"G12"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The goal of this paper is to address the issue of how illiquidity affects portfolio weight and return dynamics. The main intuition underlying the paper is that including illiquid assets into a portfolio of otherwise liquid assets has major implications, as investment decisions take on an important dimension of permanence or irreversibility. This irreversibility is reflected by the fact that investors can no longer rebalance the portfolio freely into all directions after price movements. For example, if the illiquid asset increases in value and the liquid asset decreases over a certain period of time, this decreases the proportion of the invested liquid asset and increases the proportion of the invested illiquid asset. However, when the illiquid asset cannot be sold, the investor is restrained from rebalancing portfolio proportions to their original levels, as would be optimal in the classical Merton (1969, 1971) portfolio choice framework. In this sense, the definition of illiquidity adopted here is that it is the foregone opportunity to fully control portfolio proportions over time when illiquid and liquid assets are combined in a portfolio. This foregone opportunity raises a number of key questions that have not been addressed in the previous literature:\n1. The model: This section develops the model for the dynamics of a portfolio that consists of liquid and illiquid assets. In developing the model, the paper explicitly chooses to work in a continuous-time framework. The reason for this approach is modeling convenience, which allows obtaining analytical results that would be unavailable in discrete time. It is assumed that all random variables introduced in the following sections are defined on a probability space (O,F, P), and that all random variables indexed by t are measurable with respect to the filtration {Ft}, representing the information commonly available to the investors in the model economy.\n2. Portfolio proportions: This section derives the dynamics of the portfolio proportions and examines their properties using a numerical example. As shown, portfolio proportions in the model converge to time-invariant- and initial-condition-independent steady-state probability distributions over time. This property is being used for the numerical analysis, which focuses on the determinants of the steady-state moments of the portfolio proportions.\n3. Portfolio returns: This section examines the model implications with respect to portfolio returns. First, it is shown that that portfolio returns will also converge to an asymptotically stable steady-state probability distribution over time. Second, it is analyzed how illiquidity affects expected portfolio returns and portfolio risk in the steady state.\n4. Conclusion: Using a novel continuous-time framework, the paper makes two key contributions to the literature on asset pricing and illiquidity. The first is to study the effects of illiquidity on portfolio weight dynamics. The second contribution is to analyze how illiquidity affects the risk/return dynamics of a portfolio. The numerical results highlight that investors should be prepared for potentially large and skewed variations in portfolio weights and can be away from optimal diversification for a long time when adding illiquid assets to a portfolio. Additionally, the paper shows that illiquidity increases portfolio risk. Interestingly, this effect gets more pronounced when the return correlation between the illiquid and liquid asset is low. Thus, there is a correlation effect in the sense that illiquidity costs, as measured by the increase in overall portfolio risk, are inversely related to the return correlation of the assets.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore the effects of illiquidity on portfolio weight and return dynamics.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using a novel continuous-time framework, the paper makes two key contributions to the literature on asset pricing and illiquidity. The first is to study the effects of illiquidity on portfolio weight dynamics. The second contribution is to analyze how illiquidity affects the risk/return dynamics of a portfolio.\nFindings: The numerical results highlight that investors should be prepared for potentially large and skewed variations in portfolio weights and can be away from optimal diversification for a long time when adding illiquid assets to a portfolio. Additionally, the paper shows that illiquidity increases portfolio risk. Interestingly, this effect gets more pronounced when the return correlation between the illiquid and liquid asset is low. Thus, there is a correlation effect in the sense that illiquidity costs, as measured by the increase in overall portfolio risk, are inversely related to the return correlation of the assets.\nOriginality/value: This is the first paper that highlights that the increase in portfolio risk caused by illiquidity is inversely related to the return correlation between the liquid and illiquid assets. This important economic result contrasts with the widely used argument that the benefit of adding illiquid (alternative) assets to a portfolio is their low correlation with (traditional) traded assets. The results imply that the benefits of adding illiquid assets to a portfolio can be much lower than typically perceived.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The training practices of results-oriented leaders
|
[
"Training",
"Leaders",
"Downsizing"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In our organization, the leaders who get strong results over the long run almost always make training their people a real priority because they realize the consequences of not doing so (a training professional's observation). There is no question that managers at all levels of organizations around the world are under increasing pressure to produce better results sooner rather than later. In this rush to increase performance, many business leaders and their organizations frequently overlook the competitive advantage to be gained by properly training and educating their workforces that they need to compete in a global economy (Longenecker and Fink, 2005). And the importance of effective and timely training is only increasing because of downsizing, the explosion of technology in the workplace, empowerment, work teams, tight labor markets and often times, the lack of high quality graduates ready to fill entry-level positions. All of these challenges make a strong case that training must be not only an organizational priority but also a real priority for organizational leaders at all levels. Yet, training managers and human resource leaders can frequently find themselves involved in a continuous fight to keep training programs alive and training activities in the forefront of managerial thinking within their enterprises. This represents a real paradox that training professionals must address, which is the purpose of this discussion.\nResults-oriented leaders understand the consequences of not training: In several of our previous research studies, we have asked managers to identify the consequences of ineffective training and educational practices (Longenecker and Ariss, 2002; Longenecker and Fink, 2005). At the organizational level, ineffective training leads to lower productivity, quality problems, customer dissatisfaction, difficulty in achieving performance goals, loss of teamwork, morale problems and increased stress, inflated costs and the underutilization of both equipment and technologies, just to name a few. At the individual worker level, ineffective training can cause poor performance, loss of confidence, increased frustration, job dissatisfaction, de-motivation, lack of productivity, customer dissatisfaction and safety concerns, among other performance damaging issues. Training, which is a controllable, when not properly handled, can create a myriad of uncontrollable, unpredictable and negative consequences.These organizational and individual consequences of ineffective training practices are \"results busters\", thus managers who are serious about achieving higher levels of performance do everything in their power to prevent these factors from rearing their ugly head (Longenecker and Simonetti, 2001). What manager in his or her right mind would wish these outcomes on themselves? Yet the root causes of these problems are telling indeed. When managers are asked why they and their organizations fail to properly train and educate their workers, their responses reveal the primary reason for training failures is the simple fact that training is not a managerial priority. In addition, managers stated that they frequently find that there is a lack of time to properly train personnel and they are quick to point out that in the heat of battle there is frequently an over-reliance on on-the-job training and trial-and-error learning. Other reasons for ineffective training include assuming that an employee is already competent, unclear on the skill set needed for the job and lack of qualified trainers (Longenecker, 1997). Would a manager who is truly interested in getting better results allow these things to happen? Collectively, these causes of ineffective training are all factors that results-oriented leaders recognize and work to alleviate so as to maximize employee skill and talent and thus performance.\nResults-oriented leaders make training a priority: Unless individual managers make training a priority and train effectively, \"results busting\" problems are inevitable. When managers simply throw people into their jobs or assume the person knows what to do and how to do it, they are asking for less than optimal performance. Our research findings on results-oriented managers go right back to the key findings that we identified earlier: training leads to better performance; ineffective training creates problems; training must be a managerial priority; managers must create a system for training that is tied to actions that ensure effective outcomes and educating workers to see the big picture is paramount. Results-oriented leaders know that the issue of training is a lot like shaving. If you do not do it for a couple of days you do not look too bad, but long-term you really start to look shabby without proper grooming.Undoubtedly, training and development are jointly shared responsibilities between a line manager, an employee and people in various organizational support functions. Still, the ultimate burden of ensuring that people are properly prepared to perform falls squarely on the shoulders of organizational leaders, at all levels. This is a responsibility that may not always be urgent, but it is always critically important. Results-oriented leaders tend to approach training and education with a systems mindset. The systems approach forces organizations and managers to think through the practice of training workers and can be helpful in removing the causes of ineffective training. Results-oriented leaders take responsibility for training and frequently engage in a six-step systems approach to ensuring that their workers are equipped to perform their jobs at the highest possible level. This systems approach has evolved from the interviews that we have conducted with results-oriented managers and includes:Step 1: develop a clear and flexibly framed job description\nA call for action: One of the greatest challenges facing trainers and HR professionals is getting managers to take training seriously. A powerful way to achieve this goal is to constantly remind managers that research clearly shows high performance, results-oriented leaders make training part and parcel of their approach to doing business. They develop systematic processes to ensure that their employees are trained effectively and they do not relegate this responsibility to others. They realize that achieving higher levels of performance is the key to their own career success and survival and that training is an effective vehicle to increase the likelihood of high performance.Thus, business leaders serious about success have every incentive to make training both a priority and a reality. In closing, trainers and managers alike would be well served to conduct the self-assessment in Figure 1 to determine the extent to which managers in their organization are effective in ensuring that people in their organization are properly trained and ready to compete. Successful, results-oriented leaders see training as the key to their long-term success, which has a powerful influence on both their approach and outlook on the training function. Use this tool to get managers in your organization to think through their view and approach to training their people and to come to the realization that effective training creates competitive advantage that we all need to stay ahead of the competition.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to show that in many organizations training professionals and human resource leaders are under increasing pressure to use training to improve organizational performance, and yet, front-line managers are often passive or even indifferent on the issue of properly training their workers. This paper will also discuss the key practices of high performance business leaders and how they use effective training practices to achieve superior results.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Over 2,000 managers, identified by their organizations as being \"high performers\", were surveyed and the findings of this paper are based on a content analysis of both questionnaire and interview data.\nFindings: - The paper finds that results-oriented leaders realized that training is critical to their success and must be handled with great care employing a systematic and disciplined process. This study revealed that results-oriented leaders realized that properly training and educating their workers increased the likelihood of achieving high performance and that poorly trained workers can create a myriad of performance problems. The study showed that high performance leaders were doing the things necessary to develop their workers and to educate them about the bigger picture of their organization to enable them to make better decisions and be more engaged. The over-arching finding concludes that high performance business leaders are actively engaged in the training and development process and that they do not abdicate that responsibility to others.\nOriginality/value: - The findings of this paper make it clear that training and developing workers is a top priority for high performance managers who are serious about improving operational and organizational performance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How global brands incorporating local cultural elements increase consumer purchase likelihood: An empirical study in China
|
[
"Global brands",
"Global identity",
"Brand local iconness",
"Chinese elements",
"Cultural compatibility",
"Local identity"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: As a direct consequence of globalization, global brands have expanded quickly into emerging markets. Meanwhile, such global brands face a strategic decision regarding how to position itself in emerging markets, where quite different local cultures may possess certain resistance to foreign brands. While keeping a perceived globalness is desirable, adapting to local taste with local iconness (Ozsomer, 2012) is often necessary. Sometimes a global brand may even sacrifice its brand consistency for larger market share in emerging markets (Roberts and Cayla, 2009). Thus, using local cultural elements becomes an important marketing strategy for global brands to approach local consumers in emerging markets. The combination of a global image, which is often associated with Western cultural origins with local cultural elements would be perceived as a culture mixing, namely, a simultaneous presentation of two cultures in one object (Chiu et al., 2011). In the globalization process, culture mixing can be considered a cross-cultural learning opportunity that stimulates consumer integrative reactions, but at the same time evokes consumer exclusionary responses due to potential identity threat (Arnett, 2002; Chiu and Cheng, 2007; Chiu et al., 2011).\n2. Theoretical background and hypotheses: 2.1 Global brands and Chinese elements\n3. Method: 3.1 Testing products\n4. Results: 4.1 Mediating effect of brand local iconness\n5. Discussion: This study provides an empirical support of our proposed conceptual frame, which is summarized in five hypotheses. In particular, the results shows that cultural compatibility has a direct positive effect on purchase likelihood (H1) and an indirect effect on purchase likelihood through the mediation of perceived local iconness (H2 and H4). In addition, while perceived local iconness also has an impact on purchase likelihood (H3), however, such an influence is moderated by consumer cultural identity (H5a and H5b). In particular, consumer high local identity tends to enhance the influence of brand local iconness to purchase likelihood, whereas consumer global identity tends to weaken such an influence.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of incorporating Chinese elements in global brands on consumer purchase likelihood.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Six global brand products from three categories that utilized Chinese elements are used to test hypotheses. The Total Effect Moderation Model is used to analyze by combining moderation and mediation under a general analytical framework.\nFindings: The results show that cultural compatibility has direct positive effect, in addition to an indirect effect (through local iconness) on purchase likelihood. Meanwhile, consumer cultural identity is found to moderate the impact of brand local iconness on purchase likelihood.\nPractical implications: Evaluation and improvement of cultural compatibility in a global brand that incorporates Chinese elements is recommended for multinational marketers entering Chinese consumer markets. Meanwhile, marketers should pay attention to consumer cultural identity in the market segmentation process.\nOriginality/value: This paper takes a unique perspective to investigate whether and how global brands can succeed when adding local cultural elements to the product design, packaging and promotion in emerging markets like China.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Improving internal consistency in IC research and practice: IC and the theory of the firm
|
[
"Resource-based view",
"Intellectual capital",
"Theory of the firm"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: A recent stream of literature identifies the arising of a third stage in Intellectual Capital Accounting Research, which addresses the praxis of IC as it is implemented in organisations, rather than re-creating a static analysis of IC, as it is represented by contemporary measurement frameworks and their associated theories (Catasus and Chaminade, 2007; Guthrie et al., 2012). Through such a development, it also associates the necessity to abandon Grand Theories in favour of the analysis of what really happens inside the firm. Supporting the new focus vs the older one, more concentrated on the development of ostensive theories, Dumay (2012) indeed maintains that the two Grand Theories representing IC as the difference between market-to-book values (Stewart, 1997) and as a means to greater profitability (Mouritsen et al., 2001) have hindered the use of IC concepts.\n2. RBVs of the firm: the strong and the weak form: Once the role of the theory of the firm has been introduced, the next step is to identify the theory of the firm on which to rest. Many theories of the firm have been developed over time by different schools of thought. Foss (1993) distinguishes between contractual and competence-based theories of the firms, in order to mark a boundary line between theories of the firm rooted in the economics tradition and alternatively those linked to the business tradition.\n3. Five IC-related issues at the stake: In order to demonstrate how a theory of the firm can boost consistency in research and practice, the paper will discuss the analysis of five IC-related issues according to the two forms of RBV:\n4. IC in the strategic factors markets model: 4.1. Definition and origin of IC\n5. IC in the dynamic-capabilities view of the firm: 5.1. Definition and origin of IC\n6. Conclusions: The aim of the paper is to stimulate the search for an explicit link between research on and practice of IC on the one side, and the theory of the firm on the other side, in order to improve consistency of both research and practice. As the paper has shown, diverse theories differently conceptualise the firm, thus influencing what IC is and how it can be valued, reported and managed.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of referring to a theory of the firm as a way to strongly improve internal consistency in both research and practice. To this end, the paper explores how a theory-of-the-firm perspective can assist in a consistent analysis of IC, focusing on five IC-related issues: the definition and the origins of IC; the set of property rights on IC; its role in the competitive advantage and the value generation process of the firm; the way IC can be valued, including issues relating to the internal and external reporting; and finally the most efficient way to effectively manage and control IC. Analysis is carried out referring to the strengths and weaknesses of the resource-based view (RBV), being the main reference theories for IC scholars and practitioners.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper employs a deductive approach to explore how different theories of the firm shape the way IC-related issues could be consistently analysed.\nFindings: The research finds that referring to a theory of the firm assists investigating IC-related issues. It carries out the analysis of five important issues under the two forms of the RBV, demonstrating how a different theory of the firm differentiates analysis and offers room for improving the internal consistency for both research and practice.\nResearch limitations/implications: Implications of the paper are mainly for improving consistency in research, but they also support practice as for consciousness and awareness. Limitations are as follows. First, the paper offers an analysis of only two selected theories of the firm. Second, the analysis is based on a deductive reasoning which can be criticised for the results, even if not for the aim.\nPractical implications: The paper offer stimuli to both theoretical and empirical research and practice. As for research, the paper highlights how consistency can be developed and also focusses on the way empirical research could be consistently carried out. As for practitioners, the paper assists in enlightening covered links between practice and theories.\nOriginality/value: The paper pays attention to the role of the theory of the firm, as a way for improving internal consistency in the study and the practice of IC.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Relationships between top managers' leadership and infrastructure sustainability: A Chinese urbanization perspective
|
[
"Construction projects",
"Chinese urbanization",
"Infrastructure sustainability",
"Leadership competence",
"Structural equation model",
"Top managers"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In modern era, many potential developing countries are vigorously promoting the sustainable construction of urbanization triggered by the economic boom, with the infrastructure projects being as the elemental construction units. With the increasing complexity of construction projects in recent years, more and more academic research has been focussing on the factors that influence project success. The leadership competence of top managers in the construction industry has been empirically evidenced as one impact factor on success (Turner and Muller, 2005). However, for the successful construction of infrastructure projects[1] in the process of Chinese urbanization, more emphasis should be placed on the dimension of infrastructure sustainability (IS) rather than the traditional iron triangle objectives, namely time, cost, and quality. IS makes a significant contribution toward the sustainable construction and development of cities and towns in developing countries. IS in the process of urbanization includes the sustainability of the infrastructure itself and the coordination of the infrastructure projects with the surroundings. The construction industry is now facing the challenge of translating strategic goals for sustainability to the project level (Ugwu and Haupt, 2007), especially in developing countries. Nevertheless, the realization of IS highly relies on top managers with decision-making authority, a clear vision for organizational goals, and casting as the leading role to take responsibility for planning, organizing, controlling, and coordinating, particularly if they offer transformational leadership. From the perspective of construction management, this research defines top managers as senior leaders in all the project participants, i.e., the owner, contractor, supervisor, etc., who collectively determine and exert an influence on the management process of the construction project within its whole life cycle. Leadership traits of top managers are closely related to IS in a narrow sense and would contribute to urbanization sustainability in developing countries like China in a broad sense. As a result, with charisma and influential leadership behaviors, transformational leaders encourage every project participant to make an effort to collectively realize the organizational vision, i.e. the IS. One source of concern in the construction industry during the Chinese urbanization process is how top managers' leadership competence plays a decisive role in IS, as well as the interaction relationships among the inner competences of top managers. It is the relationships between leadership traits and IS influencing the urbanization sustainability that make the government or policy-makers be in urgent need of recognizing and selecting excellent qualified top managers to successfully accomplish infrastructure construction and sustainability.\n2. Theoretical framework: The aforementioned research provides theoretical support to the establishment of a SEM in this research. It is hypothesized that top managers' leadership in terms of intellectual competence (IQ), managerial competence (MQ), and emotional and social competence (EQ) collectively determine the IS achieved during the process of Chinese urbanization.\n3. Research methodology: To test the hypotheses proposed above, a questionnaire survey using five-point Likert scales was adopted. Based on the leadership competence theory, the LDQ, and the IS measurements, this research divides the questionnaire into two sections, i.e., measurements of leadership competences and measurements of IS. Through this questionnaire, respondents could verify the sustainability of a finished infrastructure project that they had participated in before and still are the team leaders during its maintenance phases; and could validate the influence of the top managers' IQ, MQ, and EQ. The questions were selected to obtain a subjective response for the related indicators that have a hypothesized impact on IS. Two samples of the five-point Likert scale about critical analysis and judgment of IQ and coordinability of IS are demonstrated in Appendices 1 and 2. The respondents' profile and the infrastructure information collected during the survey are shown in Table I.\n4. Model refinements and data analysis: As the initial model, the hypothesized SEM model was analyzed using AMOS 16.0 software, with the initial processing results showing in Figure 2 in detail. However, the results of the initial analysis indicated that the initial model could not meet the standard indices of model fit very well, i.e. compared with recommended levels shown in Table II, some main goodness-of-fit (GOF) measures, such as kh2/degrees of freedom (4.478\n5. Results and discussion: As shown in Figure 3, all of the standardized path coefficients for regression weights and covariance are highly positive and significant at the 0.001 level, making the analysis results of the measurement model and construct model highly effective.\n6. Conclusions: In this research, the relationship between the top managers' demonstrated leadership competence in infrastructure projects and IS with respect to Chinese urbanization has been investigated. The following theoretical hypothesis was proposed: top managers' leadership in terms of intellectual competence (IQ), managerial competence (MQ), and emotional and social competence (EQ) positively influences infrastructure sustainability (IS) in the context of the Chinese urbanization process. A questionnaire survey was conducted among Chinese construction enterprises associated with urban infrastructure projects, and a two-step SEM was established and analyzed to test whether the hypothesized relationships hold. The internal reliability of all of the constructs and the entire SEM were reasonably high, with Cronbach's a over the cut-off value of 0.7. All of the results for the standardized coefficients and factor loadings were significant at the 0.001 level (two-tailed), as shown in Figure 3 and Table V. After model simplification and refinement, the fit of the SEM was successfully accepted, with the GOF measures and reliability values achieving a high level. The findings allowed the following conclusion: top managers' leadership competence in terms of IQ, MQ, and EQ positively influence the IS achieved during Chinese urbanization.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Top managers who possess outstanding leadership competence make significant contributions toward achieving project success. The relationship between the top managers' leadership and infrastructure sustainability (IS), one of the most important project success criteria, is empirically researched in this study. The purpose of this paper is to explore relationships between top managers' leadership competence of intellectual competence (IQ), managerial competence (MQ), and emotional and social competence (EQ) and to explore relationships between leadership competence and IS.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on 246 obtained responses to a questionnaire survey across infrastructure projects in the context of the Chinese urbanization process, the analysis of the relationships between top managers' leadership and IS was performed using a structural equation model (SEM).\nFindings: Results indicate that top managers' leadership competence, with MQ being the main determinant, followed by IQ, directly drives the entire life cycle of an infrastructure project toward accomplishing IS. Through positively influencing the moderate variable of MQ, EQ competence is found to have an indirect influence on IS.\nPractical implications: In terms of practical implications, the outcomes of this research will provide criteria for the selection of top managers for infrastructure projects to realize IS during the process of Chinese urbanization.\nOriginality/value: The established SEM improves the leadership competence framework of IQ, MQ, and EQ in the respect of reflecting the context of infrastructure projects and promotes the research and development of leadership theory in the construction area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Risk marketing
|
[
"Risk",
"Perception",
"Attitude",
"Bias",
"Communication",
"Questionnaire",
"Positioning",
"Framing",
"Perceptual map",
"Promise",
"M31"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: As we have deeply changed our environment to increase our safety (against illness, starvation, wars, terrorism, etc.), we feel surrounded by new risks which challenge our understanding. For instance, intensive agricultural production raises doubt as to its health or environmental impacts; driving a diesel car instead of an electrical one or heating one's house is now related to increasing the risk of climate change. The period is probably ripe for closer interactions between risk concern and marketed offers.\n2. An overview of risk and marketing in the literature: If raising aspiration for a product is a major goal of marketing, the discipline has since long recognized the importance of dealing with risk, to better understand how people make choices. In such perspective, marketing has for a long time investigated the importance of psychology in the process of purchase decision-making, product choices and brand preferences and loyalty. Specifically, there is a vast consumer behavior and marketing literature regarding consumer decision under uncertainty, communication of risks and the importance of risk in consumer decision-making.\n3. Risk profiling and perceptual maps: In the following, we will define the positioning of a brand as a strategic approach which consists in delivering a promise to a specific population target, thus occupying a particular position within targeted people's mind. We are examining the possibility of enriching this promise, that we will relate to people's aspiration, with a \"risk-attitude dimension\". This enlarged conception of positioning, taking into account both satisfaction and risk attitude, could then be described on perceptual maps.\n4. Risk perception and message framing: As it has been shown by the tenants of behavioral economics, consumers are sensitive to framing. Although they should react the same way no matter how the message is formulated, it happens that people tend to make distinct judgments when exposed to alternate but equivalent ways of describing a promise. According to Tversky and Kahneman (1986):\n5. Conclusion: Our starting point was the observation that modern world is increasingly perceived as uncertain and that all products tend to be considered as conveying potential hazards. This rising concern for risk, and the need for security/safety, certainly challenges marketing scope and methods. In an attempt to identify potential applications, we scanned some 50 years of risk in marketing literature, cognitive sciences, behavioral economics and, more recently, evolutionary psychology. We observed that, in some key areas of marketing management - individual profiling, brand positioning (brand promises being considered as a main choice's criteria), message framing and, before that, take-away messages of the brand copy strategy - risk psychology has diffused to a limited extent. We investigated positioning statements and communications according to risks' perceptions and attitudes in the field of insurance and investment, within the Axa Research Fund-Paris School of Economics research project The economics and psychology of risk taking, impatience and financial decisions: confronting survey, experimental and insurance data (2009-2011).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: In a modern world increasingly perceived as uncertain, the mere purchase of a household cleaning product, or a seemingly harmless bottle of milk, conveys interrogations about potential hazards, from environmental to health impacts. The main purpose of this paper is to suggest that risk could be considered as one of the major dimensions of choice for a wide range of concerns and markets, alongside aspiration/satisfaction, and tackled efficiently by mobilizing the recent findings of cognitive sciences, neurosciences and evolutionary psychology. It is felt that consumer research could benefit more widely from psychological and evolutionary-grounded risk theories.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this study, some 50 years of marketing management literature, as well as risk-specialized literature, was examined in an attempt to get a grasp of how risk is handled by consumer sciences and of whether they make some use of the most recent academic works on mental biases, non-mainstream decision-making processes or evolutionary roots of behavior. We then tested and formulated several hypotheses regarding risk profiles and preferences in the sector of insurance, by participating in an Axa Research Fund-Paris School of Economics research project.\nFindings: It is suggested that consumer profiles could be enriched by risk-taking attitudes, that risk could be part of the \"reason why\" of brand positioning, and that brand, as well as public policy communication, could benefit from a targeted use of risk perception biases.\nOriginality/value: This paper proposes to apply evolutionary-based psychological concepts to build perceptual maps describing people and consumers on both aspiration and risk attitude axis, and to design communication tools according to psychological research on message framing and biases. Such an approach mobilizes not only the recent findings of cognitive sciences and neurosciences but also the understanding of the roots of risk attitudes and perception. Those maps and framing could probably be applied to many sectors, markets and public issues, from commodities to personal products and services (food, luxury goods, electronics, financial products, tourism, design or insurance).\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Nonfamily knowledge during family business succession: a cultural understanding
|
[
"Family business",
"Succession",
"Knowledge transfer",
"Ethnic groups"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Succession represents the most challenging time in the life of a family business, in terms of both business dilemmas and personal expectations. According to Brockhaus (2004), succession is a particularly complex process due to the number of difficult decisions made in order to ensure the business survives from generation to generation. As such, succession has dominated the minds of family business researchers in an attempt to build a robust understanding on the intricacies and nuanced perspectives of a multi-generational and passion-laden event in business development (Short et al., 2016). A triumphant \"passing of the leadership baton from founder-owner to successor\" (Handler, 1994, p. 134) is continually linked to the future performance of the firm and its continued viability in the eyes of various, and often contradictory, stakeholder positions (Le Breton-Miller et al., 2004).\nLiterature review: Stakeholder knowledge in succession\nMethodology: An exploratory comparative case study approach is adopted, providing a depth of understanding to allow for the emotional complexity of succession to surface. Case study research involves multiple sources of evidence collected within the workplace and can explore both current issues in the business or, importantly, historical influences (Jankowicz, 2005). Yin (2014) proposes that case studies provide in-depth insight, particularly when focussed around a certain phenomenon. In this paper, multiple sources of evidence (e.g. interviews, documentation and participant observation) are used to interpret the use of nonfamily knowledge during the succession event. Multiple cases are used in order to contrast and compare succession in family businesses from different cultural backgrounds.\nCase study findings: Case 1--United Arab Emirates\nDiscussion and interpretation: Though all of the cases here liked to believe they were collectivist in nature, findings suggest that some of the cultural assumptions ingrained in the business dictated how this collective approach happens, or more accurately, who is considered important to be part of the collective. For instance, in case 2, there appears a collective approach while dealing with those external to the business: suppliers, customers, even competitors, but a far more distant approach when dealing with internal employees who were not of family relation. Much of this situation echoes previous research on the expectations of businesses from Chinese backgrounds to operate politically and embed in networks of organisations (Brautigam, 2003; Cong et al., 2017; Shi et al., 2015; Shi and Dana, 2013); however, this exchange from external knowledge sources may not translate to an internal knowledge socialisation.\nConclusion: Moving focus away from a processual understanding of family business succession (Nordqvist et al., 2013) and towards a culturally sensitive and contextual approach to social exchange (Danes et al., 2008; Daspit et al., 2016) allows this study to contribute to the literature in two ways. First, the findings make it clear that use of knowledge from nonfamily stakeholders may not be as open and available to successors as theoretical approaches to knowledge sharing would hope for. Sensitivity around the role of nonfamily, and their more transient nature in the firm, means that their knowledge is valued highly, and careful consideration is given to how they react to and engage in the succession process. Sensitivity around nonfamily is also felt by the family successors themselves. This appears to be manifest in an acute awareness that family successors must \"prove themselves\" to nonfamily employees. However, the way in which this is perceived varies in the cases presented, from full engagement with nonfamily during each succession stage, to a more limited engagement based on conflict limitation and required information only.\nLimitations and future research: This paper addresses calls from Daspit et al. (2016) to provide broader understanding of the social exchange relationships deemed crucial at times of family business succession. While much has been done to illuminate the role of nonfamily stakeholder knowledge, and the varying cultural approaches to it, the work cannot claim to have been comprehensive in its approach to cultural background, looking instead to provide in-depth insight on carefully selected cases. Future work may look to be more systematic in the cultural backgrounds investigated, in order to establish the commonalties and differences among cultural groups, or more ethnic understandings of family businesses dynamics.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Knowledge transfer plays a key role in the succession process. While much attention has been given to the passing of business knowledge form incumbent to successor, less is known about the use of nonfamily knowledge during this most crucial of family business events. The purpose of this paper is to look how knowledge from nonfamily employees is treated at times of succession. Importantly, it considers how the controlling family's cultural background may influence nonfamily knowledge use, and subsequent implications for the succession process.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An exploratory comparative case study design is adopted in order to uncover the complex social and cultural dynamics around knowledge use. Four case studies are presented from family businesses of different, and contrasting, cultural origins. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, observations and formal secondary data from the organisations, all of whom operate in the UK.\nFindings: Findings reveal a complex picture, part influenced by the cultural dynamics of the family and part by business necessity. Specifically, power-distance appears as an informative cultural dimension, influencing how knowledge is used and nonfamily are perceived. While some family businesses privilege the knowledge from family, others see the need to build knowledge relationships more broadly.\nOriginality/value: This paper provides further evidence to the heterogeneity of family businesses. It moves beyond a processual explanation of succession to develop a more contextually aware understanding of the dynamics and sensitivities involved.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Measuring an organization's innovation climate: a case study from Singapore
|
[
"Organization development",
"Innovation climate",
"Organizational learning",
"Singapore",
"Learning organizations",
"Innovation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Innovation is widely accepted as a key driver to sustain business growth (Christensen and Raynor, 2003). Riding on the innovation agenda, a Singapore-based real estate group launched an organization development initiative to harness new ideas and develop innovations. A series of activities to engage the 600 staff at the corporate, divisional and individual levels was planned. To kick-start the initiative, an innovation climate survey was launched in early January 2011. The purpose of this article is to discuss the six key factors that were proposed and included in the design of the customized innovation climate questionnaire.\nQuestionnaire design: The reason for conducting an innovation climate survey was to gauge staff opinion on innovation-related issues. The innovation working committee needed a quick and easy way to find out staff attitudes and perceptions towards innovation. Thus, the aims of the survey were to ascertain the current state of innovation of the group, identify gaps hindering innovative practices and determine potential areas for improvements. The survey would also serve to establish a benchmark to measure against future improvements. For the purpose of the initiative, \"innovation\" is defined as both the creating and bringing into profitable use of new products, services, processes or business models.A customized questionnaire was created based on various existing instruments to measure innovation climate. The main reason for customization was to ensure that questions raised were relevant to the group's business activities which respondents could relate to. A six-factor questionnaire consisting of 32 items, and demographic variables such as division name and job category viz. executive and non-executive were developed. The items were measured using a five-point Likert scale.\nKey factors measured: Six key areas were covered and measured in the questionnaire. Broadly, these factors include: where the organization intends to go (shared vision), interactions at each of the three levels of the organization (management support, community and individual creativity), execution (implementation) and support variables (motivators).Shared vision\nReflection on choice of factors: The rationale behind the choice of these six factors to measure innovation climate is fairly intuitive and straightforward. Shared vision would provide an understanding on whether members of the organization agree on a \"common end point\" for innovation within the organization. Measurement of this factor would enable the innovation working group to ascertain if the organization is heading toward an agreed direction. To address innovation issues arising from the different levels of the organization, the factors such as management support, community and individual creativity were selected. Essentially, each level of the organization, i.e. senior managers, working colleagues and the individual would face different types of challenges in developing innovations. Thus, these factors provide an indication on the current perceived state of innovation practices among the members. Furthermore, individual creativity provides a form of \"self-assessment\" on a person's perceived creativity. As mentioned earlier, implementation or execution is a crucial factor in determining the eventual success of new ideas. Therefore, to measure innovation climate, the implementation aspect was included in the questionnaire. Finally, to encourage innovation, motivators as a factor was considered. The main consideration for selecting this factor is to better understand the positive influencers of innovation. Subsequently, the organization can then put in place more incentives to encourage innovation.\nSurvey implementation, results and plans: The survey was conducted online with Lotus Notes using e-forms over a one-week period. The link to the e-form was sent out in a New Year email message on innovation from the group CEO to all staff. For those without intranet access, hardcopies of the survey form were made available. To encourage participation, a lucky draw with iPad and iPod prizes for eligible respondents was conducted at the end of the survey. Respondents could choose to remain anonymous if they did not wish to participate in the draw.The overall response rate for the survey was 72 percent. The results provided some clues to the organization's innovation climate. Briefly, the respondents believed that*innovation is important to the future sustainable growth of the organization;*strong leaders with clear mandate to champion innovation are needed;*risk-taking and willingness to experiment are essential conditions leading to innovation;*a higher level of empowerment is needed; and*more staff exposure and training on innovation is required.Moving ahead, the organization plans to incorporate the feedback in the development of new policies and procedures to promote innovation. In addition, other modes of engagement such as innovation competitions and suggestion schemes will be organized to ensure that innovation practices permeate the entire organization.\nConclusion: The intention of the article is to discuss, broadly, the areas that were covered and measured in an innovation climate questionnaire. Whilst not a \"rigorous\" instrument in the academic sense, the article serves to guide managers and organization development professionals to consider how they might better gauge an organization's innovation climate and deepen our understanding of innovation culture.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The article aims to discuss the six key factors that were proposed and included in the design of a customized innovation climate questionnaire.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The implementation case study of an innovation climate survey for a Singapore-based real estate group is presented. In particular, the design of the questionnaire and selection of key factors to be measured are discussed.\nFindings: - While not a \"rigorous\" instrument in the academic sense, the article can guide managers and organization development professionals to better gauge an organization's innovation climate and deepen the understanding of innovation culture.\nOriginality/value: - This article contributes to the existing innovation culture literature by providing a case study and deeper understanding of key factors to be measured in an innovation climate survey. These factors include shared vision, management support, community, individual creativity, implementation and motivators.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Cognitive antecedents and affective consequences of customers' self-concept in brand management: A conceptual model
|
[
"Innovation",
"Ideal self-congruence",
"Harmonious passion",
"Playfulness",
"Actual self-congruence",
"Obsessive passion"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The tourism and hospitality industry has been expanding over the past decade. The current global tourism and hospitality sector requires a strong and positive brand to mark the differences among competitors. Consequently, service providers devote considerable attention to brand management and marketing. Substantial research in brand management includes brand equity (Bill Xu and Chan, 2010; Nam et al., 2011), brand experience (Barnes et al., 2014; Boo et al., 2009; Hudson and Ritchie, 2009), brand loyalty (Oppermann, 2000; Tepeci, 1999; Yoon and Uysal, 2005) and brand relationship (Ahn and Back, 2018; Hudson et al., 2015). Brand management is critical because it is advantageous for companies to differentiate from their competitors and enhance their performance (Keller and Lehmann, 2006). Thus, the underlying mechanism that explains the relationship between customers' experience and their post-purchase attitude toward a brand has important implications for tourism and hospitality researchers.\nLiterature review: Self-congruence and brand experience\nMethods: Data collection\nDiscussion and conclusions: Conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to analyze the antecedents and consequences of customers' actual and ideal self-congruence in the tourism and hospitality context. This research analyzes playfulness (e.g. creative- and enjoyment-based), self-congruence (e.g. actual and ideal self-congruence) and passion (e.g. harmonious and obsessive).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 350 integrated resort customers in the USA, and the hypotheses were examined using partial least square-structural equation modeling.\nFindings: Findings suggest that creative-based playfulness significantly and positively influences the different types of customers' self-congruence. Moreover, a fit between integrated resort brand and customers' actual and ideal self leads to their harmonious and obsessive passion toward integrated resort brand.\nResearch limitations/implications: In the integrated resort setting, customers' attitude toward innovation served as the antecedent of self-congruence and passion. The proposed model can be used to other sectors, such as hotels, restaurants and casinos.\nPractical implications: The present study contributes to integrated resort service providers through the provision of several insights into how they can manage integrated resort brands.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the service research and extends previous studies in several important ways. Although previous studies have focused on analyzing the effect of the playfulness of product on customers' behavior, the current study moves a step further by assessing its relationship with dual types of image congruence and passion in the tourism and hospitality setting.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Post materialist values and entrepreneurship: a multilevel approach
