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Hotel brand portfolio strategy
|
[
"Brand management",
"Branding",
"Performance",
"Brands",
"Hotel industry",
"Portfolio strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The concept of a portfolio derives from economics and explains investors' choices for maximizing future returns while minimizing expected risks (Markowitz, 1952). Brand portfolio strategy is defined by Aaker (2004, p. 13) as \"the structure of the brand portfolio and the scope, roles, and interrelationships of the portfolio brands\". The goals of brand portfolio strategy are to \"create synergy, leverage, and clarity within the portfolio and relevant, differentiated, and energized brands\" (Aaker, 2004, p. 13). The management of a brand portfolio is much more complex than the management of a single brand because brand portfolio strategy represents the intersection of corporate strategy and marketing (Chailan, 2010). The empirical results of Morgan and Rego (2009) reveal that the dimensions of brand portfolio strategy affect marketing and financial performance. Both the importance and complexity of brand portfolio strategy in the market necessitate greater knowledge of the strategy. Moreover, because previous studies have identified the complex nature of brand portfolio strategy in dynamically changing environments across industries of differing characteristics, we need a deeper and more concrete analysis of brand portfolio to produce solid practical implications.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Theoretical backgrounds and dimensions of HBPS\n3. Method: To gather a sample of firms, we first extracted every firm with a segment of either primary or secondary Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes in Hotels and Motels (four-digit SIC code 7011) or North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes in Traveler Accommodation (four-digit NAICS code 7211). We then screened firms based on data availability and the existence of multiple brands. For example, firms having only their own single brand were eliminated, as they have no need of a brand portfolio. Firms that are currently inactive or that do not own brands - e.g. that only operate brands from different companies - were also eliminated. Of the 95-member initial set, we selected 17 firms, including both commercial and casino hotels. We included casino hotels in our study not only because their brand portfolios are just as significant as those of commercial hotels but also because accommodation still remains one of their revenue sources (approximately 6-10 per cent of gross revenue). Nevertheless, due to differences in the primary revenue sources of these two types of hotel firms, the study was cautious when interpreting and applying results. Based on a thorough literature review, we proposed four dimensions of HBPS. These dimensions were operationalized by using ten items (Table I). We relied primarily on the official homepages of sample hotel firms and the most recent company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (i.e. 10-Ks and 10-Qs) for the collection of data with which to analyze HBPS items and performance.\n4. Results and discussion: 4.1 Brand portfolio scope\n5. Conclusion: Based on a literature review, characteristics of the hotel industry, and empirical data on selected hotel companies, this study proposed and demonstrated four dimensions with sub-items for HBPS. Empirical results of this study revealed that hotel companies can be sorted by their similarity in performing HBPS. Additionally, this study further found that group differences in performing HBPS reflect significant differences in firm financial performance. Theoretical and practical implications contributed by this study are addressed in the following sections.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: This study aims to develop dimensions and sub-items that explain hotel brand portfolio strategy (HBPS) and explore performance differences among HBPS groups in an effort to improve our knowledge about HBPS. A key ingredient in success for a hotel company is the successful building and management of a strong brand portfolio.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study proposes four dimensions of HBPS: brand portfolio scope, intra-portfolio competition, brand portfolio location and brand portfolio element. By employing ten additional sub-items, the study evaluates the HBPS practices of hotel firms and tests performance differences.\nFindings: The findings present current HBPS practices in the hotel industry and identify four groups pursuing similar HBPS. The results also suggest that operational performance differs according to a firm's particular focus in HBPS.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study enriches our knowledge of HBPS by establishing dimensions and relevant measures and by suggesting the effect that HBPS has on performance. Future research might extend this study to examine the potential impacts of a business's internal and external environments on the relationship between HBPS and its performance.\nPractical implications: This study will aid executives in making important HBPS decisions such as whether to add a brand or how to reallocate resources among brands. This study also provides executives with a tool with which to monitor the relative position of their HBPS within the market.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first to establish dimensions and sub-items for understanding HBPS in the hotel industry. It also demonstrates a new approach to the analysis of competitive positioning and its relationship to performance.\n",
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Seeds of hope? Exploring business actors' diverse understandings of sustainable development
|
[
"Pluralism",
"Sustainability",
"Business",
"Agonistic debate",
"Q methodology",
"Sustainability accounting"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The modern concept of sustainability was popularised largely through social activism in the 1960s and 1970s (Ricketts, 2010). In the broadest sense, sustainability is to do with relationships between people, and between people and nature, and represents a shift in understanding away from the dominant view that separates nature from the socio-economic world (Hopwood et al., 2005). It was seen as a \"new\" way for society to progress that would \"somehow\" replace old ideas (Soderbaum, 2007) and promoted as something that society ought to value and aspire to (Brown, 1981; Lamberton, 2005; Milbrath, 1989; Pirages, 1977). Yet, despite its apparent appeal, there is no consensus as to how sustainability is understood or how it will be achieved. Sustainability has emerged as a pluralist concept: contested, inherently complex, subjective, and ambiguous (Avelino and Rotmans, 2011; Jacobs, 1999; Jamison, 2001; Soderbaum, 2007). Individuals answer questions fundamental to their understanding of sustainability, such as what should be sustained, for whom, for how long, how and at what cost (Larsen, 2008) dependent on their ideology and how they believe the world should be (Brown and Fraser, 2006; Clayton and Opotow, 2003; Cohen, 1976; Larsen, 2008; Soderbaum, 2007; Walck, 2004)[1].\nSustainability, business and pluralist democracy: Hopwood et al. (2005) present a typology of different \"trends of thought\" on sustainable development by placing various ideas on a two dimensional map according to the level of concern for socio-economic well being and equality, against the level of concern for the environment (Figure 1). What is clear from Hopwood et al.'s (2005) map is the complexity of views and that the struggle and contest over environment and development is far from settled (Milne et al., 2009).\nMethod: Q methodology\nApplication of Q methodology: Use of Q methodology was dependent on gathering a sample of participant statements representing the range of participant knowledge of sustainable development. Selecting the Q sample is a critical step in Q methodology. Our decision to work with participants' statements reflects our intent to construct a typology of sustainable development that represents participants' points of view (Dryzek and Berejikian, 1993), rather than attempting to \"squeeze\" participants' points of view into a predetermined theoretical construct, or to introduce external meanings (Dayton, 2000). Intuitively, this approach seems more likely to identify a plurality of views within a small population than the more common approach of taking statements from existing sources (see, e.g. Clarke, 2002; Marshall, 2004).\nDivergent views of sustainability: The Societalist view (Factor 1)\nDiscussion: Freed of having to consider their immediate business context, participants in this study offer multiple understandings of sustainability, some quite distinct from those presented in other business-participant studies (see, e.g. Springett, 2003a) and the articulations found and criticised in the business reporting literature (Livesey and Kearins, 2002; Milne et al., 2009; Tregidga and Milne, 2006). Most closely aligned with the \"middle way\" of sustainable development are the perspectives of the Individualist and the Realist. Together representing about a third of the participants in this study, both emphasise a \"here and now\", \"let's get on with it\" pragmatic management approach with a focus on issues and tangible solutions. Both seem consistent with Hopwood et al.'s (2005) lower right quadrant and the reform contour, if not the status quo. The Individualist stresses the environment as resource, and techno-fix science as solutions, while the Realist perspective stresses a modest degree of conservation based on efficiency and continual improvement. Both support economic growth, although the Realist seeks a modified version based on services, human welfare and ecosystem health. Such perspectives most closely align with the reformist sustainability accounting promoted by Schaltegger and Burritt and colleagues. While the Individualist view most completely reflects the four ideological beliefs reported by Levy (1997) to often underpin business and the environment - namely, the environment can and should be managed; corporate managers (as experts) should be left to do the managing; environmental management is a win-win opportunity; and traditional management tools (based on science and technology) are the means to do the managing, there are also strong signs of these beliefs in the Realist perspective. Notably, in the absence of any specific organisational context, none of the five views identified in this study articulated sustainability as the simultaneous pursuit of people, planet, profit, or any other version of the triple bottom line as noted in the business reporting and communication literature.\nConclusion: The notion of sustainable development is renowned for its many and varied definitions reflecting anthropocentric to bio-centric points of view. Sustainability for business is most commonly described as pragmatic and action-oriented - a \"middle way\" combining economic, social, and environmental concerns as a triple bottom line, whereby economic growth, prospering societies, and a healthy environment can be achieved simultaneously (Larsen, 2008). Although a lot has been written about the meaning of sustainable development for business, there are few empirical studies of how business people understand the term. The empirical study reported here reveals that even within the business arena, sustainability is a pluralist concept. The business people and sustainability advisors that participated in this study held a variety of understandings of sustainable development. Q methodology identified five ideal type understandings of sustainability, some more akin to that expected of social and environmental activists than of business professionals. This plurality of understandings reveals fundamental tensions within the concept of sustainable development.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is first, to investigate empirically the plurality of understanding surrounding sustainability held by those working in the business sector, and second, to consider the likelihood of a dialogic accounting that would account for the plurality of perspectives identified.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The subjects of this study are those people actively working to incorporate sustainability within New Zealand business, both business people and their sustainability advisors. Participant's subjective understanding is investigated using Q methodology, a method used widely by social science researchers to investigate typical views on a particular topic, from an analysis of the order in which participants individually sort a sample of stimuli. In this study, the stimuli were opinion statements.\nFindings: Five typical understandings of sustainable development were identified, including understandings more usually attributed to business antagonists than business. Conflicts between environment and development are acknowledged by most participants. However, an agonistic debate that will create spaces, practices, and institutions through which marginalised understandings of sustainable development might be addressed and contested, is yet to be established and will not be easy.\nOriginality/value: The paper contributes to the few empirical investigations of the plurality of understandings of sustainability held by those people working to incorporate sustainability within business. It is further distinguished by the authors attempt to describe divergent beliefs and values, absent from their immediate business context, and absent from any academic priming. The paper also provides an illustrative example of the application of Q methodology, a method not commonly used in accounting research.\n",
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The impact of perceived online service quality on swift guanxi: Implications for customer repurchase intention
|
[
"Gender",
"Repurchase intention",
"E-commerce",
"Swift guanxi",
