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Top secret from the bottom up: Message classifications by non-state organizations and their members
|
[
"Private",
"Confidential",
"Message classification",
"Non-state organizations",
"Restrictions",
"Top secret"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Government organizations have long been concerned with document classification schemes to protect state secrets by distinguishing them with labels such as secret and top secret. Some estimates suggest that this classified universe is five to ten times larger than all the literature in our libraries (Galison, 2004). However, this classified universe may be even larger if we look beyond nation states and start to consider other organizations and organizational members that also engage in these efforts (e.g. organizations dealing with sensitive information as well as those interacting directly with government agencies). Beyond that, organizations and their members in any sort of communication-intensive field are already beginning to use message classifications that serve to restrict communication in key ways. In their e-mail signatures, their documents, and even in conversations with various stakeholders they may label messages as private, for internal use only, personal, unofficial, or as any one of dozens of other terms that attempt to restrict communication. In an era where data are so pervasive (and so regularly subject to unwelcome disclosures), surveillance capabilities are growing, and privacy has become increasingly contested amid calls for transparency, various non-state organizations and their members are increasingly likely to (mis)use and encounter such classification efforts. Thus, this emerging area of message classification is one of growing relevance to a wide range of organizational communicators.\nBeyond the state: classifications by other organizations and their members: Most government classification systems are designed to protect state secrets or at least to balance risks of disclosing such secrets against benefits of information access. For example, the USA currently uses four distinctions based on the damage that would be done if information was revealed (Lowenthal, 2017). Top secret is for information whose unauthorized disclosure could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security. Secret is for disclosures causing serious damage. Confidential is for disclosures that could be expected to cause damage to national security. More recently, the USA added a sensitive but unclassified distinction.\nKey classification terms: These classifications serve a restricting function in that they limit what is in a message, how official or final it is, to whom a message is intended/unintended, with whom it might be shared, when a message may be sent/received, etc. The focus here is on messages because the restrictions are not only relevant to written documents but can also refer to oral exchanges and various digital forms. These restrictions may be within the content itself (e.g. a printed report depicted internally as private; an-in person negotiation described as unofficial) or proximate to the content (an e-mail subject line announcing the message is not for distribution; a word-processing document with a draft watermark on it). Users may even label messages with the strategy used to conceal them (e.g. encrypted, password-protected).\nFuture directions: The formal use of these terms in state organizations - though not void of debates about what actually should be classified as secret, top secret, etc. - is highly prescribed and regulated in many ways. Some non-state organizations have also developed guidelines for their use of message classifications. But, especially as we start to consider informal organizational member usage of such terms, a series of questions begins to emerge relevant to organizational communication scholars and practitioners. How much variation exists in the use and intended meaning of such terms, especially across organizations? How is the informal use of classifications (re)constructing our more formal uses and understandings of these terms? What legal standing do members have when using such terms informally? What is the discursive force of such labels? How are such classifications reacted to by various stakeholders? How uniformly are these restrictive terms understood by those various audiences?\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: The emerging area of message classification is one of growing relevance to a wide range of organizational communicators as a variety of non-state organizations and their members increasingly use and misuse various terms to restrict their communication. This includes formal classifications for data security, financial/knowledge management, human resources, and other functions as well as those used informally by organizational members. Especially in a data-rich environment where our word-processing programs, e-mail tools, and other technologies afford us opportunities to engage in classification, a wide range of people at all organizational levels may serve as custodians of their own data and thus have the ability (as well as perhaps the need) to classify messages in various ways. The purpose of this paper is to describe key classification terms ranging from those found in government (e.g. top secret, confidential) to those in the private sector (e.g. business use only, trademarked) to an even wider set of terms used informally by organizational members (e.g. personal, preliminary). The growing use of message classifications will likely create various challenges and opportunities for organizations, their members, and the broader public/society. A set of future research questions is offered for corporate communication researchers and practitioners, who are well positioned to examine this emerging phenomenon.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper draws on existing literature related to the growing use of message classifications to offer a list of classification terms and an agenda for future research.\nFindings: This work describes key classification terms ranging from those found in government (e.g. top secret, confidential) to those in the private sector (e.g. business use only, trademarked) to an even wider set of terms used informally by organizational members (e.g. personal, preliminary). This expanded notion of classification will likely create various challenges and opportunities for organizations, their members, and the broader public/society.\nOriginality/value: The emerging area of message classification is one of growing relevance to a wide range of organizational communicators as a variety of non-state organizations and their members increasingly use and misuse various terms to restrict their communication. A set of future research questions is offered for corporate communication researchers and practitioners, who are well positioned to examine this emerging phenomenon.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Checking the manipulation checks in information security research
|
[
"Information systems",
"Information security",
"Methodology",
"Research methods",
"Procedures"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In keeping with the functional area of information systems (IS) within business organizations, the topic of information security has continually gained more attention from the research community. The number of potential theories, variables, settings and contexts in which information security research can develop and investigate is robust, and it should not be surprising that the number of methods and study designs to help do so is similarly diverse. Many of the traditional study designs used in other areas of IS have been appropriated for conducting empirical research on information security. However, even though these research designs are being used in new research areas, that does not mean that the \"old\" techniques of testing assumptions and validities no longer apply. One traditional assessment of validity in some empirical designs, the manipulation check, has been observed to be neglected in mainstream IS research (Boudreau et al., 2001), and as this paper shows, that trend continues in research on information security. The importance of conducting manipulation checks cannot be overstated. In empirical studies, tests of assumptions are considered to be critical for interpreting results. It is not sufficient for us, as researchers, to assume that a potential punishment we have designed for violating a company security policy will automatically be perceived by subjects as being more severe than another punishment. For the sake of accurately discussing whatever results are attained from the research method, it is essential to measure the subjects' perceptions of the punishment themselves.\nBackground: Behavioral research often relies on modeling and hypothesizing about abstract concepts, and information security research is no exception. This includes measuring independent variables like perceived threat severity and perceived self-efficacy, for example, as well as dependent variables like intention to comply with security policy or perceived security effectiveness. Studying relationships between such variables usually requires a study design that the researchers can control and manipulate, like a randomized experiment, as organizations that will tolerate the disruptions necessary to do so are few and far between (Cook and Campbell, 1979). Thus, researchers develop ways of artificially operationalizing these abstract variables and, in the case of independent variables, frequently use experimental \"treatments\" to do so. In some instances, the treatment and the independent variables are one and the same, such as when the independent variable involves either the perception of working alone or working in a room with others (Sigall and Mills, 1998). But typically, differences in the independent variable are based on the treatment itself, and subjects who have been randomly assigned to a treatment group are exposed to a different level of the treatment, or \"manipulation\", than subjects in other groups. Thus, the manipulation impacts the underlying independent variable in such a way as to test its hypothesized relationship with the dependent variable (MacKenzie, 2001). The manipulation check is used to determine if subject perceptions of the independent variable in each group were manipulated in the intended manner and that the experimental treatment was indeed effective.\nResearch designs using treatments in information security: Experiments and quasi-experiments\n\"Cousins\" of the manipulation check: Manipulation checks are not the only statistical test for validating treatments. In fact, the term manipulation check is occasionally used to refer to one of a number of procedures intended to assess treatments besides those described above. All this naturally adds to the confusion for researchers wishing to understand, and perhaps even replicate, the methods used in a study. This section describes some of the other measures that may pertain to manipulated variables but are not true manipulation checks.\nImplications for failing to perform manipulation checks: The purpose of this paper is not merely to explore the need for researchers working within the field of information security to use manipulation checks, but also to discuss the ramifications of failing to do so. This section examines two research designs frequently used in information security research, experimental designs and the factorial survey method using scenarios, using insights on the consequences for failing to ensure manipulation validity held by those who consider them a necessity.\nConclusion: It may seem as if manipulation checks are too basic a research technique as to justify the complete focus of a research paper. However, for a supposedly basic technique, manipulation checks are too often unreported for studies in which their inclusion should be critical. To the contrary, this paper argues that manipulation checks are distinctly important and should be reported front and center in research articles on information security. Furthermore, they are more than basic. To quote Highhouse (2009, p. 557), \"good manipulation checks require thought, precision, and creativity\". It is hoped that this paper will serve to motivate information security researchers to focus their attention on ensuring their treatments are suitably sound for quality research.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: An increasing amount of attention is being paid to the human side of information security programs, leading to research designs that require the manipulation of study variables. The purpose of this paper is to highlight a traditional assessment of such designs, the manipulation check, and examine how its absence can undermine otherwise solid research efforts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper reviews literature from the fields of research methods, organizational behavior and information systems for extant perspectives and viewpoints on manipulation checks, which are then brought into the realm of information security research.\nFindings: The possible risks involved with failing to perform manipulation checks are discussed, which include a possibility of making Type II errors. The paper provides further insight on the timing, method and manner in which manipulation checks can be performed.\nOriginality/value: A disappointing number of research articles in the area of information security fail to report manipulation checks when they should. This paper seeks to remind researchers to perform this vital assessment and to use the results accordingly.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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What is happening from behind? Making the impact of internet topology visible
|
[
"Network topology",
"Measurement",
"Correlation analysis"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The internet forms a large, decentrally evolving network instance and as such has been subject to many studies. Internet topology models have been developed and suggest that viewing the internet at different degrees of resolution will lead to scale-free characteristic properties. Empirical measurements of the internet have thus gained importance for verifying these structural models.The use of real-world internet topology data, though, is not limited to theoretical considerations, but is likewise important for protocol design, performance analysis and verifications through realistic simulations. Many protocols such as mobility management or multicast routing on distribution trees, overlay routing or hybrid approaches inherit significant performance impact from the underlying internet topology. Their analysis requires large topology datasets at the IP router level to extract protocol behaviour and realistic scaling properties from simulation. To achieve this goal, comprehensive data from continuous internet monitoring is needed, as well as a feasible tool-chain for processing these voluminous amounts of raw measurements and feeding them into common network simulators.Several projects have measured the internet during the past decade, but many of them provided only snapshot views. In contrast, the Skitter work of CAIDA (Ski, 2007) has provided continuous internet monitoring since 1998 and collected a valuable amount of data. Skitter issues network scans in a traceroute-like fashion from 26 globally distributed monitor points, targeting at a carefully maintained destination list of approximately 971,000 nodes. Recently, the Skitter measurements have been replaced by a successor, the Archipelago project (Ark, 2008). Based on an improved trace-route probing facility \"Scamper\", Ark follows a team-probing approach, in which destinations are randomly contacted by one out of a varying number of monitor points within an 48 hours probing cycle. As compared to Skitter, Ark attempts to measure a larger number of nodes, one for each of about 7 million/24 prefixes, but reduces probing to one monitor point per cycle. In general, CAIDA's fairly static approach is tied to a largely controlled experimental environment and allows for liable analysis of the temporal internet development. The relatively new DIMES initiative (Shavitt and Shir, 2005) proceeds along the line of voluntary monitors. A randomly distributed number of currently more than 15.000 agents perform traceroute scans according to a dynamic destination list. Like in the early SETI@Home, peers submit their scans to a central site, where they are post-processed and aggregated to form a daily snapshot view of the internet.In this work we start from the latter monitoring projects and introduce a tool-chain based on extensions we implemented for the BRITE (Medina et al., 2001) topology generator. With its help, we compare structural properties of the datasets to gain insight into their specific characteristics in section 2. Concentrating on node degrees, we find clear indications from a correlation analysis that the overall discovery of internet links remains incomplete within the Skitter and Ark data, whereas corresponding results for DIMES topology measurements show a fairly exhaustive connectivity. Furthermore, we evaluate and discuss the spatial autocorrelation function as a distinct signature of the graphs.Grounded on these quantitatively assessed data, we systematically derive implications for inherent measurements of the routing complexity in multicast mobility in section 3, which show a surprisingly low mobility overhead as compared to general multicast forwarding state management. Subsequently, we evaluate and analyze edge distance distributions in geographical regions for clustered IP ranges such as a city to quantify the handover performance of internet mobility management in section 4. As continuous mobility handovers necessarily occur between access routers located in geographic vicinity, the hypothesis is investigated that geographically adjacent edge networks attain a reduced network distances as compared to arbitrary internet nodes. Conclusions and an outlook finalize the paper in section 5.\n2. Topology data sets: comparing Skitter, Ark and DIMES using BRITE: 2.1 BRITE extension & topology data sets\n3. Exploring the routing complexity of mobile multicast: 3.1 Problem analysis\n4. Handover performance of internet mobility management: Seamless support for Voice over IP (VoIP) and related real-time communication must be considered critical for deployment success into the mobile world. Therefore significant effort is continuously taken in the IETF to develop and improve protocols for seamless mobility handovers, FMIPv6 (Koodli, 2008) and HMIPv6 (Soliman et al., 2005) being the most prominent examples. Mobile IPv6 (Johnson et al., 2004) inherits a strong topology dependence through its binding update procedures with the Home Agent (HA) and the Correspondent Node (CN). Handover acceleration schemes attempt to overcome this obstacle by relocating immediate transfer negotiations to the vicinity of the mobile node, i.e. to access networks at the internet edges. In previous analysis (Schmidt and Wahlisch, 2005) it could be shown that the handover performance actually attained largely depends on the relative network topology of access components, when measured in an appropriate delay metric such as round trip time. Access router distance can be considered as the characteristic complexity parameter in fast or hierarchical mobile IPv6.4.1 Regional edge distance distributions\n5. Conclusions and outlook: We introduced a tool-chain for data processing of internet measurements and used it for a comparative analysis of CAIDA Skitter, Ark and DIMES data on the IP node level. Topological characteristics of the two datasets could be derived from a node degree correlation analysis, indicating a fairly uniform discovery of internet links by DIMES, but a \"visible\" miss by Skitter and Ark. Investigations of long-range autocorrelations indicate that the internet topology shows mid-range memory effects, with preferred clustering of similar degree nodes in the short range, but dissimilar ones on an inter-AS level scale.These data sets and tools where applied to analyze aspects of mobility management at the routing layer. At first we quantified the complexity inherent to multicast tree adaptation under mobility. Topology-based simulations for CAIDA and DIMES data sets discovered a remarkably low requirement of multicast state change in moderate mobility regimes.Inspired by mobile IP handover performance measures, we investigated routing distances in geographically bound clusters of the internet. Therein users are expected to move around freely while continuously \"talking\" IP in the near future. Traceroute probes have been used to derive delay distributions at internet edges in San Francisco, Berlin, Hamburg and Shanghai. Comparison has been drawn to CAIDA measurements only, since DIMES link data lack delay values. Our results seem to indicate a clear signatures of locality in the distance metric, which cannot be segregated from CAIDA measurements due to sparsely scattered monitor points. The application of these results to calculating packet loss after mobility handovers indicates that characteristic proximity measures in the internet may give rise to fairly stable anticipation timers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to compare internet measurement data obtained from Skitter, Ark and Dimes by analyzing the internet node degree distributions and correlations at IP node and router level. Further on, it is intended to analyze implications of the internet structure as attained in both its core and edge vicinities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This comparative analysis was enabled by a data conversion and processing tool-chain implemented as an extension to the BRITE topology generator which is also introduced.\nFindings: - The results show significant differences in higher nodal degrees. Correlation analysis indicates that DIMES scans discover internet links to a fairly uniform degree, while parts remain invisible within Skitter and Ark data. Mid-range, oscillating spatial autocorrelations are discovered as a signature of memory effects in internet topology.\nPractical implications: - Mobile multicast routing performance is quantized by the number of states minimally required for servicing listener or sender mobility. Results show a surprisingly low mobility overhead compared with general multicast forwarding state management. As continuous mobility handovers necessarily occur between access routers located in geographic vicinity, the hypothesis is investigated that geographically adjacent edge networks attain a reduced network distances compared with arbitrary internet nodes. The evaluation of edge distance distributions in different regions for IP ranges, clustered according to their geographic location, reveals a stable correlation of geographic and network proximity at internet edges.\nOriginality/value: - The internet topology has evolved over the past decades in an evolutionary process and continues to grow. Recently, it has attracted much attention from the networking and physics communities, as it forms a unique operational instance of a planetary-scale network environment. Several measurement projects observing the internet have been undertaken over the past years, out of which Skitter, its successor Archipelago (Ark) and Dimes have been established as continuous recordings of the vivid process of network formation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Entrepreneurship education knowledge transfer in a conflict Sub-Saharan African context
|
[
"Higher education",
"Sub-Saharan Africa",
"Entrepreneurship education",
"Knowledge transfer",
"Entrepreneurial behaviour",
"Conflict environment"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Entrepreneurship education (EE) is high on the agenda for many governments and multilateral agencies across the world. Notably, the Association of African Universities and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development recognise EE as a catalyst for socio-economic development (Johnson et al., 2011; Wilson, 2008; Uslay et al., 2002). As a result, they provide EE policies and how these interact with the concept of knowledge transfer to affect entrepreneurial skills acquisition and socio-economic development, especially in regions that suffer persistent high rate of poverty and unemployment (Harrington and Maysami, 2015; Johnston et al., 2010). Also, the relationship between EE and entrepreneurial behaviour is well documented in academic circles (see e.g. Kirby, 2004; Bechard and Gregoire 2005; Co and Mitchell, 2006; Matlay and Carey, 2007; Solomon, 2007; Fuchs et al., 2008; Kabongo and Okpara 2010). Unfortunately, the current knowledge in EE field (see also Klandt, 2004; Kuratko, 2005; Fayolle et al., 2006; Nurmi and Paasio, 2007; Fuchs et al., 2008; Matlay, 2008) is limited by evidence obtained mainly from resource-rich developed economies where the business environment is more stable, and the business dynamics often predictable.\nWhy SSA as a focus for EE research?: With several Sub-Saharan African countries (e.g. Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania) growing at between 6 and 10 per cent (AfDB/OECD/UNDP, 2016), and also turning to EE to drive their socio-economic agenda (Nwekeaku, 2013), there is much to be gained from a focus on SSA as a context for EE research. As such, for a holistic and more comprehensive understanding of the EE concept and to widen the existing body of evidence in this field, there is a need to understand the effect of EE on entrepreneurial behaviour of micro-entrepreneurs operating in SSA. Echoing this view, Fayolle (2013, p. 693) calls for an urgent \"reflection\" about how best to safeguard the future of EE research by developing \"robust theoretical and conceptual foundations\" in EE domain field. In retrospect, Bruton et al. (2008, p. 9) emphasise that \"emerging economies\" lend themselves more uniquely as environments in which to obtain \"fresh insights\" to expand theoretical understanding of entrepreneurship and economic development.\nContext of Boko Haram conflict in Nigeria: As a group, Boko Haram has been associated with terrorist activities for over a decade. They recruit their members from mainly disadvantaged population, mostly unemployed youth across but not limited to Northern Nigeria. Notably, their April 2014 abduction of more than 270 schoolgirls from Government School Chibok brought them into international limelight that sparked the \"BringBackOurGirls\" global campaign. Despite recent release of some of the abductees and the increased military campaign by the Nigerian Government and its international allies, Boko Haram remains defiant and undefeated (Burke, 2016). In fact, since 2013, 14.8 million Nigerians including 7.3 million children have been severely affected by the Boko Haram's conflict. Of this population, 2.3 million people are known to have been internally displaced (UNICEF, 2016). Additionally, between 2012 and 2016 more than 30,000 deaths have been directly or indirectly linked to Boko Haram's conflict. Widespread poverty and unemployment, attributed to the prevalence of Qur'anic education in Northern Nigeria, are seen as the underlying causes of Boko Haram conflict (Oladosu, 2012).\nEE, unemployment and conflict: To help reduce the confusion in the literature about the broad use of the concepts of EE and enterprise education (see Gibb, 1993), it is necessary to first clarify that both concepts share a distinct but complementary prerequisites for achieving entrepreneurial effectiveness. Entrepreneurial effectiveness is the ability of an individual to behave as an entrepreneur or function in an entrepreneurial capacity (Fayolle and Gailly, 2008; Kuratko, 2005). On the one hand, enterprise education is the process of equipping students with an enhanced capacity to generate business ideas and to exhibit entrepreneurial skills. On the other hand, EE equips individuals (e.g. students, graduates) with the knowledge, attributes and capabilities to acquire entrepreneurial skills necessary for entrepreneurial effectiveness, particularly in the context of new venture formation and management. In this sense, EE could be characterised as a \"transdisciplinary\" concept that requires a high degree of application of \"knowledge transfer\" (Quality Assurance Agency, 2012, p. 2). In this perspective, it is obvious that knowledge transfer has a close association with the process of EE dissemination. Dissemination of EE through knowledge transfer is essential to entrepreneurial skills acquisition necessary to exhibit entrepreneurial behaviour, particularly in SSA where poverty, unemployment and conflict interact. Rogers (2012) argues that EE is a means of building entrepreneurial knowledge and skills amongst disadvantaged groups affected by poverty and conflict, especially in developing economies. Aligned with this view is Brixiova et al.'s (2015) study, which found that disadvantaged black South African youths acquired entrepreneurial knowledge and skills through EE, which in turn enabled them to alter their economic circumstance through self-employment.\nKnowledge transfer of EE: A number of frameworks (e.g. Jamieson, 1984; Garavan and O'Cinneide, 1994; Hynes, 1996; Leitch and Harrison, 1999; Inkpen and Tsang, 2005; Fayolle and Gailly, 2008) used to deliver EE generally aim to create awareness about the significance of various contextual factors influencing entrepreneurial effectiveness and new venture creation. Whereas Garavan and O'Cinneide (1994) emphasise the importance of continuous skills enhancement for owners of small businesses, Jamieson (1984) offers a three-level sequential framework that advocates \"education about enterprise\" - which focusses on creating a theoretical awareness of the importance of owning and running a small business, \"education for enterprise\" - which deals with providing the practical skills for setting up and managing a small business, and \"education in enterprise\" - which stresses the importance of continuous business growth through learning, product or service innovation.\nSampling and data collection: Because of the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency it was difficult to recruit study participants in Northeast Nigeria. Thus, snowballing technique was used as a means to collect data from a sample of 20 participants. Moreover, movement of people within Maiduguri was severely restricted and all travel by foreigners to the northeast region strictly forbidden. Nigeria's Northeast remains a dangerous place to visit, with a lot of internally displaced persons. To put this into perspective, UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel to Maiduguri and the northeast has barely changed since the visit in 2014. Various studies (e.g. Bullough et al., 2014; de Groot and Goskel, 2011) have employed snowballing to obtain primary research data from conflict or post-conflict contexts.\nAnalysis and empirical discussions: \"Entrepreneurship awareness\", \"business skills development\" and \"entrepreneurial intention\" were three common themes linked with EE, which participants frequently referred to as either entrepreneurship \"training\" or \"course\". Features frequently used to describe the impact of these themes on entrepreneurial behaviour range from \"knowledge of entrepreneurship\", \"curriculum development\" to skills about \"relationships management\", \"advertising\", \"business plan writing\", \"market analysis\" and \"business expansion\". These three prominent themes in different ways defined how participants perceived their coping strategies and interaction with the conflict, thus, informed the following analysis and the empirical discussions.\nConclusions: A number of implications emerge from this study, which contribute to policy and research in entrepreneurship, particularly, the emerging theoretical context of \"transformative entrepreneuring\". Defined as \"the process of addressing and ultimately transforming conditions or protracted socioeconomic constraint through entrepreneurship\" (Tobias et al., 2013, p. 728), transformative entrepreneuring has the \"potential to help substantially expand the domain of entrepreneurship as a solution to poverty\" (Bruton et al., 2013, p. 687). This study has shown that EE can have a transformative effect on people's entrepreneurial behaviour in a conflict context, thereby, alter their economic circumstance in ways that reduce the tendency to support conflict. This is particularly relevant to SSA where poverty, unemployment and conflict interact. A key instance of this transformative effect is seen in changes to people's attitudes and thinking about self-employment because of their awareness of the multidisciplinary nature of entrepreneurship. With this perspective comes the need to influence people's entrepreneurial learning orientation towards self-employment instead of paid employment. Instilling the idea of self-employment amongst HE students and graduates remains the central focus of EE provision in Nigeria. Thus, from that perspective the introduction of EE as a compulsory HE policy seems a sensible initiative.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how entrepreneurship education (EE) interacts with knowledge transfer and entrepreneurial behaviour in a conflict Sub-Saharan African context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In-depth telephone interviews of 20 participants who benefited from EE knowledge transfer were used to document and analyse the effect of EE on their behaviours as micro-entrepreneurs in a conflict zone.\nFindings: These participants exhibited rare forms of innovative behaviour, through their business skills, gained from their involvement in EE. In relation to the effect of the conflict on their entrepreneurial behaviours, it emerged that the conflict was not the major barrier to entrepreneurial intentions, it however affected how they made strategic decisions about downsizing, advertising and future business plans. Consequently, these decisions altered at different junctures because of the conflict and, therefore, defined their coping strategies.\nPractical implications: The paper advocates a policy shift towards a more collaborative sub-regional approach to tackling the underlying causes of conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa through investment in EE strategies as a spur to economic development. Central to this are a priori assumptions about economically disadvantaged populations and their symbiotic relationship with conflict, a phenomenon frequently exploited by armed groups with deviant agenda. Thus, access to employment opportunities could benefit disadvantaged populations, thereby plays a decisive role in conflict mitigation.\nOriginality/value: The paper provides empirical analysis integrating EE with knowledge transfer and entrepreneurial behaviour in a conflict Sub-Saharan African context. In this way, novel insights are provided that contribute to current efforts aimed at developing a robust theoretical and conceptual foundation for EE domain.\n",
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When "us" doesn't have to be versus "them": Progressive labor relations in the global financial crisis
|
[
"Trade unions",
"Organizational change",
"Collective bargaining",
"Human resource strategy",
"Industrial relations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nReview: In the UK, in the 1970s and 1980s, labor relations were at the apex of political discourse like no other time in the country's modern history. A slow economy and Labor Government in the late 1970s had seen the \"sick man of Europe\" suffer massive strike action and low productivity. The 1980s saw a huge response by the following Tory government, with radical trade union legislation taking the fight to employee bodies with debilitating effect. The war seemed to have been won, even if some battles ensued in the following decades.\nAnother way: Against this backdrop, many individuals and organizations have both sought to exploit the situation for political gain and to find an alternative way forward to try to bridge the gaps that had appeared. In his article \"Unions' response to corporate restructuring in Telefonica: locked into collective bargaining?\", Rodriguez-Ruiz (2015) looks at the case of a major telecoms company and how trade unions reacted to planned job cuts within the seemingly still-profitable organization.\nTelefonica: a case study: On the face of it, while there may have been labor market turbulence in the telecommunications sector in Spain, it spawned one of the world leaders in the new mobile industry in the shape of Telefonica. Started in 1924, the company was Spain's national provider of telecoms, and at its height, it employed almost 0.2 per cent of the Spanish population as the country's second largest company. However, it also enjoyed international success as mobile services took off to become the fifth largest telco in the world in 2011 after acquiring several other providers. Unsurprisingly, it has been particularly successful in South America, but is also a force in the highly competitive Asian market.\nTrade union strategies: The nub of the article by Rodriguez-Ruiz is the tactical planning by Spain's labor organizations during a time of both tumultuous market disruption and aggressive, fast-paced growth for telecom companies. In Spain, it seems that despite a lack of strength in numbers, Telefonica were keen to reduce numbers and so agreed to increasingly attractive payout agreements. Not only did the trend of early redundancy packages continue in the 2000s, the agreed age for early retirement went as low as 51, with workers receiving 70 per cent of their wages until full retirement age.\nCollective future?: An agreement was finally reached between the two parties, with a number of interesting details:\nComment: In his article \"Unions' response to corporate restructuring in Telefonica: locked into collective bargaining?\", Rodriguez-Ruiz (2015) lifts the lid on one of the most troubled periods in recent economic history. However, rather against expectations, he uncovers a positive, mature tale of a corporation seeking to remain competitive on the global stage and trade bodies ensuring a good deal for workers in the context of market meltdown. The fact that this occurred in Spain, one of the worst-affected countries in the GFC, is truly remarkable.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.\nFindings: In the UK, in the 1970s and 1980s, labor relations were at the apex of political discourse like no other time in the country's modern history. A slow economy and Labor Government in the late 1970s had seen the \"sick man of Europe\" suffer massive strike action and low productivity. The 1980s saw a huge response by the following Tory government, with radical trade union legislation taking the fight to employee bodies with debilitating effect. The war seemed to have been won, even if some battles ensued in the following decades.\nOriginality/value: The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Time for change? The emotions of teacher collaboration and reform
|
[
"Teams",
"Collaboration",
"Professional learning community"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Over a decade ago, Hargreaves (2005a) argued that, \"one of the most neglected dimensions of educational change is the emotional one\" (p. 278). He called for researchers and educators to embrace the emotional aspects of the change process, arguing that ignoring them could prove detrimental, given that teaching and change are highly emotional activities. Meanwhile, many policies and reform efforts are advanced without attention to the emotional vicissitudes that teachers experience in the process of change. The focus is often on how to get teachers to \"buy in\" to new ideas, without much regard to what it really means emotionally to do so, or what emotions are involved in resisting change that may not be in teachers' or students' best interests. Within the research arena, there has been increasing attention to emotions in educational change; however, numerous authors have argued that they remain understudied (Hargreaves, 2005a; Saunders, 2013; Zembylas, 2010).\nConceptual framework and prior research: Sensemaking, power and teachers' emotions in reform\nMethodology: This paper draws upon data gathered in an in-depth, two-year qualitative case study of teacher teams in two US elementary schools. These two schools were part of a larger four-school study and were purposely selected for analysis given their similarities in teacher collaboration patterns. Qualitative case study methods were used in this study due to a desire to study teacher collaboration for the purpose of evidence-informed instructional improvement as it unfolded in context (Yin, 2013). Employing qualitative methods also allowed the research team to interact with participants, observe behavior and gain first-hand knowledge about the contexts of teachers' work. Because the study involved intensive data collection over two years, the research team had ample opportunity to build relationships with teachers.\nFindings: An analysis of data reveals that as the teachers in this study collectively navigated shifts in their teaching and in how time was used, they experienced emotions ranging from joy and inspiration to stress and frustration. Teachers were able to overcome more challenging emotions because of their strong professional communities and supportive leadership. In the sections that follow, these findings about the nexus of teacher collaboration, reform and teacher emotions are explained in detail, illuminating educators' experiences through their own voices.\nDiscussion and implications: This study explored the nexus of teacher collaboration, emotions, reform and time, a precious teacher resource. Involving an in-depth analysis of detailed interview and observational data, this study allowed the opportunity to \"zoom in\" on the work of teacher teams in two elementary schools (Little, 2012). As teachers in this study made sense of their collaborative work together, they reflected on the joy and inspiration of being part of teacher teams that were goal oriented, shared a common purpose, and in which teachers respected each other's expertise. The teacher teams in this study were somewhat unique in their positive emotions associated with collaboration. Teachers not only willingly worked together, but they also sought out every opportunity to do so. Their experience as a learning community contrasts sharply with the experience of many other teachers who feel (and often are) forced to work together and do not find benefit in collaborating with their colleagues. Perceptions of collaborative time likely vary a great deal depending on the value and emotions that teachers associate with it.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the intersection of teacher emotions, teacher collaboration and educational reform, particularly with respect to time, a key teacher resource that is often impacted in school change.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper draws upon data gathered in an in-depth, two-year qualitative case study of teacher teams in two US elementary schools. A total of 57 interviews and 102 hours of teacher team meeting observations were conducted across the two schools. The data analysis process involved several rounds of content coding of interview transcripts and teacher team meeting observation notes using MAXQDA software.\nFindings: Teachers at the two schools benefitted from collaborative school structures that allowed time and space to innovate and brought joy to their professional lives. Strong professional communities served as sources of support as teachers experienced stress and frustration with reforms that created demands on their time and shifts in their teaching. Leadership played an important role in providing emotional support and autonomy to teachers, allowing teachers to flourish collectively.\nOriginality/value: This study has important implications for how researchers, policymakers and practitioners conceptualize the emotional dimension of teachers' time in educational reform efforts. It is critical to consider whether expectations for what teachers can accomplish in collaboration are realistic in light of current working conditions. Given that emotions are at the core of teaching and the process of change, it is important to continue to explore the connections between teacher emotions and the professional capital they build in collaboration with each other.\n",
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] |
Challenges and remedies of manufacturing enterprises in developing countries: Jordan as a case study
|
[
"Jordan",
"Small to medium‐sized enterprises",
"Newly industrialised economies",
"Developing countries",
"Developing economies",
"Transforming enterprise",
"Manufacturing enterprises"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Background: Manufacturing is extremely important for the modernization of any country. It is the main activity that split the developed world from the developing one. Although there is no universal definition, nevertheless, developing countries are in general countries which have not achieved a significant degree of industrialization relative to their populations. In most cases, a developing country will have a medium to low standard of living (Mamaghani, 2010). Manufacturing establishes for a better welfare for the citizens. Tybout (2000) stresses that the manufacturing sector is well taken care of by policy makers because it is the tool for modernization, employs skilled workforce, and results in various spillovers. The business environment has changed dramatically in the last few years, especially in developing countries. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are extremely important for the economic growth of any country and constitute more than 90 percent of the total number of enterprises (www.gdrc.org). Many new factors were introduced and most of them are not in favor of the SMEs. Many SMEs that are mainly manufacturing centered, could not handle the dynamics of the new competitive climate leading to their bankruptcy; others are struggling with no clear survival plan. Very few were able to transform the challenges into opportunities and came out stronger and more mature. An example of the new business opportunities that have surfaced in the last decade which manufacturing could capitalize on are: security, energy, and healthcare fields (Ravindran, 2008). However, to reap benefits in these sectors, high research and development (R&D) investments on the national level are needed. This research could be conducted by specialized research centers or by university researchers.Sleuwaegen and Goedhuys (2002) and Tybout (2000) in their research enumerated with some analysis some of the factors impacting manufacturing firms in developing countries, but they did not elaborate on solutions. In this paper, the factors that were introduced by the new business environment are segmented into three categories based on what could influence and shape these factors and some remedies are proposed. The first category is the regional and international factors, which could be manipulated at the international stage. The second category is the national factors that could be controlled on the national level by policy makers and government. The third category is the enterprise factors that could be influenced by the enterprise and its operations.The regional and international level factors are very important because they have been shaped by the international scene which is outside the control domain of the national and enterprise levels. Many of these factors are in place to serve the interests of the wealthier and more powerful nations, namely the developed world. Other factors are of common interest across the global community such as human rights and environment. As for the national level factors, the government preferred role is to act as an orchestrator by which it is able to maximize the performance and efficiency of each contributor to the national economy without interfering in enterprises' operations. On the other hand, some governments could suppress development and growth by introducing hasty regulations or interfering with organizations' operations. The government role is a vital one, by which it could nurture growth and development and provide the needed support when requested to do so. The enterprise factors are mostly dependant on its technological and managerial capacity which shapes the response to challenges. This is related to the dynamic capability of the organization that surfaced in the last few years and is discussed in detail by Helfat et al. (2007).R&D transformed many countries around the world to become international industrial leaders. Without R&D and manufacturing as its realization tool, this would not have been achieved (Ilori et al., 2002). Therefore, for developing world to prosper, due attention should be paid towards R&D. Brazil, Russia, India, and China will dominate the future R&D growth. China alone outspent Japan's R&D spending in 2009 and catching up with the USA, and it is reaping the impact of that on its economy (Grueber, 2009). Entrepreneurs are the vehicles to transform R&D into profitable enterprises, and they are particularly important for innovation-based startup SMEs. However, in conservative and low risk-taking cultures, a critical mass of entrepreneurs is needed to be able to transform the topography of the economy. Therefore, education system should have a priority in transforming the traditional mentality into a business oriented and risk taking one starting from early school years up to college years. Manufacturing is not an activity that impacts only a particular sector; it transforms the complete economy by creating many new support ventures. However, due to globalization, manufacturing has lost the big value-added it used to enjoy. Therefore, firms could leverage value-added from their other activities such as R&D, design, etc.The first part of the paper structure will give a general overview of the challenges facing SMEs and later sections will explain these factors in more details. These challenges are segmented into international, national, and enterprise level factors. Section 6 of the paper talks about how to transform manufacturing enterprises and proposes a methodology. Last section provides concluding remarks.\n2. Manufacturing enterprises' challenges and remedies: Manufacturing enterprises in developing countries face a set of challenges. One of the main challenges that are faced by these enterprises is the competition and especially with the emerging economies such as Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian manufacturers (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), 2009). The cost and pricing became the central issue for these enterprises. It overshadows technological, quality, regulation, or any other issue. This paper intends to build awareness on the problems faced by these challenged organizations in a nut shell overview. This will have big implications on translating technical findings into live ground operations. Hence, this paper will present many of the challenges faced by the SMEs from a practitioner perspective which could act as a quick health diagnosis for the enterprises in developing countries and it proposes potential remedies. Many of the listed topics are well researched and could be found in the literature; however, more effort needs to be excreted to transform that research into practical tools. The results within this paper were gathered by the author from industry owners and managers and through extensive industrial technical and managerial consultations and training during the last decade in Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and UAE. The following subsections identify the main challenges that face these manufacturing enterprises. As indicated earlier, the challenges are segmented into three categories based on who could influence them. Table I lists these challenges based on the three categories. Each challenge is defined and explained and followed by suggested remedies and, in relevant sections, the case study of Jordan is presented, explaining initiatives and challenges there. There is an overlap between the three categories; however, each factor was listed under its prime influencer.\n3. International and regional factors: The international and regional issues are defined as the factors that are beyond the control of the enterprise or the national government and could be handled only at the international and regional scenes and actors. Some of these issues are the oil prices, work force flux across borders, the fierce international competition, and many others. These issues could be handled at the regional level through multilateral treaties to regulate certain issue for the benefit of the region, or could be handled by the international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank. Even though most of the issues related to this subsection are beyond the enterprise control, some suggested actions could minimize the impact of these issues. The following describes the main factors of this category.3.1 Skilled and professional workforce availability\n4. National factors: The national issues are those bound by the geographic boundaries of a country. The issues raised in this section are within the control domain of the country and could be impacted by national policies and regulations. Therefore, with proper political and economical resolve, these factors could be influenced to serve the interests of the industrial and manufacturing investments. The following subsections describe the main factors of the national category.4.1 Market size constraint\n5. Enterprise factors: The enterprise level factors are impacted and controlled by the decisions taken by the enterprise's management and owners. What differentiates a manager from another is the decision quality and response plan to these controllable issues. Proper decisions could dampen the impact of these issues and sometimes be able to transform a challenge into an opportunity. The next few subsections will go into exploring the issues related to the enterprise in more details.5.1 Technical challenges, know-how and technology barrier\n6. Manufacturing enterprises transformation: The dynamics of manufacturing enterprise is extremely complex. It is impacted by so many parameters that shapes its performance, many of which were discussed in this paper such as workforce availability and turnover, regulations and subsidies, market size, standards, supply chain, innovation and education, and technical challenges. It is extremely important for the enterprise to identify all variables that impact their operations and based on the 80/20 rule (20 percent of the parameters causing 80 percent of the effect); the enterprise should focus on the main factors that are perceived to have the highest impact. This is a common sense reaction, however, with everyday fire fighting operations, priorities get mixed up and without a clear vision, mission and strategy; it is too common to lose direction. What is being proposed in this paper is a paradigm shift in the way manufacturing enterprises react to challenges, by comprehending these challenges and then transforming them into opportunities. However, this activity is extremely difficult to realize without involving and utilizing the brain power of many within the organization. This would prove to be a very productive and innovative journey.The above challenges and opportunities arise for enterprises in developing countries. Some of which are shared across the board with developed countries, but other challenges are limited to the developing countries league. Some could be viewed as opportunities by which an enterprise could realize new gains in market share and increase profit margin. The management team has to put a matrix of action plans for each of the above issues and device a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) that will assist in gauging the success of the performed actions. Some of these KPIs are the ROI, gross/net profit, profit margin, break even sales, R&D expenditure relative to revenue (for SME R&D could have low priority, hence, for them training expenditure could be more relevant) and many more. Other raised issues could not be transformed into opportunities, however, could be handled in a manner to minimize their impact. The semantics used in this paper is such that industry practitioners could comprehend, relate to, and act upon the recommendations. Researchers are encouraged to generate more work related to practitioners' needs. A wealth of research findings is already being utilized by big corporations who have the dedicated staff to map results into operational tools. However, there is a de facto barrier between academia and SMEs which should be dismantled through operation-oriented presentation of facts. This will have big impact on these SMEs business practices and manufacturing operations. The steps for challenge identification and solution are as follows (shown in Figure 1 as a flow chart):Step 1. Analyze the status quo of the manufacturing enterprise.Step 2. Identify gaps, challenges and opportunities.Step 3. Recommend remedies for the above issues and choose best solution, if any.Step 4. Device action plans to transform the processes and organization.Step 5. Measure and assess performance based on a set of KPIs before and after implementation.Step 6. Assess achievements and performance and tune the action plan.Step 7. Proceed to Step 1 and reanalyze the environment.Therefore, according to the flow chart shown in Figure 1, for a particular status quo, a detailed analysis of the enterprise's current status is conducted with a number of KPIs observed. That will be followed by identifying the main gaps and how to bridge them. An action plan and its implementation follows and the resulting KPIs are observed and compared with the initial KPIs. Based on the KPIs feedback, the enterprise management has the option of modifying the action plan. If proven not enough or effective, management has to revisit the gaps and implement a new action plan to overcome another gap. This closed loop process has to be part of the continuous improvement culture that every firm should nurture. This is not a real time process; therefore, a realistic duration should be given from implementing the action plan until getting representative KPI information.\n7. Conclusions: In conclusion, this paper presented a number of challenges that face many manufacturing enterprises in the developing world. Some of these challenges could be handled at the enterprise level by its management which could be classified as controllable factors. Others are faced and handled at the national level, and could be handled by the national regulations, strategies, and programs. This type of challenges are considered semi-controllable, and tied with the national political and economic resolve. The last tier of challenges is at the regional and international levels. These are drivers that are difficult to predict or control, and enterprises can only create robust operations that minimize the impact of these factors on the enterprise's operations, or capitalize on these drivers and treat them as opportunities. If accessible, it is very useful to bench mark the enterprise's procedures with a role model enterprise. Creating an acceptable set of KPIs for an enterprise should take extensive effort and time while involving all stakeholders; nevertheless, it is a necessary step that will transform performance from being subjective to being objective with measurable KPIs. This becomes the enterprise's compass and therefore should reflect the actual intent and goals of the enterprise. In conclusion, the industrial sector in the developing countries face common challenges and threats, and could have common solutions and remedies which this paper has presented in a concise well-rounded manner.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - The paradigm shift in global competition and the resulting business challenges have led manufacturing enterprises, particularly in the developing world, to take a different look at their operations. Responding to this climate meant reassessing their competitive advantage, and re-engineering their business models and operations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss many of these new challenges and present potential solutions from the practitioner point of view.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This paper discusses many of these new challenges and presents potential solutions. The results are from interviews with the enterprise managers and owners.\nFindings: - The issues are divided into three categories based on who can manipulate them: regional and international, national, and enterprise factors. The level of enterprises' ability to respond to these issues varies from full control to partial or no control. Nevertheless, issues' impact could be minimized by certain adopted polices and action plans.\nPractical implications: - The paper creates a guiding compass for developing countries' manufacturing enterprises, by which they can navigate around the arising challenges, in a well-rounded, comprehensive overview.\nOriginality/value: - The paper lays a foundation for a road map for researchers and practitioners to assist small and medium-sized enterprises in becoming more competitive and improving their survivability, in a well-rounded, comprehensive way.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Acceptability of low-sodium mozzarella coated with zein and essential oils
|
[
"Sodium reduction",
"Antimicrobial natural",
"Sensory analysis"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Mozzarella is a cheese of Italian origin, which has a mild flavor and soft texture. It is produced and enjoyed all over the world, including Brazil, where it is widely used in culinary, for the preparation of hot dishes and sandwiches. It is one of the most selling fresh cheeses in Italy, representing about 25% of the cheese market. Its exportation has increased sharply in recent decades, and the main reasons for this are its ease of use, delicate flavor and freshness (Faccia et al., 2019). In Brazil, it is the type of cheese with the highest production and consumption, representing together with the prato and curd cheeses, approximately 70% of the volume of cheese produced in the country (Carvalho et al., 2015).Mozzarella cheese comprises a wide variety of product types obtained with different technologies, which completely reflects in the intrinsic characteristics of the products on the market. Traditional Italian mozzarella has high humidity (60-65% water content) with very soft texture and milky flavor. The mozzarella cheese produced in Brazil has different characteristics from Italian, with lower moisture content and very irregular physicochemical composition (Sales et al., 2018; Spadoti and Oliveira, 1999).As a nutrient-rich food, cheese is an excellent medium for the proliferation of microorganisms that cause food poisoning or change the sensory characteristics of the product. Salt plays a fundamental role during cheese processing, because by reducing water activity, this ingredient regulates the microbial development and the biochemical activities, complements desalting and peel formation, interferes in the mineral balance and in the buffering power and contributes with the sensory characteristics of the product (Ferrao et al., 2018; Lourenco Neto, 2013; Nogueira et al., 2018; Silva et al., 2018a).The high sodium content of cheese represents a public health problem, since cheese contributes significantly to the sodium intake of the population. In the Brazilian population diet, cheeses contribute to 5% of daily sodium intake (Martins et al., 2015). According to the National Health Surveillance Agency (Agencia Nacional de Vigilancia Sanitaria - ANVISA), the mozzarella has an average sodium content equal to 577 mg/100 g, with results ranging from 309 to 1,068 mg in 100 g of cheese (Brazil, 2012), which can contribute significantly to the sodium intake by the population. Thus, reducing sodium content in foods can be an effective strategy for improving population health, related to the prevention of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension associated with excessive salt consumption (Nascimento et al., 2019). However, it is important to evaluate the impact of sodium reduction on microbiological aspects and consumer acceptance of the product, as sodium chloride contributes to the flavor, texture and microbiological stability of mozzarella (Kim et al., 2012).There are several alternatives for reducing sodium in foods, and the use of essential oils is a promising option for this purpose. Essential oils have shown superior antimicrobial action than preservatives commonly used to control microorganisms in food (Bajpai and Baek, 2016). They act as antimicrobial, antioxidant and flavoring agents (Perna et al., 2019; Prasad et al., 2018), being promising in replacing currently used food preservatives such as sodium derivatives. However, its use in food preservation is limited, mainly due to its intense flavor and aroma, which may change sensory properties of the products. An alternative for reducing the sensory impact of essential oils on foods is their incorporation into polymeric matrices, such as edible coatings or films, which become carriers of these compounds.Edible coatings or films are thin layers of polymeric material, usually made up of protein, polysaccharides or lipids, applied to the food surface, providing protection against several factors. They can be used as carriers of food additives, such as antimicrobial agents, colorings, flavorings, nutrients, spices and others (Pranoto et al., 2005).As the antimicrobial agent is spread on the surface in a controlled manner, the slow diffusion of this compound on the packaging surface becomes its application in edible coatings more efficient compared to its direct application in the product (Muriel-Galet et al., 2012). For some cheeses, such as mozzarella, in which the package is essential to act as a barrier to the external environment, applying packaging or coating becomes an effective conservation strategy.The use of edible coatings based on natural polymers and additives recognized as safe has increased in food products, such as mozzarella cheeses (Fajardo et al., 2010; Zhong et al., 2014). However, there are no studies on the incorporation of essential oils in zein coatings for use in mozzarella cheese. According to Mushtaq et al. (2018), zein films have the advantage of being a promising packaging material due to their smooth appearance, high thermal stability, desired selective permeability, high hydrophobicity, excellent antibacterial activity and barrier properties.Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of the application of zein coating containing essential oils blend on the sensory characteristics of sodium-reduced mozzarellas and to evaluate the impact of this coating on the water loss and microbiological quality of the mozzarellas.\n2. Materials and methods: 2.1 Mozzarella preparation\n3. Results and discussion: 3.1 Sensory analysis\n4. Conclusion: The zein-based coating containing the essential oils blend at 3% (v/v) was applied satisfactorily, acting as an antimicrobial and flavoring agent in mozzarellas. There was reduction of spoilage microbial, with growth reduction of the aerobic mesophilic microorganisms and yeasts and molds, thus increasing the shelf life of coated mozzarellas. The coating application allowed the production of mozzarellas with 50% NaCl reduction without compromising its sensory acceptance. Therefore, the results showed that the zein coating and the essential oils blend could be applied as natural additives that contribute to the microbiological and sensory characteristics of the mozzarella.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: The main purpose of this paper was to evaluate the influence of the zein coating containing essential oils on the sensory characteristics of sodium-reduced mozzarellas.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Mozzarellas were prepared by dipping in brine containing 5, 10, 15 or 20% of NaCl (w/v) that correspond, respectively, to 25, 50, 75 and 100% of NaCl content used in industry. These salted mozzarellas and another one, unsalted, were coated by an edible zein film added with 3% of a mixture of thyme and garlic essential oils (1:1). They were subjected to sensory analysis in relation to salty taste and overall impression. The mozzarella without salt reduction (20% NaCl w/v), coated or uncoated with the edible film, was also subjected to the analysis of water loss and microbiological quality, in order to evaluate the impact of this film on product quality.\nFindings: The zein coating added with oils did not compromise the sensory acceptance of the mozzarella prepared with up to 50% of salt reduction. Water loss and microbial growth were lower in zein-coated mozzarella than in uncoated mozzarella. These results showed that this film could be applied as natural additive, contributing to the microbiological and sensory characteristics of the mozzarella.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to reducing the lack of studies in relation to new technologies for food preservation and sodium reduction. In addition, the zein coating containing essential oils can be tested on other food categories.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Barriers to intergenerational learning: a case of a workplace in Turkey
|
[
"Generation",
"Leadership",
"Ageing workers",
"IGL learning",
"Workplace learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Current developments in science and technology have affected organizational and administrative theories. Early administrative theories underlined the importance of productivity and the volume of product manufactured. However, neoclassical theories have emphasized the importance of the human factor in organizations. Neoclassical and postmodernist theories put forward that the human factor is of significant importance to an organization's success. All of these changes have led to a change in the concept of \"capital\" in organizations. Physical \"capital\" has evolved into human power that analyzes and produces knowledge (Ozkivrak and Dileyici, 2001). Over time, these advancements have gradually resulted in the growing need for human power (Uyanik, 2008).Throughout the course of history, the world's social population has varied depending on fertility, aging duration, average lifespan, employment and retirement ages. These dynamic variables of the population structure affect global business life from different perspectives. The \"World Project 2017\" (United Nations, 2017) predicted that the fertility trend both in Turkey and in the world in the near future would decrease in a stable manner (Turkiye Istatistik Kurumu (TUIK) [Turkish Statistical Institute], 2013).According to the annual future projections of the elderly population ratio for Turkey and the world, it is predicted that the elderly population ratio in Turkey between 2020 and 2100 will continue to increase even further; from an estimate of 8.82 percent in 2020 to 32.64 percent by the year 2100. In the same way, it is predicted that the worldwide elderly population rate of 9.36 percent in 2020 will increase by 2.4 times by 2100 to a rate of 22.49 percent. Starting from this point, it is predicted that there will be a significant increase in the elderly population ratio toward the end of the twenty-first century in Turkey as in the rest of the world. As can be seen, along with improvements in health and life quality, the average lifespan has increased considerably, the fertility rate has decreased and an aging population has become an inevitable reality. This reality affects the order all over the world, and organizations will certainly affect from generations, as well. This change about generations would upset the balances related to the organizations' climate, distribution of work and so on. Thus, it is important to understand and have the knowledge about what the generation means and what their characteristics are, because only by doing this, the generations, their learning from each other and barriers to leading intergenerational learning from the employee's perspective to develop and protect the human capital, which is an important condition for institutional sustainability, could be understood, which is the aim of this study.Generations\nMethod: Study design\nFindings: After the content analysis of the participant data, three main themes were found about barriers preventing the leadership of IGL in the workplace, which are \"personal factors,\" \"relational factors\" and \"managerial factors.\"Subtheme 1: personal factors\nConclusion and discussion: This study attempted to define the barriers that prevent the leading of IGL. The results of the study confirmed that certain barriers exist that prevent the leading of IGL. It is of significant importance to recognize these barriers to improve the quality of IGL.Considering the published literature related to IGL barriers in general, it can be seen that reasons are put forward such as age discrimination (Orzea and Bratianu, 2012), stereotyping and prejudice about different generations (Ropes, 2011b, 2012, 2013), preference for within-generation communication and interaction rather than between generations (McGuire et al., 2007; Ropes, 2012), conflicts of generations due to differences in attitude and manners of different generations (Spannring, 2008) and youth thinking that they are misunderstood and elders thinking that they are forgotten and ignored (Orzea and Bratianu, 2012). As a result of the current study, it was found that barriers that prevent the leading of IGL are grouped under three themes: personal factors, relational factors and managerial factors.In the study, participants spoke of personal factors as the principal barriers that prevent the leading of IGL. These personal factors are: seeing knowledge and experience as a power, lack of job commitment and motivation, self-righteousness, resistance to change, rashness, excessive self-confidence, inexperience, avoiding from personal development, blaming, taking an easy way out, differences in generation-specific expectations and acceptance.Participants also mentioned relational factors as another barrier to leading IGL. An insecure environment and prejudice caused by communication problems are seen as a serious problem in the relational aspect of IGL. This supports the perspective of Kalling (2003), who said that there must be positive rapport between the source and recipient during learning. Cavusgil, Calantone and Zhao (2003) stated that successful knowledge transfer required a close and open-minded work relationship. McNichols (2010) investigated the knowledge acquisition strategies of Generation X space engineers who were required to seek knowledge from the baby boomer generation in a company that supplied advanced aeronautics and industrial products in the USA. In that study, participants pointed to the importance of the relationship between the instructors and the learners. In a research study on Generation Y by Ruddick (2009), it was found that if leaders built confidence in their relations with colleagues helping each other, then IGL would be positively affected. In the current study, the following relational factors were found to prevent the leading of IGL: communication problems, conflicting environment due to generation gaps, lack of intergenerational respect, intolerance and not being able to show empathy, excessive discipline and lack of good role models.The participants mentioned managerial factors as the other barrier to leading IGL. It was emphasized in the research of McNichols (2010) that \"encouragement of management\" is of significant importance to IGL. In the current study, it was found that some of the barriers to leading IGL are caused by the management structure of organizations. The following managerial factors were seen as preventing the leading of IGL: insufficient support or not being supported or encouraged by management; heavy workload; unsatisfactory work designs/dislike of job; inadequacy of instructor's competency; unsuitable education plan, program and content for new generation; unfairness and not being able to create equal opportunities; lack of intergenerational work field; not rewarding; and ignoring teamwork.The researchers of the current study believe that IGL is an important learning opportunity for employees belonging to different generations. New competency levels that will emerge as a combination of the older generations' experience and the younger generations' familiarity with technology in today's environment, where the Fourth Industrial Revolution is spreading rapidly, will significantly reduce the problems of the digitized employment market in an aging population.In conclusion, experiencing difficulties in accessing knowledge, insufficient channels for personal development, not understanding the generation gaps, conflicts between traditional approaches and change movements created by technological development, troubles in communication, new living standards, work-life balance, career expectations, mismatch between level of education/experience and work designs are the personal, relational and managerial barriers that the current study found to confront leading IGL. If those who lead IGL know about these barriers, then it may positively contribute to the organization, ensuring institutional sustainability by increasing labor force continuity and efficiency in today's commercial world.Organizations often consist of individuals from different generations, and each with their own distinct characteristics in terms of social, practical and metacognitive knowledge and varying ways that they interact with each other to change different types of knowledge at different times (Gerpott et al., 2017). Due to these demographic differences, organizations need to address potential difficulties in making older employees feel more qualified and thereby better able to transfer their knowledge to the younger generations. In terms of this point of view, the current study presented a beneficial perspective about IGL within organizations. The fact that a workplace is also a learning organization requires the capacity of the workplace to be increased. One of the ways to become a learning organization is to practice IGL. This current research has attempted to describe barriers to IGL within the workplace. Workplace management can extend the practice of IGL through knowing and tackling such barriers. Managers should be aware of the different advantages and disadvantages that each employee brings from their respective generation and strive to rid the workplace of ageist prejudices that are detrimental to the effectives of IGL. Interaction should be encouraged and facilitated between different generations to transform employee disadvantages related to age into advantages. While creating workgroups, knowledge and experience transfer can be ensured by bringing together different generations and by facilitating increased communication-interaction between them. As Gerpott et al. (2017) mentioned, managers should adapt IGL depending on the needs, skills and attributes of their younger and older employees.Limitations and implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine barriers to intergenerational learning.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research design is phenomenological, which is a qualitative research method. The study was carried out in a large-scale production facility in the Central District of Kocaeli, Turkey, and the study group of the research consists of 61 participants determined using the maximum diversity technique, one of the purposeful sampling techniques. Significant attention was paid to the examination of employees from all levels and every generation within the hierarchical structure of the company while selecting the working groups for the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and content analysis method was applied in the analysis of the data. Participants were questioned about barriers to their prejudices.\nFindings: As a result of the research, it was observed that barriers \"to being a leader for intergenerational learning\" were gathered under three distinct themes: personal factors, relational factors and managerial factors. The most frequently stated subthemes of these were: \"seeing knowledge and experience as a power\" and \"lack of job commitment and motivation\" under personal factors, \"communication problems\" under relational factors and \"insufficient support or not being supported or encouraged by management\" under managerial factors.\nOriginality/value: This study should be of interest to researchers interested in educational organization use of barriers to intergenerational learning: a case of a workplace in Turkey, use of intergenerational learning by organization and management.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How source of funds affects buyer's judgments of price fairness and subsequent response
|
[
"Cognition",
"Moderated mediation",
"Price fairness",
"Consumer ethics",
"Experimental design",
"Consumer psychology",
"Behavioral pricing",
"Fair process effect"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Fairness is a pivotal ethical principle governing seller-buyer exchange relationships (Spiller, 2000). Concerns for fairness are highly salient in the realm of pricing. Price represents benefits (revenue and profit) for a company but out-of-pocket costs for its buyers. Adherence to the fairness principle is key in resolving this potential conflict (Kahneman et al., 1986; Ostas, 1992). Price fairness captures the buyer's perception that the price of a particular offer is reasonable, just or legitimate (Campbell, 2007; Kwak et al., 2015). Perceptions of price unfairness may lead to negative consequences for companies, including buyers expressing dissatisfaction, leaving the exchange relationship and spreading negative word-of-mouth (WOM) (Campbell, 1999; Xia et al., 2004). Accordingly, knowledge of the determinants of price fairness judgments is important for marketers (Campbell, 1999; Xia et al., 2004).\nLiterature review: Outcome and procedure as drivers of price fairness judgments\nHypothesis development: Building on fairness heuristics theory (Qin et al., 2015; Van den Bos et al., 1997a, 1998), we argue that relative to when paying with personal funds, when paying with company's funds comparative outcome information, even when available, is weaker, in the sense of being more ambiguous and less relevant to the buyer. In this condition, the role of comparative outcome (the price difference itself) in fairness judgment declines, whereas that of procedure (the social acceptability of the seller's pricing practices that underlie the price difference) increases as a substitute (the fair process effect). We develop the argument below.\nStudy: Design\nResults: Realism and manipulation checks\nDiscussion: This experimental study examines how the role of perceived price difference relative to social acceptability in perceptions of price fairness varies as a function of source of funds, that is, whether the buyer pays for the goods/service with personal funds or company's funds. Building on fairness heuristics theory (Qin et al., 2015; Van den Bos et al., 1997a, 1998), we argue that relative to when paying with personal funds, when paying with company's funds information regarding comparative price outcome is weaker, in the sense of being more ambiguous and less relevant to the buyer. We predict that in this condition, the role of comparative outcome (price difference) in price fairness judgments declines, whereas that of procedure (social acceptability of pricing practices) increases as a substitute (the fair process effect). We further predict that the moderation effects of source of funds on perceived price fairness carry over to buyer's response.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This research aims to examine how source of funds (paying with company's funds versus personal funds) affects buyer's judgments of price fairness and via these judgments, buyer's response to prices.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A scenario-based experiment is used (N = 200). To test the hypotheses, the authors run moderated mediation regression analyses with the help of the PROCESS macro.\nFindings: Drawing on fairness heuristics theory, the authors hypothesize and find that relative to when paying with personal funds, when paying with company's funds, the perceived price difference plays a less significant role, whereas the perceived social acceptability of the pricing practice underlying the price difference plays a more important role in shaping price fairness judgments and, via these judgments, buyer's response to prices.\nPractical implications: The findings generate advice for companies that serve both the business and personal segments (e.g. airlines and hotels). Buyers in the personal segment typically pay with their own money. To persuade these buyers that a price is fair, it is crucial to show that the price represents a good deal for them. Buyers in the business segment often pay with company's fund. Companies have more flexibility in charging different prices, but they should make sure that the reasons for the price difference are socially acceptable.\nOriginality/value: This research shows how the relative role of price difference versus social acceptability in price fairness judgments varies as a function of source of funds and how an inconsistency between price difference and its economic impact affects price fairness judgments.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
How can discussion forum questions be effective in online MBA courses?