|
[
"Postmaterialism",
"Values",
"Entrepreneurship",
"World Value Survey",
"Individual level"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In recent decades entrepreneurship has been increasingly recognized as a crucial factor in processes of economic development in nations. There is broad consensus that entrepreneurs play an important role in creating employment and wealth creation (Wennekers et al., 2005; Muhanna, 2007; Brunet and Alarcon, 2004). This has led to a growing interest among researchers of various disciplines in examining the determinants of entrepreneurship.Despite this increasing interest, researchers conclude that there is still no well-developed theory of entrepreneurship (Ritchie and Brindley, 2005). This means that consensus has not been achieved as to the specific determinants of entrepreneurship either at the individual or at the socio-cultural level. In this paper we contribute to this debate by analysing the relationship between the entrepreneurial phenomenon and cultural values. In line with the still unanswered question: \"What makes an entrepreneur?\" the main objective of this paper is to test whether individuals' postmaterialist values explain the personal decision to become an entrepreneur.Thus, we build on previous work by Uhlaner and Thurik (2006), who have pointed out a negative relationship between the aggregate postmaterialism values and countries' entrepreneurial activity. In this paper we use the individual as the unit of analysis for the following theoretical and methodological reasons. First, values are individual attributes (Rokeach, 1973; Feather, 1975; Schwartz, 1992; Rohan, 2000). This has led several authors to highlight the relevance of studying values at the individual level (Licht, 2010; Schwartz, 1992, 1994, 2007, 2011). Also in the area of entrepreneurship and culture, some scholars have even argued that it would be better to measure cultural orientations at the individual level than at the aggregate level (Koning et al., 2007). Second, postmaterialism is a theory which focuses primarily on individual value changes (Inglehart, 1977, 1990; Davis, 2000). Third, it is not possible to obtain conclusions for individuals using country-level data without incurring in an ecological fallacy (Klein et al., 1994; Thornton, 1999; Hofstede, 1980, 2001; Morrison, 2000). Country-level data or country-level results cannot be imputed to individuals within a country because this is based on the wrong assumption that every person in that country has an identical level of cultural values. To do so would mean that one fails to acknowledge the difference between the individual and societal level of analysis. In this particular case, we cannot apply Uhlaner and Thurik's (2006) country-level findings to describe the effect of individual postmaterialist values on the decision to become an entrepreneur. To test the relationship between postmaterialism and the individual decision to become entrepreneur across countries, we have adopted a multilevel approach, with individuals nested in countries.This paper is structured as follows: it begins with a review of the literature on postmaterialist values theory and cultural values as determinants of entrepreneurship. Then, the methodology section goes on to outline the data, the measurements, sample information and the analytical techniques employed in the study. This is followed by a presentation of the main results and the paper then ends with a discussion of the findings and conclusions.\nLiterature review: (1) Postmaterialist values theory: an overview\nMethodology: Model and control variables\nResults: Means, standard deviations and correlations of all study variables are shown in Table I. On checking for correlations we found a small negative correlation between postmaterialism and self-employment (r=-0.06, p<0.001). Furthermore, self-employment is significantly related with age (r=0.05, p<0.001), gender (r=-0.11, p<0.001) and education (r=-0.18, p<0.001). The results also indicate that individuals with a low income were more likely to be self-employed than individuals with a medium (r=-0.02, p<0.001) and high income (r=-0.05, p<0.001).The results of the multilevel logistic regressions are presented in Table II. In the first model we tested the effect of postmaterialism on self-employment allowing for random intercepts. The results show that the intercepts for the relationship between postmaterialism and self-employment significantly vary across countries (su12=1.24, p<0.01). Postmaterialism is a significant predictor of whether a person is self-employed or not. As hypothesized, the effect of postmaterialism on self-employment is negative (b=-0.08, p<0.001). A one-unit increase in postmaterialism decreases the odds of being self-employed by a factor of 0.93 (95 per cent CI of odds ratio (0.89; 0.96)).In the subsequent steps we successively added control variables to the model in order to test whether this effect also holds when the control variables are included. The effect of postmaterialism remained significantly negative after controlling for age, gender and income (see models 2-4) but became non-significant when controlling for education (see model 5; b=-0.02, p=0.48). The results of the likelihood tests showed that the model fit increases as more control variables are added.Even if the fixed effect of postmaterialism on self-employment becomes non-significant after controlling for education, the effect of postmaterialism on self-employment might vary across countries. In model 6 we therefore allowed the slope of the relationship between postmaterialism and self-employment to vary. As the results show, the variance of the slope is significant (su12=0.01, p<0.01). Furthermore, the model fit significantly improves when the variance of the slope was included (LR kh2=(1)=10.67, p<0.01). This indicates that the effect of postmaterialism on self-employment differs across countries.Next, we tested whether the random slope and random intercept covary. As presented in model 7 the covariance between the random slope and random intercept is significantly negative (su01=-0.07, p<0.05). Moreover, the model fit improves when adding the covariance of the random slope and intercept (LR kh2=(1)=4.74, p<0.05). This means that across countries as the intercept for the relationship between postmaterialism and self-employment increases (controlling for age, gender, income and education) the slope decreases. This suggests that the effect of postmaterialism on self-employment is more negative in countries with higher intercepts of self-employment. Considering that we centred all continuous predictors around their mean, the intercept is the value of the outcome when all continuous predictors are the value of their mean, and when all the binary variables take the value of their reference group.\nDiscussion: The results of the study confirm that there is evidence to support the hypothesis that postmaterialism is negatively associated with entrepreneurship at the individual level. We therefore conclude that postmaterialist people are less likely to become entrepreneurs. This effect remained significant after controlling for age, gender and income. However, when education is introduced into the model, the effect of postmaterialism loses statistical significance. In fact, the higher the education level the lower the probabilities of becoming an entrepreneur. As previously stated, previous research found that individuals' education does not have a significant effect on selecting into entrepreneurship (van der Sluis et al., 2008). However, in this paper we provide evidence that education is a significant negative predictor. This finding supports the hypothesis that higher levels of education may generate better outside working options (i.e. more lucrative wage employment and better working conditions), which in turn decreases the likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur (Calvo and Wellisz, 1980). Additionally, previous research shows that there is a positive relationship between education and postmaterialism (Inglehart and Abramson, 1994). This means that more educated people, who tend to be postmaterialist, are less likely to become entrepreneurs. This finding suggests that education could mediate the relationship between postmaterialism and entrepreneurship.The current study provides evidence on two additional points: the effect of postmaterialism on being an entrepreneur is not the same across countries (proved by the significant variance of the slope) and this effect is more negative in countries with higher levels of self-employment (the covariance between intercept and slope is significant). Thus, in countries with high levels of self-employment, individuals with postmaterialist values are less likely to be entrepreneurs than in countries with low levels of self-employment. These findings suggest that there are societal-level variables interacting with individual values in the decision to become an entrepreneur. The variables explaining country differences concerning the effect of postmaterialism on entrepreneurship at the individual level are still an open question which deserves further research. However, in line with country-level research (Wennekers et al., 2007), future studies might test whether economic variables act as cross-level moderators of this relationship.Based on theoretical and methodological reasons, this paper proposed an extension of the Uhlaner and Thurik's (2006) study which analyses entrepreneurship and postmaterialism at the country level. At the individual level, this paper's results are in line with Uhlaner and Thurik's main finding. Therefore, we can conclude that the relationship between postmaterialism and entrepreneurship is similar at the individual and at the country level.In this study we used self-employment as a dependent variable. It was chosen because it is the best indicator for entrepreneurship in the used data set. For this reason it was not possible to conduct separate analyses for the different stages of entrepreneurship (e.g. nascent entrepreneurship, new business formation, total business ownership) as in Uhlaner and Thurik's study. Total business ownership might be the entrepreneurship stage that is closest to the concept of self-employment. Whereas Uhlaner and Thurik found that postmaterialism had a negative impact on total business ownership at the country level, we found a negative impact of individuals' postmaterialist values on their decision to become an entrepreneur. Our results confirm this key finding, although we have used a different level of analysis, a different data set, a different measure of postmaterialism and a different conceptualization of the dependent variable.Theoretical and practical implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Postmaterialist values (autonomy, self-expression, fulfilment of personal goals) have been shown to predict entrepreneurship at the country level. This paper aims to expand previous research by testing the relationship between postmaterialism and entrepreneurship at the individual level across 39 countries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In a series of multilevel models, with individuals nested within countries, the paper tests whether individuals' postmaterialist values predict the probability of becoming an entrepreneur after controlling for income level, age, gender and education level. To do this, Inglehart's 12-item Postmaterialism-index was used. Data was taken from the 1999-2004 database of the World Value Survey on approximately forty-five thousand subjects from 39 countries. Models with random intercepts and random slopes were calculated.\nFindings: - This paper presents evidence on three issues: postmaterialism decreases a person's likelihood of becoming an entrepreneur; the effect of postmaterialism on entrepreneurship varies across countries; and this effect is more negative in countries with high levels of entrepreneurship.\nPractical implications: - Theoretical: individuals with materialist values are more likely to be entrepreneurs than postmaterialist individuals. This finding provides support to the hypothesis that entrepreneurs are basically economically driven people. Practical: The efficacy of public policies to promote entrepreneurial activity could be overshadowed by more deeply-rooted cultural orientations, postmaterialism in this case.\nOriginality/value: - The relationship between postmaterialism and entrepreneurship has been studied previously using countries as the unit of analysis; this paper's main contribution is that it expands this line of research to the individual level of analysis.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Externalizing Europe: the global effects of European data protection
|
[
"Privacy",
"Data protection",
"Digital trade",
"Fundamental rights",
"California effect"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The trade in digital technology and services has become a central element of international economic relations[1]. Since 2014, more than half of services traded between the EU and US are digital (Meltzer, 2014). A substantial part of this trade is associated with the transfer of data, some of it personal, some of it machine generated. Emerging technologies such as 5G and the \"Internet of Things\", as well as growing middle classes worldwide are set to further increase digital trade. Despite this, conflicts have arisen over how to use those growing amounts of data, giving way to conflicting regulatory approaches. Calls for \"data sovereignty\", i.e. enhanced control of data controllers over data have increased (Otto et al., 2016; Cory, 2017). Competition law is increasingly applied to tackle growing data-monopolies. In addition, data protection law has become the primary mode of regulation to those segments of traded data, which can be related to individuals. To ensure that individuals remain protected in an international data economy, EU legislators have created two safeguards: The lex loci solutionis (\"Law of the place where relevant performance occurs\") requires any data processor to follow the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) whenever European customers' data are processed. To give additional protection to data which are transferred abroad, GDPR principles have become enshrined into international trade agreements. Preeminent examples of the latter are the EU-US Privacy Shield, or relevant parts of the recently signed EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (\"Jefta,\" for Japanese-European Free Trade Agreement). All of those agreements are subjected to the GDPR. In spite of this, both mechanisms are devised to protect European customers. Nevertheless, most globally operating digital service providers claim that they will adhere to GDPR standards globally, granting all their customers the same level of data protection. The GDPR's reach therefore seems to extend beyond the European market and its customers. By setting the standards for the largest consumer market worldwide, it pressures globally operating firms to adopt its principles for all their customers. This paper aims to explain this process, thereby also outlining potential conflicts arising from such modes of global rule making.\n2. The growth in digital services trade: The growth of the internet has enormously expanded the importance of data transfer and the trade in services involving data protection. Today, data are transferred as a side effect of the use of digital services, for example data transfer involved in using digital insurance services. Moreover, data are not only utilized by multinationals managing decentralized production in global value chains, but are the very essence of online platforms offering services in communication, product development and, crucially, targeted advertisement (Christl, 2017; Bennett, 2012)[2].\n3. Trading up of data protection law: In European data protection law, it is the EU which has become the champion of consumers, supporting their rights even if that means confronting the big tech companies of the Silicon Valley. Already in the negotiation processes for the first common rules on data protection, which culminated in the Data Protection Directive in 1995, consumer rights were emphasized. While common rules should ease transnational data flows, they should also strengthen the individual fundamental right to privacy both vis-a-vis the state and private actors (Gonzalez Fuster, 2014). As a result, European Data Protection Law exemplifies both positive and negative forms of integration (Scharpf, 2002). It is negative, or market making, by homogenizing the patchwork regulations which had limited intra-European data transfers prior to common legislation. It is positive, or market shaping, by granting rights to data subjects and creating obligations for data processors.\n4. The European conception of data protection: After the OECD issued its non-binding Privacy Guidelines in 1980, the Council of Europe adopted the first legally binding Convention on Data Protection in 1981. In the following years, datafication increased, and European policy makers acknowledged the needs for regulating data protection at EU level. By the early 1990s, Parliament and Commission began to negotiate the Data Protection Directive. While Parliament stressed the fundamental rights dimension of data protection, the Commission focused on the market making function, which common data laws would have (Gonzalez Fuster, 2014). The Directive was adopted in 1995, displaying both the positive and negative dimensions of data protection, aiming \"to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of natural persons and in particular their right to privacy with respect to the processing of personal data\" as well as to ensure the \"free flow of personal data between Member States\". A Directive on privacy and electronic communications (ePrivacy Directive) followed in 2002, supplemented in 2009 with a cookie law to protect personal data generated in the form of cookies when using the internet.\n5. Conclusions: Data protection is today one of the most important policy fields for states to reassure their sovereignty online. The EU has become a major player in this area. It has one of the biggest consumer markets worldwide and is self-confidently using its policy-leverage for promoting its citizens' and consumers' desire for privacy and data protection, even if that conflicts with the interests of its trading partners. The conflict between Europe and the US on this issue is symptomatic, in that it merged questions of trade, regulatory oversight and fundamental rights. Different conceptions of privacy and conflicting interests in trade and regulatory affairs will persist, not only across the Atlantic, but in all international digital trade relations.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explain how the EU projects its own data protection regime to third states and the US in particular. Digital services have become a central element in the transatlantic economy. A substantial part of that trade is associated with the transfer of data, most of it personal, requiring many of the new products and services emerging to adhere to data protection standards. Yet different conceptions of data protection exist across the Atlantic, with the EU putting a particular focus on protecting the fundamental right to privacy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using the distinction between positive and negative forms of market integration as a starting point (Scharpf, 1997), this paper examines the question of how the EU is projecting its own data protection regime to third states. The so-called California effect (Vogel, 1997) and the utilization of trade agreements in the EU's foreign policy and external relations are well researched. With decreasing effectiveness and limited territorial reach of its enlargement policy, the EU found trade agreements to be particularly effective to set standards on a global level (Lavenex and Schimmelfennig, 2009). The existence of the single market makes the Union not only an important locus of regulation but also a strong economic actor with the global ambition of digital assertiveness. In the past, establishing standards for the EU's vast consumer market has proven effective in compelling non-European market participants to join.\nFindings: As the globe's largest consumer market, Europe aims to project its own data protection laws through the market place principle (lex loci solutionis), requiring any data processor to follow its laws whenever European customers' data are processed. This paper argues that European data protection law creates a \"California Effect\", whereby the EU exerts pressure on extra-territorial markets by unilateral standard setting.\nOriginality/value: With its GDPR, the EU may have defused the problem of European citizens' data being stored and evaluated according to the US law. However, it has also set a precedent of extra-territorial applicability of its legislation - despite having previously criticized the USA for such practices. By now, international companies increasingly store data of European customers in Europe to prevent conflicts with EU law. With this decision, the EU will apply its own law on others' sovereign territory. Conflicts created through the extra-territorial effects of national law may contradict the principle of due diligence obligations but are nevertheless not illegitimate. They may, however, have further unintended effects: Other major economies are likely to be less reluctant in the future about passing legal provisions with extra-territorial effect.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Informational balance: slow principles in the theory and practice of information behaviour
|
[
"Information literacy",
"Individual behaviour",
"Information seeking",
"Slow movement",
"Time factors"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The rate at which information is accessed and used has accelerated alongside the increasing pace of life. There have been several analyses of the problems resulting from the rapid consumption of information, in relation to both the increased speed of provision and the increased scale of available resources: for example, Gleick (1999), Eriksen (2001), Tomlinson (2007) and Bawden and Robinson (2009, 2011a).\n2. Study methods and summary findings: The study used three methods: a literature analysis and synthesis; a Delphi study of information behaviour experts, using a novel Delphi variant developed for the purpose; and a focus group investigation of Slow practitioners. The methods are described below, together with a brief summary of the results for each. The results and their significance are discussed more fully in the discussion sections. Methods and results are described and discussed in full in Poirier (2012).\n3. Literature analysis and synthesis: A review of published material was undertaken, analysing literature with relevance to Slow perspectives. This encompassed a range of subjects beyond library and information science, and a range of formats beyond books and articles to include newspapers and web resources. Materials were identified using subject databases, library catalogues and general web search engines, and by snowballing references and citations. Only a small proportion of relevant material made direct reference to time factors or other Slow points in the context of information behaviour. Although authors such as Gleick (1999) and Honore (2005) exemplify increasing amounts of rapidly accessible information, they do not analyse the attendant issues or propose even tentative solutions. The remaining material for analysis was appraised qualitatively and conceptually so as to identify and synthesise themes and issues (Bawden, 2012), as discussed in due course.\n4. The Delphi study: This element of the larger study has been reported in detail elsewhere (Poirier and Robinson, 2014), so a brief account is presented here. The Delphi was used to explore the implications of a Slow perspective for the study and theory of information behaviour, through the structured analysis of expert opinion.\n5. The focus group: A focus group was used to explore how the key areas emerging from the Delphi study might manifest themselves in everyday information practices. A focus group is a structured discussion amongst a group of participants, where a series of individual interviews, or a single group interview, would not provide the same extent of peer discussion and interaction. This method elicits common and contested viewpoints and interpretations which may not be possible by other means (Krueger, 1994; Bloor et al., 2001). This process places value on the construction of meaning amongst participants, encouraging them to spark ideas off each other, and to think critically about their perspectives together with others. Focus groups have been used to investigate a variety of issues in library and information science (Walden, 2006; Packard, 2013b).\n6. Discussion: Seven general findings emerge from the three aspects of this study.\n7. The slow information model: The findings above indicate that Slow principles are indeed applicable to information behaviour. The recommendations for practice have some elements in common with the idea of digital literacy, and with some strategies for personal information management aimed at alleviating overload. The unique feature stemming from adoption of Slow ideas is the concept of information balance, which is illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 1. This model was constructed by fitting the behaviours identified in the three phases of this study within a conceptual model of a kind widely used to represent aspects of information behaviour.\n8. Conclusions: This study has shown that there is a desire for informational balance in both theory and practice. Informational balance exists when information flows are under an individual's control. Slow information behaviours facilitate informational balance by creating breathing space between information and the behaviours which are then employed to absorb, process, use or reject it. In an information culture characterised by the acceleration and proliferation of information channels, informational balance is elusive and required conscious and critical effort to maintain.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the principles of the Slow Movement may be applied to information behaviour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses three methods: a literature analysis and synthesis; a Delphi study; and a focus group. All are carried out in accordance with Slow principles, to assess the value of Slow in the conduct of the research itself.\nFindings: Slow principles are applicable to both the theory and practice of information behaviour. They allow theory to be more realistic by encompassing a broader range of behaviours than those included in most established models of information behaviour and information literacy, particularly behaviours relating to temporal and experiential factors. The use of Slow principles in information practice may help to overcome problems relating to personal information management. The notion of \"informational balance\" stems from Slow ideas and is a useful concept for theory and practice.\nResearch limitations/implications: The empirical parts of the study use small groups of participants, and the emphasis of the focus group in particular was on everyday information, rather than on professional or academic information. The results of the study show that research and theory in information behaviour would benefit form more explicit attention to time factors.\nPractical implications: The findings may be used in the design of information literacy instruction, and in encouraging a more reflective approach to personal information management.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study to examine the applicability of Slow principles in an information context. It is also original in explicitly applying Slow principles to the research design.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Lean "Leadership People Process Outcome" (LPPO) implementation model
|
[
"Leadership",
"Process",
"Lean",
"People",
"Continuous improvement",
"Soft systems"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Existing open evidence of successful implementation of lean in top companies worldwide has shown that it resulted in a more efficient system with improved business processes and better financial performance. The waste elimination mantra of lean has brought significant positive impact on various industries (Wan and Chen, 2008). Lean as a philosophical process improvement method should ideally follow a step-by-step implementation guide or model to ensure success. Various models such as the \"model of commitment to lean production (Boyer, 1996)\", Lean operational model (Karlsson and Ahlstrom, 1996), Lean production model (Sanchez and Perez, 2001) and the extended model of design process of Lean (Houshmand and Jamshidnezhad, 2006) has been used and discussed in the past but none is more detailed and flexible as the Leadership People Process and Outcome (LPPO) model. The LPPO model sees committed leadership and competent people as the key to continuously improving process with better, safer, faster and a more cost effective output.\n2. Literature review on earlier models: Upadhye et al. (2010) proposed model for lean implementation (see Figure 1) looked at the situations in an organization and expressed them as needs in their model. These needs includes; uncertainty, complexities, global competitive market, demand fluctuations, innovations and high variety (Upadhye et al., 2010). The issues which resulted in these needs, has expectations which is customers and employees' satisfaction. To match these issues (lead time reduction, workers participation, customer satisfaction, machine breakdown, inventory and quality management) with the expectations, a lean manufacturing system with tools such as value stream mapping, 5S, Kaizen, single piece flow and Pokayoke are used to produce results of better quality, in lesser time, fewer space and happier people.\n3. Lean LPPO implementation model: The LPPO model shows commitment and vision from leadership as the key driver of a competent and empowered people that efficiently optimizes the performance in the business processes to achieve highly competitive products and services as outcome.\n4. Discussion: In both cases, it was obvious that Leadership (\"L\" in the model) was guaranteed as there was commitment to the vision from the top management. The People (\"P\" in the model) in the implementation team knew what was expected of them. They were motivated and empowered by the leadership and were competent to perform the task given to them. It was easier because they were staff of that unit and had a feel of the challenges. This is essential in the implementation of lean as the involvement of people who understand the process helps to sustain the change (Drew et al., 2004; Julien and Tjahjono, 2009). The communication flow in both cases was good as great awareness was created for the implementation. The objective was to provide timely information continuously within the system by encouraging discussion and feedback from the process owners and customers. The use of multifunctional team was obvious in both case studies. The quick grasp of the situation by both implementation teams was also due to the fact that most team members were also part of the process owners. The multifunctional team also had inventory managers, warehouse staff and in-house logistics experts. This is a vital feature in work organizations practicing the lean philosophy (Karlsson and Ahlstrom, 1996).\n5. Conclusion: The LPPO lean implementation model is a social technical model well suited for lean implementation under any situation. It is not limited by technique nor is limited by its soft construct. The use of the Model has its benefits which includes; its system base, people driven, customer centred, measurable outcome and drive for continuous improvement. The resource optimization and cost saving benefits seen in the case studies, are just two of more benefits that can accrue from the use of Lean LPPO implementation model. The soft benefits from the use of the LPPO model are even higher as the model in its flexibility creates a learning and friendly atmosphere where continuous improvement thrives. This is the true essence of lean. A model that brings this to the fore which the LPPO does is a model of first use. This is guaranteed because it makes the change processes involve in lean implementation almost seamless with real benefits to customers, process owners and other stakeholders. Lean is a people's process subject to dictates of the real world situation, the available resources and the prevailing industrial and environmental conditions. The case studies confirm that the concept of lean, its interpretation, its success and failure are determined by the organizational factors of Leadership, People and Process rather than the various technologies used in the quest for achieving leanness in the system.\n6. Limitations and proposal for future research: The use of the model has been observed in just two case studies. In future, more case studies could be observed in diverse industries to further test and improve the practical validity of the LPPO model.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the Lean \"Leadership People Process Outcome\" (LPPO) implementation model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The model is developed from existing models through literature review and its success from use in lean implementation is reported in case studies.\nFindings: The LPPO model is a Lean implementation model that is flexible and easily adaptable. It is system based, people driven, customer centred, with measurable outcome and a drive for continuous improvement.\nResearch limitations/implications: This work is based on existing literature and case studies.\nPractical implications: The paper would be of interest to Lean practitioners as the model developed is system generic and easily adaptable.\nOriginality/value: The LPPO model presented in this paper has been newly developed and the successful application is seen in the case studies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Global consumer culture: consequences for consumer research
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Culture",
"Globalization"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Globalization is one of the defining forces of the twenty-first century. With the experiential compression of time and space brought about by globalization, the world is becoming smaller, and the consciousness of the world as a whole is intensifying rapidly (Giddens, 1985; Robertson, 1992). This rapid growth of global linkages and global consciousness is turning the marketplace into a multicultural environment. Cultural diversity in markets is evident both in terms of product offerings (i.e. the supply side of the market) and consumers (i.e. the demand side of the market).\nGlobalization and the global consumer culture: There are many different definitions of globalization. A widely accepted one refers to globalization as \"a set of processes by which the world is rapidly being integrated into one economic space via increased international trade, the internationalization of production and financial markets, [and] the internationalization of a commodity culture promoted by an increasingly networked global telecommunications system\" (p. 120, Gibson-Graham, 2006). Globalization is then a multi-faceted concept with political, economic and cultural implications (Stromquist and Monkman, 2014). Focusing on its cultural consequences, one key aspect of globalization is the creation of multicultural spaces in contemporary societies. By bringing cultures together, globalization makes a new phenomenon titled \"culture mixing\" an inexorable issue for researchers to explore (Chiu et al., 2011). The term culture mixing refers to the coexistence of representative symbols of different cultures in the same space at the same time (Chiu et al., 2009). Cleveland and Bartsch (2019) underscore how the cultural processes underlying the juxtaposition of cultural symbols allows consumers to indigenize foreign cultures and produce \"creolized\" cultures. Taking a psychological approach, we expand on how consumers respond to the process of culture mixing at the heart of globalization.\nPsychology of globalization: In recent years, globalization has gained relevance as a topic of psychological inquiry (see Chiu et al., 2011, for a review). Two competing views often emerge to account for the psychological effects of the culture mixing promoted by globalization. On the one hand, some researchers argue that culture mixing is an enriching process that opens people's minds to new experiences, removes cultural barriers and accelerates cultural change. Under this view, the world is becoming a multicultural global village. Proponents of this school of thought see culture mixing as giving rise to a global cultural cosmopolitanism marked by an appetite for international experiences and acknowledgments of the otherness of those who are culturally different (Appiah, 2006). On the other hand, some scholars argue that culture mixing incites parochial and exclusionary resistance against foreign cultures (Barber, 1996) and collective movements aimed at reaffirming local cultures (Torelli et al., 2011). These two contrastive effects align with the assimilation and separation responses highlighted by Cleveland and Bartsch (2019). Although these two contrastive responses to globalization seem to be enduring tendencies capable of describing entire societies, recent research suggests that, at the psychological level, people can respond one way or another depending on the context. In other words, people can respond flexibly to globalization stimuli to adopt, or even integrate into the self, foreign meaning and practices, while rejecting them, and embracing instead local customs that provide a sense of epistemic security, in a different context. Uncovering the multiple factors that promote one type of response over the other has helped to delineate the basic tenets of a psychological science of globalization (Chiu et al., 2011; Hao et al., 2016).\nGlobalization and cultural identity: Immersion in a global culture not only influences perception, cognition and motivation, but also how people identify themselves in terms of associations with social groups. Identities are category labels to which people self-associate (Reed et al., 2012). Consumers have an almost limitless array of category labels for identification, and hence a variety of identities they might signal through consumption. Culture is a key determinant of the tendency for using culturally determined membership groups for making sense of reality, as well as of the type of identity (e.g. national identity or ethnic identity) likely to be salient in a given context (Oyserman, 2009). Cleveland and Bartsch (2019) acknowledge that globalization has consequences for cultural identification. Their discussion of consumers' responses to the global consumer culture, consistent with acculturation research (Berry, 1997), suggests that these responses imply identity changes. Specifically, assimilation implies the total embrace of a global identity and suppression of the local one, whereas separation reflects a complete rejection of the global identity and a connection with the local one. Glocalization and creolization implicitly consider the development of bicultural, or multicultural, identities that can be flexibly accessed depending on the context.\nConclusion: Cleveland and Bartsch (2019) propose a conceptual framework to understand the emergence of a global consumer culture. They also provided multiple ideas regarding how to use this framework for predicting consumer behavior in a globalized world. In this paper, we emphasized the importance of integrating this conceptual framework with recent findings about the psychology of globalization. Specifically, we bring attention to the perceptual, cognitive and motivational consequences of globalization, as well as its effects on shaping consumers' identities. Several examples illustrate how this integration provides insights for better predicting consumer behavior in a globalized world.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to comment on the conceptual framework highlighting the reinforcing nature of global consumer culture.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The approach is conceptual with illustrative examples.\nFindings: The authors integrate the conceptual framework that highlights the reinforcing nature of global consumer culture with recent findings about the psychology of globalization. Specifically, the authors bring attention to the perceptual, cognitive and motivational consequences of globalization, as well as its effects on consumer identification. The authors illustrate how this integration provides insights for better predicting consumer behavior in a globalized world.\nResearch limitations/implications: One key aspect of globalization is the creation of multicultural spaces in contemporary societies. Taking a psychological approach, the authors discuss how consumers respond to the process of culture mixing at the heart of globalization. This has consequences for marketers' global endeavors and provides a nuanced understanding of consumer behavior in a globalized world.\nOriginality/value: The paper integrates a novel framework with recent findings about the psychology of globalization, opening avenues for future research on global consumer cultures.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Effects of absorptive capacity, trust and information systems on product innovation
|
[
"Trust",
"Product innovation",
"Information systems",
"Absorptive capacity"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Absorptive capacity (AC) serves as an important component of a manufacturer's learning capabilities by creating a set of organisational routines and processes (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Zahra and George, 2002). It can help a manufacturer develop new knowledge as well as adapt existing knowledge into new applications (Lane et al., 2006; Lawson and Potter, 2012; Nagati and Rebolledo, 2012; Whitehead et al., 2016). Researchers report that AC is positively associated with a manufacturer's performance and capabilities (Tu et al., 2006; Francalanci and Morabito, 2008; Kauppi et al., 2013; Tavani et al., 2014; Iyengar et al., 2015), including product innovation (Cepeda-Carrion et al., 2012; Ritala and Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, 2013; Saenz et al., 2014). Both mediation (Francalanci and Morabito, 2008; Cepeda-Carrion et al., 2012; Setia and Patel, 2013; Saenz et al., 2014; Iyengar et al., 2015) and moderation (Patel et al., 2012; Kauppi et al., 2013; Ritala and Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, 2013; Tavani et al., 2014) models have been used to empirically investigate the relationships between AC and performance outcomes. However, the contingent conditions that influence AC's effect on product innovation have been overlooked in previous research.\n2. Theoretical background and research hypotheses: 2.1 AC\n3. Research method: 3.1 Questionnaire design\n4. Analysis and results: Hierarchical regression and bootstrapping methods are used to test the hypotheses. To mitigate the potential threat of multi-collinearity, the variables are mean-centred prior to the formation of interaction terms, as recommended by Aiken and West (1991). Furthermore, we calculate variance inflation factors (VIFs) in each of the regression equations. The maximum VIF within the models is 2.37, which is well below the rule-of-thumb cut-off of 10 (Aiken and West, 1991).\n5. Discussion and conclusions: 5.1 Theoretical contributions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the mechanisms through which absorptive capacity (AC), trust and information systems jointly influence product innovation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study proposes a research model to examine the mediating role of AC on the impacts of trust and information systems on product innovation and the moderating roles of trust and information systems on the relationship between AC and product innovation. The hypotheses are empirically tested using regression and bootstrapping methods and data collected from 276 manufacturing firms in China.\nFindings: This study finds that trust and information systems positively affect product innovation and the effects are fully mediated by AC. AC also significantly enhances product innovation, and the effect is amplified by trust as well as information systems. In addition, the results show that trust and information systems improve AC both individually and interactively.\nOriginality/value: The findings extend existing knowledge on the antecedents of AC and the contingent conditions under which a manufacturer's AC is more effective than that of its rivals. The results also clarify the mechanisms through which trust and information systems improve product innovation. This study provides insights into the complex relationships among a manufacturer's sociotechnical systems, knowledge management processes and new product development, and reveals how to design organisational systems to fully capitalise the value of AC on product innovation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Incidents of fire outbreaks during fuel truck accidents in Oyo State
|
[
"Transportation",
"Fuels",
"Accidents",
"Fire",
"Nigeria"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: At the entry of the twenty-first century, stakeholders in safety management are facing the challenges of meeting the new demands of a zero-accident rate road in Oyo State, Nigeria (Mottram, 2005). For example, proper monitoring of fuel-truck vehicles on major roads, particularly during fuel scarcity has been a major recommendation to prevent disasters that often occur on roads as a result of careless and ambitious driving by fuel-truck drivers (Lobmann, 2002). The investigation by Lobmann (2002), which hinges on the detection of drunk driving during road journeys, explored the effects of different enforcement strategies on this perception. Experiments were conducted with participants experiencing different control strategies in a game and subsequently rating probability of detection. The results showed that by increasing efficiency a greater impact on deterring drunk driving would be obtained than increasing the frequency of controls. Kirkcaldy et al. (1999) assessed diverse socio-demographic factors and job-related features in relation to clinical outcome risk variables (including on-site accidents and driving accidents). In conclusion, on-site accidents were directly and exclusively related to risk-taking. The results explained 6-7 per cent of the variance, which offers information and implications for understanding accident-related behaviour. Thus, in order to keep roads free of accidents and meet up with these demands, it is important to review previous accident occurrences on Nigerian roads, particularly relevant to fuel-truck vehicles.Researchers have witnessed an increasing number of studies relevant to accidental explosion, which the current study aims at. In a series of studies, Vaidogas (2002, 2006a,b,c) investigated on simulation-based forecasting effects of an accident explosion on the road. In Vaidogas (2006a), a simulation-based procedure intended for selection of the probabilistic models in the absence of direct statistical data on the explosive actions is proposed. In part II of the study, a case study is presented that covered a practical application of the simulation-based procedure developed for such forecasting in the first part of the paper. In another article, Vaidogas (2006c) presented a Bayesian approach to forecasting damage to buildings from accidental explosions on railways. Vaidogas (2002) formulated a probabilistic framework for an assessment of risk to structures resulting from accidental vapour cloud explosions (VCEs) based on the classical Bayesian approach to risk assessment. Attention is centred on the estimation of the annual probabilities of potential damages to structural systems exposed to dangers of VCEs.The structure of the paper consists of introduction, methodology, case study, discussion of results, and conclusion. The introduction provides the motivation for the study. Support is also provided from the literature. The methodology utilised in the study is explained under the methodology section. The section on results demonstrates the details of the survey. Emerging from the results is the section on discussion of results. This section explains the implication of the analysis. The paper closes with the section on conclusion, which indicates the concluding remarks.\n2. Methodology: The methodology section provides a description of the system of investigation so that researchers could visualise what was done to analyse the study site. The sampling procedure involves the data utilised. In the execution of this study, primary data were collected through survey of fuel trucks' drivers and manufacturing firms; while secondary data were sourced from the Nigeria Police, Oyo State Command, Eleyele, Ibadan and the Oyo State Fire Services. Questionnaires were administered in many local government areas of Oyo state to determine the important characteristics of fuel truck drivers, and their relationship to accidents and explosion. The selected respondents are mainly drivers, police officers responsible for traffic, and officers of various agencies whose jobs are related to monitoring vehicles on the highway and thereby preventing accidents. The Oyo State, where the study was carried out is in the south-western part of Nigeria and is inhabited by the Yoruba ethnic group.\n3. Results: Table I illustrates the data on death by road accidents, murder and armed robbery. Table II shows the property loss in fire outbreaks accompanying fuel trucks accidents (1990-2001). Table III shows causes of road accidents. Table IV illustrates the road accidents and road configuration. Also, the results are represented in Figures 1-6. Figure 1 shows the age structure of fuel truck drivers. Figure 2 displays the marital status of fuel truck drivers. In Figure 3, the work experience of construction workers, which is a component of the survey, is shown. Figure 4 displays standard conformity in tank construction. Figure 5 shows the distribution pattern of spillage causes. In Figure 6, the causes of lid leakage/opening are shown.\n4. Discussion of results: A compilation of some events by UNEP-APELL and ACUSAFE (2000) showed that transport disasters are worldwide phenomena. Accidents involving fuel trucks have brought so much economic loss, not to talk of human lives that have gone with such. Fuel trucks rollover accidents involving fire outbreaks have led to costly damages in many forms. Road accidents as shown in Table I was about 14,983 in 2004 constitute an average of about 85 per cent of causes of deaths on Nigerian roads (see Table II). Again Nigeria seemed to have had many bitter experiences of fire accidents arising from fuel truck accidents. A compilation from SAVAN (2002) revealed that out of about 358 transport accidents recorded in Nigeria between 1999 and 2002, 33 were due to cars.Some fatal fire outbreaks involving big vehicles reported are:* The death of about 50 people in South East Nigeria of a Lagos-bound bus. About 30 people were burned beyond recognition (BBC News Africa, 2000a).* The death of 100 people in South West Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed into a queue of stationary cars and burst into flames (BBC News Africa, 2000b).* The death of 62 people along Enugu-Portharcourt Highways. There were no survivors and most dead were burned beyond recognition (BBC News Africa, 2000c).Apart from the deaths, the property losses have also been distressful. For instance about N17.8 million property loss was recorded by Oyo State Fire Services (2001) between 1990 and 2001 (see Table III). This study was thus undertaken to explore ways of reducing the incidence of fire outbreaks during fuel truck accidents.4.1 General causes of accidents\n5. Conclusion: The study established human factors as major cause of accident and fire outbreaks in fuel truck. The human factors identified are the truck drivers and manufacturers. From this study it is observed that 32 per cent of the truck drivers are below 30 years and probably immature and as such need more attention and training. The research study also revealed that materials and designs used by the fuel truck tanks constructing industry are non-uniform and below standard. This is a major reason for not withstanding the impact forces during collisions, where the lids are punctured or forcefully opened. This can be addressed if there is a government-established quality control department saddled with the responsibly of maintaining standards of the trucking systems. Among other functions of this department/agency should be the issuance of license to existing and prospecting trailer tank constructing firms after making sure that they confirm to lay down standards and they show enough convincing competence in term of both manpower technical knowledge and necessary tools and machineries.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of fuel-truck accidents involving fire outbreaks in Oyo State, Nigeria. These accident explosions have mechanical-induced actions on the road, with potential costly damages to structures and non-structural property exposed to them, and loss of lives. The need to understand causes of these accident scenarios become important in order to properly plan to avoid them. The purpose of this paper is to reveal results of a survey is carried out to reveal important elements of fuel-truck accident in Nigeria.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A survey was carried out to determine the various causes of accidents and rollover fire outbreaks in fuel trucks in Oyo State, Nigeria, using primary data collected from field and secondary data obtained from the Nigeria Police, Road Safety Commission and Fire Services Agency.\nFindings: - From about 358 transport accidents recorded in Nigeria between 1999 and 2002, only 33 were due to cars while the rest involved trucks and heavy-duty vehicles. The survey showed that about 32 per cent of truck drivers are below 30 years and probably immature. Also 62 per cent of fuel truck tanks manufactured are of inferior quality and may thus have been aiding fire outbreaks when there is an accident. The study also showed that about 54 per cent of tank leakages that may lead to fire outbreak are due to operators' carelessness.\nPractical implications: - The study established the need for more education among the drivers and adequate legislation for tank manufacturers.\nOriginality/value: - The work is perhaps the first to investigate this important area of safety research in the study area. The work would be of value to safety practitioners.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Reasons for implementing public private partnership projects: Perspectives from Hong Kong, Australian and British practitioners