"Online service quality"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Online shopping has grown rapidly and has become a critical means for sellers to reach consumers. The rapid development of information technology has transformed trading concepts and consumption habits. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC, 2016), the number of Chinese internet users reached 0.688 billion in 2015, and approximately 60 percent of them were online shoppers. According to the China E-Commerce Research Center (CECRC, 2016), online retail market transactions reached 3.82 trillion RMB in 2015, which reflects the year-on-year growth of 35.7 percent and accounts for 12.7 percent of total retail sales of consumer goods.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Online service quality\n3. Research model and hypotheses: In this study, we intend to investigate the relationship between online service quality (i.e. perceived control, service convenience, and customer service) and buyer-seller swift guanxi in the online marketplace. We further intend to examine the impact of these factors on consumer repurchase intention. Swift guanxi is conceptualized as a second-order factor that includes the three first-order factors of mutual understanding, reciprocal favors, and relationship harmony. Additionally, we examine the moderating role of gender in the relationship between online service quality and swift guanxi. Figure 1 illustrates our research model.\n4. Research methodology and data analysis: 4.1 Data collection\n5. Discussion and implications: The purpose of this study was to examine the mechanisms through which online service quality impacts swift guanxi, and customers' repurchase intention. Specifically, we examined the effects of online service quality (comprising the three dimensions of perceived control, service convenience, and customer service) on swift guanxi (as measured by perceived control, service convenience, and customer service) that is developed in China online market, and we also took gender differences into consideration by testing the moderating role of gender on the relationships between online service quality dimensions and swift guanxi. The overall conclusion that readily emerged from the findings of this study was that all hypotheses were supported by the empirical data.\n6. Limitations and future research: This study has several limitations that can be addressed in future research. First, our sample is drawn primarily from university students, which limits the generalizability of our findings. Future research could increase the sample size and replicate the study with different groups of online consumers. Second, our study focuses only on the impact of online service quality on swift guanxi. Future studies should continue to enrich our understanding by investigating other relevant factors in the e-commerce context that may lead to improved buyer-seller swift guanxi. Third, the only moderating variable included in this study is gender. In the online shopping context, there may be other factors that moderate the relationship between online service quality and swift guanxi, including other consumer characteristics, product attributes, and the participation of consumers in the purchase process. Future studies can include these factors to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of individual differences when establishing online swift guanxi. Finally, our study focuses on the buyer's point of view to investigate the relationship between online service quality and swift guanxi. Future research on swift guanxi could examine the establishment of this relationship from the perspective of online retailers.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of online service quality on swift guanxi that influences customer repurchase intention and the moderating role of gender in the relationship between online service quality and swift guanxi.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on survey data obtained from 274 college students, structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses.\nFindings: The results show that the dimensions of online service quality (i.e. perceived control, convenience and customer service) are positively related to buyer-seller swift guanxi, which influences repurchase intention. Additionally, men are driven mainly by perceived control and service convenience when establishing swift guanxi, whereas women care more about customer service.\nOriginality/value: Online service quality is the key factor underlying customer repurchase intention. In addition, gender differences exist in many aspects of online shopping including information processing, perceived service, and perceived risk. This is one of the first empirical studies that empirically examine the effects of three dimensions of online service quality on swift guanxi and take gender differences into consideration. Based on the conceptual and empirical evidence, this study provides the practical and theoretical implications of these findings.\n",
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Responsive engineering boosts profitability and performance through its people: Coaching, action learning and workshops help to transform the business
|
[
"Manufacturing systems",
"Training",
"Productivity rate",
"Management",
"Organizational performance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A UK engineering group gained business in new sectors and doubled its workforce by a combination of innovative people development and an effective investment strategy.\nObjectives of the training: A range of development activities and objectives was agreed. They included the following. To:* increase the tender-to-order conversion rate from 22.6 to 23.5 percent;* improve project management so the group was awarded and successfully advanced two major projects in a financial year;* raise manufacturing efficiency from 78 to 85 percent;* improve cash-management techniques;* increase the number of business enquiries from 7,500 to 8,250 a year; and* acquire ten new clients from key sectors, who could become \"key accounts\".\nMethods of delivery: The 50 learners, aged between 25 and 55, included administrators, managers, supervisors and directors. The following learners were involved in the three core elements:1. Coaching of directors and managers. Following a planning period, Peter Bernard was coached in coaching skills. He went on to coach his five reporting directors on a weekly basis.2. Action-learning sets. Staff at all levels of the business were involved in action-learning sets, covering topics such as marketing, sales, estimating, manufacturing and finance. Referred to as \"development groups,\" and led by internal experts, they continue to exist today.3. Workshops. All the directors and managers of the group, a total of 38 people, attended the workshops, which covered project management, marketing, sales, estimating, manufacturing and finance. Internal experts facilitated the workshops, with the external consultant.\nCoaching: The coaching activity defined the business processes that development groups needed to address. Development-group and workshop activities were provided to ensure that learning was spread across Responsive Engineering and to supervisory levels.Peter Bernard, who developed his coaching skills through initial coaching by the external consultant and ongoing reviews, has run coaching sessions on a weekly basis. Along with the external consultant, he has developed a coaching model that involves agreeing the topic, establishing objectives, generating alternatives, considering the consequences, decision-making, implementation and evaluation.\"There was a personalized approach for the directors of each business within the group, addressing their specific business needs and identifying common areas of development need across the business,\" Peter Bernard explained.The directors receiving coaching have reported increased motivation and confidence in carrying out their roles within the business. One commented: \"I was initially skeptical about the worth of the coaching, but to my surprise I found it useful in helping me to systematically address problems and opportunities in my business and pinpoint crucial business processes where development was needed.\"\nDevelopment groups: The development groups have, over time, involved up to eight people. Each has met at least three times. Group work was included to spread ownership, responsibility and good practice through \"learning by doing\" and harnessed the power of team working. Some groups have already fully achieved their objectives and have moved to address additional objectives.One development group worked to identify the organizational needs related to estimating. It was targeted at improving success ratios and breaking down barriers between estimating and other staff. Group members identified that a new business process was required and developed the guidance notes. They went on to support the design of a learning workshop and contributed to workshop delivery. They worked to tackle issues that arose from the workshop, such as specifying what criteria would be applied to vary the new procedure when small or repeat tenders were required, improving efficiency and getting buy-in from others.Simon Worrall, a director in the group, commented: \"The new estimating-process guide has made everything much clearer and has meant a greater understanding between sales and estimating. We work better together now and improved communication has increased throughput.\"Commenting on the development groups, Bob Reed, a senior manager, said: \"We are learning about things that are outside our day-to-day jobs but will help the company in the long run as we apply what we have learned. I now think about finance in a different way and challenge purchasing decisions.\"\nWorkshops: The workshop elements were developed from common coaching issues, early group findings and consultation with the external consultant. The business processes addressed included finance, estimating, manufacturing, marketing, sales and project management.\"Workshops have established a common understanding and language as well as helping individuals to apply new skills,\" said Peter Bernard.Commenting on the workshops, financial director Stephen Simpson said: \"Working with the external consultant was extremely helpful in providing a structured and rational approach.\"Another director commented: \"Because of the workshop I am now the acknowledged 'go-to' person for all sales-influencing issues. The workshops, coaching and discussions have meant that many more people in the business are using good sales processes and consequently our sales are improving.\"Responsive Engineering decided to develop and appoint directors as internal experts, based on their areas of strength and professional knowledge, and to provide \"position power\" to drive delivery. The internal experts contributed to the design and delivery of the workshops, after coaching by the external consultant to develop their knowledge of learning methods and approaches. Some 24 workshops were delivered, with an average of six people attending each. Each director and manager attended an average of four workshops.Excepting some limited staff turnover, all those expected to complete the program did so.\nMonthly reviews: Peter Bernard and the external consultant carried out monthly reviews of the project plan and the detailed learning design and delivery. The reviews identified that the internal experts were struggling to cope with day-to-day work pressures and some group-development activity. A more flexible and pragmatic approach was therefore adopted.Additionally, the reviews identified that the senior team undertaking the first workshops had good ideas for the improvement of the workshops. The first workshops were run as pilots and the contents revised following the pilot.Learning records are maintained for all employees. The records identify training planned and received, and are complemented by skill matrices where appropriate.\nThe training outcomes: The group has achieved its specific targeted improvements in the areas of estimating, project management, manufacturing, finance, marketing and sales. Among the many improvements are a better tender-conversion rate, significant increases in manufacturing efficiency and business enquiries and the winning of a new contract from a major international business. Responsive Engineering's markets have expanded to include the oil and gas, aerospace, defense, medical and scientific industries and the group has achieved approved-supplier status with many blue-chip organizations. The workforce has more than doubled since the BIMBO.There have also been unplanned spin-offs. \"Directors are committed to the new health and safety regime, which has reduced accidents and the number of claims on the business,\" Peter Bernard explained. \"The cash position of the business has improved and the level of bad debt has fallen. Enquiry levels are increasing, order intake is showing an upward trend and an additional four potential key accounts have been secured since the review ended. All these factors are contributing to increased turnover and improved profitability and overall business performance has exceeded expectations.\"The directors, management and supervision teams are better motivated through visible improvement in profits. Improved efficiencies in the business have resulted in higher levels of quality and improved \"on-time\" delivery. Scrap and rework levels now run consistently at less than 1 percent of sales.One supervisor commented: \"It has been good to work through the performance-improvement needs with others and I am proud of what we have achieved.\"Peter Bernard concluded: \"Through investment in learning and development, Responsive Engineering has grown its business during a very difficult period for the UK engineering sector, gaining business in new sectors and demonstrating the capacity to take over failing, high-profile and high-risk projects.\"By focusing on key business processes and by lifting the general levels of knowledge and understanding in these areas, we have impacted extremely positively on the bottom line. In an extremely difficult marketplace, where competitors are going out of business daily, the program was the factor that made the difference.\"Failure to achieve our aims was never an option.\"\nNote: David Pollitt, Human Resource Management International Digest editor, wrote this article. More information on this training initiative is available from: ALCS Ltd, Organization and People-Development Consultant, The Old Byre, 1 Hedley North Farm, Hedley on the Hill, NE43 7SS, England (e-mail: aidan.lynn@btopenworld.com).\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: - Details how a UK engineering group gained business in new sectors and doubled its workforce by a combination of innovative people development and an effective investment strategy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Describes the background to the award-winning training at Responsive Engineering Group, how the training was organized and the results it has achieved.\nFindings: - Reveals that coaching was organized for managers and directors. Action-learning groups and workshops covered marketing, sales, estimating, manufacturing, finance and project management. Among the many improvements were: an improved tender-conversion rate; the business won major new contracts from international clients; and a significant improvement in manufacturing efficiency and business enquiries. The group's markets have also expanded and now include the oil and gas, aerospace, defense, medical and scientific industries.\nPractical implications: - Contends that, by focusing on key business processes and by lifting the general levels of knowledge and understanding in these areas, the group has significantly improved performance and profitability.\nOriginality/value: - Highlights the importance of increasing efficiency by sharing best practice, adopting core common business procedures, reducing costs, and developing \"across group\" working practices and higher levels of skill across the company.\n",
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Factors influencing the decision to choose a birth center by pregnant women in Gombe state Nigeria: Baseline survey
|
[
"Pregnant women",
"Antenatal care",
"Postnatal care",