|
[
"Group discussion",
"Teaching methods",
"User studies",
"E‐learning",
"Business studies",
"Critical thinking"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Despite the popularity of online courses in our MBA program, student satisfaction surveys (and faculty experience) reveal traditional online discussion forum questions are ineffective to inspire critical thinking compared with lively in-class professor-student interactions. Many universities leverage Boyer's model to improve quality of learning for program accreditation, by hiring/developing scholar-teachers (with published research, industry experience, and a desire to apply both towards their lecturing). The entrepreneurial race to capture market share by going online has introduced this new challenge to make graduate MBA course lectures as exciting and interactive as the classroom, towards the end goal of achieving critical thinking and thereby resulting in high quality e-learning with good academic outcomes (grades).Furthermore, academic outcomes of assignments (that test the supposed knowledge gain from online discussion) are lower than other components in the same course, but higher than from classroom only instruction. Attendance is higher for online courses, and overall, so are final marks. This leads us to hypothesize that online learning is more effective than classroom for our graduate level business strategy course (than classroom format), but that in a relative sense, the discussion forum component could be improved, by stimulating more conversation.It is argued that teacher-driven Socratic questions (to rouse critical thinking conversations) will be more effective than facilitating traditional student-student discussion forum interaction. More specifically, the key research issue is whether assignment grades are higher when a professor facilitates the discussion forum using Socratic questioning, as compared with the traditional question-answer method (whereby students answer a question and subsequently reply with constructive comments to one another's posts). In other words, Socratic questioning could be used to request each student to think critically and reply to the professor (rather than peers), thus endorsing deeper learning through structured teach-back conversations rather than free-format ad hoc discussion among peers. Since it takes more effort for a professor to continuously post probing questions using a minimal spanning tree social network (versus letting the students simply reply to one another's postings), we want to know if this extra teaching effort generates better grades and higher stakeholder satisfaction.\n2. Literature review: A traditional approach for creating interaction in online discussion forums is to use questions that require students to critically reflect on each other's responses, to develop a collaborative community of inquiry (Arbaugh et al., 2009; Stewart et al., 2006). This method calls for having several online forums, some mandatory, some optional, where students can get to know one another, and interact through posting replies to each other's messages. For assignments, a professor would post an initial question (which could be a group of related questions), students would be required to post an answer that initial question, and then, after a short break of several days, reply to another student's posting, followed by a series of further replies to that same or a different student.There is positive feedback in the literature on this but no convincing empirical evidence that developing a collaborative community of inquiry in discussion forums can stimulate critical thinking to the degree that it improves grade. Perhaps it would improve the number of postings in the forum (and if they are counted as points, this could improve grade), but it is asserted simply posting constructive comments to another student posting will not necessarily stimulate critical thinking into the theoretical topic at hand. Instead the thesis of this study to revert to a direct instructional method (classroom), for online teaching: have the professor promote critical thinking with as many students as possible using probing questions to those that will engage in conversation, allowing non-responders (bystanders) to learn by observing/listening to the interaction (and critically reflecting on it). The next two sections review instructional concepts to achieve this: Socratic questioning and conversation theory.2.1 Socratic questioning to promote online discussion and learning\n3. Methods: A quasi-experiment was applied to four convenient in-tact sections of students taking the same online MBA business strategy course, at the same US-accredited university, taught by the same faculty team. The independent factor was the teaching method (traditional approach versus Socratic questioning with teach back conversation theory). The dependent variables were discussion quality and final essay scores. MANOVA was applied to compare the scores by section group (teaching method), while MANCOVA was utilized to assess teaching method and covariance of four discussion quality scores on two final essay scores.3.1 Subjects and study context\nResults and discussion: 4.1 Exploratory data analysis\n5. Conclusions: This study explored the effect of a new integrated Socratic questioning conversation theory teaching approach for an online MBA business strategy course. A quasi experiment was used to compare the new approach with the traditional technique used on the same course (with four course sections divided into a test and control group). Bias was controlled by having each of the two professors randomly teach a test and a control group course (applying the appropriate instructional technique). A correlation test proved that there was no bias from the professor (individual personality or ability). Additional correlation tests proved that there were no interactions or relations between demographic variables (age, gender, ethnic race) and the dependent variables. A pretest (prerequisite course) was used to indicate the academic ability of the student groups in these course sections were not significantly different. The student discussion and essay scores approximately a normal distribution.Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis along with ANOVA were used to prove the hypothesis that a Socratic questioning conversation theory approach improved high quality discussion posts, which in turn improved essay scores. Both hypotheses were supported.A qualitative sense making analysis revealed the Socratic questioning conversation theory instructional technique was more time consuming to apply as compared with the traditional method. More so the online class sections were small (under 20). This might be a concern if these findings were generalized to larger class sizes as the model may not be scalable sheerly due to the increased amount preparation time a professor would need per student to manage the discussion question responses. On the other hand, the sense making confirmed that the new technique did generate higher quality responses and it brought out more passive students into the group discussion forum. This itself may be attractive to private institutions that charge a premium for high quality teaching and wish to maintain a low profess-to-class section ratio, thereby making this model logistically possible.Owing to the implications and limitations discussed earlier, it seems reasonable to recommend replicating this study with similar class section sizes with more professors, and later on, applying this in other disciplines (at least in other courses besides business strategy).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - A quasi-experiment compared two instructional approaches for an existing MBA online business strategy course at an accredited university to answer the question: how can discussion questions become more effective in online MBA courses? The treatment was an instructional approach that integrated Socratic questioning and conversation theory in a discussion forum. This paper aims to document the research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Correlation and ANOVA were utilized to test the hypothesis that more online experiential knowledge interactions would increase grade. Quasi-experimental controls included prior ability and demographic factors (gender, age, ethnic race). The test group used Socratic questions and conversation theory while the control group used the traditional peer interaction. A statistically significant ANOVA model was created, using teaching method as a factor, to measure effect on grade.\nFindings: - The online interactions of the test group were higher and so was the mean grade. The MANCOVA model was able to pinpoint why. Prior ability was ruled out as a moderating factor.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The implications were cited as an increasing need to use high quality instructional methods for online courses, which requires student interaction. Experienced faculty are difficult (and expensive) to hire, and thus this represents an important requirement to identify for faculty development and selection during recruiting. The teaching method could work with other online e-learning courses disciplines.\nOriginality/value: - A solid scientific methodology was applied using advanced statistical techniques yet the explanations are very basic and clear. Socratic questioning and conversation theory were integrated as an instructional strategy to improve online MBA course interactions and grades.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Application of geographical information systems for the optimal location of a commercial network
|
[
"Geomarketing",
"Automotive",
"Geographical information system (GIS)",
"Location-allocation model",
"Zip code",
"M31",
"M10",
"R11"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: There is increasing interest in the potential opportunities arising from extracting spatial information from large data sets (Comber et al., 2016). Approximately 75 per cent of the data used by business decision makers include at least one spatial component, such as customer address, geographic distribution of population, market coverage or commercial area (Ozimec et al., 2010).\n2. Theoretical framework: The social sciences, especially geography, make a profound re-evaluation of the concept of territory based on their multiple manifestations (Fonseca et al., 2016). It should be noted that in the field of geography \"there is a long tradition of finding the optimal solutions to design problems in the research domain known as spatial optimization\" (Goodchild, 2010, p. 10). Spatial dependence has already been defined through Tobler's (1970) first law: all things are related, but closer things are more closely related than distant things. Although the nature of spatial mobility is obvious, it has often not been considered for the design of journeys (Loidl et al., 2016).\n3. Models, sources of information and data: 3.1 Models\n4. Results: The model begins with a set of 25 points of sale locations. The application of the reduction models allows, at each stage, the progressive elimination of the locations with less influence on the market share of the network (Jong de and Tilema, 2005; Breukelman et al., 2009).\n5. Conclusions: In this work, we have analysed the real journeys of buyers with the aim of optimizing the location of a network of points of sale, to contribute to the joint research of geography and marketing from the theoretical and practical point of view. Many authors have highlighted the importance of considering geographical criteria in business decisions (e.g. Ozimec et al., 2010; Buzai, 2011; Allo, 2014; Altshuler et al., 2015; Loidl et al., 2016; Fonseca et al., 2016). The optimal location of points of sale is a relevant problem within business strategy (e.g. Tong, 2012; Zeng et al., 2009). The definition of a commercial network supposes a form of spatial monopoly based on the strong relations generated between suppliers and clients according to their geographical proximity (Ganesan et al., 2005). In this context, previous literature has demonstrated the importance of segmenting markets based on geographic variables (e.g. Chasco, 2012; Casado and Palacios, 2012; Tong, 2012) and the usefulness of econometric analysis in the locating of points of sale (Mittal et al., 2004). This work allows us to draw the following conclusions:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the optimization of the geographical location of a network of points of sale, so that each retailer can have access to a potential geographic market. In addition, the authors study the importance of the distance variable in the commercial viability of a point of sale and a network of points of sale, analysing if the best location for each point (local optimum) is always the best location for the whole (global optimum).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Location-allocation models are applied using p-median algorithms and spatial competition maximization to analyse the actual journeys of 64,740 car buyers in 1240 postal codes using a geographic information system (GIS) and geomarketing techniques.\nFindings: The models show that the pursuit of individual objectives by each concessionaire over the collective provides poorer results for the whole network of points of sale when compared to coordinated competition. The solutions provided by the models considering geographic and marketing criteria permit a reduction in the length of journeys made by the buyers. GIS allows the optimal control of market demand coverage through the collaborative strategies of the supplying retailers, in this case, car dealerships.\nOriginality/value: The paper contributes to the joint research of geography and marketing from a theoretical and practical point of view. The main contribution is the use of information on actual buyer journeys for the optimal location of a network of points of sale. This research also contributes to the analysis of the correlation between the optimum local and optimum global locations of a commercial network and is a pioneering work in the application of these models to the automotive sector in the territorial area of the study.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How TOMS' "one day without shoes" campaign brings stakeholders together and co-creates value for the brand using Instagram as a platform
|
[
"Social media",
"Instagram",
"Brand engagement",
"Word of mouth marketing",
"Value co-creation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The concept of brand has suffered changes and evolutions over the past century. It has evolved from a way of allowing consumers to identify and recognise a company's offering to an entity with high-influence power over customers' values and actions (Keller and Lehmann, 2006). Brands are also credited to represent knowledge (Keller, 2003), enhance customer relationships and community building (Fournier, 1998; Muniz and O'Guinn, 2001).\nTOMS' One for One: TOMS (2015) Giving Report states clearly the brand's value proposition \"We make shoes and eyewear, but really we're in business to help change lives\". TOMS initiated its One-for-One(r) giving model initially through its footwear offer; donating one pair of shoes for each pair bought, and has added other product categories to further expand this model. In the absence of high-profile advertising campaigns TOMS relies on its community of consumers and \"fans\" to spread the word of its fashion philanthropy through its in-store community message-boards, at creative charitable events and via its website. Thus TOMS is differentiated and derives brand value through its ethical and sustainable practices, collaborations and co-creations and community building both with its global network of giving partners and those who receive its charity, but also with its brand community who engage with the brand by driving the brand storytelling and sharing this through social media.\nLiterature review: Value co-creation\nMethodology: The aim of the present study is to more fully understand the complex dynamic processes that underpin the co-creation of brand identity through a qualitative case study of the TOMS brand, to uncover the decisions, processes and activities as evidenced in an exploration of a contemporary fashion business situation. The rationale behind our selection of the case study method is that this approach does not attempt to define a fixed set of dimensions or a management \"tool box\" for co-creation, rather the research aim is enabled, i.e. to uncover how co-creation works in practice, to answer the central question driving this research: what are the actions and influences of the various stakeholders involved in this specific brand? In this application the case study research approach aims to uncover detailed knowledge about the operations and experiences of one particular situation (Kvale, 1996; Punch, 2000) in order to inform understandings of the wider population to which this specific case belongs (Gummesson, 2005; Wolcott, 1994). According to Gummesson (2005) a qualitative approach to business research recognises the complexity of business entities and enables the interrogation of the influence of assorted variables through an iterative investigation of multiple data sources. In this study brand identity is conceived as a dynamic negotiated social process and thus investigating the situated concept of co-creation necessitates the exploration of multiple stakeholders' contributions to the brand identity. The interpretative practices of the researchers are recognised as fundamental to a qualitative research approach which seeks to explore implicit meanings (Denzin and Lincoln, 2000) and in choosing a qualitative approach to explore the practice of co-creation of fashion brands, the researchers hope to penetrate \"the complex and the elusive\" practices involved, over a desire to claim any unambiguous causal relationships between variables (Gummesson, 2005, p. 312).\nDiscussion: Defining how stakeholders co-create value with a brand is essential to fully understand the role that social network platforms play in engaging with consumers. The concept of value has evolved over time, ranging from functional, utilitarian, perceived value, value for customer, value chain concept, relationship value, superior value and lately co-created value (Agrawala et al., 2015) and for this reason it is important to understand how brands with sustainable and ethical practices use value in its own terms. Understanding how social media can play a key role in communicating and creating a dialogue with all stakeholders is key to understanding the value co-creation process. (Edvardsson et al., 2011) According to Muniz and O'Guinn (2001, p. 413) consumers deeply involved with a brand that offers them emotional and symbolic benefits develop \"a common understanding of a shared identity\" and for that reason they are more likely to engage in new product development and experience sharing (Ouwersloot and Oderkerken-Schroder, 2008).\nConclusion: With the proliferation of social networks, the dynamic between brand and consumers has changed, though allowing the consumer to actively participate in the construction of the brand identity, bringing the brand closer to the consumer. Through co-creating with the community, the consumers become an active stakeholder, both in the interaction and in the context. At this stage, value creation takes place through the interaction and experience of creating unique products.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the power of social media networks, namely Instagram, in building brand communities and co-creating value for brands. By analysing the 2015 campaign #withoutshoes by TOMS, the authors intend to demonstrate how the value creation process can be extended to involve all stakeholders and raise the effectiveness of a brand's communication campaign.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was taken to enable an understanding of online consumer behaviour. A series of qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with retail and marketing professionals from the TOMS brand to explore brand strategy. The TOMS Instagram account was analysed for a specific marketing communications event and summative content analysis was applied to the brand's Instagram profile in order to allow for an in-depth exploration of the co-creation process. Triangulation was used for the multiple sources of evidence in order to build the study and to establish the convergence of data results, to diminish bias and to increase accuracy of the research data (Saunders et al., 2009).\nFindings: Through a detailed overview of the campaign developed by TOMS, this paper explores how TOMS fosters the formation of consumer-brand-relationships as well as maps out the advantages of value co-creation. The research findings support the literature on co-creation, which argues that the way to achieve innovation and value creation in the changing and challenging marketing landscape is through co-creation. This study adds to the findings that co-creation strategies are a privileged manner of nurturing customer relationships and of lowering costs for marketing and research and development (Sawhney et al., 2005; Prandelli et al., 2006).\nOriginality/value: There are a relatively limited number of studies focusing on the Instagram platform, and of those carried out thus far most concentrate on how the platform interprets cultural issues, rather than how it can be used effectively as a marketing strategy and how it can leverage user's preferences. Also, not a lot of studies have focused on the relationship between value co-creation and its relevance and impact on brands through engagement processes and the role of experience in brand building. Brand value co-creation through human experiences can provide considerable implications for brand management (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a) as well as be a key component in the building process of customer experiences. This study suggests new approaches to getting useful insights about how brands can use social media to further engage with their target audience though an integrative framework of brand value co-creation with theoretical underpinning.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
An Internet of Things (IoT)-based risk monitoring system for managing cold supply chain risks
|
[
"Internet of things",
"Fuzzy logic",
"Cold chain",
"Wireless sensor network",
"Risk monitoring"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Cold chain management (CCM) has been growing in the past few decades. Unlike traditional supply chain management, the goods in cold chains, such as pharmaceutical products, chilled food and frozen food, generally a have shorter shelf life and higher sensitivity to the surrounding environment, i.e. temperature, humidity and lighting intensity (Gormley et al., 2000). It thus requires certain refrigeration and dehumidification systems throughout the entire cold chain in order to maintain the prescribed environmental conditions. In particular, the ambient temperature for handling goods in a cold chain varies from -25degC to +10degC, depending on the type of goods (Lana et al., 2005; Soyer et al., 2010). However, when handling goods in an environment with such a low temperature, special attention should be paid to the potential risks that may directly affect the product quality and operational efficiency. Companies may suffer loss if any potential risks emerge along the cold chain. For instance, in 2017, Lucky's Market tossed all temperature-sensitive food, including cheese, juices and fresh cut meat, because they were stored at 16degC (~60degF), and could not meet the storage requirement for keeping the products below 40degF (Nerbovig, 2017). About 1 in 6 Americans get foodborne illness annually from tainted food which is handled under improper temperature (Wein, 2014). On the other hand, excessive exposure of food handlers to a cold environment may cause serious health effects and contribute to accidents of death and injuries (Rice, 2014). In total, 15 workers died and 26 workers were injured at a Shanghai cold storage facility due to unexpected ammonia leakage (Laurence, 2013). The above reported cases show that the occurrence of cold chain risks affects not only the product quality and consumer health, but also the safety of personnel who work in the cold environment. Therefore, an effective risk monitoring system, especially for: product quality risk; and occupational safety risk, is vital to track and evaluate the levels of risk throughout the cold chain. In general, product quality risk is the degree to which a product does not satisfy customers' requirements that is caused by product deterioration and contamination throughout the cold chain; occupational safety risk is the degree of exposure to workplace hazards, such as an extraordinary cold environment, among different supply chain facilities.\n2. Literature review: Supply chain management is an extended concept of logistics management, which aims at enhancing the linkage and coordination between various interdependent parties, such as suppliers, processers, distributors and customers (Christopher, 2016; Chung et al., 2018). The key objective of logistics and supply chain management is to plan and coordinate the material and information flow from the source to users in an integrated and effective manner. Catering to environmentally sensitive products in the material flow, CCM is established to maintain the desired product quality so as to achieve specific handling requirements by using particular refrigeration and dehumidification systems (Joshi et al., 2011). According to the 2016 Top Markets Report of Cold Supply Chain issued by International Trade Administration, the refrigerated warehouse and transportation are two significant components in the cold chain (Miller, 2016). The refrigerated warehouse capacities in India, China and Mexico were increased by 43, 35 and 27 percent from 2008 to 2014, respectively, implying that the demand for cold chain services is sustainably increasing globally. Inside the cold chain, technologies for controlling the environment play an important role in providing ideal conditions for products so that the likelihood of product deterioration and contamination can be reduced. However, the supply chain is vulnerable due to internal and external risks, including supply risk, demand risk, process risk, control risk and environmental risk (Christopher, 2016). The assessment of the vulnerability can be evaluated by multiplying the probability of disruption and impact, and the results can be used in identifying the risk profile of a company. Hence, the appropriate control measures and possible consequences can be formulated. Regarding cold chain activities, there are two additional risk considerations compared to the general supply chain management, namely: maintaining products under specific ranges of environmental conditions; and occupational safety in the cold environment. Laguerre et al. (2013) summarized seven major stages for the material flow in cold chains, namely transportation, warehousing, logistics hub, cold room, retail display cabinet, and the domestic refrigerator of customers. On the one hand, warehousing is an important section among all cold chain parties, and is a closed environment applying refrigeration systems to meet the handling requirements. The workers are at risk in completing all warehousing operations when exposure to a cold environment. On the other hand, without real-time traceability, it is difficult to ensure that the products which are moved along the cold chain are maintained in stable prescribed environmental conditions (Aung and Chang, 2014). Therefore, the risk assessment, identification and monitoring for product quality risk and occupational safety risk in cold chains is particularly essential.\n3. Design of the IoTRMS: This section proposes an IoTRMS for dynamic occupational safety management and real-time environmental monitoring. It can further estimate the occupational safety risk level and accident frequency rate so as to schedule an appropriate workforce level. The proposed system is divided into four modules, i.e. automatic data capturing, IoT service management, fuzzy occupational safety risk assessment, and dynamic risk management, as shown in Figure 2.\n4. Case study: In order to validate the feasibility and performance of IoTRMS, a case study was conducted in a cold chain that particularly for handled frozen and fresh food. One of the cold chain parties, as the role of distributor, was selected for illustrating the mechanism of the proposed system. ABC Limited has ambitions for providing customized and one-stop logistics solutions covering the cold chain business. It has strategic and close collaboration with other cold chain parties, with an 18-storey, 28,000 metric tons capacity building for supporting cold chain businesses. The storage facility includes both freezing (-25degC to -18degC) and chilling (0degC to 8degC), while it also owns number of refrigerated trucks for delivery. Plates 1 and 2 show the freezing and chilling sections in the case company. The major logistics operations are performed under such environmental conditions, including put-away, order picking and packing. In order to provide the best cold chain services, the logistics premises comply international standard of ISO9001:2008. Therefore, the operational workflow is standardized so as to deliver high productivity and efficiency in cold chain operations. Since the facility scale is not suitable for adopting automation in logistics operations, the operations presently highly rely on available human resources.\n5. Results and discussion: As shown in Table VII, according to the outputs from the fuzzy logic approach, the percentage change of recommended exposure time, RT, HS and likelihood of occurrence can be generated. As mentioned above, the workplace temperature is at 2degC so that it is implied that the mean radiant temperature of warehouse workers is almost 2degC. In addition, the humidity for the environment is set at 50 percent and the available basic clothing insulation is given at 1.5 clo. Regarding the logistics operations, the operators require certain hand work and arm work to handle the goods so that their metabolic energy production is estimated at 100 W/m2 based on ISO8996. Therefore, a fixed set of ISO11079 measurements including minimal and neutral recommended exposure time and RT, is calculated. The selection between two proposed recommended exposure times are based on the level of physiological strain on the operators. On the other hand, by multiplying HS and likelihood of occurrence, the risk level can be estimated for assessing their risks in cold chain operations. Figure 14 shows the occupational safety risk assessment chart for the mentioned eight operators with the corresponding HS, likelihood of occurrence and risk level. There are generally three sections of risk level, in red, orange and green colors, which represent the dangerous, urgent and normal zones. The three risk levels are partitioned by 40 percent in normal, 20 percent in urgent and 40 percent in dangerous zones, which follow the general practice of risk assessment in the case company. Operators 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8 are classified in the normal zone; operators 1 and 7 are classified in the urgent zone; operator 6 is classified in the dangerous zone. To sum up, it is found that operator 6 is regarded as the highest risk level in the case study, and therefore the prompt action and appropriate care should be taken to mitigate the risks. Moreover, operators 1 and 7 have the second and third highest risk levels in the orange region. The line supervisors and managers should be informed about this issue and take appropriate care actions. Others are measured within the normal risk level and the protection and risk planning are reasonably practicable (Figure 15).\n6. Conclusions: With respect to handling environmentally sensitive products in supply chains, risk management is important in preventing product loss and industrial accidents. On the one hand, there is a probability that the products will either deteriorate or be contaminated at any point in cold chain due to the fluctuation of temperature and humidity. Cold chain parties may bear unnecessary loss if visible product monitoring information is not recorded. On the other hand, most operations and processes are labor-intensive, whereas the operators have to work under demanding environments. Without appropriate risk assessment and management, it may result in cold-associated accidents and injuries, even fatality. In such a sense, the cold chain parties need to develop an automatic system for occupational safety risk management in order to establish better ergonomics and comfort design in the premises. In this paper, an IoTRMS is described. Under the IoT environment, the SensorTag CC2650 and Microsoft band 2 as the sensor nodes are applied to collect the real-time environmental and health-related data. The IBM Bluemix is used to build the application for IoTRMS for real-time and automatic monitoring. Based on the collected environmental data, the product shelf life and rate of quality degradation can be estimated. In order to establish the personal occupational safety risk assessment, the fuzzy logic approach is integrated to enhance the ISO11079 measurement and risk level in cold chains. Through the application of IoT, the corresponding data and information can be shared throughout the entire cold chain so as to achieve better cold chain visibility. Unlike typical fuzzy logic-based systems, the proposed IoTRMS takes advantage of the effective data exchange in IoT to investigate the most appropriate membership functions and fuzzy rule knowledge. Therefore, with the aid of IoTRMS for the various cold chain parties, risk management in product quality and occupational safety can be executed effectively and efficiently. Decision makers can adopt appropriate strategies in maintaining desired product quality and reducing the accident frequency rate. This study provides an applicable method for improving product quality risk and occupational safety risk management in cold chains, where it also contributes to the research on cold chain monitoring and industrial safety. Furthermore, other sources of relevant data can be fine-tuned and collected for fulfilling the needs of different industries. The limitations of this study are: requirement of full internet coverage for implementing the proposed system; and reliance of the knowledge collected from the domain expert for the application in fuzzy logic approach. Future work of this study should further enhance the system adaptability through integrating with other AI and data mining techniques, such as genetic algorithms and fuzzy association rule mining.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Since the handling of environmentally sensitive products requires close monitoring under prescribed conditions throughout the supply chain, it is essential to manage specific supply chain risks, i.e. maintaining good environmental conditions, and ensuring occupational safety in the cold environment. The purpose of this paper is to propose an Internet of Things (IoT)-based risk monitoring system (IoTRMS) for controlling product quality and occupational safety risks in cold chains. Real-time product monitoring and risk assessment in personal occupational safety can be then effectively established throughout the entire cold chain.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In the design of IoTRMS, there are three major components for risk monitoring in cold chains, namely: wireless sensor network; cloud database services; and fuzzy logic approach. The wireless sensor network is deployed to collect ambient environmental conditions automatically, and the collected information is then managed and applied to a product quality degradation model in the cloud database. The fuzzy logic approach is applied in evaluating the cold-associated occupational safety risk of the different cold chain parties considering specific personal health status. To examine the performance of the proposed system, a cold chain service provider is selected for conducting a comparative analysis before and after applying the IoTRMS.\nFindings: The real-time environmental monitoring ensures that the products handled within the desired conditions, namely temperature, humidity and lighting intensity so that any violation of the handling requirements is visible among all cold chain parties. In addition, for cold warehouses and rooms in different cold chain facilities, the personal occupational safety risk assessment is established by considering the surrounding environment and the operators' personal health status. The frequency of occupational safety risks occurring, including cold-related accidents and injuries, can be greatly reduced. In addition, worker satisfaction and operational efficiency are improved. Therefore, it provides a solid foundation for assessing and identifying product quality and occupational safety risks in cold chain activities.\nOriginality/value: The cold chain is developed for managing environmentally sensitive products in the right conditions. Most studies found that the risks in cold chain are related to the fluctuation of environmental conditions, resulting in poor product quality and negative influences on consumer health. In addition, there is a lack of occupational safety risk consideration for those who work in cold environments. Therefore, this paper proposes IoTRMS to contribute the area of risk monitoring by means of the IoT application and artificial intelligence techniques. The risk assessment and identification can be effectively established, resulting in secure product quality and appropriate occupational safety management.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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A competence-based strategic management model factoring in key success factors and benchmarking
|
[
"Strategic management",
"Benchmarking",
"Critical success factors",
"Decision making"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: As the competition within markets increases, the challenges facing organizations not only involve the design of competitive strategies but also the rapid and effective implementation of them. Strategic management has increasingly been recognized as a vehicle for enhancing such capabilities; however, strategic management is a comparatively young discipline. Numerous studies have provided analytical frameworks, and there is considerable debate as to which approach managers should adopt in devising their strategies. McKiernan (1997) suggested that there were four well-established frameworks to strategic management:1. the planned approach;2. logical incrementalism;3. outside-in analysis; and4. inside-out analysis.The \"planned approach\" places emphasis on a longterm, highly systematic and deterministic process of strategic planning and aims at achieving the best \"fit\" between the organization and its environment. However, business environments may change chaotically, and such an overly prescriptive approach based on incomplete information may result in flawed decision making. The \"logical incrementalism\" approach, proposed by Quinn (1978), suggested that the organization's strategies should evolve rationally in response to changes in the environment. Mintzberg (1987) further indicated that strategy is a combination of deliberate plans and emergent adjustments over time.Strategic management thinking in the 1980s was dominated by the work of Michael E. Porter of the Harvard Business School. The \"five forces\" model, \"generic strategy\", and the \"value chain\" approach added considerable contributions to strategic management. The Porter approach can be referred to as an \"outside-in analysis\" as the focus is on the competitive environment rather than the resources of the organization. Nevertheless, much evidence indicates that the performance improvement made by strategies that were developed on the basis of industrial analysis ranged from only 8 to 15 per cent (Grant, 1991; Rumelt, 1991; Carr, 1993; Roquert et al., 1993). Furthermore, strategic business units usually focus on their existing and readily available resources, whilst neglecting the creation of an innovative vision; thus, many innovative opportunities remain underdeveloped. It is, therefore, apparent that such industrial analysis does not work well in a market where both competition and opportunities are dynamic.Research in the late 1980s and early 1990s suggested that choice of industry was not a major factor in determining business profitability, and indeed that the core competence of the organization was of greater importance (Rumelt, 1991). For example, Prahalad and Hamel (1990) suggested that the root cause of American enterprises' loss of their competitive edge was not because of a disadvantaged external environment, but rather, because they had neglected to examine the organization's internal \"core competences\". Core competences or distinctive capabilities, are combinations of resources and capabilities, which are both unique to a specific organization and responsible for generating its competitive advantage. Although every company has available resources and capabilities to do whatever it does, not every company can effectively distinguish the resources or capabilities, which it has developed internally or acquired externally. Therefore, if developed solely on the basis of available internal resources, their strategies seem to lack a solid competitive foundation.The first, and main, purpose of this paper is to strongly emphasize that an effective strategic management model should not only consider inside-out and outside-in factors but, more importantly, it should build on the base of the organization's core competences.In analyzing strategic management, previous studies have seldom incorporated the concept of benchmarking. As a part of TQM, competitive benchmarks facilitate the continuous comparison of products, services and business with a firm's current strongest competitor, or the company which is seen as the industry leader. Therefore, the second purpose of this paper is to establish a strategic management model on the basis of a benchmarking system, in which organizations can evaluate and develop their products, service and practices, based upon a comparison with the best that can be recognized on a global basis.Finally, in the previous literature on strategic management processes, there has been neither a legitimate set of quantitative methods presented nor consideration of customers' needs when strategies were developed. As a result, the strategies established were not objective in nature. Therefore, the third purpose of this paper is to present a quantitative method through the \"voice of the customer\" which, we are convinced, will fill the aforementioned gap, and hopefully assist managers with their strategic planning.We have identified several reasons to explain why previous studies have failed to effectively resolve the complicated problems facing contemporary management. As suggested by Coulter (2000), strategic management should include a series of processes or steps in which organizational members analyze the current situation, put strategies into action, and evaluate/modify/change these strategies as required. Therefore, in this study, strategic management is defined as a series of four processes: \"situation analysis\", \"strategy planning\", \"strategy implementation\" and \"strategy evaluation\", with the competitive strategies created and developed by an organization resulting from these four phases.The rest of the paper is organized as follows. In the following section, we propose the conceptual framework for this study, which is then used to examine the relationships between internal and external environments, benchmarking systems, and industrial KSFs. By so doing, we proceed to form a competence-based strategic matrix. The penultimate section is devoted to the analysis of the strategic management of the TPE International Airport; the main purpose being to provide an empirical study to examine the model we are proposing. We conclude this paper with a discussion on some of the findings, limitations and possible extensions of this research.\n2 Conceptual framework and research methodology: The conceptual framework of this study as shown in Figure 1 comprises of four phases:1. \"situation analysis\";2. \"strategy planning\";3. \"strategy implementation\"; and4. \"strategy evaluation\".\"Situation analysis\" is based upon the so-called \"outside-in\" analysis, or external analysis, whilst \"inside-out\" analysis refers to an internal analysis. When carrying out an \"outside-in\" analysis, managers should consider the external/industry environment, identifying the benchmarking firms in a certain industry and then selecting their success modes as the KSFs. Thereafter, a company's existing position is determined by measuring the gap between the targeted company and the benchmarking firms. Conversely, when carrying out an \"inside-out\" analysis, managers should identify the internal resources and capabilities so that the strategic assets owned by the organization - i.e. their core competences - are confirmed. The nature and extent of these core competences forms the basis of the organization's internal competitive advantages.In \"strategy planning\" phases, a strategic matrix can be formed according to two dimensions:1. measurement of the gap between the targeted and the benchmarking firms (external analysis); and2. the identification of the targeted organization's core competence (internal analysis).Only after the situation analysis and strategy planning phases have been fully accomplished can the company possibly enter its strategy implementation phase. In the \"strategy implementation\" phase, managers should put their competitive strategies into effective action. Specifically, managers can take action according to the direction of the strategic moves. When entering the final phase of our framework, the \"strategy evaluation\" phase, managers should examine carefully the competitive strategy chosen in order to determine that competitive advantage can indeed be created and sustained. In other words, the objective of this phase is to evaluate the strategy chosen to see if it will achieve the strategic goals initially set. If the goals are not achievable, managers should go back to the \"situation analysis\" phase to re-examine the internal and external environments, with the aim of establishing a new strategy. Our framework is, therefore, a dynamic system, requiring managers to pay close attention to changes in the system so as to ensure strategy effectiveness and flexibility.2.1 Competence-based strategic matrix\n3 Empirical study: We now turn to an empirical application of the proposed modelling approach. Airports worldwide have experienced pressure to significantly change their management technique in order to compete globally. Moreover, most airport operations, such as those in the United States, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Zealand, have been or are being privatized. As long as an airport's major objective is to generate a profit, the management will be motivated to develop services and products to meet the needs of its customers and will be prone to make decision not solely on the political basis. Table I shows Asia's ten busiest airports in terms of passengers and air cargo are. The Central Economic Planning Department (CEPD), Taiwan, has strived to develop a program to push Taipei's Chiang Kai Shek International Airport (TPE) to establish an Asia Aviation Operation Center. Moreover, Taipei is at the heart of Taiwan's powerful electronics manufacturing industry and strongly links Asian markets and the North American market. Now, the TPE airport has been selected by UPS and FedEx as the main Asia hubs for the air express carrier. Therefore, the strategic management model we are proposing should serve as a useful management tool for the TPE international airport and its participants.In this study, Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), Singapore International Airport (SIN), Shanghai International Airport (SHA), Manila International Airport (MNL), and Tokyo Narita International Airport (TYO) are set to be the competitive airports - those that are business competitors of or geographical locations close to the TPE Airport.3.1 Data collection\n4 Conclusions: The study of strategic management is one of the most important issues in all business areas, since every decision made by an organization's managers has strategic implications, and people at every organizational level have a role to play in developing, implementing and changing the organization's strategies. The previous studies in this field can be broadly identified as those undertaking an internal analysis (e.g. a resource-based view or core competence analysis), external analysis (e.g. I/O analysis or Porter's \"five forces\" model) and strategy planning (e.g. Boston Consulting Group; BCG model). Each of these approaches to strategic management has its distinct characteristics and points of emphasis; however, these approaches are interlinked and share certain concepts, hence, it is worthwhile attempting to develop a model which draws upon and integrates certain aspects of these various approaches.In this study, we define strategic management in four phases: \"situation analysis\", \"strategy planning\", \"strategy implementation\" and \"strategy evaluation\", and develop a strategic management model (strategic matrix) in accordance with these four processes. Specifically, we propose two ways of gaining an understanding of current strategic management, emphasizing first of all, the organization's interactions with its external and internal environments, and thereafter, further developing a strategy based on benchmarking. Moreover, we explore the possibility of establishing a quantitative method of achieving competitive strategies.Our proposed effective strategic management tool, the strategic matrix, is established in order to assist firms to re-examine their competitive position. Four strategic cells are formed: core competences with low gap; core competences with high gap, non-core competences with low gap and non-core competences with high gap, leading to the formation of four strategies, \"anchoring\", \"narrowing\", \"catching-up\" and \"following-up\". Even though Matrix approach is not a new method in analyzing company operational strategies, however, the strategic matrix we proposed incorporating the concepts of environmental analysis, benchmarking and the customer's voice has never been used in previous studies.In light of the strategic moves, the items falling into the \"narrowing\" cells are selected as the first priority for improvement, leading to the promotion of these items to the \"anchoring\" cell. Thereafter, the targeted organization needs to place effort into moving those indictors in the \"catching-up\" cell to either the \"narrowing\" or \"following-up\" cell. Whichever move is achieved, the next obvious move is to the \"anchoring\" cell so as to ensure the maintenance of the company's competitive advantage. Finally, the items in the \"following-up\" cell should be improved upon and, by the same rationale, can subsequently be moved to the \"anchoring\" cell. As a result, managers can make critical decisions as to whether to reposition their products against their major competitors or to expand their global market reach.Our empirical study has shown how a multi-process strategic management model can help managers within organizations to analyze their current position, make competitive strategies and evaluate and change these strategies as required. We find that first of all, using a multi-dimensional space technique, the HKG and SIN Airports have similar attributes and are thus selected as the benchmarking airport. Second, the higher ranking items of the benchmarking organization are termed \"industrial KSFs\"; from a total of 61 items we obtain 17 KSF items. Third, based upon the theoretical framework proposed in this study, a strategic management tool, referred to as the strategic matrix, is developed, through which the operational items can be grouped into four distinct cells. The first cell, referred to as the \"anchoring\" cell, contains operational needs, such as \"geographical advantages\", \"directional signs for the airport and facilities\", \"flight information\", \"types of transport facilities outside\" and \"attitude and efficiency of customs officers\". These items, which also belong to the category of industry KSFs, constitute the core competence of the TPE airport. The second cell, referred to as the \"narrowing\" cell, includes such operational needs as \"stops and lines of flights\", \"types of transport facilities outside\", \"degree of conformity with airport facilities\", \"capability of maintenance and safety control sectors\" and \"adequacy of connecting buses for passengers\".The third cell, referred to as the \"catching-up\" cell, comprises the operational needs of the TPE airport non-core competences, in which the TPE airport lags far behind the benchmarking airport (i.e. it displays a wide gap). It is on these needs that the TPE airport should seek to make improvements by benchmarking against the industry KSFs so that distinctive capabilities can be developed. Once such capabilities are developed, the TPE airport will be able to gain a competitive advantage. The needs in this cell include \"quality of taxiways and runways\", \"years of experience of airport staff\" and \"comfort of air bridges\". Finally, we propose a \"following-up\" (non-core competences with low gap) strategy. Only after understanding where an need is located can we make effective strategic moves, i.e. understand the correct order and direction of the strategic moves.We believe that future research into strategic management models should focus on different organizations in different industries and undertake comparative analysis across these organizations. Several questions require delving into; for example, would the model differ in its effectiveness between small firms, medium-sized firms and global enterprises? Does a business culture influence the establishment of a strategic management model?\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - To establish a comprehensive model of strategic management emphasized on the interactions of the organization with its external and internal environments and also to further develop a strategy based on competitive advantage.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - By using key success factor and benchmarking methodologies as well as Multi-Dimensional Space technique, the operational customer's needs fall into four strategic cells: \"anchoring\", \"narrowing\", \"following-up\", and \"catching-up\", which can be improved in accordance with strategic moves.\nFindings: - The empirical study examines Taipei International Airport (TPE) and undertakes a comparison with its six major competitors in Asia. It has been found that Singapore as well as Hong Kong international airports prevailed over other competitors in the overall performance and thus were selected as the benchmarking airports. While the TPE outperforms the benchmarking airports in the Core Functional Area, it lags well behind in the Support Area. It is therefore strongly suggested that the TPE should develop its ability to build up Key Success Factors as well as to benchmark efficiently and effectively if it is to secure competitive advantage over the benchmarking airports.\nOriginality/value: - The quantitative and strategic management model we built could help organizational members to analyze corporation's current position, to reach more competitive strategies, and to evaluate/change strategies effectively.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Impacts of succession in family business: A systemic approach for understanding dynamic effects in horticultural retail companies in Germany
|
[
"Succession",
"Participatory approach",
"System thinking",
"Family-run companies"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Succession in small and medium-sized enterprises and, more specifically, in family-run companies is a core topic in business research that has received growing attention in recent years (Short et al., 2016; Zahra and Sharma, 2004; Chua et al., 1999, 2003). In Germany, 95 percent of enterprises are family-managed (Kay and Suprinovic, 2013). According to Freiling and Grossmann (2014), 86 percent of German family businesses were in need of succession due to the age of the incumbent management generation. A study conducted in 2013 estimated that approximately 135,000 family businesses would face the need of finding a successor within the next five years corresponding to 3.5 percent of all businesses in Germany (Kay and Suprinovic, 2013). Companies in this stage of the life cycle face several challenges and uncertainties jeopardizing their long-term viability. Failure of the succession process is one of the greatest threats to the survival of family businesses (Venter et al., 2005).\n2. Succession in family business: Succession has become one of the most studied topics in family business research (Short et al., 2016). Most of the literature on succession focuses on intra-family succession (e.g. Daspit et al., 2016; De Massis et al., 2008; Barach and Ganitsky, 1995). Chua et al. (1999) identified ownership, governance, management and succession as central components of family involvement in family businesses. In their analysis of succession in 152 Belgian family companies using regression modeling, Molly et al. (2010) rated business transfer as one of the most important events in the life cycle of a family business. External, non-family succession may be more likely to change the company's character and threaten its survival (Birley, 2002).\n3. German horticultural retail companies: The study presented here investigates the complex effects of succession in family business, as demonstrated for a reference company in the horticultural retail sector in Germany. An initial overview of some of the key characteristics of this business will contribute to a better understanding the situation of the reference company and the results of the analysis in the broader context of family businesses.\n4. Method and procedure: Systems analysis is widely used in business research. However, an overview of the vester sensitivity model (VSM) method is provided below to ensure that the outcome of the analysis is understandable. In addition to the specific design of the present study, the basic analytic steps involved in the VSM method are presented with a focus on the in-depth analysis of the succession scenario of the reference HRC[1].\n5. Results: Based on the total effect system of the HRC elaborated in the preceding analytic steps (see also Gabriel et al., 2017), the design and analysis of the partial (succession) scenario served to identify business areas that are likely to be affected in the course of succession. Policy tests and simulation runs of these interrelated areas provide an understanding of the dynamic effects of succession in the family-run company.\n6. Discussion: Extraction of a succession scenario from a previously established more comprehensive effect system allowed in-depth analysis of the dynamic effects of pending or needed (not yet implemented) succession in a specified period in a hypothetical reference HRC. As other researchers agree, that succession is not only a critical event but has also to be seen as a transfer process (Duh et al., 2009, Morris et al., 1997), a consideration of a period of several years in the succession scenario is quite appropriate. Simulations of immediate and stepwise implementation of succession in the reference company indicated that the most intense interrelations with variables representing the strategic planning ability of the management family and the conflict situation between family and work.\n7. Conclusions: The present study uses principles of system theory and system thinking to analyze succession in family-run companies and its dynamic and time-lagged impacts on affected business areas in family-run companies for the first time. Identification of close links between succession and various other business areas, such as strategic planning, conflicts between family and work and organizational climate provide managers and business analysts with valuable insights into potential future developments. The importance of system thinking for analyzing organizations is well recognized in business research with regard to learning, dealing effectively with complexity, and responding to changing dynamics (Kim et al., 2014). Users of systemic approaches identify behavioral patterns of the business analyzed, which can support future decision-making (Hogl, 1996). However, systemic approaches in business management should not be regarded as a substitute for common non-systemic methods of business analysis (Schwaninger, 2004), such as economic efficiency analysis and capital budgeting. Instead, they can provide additional guidance during strategic processes in real-world companies.\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: While many studies in family business research focus on mono-causal impacts of succession, the purpose of this paper is to employ a systemic approach to analyze dynamic effects of intra-family succession on multiple business areas in family-run companies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A system analysis using a participatory approach was conducted for a reference family-run company operating in the horticultural retail sector in Germany. The Vester Sensitivity Model, supplemented with principles from system thinking was used to identify key variables related to intra-family succession.\nFindings: Expert input and analysis of variable co-occurrence revealed key variables associated with succession such as \"strategic planning,\" \"productivity\" and \"financial flexibility.\" Dynamic interactions among various business areas were identified by simulating interventions in succession trajectories. In particular, key variables such as \"conflicts between family and work\" and \"organizational climate\" turned out to be highly sensitive to changes during a succession process.\nPractical implications: The concept and design of this system analysis tool will allow practitioners such as company managers and business consultants to better understand complex interrelations within companies and provide additional guidance with regard to critical events like business transfer.\nOriginality/value: The present study uses system thinking to analyze succession and its dynamic and time-lagged impacts on affected business areas in family-run companies for the first time. Repeated application of the systemic approach presented here to real-world business cases will gradually improve the tool and the quality of information it provides.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The impact of external pressure and sustainable management practices on manufacturing performance and environmental outcomes
|
[
"Survey",
"Environmental",
"Manufacturing performance",
"Sustainable management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Adoption of sustainable management practices is becoming increasingly important for organisations worldwide. Several studies have examined sustainable practices and their impact on organisational performance. A significant body of the literature has focused on green supply chain management (GSCM) with the primary argument that supply chain partners, particularly customers, drive organisations to adopt sustainable management practices (Diabat and Govindan, 2011; Wu et al., 2011). Nevertheless, the pressure to be sustainable can come from a number of different sources, including supply chain partners as well as other stakeholders such as competitors, society and regulators (Walker et al., 2008; Zhu and Sarkis, 2007). Walker et al. (2008) also identify social drivers such as consumer criticism and pressure from the public and environmental groups. However, there is a lack of understanding of the impact of the combined effect of such external pressure on organisational performance. According to Zhu and Sarkis (2007), the ability of production managers, particularly those in developing countries, to manage economic and environmental performance in a more strategic manner can be improved by having an understanding of the effects of environmental pressure.\nLiterature review and hypotheses: The development of sustainable practices within supply chains has generated much debate within the academic literature as well as among industry practitioners. Seuring and Muller (2008, p. 1700) defined sustainable supply chain management as \"the management of material, information and capital flows as well as cooperation among companies along the supply chain while taking goals from all three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e., economic, environmental and social, into account which are derived from customer and stakeholder requirements\". This perspective emphasises two key issues that are relevant to this study. First is the specification that customers and other stakeholder requirements are important in the pursuit of sustainability. Second is the identification of the potential links between sustainable practices and different dimensions of development - economic, environmental and social. These dimensions of development have also been identified in different studies as important measurement areas where organisations need to focus their sustainable practices (Green et al., 2012; Zailani et al., 2012). The implication is that organisations that adopt sustainable practices can expect such practices to have an impact on their performance.\nResearch methodology: Data for this study were collected from the sixth round of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) (The International Manufacturing Strategy Survey, 2014). IMSS-VI was carried out in 23 countries between July 2013 and June 2014. This global project collected data from plant, production or operations manager of manufacturing firms listed in the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) codes ranging from 25 to 30. IMSS-VI used a self-administered survey questionnaire and the research was centrally coordinated to ensure consistency in data collection procedures across different countries.\nDiscussion: There can be little doubt that organisations worldwide are facing increasing pressure to be more sustainable in their practices. The imperative to be more sustainable requires organisations to make changes or adopt practices that require resource allocation. The question that many organisations ask is whether adopting sustainable practices will lead to organisational improvement or not, and what is the nature and magnitude of improvement. This study provides new and significant insight into this on-going debate by examining whether the external pressure to be sustainable can enhance directly or indirectly two important dimensions of performance - environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The study has shown that external pressure has a significant direct and positive relationship with environmental outcomes. However, external pressure does not have a significant relationship with manufacturing performance. With respect to the mediating effect of sustainable management, the study finds sustainable management can mediate positively between external pressure and environmental outcomes but does not mediate between external pressure and manufacturing performance. In effect the study identifies a clear distinction in the relationships between environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance.\nConclusion: This study set out to investigate the relationship between external pressure to be sustainable, adoption of formal sustainability programmes and manufacturing performance and environmental outcomes. It has found that while there is a significant relationship between external pressure, adoption of formal sustainability programmes and environmental outcomes, such significant relationships do not exist with manufacturing performance. It has been also been argued that the lack of a relationship with manufacturing performance does not necessarily imply that organisations cannot gain economic benefits from implementation of sustainable practices. Rather such economic benefits may possibly be derived from other performance dimensions related to environmental outcomes.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the direct effect of external pressure on environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance and examine the mediating effect of sustainable management practice.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study draws upon institutional theory and resource-based view to understand how factors such as external pressure and sustainable management relate with environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The model specifies previously unexplored direct and mediating relationships between external pressure, sustainable management, environmental outcomes and manufacturing performance. The empirical analysis is based on data collected from the sixth edition of the International Manufacturing Strategy Survey. The research hypotheses are tested using structural equation modelling.\nFindings: Results show that while there is a significant direct and mediating relationship between external pressure, adoption of formal sustainability programmes and environmental outcomes, such significant relationships do not exist with manufacturing performance.\nPractical implications: The study shows that external pressure can influence adoption of sustainable practices but this does not necessarily lead to an improvement in manufacturing performance. As such managers need to identify the actual benefits of sustainability and weigh them up against costs of implementing such programmes.\nOriginality/value: The relationship between the adoption of sustainable practices and organisational performance is a complex one. In contrast to previous studies, this study found that while external pressure and sustainable management relate positively with environmental outcomes, no such relationship exists with manufacturing performance. This raises a number of question marks over naive implementation of sustainable strategies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Investigating telemonitoring practice: a proposed work-applied methodology
|
[
"Diabetes",
"Methodology",
"Action research",
"Telemonitoring"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Although there is a body of research on diabetes, there are few researches that used action research approaches in developing better clinical outcomes for patients with diabetes. Using both a cohort of diabetic as well as control patients in the current study, the introduction, and implementation of a telemonitoring programme for better management of diabetes patients constitutes a novel approach in action research methodology. In addition, the use of control groups is a new approach in action research.\nLiterature review: Although there exists a lack of consensus within the literature as to a detailed definition (Kevin et al., 2007), Telemedicine can be broadly defined as:The delivery of health care services, where distance is a critical factor, by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the exchange of valid information for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and for the continuing education of health care providers, all in the interests of advancing the health of individuals and their communities(World Health Organisation, 1998, p. 10).\nResearch questions: The main research question involved \"Can action research be used in the design and implementation of home-based telemonitoring care to improve efficiency and effectiveness of diabetes management?\" Several corollary research questions have been developed to further guide the collection and analysis of data used in this action research study. This included:\nResearch method: proposed action research approach: Research design\nEthical considerations: The proposed research approach was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Australian Institute of business. Australian Government approval of the research also occurred in the form of approval by the Monash Health Human Ethics and Research Committee. The Monash Health Human Ethics and Research Committee is a nationally certified by the Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (National Health and Medical Research Council et al., 2007).\nImplications of the research: The paper contributes to the methodical design of action research projects in their use to implementation health technologies such as telemonitoring. In particular it seeks create a model which can be used to demonstrate the efficacy of the use of the action research method as a viable alternative to the traditional RCT methodology currently employed in healthcare. The use of action research in such a context is seen as desirable in that provides a less expensive, quicker, and more immediate (Dechairo-Marino et al., 2001) method to implement healthcare technologies. In addition, the paper has the potential for use internationally for managing diabetes. This would be especially useful in areas and countries that would have access to information technology and telemonitoring systems that would support such intervention. This could include countries in Europe, USA, and parts of Asia. Furthermore, using action research in programme design can be of global interest within the context of healthcare for many chronic diseases and not just diabetes. It is also useful in a range of contexts outside of healthcare.\nConclusion: The proposed research into the design and implementation of a programme for diabetic patients to undergo telemonitoring is significant in that it identifies current issues preventing the increased utilisation of telemonitoring for the treatment of diabetes within a Victorian health service. In addition, it provides evidence to assist in the development of telemonitoring programs more generally in the management of chronic disease conditions in Victoria.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Diabetes is regarded as a global epidemic with 382 million people globally suffering from diabetes. It also has major implications on patients' quality of life. There are also high cost of treatment associated with diabetes for both patient and healthcare provider. Telemonitoring represents an excellent technology opportunity to redefine health care delivery. Using technology for home-based care promises the ability to deliver more cost effective care whilst also enhancing quality of care and patient satisfaction. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The current research aims to contribute to the methodological design of action research projects in their use to implementation health technologies such as telemonitoring. In particular, it seeks create a model which can be used to demonstrate the efficacy of the use of the action research method as a viable alternative to the traditional randomised control trials methodology currently employed in healthcare.\nFindings: The paper contributes towards the methodological design to investigate the area of practice making use of the telemonitoring programme within a Victorian Health Services Network using action research.\nOriginality/value: It intends to address the research problem of the low utilisation of telemonitoring within Monash Health as a whole, and more specifically within the diabetes unit. In this context the research intends to utilise the benefits of telemonitoring to improve clinical outcomes of patients by increasing insulin stabilisation. It is also intended the research organisation benefits by increased efficiency by decreasing clinical workforce time spent on managing patient insulin data.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
An investigation of the acute management of closed intra-articular fractures of the proximal interphalangeal joint in Ireland
|
[
"Survey",
"Fracture",
"Finger",
"Hand therapy",
"Proximal interphalangeal joint"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Intra-articular fracture dislocations of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint of the hand have a complex presentation affecting the bone, cartilage, ligaments and possibly tendon insertions around the PIP joint (Chinchalker and Gan, 2003). They typically occur because of axial loading to the tip of the finger with force being applied to the base of the middle phalanx (Chinchalker and Gan, 2003; Kiefhaber and Stern, 1998). Three different fracture patterns result: fracture of the volar lip, fracture of the dorsal lip and pilon fractures with central depression and both dorsal and volar articular surface fracture (Kiefhaber and Stern, 1998; Haase and Chung, 2014). The most widely cited system to classify intra-articular fractures of the PIP joint is that of Kiefhaber and Stern (1998). They use three groupings: less than 30 per cent articular surface involvement, which is typically stable on reduction; fractures of 30-50 per cent of the articular surface, which have tenuous stability; and >50 per cent involvement, which is unstable on reduction. Intra-articular fractures of the PIP joint are not common (Oak and Lawton, 2013), with an estimated incidence of 11.3 in 100,000 persons per year in the USA (Ootes et al., 2012), and, to our knowledge, there is no published consensus regarding the most effective treatment approach. The range of methods of treatment described in the literature (Haase and Chung, 2014; Caggiano et al., 2018; Janssen et al., 2015; Ng and Oliver, 2009; Morgan et al., 1995) are listed in Table I.\nMethods: Study design\nResults: Demographic information\nSurgeon respondents: Treatment approach\nTherapist respondents: Therapists' reporting of timing of referral to therapy\nDiscussion: Methods of treatment\nLimitations: As the exact numbers of potential participants were not available it is not possible to calculate the sample size representative of the population. The survey may contain bias in that responses received may differ to those of non-respondents, and this limits the generalisability of results (Curtis and Drennan, 2013). In spite of this, the survey offers relevant information regarding current methods of treatment of closed intra-articular fractures of the PIP joint in Ireland. Although piloted, the questionnaires were original and not validated. However information was gathered from a number of sources during the literature review to inform the generation of items for the questionnaire and the survey was piloted by two experienced practitioners. In spite of using a classification of fracture severity, the variance in presentation of fracture patterns made reporting of treatment selection difficult to describe in general terms. More accurate information may have been obtained if the survey focused on just one level of severity of fracture, or if one presentation of intra-articular fracture, complete with lateral radiographs was given for which surgeons could outline their choice of management.\nConclusion: This study provides the first description of the management of intra-articular PIP joint fractures across the Irish health service, and provides a foundation for service analysis and development. There is a wide range of treatment techniques used within the HSE in the management of closed PIP joint fractures and this reflects the lack of specific evidence-based recommendations for the management of these fractures internationally. The findings of this study suggest that additional hand therapy resources would be required within the Irish health service to facilitate desired early referral to therapy and/or to enable service development for this category of hand fractures.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Many treatment methods for intra-articular fractures of the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint are described in the literature without a consensus on the most effective approach. The purpose of this study was to investigate the methods of treatment of PIP joint fractures being used by trauma surgeons in the Republic of Ireland currently and the timing of referral to therapy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional descriptive study methodology was used to survey trauma surgeons, occupational therapists and physiotherapists in Ireland. An online platform was used. A total of 21 surveys were returned by surgeons and 37 by therapists. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to present the results.\nFindings: Buddy strapping was reported as the primary treatment method for stable PIP joint fractures. All levels of fracture severity were reported to be treated using traction constructs, which include static and dynamic fixation and orthoses. Unstable fractures were managed using open reduction with internal fixation by 50 per cent of surgeons. Early timing of referral to therapy is reported by more surgeons than therapists. The majority of therapists indicated that they did not have the resources to see patients at the optimal time.\nOriginality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first description of the management of PIP joint fractures across the Irish health service. The findings of this study suggest that additional therapy resources are required within the health service executive to facilitate the desired early referral to therapy and to enable service development for this category of hand fractures.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Facts or gut feelings: analysis of external pricing antecedents for SMEs in Germany
|
[
"SMEs",
"External pricing antecedents",
"Pricing information",
"Pricing performance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Pricing is considered a key driver of firm's performance, and a crucial factor in earning economic rents (Dutta et al., 2003; Meehan et al., 2011; Morgan, 2012; Roll et al., 2012; Roy et al., 2016; Totzek and Alavi, 2010; Watson et al., 2015). The first step in the process of making pricing decision is the acquisition and use of pricing information, also seen as the foundation of professional pricing in organisational context (Hult et al., 2005; Indounas, 2009; Slater and Narver, 2000; Totzek and Alavi, 2010). Without appropriate information, pricing decisions are likely to be gut-based and haphazard (Meehan et al., 2011). The consequence of such informal pricing practices is that firms will likely extract suboptimal profits from their markets (Ingenbleek et al., 2003; Monroe, 2002; van der Rest and Roper, 2013). Indeed, ignoring the informational prerequisites of pricing decisions might jeopardise the firm's existence, because profitability cannot be sustainably ensured.\n2. Hypotheses development: 2.1 External market factors and pricing information acquisition\n3. Research method and context: Mindful of the fact that we theoretically underpinned the research hypothesis by the Information Economics theory and RBV, we draw on these two theories to structure our empirical work and for guidance on methodology. We adopted a deductive research approach using a quantitative strategy and a survey design as data collection strategy. This is justified by fact that the hypothesis of this study can be best addressed by using a quantitative methodology, which allowed us to investigate external factors and outcomes of the latent construct pricing information acquisition. Quantitative designs are recommended if research focusses on the understanding of best predictors of a specific outcome (Creswell, 2013). Moreover, the introductory section of the paper revealed that many SME pricing studies have a qualitative focus using small samples. SME pricing studies providing more generalisable results are lacking, hence the need for a quantitative research strategy that utilises a larger sample.\n4. Result and discussion: 4.1 Sample profile\n5. Discussion and implication: This paper analyses the external antecedents of pricing information acquisition in an integrative manner and develops an understanding of pricing information as a crucial prerequisite of successful pricing strategies within the context of German SME's. The contextual development identifies and acknowledges pricing acquisition as a strategic pricing capability and distinct sub-challenge within pricing management. This study, therefore, bridges the gap in literature by investigating the external conditions that influence the intensity of pricing information practices. The study provides justification for SME managers to allocate a greater amount of the limited pricing resources to markets characterised by a greater complexity and high level of market growth. The study also revealed the importance of information acquisition as strategic to pricing capability, which should receive attention by SME managers. Moreover, this study strongly supports the contention that pricing performance is positively related to firm performance which implies that SMEs managers should invest in their pricing capabilities to benefit from an increased firm performance.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the external antecedents of pricing information acquisition in an integrative manner. The study develops understanding of determinants of information acquisition as a crucial prerequisite of successful pricing strategies within German small and medium enterprises (SMEs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: A large scale survey of sampled 2,542 SMEs was conducted. A total of 220 questionnaires were completed, reflecting a response rate of 9 per cent. This was acceptable considering the sensitivity of pricing issues. A final sample of 173 usable questionnaires were obtained.\nFindings: The result indicates that external antecedents of pricing information acquisition practices have a positive impact on SME pricing performance, and pricing performance is positively related to firm performance.\nPractical implications: The study indicates that external antecedents of pricing information acquisition are strategic pricing capabilities, which should receive attention by SME managers.\nOriginality/value: This study bridges significant obstacle to knowledge generation and theory development of the important issues of pricing information acquisition in SMEs.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Design vs practice: How problematic call routing and rerouting restructures the call centre service system
|
[
"Call centres",
"IVR system",
"Behavioural operations",
"Call routing",
"Customer contact",
"Service system design"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Given that capacity costs and especially labour costs normally account for between 60-70 per cent of total operating costs, there is substantial research on the problems of forecasting call arrival (Gans et al., 2003) and of routing calls to pools of specialised agents (Aksin et al., 2007a). Existing research on call arrival uses forecasting models (Soyer and Tarimcilar, 2008; Taylor, 2008), often to minimise staffing costs (Atlason et al., 2008; Feldman et al., 2008). The underlying challenge is to achieve operational efficiency by matching agents' resources (supply) with customer calls (demand). For call routing enabled by the interactive voice response (IVR) system, research also focuses on matching call demand with live agents (Khudyakov et al., 2010; Srinivasan et al., 2004). Research has attempted to determine when to transfer a call to an agent (Horvitz and Paek, 2000) and design an IVR system to optimise staffing levels, customer abandonment, and staffing costs (Tezcan and Behzad, 2012).\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1. Call arrival and call routing\n3. Methodology: A qualitative case study was conducted. It was informed by the principles of interpretivism, widely used in the information system field (Orlikowski and Baroudi, 1991; Walsham, 1995) but also beginning to be utilised in the OM field (Poba-Nzaou et al., 2014). The case organisation was Telecentre, which operates in the UK Telecommunications industry. The researcher was present in the case site, located in the Midlands, for five months in 2009. The qualitative case aimed to address \"how\" questions (Yin, 1994) highlighted in the previous section. A single qualitative case was chosen because of the complexity involved in analysing multiple levels of analysis associated with the duality of structure. Moreover, single case studies enable multiple contexts to be examined (Mukherjee et al., 2000), represented in this case by the specialised call handling teams and four functions in the call centre. Finally, a single case enabled investigation into the operational effects upon the service system by allowing an analysis of how calls were redirected between teams, which was important to examine given evidence of coordination problems in call centres in existing research.\n4. Results: 4.1. Telecentre and macro-level formal design\n5. Discussion: This section discusses the implications and findings of the preceding analysis in relation to three areas of existing research (Table IV).\n6. Conclusion: The primary objective of this paper has been to examine how customer involvement in call routing and agents' rerouting of calls affect the call centre service system. While research has examined how IVR systems are utilised in call centres and investigated design and usability issues, the operational consequences of customers' use of IVR systems have not been studied. In response, this paper offers a first step in theorising precisely how customer involvement in call routing through IVR system use affects call centre operations. A first key conclusion of the study is that if customer behaviour is treated as a first-order effect the assumption of low input uncertainty within the service system is broken and the key design decision of FO decoupling is compromised. Similarly, a second key conclusion is that agents' redirecting practices represent an endogenous form of potential input uncertainty, which undermines the key design decision of pooled interdependence patterns. Thus, if we are to fully appreciate how call centre operations work, we must incorporate both customer and agent behaviour into an analysis of the service system. In this respect, our study indicated a resulting disconnect that arose between design and practice and how this was manifest. Given recognition that OM is a function of the social and the technical or of people and structure (Bendoly et al., 2006; Soltani et al., 2014) and the acknowledged importance of investigating how operating systems and processes actually work (Gino and Pisano, 2008), it is hoped that this paper offers a modest contribution to future theory-building in service OM research by utilising the sociological concept of structure to explain the mutual influence of formal design and human practice upon each other. From this perspective, operational systems such as call centres are continually being constituted through the ongoing micro-level actions of customer and employees, which reproduce or modify formal design characteristics such as input uncertainty, de-coupling, and interdependence patterns.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how customer involvement in call routing affects the internal operations of the call centre service system by examining customer usability problems with the interactive voice response (IVR) system and the practices of agents used to redirect incorrectly routed calls.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A qualitative case study combined direct observation of live calls through sit-bys with agents and semi-structured interviews conducted with coaches and managers within 13 separate teams across all four functional areas of a call centre operation.\nFindings: Customer use of the IVR system involved effort, capability, and arrival forms of customer-induced variability, which produced incorrect call inputs into the call centre. Shared norms and attitudes concerning knowledge, IT use, and responsibility for different call types within teams were associated with redirecting practices which lead to the problematic rerouting of calls. Problems with call routing and rerouting negatively affected operational efficiency and undermined customer satisfaction.\nResearch limitations/implications: The paper is based upon a single case study so further research is required to examine how problems identified are manifest in call centre operations of different size and complexity. The qualitative approach develops rich insights but these findings would benefit from a quantitative focus in the future.\nPractical implications: The customer experience of IVR systems should be continually monitored to identify usability problems and ensure effective design, while call centre management should attempt to increase teams' awareness of and ability to successfully redirect incorrectly routed calls.\nOriginality/value: The paper conceptualises the mutual influence of macro-level service system design and the micro-level behaviour of customers and agents upon each other. In practice, formal design decisions such as input uncertainty, decoupling, and interdependence patterns are continually reproduced or modified. Shared attitudes and norms of teams and their behavioural influence upon agents' call handling practices are identified as a cause of coordination problems in call centres service systems. Internal rerouting by agents is also identified as a crucial operational process and important area for future research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Physical distribution service quality in online retailing
|
[
"Electronic commerce",
"Distribution management",
"Internet",
"Retailing",
"Internet shopping",
"Customer services quality"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: During the past decade the internet has created a retail and consumer revolution by providing a new, convenient channel for shopping. The online retail market is growing rapidly, especially in the UK, and now covers a large assortment of products and services. Throughout this period e-retailers have had to ensure they offer consumers appropriate customer service and a pleasant online shopping experience, including the order fulfilment process.Online shopping enables consumers to stay at home and wait for products to be delivered by retailers. The responsibility of many physical aspects of this fulfilment process, which previously lay with the consumer in-store and beyond, is now taken on by the retailer. This final extension to the CSCMP definition of logistics management from \"point of origin to point of consumption\" (Grant et al., 2006b), i.e. directly to the consumer's home and sometimes referred to as the \"last mile\" process, means greater complexity now attaches to a retailer's distribution system. This has major implications for a retailer as the efficient management of distribution and fulfilment in the \"last mile\" can reduce costs, enhance profitability and thus provide a competitive advantage for the retailer (Nicholls and Watson, 2005).Online retailing of physical products accounts for two-thirds of total online sales in the UK (IMRG, 2006). These online purchases involve the handling and transferring of physical products, i.e. packing, picking, dispatching, delivering, collecting and returning. Further, a product purchased online or \"virtually\" cannot be used by the consumer until it is delivered to them at the right place, at the right time, in the right quantities, and in the right condition.Online retailing thus requires different logistics tasks from the retailer. Traditional retailers need to redesign their distribution systems to operate in this new multi-channel format. Some retailers, such as those who sell furniture or white goods, already have home delivery systems in place and have been able to easily adapt their systems to accommodate online sales. However, many small retailers or those who sell physically smaller products may have little or no home delivery experience. Their distribution systems are only geared to shifting pallets of good from warehouse to store shelves. For them, online retailing and home delivery is a new area and a challenge in learning how to add such capabilities to their existing business model.On the other hand, pure player retailers, i.e. those with no traditional or \"bricks and mortar\" retail settings, can start with a \"clean sheet of paper\" to devise their sales and distribution activities. Pure players need to configure an effective home delivery system and some choose to build their own e-fulfilment centres and use logistics service providers (LSPs) to do the delivery to maintain control over the in-house physical flow and offer better service to consumers.One example is Amazon, who manages two regional distribution centres in the UK and outsources final delivery to a few carriers. Another oft-cited exemplar of online sales and home delivery is Dell; they prepare products according to consumer orders using both \"lean\" (Hines et al., 2001) and \"agile\" (Christopher, 2000) techniques and then have independent LSPs assemble and deliver the final product packages to consumers. In contrast however, some pure players choose to use LSPs for the entire e-fulfilment process, which is a lower-risk approach that requires less capital investment.Physical distribution service quality (PDSQ) is a crucial factor in deciding a retailer's success in entering the online market and in determining which retailing format is likely to be more popular with consumers. How consumers perceive a retailer's home delivery service and how they evaluate their online shopping experience are key to a retailer's survival and success.SQ research is well-established in the marketing literature and is an important research topic closely related to issues of customer satisfaction, customer retention, cost and profitability. White and Daniel (2004) called for research to explore consumers' expectations of the online retailing experience and retailers' provision of online retailing SQ to satisfy that experience. There have been several studies focusing on online shopping SQ and consumers' perception of service performance and satisfaction, for example Zeithaml et al. (2002), Chen and Chang (2003), Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2003), Yang et al. (2004), Lee and Lin (2005), Parasuraman et al. (2005), Bauer et al. (2006), Trabold et al. (2006) and Kim et al. (2009).However, many of these studies focus on areas such as financial, travel and banking services and few consider the physical, home delivery service aspects of SQ. Further, Rao et al. (2009) argued there has been little research on the topic of comparing operations between \"pure player\" (i.e. internet-only) and multi-channel retailers.This paper presents and tests a fresh and comprehensive electronic PDSQ (e-PDSQ) framework against which the expectations and perceptions of consumers are investigated and the performance of online retailers is evaluated and compared. First, the paper discusses the literature concerning multi-channel versus pure player retailers and PDSQ in online retailing and order fulfilment, and then presents a framework for investigating e-PDSQ based on conceptual work by Xing and Grant (2006). It then presents the methodology used to empirically apply the framework in the online retail market using a two-stage methodology proposed by Churchill (1979) and Dunn et al. (1994) for developing marketing and logistics variables and constructs. Next, the results of an empirical study of internet consumers are analysed and discussed, and the paper finishes with conclusions and observations about limitations and future research.\nLiterature review and research objectives: Multi-channel versus pure player online retailers\nMethodology: This study adopted the Churchill (1979) and Dunn et al. (1994) two-stage methodology for developing of marketing and logistics variables and constructs. A postal survey method was used for the research; it is one of the most frequently used methods in logistics research, is considered to have high external validity, and is useful to generalise to larger samples (Mentzer and Kahn, 1995).The survey explored a consumer's opinion on important variables and constructs in the framework as well as their internet home shopping expectations and perceptions of e-PDSQ received from an actual non-food internet shopping experience. There have been many studies on e-grocery logistics, e.g. Teller et al. (2006) and Wilson-Jeanselme and Reynolds (2006) however this study focused on the non-food sector as it is under-represented in research and the literature but is a significant part of retailing.Edinburgh was chosen as the location of the survey for several reasons. First, Edinburgh is one UK city leading the way in terms of online shopping; other leading cities include London, Aberdeen and Bristol. Edinburgh also has a very high internet penetration rate and a culture of internet shopping. Lastly, it was easier to obtain detailed household names and addresses for the survey from Edinburgh city council than other city councils.In consultation with Edinburgh city council, four of Edinburgh's 58 wards comprising 17 different postcodes were selected based on criteria including population, gender and age structure, household composition, economic activity or deprivation, employment, education and occupation, and were considered to provide a representative and unbiased sample.The electoral registration office provided detailed household names and addresses from each of the four wards. A postal survey was sent to 3,000 randomly chosen households and included a personal covering letter, a copy of the questionnaire and a stamped, addressed business return envelope according to best practice recommended by Diamantopolous and Schlegelmilch (1996). The survey comprised three main sections: the importance to respondents of the internet retailing home delivery variables shown in Table I; respondents' perceptions of an internet retailer's home delivery service per Parasuraman et al. (1985); and demographic information.\nFindings: Survey and respondent data\nDiscussions and conclusions: This paper discussed consumer perceptions of e-PDSQ in non-food, online shopping and the home delivery market and particularly focused on e-PDSQ differences between multi-channel and pure player internet retailers. An e-PDSQ framework was adopted and empirically tested with consumers. The results of this investigation show that most consumers are happy with their home delivery service.Pure internet players were perceived to have better e-PDSQ than multi-channel retailers; this finding is partly in line with the study of Rabinovich and Bailey (2004) which confirmed that late entrant pure players exhibited superior timeliness and reliability, relative to conventional and well-established retailers. This is in contrast to most literature that predicts multi-channel is the future of retailing. Pure players emerged in the internet era and entered the retailing market later than well-established high street retailers. They are more likely to be equipped with the latest technology and provide a better order tracking service.The consumer survey confirmed the appropriateness of the adopted e-PDSQ framework. The finding that price is the most important online purchasing criteria is in accordance with Verdict (2004) which suggests that price is the principle motivator in the home delivery market as the retailing market is getting more price-transparent and consumers are becoming more price-sensitive.The five variables most important to consumers in an online delivery context are also in line with the literature. The respondents' choice of order condition as the most important variable reflects its role in demonstrating a retailer's reliability. Order accuracy is considered to be the \"backbone of repeat business\" (Tarn et al., 2003, p. 355) and appears at the top of consumers' concerns. Order confirmation demonstrates consumers' unwillingness to wait and their intolerance with out-of-stocks. If they cannot find what they want on the first-choice site, they can easily turn to other retailers and enjoy the benefit of virtual inventory (Maltz et al., 2004). Respondents' concerns over returns are reinforced by easy return and prompt replacement of returned products also being within the top five variables.The findings also show that pure players enjoy a higher evaluation by consumers regarding home delivery services at present. Many pure players do not have to hold stocks and have cost advantages and thus may be more efficient in their operations. However, this may change in the future. For multi-channel retailers, online channels may never get the same attention as their stores. They have their core retail systems and their online channel may be considered secondary to stores. But online sales are all that pure players have; thus they have a better focus on ensuring the service and PD works. Many traditional retailers still do not treat online channels seriously but in future may do so and improve the way they perform; then there may be very little difference between them and pure players.Product category may also be a reason why pure players were perceived to provide better service. Most pure players offer products that are standardised in package and delivery, such as books, CDs, electronic products and gifts. Small products are sent in parcels or packages, and are easy to deliver and receive. Multi-channel retailers normally offer a broader range of products with different delivery requirements such as two-man delivery of furniture, resulting in service inconsistency. Large products also have high damage rates and require consumers to commit more time waiting at home to receive them. We acknowledge that a direct comparison of these two types of retailers with potentially different product categories imposes a limitation to this research. Future work should focus on more detailed comparisons of SQ within the same product category.This study has important implications for both retail theory and practice. First, the findings identify a range of variables that retailers and their LSPs can use to develop appropriate customer service policies and adjust priorities given to these variables. The e-PDSQ framework provides a useful and parsimonious set of key performance indicators or KPIs against which retailers can measure and monitor their online performance effectively and also use with suppliers to affect reliable delivery directly to consumers in a particular time slot (Davis-Sramek et al., 2008).Second, the study analysed the strengths and weaknesses of both multi-channel retailers and pure players and provided suggestions at a strategic level for their development. Multi-channel retailers enjoy wide exposure and long established trust among consumers. They should adopt the internet as a useful channel to broaden their service offerings and enrich the consumer's shopping experience. The internet can be a unique opportunity for established multi-channel retailers to penetrate new markets and seek more growth. They can also use the new channel to enhance their competitive advantages.On the other hand, most successful pure players to date are considered to be synonymous with consistency and reliability. They started a revolution of alternative shopping, satisfying consumers' multiple needs. Enjoying a first mover advantage and often equipped with the latest technology, pure players possess a technical know-how advantage. But they must work hard to maintain their edge in delivering a speedy and reliable service. Multi-channel retailers may make good use of their edges over pure players, and provide good e-PDSQ to cross-channel consumers. Successful multi-channel retailers are those who deliver a consistent message of brand and service over all the channels and cater for different consumer needs.This study focused on non-food products and did not consider grocery products. Grocery retailers such as Tesco have experienced impressive growth of sales online (Grant et al., 2006a) and are quickly expanding into non-food lines (Logistics Manager, 2006). Future research can apply this e-PDSQ framework to the grocery sector in order to investigate the food home delivery service and consider how food retailers operate or otherwise how they operate home deliveries of both food and non-food products.This e-PDSQ framework uses 15 variables derived by Xing and Grant (2006) from the literature that measure performance using objective and hard data. Further future research can expand the framework to measure more \"soft\" variables of logistics SQ. For example, the manner and knowledge of delivery staff may affect consumers' perceptions. The topic of logistics SQ, consumer satisfaction and relationships is important (Grant, 2005) and ongoing research is needed in today's dynamic online shopping and home delivery marketplace.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Many traditional retailers use the internet as a complementary business channel while \"pure player\" retailers only sell products via the internet. The question of who is better at offering electronic physical distribution service quality (e-PDSQ) is open to debate. But, despite e-PDSQ's importance there are few empirical studies and most have focused on general service quality of internet shopping or web site design. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and empirically test a conceptual framework for e-PDSQ from the consumer's perspective.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This paper follows a two-stage paradigm for scale and construct development, which is presented in a framework based on the concept of order fulfilment as a key driver in e-PDSQ. Consumer postal surveys were conducted in Edinburgh, UK.\nFindings: - The consumer survey confirmed the appropriateness of the adopted e-PDSQ framework. The finding that price is the most important online purchasing criteria is in accordance with Verdict which suggests that price is the principle motivator in the home delivery market as the retailing market is getting more price-transparent and consumers are becoming more price-sensitive.\nOriginality/value: - Earlier work has provided insight into how e-PDSQ, represented by availability, timeliness and reliability. This paper extends this work and empirically tests and confirms an e-PDSQ framework to investigate differences between multi-channel and pure player retailers, and provides a parsimonious set of e-PDSQ variables and constructs for retailers to use to design and operate their online offerings.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Public service motivation and job performance in public utilities: An investigation in a Taiwan sample
|
[
"Taiwan",
"Public service motivation",
"Public utility"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: It is often asserted that, besides extrinsic rewards, public service motivation (PSM) can play a key role in governing behaviour, and public service-motivated employees in public organisations are expected to work better and harder and obtain better results. Recent research has demonstrated that PSM comprises multiple dimensions (Kim et al., 2013; Wright, 2008) and is expected improve performance in public organisations (Brewer and Selden, 1998; Perry and Wise, 1990; Walker et al., 2010). As Perry and Wise (1990) argued, PSM is positively related to individual performance. They stated that public tasks would be intrinsically motivating for employees with high PSM because they would embrace work with attributes such as high task significance (Perry and Wise, 1990, p. 371). Perry subsequently proposed the four dimensions scale (Perry, 1996), including self-sacrifice (SS), compassion (COM), attraction to public policy making (APP), and commitment to public interests (CPI). These dimensions are based on affective, rational, and normative motives (Perry and Wise, 1990). Moreover, efforts to develop a longer international scale of PSM have a greater potential for cultural differences to improve the understanding of the basic concept (Kim et al., 2013; Moynihan et al., 2013; Vandenabeele et al., 2014). Therefore, PSM dimensions have been replicated in an impressive series of studies across countries and cultures and have been shown to remain fairly stable over time (Camilleri, 2006; Cerase and Farinella, 2009; Giauque et al., 2011; Kim, 2009b; Leisink and Steijn, 2009; Liu et al., 2011; Ritz and Waldner, 2011; Taylor, 2007; Vandenabeele, 2008). These studies show that different PSM dimensions predict job performance (JP). Moreover, some studies have examined how PSM dimensions relate to work environments and outcomes, including gender, job selection (Christensen and Wright, 2011; Kjeldsen and Jacobsen, 2013), job satisfaction (Brunetto and Farr-Wharton, 2002; Liu et al., 2013), reward preferences (Snyder and Osland, 1996), external incentives (Chen and Hsieh, 2014), and the effect of treatment (Belle, 2013).\n2. PSM and JP: Perry and Wise (1990) formulated three propositions:\n3. Method: 3.1. Samples\n4. Results: Tables I and II describe the relationships amongst the PSM dimensions and JP in each ministry. For both the MOTC and MOEA, SS was significantly negatively correlated with JP, while APP and CPI were significantly positively correlated with JP.\n5. Discussion and conclusion: The results suggest that the PSM observed in the West also exists in the Taiwanese public utilities context, but the generalisability of PSM was limited. Two of the four dimensions of PSM - namely, APP and CPI - exist in Taiwan, but the SS and COM dimensions were unconfirmed. Unfortunately, people who work for a utility sector have become the target for public scorn recently (Cheng, 2013), most likely due to the poor impression that public enterprises in Taiwan have long given the public (Cheng, 2011). Thus, the SS and COM dimensions were not confirmed in this sample of Taiwanese public utilities. Although Bright (2007) and Vandenabeele (2009) found a positive relationship between PSM and self-reported performance, the present study was inconsistent with previous studies, including Alonso and Lewis' (2001) findings demonstrated that PSM has no impact on performance rating. Their study was based on 3,754 civil servants at the Swiss municipal level. Compared to Taylor's (2007, p. 940) hypothesis that \"Normative motives (e.g. CPI) will have a greater influence on job satisfaction than self-sacrifice\", the current study confirms her hypothesis. Moreover, Giauque et al. (2012) revealed an undesirable finding that the COM and SS components of PSM increase the civil servants' job stress and resignation. Besides, the present study was also inconsistent with the study of Anderfuhren-Biget et al. (2014), they found that employees in charge of Welfare State policies are inclined to have high levels of COM. Evidence from a number of studies is consistent with this assertion (Bright, 2005; Camilleri, 2006). Therefore, it can be argued that empirical results regarding the link between PSM and work-related outcomes have been decidedly mixed (Alonso and Lewis, 2001; Naff and Crum, 1999). The main reason might be that the government's protective attitude towards public employees results in a lack of stimulation which has a negative impact on SS, risk taking, COM, and innovation. Thus, the attitude of employees in public utilities seems to be that the less you do, the less that can go wrong, and that if you do nothing, nothing can go wrong. The result is a lethargic bureaucracy devoid of PSM.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to examine the predictive power of each dimension of public service motivation (PSM) on job performance (JP) in a Taiwan sample.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The present study adopted a cross-sectional approach using a large-scale questionnaire survey in Taiwan (N=2,239). Participants from six utility sectors in two infrastructure-relevant ministries (Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA)), with heterogeneous sectors, were recruited, including representatives of the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA), Chunghwa Post (CHP), Taiwan Power Company (TPC), CPC Corporation, Taiwan (CPC), Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC), and Taiwan Water Supply Corporation (TWSC). The sample consisted of 2,239 public employees from six public utilities.\nFindings: Although the results suggest that the PSM observed in western society also exists in the Taiwanese public utilities context, the self-sacrifice (SS) and the compassion (COM) dimensions were unconfirmed. The research found that for all utilities SS was significantly negatively correlated with JP, while attraction to public policy making (APP) and commitment to public interests (CPI) were significantly positively correlated with performance. Moreover, CPI was the only dimension of PSM that consistently predicted employees' JP across utilities.\nResearch limitations/implications: First, the authors tested the theory using a limited sample of public employees from Taiwanese public utilities. The cross-sectional design does not offer a clear cause-and-effect relationship as examined in the current study. Data collected only from public utilities in Taiwanese sample may cause concerns for the generalisability of the present findings to other settings. Second, the data do not address the timevariant effects of PSM. Third, the current empirical findings are based on Taiwan's public utilities. The observations should be interpreted with caution. A broader sample of employees would make the empirical results more generalisable beyond the country-specific findings.\nPractical implications: Researchers should unpack the PSM and JP concepts and strategically explore subdimensional relationships, but these results offer new insights into the influence of such subdimensions on the link between PSM and JP. PSM in public utilities has great potential to enhance JP through high levels of CPI and APP. Furthermore, public utilities management staff should acknowledge the value of PSM for JP and, if applicable, praise it with substantial rewards.\nOriginality/value: The relationship of the PSM to JP in public utilities is much less studied, especially in Asian countries. Moreover, no study on employees in public utilities has previously used a Taiwan sample.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Outsourcing services in turbulent contexts: Lessons from a multinational systems provider
|
[
"Outsourcing",
"Change management",
"Strategic alliances",
"Services",