|
[
"Public ownership",
"Private ownership",
"Procurement"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are defined by the Efficiency Unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government as:Arrangements where the public and private sectors both bring their complementary skills to a project, with varying levels of involvement and responsibility, for the purpose of providing public services or projects (Efficiency Unit, 2006).So why are governments across the world favouring the approach of PPP to provide for their public services and facilities? The very first PPP projects that opted for this approach were simply to bring in private investment for public services and facilities (Grimsey and Lewis, 2004). These services and facilities were often essential for the public and involved huge amount of capital investment. If all these services and facilities were solely financed by the government, it would impose tremendous pressure on the government's financial status. Therefore it would be ideal if the public could get what they want without requiring the government to pay out of the taxpayers' money, and at the same time creating business opportunities for the private sector.But as PPP has developed over the years the perceived advantages have become more obvious and the reasons for adopting this approach have gone beyond relieving the public sector's financial burden. Walker et al. (1995) suggested three main reasons for using the PPP approach:1. In general, the private sector possesses better mobility than the public sector. For example, the private sector is not only able to save the costs of project in planning, design, construction and operation, but also avoid the bureaucracy and to relieve the administrative burden.2. The private sector can provide better service to the public sector and establish a good public private partnership so that balance risk-return structure can be maintained.3. The government lacks the ability of raising massive funds for the large-scale infrastructure projects, but private participation can mitigate the government's financial burden.In addition, Walker et al. (1995) supported that BOT, which is one mode of PPP, provides a win-win solution and a number of benefits to the public/government are recognized:* relief of financial burden;* relief of administrative burden;* reduction in (inefficient) bureaucracy;* better services to the public;* encouragement of growth; and* government can better focus and fund social issues such as health, education, pensions and arts.Ghobadian et al. (2004) offered two additional reasons for more extensive use of PPP projects. First, the private sector will get to know the needs of the public sector client over time. Secondly, the private sector has more to offer than the public sector in terms of skills, technology and knowledge therefore providing better quality facilities. Although their observations may not be universally true, they reflect the general perceptions.\n2. PPP global experience: 2.1 PPP experience in Hong Kong\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Questionnaire template\n4. Discussion of survey results: The reasons for implementing PPP projects were assessed from different perspectives of the Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom (results obtained by Li (2003) from his survey) respondent groups. The means for each administrative system were calculated and ranked in descending order of importance as shown in Table I.4.1 Agreement of the survey respondents\n5. Conclusions: This paper has formed a comparative study for the reasons to implement PPP projects between Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom. It is anticipated that the findings can indicate to practitioners the main reasons for implementing PPP and as a result ensure a clearer understanding of the PPP projects across geographic boundaries. The findings have shown that in general those reasons ranked high by respondents from Hong Kong and Australia focused on improving the overall performance of public projects whereas those that were rated high by the British respondents focused on the financial aspect of the projects. Ranked in the top three by Hong Kong respondents was \"Private incentive\"; \"Economic development pressure demanding more facilities\"; and \"High quality of service required\". In Australia and the United Kingdom both groups of respondents also ranked their second reason the same as Hong Kong. In addition, the Australians also ranked the third reason in Hong Kong first; and \"Inefficiency because of public monopoly and lack of competition\" third. In the United Kingdom the first and third reasons ranked by the respondents was \"Shortage of government funding\" and \"Avoid public investment restriction\".The reason \"Private incentive\" was attractive due to the added value which could be applied to public works projects by the private sector. One of the main reasons to adopt PPP is that the public works project can benefit from the private sector's expertise, innovation, motivation and experience. Similar for many governments around the world \"Economic development pressure demanding more facilities\" is common. Even though governments such as Hong Kong are capable to finance their own projects, there are also other areas in society where they need to support. So by using money from the private sector, governments can utilize their resources much more effectively. In international cities particularly, \"High quality of service required\" to maintain their status and competition is common. The size and complexity of PPP projects often limit only certain large private sector parties therefore \"Inefficiency because of public monopoly and lack of competition\" is often seen. Many governments first started to implement PPP projects due to \"Shortage of government funding\". Similarly, when the government is under tight budget controls implementing PPP projects could also \"Avoid public investment restriction\".\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper sets out to present the findings of a study to investigate the reasons for implementing Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A questionnaire survey was conducted in Hong Kong (also commonly referred to as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), Australia and the United Kingdom. The survey respondents were asked to rate the importance of nine identified reasons for implementing PPP projects.\nFindings: - The findings of the top three ranks for each respondent group were investigated. Ranked top by the survey respondents in Hong Kong was \"Private incentive\". Ranked second by all three groups of survey respondents was \"Economic development pressure demanding more facilities\". Third in Hong Kong and first in Australia was \"High quality of service required\". The reason \"Inefficiency because of public monopoly and lack of competition\" was ranked third by the Australian respondents. And finally ranked first and third by the British respondents was \"Shortage of government funding\" and \"Avoid public investment restriction\". The rankings showed that in general those rated highly in the United Kingdom focused on financial elements whereas those rated highly in Hong Kong and Australia were more related to the overall performance of improving public projects.\nOriginality/value: - These findings were believed to provide an idea of the possible reasons for implementing PPP projects, and as a result illustrate a clearer understanding of the process.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Concentration risk model for Greek bank's credit portfolio
|
[
"Credit risk",
"Basel II",
"Concentration risk",
"Credit VaR",
"Herfindahl Index",
"IRB"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Credit risk has become one of the important risks that financial institutions have to face. According to Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (1999): \"credit risk is defined as the potential that a bank borrower or counterparty will fail to meet its obligations in accordance with agreed terms\". The Basel II capital requirements model uses the following four components. Probability of default (PD) is defined as the statistical percentage probability of a borrower defaulting within a one year horizon. The PD can range from 0.00 per cent for zero risk customer to 100 per cent for a very high risk customer. Loss given default (LGD) is the estimated amount of loss expected if a credit facility defaults, calculated as a percentage of the exposure at the date of default. Exposure at default (EAD) represents the expected level of usage of the facility utilization when default occurs. The asset correlation R determines the dependency of the borrower's assets on the state of the economy, on a key systematic risk.\n2 Methodology and data analysis: 2.1 Credit VaR as a measurement of risk\n3 Development of the model: We develop this model to bridge the gap of the two aforementioned approaches. In this way, a relation between the UL - credit VaR and the IRB capital requirements (CapCh) and the modified HF index (S) is achieved. The two indices, CapCh and S, are complementary to each other regarding the information they include. CapCh measures the risk when there is no name concentration but there is correlation with a systemic factor, whereas S measures the concentration risk when the borrowers are not correlated. If S - 0 then credit VaR - CapCh. In this way the expectation is: Equation 7 where e stands for the confidence level. Furthermore, as the loss distribution has a fat tail, the expectation is that it follows the power law, i.e.: Equation 8 Therefore, a(e) can be modeled as a rational function with a pole at 1. Thus, the following model is obtained: Equation 9 The validity of the above model is not for all confidence levels e, but for a range close to 1. Given the equation (9), there is an allocation of a part of credit VaR to the ith transaction as follows: Equation 10 where CapChi and Si are the parts of CapCh and S allocated to the ith transaction. Both the total and the partial capital requirements may be calculated via the existing IRB capital allocation and the modified HF index S. The model consists of two parts:\n4 Model validation and testing: 4.1 Validation based on various losses scenarios\n5 Comparison with the model of Banco de Espana (2008): In this section, the results of the model (capital multipliers) are compared with the capital multipliers provided by Banco de Espana (2008), in a range of PDs values and in a range of Herfindahl Indexes. The purpose is to identify the differences in capital multipliers between the two methods and the PDs values where the above results are in a consensus. The number 1.08 in the following table indicates that 8 per cent additional capital is required.\n6 Summary and concluding remarks: It is very important for a bank to manage the risks originating from its business activities. The credit risk underlying the bank's loan portfolio is often the largest risk in a bank. In these business portfolios, concentration risk often arises from an unequal distribution of loans to single borrowers. Avila et al. (2013) state that, as concentration is presumably one of the most important causes of large losses in the banks' portfolios, banking supervisors and authorities are encouraged to monitor and evaluate the concentration risks of their financial institutions. To this respect, banking institutions should have their own models to assess the capital adequacy of the banks, and furthermore, such models should be sensitive to concentration measures.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The IRB capital requirements of Basel II define the minimum level of capital that the bank has to retain to cover the current risks of its portfolio. The major risk that many banks are facing is credit risk and Basel II provides an approach to calculate its capital requirement. It is well known that Pillar I Basel II approach for credit risk capital requirements does not include concentration risk. The paper aims to propose a model modifying Basel II methodology (IRB) to include name concentration risk.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The model is developed on data based on a portfolio of Greek companies that are financed by Greek commercial banks. Based on the initial portfolio, new portfolios were simulated having a range of different credit risk parameters. Subsequently, the credit VaR of various portfolios was regressed against the credit risk indicators such as Basel II capital requirements, modified Herfindahl Index and a non-linear model was developed. This model modifies the Pillar I IRB capital requirements model of Basel II to include name concentration risk.\nFindings: As the Pillar I IRB capital requirements model of Basel II does not include concentration risk, the credit VaR calculations performed in the present work appeared to have gaps with the Basel II capital requirements. These gaps were more apparent when there was high concentration risk in the credit portfolios. The new model bridges this gap providing with a correction coefficient.\nPractical implications: The credit VaR of a loan portfolio could be calculated from the bank easily, without the use of additional complicated algorithms and systems.\nOriginality/value: The model is constructed in such a way as to provide an approximation of credit VaR satisfactory for business loan portfolios whose risk parameters lie within the range of those in a realistic bank credit portfolio and without the application of Monte Carlo simulations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Effect of job insecurity on frontline employee's performance: Looking through the lens of psychological strains and leverages
|
[
"Motivation",
"Hospitality",
"Hotel",
"Job insecurity",
"Front line",
"Psychological strains and leverages"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Providing high-quality services to the customers is considered as the most important competitive advantage in the hospitality industry. This critical advantage can be achieved when the frontline employees (FEs) fulfill their roles and responsibilities mentally, physically and wholeheartedly (Ncube et al., 2013; Ye and Liang, 2010). On the other hand, tourism industry, especially hospitality industry (Higham and Hinch, 2002), has been characterized by high work intensity, lack of unionization, a poorly developed internal labor market, contingent contracts as well as low social and professional status (Unsal-Akbiyik et al., 2012; Vujicic et al., 2014). The service climate including hospitality industry in north Cyprus exhibits similar characteristics such as temporary employment and labor force shortages (Kurtyka, 2005), non-organized employment, minimum wage and temporary contract (Ktenas, 2014), nepotism, unfair selection and promotion (Arasli et al., 2006; Arasli and Tumer, 2008; Daskin, 2014). Under these circumstances, it can be assumed that employees in this sector habitually express fears of losing their jobs (Vujicic et al., 2014). This is practically referred to as job insecurity (JI) (Sverke et al., 2002). Significant relationship of JI with indicators of performance outcomes and work-related attitudes has been considered in both cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (Cheng and Chan, 2008). A careful examination of relevant literature generally shows that JI is negatively related to various type of job outcomes like job performance (JP) (Wang et al., 2014), task and contextual performance (Konig et al., 2010), employee extra-role and in-role performance (Schreurs et al., 2012) or creative problem solving (Probst and Lawler, 2006).\n2. Theoretical framework and hypotheses: 2.1 Theoretical framework\n3. Method: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Results: 4.1 Measurement results and descriptive statistics\n5. Discussion and conclusions: 5.1 Conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The aim of this paper is to extend the knowledge of the link between job insecurity and job performance by exploring potential mediating mechanism of psychological strains and moderation role of psychological advantages on the mentioned relationship in the hospitality industry.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A sample of 288 frontline employees from five and four star hotels in north Cyprus was selected through judgmental sampling. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the research model, and hierarchal multiple regression was used to test forwarded hypotheses.\nFindings: The results showed that Job Insecurity mitigates Job Performance. The results further suggested that anxiety, as a psychological strain, mediates the effect of job insecurity on job performance. Additionally, psychological advantages (supervisor support and intrinsic motivation) play a crucial role as a delimiter against the negative effect of job insecurity on job performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: Hotel managers need to establish and communicate transparent human resource polices including, win-win-based employee contracts, fair selection, placement, appraisal, compensation, reward and similar human resource systems within hotels. Empowering and developing relations skills between supervisors and employees by providing continued training programs are vital for minimizing organizational stress and anxiety from job insecurity. Keeping in mind high employee turnover rates in the industry and its considerable costs, especially intrinsically motivated employees willing to work long hours should be selected in those organizations. Additionally, buddy-buddy approach in mentoring can be used by well-selected senior employees to help new employees socialize, improve their performance via social support and retain them in the end. By implication, lacking time lag is considered as the limitation.\nOriginality/value: Empirical research relating to the psychological strains and leverages of job insecurity is sparse in the hospitality industry. Based on job demand-resource and conservation of resource theories, the present research aimed to fill this gap.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Healthier food choices for children through menu pricing
|
[
"Parents",
"Health",
"Children",
"Pricing",
"Food choice",
"Fast food"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Food choice can impact health and with the rapidly rising number of meals eaten at fast food restaurants by children, there is concern regarding the effects of less healthy food choices (Anderson and Mirosa, 2014). There is a general lack of data on \"how and why\" parents make food choices for their children in a fast food restaurant environment, especially in terms of younger children (age<6) (McGuffin et al., 2015). There are even fewer studies that specifically examine pricing effects as a way of encouraging the selection of healthier fast food choices (Waterlander and Zenk, 2015).\n2. Methods: 2.1 Study design\n3. Results: 3.1 Phase 1: sides dishes and subsequent dessert selection in children's meals\n4. Discussion and conclusions: In Phase 1 of the study, french fries were the preferred side item chosen by parents for their child. Younger parents (<35 years of age) were more likely to choose apple slices for their child and when given dessert options, parents who choose french fries as the side dish for their child were statistically more likely to choose ice cream as the dessert item. As younger parents were more likely to choose the healthier options for their child, this may be indicative of a difference in parenting styles of millennials. Millennial parents have demonstrated a difference in how concerned they are about other parents judging the food their children eat, more so than older generations (Steinmetz, 2015).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of pricing (incentive and deterrent) to shift the purchase decision intent of parents when they order food for their child in a fast food restaurant.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A financial incentive and a deterrent pricing tactic was tested using an online quantitative approach with a sample of 400 Canadian parents, representative of the Canadian population based on geography, household income and education level.\nFindings: The financial incentive tactic demonstrated that a strong and clearly articulated monetary discount can shift the stated purchase intent of parents into an increased number choosing a healthier side dish for a child's fast food meal. A deterrent pricing approach was shown to also shift stated purchase intent, and had a higher consumer impact on a per dollar basis. Younger parents (<35 years old) were more likely to select healthier side dishes for their child; however, parents of all ages could potentially be influenced through motivational pricing approaches.\nResearch limitations/implications: This was an exploratory study using online surveys and stated purchase intent among Canadian respondents. Examining \"stated\" purchase intent only through the use of a questionnaire, and without a consequence of the choice, may not reflect a consumer's real purchase behaviour. A future study should be conducted on pricing approaches in a restaurant setting, where the parents then have the consequences of interacting with the child and the response of the child to the food decision made on their behalf.\nPractical implications: The use of pricing to shift parental food purchase decisions into ordering healthier food items for their children is a promising option, which with further exploration may lead to easily implementable restaurant-level recommendations that achieve the desired results of children eating healthier.\nSocial implications: As the frequency of fast food consumption continues to rise, encouraging healthier fast food choices for children could help to combat the troubling rise of obesity in young children.\nOriginality/value: While most historical research has focussed on teen or adult consumers, this paper offers insights to academics, marketers and restaurant industry influencers into the previously unexplored area of using pricing to encourage parents to make healthier food choices for children in a fast food restaurant environment.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Proactivity in career development of employees: The roles of proactive personality and cognitive complexity
|
[
"Proactive personality",
"Cognitive complexity",
"Proactive career enacting",
"Proactive career planning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Proactivity has been defined as \"taking initiative in improving current circumstances; it involves challenging the status quo rather than passively adapting to present conditions\" (Crant, 2000, p. 436). Proactivity is self-initiated and involves future-oriented actions that aim to change and improve oneself or the current situation (Parker et al., 2006). Grant and Ashford (2008) viewed proactivity as a process that involves anticipating, planning and acting to bring about the needed change. Bindl et al. (2012) made an assertion that proactivity mainly involves the processes of planning and enacting. This paper will discuss two forms of proactive career management: proactive planning and proactive enacting. Proactive planning is mainly taking initiative to prepare for the future while proactive enacting entails taking initiative to act and implement the plans identified.\nTheoretical considerations: Proactivity and career development\nMethod: Study 1\nResults: Study 1 results\nDiscussion: This study takes an in-depth look into proactivity of employees in the context of career development. Proactivity pertains to taking charge and taking the initiative to make plans and turn them into reality, however, very little is known on proactivity in relation to career development. In this study, proactivity was investigated in terms of career planning (termed in this study as proactive career planning) and career enacting (termed as proactive career enacting). Proactive career planning basically pertains to taking initiative to imagine, visualize and identify all possible scenarios to reach career targets and goals. On the other hand, proactive career enacting basically involves taking charge of one's career plans, implementing them and making them happen.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Drawing on proactivity literature, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employee's proactive career planning (taking initiative to prepare for one's career) and proactive career enacting (taking initiative to act on career plans). This study also looks into the influence of proactive personality and cognitive complexity in the relationship between proactive career planning and proactive career enacting.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Survey data were collected in Australia (study 1; n=271) and were tested using structural equation modeling. Another set of survey data were collected in a different cultural context in the Philippines (study 2; n=215) for cross-cultural validation.\nFindings: Results show that proactive career planning and proactive career enacting are positively and significantly related in both cultural contexts. Results also show that proactive personality or the stable disposition of an individual to take initiative and be involved in future-oriented actions plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between proactive career planning and proactive career enacting. In addition, results show that cognitive complexity which pertains to an individual's capacity to construe social behaviors in multidimensional ways moderates the relationship between proactive career planning and proactive career enacting.\nPractical implications: In today's turbulent environment, employees need to be proactive when developing their careers. This study highlights the importance of being proactive when managing one's career. Employees' proactive personality and cognitive complexity also help in strengthening the link between proactive career planning and proactive career enacting, hence, these individual-level characteristics need to be developed and enhanced in organizations.\nOriginality/value: This study is valuable as it extends and advances the understanding on how proactivity (proactive career planning, proactive career enacting, proactive personality) and cognitive complexity can contribute to career development of employees.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Uncertainty principles in risk finance
|
[
"Uncertainty management",
"Risk assessment",
"Loss",
"Discounts",
"Insurance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A well-known and intriguing concept from quantum physics is the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (hereafter \"HUP\"; Heisenberg, 1956), which implies that if a particle's position is measured with greater accuracy, then the particle's momentum must be measured with less accuracy, and vice versa. Mathematically, this can be written as: Equation 1 (where s and ps denote measurements of the position and momentum of a subatomic particle, respectively, and [?]1.0546x10-34 is the reduced Planck constant). As pointed out in a previous editorial (Powers, 2006), such uncertainty principles are not limited to the esoteric world of quantum physics, but actually may be derived from the Cramer-Rao lower bound (hereafter, \"CRLB\"; Cox and Hinkley, 1974) of statistical estimation theory. In the present piece, I will consider the existence and implications of epistemological constraints in risk finance arising from statistical inequalities that are similar to the CRLB and the HUP.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this editorial is to consider the existence and implications of epistemological constraints in the field of risk finance arising from statistical inequalities similar to the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) of statistical estimation theory and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle (HUP) of quantum physics.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The conceptual equivalence of the CRLB to the HUP suggests that certain statistical inequalities in the field of risk finance might imply practical constraints on knowledge analogous to those encountered in the measurement of subatomic particles. To explore this possibility, the editorial first considers the tradeoff between the variability of an estimator and the variability of the score of the associated joint probability distribution, and then interpret the latter quantity in a manner permitting the identification of real-world counterparts.\nFindings: - Under certain simple assumptions, the editorial finds that the estimation of two fundamental actuarial quantities of property-liability insurance - the expected individual loss amount and the expected discounted total claim payments - is subject to a type of uncertainty principle in that a high degree of accuracy in measuring one quantity implies a low degree of accuracy in measuring the other, and vice versa. Since the principle holds in the limit only as one, but not both, of the two quantities is measured with certainty, the editorial characterizes it as a semi-uncertainty principle. This principle is likely to result in certain economic behaviors by insurance companies that may be verified empirically.\nOriginality/value: - The editorial provides a concrete example of two-financial quantities whose estimation is governed by a type of uncertainty principle similar to Heisenbergs.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Impacts of computerized maintenance management system and relevant supportive organizational factors on total productive maintenance
|
[
"Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)",
"Relevant supportive organizational factors",
"Total productive maintenance (TPM)"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Nowadays, one of the essential foundations in the manufacturing industry is undoubtedly industrial machineries and systems. The growing trends in productivity and efficiency of production as well as achieving international standards, particularly in the domestic and global competitive environments may not be imaginable without time management in application and operation of industrial machineries and production systems, and cost management in reducing maintenance expenditures and downtimes (Rostamiyan, 2006).\n2. Theoretical framework: 2.1 Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS)\n3. Hypotheses development and conceptual model: 3.1 CMMS and TPM\n4. Methodology: 4.1 Sample and participants\n5. Findings: Following the two-step approach recommended by Anderson and Gerbing (1988), we first examined the measurement model to test reliability and validity. Then we examined the structural model to test research hypotheses and model fitness. First, we conducted a CFA to examine the convergent validity and discriminant validity.\n6. Discussion and conclusion: This study aimed at developing and validating a conceptual model on relationships among CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors and TPM. More specifically, result of H1 indicated that the principle of CMMSs can positively relate to the effectiveness of TPM. This result is in line with research by Rastegari and Mobin (2016) and Campbell et al. (2010). Similar to the research of Rastegari and Mobin (2016), our finding in H1 showed that assist planning, management and administrative functions can develop PM schedules and offer real time PM schedules to better identify malfunctions across the systems. H2 indicating the relationship between supportive organizational factors and the effectiveness of TPM was also supported. Consistent with research by Poduval et al. (2015) and Konecny and Thun (2011), our finding for H2 illustrated that organizations must utilize a flexible decision-making framework through participation of both top management and employees to ensure integration across the system and identify potential risks prior to happening. These risks are important as they may increase the system costs over time. Similarly, H3 was supported in which its finding showed that supportive organizational factors are related to CMMSs. In line with research by Aboelmaged (2014), Jantunen et al. (2010) and Uysal and Tosun (2012) that highlighted technological factors applied across the organization can facilitate implementing the integrated maintenance strategies and allow both management and employees to establish an appropriate decision-making process for the purpose of the analysis of maintenance data management, our finding also showed that this relationship can help simplify data collection, application and sharing across the systems to ensure system reliability in data analysis.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The application of automated systems is rapidly increasing in different industries and organizations. In this regard, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) using information technology play an important role in the automating production systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impacts of CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors on the effectiveness of total productive maintenance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study is classified as a quantitative survey-based research using structural equation modeling. The scope of the study includes manufacturing companies in Iran. A total of 125 questionnaires from 60 companies were collected from January to March 2014 to help validate the conceptual model and test the hypotheses.\nFindings: The results support the concept CMMSs positively relates to relevant supportive organizational factors (resource allocation, decision-making structure, senior management support, employees' involvement and effective instruction) on the effectiveness of total productive maintenance. The relevant supportive organizational factors can also be seen as the predictors of CMMSs.\nOriginality/value: This study integrates the CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors in a robust model to examine the effectiveness of total productive maintenance. This study also examines the impacts of CMMSs and relevant supportive organizational factors on total productive maintenance which seems to not be done previously.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Compulsive buying: the role of earlier-in-life events and experiences
|
[
"Family",
"Peers",
"Compulsive behavior",
"Family disruptions",
"Life course"
] |
[
{
"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: Compulsive consumer behavior is an important phenomenon that is on the rise (Dittmar, 2005; Roberts et al., 2014). It is reported as a chronic, repetitive and uncontrollable impulse to buy, triggered primarily by negative events or feelings with dire psychological, societal and financial consequences (Dittmar, 2004; Joireman et al., 2010; O'Guinn and Faber, 1989; Raab et al., 2011; Roberts et al., 2014). In fact, the recent global economic crisis has been partly attributed to excessive consumerism and uncontrolled spending (Gardarsdottir and Dittmar, 2012; Schneider and Kirchgassner, 2009). Public policy makers have been urging their citizens to control their finances and restrain from making use of easy credit; and such actions would not only benefit consumers but would also be helpful in protecting the market from high credit-risk spenders (Joireman et al., 2010). Thus, understanding and effectively addressing the underlying mechanisms and contexts that promote the development of compulsive buying is imperative, as it could save the individual and the society from enormous personal and social costs (Kwak et al., 2004; Sharma et al., 2014).\nConceptual framework and hypotheses: The life course paradigm merges diverse theoretical perspectives from various fields of social and behavioral sciences (Moschis, 2007a). These different viewpoints are complimentary when explaining the impact of early life experiences on a person's behavior (Mortimer and Shanahan, 2003). Figure 1 shows the three theoretical perspectives of the life course conceptual framework as they apply to the present study. The conceptual framework includes:\nMethodology: Prior empirical evidence suggests that adolescence is a period where significant biological, emotional and sociological challenges occur in one's life (Kim et al., 2003). It is also the period when the first signs of compulsive buying proclivities appear (Roberts et al., 2003). Indeed, it has been noted that the mean age for the onset of impulse-control disorders is 11 years of age (Leckman and Leventhal, 2008). Therefore, we retrospectively examine young adults' experiences during their adolescence, as individuals in early adulthood are young enough to recall their adolescent experiences but old enough to be aware of their buying proclivities and report them without any reservations (Wooten, 2006).\nResults: To test the hypothesized model, we used a two-step modeling approach following Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) recommendations. More specifically, we first conducted a CFA to establish the validity of the measurement model. For all multi-item reflective measures, we specified first-order factors with uncorrelated errors. We then examined the full structural equation model (SEM) with covariates (i.e. age, gender, and social desirability) to assess the impact of the structural paths on fit. All models were analyzed using the maximum likelihood estimation method in Mplus 6 modeling software. Overall model fit was assessed by CFI, TLI, RMSEA and SRMR (Jackson et al., 2009).\nDiscussion: The findings contribute to compulsive behavior research in several ways. First, by using the life course paradigm we surpass the limitations inherent in many previous context- and time-specific studies that exclude the role and value of prior life experiences and family interactions (Kerrane et al., 2012). Second, unlike previous studies that tend to rely on a single theoretical perspective, our study draws together diverse theoretical perspectives from several disciplines, including psychology (Baltes et al., 1999), sociology (Elder, 1994), and consumer behavior theories (Moschis, 2007a). Although previous studies on compulsive behavior have also underlined the need to integrate multiple theoretical perspectives in further research (Kwak et al., 2004; Park and Burns, 2005; Rindfleisch et al., 1997), the absence of a relevant theoretical framework may have hampered previous investigations. Third, by tying-in previous findings with ours, we further contribute to an explanation for the reasons and conditions that cause some young adults to exhibit stronger compulsive buying tendencies than others. For instance, while previous research has relied heavily upon stress as the main explanation for the development of compulsive behavior, our findings provide additional insights into the impact of family disruptions, peer groups and family communication styles on the development of young adults' compulsive buying tendencies.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to examine the effects of earlier-in-life family events and experiences on the development of compulsive buying behavior in later life.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study is based on data collected from a self-administered survey of 285 young Greek adults.\nFindings: Young individuals appear to be particularly susceptible to their peers' evaluations of consumption matters. However, those who experience family disruptions and have a low socio-economic status are least likely to communicate with their peers about consumer matters, possibly as a self-protection coping mechanism. Contrary to previous findings, family communication styles promote rather than deter the development of compulsive tendencies, suggesting the influence of other macro-environmental factors upon the development of young adults' compulsive consumption tendencies.\nSocial implications: Understanding the underlying mechanisms and contexts that promote the development of compulsive buying is imperative for deterring the onset of maladaptive consumption habits that have adverse effects on the individual and on society as a whole.\nOriginality/value: Using the multi-theoretical life course paradigm, this study highlights the links between earlier-in-life experiences and social contexts to the onset and development of compulsive behaviors. The findings could assist public policy makers and parents to use strategies that would educate and protect future generations from developing compulsive consumption habits.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Perception on information and communication technology perspectives in logistics: A study of transportation and warehouses sectors in Singapore
|
[
"Communication technologies",
"Singapore",
"Distribution management",
"Warehouses",
"Transportation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Logistics service in a supply chain involves planning, designing, implementing and managing the flow and storage of materials, and information exchange in order to support such functions as procurement, distribution, inventory management, packaging, and manufacturing. Logistics service providers adopt customer service as a strategic feature rather than a cost feature. In order to gain such a strategic feature, logistics companies should use world-class logistics tools and processes (Bowersox and Closs, 1996) among which information and communications technology (ICT) is one. The use of ICT has a positive relation with the overall performance of a company (Byrd and Davidson, 2003). However, the use of ICT requires redesign and reorganization of logistics processes (Rizzi and Zamboni, 1999).ICT provides a supportive role for human activities to enhance organizational (or personal) efficiency and effectiveness (Cohen et al., 2002). Therefore, ICT helps to execute activities faster, support autonomous decision-making processes, and enable distributive operations (Huang and Nof, 1999) in order to achieve higher logistics efficiency (Faber et al., 2002). In a way, the use of ICT makes the processes more transparent to the stakeholders, which in turn, could lead to adoption of better business practices to meet the customer service levels (Bharadwaj, 2000; Yazici, 2002; Andersen, 2001) and increase in organizational capability to respond to a dynamic environment (Monteiro and Macdonald, 1996) thereby reducing the cost of operation by as much as 50 per cent over the traditional business practices (Gattorna and Berger, 2001). However, the level of ICT application in an organization could differ significantly for small or large companies, as the level of risks, constraints and expertise faced by these companies could be quite different (Kuan and Chau, 2001; Lee et al., 1999). Also, when the use of ICT is not properly aligned to the required business processes, it could create disillusions on its benefits of facilitating business processes (Closs et al., 1997).Transportation and warehousing, the focus activities of this study, are major cost factors in logistics services. Depending on estimates, the cost of transportation could be anywhere from 25 per cent (Lancioni et al., 2000) to more than 50 per cent of overall logistics costs (Swenseth and Godfrey, 2002). Similarly, warehousing can form 6-10 per cent of total logistics costs (Frazelle, 1996; Bloomberg et al., 1998). Tompkins et al. (1996) mention that order picking itself can cost as much as 55 per cent of total warehousing costs. Hence, the value of ICT lies in its role in reducing such logistics costs. Moreover, firms with strong ICT capabilities can outperform the competitors in terms of cost based performances (Bharadwaj, 2000).In transportation, ICT can be used for functions such as information transfer, route and mode planning, picking and delivering, electronic identification, mobile communication, physical automation, managing claims, and tracking and tracing. Route and mode planning is an important task in transportation sector, for which information such as costs and availability of carriers, origin and destination mileage, weight and volume of shipment are required. Tracking and tracing becomes important when transportation covers large distances and uses multimodal facilities. Tracked information is also used to identify the condition of shipment. Further, claim processing and settlements, if required, can be more easily handled by ICT applications (Lancioni et al., 2000). The use transportation management system (TMS) can help in achieving most of the ICT related activities mentioned above. TMS, through wireless technology and communication network, can also assist in fleet visibility, dispatcher productivity by decreasing the paper work, reduction in turnaround time through efficient communications with the warehouses, and finally providing real time data for the use by management. In this way, the level of customer service, accuracy of customer and product database, and utilization rates of facilities, equipment, manpower, cash to cash cycle time and net asset returns can be enhanced.In warehousing, information on inbound and outbound flows, weight and volume of stored products by type and cost of inventory are necessary. In addition, information on product design, assembly, packaging, electronic tagging would also be needed if warehouse functions include packing, kitting and consolidation. Most of the warehouse related activities can be facilitated through the warehouse management system (WMS). If WMS is wireless capable, then it can further enhance inventory utilization, customer support and value addition. In addition, availability of automated guided vehicles, sorting devices and automated storage and retrieval system would be of greater advantage for easy loading and unloading in the warehouse.This paper presents the results on ICT use as obtained from a sample survey of logistics companies in Singapore that provide transportation and warehousing services. The data collected has been analyzed to understand the perception of various ICT perspectives.\nResearch methodology: Research framework\nGeneral findings: Company characteristics\nPerception on findings: As shown in Figure 1, the research question related to the perception of ICT perspectives in Singapore are studied next. Statistical t-tests have been used to examine the research questions.Logistics service and ICT implementation\nDiscussion and research implications: ICT can be an enabler for both front-end and back-end processing in a supply chain. Access to information by each of the party in a supply chain can make logistics services more accurate, swift and less costly. Better logistics services can help a country like Singapore to achieve its goal of promoting it as a premier logistics hub in the region. Therefore, the major findings from this survey could be useful in assessing various ICT related factors in Singapore's logistics industry. The five major findings are discussed next.First, the study indicates that the use of ICT is becoming prominent in warehousing and transportation sectors in Singapore. This could have been facilitated by excellent ICT infrastructure and the demand by the clients for easy access to information on products such as lead time, payments status, stocks and inventory in pipe-line. The visibility of correct information can help the management to innovate operations for further improvements in service efficiency of a logistics company.Second, logistics companies in Singapore provide more than one service. It is believed that provision of various logistics or business related services would increase their competitiveness and this could attract more customers looking for all logistics services under one roof. The involvement of more customers or larger trading partners, in turn, can contribute in increasing the level of ICT use.Third, while the logistics companies consider efficiency, cost savings, reduced data entry error and increased customer service level for adopting ICT, they are also faced with barriers such as problems in cost justification and technology integration. This is possible because the companies may not have found ICT matching their business needs and the large scale ICT generally promoted by the vendors may not fully satisfy the needs of the companies.An internet search of ICT for logistics and supply chain indicates that more vendors are now offering modularized ICT that can be technically integrated with legacy systems to fit the needs of logistics companies. But this information is either not known to the logistics companies or such ICT are not applicable to the specific needs of most logistics companies in Singapore. To mitigate this type of problem, the government agencies like Information and Communications Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore can liaise between the vendors and logistics companies and promote the development and the use of scaleable yet standardized ICT solutions to meet specific needs of these companies.Fourth, among the four factors contributing to the level of ICT implementation, size of company, technology and policy, and types of logistics services are considered important to promote the use of ICT. The analysis shows that large companies contribute to the higher level of ICT implementation. Small companies in Singapore may be suffering from their own perception on lower trading volume, occasional orders and costly initial investment for ICT.The study further shows that few major ICT such as financial management, WMS and inventory management are implemented but are partially operational. Other ICT are either installed and not operational or planned for implementation. This shows that logistics companies have opportunities to enhance their services further either by using the implemented ICT or by installing more ICT in the coming years thereby promoting the concept of logistics hub further.The higher level of ICT, however, does not necessarily mean a higher number of industries served by a logistics company. The reasons for higher level of ICT are the need for accurate information and higher customer service levels.In the technology and policy factor, large companies have data entry and customer services as important motivators. In addition, installation and operation costs are important for warehouses. As information gathering and collating in the warehouses could be too physical and may require large human capital and time, the use of ICT is seen as an important factor for cost reduction by large warehouses. It is also found that cost justification could be easier, if there are other value adding services that can be enhanced or implemented after the adoption of ICT.Fifth, the study shows a lower level of ICT use in small logistics companies in Singapore. The main reasons attributing to the lower levels are the lack of management support, high costs of ICT, perceived rapid obsolescence of technology, and available ICT resources not being compatible with organizational objectives. If implemented ICT are not fully utilized, companies could feel a loss of investments and shun their further investments on ICT. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, there is a need to promote downscaled yet standard ICT solutions to boost the efficiency of small logistics companies.The framework and analysis methodology presented here is replicable in similar studies related to electronic or ICT medium. The methodology provides a means to obtain the perspectives of logistics companies elsewhere as well and to obtain insights for the promotion of ICT. Although the findings presented above help the logistics companies and ICT providers to understand the current status, opportunities and obstacles, this study should be extended further to address holistic issues in ICT in Singapore. As the sample captures both local/multinationals and small/large logistics companies, this study should be taken as a major step towards understanding the status and perception of ICT in logistics industries. A survey with greater sample size might consolidate insights described in this paper.The survey focused only on highlighting the current status and perceptions among the logistics companies but not on devising policies for implementation. To consolidate recommendations suggested in the paper, a longitudinal study on the implementation of policy aspects is suggested. Also, if this type of study can be conducted periodically in about five years, the trend in ICT use in Singapore could also be established.The current study incorporated only transportation and warehouses as they are high cost contributors to logistics services. However, to understand a more general feature, the study should also include other logistics services.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Logistics companies have benefited from the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in their business processes. Although ICT is being promoted in the Singapore logistics industry, details on status and perception towards ICT are not well-known. Therefore, in order to understand ICT penetration, a study is necessary.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this paper, the current status of ICT use in warehouse and transportation service providers obtained through a sample survey is reported. A framework is adopted to assess the perception of logistics companies towards ICT.\nFindings: - The results show that most of the logistics companies use ICT but their level and type depend mainly on the size of the company and the availability of technology. Logistics companies in Singapore provide services to more than one industry type and, in most cases, one logistics company provides multiple logistics functions. These companies consider efficiency, cost savings, reduced data entry error and increased customer service level as opportunities from ICT. The analysis of perception indicates that the use of ICT in Singapore is perceived positively with the increase in size of a company but is indifferent regarding the type of industry covered and the type of service offered by the logistics companies.\nOriginality/value: - This is a comprehensive study to understand the status of ICT in logistics in Singapore. An understanding of motivators and barriers on ICT can help the decision makers in devising better policies and programs, if required, to increase ICT penetration. The result also gives an indication as to the level of business fulfillment that can be provided by the logistics industry in Singapore.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Performance of unlisted Italian companies acquired by multinationals from emerging markets : The case of Indian acquisitions