"Nigeria"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: One of the most important contributors to reducing maternal deaths, especially in low resource settings, is the effective management of the stages of labor during pregnancy and the possible complications arising therefrom. Complications of pregnancy and childbirths among adolescent women are leading contributors to maternal deaths in developing countries. This underscores the necessity of giving birth in health facilities with the support of skilled health workers who have the expertise to manage complications and make referrals to the next level of care where appropriate. Increasing the percentage of births delivered in health facilities is an important strategy to reduce maternal deaths[1].\nMethods: Design and sampling strategy\nResults: Table I presents the results of the characteristics of the pregnant women, 46 percent of the women were between the ages of 15 and 24 years and 36 percent between 25 and 34 years. In total, 82 percent were married with the remaining 20 percent in the category of single, widowed or divorced. Muslims constituted 73 percent of the sample while 27 percent were Christians. Only 29 percent of the sample had the ability to read and write in English but 58 percent had the ability to read and write in other languages (Hausa or Arabic). The majority of the women were unemployed (75 percent), 25 percent were recorded as employed while 42 percent reported engagement in paid work in the seven days preceding the survey.\nDiscussion: The result of the bivariate analysis found nine independent variables to be associated with the choice for birthplace by pregnant women in this study. Age, marital status, membership of the savings group, religion and gestational age were all significantly associated with the choice of health facility as a birthplace. Others included the availability of health facility nearby, paid work in the seven days preceding the survey, having previous pregnancies and knowledge of the signs of pregnancy complications was also significantly associated with the choice of birthplace.\nConclusion: Women in paid employment use their earnings to pay for maternal services easily. We recommend that the government enacts a policy that will support the establishment of women's savings groups across the state, with a special emphasis on rural areas where costs and distances are barriers preventing women from giving birth in the facility. This will allow women to have an easy access to loans from their savings to pay for maternal and child health care.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: Gombe state in northeast Nigeria records a high prevalence of home deliveries with very low facility deliveries despite the efforts of government and international non-governmental organizations in supporting maternal health services. The purpose of this paper is to assess the factors influencing the decision to choose a birth center by pregnant women in Gombe, Nigeria.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The design was a cross-sectional study of women from a baseline survey conducted in August 2016 in Gombe state, Nigeria. Data on women groups' utilization of maternal services with a focus on antenatal care, delivery and postnatal care were collected using a structured questionnaire used for household survey conducted in the state. Data for 157 pregnant women from the sample of 750 women (15-49 years) were selected for the purpose of this analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the factors associated with choice of birth center.\nFindings: Religion (AOR=12.117, 95% CI 1.774-82.741), paid work (AOR=3.633, 95% CI 1.243-10.615) and identification and knowledge of pregnancy complications (AOR=4.281, 95% CI 1.054-17.387) were the factors found to be significantly associated with choice of birth center by pregnant women. Age, education, closeness to a facility and decision by husband or woman were not found to be statistically significant.\nOriginality/value: The significance of disseminating knowledge about pregnancy complications, role of religious leaders and encouraging savings from women earnings need attention of the government to improve facility-based delivery.\n",
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Risk of excavators overturning: Determining horizontal centrifugal force when slewing freely suspended loads
|
[
"Construction safety",
"Construction equipment",
"Experimental studies",
"Tracked hydraulic excavator",
"Freely suspended load",
"Lifting chart",
"Safe working load"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Early items of off-highway plant and machinery shared a symbiotic linkage with their operators, representing a mechanical extension of human physicality, where human senses were transferred through machinery to complete physical work effort without exerting load upon the operator's musculoskeletal frame (Edwards and Love, 2016). This pseudo-cybernetic organism led to manumission but remained dependent upon an operator's cognitive ability to guide the machinery to complete predefined tasks (Edwards et al., 2003). Following work study, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) acknowledged the impact of operator skill and competence upon machine productivity and safety performance, particularly when combined with adverse operational conditions (such as working on a slope or in confined spaces) and environmental conditions (such as unstable ground) (Wu et al., 2015). Although there followed a focus upon operator training and competence development, maximising machinery safety and productivity efficiency remained a persistent issue; indeed, accidents continue to plague industry (Zhou et al., 2015). The natural progression was for OEMs to engineer-out human error, omissions or inactivity via the development of automation and robotics, for example, Volvo's \"Automatic Sensing Work Mode\" (Volvo, 2016).\nMachine park and overturn incidents: an imprecise science: The annual sales totals for excavators within the UK over the period 1998-2015 varied between circa 11,000 and 24,430 machines (Figure 1). For this total period, wheeled excavators accounted for 2.96 per cent of total sales, crawler excavators accounted for 34.55 per cent and mini excavators accounted for 62.49 per cent of total sales. Determining the total number of excavators actually in operation within the UK in any given year (the so called machine park) is more difficult to establish in the absence of a comprehensive vehicle registration scheme. An arbitrary (rule of thumb) calculation used by some OEMs multiplies an average of the yearly published sales data for the most recent sales years (2008-2015) by an eight year average life expectancy which equals 123,030 excavator machines being operated in the UK at any given time. This rule of thumb is favoured because not all excavators have the same life expectancy. Mini excavators are normally depreciated over a three-five year period, although these machines may continue to work in the after-market (usually for sole traders who work them to destruction). Conversely, mid-range mass excavators (circa 20-45 tonnes) can operate beyond their average eight year life expectancy provided a robust system of fixed-time-to (or scheduled) maintenance is adhered to. It is difficult to be more accurate than this rule of thumb as first, not all OEMs publish their sales data and second, so called-grey machines (i.e. non-conformant CE marked excavators) enter the UK market from countries outside the European Union (EU). Such machines fail EU safety conformance standards of manufacture and pose a significant risk to health and safety.\nExamination of existing standards and regulations: Excavators are increasingly being used for lifting (lifting and lowering) operations even though they are not specifically designed for this purpose as their primary function (CPA, 2009). When planning a lifting operation, a competent person should conduct a thorough risk assessment in accordance with The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR, 1999) to ensure that the lifting equipment (the excavator, including lifting accessories e.g. chains, slings, D-Shackles) are suitable for the lift, have been regularly maintained (PUWER 1998) and that the works can be carried out in a safe manner (HSE, 2013). Working in a safe manner includes: working on firm and level substrata, maintaining low rpm whilst slewing and excluding workers and pedestrians from the machine's operational area (CPA, 2009). The risk assessment will also consider, for example, whether the lifting equipment is: suitable for the proposed use and visibly marked with any appropriate information (such as SWL) (LOLER, 1998). All lifting equipment must be subject to a thorough examination, by a competent person, to detect any defects that are or may become dangerous (Oram, 2002). Accessories for lifting must be thoroughly examined either at least every six months, and the excavator every 12 months, or in accordance with an examination scheme (cf. HSE, 2008). The machine's SWLs at various arm geometries/configurations are displayed on lift rating charts within the operator's cab and are used to produce the lift plan, where BS ISO 10567 2007 (BSI, 2007) provides a standard approach to determine the lift capacity for hydraulic excavators.\nCase studies of excavators overturning: A number of case studies of machine overturn were examined to identify reasons underpinning excavator rollover. Four typical scenarios that exemplify incompetence in current site practice and highlight other factors that increase machine instability are described:Case study 1. A stationary tracked excavator, operating on a level road surface, being used to lift a mobile generator over a security hoarding surrounding a civil engineering site.\nMethodology: An applied empirical research design (Taylor and Vachon, 2018) was implemented that primarily utilised direct observation of machine specification data and diagrams, and the quoted SWL for a range of machine arm geometries. This data set was subsequently analysed quantitatively using established mathematical theories. Given the huge number of permutations of machine operation, the study was simplified by keeping constant certain variables, namely, the manufacturer and model of excavator (13 tonne), the attachment to load length (2 m) and the slewing speed (maximum 13.3 rpm). This meant that the study could then focus upon the impact of the variables that were altered in the selected six common machine configurations (i.e. the arm reach and load point height) and a comparison produced between the OEM's stated lift capacity and revised lift capacity when the dynamic forces from slewing were in effect. Future work will be required to assess the impact of the variables kept constant in this investigation. A full worked example is presented to further elucidate upon the methodology and mathematical calculations undertaken to derive these results prior to discussing the implications of this research for contemporary practice and current international standards. By including a worked example, other researchers and practitioners will be able to readily reproduce the results for specific machine configurations being utilised on site (taking into account bespoke arm geometries) vis-a-vis relying upon static SWLs quoted by OEMs.\nImplications and future research: A litany of factors may impact upon excavator stability on construction and civil engineering sites and these include: under-capacity of the machine for the intended load being handled; incompetent operators or competent operators' errors, acts or omissions; poor site management; environmental conditions (e.g. ground type); operational factors (e.g. working on a slope); and lack of/or inadequate lift plans. The degree to which each of these factors impacts upon stability is largely unknown but in case law, the operator is often held culpable for any accident or incident occurring. However, a fundamental finding from this research is that a machine's lift rating chart (that is supplied with each machine and available within an operator's cab) is based upon calculations for a static lift and does not take into account the extra dynamic forces produced when handling a freely suspended load. Therefore, the SWL contained within lift rating charts (used to develop lift plans) that are designed to protect operator health, safety and welfare underestimate the total overturning moment force acting upon the machine. Indeed, the revised SWL derived using the proposed new method for calculating a tracked hydraulic excavator's stability (based upon a sum of static and dynamic loads) illustrates that the OEMs' quoted SWL may be reduced significantly as a result of the dynamic load especially when operating at full RPM. Consequently, machine overturning incidents occurring could theoretically occur even when operators and site management have taken every reasonable precaution and used OEM SWL data to develop a lift plan. Linking past machine overturning events to the omission of this dynamic effect is impossible to achieve because stability is dependent upon many other factors and reporting of incidents lacks accuracy and completeness, and often contains retrospective analysis which is subject to bias (cf. Kessels-Habraken et al., 2009). Nevertheless, this research illustrates that a significant risk factor is not accurately factored into lift plan calculations. In response to the findings presented, several UK construction and civil engineering contractors have already implemented measures to reduce the SWL load ratings by as much as 50 per cent of those quoted by OEMs, thus integrating an additional factor of safety into any future lift plans developed.\nConclusion: Excavator overturn is a persistent issue that continues to plague industry and yet to date, very little new knowledge has been generated to better understand this phenomenon and prevent its occurrence. Knowledge that has been advanced has largely been based upon subjective assessment criteria and rudimentary field work observations that have been resoundingly rejected throughout industry. Moreover, statistics available fail to portray the full extent of the issue as often incidents go unreported - reasons for this are myriad but include a desire to avoid disciplinary action and concomitant litigation proceedings.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Tracked hydraulic excavators are versatile and ubiquitous items of off-highway plant and machinery that are utilised throughout the construction industry. Each year, a significant number of excavators overturn whilst conducting a lifting operation, causing damage to property, personnel injury or even fatality. The reasons for the overturn are myriad, including: operational or environmental conditions; machine operator acts or omissions; and/or inadequate site supervision. Furthermore, the safe working load (SWL) figure obtained from manufacturer guidance and utilised in lift plans is based upon undertaking a static load only. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether the SWL is still safe to be used in a lift plan when slewing a freely suspended (dynamic) load, and, if not, whether this may be a further contributory factor to overturn incidents.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Previous research has developed a number of machine stability test regimes but these were largely subjective, impractical to replicate and failed to accurately measure the \"dynamic\" horizontal centrifugal force resulting from slewing the load. This research contributes towards resolving the stability problem by critically evaluating existing governing standards and legislation, investigating case studies of excavator overturn and simulating the dynamic effects of an excavator when slewing a freely suspended load at high rotations per minute (rpm). To achieve this, both the static load and horizontal centrifugal force from slewing this load were calculated for six randomly selected cases of an excavator, with different arm geometry configurations.\nFindings: The results from the six cases are presented and a worked example of one is detailed to demonstrate how the results were derived. The findings reveal that the SWL quoted on an excavator's lift rating chart considerably underestimates the extra forces experienced by the machine when an additional dynamic load is added to the static load whilst lifting and slewing a freely suspended load.\nOriginality/value: This work presents the first attempt to accurately model excavator stability by taking consideration of the dynamic forces caused by slewing a freely suspended load and will lead to changes in the way that industry develops and manages lift plans. Future research proposes to vary the weight of load, arm geometry and rpm to predict machine stability characteristics under various operational conditions, and exploit these modelling data to populate pre-programmed sensor-based technology to monitor stability in real time and automatically restrict lift mode operations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Strategic renewal within an information technology firm: Exploration, exploitation and corporate venturing
|
[
"Strategic planning",
"Corporate ventures",
"Communication technologies",