"Industrial services"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: For two diametrically-opposed reasons, services are currently the object of increased attention among practitioners as well as researchers. The first reason is that services, for a few years now, have been seen as both an opportunity and a potential countermeasure for firms whose revenues from product sales are decreasing. Service businesses typically have higher margins and they can provide steadier revenue streams than product businesses, thus working as a potential counterbalance to volatility in revenues from manufacturing (Quinn et al., 1990; Dennis, 2003; Wise and Baumgarter, 1999). Many industrial firms try to exploit these opportunities by introducing more comprehensive and customer-oriented services such as full maintenance contracts, business solutions, and managing customers' operations (Oliva and Kallenberg, 2003). They adopt a \"service-centred logic\" or just \"service logic\" where customers' needs and wishes are seen as business opportunities, in contrast to, for instance, the \"industrial logic\" where cost minimisation is the focus (Vargo and Lusch, 2004; Kingman-Brundage et al., 1995). The second reason for the interest in services, and more central to this paper, is that many firms have increased the outsourcing of their services for efficiency, effectiveness, and capacity reasons (Axelsson and Wynstra, 2002, p. 68).One might question whether or not it is wise of industrial firms to outsource the delivery of services that are supplementing their product offerings, even in the case of the more basic ones such as repair and installation (Bettis et al., 1992), when they are also interested in creating growth by introducing more comprehensive and customer-oriented services. On the other hand, it is sometimes argued that the outsourcing of non-core areas is beneficial because it enables the firm to focus on its core areas (Quinn and Hilmer, 1994; Kotabe and Murray, 2001). The outsourcing of basic services such as repair and installation is sometimes seen as a way of releasing resources for other more customer-oriented advanced services, such as business solutions and operational services, which are seen as more central to the way the firm competes and which will better be able to satisfy the overall needs of customers.In any case, it might be expected that outsourcing basic services such as repair and installation, while at the same time adopting a service-centred logic, will lead to a number of important challenges and problems during the outsourcing project. The reasons for such problems include the (perceived) risk that the relationship with the customer deteriorates due to outsourcing, which, rightly or wrongly, could lead to resistance on the part of the employees. Knowledge gained through systematic research into the problems and challenges associated with the outsourcing of basic services in tandem with the adoption of service logic is limited, however. The literature focuses primarily on the make-or-buy decision, the benefits of outsourcing, and to some extent on the risks or challenges associated with outsourcing. The actual process of outsourcing services and how the problems and challenges can be managed during outsourcing projects are not as thoroughly addressed. There are a few notable exceptions (Momme and Hvolby, 2002; Zhu et al., 2001; Wasner, 1999), but they provide very general and contradictory conclusions.This paper addresses these gaps by reporting on a longitudinal study of a leading European systems provider's initiatives to outsource basic services such as repair, installation and training. As a supplement, one partnering initiative that is an attempt to broaden the service offering by aligning with partners is also described. The purpose of this paper is to describe challenges and problems of outsourcing services at firms that are also adopting service logic and, based on the empirical study, to provide lessons regarding how these challenges may be managed.The services focused on in this paper may be categorised as \"product services\", i.e. \"the set of all potential additional services a supplier can supplement his product offering with, in order to differentiate his offering relative to the competitors' as perceived by (potential) customers and distributors\" (Frambach et al., 1997). For the sake of brevity, they will be called \"services\" in the paper. In some cases, the term \"basic services\" is used to contrast services such as repair and installation with more customer-oriented services such as solutions and managing customers' operations (Oliva and Kallenberg, 2003).The paper is divided into three main sections. In the following section, three managerial challenges associated with the outsourcing of services are presented, including suggestions from the literature regarding how these challenges may be managed. In the Methodology section, the methodology and four illustrative outsourcing projects are presented. In the Discussion section, the findings are discussed and three lessons about how to manage the three challenges are presented. This Discussion section is followed by concluding remarks.\nThree challenges associated with the process of outsourcing services: The following sections synthesise literature relevant for the process of outsourcing services, divided into three challenges. The challenges result from the conflicting logics of the two concurrent trends of outsourcing services and adopting a service-centred logic (Vargo and Lusch, 2004; Kingman-Brundage et al., 1995) and may lead to problems during outsourcing projects. Going from industrial logic to service-centred logic changes the structure and nature of the business environment of the firm. For example, this changed business strategy may mean the emergence of new players and new borders between different firms and industries. Such turbulence in the overall competitive environment makes it difficult to plan and set definite strategies (Bettis et al., 1992; Bettis and Hitt, 1995). The outsourcing process becomes more complex as it is embedded in the more general transformation associated with the adoption of service-centred logic.The first challenge resulting from this complexity; here called the internal challenge; concerns the internal change process associated with outsourcing basic services, and how this change process is managed. It is basically about involving internal employees during the outsourcing, in order not to hamper the adoption of service logic and the outsourcing process. The second one; the strategy formation challenge; concerns the long-term strategic implications of outsourcing basic services and the difficulty of determining what to outsource in turbulent and competitive contexts where service-centred logic is being adopted. It is basically about managing the portfolio of suppliers and partners during the outsourcing, and gradually selecting an appropriate outsourcing strategy, in order not to hamper the adoption of service logic and outsourcing. Finally, the third challenge; the customer relationship challenge; concerns the issue of retaining the relationship with the customer in spite of outsourcing services. It is basically about the effect on the adoption of service logic caused by the outsourcing of basic services, and how the relationship with the customer is managed during the outsourcing process.These three challenges need to be taken into account when services are outsourced; in particular in turbulent contexts such as when service-centred logic is also being adopted by companies in the business. Although several other outsourcing challenges exist, this paper is organised according to these challenges. The challenges are also empirically grounded and reported in previous papers based on this research project (Nordin, 2004, 2005, 2006). Depending on how outsourcing is carried out, the challenges may turn into overt problems that can hamper both the outsourcing project and the adoption of service logic.Drawing on the broader literature on business management, guiding hypotheses regarding the manner in which these challenges should be managed are presented prior to the methodology section and the results.The internal change challenge\nMethodology: Research design\nProjects stories: The following four project stories have been selected from over 20 projects that were studied, as representative illustrations of how SysCo managed the three outsourcing challenges described above. The first three projects concern the contracting of an external supplier to deliver basic services which were previously conducted in-house. The fourth one is about broadening the service offering by aligning with partners as a means of becoming more competitive. Instead of describing all studied projects in detail in this paper, these four projects were selected on the basis that they, together, illustrate the research findings and also represent the three different categories of product services that were studied; pre-sale product services, sale product services, and post sale product services. Another reason for the selection of these four projects is that they were studied relatively closely, in comparison with the others in the study. These four project descriptions are also intended to facilitate the readers' understanding of challenges of outsourcing services, potential problems resulting from them during the outsourcing, as well as how these problems and challenges may be handled.Outsourcing product training\nDiscussion: The project stories above illustrate that outsourcing basic services while service logic is being adopted may be problematic. In an attempt to facilitate making conclusions regarding how the challenges of outsourcing services may be managed, longitudinal data from the studied projects is synthesised and illustrated visually in Figure 1. It shows how SysCo gradually learned from its experiences between 1997 and 2003 and how it re-shaped its partnering and sourcing strategy, and hence it is an illustration of how difficult it can be to set a detailed sourcing strategy and implement it in a linear fashion. The story of SysCo should, however, not be seen as a success story for firms to copy, nor should their sourcing strategy during 2003 be seen as \"best practice\". As a matter of fact, among many SysCo employees, late in 2003, there was still some uncertainty regarding the viability of the partnering and sourcing strategy for services. There were also concerns about how the change processes were being managed and how they were learning from the experience.In any case, with regard to the strategy formation challenge, as indicated in the table, SysCo changed from a relatively straightforward approach, whereby basic services would be outsourced to world-class suppliers, to a more cautious approach. For example, during the later stages of the study, it was decided that critical areas of the service business should be kept internal, instead of being externalised altogether. Moreover, as can be seen in the customer-relationship row in the table, the importance of some of the basic services to SysCo was acknowledged during the later stages of the research. Regarding the customer-relationship challenge, SysCo acknowledged its importance right from the start. Gradually, however, SysCo realised the need for a more flexible approach wherein the relationship with the customer sometimes had to be externalised. Also, the approach to change was altered somewhat during the study, and managers became rather more conscious of the need to involve the employees in the implementation process, and the need to be flexible.Three lessons about how to manage the three challenges associated with the outsourcing of services will be presented. The lessons seem particularly feasible in turbulent contexts and at firms which are also transforming their business more generally; in particular in contexts where service-centred logic is being adopted. Data from the case study is used to illustrate the lessons, and reference is made to the literature in order to help explain and develop the findings.Lesson one: outsourcing projects should be iterative and interactive\nSummary and conclusions: One of the starting points for this research was the limitation of existing research in providing empirically grounded evidence for how service outsourcing projects should be carried out in different contexts. In an attempt to address this gap, this paper first describes three challenges associated with outsourcing services based on a literature review; the strategy formation challenge, the internal change challenge, and the customer relationship challenge. The challenges should all be considered when outsourcing services, in particular when services are seen as strategically important and more advanced services are introduced in tandem with the outsourcing of basic services. Three lessons with regard to how these challenges can be managed are then drawn from a longitudinal study of a leading systems provider's problematic outsourcing projects, refining previous theory by, e.g. Wasner (1999), Momme and Hvolby (2002) and Zhu et al. (2001) on the process of outsourcing. See summary of problems and lessons in Table I.The first lesson entails that, instead of employing a pure top-down or bottom-up approach to change, firms that are outsourcing services should employ a more iterative and interactive process, involving customers, suppliers and employees in the change process. The second and third lessons are more specific and entail that all the alliance and outsourcing initiatives taking place within the firm should be coordinated. It is also critical that the relationship with the customer is assessed continuously, or at least regularly, during the outsourcing process.These three lessons are in alignment with, and refine, the more general conclusions for outsourcing made by Wasner (1999) and Momme and Hvolby (2002), but contrasts with the more rational approach suggested by Zhu (2001). The basic idea is that; particularly in turbulent contexts; there is a need for iteration between the subsequent stages of the outsourcing process, rather than trying use a linear sequence for the outsourcing of services. In other words, the mode of change is constructive rather than prescriptive (Van de Ven and Poole, 1995). The iterative and interactive approach should be supplemented by a recurring assessment stage wherein the relationship with the customer is assessed and nurtured and the different alliances are assessed and coordinated. Using such an approach, outsourcing may be more turbulent and less predictable, but the more interactive approach may also lead to less resistance to the change. It can also be expected to lead to better outcomes as it makes better use of knowledge that is both internal and external to the organisation. Such an approach may be useful since, through a recurring sequence of gradually readjusted visions, intentions and feedback cycles, it more easily breaks with past assumptions and better exploits and creates knowledge within the organisation (Van de Ven and Poole, 1995, p. 523).Worth noting is that the lessons should not be taken as prescriptions to follow without making judgements. Each outsourcing project has its own contextual features, and the features that have not been considered in detail during this thesis include time constraints, and capability and capacity aspects (Balogun and Hope Hailey, 2004). Nevertheless, these lessons should prove useful with regard to informing judgements made during individual outsourcing projects.A major strength of the present study is that it is based on data gathered over time from several alliance projects and many different respondents, and as such the paper also constitutes an empirical contribution to the extant literature on outsourcing. However, since all the data is collected from the same single firm, it is difficult to make any empirical generalisations beyond this specific firm. Although there is reason to believe that the results of this case study are also valid for other firms outsourcing services, in particular in environments where service-centred logic is also being adopted, the results should be seen as the basis for further research. The statistical generalisation of the results of this study should be tested by conducting multiple case studies. Generalisability may also be achieved by focusing on the outsourcing of other areas such as R&D.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Describes challenges and problems of outsourcing services at firms that are also adopting service logic and, based on an empirical study, provides lessons regarding how they can be managed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - One in-depth longitudinal study of a leading systems provider has been carried out and data from between 1997 and 2003 has been utilised, consisting of 92 interviews, documents, and insider observations. Over 20 outsourcing projects were studied and the analysis was conducted both for the individual projects and across the different projects, in an iterative cycle back and forth between data on different levels and between data and theory. The aim was to search for patterns in the observed processes and glean lessons related to the outsourcing of services on an organisational level.\nFindings: - Based on a literature review, three outsourcing challenges and how they should be managed are presented: the internal change challenge, the strategy formation challenge, and the customer-relationship challenge. Four selected project stories are then presented; illustrating empirically how the outsourcing challenges can be managed. The project stories illustrate how difficult it can be to select a detailed sourcing strategy and implement it in a linear fashion.\nPractical implications: - Three main lessons learned during the research are described. First, the change process should be iterative and interactive. Second, all outsourcing and partnering initiatives should be coordinated. Third, the customer-relationship should be nurtured during the outsourcing process.\nOriginality/value: - An unusual in-depth study of the process and challenges of outsourcing product services at an industrial firm; providing rich illustrations and empirically-based advice regarding how the challenges of outsourcing can be managed.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Integration of sustainable development in the strategy implementation process: proposal of a model
|
[
"Identity",
"Organisational strategy",
"Extended bottom line-Gestão da Mente Sustentável® (EBL-GMS®)",
"Individual",
"Stakeholder",
"Triple bottom line"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: For more than two decades, the term \"sustainable development\", presented in the report Our Common Future in 1987, has suffered from ambiguity and a certain lack of definition. The definition of the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) defends the development of a \"global vision\" in relation to the future of the planet (Mebratu, 1998).\nLiterature review: Sustainable development\nSelection of the theoretical framework: The theoretical framework chosen for this study is based on the integration of the concept of sustainable development, grounded on the application of the extended bottom line - Gestao da Mente Sustentavel(r), into the strategy implementation process of a company.\nRelationship between strategy implementation and leadership: The concept of leadership normally used in the context of development and implementation of a strategy serves the purpose of guiding, driving or leading. A leader must investigate the knowledge and alignment needs with the organizational strategy. Leaders must also plan and execute the management strategy to support the value proposition and to define the organization's mission (Zyngier et al., 2006).\nStakeholders: Over the last 20 years, with the publication of the landmark book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach by Freeman (2010), the term \"stakeholder\" has entered the management vocabulary as a term repeatedly used by managers (Freeman, 2010; Mitchell et al., 1997; Donaldson and Preston, 1995).\nRelationship between sustainable development and strategy: Over the years, progress in the implementation of actions consistent with sustainability has been slow. At the Johannesburg Summit, it was pointed out that since the Rio Summit, \"the implementation of Sustainable Development has been extremely disappointing, with increased poverty and environmental degradation\" (World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2011).\nProposal of a conceptual integrated model to incorporate the concept of sustainable development in the organizational strategy implementation process: In the implementation process of the company's organizational strategy, one must take into consideration ethics and balance, as well as the integration between the economic, social, environmental elements and the corporate identity (which includes the identity of each employee - individual). Therefore, in light of what was stated in previous sections, and regarding the main issue, of how to integrate the concept of sustainable development, based on the application of the extended bottom line - Gestao da Mente Sustentavel(r), a conceptual integrated model is proposed.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper seeks to integrate sustainable development, based on the application of the extended bottom line (EBL-GMS(r)) concept, into the implementation of organizational strategy with the relevant stakeholders. As a result, a theoretical model is proposed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper reviews selected literature to propose and analyse how sustainable development can be integrated into the implementation of organizational strategy.\nFindings: This paper proposes a conceptual model that deals with the relationship between sustainable development and implementation of organizational strategy with the distinct stakeholders of a company. In the proposed model, authors indicate how the concept of sustainable development could be operationalized through each of the organizational stakeholders.\nOriginality/value: Companies, as dynamic systems, are relevant in the implementation process of sustainable development, which requires this concept to be fairly applicable. In general, only one of the bottoms of the triple bottom line (TBL) has been considered, being essential to integrate and consolidate, through an ethical and balanced manner, the economic, social, environmental and corporate identity elements. This paper addresses a critical condition for companies operating in highly competitive contexts: sustainable development and its relationships with strategy implementation. The originality lies in the fact that no studies have analysed the relationship between the sustainable development concept and organizational strategy implementation, based on the operationalisation of the extended bottom line (EBL-GMS(r)) concept.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Enterprise makes the most of modern apprenticeships: Managing director praises energy and commitment of firm's young trainees
|
[
"Apprenticeships",
"Engineering",
"Youth training",
"Skills training"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A Scottish engineering company with a 40-year history of offering apprenticeships believes that they help to make the business more productive and competitive by addressing skill gaps directly.\nInvesting in people and technology: Andrew Scott, Enterprise managing director, said: \"It is becoming more and more challenging for young people with little work experience to enter good organizations and likewise companies continue to struggle in their search for talented individuals. At Enterprise Engineering Services, we are continually investing in our people as well as new technology to keep us in a highly competitive position.\"The current economic climate lends itself to many organizations opting for already-skilled workers and so entry level into companies can be extremely difficult. Employers should be careful not to alienate this group of young people, who can bring motivation, a strong will to learn and a work-hard ethic to the team. Missing out on these key workers, who can go on to become part of the permanent workforce, is a mistake.\"Apprenticeships are a valued and quality route for businesses to source the skills that they need - and apprentices are really helping to enhance business success. At their best, they make the organization more effective. A well-trained workforce is essential for a successful business.\"\nThe apprenticeship scheme in detail: Enterprise's apprenticeship scheme has evolved over 40 years to reflect the changing requirements of the industries in which the company works.The business recruits most of its apprentices directly from two long-established engineering-training organizations, ITCA Training and Tullos Training. Both offer national training programs - the Enterprise modern apprenticeship, for example, is based on the current Scottish Vocational Qualifications program - and a range of short courses. Both offer extensive training workshops to cater for trainees in a wide range of sectors.Enterprise apprentices initially undergo a three-month evaluation, to ensure that the trainees and the company are a good match. Apprentices accepted on to the scheme then combine one day a week of theory and practice at ICTA Training or Tullos with four days of practical experience and training at Enterprise. They complete the scheme in three or four years, depending on the individual and his or her commitment to training.\"The scheme provides invaluable hands-on experience at our on-site workshop and offices, as well as a clear and structured plan to develop skills and to fast-track careers,\" Andrew Scott explained. \"As with any good apprenticeship scheme, it is designed to help our employees to reach a high level of competency and performance.\"The company intends that all who start the apprenticeship scheme stay with the organization and become full-time staff members.Andrew Scott continued: \"Our growth strategy focuses heavily on the development of skills. Although the scheme has evolved since I joined the company, our commitment remains the same - to fulfill the ambitions of young, highly motivated people. As an industry we must do more to promote enterprise among young people and aid their professional development. The future of our economy relies on the youth of today.\"\nTwo personal experiences: Among the company's apprentices is 24-year-old Ryan Petrie, a fourth-year apprentice fabricator. \"I started work with Enterprise through an agency after leaving school,\" he explained. \"I did semi-skilled laboring work for two years before going to Tullos Training. From there I was selected for a three-month trial before being accepted on to the scheme. Since then I have gone on to complete my NVQ Level 2 and 3 and am awaiting my National Certificate.\"There is a good mix of practical, carried out in the workshop, and theory, which is completed at Aberdeen College. It has really opened up doors for me.\"Fellow apprentice 20-year-old William Buchan, a fourth-year apprentice pipefitter, commented: \"I was a landscape gardener before deciding that wasn't the right line of work for me. My grandfather was a welder so he had spoken about the industry and I decided to give it a go. I was selected from the Get Ready for Work course at ITCA Training as I had one of the best all-round performances and was chosen for a three-month trial before being accepted for the scheme.\"Both Ryan and I finish our apprenticeships in February 2010 and are excited about what lies ahead.\"Andrew Scott concluded: \"We know a company is only as good as its people; that is why we put employee development at the core of our business. We have a varied skills base, including pipefitters, fabricators, mechanical fitters and welders, and are committed to continually developing the skills of our staff.\"\nCompany background: With an annual turnover of more than PS14 million, Enterprise currently employs staff both onshore at the West Tullos Industrial estate workshops and offices and offshore on client facilities.The group comprises divisions in engineering, Scottish rig repairs, and site services.Enterprise Engineering Services Ltd provides fabrication services to a wide range of companies in the oil and gas sectors. It is particularly known for its pipe-work activity.The Scottish Rig Repairs division (SRR) operates globally with drilling companies such as MAERSK, Transocean and Diamond Drilling, offering repair and modification services. SRR can mobilize personnel and equipment speedily and with all necessary management systems in place to ensure maximum safety and output onshore, offshore and aboard floating production, storage and offloading vessels.Site Services delivers on-site repair and maintenance across a wide range of sectors including hydro power, water control and the paper industries. The renewables sector is also a growth segment, with increasing demand for the Enterprise workshop facilities backed up by professionals on-site at clients' operations.\nNote: David Pollitt, Human Resource Management International Digest Editor, wrote this article.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Examines the role of modern apprenticeships in helping to fill skill gaps at Aberdeen-based Enterprise Engineering Services.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Draws extensively on the views of the company's managing director. Describes the personal experiences of two apprentices.\nFindings: - Reveals that engineering apprenticeships are a recognized route to full-time employment with the company, and that 18 percent of the 140-strong workforce once served as apprentices with the firm.\nPractical implications: - Highlights the managing director's view that modern apprenticeships help to make Enterprise Engineering Services more productive and competitive.\nSocial implications: - Argues that modern apprenticeships are particularly helpful at a time when it is becoming more and more challenging for young people with little work experience to enter good organizations, since the current economic climate lends itself to many organizations opting for already-skilled workers.\nOriginality/value: - Provides further solid evidence of the advantages a modern-apprenticeship scheme can bring.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Examining user satisfaction and stickiness in social networking sites from a technology affordance lens: uncovering the moderating effect of user experience
|
[
"Technology affordance",
"User satisfaction",
"SNS stickiness",
"User experience"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the development of Internet and mobile communication technology, SNSs have been widely incorporated in our daily lives (Okazaki and Yague, 2012). SNSs evolved from web-only apps to other platforms that enable users to create contents, share information and communicate with friends and peers (Muscanell and Guadagno, 2012; Wong et al., 2015; Chaouali, 2016; Phua et al., 2017; Liu et al., 2019; Mouakket and Sun, 2019). As SNSs have evolved, two distinctive categories have formed: one that appeals to the general public, which includes general SNSs, such as Facebook and Twitter; while the other type aims to satisfy special needs, such as LinkedIn and Research Gate (Lin et al., 2014). From the turn of the century, SNSs have rapidly expanded to various other contexts, including education and healthcare (Liu and Brown, 2014; Wang et al., 2014). The millennial, who are now college students were born in an era where SNSs are the go-to sources for information searching, knowledge sharing, self-expression or social interaction (Liu and Li, 2010; Liu and Brown, 2014; Wang et al., 2014; Liu et al., 2019; Mouakket and Sun, 2019).Despite SNSs being widely adopted, SNS stickiness toward the application has received relatively little attention in academic literature compared to other measures, such as intention to use or continuance intention. Stickiness is a term used to refer to website features that capture and retain a user's attention, which includes the duration or frequency of visits in a website (Chiang and Hsiao, 2015; Zhang et al., 2017). It is recognized as a significant indicator of user loyalty to a website (Demers and Lev, 2000; Lin, 2007), an engagement for further interactions (Chen and Sockel, 2003) and a deep-rooted commitment to websites (Li et al., 2006). For SNSs, we view SNS stickiness as a user's retention on a website, reuse the features available on the site and prolong the duration of stay, a view similar to the line of usability research (Chen and Sockel, 2003; Hsu and Lin, 2016). It is a synonym to consumer's loyalty in marketing-related literature (e.g. Polites et al., 2012), and a key predictor of continued use of IT systems (Zhou et al., 2012; Wang et al., 2016). Notably, stickiness signifies user interest, usability and potential profitability, which goes beyond only intention to use or continuance intention. The former entails cognitive involvement and engagement, while the latter measures short-term or long-term use intention of which stickiness can be one possible antecedent (Lin, 2007; Lien et al., 2017; Zhang et al., 2017).Statistics suggest that the growth of SNSs in the past decade has started to decline, leading to abandonment of websites or switching to an alternative (Lin et al., 2014). Thus, getting users \"stuck\" to the specific websites is becoming more and more difficult (Lu and Lee, 2010; Chiang and Hsiao, 2015; Zhang et al., 2017; Rong et al., 2019). Sustaining stickiness is rather important to the survival and eventual success of SNSs (Hsiao et al., 2016; Liu et al., 2019) because it increases switching cost by instilling usefulness of the platform. Specifically, SNS stickiness attracts users to contribute more on user-generated contents (UGC), co-create user experience and recommend products or services to other users (Jaakkola and Alexander, 2014; Hajli, 2014; Chiang and Hsiao, 2015; Zhang et al., 2017), which energizes future stickiness. Notably, factors identified to affect stickiness of traditional websites may lack the appropriate measures to gauge social interactions among users. Similarly, features that are specific to viewing platforms (such as mobility in smartphones) are tied to the platforms, making it less generalizable to other viewing platforms. Therefore, it is a challenge for developers to increase the switching cost and retain their users for a longer time (Jin et al., 2009; Rong et al., 2019) and it is even in a dire need for designing effective SNS features that engage users.In the past decade, researchers have begun to study antecedents to behavioral intention in SNSs from different theoretical perspectives (Zhou et al., 2010; Gao and Bai, 2014; Hew et al., 2015; Chaouali, 2016), and a majority of studies focused on individuals' intrinsic motivations, extrinsic motivations or social influences (Zhou et al., 2010; Gao and Bai, 2014; Hew et al., 2015; Chaouali, 2016; Hsu and Lin, 2016). Recently, technology affordance has attracted the attention of IS scholars in organizational IT context (Chatterjee et al., 2015; Suh et al., 2017; Pee, 2018), mobile commerce (Fang, 2019) and social commerce (Dong and Wang, 2018; Lin et al., 2019). The technology affordance theory argues that when each technology is used, it is aligned with a set of affordances or capabilities that can shape users' perception of the nature of content in a specific medium. Specifically, the existing literature shows three distinctive forms of technology affordance, including interactivity, information and navigation, that serve as significant cues to trigger users' cognitive and emotional reactions through computer-mediated communication tools and mobile devices (Chatterjee et al., 2015; Kane and Alavi, 2007; Lu et al., 2014; Sundar, 2008; Zammuto et al., 2007). Despite the interest in technology affordances in the scholarly world, to our best knowledge, existing studies have overwhelmingly focused on the influences of technology affordances on purchase/repurchase intention (Dong and Wang, 2018; Lin et al., 2019) and continuance intention to use IT (Suh et al., 2017), while relatively few studies have examined SNS stickiness from a technology affordance lens. This is why Sundar (2008) argued that many \"predictions of the monolithically positive effects of technological affordances are largely unfounded\" (p. 77) because they overly emphasized developing affordances that dazzle users initially, but such an approach fails to sustain long-term interest and use. Added to the complexity is that, the extant literature is mixed and inconsistent on the dimensions and measures of SNS affordance. For instance, several studies took the platform-specific approach (Dong and Wang, 2018; Fang, 2019), while others defined an arbitrary list of affordances without considering much of social interactions (Suh et al., 2017). Additionally, some affordances are not necessarily common across platforms (e.g. the ubiquity affordance is generally found in mobile platforms but not available in desktop-based platforms). Therefore, empirically compiling and testing a list of platform-neutral affordances for their effects on SNS stickiness will clarify our understanding on the extent of effect provided by SNS affordance.Overall, this study adopted three salient technology affordances identified in the extant literature (e.g. Liu, 2003; Sundar, 2008; Sussman and Siegal, 2003; Zhang and Dran, 2001) that provides platform-neutral affordances to examine their relative influences on SNS stickiness. Particularly, we incorporate a salient affective state (e.g. satisfaction) in the research model to further uncover and investigate its mediation mechanism between the three dimensions of technology affordance and SNS stickiness. The following research question is proposed to address the research objective:RQ1. How do technology affordances of SNSs, specifically interactivity affordance, information affordance and navigation affordance, impact user satisfaction and SNS stickiness?Moreover, previous literature posits that user experience is a salient moderator between antecedents and user satisfaction. For instance, Rodgers et al. (2005) indicated that the influences of system quality and service quality on user satisfaction were stronger for the high-experienced users than the low-experienced users. Nevertheless, very limited studies have so far investigated the moderating influences of user experience between technology affordances and user satisfaction. Considering that user perceptions over an object's affordance vary across their experience levels with the object, and technology affordances useful to experienced users may not be effective to users with less experience (Lu and Lee, 2012; Venkatesh et al., 2012), this study incorporates user experience as a moderator in the research model to examine if veterans (high-experience users) and newbies (low-experience users) react differently to the three technology affordances when generating their satisfaction beliefs toward SNSs. The following research question is proposed accordingly:RQ2. How does user experience moderates the relationships between three technology affordances and user satisfaction in SNSs?The structure of the paper is organized as follows: first, we summary the evolution of SNSs and review the extant literature of technology affordance theory. Then we draw upon the extant literature and develop a research model. Thirdly, we address the research methodology and discuss the data analysis results. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and practical implications.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Evolution of SNSs\n3. Research model and hypotheses: By considering the entanglement between the human action and the technological capability as a unit of analysis, the technology affordance perspective provides us a theoretical foundation for examining the role of social media in affecting individuals' cognitive reactions and participation behaviors in the online communities (Faraj and Azad, 2012; Majchrzak et al., 2013). Following a belief - attitude - behavior theoretical chain (Lin and Vassar, 2009; Ooi et al., 2018), satisfaction is a significant mediator between users' perceptions pertaining to the SNSs features and their retention intention in the website. Accordingly, this study integrates technology affordance, satisfactions and SNS stickiness in a theoretical model to investigate the joint influences of three technology affordances: interactivity, information, and navigation, on user satisfaction and SNS stickiness. In particular, this study incorporates user experience as a moderator in the research model, to further explore the behavioral differences between high-experience and low-experience users. Gender and education background are added as control variables considering their potential impact on SNS stickiness, as suggested within the extant literature (Shao and Pan, 2019; Liu et al., 2019). The proposed research model is described in Figure 1, and the theoretical logic of each hypothesis is illustrated in the next section. 3.1 Interactivity affordance and satisfaction\n4. Research methodology: 4.1 Instrument operationalization\n5. Discussions and implications: 5.1 Discussions\n6. Conclusions and future research directions: Drawing upon technology affordance theory, this study developed a research model to examine the three facets of technology affordances on user satisfaction and SNS stickiness in the context of SNSs. Specifically, user experience was added as a moderator in the research model to examine the behavioral preferences between high-experience and low-experience users. A survey was conducted in China and 266 valid data were collected from college students. Structural equation modeling analysis results suggested that interactivity, information affordance and navigation were positively associated with user satisfaction, which in turn facilitated SNS stickiness. In particular, high-experience users preferred the technological affordances of interactivity and information, while low-experience users were more likely influenced by navigation when using SNSs.This study has several limitations that leave open future research directions. Firstly, this study used cross-sectional data to test the theoretical model and users were classified into two groups based on their actual use experience in the context of SNSs. Future research could take a longitudinal approach to examine if users' behaviors change over time with the increase of experience. Secondly, this study collected data from a university in China, which may limit the generalization of the empirical research findings. Future studies can extend the sample size and investigate users from other universities to obtain more reliable statistical findings. Thirdly, this study considered user experience as a moderator in the proposed research model, future studies can examine the moderating effect of other personal factors to achieve more interesting research findings.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore, identify and understand the impact of technology affordance in the context of social networking sites (SNSs). Moreover, this study incorporates user experience as a moderator, in order to explore behavioral differences between veterans (high-experience users) and newbies (low-experience users).\nDesign/methodology/approach: A research model was developed to examine the influences of three technology affordances: interactivity, information and navigation on user satisfaction and SNS stickiness. Totally 266 data were collected from a famous college in China using an online survey, and structural equation modeling technique was used to examine the proposed research model.\nFindings: The empirical research findings indicated that the three technology affordance attributes exhibited different degrees of influence on user satisfaction, which in turn facilitated SNS stickiness. Particularly, high-experience users were more likely influenced by interactivity and information affordances, while low-experience users are more susceptible to navigation affordance.\nPractical implications: This study can provide guidelines to the platform administrators to design SNSs from the aspects of interactivity, information and navigation attributes and pay attention to the preference differences between high-experience users and low-experience users.\nOriginality/value: This study uncovers the significant antecedents of SNS stickiness from a technology affordance lens and reveals the moderating effect of user experience on the relationship between three technology affordance attributes and satisfaction.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Adolescents' learning and experiences of solving the need for dietary supplementation through socioscientific issue (SSI) method
|
[
"Health education",
"Adolescents",
"Diet"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Dietary supplements (DS) have been classified into five categories; natural plant extracts, natural metabolies, natural fats and oils, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals (Webb, 2011). There is only an extra need for dietary supplements in certain stages of life; in early childhood, among the aged, during pregnancy, and when following a special diet, for example a vegan diet or an elimination diet related to food allergies (National Nutrition Council, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, 2014). The use of dietary supplements is also a health and lifestyle choice (Blumberg et al., 2018). However, research shows that people tend to consume dietary supplements unnecessarily and they have gaps in nutrition knowledge (e.g. Barnes et al., 2016; Cowan et al., 2018; Jun et al., 2018; Lowry et al., 2015; Parry et al., 2018).\nMaterials and methods: Study design and participants\nResults: Students' nutritional knowledge\nDiscussion: The aim of this study was to assess the SSI method as a way of improving students' nutrition know-how on DS and to describe how students experience learning about nutritional issues through the SSI method. Students' nutrition know-how tended to expand. Students' perceptions on different vitamins, vitamin sources and the need for vitamins as a dietary supplement deepened. Gaining knowledge on essential dietary supplements, and having more knowledge on human physiology and nutrient metabolism, helped students in making decisions, and with risk evaluation, concerning the consumption of DS. It was notable, however, that adolescents' dietary supplement knowledge varied a lot, and in some cases it was still inadequate and poor after the intervention. In this respect, the present study is in accordance with the results from the previous studies concerning students' knowledge about DS (Sobal et al., 1988; Dorsch and Bell, 2005; Kostanjevec et al., 2011).\nConclusions: Solving the need for DS is a complex nutritional issue, which is an important SSI for society and individuals all over the world. In the educational context, this research increases our knowledge by focusing on the SSI method. To enhance future students' knowledge about DS it is essential, in health education, to help students to develop their information seeking and critical thinking skills regarding DS as well as the rational use of DS.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess the socioscientific issue (SSI) method as a way of improving seventh graders' nutrition know-how on dietary supplements (DS), and to describe how students experience learning nutritional issues through the SSI method.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Participants were seventh graders from three different classes (n=43). Health education intervention lasted 7 h and it embodied the three-staged model: the scenario, the inquiry and the decision-making stages. The study was qualitative in nature. The data were collected through a questionnaire before and after the intervention. The data were analyzed using summative content analysis.\nFindings: Intervention tended to deepen students' know-how on vitamins and rational use of DS. Students' experiences of learning nutritional issues through the SSI method were generally positive. The scenario stage was considered current and authentic. The inquiry stage and decision-making stage helped in understanding the societal connections between the study task and the rational use of DS.\nPractical implications: SSI method enhances students' knowledge about the rational use of DS. E-learning environment gave students possibilities to work collaboratively. Especially, possibilities to discuss with peers and share own experiences supported learning.\nOriginality/value: To solve the need of dietary supplements (DS) is a complex nutritional issue for society and for individuals. Since consumption of special diets has increased among adolescents, the rational consumption of DS is relevant and interesting learning topic at secondary school.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Challenges of adoption of internet banking service in Yemen
|
[
"Structural equation modeling",
"Internet banking",
"Behavioural intention",
"Theory of reasoned action",
"Technology readiness"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The rapid diffusion of the internet has radically changed the delivery channels used by the financial services industry. The potential of online or internet banking was well recognized a decade ago (Booz, Allen and Hamilton, 1997). However, the last three decades witnessed a remarkable development in the internet banking services, when key institutions began to align the product delivery mix with new technology and explore and exploit new approaches to their business. Nowadays, the internet banking is playing a significant role in the world of business, especially in banking services. Many financial institutions have used internet banking as a distribution channel for the bank's services due to the characteristics of the internet that simplified remote access to banks (Riffai et al., 2012). Internet banking provides many benefits not only for banks, but also for customers. Customers can conduct financial activities from anywhere at any time. Ease of transactions and avoidance of queues and restrictive branch operating hours and internet banking is cheaper than traditional banking. At the same time, banks could provide lower cost financial services, and enhance customer satisfaction (Keswani and Chaturvedi, 2010). However, the advantages of internet banking cannot be accomplished unless customers accept the internet banking services (Chiou and Shen, 2012). Initial adoption of e-service is an important first step toward realizing e-service success. Technology acceptance is playing a significant role on the business world today; specifically, with respect to internet banking. Customer acceptance of electronic banking services has been considered a cornerstone for the success of e-commerce (Aderonke and Charles, 2010; Salehi and Alipour, 2010). Without customer acceptance of internet banking, banks cannot achieve the objective of investing in the technology. Internet banking service acceptance has become a critical issue in the business world today. Although internet banking services have been widely adopted in various developed countries, consumers' adoption of internet banking service in developing countries has been slower than anticipated. That is, in developing countries, internet banking services have not been used as much as they could or should have been. Interestingly, there is still a limited empirical research on internet banking services in developing countries (AbuShanab et al., 2010; Al-Gahtani, 2011; Nasri and Charfeddine, 2012). Yemen, as one of the developing countries, in particular, has faced the same problem of limited studies on internet banking services. Lack of acceptance is a concern given the fact that banks in Yemen have spent a huge amount of money to provide a high quality of internet banking service and yet, customers still reluctant to use this service (Alhariry, 2007; Zolait, 2011). Furthermore, although many studies have been conducted in developed countries to determine factors that influence behavioral intention to adopt new technologies, they neglected emotional dimension related to individuals' technology readiness (TR). Therefore, this study attempts to fill this gap.\nLiterature review: Adoption of new technologies has been extensively researched across disciplines from marketing to information system management to communication and psychology. A variety of models that include attitudinal, social and control factors have been proposed to explain individuals' intention to use new technology. The current study used the theory of reasoned action (TRA) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) as the theoretical for this research for two main reasons: first, it received less attention than TAM, UTAUT and DTPB, and there are number of related TAM, UTAUT and DTPB papers that are more significant than those of TRA. Second, since the paper focusses on intention to use internet banking, we believe that culture in terms of attitudinal and social variables will play a significant role toward adoption as Yemen is Arabic culture. Unlike the individualism of the west, Yemen exhibits Islamic culture where social norms are valued and individual actions are influenced by the group to whom one identifies himself/herself to, or who are important to him/her or those who would think he/she should do a specific behavior. These groups include important people such as family members and friends. We believe the extension of TRA will contribute by shedding more light on the factors affecting internet banking and contribute to highlight the effect of culture on adoption of a new financial delivery channel. In addition, TRA was extended by TR.\nResearch model and hypotheses development: A considerable amount of literature has been published about using the TRA model as a framework or extended it by adding other variables. TRA has been applied in various kinds of technology, e.g., internet stock trading by Ramayah et al. (2009), mobile payment by Schierz et al. (2010), e-shopping by Shih. TRA has also been used by various researchers to predict individuals' intention to accept or adopt the internet banking service (e.g. Md Nor et al., 2008; Ok and Shon, 2010; Sadeghi and Farokhian, 2011; Yousafzai et al., 2010).\nResearch methodology: In the present study, the researchers used a quantitative positivist, non-experimental approach to evaluate the degree of the correlative relationship between six exogenous variables (relative advantage, perceived risk, mass media, family's influence, innovativeness, skepticism), three endogenous variables (attitude, subjective norm, TR) and their effect on individuals' behavioral intention to use internet banking service. The main reason for making use of non-experimental research is that the variables considered are in the realm of social research and therefore cannot be subjected to any form of manipulation (Creswell, 2009).\nResult: Measurement models - reliability and validity\nDiscussion: Table VI, shows that attitude (b=0.638, CR=27.919, p<0.001), has a direct positive and significant effect on customers' intention to adopt internet banking. Relative advantage and perceived risk are found to be statistically significant. Relative advantage (b=0.299, CR=16.187, p<0.001) has a direct positive and significant effect on customers' attitude. However, perceived risk (b=-0.114, CR=-4.230, p<0.001) has a significant and negative effect on customers' attitude. Thus, H1, H4 and H5 were supported. The significant effect of the perceived relative advantage on attitude is not surprising given the fact that the extrinsic benefits of using internet banking are numerous. Banks should publicize these factors to create a positive attitude among its customer toward internet banking. With regard to the negative impact of perceived risk on customers' attitude, perhaps it is due to the customer's fear that confidential financial information being transferred to people without permission, insecure transactions, besides personal information may be attacked by hackers. Banks should use high technological protection methods to ease the customer concerns. Banks should also consider how to shift the perceptions of their customers by highlighting the positive safety features of internet banking services.\nConclusions and implications: The findings of this empirical study provide support for the theoretical model embracing TRA and the TR. The results support the view that attitude, subjective norm and TR, have played a significant and positive role in influencing individuals' intention to adopt a new technology (i.e. internet banking service). In addition, as it is clear from the key fit statistics, the model testing yielded a set of fit indices with an overall well-fit, indicating that the model fitted well with the data. The results of hypotheses testing provide satisfactory support for the extended TRA through the SEM analysis. Overall, the results indicate that the model provides a good understanding of factors that influence the intention to use internet banking. The proposed model explained 63.8 percent of the variance in behavioral intention.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that influence individuals' intention to adopt internet banking in the Republic of Yemen. The current study found that a lack of empirical studies have been conducted in this field in Arab countries, in general, and in Yemen, in particular.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The theory of reasoned action (TRA) was extended by relative advantage, perceived risk, mass media, family's influence, innovativeness, skepticism and technology readiness (TR). Paper survey was used to collect data from 1,500 bank customers. Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the relationships between variables. The TRA was extended by relative advantage, perceived risk, mass media, family's influence, innovativeness, skepticism and TR. Paper survey was used to collect data from 1,500 bank customers. Structural equation modeling was employed to investigate the relationships between variables.\nFindings: Customer's behavioral intention was significantly influenced by attitude, subjective norms and TR. Overall, the results indicate that the model provides a good understanding of factors that influence the intention to use internet banking service. The model explained 63.8 percent of the variance in the behavioral intention.\nPractical implications: The findings are of great use to banks already offering internet banking but of even greater use for those banks which are planning to offer internet banking services. The results of the study could serve as a guideline for bank managers in understanding the factors and strategic market planning that needs to be initiated to increase internet banking adoption among current and potential customers.\nOriginality/value: Factors such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and relative advantage have been found to be the determinants of internet banking adoption in previous studies. Along with the above variables, a new variable called TR has been analyzed in the present study. This kind of study has not been conducted in the Middle East context previously.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Leadership self-efficacy: research findings and practical applications
|
[
"Management development",
"Leadership",
"Performance management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: ... as is our confidence, so is our capacity (William Hazlitt, 1823).\nLSE: construct definition and measurement: Scholars acknowledge there is no universally agreed on definition of leadership in the literature (Bass, 1990; House and Podsakoff, 1994; Stogdill, 1974; Yukl, 1998). A sampling of writing on the subject, however, reveals several common themes, as follows. Leadership is a social influence process focused on achieving a common objective (e.g. Hemphill and Coons, 1957; House and Baetz, 1979; Koontz and O'Donnell, 1955; Rauch and Behling, 1984; Stogdill, 1950; Yukl, 1998). Followers' voluntary acceptance of this influence, rather than forced compliance, is inherent in many writers' conceptions of leadership (e.g. Cleeton and Mason, 1934; House and Baetz, 1979; Jacobs and Jaques, 1990; Jago, 1982; Kotter, 1988). Many leadership definitions also include identifying a common objective and corresponding strategies (Kotter, 1990; Krech and Crutchfield, 1948; Yukl and Van Fleet, 1990). While these three themes - social influence, voluntary followership, and objective/strategy setting - recur in many leadership definitions, a single, specific definition that allows for consistent measurement of the construct continues to elude leadership scholars.In turn, this has made it difficult for researchers to adopt a uniform definition and corresponding measure of LSE. Most researchers have started with a broad definition along these lines: LSE is a leader's confidence judgment in his or her ability to effectively carry out the behaviors that comprise the leadership role (e.g. Chemers et al., 2000; Kane et al., 2002; Murphy and Ensher, 1999). To develop a measure of the construct, this definition seems to require identifying the behaviors that constitute leadership. Not surprisingly, given the lack of consensus in the literature on what leadership specifically looks like, researchers begin to diverge at this point in their approaches to studying LSE.In some studies, participants have been asked generally about their leadership confidence, for example, \"I feel confident that I can be an effective leader in most of the groups I work with\" (Chan and Drasgow, 2001; Feasel, 1995; Hendricks and Payne, 2007), and \"I am confident of my ability to influence a group I lead\" (Hoyt et al., 2003; Murphy, 1992; Murphy and Ensher, 1999; Watson et al., 2001). Other researchers have sought to define specific leadership behaviors and then measure respondents' self-efficacy judgments in these areas. For example, one LSE scale assessed self-efficacy for planning, setting direction, delegating/assigning/coordinating, communicating, and motivating others (Chemers et al., 2000; Ng et al., 2008). Other researchers have assessed LSE for analyzing problems, employing effective judgment, and taking initiative (Watson et al., 2001), or making decisions and mobilizing people's actions (Villanueva and Sanchez, 2007). Still others have zeroed in on motivating groups as the distinguishing feature of leadership, measuring LSE with confidence judgments for increasing group motivation, building group member confidence, and developing teamwork (Kane et al., 2002).As is evident from the previous review, a significant challenge for LSE researchers is defining the behavioral domain that the self-efficacy judgment references. Some have developed LSE measures, that essentially ask respondents to define, for themselves, what leadership is, while others elicit efficacy judgments for specific leader behaviors. In some cases, the leadership behaviors used in LSE scales seem to be indistinguishable from traditional management functions such as planning, coordinating, and motivating. One study attempted to resolve this latter issue by focusing specifically on the difference between leaders and managers as discussed in the literature and building an LSE measure around those behaviors unique to leadership. These authors made a case for \"driving change and continuous improvement at work\" as the unique domain of leaders. They developed an LSE scale around the leader behaviors of setting a direction for the work unit, gaining followers' commitment to change goals, and overcoming obstacles to change (Paglis and Green, 2002).In a recently published study, however, researchers argued that defining LSE as exclusively pertaining to leading change in organizations is too narrowly focused (Anderson et al., 2008). Instead, they undertook a project to develop a more comprehensive LSE definition by analyzing qualitative data obtained from interviews with 44 senior executives. Interviewees were asked about their current responsibilities, perceptions of leadership effectiveness, and areas for leadership development. In all, 88 separate leadership attributes were derived from the interviews. Subsequent dimensional analysis resulted in an LSE taxonomy and accompanying measure made up of 18 dimensions believed to capture the full range of leadership activities. Examples of these LSE dimensions are change, challenge, mentor, self discipline, motivate and project credibility (Anderson et al., 2008).In sum, the construct definitions in the Paglis and Green (2002) and Anderson et al. (2008) studies reflect the wide range of opinion among researchers concerning the relevant behavioral domain of LSE. At first glance, this lack of consensus may be seen as an impediment to drawing generalizable conclusions from the findings of past studies. It is important to keep in mind, however, Bandura's conceptualization of self efficacy as inherently a task-specific capability judgment. That is, when using self-efficacy as a variable in organizational behavior research, researchers must take care to identify the specific performance context under study. Indeed, leadership research over the years has encompassed studies ranging from leaders' performance in directing small groups on clearly defined tasks in lab settings to assessments of corporate leaders' performance managing complex organizations. Using self-efficacy in leadership research in a manner consistent with its theoretical foundation requires careful specification of leadership's scope in the particular study. For example, researchers with a fairly micro perspective, such as investigating a leader's regulation of group task performance, will want to operationalize LSE as a capability judgment for motivating group behavior (e.g. Kane et al., 2002). On the other hand, if a broader examination of a leaders' overall job performance directing a work unit is the focus, conceptualizing LSE as efficacy for a comprehensive range of management behaviors is more appropriate (e.g. Anderson et al., 2008). An in-between approach is illustrated in Paglis and Green (2002), in which the form of leadership under study, goes beyond directing a group, on a specific task, but narrows the focus somewhat, by equating leadership as pushing change within organizations. In short, rather than being a limitation of past LSE research, it can be argued that the flexibility of the definition and measurement of LSE is appropriate and consistent with self-efficacy's theoretical foundation.\nLSE outcomes: LSE and individual leader performance\nPractical applications: Selecting leaders: individual antecedents\nConclusion: The significant influence of self-efficacy on individual performance has been well established, and as this review indicates, the positive results have been extended to the leadership area. Specifically, research shows that high LSE leaders achieve superior results, both in terms of their individual performance and in their ability to inspire followers to higher levels of collective efficacy and performance. While there continue to be areas needing further study, for instance, exploring contextual influences on LSE, this research stream has matured to a point that attention can now begin shifting toward practical application. That is, how can organizations apply what has been learned about LSE to improve leadership effectiveness? Some proposals for selecting and developing future leaders, placing them mindfully in superior-subordinate dyads, and taking steps to create a high LSE climate have been offered here.A final word on LSE: can there be too much of a good thing?\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to review the research examining self-efficacy's role in leadership, and second, to propose research-based practical applications for improving leadership in organizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The literature on leadership self-efficacy (LSE) is reviewed, and research-based organizational applications are derived therefrom.\nFindings: - Bandura's self-efficacy construct has been the subject of extensive research over the past 30 years, with meta-analysis supporting its positive relationship with performance. Its specific connection to leadership has recently attracted substantial attention with the introduction and exploration of the LSE concept. Credible evidence links LSE with leaders' individual performance and their units' collective efficacy and performance. Research on LSE antecedents and Bandura's theoretical work on self-efficacy cues support propositions for selecting and developing leaders and creating a high LSE climate.\nOriginality/value: - The paper has value for both academics and practitioners by summarizing the current state of LSE research and building a bridge to its practical application for improving organizational leadership.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A comparison of younger and older baby boomers: investigating the viability of cohort segmentation
|
[
"Baby boomer generation",
"Market segmentation",
"Attitudes",
"Internet"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article.\nIntroduction: The baby boomers generational cohort, identified as the over-50s, the grey market, or the third generation (Haynes, 2004), consists of consumers born between 1946 and 1964. This generation grew up with mass marketing and saw the rise of network television and then the internet (Lee, 2005). The group is becoming more affluent as baby boomers age and their purchasing power increases accordingly (Rice, 1988). They are sophisticated consumers with money to spend and they are not averse to spending it on products and services. They are mobile, interested in consuming, respond to changing trends, and are advertising literate (Haynes, 2004). It is an above average socioeconomic group and its members are two times as likely as the average person to earn over $50,000 (Brown, 2001).As a result, some advertisers are targeting this older market for various products and services. However, baby boomers have been nicknamed the \"forgotten generation\" (Brown, 2001), as some marketers have more aggressively targeted other generational cohorts. The diversity of this group and the subsequent difficulty of targeting boomers may be the major reason that advertisers have avoided them. Working patterns, parenthood and marital status, career experiences and economic status often make consumers less alike as they continue to age.Baby boomers are redefining what \"old\" means. Being old used to mean reaching the half-century mark. The first wave of boomers is already past this formerly magic number. These baby boomers have better prospects than the 50+ age people of the past. The cutting-edge boomers have money, are willing to spend it, and seem to be prepared to consume for years to come. Cutting-edge boomers have homes and buy appliances, televisions and cars. They also remodel, redecorate, and replace a lot of things. The 50+ age consumer tends to spend more money on everything he or she buys. There really is a life for mom and dad after putting the children through college and this means spending more on themselves. It is estimated that they have $5,000 to $10,000 more annually in disposable income to spend once the children leave home. They end up spending on entertainment, both inside and outside the home, leisure activities, travel, personal toys, and now everything that grandparents buy (Potter, 2002).Boomers are beginning to hear the \"second\" recess bell. If the first bell let them go surfing, take up tennis, and write again, the second bell is to let them also make a difference, to develop a legacy that they are proud of. It is a new idealism. They are motivated by causes. For example, boomers got motivated and rallied around the campaign for breast cancer to increase awareness (Voight, 2000).Thus, baby boomers do not view themselves as getting older, and they want to have a sense in defining their own identities. They expect to continue to be players in our society and the new economy; for example, they want a home-based office. In other words, they are not going to be left behind. Mary Furlong, founder of ThirdAge.com, notes that boomers have a sense of being trendsetters and innovative in their own way (Voight, 2000).\nPurpose of the study: Boomers are a very like-minded group, possibly due to the \"cohort effect,\" i.e. the common experiences shared by boomers when they were young (Harmon et al., 1999). Some researchers (Goulding, 2002; Harmon et al., 1999; Lee, 2005; Leventhal, 1997) address the unquestionably large baby boomers population as a single, undifferentiated, homogeneous group. However, there does not appear to be general or universal principles that can be attached to marketing to boomers and, as lucrative as the baby boomers group may appear to marketers, some academicians have noted that it is not homogeneous (Hanley, 1986; Levy and Weitz, 2001).Some researchers (Dinkins, 1993; Gibson, 1993; Hanley, 1986; Morton, 1998-1999, 2001) suggest that there are segments within the baby boomers population. One study identified four distinct lifestyle segments (Morgan and Levy, 2002). Furthermore, the group has also been divided into as many as four distinct age segments based solely upon demographic variables (Gibson, 1993). Traditionally, many researchers have simply divided the group into two segments based upon the different life experiences of younger and older members of this cohort (Dinkins, 1993; Levy and Weitz, 2001; Morton, 2001).The most common distinction made by the majority of trade journals is to classify the baby boomers into the Vietnam group (1946-1955) and the Me group (1956-1965). Table I, which is adapted from Morton (2001), is used to get a better understanding of the differences between the two groups that have been proposed by a variety of trade journals.However, there is little empirical evidence to support the notion of substantial differences between baby boomers age cohorts. Age cohorts are described as a group of individuals, approximately the same age, who experienced similar external events during their late adolescent/early adulthood years. These events are thought to influence consumers' values, attitudes, and beliefs such that these values can distinguish one cohort from another.Thus, the purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between two age cohorts within the baby boomer group, younger baby boomers (born between 1956 and 1965) and older baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955), based on various behavioral variables. It is postulated that, even though this group is exceedingly large in number, there are more similarities than differences among its younger and older members.There are a plethora of variables that can be used to measure consumer characteristics. The following literature review details some viable behavioral characteristics that may be important in understanding baby boomers.\nHypotheses: Internet usage\nMethodology: Respondents\nResults: The total baby boomers sample (n=294) was divided into two groups, younger boomers, ages 40-49 (n=164) and older boomers, ages 50-58 (n=130). Each group was rather evenly divided regarding gender. The younger boomer group was 49.4 percent male and 50.6 percent female whereas the older boomer group was 40.8 percent male and 59.2 percent female. Household income was fairly evenly distributed starting with the $10,000-30,000 income level, with the highest household income in the $30,001-50,000 level for younger boomers (31.1 percent) and above $70,000 for older boomers (43.4 percent). Both groups consisted of a high percentage of married respondents, 75 percent and 74 percent for younger and older boomers, respectively.The majority of younger boomers were white (67.7 percent) or black (26.1 percent) and the majority of older boomers were white (81.7 percent) or black (13.0 percent). The majority of younger and older boomers had a high school education (38.0 percent and 32.8 percent, respectively) or an undergraduate degree (28.2 percent and 24.4 percent, respectively). The largest number of respondents in both groups worked for a company or business (53.4 percent of younger boomers and 40.3 percent of older boomers).Of those respondents that use the internet (92.7 percent of younger boomers and 87.7 percent of older boomers), most access the internet by using their own computer (64.0 percent of younger boomers and 60.3 percent of older boomers). Most respondents use the internet/e-mail for nine hours or less in an average week (66.4 percent younger boomers and 61.1 percent older boomers). However, most respondents access the internet daily (59.8 percent younger boomers and 67.2 percent older boomers).Not surprisingly, many younger boomers (27.9 percent) first used the internet or internet-related packages during the years 1999-2001 whereas many older boomers (34.7 percent) first used the internet or internet-related packages during the years 1996-1998. Additionally, many younger and older boomers never purchase on the internet (37.1 percent and 35.9 percent, respectively) or purchase just once or twice a year (32.1 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively). The majority of our younger and older boomers rated their level of experience with the internet on the novice (33.1 percent and 26.9 percent, respectively) or experienced user (46.9 percent and 45.4 percent, respectively) level. Most younger and older boomers consider themselves to be very comfortable (44.1 percent and 45.7 percent, respectively) or somewhat comfortable (31.1 percent and 30.2 percent, respectively) using the internet. Most younger and older boomers are also very satisfied (34.2 percent and 29.7 percent, respectively) or somewhat satisfied (44.7 percent and 41.4 percent, respectively) with their current skills for using the internet.The major use of the internet is to stay in touch with friends and relatives (60.4 percent younger boomers and 63.1 percent older boomers). Other uses of the internet include to stay current with news and events (51.2 percent younger boomers and 53.1 percent older boomers), shopping/gathering product information (45.7 percent younger boomers and 54.6 percent older boomers), access health/medical information (33.5 percent younger boomers and 45.4 percent older boomers), and research specific topics other than health (40.9 percent younger boomers and 45.4 percent older boomers). The previous discussion is summarized in Table III.Interestingly, for the plethora of variables that were compared between the younger and older baby boomer groups, all yielded non-significant differences except for cognitive age (t=-8.55, p<0.01) (see Table IV). The results are summarized in Table IV.\nDiscussion and conclusions: This study has revealed many more similarities than differences between the two major age groups within the baby boomers generational cohort. Barak and Schiffman (1981) offer that cognitive age may be a more useful means of segmenting seniors than chronological age as those seniors with a lower cognitive age look, feel, act, and have interests of people younger than those with the same chronological age. This may hold true for baby boomers as well. Cognitive age may play a key role in understanding a variety of consumer issues for baby boomers. Schiffman and Sherman (1991) suggest that these new-age baby boomers have a more youthful outlook in all that they undertake. This suggests that public policy makers may have better luck reaching out to these younger boomers as they may be more willing to try new experiences and to be opinion leaders to those around them; this idea of opinion leadership is critical as boomers may rely more on word-of-mouth than traditional advertising. Thus, those with a younger cognitive age may have more of an interest in participating in policy making and/or be reached differently than other boomers.With the exception of cognitive age, there were no significant differences between younger and older baby boomers regarding a large number of salient behavioral variables. This conclusion suggests that marketers use caution when applying the widely-accepted age segmentation strategy of splitting baby boomers into younger and older boomers.This study has raised a question regarding the viability of a basic segmentation strategy for baby boomers. It also raises another interesting question about the impact of historical events in creating differences between different cohort groups. A similar question was raised by Noble and Schewe (2003) in their seminal research to attempt to empirically support the cohort concept. Although their results did not fully support this notion, it illustrated the need for future work to explore whether, or the extent to which, cohorts exist.These questions may be extended to other, more sophisticated forms of segmenting this large, influential group of baby boomers. Marketers may have been too quick to segment baby boomers as well as other consumer groups without verifying these segments via empirical assessment. The consequences of ill-defined segmentation efforts can be disastrous for any firm.\nManagerial implications: The cohort segmentation that divides American consumers into four groups - matures, baby boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y - has been useful in the segmentation strategies of many marketing plans. Moreover, despite its large size, many baby boomers marketers have designed their marketing plans based on this group. This study supports this contention that the baby boomers cohort is so similar in so many respects that it may be treated as one large, undifferentiated whole. The economies of scale for this group of 77 million consumers are significant. In contrast, there have been other suggestions for segmentation for each of these exceedingly large groups of cohorts, both demographic (other than cohort segmentation) and psychographic, implying that each cohort is too large to treat as an undifferentiated whole.The results of this study caution the marketer in further dividing the baby boomers group based on cohort segmentation. The results of this study suggest that cohort segmentation is a viable beginning for dividing consumers into groups, but that other demographic and/or psychographic methods need to be considered in subsequent segmentation efforts for baby boomers. Further division of baby boomers via cohort segmentation should be viewed with caution and should only be undertaken after thorough empirical analysis supports its feasibility.\nLimitations and future research: Certain limitations of the current study should be noted. The generalizability of the results is limited since the study was conducted at a southeastern city. A national probability sample of diverse consumers is warranted. The study can be replicated to test and see if the same relationships hold true using a more representative sample.Future research involving baby boomers should address the role of cognitive age, its measurement properties, and its relationship to both demographic antecedent variables and non-demographic consequential variables. The importance of other variables (activities, interests and opinions (AIO)) need to be addressed in greater detail using the baby boomers context. The baby boomers perception towards financial planning, retirement, and investment perspectives need to be examined. The baby boomers attitudes towards public policy in areas of e-government, civic duties, etc. need to be addressed. Marketers must begin to focus on the boomers avoiding the tradition age segmentation dichotomy of younger and older boomers and use caution when adopting other segmentation schemes. A need for segmentation should be based on the perception of its benefits and this should be validated with empirical research.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of the paper is to examine the relationship between two age cohorts within the baby boomer group, younger baby boomers (born between 1956-1965) and older baby boomers (born between 1946-1955), based on various behavioral variables. It is postulated that, even though this group is exceedingly large in number, there are more similarities than differences among its younger and older members.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study sample was a convenience sample and consisted of 295 respondents who were in the 40-58 age category. A questionnaire was administered with scales that were well established and that have been used in previous research.\nFindings: - With the exception of cognitive age, there were no significant differences between younger and older baby boomers regarding a large number of salient behavioral variables. This conclusion suggests that marketers use caution when applying the widely accepted age segmentation strategy of splitting baby boomers into younger and older boomers.\nOriginality/value: - The results of this study caution the marketer in further dividing the baby boomers group based on cohort segmentation. The results of this study suggest that cohort segmentation is a viable beginning for dividing consumers into groups, but that other demographic and/or psychographic methods need to be considered in subsequent segmentation efforts for baby boomers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Competency-based measures for designing out construction waste: task and contextual attributes
|
[
"Competency",
"Design management",
"Construction waste",
"Protocol analysis",
"Task-contextual model"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The construction industry is the largest contributor of waste to landfill sites (Ibrahim et al., 2010), and it consumes up to 50 per cent of mineral resources excavated from nature (Anink et al., 1996). The industry also generates about 33 per cent of CO2 present in the atmosphere (Baek et al., 2013). With its growing rate of materials consumption and waste generation, the industry has remained a major target for global sustainability agenda (Anderson et al., 2002), and its sustainability strongly depends on its ability to reduce its own waste (Lau et al., 2008; Yuan, 2013a). In addition, a UK government constituted study suggests that reducing construction waste by just 5 per cent could result in an annual cost savings of about PS130million (BRE, 2003). Consequently, significant waste management research have been carried out since around 1970s until date. These have led to identification of various waste causative factors, and development of several waste mitigation and management strategies, among others. Cornick (1991) posit that a large percentage of construction problems are due to decisions made at design stage of project delivery process. It is therefore recognised as a decisive stage with multiple implications on project outcome. In line with this, evidence suggests that waste could be significantly reduced by taking waste preventive measures at the design stage (cf. Osmani et al., 2008; Faniran and Caban, 1998; Ekanayake and Ofori, 2004). This suggests the need to address construction waste from design perspective.\nStrategic importance of competency-based approach: In recent years, there has been a growing importance of the roles of competency-based training in many industries and sectors. In response to the organisational shifts from functional competencies, which measures employees' performance against predetermined standards, to competency-based measures, research is rife on the concept of superior performance that underlies the competency-based recruitment and training. Rather than behavioural models, the motive for introducing competency-based measure to organisations is to enable HR managers to identify skill sets required for effective job performance, thereby tailoring job recruitment and on the job learning towards them (Gangani et al., 2006). According to Dainty et al. (2004), attention is being paid to competency-based approach as it enhances employees' development and reward towards engendering their competitive capabilities. In addition, the measure has become a strategic tool for stimulating staff training needs, developing effective job description and facilitating adequate decision-making concerning employees (Ahadzie et al., 2008). It has also become an effective means of establishing and tailoring training needs towards improving employees' efficiency.\nTheoretical framework for the study: Due to diverse philosophical approaches used in its studies, the term competency has been used to mean different but similar things across several studies (Zemke, 1982). According to Spencer and Spencer (1993), competency refers to a set of skills, abilities and individual characteristics that have causative influence on effective job performance. Competency is taken as \"a descriptive tool that identifies the skill, knowledge, personal characteristics and behaviour needed to effectively perform a role in the organisation and help the business meet its strategic objectives\" (Lucia and Lepsinger, 1999, p. 5). Holtkamp et al. (2015) also defined competency as a set of abilities, skills and attitudes required for solving problem in a particular context. This description strongly suggests that competency is context dependent, and it could vary from one job role to another. It covers observable and testable abilities such as skills and knowledge, as well as those that are less obvious such as personal characteristics and qualities (Vazirani, 2010).\nMethodology: Albeit widely recognised impacts of design stage on construction waste, there is lack of literature on the skill sets needed for designing out waste. According to Crotty (1998), in order to explore a new concept or a widely neglected area, exploratory research is a suitable strategy of enquiry. As such, this study employs focus group discussions and VPA as exploratory approaches to data collection. Figure 2 depicts methodological approaches to the study. These approaches avail the researchers an opportunity to interpret participant's action and experience as it is performed or related.\nDiscussions: As shown in Table III, experts opined that core competencies for designing out waste in construction projects are in five major categories, ranging from job demand skills and knowledge to individual factors and interpersonal relationship. Based on the findings of this study, Figure 4 depicts framework of competency for designing out waste in construction project. The component parts of the framework, which are the identified core competencies are discussed in this section.\nPractical implication of the findings: A review of competencies and competency models by Vazirani (2010) suggests that competency-related studies are done for one or more of seven purposes. In most cases, however, competencies are studied to determine recruitment criteria or as an agenda for training and development (Sanghi, 2007). Where competencies are studied with respect to overall job requirements, it could possibly serve the two purposes. Except in few cases where a specialist is required for a task within a job role, functional competency models are used for determining personal training and CPD requirement for employee. As designers are also expected to be competent in other non-waste related tasks such as design functionality and energy performance, waste management competencies tend to have implication for professional development and training. Heffernan and Flood (2000) noted that significance of competency-based measures in tailoring staff training could not be over emphasised. It is a valuable measure for promoting appropriate professional approach and behavioural patterns that are capable of facilitating organisational goal.\nConcurrence of the findings with theory: This study shows that the task-contextual model is a valuable framework for mapping out competencies required for an effective job performance. Table III shows a number of competency variables that contributes to the key competencies for designing out waste. In Figure 3, the competencies were correlated with task-contextual framework. Concurring with the tenet of its theoretical basis, the study suggests that both task and contextual performance are measures of competencies for designing out waste. This particularly signifies the relevance of both task and contextual variables as key competencies required for designing out construction waste. It similarly suggests the need for effective cognitive and personality related ability as a designer. With respects to the task performance, the study identifies measures that corresponds to task skills, task knowledge and task habits, which are the three aspects of task performance as defined by the task-contextual framework. At the level of contextual competencies, contextual skills, knowledge and habits are all accounted for. These were established in terms of self-dedication and commitment to waste management as well as inter-professional facilitation. This also confirms the antecedent position that contextual performance, such as interpersonal relationship are more likely to determine personality factor in a managerial role (Motowildo et al., 1997).\nConclusion: Design stage has been reckoned as a significant stage for preventing waste generated in the construction industry. Due to evident importance of competence-based management in achieving desired change in organisational settings, this study maps out designers' competencies for designing out construction waste. Combining focus group discussions with retrospective and concurrent VPA, the study suggests that five competency categories, ranging from job skills and knowledge to interpersonal relationship, are indispensable to achieving waste efficient design. These include design task proficiency, low waste design skills, construction-related knowledge, behavioural competence and inter-professional collaborative competencies. Although more task-related measures are mapped out in the study, both task and contextual competencies are important for designing out waste.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: Competency-based measure is increasingly evident as an effective approach to tailoring training and development for organisational change and development. With design stage widely reckoned as being decisive for construction waste minimisation, the purpose of this paper is to identify designers' competencies for designing out waste.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Due to paucity of research into competency for construction waste mitigation, this study corroborates verbal protocol analyses (VPA) with phenomenological research.\nFindings: Combining findings from the two methodological approaches, competencies for designing out waste are grouped into five categories, three of which are largely task related and two being contextual competencies. The study suggests that design task proficiency, low waste design skills and construction-related knowledge are indispensable task competencies, while behavioural competence and inter-professional collaborative abilities are requisite contextual competencies for designing out waste. In concurrence with task-contextual theory of job performance, personality variables and cognitive abilities are found to influence one another. This suggests that both task and contextual competencies are not only important, they are less mutually exclusive with respect to designing out waste.\nPractical implications: This study implies that apart from commitment and dedication of designers to waste minimisation, design and firm practices are expected to be adapted to the industry's standard.\nOriginality/value: Basis for training needs of design professionals as well as redeployment criterion are further elaborated in the paper. By enhancing competencies identified in this study, construction waste would not only be significantly designed out, adequate cost saving could be made as a result of waste reduction.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Identity work and play
|
[
"Work identity",
"Individual behaviour",
"Career development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The fact that people tend to flirt only with serious things - madness, disaster, other people - makes it a relationship, a way of doing things worth considering (Adam Philips).\nPrevious research: Identity and identity work\nIdentity play: From theories of adult development (Levinson, 1978), organizational socialization (van Mannen and Schein, 1979), and individual development (Piaget, 2001; Vygotsky, 1978) the notion of playful behavior has been frequently described as the underlying mechanism animating transitions between past and future identities. Although the concept of identity play has received little empirical attention, the notion that it occurs at the threshold of current and possible selves (Markus and Nurius, 1986) may be used to construct a working definition.Ashforth (1998) posited that individuals hold desired possible selves at a distance, \"playing with\" their identification with them until the point when they can adopt them with confidence that they will be accepted as authentic. The distancing combined with the \"just for fun\" element of play facilitates a feeling of safety within which the individual can freely experiment with the identity in question. Similarly, in organizational research, Brown and Starkey (2000) conceptualized play as a range of activities that allow organizational members to explore the threshold between current reality and future possibilities. Based on these preliminary ideas, we define identity play as the crafting and provisional trial of immature (i.e. as yet unelaborated) possible selves. We further develop this notion by distinguishing identity work and play in terms of their underlying purpose, place, and process.Purpose\nThe process of identity play in role transition: Identity play, we have argued, differs from identity work in its purpose, place and process. Identity play aims to explore possible selves rather than to claim and be granted desired or ought selves. Work is conducted in the real world; play's context is the threshold between current reality and future possibilities. Commitment, in play, is provisional; as such, play processes generate variety not consistency. While these distinctions are useful, the actual process by which identity play is triggered and enacted still remains unclear.Role transitions may be a useful context for beginning to explore identity play dynamics and moderators for several reasons. First, role transitions and career moves require re-aligning identity and role expectations (Hall, 1971). Transition points place new claims on the self (van Mannen, 1997): they are moments in individual development that precipitate the revision of identity, when the person has to \"take stock, re-evaluate, revise, re-see, and re-judge\" (Strauss, 1997, p. 102). Consequently, role and career transitions can be occasions for identity play, as people test limits and possibilities when they enact provisional selves.Transitions also pose challenges to a person's sense of self: they create gaps or disconnects between past and future work identities, and between identities claimed and identities granted in social interactions. These gaps are often experienced as threats, to which people may respond by either defending the threatened identity, or alternatively, by exploring new or unknown possibilities. For example, a job loss requires finding alternatives to a no longer viable possible self, and unemployment is often experienced as liminality (Ashforth, 2001; Latack and Dozier, 1986; Newman, 1999). The identity threat or stigma associated with layoff (Ashforth, 2001) might reduce the variety of possible selves considered; alternatively, having more time to explore alternatives might have the opposite effect. As such, role transitions serve as a context in which the different objectives of identity work and play maintenance versus exploration may be further investigated.A second reason, why role transitions are an apt setting for learning more about the process of identity play is that the threshold between fantasy and reality - the \"place\" for play in our theory - also defines transition periods. The operating principle shared by the notions of liminal experience and transitional phenomena are psychological safety, suspension of the rules, and separation from \"real life.\" Extending these notions to professional life, a person contemplating a career change must be able to try out unformed, even risky, identities in a relatively safe and secure environment in which the rules governing the old career and its associated identity are suspended, and fledgling selves can be tested without incurring the risks of fully exposing them to the real world. A focus on role transitions allows us to discern situational conditions under which people are more and less likely to employ playful approaches.While people make many professional transitions over the course of their career, identities may be more likely to come up for revision and questioning at certain critical junctions. The notion that individual development unfolds as a punctuated equilibrium process in which periods of relative stability alternate with moments of fundamental change (Gersick, 1991) has been prevalent in the literature on identity. Levinson (1978), for example posited periods of stability in which people worked within established decision parameters punctuated by transition periods in which they explore alternatives. Likewise, Yost et al. (1992) suggest cycles of constructing and testing a variety of new possible selves, which are distinct from cycles of selecting and retaining possibilities. This logic suggests that identity play and work processes may predominate at different times in a person's career. In periods of relative identity stability, people may rely primarily on identity work to protect and balance established identities, while identity play processes come to the fore at those junctures when individuals are exploring new professional identities.As identity play proceeds, individuals provisionally trial and receive feedback on possible identities. Yost et al. (1992) suggest that this process of attaining evidence from the environment winnows out the possible selves, which are nonviable from those, which are more likely to be selected. During a transition, the movement away from a range of possibilities towards a specific new identity is accompanied by a growing commitment to this identity. The switch from flirtation with many possibilities to commitment, we suggest, may mark the transition from identity play to identity work.\nDiscussion: This paper contributes to the burgeoning organizational literature on identity by introducing the notion of identity play, an idea suggested in existing treatments of change (Brown and Starkey, 2000; Schouten, 1991) but rarely fully articulated or systematically linked to the transition processes that unfold in organizational life.We argue that identity work and play are complementary, yet distinct notions that differ by purpose, place, and process. Our arguments do not suggest supplanting one notion with the other, but rather suggest future research and theorizing that takes into account these important distinctions between the two. We suggested that studying role transitions allows us to discern conditions under which people are more and less likely to employ playful approaches. A closer look at when and why people play with possible selves will in turn allow us to more precisely articulate features of the process of identity play. What makes play effective, and the conditions under which it matters for identity outcomes have not yet been explored.Our arguments are consistent with the perspective that identity is a project to be worked on (Czarniawska, 1997; Harre, 1983), and contribute to the emerging interest in the inherent dynamism of identity by proposing specific mechanisms through which the self is revised and reinvented. Several of the most promising directions, we see for future research are outlined below.Implications for research\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of identity play defined as people's engagement in provisional but active trial of possible future selves.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Current research and theorizing on the variety of strategies and behaviors used by individuals to tailor, adapt or otherwise change their identities has converged on the notion of identity work to conceptualize these processes. This paper introduces an alternative but complementary notion - identity play - and develops a framework that specifies how identity work and play differ from each other, and proposes a set of ideas about the process of identity play in role transitions.\nFindings: - The authors theorize that role transitions are a useful context to explore identity play and that just as individuals move between cycles of career stability and professional transitions so may they move between periods of identity work and play.\nOriginality/value: - The concept of identity play provides a useful starting point to explore the multiple, often incoherent and variable nature of the self as well as the process of exploration and discovery necessary for creating new identities.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Listen to the learners: How to improve the effectiveness of online training
|
[
"Training",
"Computer based learning",
"Training evaluation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: For the vast majority of organizations, training is crucial to their prospects of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. According to American writer Thomas J. Peters, training is so important that firms can never \"overspend\" in this area. Maybe so. But against an increasingly tougher economic background, company leaders are naturally looking to make employee development as cost-effective as possible.\nOnline training's growing importance: To this end, a mounting number of organizations are turning towards online training to provide the solution. And why not? The mechanism permits a flexible approach that enables training to be supplied exactly when and where it is required. These just-in-time capabilities can mean a hefty saving on the distribution costs associated with the more conventional training courses. Any satisfaction at cutting the budget will, however, be short-lived unless the format proves effective.On the face of it, online training should readily appeal to any learner. The absence of instructor-led content means greater independence for those taking the course. Trainees thus have more control of the pace and depth of learning and how material is sequenced. Ultimately, they decide how much or how little of a program they wish to complete. Such an arrangement seems pretty ideal.The high drop-out rates associated with online training courses suggests that this is not necessarily the case. At least some of the problem is down to motivation. Good instructors can be worth their weight in gold in this respect and trainees who connect with their tutor are likelier to be satisfied with the overall learning experience. So while removing an instructor from the equation increases autonomy, there is a simultaneous shift where responsibility for motivation is concerned. Self-motivation will of course come naturally to some individuals. However, those who are lazy, disorganized or lacking in confidence will probably be incapable of guiding themselves through the training program.\nAppraising the learning experience: All this illustrates the importance of companies evaluating their online training in order to identify reasons why learners may be disenchanted with the experience. Many companies respond by measuring action and results back in the workplace. The value of such assessment is unquestionable, although it does essentially relate to developments further down the line from the actual training event. And since it demands management involvement, the process is often cumbersome too.So what's the answer? Capturing learner reactions during the training experience itself. These reactions are perceived as valuable feedback, not least because they are immediate and can therefore simplify the evaluation task.Some evidence exists that trainee reactions positively influence the learning experience. Trainee reactions can also moderate the sometimes complex relationship that exists between motivation, attitude, intention and behavior. To some theorists, attitude and intention are also partly determined by social norms and whether or not something is perceived as useful and easy to use.Fear and anxiety likewise impact on motivation and individuals habitually shy away from situations they feel uncomfortable with. An online training context is no different in that respect. While many people are highly competent where information technology is concerned, the fact remains that others are overcome by anxiety when confronted by the prospect of using a computer. A trainee's attitude towards the technology both during and after the experience can and invariably does shape intentions and subsequent behavior. Specifically, higher levels of computer anxiety means that trainees will expend less effort during the course and learning will be affected as a result.Pre-training motivation is therefore not surprisingly regarded as vitally important. Shrewd operators appreciate this and will address computer anxiety when developing their online training programs.\nMeasures to improve course participation and completion rates: What action can they take? Ideally, designers should aim to make their courses more user-friendly to try and alleviate the worries of those skeptical about using computers. How can this be achieved? Through the inclusion of features like context-specific help systems or basic tutorials so that apprehensive or novice users can navigate the course more smoothly.Reducing computer anxiety leads to trainees becoming more positive about the course and increasing their effort accordingly. It is felt that the link between pre-training motivation and trainee reactions may be cumulative, so training managers must address both areas. And since a wealth of research corroborates the relationship between effort and learning, the importance of this objective cannot be overestimated.Organizations have every incentive to improve the suitability of their courses to ensure that trainee reactions are positive. Online training can demand a substantial investment in design and development and a return on this outlay is only achievable when trainees successfully complete the course and apply what they have learned back in the workplace.How trainees react to an online learning program also bears heavily on their intentions to participate in similar courses in the future. There is also the small matter of positive word-of-mouth. Trainees enjoy the experience and then spread the gospel to impressionable colleagues who rush to grab a piece of the action. Simple really. This focus on future enrolment partly explains why many courses are designed so that content is available on an ongoing basis.Any training worth its salt should ideally be tailored to account for individual needs. While fine-tuning of a traditional course can be impractical, the task is much simpler with its online counterpart. This provides another reason for collecting data during the program itself. Through this evaluation, any current or potential problem areas of the course can be quickly identified and then revamped where necessary. Investigations into why trainee responses often vary throughout a course can significantly help increase awareness of any such flaws.Efforts should also be made to detect any other factors that may impede involvement in and completion of online training courses. Being equipped with such knowledge would enable managers to better address the issue. It is believed that organizations can perhaps further improve outcomes by making trainees accountable for learning the course material.\nComment: The review is based upon: \"Online training: the value of capturing trainee reactions\" by Lori K. Long (2008). In her article, the author discusses the growing phenomenon that is online learning. She identifies trainee reactions as being an important characteristic and points out barriers that can impede its successful implementation. A model is proposed to identify significant relationships between different factors and then explored in a study carried out within a US organization. This interesting article contains many useful practical implications for training managers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.\nFindings: - For the vast majority of organizations, training is crucial to their prospects of achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. According to American writer Thomas J. Peters, training is so important that firms can never \"overspend\" in this area. Maybe so. But against an increasingly tougher economic background, company leaders are naturally looking to make employee development as cost-effective as possible. To this end, a mounting number of organizations are turning towards online training to provide the solution. And why not? The mechanism permits a flexible approach that enables training to be supplied exactly when and where it is required. These just-in-time capabilities can mean a hefty saving on the distribution costs associated with the more conventional training courses. Any satisfaction at cutting the budget will, however, be short-lived unless the format proves effective.\nPractical implications: - Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.\nOriginality/value: - The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Cognitive, affective attributes and conative, behavioural responses in retail corporate branding
|
[
"Retailing",
"Corporate branding",
"Cognition",
"Product attributes",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Brand management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article.\nLiterature review and hypotheses development: To combine two methodological approaches (brand attributes-tangible/intangible with metaphor of human personality traits)\nResearch problem: However, these views are mainly conceptual in nature rather than empirical (with exceptions - studies by Selnes, 1993; Merrilees and Fry, 2002). Merrilees and Fry (2002) investigate what drives corporate brand image from the consumer perspective in both online and offline retail contexts. They suggest that these cognitive elements (such as e-interactivity, e-trust, e-navigation, fun) drive the CBI in their study.Therefore, it is reasonable to suggest that in evaluating the CBI, the cognitive element (the brand attributes that are related to the company performance which may include ease of use, navigation, personalisation in a web site and layout, personal interaction, reliability) may be seen as an antecedent to affect or emotional evaluation (the brand personality which includes Agreeableness, Enterprising, Informality).The questions are then:* Do cognitive evaluations drive connative, behavioural actions in retail buying decision making?* Are cognitive evaluations directly related with satisfaction with the retailer and consumer loyalty?The study's theoretical model\nMethodology: Questionnaire design\nData collection: The questionnaire\nStep-two approach - the structural model: Once the measurement model is validated (as indicated in the first and second orders and step-one model), it can then enter stage two - the step-two approach or the structural model. In summary, the validated measurement models refer to acceptable fit indexes, feasible and statistically significant parameters and lack of any substantial model misfit. The concern at step-two approach is to test the study's theoretical models (see Figure 4 and the listed hypotheses). While discriminant, convergent validity, unidimensionality, and reliability were all dealt with earlier in the measurement model phases, the full model deals with the predictive or nomological validity and hypotheses testing. Predictive validity can be achieved by correlating constructs to other constructs that they should predict, (Garver and Mentzer, 1999). In other words, the correlation between the construct and the one that it should predict should be substantial in magnitude (i.e. known as structural coefficients or standardised regression weights in AMOS), and must be statistically significant, (Garver and Mentzer, 1999). For example, if H1 suggests there is an effect of ease-of-use on online CBI, then it should have significant structural coefficient or regression and indicate the correct sign as hypothesised, otherwise it would not have the ability or power to predict.Online and offline step-two structural model\nResults and discussion: Testing theoretical model - brand triangle/means-end theory\nManagerial implications: Are desired brand values effectively communicated?\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The main aim of the present study is to empirically test a model of antecedents and consequences of corporate brand image (CBI) in two book retailers, one selling exclusively online, and the other selling exclusively offline in a British context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study employed a survey to investigate the relationships of the antecedents and consequences of the CBI. The sample (n=511) comprised experienced customers of these two bookstores (visitors and shoppers of the site or bookstore). The antecedents of CBI which were the functional aspects of brand attributes (such as ease of use, secured web site, interactivity/building relationship, customer care and reliability) were combined with the CBI itself (emotional aspects of the corporate brand or personality traits of the company) and, further, the consequences of these emotional aspects such as customer satisfaction and loyalty were tested using a cross-sectional study.\nFindings: - Using two separate structural equation models, the study found an empirical relationship between the brand attributes and the corporate brand image (the emotional values). This relationship in turn influences the customer's responses (loyalty).\nResearch limitations/implications: - By combining two methodological approaches of brand image evaluation: cognition (assessed through tangible and intangible brand attributes) and affect/emotion (assessed through brand personality scale) this study intends to add to the current understanding of consumer brand knowledge, in particular when the consumer is assessing a company's brand image (the CBI) and also learn how important the effect of cognitive attributes (such as brand attributes of a store and web site) is in explaining the subsequent CBI, and the integration effect on consumer responses such as brand loyalty. Do cognitive evaluations drive conative, behavioural actions in retail buying decision making? Are cognitive evaluations directly related with satisfaction with the retailer and consumer loyalty?\nPractical implications: - Explicitly, the present study offers practitioners a research framework, aimed at guiding them as to how they could understand their defined or desired brand values (the corporate core values) among their consumers.\nOriginality/value: - In general, the present study adds to the existing literature in cognitive and affective attributes in consumer judgement and corresponding conative or behavioural attitudes in branding and reputation management. It brings together the concept of functional brand attributes, emotional brand attributes (the CBI), and the dependent variables such as customer satisfaction and loyalty in a unique context (internet), and compares this with the bricks and mortar context.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Monitoring and measuring intangibles using value maps: some examples
|
[
"Intangible assets",
"Value analysis",
"Knowledge mapping",
"Shareholder value analysis"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The industrial age characterized by enormous manufacturing facilities brought to the forefront of management attention and concerted their effort in managing, measuring and reporting tangible assets like buildings, plant, equipment, and machinery. The information and knowledge age that we live in, with all its complexities and dynamic behaviour has shifted the focus to intangible assets (IAs). It is well-accepted that brand value for a fast-moving consumer goods or employee skills for a software company are the key assets of the organization and not the buildings or computers or any other physical asset they own. IAs have become the indisputable value drivers to success.Organizations are thus, wanting to closely track their IAs. While traditional accounting systems were apt for measuring and reporting tangible assets, organizations today are at loss as to how to monitor the performance of IAs. To monitor, first intangibles need to be measured and reported. There are no globally accepted methods of doing this. Balance score card, intellectual capital report and IA monitor are some of the tools that are gaining acceptance. They, however, measure individual assets and fail to provide a holistic picture.The performance of each intangible is linked to others (Figure 1). Human capital (Chen et al., 2004) can convert knowledge into market value only with the support of the other three: structural, innovation and customer capitals. Human capital, in turn, is a determining factor of structural capital. \"Furthermore, structural and human capital enable enterprises to form, develop, and use innovation capital [...] On the other hand, innovation can give an impetus to growth of customer capital\" by developing new products to meet customer demands. The promotion of customer capital relies on support from human, structural and innovative capital. Customer capital ultimately gets converted into market value.Value creation takes place depending on how intangibles interact. There is thus a need to understand the causal relationship among the intangibles to be able to measure and monitor them so as to steer them towards the firm's success.\nThe proponents of system thinking as a tool to study intangibles: Literature survey\nThe causal relationship and value mapping: some examples: The goal of all companies is to enhance share holder value. The key value drivers to achieve this goal are different for different companies based on their vision, mission, long and short-term goals and the strategy they adopt to achieve them. Value is created when organizations successful respond to market conditions by making the most of internal resources and capabilities (Marr et al., 2004). Thus, managers need to understand the key resources and drivers of value in the organization. More or less, however, the key value drivers, in other words intangibles that drive a company to success would be common within an industry. For instance, employee skill and talent is undoubtedly the key value driver for a software company. A generic kind of model with the key success variables is thus being presented for three different industries for a better understanding of how intangibles ultimately lead to creating shareholder value.Hotel industry\nPerformance monitoring: As can be seen in all three cases, it is the IAs - the employees, processes, R&D and top management that are the real value drivers in any organization. Organizations thus need to layout their value driver maps (causal model) and identify the key intangibles that need to be tracked. The causal network of intangibles provides not only a precise representation of the organization's current critical IAs but also those that need to be developed in future to meet its strategic objectives. Once the cause-and-effect relationship is established there is a need to validate the same. We need to assess the usefulness of the measure? In our hotel example, large turnover of sweepers cannot be considered in the same light as large turnover of cooks. So which employees' satisfactions are more important have to be identified. Each parameter then needs to be measured using a valid and reliable measurement technique. To meet the goals desired performance targets are set. Suitable remedial actions can be taken if variables in value chain are not up to the mark so as to improve future performance. Consistent performance of the key variables will ultimately lead to the organizations creating shareholders wealth.Measurement\nConclusion: The success of any organization, thus, depends on a network of interrelated IAs that affect each other and the crux is to ensure that each of these is performing as desired. The use of a causal model clearly demonstrating the cause-and-effect relationships between key variables and ultimate objectives, help companies identify which intangibles needed to be constantly monitored using suitable indicators to achieve the desired goals. A study conducted by Wharton School and PricewaterhouseCoopers (Ittner and Larker, 2003) shows that companies that use causal models laying down cause-and-effect relationship between drivers of success and outcomes had \"on average 2.95% higher return on assets and 5.14% higher return on equity\" than companies that do not use causal models. In a dynamic, complex, and competitive global business environment that is a need to continuously refine the cause-and-effect diagram as relationships undergo transformation changing the value drivers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated approach to understand and monitor those intangible assets (IAs) that are the key value drivers of an organization. With the help of three different examples, it attempts to examine the cause-and-effect relationship among different intangibles and map them to organizational success.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - System thinking approach using examples from three different industries.\nFindings: - The paper finds that the success of any organization depends on a network of interrelated IAs that affect each other and the crux is to ensure that each of these is performing as desired. The use of a causal model clearly demonstrates the cause-and-effect relationships between key variables and ultimate objectives, and helps companies identify which intangibles need to be constantly monitored using suitable indicators to achieve the desired goals.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The models have not been verified in practice.\nPractical implications: - Useful for organizations to monitor and measure intangibles by linking them to their objective of maximizing shareholder value. The indicators illustrated can be used to track the performance of intangibles.\nOriginality/value: - Three industry specific original generic models are presented that will be useful to managers and consultants as a basis for identifying and mapping key intangibles (value drivers) to their organization goals.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
An empirical analysis of nature, magnitude and determinants of farmers' indebtedness in India
|
[
"Rural areas",
"Microcredit",
"Loans",
"Farmers’ indebtedness"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The agricultural growth rate in India in recent years has not been at a satisfactory level despite a significant acceleration in the growth of the economy. The sector, which engages about 50 per cent of the workforce of the country, grew at only 1.1 per cent in 2014-2015. Even during 2012-2017, the rate of growth in agriculture was about 2 per cent per annum against a target of at least 4 per cent. This is an alarming situation for the government. The slowdown in the agriculture sector is also reflected in its share in the national product which fell from 53 per cent during 1950-1951 to 13.9 per cent during 2012-2013. Even after 65 years of planning in India, the agriculture sector continues to be beset with problems such as low productivity, technical inefficiency, dependence on the monsoon, uncertainties, low returns and low profitability, uneconomic land holdings, increasing cost of production, unremunerative prices of agricultural products, presence of middlemen, etc. These problems create a stumbling block for the smooth functioning of agricultural activity. Therefore, the economy is facing not only an agrarian crisis, but also the problem of a fall in the growth rate of agriculture. As a result, the livelihoods of farmers, particularly of the small and marginal ones, are in a miserable state. The poor rural infrastructure, along with the absence of any breakthrough in cost reducing technologies, has made farming unremunerative. As per the latest report by the NSSO, the average farm household makes INR6,426 per month, of which only 47 per cent comes from cultivation. The rest comes from wages and non-farm businesses. Over half of all agricultural households are indebted and the average loan amount outstanding for a farm household in India today is INR47,000. The National Sample Survey Organisation Report, published by the Government of India, revealed that 48.6 per cent of 60.4 per cent of rural farmer households were indebted. The incidence of indebtedness was the highest in Andhra Pradesh (82.0 per cent), followed by Tamil Nadu (74.5 per cent) and Punjab (65.4 per cent). With the farmers making just INR4,000-6,000 per month, it is extremely difficult for them to pay their dues. As a consequence, suicides have become a common phenomenon in the rural economy of India. In 1997, India experienced its first bout of farmers' suicides. Since then, over 25,000 farmers have committed suicide. Even the most historically productive regions of the country such as Karnataka, Punjab, and West Bengal have witnessed a high incidence of indebtedness and suicides. A comparison of regional suicide statistics reveals that the incidence of suicides is not only in drought-prone areas, but in other regions also, as marginal and small farmers meet ninety per cent of their loan requirement by borrowing from private moneylenders, who are known for harassing their \"clients\" and charging exorbitant rates of interest on their loans. Studies reveal that farmers are not able to clear their dues on time due to a number of reasons such as over-use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers, which has led to the destruction of soil nutrients and loss of land productivity, lack of proper irrigation due to paucity of rains and alternate sources of irrigation, etc. Moreover, crop failure, high medical expenses, depression, poverty and the debt trap are other reasons responsible for making the farmers' lives miserable. Over and above all this, farmers with their low income and heavy burden of payment of accumulated debt use the loans they take for unproductive purposes and end up falling into a debt trap.\n2. Review of literature: Empirical studies related to agriculture credit and indebtedness have mainly focussed on the importance of credit in rural development, the nature and magnitude of indebtedness and the factors that determine rural indebtedness. Studies have confirmed that access to credit has substantially improved the quality of life in rural households. A major change in the livelihood system has been a reduction in unemployment rates. The proportion of workers reporting agricultural-wage employment as their principal occupation almost halved during the period 1988-2000 in India as a result of the increased employment opportunities available in the rural non-farm sector. This created a new class of people in the rural areas who depended more on physical and human capital than on land and manual labour. The transformation from agriculture to a non-farm-based rural economy has been facilitated by an improvement in human capital, the expansion of credit and the development of rural infrastructure (Mishra, 2005; Ramachandran and Swaminathan, 2004; Kareemulla, 2005).\n3. Methodology and data: The objective of this study is to examine the extent and magnitude of indebtedness among rural households in the Medak district of Telangana state. Further, we wanted to identify the sources of credit to these households and for what purpose the loans were utilised. Finally, we tried to examine the factors that influenced indebtedness in rural Telangana. For this purpose, we collected field data from a sample of 100 households from two villages of Medak district during 2015-2016. We selected Medak district because it is one of the distressed districts from which a very high number of suicides have been reported[1]. We examined data using tables to get preliminary information about the magnitude of debt in the district and then applied the Bayesian regression method to identify the factors that impact the indebtedness of a household. Our explanatory variables of interest for the estimation are - principal occupation, land owned, modern technology, rate of interest, education expenditure, medical expenditure, consumption expenditure, expenditure on marriages rituals and customs, per capita income and source of loan. Identification of these variables is based on the literature review and also on the basis of personal interaction with the respondents. Thus, our model to be estimated is written as follows:(1)\n4. Results and discussion: 4.1 Magnitude of debt\n5. Conclusion: The study finds that about 75 per cent of total households in Medak district fall under the category of small and marginal farmers. About 25 per cent of the sample households on an average are indebted and the incidence of indebtedness among marginal and small farmers is the highest, falling in the range of 80-90 per cent. Per capita debt and the average amount of debt per indebted household in the district are INR55,098 and INR2,71,936, respectively. It is found that an average rural household in the district borrowed 69 per cent of its loan from non-institutional sources and 31 per cent from institutional sources. Among the non-institutional agencies, \"moneylenders\" have been found to be the most preferred source of credit in the district, followed by \"relatives and friends\". Government should take appropriate strategies and come up with an action plan to reduce the dependence of farmers on non-institutional sources of credit such as moneylenders.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: According to the 70th round of the National Sample Survey published by the Government of India in 2014, the incidence of indebtedness among households in the rural areas of Telangana state, India, is twice that of rural all-India. Around 59 per cent of rural households are indebted in Telangana as against 31 per cent all-India. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent and magnitude of indebtedness among rural households in the Medak district of Telangana state. Further, the authors wanted to identify the sources of credit to these households and for what purpose the loans were utilised.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To achieve the objective, the authors conducted a primary-level household survey in one of the distressed districts in newly formed state. The authors applied the Bayesian and the Lasso regression methods to identify the factors that impact indebtedness of a household.\nFindings: The OLS results based on the Lasso regression results show that among all the explanatory variables, principal occupation, use of modern technology, the rate of interest, household medical expenditure and source of loan are significant, indicating that these variables significantly affect the loan taken by the farmers in the study area. The study shows that alternative sources of non-farm income and promotion of modern technology in agriculture can reduce the incidence of farmers' indebtedness in India.\nOriginality/value: The paper contains significant information with regard to indebtedness. It focusses on the issue troubling the authorities the most. It provides the ground realities of the incidence of indebtedness in Medak, one of the most distressed districts of Telangana, a Southern Indian state. There have been very few similar studies done in the newly formed state. The paper has employed an advanced statistical technique, i.e. Heckman's selection regression technique, to study farmers' indebtedness in India. It provides a means of correcting for non-randomly selected samples, which otherwise can lead to erroneous conclusions and poor policy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Occupational health and safety management practices and musculoskeletal disorders in aged care: Are policy, practice and research evidence aligned?