|
[
"Case study",
"India",
"Merger",
"Acquisition",
"Emerging multinationals",
"Social impact"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: As stated by Gomes et al. (2013), mergers and acquisitions (M\nLiterature review: Acquisitions from emerging market firms\nMethodology: Although referring to M\nDescriptive information on case studies: Fondalmec Spa\nFinancial performance of the target companies: Post-merger survival of the targets\nFindings and conclusions: The first result, which emerged from the analysis of our case studies, is that Indian multinationals target Italian companies operating in the same sector. They do not aim to increase business diversification. Moreover we found a high level of industry relatedness, but potential synergies deriving from this similarity did not emerge in terms of increased firm performance. This seems to confirm that operating synergies, like those emerged in our case studies, are also the category of synergies that is most difficult to realize.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to shed lights on both economic and social impacts associated to the increasing amount of western companies acquired by multinationals from emerging countries. Focussing on the Italian context, its main intent is to analyze changes in targets' performance and capability to contribute to stakeholders' wealth to assess the business and social viability of this type of deal.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Operations of mergers and acquisitions (M\nFindings: Results suggest that foreign investors mainly search for know-how and technical expertise and their arrival does not lead to better financial performance. Only one target records profits. Four companies are still controlled by Indian investors while the other four have been dismissed. Nevertheless Indian investors are not destroying profitable organizations as these were recording negative results already before the merger. With reference to value added distribution, acquisitions do not reduce local stakeholders' wealth for the benefits of shareholders. Jobs are preserved and valued added is mainly distributed to employees. Great difficulties in achieving the expected value resulting from synergies emerge.\nResearch limitations/implications: Observations emerging from this explorative study are limited to the case studies analyzed while it could be important to enlarge the number of companies to investigate, including targets acquired by Russian, Chinese and Brazilian investors. Moreover, additional information could be obtained from interviews with top managers to reveal how they interpret the merger's success or failure. Also interviews with local stakeholders like suppliers, clients, representatives of employees and local institutions could be of great importance as they can help identify their specific point of view about the social and economic impact of foreign investors' arrival.\nPractical implications: With reference to the public debate on the increasing number of European companies sold to foreign investors, research findings indicate that FDI from emerging economies do not necessarily lead to job losses or target's closure. Indian investors are interested in brand, knowledge and other intangible assets (like Chinese ones). However they do not relocate production or expertise abroad. Some target companies record higher investments financed by the new shareholder, indicating that the arrival of new investors owing a large amount of money to invest in financial distressed Italian companies, can be beneficial to the local economy.\nOriginality/value: Most literature studies M\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Physical environment comfort towards Malaysian universities office employers' performance and productivity
|
[
"Performance",
"Universities",
"Temperature",
"Productivity",
"Relative humidity",
"Physical environment comfort",
"Illuminance level",
"Office employer"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Employees' working productivity will be affected by the workplace environment factors which include thermal conditions, air quality, acoustics and lighting. This is supported by Sullivan et al. (2013) that physical environment comfort consisting of office design and layout, indoor air quality, thermal condition, lighting and noise will affect the performance and productivity of the employees. Workplace is a place where organisation obtain changes that bring benefits to the organisation itself or the individuals within it. Relationship exists between the surrounding's office environment quality and the productivity of the employees (Leaman, 1995). Sundstrom et al. (1994) agree that most individuals spend 50 per cent of their time in indoor environments that greatly affect their mental status, activities, abilities and productivity. Hence, the general concept of comfort will be evaluated, where more specific attention will be given only to air temperature, humidity level and lighting level which are optimum for assorted tasks in an office building. The optimal indoor air temperature in an office building varies, and there is no exact indoor air temperature which suits everyone, as there will be differential towards thermal acclimatisation of the subjects. However, if 80 per cent of the occupants are comfortable with their office environment, the thermal comfort provided is considered to be successful (Dwyer, 2006). The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (2010) highlights that temperature between 23degC and 26degC is the most comfortable thermal condition. In addition, Wyon (2004) stated that thermal comfort is imperative. He further justified that if the thermal condition is within the thermal comfort zone, employees' performance can be improved by 5 to 15 per cent. Humidity level is also vital to produce a better environment in an office building. Lower humidity levels lead to difficulty in breathing and/or dryness of the skin, making the employees uncomfortable (Sehgal, 2012). Lighting level is a key factor for all the employees to get their jobs done. Without proper lighting, the employees will find it impossible to finish their tasks. It is proven that when employees have the ability to control the lighting quality, it has a positive effect on their performance (Veitch, 2000). An optimum physical environment comfort is essential to increase the productivity and performance of the office employees. Danielsson and Bodin (2008) highlight that the employees' work productivity is affected by regularity of health-related issues' appearance and rate of absenteeism. Roelofsen (2002) claimed that sick building syndrome is the most common issue reported by office employees, and his research has proven that an increase in productivity occurs when employees themselves are present on most working days and complain less regarding the workplace environment. Therefore, this research attempts to establish the relationship between physical environment comfort and productivity of the office employees.\n2. Physical environment comfort and productivity: Working performance is a very subjective matter, where it is considered whether a person has successfully completed his tasks. Working performance is considered as the result of the employees' behaviours towards carrying out a certain course or job over a set period (Bullock, 2013). A study has been conducted by Ronald et al. (2003), which is a self-measuring instrument to identify health problems among employees in workplace in terms of identifying their rate of sickness, absence and reduction in job performances. Some of the issues that had been identified are eye irritation and running nose, dizziness, feeling fatigue, dry skin and difficulty in concentrating over a period. This is supported by a research conducted by Ajimotokan et al. (2009) which states that employees face two symptoms out of the symptoms of discomfort aforementioned that will into reduction of their performances. In addition, there will be approximately 3 per cent of productivity reduction when the employees face three symptoms, and 8 per cent of productivity reduction when employees face five symptoms. It has been proven that one of the most frequent reasons for absenteeism is because of the health issues. The potential of unsuitable environment comfort in an office building will lead to various possible health issues. In measuring the productivity of an office worker, employees are asked if they face any physical ailments or psychological issues. In conjunction with this, it has been found that when employees are found to suffer from various symptoms, it is indirectly reported in reduction of productivity (Raw et al., 1990).\n3. Methodology: Mixed method was used in this research. Field study was carried out to measure the surrounding environment comfort which includes the level of air temperature, humidity and lighting level. On the other hand, a questionnaire survey was also conducted among employees working in the office workplace. The selection is to ensure the nature of work for all the respondents is similar. A total of 133 returned and valid questionnaires were analysed. The socio-demographic information of the respondents was shown in Table I.\n4. Findings and discussion: 4.1 Case study 1: Department of Development and Estate Maintenance, University A\n5. Conclusion: As a summation, the measured readings obtained from the surrounding room temperature, relative humidity and lighting level are benchmarked, with Tanabe et al. (2007) for room temperature and relative humidity, while MS1525 (Frontczak and Wargocki, 2011) for lighting level. An average reading is obtained for every allocated point throughout the day. As a result, JPP, University C has higher average room temperature in comparison with JPPHB, University A and DAAD, University B; despite that the room temperature measured in three case studies is in range of 22degC to 26degC, which is within the benchmark given by Tanabe et al. (2007). However, in JPP, University C, it showed incompliancy for relative humidity reading of approximately 75 per cent when benchmarking with Tanabe et al. (2007). Meanwhile, the measured lighting level for all three case studies showed quite a large difference, as the lighting level is all influenced by the type of tasks done at the area. As a result, when benchmarked with MS1525 (Frontczak and Wargocki, 2011), it is found that JPPHB, University A has lower-lighting-level range of 165 to 200 lux which is under the tasks for infrequent writing and reading tasks, while DAAD, University B and JPP, University C has higher lighting level approximately 250 lux that suits tasks like frequent reading and writing tasks.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The physical environment comfort in a workplace is claimed to be vital, as it will encourage healthier, more productive and lower absenteeism rate among employees. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of physical environment comfort and establish its relationship with employees' performance and productivity.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Evaluation for the selected case studies is made in the aspects of employee's comfort perceive health and absenteeism rate by wielding the elements of physical comfort consisting room temperature, relative humidity and illuminance level. Field study and questionnaire survey were carried out for three institutional building particularly management department. Spearman's correlation analysis was conducted to establish the relationship between the physical environment comfort and health symptoms faced by the employees.\nFindings: Correlations were found between room temperature, lighting and relative humidity with health-related issues such as feeling stuffy, getting tired easily and facing difficulty in concentration which affect employees' productivity and work performances. In addition, it was proven that the overall physical environment comfort factors have an impact on employees' health which indirectly affects their absenteeism rate. The average absenteeism rate was compared between the case studies as well.\nOriginality/value: Performance and productivity for universities' office employees are very essential in ensuring that the universities run smoothly and support teaching, innovation, learning and research activities. This study attempts to establish the relationship between physical environment comfort and universities' office employees' performance and productivity.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The oldest profession
|
[
"Accounting",
"Critical thought",
"Exploitation",
"Karma",
"Religion",
"Social injustice"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: While I was born rich, buoyant and preferredYou were born poor, compliant and unfavouredWas it God? Destiny? Karma? Or simply luck or by accident?Was I good, were you bad in a previous life ... or more recent?I care, but please please be fully awareWhen I share, I always get back my lion's shareYou must never ever say that I have not been legally fairWhen accounts are destiny-balanced, then I will responsibly bearAll debits have credits and all credits have debits ... an equal claimYou stupids know not the Matching principle, while I know the worldly gameWhen all accounts are settled, in this fiscal Cycle or in life's next CycleI follow well the accounting rules, yes, based on Going-concernFor three millennia I balanced my gain against your pain ... ordained?Remember you were born poor and I was born preferred ... die-casted?On Earth, my Accrual concepts always prevail, an expertise in legal exploitationSo which profession is the oldest? You know now ... just trust my reputation\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to draw attention towards how religious beliefs are linked to today's accounting principles and legitimating exploitation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The poem is a critical thought.\nFindings: - Religious concepts have been widely used to justify various historical social injustices. Four basic accounting principles; matching, accrual, going concern and reporting cycle perfectly correspond with life cycles, the acts and rewards of such lives, and \"balancing\" the pains and gains of individuals and society. These concepts, which have now become the foundation of accounting, were in existence millennia ago.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Accounting is broader than has been widely perceived. Accounting researchers should pay more attention to how accounting helped sustain social injustices.\nOriginality/value: - This poem provokes thoughts on the origin of basic accounting principles and their historical roles in sustaining social injustices.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Strategic responses to power dominance in buyer-supplier relationships: A weaker actor's perspective
|
[
"Power",
"Buyer-supplier relationships",
"Systematic literature review",
"Strategic choices",
"Weaker actor"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Power imbalance between buyers and suppliers is one of the defining characteristics of any supply network (Bastl et al., 2013). Existing studies have focused mainly on more powerful actors that control and influence behaviours and exchanges in buyer-supplier relationships. These have investigated the role of trust and power (Benton and Maloni, 2005), the role of bargaining power (Crook and Combs, 2007), relationship commitment and power (Zhao et al., 2008) and how a buying company exerts power to influence the relationship between suppliers (Wu et al., 2010).\nMethodology: In seeking to address field problems (i.e. problems of significance to managers, Denyer et al., 2008) we adopt a systematic literature review methodology (Tranfield et al., 2003), in which there is a comprehensive search for relevant studies on a specific topic, which are then appraised and synthesized according to a pre-determined explicit method (Klassen et al., 1998). Providing comprehensive coverage of the literature and ensuring comparability for repeated future searches, this method follows a series of ten steps that can be grouped into five main phases (planning, searching, screening, extraction, synthesis including reporting).\nDescriptive findings: We now summarize the descriptive findings from the literature review and reflect on these later in the agenda for further research. Table III allocates papers to different descriptive categories. The literature is a mixture of analytical (nine) and empirical (39) papers utilizing predominantly quantitative methods (25). Although issues of power imbalance affect both actors in a buyer-supplier relationship, researchers mainly focus on one side only. From 48 studies, only 16 adopted a dyadic perspective (e.g. Pressey and Qiu, 2007; Wyld et al., 2012). Different studies identified different weaker actors: 15 studied suppliers, 14 studied buyers, eight studied both and 16 studies explored situations where an actor is in a weaker position in one relationship yet simultaneously a stronger player in another relationship (e.g. Caniels and Gelderman, 2007; Bobot, 2010).\nThematic findings: In the first part of this section we identify the strategic options available to a weaker actor to counteract the dominance of a stronger actor in a buyer-supplier relationship, addressing review question 1. In the second part we answer review question 2 identifying those factors that influence the weaker actor's choice of strategic option.\nDiscussion and conclusions: In this review we have focused on the weaker actor in a buyer-supplier context. To date, most of the literature on power is written from the perspective of a stronger actor that leads and controls a relationship (Benton and Maloni, 2005). This work is a first attempt to synthesize the literature, dealing with a weaker actor and consequently we make two primary contributions to the literature on power in buyer-supplier relationships.\nAgenda for further research: To advance this work and drawing on both descriptive and thematic findings we suggest a number of avenues for further research. Our proposed framework (Figure 3) requires empirical validation and we suggest that future investigations may take the following path.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the strategic options available to a weaker actor to counteract the dominance of a stronger actor in a buyer-supplier relationship, and identifies those factors that influence the choice of individual options.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Following a systematic literature review methodology, a five-phase approach of planning, searching, screening, extraction and synthesis was rigorously employed. In total, 48 studies were used to draw conclusions about the phenomena of interest.\nFindings: Captured in an integrated conceptual framework, this study identified five strategic options available to the weaker actor in order to counteract a power dominance of a stronger player, which were underpinned by seven influencing factors.\nResearch limitations/implications: The proposed conceptual framework requires first qualitative empirical validation using an abductive multi-case strategy, followed by a theory testing phase, employing a configurational approach.\nPractical implications: The proposed framework suggested that the weaker actor in a buyer-supplier relationship has five options to address power dominance. These options were available within as well as beyond a focal dyadic relationship. For the stronger actor, the authors showed that power dominance is a temporary state rather than permanent.\nOriginality/value: This study marks one of the first attempts to present a coherent set of strategic options and underpinning factors to counteract power dominance in a buyer-supplier relationship from the perspective of a weaker actor. Given the underexplored nature of the topic, the study also provides guidelines for further research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The influence of dynamic capabilities on hospital-supplier collaboration and hospital supply chain performance
|
[
"Hospital",
"Collaboration",
"Dynamic capabilities",
"Hospital performance",
"Medical supply chain"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The health care initiatives by the Indian Government coupled with increasing demand for medical care by the public have urged health care firms and hospitals to improvise processes for optimum efficiency and reducing costs. Such initiatives, e.g., e-health initiative targeted to provide economical medical services to patients; National Deworming initiative for safeguarding 24 crore children from intestinal worms; developing 3,000 new medical stores in the country; GI Digital Dispensary for extending medical facilities to rural people and providing additional health care cover of INR30,000 to senior citizens, were the prominent ones to boost medical services in the country (IBEF Sectoral Report, 2016). However, there is an urgent need for hospitals to address financial challenges posed by increased operating costs and costs of hospital supplies (Chen et al., 2013). Previously, costs of hospital supply and associated materials attributed for around 45 percent of a hospital's operating budget (Kowalski, 2016). Based on forecasted trends, health care firms might be required to invest in their supply chain development (Vahatalo and Kallio, 2015). Consequently, supply chain management in health care administration also has gained due importance (Lee and Fernando, 2015). While the initial literature on supply chain management concentrated on manufacturing and retail, there has been a paradigm shift to incorporate hospital supply chains in recent times (Dobrzykowski and Tarafdar, 2015). Studies have urged to develop theories focusing on hospital supply chains and associated service environments (Akkermans and Voss, 2013; Prajogo and Oke, 2016). Certain unique characteristics differentiate hospital supply chain management from traditional manufacturing ones.\nTheoretical background and hypotheses development: Hospital supply chain visibility - the dynamic capabilities view\nModerating role of technology orientation: Technology orientation incorporates product, service (for service-oriented firms), production and innovation orientations and is \"the ability and the will to acquire a substantial technological background and use it in the development of new products\" (Gatignon and Xuereb, 1997, p. 78). Due to the paper aim, a technology-oriented hospital is considered as the one that is dedicated to adopt newer and emerging technologies for exchanging real-time information with its supply chain partners so as to improve coordination and provide improved health care services to its patients (Lee et al., 2013; Ho et al., 2016).\nResearch methodology: Subjects and procedure\nStructural model results: We utilized structural equation modeling using AMOS 17 to test the significance of the proposed paths based on the collected data. Table VI summarizes the results of hypotheses testing. Except H4, all the remaining hypotheses were supported (among the direct paths). H6a, H6b, H6c and H6d discussed a positive moderation of technology orientation on each of hospital's visibility capabilities (namely sensing, learning, coordinating and integrating) with hospital-supplier collaboration. For testing the above proposed moderation effects, we created the following interaction terms: sensingxtechnology orientation, learningxtechnology orientation, coordinatingxtechnology orientation and integratingxtechnology orientation, and regressed on hospital-supplier collaboration. Most of the corresponding coefficients were found to be positive and significant as shown (ref. Table VI) in the summary of hypotheses testing below. Figure 2 summarizes the hypotheses testing results in a structural model.\nDiscussion and implications: The study is one of the foremost to investigate the effects of hospital's dynamic capabilities on their collaborative efforts with their key supplier and their influence on hospital supply chain performance. Also the study is foremost in exploring the importance of technology orientation on hospital's dynamic capabilities and hospital-supplier collaboration. An important contribution of our research is the conceptualization of supply chain visibility core components (Pavlou and El Sawy, 2011), i.e., VFS, VFL, VFC and VFI in the context of hospital supply chains. Furthermore, our study has extended the resource-based view (Barney, 1991) and its dynamic capability extension (Teece et al., 1997) in the context of medical supply chains. This is the main theoretical contribution of our empirical exploration. Our study has investigated the much-needed importance of information sharing in hospital supply chains for important performance management (Dobrzykowski and Tarafdar, 2015). To fulfill this need, the study has theorized hospital's VFS, VFL, VFI and VFC (Pavlou and El Sawy, 2011)) as dominant dynamic capabilities having positive influences on hospital-supplier collaboration. An indirect contribution of this study therefore is the development of measurement instrument for the hospital dynamic capabilities of VFS, learning, coordinating and integrating and hospital-supplier collaboration. Our study is the foremost in exploring the development of hospital-supplier collaboration - a much-needed research call (Chen et al., 2013). Hence, our study has important implications for practitioners and managers across dominant entities in a medical supply chain. First, the study has empirically established that a hospital's supply chain visibility does contribute in the development of its collaborative efforts in the supply chain (Hohenstein et al., 2015; Scholten and Schilder, 2015). The study has explored the importance of core components of a hospital's visibility, e.g., VFS, learning, coordinating and integrating (Pavlou and El Sawy, 2011), on hospital-supplier collaboration. As shown by the findings, VFS, VFL and VFI do enhance hospital-supplier collaboration, while VFC has no positive effects. The dynamic capability view suggests that firms in competitive world must adapt to their changing environment in order to survive (Helfat and Peteraf, 2015). Hospitals are the focal units of medical supply chains (hence are also known as hospital supply chains) (Chen et al., 2013). Research suggests that first they must be able to sense the emerging changes in its environment (Chithambaranathan et al., 2015) and accumulate knowledge from their experiences. Focus consequently has been more on learning so that firms can prepare well for forthcoming changes (Scholten and Schilder, 2015). Hence hospitals must have adequate infrastructure in terms of ISs so that efficient information interchange can take place with their core partners. This is an important implication for hospital managers. Furthermore, the other core entities in a medical supply chain, e.g., medical equipment manufacturers, surgical suppliers and hotels, must focus on aligning their ISs in sync with their focal units, i.e., hospitals, so that accurate and relevant information can be shared. This will enhance environmental sensing capabilities for the medical supply chain members and their focal units, i.e., hospitals (Pavlou and El Sawy, 2011). Dynamic capabilities do suggest that firms in competitive surroundings must be ready to learn and accumulate knowledge through experience (Birkinshaw et al., 2016). As shown by our study, hospitals must be ready to learn from their supply chain entities, e.g., medical equipment manufacturers, insurance agents and pharmaceuticals. Partners in such medical chains must be ready to learn and help in the growth and sustenance of each other (Ahmadi et al., 2015). Teece (2012) suggests that in a complex network, learning from experiences becomes all the more important for gaining competitive advantage. As shown in our study, hospital managers therefore put more reliance on inculcating VFL capabilities so as to enhance their collaborative efforts in the medical supply chain. Managers belonging to different entities of the medical supply chain therefore focus more on arranging meetings frequently so as to exchange and share their experiences and gain from the same. With enhanced capabilities of sensing and learning, hospitals along with other core entities in a medical supply chain will be successful in their collaborative efforts (Pavlou and El Sawy, 2011; Heyland et al., 2015). Dynamic capabilities suggest that unification of efforts in networks is compulsory for successful adaptation to change (Teece, 2012). As shown in our study, hospital's VFI has a positive effect on hospital-supplier collaboration. Therefore, hospital managers urge their supply chain members to work cohesively so that they can unite their individual efforts. Effective integration has positive performance implications (Prajogo and Olhager, 2012). Therefore, the finding of our study is in line with extant literature. Also, medical chain entities must comprehend the diversity in their operations (being a service supply chain) and hence must collaborate with each other (Wang et al., 2015). Furthermore, hospital-supplier collaboration was found to have a positive influence on hospital supply chain performance (Dobrzykowski et al., 2016). This in line with other allied studies in production and supply chain management (Cao and Zhang, 2011; Fawcett et al., 2015; Prajogo and Oke, 2016). Hence it is compulsory for the diverse entities in a medical supply chain to unite their efforts and must collaborate. With appropriate information sharing, hospitals will be in a better position to sense the changes in their surroundings, learn from experiences and able to unify (i.e. integrate) their efforts (Arvitrida et al., 2015), resulting in enhanced and effective collaboration in the medical supply chain (Cao and Zhang, 2011). This will effectively enhance the medical supply chain performance. While the above three dynamic capabilities were found to have positive effects, the influence of VFC was not significant. This might be due to the fact that coordination may be perceived as not that much important for achieving collaboration, although our empirical findings have successfully established that these two are different constructs. However, further research is needed to explore the causes. Our study has established that technology orientation plays a significant role in enhancing the linkage between the proposed dynamic capabilities and hospital-supplier collaboration (Leng et al., 2015). As shown by the study, technology orientation acts as a positive moderator on the linkages between VFS, learning and integrating with hospital-supplier collaboration. However, its influence on the VFC with hospital-supplier collaboration was not significant. For technology-oriented firms, influence of their integration efforts on collaboration was most pronounced followed by their sensing and learning capabilities, respectively (Ho et al., 2016). This highlighted the dire need among firms to be technology-oriented for successful assimilation of their integration efforts into effective collaboration with their medical chain partners. Also sensing and learning efforts could result in improved collaboration in the medical chain provided the dominant entities have a positive technology orientation (Ho et al., 2016; Lichtenthaler, 2016). Accordingly, this suggests that managers in medical supply chains should focus on developing and investing more on newer technologies for information sharing (Ozkaya et al., 2015). This will strengthen the relation between each of the dynamic capabilities of hospital, i.e., sensing, learning and integrating, with hospital-supplier collaboration. Furthermore, managers should also focus on updating their other relevant machines and technologies required for efficient execution of business activities.\nLimitations and future research: Our study has empirically established that hospital's VFS, VFL and VFI are dominant factors for the development of hospital-supplier collaboration. This further enhances hospital supply chain performance. However, the study has its own limitations. As the study selected one respondent per firm, the ultimate findings may not be extended to all contexts. Furthermore, our sample size of 192 is relatively small considering the depth of this investigation. Considering the existing diversity and complexity in medical supply chain operations, future studies must adopt a case-study approach for analyzing in depth every medical supply chain operations and associated issues. Another problem is that every unit in the medical supply chain, e.g., medical equipment manufacturer, may be in turn core supplier of multiple other hospitals. Hence, exclusivity was difficult to maintain while collecting the perceptual responses. Future studies should focus more on exploring the influence of hospital's dynamic capabilities of VFS, learning, coordinating and integrating on the relational resources such as hospital-supplier trust and how the same influences supplier performance and hospital performance individually. Future studies should also explore if other dynamic capabilities can act as active antecedents to hospital-supplier collaboration. Research should also explore the direct and indirect influences on technology orientation on hospital supply chain operations through other relevant supply chain capabilities.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of hospital's visibility for sensing (VFS), learning, coordinating and integrating on hospital-supplier collaboration. Second, it explored the influence of hospital-supplier collaboration on hospital supply chain performance. The author also explored how the technology orientation of the medical chain units influences the above linkages.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study adopted a multi-unit study of different hospital supply chains. Consequently, perceptual data were gathered from seven dominant entities in a typical medical/hospital supply chain: hospitals and clinics, accommodation (i.e. hotels), chemistry and pharmaceutical, marketing/public relations/promotion, medical equipment manufacturers, food and beverage and insurance. The responses were gathered using e-mail survey and were analyzed using structural equation modeling.\nFindings: Based on 192 completed responses, the author found positive influences of VFS, learning and integrating on hospital-supplier collaboration and a positive impact of hospital-supplier collaboration on hospital supply chain performance. An insignificant influence of hospital's visibility for coordinating was noted on hospital-supplier collaboration. The study argued hospitals to invest more for enriching their dynamic capabilities to diagnose the changes in the environment so as to sustain their collaborative relationships leading to positive performance implications.\nOriginality/value: The study is the foremost to investigate the effects of hospital's dynamic capabilities on its collaborative efforts with its key supplier and their influence on hospital supply chain performance. Also the study is foremost in exploring the importance of technology orientation on hospital dynamic capabilities and hospital-supplier collaboration. An important contribution of the research is the conceptualization of supply chain visibility core components (visibility of sensing, visibility of learning, visibility of coordinating and visibility of integrating) in the context of hospital supply chains.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Rip current occurrence probability at selected recreational beaches along Pahang coastline
|
[
"Beach morphodynamic model",
"Pahang recreational beach",
"Rip currents",
"Sediment fall velocity",
"Sediment grain size"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Beaches are potentially hazardous to people as beach goers, swimmers and bathers enter the surf zone that is considered as a no man's land in many coastal countries that need to be avoided at all cost. However, with increasing attractive locations for tourism, residential and recreational development, this safety and precaution has been slowly neglected.\n2. Materials and method: 2.1 Description of study area\n3. Data collection: 3.1 Drowning cases from 2006 to 2018\n4. Result and discussion: In this chapter, the outcomes are presented in two sections:\n5. Rip currents probability beaches: Potential beaches for rip current occurrences are mainly located at north (BA and BH) and south (SEP) Kuantan areas. One (TC) out of five recreational beaches may develop rip currents because of morphodynamical changes shown in Table 4. Example for rip current and non-rip current beaches are as follows.\n6. Conclusion: Beaches are the most attractive destinations for tourist and for people world-wide. Rip current hazards have great impacts and challenges for beach management and safety. This study applied beach morphodynamic state that uses dimensionless fall velocity O model to estimate the preliminary rip currents beaches along Kuantan coastline. Results indicate four out of five recreational beaches have higher potential in developing rip current. These are the coastline areas covering from north (BA and BH), central (TC) and south (SEP). The results from this study demonstrate a consistent trend with field observation study as well as drowning incidents reported by media and newspapers. Beach model used in rip current prediction may be used for selection and beach management but it needs longer-term data observations and fieldwork for more accurate rip currents forecasting.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Pahang beaches draw more than thousand visitors throughout the year. From the year 2006 to 2018, more than 30 drowning and near-drowning cases were recorded mainly from rip currents. Rip currents are defined as unexpected currents that carried beachgoers away to seaward direction more than approximately 50 m from shore. The prediction of rip current development is very important for the protection of human life. This study aims to conduct preliminary survey and field works to identify rip current hazards.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The output would be an early warning preventative mitigation to public in Pahang. Beach state model, dimensionless fall velocity, littoral environment observation and relative tidal range were recorded for five recreational beaches during two different months (March and April 2018). The morphodynamic parameters such sediment fall velocity, sediment grain size and beach slope are then analysed using software PROFILER. Classification of risks was done based on beach morphodynamic model. The morphodynamics are classified as low tide bar rip, barred and low tide terrace associated with rip current, bar dissipative, reflective, non-bar dissipative, low tide terrace and ultra-dissipative.\nFindings: Result shows three out of five recreational beaches may develop high-risk rip currents. During the first month of the survey, Batu Hitam (BH) was recorded the only one recreational beach that may develop high-risk rip current followed by Teluk Cempedak (TC) and Kempadang (KEM) as middle-risk rip current beaches, while Balok (BA) and Sepat (SEP) as low-risk rip current beaches. Different during second month of the survey, BA, BH and SEP were recorded as high-risk rip current beaches while TC and KEM as low-risk rip current beaches.\nOriginality/value: The results are consistent with beach incidents (drowning and near-drowning) reported.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Business alliances: why managerial thinking and biases determine success
|
[
"Alliances",
"Promotion regulatory focus",
"Prevention regulatory focus",
"Collaborative intent",
"Alliance life cycle",
"Opportunism",
"Motivation (psychology)",
"Strategic alliances",
"Business development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Businesses once grew by one of two ways: grass roots up, or by acquisition [...] Today they grow through alliances - all kinds of dangerous alliances. Joint ventures and customer partnering which, by the way, very few people understand (Peter F. Drucker).\nAlliance life cycle: At the formation phase the alliancing firms seek to find a suitable partner define the joint business value Proposition (the what), define the execution plan and the governance (the how), and finally negotiate the contractual aspects of the alliance. During the operational phase the partners begin to implement the negotiated agreement and deal with any problems that might arise. The alliance outcome phase invites the alliance managers to assess the progress of the alliance. Is it developing in the right direction? Do the firms need to enhance their commitment to the alliance or should they seek to exit?\nImpact of motivational orientation at the alliance formation stage: An alliancing firm may have either a promotion or a prevention-biased regulatory orientation (Das and Kumar, 2011) resulting from the internal culture of the organization. A promotion-oriented firm is more concerned with maximizing gain whereas a prevention-oriented firm wants to minimize losses. For a promotion-oriented firm accomplishments are of prime importance whereas for a prevention-oriented firm safety or security is the most critical. This is a subtle difference but one that may prove rather significant at the formation stage.The ability to find the right partner and to successfully conclude an agreement are the key challenges at the alliance formation stage. A promotion-oriented firm may less thoroughly scrutinize its potential partners since they are less concerned with issues of safety. Although this may expedite the partner selection process it carries with it the danger that an inappropriate partner may be selected. The prevention-oriented firm faces the opposite quandary. It is so concerned about safety and security that it may find it difficult to find a partner.Assuming that a potential partner has been found, the next task is to negotiate the alliance. Negotiation involves a delicate balancing act to conclude a fair and well- balanced deal. It is also critical that in the process of negotiation they do not share sensitive information that might be potentially harmful. A promotion-oriented firm is likely to err on the side of success with the implication that it might share more information and might do it more speedily. It might enable the firm to more readily build trust with one's partner and this may facilitate the negotiation process among them. A potential downside is being taken advantage of by one's partner. The prevention-oriented firm will err on the side of safety. Minimal information will be exchanged and not very speedily. Trust will not be built up. This will slow down the negotiation process and a negotiation failure may be a real possibility. The promotion and the prevention-oriented firms may also differ in their approach to contracts at the negotiation phase. A promotion-oriented firm will seek to develop less complex contracts relative to its prevention focused counterparts. Promotion-oriented firms are more focused on outcomes and are less sensitive to issues of safety and security which necessitate developing more complex contracts.Consider, for example, the alliance between a hardware company and a software company. The companies were facing a decreasing market share due to the emergence of new competitors. The companies got together to explore the possibility of forming a strategic alliance to jointly market a suite of products, services, and solutions that combined and leveraged the assets of both companies. A further objective was to create an ecosystem of partners so that the combined set of products offered considerable value to the ecosystem. The partners were also committed at the outset to establishing a long-term alliance. At the alliance formation stage the negotiation process went very smoothly. The partners worked tirelessly to finalize the agreement and were happy to share information. Both partners demonstrated behaviors and attitudes consistent with a promotion-oriented mindset. In another example involving a telecommunications company and a software company the opportunity arose to develop an alliance that would market telecommunication solutions to consumers and business customers. Although the alliance had potential, its development was hampered when the two CEOs met to discuss the collaboration. They approached it from a prevention mindset and focused more on issues of security rather than potential growth.In a similar vein, consider the negotiations that took place between Nora and Sakari to establish a joint venture in Malaysia (Ainuddin, 2006). Nora is a telecom equipment manufacturer in Malaysia and Sakari is a Finnish company engaged in the manufacture of cellular telephone systems and switching systems. The case suggests that the negotiations between these two companies were protracted and difficult. Neither party was willing to accede to the counterpart's arguments, fearing that this would create disadvantages. We can surmise that both firms approached the negotiations from a prevention mindset, leading to difficulties at the negotiation stage.\nImpact of alliance motivation at the operational stage: At the operational stage the alliance becomes a concrete reality. The task and the relational interface between the partners becomes that much stronger now. As the interface increases so does the possibility of numerous problems emerging. The alliance may be confronted with the need to manage conflicts, deal with problems in a timely way, and deal with the necessity to strengthen the collaborative intent of the partnership.(i) Motivational orientation and partner conflicts\nImpact of alliance motivational orientation at the outcome stage: This represents the tipping point for the alliance. Alliance managers have to decide if they should exit the alliance, enhance their commitment or seek to restructure the alliance. At this stage the alliance outcomes become reasonably clear. The alliance may be doing well and the managers are then not required to make any tricky decisions. If, however, the alliance is not performing well and is plagued with task/relationship conflicts the alliance managers have to decide their next course of action. A firm's motivational orientation is influential in deciding the actions that the alliance managers seek to initiate at this time. The decision to persist with or withdraw from the alliance revolves around the issues of:* managing task/relationship conflict;* viability of alliance restructuring; and* perceived ease or difficulty of exiting from the alliance.(a) Motivational orientation and the management of task/relationship conflict\nManaging alliances: lessons for managers: It is imperative that alliancing firms develop a good understanding of their mindset, which subconsciously influences the choices that they make. The fundamental danger for a promotion-oriented firm is that it may be overly optimistic about alliance success and may not fully appreciate the dangers inherent in partnering. For a prevention-oriented firm the main danger is being overly pessimistic and distrustful, which bodes ill for a successful alliance. Once the firms become conscious of the potential weakness inherent in their approach to strategic partnering they can develop specific routines to prevent them from acting in an unconscious way. A promotion-oriented firm, for example, can develop a mechanism for classifying information in various categories ranging at one end of the continuum from information that is never to be shared with one's partner to the other end of the continuum where full disclosure is acceptable. It may also need to develop more systematic procedures for selecting a partner. If the promotion-oriented firm needs to become a little more circumspect, the prevention-oriented firm needs to become much more open. It needs to loosen up in sharing information and recognize that the criteria for partner selection may be too stringent.(a) Ascertain the mindset of a potential partner\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Alliances are unstable and while a number of explanations have been offered for understanding instability a motivational oriented approach remains underdeveloped. This paper seeks to provide a motivational oriented explanation for understanding alliance instability. Firms may enter into an alliance either with a promotion or a prevention mind set and this can be consequential for alliance development.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors draw upon regulatory focus theory and its applications in an alliancing context to derive implications for alliance management. Regulatory focus theory is now increasingly being used to explain various types of organizational phenomenon (e.g. contracting, leadership, alliances). The paper distinguishes between a promotion oriented and a prevention oriented mind set and explores the impact of the different mind sets at the alliance formation, operation, and the outcome stage.\nFindings: - A key finding is that different mind sets (promotion vs prevention) affect alliance formation, operation, and outcome. At the formation stage the mind sets may determine the success or failure of negotiations; at the operational stage they may determine if conflicts escalate or deescalate; while at the outcome stage they may determine whether the partners continue with or seek to exit from the alliance.\nPractical implications: - The different motivational orientations have implications for alliance negotiations, the management of the alliance during the operational phase, and/or the decisions that are made by alliancing firms at the outcome phase of the alliance. The paper develops implications for how alliances should be managed for attaining success.\nOriginality/value: - The paper should be of interest to alliance managers as it will give them a new lens for understanding the drivers of alliance success and failure. The impact of motivation on alliance success and failure has not been studied to date and this paper provides a novel approach to assessing its impact.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Motivations of small firms to develop relationships with banks