"Taiwan"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: To keep pace with the pathway to success in today's rapidly-changing and dynamic competitive environment high-technology firms must build or acquire new capabilities and then leverage these to ensure long-term survival. The issue is how to make the strategic renewal process overcome the forces of organizational inertia without breaking links with existing competencies (Floyd and Wooldridge, 1999). Researchers have indicated that both opportunity-seeking and advantage-seeking behaviors are foundations for wealth-creation by way of entrepreneurship (Ireland and Webb, 2007; Shane and Venkataraman, 2000). Organizations can sustain their competitive advantage by operating in multiple modes simultaneously - managing short-term efficiency by putting emphasis on stability and control, as well as managing long-term innovation by taking risks and learning by doing (Tushman and O'Reilly, 1996; Huovinen and Tihula, 2008). However, the mindset and organizational routines needed to explore future opportunities are radically different from the ones needed to exploit current competitive advantages (Gupta et al., 2006; Levie and Rosenkopf, 2006), making pursuit of both exploration and exploitation simultaneously inherently difficult.As many scholars have argued, corporate venturing can be an efficient means through which firms are able to build ambidextrous organizations (e.g. Burgelman, 1983; Ireland and Webb, 2007; Schildt et al., 2005; Tidd and Taurins, 1999; Tushman and O'Reilly, 1996). That is, firms that have the capabilities to compete in mature markets as well as develop new products and services for emerging markets (Tushman and O'Reilly, 1996; He and Wong, 2004). Although previous research has highlighted the importance of strategic renewal to the growth of a firm (Huff et al., 1992; Sharma and Chrisman, 1999), there is still very little systematic understanding of the antecedents of entrepreneurial renewal actions (Ireland et al., 2003; Ireland and Webb, 2007). What are the key determinants that influence the behavior of firms in corporate ventures? Scholars mainly focus on refining and developing the knowledge for the development of a successful venture, yet frequently fail to question the initial motives for choosing either internal or external venture development.Floyd and Wooldridge (1999) suggested that an organization's existing knowledge base, reflected by its culture and dominant values, is an important determinant that can influence an organization's behavior in advancing entrepreneurial change. Renewal efforts are characterized as virtually continuous but pulsing in ways that depart more and less dramatically over time from the status quo (Huff et al., 1992). The way firms perform strategic renewal depends on whether the action taken will focus on incremental adjustments or on more dramatic changes. Strategic renewal can be achieved through either internal development or external partnership. It is suggested that explorative firms with radical or breakthrough inventions tend to retain direct and in-house control of new ventures (Tidd and Taurins, 1999), whereas exploitative firms try to build new capabilities by engaging in acquisitive learning (Keil, 2004). However, there has been surprisingly little empirical investigation to distinguish initial motives in internal and external venture development. Therefore, in this present study, we try to answer the problem of how a firm's existing capabilities can influence the choice between internal corporate venturing and external corporate venturing. This paper addresses the problem in the context of high-technology firms and is structured as follows. In the next section, we discuss research on entrepreneurship and corporate venturing that is related to strategic renewal, and then present our hypotheses. The third section provides information on our data and research methods, while in the fourth section we present our results. Finally, in the fifth section, we conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings as well as directions for future research.\nTheory and hypotheses: Strategic renewal\nMethods: Sample and data collection\nResults: Table II gives the descriptive statistics and a correlation matrix for the variables used in this study. Of the six control variables, only firm size exhibited a positive and significant relationship with both ICVs (r = 0.35, p<0.001) and ECVs (r = 0.30, p<0.001), while firm age only had a positive and significant relationship with ECVs (r=0.16, p<0.01). R&D intensity, risk taking, industrial patent stock and environmental turbulence had no influence on either of the dependent variables. Exploration and exploitation both showed the expected positive associations with the two dependent variables.Table III displays the results of Poisson regression on the independent and control variables, with the ICVs and ECVs as dependent variables. ICVs is the dependent variable in Models 1-4, while ECVs is used in Models 5-8. Models 1 and 5 are the base models that include only the control variables. In Model 1, we can see that only firm size exhibits a positive and significant relationship with ICVs, which implies that as a firm gets bigger, the pursuit of strategic renewal through internal venturing activities also grows. In Model 5, firm age and firm size are positively significant, but risk taking is negatively significant. These results indicate that:* the older and larger a firm is, the more ECVs were established; and* the less a firm's risk-taking tendency, the more ECVs were established.The results support the prediction of Almeida et al. (2003) that external learning increases with startup size. In addition, the result also suggests that a low risk-taking tendency of a firm increases the likelihood of external venturing.H1 predicts a positive coefficient in the existing capabilities and corporate venturing activities of firms. Exploration and exploitation are positively signed and significant in the ICV models (Models 2 and 3), as well as in the ECV models (Models 6 and 7). Therefore, H1 is supported, that a firm with higher exploration and exploitation capabilities has a significantly higher possibility to renew itself through corporate venturing.H2 predicts that exploration has a stronger positive effect on internal corporate ventures than exploitation. In Model 4, exploration was a stronger predictor of ICVs (b = 0.79, p<0.01) than was exploitation (b=0.02, n.s.), and thus H2 is supported. This result is consistent with our prediction that internal corporate venturing activities can be explained more by exploration rather than exploitation.H3 posits that exploitation has a stronger positive effect on external corporate ventures than exploration. In Model 8, we can see that exploitation is a stronger predictor of ECVs (b=0.43, p<0.01) than exploration (b=0.17, p<0.10). The result supports H3, and is consistent with our prediction that external corporate venturing activities can be explained more by exploitation rather than exploration.\nDiscussion and conclusions: This article looks at strategic entrepreneurship wherein firms seek to renew organizational capabilities to form a balance between opportunity-seeking and advantage-seeking behaviors. Our intent is to develop an understanding of the effects of existing capabilities, by exploration and exploitation, on the choice between internal corporate venturing and external corporate venturing. Data from 259 Taiwanese IT firms were collected to test our hypotheses. Overall, the findings of this study support the idea that existing technological capabilities are important determinants of a firm's corporate venturing activities. Our major findings and their implications are discussed below.First, the results indicate that both exploration and exploitation influence the number of new ventures that are set up. In general, the hypothesized positive relationship between a firm's existing capabilities and corporate venturing activities was supported. Present evidence suggests that any initiative a firm pursues should take advantage of its existing capabilities. These results contribute to the corporate entrepreneurship literature by explaining the link between innovation competence and corporate venturing. While previous studies have identified innovation, strategic renewal, and corporate venturing as the three major components of corporate entrepreneurship (Sharma and Chrisman, 1999), there has been less systematic empirical research on the causality and interrelation between them. By arguing that corporate venturing is a means of strategic renewal in which firms change existing innovation capabilities through internal leveraging and external learning, our research fills a theoretical gap and provides a more detailed understanding of the relationship between the three major components of corporate entrepreneurship. Furthermore, while existing research has examined the consequences of corporate venturing (e.g. Sarkar et al., 2001; Schildt et al., 2005), little work has yet been done to investigate the antecedents for these venturing activities. The evidence of this study echoes the predictions of Floyd and Wooldridge (1999) who stated that a firm's existing knowledge base is a key determinant of entrepreneurial actions.Second, our results provide empirical evidence that distinguishes the relative importance of exploration and exploitation in ICVs and ECVs, showing that the former is a better predictor of internal corporate venturing, while the latter is better at predicting external corporate venturing. This finding indicates that ICVs and ECVs could be complementary, each contributing to a particular type of strategic renewal, enabling firms to strike a balance between exploration and exploitation. By clarifying the relative importance of exploration and exploitation in ICVs and ECVs, our findings not only enrich the ongoing discussion in the literature that links the two with entrepreneurship (Ireland and Webb, 2007; Schildt et al., 2005; Phan, 2004; Ireland et al., 2003), but they also provide valuable directions for further research into the strategic actions with regard to corporate venturing. For firms that engage much more in exploration, internal corporate venturing is a better way for growth than external corporate venturing, as it can leverage existing technologies and keep valuable breakthrough technologies in-house. In contrast, for firms that focus much more on exploitation, learning externally is a better renewal strategy than venturing internally, as it can access and integrate resources trans-organizationally to create novel businesses that may serve as avenues for further growth.Theoretically, these results address an unanswered question in the existing literature: how can a balance between exploration and exploitation can be achieved? We suggest that corporate venturing itself as a way to strike a balance between the two. Scholars have proposed that an ambidextrous firm that is able to explore and exploit simultaneously is more likely to achieve superior performance compared to firms that emphasize one at the expense of the other (He and Wong, 2004; Tushman and O'Reilly, 1996). Our findings have important implications for both managers and researchers, as we clarify that corporate venturing can serve as a means to actively manage the tension between the strong path dependence of exploitation and the vulnerability of exploration, in order to foster the long-term survival of the firm.One strand of the related literature focuses on portfolio entrepreneurship, which is the simultaneous ownership of several businesses (Carter, 1998; Rosa and Scott, 1999; Carter and Ram, 2003; Huovinen and Tihula, 2008). Portfolio entrepreneurship has been conceptualized as a lateral growth strategy (Carter, 1998; Rosa and Scott, 1999) wherein firms seek to diversify their economic activities to cover both explorative and exploitative functions, or to search for alternative income opportunities when the core business is facing unfavorable market conditions. However, as noted by Carter and Ram (2003), while existing studies have stimulated interest in the potential importance of this phenomenon, little attention has been accorded to the actual process of portfolio entrepreneurship and the circumstances in which it arises. The results of our study offer a significant insight into portfolio entrepreneurship by providing a contingent perspective on the relationship between the context (i.e. exploration and exploitation) and the form (i.e. ICVs and ECVs) in which multiple business ownership occurs. This study also offers practical guidance to entrepreneurs in different circumstances and contexts. Since ICVs and ECVs perform different functions, strategic renewal actions should carefully consider both the external competition environment and internal technological capabilities. Based on the results of this study, future research could further explore other determinants of corporate venturing and the specific strategies deployed by them.Three of our control variables, firm age, firm size and risk taking, make significant contributions in explaining the dependent variables, suggesting that they need to be investigated further. Consistent with the predictions of previous research (e.g. Almeida et al., 2003; Wadhwa and Kotha, 2006), firm age and firm size exhibit a positive and significant relationship with corporate venturing. The results imply that the parent company's characteristics might be a critical determinant in influencing corporate venturing decisions. Future studies may examine other firm-level variables to further understand the antecedents and motivations of entrepreneurial renewal activities.In summary, while our results shed light on the relationship between exploration, exploitation and corporate venturing, they also have some limitations, which present opportunities for further research. First, the empirical context of this study, firms in the IT sector of Taiwan, limits the generalizability of the findings to other contexts. A broader sample, in terms of industry, or nationality would thus be valuable. Future research is therefore suggested to empirically test the validity of our framework and hypotheses in other settings. Second, the measures of ICVs, ECVs, exploration and exploitation in this study are dependent on secondary data. We relied on patent grants as indicators of exploration and exploitation. Although scholars have indicated that patent grants adequately capture underlying organizational capabilities (DeCarolis and Deeds, 1999; Penner-Hahn and Shaver, 2005), there are two concerns about using simple patent counts:1. the propensity to patent is not necessarily constant across firms; and2. not all innovations are patented.We mitigate these concerns by focusing our sample on only the IT sector, but future researchers may want to measure the same variables using other methods or proxies, and the results may vary as the methods for measuring change. Third, we did not distinguish the ICVs by their relationships with their corporate parent nor did we distinguish the ECVs by their governance modes. Therefore, our findings could be valuably extended by identifying the nature of the different ICVs and ECVs. Future research can further study the antecedents that affect a firm's decision to choose one of the different modes of ICVs and ECVs.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the effects of existing capabilities, by exploration and exploitation, on the choice between internal corporate venturing and external corporate venturing.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data from 259 Taiwanese firms in the information technology (IT) sector are collected. The study period is four years: 2003 to 2006. Information on corporate financial data and new ventures from the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ) database are collected, as well as patent information from the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO). Poisson regression is used to test the hypotheses.\nFindings: - There exists a positive relationship between a firm's existing capabilities and corporate venturing activities. The findings indicate that exploration is a better predictor of internal corporate venturing, while exploitation is better at predicting external corporate venturing.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Empirical results are derived from a sampling of information technology firms in Taiwan thus raising issues about their generalizability to other empirical contexts.\nPractical implications: - That internal and external corporate venturing could be complementary is clarified; meaning that each could contribute to a particular type of strategic renewal. For firms that engaged much more in exploration, internal corporate venturing is a better for growth than external corporate venturing; it can leverage existing technologies and keep valuable breakthrough technologies in-house. In contrast, for firms that focus much more on exploitation, learning externally is a better renewal strategy than venturing internally; it can access and integrate resources trans-organizationally to create novelty that may serve as avenues for further growth.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first study that compares the effects of exploration and exploitation with regard to the decision to engage in internal or external corporate venturing.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The challenges facing poverty alleviation and financial inclusion in North-East Kenya Province (NEKP)