|
[
"Health and safety",
"Elderly care",
"Human resources management",
"Qualitative research",
"Musculoskeletal disorders"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: An ageing population is a global challenge which is currently impacting the aged care sector with a shortage of employees as demand increases for residential care (Productivity Commission, 2015). More than 240,000 workers are employed in the Australian aged care sector, approximately 61 per cent work in residential aged care, and 90 per cent are women (King et al., 2012). Careful and considered workforce strategies are needed to ensure that adequate numbers of workers are appropriately trained to fulfil the strong demand (Howe et al., 2012). Workforce strategies need to focus on recruitment and retention of workers, and ensure that working conditions provide satisfying employment opportunities without risk of injuries given the high physical and emotional demands of aged care work (Castle et al., 2007, 2006; Huang et al., 2016).\nMethod: Four Melbourne (Australia) based aged care sector organisations were included in the current study. Organisations were contacted by Worksafe Victoria to ascertain interest in participation, contact details of those who responded in the affirmative were provided to the researchers. Organisations were contacted randomly from the list provided to the research team, with a total of eight sites (two per organisation) participating. Two stages of the project are reported here: policies and procedures related to OHS and MSDs for each of the four participating organisations were reviewed; 58 semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers and supervisors across the eight sites.\nResults: Policy and procedure review\nDiscussion: Management of MSDs is an important and challenging problem that requires further attention to reduce high injury rates in the aged care sector. This paper examines the translation of OHS management into organisational policy; and whether it reflects contemporary research evidence on the causation of MSDs. Results from the current study suggest that significant gaps exist between policies for managing MSDs in aged care organisations and the evidence relating to causation. More specifically, very limited evidence was identified in policies and procedures relating to the management of the psychosocial work environment in the sector.\nImplications for management: The results of this paper have a number of important implications for aged care managers and line supervisors. First, it is of critical importance for managers to develop an integrative approach to OHS management which is aligned and underpinned by the broader HRM infrastructure (Zacharatos et al., 2005; Zanko and Dawson, 2012; Ulrich, 2016). OHS management policies and practices need to be aligned with the organisation's mission, strategy and values. Moreover, this needs to be communicated, understood and actioned by all levels of management and employees within the organisation (Bowen and Ostroff, 2004). Clear lines of responsibility and accountability need to be established within organisations. Second, various OHS management practices can play an important role in the amelioration of MSDs. We encourage further training and development of managers and line supervisors to ensure their awareness of how to implement and utilise OHS management practices such as employee participation, quality work, social support and two-way communication at the workplace level. Third, it is clear across a number of aged care facilities that workloads were high and staff were under-resourced. This resulted in a culture where managers and workers were unable to follow policies and procedures designed to reduce the MSD risk. Workloads and design need to be developed that enable employees to work adopting practices designed to reduce risk.\nStudy strengths and limitations: A major strength of this study is the inclusion of two data sources: a policy review and interviews. An innovative approach was used to review OHS policy against an evidence framework of MSD causation. The interviews with supervisors and managers provide a deeper understanding than could be obtained through the use of quantitative methods. The use of two reviewers for all aspects of the data adds strength to the interpretation of results.\nConclusion: The significant external challenges in the aged care sector have a major impact on a number of issues which impact practices aimed at reducing MSDs. Findings from the current study suggest that opportunities exist for improving OHS management practices relating to MSDs to reflect contemporary research evidence. Translation of these policies and procedures will require effective communication channels and a strong culture in relation to OHS.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether occupational health and safety (OHS) management used to manage musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the aged care sector reflects contemporary research evidence of best practice to reduce the incidence of these disorders.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 58 interviews were conducted with managers and supervisors in the aged care sector across four organisations in Australia. Policies and procedures relating to MSDs were reviewed for each organisation.\nFindings: Policies and procedures for managing MSDs do not reflect contemporary evidence, which supports a complex aetiology, related to a range of physical and psychosocial workplace factors. Despite strong evidence that psychosocial factors contribute to MSD development, these were not included in the policies and procedures reviewed. Findings from the interviews management practices including leadership and various components of HRM were functioning well but fragmentation was evident due to the challenging nature of the aged care sector.\nPractical implications: To address the significant burden of MSDs in the aged care sector, policies and procedures need to include coverage of psychosocial and physical workplace factors. The development of systematic and integrated OHS management at the workplace level may play an important role in the effective management of MSDs.\nOriginality/value: This study offers insights into the previously unexplored area of MSD risk management and the role of management practices such as HRM in the aged care sector.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The impact of total quality management and supply chain integration on firm performance of container shipping companies in Singapore
|
[
"Firm performance",
"Service quality",
"Supply chain integration",
"Total quality management",
"Container shipping"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: With more than 90 percent of world trade by volume being transported by sea, shipping remains the backbone facilitator of international trade and globalization (International Maritime Organisation, 2014). It is the major transportation provider of large volume shipments over long distances at low costs. In recent years, container shipping has grown tremendously bringing with it an expanded network of suppliers, customers, and is being integrated more intensively into supply chains (Yang et al., 2014). Unlike other types of cargo ships, containerships sail according to published schedules to named ports and require huge logistics support from a wide network of agents, ports and other suppliers, such as bunker and parts suppliers, and other immediate customers such as freight forwarders (Stopford, 2009). Regardless of whether or not there is a sufficient amount of cargo in the next port of call, the containership still has to follow its published schedule, and therefore it is essential to maintain a good plethora of interrelationships with both suppliers and customers to deliver a reliable service. All these players are intertwined in supply networks and are required for the effective performance of the container shipping industry. The importance of supply chain integration (SCI) in container shipping is highlighted by Fremont (2009) who argues that containerization prepares the ground for the full vertical and horizontal integration of transport chains. Integration is a central tenet in maritime logistics, particularly of the transportation modes and between organizations along the global supply chain (Panayides, 2006). In recent years, shipping companies have integrated horizontally through mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, and vertically through operating dedicated terminals and by providing integrated logistics and intermodal services (Gao and Yoshida, 2013; Merikas et al., 2011; Agarwal and Ergun, 2010; Van De Voorde and Vanellander, 2008; Midoro et al., 2005; Notteboom, 2004; Panayides and Cullinane, 2002).\nLiterature review: SCI and FP\nResearch methodology: Measurement of constructs\nAnalysis and findings: The influence of TQM on FP\nConclusion: Although there have been studies which examined the impact of TQM and SCI practices on FP, they often focus on only one of these practices and few are related to the shipping industry. This paper addresses these gaps in the literature. This research has generated some interesting findings. First, it was found that TQM has a positive influence on both SQ and other performance indicators of container shipping companies, especially those practices of employee involvement, customer focus, training and supplier quality management. This is in line with many earlier studies in the literature. The same pattern was also observed about the relationship between SCI and FP, in that practices such as internal integration and supplier integration also have positive impact on SQ and other performance indicators of container shipping lines. This study is also one of the first researches which found that TQM practices have a positive impact on SCI, and the implementation of TQM and SCI practices as a whole would produce stronger positive influence on both SQ and other performance indicators of container shipping companies. This research therefore contributes to enrich the contemporary literature on TQM and SCI and provides a more rounded understanding on how the performance of container shipping lines can be enhanced by the combined implementation of quality management and SCI practices. This in turns provides guidelines for shipping managers on how to implement these practices appropriately to boost their FP to the fullest extent.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of total quality management (TQM) and supply chain integration (SCI) practices on firm performance (FP) of container shipping industry in Singapore.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted with 159 container shipping companies in Singapore to examine the interrelationships between SCI and TQM practices and FP. A stepwise multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 14.0 was performed on the data.\nFindings: Statistical results suggest that both TQM and SCI practices have positive effects on service quality and FP but at different extents, while TQM also contributes positively to SCI.\nResearch limitations/implications: The small sample is the main limitation. The findings bear important implications for further research as understanding these dimensions can help to position key changes and industry improvement that will increase revenue and reduce cost to the container shipping companies in Singapore.\nPractical implications: This research provides guidelines for shipping managers on how to implement the SCI and TQM practices appropriately to boost their FP to the fullest extent.\nSocial implications: This study has unique implications for social sustainability especially the container shipping industry, which is hard pressed to combat the challenges within the logistics/transportation sector.\nOriginality/value: This is perhaps the first study that examines the influence of SCI and TQM practices on the performance of container shipping firms that helps them see beyond the silo mentality and focus on greater value addition in FP.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Regulatory environment, environmental dynamism, political ties, and performance: Study of entrepreneurial firms in a developing economy
|
[
"Nigeria",
"Firm performance",
"Environmental dynamism",
"Entrepreneurial firms",
"Political ties",
"Regulatory environment"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The role of entrepreneurial firms in less developed market economies such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa cannot be underestimated as they play a critical role in functioning as engine of growth. As such, in recent years, growing attention has been paid to the importance of these firms (e.g. Clercq et al., 2010; Boso et al., 2013). Yet, relatively little empirical work has examined the interrelationship between firm performance, regulatory environment political ties and environmental dynamism in less developed market economies. Indeed, the extent to which these institutional structures play a major role in the performance of a firm requires that more research be aimed at understanding the impact of these institutional elements on firm performance.\n2. Regulatory environment for entrepreneurial firms in Nigeria: The regulatory environment constitutes a significant component required to ensure the growth and development of a viable and vibrant SME sub-sector of an economy. Research suggests that the regulatory environment is responsible for the challenges that firms face in their operations in Nigeria (Onugu, 2005). The challenges faced by entrepreneurs in developing countries are monumental and quite similar. Commonly found among these is the unstable and highly bureaucratic business environment. The laws governing private enterprise, especially business registration and taxation systems, are believed to be overly complex and difficult to understand. Contract and private property laws are often poorly designed and/or enforced. The unfavourable regulatory environment is often accompanied by the added expenses of corruption and bribery (Stevenson, 1998; Pope, 2001; Kiggundu, 2002).\n3. Theoretical background and hypotheses development: 3.1 Regulatory environment and firm performance\n4. Method: 4.1 Study setting\n5. Results: 5.1 Validity\n6. Conclusion, limitations, and direction for future research: Using a data from entrepreneurial firms in Nigeria, our study is among the first studies from Sub-Saharan Africa that examine the direct effect of regulatory environment on firm performance and the moderating effect of political ties and environmental dynamism on the relationship between regulatory environment and firm performance. Our intuition is that firm performance is not only driven by the firm's own characteristics but also the nature of the institutional structures among which the firm finds itself. We argue that regulatory environment, political ties, and environmental dynamism significantly affect firm performance. Hypotheses based on these variables were then tested, with the findings supporting these research hypotheses. The novel contributions made by the current study indicate that first, weak and undeveloped regulatory environment impacts negatively on firm performance. Second, as a result of the weak regulatory environment, political ties, and environmental dynamism moderates the relationship between regulatory environment and firm performance in such a way that such relationship becomes positive and significant. Thus, while political ties and environmental dynamism may be less important in advanced economies where the regulatory environment are well developed, these variables (i.e. political ties and environmental dynamism) could be critical in explaining the variation in firm performance in emerging economies where institutional structures are weak and underdeveloped.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Regulatory environment, environmental dynamism, and political ties are typically modelled as separate antecedents of firm performance. However, the boundary conditions for such models are less examined in a developing country context where regulatory environments have been argued to be weak. Accordingly, drawing on institutional and social capital theories, the purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationship between regulatory environment, political ties, environmental dynamism, and firm performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses primary data gathered from 372 entrepreneurial firms in Nigeria, a Sub-Saharan African country.\nFindings: The findings of the paper suggest that that regulatory environment is negatively related to firm performance. However, political ties and environmental dynamism moderate the regulatory environment-firm performance relationship such that such relationship is positive and significant.\nResearch limitations/implications: First, the study provides important insights on how weak and underdeveloped regulatory environment negatively affect the performance of firms. In other words, the study represents a response to call for the development of better regulatory environment since regulatory environment plays significant role in firm performance. Second, this study also demonstrates the importance of political ties and environment dynamism on firm performance in an emerging economy such as Nigeria where regulatory environment is weak.\nOriginality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first study from the perspective of Sub-Saharan Africa that examine the moderating role of political ties and environmental dynamism on regulatory environment-firm performance relationship.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
"What is beautiful we book": hotel visual appeal and expected service quality
|
[
"Service quality",
"Booking intention",
"OTA",
"Hotel design",
"Hotel aesthetics",
"Hotel visual appeal"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The visual aesthetics of a product affects customers' perceptions in many ways, and thereby influence the product's commercial success (Bloch et al., 2003; Bloch, 1995; Gemser and Leenders, 2001). Superior aesthetic value helps to distinguish a product from competitors' offerings and gain customer recognition (Bloch et al., 2003). It may also have a symbolic function (e.g. conveying elegance, masculinity or innovativeness) (Creusen and Schoormans, 2005). According to previous studies, product appearance generally makes an immediate impression on consumers, initiating the process of connection between consumer and product (Hollins and Pugh, 1990). Based on the axiomatic assumption that \"what is beautiful is good,\" consumers often make inferences about products' functional features and quality based on the products' visual (un)attractiveness (Hoegg et al., 2010). This may even occur in cases of industrial products (Yamamoto and Lambert, 1994). Finally, aesthetics confers unique value on many types of products (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Kirillova et al., 2014), such as works of art or high-design products.\nLiterature review and hypotheses: Aesthetic consumption and aesthetic value\nMethod: To test the hypotheses, a 2 (high versus low aesthetic value) x 2 (high versus low functional value) between-subject design was adopted using a scenario-based true experimental approach. The two levels of aesthetic value were manipulated using two sets of photographs of a hotel (facade, lobby area, front desk, dining area, swimming pool and room), and the levels of functional value were operationalized as a list of hotel attributes (extensive vs limited hotel amenities). The photographs were harvested online using the Google search engine, as recommended by researchers using visual methods (Matteucci, 2013). The respondents were first exposed to the scenario of planning a short beach vacation and searching for a suitable four-star hotel online. Next, the respondents were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions, and their perceptions of expected service quality and booking intention were measured. We also measured respondents' aesthetic centrality, or their individual tendency to appreciate visual aesthetics (Bloch et al., 2003), as a control variable.\nResults: Baseline information\nConclusions and implications: Conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effect of hotel aesthetics as represented in online spaces (e.g. online travel agency website) in prospective guests' evaluation of expected service quality and booking intentions, as well as the interplay between aesthetic and functional values as related to those outcomes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A scenario-based experimental design is conducted with 203 Chinese respondents. A between-subject two-way multivariate analysis of covariance (high vs low aesthetic value; high vs low functional value), which also controlled for respondents' individual tendency to appreciate beauty, is used.\nFindings: Results show that high aesthetic value hotels are more likely to be booked and perceived as able to deliver better services in SERVQUAL dimensions of tangibles, reliability and assurance. There are no significant effects for responsiveness and empathy. Given the presence of the aesthetic effect, hotel functional value has no impact on the outcome variables.\nPractical implications: Hotel managers are recommended to employ professional photographer-artists who are aware of the aesthetic value of hotels and can translate this value into information technology-mediated spaces. Such professionals should be able to create a composition that balances the elements of classic (e.g. symmetry vs asymmetry) and expressive (e.g. color) aesthetics.\nOriginality/value: This research brings out a number of insights from the product experience literature in the hospitality context and points to the limitations of the product visual attractiveness in engendering positive service quality evaluation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Operational supply risk mitigation of SME and its impact on operational performance: A social capital perspective
|
[
"Small- and medium-sized enterprises",
"Operational supply risk",
"Buyer–supplier social capital",
"SME practitioners",
"OSR mitigation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With an increasingly competitive and uncertain business environment in recent years, firms have become susceptible to greater operational supply risk (OSR) incidents (Shafiq et al., 2017). The term OSR refers to the manifestation of variations in expected outcomes of the upstream supply chain, i.e., variations in terms of time, quality and quantity (Chen et al., 2013). Without proper mitigation, a firm can suffer immensely from the negative impacts of these risk incidents when they occur (Alcantara et al., 2017). These risk incidents are more pronounced for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), defined as firms with no more than 250 employees (Bangladesh SME Foundation, 2013). The impact of OSR on firm performance is similarly more severe for SMEs than large firms (Hendricks and Singhal, 2005; Kaufmann et al., 2016). For example, Hendricks and Singhal (2005) reported that the operating income of SMEs can be reduced by 75.77 percent more than that of large firms with similar OSR incidents. The higher vulnerability of SMEs may be attributable to a number of factors, including limited resources and skills, lack of negotiating power, absence of strategy for quick recovery and inadequate support from other supply chain partners (Chowdhury et al., 2016). Although SMEs are typically the primary contributors of economies around the world (Mamun et al., 2016) and are more vulnerable to OSR than large firms, the majority of the extant literature on OSR has focused mainly on large organizations. In comparison, research works in this area for SMEs are still very limited (Falkner and Hiebl, 2015).\n2. Literature review and model formulation: 2.1 OSR\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Research instrument design\n4. Data analysis and result: 4.1 Descriptive statistics and non-response bias\n5. Discussion and implications: 5.1 Discussion\n6. Conclusion and future research: Focusing on SMEs, this paper has developed a comprehensive OSR framework that depicts two important relationships. The first is the consequence of OSR on operational performance. The other is how buyer-supplier social capital and supplier integration can mitigate OSR. Various hypotheses about the two relationships were made and tested using data collected from a questionnaire survey on apparel-manufacturing SMEs in Bangladesh. The findings reveal that OSR can substantially undermine operational performance. The outcomes also reveal that all the three dimensions of buyer-supplier social capital and supplier integrative practices are important for SMEs as they all reduce OSR either directly or indirectly. Hence, SMEs should adopt appropriate strategies leveraging buyer-supplier social capital and enhancing supplier integration to minimize OSR.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how buyer-supplier social capital may help mitigate operational supply risk (OSR) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It empirically examines a framework that posits the direct and mediated impacts of three dimensions of buyer-supplier social capital - structural, relational and cognitive - and supplier integration on the OSR of SMEs and consequently their operational performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study uses data collected via a questionnaire from 485 manufacturing SMEs in Bangladesh for analysis using structural equation modeling.\nFindings: The analysis reveals that all the three dimensions of buyer-supplier social capital can effectively reduce the OSR of SMEs, either directly or indirectly through supplier integration. The mediating role of supplier integration in the relationship between social capital and OSR is confirmed and the negative impact of OSR on operational performances of SMEs is verified.\nResearch limitations/implications: Generalization of the findings needs to be prudent since the study gathered information only from manufacturing SMEs in Bangladesh on the buyer side of the buyer-supplier dyad.\nPractical implications: Findings of this study can provide references for SME practitioners to formulate their OSR mitigation strategies for enhancing operational performance.\nOriginality/value: This study adds to the currently scarce literature on OSR of SMEs by combining antecedents and consequences of OSR in a single framework. It also extends the use of buyer-supplier social capital to risk mitigation research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Information technology project failures: Applying the bandit problem to evaluate managerial decision making
|
[
"Communication technologies",
"Project management",
"Management failures",
"Decision making"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A large number of information technology (IT) projects fail and are never brought to completion. According to a comprehensive report by The Standish Group (1999) that presents data on 23,000 IT projects from 1994 to 1998, 31 percent of IT projects failed in 1994, 40 percent were unsuccessful in 1996, and 28 percent were cancelled in 1998. The report estimates the cost of cancelled IT projects in 1998 alone to reach $75 billion. A different study suggests that only 25 percent of projects are completed on time and within budget (LaPlante, 1995).We attempt to examine cases of IT project failures through the light of the bandit problem results. The bandit problem is concerned with a single decision maker making a choice between several alternative projects. The term originated from studies of a gambler's dilemma of choosing from several slot machines - one-armed bandits. Suppose that a gambler can put a dollar token in one of several slot machines. There is some information on the distribution of rewards each machine provides. One machine can be sampled per period. Observing the outcome of trying a machine provides additional information on its type. The question is which machine should be selected to maximize the chances of obtaining the jackpot. Similar setup of decision problems exists in the investigation of several research projects or allocation of experiments (Gittins, 1989). In terms of IT project management, the firm selects from several IT projects with uncertain payoffs. Below we discuss the applicability of the bandit problem studies to IT project selection, and demonstrate the insights the bandit problem results may provide about managerial decision making (see Figure 1).\nWhy do IT projects fail?: The high degree of project failure in IT has long been of interest to researchers. One of the primary explanations for the extent of project failures and the size of ultimate write-offs is the presence of agency problems (Mahaney and Lederer, 2003), and especially escalation of commitment on the part of the managers (Keil et al., 1994; Keil, 1995a). Escalation is generally defined as continued commitment of resources after receiving negative feedback about a project. In the presence of escalation, a runaway IT project is continued for a longer time period than is necessary, leading to higher losses for the firm.Well-publicized IT project failures are often presented in the literature as cases of escalation. For instance, Keil et al. (1994) discuss the 1987 decision of the California Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to develop an information system combining the state's driver license and vehicle registration databases. Negative signals were received about the progress of the project in 1990 after $14.8 million was already spent. The project was continued through 1992 and ultimately cancelled following an additional $34.6 million in spending.Another example of IT escalation presented by Keil et al. (1994) is the 1988 development of a reservation system for car rentals, airlines and hotels by AMR Information Systems. The $125 million project supported by Marriott and Hilton sustained several instances of negative feedback, but was continued through 1992 and ultimately cancelled.Research of IT escalation typically focuses on the factors that cause and promote escalation. The major explanation for escalation of commitment is the self-justification theory. The theory suggests that there exists a need for the manager to appear rational in his or her actions to him/herself as well as to others in the organization. In this popular view, escalation is irrational and detrimental to the firm. An economic alternative to the self-justification argument is the agency theory that sees the manager as having more information about the project's progress than his/her superiors or the stockholders. The manager is the first to learn about the project failure and has an incentive to conceal it to protect his or her reputation.The current paper approaches the issue of IT project failures from a different perspective, and studies the initial project selection. The fact that a high number of IT projects ultimately fail and a large amount of resources is written off may have its explanation in the features of the initial project selection decision. This paper focuses on the common features reported in failed IT project case studies and attempts to demonstrate that observing a high number of failures may be following from a decision process that is optimal for the firm. Studies of the bandit problem in applied mathematics (Gittins, 1989) and the economics of search (Weitzman, 1979) demonstrated that under certain conditions it is optimal to select a high-risk option with low probability of success before a safer one. This result is observed if the choice is between two or more alternatives, and only one of the options may be investigated at a time. Furthermore, only one of the options is ultimately used. Intuitively, it is optimal to try the risky project first in the hope of striking it rich early and ending the search. Selecting first the safe option that is more likely to be successful, but has a lower maximum reward would result in forfeiting the potential maximum reward of the risky project.While the results from the study of bandit processes are well known in the economics of optimal search, this approach has not been prominent in the examination of IT project failures. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the applicability of these findings to IT project selection issues and case study evidence. The bandit perspective on the project selection as applied to IT industry suggests that a firm should investigate the risky innovative projects before the safer tested ones. The inherent risk leads to a high number of project failures. Safer options are selected if the innovation proves unsuccessful. However, the total industry payoff is bound to be higher than in the case of always selecting the safe option first, as some risky innovations prove to be worthwhile.It would be incorrect to claim that all IT project failures are explained by the firms realizing the bandit-type strategies. The critical features of a bandit decision process include the fact that only one of the several available project options is investigated in a period, and only one is ultimately adopted. The selection process also involves several projects with varied degrees of risk and reward. Investigating a project for a period has a cost and brings in additional information about the distribution of rewards. Other factors such as the self-justification and agency theory explanations of escalation behavior may contribute to the amount of project failure. One implication of the bandit approach is the fact that a certain amount of IT project failures and write-offs will always be observable, as it follows from an optimal decision process that recommends the selection of high-risk projects. Applying the recommendations of de-escalation studies may reduce the write-offs due to escalation driven cost overruns, but will not eliminate the failure of risky projects completely. Furthermore, the bandit approach reinforces the idea that managers should be compensated based on their decision process, and not on the performance of specific projects, since in some periods the optimal decision process will lead to the failure of the high-risk projects.\nAnalysis of IT projects case studies: There are three major case studies of escalation reported in the MIS literature. These case studies are described in the following sections.Config system case\nApplying bandit problems to IT project selection: Bandit problems are a class of decision-making models with the following features (Banks and Sundaram, 1992). There is a single decision maker who chooses one project from a constant set of possible alternatives (referred to as the arms of a bandit). The choice is made in discrete time. Each project (arm) when selected in a period yields a reward for that period from a certain constant distribution. The distribution of rewards (known as the type of the arm) is typically assumed to be independent from any other arm. Thus, it is only possible to learn the true type of the project after it is selected for a period. The decision maker has certain prior expectations about the types of the projects he or she is selecting from.The decision problem is stationary since the distributions of the projects and of the rewards do not change over time. The optimal strategy is also constant. Gittins (1989) shows that for finite-armed bandits (choices over a finite number of projects) there is an index that can be assigned to each project based only on beliefs about that project, and the optimal strategy is to select the project with the highest index. However, the decision maker does receive new information about the projects selected each period, and so the indices and the optimal choice change over time.In a well-known paper on the economics of sequential search, Weitzman (1979) focuses on the order in which the alternative project options should be researched and provides the following example of a simple bandit process. Table I presents the costs and rewards for the two projects the firm can choose from. In this example, Project 1 dominates Project 2 by most characteristics: it has lower cost, shorter duration, substantially higher expected value, and a lower degree of risk. Project 2, however, has a much higher reward if it is successful.Recall the design of the bandit problem - only one of the projects may be realized by the firm at any given time. Each of the projects can be of either of two types - high reward or low reward. The type of the project is not known to the firm in advance, only the distribution of types is available. To learn the true type of the project, the firm must try it. The question at hand is which project the firm should undertake first. If the project fetches a low reward, the firm can then investigate the other option. Only the best performing project is carried through to completion. In other words, the projects represent alternative technologies, and only the best performing is kept by the organization. Table II demonstrates the expected values of investing in both possible sequences.The numerical example demonstrates that it is optimal to investigate the risky project first. Since the reward of the project is unknown, and can only be learned by sampling the project, and the uncertainty regarding Project 2 in the sense of the dispersion of rewards is greater, it is beneficial to resolve this uncertainty first. Note that the optimal solution of selecting project 2 first involves an 80 percent chance of Project 2's failure that will be followed by writing off the cost of the project and selecting the safe option later.Formally, the optimal strategy involves the calculation of the \"index\" (Gittins, 1989) or \"reservation price\" (Weitzman, 1979) of each project. All information about the project is compressed into this index number, and the project with the highest index should be selected first.Consider the problem of the decision maker facing the choice of n projects. Investigating project i will bring about the following net benefit, where bi is the discount factor, and zi is the highest sampled reward known up to this point - the \"sure\" fall-back option:Equation 1In the framework of Weitzman (1979), the decision maker will be indifferent between choosing his current safe option and investigating the new project i when the value of his known reward zi is exactly equal to the net benefit of trying the new project. This condition can be written in the following way:Equation 2The value of zi that satisfies this condition is defined as the reservation price (index) of project i. This index depends only on the distribution characteristics for that project and in effect summarizes all information about the project necessary for the selection decision. The optimal strategy prescribes choosing the project with the highest reservation price (index). The search for the best project (technology) will stop when the highest obtained reward is greater than the reservation price of every remaining project.Weitzman (1979) demonstrates that as project rewards become more dispersed at the upper end of the distribution, the reservation price (index) increases. Therefore, it is optimal to try a risky project with a more spread-out distribution of rewards before a safer project \"in the hopes of striking it rich early and ending the search\".\nSummary and implications for management of IT projects: Analysis of the bandit problem suggests that the high-risk high-reward projects should be sampled first by the firm. The conclusion depends on the design of the bandit problem. The firm essentially chooses between several alternative technologies, each with its own distribution of risks and rewards. The critical feature is that only one technology choice is implemented by the firm in every given period, and only one is ultimately used.Let us consider the IT case studies discussed above. In all of them, the design of the decision problem facing the manager and the firm follows the guidelines of the bandit problem. In the Config project, the risky alternative with a high potential reward was the development of the new interactive sales configuration system. The safe alternative was the use of a more conventional computerized quotation system. In the Denver International Airport case study, the risky option involved the construction of the complex automated baggage handling and information system, the safe alternative was the implementation of a regular conveyer-belt process. In all described cases, only the best performing alternative was to be ultimately used by the firm.In general, many IT projects satisfy the requirements of a bandit process in that they deal with the choice of technologies, architectures of the firm's information systems. Only the best option is ultimately used. The success of the project is also typically unknown in advance. The firm has only the belief on the likelihood of success.This paper attempts to apply the results from the study of bandit processes to the issue of IT project failures. The main implication of the bandit perspective to IT decisions is the fact that managers choosing a risky IT project with a high potential reward before a safer one are actually behaving optimally and in the firm's interest. A high proportion of risky projects being adopted leads to a high number of project failures. Therefore, the data from the Standish Group (1998) survey showing the rate of IT project failure to be between 30 percent and 40 percent hardly appear surprising.Escalation research suggests that managers have an incentive to conceal project failure for reasons of internal and external self-justification and to protect their reputation. Firms may use monitoring techniques and punishment to reduce the incentive to escalate. The bandit perspective demonstrates that in some cases the decision to invest in a risky project may be optimal. To punish the manager for project failure in this case would be a mistake for the firm. Thus, the bandit approach provides an additional reason to reduce the relationship between managerial incentives and the success of a specific project. This reinforces the arguments of studies that focus on escalation prevention and advocate evaluating decision makers on the basis of their decision processes, rather than the specific outcomes (Keil and Robey, 1999).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to apply results from the study of bandit processes to cases of information technology (IT) project failures.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This paper examines three published case studies, and discusses whether managerial actions are in accordance with the predictions of bandit process studies.\nFindings: - Bandits are a class of decision-making problems that involve choosing one action from a set. In terms of project management, the firm selects from several alternative IT projects, each with its own distribution of risks and rewards. The firm investigates technologies one by one, and keeps only the best-performing technology. The bandit perspective implies that managers choosing a risky IT project with high potential reward before safer ones are behaving optimally. It is in the firm's interest to resolve the uncertainty about the innovative project first. In case of failure, the firm can later choose safer technology. A high proportion of risky projects adopted leads to a high number of project failures.\nPractical implications: - The bandit approach supports studies that advocate evaluating decision makers on the optimality of their decision process, rather than specific outcomes.\nOriginality/value: - This paper demonstrates how insights from the bandit problem are relevant to studies of IT project failures. Whilst choosing high-risk, high-reward projects may be in a firm's interest, some observed project failures are optimal choices that do not work out.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Claims management in the Egyptian industrial construction sector: a contractor's perspective
|
[
"Construction industry",
"Egypt"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: A claim was defined by Hughes and Barber in their reference \"Claims in Perspective\" as \"a request, demand, application for payment or notification of presumed entitlement to which the contractor, rightly or wrongly at this stage, considers himself entitled with respect to an agreement has not yet been reached\" (Hughes and Barber, 1992).A study was conducted on 24 construction projects in Western Canada showed that the main cause of claims was change orders that accounted for approximately 50 percent of all the claims recorded during the course of the study (Semple et al., 1994). Other documented causes were: severe weather conditions and acceleration.A significant number of contractors do not quote a contract clause when preparing a claim, as stated in various research studies including Jergease and Hartman (1994) and Vidogah and Ndekugri (1997). This was assumed to stem from their lack of familiarity with the contract and its relevant clauses.Qualification of change orders is an important dimension of claims management that has been the focus of many research works lately. According to the Conference of Claims Management presented by James (1993), it has been proven from various judicial rulings that a contractor or subcontractor who fails to serve a proper claim notice would lose his rights. A research by Jergease and Hartman (1994) addressed the need for proper qualification of change order claims notices by emphasizing the effect of costs. Subsequent researches supplemented Jergeas and Hartman's emphasis on the importance of costs (Hanna and Russel, 1998; Hanna et al., 1999a, b).Zack (1993) introduced several tactics or legal maneuvers that contractors and owners could use to win claims without actually violating the contract terms. Reservation of rights approach was among the most important practices discussed.The industrial sector in particular is one of the areas most susceptible to changes and claims (Burati, 1992). Heavy industrial projects need adequate time for design. Hence, execution phases might commence while the design phase is still under way, leading to incomplete and inaccurate designs (Hanna and Russel, 1998). The result is an ongoing flood of claims and a project budget and time for completion that are not met.Over the years, a significant portion of construction literature has been written on claims. While the majority of this research was the result of research conducted in Europe or North America, yet scarce research has been conducted in the Middle East; despite that the situation in the Middle East is not that much different. However, it has been reported that, in 2004, construction claims in the United Arab Emirates reached $4 billion; nearly ten times its reported figure in 1999 (Al Bawaba, 2005). Similarly, a study aimed at evaluating the causes of delay in Saudi Arabia and the UK concluded that the magnitude of delays in Saudi Arabia exceeded that of the UK, although the delay categories were comparable (Falqi, 2004).\nObjectives and methodology: This research has two main objectives, namely:1. To define the status of claims management in general, and change order claims management in specific with respect to contractors operating in the Egyptian industrial construction sector.2. To generate means of improving the status of change order claims management in this sector.To achieve the objectives of the research, a questionnaire survey was conducted on a selected sample of industrial construction companies. The questionnaire was formulated based on an extensive literature review of the most demanding issues on the topic of claims management in general, and change order claims in specific, published in reputable construction management journals.Results obtained from the questionnaire serve to fulfill the first objective. The second objective is then accomplished through the application of the principles of claims avoidance and mitigation documented in western construction management literature to the research findings. The outcome is a practical guide for Egyptian contractors and owners to overcome claims management problems experienced in the industrial sectorSample selection\nQuestionnaire formulation: As mentioned previously, the questionnaire was formulated based on extensive literature. It comprised seven questions. Each question was discussed in detail in light of the literature on which it was based.Question 1\nInterviews with respondents: Personal interviews were conducted with engineers or managers of the industrial companies selected for the purpose of this study. Those respondents primarily handled claims issues in various industrial projects.Respondents were chosen in accordance with certain criteria that were influenced by literature review articles. Although the majority of the articles did not specify the position and experience of their respondents (they were referred to most of the time as contractors), some articles portrayed a specific trend. For example, Hanna and Russel (1998) based their data acquisition on contractors with significant years of successful experience. Although Thomas et al. (1991) did not address the type of respondents selected, it was apparent from the content of the articles that the respondents involved might be engineers with considerable experience in contract administration.However, in light of the general trend observed in the literature review, the experience of most interviewees exceeded 15 years in the Egyptian construction sector (a considerable portion of which was in the industrial sector). The interviewed personnel also held high positions in the company's organization.A file that contained all the references of the interview questions was made available during interviews and was presented when necessary to the respondents so as to emphasize the importance of a research question or for additional clarification. Interviews lasted more than their scheduled time, simply because the questions involved significant data-gathering procedures on the part of respondents.\nResults and analysis: General causes of claims\nProblem areas summary: In light of the above results and analyses, the Egyptian industrial construction sector is characterized by the following impediments to proper claims and change order management:* Effective delays caused by the owner.* Deficient contracts of the public sector.* Claim documentation and filing procedures.* Lack of contract awareness by the site team.* \"Fear of the consultant\" phenomenon.* Oral change orders from the owner.* Lack of a unified system for the quantification of change orders.\nSuggested solutions: Solutions are proposed based on the nature of the problem and the documented solutions for improvement.Float-sharing and \"banking\" provisions\nConclusions: As outlined previously, this research aims at fulfilling two main objectives. Concerning the first objective, the following is concluded:* The most common types of claims have been documented as change orders and delays caused by the owner (contributing to 54 and 25 percent respectively of the projects sampled).* Regarding claims qualification, 67 percent of the sampled projects stated that they used contract-clause notifications all the time. As for claims documentation procedures, in nearly 62 percent of the projects, the site team was the initiator of claims matter.* A total of 57 percent of the sampled projects indicated that change orders had been lost due to poor documentation practices. Respondents reported several documentation procedures for improving records management status. A majority (76 percent) of the projects experienced oral change orders, of which 50 percent stated that their entitlements were lost due to the improper documentation practices, which were in turn linked to the lack of contract awareness of the site team and fear of consultant phenomenon.Concerning the second objective, the research addressed the following recommendations for the enhancement of claims management in the Egyptian industrial construction sector:* The inclusion of float-sharing provisions in the contracts as a means of mitigating impacts of owner-caused delays.* The formation of standard conditions of contract tailored for the Egyptian industrial sector to enforce standard contract administration practices, such as written instructions, timely notifications and adequate record keeping and documentation.* The improvement of claims documentation and filing procedures through the introduction of claims/change orders filing systems and the utilization of electronic document management systems within organizations.* The education of the contractor's site team of fundamental contract principles, so that the contract representative becomes aware of his company's obligations vis-a-vis the owner and consultant, and be cognizant of his scope of work under the contract* The use of standard equations at contract formation to be applied for the quantification of change orders during the project execution phase as a means to resolve and mitigate disputes over change order pricing.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This research aims at providing a better insight of the status of claims management in general, and change order claims in particular, from the contractor's perspective with respect to the Egyptian industrial construction sector, as they proved to be the main cause of claims in this sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A questionnaire survey discussing the most persistent issues of claims management in general, and change order claims in particular, was conducted on a selected sample of construction industrial companies.\nFindings: - The results demonstrated that claims management in the Egyptian industrial sector has been suffering from a variety of obstacles, including lack of proper notification procedures in public contracts and poor documentation management. Change orders had been actually lost due to poor documentation. Oral change orders were present in approximately 76 per cent of the projects; half of which resulted in loss of rights due to improper documentation, which was largely attributed to the lack of contract awareness of the site team, and to the \"fear of consultant phenomenon\".\nPractical implications: - The paper presented several recommendations for improving claims management including: the formation of a standard form of contract general conditions for the Egyptian industrial sector, and applying a methodological approach for change orders quantification.\nOriginality/value: - The increasing number of international companies contemplating construction projects in Egypt, and the significant problems with regards to claims propagation and management, addressed the need to conduct such study that targets one of the most challenging areas in the Egyptian construction industry.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Knowledge management in higher education institutions in Mauritius
|
[
"Universities",
"Higher education institutions",
"Mauritius",
"Knowledge sharing",
"Knowledge transfer",
"Knowledge management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: It is widely accepted that the main role of higher education institutions (HEIs) is to create and share knowledge. However, these roles of universities have significantly changed over time due to two main revolutions. Universities, which were originally created with the purpose of teaching, added research to their role in the first academic revolution in the late nineteenth century. Later, a second revolution added economic development, and enterprise to their missions (Schmitz et al., 2014). In knowledge-based societies, universities are being called upon to play a vital role in the innovation system of a country as one of the partners in the \"Triple Helix\", alongside government and industry (Etzkowitz and Leydesdorff, 2000). This new dynamic academic environment requires successful HEIs to constantly create new knowledge and disseminate it widely (Adhikari, 2010). Bano and Taylor (2014) argue that this change in role for HEIs, from knowledge creation (KC) to application of knowledge and collaboration with other sectors of the economy, could have both positive and negative effects. On one hand, it can make the universities more entrepreneurial and innovative (Schmitz et al., 2014), whilst, on the other hand, it could erode their academic freedom and independence (Bano and Taylor, 2014).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Knowledge management strategy in higher education institutions\n3. Methodology: The higher education sector in Mauritius, according to the Tertiary Education Commission website (http://tec.intnet.mu/overview), extends to 65 institutions, including ten public HEI's and some 55 private HEI's. The ten public HEIs include four universities. The private HEI's are mostly local branches of overseas institutions and/or affiliated with overseas institutions from, for example, Australia, India, South Africa and UK. This study used interviews with key informants in seven of these HEI's to gather insights into the KM strategies and processes associated with KC, sharing and transfer. Since KM is a relatively new concept for HEIs in developing countries, including Mauritius, qualitative research using semi-structured interviews that seeks to generate in-depth insights was deemed to be appropriate (Saunders et al., 2016). Furthermore, an interpretivist stance that is inductive in nature was adopted in this study.\n4. Findings: 4.1 Knowledge management strategy\n5. Discussion: First, the study found that most participants were familiar with the term, KM, but that their institutions did not have a written KM strategy. This is consistent with previous work by Cranfield and Taylor (2008) and Trivella and Dimitrios (2015), however, lack of KM strategy does not prevent HEIs from k-creation, k-sharing and k-transfer, as these processes are closely linked to their missions (Rowley, 2000; Alexandropoulou et al., 2009; Ramachandran et al., 2009; Fullwood et al., 2013).\n6. Conclusions and recommendations: This study contributes to research on KM in HEIs, by studying its processes through a case study based investigation in a country with a developing higher education sector, Mauritius.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to research on knowledge management (KM) in higher education institutions (HEIs) by studying its processes, knowledge creation (KC), knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge transfer (KT), in Mauritius.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior staff in the main public and private HEIs in Mauritius. Questions focussed on KM strategy and processes. Interviews were recorded and transcribed prior to thematic analysis.\nFindings: Although participants could discuss KM processes, none of the participating institutions had a KM strategy. All institutions are involved in KC and acquisition, KS and KT. In addition to research, knowledge was regarded as being created through teaching and learning activities, consultancies, organisational documentation and acquisition from external sources. Knowledge is shared among peers during departmental and curriculum meetings, through annual research seminars and during conferences and publications in journals. KT with industry through consultancies is restricted to a few public HEIs. In the remaining HEIs, KT is limited to their students joining the workforce and to organising tailor-made courses and training programmes for public and private institutions. The study also provides evidence that some processes and activities contribute to more than one of KC, sharing and transfer.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the very limited body of research into KM processes in countries with developing higher education sectors. In addition, this research disaggregates the processes associated with KC, sharing and transfer, whilst also examining the relationship between them.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
HRM and knowledge management
|
[
"Human resource management",
"Knowledge management",
"Classification"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Knowledge management (KM) is about developing, sharing and applying knowledge within the firm to gain and sustain a competitive advantage (Petersen and Poulfelt, 2002). Its popularity has increased rapidly in the last decade, and it has become a central topic of management philosophy. Also, KM has been widely used recently by firms and organisations in order to improve decision making, product innovation, productivity and profits (Edvardsson, 2006). How, then, is human resource management (HRM) related to KM? Scholars have argued recently that knowledge is dependent on people and that HRM issues, such as recruitment and selection, education and development, performance management, pay and reward, as well as the creation of a learning culture are vital for managing knowledge within firms (Evans, 2003; Carter and Scarbrough, 2001; Currie and Kerrin, 2003; Hunter et al., 2002; Robertson and O'Malley Hammersley, 2000). Stephen Little, Paul Quintas and Tim Ray go as far as to trace the origin of KM to changes in HRM practices:One of the key factors in the growth of interest in knowledge management in the 1990s was the rediscovery that employees have skills and knowledge that are not available to (or \"captured\" by) the organization. It is perhaps no coincidence that this rediscovery of the central importance of people as possessors of knowledge vital to the organization followed an intense period of corporate downsizing, outsourcing and staff redundancies in the West in the 1980s (Little et al., 2002, p. 299).This paper sets out, first, to integrate HR strategies into KM systems; second, to examine the type of HR strategies to be pursued and third, it looks at the probable behaviour effects of such a strategy in the creation, distribution and use of knowledge.The next section of the paper analyses the theoretical and empirical debates on the relationship between HRM and KM. General knowledge and HRM strategies are then summarized in a special section, and the paper ends by discussion and conclusions.\nHRM and knowledge management: The core business of the HR function is to develop the employees in accordance with the business strategy, select and hire people, train and develop the staff, evaluate their performance, reward them and create a culture of learning (Evans, 2003). The next section turns to these issues, and focus upon their role in enhancing KM.KM and HRM strategies\nKM strategies and HRM practices: In the previous section an attempt was made to integrate HRM practices into KM systems. Table I integrates KM strategy and HRM practices. The table gives an ideal typical classification of the strategies and practices. More precisely it designates abstract elements of reality, which are found in large number of cases. Accordingly, such concepts enable us to characterise and understand actual economic wholes (Aron, 1970).Table I expresses a probable trend in modern economy. It shows the fit between HRM practices on the one hand and the organisation's approach to manage knowledge on the other. The codification strategy deals primarily with explicit knowledge for effectiveness and speed. In so doing staff selection, training and performance are geared to that end. The personalisation strategy is primarily considered for tacit knowledge development in order to foster innovation. Selection of personnel, training and performance standards serve that end. The KM strategies lead, interestingly, to totally different behaviour modification among staff. Accordingly, the codification of knowledge encourages people to document their knowledge to databases in order to re-use knowledge, follow standardised routines and take low risk actions (not change established work practices), and there is a specialisation of tasks in order to increase effectiveness and lowering costs. In essence, the codification of a knowledge strategy is an attempt to mechanise knowledge within firms. The personalisation strategy, on the other hand, encourages risk-taking (try new things and experimentation), co-operation and exchange of ideas among people, in order to stimulate new products and services, and improve work practices.\nGeneral knowledge strategies: This paper has concentrated on how HRM practices can encourage knowledge sharing and re-use. Management practices do not operate alone, divorced from the rest of the organisation. Practices are, instead, interrelated and require a degree of compatibility and careful co-ordination. The general strategy of a firm and the HRM strategy, therefore, make up the general KM strategy.The KM and HRM strategies presented previously have many things in common. The codification strategy and low-cost strategy, for instance, both focus on effectiveness, lowering cost and standardisation. The combined KM and general strategy of this kind is called exploitative strategy. Similarly, personalisation strategy and innovative HRM centre on new capabilities, innovation and new ways of working. This kind of KM and general strategy is termed explorative strategy.These strategies have an impact on the KM process in general. Accordingly, the hypotheses is that exploitative strategy, with its desired behavioural outcomes of documenting knowledge, low risk-taking, specialisation and effectiveness, will put the main emphasis on knowledge storage (capturing and packaging knowledge). This also includes distributing knowledge via heavy IT solutions, using already existing knowledge to lower costs, and increase effectiveness and standardisation. It appears that very little emphasis is placed on creating new knowledge.On the other side, there is a hypothetical argument that an explorative strategy will place greater weight on knowledge creation (innovative ideas in the product, processes and organisation), human interaction to transfer tacit knowledge and use knowledge to create new knowledge, i.e. further increase innovation and new working practice.It is possible, in the end, to draw up broad KM processes, which are based on the general strategy of the firm. These I term, as already noted, exploitative and explorative and they incorporate both the HRM and KM strategies which have been analysed in the paper (Figure 1).These strategies have vast impact on the long-term operation of firms. The exploitative strategy tend, as Clegg and Clarke (1999) point out, to stress technical skills and process improvements, and where learning focus on rapid response to emergencies and early detection of malfunctions. Processes, however, does not encourage causal analysis. They conclude their analysis on intelligent organisations, such as Microsoft, by saying:Intelligent organizations, paradoxically, can produce dumber people who rely on process rather than intuitive judgement. And if that intuitive judgement cannot be standardized, codified and abstracted, then the learning that smarter people achieve will not be generalized [...] Intelligent organizations are not smart enough to know all of what they need to know: that's why they need people to work in them who are smart enough to know that they need to know more than they do [...] (1999, pp. 197-8).Firms relying on an explorative strategy are good at activating causal analysis and smart people, thereby implementing changes in production techniques and innovation. However, they tend to lack structure and processes to utilise these potentials into competitive advantages, as the freedom and autonomy of staff may cause resistance to top-down policy implementations (Daft, 2007). The dilemma here is to construct a knowledge strategy that can make up effective structures and processes at the same time as firms can reach for future unknown applications.\nDiscussion: As has already been noted, the general strategy of the firm has a significant impact on both KM and HRM strategies. Although there can be tension as well as contrasting ideologies related to the general strategy and both KM and HRM strategies (Gloet and Berrell, 2003). It is clear then, that there are at least two strategies associated with KM. Strategies can be mixed within firms, such as an explorative learning strategy being dominant within R&D, while exploitative learning strategy being common within production departments. Hansen et al. (1999) emphasise that the general investment in ICT, the hiring of particular staff, their training, as well as job design, usually mean that one strategy becomes dominant within firms. Hansen et al. also argue that firms that offer standardised and mature products and services tend to choose the exploitative strategy, while firms offering customised and innovative products tend to choose explorative strategy. Gloet and Berrell (2003) argue that there is a tendency for the implementation of an exploititive strategy, as people feel at ease in such an environment. It also offers more structure and precision to deal with explicit rather than tacit knowledge. Other studies on KM show a different picture: the utilisation of both documentation and personalisation strategies reap the greatest rewards in firms (Scarbrough, 2003; Kluge et al., 2001; Davenport and Prusak, 2000). Traditional research in organisational studies also indicates that knowledge strategies, and work organisation in general, are dependent on national culture, sector of industry, professional norms, level of unemployment, management culture, as well as trade unions and class struggle (Dobbin and Boychuk, 1999; Edvardsson, 1994; Horowitz et al., 2003; Lane, 1989).KM and the role of HRM in KM are still in their infancy. Most of the research conducted so far is based on case studies and interviews, so generalisations of results are problematic. Future research would thus benefit from longitudinal studies, cross-national comparisons, as well as industrial sector differences. Also, basic concepts of the debate have to be defined and theories developed. Future research should address these shortcomings and in this paper I have attempted to push the theoretical framework further ahead. An empirical testing of the theoretical model presented here is urgently needed.\nConclusions: Given the growing importance of KM this paper has attempted to integrate HR strategies into KM systems, to examine the types of HR strategies to be pursued, as well as analyse their behavioural effects.The HRM strategy and the general strategy of a firm make up the general KM strategies. Two were identified in this paper: exploitative strategy and explorative strategy. Both strategies have behaviour effects which, generally speaking, have some impact on the KM process. It was therefore hypothesised that the exploitative strategy would put greater emphasis on knowledge storage (capturing and packaging knowledge), as well as distributing explicit knowledge via IT solutions. Explorative strategy, on the other hand, places greater weight on knowledge creation, as well as on human interaction to transfer tacit knowledge and use existing knowledge to create new knowledge, i.e. further increased innovation and new working practices.The two strategies have potential impacts on the operation of firms and organisations. The exploitative strategy stresses technical skills and process improvements instead of causal analysis, and thereby increases the risk to be locked into past design and to be unable to reach for future applications. The explorative strategy stresses innovation and new learning, but lack structure and processes to utilise these into competitive advantages.In order to increase our understanding on the subject we need further research, particularly of empirical nature where these concepts can be tested.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper sets out, first, to integrate HR strategies into knowledge management (KM) systems; second, to examine the type of HR strategies to be pursued and third, it looks at the probable behaviour effects of such a strategy in the creation, distribution and use of knowledge.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper discusses recent literature on the link between KM and human resource management (HRM).\nFindings: - The HRM strategy and the general strategy of a firm make up the general KM strategies. Two were identified in this paper: exploitative strategy and explorative strategy. Both strategies have behaviour effects, which have some impact on the KM process. Thus, the exploitative strategy will put greater emphasis on knowledge storage, technical skills, as well as distributing explicit knowledge via IT solutions. This increases the risk that firms adopting such strategy will be locked into past design and to be unable to reach for future applications. Explorative strategy places greater weight on knowledge creation, as well as on human interaction to transfer tacit knowledge and use knowledge to increase innovation and new learning. Firms adopting such strategy tend to lack structure and processes to utilise the innovations into competitive advantages.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The analysis of the paper is based on literature review, therefore the concepts developed in the paper need empirical testing.\nOriginality/value: - This paper attempts to integrate HRM into KM systems.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Delay announcements for call centers with hyperexponential patience modeling
|
[
"Predicting and announcing delays",
"Hyperexponential distribution",
"Impatient customers",
"Markovian approximation",
"State-dependent analysis"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Recent developments in technology and business environments have significantly increased the need for service systems. A well-designed service system can generate reduced costs and improved customer satisfaction. Numerous researchers and practitioners exert a substantial amount of effort in the service sector. In this paper, we address a well-known type of service system, namely, call centers. Call centers have limited resources and experience significant demand, which frequently creates long wait times for customers; thus, many important challenges need to be overcome. One of these challenges is determining the best approach for modeling a customer's patience; the majority of customers are not infinitely patient and are only willing to wait for service within a limited amount of time. Another challenge is alleviating congestion, for example, many call centers have recently experimented with informing arriving customers about anticipated delays (Brown et al., 2005). In this paper, we aim to confront these challenges by contributing to the optimal design and management of real call centers.\n2. Literature review: The literature related to the subject of this paper spans three areas. The first area pertains to impatience phenomena and the estimation of the patience distribution. The second area is concerned with predicting delays for arriving customers with the psychology of waiting. The third area is related to the number of approximations for the probability of abandoning, such as the Markov approximation or fluid approximations. These studies do not consider a model with a combination of these factors.\n3. Statistical analysis and Markovian approximation for hyperexponential patience distribution: In this section, we conduct a statistical analysis of data obtained from several real call centers to assess the fit of a hyperexponential patience distribution. The data originate from a call center of the Mobile Company in China and Anonymous Bank call center data available at: http://iew3.technion.ac.il/serveng/callcenterdata/, in which the fit of several months is chosen. These call centers supply a voice response unit (VRU) to provide service; however, this studied voice prompt system only provides a welcome message and the entrance of services items for human agent service. Though VRU can independently deal with very little service, for convenience we adopt the data of VRU with guide information censoring the automatic service processing of data. The objective of the paper is to apply real data to anticipate delay information about arriving customers for human agent service. Therefore, we need to model the patience of customers and incorporate the announcement system of delay information to call centers in practice, following the original VRU.\n4. The benchmark model: In this section, we consider the benchmark case in which no delay information is given to customers, which is labeled as Model 1. We can directly apply the general approximated Markvian M(n)/M(n)/s/r+M(n) model with dependent rates to Model 1, and show how to calculate all standard performance measures for the benchmark model.\n5. The case with delay information and customer reaction: In this section, we describe the M/M/s/r+H2 queueing model with delay announcements, which requires additional approximation. Similarly, we are able to apply the general approximated Markovian M(n)/M(n)/s/r+M(n) model with dependent rates to this call center situation when state information is provided. The patience of customers as a function of delay information is formulated, and performance measures are derived.\n6. Testing the approximation for M/M/s/r+H2 with delay information: In the section, we investigate the quality of the approximation in Model 2, including what we consider for new patience times and the Markovian approximation for hyperexponential patience distribution. To assess the hyperexponential assumption, we compare the performance measures that are derived by the numerical method in Section 5 with the performance measures given by the simulation. Note that many exacted results can be computed for the M/M/s+H2 without delay information, as demonstrated by Brandt and Brandt (2002) and Mandelbaum and Zeltyn (2004). These papers should be consulted for additional insight; however, we primarily stress the impact of delay information on systems.\n7. Concluding remarks and future research: In this paper, we have provided several insightful observations about real call centers. First, we depicted general customer abandonment behaviors in real call centers without delay information. Due to the prompt message in a VRU, an initial occurrence of abandonments is observed in the call center. This conclusion characterizes the short abandonment of the new reneging behavior instead of the balking behavior simplified in previous studies. Second, observation of the queueing process indicates that the hazard rate of the hyperexponential distribution has the same shape as the hazard rate of customer patience. Thus, customer patience can be modeled by the hyperexponential distribution; the model that we enforce is the M/M/s/r+H2 queueing model.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide delay announcements for call centers with hyperexponential patience modeling. The paper aims to employ a state-dependent Markovian approximation for informing arriving customers about anticipated delay in a real call center.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Motivated by real call center data, the patience distribution is modeled by the hyperexponential distribution and is analyzed by its realistic significance, with and without delay information. Appropriate M/M/s/r+H2 queueing model is structured, including a voice response system that is employed in practice, and a state-dependent Markovian approximation is applied for computing abandonment. Based on this approximation, a method is proposed for estimating virtual delays, and it is investigated about the problem of announcing virtual delays to customers upon their arrival.\nFindings: There are two parts of findings from the results obtained from the case study and a numerical study of simulation comparisons. First, using an H2 distribution for the abandonment distribution is driven by an empirical study which shows its good fit to real-life call center data. Second, simulation experiments indicate that the model and approximation are reasonable, and the state-dependent Markovian approximation works very well for call centers with larger pooling. It is concluded that our approach can be applied in a voice response system of real call centers.\nOriginality/value: Many results pertain to announcing delay information, customer reactions and links to estimating hyperexponential distribution based on real data that have not been established in previous studies; however, this paper analytically characterizes these performance measures for delay announcements.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the science of management: the illusion of free will
|
[
"Management",
"Enlightenment",
"Natural law",
"Behavioural control",
"Free will",
"Jean-Jacques Rousseau"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In 1759, three years before the first publication of Rousseau's Social Contract, Adam Smith published The Theory of the Moral Sentiments in which he discussed legal, political, and psychological theories about society. Smith distinguishes two types of Legislators: the first is the man of \"public spirit\" and the second the \"man of system.\" For Smith (1976, p. 110), the latter:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The aim of this paper is to focus on Rousseau's three major works: the epistolary novel Julia. Or, The New Eloisa, one of the eighteenth century's best sellers, the political essay The Social Contract, and the pedagogical treatise Emile: or On Education. It seeks to explore the innovative management theories Rousseau develops as he embarks in the simultaneous composition of these three major works, particularly as he conceptualizes his ideal society and envisions a brand new political system, one that would take into account the natural state of humankind in order to socialize them more efficiently.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper explores Rousseau's solution to these obstacles, and examines his understanding of censorship, as well as the surreptitious control of people's values, tastes, and aspirations. His vision of humanity is very similar to that of \"a machine to be put together by skillful devices\", assuming \"that the materials of which it is composed are colorless and lifeless\".\nFindings: The conclusions reached in this paper hinge upon, in significant part, Rousseau's approach to management science, and the individual's subjection to authority, as well as the overarching necessity for any form of power to be imperceptible.\nOriginality/value: The paper shows that in Rousseau's mind, people are mere pawns on the political chessboard, \"to be arranged by the fancy of the legislator.\"\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Mentoring in the workplace
|
[
"Staff development",
"Mentoring"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Who has had the greatest impact on your career to date? Perhaps it was it an inspiring colleague you worked with on a project, a family friend who offered words of wisdom when you needed it most, or an encouraging manager who developed your skills and challenged you to push yourself further. Mentors like other role models, often show themselves when we least expect it. They sometimes even work their magic without us realising it!\n1. Establish the need: Having just highlighted the merits of workplace mentoring, it is important to recognise that formal mentoring programmes will not suit all staff development needs or organisational cultures. Having a clear idea of the development needs of the employees in your organisation is an essential first step to identifying whether or not mentoring will be the right tool to use. At St Mungo's the suggestion to set up a mentoring programme was initially proposed by members of the staff-led diversity network groups, who recognised the positive impact that role models and access to the \"right kind\" of informal networks can have on an individual's confidence and opportunities for progression. Members felt that mentoring would be a useful avenue to further their professional development outside of the line management relationship and training room.\n2. Define the aim: With the need firmly established, the next step is to clearly outline the purpose or intention of the programme. In defining the aim of the mentoring relationship and its intended outcomes, it is important to consider the target group of both mentors and mentees. St Mungo's opted for a developmental mentoring scheme, geared at supporting mentees to enhance their skills, knowledge and confidence; however, there are different types of mentoring relationships. For example, some organisations endorse sponsorship mentoring, where mentors are well-established in their fields of work and play an active role in advocating for their mentee and directly influencing others to create opportunities that will support their mentee's progression.\n3. Consultation: It is always a good idea to consult with staff to test out your proposal and get a general sense of levels of interest before investing any huge amounts of resources into the programme. Identify the appropriate channels of communication and decision making to ensure the process is as inclusive as possible; the more people who are able to feed into the process now, the more information you will have to work with! Employees who are offered the opportunity to contribute to the structure and style of professional development initiatives are more likely to take up opportunities when they arise, because they feel that they have been involved in the process and they are already aware of the benefits. Gauging perceptions through surveys, focus groups or informal conversations in team meetings will also offer valuable insight into any additional obstacles or factors that may not have been considered to date. It might also be beneficial to tailor the consultation mechanisms to suit different levels of operation.\n4. Decide on the approach: Assuming that the response during the consultation phase was relatively positive, it is now time to use the feedback offered to finalise the details of the programme; in particular, the approach and operational structure. Initially St Mungo's had planned to target the mentoring scheme to members of the diversity network groups and in particular to groups who were underrepresented in managerial positions. However, after seeing the widespread interest from staff across the organisation, the decision was made to make the programme accessible to anyone interested while giving priority to diversity group members who had expressed an interest in being mentored, and integrating diversity specific elements into the briefs for mentors and mentees to apply as relevant. As the new cohort of apprentices were due to be matched with mentors, it was also decided to link both of these mentoring schemes together.\n5. Secure the buy-in: Hopefully the interest has been building since the initial consultation with several individuals eager to get involved. In anticipation of the launch it is important to start thinking about any remaining stakeholders whose commitment you need to secure to help you sell the programme to others. Thinking back to the original needs you identified, your ideal pool of mentors and mentees, and where the programme will fit within existing structures and employee development initiatives will help you deliver a pitch with a punch, and effectively target your promotional material in the launch. When working to secure buy-in, be clear about the aims of the programme and predicted benefits; what can be gained by both mentors and mentees? What level of commitment is required? How will participation be endorsed or recognised organisationally?\n6. Time to launch it: St Mungo's drafted fact sheets and a more detailed guidance document outlining the key information about the programme, including the benefits, expectations, boundaries and additional support. Promoted as professional development opportunity for mentors and mentees alike, information was distributed widely. Staff who were interested in taking part in the programme were asked to complete short application forms, outlining their reasons for wanting to be a mentor or mentee. Those aims were assessed to ensure that they were in line with the overall objectives of the programme. A small pool of high-performing individuals were directly approached and encouraged to participate in the programme as mentors. All mentors were then asked to complete a one-day workshop as a pre-requisite to being matched with a mentee. This, alongside the application forms, helped ascertain the motivations and skill sets of different individuals, clarified the boundaries and terms of the mentoring relationship and offered mentors the opportunity to test out some of the tools that were developed to assist them in supporting their mentees. The session focused largely around active listening, motivational interviewing and techniques for giving constructive feedback.\n7. Match-making: When it comes to mentoring, chemistry and rapport between the mentor and mentee are crucial ingredients for success. Identifying individuals who share similar interests or whose experience and skill set complement the objectives of another, is a key part of this process. In larger organisations, matching individuals across departments and with colleagues they have little contact with in their day to day roles should be favoured, as it has proven to produce the best results. Not only does this help both individuals to maintain professional boundaries, but it also opens up new networks and greater understanding about wider organisational operations which can be equally if not more valuable to spurring growth and progression.\n8. Monitoring and evaluation: It is not always going to be a perfect match and there are bound to be some bumps along the way. Establishing clear avenues of support for mentors and mentees should they need it can help ease any anxieties and ensure that the relationship continues to benefit the individuals involved. Once match-making has taken place and introductory e-mails have been sent out, it might be worthwhile checking in with both parties every so often to see how they are progressing. St Mungo's opted for e-mail contact every three to four months and both mentors and mentees were given a contact to speak with should they have any questions or require additional support. Six months into the relationship, both the mentors and mentees were asked to fill out a short questionnaire recording the number of meetings they had attended to date, whether they had established clear objectives together and how they were progressing in achieving those objectives. A similar questionnaire was provided at the end of the relationship and the data from these were used as part of the programme evaluation.\nIn conclusion: Organisations are only as effective as the individuals who work there, so it is important to make the most of your people and invest in their development. Mentoring is an effective low-cost means of making the most of your in-house experience and developing the potential of your workforce. Whose future could you help shape?\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to offer practical tips and guidance to organisations considering setting up a workplace mentoring programme.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper shares insights and practical tips based on the experience of St Mungo's Homelessness charity.\nFindings: Mentoring is an effective low-cost means of making the most of your in-house experience and developing the potential of your workforce.\nOriginality/value: Based on the experience of St Mungo's Homelessness charity, the paper shares insights and offers practical tips for organisations that are considering setting up a mentoring programme.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Evaluation of recovery configuration options by product utilisation value
|
[
"Evaluation",
"Reverse logistics",
"Fuzzy logic",
"Supply chains",