|
[
"Small firms",
"Banks",
"Relationship",
"Business-to-business"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Relational bonds create benefits, but managing a relationship requires to understand the factors driving the partner's behaviour. The partner's satisfaction might lead to the renewal but not to the development of the relationship. While contract renewal is a positive outcome, the development of the relationship goes beyond renewal as is, and is embodied by the partner's request for additional services and options of up-selling, cross-selling and trading-up (Visentin and Scarpi, 2012). Looking just at the monetary value can be easily actionable, but it is not enough to manage the relationship, as value perceptions change as the relationship evolves, turning from a monadic, self-centred perspective (what I give for what I get) into a dyadic one that comprises judgements of equity (what I gave and got vs what my partner gave and got). In this research, we focus on the motivations of small firms to upgrade the relationship with their financing bank, by also considering monadic and dyadic values next to satisfaction and trust.\n2. Theoretical background: Many banks are nowadays trying to manage the recent changes in regulations by focussing on customer satisfaction (Nielsen, 2004; Bank of Italy, 2010). However, recent literature questions the link between satisfaction and positive loyalty intentions or behaviours (Noone and Mount, 2007; Bendapudi and Leone, 2002; Coviello and Brodie, 2001). Experience of other industries in Europe shows that satisfying customer needs is necessary but not sufficient condition for successfully building long-term relationships in these contexts (e.g. deregulation in the distribution system in Austria in the 1980s, or hyper-competition in the mobile telecommunications industry in the UK; Visentin and Lo Vasto, 2009; Lemmens and Croux, 2006; Hawley, 2003).\n3. Hypotheses and model: A number of contributions are based on empirical analyses of large databases or aggregate-level analyses of the industry (Rauyruen and Miller, 2007). However \"senior executives typically want to see the benefits at the firm level\" (Williams et al., 2011b, p. 806), claiming the need for firm-level analyses and for modelizations that are capable of suggesting actions for the management of a single specific relationship. Furthermore, recent literature has put more emphasis on the social dimension of relationships and has suggested a contamination from studies on consumer attitudes, consumer satisfaction and personal commitment also in business-to-business contexts (Williams et al., 2011a, 2011b; Lam et al., 2004).\n4. Measurements and data: We administered a questionnaire to key-informants from small non-food retailers to collect primary data. A brief introduction specified that the research was conducted by a leading university and that the data collected by the questionnaire were anonymous and would not be sold to anyone. The questionnaire was administered personally by the authors to minimize the risk of partly or wrongly completed questionnaires, although the questions had been pre-tested on a pilot sample to ensure that they were easy to understand and not ambiguous.\n5. Results: The model in Figure 1 has been run with LISREL 8.80. The significance of the paths has been tested by LISREL based upon their t-values, where t-values greater than the absolute value of 1.96 are considered significant (Joreskog and Sorbrom, 2003; Hayduk, 1996).\n6. Discussion and conclusions: This study investigates the impact of individual firm-level customer attitudes in a business-to-business relationship and proposes an empirical analysis of the firm's intention to increase the level of services exchanged in the relationship by upgrading the contract asking for additional services. The empirical context is given by the credit supplied by banks to small non-food retailers. Recent changes in regulation policy in Europe are shaping a new and more competitive scenario, rapidly increasing the criticality of exploiting and understanding the role of value in managing the relationships with customer firms. It, therefore, becomes of particular relevance to understand why certain partners decide to request additional services, whereas other partners renew it as-is without any value addition.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to investigate what drives the decision of small non-food store retailers to develop a relationship with the bank financing them. The analysis addresses the banking industry and quantifies the extent to which a decision to develop a relationship is influenced by satisfaction, trust and by two different kinds of values, namely, monadic and dyadic.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The analysis is based on data collected from more than 400 small business by means of a questionnaire, and develops a structural equation model to estimate the impact of satisfaction, trust and value constructs on the intention to develop the relationship.\nFindings: The results show that satisfaction and trust do not exert a direct effect on the decision to develop the relationship that is directly determined by dyadic value (i.e. the comparison between the cumulated value given through time and the cumulated efforts sustained by the partner). In turn, dyadic value stems from monadic value (i.e. the self-centred comparison of the costs and benefits experienced within the relationship). In a nutshell, considering value perceptions by the business partner and the relational dimension of value provides a better understanding of the intention of small firms to develop their relationship with a financing bank.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to shaping a picture of the motivations that lead small firms to develop a relationship with their financing bank. Drawing from a heterogeneous literature and considering individual-level variables, a theoretical model is developed to include the relational dimension of value and value perceptions by the business partner in the relationship. The empirical analysis provides useful indications to practitioners to understand and effectively manage the partner's decision to develop the relationship, suggesting where to intervene.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The future and diversity in higher education
|
[
"Higher education",
"Equal opportunities",
"Conferences",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: \"The Future of Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education: A National Forum on Innovation and Collaboration\" was held December 3rd through the 5th of 2008 at the Rutgers State University in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the USA. The inaugural conference was sponsored by Rutgers, the Columbia Law School, Columbia University and the College Board. Questions it sought to answer include: What does an Obama presidency and administration mean for future diversity work? What subsequent erroneous assumptions will be made by the public about progress for the marginalized in our country and how might diversity advocates respond? Another goal was to identify a model for diversity during difficult economic times, as the current financial crisis may threaten diversity work via limited resources and greater competition for these resources from a myriad of fronts. Finally, decades of adjudication against institutions working towards diversity require innovative ways of facilitating opportunities for inclusion of the postsecondary community's underrepresented members. This conference worked to promote dialogue pertaining potential strategies for infusing such social justice in the policy and practice of higher education's recruitment, admissions, hiring and promotion efforts.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper describes and reflects upon the \"Future of Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education: A National Forum on Innovation and Collaboration\".\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Participant observation, journaling and content analysis comprise data sources for this work.\nFindings: - Featured sessions center upon the need for leaders in higher education to play key roles in advocating for diversity on postsecondary campuses and the move from individual to democratic merit in student admission and faculty hiring or promotion.\nOriginality/value: - Adjudication against institutions working toward diversity requires new ways of promoting opportunity for underrepresented members of the postsecondary community. The following work describes such strategies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Assessment of ambient dust pollution status at selected point sources (residential and commercial) of Mingaladon area, Yangon region, Myanmar
|
[
"Myanmar",
"Air quality",
"Relative humidity",
"Ambient temperature",
"Particulate matters",
"Traffic congestion"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Emissions of dust in the environment can occur in many ways. Above all of that, a large proportion of emissions results from road traffic, constructions and dust generating working environments. In terms of effects, the above causes increase long-term particulate matters, PM2.5 and PM10 concentration, which have negative effects on human health. Exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 concentration has long been associated with a range of health effects. High levels of PM2.5 and PM10 affect pulmonary function and exacerbate respiratory problems in respiratory compromised people, i.e. asthmatics. Dockery and Pope[1] reported that there was a strong association between high concentration of particulate matters in the air and mortality rates in six cities in the USA. On the other hand, smog in London in 1873 killed up to 500 people suffering severe respiratory problems. It is estimated that ambient (outdoor) air pollution in both cities and rural areas caused 3.7 million premature deaths worldwide in 2012. Health effects of particulate matters include acute respiratory diseases like bronchitis, chronic fibrosis, emphysema, bronchopneumonia and higher incidence of cough, shortness of breath, bronchitis, colds of long duration and fatigue. Particulate matters have also affected human health causing variety of problems including premature death in people with lung disease, aggravated asthma, decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty in breathing. In Myanmar, air pollution is far more within the acceptable condition. A previous study[2] suggested that 90 percent of air in Myanmar is polluted. Air pollution is increasing every day and proper measures to control it need to be taken before everybody's health is in danger. The study also found that in Yangon (the economic capital of Myanmar), the dust pollution mainly comes from cars and roads. They emit dust and coarse particles into the air which can cause ambient dust pollution. Yangon region is the most vulnerable area of dust pollution in Myanmar. Considering local situation, 468,000 of total 3,987,962 motor vehicles in Myanmar are being used in Yangon region[3]. According to the Department of Immigration (September 2016), Mingaladon township is the third most crowded area of Yangon region in population density (3,043/km2). This study aimed to assess the ambient dust pollution condition in selected point areas (residential, commercial and industrial) of Mingaladon area, Yangon region, Myanmar to find out the association between PM concentration and its determinant factors (traffic congestion, wind speed, ambient temperature and relative humidity).\nMaterials and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study illustrates information from January to December 2016 in Mingaladon area, Yangon, Myanmar. The ambient particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) concentrations were assessed hourly for 24 hours a day for total 61 days during the data collection period (from 1 June, 2016 to 31 July, 2016). PM concentrations were assessed in two representative areas of Mingaladon: residential area (Defence Services Liver Hospital) and the commercial area (Htouk-kyant Junction). The main variables of interest to this study were PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and the other determinant variables were wind speed, traffic congestion, ambient temperature and relative humidity.\nResults: PM2.5 concentrations (24-hour mean) for residential and commercial area were (23.60+-10.13)ug/m3 and (33.40+-10.64)ug/m3, respectively, while PM10 concentrations (24-hour means) were (42.93+-21.90)ug/m3 and (62.46+-20.90)ug/m3, respectively (Table I). WHO air quality reference guideline for 24-hour means was 25 ug/m3 for PM2.5 and 50 ug/m3 for PM10.\nDiscussion: Concerning the assessment of PM concentration, the meteorological factors such as wind speed, traffic congestion, ambient temperature and humidity are the most important considerable determinant factors[4-13].\nConclusion: According to the Air Quality Guidelines-Global Update 2005, the highest concentrations of PM10 were reported from developing countries of Asia[17]. This region also experiences relatively high background concentrations owing to forest fires and local emissions of particles from the use of poor-quality fuels. Actually, particulate matters are too small to be noted because of its tiny size in aerodynamic diameter. At present, in Myanmar, one of the developing countries, the National Air Quality Guideline has not been developed yet.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Dust (particulate matters) is very dangerous to our health as it is not visible with our naked eyes. Emissions of dust concentrations in the natural environment can occur mainly by road traffic, constructions and dust generating working environments. The purpose of this paper is to assess the ambient dust pollution status and to find out the association between PM concentrations and other determinant factors such as wind speed, ambient temperature, relative humidity and traffic congestion.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional study was conducted for two consecutive months (June and July, 2016) at a residential site (Defence Services Liver Hospital, Mingaladon) and a commercial site (Htouk-kyant Junction, Mingaladon) based on WHO Air Quality Reference Guideline Value (24-hour average). Hourly monitoring of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration and determinant factors such as traffic congestion, wind speed, ambient temperature and relative humidity for 24 hours a day was performed in both study sites. CW-HAT200 handheld particulate matters monitoring device was used to assess PM concentrations, temperature and humidity while traffic congestion was monitored by CCTV cameras.\nFindings: The baseline PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations of Mingaladon area were (28.50+-11.49)ug/m3 and (52.69+-23.53)ug/m3, means 61.48 percent of PM2.5 concentration and 54.92 percent of PM10 concentration exceeded than the WHO reference value during the study period. PM concentration usually reached a peak during early morning (within 3:00 a.m.-5:00 a.m.) and at night (after 9:00 p.m.). PM2.5 concentration mainly depends on traffic congestion and temperature (adjusted R2=0.286), while PM10 concentration depends on traffic congestion and relative humidity (adjusted R2=0.292). Wind speed played a negative role in both PM2.5 and PM10 concentration with r=-0.228 and r=-0.266.\nOriginality/value: The air quality of the study area did not reach the satisfiable condition. The main cause of increased dust pollution in the whole study area was high traffic congestion (R2=0.63 and 0.60 for PM2.5 and PM10 concentration).\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Perceived learning opportunities, behavioral intentions and employee retention in technology organizations
|
[
"Intention to stay",
"Intention to leave",
"Learning opportunities at work",
"People retention",
"Technology organizations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Technological advances have altered functional demands within technology organizations. Projections from the World Economic Forum (2016) indicate that five million job positions will disappear by 2020 because of changes generated by artificial intelligence, robotics and nanotechnology. Other positions will be transformed, generating changes in organizations and on-the-job demands.\n2. Perceived learning opportunities and behavioral intentions: There is contradictory evidence regarding the relation between perceived learning opportunities and employees' intentions to stay in the organizations. Although some studies showed a positive relation (Chiang et al., 2005; Chew and Chan, 2008; Rowden and Conine, 2005), other studies did not identify such relation (Newman et al., 2011; Steil et al., 2018).\n3. Perceived learning opportunities and retention: Studies in hotels, the public sector, universities and the steel production industry reveal a positive relation between training and personnel retention (Moncarz et al., 2009; Oliveira et al., 2012; Hong et al., 2012).\n4. Methods: 4.1 Target audience\n5. Results: The research sample was composed of 440 professionals who worked in technology organizations in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The average age of respondents was 29 years (S = 7.36). Most respondents had an undergraduate degree (45.23 per cent) or graduate degree (34.32 per cent). Finally, 68 per cent of the respondents were male, and 32 per cent of respondents were female.\n6. Discussion and perspectives: Perceived learning opportunities presented medium and significant positive correlations with intention to stay in the organization both for managers (0.514) and technicians (0.435). These results confirm H1 and indicate that the greater the perception of learning opportunities, the greater the intention to stay in the organization will be. These findings confirm results of earlier studies carried out in other countries and contexts (Chiang et al., 2005; Chew and Chan, 2008; Govaerts et al., 2011; Hong et al., 2012).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to identify the relation between perceived learning opportunities, behavioral intentions to voluntarily stay or leave technology organizations and employee retention within these organizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is a survey of 440 employees of a technology organization.\nFindings: Learning opportunities perceived by managers and technicians presented significant positive correlations with the intention to stay and significant negative correlations with the intention to leave the organization. No relation was identified between perceived learning opportunities and manager retention. Among technicians, the correlation between perceived learning opportunities and retention was near zero.\nPractical implications: If the organization wants to guarantee the intention of professionals to stay in the organization, the \"perceived learning opportunities\" indicator should have a similar level of importance as other objective indicators, such as performance and achievement.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to identify relations between perceived learning opportunities and behavioral intention to stay and leave of professionals that work in technology organizations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Learning to appreciate at-risk students: Challenging the beliefs and attitudes of teachers and administrators
|
[
"Students",
"Social capital",
"Teachers",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Acting in the role of field-based researchers, a university doctoral field study team consisting of doctoral students and their faculty advisor entered into a year-long field-based research partnership with a Midwestern rural school district to participate with administrators and teachers in the high school and middle school to improve instruction and programs for at-risk students. We refer to this school district as Centerville Unified School District, symbolizing its Midwestern rural nature. Examining issues of at-risk students in Centerville was important because the passing rate on state assessments of students with disabilities at Centerville High School (CHS) and Centerville Middle School (CMS) in 8th grade and 11th grade state academic assessments was well below the state average. The low state assessment scores caused administrators to define at-risk students as \"Those students who may prevent us from making AYP [annual yearly progress]\". For the purpose of this study, at-risk students are those who under-perform in state mandated academic assessments as well as school-related academic achievement.\nAt-risk students: Examining the issue of at-risk students in rural districts is important for several reasons:* a prevailing but unsubstantiated opinion exists that rural education is superior (Arnold et al., 2005);* the resources in rural areas are limited for support unless at-risk students fall under Title I or are non-English speaking (Hodges, 2004); and* the low level of aspirations of rural students for furthering their education may impact their achievement levels in an era of high-stakes accountability (Shouping, 2004).At-risk definitions tend to focus on either social factors or academic at-risk factors. Social factors are linked to demographic characteristics, and academic factors are linked to academic performance (Croninger and Lee, 2001). In general, the primary meaning of at risk as applied to school settings focuses on the concept of academic performance and, more specifically, academic failure (Barley et al., 2002; Morley and Rossman, 1998).Traditionally, secondary school students who have minority status or have origins in a low socio-economic environment have been more at risk to academically under achieve in American public schools than students from dissimilar backgrounds (Coleman, 1988; Rossi and Stringfield, 1996). Academic failure among students from these groups may be affected by an array of factors that comprise the broad categories of schooling, family, community, and the student (Castellano et al., 2002).A common focus among educators of at-risk students is the deficit nature of the at-risk student and/or the student's home environment as deficit based; many educators operate under the assumption that the at-risk student's problems are a result of cultural deprivation (Valencia and Black, 2002). This deficit view of at-risk students often leads to stereotyping and obfuscates the inherent strengths they bring to the educational process (Benard, 1997). Researchers, for example, label at-risk students as minorities, poor, and low achieving, and commonly apply deficit labels (Kerka, 2003). At-risk is a label that serves to distinguish one group of students from another and places undo attention on what is wrong with the student (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 2005). When school administrators and teachers view students labeled at risk, they attach at-risk characteristics to those students. In doing so, they neglect the student's assets (Schonert-Reichl, 2000).A competing perspective to the traditional deficit-based focus of research on at-risk children is found in emerging research that examines the assets and strengths of at-risk students, their home environment, and culture (Seita, 2004). Since the focus of all research is by nature heliotropic, that is, the direction of the inquiry results in the type of outcome, it is not surprising that much of at-risk student research yields problem-based results (Cooperrider, 1999). The field-based research team opted for a different line of inquiry. We believed that, by focusing on the assets of students, parents, teachers, and administrators through an appreciative inquiry (AI) theoretical research perspective, a pattern of positive core actions, attitudes, beliefs, and programs related to at-risk students could be identified and serve as the basis for replication and/or morphing those patterns into hybrid actions and programs. As a result, the purpose of this field-based research study was for the researchers to intervene as change agents using an AI process to facilitate the discovery of a positive core of experiences through the shared stories and experiences of teachers and administrators in working with at-risk students and in applying this positive core to the identification of a dream (vision) of how teachers and administrators can optimally work with at-risk students.\nLiterature Review: We begin our literature review with a description of our conceptual framework. We then describe our theoretical frameworks. We next define our methodology for searching and selecting related empirical research for review and synthesis. We conclude our literature review with a summary that highlights the integration of the conceptual framework with the theoretical framework and the themes we discovered in the review of the related empirical research.\nConceptual framework: Our conceptual framework centered on three core beliefs:1. healthy human beings have an inherent goodness;2. healthy human beings want to work together; and3. all parties to a social construct bring a set of positive core of experiences and assets that have a generative function and exponentially increase.These three core beliefs align with the theoretical frameworks we chose to guide this descriptive study - social capital and appreciative inquiry.The conceptual framework allowed us to focus on the facilitation of the discovery of shared stories of successful experiences in working with at-risk students and their parents. It aligns with Lewin's theory that involvement of the researcher and participants is required in the change process so that there is a collective understanding of the process of change as well as the change itself. Lewin's T-groups are an example of this process, and an outgrowth of this form of field-based research is AI (Coghlan and Jacobs, 2005). The conceptual framework aligns with our theoretical frameworks of social capital and AI as well as facilitating the identification of non-discussable issues (Calabrese et al., 2005).\nTheoretical frameworks: Social capital\nSearch criteria: The purpose of the literature review was to identify, summarize, and synthesize the related empirical research associated with our study. The questions that guided our search strategy are as follows:* How is social capital related to at-risk students?* What empirical research, using an AI theoretical research design, has been conducted with at-risk students?We sought answers to these questions in several databases. We chose ERIC FirstSearch because of its extensive collection of documents related to education, its easily accessible full text, and its link to other relevant databases. We selected ABIInform because of its indexed databases in business and nursing since the AI theoretical research perspective is used more frequently in these fields. In order for empirical research to be included in this literature review, we established that the research had to be published in a refereed journal and have an empirical research design related to primary keywords of at-risk students or social capital. We choose to narrow our search by selecting the following keywords: secondary schools, middle schools, teachers, and administrators.Our search provided evidence of the following:* limited empirical research focused on at-risk students in secondary schools (middle schools and high schools) when interfaced with social capital and/or AI;* an overwhelming focus of deficit-based research on at-risk students and teachers who work with at-risk students;* traditional approaches to educating at-risk students that generally involve alternative programs and have little efficacy in increasing educational outcomes for at-risk students; and* the potential for bridging capital to increase educational outcomes for at-risk students.Research indicates that at-risk students do best with teachers, programs, and facilities that foster a sense of belonging, set high standards, develop an asset-based approach, and employ effective courses. Moreover, researchers suggest that effective alternative settings are asset based, focus on a positive core of what can be done, and provide high levels of social capital (ERIC Development Team, 2003). It appears that successful intervention programs are strength based and recognize the learning capacity of at-risk students. These programs have high standards and raise at-risk students' aspirations to succeed in college (ERIC Development Team, 1998).An important characteristic in the success of the at-risk student is the role of the teacher. Highly effective teachers build social capital with at-risk students. These teachers envision themselves as nurturers who encourage students to succeed. They operate with an exhibited belief system that the student has the capability to succeed and demand that the student work at succeeding (Brophy, 1998). Teacher encouragement of at-risk students and connection at felt levels of care adds to existing social capital.The bonds of social capital extend beyond the classroom to the home, significant adults, and the creation of critical success events (Aronson, 2001). The growing body of research indicates the crucial importance of identifying and working with the positive core of strengths and experiences among teachers and their students, especially those considered at risk. Given this evidence, we believe that a strengths-based, asset-driven world view provided by an AI perspective can identify the positive core of experiences of administrators and teachers in their work with at-risk students and transform the teaching learning relationship between the teacher and the at-risk student. The next section describes the methodology we used to implement an AI-driven research design.\nMethodology: Our study was grounded in a social constructionist epistemology and filtered through the theoretical perspectives of social capital and AI. The use of an AI theoretical research perspective refers to our intent to identify the positive core of experiences that exists among Centerville administrators and teachers in working with at-risk students (Cooperrider and Srivastva, 1987). This perspective and its accompanying methodology are asset driven and strengths based, and allowed the research team to facilitate the discovery of the positive core among Centerville high school and middle school educators as a basis to create a vision (dream) for improving at-risk student achievement through instruction, programs, and resources.A qualitative, embedded case study design served to facilitate a process where participants recalled and described the positive core of actions, attitudes, beliefs, and experiences they had when working with at-risk students and their parents. Our research questions asked how administrators and teachers in Centerville High School and Middle School described their strengths and assets that contributed to the instructional needs of at-risk students, and how the administrators and teachers envisioned increasing achievement for at-risk students through instruction, programs, and resources.Units of analysis\nFindings: We report six findings - five linked to an AI theoretical perspective, and one focusing on the prevailing theory-of-action at Centerville High School and Centerville Middle School. We first report five AI-driven findings, and then the finding associated with the prevailing theory-of-action. As we report these findings, we use the name Dr Covalis and Mr Johnson to represent the voice of administrators and Clay, Ella, Mike, and Sharon to represent the voice of teachers. In some cases, we use the teacher's role where appropriate.Teachers as difference-makers\nDiscussion: An AI theoretical research perspective allowed us to identify a positive core of experiences among Centerville teachers and administrators when working with at-risk students. Using an AI theoretical research perspective did not settle into a Pollyanna space by neglecting what might be hindering Centerville administrators and teachers from responding more creatively to meeting the needs of at-risk students. Using AI created a safe setting that allowed the emergence of a set of findings that identified a discrepancy in the theory-of-action of Centerville administrators and teachers. On one hand, administrators and teachers working with at-risk students and their parents recalled a positive core of experiences. In the recollection and sharing of this set of positive experiences, teachers spoke emotionally, with deep passion about their commitment for at-risk students. A number of participants cried during the sharing of stories. On the other hand, when not sharing stories of positive experiences, administrators and teachers were highly prescriptive in their discourse-in-use and described at-risk students, their parents, and home environment with a problem-based pathology.We believe that the teachers and administrators in Centerville are well intentioned in their desire to improve the achievement scores of at-risk students. We also believe that the teachers and administrators are hampered in their attempts to improve the achievement scores because they are \"frozen\" in ways of thinking and responding to at-risk students. The greater the collective and collaborative action of teachers the more engrained are the patterns of behavior that reflect a \"Jungian\" shadow regarding deep seated beliefs toward at-risk students, their parents, and the home environment. At the heart of the teacher and administrator pattern of prescribing and problem-based discourse is an operational theory that marginalizes at-risk students. If it were not for accountability pressures brought about by federal and state legislation initiatives, the at-risk students in this district would continue to be managed through the schooling process.Substantial evidence exists to support our theory. As Cooperrider and Srivastva (1987) suggest, groups come together around a common set of beliefs and ideas that are communicated in their shared conversation. These groups, in this case teachers and administrators, operate on a Model I level of action where fundamental beliefs and values are not questioned (Argyris, 1999). At the level of operation is a logical positivist epistemology where teachers and administrators seek to discover a cause and effect relationship (Luechauer, 1999). In effect, it is easier to remain frozen and attribute blame to at-risk students, their parents, or home environments than it is to discover the assets that at-risk students bring to the school setting (Regelski, 2005). If teachers and administrators were to seek to change and to identify the assets that at-risk students brought to the school setting, they would then have to enter a reflective, internal discourse to question underlying assumptions, beliefs, and attitudes toward at-risk students.This study extends the research that uses an AI theoretical research perspective into the school setting. This application of an AI theoretical research perspective in the school setting provided teachers and administrators with a safe space to discuss their positive core of experiences. Out of this safe setting emerged a set of findings that spoke to a problem-based pathology grounded in the medical model. Using an AI theoretical research perspective creates a space where challenges that emerge are faced in a positive, optimistic fashion.Viewed from an AI perspective, a substantial amount of qualitative observation enabled the research team to identify strengths and assets of teachers from Centerville when working with at-risk students. Few research studies maintain a focus on the positive core of actions, attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of others when addressing the needs of at-risk students. Much work remains to further our understanding of AI and its incorporation into educational research efforts. For example, additional future studies might involve researchers and other practitioners in re-examining the basic attitudes, assumptions, and deficit thinking that exist toward at-risk students.\nConclusion: Frequently, the focus of research on at-risk students is framed within a deficit-based context. This study sought to move in a different direction by using an AI theoretical research perspective to discover the positive core of experiences and attitudes teachers and administrators hold regarding at-risk students. This research is significant because it contributes to emerging strengths-based research focused on students classified as at risk. Our research provides evidence that using an AI or strengths-based approach can be a basis for a new relationship between teachers and at-risk students and potentially have a positive affect on the at-risk students' academic performance. The research team concluded that a foundation of positive core experience exists from which to build on the espoused theory of caring professed by teachers and administrators. The study's results can further teachers' and administrators' understanding of their problem-based language that emphasizes the deficits of at-risk students and their parents.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the issue of at-risk students in a rural district in Midwestern USA.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This field-based research study used a qualitative embedded case study of a middle and high school informed by an appreciative inquiry theoretical research perspective to identify a positive core of teacher and administrator experiences related to at-risk students. At-risk students are those who under-perform in mandated academic assessments as well as school-related academic achievement. Social capital and appreciative inquiry served as theoretical perspectives. Focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and an online survey were the primary data-gathering methods.\nFindings: - Three findings illustrated the gap between present practice and the ideal state. The research team concluded that there was a foundation of positive core experiences from which to build on the espoused theory of caring professed by teachers and administrators.\nOriginality/value: - The study's results can further teachers' and administrators' understanding of their problem-based language that emphasizes the deficits of at-risk students and their parents.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The bottleneck dilemma at headquarters: new product development for local markets
|
[
"Product development",
"Knowledge transfer"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Multinational companies that want to internationally expand need to develop localized products for foreign host country markets, but accomplishing this depends on the company's accessibility to knowledge of those markets. Company headquarters must take this market knowledge and determine how to develop and market these localized products. However, roadblocks in headquarters often prevent or delay transferring knowledge to local markets. Home country headquarters must proactively and cooperatively transfer knowledge into host countries, but the organizational process of receiving local knowledge and developing localized products often gets bogged down with inefficient work methods or resistance to strategic change.\nDevelopment of localized product for emerging markets: Differences in distinct cultural contexts can complicate understanding how to transfer knowledge from multinational networks to other markets (Szulanski, 1996) when trying to take products and services originally developed for a home market and promote them in an overseas market (Hult et al., 2000). These limits are compounded as market diversity and global competition increase (Prahalad and Lieberthal, 1998). Armed with long-accumulated technological and managerial capabilities, multinationals from advanced economies fiercely compete in emerging markets, but they are finding competition tactics different from theirs, and their technologies are not the rare resources they thought they were. Standardized products, even those with high quality and innovative value, do not guarantee market success, and this has led to developing products for emerging markets' specific needs.\nIn-depth case study: To address our research question, we carried out an in-depth case study of a Japanese multinational. An in-depth study of a single case allows researchers to find unexplored observation by analyzing unusual and unique situation (Yin, 2003). We chose this company by using several criteria to select an appropriate case. First, the company needed to be in an advanced country and had to be engaged in overseas business for a long time. Second, the company's major products had to target advanced market customers. Third, the company had to have recently expanded their target markets to not only advanced countries but also emerging markets. Fourth, the company had to have started developing localized products for the emerging markets' distinct needs, which are different from the needs of advanced markets.\nFindings: Background of the Japanese company and its Project for Emerging Markets\nDiscussion: This study explores how a headquarters organization influences the localized product development process. Although prior research focuses on overseas unit local knowledge and organizational structures, few investigate how the organizational conditions at a headquarters influence the process of localized product development. Our findings indicate that the psychological resistance of headquarters members has a negative influence not only on activities of localized product development but also on knowledge transfer between overseas units and headquarters.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore the condition under which a multinational company's organizational headquarters influences its development of a localized overseas product.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Drawing on interviews with members at a Japanese multinational company's headquarters, the authors' analysis shows two invisible bottlenecks in the headquarters organization: the psychological resistance of the headquarters' engineers and a lack of communication channels between the headquarters and overseas units.\nFindings: The authors' analysis shows two invisible bottlenecks in the headquarters organization: the psychological resistance of the headquarters' engineers and a lack of communication channels between the headquarters and overseas units.\nOriginality/value: The authors' research provides a rare glimpse into the ways that the conditions of local knowledge and foreign subsidiaries and the organizational conditions of home country headquarters are intertwined with one another during a period of product development.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Informal employment in the poor European periphery
|
[
"Poverty",
"Welfare state",
"Informal employment",
"CEE countries",
"Social characteristics"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Informal employment constitutes a relevant and problematic phenomenon in European societies in general and in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) countries in particular (Renooy et al., 2004; Surdej and Slezak, 2009, European Commission, 2014; Williams, 2014). By evading both official statistical coverage and the payment of taxes and social security contributions, informal employment causes considerable harm to national economies. Its undermining of wage and price standards distorts competition and puts pressure on those market participants who comply with state regulations. The relatively large scale of informal employment in CEE countries is seen as an obstacle to substantial modernisation of the economy and society (Renooy, 2008).\nState of the art: In the debate on the development of welfare states, which is partly influenced by neoclassical economics, state regulation is seen as the main cause of the increase in informal employment. Informal activity is seen as the result of over-regulation and heavy state intervention in the economy through tax and social security systems. According to this argument, both workers and employers/contractors jointly create an \"informal economy\" with the main aim being to avoid paying taxes (Kirchgassner, 2011; Schneider and Enste, 2000). The authors who apply an institutionalist approach counter this assumption with the argument that the risk that work is organised in terms of informal employment is higher in weaker welfare states due to these welfare states having a low level of political regulation, trust and social security. This assumption is also supported by empirical studies (Kus, 2010; Renooy, 2008, Pfau-Effinger et al., 2009; Williams, 2013).\nThe theoretical and methodological framework of the study: Theoretical approach\nMain features of the Republic of Moldova: This section introduces the main features of the Republic of Moldova in the late 2000s when the LFS was conducted. Moldova is a South Eastern European post-socialist country, and a direct neighbour of the EU since Romania joined in 2007. The 2008 population was 3,792,142[3]. The World Bank classified Moldova as a low-income economy. In a cross-national comparison, the GNI per capita was comparatively low - at US$1,470, ranking 153rd out of 210 World Bank Atlas economies, lagging far behind other post-socialist countries from the region (the Russian Federation ranking 75th at US$9,620, Romania 81st at US$7,930, Belarus 98th at US$5,380, Ukraine 125th at US$3,210). The Moldovan economy depended heavily on agriculture and fishing, with the share of the agricultural sector in GDP in 2008 being 17.3per cent. The economy was strongly based on the income of emigrant workers, whose remittances represented nearly one-third of GDP (31 per cent) (The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation, 2009). Moldova received the largest flow of remittances in the region: contrasting with Romania (5.6 per cent), the Russian Federation (0.3 per cent), Ukraine (3.9 per cent) and Belarus (0.8 per cent) (National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova, 2009b). There was a significant imbalance between demand and supply of work in formal employment in that jobs in formal employment were relatively rare, particularly in rural areas.\nSize and structures of informal employment in Moldova: This section introduces the findings of the analysis of differences in size and structures between formal and informal employment in Moldova, on the basis of the LFS of the NBS of Moldova for the year 2008.\nComparison and explanation of differences in the social composition of formal and informal employment: Differences in the social characteristics of workers between formal and informal employment\nFactors explaining social differences between workers in formal and informal employment: These findings show that the combined weakness of the economy and the welfare state has led to a high proportion of informal employment in Moldova, covering about one-third of total employment and being particularly common in rural areas. It is mainly based on self-employment (68.4 per cent) and is likely to be dominated by the \"poverty escape\" type of informal employment (according to the typology of Pfau-Effinger, 2009), in which this is the workers' main source of income, and is connected with particularly high social risks for the workers, since informal employment is not connected with work-related rights to social security or employment protection.\nConclusion: The study shows that in informal employment, workers with a low level of education, young workers beginning their working lives, older workers in the last years of work and those who have already retired, as well as workers in rural areas are over-represented. It seems that a significant reason why these workers are more exposed to informal employment is the lack of alternatives in the labour market, and the poor provision of unemployment benefits and pensions, and that informal activity is more necessary than voluntary. These workers are engaged mainly in independent forms of informal employment such as undeclared self-employment or informal employment in the subsistence economy of rural households, for which the entrance barriers are particularly low.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: During the transition from socialist to post-socialist regimes, many Central and Eastern Europe societies have developed a broad sector of informal work. This development has caused substantial economic and social problems. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper aims to answer two questions regarding European countries with a relatively weak economy and welfare state: what are the differences in the social characteristics between workers in formal and informal employment? And how might they be explained? According to the main assumption, a key reason why people work in undeclared employment in such countries is that they are in particularly vulnerable positions in the labour market. This paper uses the example of Moldova. The empirical study is based on a unique survey data set from the National Statistical Office of Moldova covering formal and informal employment.\nFindings: The findings show that, in informal employment, workers in rural areas, workers with a low level of education, young workers and older workers - in the final years of their careers and after the age of retirement - are over-represented. It seems that a significant reason why these workers are often engaged in informal employment is the lack of alternatives in the labour market, particularly in rural areas, compounded by limited social benefits from unemployment benefits and pensions.\nOriginality/value: Research about social differences between workers in formal and informal employment in the countries of the European periphery is rare. This paper makes a new contribution to the theoretical debate and research regarding work in informal employment.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Intervention improves restaurant employees' food safety compliance rates