|
[
"Poverty alleviation",
"Micro-finance",
"Financial inclusion",
"G21",
"O10"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Poverty leads to more disadvantages for the people in Kenya. A report has shown that the poverty rate is very high in Kenya, where 30 percent of the population live on less than US$1.25 and 40 percent of the rest live on less than US$2.00 a day as at 2013[1]. Most of the poor people live in the remote and rural areas such as the North-East Kenya Province (NEKP). The report shows that 70 percent of the Kenyan population live in rural areas, such as North region communities, which are desperately poor. Considering this level of poverty and the available financial providers, providing sustainable and affordable financing to low income and disadvantaged people in the rural areas of NEKP is becoming urgently important. Enhancing low-cost financing outreach through some innovative means, such as wireless banking, mobile microfinance, improving financial education and consumer protection, might help in mitigating the problem. Because microfinance is considered as an intensive jobs provider, it might help foster financial inclusion and hence contribute in eradicating the desperate poverty in the NEKP. Previous experience has shown that microfinance is a vehicle for economic growth, reducing unemployment, raising people's income, and hence helping in eradicating poverty through effective and innovative methods of financial inclusion (Ali, 2015a). There are three main financial providers in Kenya. These are the savings and credit cooperatives, microfinance institutions and mobile money transfer services. Despite the great efforts exerted by the government through its regulatory body, only 27 percent of the Kenyan population were financially included as at 2013, according to the report. In addition to that, only 3.4 percent out of the 27 percent was attributed to the microfinance providers[2]. Considering the importance of microfinance in financial inclusion, the reported contribution figure is very low and might be even lower for the NEKP. This also might indicate that microfinance institutions face more challenges to reasonably expand to the remote rural areas. Hence, the challenges that might hinder the microfinance providers from achieving considerable outreach in North-East Kenya need to be investigated.\n2. Poverty alleviation initiatives in NEKP: Since the last century, Kenya has attempted to launch many initiatives to control drought and achieve relative stability of food security. In 1980, the government set up Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) project under the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development[7]. The main objective of this project was to improve the ability of participating districts and communities in the ASAL to plan and implement climate changes adaptation measures. In 1996, the Arid Lands Resource Management Project (ALRMP) was established with World Bank support. The program achieved a significant progress in managing drought and food security at the national and local levels. ALRMP re-focused attention to the more acute challenges facing the arid areas. In 2001, pastoralism became the theme for the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Based on that an ad hoc Pastoral Thematic Group facilitated the process of gathering pastoralists' views on how to reduce poverty. This resulted in the identification of the causes of poverty such as the lack of infrastructure, security, land tenure, education, employment and drought management strategies. This report was incorporated into the PRSP, which embodied in the government's Economic Recovery Strategy (ERS) for 2003-2007. Kenyan Vision 2030 policy document builds on the progress made by the ERS and sets out a broader and more ambitious agenda. Its target date shifts the planning perspective beyond the short-term horizons of individual governments, reflecting the time required to achieve sustainable change.\n3. The challenges of poverty alleviation and financial inclusion in North-East Kenya: In connection to the above efforts, a Pastoral Risk Management Project (PARIMA) started in 2003 linking pastoralist producers in Northern Kenya and Southern Ethiopia with leaders of the livestock export industry[11]. One aim of the PARIMA project in East African pastoralism is to help in risk management that can positively contribute to wealth conservation, reduction in conflict, and improved food security and hence assists in eradicating poverty. Based on that, 11 pastoralist groups were given interest-free loans and trained in the skills needed to run small businesses. These might be due to the recent move of improving the financial infrastructures through the opening of new bank branches and Shari'ah banks. In March 2013, the International Finance Corporation announced its first partnership with Gulf African Bank vide a $5 million equity investment whose explicit goal is to expand Shari'ah-compliant banking products and services to small and medium businesses[12]. However, until today this formal conventional and Islamic banking operated in the NEKP only reaches a small proportion of the population. Since the majority of the community is pastoralists, they make little use of the formal banking system because of the lack of literacy and the collateral to qualify for loans. Moreover, another constraint is that because of their nomadic lifestyle they tend to expect to receive better returns when capital is held in the form of livestock than in savings.\n4. Conclusion: Given the high level of destitute people, estimated at more than 50 percent living under the absolute poverty line, microfinance might be one of the strategic tools to help in raising the living conditions of the people of North-East Kenya. Despite the numbers of poverty alleviation programs already implemented by the government and NGOs, the area remains prone to food insecurity and to all factors that lead to more poverty. Considering the potentiality of the contribution of NEKP in building Kenya's economy through the development of livestock production and other available local resources, microfinance might be one of the most recommended facilitators of previous poverty alleviation efforts. Despite the potentiality of the conventional and Islamic microfinance to boost development and alleviate poverty, the region inherited more challenges that might represent big constraints for the introduction of microfinance providers. The region is facing the challenge of illiteracy due to the weakness of education, which leads to low quality of human capital. Other most important challenges that may affect microfinance programs is the bad basic and financial infrastructures such as roads, telecommunications network, abattoirs, holding and auction grounds, tanning and canning factories and irrigation schemes. The weakness in the basic infrastructures would raise the cost of access to finance and hence will hinder financial inclusion among the people of NEKP. Since the North-East Kenya depends on the livestock, unfavorable climate and drought are another challenges. Beside all the mentioned constraints, the government needs to take steps to provide security through settling bloody tribal conflicts in the region. After reducing the above microfinance challenges, then the Kenya Government needs to encourage microfinance providers to contribute in the development of the poorest area in the North Eastern Kenya. This will be possible by making NEKP a microfinance incubator. Moreover, the government may encourage the microfinance providers to establish a Livestock Enterprise Fund, which meets the needs of livestock producers and traders. To avoid the basic infrastructure barriers, the government regulator may encourage the introduction of mobile wireless microfinance technology to enhance outreach. Since the majority of the residents are Muslims, the regulator may ensure that small-scale entrepreneurs have access to integrated Shari'ah-compliant microfinance packages that combine hands-on training and small business development support with access to credit, value addition, market analysis and investment in conservation-based income generating schemes. In addition to that, the government and the relevant donors need to undertake a major investment in human capital to ensure MFI poverty alleviation programs are sustainable through education and capacity building of women and the youth in the county of NEKP. Finally, the Kenya Government needs to develop mechanisms to attract long-term capital inflows to finance large-scale investments such as roads, ICT infrastructure, irrigation schemes, abattoirs, livestock holding and auction grounds in the region, and then implement aggressive awareness initiatives for the poor nomads and farmers to comprehend and deal with the MFIs. In addition to that, the government may needed to improve the microfinance regulation (Ali, 2015b) to enhance the sector and to introduce M. branchless banking that assist in improving the reach of the poor in NEKP of Kenya.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Poverty alleviation is one of the most compelling challenges facing Kenya today. It is not only widespread but it is also steadily rising. This highlights the need for sustainable solutions to poverty particularly through microfinance. This research investigated the case of North Eastern Kenya Province. The purpose of this paper is to explore the unique micro-level challenges that are faced by poverty alleviation programs adopted by microfinance institutions operating in this region.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study used structured questionnaires to collect primary data. The sample covered 600 respondents randomly selected from three counties, namely, Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit. Three focus group discussions comprising 24 participants held to facilitate a deeper understanding of the challenges of poverty among the North Eastern Province's communities when alleviated through micro-finance.\nFindings: The results reveal that the illiteracy due to the weakness of education and the unfavorable basic and financial infrastructures such as roads, telecommunications network represents the most important challenges that may affect the success of micro-finance programs.\nResearch limitations/implications: These results recommend that both conventional and Islamic micro-finance might contribute positively for poverty alleviation for the poorest Kenyan region if the challenges are mitigated.\nPractical implications: The study provides policy recommendations for the Kenya Government and the conventional and Islamic banks in Kenya to provide the expected support for the poorest area in the country.\nSocial implications: The result of this research might help the government, micro-finance providers and the donors to assist in alleviating the poverty of the Northern Kenyan community.\nOriginality/value: To overcome the challenges of alleviating poverty in the region of Northern Kenya.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Analysing granulated brown sugar - panela - market in Western Honduras
|
[
"Focus groups",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Interviews",
"Choice experiment",
"Granulated brown sugar – panela",
"Smallholder farmers"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In Latin America, the Local Economic Development (LED) approach has become an alternative to welfare policies for tackling poverty, particularly in rural areas (Alburquerque, 2004) due to both higher rural poverty (De Janvry and Sadoulet, 2000) and also the importance of rural sectors in generating employment and exports (Kydd and Dorward, 2004). In the current context, the increasing decentralization process has created opportunities for local actors, public and private ones, to respond and take development into their own hands. Thus private and public partnerships in localities and regions are assuming greater responsibility for their own development (Helmsing, 2001, 2003). As a result, the prospect of economic development based on each territory's local actors and social capital has become more important (Lundy et al., 2002). In this sense, LED attempts to manage existing resources to create jobs and stimulate the economy of a well-defined area by means of local agents (Helmsing, 2003). In rural areas, to improve the livelihood of population it is necessary to diversify activities and incomes (Alburquerque, 2004; Lundy et al., 2002; Helmsing, 2003) and to add value to agricultural production through post-harvest processing (Rosegrant et al., 2001). Therefore, National and regional LED strategies in Latin America have been developed to a large extent by productive projects lead to smallholder farmers, especially in Central America (Biekart, 2005), and notably so in Honduras (Barquero, 2013).\n2. Building the rural farmers' initiatives framework: an analysis from the supply side: As an initial step of the business initiative, the farmers expected to produce and commercialize brown sugar from sugarcane. The characteristics of the sugar market from the supply side were first defined by a literature review, especially of sectoral studies, finding only two researches by Arturo (2003) and CDPC/BM (2007). It showed that sugar production, commerce and distribution in Honduras are governed by seven large groups. All are unionized in a very large producers' association (APHA). The seven sugar mills sell their production to the Sugar Miller's Central (CISA), which is owned by APAH and has ten warehouses in the country. CISA distributes nationwide white sugar, golden sugar and brown sugar.\n3. CE methodology: 3.1. Data sources\n4. Studying consumers' preferences regarding granulated brown sugar: an analysis from the demand side: The 203 consumers were presented with eight choice sets (4,872 observations corresponding to 1,624 choices). The distribution of these 1,624 choices shows that 28.1 percent of consumers preferred to purchase their traditional sugar (status quo option); 32.6 percent the A alternatives; and 39.3 percent the B alternatives.