"Sustainable production"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Improving sustainability, when many new products are produced today, depends on the ability of a reverse supply chain to channel most components of returned products into the primary and/or secondary production processes. This process can help minimise the impact on landfill. However, improving sustainability in a supply chain is a challenge for practitioners (Gunasekaran and Spalanzani, 2012; Fabbe-Costes et al., 2014; Seuring et al., 2008), because multiple issues have to be considered simultaneously while maintaining an effective and efficient supply chain in both forward and reverse directions (John and Sridharan, 2015). One issue is the need to reduce operational costs and environmental impact due to global competitiveness (Hassini et al., 2012). Thus, the challenge for reverse supply chains is to minimise recovery costs and lead-time while maximising the recoverable content and reliability of manufactured products with returned components (Kuik et al., 2016). The other issues are that participation in global supply chains also requires zero defects, delivery performance according to customer-driven schedules and a focus on continual improvements. Hence, performance assessment for the return stream is a necessity (Ageron et al., 2012; Olugu and Wong, 2012) to enable manufacturers and supply chain practitioners make better decisions (Seuring, 2013). Decision makers require a simple and logical methodology to identify the best product recovery alternatives to implement product recovery options (Chan et al., 2011; Sharma et al., 2016).\n2. Performance evaluation of returned products: Performance evaluation and analysis of product returns (Mukhopadhyay and Setaputra, 2011) and recovery operations is emerging as an important research field for sustainability in a supply chain (Seuring, 2013; Shepherd and Hannes, 2006). The need for cohesive performance measures and matrices for sustainable supply chain (Ganga and Carpinetti, 2011) has been argued for by a few researchers including Ageron et al. (2012), Bhattacharya et al. (2014), Gunasekaran and Spalanzani (2012), Lai and Wong (2012), Li et al. (2014) and Turrisi et al. (2013).\n3. Model formulation for performance evaluation: Although a few mathematical models with different foci exist on assessing performance of a reverse supply chain, the deterministic nature of mathematical modelling is inadequate when handling a real-life application because the presumed scenarios of mathematical models may not represent reality in decision making (Schwartz, 1966). When existing assessment techniques are imprecise, incomplete or not holistic, not reliable nor simple, a fuzzy logic approach (Zadeh, 1983) can help mimic human decision making. Therefore, a fuzzy expert system in the Mamdani-style of fuzzy inference process (Amindoust et al., 2012; Buyukozkan and Feyzioglu, 2004) is proposed to enhance the selection of recovery configuration options and product assessment in our approach.\n4. Performance evaluation: a numerical example and an industry case study: To illustrate the performance evaluation on product returns with CTR operations, a numerical case example is used to demonstrate qualitative performance evaluation using fuzzy logic and a fuzzy expert system is used for the numerical case example to estimate PUV for two recovery configurations. The performance evaluation equation for the PUVREC which is discussed in Nagalingam et al. (2013), and is given as follows:(9)\n5. Discussion: WM in product development processes needs to consider reverse logistic issues and associated strategic and operational decisions (Pazoki and Abdul-Kader, 2016). These considerations can directly improve the PUV of a manufactured product with recovery options. An intra-organisational collaborative decision-making approach among supply chain participants can help standardise decision-making process (Bhattacharya et al., 2014), where performance measures for CTR operations need to be agreed. For the \"3R\" process strategy (reuse, remanufacture and recycle) a collaborative manufacturing approach as recommended by Lin et al. (2012) is applicable for the development of product design and process with suppliers/vendors, manufacturers, customers, sub-contractors and end-user in forming a partnership network to achieve mutual objectives for gaining customer satisfaction and promoting sustainable development by considering PUV. In today's competitive environment, manufactures need to consider manufacturing new products and utilising returned products (Li et al., 2014) with \"6R\" options to meet market demands from primary and secondary markets. Higher utilisation of returned products will help enhance sustainable manufacturing and reduce landfill with many recoverable components and items. The estimated decision disposition variables may change over time with developments in technology, increased product recovery due to environmental awareness and government regulations. Hence, it is recommended that the decision makers should analyse appropriate performance measures for their organisation and the supply chain, and consider possible implications for their forward and reverse supply chain before taking a decision regarding the recovery options.\n6. Conclusion: To enhance sustainable manufacturing by \"6R\" options (\"3R\" design and \"3R\" process strategies), this research paper has provided a PUV-based approach with appropriate performance measures that are in need by manufacturing managers and decision makers. With suppliers seeking compliance to customer demands, requirements and specifications to participate in global supply chains, use of the PUV opens the organisation up to even greater scrutiny, especially in sustainability. The metrics of quality, cost and delivery would be the minimum or entry level hurdles that must be achieved but must be improved to meet any additional sustainability requirements. The current Volkswagen and Audi Group fuel, emissions and power testing and reporting scandal demonstrates the complexity of the environment that organisations wish to compete and gain market share.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose an approach to evaluate product performance of returned products, using four key performance attributes as the basis for improving sustainability through product recovery.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A fuzzy logic approach is developed to account a trade-off scenario for a manufactured product with recovery options. This approach is demonstrated using a numerical example and is validated using a case study in the automotive parts and components industry.\nFindings: Product utilisation value (PUV) is found to be a useful index that manufacturers can use to assess product recovery options, as it brings together a number of conflicting parameters into a rationalised value for decision making. In addition, PUV provides a rationalised approach for comparing and selecting the most appropriate recovery configuration option.\nResearch limitations/implications: The authors only utilise four key performance measures to derive PUV. Further research is needed to modify and incorporate other measures that are important to decision makers to improve sustainability in manufacturing supply chains.\nPractical implications: The proposed approach may motivate decision makers to consider sustainable recovery options by comparing PUVs of products for primary and secondary markets. The case study demonstrated the conflict and complexity organisations face in a global supply chain of a competitive industry.\nOriginality/value: The authors propose an approach to optimise trade-off considerations of selected performance attributes through PUV. This PUV as a benchmark can help improve recovery of the returned products and reduce landfill.\n",
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The antecedents and consequences of the perceived positive eWOM review credibility
|
[
"Cognition-affection-behavior model",
"Interpersonal and informational determinants",
"Perceived positive eWOM review credibility",
"Dual attitudes",
"EWOM review adoption"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The global market for cosmetics grows annually at 6.4% and is expected to reach USD 675b by 2020, with skin care products having the highest growth. Individuals between 18 and 38 years old represent about 25% of the population in developed countries. This age group not only enjoys social activities but also has a new concept of beauty (ETfashion, 2016). Social media has become an important marketing channel for them (iFashion Trend, 2017). Asian cosmetic products have a 50% market share for cosmetics and account for 80% of the global market revenues (ETfashion, 2016). Asia has become the focus area of the global market because its consumers have high consciousness of cosmetics and it has strong kinetic energy of market growth (ETfashion, 2016). Tracking cosmetic website information by social networking sites (SNSs) users has become a new commercial opportunity for online marketplaces. Cosmetics and fashion websites not only provide firsthand information about their products but also accumulate vast amounts of comments, reviews, videos and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) from SNSs users. The reviews and comments from novice consumers are more persuasive than the endorsements for products' advertisements from celebrities. There are more channels for consumers from all over the world to get a plethora of information when searching for suggestions regarding their using experiences and the upcoming launch of new beauty products, especially with the sudden rise and popularity of beauty bloggers (InsightXplorer Limited, 2017). Thus, SNSs become an essential channel for acquiring cosmetic information and top priority usage of products for online users.In Taiwan, it is anticipated that consumers' attentions to cosmetics products will continue to grow in 2019 (Cosmetic Marketing Research Institution, 2019). Based on iSURVEY, 30.4% of the respondents will reconsider the purchase of a particular product because of negative comments provided by friends and relatives in the SNSs community (iSURVEY, 2017). Therefore, the bestselling strategy for a brand product is to display its consumers' opinions through an open platform. The power of positive eWOM (PeWOM) review can help a brand to capture the effectiveness of public relations (iSURVEY, 2017). Hence, the eWOM review becomes a vital reference for consumers' purchase decisions.WOM marketing has become an important issue in the marketing literature because both senders and receivers view it as an informal interpersonal communication among people (Huete-Alcocer, 2017). They can easily send and receive comments, messages, opinions, reviews and thoughts about the products or services without the commercial intentions embedded in advertisements. Thus, messages receivers award higher credibility to WOM messages and can easily accept the contents of WOM (Bansal and Voyer, 2000). WOM has replaced the role of traditional marketing vehicles (actions) and become an important marketing tool for the referral of purchase decisions in the SNSs context (Trusov et al., 2009). SNSs connect a large number of anonymous users and allow them to express their feelings and opinions without disclosing their real identities (Dellarocas, 2003).Particularly in the cosmetics market, there are occurrences of several phenomena including the speed-up of new products for brands and the increase of channels for customers acquiring information. This indicates that online customers generate low loyalty and varied behavior (CMRI, 2019). Therefore, for online service providers, it is essential to find an instantaneous communication channel with customers, whereas online reviews become critical information for customer determination whether to purchase or not. Therefore, building up of online customers' connections of positive relationships and eWOM become important issues for both sellers and buyers. Consumers anonymously share their advices and consumption experiences of products and services in SNSs context. Thus, online platforms increase the credibility and influence of eWOM (Xiang et al., 2018). Furthermore, the eWOM review credibility is an important determinant of whether each review should be accepted or rejected under the uncertainty of the authenticity of this eWOM (Cheung et al., 2009; Qiu et al., 2012; Wang and Wei, 2006). Perceived eWOM review credibility is another essential component for establishing a relationship model, and is a primary factor for message receivers during the persuasion process (Erkan and Evans, 2016; Wathen and Burkell, 2002). Past research has mainly focused on the empirical eWOM effects and investigated the effects of perceived eWOM review credibility on perceived eWOM review adoption and purchase intention (e.g. Cheung et al., 2009; Chih et al., 2013).The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of PPERC in order to uncover the relevant factors of eWOM review. Prior studies on the influence of positive and negative eWOM reviews have been quite divergent. Some studies indicated that PeWOM reviews have greater influence on consumers' behavior decisions (Gershoff et al., 2003; Skowronski and Carlston, 1987, 1989; Sweeney et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2010). However, others pointed out that consumers focus more on the negative eWOM reviews rather than on the PeWOM reviews, which have a weaker influence on their purchase decisions (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2003). Recent research indicated that a positive WOM has a greater effect on behavior decision (Gershoff et al., 2003; Skowronski and Carlston, 1987, 1989; Sweeney et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2010) even though prior studies showed that a positive eWOM review has a weaker effect rather than a negative eWOM review (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2003). This study investigates positive eWOM review based on the studies of Chih et al. (2013) and Ruiz-Mafe et al. (2018) and adopts PeWOM reviews to construct a research framework because of the following premises. First, positive eWOM enhances its credibility and increases customers' purchase intentions (Jeong and Jang, 2011; Tsao and Hsieh, 2015) especially from independent platforms. Second, it is more likely to elicit positive eWOM reviews than negative ones (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2003; Rossiter and Percy, 1997). Third, consumers generate positive WOM due to a self-enhanced motive (De Angelis et al., 2012). Fourth, favorable firm and brand images are created by positive eWOM reviews. Thus, promotional expenditures can be reduced (Sundaram et al., 1998). A positive eWOM refers to current or potential consumers who are willing to spread positive comments to others and institutions in SNSs environment (Ruiz-Mafe et al., 2018). Fifth, there are inconsistent findings regarding the effects of eWOM motivations on eWOM behavior. The effect of motivation cancels out due to a mixture of positive and negative items of eWOM (Hu and Kim, 2018). Therefore, this paper adopts positive eWOM to avoid the inherent mixing of positive and negative items of eWOM.There are two influential aspects for using virtual communities (forum) among SNSs users. The first aspect is social bonding factors (Choi et al., 2017; Raacke and Bonds-Raacke, 2008) and the second is informational determinants (Cheung et al., 2008; Erkan and Evans, 2016; Lin and Xu, 2017; Raacke and Bonds-Raacke, 2008). Chih et al. (2013) investigated the antecedents of PPERC from the platform-based and customer-based perspectives. This study contributes to the extant research and further extends the topic of PeWOM review by suggesting that interpersonal interaction relationship is a key factor of WOM in social media.This study classifies informational determinants into information source (i.e., source trustworthiness) and customer review (i.e., customer endorsements). Source trustworthiness refers to experts with authenticity significantly influence receivers' attitudes (Lopez and Sicilia, 2014). Consumers' comments are more persuasive than experts' comments invited by firms on the website (Hussain et al., 2017). Individuals will amend their attitudes and adopt reviews based on other customers' evaluations and thoughts regarding information sources. A customer endorsement can make up for a deficiency of source trustworthiness in the information determinants. Thus, there is a complementarity between customer endorsement and source trustworthiness. Individuals follow each other's comments due to relevant information, mutual friends or similar interests rather than based on a single factor for their decision-making from the perspective of interpersonal relationship (Tommasel et al., 2015). Since establishing an interactive relationship depends on the communication and coordination between people, this interaction relationship does affect the sending and receiving processes of eWOM no matter how strong the relationship is. Another factor of PPERC that deserves further attention is the so called homophily, which refers to the consistent or similar characteristics of some attributes and degrees between an individual and others in SNSs (Rogers and Bhowmik, 1970) and plays an important role of eWOM behavior at the micro level (Brown and Reingen, 1987). It is hard to embody crucial interpersonal relationships from the perspective of informational determinants since SNSs are important media for interpersonal interaction. The contagion of interpersonal relationship is an antecedent of eWOM credibility of the messages embedded in the online community context (Brown et al., 2007).Current research mainly focuses on three topics of eWOM in social media. First, prior theoretical models have investigated individuals' characteristics regarding eWOM behavior during the persuasive processes of messages received for online eWOM review. These characteristics include altruism, curiosity, and self-enhancement (Babic et al., 2016; Bigne et al., 2015; Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004; Munar and Jacobsen, 2014; Reimer and Benkenstein, 2016), intrinsic motivation (Goldsmith and Horowitz, 2006; Henning-Thurau and Walsh, 2003) and environmental motivation (Cheung et al., 2009). Second, prior researchers were interested in understanding the participation and promotion of community members from the perspective of antecedents of eWOM communications for group-level and social dimensions of consumption (Ruiz-Mafe et al., 2018) or social influence (Hsu et al., 2018). Third, prior studies analyzed the SNSs characteristics and customers' reviews which increased the credibility and usefulness for users with argument quality, comment length, information quality, reviews volume, source credibility, etc. (Babic et al., 2016; Cheung and Thadani, 2012; Chih et al., 2013; Gvili and Levy, 2016; Hussain et al., 2017; Yan et al., 2016; You et al., 2015). These fragmented perspectives cannot clearly depict the whole picture of influential relationships regarding eWOM reviews. Instead a meta-analysis study of the eWOM's source credibility will permit a fully understanding of these eWOM issues (Ismagilova et al., 2020). In the same study, theoretical application demonstrated how SNSs created the venue for eWOM communication and information transfer. Thus, it is worth exploring the influential processes of eWOM reviews in social media. Past studies that only considered the environmentally mediating factor or information adoption model (Cheung et al., 2008) from the perspective of information recipients to explain their adoption behavior, may constrain the problem, as may the broadness of its theoretical foundation. Hence, this study adopts the cognition-affection-behavior (CAB) model proposed by Kotler (2003) as the appropriate conceptual framework to investigate the persuasive processes of the effect of PPERC on ERA.This study proposes three research questions in order to understand the antecedents and consequences of PPERC. The first question is what are the relationships between homophily and tie strength/source trustworthiness? The second one is what are the relationships between interpersonal/informational determinants and PPERC? Finally, the third one is what extent do attitudes (ATP and ATFP) play a mediating role between PPERC and ERA in the proposed model?There are three research contributions from a theoretical perspective. First, prior research adopted the information adoption model (Sussman and Siegal, 2003) as the foundation of a theoretical application. The information adoption model has been widely applied in the areas of information systems and marketing (e.g., Cheung et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2014). However, it is not enough to explain the way people handle the information persuasion of eWOM reviews from an informational perspective. This study adopts the CAB model to investigate consumers' affective factors (ATP and ATFP) which supplements the ignored consumers' affective factors of the information adoption model. Second, this study is not only concerned with the informational determinants (e.g. Cheung et al., 2009) of PPERC but also adds a new perspective of interpersonal determinants to fully understand the influential process and the effect of other individuals or groups on an individual behavior. Third, most studies did not specifically distinguish between positive and negative eWOM review credibility (e.g. Cheung et al., 2009; Shan, 2016). It then becomes necessary to point out a direction either for positive or negative eWOM review credibility. This study develops a research framework from the perspective of positive eWOM review credibility.\n2. Theoretical model and hypotheses development: 2.1 CAB and research model\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Results: This study used a Structural Equation Modeling to conduct the measurement model and the structural model based on Anderson and Gerbing (1988), as well as applying the Bootstrapping method to test the mediation effects of dual attitudes (ATP and ATFP). 4.1 Measurement model\n5. Discussion: 5.1 Research findings and theoretical implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study explores the effects of interpersonal determinants (tie strength and homophily) and informational determinants (source trustworthiness and customer endorsement) on perceived positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) review credibility (PPERC), which subsequently affects attitude toward the product (ATP), attitude toward the Fan Page (ATFP), and eWOM review adoption (ERA) based on the cognition-affection-behavior (CAB) model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research sample consists of 402 subjects who used the Fan Page of Fashion Guide for more than one year. This research adopts a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the proposed model, which shows a good fit.\nFindings: The results indicate that tie strength, homophily, source trustworthiness and customer endorsement each have a significant and positive effect on PPERC, respectively. In addition, homophily has a significant and positive effect on the strength and source trustworthiness. Furthermore, the results reveal that PPERC has a significant and positive effect on ATP, ATFP and ERA.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the literature by integrating multi perspectives and factors from informational determinants and interpersonal determinants. In addition, this study proposes that these determinants affect ERA via PPERC and dual attitudes (ATP and ATFP).\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Platform ecological circle for cold chain logistics enterprises: the value co-creation analysis
|
[
"Value co-creation",
"Cold chain logistics enterprises",
"Enterprise dynamic capability",
"Platform ecological circle"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the fast increase of consumption levels, the demand for fresh produce grows rapidly and steadily, resulting in the cold chain logistics to emerge. According to the statistics from China's Logistics and Purchasing Network in 2015, the estimated total annual volume of the cold chain logistics is between 3.5 and 4.5 trillion yuan, indicating a growth rate of 22 percent for the cold chain. This evidence supports that, at least partially, the cold chain logistics in China appears in its transit stage. According to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, China's existing refrigeration capacity, at present, accounts for only 20-30 percent of the demand for goods (Yuan et al., 2015). Along with the Chinese Government's current supporting policies and future emphases (Yuan et al., 2015), there will be an enormous room for the logistics to further expand.\n2. Literature review: This section conducts a literature survey on value co-creation, cold chain logistics, platform ecological circle, fundamental theory of enterprise resources and the theory of enterprise capabilities.\n3. Theoretical review and research hypothesis: Beverland (2012) proposed a general model for value co-creation in the field of industrial marketing. It is a relational model between four major types of constructs: value orientation, value competence, value practice and value outcome. Based on this model, we assume that resource sharing in platform ecological circle will improve enterprises' dynamic capabilities, and hence it is beneficial to promote value co-creation activities between them by jointly developing plans, implementing plans and solving problems.\n4. Data collection and questionnaire design: 4.1 Sample selection and data collection\n5. Data analysis and results: 5.1 Test of reliability and validity of scale\n6. Conclusions and inspiration: 6.1 Research conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a framework of value co-creation in platform ecological circle for cold chain logistics enterprises to guide the transformation and development of cold chain logistics industry.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper establishes a conceptual framework for the research on the platform ecological circle in cold chain logistics, utilizes a structural equation model to investigate the influencing factors of the value co-creation of the platform ecological circle in the cold chain logistics enterprises and elaborates the internal relations between different influencing factors regarding the value co-creation and enterprises' performance.\nFindings: Results show that resource sharing in logistics platform ecological circle can stimulate the interaction among enterprises and this produces a positive influence on their dynamic capabilities, which, in turn, affects the they to work together to plan, implement and solve problems, so as to achieve the goal of improving enterprise performance.\nPractical implications: The shared resources and value co-creation activities in the platform ecological circle are very important for the transformation and development of cold chain logistics enterprises. Therefore, enterprises should promote value co-creation through realizing resource sharing and creating a win-win cooperation mechanism.\nOriginality/value: This paper targets at incorporating the resource sharing in platform ecological circle for cold chain logistics enterprises, explores from an empirical perspective the role of the resource sharing in cold chain logistics enterprises in enhancing the dynamic capabilities of enterprises, thereby encouraging the value co-creation behavior, and ultimately boosts enterprise performance and stimulates business development.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Innovative tools and techniques to overcome HR challenges globally
|
[
"Leadership development",
"Employee engagement",
"Human resources",
"Organizational development",
"Chief executives",
"HR leaders"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: HR should not be defined by what it does but by what it delivers - results that enrich the organization's value to customers, investors and employees. - Dave Ulrich.\nCurrent HR challenges globally: It is a fact that HR leaders are king makers and queen makers but they rarely become kings and queens. They pave the way for others to become CEOs, but rarely do they become CEOs. Here are some challenges HR is facing currently:\nSuggestions to overcome HR challenges: If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings - and put compensation as a carrier behind it - you almost don't have to manage them. - Jack Welch\nHR practices in global companies: Take away my people, but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory. - Andrew Carnegie\nToward a modern HR philosophy: Peter L. Allen[1], the vice president for People and Organization Development at Agoda.com outlines in his McKinsey Quarterly article titled, \"Toward a new HR philosophy\": managers, not HR, should define, live, and develop the company's leadership; managers, not HR, should do the hard work of managing people - hiring, evaluating, rewarding, and disciplining employees - and managers should be evaluated on their results; employees, not HR, should \"manage up\" and take responsibility for solving problems directly with their managers; in addition, we have taken the symbolic but important step of renaming our department People and Organization Development rather than Human Resources. We have also tried to hire the smartest and most talented people we can find, regardless of whether they have traditional HR backgrounds.\nThe role of CEOs and senior leaders: Focus on a few key objectives [...] I only have three things to do. I have to choose the right people, allocate the right number of dollars, and transmit ideas from one division to another with the speed of light. So I'm really in the business of being the gatekeeper and the transmitter of ideas. - Jack Welch\nLeaders are mortal while leadership is immortal: Leadership matters, because leaders are responsible for identifying and resolving the challenges of their stakeholders - customers, investors and employees. Leadership starts with better results. - (Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood, 2011)\nConclusion: Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they're not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves. - Ken Robinson\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this research paper is to address the current challenges in HR and offer innovative tools and techniques to craft a modern HR philosophy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: It illustrates with examples of global companies, including Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, FedEx Corporation, Mayo Clinic, Rolls-Royce, Shell, Ford, Boston Consulting Group, Nissan, and Cadbury, that are noted for innovative HR practices.\nFindings: It concludes that global organizations and senior leaders must address the current HR challenges and adopt innovative tools and techniques to stay relevant and competent in the present global dynamic business environment to achieve organizational excellence and effectiveness.\nPractical implications: The tools and techniques adopted to achieve a modern HR philosophy can be applied in any industry and in any size of organization.\nSocial implications: The social implications of this research suggest that HR leaders can achieve organizational excellence and effectiveness by adopting these innovative tools and techniques.\nOriginality/value: It advises placing more emphasis on leadership than on leaders because leaders are mortal, whereas leadership is immortal. It explains the role of HR leaders and CEOs in crafting a modern HR philosophy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Using grey relational analysis and TRIZ to identify KSFs and strategies for choosing importers and exporters: An example of the Taiwanese hand-tool industry
|
[
"Taiwan",
"Hand tools",
"Critical success factors",
"Decision making",
"Imports",
"Exports"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: The hand-tool industry, a long-standing industry in Taiwan, has been developing for last 40 years. The quality of many items produced by the industry is improving, especially the materials, functionality, the equipment used for manufacturing, the industry's personnel's skills, and the internal operation models. This is leading Taiwan to gain a strong position in the international hand-tool market.The industry is realizing now the importance of branding. The first step to brand building in the international market is studying in-depth customer behaviour. Therefore, this study focuses on customers of the Taiwanese hand-tool industry and understanding how they collect information and make decisions about which company they should purchase the hand-tools from.Therefore, this study considers brand planning as a critical process for Taiwan hand-tool industry companies to be excellent in the international market. The companies should perform activities such as personal recruiting, company cultural transformation, finding a foreign agency, customer (foreign importers and local exporters) purchasing behaviour study, etc. in advance.There are two main purposes of our study. The first one is finding key success factors (KSFs) in purchasing decision making of overseas importers of Taiwanese hand-tool products and the Taiwanese exporters of such. The second purpose is determining what problems may occur if the KSFs are managed poorly, because such problems will be critical for the company. Therefore, we try to find strategies to solve these critical problems. Since the critical problems determined by our study are based on a real case, companies within the industry could refer to our improvement directions and strategies to develop their own operations.This study consists of six parts: purchasing decision-making literature review, questionnaire design for foreign importers and local exporters, statistical analysis of critical factors collected through a questionnaire, results analysis of critical factors and problems, application of TRIZ inventive principles and formulating improvement strategies, and conclusions.\n2 Purchasing decision-making literature review: In this study, customer behaviour is understood as company's purchasing behaviour (therefore a B2B purchasing behaviour), as the direct customers of hand-tool industry are B2B customers. The following section presents the literature review of purchasing decision-making behaviour.There are various definitions of purchasing behaviour among scholars. Zenz (1981) considered that purchasing comes of purchase management activities, such as related or complementary plans and strategies. Russell and Taylor (2000) defined purchasing as the process in which customer buy products with good enough quality and quantity, from appropriate suppliers, and at an acceptable price. While suppliers ought to deliver goods to the correct place at the right time and provide reasonable service.Coyle et al. (2003) mentioned that purchasing is a process of gathering products and services, with many decision-making points. Therefore, we can determine these decision-making points for the analysis of related purchasing process models.The industry-adopted purchasing process model cited by Petajavaara (1995) has five stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, sample, and adoption. This model, though, does not include any evaluation criteria. It is too subjective and cannot determine whether the purchasing process is good or not.Probert (1996) studied purchasing processes based on six companies and divided them into three parts: information search (including need identification), technical cost planning (including product and technique planning), and decision-support planning (evaluation). However, the disadvantage of that model is that it does not evaluate well the effects of decisions that are made.Furthermore, Fitzsimmons (1998) defined company purchasing process based on four dimensions: need identification, information search, vendor selection, and performance evaluation. The process includes full evaluation criteria for each of the dimensions, and states a need for further discussion to satisfy the requests of present situation. Therefore, in our study, we adopt the purchasing process proposed by Fitzsimmons (1998) to be the main concept of our framework. Because the assumption of our study is that customers fully understand what they want to purchase, this study will not talk about the need identification process, but discuss the purchasing process only.2.1 Information search\n3 Questionnaire design: This study uses three dimensions (information search, vendor selection, and performance evaluation) to design the questionnaire. There are 18 communication tools in the \"information search\", 29 factors in the \"vendor selection\", and 28 factors in the \"performance evaluation\", all chosen from the literature mentioned above. For example, the \"information search\" dimension asks about what kind of communication tool customers can use in the hand-tool industry. The \"vendor selection\" dimension overviews what elements customers would consider during the selection process, from their own point of view. And the \"performance evaluation\" dimension is to evaluate the whole service process of the Taiwanese hand-tool companies. This study uses these three dimensions to determine the KSFs. Descriptive statistical analysis is presented in the following section.\n4 Statistical analysis of the KSFs from the questionnaire: This section includes two parts: in the first one, we discuss the questionnaire distribution process and in the second one the statistical analysis of its results.4.1 Questionnaire distribution\n5 Results analysis - the KSFs and critical problems: In this section, we present the grey analysis ranks of the three main dimensions (information search, vendor selection, and performance evaluation) for the overseas importers and the Taiwanese exporters. According to GRA, every factor gets one score (Table I). Then, we line up the grey analysis scores and select appropriate KSFs depending on the scores distribution. Daniel (1961) stated in his research that numbers of KSFs generally should be in between 3 and 6. Table I presents selected example of the grey analysis scores' ranking for the information search dimension for the overseas importers.In Figure 1, we can see the grey analysis score distribution among the information search factors for the overseas importers. They are grouped by us into five groups based on the received score. Following the rank rule and Daniel's KSFs selection standard, we choose only Group 1 (three factors) as the KSFs for the overseas importers. The three factors are: pamphlets, the internet, and mailing catalogues. The method of determining the KSFs in the two other dimensions of purchasing process is the same. Table II presents the overall analysis results.In this study, we select a total of 24 KSFs (Table II), 11 (from number 1 to 11) for the overseas importers and 13 (from number 12 to 24) for the Taiwanese exporters, and through the interview with Company A, literature review, and our observations we translate them into 22 critical problems. In the following section, we discuss the translation logic and explain how to use the TRIZ theory to solve these critical problems.5.1 KSFs' analysis\n6 Improvement strategies: Our study refers to the inventive principles and formulates strategies to solve the critical problems. Table IV shows our results in four columns: the dimensions of purchasing decision-making behaviour, critical problems, strategies, corresponding TRIZ principles, and possible duration of proposed strategy.To summarize Table IV, we can say that the company should focus on short-term strategies first and enforce medium- and long-term strategies later on, based on the short-term strategies' outcomes. The short-time strategies are supposed to eliminate asymmetric communication between companies and customers, so in the information search dimension, companies have to make product information transparent and spread correct information to customers in timely manner. While in the vendor selection and performance evaluation dimensions, companies should focus on financial matters and customer complaints, and further determine and improve the main reasons for such complaints.For the medium-term strategies, companies should define who are their target customers and serve customized services to them. After determining the main market through the information search dimension, companies should prepare mass customized advertisement activities, such as throwaways, displays, sending e-mails, etc. The goal of the medium-term strategy is for companies to keep upgrading quality, manufacturing and innovation capabilities in order to achieve sustainable operations. Also, sales divisions should keep their knowledge about quality development updated. The same medium-term targets for both the overseas importers and the Taiwanese exporters are to purchase latest equipment and improve the overall quality.Referring to main goals of the long-term strategies in the information search dimension, marketing and brand building are necessary for companies to establish good relationships with target customers by distributing samples and willingness to negotiate. Though fixed monthly marketing expenses have limited effect in the short term, they will work well for brand building in the long-term perspective. In order to keep these good relationships, companies need to deal with customers carefully also in the vendor selection dimension and structure customer database in the performance evaluation dimension. Moreover, companies can investigate customers' preferences and purchasing process using data-mining techniques.Under recent trend for branding, the main purpose of this study is to offer the Taiwanese hand-tool companies brand building strategies including short-, medium-, and long-term perspectives. The Taiwanese hand-tool companies can adopt fit strategies depending on their own 3- to 5-year goals, and to do that well, they need to understand other countries' overseas importers' and exporters' purchasing decision-making process. Furthermore, companies in other countries can also use strategies formulated by this study to solve critical problems they might face in their business environments.\n7 Conclusions: Our study uses three dimensions to discuss factors of hand-tool industry overseas importers and the Taiwanese exporters' purchasing decision making. The contributions of this study are as follows:* Understanding the overseas importer and the Taiwanese exporters' purchasing decision-making behaviour. By analyzing the research sample (48 questionnaires), this study attempts to understand what the overseas importers and the Taiwanese exporters care about in the information search, vendor selection, and performance evaluation dimensions. Then, we also focus on key factors to determine improvement methods.* B2B communication tools. We determine specific communication tools fit for B2B, which is our theoretical contribution to the literature.* An important reference of brand building for the Taiwanese hand-tool companies. Since this study investigates trends of the overseas importers and the Taiwanese exporters' purchasing decision-making behaviour, the companies that want to expand internationally can refer to the critical problems and strategies determined by this study in order to build their own future strategies and formulate their own goals.* The critical problems and their solutions in the operations. This study determines 24 KSFs and translates them into 22 critical problems. Other companies from hand-tool, or similar, industry, that face similar problems, can use the strategies proposed in our study.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to determine the key success factors (KSFs) of purchasing decision making of overseas importers of Taiwanese products and the Taiwanese exporters; and second, to translate these KSFs into critical problems and formulate strategies to solve them.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors use grey theory to identify the KSFs. In the end, 24 KSFs are obtained and changed into 22 critical problems. That is, the authors define what characteristics need to be improved for each critical problem and what characteristics could worsen (deteriorate) when the improved parameters are applied to solve the critical problems. Then, the authors use the TRIZ contradiction matrix to determine inventive principles they relate to and apply them to formulate the strategies for the hand-tool industry.\nFindings: - The study offers short-, medium- and long-term improvement strategies for companies in the hand-tool industry in the area of purchasing decision making.\nOriginality/value: - The paper contributes in four ways. First, in understanding the overseas importers and the Taiwanese exporters' purchasing decision making with reference to the hand-tool industry in Taiwan. Second, it determines B2B communication tools, which is a theoretical contribution of this paper to the literature. Third, companies in Taiwan and other countries can also apply strategies formulated in this research to solve similar problems. Finally, it simulates the critical problems and its solutions in the operations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Economic growth and its effect on income distribution
|
[
"Economic growth",
"Income",
"Employees"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A burgeoning literature has analyzed the impact of wealth and income distribution on economic growth. Literature on income inequality and economic growth published in the 1990s considers East Asian countries classic examples, since they achieved considerable growth and narrowed their income gaps. This fact triggered renewed discussions regarding the relation between income inequality and economic growth and rekindled discussion on the Kuznets hypothesis - an inverse U shaped relation between per capita income and its distribution. Its general finding is that greater equality leads to higher long-term growth (Alesina and Rodrik, 1994; Persson and Tabelini, 1994; B'enabu, 1996; Clarke, 1995; Panizza, 1998). In the Alesina and Rodrik model, for example, greater inequality increases the political demand for financial transfers by median households. Since, distribution occurs through a tax on capital, this leads to a lower after-tax return to capital, lesser investment, and lower equilibrium growth rate.More recently, however, another set of articles has questioned the findings of the first group of studies. Li and Zou (1998), Barro (2000), Forbes (2000), Banerjee and Dulfo (2003) and Lundberg and Squire (2003), have found evidence to the contrary: namely, that greater inequality may promote economic growth. For example, Lundberg and Squire (2003) maintain that the point estimate of the coefficient of the Gini ratio in structural regression between growth and inequality is positive (where growth is the dependent variable). Barro (2000) shows that the effect of the Gini coefficient on economic growth depends on the threshold level of economic development (as measured by real per capita GDP). Greater inequality hinders growth in poor countries, but has a positive impact on growth in richer countries. His findings suggest that the positive impact of inequality on growth is limited to richer countries. Yao et al. (2005) analyzed regional and rural urban inequality in Chinese provinces over 1978-1995. They found that the fast economic growth during this period was accompanied with a clear divergence in per capita income across provinces. Chen and Wu (2005) found similar results for China in 1988-1998. Banerjee and Dulfo (2003) conclude that a change in income distribution in any direction would reduce economic growth. Coulombe and Tremblay (2001) presented empirical results from Canada, indicating that human capital converged at the same speed as per capita income during the 1951-1996 period. Their findings might indicate that economic growth is accompanied by more equality of income distribution. Quand (2004) empirically analyzes the determinants of rural poverty in developing countries. Using data from a sample of 32 developing countries, he shows that income redistribution in favor of the poorest 10 percent of the population, improved productivity of agricultural workers and raised the economic and social status of women, especially of rural women.The economic literature discusses various determinants of economic growth. Many researchers focus over human capital accumulation or technology diffusion and innovation driven endogenous growth (Creedy and Gemmell, 2005; Aiginger, 2005; Zagler, 2005). In this paper, I will concentrate on the effect of capital accumulation on income distribution, within the context of the over-lapping generation model with capital due to Diamond (1965). In Diamond's (1965) model, all individuals are similar and live during two periods. An individual supplies one unit of labor when young, for which he receives a wage, and zero units when old. His consumption when old is financed by savings done when young in addition to the return on those savings. Savings of each generation finances the investment of the next generation. A connection is formed between current capital and future capital. Capital converges to a long-term stationary level.In this paper, I extended the model to include different types of individuals. Each individual belongs to a certain category of workers according to his production capability[1]. All firms use the same technology and each firm employs workers from various categories and pays all the workers in the same category equal wages. Workers in different categories are paid different wages. The aggregate savings of each generation finance the investment of the next generation. Increasing the capital level would cause an increase in the number of firms and an increase in the number of firm owners as well. The new firm owners would come from the working classes. The mobility of workers following the growth in capital would change income distribution. In each generation, wage distribution can be calculated so that it can be traced on the path to steady state equilibrium. Rest of the paper is organized in the following manner. The model structure is laid down and competitive equilibrium conditions are presented in Section 2. A specific example is presented in Section 3. To confirm the results of Sections 2 and 3, a simulation is presented in section 4. Section 5 presents the summary.\nModel structure: Consider a perfectly competitive world where economic activity is performed over infinite discrete time, t=1,2, ... ,[?]. There are many firms and each firm utilizes two factors, labor and capital, in the production process. All individuals live during two periods of time. An individual works during the first period and retires at the beginning of the second. Each individual saves part of his first period income so that the savings, including the return, finance his second period consumption. During each period, both young and old people are alive. The rate of population growth equals zero.Supply and demand for capital\nExample: Production\nSimulation: Let us define the parameters of the utility function and of the production function and determine an arbitrary value for the optimal stock of capital in each firm. We also assume that the tax rate is zero. Given a starting value of the aggregate capital in the economy, we can find the number of firms and the income distribution (by using the Gini index). In addition, we can calculate the path to equilibrium of the capital stock and the changes in income distribution along this path. Given that the optimal size of a firm stays constant in each generation, the number of firms will increase at the same rate as the capital stock. Increase in the number of firms would move some workers into a category of firm owners. Other workers would fill their places in the working classes, by moving up to a higher worker category. We would get that the number of workers in the lower categories decreases, while the number of firm owners increases. The simulation will enable us to show that any change in the capital stock would lead to a change of income distribution.The production function\nSummary: The main aim of this paper is to examine the effect of economic growth on worker mobility and the effect of this mobility on income distribution. In recent decades, the over lapping generation model has become the standard framework for the analysis of dynamic economic phenomena. This framework have facilitated novel insights in the understanding of aggregate economic behavior, while maintaining simplicity and analytical tractability. A similar level of interest has not been experienced by dynamic models of growth and its effect over income distribution. This lack of broad interest may be attributed to the surprising absence of an overlapping generation model with multiple labor categories. This paper develops a multiple categories of labor overlapping generation model. The importance of the paper is in its ability to analyze the changes in income of various categories of workers along the growth path of the economy.Aggregate capital growth is accompanied by an increase of the number of firms. The new firm owners come from the working class. The remaining workers are spread within the various labor categories, so that the wage in each category increases and income distribution improves.For simplicity, the optimal size of each firm is assumed to be identical within as well as across generations and the rate of population growth was assumed to be zero. If the population were allowed to grow, it can be shown that along the growth path, when the capital growth rate is higher than the population growth rate, the results of the model would not be much changed. Workers' mobility to higher categories would be dominant over population growth, so that the number of workers in lower categories would decline, and we can expect an improvement in income distribution along the growth path, however the improvement would be slower[11]. If the growth rate of capital were lower than the population growth rate, then it seems that we would not be able to determine the changes in income distribution along the growth path without a deeper inquiry. That is because we cannot determine from which category the new entrepreneurs would come. For simplicity, I also excluded the possibility of technological changes. Internalizing exogenous technological improvements might easily be done. Endogenous technological improvement might also be added to the discussion, but at the price of a more complicated model. I suppose that adding endogenous tech improvement would accelerate capital growth and that steady state of capital and of income distribution would depend on the relation between capital growth rate and population growth rate.Since, my main aim is to concentrate on the mobility of workers and income distribution, I leave the discussion on population growth and technological changes for future research.The effect of tax policy, as well as of inheritance, can be easily added to the model and to the discussion. In order to confirm the theoretical results and demonstrate that the model can be used for empirical analysis, an example and a simulation were presented.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The main aim of this paper is to examine the effect of economic growth on worker mobility and the effect of this mobility on income distribution.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper develops an overlapping generation model with multiple categories of labor. In order to confirm the theoretical results and demonstrate that the model can be used for empirical analysis, an example and a simulation were presented.\nFindings: - The analysis demonstrates that, as capital stock increase, workers are mobilized up to better jobs, their income grows and income distribution becomes more equalized.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Endogenous technological improvement and population growth might also be added to the discussion, but at the price of a more complicated model. Discussion on these issues showed be left for future research.\nPractical implications: - The effect of tax policy can be easily added to the model and to the discussion.\nOriginality/value: - This paper extended the overlapping generation model to include different types of individuals. The importance of the paper is in its ability to analyze the changes in the income of various categories of workers along the growth path of the economy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Using behavioural economics concepts to increase organizational learning in an NHS hospital
|
[
"Hospitals",
"Psychology",
"Business management",
"Health care organizations and systems"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Adverse safety incidents in hospitals are often missed opportunities for organizational learning (Anderson et al., 2013; Mahajan, 2010). Organizational learning is a process by which errors are detected and corrected (Argyris and Schon, 1996). Beneficially, hospitals that encourage organizational learning are better able to adapt to scientific, political, and economic changes than hospitals that do not (Ratnapalan and Uleryk, 2014; Walson and Chou, 2011). To become learning organizations, hospitals should embed dissemination systems that allow information to be openly transferred between individuals and across working units. The current paper provides practical insights into how hospitals can use behavioural economics concepts to enhance their dissemination systems (Dolan et al., 2012; Visser, 2007).\nDissemination systems: Written reports\nMethods: Participants\nResults: We examine how nurses learned about the Lessons and how many they remembered. A binary logistic regression is used to assess the effects of group, time, and the interaction on the likelihood that nurses learned about the Lessons: written reports on safety boards, written reports not on safety boards, and verbal reports. An ordinal regression is used to assess the effects of group, time, the interaction on word-of-mouth, and the number of Lessons nurses recalled and recognized.\nDiscussion: The current service evaluation assessed whether enhancing the dissemination systems a hospital uses to spread information about particular adverse safety incidents would increase organizational learning. Encouragingly, H1 and H2 were supported. In accordance with H1, nurses in the intervention group discussed the lessons with more staff than those in the control group. In accordance with H2, nurses in the intervention group accurately recalled more Lessons than those in the control group. H3 was not supported, because both groups experienced a similar increase in the number of Lessons that nurses were able to recognize. Notably, the effects of the safety boards were stronger than the effects of verbal reports. However, because the experiment was not a complete factorial design we cannot speculate as to how much each manipulation would affect organizational learning alone. Below we discuss limitations of the current service evaluation and then how behavioural economics concepts could be further used to enhance organizational learning.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess whether the dissemination systems that hospitals use to spread information about particular safety incidents can be enhanced using behavioural economics concepts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The current service evaluation took place within eight wards in a single acute care hospital. It was conducted as a randomized controlled trial with two groups. In the control group nothing was altered. In the intervention group ward managers received additional support to disseminate information to their nurses. Nurses were randomly selected to be surveyed during their scheduled shifts. The surveys revealed how the nurses learned about particular safety incidents and how many they remembered.\nFindings: Nurses in the intervention group were more likely to learn about particular safety incidents than nurses in the control group.\nPractical implications: Enhancing common dissemination systems in hospitals can increase organizational learning about safety incidents. The current study presents some means by which dissemination systems can be enhanced.\nOriginality/value: The current service evaluation is a unique application of behavioural economics concepts to enhance organizational learning of particular adverse safety incidents in an NHS hospital.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Use of social media, student engagement, and academic performance of business students in Malaysia
|
[
"Malaysia",
"Academic performance",
"Higher education",
"Social media",
"Student engagement"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: According to Bergen (2000), the use of existing technologies such as social media has been one of the interesting transformations that occur in higher education. The integration of social media within the education sphere is claimed to be easier because college students tend to have an account on many social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, etc. (Tess, 2013). Selwyn (2010) asserted that the rise of social media use in higher education could be attributed partly to the nature of students who come to enroll in the university who tend to be highly interconnected. Indeed, the Pew Research Centre reported that college students tend to be highly active users of social media. Such interconnectedness suggests the need for higher education institutions change the way their curriculum is designed and delivered. Indeed, many educators and scholars alike are excited with the potential benefit of social media in enhancing and promoting active learning among students (Browing et al., 2011; Selwyn, 2010) because the new technology is purported to make students be more engaged in their learning experience. Within the education sphere, student engagement is a key concept because it is likely to predict whether a student will perform well or not academically (Ainin et al., 2015; Dyson et al., 2015). In fact, past studies have provided empirical evidence on the positive role of student engagement in enhancing academic performance of students (Ainin et al., 2015; Hirsh, 2006).\nLiterature review: Social media\nMethod: Sample and data collection procedure\nResult: To test the hypotheses, PLS path modeling was used because it enables the estimation of multiple layers of the relationships between constructs (structural model) and relationships between indicators and their corresponding latent constructs (measurement model) simultaneously (Chin et al., 2003). However, before the analysis was performed, initial data screening was run to ensure that only valid cases were used. At this stage, checking for missing values and outliers, normality and multicollinearity was conducted using the appropriate techniques. In the case of missing values, a nearby point substitution replacement of missing value approach was used (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2007). To detect multivariate outliers, a Mahalanobis distance (D2) technique was employed (Hair et al., 2010). Any Mahalanobis values greater than the identified chi-square value were deleted. Based on this analysis, seven multivariate outliers were detected and subsequently deleted. Because self-reported measures were utilized, common method variance might likely be a major concern (Podsakoff et al., 2003). To test for this, Harman's single factor test was employed. The result of the analysis suggests that the first factor explained only 30.46 percent of the total variance, which was less than 50 percent threshold (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Hence, common method bias was not a major concern in this study.\nDiscussion: The key objective of the present study is to examine the mediating role of student engagement in the relationship between social media use and academic performance. While student engagement was hypothesized to be a significant mechanism that explains why social media can enhance academic performance of college students under study, the result appeared to suggest that not all facets of engagement were at play. Of the four facets, only cognitive engagement was revealed to link significantly between social media use and academic performance. That is, the use of social media was able to enhance academic performance because it allows students to be cognitively engaged in their studies.\nConclusion: Social media is an interesting social phenomenon that has greatly changed how we interact and communicate with others. Within the academic environment, to what extent its use can enhance students' learning experiences has received scholarly interest. As indicated by the present research, using social media as a learning tool has a great potential for improving students' academic achievement and performance because it allows students to be more engaged cognitively. Such finding suggests that social media can be effectively integrated into the classroom activities for students' benefits. However, as noted by Dyson et al. (2015), integrating social media into the course delivery is complex as the successfulness of such integration depends on a variety of factors such as students' own perspective of the use of such tool. Hence, in this regard, educators and policymakers may want to embark on a careful study on the effectiveness of integrating social media as part of the students' learning activities.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Social media is a popular communication tool for college students in many countries including Malaysia. Even though the literature indicates that the use of social media in a higher learning environment is likely to enhance academic performance of college students, the mechanism that explains such association is yet to be explored. Based on the claims that the integration of social media use is purposeful to enhance student engagement, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of student engagement as a potential mediator between social media use and academic performance of college students in Malaysia.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A total number of 227 business students in one of the public universities in Malaysia were randomly chosen to participate in this study. Questionnaire was used as the main data collection technique, which was personally administered during class sessions. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS).\nFindings: The result showed the multidimensionality of student engagement. It also indicated that cognitive engagement mediated the relationship between social media and academic performance, but not behavioral, emotional, or agentic engagement. The result suggests that social media has the potential to be used in a learning environment as it promotes cognitive engagement of students in class and subsequently their academic performance and success.\nResearch limitations/implications: One of the limitations of the present study is that the generalizability of the finding to a much larger population of students may be limited as the sampled students were recruited from business students in one of the public universities in Malaysia only. Students of different academic programs in different universities may have a different pattern of using the social media.\nPractical implications: This study will help higher learning institutions and educators think of ways to integrate the use of social media in learning activities to help students achieve better academic performance. As shown by the findings, such use can encourage students to be cognitively engagedt in class in which the students can be more active learners.\nOriginality/value: The present study adds to the literature in social media use by addressing the issue of how it helps enhance academic performance of college students in a single model. Past studies tended to examine the role of social media and student engagement and the effect of student engagement on academic performance separately. Furthermore, this study took into consideration various types of social media used by college students who tend to have multiple accounts.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Education for sustainability in university studies: Experiences from a project involving European and Latin American universities
|
[
"Higher education",
"Sustainable development",
"Curriculum development",
"Green marketing"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: For some years now, the goal of a common academic framework for higher education studies at European universities, which facilitates the exchange of qualified people between different countries, has been pursued (Leal Filho, 2002, 2005). Following this line of thinking, Spanish universities have initiated a process for revising their studies and defining new competencies that will provide their students with advanced and high quality training.Within the framework of the on-going initiatives to promote sustainability at universities in Europe, projects focusing on the curricular greening have been introduced from the very beginning as an indicator of the universities' commitment to providing their students with the knowledge needed for their professional future.During the last 20 years, most of the European universities have initiated strategic plans, deploying various courses of action to move forward the cause of sustainability at universities: mobility, regulation and adaptation of spaces, waste management, resource optimisation, curricular greening and raising awareness, etc. Orientation towards sustainability in teaching and in research, in all fields of study offered by universities, has been proposed as a high priority objective.Introducing environmental issues into the curriculum of higher education, understood as the orientation towards sustainability in these studies, is considered to be, at many universities, an important element of quality, an indicator of their degree of commitment to providing their graduates with advanced and up-to-date training (Leal Filho and Santos, 2005).This is why, in the last five years or so, many universities have created specific programmes of study as well as other environmental programmes. Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go to establish the parameters which will allow integrated environmental education, considering the sustainability of the planet as part of an integrative approach to knowledge.Incorporating sustainability as the main aim of teaching in higher education does not necessarily mean adding issues to the present teaching programmes. Curriculum greening is the result of a solid decision and attempts to change the way future professionals think and work. Teaching towards sustainability in universities is not only a declaration of good purposes and a budget item, but the beginning of a long process that involves a change in the epistemological, philosophical, political and social conceptions of all university members.\nFramework: Numerous international conferences and meetings have highlighted the importance of education for sustainability in the area of higher education and university studies (e.g. the \"MAB Programme\" of UNESCO, 1962; Club of Rome Report, 1971; Belgrade Charter, 1975; Tbilisi Intergovernmental Conference, 1977; International Meeting of Experts in Environmental Education of Paris, 1982; Moscow Conference, 1987; Rio Conference, 1992; World Congress for Environmental Education and Communication on Environment and Development, 1992; Thessaloniki Conference, 1997; World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) of Johannesburg, 2002).The first significant movements towards sustainabilities at European universities began in the 1990s. Two declarations and two international organisations could be considered the initial exponents of the international co-ordination of universities in the field of introducing environmental issues into the curriculum: the \"Talloires Declaration\" (1991) from which the \"University Leaders for a Sustainable Future (ULSF)\" and the \"Declaration of Universities for Sustainable Development\" (1993) were created within the framework of the \"Conference of Rectors of Europe\" and which were the origin of the \"Copernicus-Campus, University Network for Sustainability\". At the Copernicus Conference, held at the University of Lunenburg (2001), these two organisations, together with the International Association of Universities (IAU) and UNESCO, formed the global higher education partnership for sustainability (GHEPS), the objective of which was to assure that higher education, including research, had a high priority in the working programme of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) of Johannesburg (2002).It is also important to point out the international association International Organisation of Universities for Sustainable Development and the Environment (OIUDSMA) created in 1996 by Latin American universities, which has been leading initiatives in the field, primarily in Latin America and Southern Europe.Neither can one omit the success of the Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities Conference which took place in 1999 in Lund (Sweden) and the UNESCO Network for Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability, which began its work in Toronto in October 2000 with the participation of 32 universities from around the world and with the purpose of promoting changes towards sustainability in the area of teacher training and educational institutions. In addition, in November 2000, UNESCO organised in Santiago de Compostella (Spain) the International Meeting of Experts on Environmental Education: New proposals for action.On the occasion of Gothenburg's meeting in June of 2001, the European Council declared: \"Sustainable development is not a choice. It's an imperative\". Since then, for the European Community, economic, ecological and social sustainability has become a political priority.The incorporation of the concept of environmental responsibility in the professional activity of bachelors, engineers, architects and other graduates will play a key role in the evolution of society towards sustainability. They all have to be trained in their respective fields of thought in relation to environmental and sustainable criteria and values, so that, in the future, they can approach their professional activities from the point of view of sustainability (Tilbury, 2004).In these times of significant changes in higher education, which in turn imply structural and organisational changes in teaching and research, it is necessary to find models of work and collaboration that contribute to progress towards the new European higher education goals of the Bologna agreements (1999).The Bologna agreements were initially signed by 30 European countries with the aim of achieving greater compatibility and comparability among their respective higher education systems, making them more coherent, compatible, international and competitive before 2010.\nObjectives of the ACES Network Project: It is within this framework that the ACES Network (2003) (curriculum greening of higher education, acronym in Spanish) was created with universities that were aware of the implementation of curriculum greening and that had previous practical experience in connection with this issue[1].In the ACES Network, each university selected some of their experimental studies to work on in the context of the project. These studies came from several fields: education, science, geography, economics, tourism, philosophy and engineering. It meant that professors and researchers taking part in the project had different academic backgrounds.The phase for applying the model to the different universities was developed at three levels: subject level, programmes of study level and institutional dynamics (ID) level. The main objective of the ACES Network was to create a curriculum greening model with the features that would gear higher studies towards sustainability. In this respect, the work carried out in the ACES meetings was especially focused on:* defining a concept of curriculum greening of higher education;* characterising a university curriculum geared towards sustainability;* applying these characteristics to realise the environmental diagnosis of the experimental studies in the participating universities; and* designing and implementing practical actions aimed at incorporating sustainability in higher education studies.\nMethodology: The proposed research work performed as part of the project tried to respond to environmental problems and considered all fields of knowledge following a specific methodology and in accordance with the characteristics specific to each research area.However, unlike what is normal in traditional research groups in which the research is carried out in specific areas requiring in-depth study focused on a narrow range of knowledge, environmental research is often carried out on a multi-disciplinary scale and requires teams of researchers in which the collaborators are people from different backgrounds with a wide range of training. Each of these contributes to assessing the complexity of environmental topics through interdisciplinary work and proposes multiple interpretations and actions which improve the results.This type of research, carried out by means of cooperative efforts and the accumulation of diverse fields of knowledge, presents working difficulties which are different from those experienced by more homogenous groups. Nevertheless, the knowledge generated is very consistent in response to environmental problems and reflects the need for collaboration between all areas of knowledge in order to preserve and improve environmental conditions.Another characteristic common to environmental research is the dissemination of results, generally not limited to the scientific community and the specialised media. The nature of the problems studied and the progress achieved generate interest on the part of society, especially in developed countries, where social habits and consumer demands often play a direct role in the ecological, economic and social inequalities of our planet. This dissemination of environmental knowledge by the media contributes to the education of society.Changing social habits towards more sustainable ones can only be made possible on the basis of educational changes at all levels: primary, secondary, higher and life-long. As the anthropologist Eudald Carbonell says, \"The human species is halfway to civilisation\" and still has a long way to go in terms of scientific, technological and social understanding before being able to offer a plan which would provide all people with a certain quality of life and which integrates the education needed in order to achieve coexistence, peace and the sustainability of the planet.It is important to emphasise that the methodology used in the context of the network was based on a participative and collaborative process because, from our point of view, that was the best option for:* Democratising the project, giving the same role and value to all the institutions.* Carrying out disciplinal projects, because the representatives of the different institutions of the network had different training backgrounds (biology, economics, geology, pedagogy, architecture, philosophy, etc.). This way, the team members were able to approach a problem from different perspectives and produce knowledge that was sounder yet adaptable to diverse realities.* Incorporating diversity into the construction of knowledge: cultural diversity, diversity of perspectives, and diversity of contexts, in order to construct knowledge useful to all members of the network and applicable to the different realities of the institutions.The life cycle of the working groups had also been taken into consideration - before a group of people can function well as a team, they must pass through a series of stages. Handy (1985) characterised these stages as:* forming;* storming;* norming; and* performing - since this information permitted a continuous adjustment of its functioning with the basic aim of obtaining efficient, productive and, at the same time, collaborative work in a cooperative, democratic and enjoyable atmosphere.Each of these stages required different group techniques in order to promote a correct and effective transition among them: techniques of introduction and presentation, techniques for producing ideas and knowledge, techniques for harmonising these ideas and the knowledge, techniques for evaluating (Abella and Fogel, 2000).During the months following the general meetings, the teams from each university compared and contrasted the documents and materials designed at the meetings with the other university professors, revising characteristics and interpreting them in order to adapt them to each respective university. This interpretation of each characteristic and the adaptation of the criteria allowed each institution to select and apply those aspects which were more appropriate in their contexts.The work of analysis and critical revision carried out at each university allowed the soundness of the model to be tested in the different university settings and revealed the flexibility of the interpretation and application necessary to facilitate the dialogue between different cultures and the adaptation to the plurality of university contexts.It was precisely this dynamic work, alternating the general meetings of the ACES Network where the agreements to design the model of curriculum greening were made with the subsequent testing and adaptations to the practice of different universities, which allowed for the consistency and the flexibility of the model designed by the network to be demonstrated.\nResults: the ACES model: The ten characteristics of the initial model of curriculum greening were validated in this process and were interpreted in the following terms as seen in Figure 1.These ten ACES model characteristics are as follows.Integrating the paradigm of complexity in the curriculum\nConclusions: The type of action-oriented research carried out in the context of the ACES Project, by means of cooperative efforts and the accumulation of diverse fields of knowledge, presents working difficulties which are different from those experienced by more homogenous groups. Nevertheless, the knowledge generated is very consistent in response to environmental issues and problems and reflects the need for collaboration between all areas of knowledge in order to preserve and improve environmental conditions.However, unlike what is normal in traditional research groups in which the research is carried out in specific areas requiring in-depth study focused on a narrow range of knowledge, the environmental research here was often carried out on a multi-disciplinary scale and required teams of researchers in which the partners had different backgrounds with a wide range of training. Each of them contributed to assessing the complexity of environmental topics by means of interdisciplinary work and suggested multiple interpretations and actions which improved the overall project results.The ACES Network catered for this multi- and inter-disciplinary research approach. From the beginning to the end of the project, specific value was attributed to the respect for all the cultures involved and for different perspectives that could arise as a result of them. At the end of the work this value was strongly recognised by all the participants as an essential element in order to achieve a solid result.The ACES model has been reinterpreted in each institution looking for its adaptation to particular contexts. This adaptation has lead to a few changes in some cases, but not in the philosophy of the model; for instance, fusing two characteristics or changing some words, but not the essential meaning.Owing to its approach and flexibility, the ACES model could become an effective instrument in order to diagnose the level of curriculum greening in higher studies in other universities and regions. It would be useful in calling for collaborative and cooperative work involving professors, students and institutional staff.After the diagnosis process, the universities of the ACES Network addressed their efforts with regards to greening practices and actions (professional training, subject's practices, etc.), being aware that by means of practical works they could provide a more reliable message and disseminate sustainability.Another characteristic common to environmental research is the dissemination of results, generally not limited to the scientific community and the specialised media. The nature of the problems and issues studied and the progress achieved generate interest on the part of society, especially in developed countries, where social habits and consumer demands often play a direct role in the ecological, economic and social inequalities of our planet. This dissemination of environmental knowledge by the media contributes to the education of society.Changing social habits towards more sustainable ones can only be made possible by means of educational changes at all levels: primary, secondary, higher and in a lifelong perspective.The ACES model has started a process aimed at changing higher education towards sustainability, placing an emphasis on innovative approaches and methodologies which may support the process itself.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - To report on a project involving European and Latin American universities, focusing on curriculum greening.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This paper presents the experiences gained in connection with the \"ACES Project\" which is a model of the implementation of sustainability principles in higher education, with a special emphasis on curriculum greening. This paper presents the principles and main results of the project, which involved 11 European and Latin American universities, with financial support from the ALFA programme of the European Commission.\nFindings: - The paper identifies ten characteristics of the initial model of curriculum greening which were validated in the process and were interpreted in the paper.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The type of action-oriented research carried out in the context of the ACES Project, by means of cooperative efforts and the accumulation of diverse fields of knowledge, presented working difficulties which are different from those experienced by more homogeneous groups. Nevertheless, the knowledge generated is very consistent in response to environmental issues and problems and reflects the need for collaboration between all areas of knowledge in order to preserve and improve environmental conditions.\nPractical implications: - The paper introduces not only the results obtained with the ACES model, but also ten components which characterise curriculum greening and may be used elsewhere.\nOriginality/value: - The approach used and the emphasis on international cooperation illustrate ways in which a multi-stakeholders project may be successfully undertaken.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Impact of cleanliness on the productivity of employees
|
[
"Employees",
"Cleanliness",
"Not-for-profit organizations",
"Work satisfaction",
"Clean environment",
"Perceived productivity"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizations are increasingly focusing on the core business of the organization, also called the primary process. As a result, activities that are not part of the primary process, such as cleaning, often receive less attention. Often companies choose to outsource cleaning, the danger here is that a low price becomes decisive for the selection of the cleaning company without comparing the quality of the cleaning service. This may result in a deterioration of the cleanliness of the inner environment of the organization. The purpose of this study is to examine whether the cleanliness of an office environment has influence on the productivity of office employees in non-profit organizations in The Netherlands. If this is the case, the cleanliness has an added value for the primary process of the organization and therefore should be considered as an economic factor of substantial (social) relevance.\nTheoretical background: Facility management (FM) is the function within the organization that takes care of the building and the people in the building (Kok, 2015). In articles about FM, it is often cited that FM has an impact on the productivity of employees in the primary process (Kok, 2015). To date, however, there is little research on the true relationship between FM and productivity of employees. Efforts have been made to answer the question whether the cleanliness has an added value for the primary process of the organization. The underlying idea of this is that when the office environment is cleaner, the perception of the cleanliness of employees is more positive. As a result, the employees will feel more satisfied with their work and the office environment. This, in turn, is assumed to have a positive effect on the productivity of the employees.\nResearch methodology: A survey was conducted among employees working in an office environment. There were two reasons for this choice. First, employees with office work generally work for a longer period in the same office environment. This ensures that they are frequently exposed to the cleanliness of this environment, which makes them able to judge accurately. Second, the number of jobs in office environments is increasing faster than the total employment in The Netherlands. A sample of five non-profit organizations in The Netherlands was selected on the basis of purposive sampling, which uses the judgement of the researcher as to who can provide the best information to achieve the objectives of the study (Kumar, 1996).\nResults: Relation between perceived cleanliness and perceived production\nDiscussion: The aim of this research was to investigate whether the cleanliness of an office environment has influence on the productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands. The research reported in this paper supports this idea by taking in account the measured cleanliness, perceived cleanliness and the perceived productivity. For this research, the situation in five non-profit organizations has been investigated. Data were collected using an online survey and the two methods for the subjective measurement of the cleanliness.\nConclusion: The aim of the study is to examine whether increasing the cleanliness of the work environment (investing in cleaning activities) may result in an increased productivity of the primary process of a non-profit organisation in The Netherlands. To achieve this goal, this research is focused on answering the following two sub-research questions:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the cleanliness of a work environment has influence on the productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In the study, an online survey (including questions about the perceived cleanliness) and two objective cleanliness assessment methods (particle counts and surface cleanliness) are used. The data are collected using an online questionnaire to determine the workers' perception (of productivity and cleanliness) and to measure the cleanliness (visual assessment of the surface cleanliness and measured [dust] particle counts in the ambient air) at five different non-profit organizations in The Netherlands.\nFindings: It is found that a higher objective cleanliness correlates significantly with a higher perceived productivity of employees working in office environments of non-profit organizations in The Netherlands. A higher measured cleanliness also correlates significantly with a higher work satisfaction level of employees working in office environments. Finally, a significant correlation is found between the satisfaction of employees with their work as a whole and the perceived productivity of the employees; a higher satisfaction leads to a higher perceived productivity.\nResearch limitations/implications: The cleanliness is measured in five non-profit organizations, so it is not possible to draw any strong generalization. Future studies are needed to confirm or contradict the findings in this research.\nPractical implications: The results highlight the aspects of the cleanliness in the office environment that influence the perceived productivity. This concerns the measured cleanliness. Employees evaluate their own productivity lower at a higher level of particle counts in the ambient air in the office environment and when more dirt and stain are found on the surface (lower surface cleanliness). In response to these findings, it is recommended to carry out regular cleaning activities in the office environment where the employees perform their work. Overall, to maintain or achieve maximum personal productivity, a clean office environment is important.\nOriginality/value: This research is the first to identify the relationship between perceived productivity and measured cleanliness of the office environment.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Do Millennials prefer to be shown appreciation differently?