|
[
"Food safety",
"Training",
"Food service",
"Restaurants",
"Employees"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The restaurant industry will serve more than 130 million patrons each day during 2009. Over the course of the year 70 billion meals will be eaten outside the home (National Restaurant Association, 2009), with total annual sales of restaurants projected to exceed $566 billion (National Restaurant Association, 2008, 2009). Even meals eaten at home increasingly consist of foods ordered as restaurant take-out (Sloan, 2008).In the USA, food safety is a top public policy issue (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). The majority (59 percent) of reported food-borne illnesses in the USA are traced to foods prepared in restaurants (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). In fact, the three factors contributing most significantly to food-borne illnesses (time/temperature abuse, improper hygiene, and cross-contamination) are all related to food service employees' noncompliance with food safety guidelines (Food and Drug Administration, 2000, 2004). With over 13 million people employed in the US restaurant industry (National Restaurant Association, 2008), verifying that employees are following food safety guidelines is an enormous task. Research shows that food service establishments are not accomplishing this task (Food and Drug Administration, 2000, 2004).Effectiveness of food safety training\nMethods: Sample\nResults: Participants\nDiscussion: This study compared four treatments:1. ServSafe(r) food safety training;2. a TPB-based intervention designed to improve perceived control over performing food safety behaviors;3. a training/intervention combination; and4. a control.Intervention alone was as effective as training alone; however, combining food safety training with the intervention offered benefits over training alone.Behavioral compliance scores for use of thermometers and handling of work surfaces were higher when employees received the combined training/intervention compared to the control. For use of thermometers, the training/intervention group also performed better than the training group. For handling of work surfaces, the training group performed no better than the control. For hand washing and overall behavioral compliance, all three treatment groups scored higher than the control. For overall behavioral compliance, the training/intervention group also scored higher than the intervention group. In all cases, the intervention group had similar compliance scores to the training group.For perceived control over performing the behaviors, the training/intervention combination was beneficial over training alone for overall perceived control for food safety, and perceived control specifically related to hand washing and using thermometers. For hand washing, those receiving the intervention alone also perceived more control over barriers than the training group. However, inconsistent with hypotheses, there were no improvements in perceived control over barriers to proper handling of work surfaces when employees received the training/intervention combination compared to training alone. This is most likely due to fewer barriers being targeted in the intervention related to that behavior compared to the other behaviors. It is encouraging that the means for this behavior were in the predicted direction, even though they did not reach significance. In fact, the training/intervention group was the only one with positive perceived control over performing behaviors related to proper handling of work surfaces.The training/intervention combination was effective at improving employees' perceived control over and compliance with two of the three behaviors investigated. The training/intervention group exhibited better compliance with use of thermometers and handling of work surfaces, but compliance related to hand washing was similar in all three treatment groups. Possibly, the lack of expected results for hand washing compliance may be explained by the presence of hand washing signs in the restaurants prior to the implementation of our intervention, indicating managers were already attempting to increase food service employees' hand washing behaviors with signs posted near hand washing stations as required by the Food Code. While our intervention involved posting bright new signs, it is possible that the novelty of the idea had already diminished among the employees.Implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to evaluate the relative effectiveness of four-hour ServSafe(r) food safety training, a theory-based intervention targeting food service employees' perceived barriers to implementing food safety practices, and a combination of the two treatments. Dependent measures include behavioral compliance with and perceptions of control over performing hand washing, use of thermometers, and handling of work surfaces.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Four groups are compared: employees receiving only ServSafe(r) training, intervention alone, training and intervention, and no treatment. Employees complete a questionnaire assessing perceived barriers to practicing the targeted behaviors. Then, employees are observed in the production area for behavioral compliance.\nFindings: - Training or intervention alone is better than no treatment, but the training/intervention combination is most effective at improving employees' compliance with and perceptions of control over performing the behaviors.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Research is limited to restaurant employees in three states within the USA, in only 31 of the 1,298 restaurants originally contacted. Future research should identify barriers of other types of food service employees and evaluate the effectiveness of these and other intervention strategies.\nPractical implications: - ServSafe(r) training can be enhanced with a simple intervention targeting food service employees' perceived barriers to food safety. Providing knowledge and addressing barriers are both important steps to improving food safety in restaurants.\nOriginality/value: - No previous research has used the theory of planned behavior to develop an intervention targeting food service employees' perceived barriers to implementing food safety practices. Research also has not attempted to improve the effectiveness of ServSafe(r) food safety training by adding an intervention.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
An integrated framework for continuous improvement on user satisfaction of information systems
|
[
"User studies",
"Information systems",
"Prototypes"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Users are the central part of information systems, so it is of great importance to deal with the problems the users have while they are using the system. Not only because of the unhappiness of the users, but also the undesirable loss of business. To enterprise information systems, user population is mainly composed of staff workers and management workers. The usability and efficiency of the information system are among the determinant factors of the productivity of the employees, which implies loss of business to the corporate (Compaq, 1999). At this internet era, corporate would also have external information systems to provide other corporate or individual customers with support, services, and online business transactions. Despite the differences in the functions of these internal and external information systems, the usability and design of the external ones also have great impact on the users, especially in the aspects of the patronage and business (Cao et al., 2005; Kuo et al., 2004).To deal with the aforementioned problems, theories and models have been proposed, such as technology acceptance model (TAM), and SERVQUAL, among others (see Cao et al., 2005; Hsu et al., 2004 for more discussion on models of this genre). They rely on subjective measures of the users in question and have been successfully applied in many cases. However, since the information systems play multiple roles, the user base of these systems is more diverse than that of other systems. In addition, it is not easy to reach \"key users\" to have them participate in the development and evaluation of the system (Yang and Tang, 2005).To complement the subjective methods mentioned before, this research proposed a framework that serves multiple purposes in the product development lifecycle. The first purpose is integration. The framework uses a formal modeling method to build the user interface. Such formal modeling method can be served as the basis for prototyping, implementation, and evaluation. The second purpose is, when adopted in the development phase, the framework can be used to provide preliminary evaluation data automatically, as well as be used to gather usage data of the system for further evaluation. The third purpose is, when the system in question is not modifiable in the program source code level or in any reasonable level, the framework can be used to capture usage data for further evaluation. The cases in which the systems are not modifiable are becoming very common in these days, since there are more and more package off-the-shelf systems to be chosen from. How do you evaluate this kind of systems conveniently when there is no way to inject any code into the logics of them? This research provided a framework to tackle this problem.The research flow of this research is as follows. The first step is the identification of the problems. The problems this research dealt with are:* How could the evaluation be integrated with the development lifecycle to save time and resource?* How could one carry out the evaluation of the systems that are not modifiable whatsoever?To solve these problems, literatures on information systems, evaluation methods, and usability were reviewed and served as the foundation of the framework being developed in this research. In addition to pointing out the practical implications of the framework, the ongoing part of this research includes a tool that can capture usage data of the systems that are not modifiable. The progress of this tool will be reported shortly in the end of this paper.Please note that the framework proposed in this research is not to replace the involvement of actual users, nor to replace the subjective methods mentioned before. This framework is a complement to these methods, providing a measurement for preliminary evaluation, as well as a convenient way to gather usage data for further evaluation purposes. The goal is to find out the usability problems as early and as convenient as possible. So, it also involves users, but only a few degree for the sake of saving time and resource. To the full extend of ensuring usability and user satisfaction, the framework should entail traditional usability methods, not replace them.\nBackground: Usability\nIntegrated prototyping and evaluation: In the tight schedule of the development of information systems, keeping up with the ever-changing needs of the users is a hard job. To cope with such problem, prototyping is a widely adopted technique in managing the development process. Although prototyping serves different goals and has many types (Lichter et al., 1994), current integrated development environments (IDE), such as Microsoft Visual C++ or Borland C++ Builder, only support top-down visual user interface construction. Such approach of prototyping is less specific and error-prone (Horrocks, 1999). Previous studies also reveal that while the prototyping method saved costs and produced easier-to-use products, the specifying method produced a more coherent and easier-to-evolve design (Boehm et al., 1984). Another problem is with the evaluation of the user interface. As mentioned in previous sections, user interface is very important to the success of information systems. However, none of major IDE players have evaluation features in their user interface construction environments.Architecture for integrated prototyping and evaluation\nUse case: The framework proposed in this research consists of an integrated prototyping and evaluation method and an evaluation technique for generic applications, where the classical GOMS approach is improved using reuse principle. The multiple functions of such framework provide benefits for different roles involved in the development of an information system. Shown in Figure 7 is a use case diagram of the proposed framework. For project managers, the integrated approach not only provides a means to divide development tasks, but also an efficient way to perform motion and time analysis of the operations of information systems. To those information systems that are procured or outsourced, the technique for evaluating generic applications is an invaluable tool for choosing the most efficient one from the purchasing candidates. For user interface engineers, the integrated approach is a convenient vehicle to conduct GOMS analysis during the course of the development of an information system. Other methods, such as model comparison method proposed in this research or formal methods mentions in literatures, also give user interface engineers a great deal of time saving. For general users, the proposed framework provides a coherent and conscious way to user interface design, evaluation, and continuous improvement. This is a very important aspect of any information system, because for ordinary users, the user interface is the system.\nPractical implications: For the development of information systems\nConclusion and future works: Information systems are one of the most important infrastructures for modern enterprises. Either used by internal staff or by external customers, usability is a determinant factor of the success, perception, and the acceptance of an information system. However, it is not easy to conduct usability analysis. Lifecycles and evaluation models have been proposed, but they are still lacking in integration. In this research, an integrated framework for prototyping and evaluation is proposed. By modeling the user interface layer with statechart and assign GOMS operations within the model, conducting GOMS analysis would be easier than the traditional pure GOMS method. Other formal checking methods and analytical approaches are possible with the structured data gathered with the model. This research also proposed a new method to compare user's model and system model.In addition, the proposed method of applying GOMS evaluation to generic applications to which modifications are not permissible is also of practical value. Without modification to the application, collection of timing and operation data has to be done manually, which is time consuming and error prone. The proposed method not only provide a architecture for capturing structured timing and operation data without changing and effecting the application in question, but also an efficient way to apply GOMS analysis due to the reuse of GOMS operators.The framework has implications for users, engineers, and managers with respect to user experience, satisfaction, user interface design and evaluation, development management, and procurement of information systems. Its academic contributions lie in the simplification of the process of conducting the well-known GOMS model and the integration of the said method into the development process. The emphasis of reuse of GOMS operators also paves a smooth way for the evaluation of generic applications.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The primary purpose of this paper is to present an integrated framework for user interface prototyping and evaluation for the development of information systems and to present architecture for evaluating generic applications.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The framework is constructed through combining two distinctive methods of prototyping and evaluation, statechart and goals, operators, methods, and selection rules. Relevant methods and architectures of the integrated framework are presented in unified modeling language when possible.\nFindings: - The importance of the usability of information systems is highlighted in this research. However, it still lacks an integrated framework for information system development and usability evaluation. This paper provides a framework that evaluation method is intertwined with user interface prototyping to shorten the time of development lifecycle. The architecture for evaluating generic applications is also invaluable for motion and time study and the procurement of vender-provided systems.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The user base of information systems is diverse and the requirements of these systems change over time. This paper provides a framework that helps managers and engineers smooth and shorten the development phases. For future works, an object-oriented programming framework and a tool for evaluating generic applications will be developed.\nOriginality/value: - This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for combining prototyping and evaluation, as well as architecture for the evaluation of generic applications. It shortens the development phases by using formal modeling for user interface construction and evaluation. It also provides means to evaluate candidate systems whose program logics cannot be accessed and modified. It also complements the models used in the framework by extending their practical and academic values.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The lead-lag relationship between US industry-level credit and stock markets
|
[
"Granger causality",
"Arbitrage",
"Credit default swap",
"Wavelet squared coherence"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The casual nexuses between stock and credit markets have multilateral dimensions. Greater interest in examining the relationship between stock markets and credit default swap (CDS) spreads emerged as an important albeit a complex area of research, and gained prominence especially at the onset and following the global financial crises of 2007-2008 (Narayan, 2015) which clearly showed that the positive views of CDSs contribution in creating a resilient and efficient financial sector cannot be further from the truth[1]. Notably, during the financial crises, the sovereign and corporate CDS spreads widened to unprecedented levels, putting financial industry and the countries with pessimistic macroeconomic outlooks and serious fiscal imbalances under intense pressure and risk of default (Subrahmanyam et al., 2014).\n2. A brief literature survey: Longstaff et al. (2005) analyze the CDS market's lead-lag relationship with corporate bond spreads and stock returns of US firms. Although they find that CDS and stock markets lead the bond market, the lead-lag relationship between CDS and stock markets was not clear. Norden and Weber (2004) investigate the European CDS markets and note a negative correlation between CDS spread change and stock returns; and suggest that stock returns lead CDS spread changes.\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Toda and Yamamoto's (1995) Granger non-causality test\n4. Data and findings: The study examines the co-movement and causality in time and frequency domain between CDS and equity markets of the USA using industrial indices. The industries include banking, financial, telecommunication, healthcare, oil and gas, materials, consumer goods, utilities, industrial, consumer services and technology. The daily data are extracted from DataSteam International (Thomson Financial) for the period December 14, 2007 to December 31, 2014 because the industry-level CDS indices were launched by DataSteam in December 2007. The time period is recent and sufficiently large enough to conduct empirical analysis to examine the lead-lag relationship between the markets. The sample also covers the impact of various international events.\n5. Conclusion: This study analyzes the lead-lag relationship between US CDS and equity industries. The co-movement between the two markets is examined through wavelet coherence approach, a promising method for an in-depth examination of the instantaneous interactive relationship between the time series. This method is of particular importance when the short- and long-term investment horizons are jointly considered (Madaleno and Pinho, 2010). The daily data of 11 industrial indices are used from December 14, 2007 to December 31, 2014. The Toda-Yamamoto non-causality approach is used to examine the causality relationship between industry-level CDS spread and stock prices. However, the non-linearities and parametric instability provide necessary grounds to analyze the dependence and causality of CDS markets vis-a-vis stock markets in a time and frequency space using WTC approach.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the arbitrage opportunities between US industry-level credit and stock markets with a focus on dynamic lead-lag relationships given that these markets involve heterogeneous agents operating over various time horizons.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors use daily data of 11 US industries stock markets and their credit counterparts to model the dynamic dependence and casual nexuses using time-frequency approach, namely, wavelet squared coherence (WTC).\nFindings: The WTC estimation results show that credit and stock markets are out of phase (counter cyclical) and stock markets lead their credit counterparts. The coherence between two markets increases during financial crises. The banks (utilities) industry credit and stock markets have relatively high (low) dependence.\nResearch limitations/implications: The casual nexuses between stock and credit markets have multilateral dimensions. Greater interest in examining the relationship between stock markets and credit default swap (CDS) spreads emerged as an important albeit a complex area of research, and gained prominence especially at the onset and following the global financial crises of 2007-2008 which clearly showed that the positive views of CDSs contribution in creating a resilient and efficient financial sector was nothing further from the truth.\nPractical implications: The arbitrage and hedging opportunities between stock and credit markets are industry dependent and vary over investment time horizons. The utilities industry seems attractive for the investment with the objective to exploit arbitrage, but not for hedging.\nOriginality/value: The paper, for the first time, employs time-frequency approach to assess the arbitrage opportunities between US industry-level credit and stock markets.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Using systems dynamics to evaluate the tradeoff among supply chain aggregate production planning policies
|
[
"Supply chain management",
"System dynamics",
"Simulation",
"Operations planning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Firms' trend to compete alone has changed to a supply chain (SC)-based form of competition. According to the Council of SC Management Professionals' definition, the SC is the flow of information and materials in logistics processes, ranging from acquiring raw materials to the delivery of finished goods to end customers. All suppliers of materials and services, and customers, are links in the SC (CSCMP, 2010). In this way, each firm is included in one or several SCs, formed by the relationships maintained with their suppliers, distributors and clients, among others, which boost their capacities and condition their performance, and are the agents with which the SC exchanges information and materials to properly conduct business activities. To obtain competitive advantages, firms must constantly learn, analyse and improve the chain into which they are integrated. With this in mind, the SC management concept emerges, which refers to strategic vision and collaboration in carrying out activities and processes in an SC to achieve adequate performance, to meet set objectives and to constantly improve to cover customers' needs. SCs can have different levels of complexity, structures, ways to share information, specific strategies, among many other factors, which make them different. Thus studies that provide an understanding of their performance and improve their management are required.\n2. Literature review: Works relating to planning in the SC context started to appear in the 1990s, given the market and business trends governed by globalisation and the collaboration agreements reached among strategic partners. Some works cover strategic planning, mid-term planning (APP), the MPS and devising short-term programmes such as the MRP, as well as programmes to control the activities and operations performed in the plant.\n3. Model formulation and validation: APP establishes overall resources requirements and the amounts of products to be produced, which are grouped into product families (a small number of categories) in a mid-term horizon. The main objective is to assign demand to various planning periods by using different alternatives to adjust production capacity, and to also define production rates, levels of own manpower, inventory levels, backlogged orders and outsourced units, by considering the consequences of the costs entailed. Each SC may count on not only several ways to vary its capacity availability, but also on restrictions or action rules that render the use of one alternative or another impossible. In addition, administrative policies relating to inventory levels, labour relations, flexibility costs (variation in productive capacity), production levels, customer service, etc., must be taken into account: the main interchanges to be considered are service levels (backlogged orders and lost sales), inventory levels, manpower stability and costs (Pan and Kleiner, 1995).\n4. Assessing the results: The simulation results for the five scenarios are as follows:\n5. Discussion: Based on the results obtained, some recommendations and action strategies are proposed to perform APP in a manpower intensive SC. It is important to point out that these recommendations were obtained by using an exemplified SC and the numerical examples analysed. Thus it is advisable to not generalise these results as they can vary in accordance with each SC's specifications. In order to verify the effectiveness of the following recommendations, it is necessary to conduct the largest number of studies possible on SCs with different structures and costs, and with a larger number of links and specific restrictions. The model obtained may be employed as a reference for its representation, modelling and simulation. In this sense, it is important to highlight that the choice of a particular production structure might affect its APP policy recommendation. Therefore in other settings, other conclusions can be expected. For instance, it is possible that these findings have no relevance in a service setting or in an automated party and, hence, a non-workforce-dependent chain. Moreover, collaborative SC settings, such as electronic point of sales or vendor-managed inventories (Disney et al., 2004), have been proved to reduce demand variability, which minimises total costs (flexible costs lower) and improves service levels. Other factors, such as quality, expertise, motivation and rework, have also been excluded from the model.\n6. Conclusions: This paper has developed a modelling approach for APP in a manpower intensive SC by applying system dynamics. It includes a simulation model, the analysis of several scenarios, the impact on performance caused by variability events in the parameters, and some recommendations and action strategies to be subsequently applied.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore different aggregate production planning (APP) strategies (inventory levelling, validation of the workforce and flexible production alternatives: overtime and/or outsourcing) by using a system dynamics model in a two-level, multi-product, multi-period manpower intensive supply chain (SC). Therefore, the appropriateness of using systems dynamics as a research method, by focusing on managerial applications, to analyse APP policies is proven. From the combination of systems dynamics and APP, recommendations and action strategies are considered for each scenario to understand how the system performs and to improve decision making on APP in the SC context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research design analyses a typical factory setting with representative parameter settings for five different conventional APP policies - inventory levelling, workforce variation, overtime, outsourcing and a combination of overtime and outsourcing - through deterministic systems dynamics-based simulation. In order to validate the simulation model, the results from published APP models were replicated. Then, optimisation is conducted for this deterministic setting to determine the performance of all these typical policies with optimal parameter settings. Next, a Monte Carlo stochastic simulation is used to assess the robustness of such performances in a variety of demand settings. Different aggregate plans are tested and the effect that events like demand variability and production times have on the SC performance results is analysed.\nFindings: The results support the assertion that the greater the demand variability, the higher the flexibility costs (overtime, outsourcing, inventory levelling, and contracts and firings). As greater inter-month oscillations appear, which must be covered with additional alternatives, the optimum number of employees must be determined by analysing the interchanges and marginal costs between capacity oversizing costs (wages, idle time, storage) and the costs to undersize it (penalties for lowering safety stocks, delayed demand, greater use of overtime and outsourcing). Accordingly, controlling the times to avoid increased costs and penalties incurred by delayed demand becomes an essential important task, but one that also depends on the characteristics of this variability.\nPractical implications: This paper has developed a modelling approach for APP in a manpower intensive SC by applying system dynamics. It includes a simulation model, the analysis of several scenarios, the impact on performance caused by variability events in the parameters, and some recommendations and action strategies to be subsequently applied. The modelling methodology proposed can be employed to design-specific models for each SC.\nOriginality/value: This paper proposes an APP system dynamics approach in a two-level, multi-product, multi-period manpower intensive SC for the first time. This model bridges the gap in the literature relating to simulation, specifically system dynamics and its application for APP. The paper also provides a qualitative description of the various pros and cons of each analysed policy and how they can be combined.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Resisting global universalistic practices: the endurance of culture and particularism in African HRM
|
[
"Culture",
"Globalisation",
"HR practices",
"Sub-Saharan Africa",
"Universalistic perspectives"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: It is well documented that African human resource management (HRM) is a generally under-researched practice (Ngongalah et al., 2018; Abdul-Kahar and Sulaiman, 2017; Kamoche et al., 2012). This makes the evaluation of African HRM practices very difficult owing to this deficiency of literature and to the sociocultural and political intricacies (Mamman et al., 2018; Iguisi, 2014). Across the African continent, HRM practices differ from one another but keep some general trends that centre on issues that run through the field of HRM (Kamoche et al., 2012).The last two decades have witnessed many countries transforming their economies into substantial contributors to the globalising economy. African countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc. have not been exempt. Their economies are characterised by several key factors, a central one being the evolution of the industrial relations systems and their institutional arrangements towards more global structures. An important issue which organisational discourses address is that of the efficacy of HR practices, both in terms of the democratisation process and the benefits, and hence competitive advantages wherein companies might gain (Hack-Polay and Siwale, 2018).The initiation, development or even further adaptation of HR practices in sub-Saharan Africa are immensely affected by the internal and external environment (Kamoche et al., 2012). These initiatives are further challenged by the cultural and historical imperatives that moulded modern African HRM. In addition, the imported cultural norms that are rooted in the Anglo-Saxon and European traditions are shaping, thus affecting the HR practices for the sake of globalisation of economic freedom (Briscoe et al., 2012; Reilly and Williams, 2016; Gamble, 2003). For instance, the shift from dictatorship towards democratic political structures are also influencing the HR practices even at the organisational level. In fact, the democratisation in the economic sphere and human resource processes are closely linked to each other (Vredenburgh and Brender, 1993). Universalistic models of HRM have long democratic traditions and well-established legislative provisions. The impact of these models on African economies has not been subject of extensive research (Hack-Polay, 2018; Kamoche et al., 2012; Kamoche, 2011).The transformation of sub-Saharan Africa in terms of political and economic reforms is dramatic and follows an intricate change. This is contingent upon the capability of its economy to endure and magnify economic growth (Lundvall and Lema, 2015; Hack-Polay and Siwale, 2018; Ayittey, 1992). Although there are many elements that contribute to the transformation of the African organisational realities, human resources play significant role towards this profound change (Mamman et al., 2018; Iguisi, 2014). While there is an increasing amount of research, these works are confronted with the massive problem of dependency on the state, the legacy of the colonial era and the associated inheritance of conflict between federal, state and local government, the persistence of corruption and several decades of military dictatorship (Hack-Polay, 2018; Ayittey, 1992). Considering the rapid transformation based on economic dynamics and globalisations, there are persuasive reasons to study the degree to which African HRM keeps abreast with these dynamics (Veeran, 2012; Onodugo, 2012; Budhwar and Debrah, 2010). Thus, the main research questions of this research focus on the following: to what extent do sub-Saharan African human resource managers face cultural and political dilemmas in their daily practice? To what extent are there attempts to counter particularistic practices deemed opposed to universalistic practices?\nLiterature review: Perspectives on African HRM\nMethod: The paper is based on data gathered via a survey among HR managers involved with current sub-Saharan HRM practices (Table I). The managers were from various organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The data were collected at HR Expo Africa in Lagos. HR Expo Africa is a broad HRM platform that attracts a wide spectrum of HR practitioners and other professionals from the private, public and third sector areas across African countries to its vibrant and exciting hub of ideas yearly. It shapes the conversation of human capital development and organisational performance with specific focus on new trends and dynamics. The overall objective is to bring to light meaningful ideas and the greatest transformation potentials to encourage sustainable people management and productivity initiatives in the workplace. The conference attracts in excess of 250 delegates (mainly HR practitioners), and facilitators/speakers are invited from across the globe.The questionnaires were distributed to the participants by the conference organisers and formed part of the feedback documentation of four purposely selected sessions which totalled 100 participants. We purposely selected those sessions for ease of access to participants because one of the authors was a speaker or master class facilitator at each of the four selected sessions. At the end of those selected sessions, the participants were invited to complete the anonymous questionnaires which were gathered by the conference organisers and submitted. One hundred questionnaires were returned but the researchers excluded those with less than five years' experience so as to see a pattern of managers' engagement with cultural and political influence in the workplace. This process enabled the research team to retain 64 completed questionnaires that met the length of service criterion.SPSS was used to analyse the data (Table II). We used Cronbach's alpha to test for reliability, and the result 0.957 is greater than the standard 0.70. We used principal component analysis for communalities, and all values were from 0.714 to 0.910. A one-way ANOVA was also completed. The significant values were under 0.05; thus, the mean values had statistically significant differences. To establish model fit, the research used R-squared (mean value 0.884), RMSE (mean value 0. 289), MAPE (mean value 2.484), MaxAPE (mean value 43.391), MAE (Mean value 0.086) and MaxAE (mean value 1.436). We used mainly descriptive statistics so as to present the data in a concise and simple way that is intelligible and useful to practitioners. A further article will deploy more complex statistics for a deeper analysis of the results.\nResults: The descriptive statistics (Table III) of the findings show that collectivism is a key determinant of any participation structure. Though collective bargaining is the most common means of participation in developing economies, there are new scenarios that are surfacing. An important conclusion of the paper is that the cultural characteristics of collectivism and paternalism show prominence in the workplace.Individualism, in contrast, is hardly shown in the behaviour of employees. Our research has revealed that employees strive to maintain cohesion with their work groups. The recent changes operated in the Trade Unions Act 2005 that annulled the automatic check-off system is an interesting illustration. No records exist for individuals who have ceased to be financial members of trade unions in the workplace though they consider themselves non-members. Even when employees were required to contract out during the era of automatic check-off system, there was also no record of employees contracting out of trade union membership.Enduring particularistic practices in African HRM\nDiscussion and conclusion: Discussion\nConclusion: The findings demonstrate that despite globalisation, several critical aspects of African HRM remain close to and intertwined with culture and tradition. Recruitment and selection and approaches to collective bargaining are particularistic as they depart from the so-called universalistic or global practices. Sub-Saharan African human resource managers are faced with dilemma in their attempt to navigate simultaneously global and local perspectives. In spite of the charge that African organisations have high levels of corruption and favouritism, human resource managers have a positive view of some cultural practices that are vilified by the outside world. The HR managers believe that there could be some congruence between some of the local practices, for instance the hiring of relatives or locals, and contemporary human resource strategies. Some practices support the fulfilment of the organisations' social responsibilities; at the same time, they can enhance competitive advantage. The findings of the study provide support for the argument that if HRM practices are close to traditional values, they can form part of the African organisations' dynamic capabilities, provided HRM weeds out the toxic particularistic practices and strives to integrate value-adding, community-enhancing and capacity-building practices from outside.Limitation of the research and future perspectives\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This article empirically assesses the extent to which factors rooted in the cultural and institutional framework in sub-Saharan African organisational contexts challenge and resist the penetration of global practices and how these dynamics impact on human resource management (HRM). This article examines whether universalistic perspectives are significant for African HRM. The article discusses the tensions between the contributions derived from local and historical factors and that of other environmental agents to African HRM practice.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study is based on a survey among 100 practising African HRM executives representing significant organisations in sub-Saharan Africa.\nFindings: The main findings established that in spite of westernisation and globalising trends in learning and development in Africa, human resource practices are still profoundly embedded in the African cultural fabric. Significant elements of cultures in sub-Saharan Africa pervade organisational processes; such aspects include collectivism and paternalism, which persistently resist change. The article, however, concludes that the resisting parts of sub-Saharan African cultures which are viewed as counterproductive can have positive resonance if constructively deployed.\nOriginality/value: This article contributes to African HRM literature, a significantly under-researched field. The paper provides an opportunity for African HR managers to be more pragmatic in identifying the contextual issues and aspects of African culture that could be value-adding in a fast-changing managerial field. The findings demonstrate that human resource strategies and policies have specific cultural orientations and reflect the societal predispositions of a particular collectivity; this epitomizes the intertwining of cultural paradigms, political spheres and organisational life in sub-Saharan Africa.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Service innovation, corporate reputation and word-of-mouth in the banking sector: A test on multigroup-moderated mediation effect
|
[
"Service innovation",
"Word-of-mouth",
"Corporate reputation",
"Banking industry",
"Multigroup moderation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The concept of innovation was first discussed by Schumpeter (1934) in his economic development literatures and defined as \"The introduction of new goods, new methods of production, the opening of new markets, the conquest of new sources of supply and the carrying out of a new organization of any industry.\"\n2. Review of literature: A detailed review is done relating the three constructs, namely, service innovation, CR and WOM in this section. The review establishes or clarifies the direct effect of service innovation on WOM, the effects of service innovation on CR as a mediating construct, and the effect of CR on WOM. The study further reviewed the mediating role of CR.\n3. Proposed service innovation, corporate reputation and word-of-mouth (SI-CR-WOM) model: Based on the detailed literature review, the test on direct effect, mediation effect and the multigroup-moderated mediation effect is done through path analysis. The respective path is framed as a structural model (Figures 1 and 2) and tested through the PLS-SEM software tool. Since the typologies measuring service innovation are reflective and formative, the two-stage approach is followed.\n4. Indian banking industry: To understand the market size in India, the Indian banking system in total has 21 private banks such as ICICI, HDFC, Axis, etc., and 27 public sector banks such as Indian Bank, State Bank of India, etc. In total, there are 49 foreign banks such as Bank of America, Barclays bank, DBS bank, etc. In addition, there are 56 regional, 1,562 urban cooperative and 94,384 rural cooperative banks (IBEF Report, 2018). It is also to be noted that India's credit market has increased from $181bn in 2014 to $281bn in 2017. Due to the inflation levels, high competition and more demand from customers, banks are bound to give attractive interest rates to protect their franchisees.\n5. Methodology: 5.1 Research approach\n6. Demographic profile: The sociodemographic details of the customer who responded to CFA analysis with respect to the banking industry are shown in Table I. The summary is as stated of the 252 survey respondents among which 68.3 percent were male respondents and the remaining 31.7 percent were female. The age of the respondents indicates that 82.5 percent (208 respondents) belong to the age group 21 years-35 years, 8.4 percent (21 respondents) are between 36 years and 50 years, and 5.9 percent (15 respondents) are less than 20 years. Of the total sample, 48.4 percent (122 customers) have their postgraduate level of higher education like MTech, MBA and MCom and 44.4 percent (112 customers) have done their undergraduate program like BTech, BBA and BCom, and the remaining 3.9 percent (10 customers) have undergone other programs of study.\n7. Path estimation: SI-CR-WOM: The model testing was done based on the \"two-stage approach\" proposed by Ringle et al. (2012) and Hair et al. (2014). The proposed model is named as SI-CR-WOM-B (where SI - service innovation, CR - CR, WOM - word-of-mouth and B - banking industry).\n8. Discussions: From the result, it could be understood that banks introduce new concepts or bring modifications in the process of service delivery or implement changes within the organization or initiate new strategic decisions for further marketing; the envisaged new service would have a significant direct effect on WOM. It implies that the customers tend to talk about the bank during their social interaction with their friends and relatives, thereby ensuring that the bank can rope in new customers while retaining the existing customers. Further, the findings of the study emphasize that when banks introduce new services, which are attractive and can convince the customer, then they help the bank in attaining competitive advantage, thereby over a period of time, helping in gaining reputation in the market. The acceptance of H3 signifies that the customers of the reputable banks suggest their friends or relatives to open a new account/enjoy a new service introduced in their banks. The effect of service innovation and CR together on positive WOM indicates that when a bank brings in innovation, it helps to generate positive WOM and when these innovations are from reputable banks, then the impact on WOM is comparatively higher. Managers needs to note from the results that innovation in services frequently helps them to be reputable, and the gained reputation would motivate the customers to suggest the service innovation to their relatives and friends. Banks can also adopt the open innovation concept by sharing technological/non-technological solutions from service providers of the same/other industry. This still helps the bank to sustain in the market, thus preventing them on reaching the bottom line where either financial or nonfinancial performance gets affected.\n9. Implications and future scope: Based on the predictive validity results, service providers need to focus on integrating service innovation and CR that improves and enhances positive WOM among customers resulting in long-term performances such as profitability and strategic advantage (Howell, 2005). The results also highlight that the combined effect is much higher than that of the direct effect which means reputable firms need to innovate in order to sustain in the market and vice versa. The result indicates to the managers of the Indian banking sector that they need to frequently bring innovation across typologies like personal banking, retail banking, e-banking, corporate banking, rural banking, investment banking, and NRI banking which were some of the innovative concepts introduced for individual and business customers. Some of the innovative processes of service delivery were any-branch banking, MICROFINANCE, total branch automation, plastic money, mobile banking, etc. There are innovative electronic systems used by the bank to deliver the service comparatively better where the use of ATM machines and the RTGS facility were radical in the banking history. The organization innovation like revamping the infrastructure at the bank's branch level, having financial experts for suggesting customers in choosing their investment plans, providing a pleasant environment, and installing a token system for queuing the customers have attracted customers toward the service delivery place. The strategic innovations like collaboration with educational institutions, builders and real-estate firms, and transport motor dealers helped the customers to get easy loan facilities; similarly, involvement in CSR activities through rural bank branches made the banks to move toward the customer for services. Service innovation in the banking industry also depends on how the banks involve in marketing innovations like lowering the service cost, effective distribution through branches, providing a response to the customer in a creative way, and involvement in promotional activities (Auka and Jacob, 2014).\n10. Conclusions: The finding helps to understand that when a bank brings service innovation frequently, it directly has an effect on their reputation and enhances WOM positively among customers. The direct effect of CR on WOM signifies that reputable banks get positive WOM. That is, the customer tends to talk positively about their reputable banks frequently to their friends and relatives. The mediation analysis result concludes that CR partially mediated the direct relationship between service innovation and WOM. That is, though the bank is new to the market, if they bring attractive and pleasing service innovation, the customer advocates positively to their social surroundings. Finally, the moderated mediation effect analysis indicates that there is an occurrence of multigroup-moderated mediation effect. It can be concluded that the level of the mediation effect of CR depends on the type of the bank from which the innovation comes. Public banks need to be reputable in the market to gain a positive WOM; on the other hand, in private banks the need of reputation is minimal.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish the link between three constructs, namely, service innovation, corporate reputation (CR), and word-of-mouth (hereinafter WOM). Primarily, the aim is to understand whether innovation in a service firm drives its reputation, thereby resulting in positive WOM where the direct effect of service innovation of a firm on WOM is mediated by reputation. Furthermore, the study also seeks to understand whether the type of service firm has an effect on determining the level of the mediation effect.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study adopts an integrated approach where the measure for the construct service innovation is explored through a qualitative approach, and the conceptual model is estimated through path analysis. The service industry taken for this study is banking, and the through non-probability criterion sampling technique, 252 customers responded to their level of agreement. The PLS-SEM technique was used to estimate the path coefficient by following the two-stage approach. The multigroup moderation analysis is performed to determine whether the type of the bank plays a major role in determining the direct effects and the mediation effect of CR between service innovation and WOM.\nFindings: The result of this study indicates that there is a strong positive association between the three constructs. Further, the direct relationship between service innovation and WOM is partially mediated by reputation. The result of the multigroup moderation indicates that the type of the bank plays a major role in determining the mediation effect of reputation.\nPractical implications: The study helps the decision makers and the managers of the bank to understand that frequent innovation within the firm would help to gain reputation, and thereby customers would tend to give a positive WOM. Further, non-reputable firms can still gain a positive WOM if they continuously innovate new services. In the Indian context, it is noted that there is a difference between private and public banks in determining the mediation effect of reputation between service innovation and WOM.\nOriginality/value: The originality of the study is based on the following: development of a unique scale to measure service innovation in the banking industry overcoming the existing scales which are based on goods-dominant logic; estimating empirically the combined effect of service innovation and CR on WOM; the process of evaluating the moderated mediation effect; how the mediating effect of CR varies from private sector banks to public sector banks.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