\n5. Discussion: The information derived from the visits and interviews was coherent with that from secondary data which showed that sugar distribution market extremely concentrated leading to a trade monopoly. Therefore, a very important market constraint appears on further development of smallholder farmers of sugarcane, which may limit the role played by them in Western Honduras as a key element to reduce poverty. To avoid monopolistic practices, granulated brown sugar - panela - was chosen to diversify agricultural production. However, the selling price estimated for the production of granulated brown sugar was around 16 lempiras per pound - higher than the price for white, golden and brown sugar which were found in the stores, but similar to that of the only granulated brown sugar available in the local market. The higher price of the granulated brown sugar was due to the local, handmade production and it can also be partly justified by its above-mentioned healthier nutritional properties; although these properties needs to be known by consumers in order to pay a price premium for the panela.\n6. Conclusion: This research has allowed us to underline the importance of analyzing the market in the framework of local rural farmers' business initiatives, especially those sponsored by NGOs. From a supply side, in the context of the current Honduran sugar market, it is very difficult to formulate alternatives to diversify the agricultural output of sugar production. In fact, there is a high level of concentration in the distribution. This finding meant that the local producers' abandoned their initial aim of commercializing brown sugar and decided to focus on granulated panela (granulated brown sugar), which is the only type of sugar that falls outside the monopoly. In addition, it has a production technically and culturally accessible for the farmers and still has little presence in the stores, so it appears to be a good niche market. We had to take into account that local farmers' awareness of commercializing brown sugar came from a training course they received. In this regard, although it is out of the scope of this research, it may be worth in the field of management of NGOs dedicated to the development, evaluating the necessity of carrying out market research before delivering these training courses.\nAcknowledgment: The authors would like to thank two anonymous referees and the editor-in-chief for their comments which have contributed to a much improved manuscript, any remaining errors are however the sole responsibility of the authors. This research has been funded by ETEA-Foundation for Development and Cooperation and by AECID - Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation - through a cooperation project \"Promoting associativity of producers and the participation of organizes groups to ensure processes of food security in the department of Ocotepeque.\" In addition, the first author acknowledges the support provided by IFAPA - Andalusian Institute of Agricultural Research and Training and the European Social Fund (FSE) within the Operative Program of Andalusia 2007-2013 through a post-doctoral training program.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: Starting from a territorial development project in Western Honduras (Copan and Ocotepeque), farmers aimed to increase and add value to agricultural production by producing and commercializing granulated brown sugar (panela). The Western Honduras sugar market was studied, from the supply and demand side, in order to particularly understand consumer preference which is considered a key to increase smallholder farmers' income in rural areas.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research included a qualitative study by means of six visits for observation and data compilation to stores, four face-to-face open semi-structured interviews with store owners and a focus group with local producers to acquire a global picture of the main regional sugar market characteristics from the supply side. Moreover a quantitative analysis applying a Choice Experiment to study consumer preferences was performed acquiring higher knowledge from the demand side.\nFindings: First, it was found that Honduras sugar market could be experiencing monopolistic practices and white sugar to 9 lempiras per pound was the most popular product according to the qualitative study. Second, for consumers who knew dulce de panela, granulated brown sugar was preferred over refined white sugar. Consumers who had a high level of education, came from rural areas, considered brown sugar to be healthier and read nutritional information were more prone to consume granulated brown sugar. On the other hand, the estimated selling price was around 16 lempiras/pound, but consumers were willing to pay at the most 11.59 lempiras/pound. Nevertheless, market share simulation showed a market niche to comercialize granulated brown sugar - panela.\nOriginality/value: This research is of academics, farmers and policy makers value. There are no studies analyzing consumer behavior regarding granulated brown sugar in Honduras. The results provide information about the previous steps which need to be given for smallholders in order to commercialize this novelty product; and it stressed the necessity of highlighting health claims on panela which would involve political actions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Different or alike? Exploring the psychological contract and commitment of different generations of hospitality workers
|
[
"Generation",
"Psychological contract",
"Job commitment",
"Employees turnover",
"Hospitality",
"Hotels",
"The Netherlands"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: High voluntary staff turnover is a common and costly problem in the hospitality industry (Barron, 2008; Gustafson, 2002; Solnet and Hood, 2008). Reasons mentioned for this high turnover include factors such as low pay, antisocial working hours, menial work and limited career opportunities (Barron, 2008; Davidson et al., 2011; Kusluvan and Kusluvan, 2000; Walsh and Taylor, 2007). Hospitality staff is increasingly leaving the hospitality industry for jobs in industries with better working conditions (Barron, 2008; Blomme et al., 2008; Blomme et al., 2009). Some authors even suggest a turnover culture in hospitality business with organizations accepting turnover as \"just the way things are\" (Iverson and Deery, 1997; Kusluvan, 2003). Reducing turnover is however beneficial to the industry; several scholars have argued that investment in and retention of human capital creates sustainable competitive advantage for businesses (Barney, 1997; Murphy and Olsen, 2008). Moreover, the turnover problem seems to be compounded by demographical developments. The combination of an ageing population and falling birth rates over the last decades has resulted in a shrinking labor pool (Magd, 2003; Sparrow and Hiltrop, 1994). Given the traditionally high numbers of younger employees in hospitality business, this raises an important concern for an industry already plagued by high turnover rates (Deery, 2002).In particular, a new generation of employees with an apparently different attitude, has been entering the hospitality industry for a few years now (Barron, 2008). Generation Y workers in other industries have been reported to have lower levels of commitment to their organization than previous generations, resulting in higher staff turnover (Lancaster and Stillman, 2005; Martin and Tulgan, 2001; Twenge, 2007).Key to understanding why employees leave their organization is their psychological contract with the organization (Rousseau, 1989; Blomme et al., 2010). The psychological contract is defined as \"an employee's beliefs about the reciprocal obligations between that employee and his or her organization, where these obligations are based on perceived promises and not necessarily recognized by agents of the organization\" (Morrison and Robinson, 1997, p. 229). These beliefs thus refer to the way the employment contract is interpreted, understood and enacted by employees (Millward and Brewerton, 2000) and forms a psychological filter between the actual working conditions, and an employee's responses. The psychological contract can therefore be considered an important antecedent for employee commitment and turnover intention, and ultimately turnover (Bal et al., 2008; Blau, 1964; Morrison and Robinson, 1997; Robinson and Rousseau, 1994; Thompson and Bunderson, 2003).In this paper we argue that different generations will perceive their psychological contract differently. Generational are shaped by societal events in a formative phase of their lives that influence their values (Gursoy et al., 2008; Ng et al., 2010; Smola and Sutton, 2002). These values are considered to play a central role in the perception and evaluation of experiences in the workplace (Dawis and Lofquist, 1984) and therefore will influence their perception and evaluation of the psychological contract (De Vos et al., 2003).We therefore propose that different generations will hold different psychological contracts with their employers, and will value aspects of their psychological contract differently.The current study adds to the literature in several ways. First, it explores the psychological contract in a hospitality context. The psychological contract has been regarded as a relevant construct to explain important employee behaviors such as commitment, turnover, and organizational citizenship behaviors (De Vos et al., 2003). Very few studies to date have explored the psychological contract in a hospitality setting (Blomme et al., 2010; Kelley-Patterson and George, 2001). Second, Solnet and Hood (2008) called for research into the impact of the new generation of employees entering the hospitality workforce. Although stereotypes abound, very little empirical research has been done to clarify differences (Giancola, 2006). This study aims to contribute by exploring how hospitality employees of different generations perceive their psychological contract. Furthermore, the study contributes empirical evidence to test popular stereotypes about different generations in a hospitality setting for important work outcomes such as organizational commitment and turnover intention.\n2. Literature: Mannheim (1972), though not the first to write about the concept of generations, created a definition that still forms the basis for modern thinking about generations. He defines a generation as a group of people in a similar social location experiencing similar social events (Mannheim, 1972). According to Mannheim, people belonging to a generation not only physically exist in the same time in history, but also share and perceive the same experiences, forming value sets in a formative phase early in life (between age 16-25) that remain with the people from that generation for the remainder of their lives. These value sets also influence work values and expectations that people may have of their employers (Chen and Choi, 2008; Ng et al., 2010). This is potentially important for hospitality companies: the practitioner literature suggests generational differences impacts all areas of management, including recruitment, training and development, career development, rewards and working arrangements and management style (Losyk, 1997; McDonald and Hite, 2008; Tulgan, 1996, 2003).Several authors have found support for generational differences and offer explanations for these differences based on shared social experiences (Bontekoning, 2007; Dries et al., 2008; Howe and Strauss, 1991, 2007; Lancaster and Stillman, 2005). Also, Smola and Sutton (2002) found in a longitudinal study that work values were more influenced by generational experiences than by biological age. Finally, Howe and Strauss (1991, 2007) suggest that early values and expectations may alter as people move into a new life-stage, but also demonstrate that each generation does so in their own way. This would suggest that there is an interaction between life-stage and generational effects. Furthermore, Parry and Urwin (2011) also suggest there maybe variation within generational cohorts based on distinctions such as gender and education that will impact work-related attitudes and behaviors.Although some variation exists on the exact naming of these generations and the specific start and end dates of each generational cohort, there appears to be a general descriptive consensus among academics and practitioners regarding the following generations: Baby Boomers (born 1945-1964), Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Generation Y (born after 1980) (Eisner, 2005; Martin and Tulgan, 2001; Raines, 2003). The focus in this article will be on the last three generations: Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y. Together, they encompass the vast majority of the workforce in the hospitality industry.2.1 Baby boomers (born 1945-1964)\n3. Methods: 3.1 Procedure\n4. Results: The mean scores and correlations between the constructs can be found in Table II.4.1 Do different generations value different aspects of their psychological contract?\n5. Conclusion and discussion: This study set out to explore generational differences in psychological contract and important work outcomes such as commitment and turnover intention. We proposed that Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y would have different expectations from their employers. Our results indicate that there are indeed generational differences in the psychological contract that employees hold with their organization. In line with current literature on generations, our results indicate that different generations hold different expectations and value different aspects in their job (e.g. Chen and Choi, 2008; Dries et al., 2008; Eisner, 2005; Lancaster and Stillman, 2005; Smola and Sutton, 2002; Solnet and Hood, 2008). More specifically, we found that for Generation X work-life balance is more important than for the other two generations. Also, for Generation X autonomy in their jobs as well as job security are more important than for generation Y. Generation X and Generation Y perceive challenge and personal development (stimulating job) and intra-organizational mobility significantly as significantly more important than Baby Boomers do. These findings are in line with earlier findings about these generations (Davidson et al., 2011; D'Annunzio-Green, 2008; Howe and Strauss, 2007; Kupperschmidt, 2000; Lancaster and Stillman, 2005; Tulgan, 2003).Furthermore, we hypothesized that younger generations would have lower commitment to their organization as well as higher turnover intentions. Our results confirm these hypotheses. We found that Baby Boomers and Generation X had both stronger affective and continuance commitment to their organizations than Generation Y. Also, our results indicated higher turnover intentions for Generation Y than for Generation X. These results seem to confirm earlier findings by Twenge et al. (2010). These findings can be considered disconcerting for practitioners: at a time where demographically fewer younger workers become available, turnover as a result of unmet psychological contract obligations may be on the rise. Moreover, lowered commitment results in lower job performance (Jaros, 1997; McElroy, 2001; Meyer and Herscovitch, 2001). This poses a real threat quantitatively and qualitatively for the future survival of many hospitality businesses that rely on this part of the workforce (also see Solnet and Hood, 2008). Poulston (2008) claims that the prevalence of high staff turnover in the industry suggests serious management inadequacies. As younger generations are demonstrating lower commitment and higher turnover intention whilst their numbers in the workforce are on the rise, hospitality managers should act upon generational differences and the expectations that different generations may hold of their employers. We recommend that managers take a more generation-specific approach to managing their workforce (see also D'Annunzio-Green, 2008; Christensen Hughes and Rog, 2008) as well as innovating their human resources management to include more generation-specific practices (see also Davidson et al., 2011; Poulston, 2008). Failing to do so will probably result in hospitality talent moving into other sectors of the labor market, intensifying the recruitment and retention challenge for hospitality companies (Barron, 2008).5.1 Limitations and suggestions for future research\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This study aims to explore generational differences in the psychological contract of hospitality employees and work outcomes such as commitment and turnover intention.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data were collected in 20 hotels (n=359) from a four-star hotel chain in The Netherlands using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analysed using MANOVA and post-hoc analysis.\nFindings: - Findings suggest that opportunities for development and challenge, variation and responsibility are more important to younger generations of hospitality workers. Generation X placed high value on work-life balance, autonomy and job security. No differences were found for work atmosphere, salary and task description. Significantly lower commitment and higher turnover intention was also found for Generation Y.\nPractical implications: - The findings provide insight into generational differences in expectations that hospitality workers have of their employers. This helps managers in developing management styles as well as human resource policy to better address these expectations.\nOriginality/value: - This study is one of the first to explore the psychological contract in a hospitality context and contributes empirical evidence to the body of knowledge on generational differences.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The future adaptivity of nineteenth century heritage buildings