|
[
"Recognition",
"Millennials",
"Appreciation",
"Age differences",
"Generational",
"Motivating by appreciation inventory"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The workforce is changing rapidly, with the number of Millennial employees expected to surpass the number of Boomers (individuals in their late 50s and older) by 2019 (Fry, 2018), and they will comprise nearly half of the total working population by 2020 (Pollak, 2015). Organizational leaders and HR professionals affirm that to have (and keep) an effective workforce, knowing and understanding your employees is critical. Thus, understanding the differences between the employees of different age groups is important.\nMethodology: This study compares the rates of the preferred languages of appreciation between different age groups of employees. Over 62,000 employees took the Motivating by Appreciation Inventory from 2014 to the beginning of 2018.We created four age groups within the total group of approximately equal numbers: <= 29 years old (Millennials), 30-39 years old, 40-49 years old, and 50+ years old. We then compared the four age groups' preferred languages of appreciation by using a Chi-Square analysis. In this study, the term \"Millennial\" refers to individuals born between the years 1985 and 1998 (Table I).\nResults: Primary language of appreciation: We found significant age-group differences for the participants' primary language of appreciation kh2 (9, N = 62,156) = 596.42, p < 0.01. Specifically, while Words of Affirmation were high for all four age groups, and most pronounced in the oldest group (50+), the younger group (<=29) valued Quality Time more and Acts of Service less than the other three age groups. Additionally, the oldest group was least likely to select Tangible Gifts as their primary language of appreciation (Figure 1).\nDiscussion: As more and more employees are (and will continue to be) Millennials, leaders and supervisors need to understand what is important to them and the issues that motivate them to become fully engaged in their work. Clearly, earning more money (by itself) is not the prime motivator for most employees younger than 30 (Gallup, 2016). Conversely, working collaboratively with team members, having a sense of improving the world, having the ability to have a flexible work schedule, and wanting frequent feedback are all important factors to this generation of employees.\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: Research demonstrates that feeling appreciated in the workplace increases employee engagement, reduces turnover, and increases profitability. Despite the fact that people differ in how they feel most appreciated, no work to date has explored the impact of age differences on appreciation preferences. The purpose of this paper is to determine if Millennial workers vs their older colleagues differ in the manner they prefer to be shown appreciation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: From 2014 to 2018, 62,156 workers completed the Motivating by Appreciation Inventory (White, 2011) and provided age, gender, and work industry information. Each person's primary and the least valued languages of appreciation in the workplace were identified. Four age groups were created of approximately equal numbers: <=29-, 30-39-, 40-49-, and 50+ years old.\nFindings: Words of Affirmation was the most prominent primary language of appreciation across all four age groups and most pronounced in the oldest group (50+). The <=29-year-old group valued Quality Time more and Acts of Service less than the other three age groups. There were no age group differences in the least valued language of appreciation.\nPractical implications: The results suggest that supervisors and staff members must be mindful to include opportunities for quality time interactions with Millennial workers, as well as provide words of affirmation, to show appreciation for their work.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study to assess age differences in preferred ways to be shown appreciation in the workplace.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Social media content and product co-creation: an emerging paradigm
|
[
"Product development",
"Co-creation",
"Social media"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social media serves as an effective medium and stage for enabling collaborative communication between the users and the businesses. It has considerably altered the way communication and interaction work between businesses and the consumers (Dahan and Hauser, 2002). It has also dramatically enhanced the ability of businesses to integrate customers in many of their activities (Bartl et al., 2012; Sawhney and Prandelli, 2000). The adoption and integration of social media platforms facilitates the interaction and communication to continue in the virtual world after the physical world or vice versa (Nambisan, 2002). There are opportunities for businesses to extend their reach of potential customers through different social media platforms. The information, generated by and accumulated on, social media can be used by businesses to identify the target audience and improve the overall customer experience (Chen et al., 2009). Increasingly, the researchers are suggesting that the businesses should incorporate social media in their functions (Curran and Lennon, 2011).\n2. Background: 2.1. Social media\n3. Social media for new product development: In order to gain potential value from social media mining and social media analytics, businesses need to construct a systematic approach to support business intelligence workflows through the integration of internal data from customer engagement activities such as customer co-creation with their social media platforms. It was observed that all customer-oriented activities should ideally have a social media component. In the process of value creation, customers play an increasingly significant role, due to the opportunities of co-creation which is due to user-generated content. As the social media communities' initiatives, as ways of co-creation, are rising (Verhoef et al., 2013), it is of great meaning for organisations to know the logic of this co-creation process in order to remain competitive. Some emotional indices are also built (Huang et al., 2012) for estimating the preference of users by using data-mining methods. Additionally, the integration between social media data analysis and customer co-creation in product innovation can allow businesses to validate and act upon customer needs and sentiments in a more holistic fashion across the customer bases (He and Yan, 2014). Because of these benefits, businesses need to integrate social media in the co-creation.\n4. Concluding recommendations: This viewpoint paper demonstrates a new approach in getting useful information about products and its features by using social media. In this paper, we argued that user-generated content in social media is an additional and important source to get insights about the products. Today, social media is not just a promotional tool. It has the potential to be involved in product development in place of traditional approaches. As a tool, social media mining refers to extracting large data sets. These data sets are less expensive compared to the traditional methods consisting of focus group discussions and surveys. Furthermore, social media as an analytic tool provides the useful insights about products which lead to an increased cost and time efficiency. This way of using social media helps businesses to move forward with traditional research paradigms. Social media not only decreases time to get insights but can also increase the quality of information about products. Businesses can improve and refine their products leading to the development of next generation of products for the market.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise and discuss the possible insights that can be generated for product development by analysing the user-generated content available from various social media platforms.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper reviews the role of user generated content in developing products and its features (e.g. appearance and shape). It delineates the directions in which the relationship between social media content and customer oriented concepts evolve while developing successful new products.\nFindings: The review and arguments presented in this paper suggest that the social media approach adds more value than the traditional approaches for obtaining insights about the products. Availability of users' opinions and information about existing products provide insights for the improvement in the product design process. Co-creation and self-construal are important components that are based on customer engagement and customer behaviour, respectively, in the product design and development.\nPractical implications: As social media creates new ways of communication with users, businesses can include users into the product development process to improve and refine their products or for making the next generation of products.\nOriginality/value: This paper suggests a new approach in getting useful insights about the products from user-generated contents. This way of using social media helps businesses to move forward from the traditional product development paradigms.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A critique of shareholder primacy under UK takeover law and the continued imposition of the Board Neutrality Rule
|
[
"Companies act 2006",
"Board neutrality rule",
"Cadbury",
"Rule 21",
"Takeover",
"Takeover code 2006"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The takeover of Cadbury Plc by Kraft Inc. in 2010 brought public outcry at the loss of an iconic British brand (Carr, 2010). Academics responded with a number of papers calling for a review of the Takeover Code 2006 (Takeover Code hereafter). Criticisms were directed towards Rule 21 of the Takeover Code, the so-called Board Neutrality Rule, which requires shareholders to have the final say on a takeover bid. It means that the orthodox decision making powers of the board of directors is given to shareholders when a company is faced with a bid for its shares. It also means that the board cannot put in place measures to frustrate a takeover bid. Instead, the board takes on an advisory role in which they must inform shareholders on whether they should accept the hostile bidder or not. In their consultation, General Principle 3 of the Takeover requires the board of directors to \"act in the interests of the company as a whole and must not deny the holders of securities the opportunity to decide on the merits of the bid\". In addition, directors must work within their fiduciary duties under the Companies Act 2006 (Companies Act hereafter). Section 172 of the Companies Act requires the board of directors to consider the interests of a wide range of stakeholders when devising company objectives.\n1. The development of takeover regulation in UK: In 1953, J. Sears\n2. The Board Neutrality Rule: The Board Neutrality Rule was not a product of the Takeover Directive; it has been a feature of takeover regulation in the UK since the 1960s. The rule was put in place due to increasing abuse of board powers in issuing shares to deter bidders. The purpose behind the neutrality rule was to restrict board activity at the onset and during a takeover. Thus, the board of directors is prohibited from using corporate powers to frustrate at takeover bid without the consent of shareholders. The rule comes in play when, in absence of shareholder consent, the board of directors purports to use company powers in reaction to an imminent or ongoing takeover bid.\n3. Company law and the protection of shareholders: The board of directors is empowered by the articles of association to manage the company. This position is found under Article 3(3) of the Companies (Model Articles) Regulations 2008: \"Subject to the articles the directors are responsible for the management of the company's business for which purpose they may exercise all the powers of the company\"[29]. Thus, the corporate contract delegates power to directors but they cannot use that power for anything beyond the scope of that delegation. These delegated powers of management are subject to a number of statutory limitations and control. Even in those rare circumstances where a takeover defence can be erected, the board will have to ensure that it is working within its fiduciary duties. The consequence of non-compliance with the duties may entitle the company to compensation, while the directors would have to remove the frustration action[30].\n4. Case law and the protection of shareholders: The protection of shareholders' constitutional rights was extended to cases involving hostile takeovers in the 50s. The Savoy Group, which held a number of assets including The Berkeley hotel, was subject to a hostile takeover in 1953[31]. In reaction to the hostile bid, the board erected takeover defences in the form of a lease back agreement and sale of The Berkeley hotel. Subsequent government investigation into the case found that the defences were unconstitutional on the basis that the corporate powers were not coffered on the board to deprive shareholders their right to control the assets[31].\n5. Company law versus takeover law: 5.1 Approval of defensive actions\n6. Justification for Rule 21: This section seeks to justify the continued imposition of Rule 21 in light of strong shareholder protection already offered under Company law.\n7. The development of shareholders rights: Shareholders can trace their constitutional rights from early partnership law (Ireland, 1999). In those partnerships, shares were used to determine the rights and liabilities of the partners. Collectively, shares gave the partners an ownership stake in the partnership. Thus, all responsibilities and liabilities were determined by the percentage of the partner's shareholding. However, shares in a partnership cannot be transferred or sold in the market but require prior approval of all the partners. The measure was to ensure that only those who are willing to commit to the management of the partnership hold shares.\n8. Shareholding structure: When faced with a takeover, the success of the bid would depend on the contractual right of the shareholders to approve or disapprove the bid. The decision would come down to the voting structure in the company. The two structures being examined below are block-holding and director shareholding.\n9. Conclusion: Having examined the protection afforded to shareholders under the Takeover Code 2006 and the Companies Act 2006, it is clear that when faced with a takeover, the law places the decision-making powers in the hands of shareholders. This removes the possibility of conflicted interests between the board of directors and shareholders. Thus, the law takes a takeover offer as a private contract between the shareholder and the share buyer. However, handing the orthodox decision-making powers of the board to shareholders leaves the risk that only shareholders' interests will be served. Even with directors advising them against the bid, greed still prevails. This may leave a sour taste in the mouths of some stakeholders who stand to lose their jobs or see the company become highly leveraged. Even with the enlightened shareholder value requirements in place, shareholder primacy remains unaffected. Thus, shareholder primacy has been cemented under Takeover law, with the aid of Company law, by a number of legal provisions, mainly Rule 21.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the Board Neutrality Rule and the primacy afforded to shareholders during takeovers is justified under common law and policy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper provides a detailed assessment of the role play by the board neutrality rule and whether this is supported by takeover law and Company law. A review of case law and statutes is provided. The paper is largely analytical.\nFindings: The paper finds little justification for the continued imposition of the Board Neutrality Rule.\nOriginality/value: The paper adds to the growing body of research literature which has analysed the role played by the Board Neutrality Rule during takeovers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Talent management collides with corporate social responsibility: creation of inadvertent hypocrisy
|
[
"Leadership development",
"Corporate social responsibility",
"Talent management",
"Organizational justice",
"High potential"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Today's organizations operate in an increasingly complex and uncertain business environment that demands both responsiveness to environmental changes and careful concern for the needs and values of multiple stakeholders. Overwhelmingly, organizations have adopted corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a core value and executed corresponding initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and other primary stakeholders (Waldman and Galvin, 2008; Maak and Pless, 2006). In the interests of demonstrating responsible corporate behavior directed toward employees, many organizations implement organization justice practices - distributive, procedural, and interactional - to ensure fair treatment of employees.\nTM: Given the daunting demographic challenges posed by the changing nature of the workforce, organizations in the USA are scrambling to find management replacements. Indeed, almost a third of all Americans (76 million) will reach retirement age over the next ten years, an incredible challenge commonly cited as the \"5/50\" crisis - organizations potentially losing 50 percent of all management talent over the next five years (Ready and Conger, 2007). Needing to create bench strength from which to draw future leaders, organizations are spending time and resources on the development of leadership capabilities. TM usually encompasses a variety of programs that address a range of organizational and individual needs. Formally defined, Silzer and Dowell (2010) describe TM as the integrated system of strategies, policies, and programs designed to identify, develop, deploy, and retain talent to achieve strategic objectives and meet future business needs. Common components such as coaching and mentoring have gained hugely in popularity in the hopes of capturing and preserving the knowledge and intellectual capital before the impending boomer departure.\nCSR: We begin our critical analysis of TM policies and practices with a definition and conceptual discussion of CSR and supporting theories of organizational justice. For the purpose of this paper, we adopt Daft's (2010) broad definition of CSR as \"management's obligation to make choices and take actions that will contribute to the welfare and interests of society as well as the organization\" (p. 138). An organization's ability to demonstrate CSR, or what is often described as corporate social performance (Hillman and Keim, 2001; Waddock and Graves, 1997), is dependent upon the proper management of internal and external stakeholders, including shareholders, suppliers, employees, customers, community residents, and the natural environment, to \"[...] create and distribute wealth or value sufficient to ensure that each primary stakeholder group continues as part of the corporation's stakeholder system\" (Clarkson, 1995, p. 107). Practically, organizations measure corporate social performance across numerous dimensions, including community, diversity, employee relations, environment, and product (Waddock and Graves, 1997; Hillman and Keim, 2001). Indeed, many corporations voluntarily report CSR outcomes via the Global Reporting Initiative's (GRI) reporting framework while several independent investment rating services, such as Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini (KLD), assess the corporate social performance outcomes of large firms.\nHiPo employees identified for special treatment: In a study on organization development best practices (Lacey and Tompkins, 2007), it was clearly shown that managers and employees are treated differently by the organizations when it comes to developmental experiences. Yet, both groups have needs for growth and learning. Organizations further split the workforce by culling out a small group of up-and-coming performers for special treatment and designating them as HiPos. This group is composed of mostly junior managers and individual contributors who are slated for leadership positions.\nCreation of second-class citizens: The usual scenario unfolds as follows. Those not identified as having HiPo are excluded from the range of development opportunities readily supplied to the elite. Doors of access are closed. Elite, specialized training is not only not offered, but the unidentified are not permitted to attend. When they directly request enrollment, they are told that they are not eligible to enroll. When asked how they can become eligible, they are told that they must be nominated by their manager. They cannot self-nominate. All this comes with a cost and impacts the unidentified in the following manner:\nCSR to employees: When access to entry is barred to some and not others, a two-tiered system is created within the organization - a type of organizational \"have and have nots.\" The group of \"haves\" lives a life of privilege and receives careful stewarding. The \"have nots,\" on the other hand, are left out to sea on their own to navigate through inhospitable waters. Companies run into difficulty with employees when some are singled out for special treatment and others are not. Employees' sense of fair treatment and perceptions of justice are violated and organizations are viewed as socially irresponsible.\nIssues and concerns for organizations: Selection of HiPo employees\nBenefits of self-nomination to HiPo program: Self-nominations save the prohibitive cost of offering expensive TM programs of a high caliber to the entire workforce. Some or even many workers may not be interested in putting in the time and effort to learn new skills and execute time-consuming projects required of the HiPos. Simultaneously having a self-nominating process offers these opportunities to people who are motivated, and who want to commit the time and effort - even if their boss does not see their potential. This path eases access to entry for all those who are serious about their learning and development, and who have the ambition to pursue this course. Worker perceptions that the organization has in place a fair process by which they can favorably represent themselves as having HiPo supports their conviction that there should be procedural justice in their organization.\nConclusion: TM plays an everyday role in ascertaining the efficacy of an organization's CSR. Employee perceptions of organizational justice, centered on equal treatment and equal access to opportunities, play out in the organization's approach to TM. Whether or not the corporation embraces TM as a social responsibility, it remains heartfelt by employees when they are included, or excluded from jobs and other developmental activities. When included, they feel emotionally robust and physically energized. When excluded, they feel ignored and devalued. When employees are included in TM to the degree they individually wish to be, they perceive the corporation as acting socially responsible.\nSuggestions for future research: Analyzing the costs of current TM practices could prove an interesting exercise. The obvious costs are direct costs: training fees and corresponding time away from the job, salaries associated with time spent on coaching and interacting among individuals, learning curve on job rotation, HR data tracking and input, establishing and then using a grievance process, etc.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to reveal the unintended effects of talent management (TM) practices on employees excluded from high potential (HiPo) programs. Excluding the majority of employees from the numerous developmental benefits and privileges of HiPo programs runs contrary to the ideals of corporate social responsibility (CSR), an increasingly common espoused value of organizations. This paper discusses the inadvertent hypocrisy of organizations seeking to demonstrate CSR actions for their employees while simultaneously barring the vast majority of employees access to targeted development opportunities. While many organizations are proud of developing exemplary TM systems and executing effective CSR initiatives, further analysis suggests an inherent incompatibility between these approaches as commonly practiced. This paper concludes with a discussion of possible solutions to ameliorate the disconnect between exclusionary TM practices and CSR outcomes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Through the theoretical lens of organizational justice, the paper critically reviews relevant research on the impact of TM policies and practices on CSR initiatives. To spur further interest from scholars and practitioners, the paper offers responses to the following questions: What is the usual array of TM practices? What is the organization's social responsibility to its workforce at large and to individual employees? With resources devoted to developing HiPo talent, what is the organization's social responsibility to those in the ranks who have not been identified as HiPo?\nFindings: The critical review revealed that organizations seeking to simultaneously pursue TM best practices and CSR initiatives must tackle several fundamental issues, including expanding employee access to HiPo programs, enhancing the HiPo selection processes via greater emphasis on lead indicators of HiPo, and improving rater reliability across assessment tools. The paper concludes with practical suggestions to ameliorate the unintended consequences of disparate treatment of employees by creating a permeable boundary for broader employee inclusion in HiPo programs.\nOriginality/value: The literature is remarkably deficient in research addressing the effects of TM practices on employees who are excluded from leadership development opportunities, and the resulting implications for CSR outcomes. Given the rapidly growing importance of CSR initiatives for many organizations, research on the impact of TM policies and practices is sorely needed. This paper addresses an important gap in the research literature on the unintended consequences of disparate treatment of employees and offers practical suggestions for more inclusive leadership development systems.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Impact of lean practices on operations performance and business performance: Some evidence from Indonesian manufacturing companies
|
[
"Business performance",
"Indonesia",
"Lean manufacturing",
"Lean practices",
"Operations performance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The origin of lean manufacturing (LM) was established on the shop-floors of the Toyota Motor Corporation during 1970s (Shingo, 1981), under the names of Toyota Production System (TPS) or just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing (Taj, 2008). Papadopoulou and Ozbayrak (2005) explained that the term \"lean\" was first coined by Krafcik (1988) to describe a production system that uses fewer resources compared to mass production. Due to the practices of LM, JIT, and TPS being about the same (Heizer and Render, 2008), these terms are often used interchangeably (Heizer and Render, 2008; Taj, 2008). According to Papadopoulou and Ozbayrak (2005), LM is merely an Americanized version of the TPS or the JIT. The concept of LM is constantly evolving as well as experiencing expanding scope and focus (Papadopoulou and Ozbayrak, 2005). Recently, the term \"lean manufacturing\" has become more prevalent, thus it is subsequently used in this study to encompass all the related practices.\nLiterature review: Although many studies have provided empirical evidence that LM significantly improves performance, only fewer studies have investigated the simultaneous synergistic effects of multiple aspects of LM and performance. Many studies did not consider the significant effects of LM on both OP and BP simultaneously (Bartezzaghi and Turco, 1989; Bhasin, 2008; Chang and Lee, 1995). Sometimes, LM and performance were examined individually or in very limited subsets, thus the results occasionally produced misleading information and misconceptions (Ahmad et al., 2003; Fullerton and Wempe, 2009; Furlan et al., 2011b). In addition, literatures had provided evidence that LM was not implemented as a total system (Cua et al., 2001; Fullerton and Wempe, 2009), while Goyal and Deshmukh (1992), Harber et al. (1990) and White and Prybutok (2001) argued that potential benefits of LM will not be realized before it is implemented as a total system.\nHypotheses: The study tested a set of hypotheses to analyze the question of whether LM practices affect performance. These were structured by articulating the problem as a need to understand the relationships among the variables. Four main hypotheses were posited:\nMethodology: This study was a cross-sectional study performed once, and it represents a snapshot of one point in time (Cooper and Schindler, 2003). Organization was the unit of analysis. Respondents were required to answer a set of close-ended with ordered choice questions adapted from several sources. This study emphasizes in measuring LM in nine practices, OP and BP in five and three measures, respectively, (Appendices 1-3). OP and BP were measured based on the achievement during the past three years to reduce the influence of temporary fluctuations in the variables. The measurement was perceptual with a five-point Likert scale: strongly disagree (1); disagree (2); neither agree nor disagree (3); agree (4); and strongly agree (5).\nResults: Respondent profile\nDiscussion: As shown in the data analyses, LM practices have been implemented by a number of Indonesian manufacturing companies. This result is comparable with several previous studies conducted in the developing countries, such as in Indonesia (Nugroho, 2007), Malaysia (Wong et al., 2009), Thailand (Rahman et al., 2010), Ghana (Amoako-Gyampah and Gargeya, 2001) and Brazil (Forrester et al., 2010). Based on these studies, manufacturers in the developing countries were highly committed to implement the LM concept. Even though previous studies stated that LM has been implemented in those developing countries, manufacturing companies in these countries need to give attention to implement LM practices from a holistic perspective. In other words, more effort is required to improve the level of LM implementation. Hence, the expected benefits after implementing LM practices could be achieved successfully.\nImplication of the study: The relationships posited in this study were empirically and theoretically supported. Specifically, this study has confirmed the linkage between LM practices, OP, and BP. The study adds to the knowledge and theories on how LM can affect organizational performance, not only at the operations level but also at the business level. This study provides the notion of integral and holistic practices of LM and a comprehensive approach for performance measurement. Furthermore, this study gives evidence to the importance of OP as a mediator variable in the LM-BP relationship. Moreover, by demonstrating the existence of direct and indirect effects of LM practices on BP; this study provides clear evidence that LM implementation is important to enhance companies' performance.\nLimitations and further research: This study is not without limitations. As in all survey-based research, an assumption in data collection was that the respondents had sufficient knowledge to answer the questionnaire, and that, respondents answered the items conscientiously and truthfully. The data used in this study represent self-reporting by mainly the middle or top management in production. To address the issue of common method variance (CMV), several items in the questionnaire were reverse worded questions (Podsakoff et al., 2003), which were reverse scored, a value of 1 indicates \"strongly agree\" and a value of 5 indicates \"strongly disagree\". Thus, item-to-item priming effects leading to bias can be reduced. Statistically, following Podsakoff et al. (2003), Harman's single-factor test was applied by loading all the measures into an exploratory factor analysis to ensure that CMV may not have been introduced due to a single informant in collecting data. The results indicated that a single factor did not emerge from the factor analysis. Other than that, the correlation matrix showed that correlation coefficients among the measures were less than 0.74, while CMV is commonly presented due to the extremely high correlation (Bagozzi et al., 1991). Hence, a substantial amount of CMV did not present in this study. Although the CMV is not a serious problem in this study, future studies can consider collecting multiple sources of data to ensure the more accurate results. It is hoped that this study would encourage or at least stimulate interest for forthcoming research in similar areas as more research in this subject is necessary.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to investigate the relationship between lean practices, operations performance (OP), and business performance (BP).\nDesign/methodology/approach: This survey-based study was a cross-sectional study. The samples were drawn by using stratified random sampling procedure from large Indonesian manufacturing companies based on the directory provided by the Data and Information Center of Indonesian Ministry of Industry with the final number of respondents of 139. Four main hypotheses were developed and tested statistically by applying multivariate data analyses.\nFindings: The results provided evidence that lean practices should be implemented holistically. Lean practices have a positive and significant impact on both OP and BP. Moreover, OP partially mediates the relationship between lean practices and BP.\nResearch limitations/implications: The data used in this survey represent self-reporting by mainly the middle or top management in production.\nPractical implications: This study contributes to the lean manufacturing (LM) body of knowledge by identifying the relationships between the LM practices, OP, and BP. Understanding these relationships will help practitioners in making better decisions in manufacturing organizations as well as enable application of the concepts in this study to other contexts such as service organizations.\nOriginality/value: Although there are a growing number of anecdotal and empirical evidences in favor of LM in manufacturing environment, there has been almost no theory-building and methodologically rigorous research examining the link between LM, OP, and BP. This study is addressed to fill this gap.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Why does the microcredit borrowing rate differ across countries? A cross-country study
|
[
"Microfinance",
"Determinants of borrow rates",
"Default rates",
"Cross‐country comparison",
"Developing countries",
"Poverty",
"Local economies",
"Africa",
"Loans"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Microcredit is ubiquitous and has become a global industry involving the participation of a wide array of actors, including non-governmental organizations, governments, private and state banks, and other aid organizations. It has become a powerful tool to fight against poverty.This study reevaluates microcredit, investigates its future trajectory, and identifies the challenges to its primary goal - the alleviation of poverty. To reduce the rate of default on microcredit loans and increase the effectiveness of this lending strategy, it becomes necessary to identify the most common causes of the failure of microcredit loans.This paper is divided into five sections. Section 2, we review the existing literature on the causes of microcredit default and failure. In Section 3, we present our data and our research model. Section 4 shows our empirical results on microcredit default. Finally, in Section 5, we present our conclusions.\n2 A worldwide picture of microcredit: 2.1 Microcredit around the world\n3 Data, model, and empirical results on microcredit default: 3.1 Data and model\n4 Results and implications: As previously noted, we are using variables identified in the literature review as the most statistically interfering with different default rates on microcredit. For each equation, we study the set of countries described by Mix Market (2010). We will employ ordinary least squares as our method of estimation, considering robust estimates for correcting problems of heteroskedasticity.Our results are shown in Tables III-V. Table III shows the different specifications estimated for equation (1) (red cases). Tables IV and V show the same exercise for equations (2) (yellow cases) and equation (3) (green cases), respectively.We observed that the number of observations differ across estimations. This is due to the different number of observations of green cases, yellow cases, and red cases according to our main source (Mix Market: www.themix.org/publications/microbanking-bulletin/2011/01/sacrificing-microcredit-unrealistic-goals).The results shown in Table III display a higher number of red cases in countries where there is higher income inequality (a positive coefficient estimated for the Gini Index) and higher levels of women using bank services. The percentage of red cases also tends to rise where we observe a smaller value of firms using banks to finance investments, a reduced expression of small firms, and smaller values of collateral needed for a loan.Table IV shows the results obtained for yellow cases. In this table, we confirm that a higher level of the population living under the poverty line (a higher value in the Gini Index) and being an African country lead to higher incidences of yellow cases. Conversely, a higher level of employment in agriculture reduces the percentage of yellow cases.Table V shows results for the equation related to \"green\" cases. According to these results, increasing access to finance, the percentage of people employed in agriculture, and the value of collateral needed for a loan leads to higher incidences of green cases. Conversely, a higher value of small firms and being an African country reduces the percentage of these cases.Several conclusions can be drawn from our results. First, a higher number of small firms tend to reduce the risk of default (\"red\" interest rates were observed more often in areas characterized by a higher percentage of large firms); however, by a more statistically significant result, it also tends to reduce the interest rates in \"green\" areas. If we are interested in preserving traditional microcredit characteristics, we have to develop an economic environment capable of supporting small firms.Second, we observed that increasing the involvement of the agriculture sector leads to higher incidences of \"green\" cases. This result places special attention on the trend of tertiarization (the prevalence of the tertiary sector in economies). This trend can be anticipated in most countries and lead to a devaluation of \"green\" interest rates and microcredit practices. Microcredit would essentially become conventional credit (i.e. based only on profit-maximization practices).Finally, our results suggest that higher collateral values promote more \"green\" cases. Good management of collateral practices (using, for instance, group or family collaterals) can be relevant for sustaining microcredit goals.We also observed that being an African country tends to increase red and yellow cases. This necessitates the monitoring of microcredit practices in Africa, given that they may have very little in common with the original goals of the microcredit concept.Our results also emphasize the important political implications of managing microcredit practices. Green cases should be promoted through policies that increase bank access, agriculture sustainability, and the value of the collateral needed for a loan. Incidences of red cases should be reduced by lowering income inequality and expanding the number of small firms and/or entrepreneurships in a country. Finally, yellow cases can be observed as transition cases and thus deserve a particular focus. As we observed, the higher the level of population under the poverty line, the higher the level of the Gini Index. Furthermore, being an African country lends itself to higher values of yellow cases. Therefore, to facilitate the transition of these yellow cases to green cases, poverty and income inequality should be alleviated.\n5 Conclusion: Microcredit is practiced worldwide. The Asia and Pacific region concentrates the largest number of MFIs and has 22 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of the world's poor.Higher microcredit interest rates in some areas may indicate that the MFIs operating in this area are profit-seeking, but it may also reflect the political instability of the area or the high risk of default.In our research, we discussed several determinants that were found to influence microcredit default cases including gender, type of business activity, loan amount, repayment payment, training, corruption, follow-up practices, business performance, family income, poverty indicators, and domestic (national) problems.We took the following variables into consideration when constructing our research model: income-distribution, poverty, firms using banks to finance investment, size of an enterprise, value of collateral needed for a loan, women's access to bank loans, employment in agriculture, access to finance and being an African country.We divided the countries around the world, taking into consideration Yunus' (2007) taxonomy of red cases, yellow cases, and green cases. Red cases are used to indicate countries with the largest number of MFIs operating for-profit (showing a large difference between microcredit interest rates and microcredit costs). At the other extreme, green cases were used to indicate countries whose MFIs reduce the difference between microcredit interest rates and costs to a minimum. We also assumed that higher interest rates led to a higher incidence of defaults. Our results showed that green cases increase in frequency when more collateral value is required and the country is not African. Higher levels of the population under the poverty line, higher levels of the Gini Index, and being an African country lead to higher incidences of yellow cases. We observed that the percentage of red cases tends to rise if we have a smaller value of firms using banks to finance investments, a reduced expression of small firms, and smaller values of collateral needed for a loan.Being an African country was a strong factor in our model. Africa is characterized by political instability. Even with these difficulties, microfinance has begun to blossom in African countries (Moyo, 2009). As Moyo (2009) observes, even though microcredit is sometimes criticized for its interest rates and involvement in Ponzi schemes (borrowing from one lender to pay off another), in Africa, \"joint liability\" schemes work, and the number of loans has increased. Microcredit has the power to accelerate growth in developing countries, such as African countries that need a more innovative financial sector and require special supervision (as we suggest in this article).In summation, to preserve and/or develop those microcredit practices evaluated as \"green,\" it is necessary to be prepared for the challenges of the tertiarization of economies and to promote the higher values of collateral needed for a loan. On the other hand, it is crucial to promote policies leading to micro-and small-scale entrepreneurship to avoid microcredit practices degenerating into vehicles of profit maximization.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to study the socio-economic variables that influence the number of micro-credit projects worldwide. The paper also intends to study the socio-economic variables that lead to a higher default rate. In order to do this study, the authors use a database from MIX and include some more variables.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper intends to explore why the number of debtors/lenders is higher or lower depending on each country, and what variables influence this behavior. This will allow regions to be distinguished where there is more microcredit and on what basis and why, in some cases, it is found to have a higher incidence of default.\nFindings: - The results showed that green cases (characterized by a lower probability of default) are increased when more collateral value is required and the case is not in Africa. Higher levels of population under the poverty line, higher levels of the Gini Index, and being an African country lead to higher levels of yellow cases. It was observed that the percentage of red cases (characterized by a higher probability of default) tends to rise if there is a smaller value of firms using banks to finance investments, if there is a reduced expression of small firms, and if there are smaller values of collateral needed for a loan.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first scientific paper on this field (heterogeneity of microcredit borrowing rates).\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Foodbank of Western Australia's healthy food for all
|
[
"Physical activity",
"Food insecurity",
"Food bank",
"Food literacy",
"Nutrition education intervention",
"Vulnerable populations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The traditional role of food banks is as a central collection warehouse for donated food or food that that would otherwise be wasted. Food is acquired from supermarkets, food manufacturers or farms, to be made available to vulnerable populations. From an international perspective, the functionality of food banks is diverse. Food banks may provide food directly or indirectly, through charitable organisations, to individuals seeking emergency food relief. Some food banks focus solely on food provision, while others have taken on supplementary responsibilities, such as soup kitchens, school feeding programmes, substance abuse clinics as well as AIDS and Tuberculosis hospices (Riches, 2002; The Global Foodbanking Network, 2013). The nutritional adequacy of food provided to users or nutrition education is a priority of a few food banks, particularly in developed nations (Foodbank WA, 2013; Godfrey, 2011; Irwin et al., 2007; Riches, 2002).\nStrategic planning - establishment of the HFFA strategy: Foodbank WA has made addressing poor food literacy a priority so as to improve the nutrient intake of disadvantaged groups. As part of a holistic approach to healthy lifestyle promotion, Foodbank WA also tackles the issue of physical inactivity. Investment in nutrition education goes back to 1997 when Heathway funding was obtained to deliver Foodcents training; however, a dedicated healthy lifestyle (HFFA) strategy was not established until 2007 (Healthway, 1998). Foodbank WA's HFFA strategy was developed in response to government tender for the development and delivery of health promotion programmes around poor nutrition, overweight and obesity and physical inactivity. HFFA provides a health and wellbeing focus to Foodbank WA's core business of food provision. Far from simply providing food to the hungry, considerations include the nutritional quality of foods available to member agencies, the intentional promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables and up-skilling agencies and community members around food literacy, nutrition knowledge and food preparation skills. The longevity and success of HFFA has hinged on the development and maintenance of extensive partnerships with volunteers, universities, corporate, government and non-government organisations. HFFA is responsible for the establishment of a community kitchen garden on the Foodbank WA premises. The garden is tended by Foodbank WA volunteers and a professional horticulturalist. Produce from the garden is utilised in HFFA's cooking workshops and training days.\nReach and engagement - target audience: The primary target audience of HFFA are children and adults from low socioeconomic backgrounds in metropolitan, regional and rural communities of WA; an area of 2,526,786 km2 or 20 times the area of England and a population of 2.536 million (Australian Government, 2010). An example of a typical regional journey is as follows: a trip to the Warburton Ranges community to deliver Food Sensations(r) involved a one-hour flight from Perth to Kalgoorlie (594 kilometres) followed by 12 hours of car travel from Kalgoorlie to Warburton (913 kilometres), resulting in a return trip of 3,014 kilometres and 26 hours of travel (Australian Government, 2010).\nDiscussion: Foodbank WA's HFFA is unique in relation to the strategy's comprehensive nature, geographical reach and extensive partnerships. There has been an increase in delivery of food, education and resources across Foodbank WA's HFFA initiatives. The expansion of service delivery of HFFA initiatives may be attributed to both demand and provision. The addition of initiatives and the expansion of the HFFA strategy over the years have allowed for greater provision of services to communities where access has previously been unavailable. Foodbank WA experienced a nine per cent increase in people seeking emergency food relief in 2013 and other agencies, such as Anglicare, have also observed greater demand (Foodbank WA, 2013; King et al., 2012) The recent mining boom in WA has caused an elevation in the cost of living, particularly in the rental and housing market (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). This increase and uneven distribution of wealth has expanded the divide between the richest and poorest households. While emergency food relief and food insecurity has been limited to the unemployed in WA in the past; the cost of living and rental stress have created a population of working poor who are becoming increasingly reliant on charitable services (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). The heightened number of people seeking emergency food relief and the strengthening reputation of HFFA are explanations for increasing demand.\nConclusion: Food banks are well placed to deliver food literacy and healthy lifestyle initiatives to vulnerable populations. The majority of food bank users are food insecure and are likely to have nutritionally inadequate diets; ultimately increasing the risk of these individuals developing lifestyle-related disease (Irwin et al., 2007; Ramsey et al., 2012; Starkey et al., 1999). Furthermore, the food hampers provided by food banks may not meet nutritional recommendations. For these reasons, food banks have a responsibility to make nutrition a priority and create healthy lifestyle related policy. Greater provision for fresh fruit and vegetables is necessitated to address poor nutritional intake (Irwin et al., 2007). HFFA is an innovative strategy that addresses the food literacy and healthy lifestyle component of the Foodbank WA core business of supporting vulnerable populations. Food literacy education builds resilience and may enable individuals to cope more effectively in periods of food insecurity. Additional research is required around the impact of food literacy education in food insecure populations, especially in Australia where research is limited (Innes-Hughes et al., 2010; Irwin et al., 2007; Vidgen and Gallegos, 2014). Foodbank WA's demonstrated success with the HFFA strategy provides a knowledge base for the development of similar interventions in the existing food bank environment.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: In Australia, the Foodbank of Western Australia (Foodbank WA) has a reputation for being at the forefront of health promotion. The purpose of this paper is to describe Foodbank WA's innovative food bank plus approach of incorporating healthy lifestyle initiatives (i.e. nutrition and physical activity education) into its core food bank business, so as to target priority issues such as food insecurity, poor food literacy, overweight, obesity, poor nutrition and physical inactivity.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A case study approach was utilised to explore Foodbank WA's Healthy Food for All(r) (HFFA) strategy. HFFA is a comprehensive state wide, school and community based strategy, including the School Breakfast Programme, Food Sensations(r) and Choose to Move initiatives, designed to promote healthy lifestyles to low socioeconomic and vulnerable groups - a major target group of food banks.\nFindings: Since its inception in 2007, the delivery of food, education and resources has increased across all of Foodbank WA's HFFA initiatives. Evaluation results from feedback surveys demonstrate the success of these interventions to positively impact upon food security, health and wellbeing of participants.\nOriginality/value: HFFA is a unique, effective and novel strategy that addresses a number of health and nutrition issues. Food banks are well placed to deliver food literacy and healthy lifestyle initiatives. Foodbank WA's holistic approach and demonstrated success provides other food banks with a best practice model and knowledge base for the development of similar health promotion strategies and interventions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Marriage for better or for worse? Towards an analytical framework to manage post-merger integration process
|
[
"Performance",
"Change management",
"Alliances",
"Best practice",
"Business process re-engineering",
"Cross-functional integration"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: As deregulation opens up global markets, aided and abetted by unprecedented developments in information communication technology (ICT), international mergers and acquisitions (henceforth referred to as \"Mergers\") are becoming a strategy of choice for organizations seeking competitive advantage in an increasingly complex and global business economy (Birkinshaw et al., 2000; Aguilera and Dencker, 2004; Casal and Fontela, 2007; Kursten, 2008; Chatzoglou and Vraimaki, 2009; Martinkenaite, 2011, 2012; Calza et al., 2013; Degbey and Pelto, 2013; Mirc, 2013; Nolan et al., 2014). Operating synergies are often mentioned as a motive for mergers (Salama et al., 2003; Galpin and Herndon, 2008). By combining complementary skills and resources, both partners' economies of scale and scope can benefit, by spreading fixed costs, for instance. Moreover, financial synergies, diversification aims, tax advantages, pursuit of market power and empire building can represent reasons to engage in mergers (Trautwein, 1990; Sheldon, 1988; Birkinshaw et al., 2000; Chatterjee, 1986, 2007; Nolan et al., 2014). Despite managerial over-optimism immediately following a merger, and the popularity of this fast track to organizational growth, research consistently shows that 50-80 per cent of mergers fail to live up to expectations (Somers and Bird, 1990; Homburg and Bucerius, 2005; Papadakis, 2007). A survey of more than 200 European chief executives found that the challenge of integrating newly merged companies was viewed as more important to the success of the merger than more strategic considerations (Very et al., 1997).\nTheoretical background and conceptual development: There is a sharp increase in cross-border mergers and have grown exponentially around the world in recent years. The growth in M\nAnalytical framework: While recognizing the merits of previous studies, we draw on three perspectives (the organizational behaviour, strategic management and process research traditions) and reconciles them with three dimensions of integration (structural, processual and strategic dimensions) for the analytical framework. In the literature, the multifaceted nature of integration has been brought to the fore by a series of different attempts to define its meaning, e.g.: \"Organizational integration is the extent to which distinct and interdependent organizational components constitute a unified whole\" (Barki and Pinsonneault, 2005); \"Integration is the quality of the state of collaboration existing among the departments that are required to achieve unity of effort by the demand coming from the environment\" (Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967); \"Integration is a strategy for resource leveraging through resource sharing\" (Collis and Montgomery, 1998). In this paper, the term integration is used to imply a \"blending together of organizational components\" (cf. Shrivastava, 1986, p. 66).\nResearch methodology: This study aims to highlight how the processes of post-merger integration activities were managed in Nordea bank. Specifically, we aim to provide insights on the process of integrating the operating synergies by focusing on the critical success factors that facilitate the integration of tasks and dissemination of skills of the merged firms. A single case (Nordea bank) has been studied in depth. Nordea is built on four merging banks (Nordbanken, Merita, UniDanmark, K-Bank/Christiania Bank of Kreditkasse) from Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway. The geographical closeness and historical ties within the Nordic region played an important role in the formation of the merger. The Norwegian bank was last to enter the merger and was actually acquired, but received the status of partner in the union. This is a unique example of collaboration, where an acquired bank joined the other partners with similar status. The single-case approach is appropriate here as we attempt to contribute with knowledge and theory building (Yin, 2002; Hyder and Eriksson, 2005), and also because this merger is the biggest of its kind in the Nordic region. We see the transition as an interesting but complicated process, particularly from cultural and organizational perspectives.\nPresentation of findings: actions taken to manage the post-merger phase in Nordea: Motives for creating Nordea\nDiscussion: Most studies on mergers build on the fundamental observation that the integration process can be understood separately. While recognizing the merits of these previous studies (e.g. Haspeslagh and Jemison, 1991; Birkinshaw et al., 2000; Alaranta, 2006), our work expands on them by relaxing the problem associated with the non-integrative nature of most merger research. For example, strategic, economic and financial merger research tend to \"turn a blind eye\" to organizational and structural issues despite the fact that they are \"pari passu\" of the post-merger integration process and may play a dominant role in determining the success or failure of a merger (Chatterjee, 2007; Chatterjee et al., 1992; Datta and Grant, 1990). Much research from an organizational or HRM perspective does not integrate important notions drawn from the strategy and finance literatures (Schweiger and Walsh, 1990; cited in Larsson and Finkelstein, 1999).\nConcluding remarks: We are aware that this paper has a very ambitious objective. Furthermore, we are also aware that, in majority of cases demonstrated in extant studies, the process of integration is not so smooth and linear as it appears in our findings. Thus, it is pertinent to mention that it seems the the need of total integration and the operational autonomy represented a real issue for the success of the integration efforts in Nordea bank.\nImplications: As far as the implications of this study are concerned, we are aware that there is no \"one size fits all\" formula for post-merger integration and that there is no optimal degree of integration applicable for all firms. However, in Nordea's case, we are able to recognize some common success factors (see Figure 2). The motive behind and aims of a merger have an important impact on the degree of interaction and, consequently, the necessary degree of integration (see also Salama et al., 2003). Thus a higher degree of integration, as in the case of Nordea, might be necessary to capture the synergistic effects aimed at by the merger, but organizational autonomy of the merged companies can also be an important success factor. This view is in line with those by Haspeslagh and Jemison (1991), Child et al. (1999), Birkinshaw et al. (2000) and Salama et al. (2003).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: A review of extant literatures shows that most mergers fail during the integration process. Little is known about how the realization of operating synergies and dissemination of available know-how in the merged firm are managed in the post-merger phase. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights on the process of integrating operating synergies by focusing on the critical success factors that facilitate integration of the skills of merged banks.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors draw on three research traditions in merger literature and reconcile them with three dimensions of integration. In-depth interviews were conducted with Nordea managers from four Nordic countries.\nFindings: Having learned from the mistakes of previous mergers, Nordea's \"guiding star\" for managing its post-merger integration process was expressed as focus, speed and performance from top management. A hands-on leadership style, vision-led thinking, a bias for action, involvement of the entire staff, continuous focus on customers, open and honest communication with employees are critical to success.\nPractical implications: The motive for a merger has an important impact on the degree of interaction and degree of integration. The authors expand on previous findings by, among other things, synthesizing three theoretical lenses into an integrative model, and addresses post-merger issues with a sharp eye towards clear managerial relevance.\nOriginality/value: The authors respond to the call to expand inter-firm relationships study beyond the narrow dyadic relationship focus and not solely conceptualize mergers as one of companies' entry modes to implement mechanistic growth strategy. The three dimensions of integration imbued with three research traditions in merger literature provides us with a conceptual lens to conceive mergers also as engines for change emerging from the merged firms to enhance a bespoke performance of their business process.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Simulation analysis for managing and improving productivity: A case study of an automotive company
|
[
"Process efficiency",
"Automotive industry",
"Productivity",
"Simulation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The current economic crisis has intensified competition and forced organizations such as the automotive Big Three (Chrysler LLC, General Motors, and Ford) to adopt, develop and implement new initiatives and practices to reduce cost and improve efficiency (Evans, 2012). According to Wilson (2010) the new initiatives are driven by two new concepts: first, Lean Management (LM) philosophy, also known as Toyota Production System (TPS) and second, Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). The TPS philosophy utilizes several techniques such as work standardization, total productive maintenance, and error/mistake proofing in order to improve quality, reduce cost, and waste (Boyle et al., 2010; Groover, 2010; Rahman et al., 2010), whereas FMS relies on technology and grouping in order to improve the different types of flexibilities within the manufacturing system (Dennis, 2007; Gunasekaran et al., 2000). Designing and testing the impact of system initiatives (such as LM and FMS) on the actual shop floor is costly (Wainer, 2009). Computer simulation provides a cost effective, quantitative means for planning, designing, and analyzing systems proposals (Greasley, 2005). Multiple simulation software's currently exist in the market (e.g. Witness, Arena, Simul8, and Pro Model). These software's are capable of providing analysis such as quantity of equipment and personnel need, performance evaluation (e.g. throughput and bottleneck analysis), and operational procedures assessment (e.g. scheduling, inventory, quality control). Due to the complexity of the body shop system and the efficiency improvement problem, Witness simulation software using discrete event approach was used for the purpose of this study.\n2. Literature review: Improving manufacturing and assembly operations is a complex and challenging task. This complexity is driven by the amount of variables involved within the assembly process. These variables include items such as people, equipment, and material (Neumann et al., 2006). Effectively improving business operations is achieved by first identifying critical stations (e.g. machines, people) that directly impact throughput (production), quality, delivery, cost, and morale (Adel et al., 2013; El-Khalil, 2009; Gunasekaran and McGaughey, 2003; Kumar and Phrommathed, 2006). The next step after identification of critical operations is to determine the characteristic and to generate analytical data for each operation that can support proper system analysis (Anand and Kodali, 2009; Kumar and Phrommathed, 2006). Testing the feasibility of the proposed alternatives based on the data analysis is critical. Traditionally, companies such as the Big Three relied on prototypes and other testing means to prove their system's capability (Fishman, 2001). Since its early development in the 1960s computer simulation have advanced drastically (Law, 2007). Simulation software provided engineers and managers with a cost effective tool that models operations and determine alternatives and improvements prior to the actual floor implementation (EL-Khalil, 2013; Ingemansson and Bolmsjo, 2004; Law, 2007; Wainer, 2009).\n3. Methodology and discrete-event simulation: The assembly line is a dynamic system which is subject to changes that can occur randomly or as a variable of time (Fishman, 2001). The discrete-event simulation presents a powerful tool for analyzing and optimizing complex systems, such as the automotive assembly process (Ingemansson and Bolmsjo, 2004; Ingemansson et al., 2005; Hlupic and de Vreede, 2005; Sandhu et al., 2013). According to Law (2007) and Anand and Kodali (2009), due to the complexity of these highly automated manufacturing systems, very few publications utilized discrete simulation in order to model and analyze the automotive body shop process.\n4. Process layout and data preparation: The body shop general layout follows an identical process at all automotive manufacturing companies. This process is divided into several stages. For example the body shop facility at Toyota Motors Georgetown Kentucky is comprised of eight stages while the body shop at General Motors Grand River facility is divided in seven stages (EL-Khalil, 2009). The following section will describe in detail the body shop process studied.\n5. Model conceptualization: The base simulation model constructed for the body shop studied mimics the actual process flow at that facility with all the details obtained and presented in previous sections.\n6. Analysis of the current and processed system: A validation and verification was conducted for the base (or current) simulation model, created in order to ensure that it does mimic the actual body shop system and is capable of generating identical throughput.\n7. Conclusion: The Witness \"computer simulation\" software has provided a \"cost-effective\" way for studying the impact of different alternatives on the optimization process of the overall body shop system. The base \"current\" system was analyzed, bottlenecks within the process were identified, and alternatives were recommended. The recommended \"proposed\" system increased the body shop throughput by 2.4 JPH (2.6 percent overall improvement), improved uptime to 79.5 percent, and reduce scrap by 0.3 percent. From a cost perspective, the proposed system has resulted in a 497 percent ROI. The proposed system changes were implemented at the body shop facility based on the model presented in this paper and the actual body shop throughput was 73.8 JPH (based on three weeks of data gathered after implementation). The focus of this study was driven by the facility manager's needs and requirement.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The current economic crisis increased the demand on management to improve process efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to identify and resolve inefficiencies within the car assembly system utilizing discrete simulation modeling and analysis in order to improve productivity at one of the original equipment manufacturers (OEM) body shops in North America.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research was driven by a manager's recommendation from one of the Big Three (GM, Ford, Chrysler LLC) companies in order to improve operational performance. The data utilized in creating the simulation model was obtained from one of the assembly facilities that produce three different vehicles over a period of one year. All model simulation, inputs and outputs were discussed and agreed upon by facility management.\nFindings: The established base model was verified and validated to mimic the actual facility outputs indicating all process bottlenecks. Two model scenarios were considered: the first scenario focussed on the top bottleneck processes flexibility with a ROI of 497 percent, while the second considered changing the model mix percentage leading to a cost improvement of $1.6 million/annually.\nResearch limitations/implications: The model only considered management decision on buffer sizes, batch size and the top bottleneck station alternatives to make improvements. Simulating improvements in labor efficiency, robots uptime, scrap root cause, and maintenance response to downtime where not considered.\nPractical implications: This paper indicated the importance of discrete simulation modeling in providing alternatives for improving process efficiency under certain financial limitations. Given the similarity of the automotive manufacturing processes among the various companies, the findings for this particular facility remain valid for other facilities.\nOriginality/value: Investment cost and process improvement are currently the two biggest challenges facing operations managers in the manufacturing industry. This study allows managers to gain a broader perspective on discrete simulation ability to simulate complicated systems and present different process improvement alternatives.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Legitimacy, accountability and impression management in NGOs: the Indian Ocean tsunami
|
[
"Legitimacy",
"Impression management",
"Functional accountability",
"Non-government Organizations (NGOs)"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Due to the increase in the number (Gray et al., 2006, p. 326; Ossewaarde et al., 2008, p. 42) and increasing role in advocacy and service provision of non-government organisations (NGOs) there has been a growing demand for NGOs to become more accountable for their actions (Slim, 2002; Goddard and Assad, 2006; Gray et al., 2006; Unerman and O'Dwyer, 2006b; Ossewaarde et al., 2008). Slim (2002, p. 2) suggests that NGOs \"have a particular responsibility to lead by example in this area and shine as beacons of legitimacy and accountability\". However, legitimacy can be challenged when external events test the operations of NGOs. One example was the significant criticism of NGO aid agencies' actions following the Indian Ocean tsunami which swept through South Asia on 26 December 2004. The scale of the tragedy attracted unprecedented support for the agencies but also exposed these agencies to considerable negative publicity.\n2. Literature review and research questions: Organisational legitimacy\n3. Research method: Sample selection\n4. Results: RQ1 considered any attempt to discharge functional accountability concerning the tsunami. All the agencies provided the required financial reports including cash movement tables containing a summary of the total cash received and expended on aid projects which addressed the extra reporting required by ACFID for the tsunami funds. In addition two agencies provided tables denoting regional spending totals. Oxfam and CBMI included a separate financial report for the tsunami relief effort and Anglicord advised that a separate report was available on request.\n5. Discussion: Overall the results suggest that the Australian overseas aid agencies did respond to the legitimacy challenge and changed their disclosure practices in the post-criticism annual reports. There was some evidence of functional accountability present in the annual reports, for example, all agencies provided financial reports, including the tsunami cash movement table, as required by the ACFID Code of Conduct. However, despite the pressure brought to bear by the negative media reaction, the CEO letters and other sections of the annual report concerning tsunami aid were rarely used as an opportunity to discharge accountability. There was little attempt to address in quantified terms the publicised criticisms surrounding aid deployment and administrative costs. While there was much qualitative discussion, including case studies, of what appeared prima facie to be undeniably good works, for most agencies these were not accompanied by a report of actual spending and objective evidence of impact. Instead the discussion was more generalised, \"[i]mmediate relief was in the form of food, clothing, medicine, and clean water, while subsequent relief moved into rebuilding houses\" (Baptist World Aid Australia, 2005, p. 22) or more virtuous in nature:\n6. Concluding comments: The annual report of aid agencies is considered \"one of the principal windows of organisational performance, activity and accountability\" (ACFID, 2010, p. 80). As one CEO states in the annual report post the tsunami:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Prior research has investigated legitimation strategies in corporate annual reports in the for-profit sector. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this phenomenon in an NGO environment. It investigates Australian overseas aid agencies' responses to criticism of the relief effort following the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. It aims to determine whether voluntary annual report disclosures were reflective of impression management and/or of the discharge of functional accountability.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper applies content analysis to compare the structure and content of the annual reports of 19 Australian overseas aid agencies before and after the Indian Ocean tsunami.\nFindings: Results suggest voluntary disclosure in annual reports significantly increased post-tsunami and was more consistent with impression management activity rather than functional accountability suggesting a response to the legitimacy challenge. The use of impression management tactics differed with agency size, with larger agencies using ingratiation in order to appear more attractive while smaller ones promoted their particular achievements.\nOriginality/value: This paper makes a contribution by extending prior impression management and legitimacy literature to an NGO environment. It has implications for the development of these theories as it looks at organisations where the stakeholders are different from the for-profit sector and profits are not the main concern. It raises issues about the concept of accountability in the NGO sector, and how the nature of organisation reporting is changing to address the challenges of a sector where access to funds is highly competitive.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Toward a unified view of technology and activity: The contribution of activity theory to information systems research
|
[
"Organizational change",
"Practice",
"Theory building",
"Activity theory"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: It is well understood in the field of information systems (IS) that information and communications technology (ICT) acts as a driving force for organizations, in terms of efficiency in operations, processes, managing, and decision making - providing new ways to engage markets, and offering new products and services. More broadly, for individuals and society, ICT can amplify human intent, connecting individuals, opening new channels of information sharing, and creating new ways of mediating human activities and of engaging with organizations. While these themes are of key interest to the field of IS, it has been noted by several scholars that the manifestation of technology in this field - and, more broadly, in organization studies - tends to be limited (Orlikowski, 1992; Orlikowski and Iacono, 2001), and that studying the interaction between technology and actors remains a major challenge. Technology remains \"missing in action\" (Orlikowski and Scott, 2008, p. 434). The problem is twofold. On the one hand, recent research has noted that there is a trend in IS studies toward neglecting technology (Cecez-Kecmanovic et al., 2014; Sarker et al., 2013). On the other hand, it remains a challenge to account for technology without resorting to deterministic reasoning (Leonardi and Barley, 2008). Therefore, theory is needed that can bridge this gap and unify the social and material. A premise of this research paper is that cultural-historical activity theory, or simply activity theory, can overcome these long-standing issues by better accounting for the material in work and social activity - that is, the interaction between technology and actors/organizations. Activity theory makes arguments around \"social\" and \"material\" redundant as it provides a conceptual framework in which the social context and use of technology are one and the same, rejecting analytical dualism.\n2. Evolution of activity theory: Activity theory is based on the concepts of the cultural-historical school of Russian psychology, which drew largely upon the works of Vygotsky (1978) between 1920 and 1930, and later of others including Luria, Il'enkov and Leont'ev. Vygotsky's work, which has ostensible links to the ideas of the Bolshevik Revolution and Marxism (Gielen and Jeshmaridian, 1999), focused on learning and development (the zone of proximal development) and addressing profound philosophical questions about the possibility of mind. This paper, however, focuses on the concepts most useful to advance IS research rather than the broader activity-theoretic perspective. For a detailed introduction to the early development of activity theory, see Leont'ev (1978) and Engestrom (1987).\n3. Technology and mediation: For IS scholars, the fulcrum of interest is how IS change, disrupt and improve work and social activity and the use of ICT artifacts (Gregor, 2006). Leont'ev posited that while machines contribute to human activity through their work, they at the same time give rise to the emergence of new human abilities (Ruckriem, 2009). Similarly, ICT determines the nature and possibilities of human activity (Ruckriem, 2009) and the possibilities afforded by ICT make sense only in the context of object-oriented activity. This way of looking at tool use accommodates the idea that tools offer affordances (Gibson, 1977) - empowering or constricting. This is similar to the position of the structuration model of technology (Orlikowski, 1992) and the metaphor of \"imbrication\" (Leonardi, 2011), which builds on the works of management and sociology scholars (Ciborra, 2006). This view of ICT use stipulates that both actors and technologies have agency (although activity theory allocates limited agency to technology), but ultimately actors decide how they will respond to a technology (Leonardi, 2011). Activity theory is more in sync with science and technology studies, which reason that actors shape technologies while being continuously shaped by technologies (Hyysalo, 2010). For instance, where the object of an activity is a technology, the properties of the technology penetrate into - and may influence - the subject (Kuutti, 1996).\n4. Activity as practice: In IS research, individuals, groups, and organizations are typically the unit of analysis. Activity theory offers a different conceptualization, which focuses attention on activity, filling a gap in technology studies (Kuutti, 1991b). In the context of organizational research rather than the organization being taken as the unit of analysis and organizational objectives prioritized, activity theory takes the activity system as the core unit and prioritizes \"objects\" of organizational activities (Blackler, 2009). This invites a situated analysis of the activity \"which is often overlooked in more abstract studies of organizations\" (Blackler, 2009, p. 27). However, while it provides an alternative unit of analysis, it is important to note that it accommodates practice, people, collectives (teams/groups), and structures, which is in line with the considerations of IS and organization research.\n5. Contradictions: dialectical logic: A fundamental (and often understated) concept in activity theory is the notion of cultural-historical contradictions and tensions (both terms are used in the literature), which occur within and between activity systems (Engestrom, 2001; Ilyenkov, 1974), and which promote dialectical transformation. As they arise or are revealed, they expose the dynamics, inefficiencies, disturbances, and - importantly - opportunities for change and action (Blackler, 2009; Helle, 2000), precipitating the development of an activity. While the term \"contradiction\" may be considered by some as a weakness within an activity, it is in fact a sign of richness and the capacity of an activity to develop, rather than to function in a fixed and static mode. Foot (2001, p. 63) refers to them as \"growth buds.\" The process of using contradictions to promote learning and change is referred to as \"expansive learning\" (Engestrom, Miettinen, & Punamaki, 1999). An activity without contradictions exists only in the form of an activity in an \"ideal\" form. This follows the dialectical logic of activity theory, which argues that it is inadequate to analyze static activities.\n6. Activity objects: unpacking the black box: 6.1 Objects as the \"sense-maker\"\n7. Interacting activity systems: In addition to examining the activity as a unit of analysis, the activity-theoretic perspective allows researchers to connect an activity with the multivariate and tension-laden nature of human activity by examining connected activities (Spinuzzi, 2008). This acknowledges that activities have \"baggage,\" do not commence tabula rasa, and are historical activities that form over periods of time (Engestrom, 2001). It is a way of examining how activities develop and change over time; it follows that activities are woven - combining, merging, interpenetrating, and dividing - and become more complex over time (Spinuzzi, 2008), allowing for broader contextual understanding. Most activity theory studies traditionally examined single activity systems. However scholars have noted that new forms of work (e.g. knowledge work) (Spinuzzi, 2012), inter-organizational fields (Daniels et al., 2010) and the networked society (Yamazumi, 2009) means that it is increasingly necessary to examine inter-connected activity systems to answer relevant research questions. This is particularly true in the context of IS studies.\n8. Emancipatory agenda: An often-stated power of activity theory is its ability to \"emancipate\" subjects, prompting change and development, and offering a form of emancipatory science \"whose effect is to emancipate its subjects, rather than predict or control them\" (Blunden, 2010 p. 5). In this way, activity theory is distinct from most contemporary social theories employed in IS (linking with axiology of research). It therefore, provides an appealing lens for IS research, as the main concern of many studies is to improve organizational work or to address social issues through ICT. This acknowledges the privileged position of the researcher. However, while activity theory offers analytic tools providing a more-nuanced analysis of change, tool use, division of labor within activities, and underlying norms, the emancipatory agenda has not materialized in activity-theory studies to any large extent. Likewise, Engestrom (2008a p. 258) noted that \"[i]f activity theory is stripped of its historical analysis of contradictions of capitalism, the theory becomes either another management toolkit or another psychological approach without potential for radical transformations.\"\n9. Activity theory and the nature of reality and knowledge: A challenge surrounding activity theory has been classifying it within the typical frames of positivism, interpretivism, and critical approaches (Orlikowski and Baroudi, 1991), amid enduring philosophical debates on the nature of reality. Part of the reason for this can be explained by the origins of activity theory in the 1930s' Soviet Union - and links with Soviet philosophy and psychological theories (Davydov, 1999) - which has meant that it did not engage with Western philosophy until the 1970s. A further difference from other contemporary social theories is that activity theory has a distinct axiology (a priori to ontology and epistemology), which is concerned with emancipation and positive change. However, some connection with Western philosophy has been made. Deweyan pragmatism, in particular, can be regarded as a \"theory of activity\":[...] pragmatism regards the concept of transformative practical activity as a theoretical category that makes it possible to solve philosophical dilemmas that emerged from Cartesian subject-object (and mind-body) dualism. For both of the theories, the concept of activity, the prototype of which is work, constitutes a basis for understanding the nature of knowledge and reality.(Miettinen, 2006, p. 389).\n10. Discussion: developing activity theory in IS: This paper commenced by arguing that activity theory can overcome one of the enduring challenges in IS research by unifying the social and material. It outlined how activity theory, like all theories, brings us to a particular understanding. It has laid out the assumptions of the theory and shown how it privileges a certain way of looking at the world; by so doing, it suggests that activity theory is best suited to certain types of inquiry and research questions in IS - focusing on technology use in context. While it has built on extant arguments, it has also proposed new ones relevant to IS scholars and provided some juxtaposition with other theoretical approaches. This is the first paper to provide such a comprehensive reflection on the use of activity theory in IS.\n11. Conclusion: This paper started by arguing that activity theory, as a theory of practice, is able to account for the material in work and social activity. Activity theory is not proposed as a theory of everything; rather, this paper aims to cultivate it as a theoretical lens capable of accounting for social and technical aspects in IS. In so doing, it has laid out the principal contributions, mapped out the existing research, and developed future perspectives of activity theory in IS research. It has also demonstrated that activity theory brings together a range of ideas that were hitherto excluded from (or inadequately formulated in) more traditional theories adopted in IS research. This paper has also identified the challenges in the application of activity theory, outlined areas where the field of IS provides fertile ground for the expansion of a fourth-generation activity theory, and ruminated upon future research concerning the extension of activity theory in IS research. Therefore, it is forward looking as much as reflective, and advanced an enlarged understanding of activity theory for IS. While this paper charted the extant use of activity theory in IS, the contributions to this paper come from different studies and contexts. This suggests that there is the possibility of cross-pollinating ideas from IS on the use of activity theory into other fields, and vice versa.\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: This theory development paper argues that activity theory, as a theory of practice, can help overcome long-standing challenges in the field of information systems (IS) by better accounting for the material in work and social activity. It also suggests ways in which IS research can inform the development of activity theory. The purpose of this paper is to be forward looking as much as reflective to advance an enlarged understanding of activity theory, and argue for its development in IS studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper is conceptual and draws upon existing literature and research to propose and cultivate an updated understanding of activity theory as a theoretical lens capable of accounting for social and technical aspects in IS.\nFindings: The paper has three aims. First, to cultivate the use of activity theory in IS. It elaborates on the use and contribution of activity theory in IS, charts it's use over the last 20 years and discusses how it brings together a range of ideas that have been neglected in other social theories. Second, to explore the challenges surrounding the use of activity theory in understanding interaction between actors and technology. Third, to set an agenda for its advancement in IS, to ruminate upon future research concerning the extension of activity theory and develop a \"fourth-generation\" activity theory.\nOriginality/value: The paper presents the first attempt to juxtapose activity theory with other theoretical philosophical perspectives; to chart the use of activity theory in IS over the last 20 years; and, to discuss how activity theory brings together a range of ideas that have hitherto been excluded from - or inadequately formulated in - other contemporary social theories.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
E-commerce assurance models and trustworthiness issues: an empirical study
|
[
"E-commerce",
"Compliance",
"Information management",
"Information",
"World wide web",
"Computer security",
"Information security modeling",
"Web assurance",
"Rating model",
"Trustworthiness",
"Web site"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Since the 1990s the internet has revolutionized the way in which companies conduct business.\n2 E-commerce assurance models and trustworthiness: 2.1 What is trustworthiness in an e-commerce assurance model?\n3 E-commerce assurance paradigms: 3.1 E-commerce assurance models\n4 Proposed e-commerce assurance model: The e-commerce assurance model is a model which aims to provide useful information for decision-making to a customer concerning the web site's trustworthiness. In order to transact from a web site, the proposed model in Figure 3 requires that a customer creates an online account for shopping purposes with an online vendor. A strong username, password and the customer-selected pin will be required to authenticate the user. After logging in, a customer will be asked a few questions through a short survey, to determine if the customer has read the privacy policy and refund policy on the site and second if the customer had experienced a bad or good shopping encounter through the web site or not.\n5 Deployment analysis: 5.1 Scenarios of the e-commerce assurance model\n6 Conclusion: E-commerce assurance is an area which has not been researched much; consequently, there are very few journals which discuss e-commerce assurance models and propose robust models. Other related research on the subject of e-commerce assurance pertains to the issue of trust in e-commerce, where a number of researchers have focused on the issue of online trust, but mainly on the antecedents of online trust. In this research work, the focus was on examining the existing e-commerce assurance models with the aim of identifying gaps and addressing those gaps by proposing an advanced e-commerce assurance model.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The internet provides a mechanism by which buyers and sellers meet in order to exchange goods and services online with the utmost convenience. However, there are many risks associated with the internet which, if left unattended, could continue deterring the adoption of e-commerce. These risks ultimately diminish online consumer trust in e-commerce. Web assurance models have been designed in an attempt to encourage online consumer trust through assurance. Unfortunately, many of these models have been inadequate in certain areas and this research aims to improve on them.\nDesign/methodology/approach: It presents a comprehensive empirical survey on trustworthiness issues and e-commerce assurance models and proposes a new compliance-based e-commerce assurance model that integrates adaptive legislation, adaptive e-commerce-related standards and cooperative rating. The intelligent cooperative rating is based on the analytic hierarchy process and page-ranking techniques.\nFindings: Some findings of this research study influence the thinking that some of the untrustworthy sites are posing as trustworthy sites because they display web seals. The findings can be used as a reference guide to understand e-commerce assurance models, as well as the effectiveness of ensuring the trustworthiness of these models.\nPractical implications: The research presents deployment analysis on the use of the proposed compliance model through real life scenarios categorized as trustworthy and untrustworthy e-commerce web sites.\nOriginality/value: This research is relevant to information management and computer security in e-commerce as a development of a newly proposed e-commerce assurance model for trustworthiness safety inspections and knowledge generation as a reference guide to understand e-commerce trustworthiness in general and e-commerce assurance models in particular detail.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Applying DEA to enhance assessment capability of FMEA
|
[
"Failure modes and effects analysis",
"Data analysis",
"Performance management",
"Linear programming",
"Decision making"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)\nMethodology: This section gives rolling theoretical process of data envelopment analysis (DEA) on failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). First part describes the principle of DEA basic model, which was proposed by Charnes, Copper, and Rhodes (CCR) in 1978. And briefly states implicit correlation between FMEA and DEA. Second, we incorporate input multipliers constraints to form CCR Assurance Region (CCR AR). Demonstrate how DEA defines ranking orders as well as weightings through application of input-oriented CCR, multiplier model and input-oriented CCR AR model. Finally, the principle of stratification of DEA is articulated. In this study and succeeding sections, the terms of failure modes in FMEA and decision-making units (DMUs) in DEA are interchangeable.Input-oriented DEA CCR model\nAn illustrative example: For demonstrative purpose, an example was taken from a study of software risk management. Dillibabu and Krishnaiah (2006) applied failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to software coding in an attempt to improve defect-free software products in the design and development stage. In their study, 11 failure modes were identified as well as index scorings were assigned. In the present study, we excerpted matrix of S O D and its RPN. Original FMEA data format is shown in Table IV. In the following parts, first we converted FMEA data matrix into DEA data format. Next, efficiency scores and slacks of failure modes were computed. Follow by input weights, input projections and their reduction rate. Final part, the stratification of failure modes was obtained to draw group reference base for failure modes. The entire computational processes were carried out by the DEA EXCEL SOLVER developed by Zhu (2003).Efficiency scores\nDiscussion: Reviewing Table V that ranking order for improving is 9, 2, 1, 10, 5, 6, 11, 7, 4, 3, 8; and from RPN ranking perspective, the ranking is 9, 1, 10, 5, 2, 11, 6, 3, 4, 7, 8. The findings of the case study highlighted the potential gaps between input criteria (SOD) oriented and RPN oriented ranking methodology. However the proposed approach revealed more information about SOD and furnished with suggested improving direction.In Table VIII that clustered levels are L4={9}, L3={1, 2, 5, 6, 10}, L2={4, 7, 11} and L1={3, 8}. The stratification DEA provides more insight for decision maker. Suppose, each mode in the higher level represents an option, decision maker may compare modes that are currently in the same level as well as compare with relevant modes in the lower level serve as evaluation context. For example, comparing mode #1 in level 3 and mode #9 in level 4 respectively, intuitively we may resolve mode #9 as first priority. However, there could be a trade-off alternative. Detection of mode #1, for example, presumably renders an easier resolution than the detection of mode #9. Thereby, the clustering is very helpful to management when decision maker faces another choice of same risk level but in various efforts on criteria. It is common to tackle for easier and yet effective modes so as to lessen failure more effectively.In the case of more than one failure modes having same RPN indexes, decision maker would run into another decision making. DEA scoring, projection, and clustering provide more information than that of traditional FMEA does. If the economic cost of reducing severity, reducing occurrence and increasing detection is known, one can simply convert this economic cost with help of target projection inputs. It is easier to calculate the efforts with respect to the resources needed among those having same RPN indices. For example, mode #9 requires 83.33 per cent (S), 65.00 per cent (O) and 66.67 per cent (D) of reduction ratio respectively; and that reduction ratio will be the cost/risk ratio base. In addition, the benchmarking modes (efficient modes) are another good assistant tool for decision making. Managements always have context-based to making a comparison once the efforts and the resources have been dispensed on those high-risk modes.\nConclusions and suggested future research direction: Although one can rank the priority for corrective action from traditional RPN, there are more advantages that DEA can provide and yet easy deployment. The proposed approach is able to enhance the assessment capability of FMEA and to obtain managerial implication with particularly regard to corrective actions. First, so long as severity, occurrence and detection are provided, DEA can determine risk ranking with or without computing RPN at first. This technique is done by setting up the RPN at unity while directly computing SOD with DEA logarithmic input oriented assurance region model. The DEA returns rankings for all failure modes by means of computed efficiencies. Second, DEA is able to quantifiably identify the amount of severity, occurrence and detection that needs adjustment on ordering to bringing failure mode efficient or, in other words, to lessen risk. Third, the inefficient failure modes always have reference mode for benchmarking. The advantage of this benchmarking is to pursue economical allocation of resources for management decision-making. Furthermore, modes that fall into same risk group demand equal attention.In our illustrative example, the input scales (from 1 to 10) are standard in nature. As for future study, further employs the input oriented bounded variable DEA model in Equation (4) and (5) to deal with situation of inputs ratings that exceed 10. Other alternative DEA model such as additive model and the allocation model (cost) are worth investigating. In practical world cases, if one or more of SODs cannot be altered; or some interactions occurred within SODs, it posts interesting for further studying. Some FMEA cases other than software setting can be further investigated, for instance, special applications on the patient safety in healthcare industry.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to propose a state-of-the-art new approach to enhance FMEA assessment capabilities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Through data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique and its extension, the proposed approach evolves the current rankings for failure modes by exclusively investigating SOD in lieu of RPN and to furnish improving scales for SOD.\nFindings: - Through an illustrative example the proposed approach supports the proposition that DEA can not only complement traditional FMEA for improving assessment capability but also, especially, provide corrective information regarding the failure factors - severity, occurrence and detection. Further application of DEA Stratification also reveals that this methodology is useful for managing resource allocation and risk management.\nPractical implications: - It is shown that the proposed approach enables manager/designers to prevent system or product failures at an early stage of design. Moreover, the approach is able to provide managerial insight of SOD more effectively than justifying the efforts on RPN alone. Projection of each SOD is determined to help managers examine the scale of efforts. Finally, the stratification analysis offers the economical allocation of failure modes with respect to the incurred costs and the efficiency.\nOriginality/value: - The paper proposes a unique new approach, robust, structured and useful in practice, for failure analysis. The methodology, within a firmed methodology, overcomes some of the largely known shortfalls of traditional FMEA: it takes into account multiple criteria and restricted weighted; and it analyses the failure modes' ranking considering not only the direct impacts of failure indices, but also the contribution of these indices.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Academic perspectives on college-level learning: Implications for workplace learning
|
[
"Accreditation of prior learning",
"Assessment",
"Workplace learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A country's economic vitality and the education of its workforce are strongly linked (Carnevale, 2009). In a US federal briefing, the Lumina Foundation (2011) states that the economic benefits of higher education attainment are more widely recognised and increasingly associated with economic development. In a down-turned economy, slower growth in the labour market increases demands for more highly educated individuals if it is to remain competitive (Carnevale et al., 2010; Feldstein, 2010). Carnevale et al. (2010, p. 16) project that over the next eight years: \"the demand for workers with college education will outpace supply to the tune of 300,000 per year\" in the US alone.In this economic downturn, costs associated with providing higher education are increasing and, at the same time, government support is decreasing, placing a greater burden on the individual to finance their higher education (Bienen and Boren, 2010). Under these financial stresses, Merisotis (2011) questions how higher education can become more effective whilst also being efficient in terms of increasing the number of graduates. It is suggested that institutions examine quality practices to help individuals complete their degrees without increasing costs.The United States Department of Education (2011) released a report on strategies that higher education could employ to attract, retain and graduate more students. Within this report, Prior Learning Assessment[1] (PLA) was identified as an important strategy to help the workforce achieve college-level credits and complete a degree. In a review of research on PLA, Travers (2011a) identified that PLA benefited adult learners by decreasing costs and the time taken to complete a degree, while it benefitted institutions by increasing persistence and graduation rates.The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) recently undertook a comprehensive study to compare persistence rates for PLA and non-PLA students across 48 institutions (n=62,475 students) offering a variety of types of PLA (Klein-Collins, 2010). Overall, Klein-Collins reports that PLA students have higher rates of degree completion than non-PLA students regardless of size, level or type of institution. The data also indicates that even if the students did not complete their degrees, the PLA participants persisted for longer and took more credits at their institution than their counterparts. Klein-Collins (2010, p. 57) concludes that:The data from the 48 postsecondary institutions ... show that PLA students had better academic outcomes, particularly in terms of graduation rates and persistence, than non-PLA adult students. Many PLA students also shortened the time required to earn a degree; the average time to degree decreased as the number of PLA credits earned increased.In addition, Travers (2011a) found that participation in PLA increased students' self-awareness and personal development as a learner, and improved their problem-solving skills, study skills, reflection skills and self-regulated learning; all of which are hallmarks of a good student.With a push toward higher education for the workforce, more colleges and universities are turning to PLA as a viable solution for adult students to achieve credit for their workplace-based learning (Klein-Collins, 2006; Lewin, 2011). Critiques of PLA (Travers, 2011a), however, have indicated that the process can be cumbersome and students often do not know if their knowledge is at college-level before engaging the process. In a study examining PLA practices across 32 institutions, Hoffman et al. (2009) found that the most common area needing clarification for students and assessors was the meaning of \"college-level learning\". In addition, employers and career counsellors need ways to determine if an employee's knowledge will translate to college-level learning before investments in education are made.\nThe research study: The purpose of this study was to explore academic perspectives of what is meant by college-level learning in order to see if a generic definition could be developed. If this could be achieved, the development of requests and the assessment of prior learning could become more effective and efficient. In addition, employers and career counsellors would have a way to determine if workplace learning is capable of being assessed at a college level before investing monies upfront.The study took place at a US public university, which serves over 20,000 students and offers Prior Learning Assessment to all its undergraduate students. Over 2,000 students are engaged in the PLA process at any one time. This particular institution was chosen because of the volume of PLA requests that it engages with and because academics make evaluative judgments on what is college-level learning on a regular basis. At the institution, all undergraduate academics and some graduate academics mentor students through a self-designed degree programme including offering students advice on whether to pursue the PLA process or not. Students choosing the PLA option are mentored through the development of the PLA request. As part of workload requirements, academics serve on student degree programme review committees, equivalent to a curriculum committee at other institutions. Some also serve as expert evaluators of prior learning. The PLA process at this institution includes students preparing a portfolio documenting their learning and engaging in an interview with the evaluator. Across these responsibilities, through regular student guidance, academics use de facto working definitions of what is and is not college-level learning.\nResearch methods: This study focused on how academics defined college-level learning and how they used that definition to assess prior learning. An electronic survey was sent to the full-time academics consisting of demographic questions and open-ended questions to elicit perspectives on college-level learning. Academics were also asked to identify their field, participation in curricular decisions, and the extent to which they advised students and evaluated PLA requests. Other questions, not analysed in this report, involved asking the academics to describe how their definition of college-level learning affected curricular decisions and classroom evaluations.In total, eight questions were posed pertaining to definitions of college-level learning and the use of those definitions in assessing prior learning. These questions were divided into three subsections as follows:1. Definition of college-level learning:* How would you define college-level learning at an undergraduate level?* How would you define student learning that is below college-level?* How would you define graduate-level learning?2. The comparison of Prior Learning Assessment to classroom assessment:* In what ways do you feel that prior learning assessment is equivalent to traditional classroom assessments for determining college-level learning?* In what ways do you feel that prior learning assessment is not equivalent to traditional classroom assessments for determining college-level learning?3. Using college-level learning definition to assess prior learning:* When evaluating prior learning, what information do/would you look for to gain an understanding of the student's learning?* What indicators do/would you look for in an individualised PLA portfolio that would convince you that the student has acquired college-level learning?* In what ways do you think your definition of \"college-level learning\" guide/would guide your assessment of students' prior learning?The results were analysed based on the three sets of questions and the responses themed. The resulting themes were then examined across the three sets of questions.The first theme set: Definition of College-Level Learning was reviewed by a representative group of academics (n=85) during a two-day college retreat on defining an educated person and overall institutional learning goals. The results of this survey were presented and feedback gained as one of the retreat activities; the revisions are discussed in the results section.\nResearch findings: Demographics\nLimitations of the study: This study is limited to perceptions at only one institution. In addition, these definitions and indicators of college-level learning have not been tested beyond one educational culture. As a result, they may lack critical or alternative perspectives. For example, although the college has a division focused on labour studies, none of its members of staff opted to participate in this study. Both the questions posed and the results need to be further studied at multiple institutions across a variety of sizes, types and countries, as well as with a wider range of academics and workplace individuals in order to gain a better understanding of the generalisability of the results. Michelson (1996, 2011) warns that much of the educational system reinforces an uncritical perspective of what is considered college learning, and that this continually excluded some groups. A lack of opposing viewpoints can lead to reinforcing the status quo and a restriction of growth and development in educational perceptions. Before a generic definition of college-level learning is adopted, further study needs to take place with various groups representative of post-modernist, feminist, and anti-racist theory to ensure different conceptual underpinnings are included.In addition, this study only focused on the perspectives of academic members of staff and did not compare those perspectives to actual student work examples. Further studies might incorporate student work to exemplify the findings.\nDiscussion: Over the past two decades, the concepts of workforce skills and definitions of an educated person have been identified. The Quality Assurance Agency (The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, 2008) has developed quality frameworks for institutions in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in order to provide guidance regarding the learning outcomes expected within different types of academic attainment levels (e.g. doctorate, masters, degrees and certificates) increasingly related to \"qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment\". The Association for American Colleges and Universities (AACU) compared college-level learning goals and educated person statements from various higher education associations, disciplinary associations, accrediting agencies, student studies, and colleges and universities. From these, the AACU concludes that overall a college-educated person displays the following characteristics:* Knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world by engagement with big questions, both contemporary and enduring, through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts.* Intellectual and practical skills in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance, including inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information literacy, teamwork and problem solving extensively, across the curriculum.* Personal and social responsibility through active involvement with diverse communities and real-world challenges, including civic knowledge and engagement, local and global; intercultural knowledge and competence; ethical reasoning and action; and, foundations and skills for lifelong learning.* Integrative learning through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialised studies.The commonality across the QAA quality frameworks, the AACU educated person statements, and the results of this study of academics' perspectives on college-level learning, is striking. More importantly, the progressive emphasis on the individual's relationship with ideas and how these ideas relate to the ideas of others and to the world is increasing. Whereas earlier statements on the educated person and workforce skills tended to emphasise learning skills and competencies with some attention to knowledge construction (e.g. communication, critical thinking, qualitative reasoning), more recent descriptors of college-level learning emphasise the connection of knowledge construction to relationships among different knowledge domains (Edelman, 2004) and the ways in which these relationships operate beyond the individual in terms of community and globalisation.Bienen and Boren (2010, p. 17) argue that in today's world: \"global understanding has never been more important for students, who will grow into leadership roles in this new reality\". He goes on to argue that higher education increasingly teaches beyond the disciplines to include an understanding of differing opinions and thoughts, community, and the historical developments that contributed to current political and economic realities. Boren warns that in the face of current economic stresses, there is great pressure to move away from a liberal arts education, even though the essence of a liberal arts education is to prepare the workforce to cope better with a changing world and to work more effectively in a globalised context.Travers (2011b, p. 1) describes how the world has moved from the \"information age\" to the \"relational age\": \"a distinct time when digital devices are not just purposed to capture information, but have become central to the ways in which we relate to each other, relate to ideas and information and relate to how we construct our lives.\" She argues that institutions of higher education must address learning in terms of its relational aspects in order to prepare individuals to participate successfully in today's workforce. The framework emanating from this study begins to define college-level learning in relational terms: how all aspects of learning relate to the development of the individual, to understanding ideas and others, and how those ideas relate to the wider world.Workplace and classroom settings as learning environments are more similar than not (Billett, 2002). In both settings, individuals construct their own learning experiences (Andresen et al., 1999) and self-regulate their learning in order to optimise what they value (Billett, 2002; Travers et al., 2003). Billett (2002) argues that workplace learning takes place in a highly structured, non-ad hoc manner because the learning is essential to the continuity of the work and often progresses through a continuum of skill levels; even so, unintended learning does occur. Billett (2001) also indicates that learning within the workplace is dependent on multiple \"affordances\", including the individual's agency, values, engagement, type of guidance, nature of work activities and personal learning history. As a result, not all individuals learn in the same way or to the same degree within the workplace. As Billett argues, the same affordances are at play within educational settings. In the classroom, students self-regulate their learning based in relation to their own reference standards regardless of the opportunities and guidance offered by teaching and other staff (Travers et al., 2003).The question of whether learning is creditworthy to the extent that it fits into a structure denoted by higher education is an important one given that higher education is considered a valuable commodity for success in the world of work (Travers, 2011b). The definition of college-level learning proposed in this study shifts the questions asked when assessing workplace learning. Instead of asking about individuals' skills and the extent to which they are equivalent to what might be taught in an undergraduate or graduate programme, the proposed framework allows questions to be asked regarding how an individual uses his or her knowledge to solve problems and relate to different situations, regardless of where or how the learning is acquired.This definition shifts attention from trying to determine equivalencies, which are indefinable and variable to the assessor, to exploring the ways that the knowledge is used. Higher education is about using knowledge rather than merely acquiring it (Bienen and Boren, 2010). To assess workplace learning at an undergraduate or graduate level is to discover how and to what extent individuals effectively use their knowledge to make changes and improvements in work and life.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to explore faculty definitions of college-level learning in order to develop a universal definition to assist employers, career counselors, and academic institutions in assessing college-level workplace learning.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Faculty were administered an electronic survey to gather definitions of below college-level, undergraduate level and graduate level learning at a USA university.\nFindings: - A total of 20 per cent of the faculty completed the survey, representing an even distribution across disciplines offered at the university. Data were analysed using qualitative methods to determine themes arising from the faculty definitions; member checking occurred through a representative faculty group. The resulting framework had commonalities to other current college-level learning schemas (e.g. American Association of Colleges and Universities). Terminology used by the faculty indicated students must understand and utilise different relationships across knowledge.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The framework shifts the perspective from assessing skills and competencies to assessing the ways in which individuals relate knowledge to different ideas, perspectives and global issues. Future research is needed to verify these themes across multiple institutions.\nPractical implications: - This framework could assist employers, career counselors, students and educators in determining if an individual's workplace knowledge can be assessed at a college-level. This could be advantageous to know prior to investing in higher education.\nOriginality/value: - The results imply that simply assessing workplace skills is insufficient to determine college-level learning. Rather, the ways in which individuals relate their knowledge to different issues and solve problems is critical.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
An adaptive model predictive approach for automated vehicle control in fallback procedure based on virtual vehicle scheme
|
[
"Model predictive control",
"Automated vehicles",
"Fallback",
"Sensor failure",
"Virtual vehicle scheme"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The development of automated driving technologies is rapidly advancing. However, safety issues resulting from perceptive sensor failure are still crucial to automated driving safety (Harris, 2016). When perceptive sensor failure occurs during the automated driving procedure, it is necessary for human drivers or the automated driving system (ADS) to perform fallback behavior, which is to operate the automated vehicle as well as achieve a minimal risk condition (SAE On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards Committee, 2016). For the ADS at Levels 1-3, the human driver is assumed to perform the fallback maneuver, while at Level 4 or 5, the ADS can execute fallback behavior without human intervention. Therefore, this study focuses on the fallback procedure of an automated vehicle under front sensor failure without human intervention.\n2. Problem description: As illustrated in Figure 1, the host vehicle is assumed to lose its ability to collect environmental information ahead owing to front sensor malfunction while traveling in automated driving mode. As a result, an undetected area appears in front of the host vehicle. The host vehicle fails to read road signs or perceive obstacles in the undetected area. In response, the ADS immediately terminates the current driving task and executes the fallback maneuver. The detection delay of the sensor failure is neglected in this study because algorithms to reduce the fault detection delay have already been proposed, which can reduce the delay to a fairly low level for sensors with high sampling frequencies (Jeong et al., 2015; Kim, 1994). The complete fallback procedure comprises three phases under the problem setting: lane-keeping, lane change and pulling over. First, in the lane-keeping phase, the ADS adjusts the vehicle speed and keeps the host vehicle in the original lane while issuing a takeover request to the driver. Then, if no response is received, it may be necessary for the vehicle to change to the emergency parking lane and slow to a minimum cruise velocity. Finally, the host vehicle must be pulled over to the road shoulder. In this study, it is assumed that the driver is unable to respond to the takeover request. In addition, the pulling-over phase was not considered. Therefore, the problem focuses on the lane-keeping and lane-changing phases in the fallback procedure.\n3. Vehicle model: This section presents a model of the host vehicle as a nonlinear dynamic system, while a linear and discrete model is derived from the nonlinear vehicle model for use of the MPC optimization process.\n4. Control algorithm: This section presents the development of the adaptive model predictive controller for the fallback procedure. The virtual vehicle scheme was implemented to complete the perception model of the surrounding driving environment, introduced in Section 4.1. Predictions of the behavior of surrounding vehicles were developed for the construction of safe driving constraints, as in Section 4.2. The desired control outputs are defined in Section 4.3, including the desired longitudinal velocity and lateral trajectory in the fallback procedure. Finally, a model predictive controller was formulated as in Section 4.4.\n5. Case studies: 5.1 Test scenarios\n6. Conclusions: This paper proposes an adaptive model predictive approach based on virtual vehicle scheme, to realize a fallback procedure of an automated vehicle while encountering a front perceptive sensor failure during highway transportation. To design the fallback procedure, the automated vehicle is normally required to perform lane-keeping and lane-changing behaviors, until safely reaching a low cruise speed in the emergency parking lane. Therefore, it was assumed that the undetectable vehicles continually perform hazardous driving behaviors, which may oblige the host vehicle to actively avoid incoming collisions.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: Automated driving systems (ADSs) are being developed to avoid human error and improve driving safety. However, limited focus has been given to the fallback behavior of automated vehicles, which act as a fail-safe mechanism to deal with safety issues resulting from sensor failure. Therefore, this study aims to establish a fallback control approach aimed at driving an automated vehicle to a safe parking lane under perceptive sensor malfunction.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Owing to an undetected area resulting from a front sensor malfunction, the proposed ADS first creates virtual vehicles to replace existing vehicles in the undetected area. Afterward, the virtual vehicles are assumed to perform the most hazardous driving behavior toward the host vehicle; an adaptive model predictive control algorithm is then presented to optimize the control task during the fallback procedure, avoiding potential collisions with surrounding vehicles. This fallback approach was tested in typical cases related to car-following and lane changes.\nFindings: It is confirmed that the host vehicle avoid collision with the surrounding vehicles during the fallback procedure, revealing that the proposed method is effective for the test scenarios.\nOriginality/value: This study presents a model for the path-planning problem regarding an automated vehicle under perceptive sensor failure, and it proposes an original path-planning approach based on virtual vehicle scheme to improve the safety of an automated vehicle during a fallback procedure. This proposal gives a different view on the fallback safety problem from the normal strategy, in which the mode is switched to manual if a driver is available or the vehicle is instantly stopped.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Financial education and financial satisfaction: Financial literacy, behavior, and capability as mediators
|
[
"Behaviour",
"Personal finance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In recent decades, consumer financial education has drawn the attention of consumer financial policy makers, practitioners, and researchers (CFPB, 2015; FLEC, 2012; PACFC, 2013). Consumer financial education refers to any form of education on basic financial knowledge for consumers in high schools, colleges, and workplaces. Raising the level of financial literacy and encouraging desirable financial behaviors though financial education are assumed to enhance consumer financial capability and improve consumer welfare (Atkinson et al., 2006; Huhmann and McQuitty, 2009; Mouna and Jarboui, 2015). Financial education is believed to improve financial literacy, motivate desirable financial behaviors, and enhance financial well-being among consumers (Lusardi and Mitchell, 2014).\nConceptual framework, previous research, and hypotheses: Financial literacy has been defined as the level of financial knowledge and the ability to apply the knowledge to improve financial status (Lusardi and Mitchell, 2014; Huhmann, 2014). In the literature, financial literacy and financial capability are at times used interchangeably, both referring to the ability to apply certain levels of financial knowledge and perform desirable financial behaviors to achieve financial well-being (Atkinson et al., 2006; Xiao, Chen and Chen, 2014).\nMethod: Data\nResults and discussions: Table II presents results of testing if objective financial literacy is a mediating factor between financial education and financial satisfaction. Model 1 shows that financial education is strongly associated with objective financial literacy. However, comparing Models 2 and 3, objective financial literacy has contributed to financial satisfaction significantly, but the effect size is smaller than that of financial education. This suggests that objective financial literacy may not be a strong mediating factor between financial education and financial satisfaction. This finding supports previous research that shows the positive effect of financial education on financial literacy (e.g. Danes et al., 1999; Lyons, 2004; Joo and Grable, 2005; Kim et al., 2005; Robb and Woodyard, 2011; Walstad et al., 2010; Xiao, Ahn, Serido, and Shim, 2014; Xiao, Chen, and Chen, 2014). However, the effect of objective literacy seems limited compared to the effect of financial education as it does not support H1 and thus implies that financial education may have greater effects on other mediating factors for improving financial well-being.\nConclusion and implications: This study attempts to examine whether financial education has either direct or indirect potential effect on financial satisfaction, a measure of subjective financial well-being. Objective financial literacy, subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behavior, perceived financial capability, and the financial capability index are used as potential mediating variables between financial education and financial satisfaction. Using a large nationally representative data set, the results show that subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behavior, and the financial capability index are strong mediators between financial education and financial satisfaction, while objective financial literacy and perceived financial capability are weaker mediators. The results suggest that financial education has multiple benefits for improving financial well-being such as facilitating knowledge acquisition, enhancing confidence in knowledge and ability, and encouraging action taking.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate roles of financial literacy, financial behavior, and financial capability as mediating factors between financial education and financial satisfaction.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data are from the 2012 National Financial Capability Study, a large national data set with detailed information on financial satisfaction, education, literacy, behavior, capability, and related variables. Mediation analyses are used to answer research questions.\nFindings: Financial education may affect financial satisfaction, a subjective measure of financial well-being, through financial literacy, financial behavior, and financial capability variables. Results show that subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behavior and a financial capability index (a sum of Z-scores of objective financial literacy, subjective financial literacy, desirable financial behavior, and perceived financial capability) are strong mediators between financial education and financial satisfaction.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study has used cross sectional data that can only document associations between financial education and satisfaction and the mediators between them. Future research could use relevant longitudinal data to verify multiple benefits of financial education.\nPractical implications: The findings have implications for financial service professionals to take advantages of multiple benefits of financial education in content acquisition, confidence in knowledge and ability, and action taking when they communicate with their clients.\nSocial implications: Policy makers on consumer financial education may use the information to advocate and promote effective education programs to improve consumer financial well-being.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first of this kind to examine the association between financial education and financial satisfaction and several financial capability variables as mediating factors.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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New generation, psychological empowerment: Can empowerment lead to career competencies and career satisfaction?