May I work from home? Views of the employment relationship reflected in line managers' telework attitudes in six financial-sector organizations
|
[
"Teleworking",
"Employee relations",
"Human resource strategies",
"Line management",
"Europe"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The present study focuses on the adoption of \"home-based telework practices\" allowing employees to perform (part of) their work activities from home, as one particular example of the emerging New Forms of Work Organization (for European telework figures, see Gareis, 2003; European Foundation, 2007).A study conducted at the beginning of this century on behalf of the European Commission estimated that approximately 60 percent of the European organizations (employing more than 49 employees) had adopted some New Forms of Work Organization. In this European study, \"New Forms of Work Organization,\" or, alternatively labeled \"high performance work practices,\" refer to a wide range of organizational changes, including new working practices, new human resource management (HRM) policies, new participative cultures, new training programs, and new motivation and reward systems (European Commission, 2002). Forms of work organization are labeled \"new\" when they deviate significantly from the more traditional, i.e. Taylorist, working conditions. Unfortunately, in most cases, the new practices were not as effective as expected, which was attributed to inconsistencies in the organizations' HRM-systems (European Commission, 2002). Strikingly, these inconsistencies often involved cultural issues, such as a lack of commitment to organizational changes at the higher management levels, or resistance from individual managers at the shop-floor level (European Commission, 2002).Viewed as a \"high performance work practice,\" telework often runs parallel with employee empowerment, replacing the traditional organization models that emphasize the importance of direct supervision and standardization of labor conditions (Depickere, 1999). Therefore, telework is believed to have the potential to attract, commit, and engage valuable and scare personnel, simultaneously improving organizational effectiveness, and employees' quality of working life (Depickere, 1999; Golden, 2006; Gajendran and Harrison, 2007). Yet, despite these potential advantages for organizations and employees alike, up until now, the adoption and diffusion of telework policies and practices falls short of expectations (Bailey and Kurland, 2002). Also with regard to telework adoption, managerial reluctance is one of the reported explanations for the lack of its successful spread (Bailey and Kurland, 2002; Huws et al., 1990; Perez et al., 2002). This draws our attention to the importance of the \"embeddedness\" of telework practices in larger HRM-systems in general, and the role of cultural obstacles in particular.Employing a configurational approach to strategic HRM (Kaarsemaker and Poutsma, 2006), the organization's \"workforce philosophy,\" and how this philosophy may be internalized by individual managers' in their frameworks for action which indicate preferred behavioral directions, can be expected to play an important role in the success of new work policies and practices, such as telework. In this approach, the workforce philosophy is considered the groundwork of the HRM-system, and refers to the deeply rooted taken-for-granted assumptions and beliefs about the relative role and value of workers in the organization (Kaarsemaker and Poutsma, 2006).In the present study, ideal-typical views of the employment relationship serve as concrete examples of different workforce philosophies. Individual managers may have internalized a particular view of the employment relationship, which means that their mental models are built on particular deeply rooted beliefs regarding how to organize human resources in the light of productive objectives of the firm, meanwhile balancing the organization's and employees' interests (Steijn, 2001). In the process of shaping their telework attitudes, managers may consciously or unconsciously weigh arguments for or against telework. These arguments can function as guidelines on how to treat and value telework in their departments, and their subordinates' individual telework requests. In fact, such behavioral guidelines, or HRM-principles, are part of any HRM-system, and can be viewed to reflect the workforce philosophy (Kaarsemaker and Poutsma, 2006).In the contemporary literature, it has often been claimed that the employment relationship is in a state of change (Sparrow and Cooper, 2003), and that the dominant focus on control and coordination in traditional employment models is gradually being replaced by a greater emphasis on commitment and trust. This shift in managers' cognitive and value structures may suggest that we are in a transitional state, and that we are moving towards new views of the employment relationship which better fit the telework practice (Depickere, 1999). In view of the revealed cultural bottlenecks underlying the relatively slow adoption and diffusion of telework, however, it can be questioned whether managers' views of the employment relationship have changed fundamentally, or whether any possible changes remain more marginal.This paper presents a mixed-methods study which aims to give insights in cultural factors underlying the adoption of telework by analyzing both the arguments for or against telework in their departments as articulated by line managers in face-to-face interviews focusing on the telework-attitude formation process, and by analyzing a quantitative vignette study which reveals the outcomes of the managers' attitude-formation processes in hypothetical, but concrete and realistic telework-request situations. Combining the outcomes of the interview and vignette studies allows answering the following question: What view of the employment relationship is mirrored in line managers' telework-attitude formation process and its outcomes?In the next section, we present three ideal-typical views of the employment relationship. Related to this, a set of hypotheses on managers' telework attitudes are developed. In the methodology section, both the qualitative face-to-face interviews and the quantitative vignette study conducted among financial sector line managers are outlined. Financial sector organizations are often in the vanguard when it comes to the introduction of new work practices, such as telework (Van Klaveren et al., 2005), and, therefore, form an interesting context to study the managers' telework-attitude formation process. The method section is followed by a presentation of our main findings. In the final section, the results of the study are discussed in the light of the ongoing debates on new employment relationships and telework adoption and diffusion in organizations.\n2. Theory and hypotheses: 2.1 Three ideal-typical views of the employment relationship\n3. Data and methodology: The data employed in this study were collected from line managers in six financial sector organizations (two public and four private organizations) in three European countries: Netherlands, UK and Sweden. Compared to other countries, these countries all have a relatively large share of teleworkers among their working populations. In 2002, the figures were 20.6 percent (NL), 10.9 percent (UK) and 14.9 percent (SWE) (Gareis, 2003).The participating organizations are large organizations with 1,500 or more employees. Some of them had a formal telework policy at the time of the research. The Dutch consultancy firm (Fincom.NL) had a formal telework policy allowing employees to work from home on a regular day every week. When this policy was granted, employees received part of the costs involved in arranging a workplace at home through a specific tax arrangement. In addition, this firm made it possible for workers to work from other offices in the country when needed by offering an infrastructure which allows employees to log on to the network and used flexible office space in other locations than their regular workplace. In contrast to its Swedish counterpart (Service.SE), the Dutch government agency (Service.NL) had no formal telework policy. The Dutch banking and insurance company (Bic.NL) had no formal telework policy although the company was experimenting with a mobile telework center. The British insurance firm (Insurance.UK) had no formal telework policy either. The consultancy firm in the UK (Fincom.UK) allowed for telework contracts.In each organization, approximately ten line managers were interviewed and asked to participate in a vignette study. Only in the British insurance company, were no semi-structured interviews with managers conducted. In this case, a vignette study was accompanied by a written questionnaire. Managers who had the decision-making authority to approve or reject a request to work from home were selected to participate. The selected managers supervised different types of departments within their organizations. In order to reveal managers' views of the employment relationship, the semi-structured interviews inquired after:* managers' personal experience with working from home;* teleworking of subordinates;* managers' attitudes towards telework in their departments; and* telework management.The interviews concluded by asking the interviewees to express their attitudes towards three vignettes which concerned hypothetical situations in which fictitious employees submitted a request to work from home occasionally for a day (by giving a mark). The vignettes described fictitious employees who differed with regard to the following variables: first the employee's gender; second the employee's supervisory tasks; third the employee's knowledge and skills; and fourth the labor market situation at the time telework was requested.An example of the vignettes is shown below. When assessing the vignettes, managers were asked to take in mind a \"modal employee\" in their department who had been employed for approximately three years in order to keep constant for the \"temporal embeddedness\" of the employment relationship and the type of work performed. In an additional written questionnaire, it was inquired after the educational level (job level) of the \"modal worker\" in the managers' departments.Example of a vignette: A male employee in your department with a supervisory position asks whether it is possible to work occasionally a day from home. This employee has a lot of specialized knowledge and skills that are not easily replaceable within your department. At the moment the request is submitted, there is a tight labor market and it is difficult to get new people.The vignette study offers some major advantages for the study of managers' telework attitudes. In \"real life,\" managers may not be confronted very often with employees' telework requests (cf. Klein et al., 2000). Especially managers who have a (slightly) negative telework attitude do not face telework requests very often, since reluctant attitudes influence subordinates' request behavior. Particularly when managers hold very negative telework attitudes, subordinates might hesitate to pose a telework request because of fear of rejection or potential negative career consequences. A vignette design offers the possibility to investigate managers' attitudes concerning a relatively large number of hypothetical, but realistic requests. Whereas the vignette study focused on hypothetical telework requests of individual workers for working at home occasionally for a day, the semi-structured interviews tapped in on the interviewees' real life telework experiences and attitudes, including more structural teleworking days.Because of the multi-level structure of the vignette data (i requests, \"nested\" in j managers), we used hierarchical linear models to test our expectations. The models were estimated for all line managers, i.e. 65 managers, assessing 195 unique vignettes. The dependent variable \"attitude towards the telework request presented in the vignette\" ranged from 1 (= no positive attitude at all) to 9 (= very positive attitude). The following independent variables were used in the multi-level analysis:* general educational level of the manager's subordinates;* employee's supervisory tasks of the employee;* labor market situation at the time of the request;* employee's specialized knowledge and skills; and* similarities between the manager's and subordinate(s)' gender and educational level (\"social similarity\").In conclusion, the analysis also included two control variables. As telework policies and cultures may differ across sectors, first, a dichotomous variable for governmental organization was added (the \"private organization\" being the reference category). Note that we do not control for national context, as we have too few organizations per country. Second, it can be expected that policies and procedures governing the telework program communicate the business objectives and goals of teleworking and the duties and obligations of all participants (Peters et al., 2009). Although the design of telework programs in the case organizations may vary, generally speaking, we expect that managers hold more positive telework attitudes in case the organization has introduced a formal telework policy.\n4. Results: 4.1 Managers' telework experiences, attitudes and practices\n5. Conclusion and discussion: In order to contribute to two related contemporary debates on the changing views of the employment relation and telework adoption and diffusion, this mixed-methods study among line managers in six financial-sector organizations analyzed the managers' general attitude-formation process regarding telework, and its possible outcomes in concrete request situations. Our study comprised of two parts. In the interview part, it was inquired after managers' arguments for or against telework in their departments, and how these were weighed in the process of shaping their telework attitudes. In the vignette study, managers were asked to assess their attitudes towards specific, hypothetical, but realistic telework requests of fictive employees in their departments. It was argued that the adoption of telework practices is more likely when managers' view of the employment relationship fits with the new work practice. Hence, managers should rather focus on commitment and control, than on coordination and control. Employing a \"configurational approach to Strategic HRM,\" the arguments for and against telework were viewed as the HR-principles used by managers to guide the telework-attitude formation process, and mirroring their views of the employment relationship which is viewed as part of the managers' workforce philosophy. Below the main results will be summarized and discussed.5.1 The dominance of the governance view\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to contribute to two related contemporary debates on the changing views of the employment relation and on the adoption of telework as a new work practice by analyzing line managers' general telework-attitude formation processes, and possible outcomes in concrete request situations, mirroring managers' views of the employment relationship.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This multi-method study among 65 managers in six financial-sector organizations comprises two parts. The interview part focuses on managers' arguments for or against telework in their departments, and how these are weighed in the telework-attitude formation process. In the vignette study, managers assess their attitudes towards specific, hypothetical, but realistic telework requests of fictive employees in their departments.\nFindings: - Combining the results of both studies, it is shown that the governance view dominates. Some managers, however, consider telework an \"idiosyncratic deal.\" Particularly in telework-request situations, also the exchange view enters into the managers' perceptual frames. In order to decrease managers' ambivalence towards telework, the human resource management (HRM)-system needs to be internally consistent and based on a view of the employment relationship which stresses commitment and trust as guiding principles, rather than control and coordination.\nOriginality/value: - Employing a \"configurational approach to strategic HRM,\" this paper focuses on the importance of the \"embeddedness\" of telework practices in larger HRM-systems in general, and the role of cultural obstacles in particular. Telework arguments are considered the HR principles guiding the telework-attitude formation process, and mirroring managers' views of the employment relationship as part of their workforce philosophies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Caveats for high reliability in healthcare
|
[
"Safety",
"Quality",
"Healthcare",
"High-reliability organization (HRO)",
"Increasing relative ignorance",
"Reliability seeking"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Efforts at high reliability organizing are diffusing with increasing speed among healthcare delivery organizations (Chassin and Loeb, 2013). Given the variety of approaches to \"doing high reliability\" in healthcare, evidence on these practices is only beginning to accumulate, and research may seriously lag practice (Vogus and Iacobucci, 2016; Vogus and Singer, 2016). Likewise, broader high reliability theorizing and practice may have diverged. This paper identifies some apparent theory-practice gaps concerning high reliability in healthcare, and articulates implications for both research and practice.\n2. Conceptual framework: High-reliability organizations (HROs) spark scholarly interest because \"there are neither theoretical nor empirical reasons to expect failure-free operations in large organizations that attempt to perform demanding tasks with little margin for error\" (LaPorte, 1996). HROs are \"defined by their unique ability to operate high-hazard technological systems in a nearly error-free manner\" (Roberts, 1990; Vogus and Welbourne, 2003). In HROs, \"error avoidance and safety are as much a part of the bottom line as is productivity\" (Desai et al., 2012). A systems perspective is central to understanding the HRO, which is conceptualized as a complex system with high interdependence among its parts. A small change, anomaly, error or failure of inputs or components can trigger a chain of events leading to catastrophic system failure. Given the foundational role of systems in HRO research, the applicability of research findings depends in part on clearly and appropriately delineating the boundaries of the focal system. The objects of early HRO research were relatively closed systems, e.g., aircraft carriers and power plants. Healthcare increasingly offers a contrasting picture: an episode of patient care often occurs in a more open and fluid microsystem or \"healthcare system\" spanning various organizational boundaries.\n3. Changes imposed by the socio-economic environment: uncertainty, integration and interorganizational reliability: 3.1 Accountable care organizations (ACOs) as drivers of integration\n4. Changes inflicted by principals upon agents: the patient-as-consumer alters system reliability: Two relatively recent developments are changing the patient's role in the reliable delivery of healthcare services: a social and economic shift toward \"patient as consumer\" and a policy shift toward \"patient-centered care.\" In most well-developed healthcare systems, the patient has explicitly not been an active economic player. Public and private insurance have spread the high and difficult-to-predict financial risks of disease and enabled access to services. As a risk-shifting intermediary, health insurance has generally ensured that the patient has neither seen the actual price nor borne many of the true costs of care. Moreover, the healthcare \"product\" is unlike other products. In particular, individuals often lack sufficient knowledge to select the specific services and goods that optimally meet their health needs. Patients therefore enter into agency relationships with providers and payers, through which most purchasing decision making is transferred from patient to provider/payer. These agency relationships make the patient a special sort of consumer - one who rarely has the combination of opportunity, incentive and capability to choose between options based on price or quality, and who bears little to no financial risk for what is consumed. In essence, the patient has not really been a consumer at all. Therefore, from a narrow market perspective, there should be no expectation that goods are allocated efficiently or that patients receive the care they need or desire from the marketplace.\n5. Implications for research: HRO research began with the question, \"How do certain complex, tightly coupled organizations achieve failure rates that are much lower than organizational theory would predict?\" Given a lack of healthcare industry consensus on HRO benchmarks (i.e. what constitutes low failure rates and by which measures?), assessing the prevalence of healthcare HROs remains difficult. Nonetheless, significant resources and effort are being devoted to healthcare HRO. There may be increasing relative ignorance between HRO theory and its practice in healthcare, and this paper suggests that theorists address this gap by continuing to ask that original question in the context of rapidly evolving healthcare delivery organizations. Researchers might seize this as an opportunity to rethink reliability concepts as well as explore them in novel organizational settings. Two areas of change have been the focus of this paper: attempts to integrate formerly fragmented organizational entities; and engagement and empowerment of the patient-as-consumer.\n6. Implications for practice: Trends toward system integration, accountable care and patient-centered care are evident in many countries (McClellan et al., 2017; Pollock and Roderick, 2018; Wang et al., 2014; World Health Organization, 2017). While regulatory context, degree of state control, financing mechanisms and other factors vary across countries, within the functional areas of healthcare delivery organizations and systems, there is considerable consistency. As evolving socio-economic and technological contexts motivate efforts at greater clinical integration, practitioners concerned with reliability should attend to the challenges and opportunities associated with interorganizational reliability. First, is the question: reliability with respect to what? It is important to be both clear about which processes are to be made more reliable and cognizant of the bounds of the systems where these processes reside. A considerable amount of classic HRO knowledge and practice derive from relatively closed organizational systems; the integrated delivery systems envisioned by designers of today's ACOs look very different from those earlier organizations.\n7. Conclusion: This paper has proposed some areas where there may be \"increasing relative ignorance\" between HRO theory and current challenges to practice in healthcare. The concept of HRO taking root in healthcare appears to be deeply associated with aviation and nuclear power (Martelli, 2018). This association has led to wide diffusion and institutionalization of an approach that was originally appropriate to solve a problem within a highly localized hospital setting, e.g., an operating room or emergency department. An increasing amount of healthcare - and the associated hazards - occurs outside these settings and across multiple units and organizations, in settings as diverse as community health centers, convenient care clinics, physical therapy offices, nutritionist kitchens, long-term care facilities or the patient's home. It is highly likely that theorizing of high reliability is not matching the speed of change in practice.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Given the pace of industry change and the rapid diffusion of high reliability organization (HRO) approaches, lags and divergences have arisen between research and practice in healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to explore several of these theory-practice gaps and propose implications for research and practice.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Classic and cutting-edge HRO literature is applied to analyze two industry trends: delivery system integration, and the confluence of patient-as-consumer and patient-centered care.\nFindings: Highly reliable integrated delivery systems will likely function very differently from classic HRO organizations. Both practitioners and researchers should address conditions such as how a system is bounded, how reliable the system should be and how interdependencies are handled. Additionally, systems should evaluate the added uncertainty and variability introduced by enhanced agency on the part of patients/families in decision making and in processes of care.\nResearch limitations/implications: Dramatic changes in the sociotechnical environment are influencing the coupling and interactivity of system elements in healthcare. Researchers must address the maintenance of reliability across organizations and the migration of decision-making power toward patients and families.\nPractical implications: As healthcare systems integrate, managers attempting to apply HRO principles must recognize how these systems present new and different reliability-related challenges and opportunities.\nOriginality/value: This paper provides a starting point for the advancement of research and practice in high-reliability healthcare by providing an in-depth exploration of the implications of two major industry trends.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Natives' skills and attitudes towards immigrants: evidence from 20 OECD countries
|
[
"Immigration",
"Attitudes toward immigrants",
"Immigrants skill",
"Labour market competition",
"Natives’ skill"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Does an influx of immigrants impose a threat to the labor market in the host country? The existing literature has indicated contrasting results. Despite evidence that the actual impact of immigrant influx on labor market outcomes is limited (e.g. Card, 1990; Friedberg and Hunt, 1995), whether the natives perceive an effect is a different question. The recent growth of anti-immigrant sentiment in developed states, particularly since the global economic crisis in the late 2000s, hints that attitudes toward immigrants are related to economic circumstances. As far back as the early twentieth century, an influx of migrants has imposed considerable labor market concerns that were sufficient to initiate restrictive immigration policies even in the USA, the most popular destination of immigrants (Goldin, 1994). Despite immigrants' economic and cultural contributions to host countries, natives' attitude toward them, which is rooted in economic, political, psychological and cultural reasons, is often negative (Rustenbach, 2010).\n2. Related literature and theoretical framework: 2.1 Literature review\n3. Data and variable descriptions: The main data sets used for the analysis are the World Values Survey and European Values Survey (hereafter, the Values Surveys), which provide variables on natives' attitudes toward immigrants; and the Institute for Employment Research's brain-drain data set, which contains immigrant stock by country and education level. The brain-drain data set is superior to other data sets that have information on immigrants' education level for its coverage of immigrants from 195 destination countries over the period 1980-2010. Those people who are counted as immigrants are foreign-born individuals, who are at least 25 years, excluding short-term students and illegal immigrants (Brucker et al., 2013). Skill is equivalent to education level based on this data set. Immigrants with primary or lower education are defined as low skilled, immigrants with secondary education are defined as medium skilled and immigrants with a higher-education degree, or high-school leaving certificate, are defined as high skilled. The destination countries consist of the following 20 countries that are members of the OECD: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.\n4. Empirical strategy: 4.1 Estimation strategy\n5. Regression results: Table II shows the effects of high- and low-skill flows on the host countries' pro-immigrant attitude with the within estimator (Columns (1)-(3))[6]. Column (1) of Table II indicates that the actual net flows of both skills are statistically insignificant, which is unexpectedly based on the previous literature. Even when immigrant flows are measured with alternative measures, the net flows with respect to the entire population (Column (2)) or the growth rates of high-skill and low-skill net flows (Column (3)), the effect of immigration inflow is statistically insignificant.\n6. Robustness check: using immigrant stock: This section uses the immigrant stock variables, instead of the flow variables, to examine whether these variables exhibit similar patterns to those of the latter. Stock variables represent the proportion of immigrants with respective skill among the total population of the destination country. Table V presents the results. Columns (1) and (2) show that neither the low- nor the high-skill stock has a statistically significant relationship with attitudes toward immigrants. Even when interacting with the proportion of high-skilled natives, the stock variables do not indicate a notable correlation (Columns (3) and (4)). Moreover, the effects of the stock variables on age group do not have a statistically significant difference depending on the age group. These results imply that attitudes toward immigrants are not statistically associated with the stock of immigrants but display significant association with the flow of immigrants. When shaping attitudes toward immigrants, particularly from the labor market competition perspective, natives may be more sensitive to the change in number of immigrants than the number itself.\n7. Conclusion: This study examines the effects of immigrant flows on natives' attitudes toward immigrants from the perspective of economic incentives by using a country-panel data set covering the period from the 1990s to the 2010s. The contributions of this study are two-fold. First, this research distinguishes the skill type of immigrants and uses the actual net flows to proxy for immigration inflows. Second, this study tests the economic channels by which immigration inflows can affect natives' pro-immigration attitudes, with a focus on heterogeneity by type of natives.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether natives' attitudes toward immigration is associated with an influx of high- and low-skilled immigrants. The current research focuses on selected 20 OECD countries as destination countries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A pseudo-panel based on age cohort is constructed to control for the potential unobservable individual characteristics. The random effects and within estimators (where applicable) are applied in the panel-data setting.\nFindings: Regression results indicate that natives' attitudes depend on their labor market exposure and skill type. Low-skill immigrant inflows are negatively associated with natives' attitudes, but the magnitude is reduced proportionally to their share of the high skilled. The association between immigrant flows and attitudes is particularly strong for the prime-age cohorts, which can be explained by the labor market competition mechanism.\nResearch limitations/implications: Given the data limitations, not all destination countries could be analyzed but only selected OECD countries. However, this situation has resulted in the sample destination countries sharing similar characteristics with advanced economies.\nOriginality/value: Although the majority of previous studies are based on survey questions on attitudes toward immigrants with respective skill type, the current study focuses on the effects of the actual immigration flows. Natives' attitudes respond sensitively to the actual changes in the number of migrants. The selection of OECD countries makes the characteristics of the destination countries substantially homogeneous.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Logistics principles vs. legal principles: frictions and challenges
|
[
"Taxation",
"Belief system",
"Business law",
"Fiscal principles",
"Functional silos",
"Logistics principles",
"Supply chain principles",
"VAT"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: 1.1 Background\n2. Methodology: A multidisciplinary and explorative research approach has been used for research design, data collection, and data analysis. The conceptual findings respond to the aim of developing our cross-functional understanding. The empirical illustrative anecdotes should exemplify the discussion with real-life situations, and could be a stepping-stone for further studies and development of theories and tools in the intersection of the domains.\n3. Points of departure, beliefs and principles: This part addresses the first purpose, to increase the understanding in each domain of the other domain's \"point of departure\" and guiding action-oriented principles.\n4. Cross-principle illustrations from logisticians' action system: Our empirical investigation illustrated that when practitioners try to implement logistics action-oriented principles it can create unexpected administration, be unprofitable or impossible due to the local legal context - friction arises. Below follow short illustrations of frictions from the action system between logistics principles and fiscal laws and regulations. Please note that the legal consequences are described as perceived by the persons interviewed.\n5. Discussion of frictions and challenges: 5.1 Frictions between action systems\n6. Concluding remarks: 6.1 Contributions and implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Logisticians propose changes to improve supply chains, and legal practitioners do likewise, but from a different perspective. Proposals from one domain increasingly have an impact on the other due to e.g. globalization - but cross-disciplinary knowledge often seems limited. The purpose of this paper is to facilitate interaction between the domains by increasing the level of joint understanding of the principles used in each domain, and to look at the potential frictions and challenges.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Management principles for efficient logistics and supply chain management as well as key principles governing the legal systems are summarized on both a paradigmatic and an action level. Illustrations from practice are presented. These have been obtained by a cross-functional team which has interviewed both logisticians and lawyers. Findings are based on cross-functional comparative analysis of principles and illustrations.\nFindings: Frictions between operational principles were found to exist in each domain, with some principles harder to reconcile than others. There are also challenges between the two paradigms of logistics and law that influence the operational principles.\nResearch limitations/implications: One implication is that the knowledge gap, challenges and frictions between the professions and domains, both in practice and academia, would benefit from more research.\nPractical implications: Although it may seem trivial, logisticians and lawyers need to cooperate better. The research shows on a fundamental level, with practical examples, the challenges and frictions that occur.\nOriginality/value: The cross-functional approach with law, and the discussion and comparison of principles.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Accelerating chemical start-ups in ecosystems: the need for biotopes
|
[
"Technological innovation",
"Chemical industry",
"High tech start-ups",
"Innovation biotope",
"Innovation ecosystem"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Innovation is an essential element of a modern society. More than ever economic prosperity is linked to major leaps in technological development. Start-ups play a vital role in the process of transforming scientific inventions into innovation (Hunt, 2013). These high tech, knowledge-intensive firms are capable of making new products and services available to society, which is far more difficult for established industries due to their risk-averse and static behaviour. The number of innovations, for example, by start-ups based on developments in information technology is high. Examples like Apple and Hewlett-Packard, and more recently, WhatsApp, are well-known. Nevertheless, the trend of young innovative firms that shake up the market and outsmart incumbent firms does not happen in every sector yet. In the chemical industry, incumbents firms still appear to profoundly rule the game. Start-ups in this sector are also working on radical innovations, but hardly reach breakthroughs in the market. Explanations for this phenomenon are manifold: the young innovative firms, for example, lack the financial means (Radas and Bozic, 2009) and do not possess the manufacturing hardware and distributions channels that incumbent firms have (Perez et al., 2013). Nevertheless, new firms based on novel developments in chemistry continue to start throughout Europe every day. Despite the rather unclear future perspective they face, entrepreneurs are willing to embark on a long and uncertain innovation journey.\n2. The chemical industry: the era of start-ups has started: The chemical industry has played an enormous role in the development of the world. The discovery of a purple dye by William Henry Perkin in 1856 was the start of a long tradition of science-based breakthrough innovations in this sector. The introduction of plastics, for example, helped to rebuild the world after the Second World War. The number of innovations, however, slowly started to stagnate from the 1980s onwards. The main reason was the increasing global competition which finally resulted in a price-cost squeeze and restructuring of firms (Hofmann and Budde, 2006). The position of in-house R&D changed: corporate research declined and the remaining decentralized research became closely linked to firm's development activities. Internal cultures started to push efforts towards more low risk, immediate reward projects of which the targeted outcomes were more incremental (Swan and Allred, 2003). The protection that corporate research had offered to basic research on high-risk developments with an uncertain return on investment disappeared almost completely within firms. The balance between long- and short-term R&D-tasks became seriously disturbed. As a consequence, the number of breakthrough innovations originating from the chemical industry seriously declined (Broring and Herzog, 2008).\n3. Developing a framework to link the start-up and the ecosystem: After clarifying the quest for chemical start-ups, we need to identify the critical resources for growth and discover how these resources can be accessed in the ecosystem. We will develop a conceptual framework to address the required interface by applying the entrepreneur's perspective to pinpoint five critical resources (3.1), discussing their changes during the innovation process (3.2) and using the innovation system model to explicate the ecosystem concept (3.3). Finally, the innovation biotope is presented as the most relevant interface for a start-up to accelerate its development: a well-defined, business-oriented cross-section of an ecosystem. In the perspective of the open innovation paradigm, one could define the process ongoing in a biotope as \"open innovation within a closed system\".\n4. The framework in practice: the case of the Dutch chemical industry: In 2011, a small project team (including the authors) was asked to effectuate the strategy to stimulate innovation that had been designed by the Chemistry Directive Group. This national triple helix - with representatives from many segments of the chemistry field - had been assigned by the Ministry of Economic Affairs to prepare the Dutch chemical industry for the future. The strategy was focussed on accelerating start-ups and gazelles as the future engines of the sector. The concept of the innovation biotope was leading when we started to build an environment supportive to business acceleration. We finished building only recently, resulting in one nation-wide innovation biotope with 14 hotspots: nine dedicated to stimulate start-ups (focus of the paper) and five focussed on accelerating gazelles.\n5. Discussion and lessons learned: The case of the Dutch chemical industry described the practical implementation of our conceptual ecosystem model. The applied modular view on ecosystems by distinguishing biotopes as secured marketplaces that offer dedicated solutions to real challenges of start-ups, helped focussing on what an ecosystem should do and not solely on discussing what it is. The need to describe integrated functions rather than describing the innovation system as a group of components serving a common purpose was already remarked by Bergek et al. (2008). Although a systemic concept may suggest collective and coordinated action, it is primarily an analytical construct. The collaborative interactions between its components determine what is actually achieved in the system with regard to its goal. Our ecosystem model offered a concept for framing and building the interface between resources in the ecosystem and the individual entrepreneur who is in need of many things, but not all at the same time. Nevertheless, the true innovation was in its actual implementation as it provided detailed insights in the build-up and initial operation of the biotope as interface for open innovation. Taking into account the basic model for analysing collaboration of Wood and Gray (1991), it is interesting to focus on the preconditions and process of implementing the biotope. Regarding the outcomes, one has to conclude that the initial results are promising, but it is too early to determine the overall effectiveness.\n6. Conclusion, implications and future research: Henton and Held wrote in their article (2013, p. 539): \"Each region does not have to strive to be Silicon Valley, but instead should build on its strengths and invest in innovation infrastructure and human capital in order to become its own Silicon Valley\". This inspiring statement quite neatly described our handing style while building the iLAB-biotope. We did not try to impose our conceptual ecosystem model, but rather aimed at strengthening locations by offering a new perspective on how an ecosystem could help start-ups to accelerate. The biotope was introduced as the business-oriented interface to connect demand (a challenge related to a success factor of start-ups) and supply (stakeholders that can provide direct solutions) at a well-defined, private marketplace. By creating biotopes, it will be possible to greatly reduce time and organizational capacity spending of start-ups at network meetings searching for partners in the ecosystem having resources that could advance their innovation process. We called this process \"open innovation in a closed system\". The initial results confirming this view have been achieved, even though the build-up of the iLAB-biotope is only to be completed officially when the last iLAB will open. That opening will be approximately ten years after the birth of the iLAB concept, just like almost every radical innovation in the chemical sector. The new era for the biotope, that of intensification, already started and will undoubtedly lead to more results.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between start-ups and an innovation ecosystem. Start-ups need resources available in the ecosystem to grow, but experience organizational capacity limitations during their open innovation practices. This study frames the \"open innovation\" interface and discloses ways to accelerate the process of connecting start-ups' demands to ecosystem's supplies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A case study was used to describe the development of a conceptual ecosystem model to frame the \"open innovation\" interface and its subsequent implementation at nine start-up hotspots in the Dutch chemical industry. To develop the ecosystem model, the system of innovation concept was enriched with the perspective of a chemical start-up to pinpoint critical resources for growth.\nFindings: It is suggested that the most relevant \"open innovation\" interface for start-ups looking to grow is an innovation biotope: a well-defined, business-oriented cross-section of an ecosystem. All stakeholders in a biotope are carefully selected based on the entrepreneurial issue at stake: they can only enter the secured marketplace if they are able to provide dedicated solutions to start-ups. The biotope enables \"open innovation in a closed system\" which results in acceleration of the innovation process.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study to report on the definition and implementation of an innovation biotope as the \"open innovation\" interface between an ecosystem and start-ups. In addition, it provides a powerful tool, the ecosystem canvas, that can help both regional and national innovation systems to visualize their ecosystem and identify blind spots.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Suitability of performance indicators and benchmarking practices in UK universities
|
[
"Higher education",
"Benchmarking",
"Performance indicators",
"University ranking"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Universities play an important role in producing skilled workers needed by the labour market. As the global environment for higher education expands, senior management in higher education should re-assess the objectives and expectations of universities (Salmi, 2009). Governments in Asia and Europe have strong motivation to restructure higher education system in their countries and develop \"world-class\" universities (Deem et al., 2008). The need to establish one or more world-class universities has been recognised as an important task due to contribution of world-class universities to economic and social growth. In the 2000s, many countries joined the global race to build a world-class university.\nPerformance indicators: The use of performance indicators is normally directly linked to the university's strategic plan and it business functions (Ball and Wilkinson, 1994). The objectives of using performance indicators are improving efficiency, effectiveness and increasing university's economic viability. Generally speaking, performance indicators can be classified into two main types that are measurement of results which focuses on quantity and measurement of the degree of the outcome which focuses on quality. As an example, the number of publication by an academic is a measure of quantity of research capability (Gaither et al., 1994) whereas the number of citation is a measure of research quality.\nBenchmarking: The main principles of benchmarking are to search for best practices and better performance by learning, evaluating and improving our own practice. The following questions would be answered by conducting benchmarking:\nMethodology: Research design\nSurvey data and analysis: A total of 55 respondents had filled in the survey. The survey results are discussed under the following themes: suitability of performance indicators, benchmarking practices in the UK universities and principles of successful university benchmarking.\nLinking best practices to performance outcomes: Universities are trying to increase their ranking positions by improving their performance in the areas measured by ranking criteria. The key step is collecting and analysing various types of data which are essential to identifying areas for improvement and determining best practices. Best practices for research and teaching excellence as well as other aspects of university are summarised as follows.\nConclusions: An electronic questionnaire survey has been conducted to review the current practices of benchmarking among the universities in the UK. The majority of respondents' universities benchmark performance indicators. Based on the responses from the survey, good benchmarks need to be capable of analysis both at course level as well as institutionally. The types of performance indicators that are commonly used in the global and UK league rankings are also outlined and discussed. According to the responses, REF, entry standards and career prospects are among the chosen good indicators. The findings from the survey and the discussion on benchmarking and performance indicators could provide invaluable information to decide which indicators should be adopted and to conduct a successful benchmarking activity.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a common framework for benchmarking practices used in higher education.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An electronic questionnaire survey was distributed to senior management team and senior administrators among the top 200 UK universities in the world.\nFindings: A review of the current practices of benchmarking among the universities in the UK is presented and the types of performance indicators adopted within universities in relation to research, teaching and administration are outlined.\nOriginality/value: The suitability of performance indicators adopted in the current national and international rankings is also investigated. Opinions of respondents on important factors for successful benchmarking are also compiled and analysed.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
What makes al-Qaeda a global learning network?