|
[
"Adaptive reuse",
"Built heritage",
"Australia and Hong Kong",
"Building and urban sustainability",
"Future adaptivity of buildings"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The architecture of the nineteenth century makes an interesting and valuable contribution to modern society as it showcases different architectural styles from the past being fused with contemporary engineering methods and materials. It marks the start of functional planning and town architecture, where buildings became larger and more elaborate to respond to the needs of an industrial society (Fletcher, 1896 in Cruickshank, 1996). Many nineteenth century heritage buildings are urban and architectural treasures worthy of being conserved and protected for future generations to behold and enjoy.\n2. Literature review: Relevant background on nineteenth century architecture, the future adaptivity of buildings and the adaptSTAR model are discussed in the following subsections in order to provide a view of this research undertaking.\n3. The adaptSTAR model: a building and urban sustainability tool: As shown in Figure 1, the adaptSTAR model is a rating tool that specifies a scoresheet with design criteria that contribute to the advancement of existing and newly constructed buildings that have the potential to be adaptively reused and recycled in the future. The scoresheet comprises 26 design criteria with weighted percentages that are classified into physical (long life), economic (location), functional (loose fit), technological (low energy), social (sense of place), legal (quality standard) and political (context) categories. Its structure is in a hierarchical order in which each category has a subcategory that corresponds to the appropriate design criteria (Figure 1). The performance of any new or existing buildings is scored against these weighted criteria that sum up to a total score of 100 per cent and are expressed via star rating to determine their level of future adaptivity. The scoresheet is the byproduct of a PhD dissertation study that uses a mixed-mode approach involving best practice case studies, in-depth expert interviews and practitioner survey results which is also supported by archival and blueprint/ drawings. The sample scoresheet is shown in Appendix 1.\n4. Research methods: The case study method is very appropriate for this study since it has been proven to be successful in researching a variety of issues in terms of adaptive reuse with a large number of authors in this crowded field (HMSO, 1987; Park, 1998; Ball, 1999; Scadden et al., 2001; Henehan and Woodson, 2004; Snyder, 2005; Siddiqi, 2006; Bullen and Love, 2009; Wang and Zeng, 2010; Yung and Chan, 2012; Conejos, 2013; Conejos, Langston and Smith, 2014; Conejos, Yung and Chan, 2014). Yin (2009) points out that the use of multiple cases' evidence is critical to the robustness of the total research study. The adaptSTAR model has been previously applied to 12 Australian case studies (Conejos, 2013; Conejos, Langston and Smith, 2014, 2015) and eight case studies in Hong Kong (Conejos, Langston and Smith, 2014), where four case studies are composed of a group of buildings (see Table I).\n5. Conservation practices in Australia: Conservation in Australia is well established with its list of heritage registers, the availability of various funding sources and heritage trusts. Existing state and territory regulation boosts both government and community engagement concerning heritage conservation matters. Diverse economic and planning incentives are used in Australia to attract public contributions and funding for heritage preservation initiatives. Australia uses the Burra Charter for building conservation projects, although in 2008, best practice heritage conservation and adaptation projects have been implemented using the NSW Department of Planning and RAIA adaptation guidelines (Conejos et al., 2016). These adaptation guidelines are used in the assessment of development applications for adaptation projects. There are seven principles that guided historic buildings' adaptation into contemporary uses. These are concisely described below:\n6. Conservation practices in Hong Kong: Heritage building conservation is a vital part of Hong Kong's urban development planning. The protection of its cultural and built heritage is governed by the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, while declarations of historical, archaeological or palaeontological significant places, buildings and sites as monuments and graded buildings are sanctioned by the Antiquities Authority (Legislative Council Secretariat, 2008). In the 2007-2008 government policies, the chief executive has introduced the \"Revitalizing historic buildings through partnership scheme\", which allows adaptive reuse interventions to government-owned heritage buildings to preserve them and offer the utmost benefit to the public. The scheme also contributes to the promotion of public participation in terms of conserving heritage buildings. The Hong Kong government provides planning incentives to boost the conservation of heritage buildings, although tax incentives are not provided for heritage conservation projects. Urban renewal, heritage conservation policy and heritage conservation-related developments are sanctioned under the Development Bureau, with support from the offices of the Heritage Commissioner and the Antiquities and Monuments (Development Bureau, 2013: Chapter 1).\n7. The instrumental case studies: The two instrumental case studies examined in this paper share a deep respect for authenticity and in each case it was possible to retain the building's original character whilst trying to be contemporary in their new function. Each case has different architectural and structural solutions that made use of modern materials, techniques and equipment. A network of design and construction professionals such as architects, project managers, engineers and fit-out contractors as well as conservation managers, government and heritage trust representatives, investors and the community were consulted and worked together to attain a successful adaptive reuse strategy for these two heritage cases. The two iconic nineteenth century building case studies are briefly discussed below:\n8. Discussion of findings: The key interpretations based from the results of the adaptSTAR application in both cases led to an improved perception of how operational the model is in reality as applied to heritage buildings such as the nineteenth century buildings. The adaptSTAR scoring results are illustrated in Table II. In determining the adaptSTAR scores, both cases received a 4-star rating, with the GPO Building garnering a total score of 83.17 per cent while 1881 Heritage received a total score of 80.30 per cent (see Appendix 1). This implies that the two selected built heritage buildings have high percentages for future adaptivity and are suitable candidates for future building adaptive reuse. Each case study's adaptSTAR scores were drawn from the stipulated list of design standards during its original state with regards to its technological context, designer's access to data and its feasible execution at the time these buildings were built.\n9. Conclusion and further research: From the research study, it was found that the developed and improved adaptSTAR model is applicable to existing built heritage and demonstrates that the assessment of their future adaptivity is achievable. The adaptSTAR tool has helped determine what potential future improvements are required to improve the environmental sustainability and future reuse of the selected heritage buildings. This study was able to identify the research implications for the future management of the two selected heritage buildings in order to improve their performance regarding environmental sustainability, quality standards and social aspects.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Designing for the future sustainability and adaptability of building assets contributes to waste and emission reduction. Moreover, sustainable design and conservation principles are necessary for achieving sustainable and adaptable built heritage. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the improved adaptSTAR model in regards to maximising the future adaptive reuse and sustainability of existing built heritage and its surroundings.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A comparative study of two iconic nineteenth century heritage assets in Australia and Hong Kong is undertaken to highlight the need to forecast the future adaptation of heritage buildings in order to guarantee their continuous reuse and sustainability in an urban context.\nFindings: Findings show that the functional, technological and legal attributes of these two nineteenth century heritage buildings require improvement so as to ensure their future adaptivity. The upgrading of heritage buildings for environmental sustainability is also deemed necessary.\nOriginality/value: The originality of this paper pertains to the advancement of the adaptSTAR tool in evaluating the future adaptivity of existing built heritage as well as new built environments whilst considering their economic, environmental and social values.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Transformational leadership and post-acquisition performance in transitional economies
|
[
"Transformational leadership",
"Employee attitudes",
"Organizational change",
"Post-acquisition performance",
"Transitional economies"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In attempting to gain competitive advantage, companies may undertake acquisitions through which they can diversify their activities, enter new markets, introduce new product lines and expand their knowledge base. Acquisitions are complex and often fail to reach their desired potential. In aiming to discover why some mergers and acquisitions (M&A) perform poorly, researchers often emphasize the importance of the human factor (Cartwright and Cooper, 1993; Buono and Bowditch, 1989; Aguilera and Dencker, 2004; Teerikangas, 2012). The inability of employees to predict the influence of M&A on their jobs and careers (Marks and Mirvis, 1986) raises the levels of anxiety and uncertainty in employees, leading to counterproductive behavior (Elsass and Veiga, 1994; Guerrero, 2008). Therefore, human resources must be adequately managed during post-acquisition integration to avoid negative effects on performance. Transformational leadership plays a key role in the process of human resources management during post-acquisition integration.\nTheory and hypotheses: Transformational leadership\nMethods: Sample and procedure\nResults: Table IV shows the results of our multiple regression analysis of the dependent variables.\nSummary of findings: The literature indicates that the efficient reaction of employees to changes depends to a great extent on leadership, which can create a feeling of common understanding and help employees to comprehend and accept the purpose of the acquisition (Sitkin and Pablo, 2005).\nConclusion: The results of our research lead us to conclude that, in the conditions of complex changes such as acquisitions, leaders should provide their employees with the necessary help and support. In the context of transitional economies, the necessity of support from leaders is particularly emphasized, given the fact that employees are faced not only with changes brought about by the process of acquisitions, which are necessarily complex, but also with changes imposed by transition, which requires a radical change in employees' behavior and even in their attitudes and their system of values. In such conditions, transformational leadership has critical importance for the improvement of post-acquisition performance. Transformational leaders should act inspiringly and stimulatively, which will contribute to the creation of positive attitudes among employees toward changes and, consequently, improve post-acquisition performance. In addition, by providing direct support and help to employees and by responding to their problems, transformational leaders help employees to face the challenges of change and to perform their tasks better, thus also contributing to the improvement of post-acquisition performance.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between transformational leadership and post-acquisition performance, introducing into the analysis the mediating effect of employee attitudes toward changes, in the specific context of a transitional economy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data were collected from 208 employees (including 91 managers) from ten acquired companies in Serbia. Using exploratory factor analysis, two dimensions of transformational leadership were identified in the context of a transitional economy: the first one refers to inspiring and stimulating the employees, and the second dimension refers to responding to employee problems. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the research hypotheses.\nFindings: The results of the analysis indicate that inspiring and stimulating employees has an indirect impact on post-acquisition performance through the mediating effect of employee attitudes toward changes, whereas responding to employee problems has both direct and indirect impacts on post-acquisition performance.\nPractical implications: The results of study may be significant for managers involved in the processes of mergers and acquisitions and may aid them in obtaining adequate levels of employee commitment and trust, which are needed to achieve challenging goals and to improve post-acquisition performance.\nOriginality/value: The research of the mediating effect of employee attitudes on post-acquisition performance contributes to a better understanding of the relationships between transformational leadership and post-acquisition performance. Research in transitional economies related to subject matter is limited, while in Serbia in particular, there is no prior empirical work on the impact of transformational leadership on post-acquisition performance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Drivers and outcomes of branded mobile app usage intention