|
[
"China",
"Human resource management",
"Career development",
"Hospitality industry",
"Empowerment",
"Generational differences"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The main workforces in the hospitality industry in China comprise Generation Y employees. Generation Y indicates those who were born from 1981 to 2000 (Gursoy et al., 2013). These individuals are also known as Millennials, Nexters and Echo Boomers (Parry and Urwin, 2011). These young employees own distinctive generational characteristics and values (Chen and Choi, 2008; Park and Gursoy, 2012), which influence the requirements for all human resource management aspects, such as training, rewards and career management. Understanding, serving and providing customized management activities for Generation Y offered new challenging topics for both researchers and practitioners.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Relationship between psychological empowerment and career competencies\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Research design\n4. Results: 4.1 Profile of the respondents\n5. Discussions and conclusion: 5.1 Conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to explore the influence of psychological empowerment on the career competencies of Generation Y employees and the relationship between empowerment and career satisfaction.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Generation Y working in the hospitality industry comprised the target population of this study. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, and 458 valid questionnaires were obtained. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and to test the causal relationships among the constructs.\nFindings: Psychological empowerment was positively related to career competencies and career satisfaction. Moreover, the four dimensions of psychological empowerment, namely, impact, competence, self-determination and meaning, also contributed positively to the career competencies and satisfaction of Generation Y. Findings indicated that empowerment was an important predictor of career management among young employees.\nResearch limitations/implications: The limitation of this study is the use of convenience sampling method, with participants selected according to their accessibility. Future studies should collect a reasonably broad sample by using probability sampling methods.\nPractical implications: The findings of this study provided useful guidance to manage and empower Generation Y employees. First, the importance of psychological empowerment to enhance the career competencies and satisfaction of young employees was proved. Second, this study provided detailed information on how to empower Generation Y employees. Third, this study may help to retain qualified employees by empowering and supporting their career development.\nSocial implications: This study highlighted the importance of empowerment in managing Generation Y employees. Once Generation Y employees are trusted and empowered, they tend to perform well in both their job and career. Findings indicated that the four factors of psychological empowerment had different contributions to careers of the employees. Results suggest that managers should attempt to assign challenging and meaningful tasks to young employees and to increase their responsibility and impact in the organization. To attract and retain qualified young employees, career competences should be enhanced to achieve a level of career satisfaction.\nOriginality/value: This study presented new findings on Generation Y and the outcomes of psychological empowerment. Initial evidence on the contribution of empowerment to the career issues of the new generation was proved. The findings outlined detailed information on psychological empowerment by exploring the function of its four factors. The results may serve as a foundation for future research on empowerment and career issues of Generation Y.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A fuzzy approach for assessing contractors' competitiveness
|
[
"Fuzzy control",
"Competitive strategy",
"Construction industry",
"Linguistics",
"Hong Kong"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizational competitiveness research is a popular research topic in many industries, including the construction industry. Studies on competitiveness have been conducted by many researchers (e.g. Pettigrew, 1988; Hu, 2001; Hitchens et al., 2003). In the construction industry, competitiveness is generally used for ranking contractors in a bidding process. Previous studies have presented several methods for assessing contractor competitiveness in prequalifying and short-listing tenders by using tender price (Flanagan and Norman, 1982; Drew and Skitmore, 1993; Drew and Skitmore, 1997). In line with the development of using multiple criteria in selecting contractors, there is a need for contractors to develop their traditional \"price-bidding\" competitiveness to\"multiple-criteria bidding\" competitiveness. Relevant studies have investigated solutions for helping contractors to formulate better bidding strategy when multiple selection criteria are adopted (Fayek, 1998; Kumaraswamy and Walker, 1999; Shen et al., 1999; Tan et al., 2008).In more recent studies, multiple parameters are used for measuring contractor competitiveness and in particular within construction markets. Li et al. (2002) introduced a multiple parameter model for assessing contractor competitiveness after analyzing the construction business environment in China. Shen et al. (2003) developed a decision support system called the Contractor's Competitiveness Assessment Scoring System (C-CASS) used for assessing contractors' total competitiveness value in the context of China's construction industry. In a further study, Shen et al. (2004) identified a model adopted to award construction contracts on a multi-criteria basis in China by taking into account both the contractor's competitiveness and the defined project objectives. This model presents a comprehensive list of competitiveness parameters. In a recent study, Tan et al. (2007) established a competitiveness indicator system and identified the key competitiveness indicators (KCIs) for measuring contractor competitiveness in the context of Hong Kong construction industry.With the identified KCIs, there is a need to develop a method for assessing contractor competitiveness properly. Competitiveness assessment is important in organizational strategic management. It can help contractors to find their positions in a specific market and to identify their strength and weakness. Shen et al. (2003) developed a benchmark dictionary for helping assess contractor competitiveness. However, the dictionary has to be updated with the changing competition environment and the assessment process involves much fuzziness and uncertainty. The specification of decision attributes and decision makers' opinion involves fuzziness, and so it is intended to apply fuzzy theory to assist contractors in assessing their competitiveness or assist clients in selecting proper contractors. Therefore, based on the study by Tan et al. (2007), a fuzzy competitiveness rating method for contractor competitiveness assessment will be introduced in this paper.\nBasic definitions of fuzzy set theory: Fuzzy sets were introduced by Zadeh (1965) as an extension of the classical notion of set. According to Zadeh (1965), if X is a collection of objects denoted generically by x, then a fuzzy setA~ in X is a set of ordered pairs: A~={(x,mA~(x))|x[?]X }. mA~(x) is a value assigned to represent the membership of x inA~. If the value of mA~(x) is nearer to unity, the grade of membership of x in A~ will be higher. For example, if there are four fuzzy members in a fuzzy set A~, namely, x1,x2,x3,x4, and their membership values are defined respectively as 0.4, 0.7, 0.5 and 0.9, then, we can write the fuzzy set as A~={(x1,0.4),(x2,0.7),(x3,0.5),(x4,0.9)}, where x4 has the highest grade in fuzzy set A~, as it assumes the value of 0.9 is closest to the maximum value 1.There are various established membership functions for describing fuzzy numbers, such as linear, non-linear, and exponential functions. Linear fuzzy membership function is considered effective and simple in its application (Seo et al., 2004; Tah and Carr, 2000). As the simplest linear fuzzy membership function, triangular fuzzy membership function complies with relevant optimization criteria given some additional mild assumptions (Pedrycz, 1994). Therefore, it is commonly used by many researchers for describing the fuzziness in reality, including construction (Feng and Xu, 1999; Tah and Carr, 2000; Seo et al., 2004; Lin and Chen, 2004; Singh and Tiong, 2005; Li et al., 2007; Zhang and Zou, 2007; Lam et al., 2008; Poveda and Fayek, 2009). So, the triangular fuzzy membership function is used to describe the fuzzy parameters in this paper. The typical definitions for triangular fuzzy numbers are introduced as follows.Definition 1\nFuzzy competitiveness rating: Fuzzy theory has been widely used for assisting in decision making in construction industry where fuzziness exists in defining variables (Eldukair and Ayyub, 1992; Feng and Xu, 1999; Tah and Carr, 2000; Seo et al., 2004; Li et al., 2007). As the competitiveness assessment process involves the assessment of uncertainties, thus the assessment is associated with complexity and uncertainty. Hence, fuzzy multiple attribute decision analysis is considered suitable for assessing competitiveness.Competitiveness is usually assessed by a group of professional members based on their knowledge and experience. Assume that there are t assessment panel members, denoted as D={d1,d2,...,dt}. The KCIs identified by Tan et al. (2007) are selected as the competitiveness attributes for measuring contractors' competitiveness, including six main attributes and 36 sub-attributes. Assessment panel members will assess the competitiveness attributes' rating and weightings by selecting an appropriate linguistic term. Referring to Table I and Figure 2, the corresponding fuzzy ratings and fuzzy weightings of the competitiveness attributes are identified, denoted as r~i(k) and w~i(k), i=1,2, ... ,n; k=1,2, ... , t. In order to aggregate the assessment panel members' opinion, the average fuzzy ratings and average fuzzy weightings are used to pool their opinions. Referring to previous studies (Chen, 2000; Lin and Chen, 2004; Xu and Chen, 2007), the average fuzzy ratings and average fuzzy weightings can be obtained by following formula: Equation 5 Referring to existing studies (Chen, 2000; Chen, 2001; Li et al., 2007), a fuzzy competitiveness rating (FCR) method is introduced to measure a contractor's competitiveness. This method consolidates the fuzzy ratings and fuzzy weightings of sub-attributes under each main attribute to represent the competitiveness of each main attribute; and six main attributes to represent the overall competitiveness. The higher a contractor's FCR, the stronger is the competitiveness of the contractor. Since each attribute has different weightings, the weighted attribute rating can be expressed as w~i[?]r~i. The fuzzy competitiveness rating can be obtained by aggregating the weighted attribute ratings: Equation 6 According to (5), the value of FCR is also a triangular fuzzy number, denoted as FCR=(al,am,au). In order to keep the value of FCR in the range of [0, 1], a normalization method is needed. According to existing studies (Chen, 2000; Li et al., 2007), the common method is to use the maximum au, denoted as au*, to divide FCR=(al,am,au). When there is only one contractor, the au* can be obtained by setting all attributes' fuzzy ratings as the maximum rating (0.9,1,1) and keeping the weightings unchanged. By using formula (5), the FCR with the maximum au will be obtained as FCR*=(al*,am*,au*), and the normalized fuzzy competitiveness rating (NFCR) can be calculated by following formula: Equation 7 According to formulae (5) and (6), the normalized fuzzy competitiveness rating can be obtained. This rating can be further matched to an appropriate linguistic term, which can represent the same meaning of the NFCR, from a natural language expression set. The natural language expression set includes a set of linguistic terms for expressing decision makers' opinion on contractors' competitiveness levels. An effective natural language expression set has been introduced in previous studies (Lin and Chen, 2004; Li et al., 2007), as shown in Table II, and this set is used in this research as well.There are several methods for matching a fuzzy competitiveness rating to a linguistic term from the natural language expression set (Schmucker, 1985; Lin and Chen, 2004). The Euclidean distance in intuitive form incorporates subjective perception of proximity (Chaudhuri and Rosenfeld, 1996; Groenen and Jajuga, 2001). Therefore, the Euclidean distance is used in this study for matching the fuzzy competitiveness ratings to the natural language expression set. The distances between NFCR and each member in the natural language expression set can be calculated by using formula (3). Then, contractors' competitiveness level can be identified by a linguistic term from the natural language expression set which has the minimum distance.\nA hypothetical example: Assume that a local general contractor, ABC, is to conduct an internal competitiveness assessment by using the fuzzy competitiveness rating method. The competitiveness assessment process is as follows:Step 1: Forming an assessment panel\nConclusion: Clearly understanding their competitiveness will help contractors to formulate effective competition strategies in bidding or long-term development planning. With the identified KCIs in previous studies, a fuzzy competitiveness rating method is proposed in this study for helping contractors to conduct competitiveness assessment in the context of Hong Kong construction industry. The results provide contractors valuable references for understanding their position in the market and their strengths and weaknesses. Apart from the internal competitiveness assessment, the fuzzy competitiveness rating method can also be used to rank contractors in a typical market or to help clients select contractors with maximum total competitiveness. However, the model used in this study is not validated by real cases. In a future paper, the model will be further demonstrated by conducting real case studies, and the linguistic terms and corresponding fuzzy numbers will also be re-defined based on the collected data.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Proper assessment of contractors' competitiveness is important for assisting contractors in taking internal analysis and for assisting clients in selecting suitable contractors. This paper seeks to address this issue.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - With previously identified contractor key competitiveness indicators (KCIs), this study presents a fuzzy competitiveness rating (FCR) method for measuring contractor competitiveness with reference to the Hong Kong construction industry. A set of linguistic terms is used for facilitating the assessment process.\nFindings: - For illustration, an example is used to show the application of the FCR method. The results provide valuable information for helping contractors in the local construction industry to understand their competitive advantages and weaknesses, and to formulate effective competition strategies to improve their competitiveness.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The model used in this study is not validated by real cases. In a future paper, the model will be further demonstrated by conducting real case studies, and the linguistic terms and corresponding fuzzy numbers will also be re-defined based on the collected data.\nOriginality/value: - As the competitiveness assessment process involves complexity and uncertainty, a fuzzy competitiveness rating method is considered suitable for reflecting the reality and the assessment panel can easily give their opinions by using the linguistic language.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Factors influencing the behavioral intention of public transport passengers
|
[
"Perceived value",
"Service quality",
"Satisfaction",
"Behavioural intention",
"Public transport",
"Sacrifice"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The number of motor vehicles circulating on the road has been increasing in Indonesia in recent years. A survey carried out by the Indonesian National Police reported that there are 65,273,451 motor vehicles circulating on the road in 2008, and in 2009, the number of motor vehicles reached a 70,714,569 units (BPS, 2009). The survey also showed that 96 percent of these vehicles are private motor vehicles (BPS, 2009).\nLiterature review and hypotheses: BI\nResearch methodology: Sample and procedure\nData analysis: This study employed SEM analysis technique to test the proposed model (Figure 1) and hypotheses. As suggested by Hair et al. (2006), we conducted two testing stages of SEM. First, the measurement model was tested by using the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the result will describe how well the observed variables measure the latent variables (Lee et al., 2010). Second, path analysis was employed to test the structure model. This analysis aims to identify the relationship between all latent variables hypothesized in the literature review section (Lee et al., 2010). In other words, the objective of the second stage of the SEM is to test the proposed hypotheses.\nResults and discussions: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: Theoretical implication\nConclusion, limitation, and future research: This paper explores the factors that influence the BI of paratransit passengers in three major cities in Indonesia, namely Bandung, Medan, and Surabaya by using SEM. More specifically, this study examined the relationship between SQ, SAC, PV, SAT, frequency of usage, and the BI of paratransit passengers. In this study we used a multidimensional construct of BI, consist of repurchase intention and WOM\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors that influence the behavioral intention (BI) of paratransit passengers in three major cities in Indonesia, namely Bandung, Medan, and Surabaya. More specifically, this paper will examine the relationship between the BI and other factors, including satisfaction (SAT), perceived sacrifice (SAC), perceived value (PV), service quality (SQ), and frequency of usage.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The empirical data were collected through a survey with 264 respondents. Structural equation modeling was employed to test the proposed hypotheses.\nFindings: SQ affects word-of-mouth (WOM) of paratransit passengers directly and indirectly through PV. However, SQ has no statistically significant direct effects on repurchase intention. SAC is proved to affect WOM and repurchase intention of paratransit passengers indirectly via PV. In addition, it is also found that SAT and frequency of usage have no statistically significant effect on WOM and repurchase intention of paratransit passengers.\nResearch limitations/implications: The data collection using convenience sampling method as well as the use of small sample size caused the limitation of the research results in representing across all paratransit passengers in the three cities where the research was conducted in. This study can be replicated with larger sample size in order to examine the stability of the results in other contexts.\nPractical implications: The research results shows that sacrifice, SQ, and PV affect the BI of paratransit passengers. Thus, the management of paratransit service provider should consider and manage all of these factors proactively.\nOriginality/value: The paper has established a BI model of public transport passengers that can help organizations to manage the formation of BI of their passengers. The model has some novelties, which are first, the model includes frequency of usage, second, it uses BI as a multidimensional construct, consisting of repurchase intention and WOM, rather than a single dimensional construct, and third, it also includes the direct relationship between SAC and BI (repurchase intention and WOM).\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Dealing with missing data as it pertains of e-maintenance
|
[
"E-maintenance",
"Centrifugal compressor",
"Condition monitoring data",
"Imputation techniques",
"Missing data"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: One of the most integral components in oil industry is considered to be centrifugal compressors, making the minimisation of their downtime and the maximisation of their availability a major target while also reducing their maintenance cost. Effective maintenance is considered a key aspect towards achieving this goal, leading to various maintenance schemes being proposed over the years (Kothamasu et al., 2006; Lee et al., 2014). Condition-based maintenance (CBM), which is based on the principle of diagnostics, is rapidly becoming industry's preferred choice. An extension of this policy is the prognostics and health management (PHM) which makes use of the concept of prognostics. The integration of these two methods is called CBM/PHM (Vachtsevanos et al., 2006) and consists of three steps (Jardine et al., 2006; Peng et al., 2010; Sikorska et al., 2011; Vachtsevanos et al., 2006). The first step is the data management procedure where the data coming from the machine in the form of condition monitoring measurements are collected and pre-processed in order to extract the useful information. This information is fed to the CBM branch which is the second step. There, the status of the machine is determined (whether is healthy or faulty, and in the case of fault, identify the failure mode responsible) and the outcome is presented as an input to the PHM module which is the third step. In this block, in the case of a fault, the CBM information is used to estimate the time to failure, known as remaining useful life, of the machine. As a result, it is possible to plan the maintenance schedule proactively which is why CBM/PHM is considered a step closer towards achieving minimisation of downtime as well as increasing safety and reducing costs.\n2. Review of imputation techniques: As mentioned in Section 2, there are a number of methods used to deal with the missing data issue (Acock, 2005; Baraldi and Enders, 2010; Batista and Monard, 2003; Brown and Kros, 2003; Donders et al., 2006; Enders, 2001, 2010; Graham, 2009; Horton and Kleinman, 2007; Ilin and Raiko, 2010; Junninen et al., 2004; Li et al., 2014; Little and Rublin, 2002; Myrtveit et al., 2001; McKnight et al., 2007; Pigott, 2001; Schafer, 2000; Schafer and Graham, 2002; Stacklies et al., 2007; Yozgatligil et al., 2013). To the authors' knowledge none of these has yet been applied to condition monitoring data from the rotating equipment; in this instance centrifugal compressors. For this purpose, several methods were employed to examine and compare their performance, when applied to this kind of data to identify the most suitable ones based on their accuracy.\n3. Data acquisition and experimental process: As mentioned in the introduction, the purpose of this project is to benchmark various imputation methods with the use of condition monitoring data from centrifugal compressor regarding their accuracy. The data employed in this work came from an operational industrial compressor used in a refinery. The smooth operation of the compressor is of great importance as it plays a vital role in the operating process of the plant in order to ensure that production meets the requirements set, thus remote CBM in the form of e-maintenance is being implemented. For this purpose, the machine is instrumented with a variety of sensors monitoring 25 variables, both process (temperature, pressure, speed, etc.) and mechanically (bearing vibration, bearing temperature, seal pressure, etc.) related, creating a significant volume of condition monitoring measurements which, with the of use the internet, stream continuously to a server at a central location where they are stored, processed and analysed for CBM purposes. For the analysis purposes, historical condition monitoring data were extracted from the server. It should be noted that the machine had been working under various operating conditions all these years. The data were retrieved with a sampling period of Ts=1 hour (fs=1/3,600 Hz).\n4. Results and discussion: The results of the analysis regarding the NRMSE for 1 per cent of missing data can be found in Figure 6. In the x-axis, ranging from 1 to 25, are the variables within the set while in the y-axis, ranging from 1 to 11, are the methods used for the imputation as can be seen in Table I. The graph consists of several boxes. Each box is the combination of each variable and each method. Within each box there are lines representing the location of the missing data. As mentioned above, in the case of 1 per cent of missingness there are 470 lines. The first line of the box (top line) means that the missing data are found at the beginning of the set while the 470th line (bottom line) means that they are located at the end. While descending (moving from top to bottom), the location of the data shifts from the beginning towards the end of the set. The lines are colour coded based on their NRMSE value. Although it ranges from -[?] to 1, for scaling reasons the results presented range from -1 (bad fit - low accuracy) to 1 (perfect fit - perfect accuracy). For example, box [11, 1] corresponds to the results of applying method 11 to variable 1. From the line colours it can be inferred that this method performs well since it is consistently dark red, meaning that the NRMSE value for each of the 470 test cases was close to 1, indicating high accuracy. Taking as a second example box [1, 9], it means applying method 1 to variable 9. It can be seen that this method performs poorly as it is mostly filled with blue, suggesting that the NRMSE values were close to -1, indicating low accuracy. Both boxes can be seen in detail in Figure 6.\n5. Conclusions: Missing data are an important issue that needs to be resolved in order for CBM/PHM to be implemented successfully. A common solution for this problem is to impute the missing values in order to create a complete data set. There are various imputation techniques but none of them has yet been applied to condition monitoring data from centrifugal compressors. From the analysis, it has been shown that the best and most robust method is MI followed by SOMs and KNN as they are unaffected by the amount or the location of the missing data. Their drawback is that they are highly dependent on the variables they are applied to, an outcome that requires further exploration. Consequently, when applying these methods one must be extra cautious. As far as complexity is concerned, MI is the most complex, but gives the best results. If the desired outcome is a combination of good performance and low complexity, KNN and SOMs are a good choice, along with the BPCA depending on the amount of missing data.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: Centrifugal compressors are integral components in oil industry, thus effective maintenance is required. Condition-based maintenance and prognostics and health management (CBM/PHM) have been gaining popularity. CBM/PHM can also be performed remotely leading to e-maintenance. Its success depends on the quality of the data used for analysis and decision making. A major issue associated with it is the missing data. Their presence may compromise the information within a set, causing bias or misleading results. Addressing this matter is crucial. The purpose of this paper is to review and compare the most widely used imputation techniques in a case study using condition monitoring measurements from an operational industrial centrifugal compressor.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Brief overview and comparison of most widely used imputation techniques using a complete set with artificial missing values. They were tested regarding the effects of the amount, the location within the set and the variable containing the missing values.\nFindings: Univariate and multivariate imputation techniques were compared, with the latter offering the smallest error levels. They seemed unaffected by the amount or location of the missing data although they were affected by the variable containing them.\nResearch limitations/implications: During the analysis, it was assumed that at any time only one variable contained missing data. Further research is still required to address this point.\nOriginality/value: This study can serve as a guide for selecting the appropriate imputation method for missing values in centrifugal compressor condition monitoring data.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Between the corporation and the closet: Ethically researching LGBTQ+ identities in the workplace
|
[
"Ethics",
"LGBTQ",
"Ecological model",
"Outness"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: sex at work: Life for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and/or two-spirited (LGBTQ+[1]) people is often uniquely defined by the conflicting pressures to be open and \"out\" yet also discrete about one's romantic and sexual life, leading many individuals to remain behind closet doors. Frequently, the \"closet\" is used as a metaphor for a person's ability to hide their non-normative sexuality from others, and as such, often serves to empower sexual and gendered minority groups by providing a psychologically and emotionally safe space (Sedgwick, 1990). Nowhere is this tension between being \"out\" about one's personal life yet discrete about one's sexuality more keenly felt than in the workplace. LGBTQ+ individuals often experience a conflicting desire to be open about their personal lives in order to, for example, feel able to speak authentically about their lives, or to feel comfortable bringing their partner to work functions (Eliason et al., 2011; King and Biro, 2006). Yet, individuals also understand that being out may expose them to a range of dangerous consequences, including the risk of being fired from their jobs, bullying, lack of ability to travel, even, in some extreme cases, death (Human Rights Campaign, 2017). The often fraught decision about whether to out oneself at work can be especially difficult for LGBTQ+ community members who are out in their personal lives, but may not want to out themselves at work out of fear of becoming a poster child for LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace.\nResearch methods used to examine the experience of the LGBTQ+ community in organizations: This section provides an overview of current workplace studies involving LGBTQ+ individuals within North America and Europe in order to examine how previous research has approached the question of ethics relative to the unique needs of this population. This body of research provides a snapshot of how identifying as LGBTQ+ at work can impact LGBTQ+ individuals' careers, while also highlighting the ways that organizations can create productive relationships with their LGBTQ+ workforce (Belkin and McNichol, 2002; Colvin, 2009; Brooks and Edwards, 2009; Kaplan, 2006; King et al., 2008; Wright, 2010, Ozturk and Tatli, 2015; Wicks, 2017). This section will explore these methods and approaches in order to support the claim that current inquiries into LGBTQ+ experiences in the workplace are unable to provide a comprehensive picture due to the complex ethical framework implicit in the study of sexuality and gender, particularly as it applies to the work environment.\nThe unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace: Individuals perceive numerous reasons to remain in \"the closet.\" Foremost are concerns relating to safety, with individuals citing an absence of protection laws or lax workplace governance toward anti-discrimination and/or harassment that cause individuals to question their ability to come out. For example, 29 US states are still silent regarding workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, and 28 states do not provide protection against workplace discrimination on gender identity (Movement Advancement Project, 2017). Even in countries with enforced anti-discrimination laws, individuals may not want to come out for a variety of reasons, including not wanting to become a political figurehead for the case of diversity in the workplace, out of concern that they may be recognized for their sexual orientation rather than their accomplishments, or fear of mistreatment from homophobic managers or employees (Fassinger et al., 2010). For members of the trans or gender queer community, the challenges faced at work become even more complex. Transgender individuals not only have less control over when they can come out to colleagues, but also face potential discrimination over healthcare, bathroom use, and dress code, each of which can become more of an issue throughout a transition period that may last a long time (Ozturk and Tatli, 2015). In both the case of LGB and T individuals, a lack of organization or community support is a huge barrier to the ability to bring one's whole self to work, but this issue is not as simple as claiming an identity on the LGBTQ+ spectrum for one's own.\nResearch ethics and the LGBTQ+ community: This section explores the question of research ethics to consider the ways researchers can most ethically consider the needs of both the LGBTQ+ individual and the wider community/workplaces of which they are a part. Drawing from ethical questions arising with Socrates, Williams (2006) suggested that ethics arise out of an obligation to moral behavior. In other words, ethics is Socrates' question, \"how should one live?\", where \"should\" is an important component of the question. Similarly, Starratt (2003) draw from a long line of philosophy on ethics, beginning with the Greeks. The author suggested \"that ethical people share three \"foundational\" qualities - autonomy, connectedness, and transcendence\" (p. 229). Autonomy is the ability to make decisions independently so that one cannot be swayed toward unethical behavior at the whims of another. Connectedness refers to an individual's responsibility in caring for others, and transcendence relates to the ability of a person to move beyond their own self-interest in order to take an ethical approach.\nConclusion: research ethics grounded in ecological understanding: How do researchers ensure ethical questions are explored within organizations and within research practices with respect to the LGBTQ+ community? Sims (1991) suggested that ethics in organizations (and it follows, ethics in research) should be institutionalized. This may be one way to ensure that LGBTQ+ employees are safe and secure in coming out; however, it does not take into account the fluid and permeable boundaries of sexuality and sexual identity that make up the LGBTQ+ community and that are encompassed through an ecological understanding of the LGBTQ+ experience. Since institutionalized norms and the binaries that tend to develop from them serve to reflect neither the LGBTQ+ experience (Pullen and Linstead, 2006), nor the complexities of research ethics or even the research experience (Pullen, 2006), this paper argues that researchers must engage in a reflexive, context-aware and non-institutionalized ethics (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980; Bauman, 2003; Taylor, 2009) particularly when exploring the question of outness.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to engage the ecological model as a conceptual tool to examine the ethics of conducting research on LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace. In particular, it focuses on outness and the act of outing in research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Established methodologies for studying LGBTQ+ persons in the workplace are examined using a critical outness lens. The ecological model is used to identify a critical path forward for researchers working with LGBTQ+ participants and to improve LGBTQ+ workplace experiences more broadly.\nFindings: The tension between the ethics of coming out of the closet and the ethics of outing someone for the greater good is problematized. It suggests that organizational and diversity scholars approach research methods with an understanding of the role played by the body and sexuality in LGBTQ+ workplace research.\nPractical implications: Researchers should recognize that workers may have varying degrees of outness within their organization and/or across their private and public lives.\nOriginality/value: Research on LGBTQ+ persons in the workplace is limited, and research examining the ethics of relevant methods is scarcer still. This paper begins a discussion on how researchers can trouble current hegemonic approaches to LGBTQ+-centered research in organizations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Expectancy disconfirmation: Effects of deviation from expected delay duration on service evaluation in the airline industry
|
[
"Airlines",
"Delay",
"Expectancy disconfirmation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Studying the process of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction with consumer goods and services has been the subject of numerous studies, starting with Cardozo's (1965) work. Recently, there has been an increasing emphasis on how management interventions can affect feelings about and satisfaction with services (see e.g. Chiu-chi and Kukar-Kinney 2011). Katz et al. (1991) and Kaski et al. (2017) suggested that appropriate management interventions can significantly improve consumers' reactions to delays in services and their level of satisfaction with the service provider. One effective intervention tactic is to inform consumers of the expected duration of the waiting time. Osuna (1985) and Hui and Tse (1996) argued that uncertainty about the duration of delay is the major factor in building up consumer stress during the delay period. Hui and Tse (1996) have shown that when consumers are informed about the expected duration of the delay, they tend to perceive it to be more acceptable and feel better during this period than do their uninformed counterparts. This paper attempts to examine the effect of yet another intervention tactic related to information on delay duration on consumers' feelings and satisfaction in the context of the airline industry. This management intervention involves varying the level of disconfirmation of the length of the expected delay so that the consequent effect on the perception of acceptability of the delay and level of satisfaction with the airline can be examined.\nLiterature review and hypothesis development: Consumer satisfaction is a key ingredient of the well-known SERQUAL model that investigates customer behavioral responses to product/service performance (see Yarimoglu, 2014 for a review of the model and its constituent dimensions). The expectancy disconfirmation construct is a basic ingredient of the SERQUAL inventory. Among the various factors that influence the effects of customer satisfaction on the corporate image, perceived value and service evaluation (Hussain, 2016; Sultan and Ho, 2012), expectancy disconfirmation has been theorized to be one of the most important (Oliver, 1977, 1980). In fact, Bitner (1990), Gentry et al. (1991), Lin and Lekhawipat (2016) and Johnson et al. (1996) have all suggested that the dominant model for studying consumer satisfaction is the disconfirmation of expectations paradigm. According to this theory, consumer satisfaction is a function of perceived performance and perceived disconfirmation, the latter being dependent on perceived performance and standards for comparison. Standards for comparison may include expectations, ideals, competitors, marketer promises and industry norms (Maxwell et al., 1999). Initial expectations frame a customer's mind (Kenny, 1994), so that if performance is significantly worse than the comparison standard, a customer will experience negative disconfirmation. On the contrary, if perceived performance exceeds expectation, positive disconfirmation results. This model posits that satisfaction is related to the size and direction of the disconfirmation experience (Anderson, 1973; Danaher and Mattsson, 1994; De Ruyter et al., 1997; Oliver, 1980; Oliver and DeSarbo, 1988; Spreng et al., 1996; Tse and Wilton, 1988). A considerable amount of empirical evidence has confirmed the hypothesized impact of disconfirmation of expectations on satisfaction (Arambewela and Hall, 2009; Kaski et al., 2017; Lin and Lekhawipat, 2016; Yi, 1990). It is therefore important for managers to look into negative disconfirmation, as it might have an adverse impact on customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth recommendation, repeat purchases and other desirable customer responses (Maxwell et al., 1999).\nMethodology: Design and procedure\nAnalysis and results: In the first part of the data analysis, the items for feelings about the delay and level of satisfaction were factor-analyzed. Scale reliability was then checked, and the main effects of expectancy disconfirmation on the two dependent constructs were studied using MANOVA.\nConclusion and discussion: Overall, the results provide strong support for our hypotheses. The findings obtained from this study support the assertion that passengers would perceive a delay to be more acceptable in the cases of positive expectancy disconfirmation, and negative disconfirmation would result in negative feelings and dissatisfaction. One major contribution of this study is that manipulating the way delay duration information is given to passengers can affect feelings about the delay and level of satisfaction with the airline. In our study, when given a positive disconfirmation, subjects felt better and were more satisfied. On the other hand, when given a negative disconfirmation, subjects felt more negative and dissatisfied.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of expectancy disconfirmation on passengers' reactions to airline delays.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses a between-subject factorial design with 9 treatments involving 161 subjects to collect data to test the hypotheses.\nFindings: The study showed that, when given a positive disconfirmation, subjects feel better and are more satisfied, but when given a negative disconfirmation, they feel more negative and dissatisfied. Also, the effect size of positive disconfirmation on satisfaction and feelings about the service provider were significantly less than that of negative disconfirmation of the same size. Hence, in the event of a delay, managers may have to announce the upper bound of the delay duration so that passengers might feel better and become more satisfied when the actual delay duration is shorter than what was initially expected. In addition, they must try their best not to create situations of negative disconfirmation in light of their disproportional impact on satisfaction.\nPractical implications: According to the results, airline managers should estimate as accurately as possible the duration of a delay when there is one.\nOriginality/value: A major contribution of this study is that manipulating the way delay duration information is given to passengers can affect feelings about the delay and the level of satisfaction with the airline.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Factors affecting environmental citizenship behaviour: An empirical investigation in Malaysian paddy industry
|
[
"Agrochemical purchase",
"Environmental belief",
"Environmental citizenship behaviour",
"Paddy industry",
"Pro-environmental personal norm",
"Value orientation",
"Malaysian paddy industry"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In recent years, environmental issues have been the topic of many studies by academics and practitioners alike (Helfaya et al., 2016; Johnstone and Tan, 2015; Phu, 2017; Polonsky et al., 2011). The increased focus on environmental issues is in part due to challenges caused by global warming (Hamdan, 2016), natural disasters (Ambrosetti and Petrillo, 2016), air and water pollution (Zhang et al., 2016) and the shortage of natural resources (Joya, 2015). For today's consumers, the environmental impact of a product or service is one of the most influential factors and significantly impacts purchasing decisions and trends.\nMotivation of the study: By considering its greater impact, the Malaysian Government is promoting green technology to address challenging ecological and social issues (Rahmat, 2014). The government provides financial incentives to fund renewable energy and green technologies. Furthermore, programmes are in place to optimise resource use for sustainable food production and environmental protection (Ahmad, 2001). Although the Malaysian Department of Agriculture has made an effort to promote sustainable agriculture practices through the Malaysian Farms Good Agricultural Practice Scheme (SALM), the majority of the farm holders are reluctant to comply (Chua et al., 2016). Environmentally, significant behaviour is a crucial factor in determining purchase decisions of agrochemicals. From the agriculture perspective, this behaviour helps environmental preservation and amelioration, which in turn affect sustainability. Therefore, factors influencing environmentally significant behaviour in this research context are undoubtedly constructive in promoting sustainable agriculture.\nResearch context: This study focuses on the agricultural sector because it is one of the important segments of the Malaysian economy (Hassan et al., 2010). It encompasses crop cultivation, animal husbandry and food processing. Agrochemicals are an essential part of the farming industry, and the market in Malaysia alone was worth RM 555m in 2014 (Malaysia Agribusiness Directory (2016-2017)). Agrochemicals are used to improve crop production in industrial agriculture. The marketing of agrochemicals is regulated to safeguard the interest of human health and the balance of the ecosystem (Helblig, 2014). Stringent enforcement of regulations is essential to prevent a future impact on the environment that could in ecological damage and economic losses. The Pesticides Act 1974 governs the manufacturing, distribution and storage of agrochemicals (The Commissioner of Law Revision, 2006).\nTheoretical framework and hypothesis development: Environmental citizenship behaviour\nConceptual framework: The proposed conceptual framework is shown in Figure 1. All proposed linkages of the hypotheses are developed based on theoretical support, past studies and logical argument.\nMethodology: Data collection\nResult: Demography of the respondent\nDiscussion: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between VO, EB, PPN and environmentally citizenship behaviour in the context of agrochemical purchase in Malaysia. It also investigates the mediating role of PPN between EB and environmentally citizenship behaviour. Based on the VBN theory, a hypothetical framework was developed and tested using the advanced statistical technique, i.e., PLS-SEM. The results revealed that all hypotheses are supported in the context of agrochemical purchase in Malaysia. The findings are discussed below.\nTheoretical contribution and managerial implications: This study contributed significantly to theory and practice alike. Brief discussion for this contribution is discussed in the following sections.\nConclusion: The results of this study contributed theoretically and empirically to research in the field of environmentally significant behaviour. VO is shown to have a significant direct effect on environmental belief. Also, an EB affects PPN and ECB. Finally, PPN is shown to have effect on ECB. The output of this research confirms the applicability of the VBN theory in an Asian agricultural context.\nLimitation and future research direction: A number of limitations of this research open avenues for future studies. First, this study used cross-sectional data to test the hypothetical model, future research may test the model using longitudinal data to enhance and improve the causality. Additionally, this study collected data from farmer in west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, future research can collect data from farmer from different region to enhance the generalisability.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that affect paddy farmers' environmental citizenship behaviour (ECB) in the context of agrochemical purchase. To achieve this objective, a theoretical framework has been developed based on value-belief-norm (VBN) theory.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from 251 farmers using a survey method. Partial lease square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the hypothetical model.\nFindings: The results of PLS analysis confirm the direct and mediating effect of the causal sequences of the variables in the VBN model.\nOriginality/value: Given the limited number of studies in a non-western context, this study examines and confirms the applicability of the VBN theory in predicting ECB in a Malaysian context.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Methodology for uncertainty characterization of performance measures
|
[
"Uncertainty",
"Performance measures",
"Data quality",
"Decision support systems",
"Graph theory"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The monitoring of efficiency and effectiveness of processes or systems allows managers to control, decide, implement and observe the effects of their actions to understand if there are moving towards achieving their goals. The definition and selection of performance measures (PMs) have attracted the attention of several authors (Globerson, 1985; Kaplan and Norton, 1996; Bourne et al., 2000; Gunasekaran et al., 2004; Neely et al., 2005; Braz et al., 2011) and different knowledge are as propose extensive lists of PMs. Models, framework and standards are available in literature for the selection of an adequate set of PMs for a given process or business.\n2. Performance measurement: Performance measurement can be described as a set of steps involving first the design and implementation of the PM and, second, the use and review of PMs (Braz et al., 2011). According to Melchert et al. (2004) this process has two levels, the strategic which includes definition of strategic KPIs and review, and the operational which includes the implementation and use. Concerning the first two steps, design and implementation, there are several works in literature that propose and define different PMs in different knowledge areas and critical success factors that we discuss in Sousa and Aspinwall(2010). The \"use\" step involves a sequence of activities that are repeated each time a new value of the PM is requested. These activities aim to collect the necessary data and present results (Juran and Godfrey, 1999). The description of each activity will be made in the following section.\n3. The PMP and uncertainty sources: Any measurement is subject to imperfections; some of these are due to random effects. Repeated measurements will show variation because of such random effects. Uncertainty of measurement is defined as a parameter characterizing the dispersion of the quantity values being attributed to a measurand, based on the information used (JCGM/WG 1, 2008). Thus uncertainty, in metrology, is a quantitative indication of the quality of the result. It gives an answer to the question: how well does the result represent the value of the quantity being measured? According to ISO (2003) 10012, section 7.3, uncertainty shall be estimated for each measurement process covered by the measurement management system and, all known sources of measurement variability shall be documented.\n4. The graph theoretical approach: The graph theoretic approach is described in detail in Attri and Dev (2013). Some authors have proposed methods based on graph theory for different selection processes and ranking. Rao (2006a) proposed a method to evaluate and rank flexible manufacturing systems using graph theory to select a suitable manufacturing system from among a large number of available alternatives. The graph is developed considering factors that influence the selection and their relative importance. Rao (2006b) proposed a similar method to select materials for a given engineering component. A method for the selection and comparison of robots was developed by Rao and Padmanabhan (2006). Graph theory was also used for ranking contractor considering that selection criteria are dependent to each other unlike most of the methods that have been developed to perform this selection (Darvish et al., 2009) such as analytic hierarchy process). In this context, Attri and Dev (2013) defined graph theory as a multi-attribute decision-making technique.\n5. The proposed methodology: For evaluating the uncertainty associated with a given PM, the following methodology is proposed:\n6. Application example: 6.1 PM description\n7. Conclusions: In this work, the \"use\" step of the PMP was defined and analysed to identify the sources or factors of uncertainty that may be present in any process. This step was decomposed in three activities: measurement, DR and transmission, and PM determination. The analysis of all activities allows identifying nine uncertainty sources and their interdependencies, that were represented in a graph. As a result, a methodology is proposed to characterize uncertainty based on the graph theory. The permanent function of the matrix associated with the graph of the factors is used to determine the value of an index that indicates the level of uncertainty originated by the factors and/or the strength of their inter-relationships. A high value of the index shows that the uncertainty associated with the PM is high and important changes and effort may be necessary to reduce it.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to represent the uncertainty generated in performance measures (PMs) during the operational step or \"use step\" of the performance measurement process (PMP). The different steps of the methodology are described and exemplified through an application example.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An index that reflects the level of uncertainty originated by the factors and the strength of their inter-relationships is developed through the use of graph theory. A graph is developed considering all sources or factors of uncertainty that may be present in this process. Based on the graph, the methodology includes the use of a matrix and the determination of the associated permanent function which is used for determining the uncertainty index.\nFindings: During the development of the methodology, it was found that the use of a scale that includes zero for assigning values of the elements of the matrix is not appropriate when using graph theory and permanent function calculation, since in this case the permanent function is insensible to changes in some matrix elements.\nOriginality/value: This paper identifies all the sources that can affect the quality of performance measurement values during the operational step of the PMP and proposes a method to characterize the strength of this uncertainty. Beyond alerting decision makers to the level of uncertainty associated with a PM, it also allows defining appropriate actions to improve PMs' quality.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Intercultural competence in the international business arena
|
[
"International business",
"Leadership",
"Corporate strategy",
"Critical success factors"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The increasing pace of internationalization and the changing forms of globalization, coupled with the changing contours of foreign direct investment location decisions in the global economy, make the landscape of international business more complex than ever. A range of topics of fascinating possibility and equally exceptional problems including, but not limited to world trade, intellectual property, migration, wealth distribution, technological spread, ecological degradation and social responsibility are exercising the minds of academics, practitioners, policy makers and political leaders. From a practical perspective, these developments and attendant forces, in combination, mean that the intercultural encounter, in all its guises, is becoming an increasingly common experience in a grater array of workplaces and work settings in an ever-increasing number of countries and regions.In the international business arena, intercultural competence, at the individual level, in the form of personal attributes, knowledge and skills, is presumed to be associated with global career success, and, at the organizational level, with business success through the more effective management of business operations in this increasingly diverse range of host locations. Yet, the cumulative evidence on these fronts from the international, comparative and cross-cultural literatures remains mixed. Conceptual and definitional challenges are commonplace, the path to its development remains uncertain and its resultant impact is, at best, somewhat variable. This special issue of the Journal of Managerial Psychology seeks to cast further light on the multifaceted nature of intercultural competence in the international business arena and, through a series of both conceptual and empirical papers, furthers our knowledge of its relationship with aspects of personal, managerial and organizational effectiveness.\nSetting the scene: Operating across national boundaries has always brought with it a bewildering variety of cultural and institutional specificities that make managing in this context especially complex with the result that, as Torbiorn (1982) put it, many thousands of words have been devoted to the subject of the ideal candidate for overseas assignments and their associated complexity. As a potential response to this complexity, the notion of developing a cross cultural fluency, and an appreciation and acceptance of difference has a long pedigree in several streams of literature and much has been claimed for it in terms of enhancing ones personal and professional armoury. While settling on a universally agreed definition of intercultural competence has proven somewhat elusive, seeking to further explicate it may be defended as worthy academic pursuit, given its importance in the globalised world in which we live. As Lonner and Hayes (2004, p. 107) suggest:Like nearly everything else in psychology, the concept of cultural or intercultural competence is easy to grasp as a worthwhile human attribute. However, the exact nature of its component parts seems to be rather ephemeral and multifaceted. It is particularly important to try to understand why some people have a healthy degree of intercultural competence and others do not.Intercultural competence is underscored by a variety of linked concepts which have acquired an explanatory power in the cross-cultural psychology, cross-cultural management, diversity management and international business literatures, among others. Terms including \"multinational mindset\" (Caproni et al., 1992), \"cosmopolitanism\" (Hannerz, 1996; Harvey, 2000; Vertovec and Cohen, 2002), \"cultural intelligence\" (Earley, 2002; Earley and Mosakowski, 2004; Thomas and Inkson, 2004) and \"global mindset\" (Levy et al., 2007; Gupta and Govindarajan, 2002; Nummela et al., 2004) have become relatively commonplace and an array of definitions of, and measurement approaches to, intercultural competence now abound, something which may be seen to arise as a result of is varying root trajectories (Ruben, 1989). In their systematic review, Johnson et al. (2006, p. 526) identified four major threads in the international business literature dealing with cross-cultural competence, namely: a lack of agreement on what constitutes it; an almost total absence of studies of cross-cultural competence in international business with few papers focusing on the knowledge, skills and attributes that appear to be its antecedents; a tendency to ignore the larger environments in which expatriate managers operate; and a broad coverage of the topic in the workplace diversity and intercultural communications literatures.Thus, arising from this, while it may be argued that there are potentially different logics underpinning the rationale for spending time on developing and deploying intercultural competence, one of the dominant logics relates to the dynamic management and leadership capabilities required to deal with the complexity of the contemporary international business landscape. Finding and nurturing the human resources required to implement an international strategy is of critical importance to business, something which is attested to by a stream of research highlighting inter alia: the importance of effective staffing strategies for the successful implementation of international business strategies, especially strategic alliances and cross-border mergers in informal, emerging and culturally distant markets; the decision points relating to different approaches to international staffing; the problem of shortages of international managers, particularly in emerging markets, where there is often fierce competition between MNCs and local organizations; the requisite supports necessary in order to ensure a satisfactory outcome from the organisational and individual perspective; and the management and utilisation of knowledge flows which may accrue (Collings et al., 2007). It has been argued that the development of a cadre of international managers who can manage the increasing complexity of running global organizations has become a key human resource management and human resource development priority for many organizations. (Dickmann and Harris, 2005; Friedman and Berthion Antal, 2005) and scholars have highlighted the necessity for greater evidence, especially in light of the ongoing increase in the level of internationalization in the business world and associated likely increase in the demand for, and deployment of, expatriate assignees. Yan et al. (2002, pp. 373, 374) highlight that \"the challenges involved in cross cultural assignments can be high for both the individual and the organisation\", an experience which they suggest is often characterised by \"all too familiar and vexing difficulties\". International managers' experiences when on assignment are impacted by a great many things and failure and pre-mature returns have often been reported, though, as Harzing (1995, 2002) demonstrates, failure rates may have been overestimated. Included among the difficulties faced by the international manager are culture shock, transitional adjustment difficulties, differences in work-related norms, isolation, homesickness, differences in healthcare, housing, schooling, cuisine, language, customs, sex roles, and the cost of living. Other major issues identified in the expatriate literature include inadequate selection, poor pre-departure training, poorly designed compensation packages and the inability of the international assignee and/or his/her family to adjust to the new culture and environs. In this context, debates about expatriate management failure and success, and its root causes, have called attention to the potential of intercultural competence.\nThe contributions to the special issue: The conceptual article by Bird, Mendenhall, Stevens and Oddou proposes a comprehensive definition of the intercultural competence domain in the context of global leadership. The authors seek to integrate and synthesize the extensive body of theoretical and empirical work related to intercultural competence. They enhance the efficacy of future theoretical and empirical research by clearly establishing the content domain of intercultural competence for global leaders.The conceptual article by Bucker and Poutsma examines four constructs related to global management competencies, namely the global mindset, cross-cultural competence, intercultural sensitivity and cultural intelligence. The authors make an in-depth investigation of the contributing organizational behaviour components, the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personality characteristics in their effort to develop an integrative global management competencies model.The research paper by Lloyd and Hartel examine the impact the level of individuals' intercultural competencies has on their satisfaction, trust, affective commitment and assessment of their work team. The authors develop an intercultural competencies classification system which ties together in a unique multifaced framework the intercultural competencies required for employees working in culturally diverse teams. Their study is undertaken within one organization operating in the finance and business services sector in Australia. This article also offers a theoretical framework for thinking about diversity research.The article by Moon examines correlations between emotional intelligence (EQ) and cultural intelligence (CQ). This study not only investigates generalizability of the CQ construct across countries, but also the discriminant validity of CQ compared to EQ. The sample is made up of graduate and undergraduate students enrolled at a large public university in Korea. This study has implications for cross-cultural management practice. By demonstrating a relationship between CQ and EQ, this study can help organizations to improve their staffing and performance system for employees working in cross-cultural settings.The research paper by Tang, Yin and Nelson explores the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and transformational leadership practices. It contributes to research in a number of disciplines such as leadership effectiveness, emotional intelligence, cross-cultural research on leadership, and cross-cultural studies of emotional intelligence. Their sample is made up of academic leaders in Taiwan and the USA. They explore whether academic leaders in the two cultures differ in their links between emotional intelligence and leadership practices.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue which brings together six papers exploring aspects of intercultural competence in the international business arena.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This overarching paper contextualizes the theme and introduces the selected papers which offer both theoretical and empirical insights.\nFindings: - The findings in this paper vary according to the core theme of each of the six contributions.\nPractical implications: - The papers in the special issue call attention to competences required for operating in the intercultural arena and offer a potential platform for developmental interventions.\nOriginality/value: - The paper highlights how, combined, the papers explore new avenues of enquiry in the intercultural competence domain and showcase cross national theoretical and empirical work.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Automatic generation of a section erection planning for European shipyards building complex ships
|
[
"Shipbuilding",
"Genetic algorithms",
"Optimized production scheduling"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The section erection process of shipbuilding involves assembling large steel blocks on a slipway/drydock to form a ship's hull and superstructure. Unlike other shipbuilding processes, such as the cutting and shaping of steel plates, it is very difficult for a shipyard to outsource erection-related work. Therefore, section erection generally limits the capacity of a compact shipyards, making this process one of the most crucial portions of the shipbuilding process (Krause et al., 2004).\n2. Literature review: Although the automatic generation of erection schedules is scarcely covered by literature, the following notable examples exist. Lee et al. (1997) use constraint directed graph search to select the best erection sequence from a predefined set of precedence relationships for a large Korean shipyard. Jinsong et al. (2009) model the erection process as an identical parallel machine-scheduling problem with precedence constraints and machine eligibility restrictions and develop a genetic algorithm to minimize the makespan of their formulation. Their work is expanded by Hu et al. (2010) who develop a heuristic based on the largest total amount of processing first rule and the enhanced smallest machine load first rule, and Bao et al. (2014) who develop a steerable genetic algorithm method. Meijer et al. (2009) develop a custom heuristic for the erection planning of shipyards building complex ships that considers pre-erection, blocks, resource leveling, large equipment, and closing decks, but provide no details about their method and only limited, preliminary results. Caprace et al. (2011) use discrete event simulation to analyze the effect of different block and section splitting strategies of a Brazilian shipyard building a large LNG carrier. Roh and Lee (2007) visually simulate the erection of a very large crude carrier to dynamically provide erection planners with process information while making a planning.\n3. Problem description: The shipbuilding planning process for constructing complex ships in European shipyards begins at contract signing, when the customer and the shipyard agree on the major milestones of the project. These milestones include the start of steel cutting, keel laying, launching, and delivery (Meijer et al., 2009). Meeting these milestones is very important since payments are linked to their completion. Furthermore, shipbuilding contracts often include high penalties for late delivery since customers arrange work for the new ship based on its delivery date (Schank et al., 2005). Delaying the launching of a ship also inherently delays the start of the erection of the subsequent ship. Two of the milestones, keel laying and launching, dictate the time window during which the section erection process must occur. Keel laying marks when the first section is erected on the slipway, and the ship moved out of the slipway and moored alongside the quay during launching.\n4. Mathematical model: The following section contains the mathematical model developed for the section erection process of complex ships. This model is based on the process description presented in the previous section. The following notation is used:\n5. Methodology: Genetic algorithms are a meta-heuristic which is modeled after the biological concept of evolution. This meta-heuristic solves complex problems by creating sets of potential solutions and iteratively improving these solutions using a standard set of operators. Literature has shown that genetic algorithms are capable of finding high-quality solutions for complex scheduling problems in reasonable computational time. The Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) was selected to solve the developed mathematical model. The NSGA-II was proposed by Deb et al. (2002), and a complete description of the algorithm can be found in their work. This algorithm has been successfully used to solve a wide variety of scheduling problems similar to the one addressed in this paper (Liu et al., 2011; Berrichi et al., 2009; Murugan et al., 2009; Deb and Karthik, 2007). The NSGA-II is also well suited to solve the proposed mathematic model because this algorithm is multi-objective, meaning that this algorithm generates a Pareto front of optimal solutions. Furthermore, this algorithm is capable of working with continuous variables.\n6. Test case: The developed methodology was applied to a pipelaying ship recently built by a Dutch shipyard. This was done to assess the feasibility and quality of the developed mathematical model and solution technique. Table I contains the relevant characteristics of ship and the erection process. During the actual construction of this ship, four blocks were created out of 14 accommodation sections. These blocks were treated as sections for the test case since their creation does not take place on the slipway. The highest accommodation section of the ship was excluded from this analysis since it was erected significantly later than the other sections due to the height restrictions of the slipway.\n7. Results: The NSGA-II was coded in MATLAB and run on a 64-bit PC with 16 GB RAM and an 8x3.50 GHz processor. A single generation took roughly two seconds to evaluate, resulting in a total computational time of nine minutes per trial.\n8. Conclusions: This paper develops a mathematical model for the erection process of European shipyards building complex ships. This model differs from existing models found in literature since the effects of slipway outfitting are included. This is accomplished by seeking to maximize the available time for the installation of minor outfitting components on the slipway and by guaranteeing that the section erection planning is compatible with the installation time windows of large equipment. A solution technique, based on the NSGA-II, was also developed for solving the proposed mathematical model.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a method for generating a set of feasible, optimized production schedules for the erection process of compact shipyards building complex ship types.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A bi-objective mathematical model is developed based on the process constraints. A Pareto front of possible erection schedules is created using a the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II with a custom heuristic fitness function and constraint violation.\nFindings: It was possible to consistently generate a wide variety of production schedules with superior performance to those manually created by shipyard planner in negligible computational time.\nPractical implications: The set of optimized production schedules generated by the developed methodology can be used as a starting point by existing shipyard planners when drafting the initial erection planning for a new project. This allows the planners to consider wider variety of options in less time.\nOriginality/value: No other published approach for the automatic generation of optimized production schedules of the erection process is specifically tailored to the construction of complex ships.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The pseudo-panopticon: the illusion created by CSR-related transparency and the internet
|
[
"Panopticon",
"Corporate social responsibility",
"Transparency",
"Critical approaches",
"Social responsibility",
"Internet"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has established itself as an important aspect for corporations. The corporate interest in CSR is driven by the potential benefits to be derived from CSR initiatives, such as improved reputations (Fombrun, 2005; Lewis, 2003). This reflects the idea that corporations \"do well by doing good\". Other benefits associated with CSR include avoiding excessive government regulation, cost-savings, attracting favorable media coverage, and reducing resistance from stakeholders (Levine, 2008; Tench et al., 2007). Stakeholders must be aware of CSR activities to derive reputational benefits from them while skepticism about CSR motives can prevent the accrual of business benefits (Du et al., 2010). Researchers have been seeking ways to inhibit stakeholder skepticism (Forehand and Grier, 2003). One way to increase the acceptance of CSR reporting is transparency.\nCorporations and CSR: CSR is now embedded in corporations globally. Today, corporations must not only generate profit, they must also contribute to - or at least not harm - the society and the environment in which they operate. Though many definitions describe CSR as \"voluntary\", expectations for CSR activities seem to be growing. Many countries, such as Denmark, Sweden, and France, require some form of reporting on social and environmental issues. This section explores why CSR is being embraced by corporations, the targets for CSR messages, and the nature of CSR reporting.Corporate involvement in CSR\nTransparency: Transparency and the internet are integral elements in crafting the social reality that is the pseudo-panopticon. Transparency is a ubiquitous term in contemporary corporate communications. Transparency can be defined simply as the opposite of secrecy. Originally, transparency was applied to political and financial disclosure as a means of correcting behavior injurious to stakeholders. Many governments used bribery to fatten their coffers while harming constituents. In the financial and political arenas, transparency demands the reporting of key financial information to prevent misrepresentation of financial data and political dealings. The idea is that responsible corporations should seek to disclose rather than to conceal information that would be important to stakeholders. As discussed previously, clear legal requirements and guidelines for financial reporting guarantee transparency.Corporations can and do equate their quality of transparency with the amount of CSR information that they disclose. For example, we discussed GE's simplistic metrics for reporting the number of employees in various geographic regions. Although the graphs may appear to summarize a lot of data, the graphs do not offer explanations for the changing number of employees or reveal the value-based premises underlying the decision-making about those rates of employment. DuPont's GRI report provides a substantial amount of data but offers no interpretations of that data. Does performance in particular categories meet their expectations? How were decisions made regarding the four primary areas covered in the GRI?Three communication myths help us to understand that transparency, especially where CSR is concerned, is more than simply disclosing information:1. sending information is the same as communicating (sharing meaning);2. more information is always better (Jahansoozi, 2006); and3. information is \"objective\" (e.g. \"just the facts\").First, the idea of information sharing is deceptive. Just because information is disclosed does not mean it is meaningful and understood by receivers. Information must be actively processed into knowledge by attaching meaning to the data. For instance, the discipline of competitive intelligence includes efforts to mask the true meaning of information. Competitive intelligence personnel try to disseminate information in ways that make it difficult to understand, a practice known as defensive competitive intelligence (McGongale and Vella, 2007).Second, receiving too much information can create overload (Jahansoozi, 2006; Rawlins, 2009). In fact, information overload is a strategy defensive competitive intelligence uses to prevent the proper assessment and evaluation of information. Stakeholders do not want to sift through massive amounts of information to uncover what interests them. More information is not better information.Third, disclosing information cannot be equated with \"presenting facts\". Information that is presented as neutral and objective \"truth\" can legitimate particular perspectives and interpretations and obscure the interests of the information-providers (see, for example, Burchell and Cook, 2006; Deetz, 1992; Livesay, 2002; Mumby, 2001; Spence, 2007). The point is that CSR discourse is self-interested discourse. Corporations potentially have a lot to lose or gain from stakeholder perceptions. Thus, corporations communicate strategically to influence perceptions of the meaning of the information.Literally, transparency is a process of looking within. As reflected in the myths described above, simple information disclosure cannot be equated to looking within. Rather, it is seeing what is presented to you. Simple disclosure represents a sender-oriented view where stakeholders are given information without concern for its interpretation. Stakeholders are viewed as passive receivers of the information the corporation chooses to provide - transparency is treated as a quality a corporation possesses.In contrast to viewing transparency as a quality, viewing transparency as a process requires stakeholders to actively \"look inside the corporation\" by determining whether or not the information the corporation provides meets their needs. If stakeholders cannot \"see\" the CSR information relevant to them, they must pressure the corporation to make that information visible. Stakeholders can exercise resistance and protest the legitimacy of CSR reporting. Viewing transparency as a process positions stakeholders as active participants in the reporting process. True transparency is reflected in the ability of stakeholders to identify relevant content areas for disclosure, search for information about those areas, evaluate if it sufficiently meets their informational needs, request additional information when it fails to meet their needs, and assess the overall responsiveness of the organization. From this perspective, true transparency must include responsiveness by the corporation to meet stakeholder needs. Of course there are limits to responsiveness as corporations cannot disclose proprietary information or information about legal concerns. Transparency thus becomes a process of stakeholders holding corporations accountable for providing information relevant to their needs. Other researchers have noted that stakeholders need to be part of the transparency discussion (e.g. Balkin, 1998; Rawlins, 2009). We should build upon this perspective and view transparency as a process that is stakeholder-driven.Fragile links of transparency\nThe role of the internet in the pseudo-panopticon: The internet is a vital ingredient for formation of the pseudo-panopticon and preceding discussion illustrates how it is intertwined with beliefs about transparency. A seemingly endless amount of information is available via the internet. Official corporate websites, traditional journalistic coverage of corporate activities, personal blogs about corporations, various corporate rankings (e.g. Ethisphere Institute's \"World's Most Ethical Companies,\" Newsweek magazine's rankings of 100 Greenest Companies in America, Corporate Responsibility magazine's list of \"100 Best Corporate Citizens\"), Facebook fan pages as well as \"hate\" pages, etc., are readily available to those who choose to search for information about a corporation. Internet users have been conditioned to feel they can uncover the information they need through the internet. The corporate transparency discourse promotes the belief in the power of the internet as a panopticon. A white paper by the Global Environmental Management Initiative (2006) noted: \"The Internet can be used to cast an instantaneous spotlight on the activities of a company anywhere, anytime, and at unprecedented levels of details\"(p. 5).Research suggests that people often rely upon peripheral cues when evaluating messages (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986). Peripheral cues refer to factors that may circumvent active critical thinking, including statements from authority figures and experts (as in assurance statements or an endorsement from a recognized group like the Nature Conservancy or Sierra Club), the official-looking appearance of a document (like an annual report or a letter of endorsement), the visual attractiveness of a website (ease of navigation, easy-to-read charts or graphs), or an appealing slogan. In this case we are interested in reliance on peripheral cues when processing persuasive messages in corporate reporting and transparency claims. We believe the internet acts as a peripheral cue to trigger socially responsible consumers' acceptance of transparency claims and thus support the idea that it functions as a panopticon.The corporate discourse that hails transparency works to reinforce the pseudo-panopticon and win acceptance of transparency as a quality. The corporate claim of transparency becomes an axiom that is more often accepted than subjected to critical evaluation. The internet becomes a mechanism for \"validating\" corporate transparency claims. Socially responsible consumers are likely to believe that if the corporation is deceitful, someone (i.e. a more highly motivated activist) will discover it through information on the internet and spread the word via the internet. This assumes that:* corporations will get caught;* when activists report a failure of corporate transparency or misbehavior others will see the message; and* other stakeholders will care and be motivated enough to then become part of the movement to pressure the corporation.If complacent socially responsible consumers do not actively seek verifying information about corporate CSR transparency, they will not find it. Not every exposure of corporate CSR failings circulates prominently on the internet. Investigative reports are not necessarily easy to locate. It is the acceptance of the corporate reporting and lack of motivation to seek additional information and/or to take action that dooms transparency as a process and allows the pseudo-panopticon to form.It is to the corporation's advantage that people believe that the internet makes corporations transparent and functions as a panopticon. Managers and academics alike promote the corporate transparency discourse. Here is an example of one view of the relationship between the internet and transparency from the business side: \"There are no more secrets, no more sneaking around, no more 'Oh, they'll never know,'\" said Michael Cherenson, immediate past president of the Public Relations Society of America. \"We're all singing with the windows wide open now\" (Karp, 2010). Cherenson is commenting on the effects of the internet, especially social media, on corporations.A more prominent example of the corporate world promoting the panoptic capabilities of the internet is the popular book The Naked Corporation. The co-authors are business consultants who argue that the internet permits stakeholders to see all of a corporation. \"Finally, in a world of instant communications, whistleblowers, inquisitive media, and googling, citizens and communities routinely put firms under the microscope\" (Tapscott and Ticoll, 2003, p. xi). They argue that corporations must act ethically because their actions are observed and wrongdoing will be punished - there is a panopticon fuelled by the internet and overseen by stakeholders. Thompson (2007) posits: \"If you engage in corporate flimflam, people will find out\" (para. 11). His rationale is based on the internet making the inner workings of corporations visible to all stakeholders. These are all examples of corporate transparency discourse that contributes to the pseudo-panopticon.\nSummary and conclusions: Socially responsible consumers know that corporations desire a favorable reputation and seek reputational enhancement through CSR efforts. Reputational boosts are derived from creating awareness of and believability in CSR messages, primarily through official websites on the internet. Socially responsible consumers are told that corporations want to be transparent in their CSR reporting because they fear revelations of CSR wrongdoing. Their fear leads them to conform to societal expectations to maintain social legitimacy and to build reputational capital. CSR reporting provides evidence of responsible behavior and reflects the trappings of transparency (e.g. transparency as a quality when the corporation controls it). Socially responsible consumers then believe that corporations will be disciplined (through public opinion and the government) for inaccurate CSR reporting and malfeasance - the pseudo-panopticon is in operation. Corporations and socially responsible consumers operate in concert to socially construct the pseudo-panopticon.Although many socially responsible consumers claim they are interested in corporations' CSR activities, most are ignorant of them. They are likely to accept corporate claims of transparency because the CSR reporting appears transparent and the pseudo-panopticon serves as a check against irresponsible behavior. We know that most of the majority of socially responsible consumers accept corporate CSR claims. Stakeholder apathy benefits corporations seeking to control the disclosure of social and environmental information. Even when socially responsible consumers bother to inspect corporate reports, they are likely to avoid critical thinking and rely on peripheral cues when processing information. When they accept a corporation's reporting without inspection or fail to press when information is missing, there is no accountability and the illusion of transparency triumphs. Socially responsible consumers believe that they can rely on motivated activists and NGOs to harness the panoptic capabilities of the internet to investigate and report CSR wrong doing. Traditional media, including journalistic outlets, eventually become involved in reporting outcomes of those challenges. Numerous \"success stories\" illustrate the ability of watchdog groups to effectively ferret out transgressions and confirms their belief that transgressions will be exposed.However, in spite of pressure from activists, corporations can cling to their definition of transparency as a quality and refuse to engage with activists in transparency as a process. In many cases the refusal to engage with activists goes unreported in the mainstream media. Consider, for example, activists' demands for Hershey to reform its use of child labor and for the electronics industry to control its supply chain's mining of conflict minerals. Activists can try to publicize the lack of cooperation but their campaigns may not gain enough traction to attract the media attention needed to alert the general public to irresponsible actions. In this case the internet is functioning as a pseudo-panopticon because the public's faith in the ability of activist groups to garner wider attention and pressure for change is not supported. Thus, we have argued that the public fallaciously believes that corporations are monitored and disciplined for their failures to meet social expectations for responsible behavior (the pseudo-panopticon).The business case for CSR has become a hegemonic force in CSR (Brooks, 2010; Jones, 2009; Shamir, 2004). Corporations fear that stakeholders, such as socially responsible consumers, will be skeptical of their CSR messages, thereby preventing the realization of the business benefits CSR can generate. Researchers support the business case for CSR by finding ways to inhibit stakeholder skepticism of CSR messages. The pseudo-panopticon supports the business case for CSR by providing a context for believing CSR messages and suspending skepticism. The pseudo-panopticon is a hidden structure that supports the hegemonic force of the business case for CSR. We agree with Brooks (2010) and Jones (2009) who believe CSR should not have such a strong instrumental focus on advancing corporate interests but have an interest in moral concerns as well. We should work to encourage stakeholder skepticism and not to suppress it. People should be encouraged to reject the pseudo-panopticon by not accepting the corporate transparency discourse that claims corporations cannot hide information from stakeholders. By exploring the pseudo-panopticon and how it is used to support the business case for CSR, we hope to provide people with additional information for interrogating CSR messages and challenging the instrumental view of CSR.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine how corporate social responsibility (CSR) transparency claims are propagating a belief in a modern panopticon for ensuring responsible corporate behavior. Corporations use transparency claims to cultivate the impression of full disclosure. The paper aims to explore why people believe transparency ensures responsible behavior from corporations as well as the negative effects of this pseudo-panopticon.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper explores transparency in relation to CSR, CSR reporting, the internet, and activism and describes how their confluence produces pseudo-panopticon.\nFindings: - The paper finds that the pseudo-panopticon allows corporations to claim transparency in CSR communication and for stakeholders to accept that claim. The reality is that a minority of activist stakeholders bear the burden of ensuring true transparency by questioning disclosure.\nSocial implications: - Transparency should be seen as a process, and it fails if activists cannot create public awareness of CSR shortcomings. The challenge is to find ways to make transparency as a process work in a world where apathy and self-deception, in part facilitated by the pseudo-panopticon, work against the process.\nOriginality/value: - The paper builds on the process view of transparency by developing its implications for CSR communication. The result is a novel approach to CSR reporting and transparency that contributes to other critical voices concerned about the value and effects of CSR communication.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Cooperation and information sharing in institutional food chains