|
[
"Strategic planning",
"Learning organizations",
"Terrorism",
"Plans"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: While significant attention has been paid to organisational learning and renewal in businesses of all types, there is little research into how transnational, nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) perform as learning organisations. Oxfam, Medecins Sans Frontieres and Greenpeace are all examples of noteworthy NGOs because of their capacity to lead change initiatives, to develop organisational learning in response to external factors, and to project their influence globally. Each is characterised by loose networks of individuals as agents for a common agenda; each has access to funding from thousands of small contributors and a few major donors sympathetic to their cause (Naim, 2002). Although its reason for being differs considerably, al-Qaeda (Arabic for \"the Base\") embodies these same characteristics and deserves no less attention for its ability to impact the social, political and economic wellbeing of countries across the globe. The argument is that al-Qaeda exemplifies a new sort of organisation - the global learning network - because of its devolved, multi-cellular structure and entrepreneurial culture (see Gunaratna, 2002; Limerick et al., 2002; Naim, 2002; Smith, 2002). These critical factors assist the organisation as a whole to affect change episodically and, more importantly, to learn from an ever-changing socio-political context. The value of examining al-Qaeda is that it has accomplished a transformation from an organisation with a fixed location and a finite sphere of influence to achieve a sharing of its vision in pockets of activity across many nations.This paper demonstrates how a \"new paradigm\" organisation like al-Qaeda has emerged as a global learning network by incorporating the principles of the learning organisation and entrepreneurism. It draws on a case study methodology to investigate aspects of al-Qaeda's metastrategy and discusses how leadership and organisational development are impacted by notions of \"loosely-coupled networks\" and \"self-managing teams\" that are emerging as qualities for effective transnational enterprise (see Guns, 1996).\nThe learning organisation: The 1990s saw organisational learning literature surface from many disciplines, and theorists began to adopt a systems perspective to describe the complex interactions they saw between internal and external influences on knowledge creation and dissemination (see Delahaye, 2000, p. 395). Senge (1990) is credited with popularising the term \"learning organisation\", which is characterised by personal mastery, shared mental models, shared vision, team learning and systems thinking. He argues that people at all levels of an organisation \"continually build and share knowledge\" and effective leaders are lifelong learners charged with spreading and fostering commitment to new ideas and practices within an organisation.According to Bennett and Brown (1995), leaders have a strategic role to play in guiding an organisation toward becoming a learning organisation. They argue that leaders articulate an organisation's future by using metaphors, symbols and concepts that serve to motivate and inspire others to action. Further, this strategic dialogue represents a \"guiding image\" of the organisation to others; by modifying this dialogue leaders can enhance or change the guiding image of an organisation's preferred future.The challenge for organisations seeking to become learning organisations is to facilitate learning and knowledge dissemination across all its facets. This enables members to adapt quickly to the external environment in such a way as to transform the organisation and its context (Pedler et al., 1997). Doing this successfully, however, raises important questions as to how best lead and manage an organisation in keeping with the imperative to sustain learning. One suggestion is to apply fourth blueprint management principles (Limerick et al., 2002) to flatten traditional hierarchies that put limits on innovative action and to encourage entrepreneurism.\nFourth blueprint management: Limerick et al.'s (2002) work details the essential features of fourth blueprint management; they found that synergies and alliances were critical to a holistic management strategy that placed important emphasis on inter-personnel relations. Moreover, they developed the concept of collaborative individualism - a term that describes an organisational culture where proactive, autonomous and collaborative work by individuals is highly valued. No longer are CEOs or managers expected to take sole responsibility for leadership, but rather all are leaders at different times and this allows the best-equipped person (or team) to mobilise to a task.Fourth blueprint management strategies offer opportunities to take calculated risks and to lead innovation through ideas that further the organisation's vision (see Stacey, 2000, p. 102). It is for this reason that \"visioning\" has become a strategic management practice in many post-corporate organisations. Limerick et al. (2002) see visioning as \"a mental image of how people and resources can be combined to satisfy some form of human need\" (Limerick et al., 2002, p.159). A company's vision makes explicit its future direction, and it can have the effect of energising employees to communicate, participate and commit to new forms of entrepreneurial action.Building an organisational culture that embraces entrepreneurism poses a significant challenge to traditional management practices. For example, it requires that workers be empowered to make decisions that affect their own job roles, and that they learn from their daily interactions with outsiders and share this knowledge within the organisation (see Byrd, 1995). The point that frontline workers engage continually with the external environment by interacting with the outside world reveals that workers possesses a wealth of knowledge about how the organisation is perceived by outsiders. Doing this requires workers to be freed from established hierarchies and competitive cultures to build networks and alliances inside and outside the organisation that strengthen its potential to grow and to seize new opportunities. For example, entrepreneurs take full advantage of informal networks - not only to generate business for their company, but also to enhance relations and cultivate influence (see DeLuca, 1999; Reardon, 2000). Doing this is politically savvy; it guarantees that time and effort invested in creating partnerships pays off.\nCreating global learning networks: Two important activities that emerge from the fourth blueprint management literature are organisational learning and entrepreneurism. Managing these concurrently in organisations can be made easier by enlisting fourth blueprint management approaches, such as leading small teams of people and harnessing interpersonal skills. Organisations that transcend national boundaries and comprise many small, loosely-coupled networks present particular challenges that include geographical distance and the high costs involved in operating internationally. Some solutions that emerged from the literature are listed below:1. There are information and communications technologies (ICTs) that have made global interpersonal communication achievable and inexpensive. Information is disseminated quickly by telephone and email communications, allowing members to access the information they need in a timely way. Internet sites are also an important means of communicating details about activities or for raising finances. In many cases, security measures, like firewalls and password blocks, prevent organisational outsiders from accessing information intended only for members.2. Frontline workers act as environmental scanners (Pedler et al., 1997). This is a strategy that involves workers utilising their external networks to collect information, and then conveying this back to the organisation. This has the effect of producing useful intelligence and ideas that the enterprise can use to its own advantage.3. Finally, the enterprise's loosely-coupled network structure means that the organisation as an entity can continue to exist, even if one of its substructures ceases operation or loses momentum (see Jusela, 2000; Pedler et al., 1997).In summary, a global learning network uses technologies to reach members spread sparsely across the world; it is utilises its people to gain knowledge about its external environment for its own use and benefit, and; it responds to changing circumstances with ease because it adopts a flexible, multi-cellular structure. These features are utilised greatly by al-Qaeda in a manner which is significantly different from conventional transnational organisations. Again, the purpose of this study is to examine ideas that might be applied in the development of future organisations as global learning networks.\nContext of the study: al-Qaeda as a global learning network: The bombing of the USA's embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on 7 August 1998 first brought the al-Qaeda terrorist network to the world's attention, but its existence can be traced back to 1988 when it was established as an information network during the Soviet-Afghan war. Its initial purpose was to act \"as a reporting infrastructure so that relatives of foreign soldiers who had come to join the [Afghan] resistance could be properly tracked\" (Smith, 2002, p. 35). But since that time it has forged alliances with militant groups across the globe, somewhat resembling a transnational form of the Irish Republican Army. Al-Qaeda is an expansive terrorist network which has infiltrated indigenous Islamic NGOs throughout the world, and in so doing, it has consolidated efforts to wage jihad (or \"holy war\") against countries it perceives subverts the tenets of Islam.For the purposes of this paper, it was important to disregard the militant activities of al-Qaeda to focus clearly on the management strategies it employs. Findings are based largely on new literature into al-Qaeda's organisation and strategy, as well as a translated members' training manual recovered by police in Manchester, England. The translation of the training manual is widely available on the internet, and from the USA's Justice Department web site (United States Department of Justice, 2002). Aside from these open sources, little else is known about al-Qaeda because its activities are carried out in secret.\nA metastrategic analysis of al-Qaeda: The four elements of metastrategic management will be used to analyse how al-Qaeda may be considered a global learning network. A metastrategic analysis assists to probe deeper into al-Qaeda, revealing how entrepreneurism and learning organisation principles are manifested in principles and practices. According to Limerick et al. (2002, pp. 152-158), these four elements are:1. founding vision;2. identity;3. configuration design; and4. systems of action.Founding vision\nConclusion: This paper has analysed important aspects of al-Qaeda's metastrategy to depict how the organisation has come to embrace so-called \"new paradigm\" leadership and management principles. As Gunaratna (2002, p. 54) states, al-Qaeda is \"characterised by a broad-based ideology, a novel structure, a robust capacity for regeneration and a diverse membership that cuts across national boundaries\". Clearly al-Qaeda is a sophisticated enterprise predicated on a vision which serves to motivate others to action, and this is reinforced by the organisation's leaders. Its identity - shared internally by members - is built on stories of success in the struggle for furthering its purpose. Al-Qaeda is configured in such a way as to foster entrepreneurism among its members and networks with a view to devolving decision-making and action-taking. Moreover, the organisation's multi-cellular structure and use of communications technologies to overcome distance and inhibitive cost barriers are much the same as those strategies used by conventional transnational organisations to remain viable enterprises. What is unique to al-Qaeda as an organisation, however, is that it has an ability to respond rapidly to an ever changing socio-political context; the concern about global security is a direct result of its activities and its acute ability to shape the external environment. The challenge remains for conventional transnational enterprises - such as educational institutions and international associations - to invent new organisational forms and inter-linkages to exploit the skills, abilities and talents of their members. By embracing the structural components of the global learning network ideal, entrepreneurism and organisational learning can flourish.In no way does the author support or condone the ideologies or activities of al-Qaeda, its members or its associated networks. The author's interest in al-Qaeda as a case study is purely academic and is intended to highlight successful leadership and management principles that are applicable in myriad contexts.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to reconceptualise the literature on learning organisations, fourth blueprint management and entrepreneurialism to develop the idea of a global learning network.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This notion is used to highlight successful leadership and management practices used by a transnational organisation to respond to change in a way that fosters entrepreneurial action.\nFindings: - The author has identified al-Qaeda as a pertinent and timely example through which to examine this new perspective because of its unique culture and enabling structure that encourage members to act as both \"environmental scanners\" and agents of influence in affecting change.\nOriginality/value: - The al-Qaeda case study illustrates how the four elements of metastrategic design - namely: vision, identity, configuration, and action - can operate to sustain organisational learning and renewal for more conventional transnational organisations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Linking secure attachment to commitment: trust in supervisors
|
[
"Affective commitment",
"Mediation",
"Secure attachment style",
"Trust in supervisor"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The concept of organizational commitment has gained prominent interest in organizational research. It has been defined as a psychological state that binds an employee to an organization. Of the three dimensions of organizational commitment (affective, normative, and continuance), affective commitment (AC) refers to the degree to which a person identifies with, is involved in, and enjoys membership in an organization (Allen and Meyer, 1990). Since AC has been strongly linked to positive work-related behaviors (Meyer et al., 2002), such as employee productivity, job satisfaction, and high organizational and employee performance ratings, many organizations are focussing their attention on enhancing AC. Though the influence of work-related variables (e.g. job challenge, role clarity) has explained some of the variance, fundamental individual attributes may also contribute to the manner in which individuals develop AC. For instance, Johnson and Chang (2006, p. 550) note that \"some employees may be oriented toward specific types of commitment. In these cases, it may be easier for organizations to cultivate commitment by focusing on the specific type that fits with employees' personal characteristics.\" In this regard, this paper focusses on a neglected link in the literature incorporating how an employee's attachment style and trust in a supervisor predict AC.\n2. Literature review and hypotheses development: 2.1. Attachment theory\n3. Method: 3.1. Participants\n4. Results: 4.1. Descriptive statistics\n5. Discussion: This study seeks to examine an integrative model of the relationship between secure attachment and AC, considering cognitive trust and affective trust in supervisor as the mediating variables.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a secure attachment style and affective commitment (AC) through the mediating roles of affective and cognitive trust in a direct supervisor.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study was conducted using the questionnaire answers of 357 private sector employees in various occupations. The statistical analysis was based on structural equation modeling. A multiple mediation model enabled us to investigate the specific indirect effects of each mediator.\nFindings: Results based on a model comparison showed that the employees' affective trust in their supervisor fully mediated the relationship between a secure attachment style and AC. However, cognitive trust had no significant mediating effect on relationships between a secure attachment style and AC.\nPractical implications: Trust in supervisors should be monitored and supported during developmental interventions. Understanding the power of affective and cognitive trust in predicting attitudes can help shape more effective interventions to influence positive work attitudes, including AC.\nOriginality/value: The study sheds new light on the literature by linking individual attachment to organizational attachment as the mediating role of two forms of trust in a supervisor.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Sharing information through book reviews in blogs: The viewpoint of Rosenblatt's reader-response theory
|
[
"Reading",
"Information sharing",
"Blogging about books",
"Book blogs",
"Book reviews",
"Reader-response theory"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: As a form of language processing, reading is a multi-faceted phenomenon dealing with the decoding of symbols. One of the most influential research approaches to reading is the theoretical branch of reader-response theories that have been developed since the 1930s (Tracey and Morrow, 2017). These theories depart from the assumption that reader is an active agent interpreting the meaning of a literary work. Louise Rosenblatt's (1978, 2004) reader-response theory offers a particularly relevant framework for the present study, because she conceptualises reading as a dynamic phenomenon incorporating aesthetic, informational and communicative aspects. The above theory is pertinent to information behaviour research because it offers a novel perspective on the phenomena of information acquisition, use and sharing. First, reading can be approached as the process of acquiring cognitive-affective information and aesthetic experience from texts such as books and articles. Second, reading can be conceptualised as a form of information use because the decoding of symbols is based on the interpretation of signs, words and sentences. Third, in Rosenblatt's theory, reading is intertwined with writing. Her approach to phenomena of \"reading for writing\" opens a novel research perspective to examine how information sought and used during the reading process is shared with others by communicating one's reading experiences. To strengthen the focus of the study, the present investigation concentrates on the last-mentioned aspect of reading.\nLiterature review: Rosenblatt's reader-response theory\nConceptual framework and research questions: The literature review suggests that Rosenblatt's (1978) theory holds a strong potential for the analysis of reading experiences articulated in diverse contexts such as literary courses and hobbyist blogging about books. It also appeared that book reviews published in blogs offer relevant material for the analysis of efferent and aesthetic reading. On the other hand, \"aesthetic\" and \"efferent\" as qualifiers of reading stances are abstract in nature because they depict the endpoints of a conceptual continuum. As these qualifiers appeared to be all too general for the needs of the present study, the conceptual framework was elaborated by identifying a set of subcategories describing the nature of responses to efferent and aesthetic reading.\nEmpirical data and analysis: As the present study is explorative in nature and thus does not aim at statistically representative picture of book bloggers' responses to efferent and aesthetic reading, the investigation was focussed on two blogs. One of them was selected from the list of Top 100 UK Book Blogs and Websites for Book Readers and Authors (https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_book_blogs/) and the other from Top 25 Nonfiction Blogs & Websites for Book Writers and Readers (https://blog.feedspot.com/nonfiction_blogs/). These two blogs were selected for two main reasons. First, as suggested by their inclusion in the list of top blogs, the book reviews published in these forums are indicative of high quality and the blogger's dedication to the hobby. Second, the blogs offer reviews of both fiction and non-fiction books. One of the bloggers - henceforth referred to as blogger A - classified her book reviews into the categories of fiction and non-fiction. Her classification was used in the present study while differentiating between books of the above types. As the other blogger - henceforth referred to as blogger B - reviewed non-fiction books only, there was no need to categorise her blog posts in this regard.\nFindings: Quantitative overview\nArticulating responses to efferent and aesthetic reading: This section answers RQ2 and RQ3 by communicating the findings of the qualitative content analysis. The results will be presented by starting from the articulations of responses to efferent reading, followed by the analysis of the aesthetic reading experiences. Both fiction and non-fiction books will be discussed within these contexts, thus following Rosenblatt's (2004, p. 1376) idea that books of diverse kind can be read both efferently and aesthetically. The findings will be illustrated by taking extracts from the book reviews.\nDiscussion: Rosenblatt's reader-response theory provides a novel perspective on reading as a transactional process of information acquisition, use and sharing. Her theory explains how reading is guided by aesthetic and efferent stances on the text and how the reader's responses to the text can be analysed by focussing on the written articulations presented by the readers. The present study examined the potential of Rosenblatt's theory in the context of blogging about books. The main point of departure was the assumption that book reviews published in blog posts articulate responses to efferent and aesthetic reading and that such reviews serve the ends of sharing information about the content of the book, as well as depicting aesthetic reading experiences.\nConclusion: Reader-response theories hold good promises for the elaboration of the picture of information acquisition, use and sharing. These theories offer a novel perspective on the ways in which readers approach texts as information sources, how readers interpret them and how they communicate their interpretations to others. The present study tested the potential of Rosenblatt's classic theory to the examination of information sharing occurring through book blogs. The findings highlight that the responses to efferent and aesthetic reading are contextually sensitive and that they are significantly oriented by the stance adopted by the reader. However, as the present study is explorative in nature and confined to the analysis of a relatively small sample of 300 blog posts submitted by two bloggers, more research is needed to refine the picture of efferent and aesthetic reading by taking larger samples of posts from book blogs of diverse types (Steiner, 2010). Research on reading stances may be expanded beyond the context of book blogging by analysing information acquisition guided by the efferent stance, as well as the ways in which readers use information by interpreting texts available in fiction and non-fiction books. Comparative studies such as these can be conducted in other contexts such as schools' literacy courses. Finally, it is evident that Rosenblatt's theory holds good potential for the examination of information literacy, particularly if the theory would be enhanced by elaborating the categories constitutive of critical reading.\n",
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},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to research on information sharing by drawing on the reader-response theory developed by Louise Rosenblatt. To this end, information sharing is approached by examining how bloggers communicate their reading experiences of fiction and non-fiction books.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The conceptual framework is based on the differentiation between efferent and aesthetic reading stances specified by Rosenblatt. The efferent stance directs attention to what is to be extracted from reading for instrumental purposes such as task performance. The aesthetic stance focuses on what is being lived through during the reading event. Rosenblatt's framework was elaborated by specifying eight categories of efferent reading and six categories of aesthetic reading. The ways in which bloggers communicate their responses to such readings were examined by scrutinising a sample of 300 posts from two book blogs.\nFindings: The bloggers mainly articulated responses to efferent reading by sharing information about the content of the reviewed books, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Responses to aesthetic reading were mainly articulated by describing how the bloggers experienced the narrative, what kind immersive experiences they had and what kind of emotions were felt during the reading process.\nResearch limitations/implications: As the study is explorative in nature and focusses on a sample of blog posts, the findings cannot be generalised to depict how people share their responses to efferent and aesthetic reading in social media forums.\nOriginality/value: The paper pioneers by examining the potential of Rosenblatt's theory in the study of sharing information about reading experiences in book blogs. The findings demonstrate that the categories of efferent and aesthetic reading can be elaborated further for the needs of information behaviour research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The private interests of consumers in the healthcare market
|
[
"Health services",
"Health insurance",
"Consumerism",
"Patients",
"Sweden"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: New public management (NPM) highlights the role of the consumer in healthcare (Christensen and Lagreid, 2001; Ferlie et al., 1996; Walsh, 1995). A major recommendation of NPM is that public services should adapt better to the needs, preferences and requirements of the consumer. In this discussion, it is sometimes argued that what we are seeing is the development of public sector consumerism (Needham, 2003; Potter, 1988) and a supermarket State (Olsen, 1988). The basic premise of such consumerism is that it empowers citizens to make choices based on their private interests as they take more responsibility for their health, employability and risk decisions (Beck, 1992; Rose, 1993). The aim of consumers in making these choices based on private interests is to achieve a better life for themselves and their families (Hirschman, 1982).Beginning in the 1980s, patient empowerment became an issue in healthcare policy with its emphasis on patient-centred care (Mead and Bower, 2000). NPM research has mainly pointed to the market as the device that gives consumers the opportunity to express and act on their private interests (Ferlie et al., 1996). An underlying assumption in this research in the healthcare sector is that consumers, armed with good information, will make informed choices (Greener, 2007). This assumption derives from the notion that such consumers' preferences are fixed and exploitable. However, this article suggests that the private interests of health insurance consumers are not necessarily fixed but may evolve in the marketplace (Callon, 1998; Callon and Muniesa, 2005). The way in which such evolution occurs is the focus of this research.One way of examining the evolving, private interests of consumers in the healthcare marketplace is to look at private health insurance (PHI) in a country such as Sweden. In all the Nordic countries, including Sweden, despite their mandatory, publicly insured healthcare, PHI policies are readily available for purchase. It is therefore of interest to research how PHI helps advance consumers' private interests as they purchase insurance for healthcare that is otherwise essentially free. Of further interest is the fact that Sweden has an egalitarian political tradition (Gustavsson and Jordahl, 2008). Given such a tradition, it is relevant for a democratic society to examine PHI with its hint of elitism. Third, since PHI must necessarily offer advantages over public healthcare, the question arises as to how insurance companies selling PHI appeal to consumers' economic interests. While a few individuals purchase PHI, the predominant PHI policyholders in Sweden are private employers (Kamsvag, 2004; Mossialos and Thompson, 2004) who presumably offer PHI to advance their own economic interests. This research examines how insurance companies promote PHI in a way that benefits these interests.The article first defines the concept of private (economic) interest and thereafter describes the research methods used. Next Swedish insurance company marketing managers' descriptions of the benefits of PHI for their policyholders are presented, followed by an analysis of the connection between PHI and the private interests of four policyholder groups. The article concludes with a discussion of how the purchase of PHI advances consumers' private economic interests.\nPrivate interests: Hirschman (1982) argues that there is a public-private cycle in society as evidenced by the historical periods of private interest focus followed by periods of public interest dominance. In recent decades, the private interest has been at the centre of the debate as questions have been raised by politicians, civil servants and citizens about the public interest. For example, politicians' interests have been an issue of public choice in schools (Niskanen, 1971); others have questioned the legitimacy of professional groups as representatives of the public interest (Power, 1997). As a reaction, the private interests of citizens have been highlighted. Hirschman defines this concept of private interest:A better life for oneself and one's family, \"better\" being understood primarily in terms of increased material welfare. This is of course today's commonsense meaning of the contrast between pursuing the public interest and attending to one's private interest (Hirschman , 1982, p. 7).Hirschman further distinguishes between the concepts of private and public action with his description of public action:Public action, action in the public, striving for the public happiness - these all refer to action in the political realm, to involvement of the citizen in civic or community affairs (Hirschman, 1982, p. 6).Regarding the concept of interest, Hirschman argues:Interests of persons and groups eventually came to be centered on economic advantage as its core meaning, not only in ordinary language but also in such social-science terms as \"class interests\" and \"interest groups.\" But the economic meaning became dominant rather late in the history of the term. When the term \"interest\" in the sense of concerns, aspirations and advantage gained currency in Western Europe during the late sixteenth century, its meaning was by no means limited to the material aspects of a person's welfare; rather, it is comprised the totality of human aspirations, but denoted an element of reflection and calculation with respect to the manner in which these aspirations were to be pursued (Hirschman, 1977/1997, p. 32).As Hirschman notes, the concept of interest is often connected to the ability to calculate in a market. NPM also suggests that the market should be used to introduce a calculated private interest in the public sector (Ferlie et al., 1996). Callon and Muniesa (2005) argue that artefacts as calculative devices are important in the development of markets. They propose a broad definition of calculation, involving quantitative, numerical procedures as well as qualitative judgements where calculation consists of comparing, ranking and choosing among alternatives. PHI is such artefact that allows the buyer in the healthcare market to engage in a calculative exchange. For example, PHI offers the buyer an alternative to an existing option for healthcare services, thus enlarging choice in an emerging market. Additionally, PHI may offer a number of advantages to a buyer who chooses that alternative. These advantages, which are designed to promote private interests, allow the buyer to develop his/her private calculative capacities in the market for healthcare services.\nMethods: In order to investigate the contribution of PHI to the emerging healthcare market, I began by interviewing insurance company managers who are responsible for PHI. Another alternative would have been to interview patients with PHI on how they use such insurance. However, insurance company managers are perhaps more interesting as interview subjects because they are continuously trying to develop ideas on how PHI might contribute to potential customers' calculations. Therefore I conducted interviews with seven managers responsible for product development of PHI, one from each of the seven largest insurance companies in Sweden. Since some insurance companies also purchase the key service of claims' settlements for damages from other companies, I also interviewed a representative from one of those companies. As it became clear in the research process that many employers provide PHI to their employees, I also interviewed three trade union representatives in order to learn employees' opinions of PHI. In sum, I conducted eleven interviews. Two of these were telephone interviews, and the rest were face-to-face interviews. The interviews were semi-structured and lasted for approximately one and a half hours. With the exception of the telephone interviews, all interviews were recorded and transcribed. I also analyzed various insurance company documents related to their service concepts, focusing on the promises and limitations of their offers. Additionally, I analysed other documents on PHI from Swedish and European sources.\nPrivate health insurance in Sweden: PHI was introduced in Sweden in the mid-1980s, and while it has developed steadily as an option in the healthcare sector, it is still not very popular. In 2007, about 359,000 PHI policies were sold in Sweden, in a population of about nine million people (Forsakringsforbundet, 2009). Furthermore, PHI is not included in the Swedish government's policies on healthcare, and the cost for such insurance is not tax-deductible for private persons. In countries, such as Sweden, where the provision of public healthcare services applies to all citizens, PHI clearly has a supplementary character (Mossialos and Thompson, 2004). Therefore insurance companies face the challenge of explaining the need for PHI and of justifying its cost to purchasers.Below are some reasons insurance company managers who develop and promote PHI give in arguing that private health insurance is in the private interests of consumers.The service concept and service delivery\nPHI and the private interests of consumers: PHI introduces the option of becoming a customer in the healthcare market. To make this option attractive, insurance companies invite potential customers, such as employers, to compare the public healthcare system with the private healthcare system provided by PHI. For example, the customer is invited to compare the patient waiting lists under PHI with those in public healthcare. However, it is difficult for the customer to compare these alternatives because the waiting lists may differ in time and in place as well as between treatment alternatives. Therefore, the benefits of PHI are to some extent rather opaque. Customers who are unable to make quantitative calculations for the two alternatives have to make qualitative judgements. Insurance companies, in promoting their policies to potential policyholders, therefore have to explain the advantages of PHI by using qualitative terms and by distinguishing between various customer groups. The insurance company managers therefore link PHI to the private interests of four healthcare consumer groups by marketing their policies separately to each of the following four groups (see Table I).Group policies for employers\nPrivate interests that are not promoted by insurance companies: There are also private consumer interests that insurance companies avoid promoting. The most obvious example is the problem of over-representation of high-risk health consumers as policyholders. In order to minimize that problem, insurance companies may require health declarations for all individual policies. In addition, insurance companies may avoid the problem of high-risk policyholders by promoting group policies with either a more limited health declaration or no health declaration. Such policies distribute the risks among members of the insured group. A third possible way to avoid high-risk groups is to focus on selling insurance policies mainly to employees who can be assumed healthier than average.\nConclusions: The focus of this study is on how the private interests of consumers are promoted in an emerging market for healthcare services. In this article, insurance company managers describe how they encourage customers to purchase PHI in order to advance their private interests in the area of healthcare services. The conclusion is that PHI facilitates the promotion of two types of private interests. One interest is the reduction in employers' total costs by the reduction in medical treatment waiting times for employees and therefore their time off from work. The second interest is the limitation of economic risks when key employees and other high profile members, like sports persons, are unable to work or perform because of illnesses or injuries. In short, insurance companies selling PHI are mainly promoting the economic dimensions of the private interests of consumers.These conclusions enlarge the debate on patient-centred care and consumerism. When insurance companies explore the economic dimensions of consumers' private interests, they focus on a group of consumers who are usually neglected by public healthcare where legislation stipulates that the patient with the greatest medical need should have first access to care. In contrast, insurance companies offering PHI give patients with the largest economic needs, as well as means, quick access to care that, from a societal point of view, may be viewed as inequitable.The introduction of PHI highlights the importance to consumers of short waiting times in the healthcare system. Public healthcare may have to reduce waiting times in order to stay competitive with PHI healthcare and to maintain equitable healthcare access for citizens. Perhaps as a response to PHI, in Sweden a waiting-time guarantee was introduced in public healthcare in the mid-1990s. However, the insurance companies selling PHI have promised shorter waiting times than those stipulated in the guarantee. This means that PHI advances the market system in healthcare services where competition focuses on waiting times and quick access to care.The limitations of this research are acknowledged. First, the article concentrates on how insurance companies promote PHI to consumers. The research does not provide any insights into how policyholders actually use PHI. Second, the research focuses on Sweden where private employers are the major policyholders. In other European countries, where other groups of consumers are relevant, these groups may have other private interests.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper sets out to examine how private health insurance (PHI) supports the private interests of consumers of healthcare services. The focus is on how insurance companies promote PHI to consumers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Using interviews with insurance company marketing managers and others, the paper is a case study on the introduction of PHI in Sweden.\nFindings: - The interviewed insurance company managers argue that PHI supports two types of consumers' private economic interests. One type is the employers' interest in managing their total health-related costs for their employees and the promise of PHI to reduce these costs. The second type relates to the interests of employees, particularly sports professionals, in managing economic risks and the promise of PHI to limit such risks.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper focuses on how insurance companies promote PHI to consumers. There is no exploration of how PHI policyholders actually use their insurance. The study focuses on Sweden where private companies are the major PHI policyholders. In other European countries, PHI may be adapted to other consumer groups in order to develop other private interests. The paper points to the value of short waiting times in public healthcare.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides valuable insights for academics and practitioners who are interested in how the private interests of consumers may affect the healthcare sector.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The interplay between market intelligence activities and sales strategy as drivers of performance in foreign markets
|
[
"Export performance",
"Export market intelligence activities",
"Export sales strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The determinants of export performance is a primary issue of concern among international marketing researchers and practitioners (Leonidou et al., 2002). As the field developed, export marketing strategy emerged as a pivotal determinant of export performance (Cavusgil and Zou, 1994; Chen et al., 2016; Morgan et al., 2004). An export marketing strategy provides a firm the means to exploit the strengths and counter the weaknesses that arise from its internal environment, as well as to seize the opportunities and successfully confront the threats that emerge in the external environment, to meet its export-related objectives (Cavusgil and Zou, 1994). While many researchers recognize the importance of developing effective marketing strategies that offer superior value to foreign customers, few studies attempted to investigate how firms implement such strategies at the local market level (Morgan et al., 2012). Previous discussions of export marketing strategy revolved around the traditional marketing mix (i.e. product, price, promotion and distribution), focusing on whether firms should standardize or adapt its elements in foreign markets (Cavusgil and Zou, 1994). A number of review studies/meta-analyses on export performance confirm that the investigation of strategic issues in exporting focused primarily on the elements of the marketing mix (Chen et al., 2016; Leonidou et al., 2002; Zou and Stan, 1998; Katsikeas et al., 2000). In contrast, in none of these studies did export sales management emerge as a major topic of investigation.\n2. Research background and hypotheses: This study aims to develop and empirically test a comprehensive model of the antecedents and performance consequences of export sales strategy. Drawing on previous research in the area of export marketing (Murray et al., 2011), the study examines the role of export market orientation as a potential driver of the development of ESS. A key proposition is that the \"intelligence\" facet of market orientation (Hult et al., 2005; Ozturan et al., 2014) is an important enabler of the internal process that leads to the development of effective ESS. The study focuses on export market intelligence generation and export market intelligence dissemination activities, which provide useful insights regarding customers, competitors and other environmental forces in each targeted foreign market (Cadogan et al., 1999). These activities provide the knowledge grounds for the development of strategic decisions at the export customer level, which are incorporated in the firm's ESS. This is extremely important for exporting firms whose customer portfolio within each targeted export market may include a small number of end-user customers or independent distributors (hereafter referred to as customers) with diverse needs and purchasing behavior.\n3. Research method: 3.1 Sample and data collection procedure\n4. Analysis and results: 4.1 Measurement model evaluation\n5. Discussion and implications: The success of exporting firms depends greatly on their ability to effectively manage every aspect of their operating relationship with foreign distributors and end-user customers (Obadia et al., 2015). Nonetheless, previous research has devoted limited research on the development of effective export sales strategies, which represent the key strategic tool for implementing a firm's export marketing strategy at the individual account level. Furthermore, while numerous studies have attempted to identify the main antecedents of export performance, they have largely ignored the role of export sales strategy. The present study contributes toward filling this notable gap in the literature by examining the role of export market intelligence activities in forming sales strategies that drive superior performance outcomes in foreign markets. The study findings provide clear evidence that export sales strategy, when properly developed and implemented, can contribute greatly to export success. Some important implications for theory and managerial practice related to the effective management of long-term profitable relationships with foreign customers, are outlined in the following.\n6. Limitations and future research directions: Findings of this study must be interpreted in light of certain limitations. First, this study investigates only two antecedents of export sales strategy, namely, export market intelligence generation and export market intelligence dissemination. Future studies should examine the role of other potential antecedents, including environmental, organizational or strategic factors.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Exporting is a popular foreign market entry mode, especially among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The success of SME exporters depends on their ability to establish and maintain profitable long-term relationships with foreign customers. This study aims to propose that the development of an effective export sales strategy can contribute greatly toward this aim. The study also demonstrates that export market intelligence generation and export market intelligence dissemination activities are important drivers of export sales strategy. Export sales strategy comprises three dimensions, which are expected to have a positive influence on export performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses survey data obtained from 168 exporting firms based in Greece, to test a set of research hypotheses. Structural equation modeling procedures are used.\nFindings: Findings indicate that export market intelligence generation and dissemination activities support and facilitate the development of effective export sales strategies, tailored to serve individual foreign accounts. Furthermore, all strategic dimensions of export sales strategy demonstrate significant positive effects on export performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research underlines the importance of incorporating export sales strategy in studies that aim to investigate the drivers of export performance.\nPractical implications: The findings also indicate that exporting firms must actively engage in market intelligence activities to reinforce their strategic decision-making process.\nOriginality/value: The study emphasizes the crucial importance of export sales strategy in achieving superior export performance. The study provides a theory-driven conceptualization and operationalization of export sales strategy and offers an empirical assessment of a comprehensive model that includes the key antecedents and performance outcomes of export sales strategy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Quits and ladders: does mobility improve outcomes?
|
[
"Job mobility",
"Panel analysis",
"Intra-generational mobility",
"Job-hopping",
"Career ladders"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Researchers assume job mobility is of interest to workers because it leads to \"better\" positions elsewhere (Gesthuizen and Dagevos, 2008; Le Grand and Tahlin, 2002; Kalleberg and Sorensen, 1979). This assumption exists in both economic (job-match and job-search theories) and sociological approaches, widely cited in inequality research (Schmelzer, 2010; Jovanovic, 1979; Sorensen, 1975; Burdett, 1978). These theories can easily apply to internal promotions as well as external quits, but empirical work has ignored these (Le Grand and Tahlin, 2002; Kalleberg and Mastekaasa, 2001). This approach offers an incomplete view of mobility and its consequences.\nTheoretical framework: Workers seek the highest level of compensation possible (Sorensen, 1975; Sorensen and Tuma, 1978). Voluntary mobility may be one way of achieving this, whether within firms (Gesthuizen, 2009; Gesthuizen and Dagevos, 2008; Althauser and Kalleberg, 1981) or between them (Jovanovic, 1979; Burdett, 1978; Keith and McWilliams, 1997).\nVoluntary mobility to \"better\" positions: We argue that discussions of mobility and outcomes suffer from two issues. First, authors spend significant efforts predicting mobility without exploring its effects. This is especially true in the field of personnel psychology (Steenackers and Guerry, 2016; Jackofsky and Peters, 1983; Mobley, 1977), although examples exist in sociology also (Hachen, 1990). These papers help us understand what pushes workers to mobility, but rarely show us the effect of mobility itself. Second, linked to the first point, authors who do explore the impact of mobility rarely consider the impact of promotions. At best, authors present movement between firms as the only strategy for improving earnings and conditions (Kronberg, 2013; Caparros Ruiz et al., 2004). At worst, authors consider this point irrelevant. When considering the effect that subjective outcomes have on internal and external mobility, Jacofsky and Peters suggest \"It is reasonable to believe that intra- and interorganizational movement are similar with regard to their impact on individuals\". We wonder if this assumption holds up in the British market.\nMethodology: Our approach can be summarised as follows. We sample nine rounds of the BHPS covering the pre-crisis period (2000-2008). Using the sample, we draw on subjective and objective measures of job fit and earnings, a number of controls and a measure of job mobility. In order to focus on the core workforce, we restrict the sample to a semi-balanced panel, allowing respondents to miss only a single year in the 2000-2008 period.\nResults: Table II summarises the frequency of mobility in the sample. Here, we summarise the commonality of voluntary mobility overall, before listing the commonality of quits and promotions. Table II is split in three ways; overall, between and within respondents. The first column considers observations overall. Most of the UK's mobility is \"voluntary\", either to a new employer or a new position with the same employer (Column 1). Thinking of mobility between respondents (Column 2), 33 per cent of respondents quit voluntarily at least once during the panel; 30 per cent of respondents took a promotion at least once during the panel. Regarding mobility for the average respondent (Column 3), both types of voluntary mobility are the most common mobility type over the nine wave period. The figures suggest British workers move often and for voluntary reasons. We now consider the main research question, what do workers get from this mobility?\nDiscussion: This paper compares the impact of quits and promotions on earnings growth and job fit. Internal mobility has largely been ignored in the literature. As a result, studies of job mobility focus extensively on who experiences job quits (Steenackers and Guerry, 2016; Hachen, 1990), and what are the returns to such quits (Caparros Ruiz et al., 2004; Kronberg, 2013). This approach frames mobile working lives as the result of workers shopping for better opportunities elsewhere (Brown et al., 2008; OECD, 2010). Such a view minimises precarity and ignores the fact that internal and traditional channels for career progression often carry the best rewards for workers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare internal and external job mobility (quits and promotions) as separate mechanisms for workers improving earnings and job fit.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors sample the core workforce from the British Household Panel Survey, estimating the effects of quits and promotions on two sets of outcomes. The first is subjective; satisfaction with work, pay and hours. The second is objective realities about the job; gross monthly pay and weekly working hours. The authors use linear fixed-effects estimation to control for individual heterogeneity.\nFindings: Quits and promotions are distinctly different mechanisms for improving earnings and job fit. Quits improve measures of job fit (satisfaction with work, pay and hours) but have little effect on earnings. Internal promotions bring earnings growth but have little effect on job fit. The findings shed light what drives \"voluntary\" mobility; internal mobility may be driven by higher \"reservation wages\" and career progression, while external mobility may be driven by job matching and the need to find more appropriate work.\nSocial implications: Researchers should treat mobile labour markets with scepticism. The growth of \"boundaryless careers\" may closer resemble a release valve for poor working conditions in a varied market than a growth in new opportunities for earnings and career progression.\nOriginality/value: Studies of job mobility overwhelmingly focus on the effects quitting without explicitly comparing this mobility to promotions. This omission gives an incomplete picture of mobility. Bringing promotions back into the discussion, helps to understand why workers commit to internal careers and firm tenure. The paper shows that quits and promotions yield distinctly different outcomes for core workers, despite both mobility types being labelled \"voluntary\". Thus, the authors show that inequality in earnings and working conditions is closely tied to access to the \"life-chances\" of mobility; those who are able to pursue promotion are rewarded objectively; those who quit for a new employer seek a better job fit.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Workspace management as a part of FM mission: a study of German FM education
|
[
"Facility management",
"Workplace management",
"Organisational productivity",
"Psychological comfort at work",
"Workspace management",
"WSM education and guideline"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nMotivation: In the light of the global saturation of business industries and incrementally growing competition, facility management (FM) and its position in an organisation are becoming an increasingly prominent topic of academic discourse and a crucial item on the agenda of managers and corporate executives. While originally the primary objective of FM was confined to cost-containment, the recent years have witnessed a shift in the raison d'etre of FM towards the creation of added value (Jensen, 2010), which effectively translates into the targeted stimulation of organisational and employees' productivity (Haynes, 2007; Davis, 1984; Hameed and Amjad, 2009).\nResults and discussion: The first research question set out that there was a positive correlation between the following variables: PhC and Pr; FC and Pr; and PsC and Pr (Table V), which is confirmed by the graph (Figure 1) received by a linear regressions analysis. There is a strong positive correlation between PhC and Pr. Similarly, a sufficiently strong positive correlation was found between FC and Pr with a slightly weaker positive correlation between PsC and Pr (Figure 1).\nConclusion: The productivity of an organisation to an appreciable extent depends on the productivity of its workforce, the level of which is largely dictated by the adequacy and suitability of the facilities and working environment within which the organisation operates.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the nature of facility management (FM) and workspace management (WSM) and explores their interrelation with the aim of establishing whether WSM can be considered a part of the mission pursued by FM. Functional overlaps and gaps are identified and compared within the current system of FM education in Germany. Even though the research focussed on Germany, the findings may be extendable to other regions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data used were collected by means of a questionnaire, which was sent to the respondents, who complied with the eligibility requirements, namely, such individuals should have been office workers and work in Germany. The data collection was preceded by a literature review and followed by a quantitative analysis.\nFindings: The literature analysis carried out demonstrates that the agenda of WSM can be considered as part of the FM mission. However, notwithstanding the overlap of the objectives of WSM and FM, it has also been identified a major discrepancy in that FM in Germany is predominantly concerned with the management of tangible and functional elements of a working environment and pays less attention to its non-tangible and psychological counterparts, whereas WSM, as a discipline, tends to cover both tangible and intangible elements of a workspace on a more equal footing. The element of employees' \"psychological comfort\" (PsC) at work is capable of exerting the most profound influence on overall organisational productivity.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results of the work should not, without proper adjustments, be extrapolated to other geographical markets or industries, whose workspace characteristics may differ from those existing in Germany.\nPractical implications: FM educational programmes may be adjusted to enable the facility managers to perform most or all activities within WSM.\nSocial implications: To impart facility managers with WSM competencies will contribute to employees' psychological comfort and their productivity and, hence, will increase the acceptance and appreciation of the FM profession.\nOriginality/value: The paper introduces new thinking on the subject of WSM in the context of FM. It encourages FM educators to include WSM into their educational programmes or to add missing links to existing workplace management courses.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
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