|
[
"Cooperation",
"Institutions",
"Information sharing",
"Integration practices"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: Food served in institutions holds a substantial share of the food served in western countries (Meiselman, 2009), and institutional food service has an important impact on consumers' quality of life and potential to prevent malnutrition (Almdal et al., 2003; Wright et al., 2006). The term institution is usually applied to formal organizations of governmental, public or private services, and include prisons, hospitals, oil rigs and nursing homes to mention a few. The institutional sector thus covers a wide range of societal areas (Engstrom and Carlsson-Kanyama, 2004; Meiselman, 2009), which implies that their kitchens serve consumers with varying needs and demands, including vulnerable groups that suffer from diet-related health conditions (Tsui et al., 2013). Nevertheless, several studies have reported that both malnutrition and undernutrition are prevalent among patients in different institutions (McWhirter and Pennington, 1994; Johns et al., 2013) and that institutional consumers often hold strong negative attitudes toward the food served, perceiving it as ill presented and tasteless, and the service ill-timed and careless (Meiselman, 2009). The findings from prior research stem from different institutions in countries as diverse as Norway and Iran (Johns et al., 2013).\nConceptual framework: The issue of integration has become central in both the development and understanding of health welfare systems. Different welfare systems, including institutional food chains, are often provided by a large number of specialized or differentiated agencies and subunits, which increases the need for integration (Bolland and Wilson, 1994; Axelsson and Axelsson, 2006; Engelund et al., 2007). Lawrence and Lorch conceptualize organizational structure in terms of differentiation and integration (Lawrence et al., 1967; Donaldson, 2001). According to their structural contingency theory, an important part of an organization is to break down the organization's tasks, and assign subunits to subtasks matching their responsibilities and competencies. This is called differentiation (Lawrence et al., 1967; Donaldson, 2001). To perform successfully according to this theory, differentiation should be followed by integration to coordinate the organization's activities and processes (Donaldson, 2001; Willumsen, 2008). If differentiation and integration are imbalanced, there will be a fragmentation of responsibilities among the different actors. This will usually lead to problems referred to as \"integration problems\" in the literature on public health (Axelsson and Axelsson, 2006; Davies and Macdonald, 1998). Variations or incontinuities in the service provided are examples of such integration problems (Bolland and Wilson, 1994; Glendinning, 2003).\nMethod: The study of supply chains is complex, involving both organizational structures and individuals. It therefore requires a methodology that can relate behavior to abstract concepts within a theory-building framework (Mello and Flint, 2009). Grounded theory (GT) is an inductive methodology with the potential of relating individual and organizational variables into a theoretical framework (Charmaz, 2014; Glaser and Strauss, 1967; Mello and Flint, 2009; Randall and Mello, 2012). Here the aim is to understand the human side of institutional food chains, and uncover the interactions and relationships that form the organizational strategies within these chains (Mello and Flint, 2009). GT was thus considered a preferable approach to the phenomena in focus.\nResults: The aspects of integrational practices that emerged were organized around two themes: differentiation and integration. These two categories or theoretical codes were further divided into different subcategories and dimensions, corresponding to Charmaz's (2014) focussed codes and initial codes, as described below and outlined in Table III. Starting from the left, the conceptual categories are presented in the first column. The different subcategories are described in the second column, followed by the dimensions in the third column. The explanation of each dimension is found in the fourth column on the far right.\nDiscussion: Organizations can be understood in terms of the concepts of differentiation and integration (Lawrence et al., 1967). For an organization to be effective, it must differentiate into specialized departments and then integrate the functioning of these separate subunits (Axelsson and Axelsson, 2006). This study finds that there is a high level of differentiation between the central kitchens and satellite kitchens, while there seems to be a low level of differentiation at the satellite kitchens. The degree of differentiation here seems to be low due to a lack of formality of structures, and especially the nurses perceive the interfaces at the satellite kitchens vague and unclear. Data also imply that the allocation of tasks at the satellite kitchens seems to be random. This lack of differentiation seems to increase staffs own initiatives and motivation to improve the food or the serving situation, and food quality thus largely depends on the employee at work instead of the standardized system. For institutional food chains, that are often responsible for feeding vulnerable consumer groups, it is especially important that the food served is under strict control, both in terms of nutritional quality, temperature, composition of food and portion sizes. The lack of differentiation thus seem to reduce the performance of the food chains. This is contradictory to what structural contingency theory imply: due to the work- related characteristic of the institutional food chains, the formality of structures at satellite kitchens should be low to perform successfully. Nevertheless, this did not seem to be the case at the satellite kitchens where the low level of formality seems to have the opposite effect, namely, increasing the service variability and through that decreasing the performance of the food service provision. The reason for this is probably that the lack of formal structures to promote differentiation is not followed by adequate levels of integration, and thus lead to what is called a fragmentation of responsibilities. Fragmentation of responsibilities often lead to integration problems (Axelsson and Axelsson, 2006).\nConclusion: Institutional food is produced and served by complicated systems that need to adapt to both the organization it operates within and to a variety of consumers with specific and changing needs. Stretching the institutional food chains and separating the different stages, make both serving the food and consumer contact more demanding, and strengthens the need for close information sharing and regular cooperation. Also the necessary integration of staff working with food provision and medical staff is demanding.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate integrative practices within institutional food chains with special emphasis on cooperation and information sharing.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was applied, based on 17 in-depth interviews with staff from four different institutions. The data collection and analysis were guided by constructivist grounded theory.\nFindings: In summary, the authors find that: low differentiation lead to a high level of service variability at the satellite kitchens, high level of optimizing behavior lead to a high level of service variability, there is a positive relationship between food task involvement and access to the information being shared, there is a positive relationship between food task involvement and participation in cooperation activities and when the physical distance between stages in the chain increases, the information sharing will deteriorate.\nResearch limitations/implications: To empirically generalize the findings, this first qualitative study should be followed up by a quantitative study.\nPractical implications: Based on the findings, the authors suggest that the chains would benefit from improving the interfaces between front line employees, and share information more extensively. The location of the central kitchen seems to influence information sharing across stages in the food chains.\nOriginality/value: To the authors' knowledge this is the first study that examines cooperation and information sharing practices within institutional food chains.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Organized chaos
|
[
"Process improvement",
"Software development",
"Agile methodology",
"Iterative development",
"Software development methodology",
"Spiral development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: It has become almost an obsession in modern culture to perseverate on method. There are many synonyms for this obsession: process improvement, process maturity, continuous improvement, business performance improvement, total productive maintenance, quality management, etc. A contemporaneous bevy of seminars and programs designed to help management teams to enable process improvement has also been spawned that enables this obsession. Examples include the six sigma program and the \"Lean\" programs that offer certifications or the ability to earn \"belts\" which are analogous to the levels of advancement common to the martial arts. As an industry, software development processes are also constantly under a certain level of scrutiny to derive the highest levels of efficiency concerning time and effort.\nPrism of methodologies: Since the 1960s, the IT industry has endeavored to perfect the overall process of software development. The reasons for this are not that dissimilar from the reasons that the manufacturing industry has taken a deep look into process improvement over the past 50-60 years. One of the primary goals has been to try and eliminate waste and churn, which can be significant depending on the manufacturing product. The same is true for software implementation cycles. Although manufacturing and software development seem very dissimilar, the need for process improvement is very much the same, and the principles that can be applied are completely analogous.\nFocused and flexible: Although the principles outlined above have grown out of the general IT workflow, it is clear that they can also have a huge impact on the digital library. Any aspect of library operations can benefit from process improvement, though the environment for large and small libraries has changed. The gap between the customer or patron and the work of service to those customers has diminished rapidly because of technology. Recalling what was said earlier about the various necessary phases of software development, we can see clear analogs in information science. There is both a symbolic and actual parallel between service delivery; content delivery and access; and product development. From a symbolic perspective, the services provided by a modern academic library are the core deliverables we provide to patrons. From the concrete perspective, technology and software applications are the typical means by which those services are made accessible.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: There are valuable lessons that can be learned from the software industry regarding process improvement. The modern library is now so closely wedded to technology that the way in which services are implemented mirrors that of software development.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Several methodologies are explored and compared to processes that involve the implementation of digital services in libraries.\nFindings: Libraries have reconsidered how they might adopt various business practices to improve service delivery.\nOriginality/value: This column advocates a study of software development methodologies that have been adopted across the industry with the hope that lessons learned in the corporate world and also in manufacturing could be of value to the digital library.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Focus on implementation: a framework for lean product development
|
[
"Lean production",
"Product development",
"Waste minimisation",
"Lean product development implementation",
"Eliminating waste",
"Tools/techniques for lean",
"Transition to lean"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Manufacturing is strategically important to the world economy. However, many manufacturers face an increasing range of business pressures that impact directly on manufacturing operations, such as competition from low-cost resource. To remain competitive, manufacturer is responding in a number of ways, such as reducing cost and eliminating inventory. At the level of enterprise, and consistent with the innovation strategy, there is an increasing focus on innovative, high-value, and highly skilled activities. Product development (PD) can be brought into the product in different forms such as new features/functions, new looks/feel or new technologies, contributing to the main sources for keeping customers excited which affects the results in maintaining or increasing market share (Kosonen and Buhanist, 1995; Mallik and Chhajed, 2006; Naveen and Singh, 2008). This leads to an emphasis on enhancing the design and development capability and decreasing the design and development time and cost within organizations.Lean is usually regarded to be relevant to the \"production\" of a manufacturing enterprise, meaning those processes are associated with material supply, component production, and delivery of products. However, authors such as Morgan and Liker (2006) see that \"lean thinking\" can also be applied to the great effects outside manufacturing operations, PD, areas where the potential benefits from the adoption of lean principles.Advocates of lean philosophy have already emphasized the application of lean principles in organization widely but proper improvement was not given till recent years. 15 years ago, researchers started applying lean thinking principles to the PD processes which they call \"lean product development (LPD)\" and inundating the literature with topics like wastes in PD process, tools and techniques for LPD, barriers in LPD, etc. And till now, few literatures are available to provide a step-by-step approach in the form of a framework for transition every existing main activity in PD process to lean. This fact was also supported by Haque and James-Moore (2004). Hence, in this paper, an attempt has been made to develop a conceptual framework, which is based on the state-gate process adopted by most companies. This framework eliminates the waste and smoothes the value stream in product development processes (PDPs) throughout enterprises, with the target of delivering the value to all the stakeholders. Within this implementation framework and relevant tool proposed in this paper, there are two notable benefits. First, the close integration of tools for lean with the design activities improvement and second, transition to lean (TTL) refocus on the phase of marketing research, conceptual design, product design, test and verification, and ramp-up product.This paper is designed to introduce the step-by-step implementation framework in the following order. First, definition referred to LPD discussions and significant contribution to lean approach at both academic and practitioner levels' reviews. Second, the framework of LPD and reference detail information will be given. In next sections, a case for implementing LPD through \"develop right product\" at the front of product design and \"develop product right\" from system design to product ramp-up in a company will be stated. This roadmap of transition of lean is based on the information from green home appliances development. Finally, the conclusions will be drawn and future perspectives will be proposed.\n2 State-of-the-art review: Lean is defined as the perfection pursuing by the elimination of waste, coupled with the insertion of practices that contribute to cost reduction and schedule while improving performance of products, processes and organization as a whole.2.1 The main idea of LPD\n3 LPD framework: The proposed framework for enterprise implementation is based on theory development (Figure 1). This theoretical viewpoint has been reached by synthesizing a range of primary industry cases, practical approaches and partial solutions available within the existing literature. To summarize this framework, the existing literature classified after reviewing has been done.A framework is referred to as a prescriptive set of things to do, while some authors have chosen to portray a framework through diagrams or graphical representations. Framework is a clear picture of the leadership goal for the organization and it should present KCs of the to-be style of business operations', i.e. it means that one should design and develop a framework representing the modus operandi, the systems to be developed, the activities to be carried out and the ultimate vision of the new style of management in the organization. Framework helps in translating a theory into practice through some systematic means.3.1 The source of LPD framework\n4 A case study: With the pace of Chinese companies catching up with the world famous innovational enterprise, a top home appliances manufacturer in China wants to increase its profits by high capability of PD. To achieve this target, LPD focuses on leadership after success of lean manufacturing introduction.According to the requirement and company's PD environment, the standardization processes being reengineered is based on externalizing stage-gate process (Figure 4).Based on the framework, the solution of TTL is proposed, that divided into two important parts: \"doing the right thing\", and \"doing the thing right\". At the front of PD till system design is focused on \"doing the right thing\", which ensure product satisfy customer requirement; PD must accelerate to enter market by implementing \"doing the thing right\" till rump-up product.With the famous consultant company which have more experiences in LPD, the lean project is started after the framework is verified by company leadership, but the project is postponed by crisis in the beginning. The parts of roadmap are implemented. This step-by-step LPD framework is only proposed and discussed in company, there is less time for more implementation, appraisals, and improvement on framework and roadmap.4.1 Approach for developing right product\n5 Conclusions and future perspectives: The paper starts with the discussion on the missing link in the industries requirement and current research on framework for transition to LPD and elaborates on how this research is going to contribute to the body of knowledge on LPD implementation in enterprise. Followed by a literature review about the definition and reference about PD, this paper has sought to develop a framework for LPD implementation. After the introduction, a detailed explanation on every part of framework is also given. Led by wastes in PD, different tools and techniques which can be used to eliminate wastes were discussed briefly and the proposed roadmap for LPD is discussed elaborately by integrating the assessment tools and techniques.The approach described here is also a tentative step in trying to overcome other weaknesses in the technical literature on LPD implementation. First, it is a realistic approach that every main activity in PD has strong relationship - starting with defining and finding wastes in PD, tools/techniques are proposed focusing on wastes and organized by roadmap for transition. Second, it takes a more feasible approach as it considers how to implement this framework in strengthening PD work. Third, it pays specific attention to the important of feedback system which is one of Toyota core competencies in development. The next steps of our research approaches are to test the framework approaches in a number of different environments to ensure that it is robust as a framework for the development of competitive advantage.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to introduce a step-by-step implementation framework for lean product development (LPD), from the marketing research on product development process, product design to the launch of final production.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The research approach taken in this paper is built around the primary industry cases, practical approaches and partial solutions available within the existing literature.\nFindings: - The most recent improvement of LPD, from the authors' perspective, focuses on tools and implementation for LPD. In this paper, a detailed step-by-step implementation is given after the framework is introduced. Led by value and waste analysis in product development, different tools and techniques which can be used to eliminate wastes were discussed briefly, and then the implementation from Doing the Right Thing to Doing the Right Thing for company transition to lean were proposed elaborately.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Due to time and economic environment limitations, the authors have not covered and implemented this approach in all existing different environments to ensure that it is robust.\nOriginality/value: - The approach described here seeks to overcome other frameworks' weaknesses in terms of the realistic aspect and feasibility, and combines more existing best practice from industry, consultancy and academia into a step-by-step framework for the achievement of effective LPD.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Motivation and training initiation: evidence from Poland
|
[
"Training",
"Motivation",
"Intention",
"Self-determination theory",
"Planning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In the constantly developing societies and organizations, employees' knowledge and skills are becoming more and more important for them and for their company's performance. An employee eager to learn is crucial for any organization that wants to remain competitive on the dynamic labor market (Tharenou et al., 2007). Organizations decide to invest large amounts of money in training activities believing that this investment will improve organizational functioning by increasing productivity and profit or reducing errors (Salas and Cannon-Bowers, 2001). Consequently, training and development has become one of the most important assignments for human resources (HR) professionals and managers. Additional training for employees is crucial, as it has been noticed that the knowledge and skills people gain during successive stages of formal education are often insufficient or incompatible with organizations' requirements (Kawecka et al., 2010). What is more, developing the competences of staff and fostering their growth within the company is more economical for companies than recruiting new employees (European Commission, 2012). Well-designed trainings can indeed bring measurable benefits such as improvement of health and performance of both managers and his employees (Wegge et al., 2010).\nMethod: Procedure\nResults: The descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlations between study variables are reported in Table I. As expected, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation are positively correlated with two stages of the training initiation process, whereas amotivation is correlated negatively with them. Correlation between goal intention and action planning is statistically significant and relatively strong.\nDiscussion: In the present study, we have adopted the SDT framework (Deci and Ryan, 2000a) to investigate the role of different types of motivation in explaining the first stages of training initiation conceptualized according to the model of action phases (Gollwitzer, 1999; Heckhausen and Gollwitzer, 1987). As hypothesized, intrinsic motivation predicts training intention and training plan formulation. This may be due to high levels of personal interest in a specific activity and the conviction of autonomy that characterizes people with intrinsic motivation (Deci and Ryan, 2000a). When an employee perceives training as an interesting activity that can bring him or her enjoyment and personal satisfaction by itself and not by external rewards (Deci and Ryan, 2000a), he or she is more willing to take part in the training and develop a specific plan concerning when, where and how to take part in it. These findings add to existing evidence, showing that intrinsic incentives (Facteau et al., 1995) and autonomous behavior (Gorozidis and Papaioannou, 2014) are associated with higher motivation to start training. The results of this study shed new light explaining the role of intrinsic motivation at two initial stages of training goals realization. They show that employees who are intrinsically motivated for developmental activities are ready to formulate behavioral intention and to form more clear plans of training initiation. As intention and planning are closely related to real action initiation (Armitage and Conner, 2001; Gollwitzer, 1999), we may expect that intrinsically motivated employees will undertake training activity.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Based on the self-determination theory and the model of action phases, the present study aims to provide insight into motivational factors that are important for training initiation. It investigates the relations between three types of motivation (intrinsic, extrinsic and amotivation) and training initiation: intention to initiate new training and plan formulation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 155 employees using the Motivation for Training Initiation Scale and the Training Intention and Training Planning Scales.\nFindings: The results of hierarchical regression analyses show that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are positively, while amotivation is negatively, related to intention to start new training. Intrinsic motivation is a significant predictor of training plan formulation. The stronger is the intention, the more precise are plans to undertake training.\nResearch limitations/implications: The cross-sectional study design limits causal conclusions concerning actual training action. This, therefore, encourages the validation of study hypotheses in a longitudinal manner.\nPractical implications: The results offer suggestions on how to foster training initiation taking into account types of motivation.\nOriginality/value: The study for the first time combines the model of action phases with the self-determination theory.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Australian motor sport enthusiasts' leisure information behaviour
|
[
"Archives",
"Records management",
"Information needs",
"Information behaviour",
"Information seeking behaviour",
"Leisure information",
"Motor sport"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The research reported in this paper is part of continuing research by the author into the information management challenges of community archives and its sustainability in Australia using the motor sport community as a case study (Joseph, 2015). First, this research investigated the information management practices at motor sport community-based organisational levels at the historic car clubs, and the national and state offices of the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) Ltd (Joseph (2016)). Second, it investigated what are the motor sport community's significant information assets (records and archives) (Joseph (2016)) including what information individual motor sport enthusiasts required from CAMS (Joseph (Peer Review)).\nMotor sport in Australia: Active participation in sporting and recreation activities as well as attending sporting events as spectators is an important part of the Australian lifestyle. Between 2011 and 2012, 65 per cent of Australians participated in sporting activities (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012, p. 11).\nLiterature review: This section outlines the literature on three relevant topics: leisure and serious leisure by Stebbins (2001, 2007); and information behaviour in leisure and non-leisure settings.\nResearch questions and methodology: The primary research question of this study is to explore:\nFindings: The findings for questions 1-20 are reported here in three segments: participants' demographic data; their information needs and seeking behaviour; and what personal information about the sport they had. This section presents the raw data about the findings, while the discussion of these findings is presented later under the discussion section.\nDiscussion: The objectives of this research were to explore the information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts. Findings on the information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts led to the development of the preliminary motor sport information behaviour model presented in Figure 3. An explanation and discussion of this model derived from the seminal theoretical models by Wilson (1984, 1999, 2000), Krikelas (1983), Dervin (1992) and Savolainen (1995a, b, c) is presented next.\nLimitations: Given this was an exploratory study using an online survey, it was not possible to include a statistically representative sample, or to probe participants with further deeper questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of their information behaviour. Hence, when questions asked participants to rate their information seeking experience, it was not possible to probe further to find out why their experiences were unsatisfactory. Using interviews would have enabled robust and descriptive qualitative in-depth data thereby allowing for further probing and deeper investigation (Pickard, 2013). Future research involving interviews could be conducted, in particular as 52 participants (69 per cent) in this study provided an e-mail address and stated their willingness to participate in future research.\nSignificance of this research: This research contributes to the expanding scholarly research on people's everyday need, use, seeking, sharing and PIM in their serious leisure pursuits, with a focus on motor sport. The typology of enthusiasts information needs (Table VIII) is a significant contribution to the motor sport leisure activity.\nFuture research: This exploratory research needs to be validated with in-depth interview sessions with up to 24 enthusiasts so that deeper understanding of their information behaviour can be gained (Miles and Huberman, 1994). Additionally, five future research topics have been identified from this research.\nConclusion: This study explored the information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia, and contributes to the growing body of literature on information in leisure or non-work settings. This research has substantiated that motor sport is a serious leisure activity (Stebbins, 2007) and since some participants engaged in multiple roles in the sport it is a mixed serious leisure activity (Stebbins, 2007, p. 34). The preliminary motor sport information behaviour model (Figure 3) summarises enthusiasts' leisure information behaviour.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts, examining: their information needs; their information seeking and sharing; what personal information they had; and their satisfaction with their information seeking and personal information management efforts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This exploratory study examined participants' information behaviour from a postpositivist and inductive research approach. An online survey was completed by 81 motor sport enthusiasts. The quantitative survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whilst the qualitative data were analysed using thematic coding.\nFindings: The research findings highlighted that enthusiasts engaged in mixed serious leisure. They required information before, during and after race events, and sought this primarily from online sources, as well as from other individuals. Totally, 90 participants shared information about their interest in motor sport with family, friends and fellow enthusiasts, primarily via e-mails (69 per cent) and Facebook (49 per cent). They also gathered information about motor sport, including photographs and memorabilia. Participants were satisfied with their information management strategies for their personal collections.\nResearch limitations/implications: Participants were limited to motor sport enthusiasts in Australia, hence findings cannot be generalised more broadly.\nPractical implications: Understandings of enthusiasts' information behaviour provide information management professionals with insights to work with this user community.\nOriginality/value: This study fills a gap in the literature about leisure information behaviour of motor sport enthusiasts in Australia. It identifies and provides a typology of the 12 categories of information needed by enthusiasts. Provides a preliminary motor sport information behaviour model guided by the conceptual frameworks of the everyday life information seeking model; general models on information behaviour; and the information problem solving behaviour model.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Revealing change dynamics in hospital construction projects
|
[
"Construction",
"Case study",
"Project management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The advancements in healthcare technology and operations are likely to accelerate in the future. Trends like mobile and telehealth, self-treatment and day surgery are changing healthcare facility needs. Hospital buildings face many uncertainties during their lifecycle, for example changing user requirements or operations (Barlow and Koberle-Gaiser, 2009). The design and construction phases of technically complex hospitals usually take more than 10 years, during which changes in the operational environment take place (Sebastian, 2011). For example, during the construction phase, the owner may want to change the spatial programme due to changes in the models of care delivery or hospital business models, or the owners may find out that they have less financial resources than initially planned to build the hospital (Lavikka et al., 2015). Notwithstanding, changes in construction projects have been recognised as a primary cause for cost and schedule overruns as well as a source of dispute between project parties (Love and Edwards, 2004; Olawale and Sun, 2010). For example, financial challenges and the lack of coordination have been found as the main factors causing delays in construction projects (Alaghbari et al., 2007). Moreover, hospital projects seem to be facing more changes than other types of construction, often during the late project phases (Sebastian, 2011). The need for more flexibility, innovation and higher environmental standards in hospital construction projects is prevalent (Pauget and Wald, 2013).\n2. Literature review: First, the literature review discusses project complexity to provide background for hospital construction and frame the research problem. Then, the literature on change causes, especially in hospital construction projects, is discussed because contextual factors have been recognised to have a significant impact on project planning and change management subjects (Dvir and Lechler, 2004). Project flexibility is introduced as a mechanism to prepare for changes.\n3. Research design: An exploratory, multiple case study design was chosen in an attempt to thoroughly understand the root causes of changes and propose ways to manage changes in hospital construction projects. The exploratory research attempts to increase understanding and seek new insights into a particular problem (Saunders et al., 2007). A case study approach was chosen because the phenomenon of change during the construction phase needs to be investigated in its context of hospital construction projects. According to Yin (2003), case studies are best suited for investigating contemporary phenomena in their real-life contexts.\n4. Findings and discussion: First, this section presents and discusses the findings of the root cause analysis. After that, the study aims to propose ways to prepare for and manage changes in hospital construction projects.\n5. Conclusions: The predominant view of literature on construction project management is that changes should be avoided. This view is understandable since changes in construction projects have been recognised as a primary cause for cost and schedule overruns as well as a source of dispute between project parties. However, the dynamism and uncertainty stemming from the hospital construction context challenge the traditional pursuit of stability in project management. This paper revealed that changes allow hospital construction projects to adapt to changing goals, and changes are often necessary and useful for the end-result of the project.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Hospital construction projects often suffer from relatively late changes in the project lifecycle, which disrupt the project execution and impact project productivity. The purpose of this paper is to explore the root causes of changes in hospital construction projects. The paper aims to propose ways to prepare for the changes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study focuses on changes during the construction of new hospital facilities. An explorative, case study research design is utilised. Five case projects from Finland, Sweden and the USA were selected for in-depth analysis. The primary data comprise semi-structured interviews, supported by secondary evidence such as change order documents.\nFindings: The findings reveal eight categories for change sources: contracts, and equipment and systems are reflective of the fast-paced healthcare technology and changing user requirements, while external environment comprises changes caused by both regulatory and physical environment. Changes in operations are reflected in the continuous development of treatment methods and processes. The user, owner, designer and contractor initiated changes represent the stakeholder influence. The paper makes a connection between these change sources and project complexity dimension. A framework for change dynamics is introduced, and product and process flexibility is suggested as a suitable method to prepare for and manage changes.\nOriginality/value: The paper is the first to link construction changes to project complexity factors. The paper argues that changes, when managed appropriately, are not only necessary but also beneficial to large construction projects in a quickly changing environment. The findings guide project stakeholders in implementing project flexibility, in the product and process dimensions, which is a balancing force to project complexity.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Resource misallocation and production inefficiency: Estimating cross-country differences in macroeconomic performance
|
[
"Stochastic frontier analysis",
"OECD countries",
"Labour market characteristics",
"Production efficiency",
"Resource misallocation",
"Skill mismatch",
"E23",
"D20"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Economics is the science which studies the way a society uses scarce resources such as labor and physical capital to produce goods and services to maximize social well-being. Economic efficiency is the situation in which it is impossible to generate a larger total welfare from the available resources. Regarding the standard production possibilities model, efficient positions are represented by points on the production possibilities curve where the maximum number of goods and services are produced from all available resources - and they are at their best use - and technology[1]. However, if resources are not optimally allocated because they are not at their best use (e.g. over-education), this misallocation of resources will cause society to be at inner points of its production frontier. Efficiency in production would improve if workers were assigned to jobs for which they have the right skills. The improvement in labor productivity, through the correct allocation of workers to their jobs, would move an economy to its production possibilities frontier. Efficiency gains translate into higher output and, ultimately, higher per capita income and welfare.\nBackground: Resource misallocation\nMethodology: Introduction\nData and variables: Output and inputs in equation (1)\nResults of efficiency analysis: Following Battese and Coelli (1995), the stochastic frontier production function and the technical inefficiency effects model must be jointly estimated by maximum likelihood. We derived maximum likelihood estimates of the parameter vectors b and d from the simultaneous estimation of the production function and inefficiency term equations, equations (1) and (2), using the Stata14 statistical package. This software allows us to use the one-stage procedure when a truncated-normal distribution is specified. The results were shown in Table II.\nDeterminants of skill mismatch: In an attempt to describe the mismatch, we returned to our broad mismatch measure and estimated their determinants. The relationship between the skill mismatch (Y) and the explanatory variables (X) that influence the incidence of skill mismatch at the aggregate level is evaluated based on the results of the regression:(3)\nConclusion: The problem of resource allocation occupies a central position in economic theory. This paper evaluates the macroeconomic performance of a sample of OECD countries from the production efficiency point of view; that is, their ability to operate close to, or on the boundary of their production set. It is essential to know how far a given economy can be expected to increase its output by merely improving its efficiency, without absorbing further resources. Simultaneously, we examine the influence of process/contextual variables that explain OECD countries' efficiency differences.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Recent studies have linked differences in aggregate productivity to misallocation of resources across firms. In contrast, the purpose of this paper is to study the macroeconomic performance of OECD economies from a production efficiency point of view and estimated the determinants of (in)efficiency with particular emphasis on misallocation of labor.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Following the pioneering work of Battese and Coelli, the authors proposed a parametric methodology to construct a world frontier that serves as a benchmark to compare the relative position of each country. The non-negative technical inefficiency effects are assumed to be a function of explanatory variables. By doing this, determinants of technical inefficiency are explicitly introduced in the model.\nFindings: The results revealed that OECD countries to operate efficiently should expand their aggregate output by 22.6 percent without consuming more resources. A novel finding is that higher skill mismatch is associated with higher production inefficiency. Conversely, more flexible labor markets, and better management and human resource practices, lowered the inefficiency in production. The paper also analyzed the underlying factors driving skill misallocation in the job market. In this regard, a well-functioning education and training system and greater flexibility in the determination of wages are associated with lower levels of mismatch between the skills of individuals and those required by the jobs.\nPractical implications: The measurement of the productive efficiency of an economy (or country) is crucial to governments. It is important to know how far a given economy can be expected to increase its output by simply increasing its efficiency, without absorbing further resources. In other words, it is relevant to know if a country could produce more with the same resources and, therefore, could increase per capita income and welfare. In this type of analysis what also matters is to identify what factors or variables explain that greater or lesser ability of a country to convert its resources into aggregate production.\nOriginality/value: Much research on efficiency measurement has focused on the firm or industry level, mainly to study the efficiency of financial institutions. Efficiency studies using aggregated data across countries are rare in the literature of efficiency. This paper aimed to contribute to filling that shortage evaluating the macroeconomic performance of a sample of OECD countries from the production efficiency point of view.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
When women manage women: Gender expectations and relationship building
|
[
"Relationships",
"Gender",
"Women",
"Women managers"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nWomen and relationships: Statistics show that women constitute a significant percentage of the overall workforce in many countries. Top management roles continue to be male dominated though. The so-called glass ceiling is obviously still intact. In certain respects, it seems that gender equality remains somewhat elusive.\nWomen who manage women employees: Perceptions of this nature can significantly influence how women relate to each other at work. This is especially important in manager-employee associations. Females typically place considerable value on personal relationships and support in both social and emotional terms. But when women managers exhibit traits that are deemed masculine in nature, relations are often more awkward and strained.\nGender assumptions and expectations of women managers: Dig a little deeper though and women who are managed by women do have specific expectations of them. This was apparent in a survey of such females conducted in New Zealand. On this evidence at least, gender assumptions seem to be highly influential in that nation's workplaces.\nWhen misunderstandings occur: In essence, female employees want women who manage them to be relationally oriented. When these desires are not met, strains between them are inevitable. Failure to live up to expectations is not the result of some sinister intentions though. Poor communication is the more likely cause. Expectations are often unstated. Both managers and employees can be ignorant of one another's position. But misunderstanding or not, the consequences can be damaging. Some employees become disillusioned to the point of quitting their jobs.\nComment: The review is based on \"The relational expectations of women managing women\" by Jane Hurst, Sarah Leberman, and Margot Edwards.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.\nFindings: Gender influences expectations in the workplace. This is particularly true when female employees are managed by women. Various expectations can be ascertained and organized into three overlapping themes. In essence, women employees expect women managers to understand them better and show greater empathy to the challenges they face in juggling different responsibilities. Because such managers can adopt a more holistic view, employees expect greater workplace flexibility in view of these challenges.\nPractical implications: The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.\nOriginality/value: The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Sign consumption and sign promotion in visitor attractions: A netnography of the visitor experience in Titanic Belfast
|
[
"Netnography",
"Visitor experience",
"Sign consumption",
"Sign promotion",
"Titanic Belfast",
"Visitor attractions"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Despite increasing research interest in visitor attractions (Kolar, 2017; Leask, 2016; de Rojas and Camarero, 2008; Weidenfeld, 2010; Weidenfeld et al., 2016), visitors' consumer behavior remains overlooked, particularly from a sociological perspective. Drawing upon Baudrillard's (1981) concept of sign-value, this study attempts to shed light on consumer behavior and sign perception in visitor attractions, which concerns the understanding and perception of signs before and during the visitor experience. Semiotics, especially the semiotic theory of the American philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce, has been used in visitor attraction studies but focused primarily on perceived authenticity (for instance Grayson and Martinec, 2004; Ram et al., 2016; Weidenfeld et al., 2016). Additionally, symbolic meanings attributed to attractions have been studied in the context of heritage attractions as signifiers of national identity (Park, 2010; Zhang et al., 2015).\n2. Conceptual aspects of sign-value and sign consumption: Commodities are often perceived as signs, which feature social status, prestige, social inclusion as well as social identity to those who possess and consume desirable commodities such as luxury sports cars and fashion clothes, etc. (Baudrillard, 1981; Dant, 1996). The meaning-making process of commodities as signs is enabled in modern capitalism by advertising, commercialization and fashion attributing sign-value to commodities. Therefore, sign-value offers the potential of distinction and differentiation of the individual's social identity (Baudrillard, 1981). Whereas commodities as well as services are promoted in modern capitalism through advertising in mass media as signs, not every commodity or service is attributed with sign-value (Paraskevaidis and Andriotis, 2015). The function of sign-value is twofold: first, it reveals the assignment of symbolic meanings related to modern culture and fashion, and second, it relates commodities and services to items of prestige and social status (Baudrillard, 1981; Dant, 1996; Gotham, 2002). Whereas Baudrillard (1981) linked sign-value to prestige, capitalism predominantly produces ordinary commodities and services some of which are projected through advertising as signs but lack the potential of distinction, because they do not add prestige to their owners (Paraskevaidis and Andriotis, 2015).\n3. Sign-value, sign consumption and sign promotion in visitor attractions: Even though commodification has been highlighted in tourism studies (for instance Roland, 2010; Shepherd, 2002), sign-value in tourism including visitor attractions is rarely discussed. Lifestyle trends often determine whether cities and their urban landscapes become \"in or passe\" something that depends on their commercial and marketing exposure in the media and lifestyle magazines (Ashworth and Page, 2011, p. 9). To preserve visitors' interest, cities use advertising and media to present an attractive image of unique attractions (Abrahamson, 2014). A common practice for improving the attractiveness of an urban destination is the use of iconic architecture (e.g. the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain) and/or signature buildings (e.g. the Oslo Opera House in Norway) which enhance destination image (Smith and Strand, 2011). In such cases, urban planning and city branding are based on the logic of differentiation, as urban planners are trying to rejuvenate urban spaces through unique building projects. The preservation of a unique cultural identity in modern urban landscapes often leads to the creation of signs, a fact already noted by MacCannell (1999) who perceived tourist attractions as signs. Similarly, through city branding architectural buildings and urban spaces become commodities (Abrahamson, 2014), and as Gotham (2002, p. 1751) notes: \"cities and their festivals have become commodities that tourism agencies advertise, market and sell like any other commodity\". Visitor attractions therefore serve as the original object, which is the sign, whose images are often reproduced by the media, reshaped by advertising and reprinted on souvenirs and other commercial products.\n4. Methodology: This exploratory study addresses past research negligence of sign consumption and sign promotion in visitor attractions. To choose an adequate research method that offers a deeper understanding of the aforementioned themes based on visitors' perceptions and experiences and in line with Leask's (2016) call for using new research methods in the study of visitor attractions, netnography was selected. Moreover as stated by Echtner (1999), symbolic meanings of the vacation experience can be studied with the use of ethnographic methods, and netnography comprises an evolution of the ethnographic research methodology. Further support for the research methodology adopted in this study, followed by data collection and analysis are provided below.\n5. Study findings: 5.1 Sign-value\n6. Discussion and conclusions: 6.1 Conclusions\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Drawing upon Baudrillard's concept of sign-value, this study aims to investigate consumer behavior and sign perception in visitor attractions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: By adopting netnography, 133 customer-to-customer reviews sourced from TripAdvisor were analyzed regarding visitors' online post-visit impressions.\nFindings: The findings reveal that netnography contributes to a deeper understanding of sign consumption and sign promotion and examines how visitors attribute symbolic meanings to their experience in Titanic Belfast.\nPractical implications: The findings show that the co-creation and reevaluation of the visitor experience through consumers' online reviews should be taken into account by both managers and marketers. Furthermore, advertising should avoid creating excessive expectations to visitors to decrease the possibility of negative disconfirmation, which can be easily and instantly spread online. Another implication concerns the winning awards of visitor attractions, hotels and restaurants of a destination which may be used as a basis of co-branding marketing campaigns to enhance destination brand image.\nSocial implications: This study continues the debate on the commodification of the visitor experience and the commercialization of visitor attractions.\nOriginality/value: This paper provides better understanding of sign-value, sign consumption and sign promotion in the visitor attraction sector.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A step-by-step guide to assist logistics managers in defining efficient re-shelving solutions for retail store deliveries
|
[
"Case study",
"City logistics",
"Social issues",
"Re-shelving solutions",
"Step-by-step guide",
"Store delivery"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: City logistics is a challenge for many cities, aiming to achieve reliable and quick access to products and services (Rose et al., 2016). Around 25 per cent of urban traffic congestion and 25 per cent of CO2 emissions are caused by freight transport (Dablanc, 2007; ALICE/ERTRAC, 2014). Indeed, while cities' economic development grows rapidly, urban infrastructure grows slowly; so urban areas become saturated, negatively affecting the population quality of life and companies' competitiveness (Rashidi and Samimi, 2012). In cities with historical centres the problem is even greater, due to the high population density, traffic congestion and commercial areas in narrow streets. For that reason, many European cities have proposed solutions to reduce the negative impacts of freight transport (Gammelgaard, 2015; Nuzzolo et al., 2016; Vierth et al., 2017). The challenge when conceiving solutions for freight transport is to satisfy the interests of all stakeholders (Vieira et al., 2015). City administrators, i.e. politicians and rulers, generally promote legislation benefiting citizens' quality of life: less noise, traffic, contamination, etc. However, these constraints are not always carefully studied and can cause unintended effects (Quak and Koster, 2009; Vieira and Fransoo, 2015). Consequently, private companies face the challenge of developing appropriate solutions that comply with city administration constraints, while maximising benefits and competitiveness.\nProblem definition: As mentioned above, city logistics is a challenge faced by many cities. From the perspective of practitioners, regarding retail store deliveries, the aim is to design the logistics system of a store, respecting city administration constraints and ensuring an adequate product supply at an affordable cost, to satisfy consumers. In order to show the dilemma faced by retailers, Table I represents the way as each of the three key stakeholders (citizens, city administrators and retailers) may create or destroy value (Ehrenthal et al., 2014; Randall et al., 2014; Gammelgaard et al., 2016). The table must be read as: how the row influences the column.\nStep-by-step decision framework to define a logistics system: In this section, the step-by-step decision framework is described. Figure 1 shows the acting sequence, which systematises the logical decision-making process to be followed in obtaining adequate solutions for the supply chain of urban stores.\nValidation of the step-by-step decision framework: In the previous section, the proposed decision framework was presented. For illustration and validation purposes, its use to design the re-shelving solutions for two supermarkets of a Spanish food retail company, located in Barcelona (large city, high urban density area and very congested traffic) and Santa Coloma de Gramanet (medium city, busiest commercial area). For clarity sake, Stages 1 and 2 are presented together for both supermarkets, while Stage 3 is presented separately. The validation was carried out by the logistics manager of the company, giving a very realistic approach to the validation.\n\"What if\" procedure: Thus far, the proposed decision framework has been described and validated. Now, a complementary \"what if\" approach is suggested to evaluate the impact caused by changes in the initial conditions, assessed in Stage 1, to achieve more efficient solutions. These modifications can be obtained, for example, in exchange for an additional cost and will presumably be leaded by the own company, either on the target store (products' assortment or facilities), its surroundings (ramps or l/u zones) or the upstream supply chain (smaller vehicles or unloading systems). Modifications in municipality constraints could also be achieved, after the corresponding negotiations, such as the allowed activity schedules or vehicles weight.\nConclusions: In this work, a step-by-step decision framework to define efficient re-shelving solutions for store deliveries in complex urban contexts is proposed. More specifically, the scheme and acting sequence are presented, organised in seven phases grouped into three stages. First, the urban environment and characteristics of the target store and nearby ones are analysed, gathering the input data for the following stages. Second, several feasible solutions are generated and evaluated, while satisfying the problem constraints. Third, the solution (or set of solutions) to be implemented is selected by means of an iterative procedure that includes a pilot test to ensure validity of solutions when implemented. The proposed scheme represents the logical decision-making process to be followed when improving store deliveries in urban stores of large retail companies. This thoroughness is needed to justify the decisions taken and to ease understanding of the implications of selected solutions.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: City logistics is a challenge in many cities. Literature works focus on the analysis of large or local-scale solutions to increase the efficiency of freight transport. However, store deliveries from the perspective of practitioners, particularly retail stores, are still an issue. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to propose a decision framework to assist logistics managers in defining efficient re-shelving solutions for store deliveries, according to the emplacement characteristics, city administration constraints and social issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An iterative step-by-step decision framework is developed, which allows taking decisions in a clear and structured way, including the preferences of key stakeholders. Moreover, a \"what if\" procedure is proposed, aiming to modify some initial conditions of the target store to achieve more efficient solutions.\nFindings: The proposed decision framework is applicable in practice and helps users (mainly logistics managers) to identify solutions for efficient re-shelving in urban settings.\nResearch limitations/implications: The decision framework is applied by the logistics manager of two Spanish food retail stores, but it could be used in different logistics sectors and cities/regions, although adapting the decisions taken at each phase.\nPractical implications: Logistics managers have a support tool when addressing re-shelving solutions for store deliveries.\nSocial implications: A balance can be found between company interests (minimise costs) and citizens quality of life (less contamination, noise, traffic, etc.).\nOriginality/value: This study simultaneously deals with large- and local-scale decisions faced by logistics managers in their day-to-day activity, considering details about the store location, its surroundings and the company it belongs.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Gender and operations management
|
[
"International business",
"Operations management",
"Indigenous culture",
"Gender issues at work",
"Women’s studies",
"Developmental economics"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: This work reviews and synthesizes disparate literature that is at the nexus of three topics: gender in the workplace, international cultural differences, and managerial decisions in the operations management functional area of firms. While there is significant research on gender and culture within the business context of negotiations, sales, marketing and human resources, there is little on operations.\n2. What is \"women's work\"?: Globally many shop floors are nearly entirely female. The term \"women's work\" itself conjures irritation, hostility, and worse among many people, but it is an accepted term of fact in the literature on the developing world and women's studies (e.g. Amin, 1999; Jahan, 2014). Based on focus groups in 98 countries, The World Bank (2011, p. 211) states that \"across all countries [...] about 50 percent of all jobs are considered to be men's or women's jobs,\" with men's jobs generally those requiring skill and knowledge, as well as brawn. \"Women continue to cluster in sectors and occupations characterized as 'female' - many of them lower paying\" (World Bank, 2011, p. 3). Many jobs considered to be \"women's work\" are culturally, not physically defined. For example, ironing clothes is considered men's work in Bangladesh (Dannecker, 2002, p. 87), soldering is women's work in certain Mexican factories, but sewing - in many parts of the world considered women's work - is the work of either gender in other Mexican factories (Salzinger, 2003, pp. 73, 123-124). In a study of 333 small retail stores across eight cities in Morocco \"all [700 of] the owners, employees, and managers [...] are males\" (Boulaksil et al., 2014, p. 6).\n3. The night shift: When the legacy US airline mentioned in the introduction relocated its back-office work to Barbados, there was a 10:1 ratio of job seekers to jobs for the day and swing shift. The firm also wanted to staff a night shift, but there were few applicants. Assigning existing workers to the night shift was strongly resisted. In 18 years they were never able to get more than a skeleton crew. The airline set up a sister facility in the Dominican Republic. There, the night shift was easily staffed. The night shift was rejected in Barbados because the culture there views women working at night negatively (Freeman, 2000).\n4. A particular case of operational compliance: mass psychogenic illness: \"Operational compliance\" refers to workers performing their work according to standard operating procedures. In a Tayloristic view of worker relations, management, informed by industrial engineers, sets down the appropriate ways to perform work, and workers are supposed to work accordingly. The degree of compliance to operational standards is a research topic in the operations management literature. For example, Gray et al. (2011) and Gray and Massimino (2014) showed that location matters with regard to operational compliance in the pharmaceutical industry. Given the same firm ownership, having a manufacturing facility in one country vs another provided different levels of compliance.\n5. Improving processes: The prior section discussed workers following standard operating procedures. However, an important part of operations is continually improving procedures. The well-known \"learning curve\" forecasts that the more units of production that take place the less labor is needed per unit, therefore costs go down as one gains experience. This learning cannot take place if standard operating procedures are rigidly adhered to. How the learning curve actually takes place in factories is that improvements are made to procedures. Similarly, a common goal for manufacturing operations is to produce defect free products - or at least reduce the defects produced. Producing defective products is expensive if they are found before they leave a factory, as the products are usually scrapped or reworked. Defects are more expensive if they leave the factory, leading to long-term customer dissatisfaction, a poor reputation, warranty claims, or lawsuits. It has become a mantra both among academics and practitioners that defects cannot be reduce if the standard operating procedures stay the same. Accordingly, to lower costs through the learning curve or lower the amount of defects processes must change and improve. This line of reasoning usually occupies one or two chapters of a typical operations management textbook (e.g. Metters et al., 2006, Chapters 10, 11) and is often termed \"Quality Management,\" \"Total Quality Management,\" or \"Six Sigma Process Improvement.\"\n6. Facility location: The legacy US airline offshoring decision from Omaha to Barbados has been a recurring theme, and appears again due to their location choice. The main reason for moving the facility to Barbados was to cut costs - a half-price sale on labor! Yet the airline located the facility on some of the most expensive real estate in Barbados, in the capital city of Bridgetown. This caused problems for workers. Although the island is small, rush hour traffic is intense due to the road network, and one-way commutes were routinely over a half-hour on a bus, with an additional 15 minute walk from the bus station to the facility. However, sites in Bridgetown were deluged with job applicants, whereas cheaper locations closer to the workers' homes did not generate enough applicants to merit opening. Going to work in downtown Bridgetown was seen as prestigious by the workers, whereas working in the countryside was not. In a reversal of US tradition, the Bajan workers wore their expensive high-heeled shoes while commuting by bus and walking over the uneven cobblestone streets of Bridgetown, then slipped into sneakers when they got to the office.\n7. Implications and future research: The cultural researchers and management consultants Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997) analyzed quantitative survey results from over 30,000 managers in over 50 countries. They staked out a spectrum from what they termed \"Universalism\" to \"Particularism.\" Too simply put, this range measures the extent to which cultures believe the same rules apply in all situations, or whether circumstances preclude general rules. They find that managers in the USA and UK are the most extreme believers in universalism. The operational impact of this mindset is that these managers are more willing to think, like the US legacy airline that moved work to Barbados, \"if it worked in Omaha, just write down the rules, ship the equipment to Barbados and it will work there, too - at half the labor cost!\"\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Work that is considered appropriate for only one gender by the indigenous culture is explored. The focus is on the operational issues that accrue due to the combination of what is deemed appropriate treatment to, and activities of, women. Global differences in the operational sub-categories of business location, layout, the implementation of process improvement programs, shift scheduling, operational compliance, the strategic capability of volume flexibility, and other issues are explored. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The literature from the disparate fields of women's studies, anthropology, law, developmental economics, and management are synthesized.\nFindings: There are extreme differences internationally in the viability of operational practices involving shift work, facility location, and other production issues. Particularly, research involving the implementation of quality management programs may be compromised due to gender effects.\nPractical implications: A large number of practical issues are discussed. The viability and wisdom of many operational practices being copied from different cultures is addressed.\nOriginality/value: This work is a synthesis of the same subjects from widely disparate intellectual domains. The author informs management scholars and managers from unusual sources in medicine, women's studies, anthropology, developmental economics, and law.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Social cohesion vs COVID-19
|
[
"COVID-19",
"Communicable disease control",
"Global public good",
"F35",
"H12",
"I15"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The control of particularly virulent communicable diseases - such as COVID-19 - can be considered a global public good [1]. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic; and on March 18, 2020 (at the time of writing this paper), the organization reported 207,860 cases spread across 166 countries, with around three-fourths of the world's cases concentrated in China (81,174), Italy (35,713), Iran (17,361), Spain (13,716) and Republic of Korea (8,413). The WHO also reported 8,657 deaths linked to COVID-19. The risk of further contagion, both within and across more countries, remains high [2].At this stage, the benefits of controlling COVID-19 are nonrival and nonexcludable. Stopping or at least slowing the spread of COVID-19 could better protect the health and lives of literally billions of people across the world who could be vulnerable to infection [3]. Controlling the spread of communicable diseases within and across borders requires strong social cohesion or a unity of purpose around this collective action challenge. In fact, the world's response to COVID-19 reflects how prepared different nations really are at both international cooperation and national collective action, the two main ingredients of social cohesion that will be necessary for effective crisis response.This article elaborates on some of the main elements of counterCOVID-19 responses, drawing on emerging international good practices. While a full evaluation of policy effectiveness is still forthcoming, it is critical to review and synthesize the emerging lessons even this early. In reviewing the emerging evidence and good practice, this paper also emphasizes areas for policymakers to consider in their evolving crisis response.To begin, the paper elaborates on the first form of social cohesion: international cooperation. Basic international cooperation such as in exchanging information, data and scientific knowledge may also improve overall efforts to combat COVID-19. In all these cases, demonstrating social cohesion across countries through international cooperation will prove critical. In finding a vaccine for example, what is required is the \"best shot\" technology. Success depends on one or a few actors with the strongest capacity to produce the outcome desired, i.e. a viable vaccine.On the other hand, some countries could fail to handle the disease and turn into \"weak links\" in a global defensive chain against further spread. Put simply, the success of countries like China, Italy, Iran, Spain, Republic of Korea and others in arresting the spread of the disease is not only beneficial to their populations; it will also help buy time for the rest of the world to better prepare and for the development of stronger healthcare responses (including a possible vaccine). Fortunately, some of these affected countries have strong provision of national public goods in health, chief of which is a well-resourced and managed healthcare system. Nevertheless, not all countries will possess that advantage, and some may need international support [4].Second, the paper notes the importance of national public goods, such as a well-resourced and inclusive domestic healthcare and social protection systems. These national public goods buttress each country's ability to respond to COVID-19. As mentioned, strong national public goods in healthcare and social protection eventually underpin the adequate provision of the global public good of COVID-19 control. Now is not the time to scale back on social protection; rather there is an urgent need to boost resource allocations here, in order to prevent not just human suffering and harm but also lingering economic damage. More inclusive social protection systems are also expected to produce positive effects on individual-level behavioral change (such as by enhancing social distancing policies) and also softening the social and economic costs from COVID-19.Nevertheless, there is a wide divergence in the adequacy and inclusiveness of national public goods in health and social protection systems, signaling critical challenges in different countries' responses to this health crisis. To emphasize this point, the analysis turns to data on Asian countries, and notably the Philippines. These differences in national healthcare and social protection capabilities reemphasize the first point, which is that some countries may need international assistance to augment their responses.Social cohesion across countries: knowledge sharing and international support\nSocial cohesion within borders: universal healthcare and social protection: It is critical to acknowledge at least two main types of crisis contagion linked to COVID-19. One has to do with the disease itself, as it is transmitted by human hosts across borders. Another has to do with the economic implications of COVID-19 (and State responses to it). The \"chilling effect\" of the disease across consumption, investments and production supply chains could just as easily harm millions in each country as much as the health implications of the disease itself. In both cases, national public goods are crucial in protecting countries against these forms of contagion.Flattening the curve and slowing contagion\nQuo vadis?: At the rate it is spreading across the world, COVID-19 has the potential to become a global public bad. It produces contagion of two types. The first is a straightforward disease-based contagion that can swamp domestic healthcare and social protection systems as well as cripple workers and factories through the channel of adverse health outcomes. The second type of contagion refers to the \"chilling effect\" of COVID-19 on both demand and supply sides of a growing number of countries, notably those in \"factory Asia\". For both these reasons, controlling COVID-19 can be considered a global public good, justifying international cooperation and necessitating a strong display of social cohesion both within and across borders.Clearly, the approach for international support takes a holistic view of crisis response, covering both demand- and supply-side shocks as well as key social and economic sectors expected to be most affected by the aftereffects of the virus across both supply chains and key consumer and investment sectors facing the \"chilling effect\" of the disease.Supporting adequate national responses - particularly for countries that may turn into \"weak links\" - is one form of international cooperation as noted earlier. Clearly, international cooperation should move in lockstep with strong cohesive efforts at the national level in order to effectively contain COVID-19 and minimize its negative social and economic impacts.The evidence suggests that the most effective responses imply coherence and cooperation within and across borders. This is not the first time a health shock has created dramatic international social and economic consequences - nor will this be the last. The main lesson for international cooperation remains: social cohesion within and across borders is the world's best defense against a global public bad like COVID-19.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The control of particularly virulent communicable diseases such as COVID-19 can be considered a global public good. Unabated contagion, both within and across borders, can result in a global public bad. More effective control - such as by flattening the epidemiological curve - could prevent severe social and economic disruption by allowing domestic health and social protection systems to more adequately respond to the health crisis. This article elaborates on some of the main elements of counter COVID-19 responses, drawing on emerging international good practices. While a full evaluation of policy effectiveness is still forthcoming, it is critical to review and synthesize the emerging lessons and evidence even this early.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This article reviews the international good practices in counter COVID-19 responses across countries.\nFindings: Concerted efforts across borders, such as by sharing data and collaborating in research and by coordinating international support for countercyclical economic and health responses at the national level, are some of the options for countering COVID-19 at the international level. Within countries, more inclusive social protection and health systems, combined with countercyclical economic policies, and concerted behavioral changes tend to produce more effective collective action against the spread of the disease.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study is based on a review of emerging responses to the health crisis.\nPractical implications: The policies and practices reviewed in this paper could feed into better-informed crisis responses to COVID-19 and other types of health shocks.\nOriginality/value: This study is among the first general reviews of policy responses to the COVID-19 health crisis.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Impact of pomegranate peel as prebiotic in bio-yoghurt
|
[
"Pomegranate peels",
"Prebiotic",
"Probiotic",
"Stirred yoghurt"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Bio-yoghurt is widely distributed worldwide. However, probiotic cultures such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifiodobacterium spp., which are affected by yoghurt acidity, are not found at an ideal level at the consumption time (Madureiraa et al., 2005). Even if there are enough viable count at production time, the acidity of the product can increase when it contains lactic acid-producing bacteria, eventually inhibiting their own viability (Kailasapathy and Rybka 1997). Therefore, there are many studies aimed to increase probiotic culture survival during not only the shelf life of the product but also through the human digestion system (Maleki et al., 2015). Food industries search about new resources of prebiotic at low cost. On the other hand, the fruit generates solid wastes in the form of peels and seeds in the processing industries, and these wastes could cause serious environmental problems if not disposed correctly. Therefore, increasing the applying of the fruit processing wastes as functional food ingredients is important since they are rich in dietary fiber, pectin and most of the beneficial bioactive compounds are retained in those by-products (Balasundram et al., 2006). Fruit peels from agricultural processing could be an economical source of antioxidants activity and could replace the synthetic ones (Reddy et al., 2007). Recently, there are many studies on the functional properties of pomegranate peels (Singh et al., 2018). Pomegranate peels are recommended to be a source of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and it is recommended to increase the antioxidant activity in dairy products (El-Batawy et al., 2014), as well as to exceed its shelf life (Sandhya et al., 2018). Moreover, pomegranate peels have some medicinal nutritional health benefits such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antihelminthic (Hayouni et al., 2011). Pomegranate peel could be a source of prebiotics because its extracts contain an appreciable concentration of ellagitannins that are hydrolyzed by intestinal microflora into punicalagins and ellagic acid, which act as prebiotics. (Akhtar et al., 2015). Using an appropriate percentage of pomegranate peel extract not only did not produce undesirable flavors but also led to increased survival of bacteria (Dogahe et al., 2015). The limitation of applying the pomegranate peel in dairy products is related to a high level of tannins such as tannic acid, which is an antibacterial agent due to the strong binding of iron; this may inhibit the growth of the probiotic culture. (Al-Zoreky, 2009). Therefore, the tannins should be removed from the pomegranate peels that are to be used in fermented milk. Some methods were already published (Baladi et al., 2014) for chemical extracting the tannins from pomegranate peels. Rodriguez et al. (2008) recommended removing the tannins by micro degradation using Lactobacillus plantarum.Nowadays, non-fat and low-fat types of yoghurt have become increasingly popular in the market. However, losing fat in product was caused some defects such as poor mouthfeel, firm texture and high syneresis (Lee and Lucey 2010), which reduced the acceptability of low-fat yoghurt (Lee and Lucey 2010). Hydrocolloid stabilizers often added to the milk base to overcome these defects, including texture, mouthfeel, appearance, viscosity and consistency and syneresis (Lee and Lucey 2010). Therefore, this study was aimed to study the effect of pomegranate peels on the survival rate of probiotic starter culture in simulated gastric and bile juice. As well, as utilizing the whole and tannins free pomegranate peels as prebiotic in bio-stirred yoghurt, the effect of pomegranate peels on the texture of low-fat stirred yoghurt was also carried out.\n2. Materials and methods: 2.1 Pomegranate peels preparation\n3. Result and discussion: 3.1 Chemical properties of pomegranate peels\n4. Conclusion: The results of this study concluded that the removal of tannins from pomegranate peels is not affecting the viability of Lb. acidophilus, while the growth of mixed probiotic culture (Lb.acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum) was enhanced by removing the tannins from pomegranate peels in gastrointestinal. Supplementation of bio-stirred yoghurt by 0.5% pomegranate peels enhance the overall acceptability, viscosity, texture due to increasing the protein, dry matter and the pectin in the pomegranate peels, and as well, the supplementation of bio-stirred yoghurt by pomegranate, exceed shelf life of bio-stirred yoghurt and enhance the survival of probiotic cultures during the shelf life of 21days. From the above comparative results and discussion, it could be concluded that the pomegranate juice industrial waste can be further utilized with or without tannin extraction to be used as prebiotic in bio-stirred yoghurt to enhance the surviving rate of probiotic starter culture and enhance the shelf life and texture of bio-stirred yoghurt.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The effect of pomegranate whole and inside peels before and after extraction of the tannic acid have been carried out in stimulated media and in gastrointestinal conditions\nDesign/methodology/approach: Adding pomegranate peels with and without tannins at different levels to bio-stirred yoghurt to study its effect as prebiotic, in addition to evaluating the effect on physiochemical, sensorial and rheological properties\nFindings: The results reveal that pomegranate peels before and after removing tannins had no effect on the viability of a single strain of Lb. acidophilus in stimulated media, while the growth of mixed probiotic culture (Lb.acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum) was enhanced when pomegranate peels (whole and inside part) free from tannins were used. Tannin-free pomegranate peels enhanced the viability of probiotic culture under gastrointestinal conditions. In this study, all probiotic cultures were maintained counts around log 8 cfu /g in stirred bio-yoghurt supplements with pomegranate peels after 21days. Bio-yoghurt supplemented with pomegranate peels at 0.5% gained high scores for overall acceptability.\nOriginality/value: Pomegranate has been recognized as a good source of antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Some researchers have utilized pomegranate peel in fermented milk, but most of the studies have found that tannins inhibit the bacterial culture. This study recommended that the supplementation of low-fat bio-yoghurt with tannin-free pomegranate peels enhanced the texture properties, viscosity of the product, as well as the viability of probiotic culture during shelf life. Therefore, the tannin-free pomegranate peel could be used as a prebiotic in functional fermented dairy products.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Dynamic workplace interactions for improving patient safety climate
|
[
"Employee engagement",
"Supervisor support",
"Interprofessional collaboration",
"Health outcomes",
"Patient safety climate"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The demands on government and private resources for healthcare spending in Australia and elsewhere are steadily increasing due to improved technology, an aging population and the burden of chronic disease (Biggs, 2013). Expenditure on healthcare in Australia was estimated to be 9.67 per cent of gross domestic product in the year 2012-2013 (Biggs, 2013). Unfortunately, approximately one in ten patients will experience an adverse event during their treatment (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2014; de Vries et al., 2008). Hence, a substantial part of the national expenditures on health is allocated to responding to negative patient safety events (Ehsani et al., 2006). Beyond these financial considerations, even more concerning are concomitant patients impacts relating to mortality, morbidity and other detrimental patient outcomes (Pronovost and Faden, 2009). In a seminal study by Wilson et al. (1995), it is suggested that 40-50 per cent of adverse events in Australia were preventable.\nConceptual background: To ground our research and align the phenomena of interest a conceptual framework (Ravitch and Riggan, 2012) has been developed.\nMethod: Participants\nDiscussion: In this study we set out to test the relationship between the independent variables of SS, EE, IPC and our dependent variable of PSC. We examined three-way interactions among EE, SS and IPC in predicting PSC. First, we found that all three of our independent variables predict PSC. While we expected SS to be an important predictor, our analysis shows that high EE has a stronger relationship to PSC when other variables are held constant.\nLimitations: Methodologically, single site studies such as this that are based on a cross-sectional data set gathered concurrently are at risk of common-method variance (CMV) (Lindell and Whitney, 2001). To address this potentiality, we used both ex ante and ex post strategies. First, the design of our study focusses on third-order interaction effects. Chang et al. (2010) note that studies that include second- and third-order effects are far less susceptible to CMV than would be the case with a model that focusses on linear effects alone.\nPractical applications: Healthcare professionals are under increasing pressure to ensure that the care they provide is safe and of a high standard. While not dismissing the importance of individual accountability, our findings support the theories that efforts to improve EE, inter group collaboration and supervisory skills will yield positive improvements in PSC, and ultimately patient outcomes. These constructs are components of a \"just culture\", where an incident is viewed not as a failure but as an opportunity to learn (Dekker and Nyce, 2013). Research designs that test the effectiveness of interventions on improving specific aspects such as SS, IPC and EE warrant further exploration. The hierarchical nature of traditional health organisations places special importance on the role of the supervisor and the concept of clinical leadership. Given the important role these constructs have in interprofessional practice, this aspect requires further investigation. Our findings affirm the importance of IPC as being positively related to higher levels of PSC.\nConclusion: The link between EE, SS, IPC and PSC to date has lacked an empirical base. Our findings show a positive relationship between all three independent variables and PSC. Furthermore we identify cumulative effects on PSC that is statistically significant. The concept of interprofessional practice is currently gaining momentum as a way of reducing the risk of adverse events in healthcare. Our research findings support this direction. Future research is required to identify ways that EE, SS and IPC can be targeted and strengthened in dynamic clinical settings and ultimately improve patient safety outcomes.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Employee engagement (EE), supervisor support (SS) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC) are important contributors to patient safety climate (PSC). The purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test a model that suggests the presence of a three-way interaction effect between EE, IPC and SS in creating a stronger PSC.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using validated tools to measure EE, SS, IPC and PSC data were collected from a questionnaire of 250 clinical and support staff in an Australian health service. Using a statistical package (SPSS) an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Bivariate correlations between the derived variables were calculated and a hierarchical ordinary least squares analysis was used to examine the interaction between the variables.\nFindings: This research finds that PSC emerges from synergies between EE, IPC and SS. Modelling demonstrates that the effect of IPC with PSC is the strongest when staff are highly engaged. While the authors expected SS to be an important predictor of PSC; EE has a stronger relationship to PSC.\nPractical implications: These findings have important implications for the development of patient safety programmes that focus on developing excellent supervisors and enabling IPC.\nOriginality/value: The authors provide quantitative evidence relating to three of the often mentioned constructs in the typology of patient safety and how they work together to improve PSC. The authors believe this to be the first empirically based study that confirms the importance of IPC as a lead marker for improved patient safety.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
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