|
[
"Technology adoption",
"Mobile marketing",
"Branded mobile applications"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Mobile applications (thereafter apps) play a vital role in supporting consumer acceptance and use of mobile technologies (Tojib and Tsarenko, 2012). Apps also provide organizations with countless opportunities for establishing relationships with customers, which is in line with Sultan and Rohm's (2005) original definition of apps as \"brands in the hand.\" More recently, Taivalsaari and Mikkonen (2015) describe the \"brandification\" of apps as the process of substituting the more simplistic functions available on mobile devices, such as messaging, camera and music players with custom-build apps. Such apps often become commercially popular either as standalone offers (see the example of the Spotify app for music streaming) or as extensions of existing offline brands (e.g. the Facebook app). For example, Newman et al. (2017) highlight that many retailers have the chance to reacquire or reinforce their competitive advantages through apps, especially if they are able to deliver value to consumers across multiple touch-points - i.e. via ensuring that apps complement and extend physical and virtual channels. While there is still quite a long-way before apps will result in the demise of Web as a software platform, the prominence of apps in present day business ecosystems is undeniable.\n2. Background: 2.1 Existing research on branded apps\n3. Methods: 3.1 Data collection\n4. Analysis and results: 4.1 Measurement model\n5. Discussion: 5.1 Theoretical implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to examine the drivers and outcomes of the usage intention of branded mobile applications (apps), revealing findings of theoretical and practical relevance. First, it uncovers the specific technological features that underpin the perceived usefulness and ease of use of branded apps driving (directly and indirectly) usage intention. Second, it outlines two key outcomes that are relevant to the strategic management of branded apps: willingness to recommend the app and willingness to pay to continue using the app.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study uses data randomly derived from a panel of one million UK consumers, analyzed via structural equations modeling. The unit of analysis was individual apps prominently displaying a brand identity. The study tested indirect relationships between the key drivers considered and usage intention via perceived usefulness and ease of use.\nFindings: Consumers who view branded apps as protecting their privacy, customizable and compatible with what they do, will have stronger perceptions of usefulness and ease of use and greater intention to use the app. These effects also occur indirectly. Furthermore, usage intention drives the willingness to recommend the app and to pay to continue using it.\nPractical implications: To influence usage intention, managers can improve the perception of usefulness of branded apps by protecting consumer privacy and improving the app's design and its compatibility with people's needs and lifestyle. Managers can also enhance the perception of ease of use of the branded app by heightening its security and ubiquity. Combined, these factors can enhance (directly and indirectly) the intention to use the app, which will lead to the willingness to recommend the app and pay for it.\nOriginality/value: This study extends previous research by examining factors driving the intention to use branded apps and the resulting outcomes. It also offers a model that yields predictions for individual branded apps (not the brand powering the app), thus providing practical recommendations on how to manage, in general, apps with a brand identity.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Governance of old religious orders: Benedictines and Dominicans
|
[
"Corporate governance",
"History",
"Religious orders"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Corporate governance has become a major public policy issue during the past two decades in the context of recurrent economic and financial crises. It is also perceived to have a bearing on organisational performance and sustainability. Filatotchev and Boyd (2009, p. 258) consider that \"efficient and effective governance enables firms not only to survive but also to generate returns that are sufficient to retain the commitment of salient stakeholders\". According to Aguilera et al. (2008, p. 475), \"much of the resulting policy prescriptions enshrined in codes of good corporate governance rely on universal notions of best practice\". The idea that there is a set of universal governance best practices is regularly voiced, as evidenced by the publication of very similar codes of conduct across the world (Aguilera and Cuervo-Cazurra, 2004; Wirtz, 2008). This assumption is questionable for several reasons. The first relates to the concept of what a governance practice actually is. Governance codes, such as the AFEP-MEDEF corporate governance codes in France or the UK's Combined Code, do not really stem from observing actual practices whose superior performance can be empirically proven. Instead, these codes are a set of normative prescriptions that are essentially justified on theoretical grounds. Typically, these theoretical frameworks are based on the dominant legal financial position of the day (Aguilera et al., 2008; Wirtz, 2005). This means that the procedures held up as best governance practices are not, in actual fact, a body of historically observed practices.\nFrom the governance of publicly traded companies to the governance of organisations in general: Will examining the challenges and functioning of ancient religious orders' historical governance practices using a conceptual framework from contemporary corporate governance research be a relevant and fruitful avenue for studying non-commercial organisations? The answer to this question really depends on the degree to which we can generalise the concepts used and the challenges addressed by the models. Confronting different theoretical approaches to governance with the historical practices of ancient orders may also reveal the contingent nature of these supposedly universal theories (and related \"best practice\" governance codes).\nBenedictine orders: governance with disciplinary overtones: The Rule of Saint Benedict was initially written in the sixth century for the Abbey of Monte Cassino in Italy (Lapierre, 1982). The Rule established a general framework for the lives of the monks, the organisation of the community's activities and its governance. It is the classic tract and one of the cornerstones of the rise of Western monasticism. It had a major effect on the development of the monasteries in the Middle Ages as it was made mandatory by Charlemagne during the Carolingian Empire. It can be viewed not only as a rule of life and source of Benedictine spirituality and motivation for each monk in the community, but as one of the cornerstones of monastic governance insofar as it frames the conditions for electing abbots, the \"top managers\" of their monasteries and the behaviour expected of them (cf. chapters 2 and 64 of the Rule). It, therefore, contributes to demarcating their discretionary space.\nDominican governance as stimulator of ideas and arena for discussion: The mendicant orders that emerged at the beginning of the thirteenth century, inspired by Francis of Assisi and Dominic de Guzman, adopted a very different model from Benedictine monasticism. The Order of Preachers (Dominicans) is essentially based in urban locations and focuses exclusively on intellectual work (preaching), rather than on agriculture and the manual work that structures the activity of the Benedictine monks. The motto of the Order of Preachers reflects this spiritual and intellectual objective: laudare, benedicere, praedicare (to praise, to bless, to preach). The term \"mendicant order\" originates from the fact that, unlike the Benedictine abbeys, whose large landholdings generated significant revenues, the Dominicans were not of independent means. Dominican monasteries, typically located in towns (even if there were exceptions), are not abbeys, and the preachers do not have the obligation of stabilitas loci so valued by the Benedictine monks. The Dominicans travel regularly, and the head of a Dominican province (the Prior Provincial) has the power to assign the friars to different monasteries in his province. The friars are effectively \"sons of a province\" and not of a monastery. The Dominican vocation has always been to preach the Word in the world of their time, and the activities of the monasteries are largely outward-looking. Preaching the Word so that it is understood by the people of one's time requires study and research, which means that, historically, the Dominicans have been close to the large university centres. The Order of Preachers, thus, contributed several important philosophers and theologians to Western thought, such as Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas.\nConclusion: the challenges of a historical study of the governance of religious orders: Previous accounts show the potential offered by studying the historical practices of several centuries-old orders to better understand the challenges and the functioning of organisational governance mechanisms. The Benedictines and the Dominicans studied here represent two extraordinarily long-lived organisations. If longevity is an indication of organisational performance, it should be noted that these orders have been high performers over the long term, and that governance has played a role in this success. The works analysed in the present study effectively show that by framing the activities of abbots and priors, governance practices have repeatedly supported this longevity in very tangible contexts. The works of Inauen et al. (2010), for example, show that agency problems concerning certain abbots could have seriously compromised the survival of a major abbey such as Engelberg and that the governance system allowed the necessary discipline to be imposed to settle agency conflicts. For the Dominicans, it has been shown that governance also played a significant role in maintaining the organisational coalition when the order faced an identity crisis relating to the most effective means of preaching in the ever-changing world of today. By enabling explanation and the systematic discussion of the different positions and points of view, governance gave the Provincial Prior the means to support innovation while also maintaining more traditional forms of expression of conventual life.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to tentatively contribute to paving the way for interdisciplinary research on the history of governance practices in ancient religious orders and on the significance of such governance for the orders' performance and long-term survival.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The principal challenges of and proposed directions for such research on the comparative governance of old religious orders are illustrated through selected historic examples from Benedictine abbeys and Dominican monasteries, as they can be found in the yet scarce literature devoted to religious governance in the management field.\nFindings: The authors' review of research specifically devoted to the corporate governance of Benedictines and Dominicans illustrates the relevance of a hermeneutic grid derived from contemporary management research to better understand the historical dynamics of monastic governance and its relation to sustainability.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to establish a hermeneutic grid for the systematic and comparative study of the dynamics of governance systems in old religions organisations and their impact on organisational performance and sustainability.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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The impact of advertising message strategy - fair labour v. sexual appeal - upon Gen Y consumers' intent to patronize an apparel retailer
|
[
"Advertising",
"Advertising effectiveness",
"Garment industry",
"Retailers"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The globalization of the textiles and apparel industry in the second half of the 20th century wrought a number of adverse labour and environmental conditions that came to the political and social forefront of the industrialized world in the 1990s. Increased awareness of these conditions spurred a movement among businesses, consumers, and academics to envision, develop, and adopt alternative or \"socially responsible\" modes for the production, distribution, and consumption of textile and apparel goods (Dickson and Eckman, 2006; Littrell and Dickson, 1997). In turn, the emergence of these alternative business models has prompted the use of message strategies designed to promote socially responsible business practices for the purposes of building brand image and generating sales and profits (Dickson, 2001; Knight and Greenberg, 2002; Stabile, 2000).\nRelated literature: Consumer responses to advertising\nTheoretical framework: This study was informed by the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975), which suggests that human behavior can be predicted by an individual's stated intention to behave in a given way. Two factors, an individual's attitude toward a given behavior and his/her subjective norm (i.e. his/her perception of the desirability of the behavior to important others), contribute to an individual's behavioral intention. The following equation is used to express this relationship: Equation 1 where BI denotes behavioral intention, AB denotes attitude toward the behavior, SN denotes subjective norm, and w1 and w2 denote the weights[2] of the respective factors. Attitude toward a given behavior is calculated as the summed product of belief strength (bi) and belief evaluation (ei): Equation 2 Belief strength is the extent to which an individual believes a behavior and/or its outcome to be true or probable, whereas belief evaluation is the importance or desirability of the belief to an individual. Subjective norm is the summed product of normative belief (NBi) and motivation to comply with others (MCij): Equation 3 An individual's perceptions about what others think or believe constitute his/her normative beliefs. One's motivation to comply refers to the extent to which an individual wants to do what others think that he/she should do. As such, behavioral intention can also be expressed algebraically as: Equation 4 In this study, the theory of reasoned action was used to predict consumers' intent to patronize American Apparel. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the varied factors that may influence consumer patronage behavior, the classic Fishbein and Ajzen model was extended to include variables external to the theory. The variables added to the model were consumers' pre-existing awareness of American Apparel (i.e. brand awareness or recognition), evaluations of American Apparel advertisements, consumers' preferences for apparel attributes, gender, and monthly apparel expenditures. As noted in the literature review, these variables may explain some additional variance, beyond that explained by the classic reasoned action model, in consumers' behavioral intentions to patronize American Apparel. Thus, like Mitchell and Olson's (1981) seminal work, the present study examines the way in which consumers' intentions to patronize a given retailer are shaped by their salient beliefs about this retailer (e.g., beliefs about the company's business practices) as well as by their evaluations of that retailer's advertisements.\nMethods: Sample\nImplications and conclusions: Recent advertising campaigns employed by American Apparel offer a rare opportunity to compare the efficacy of two disparate advertising message strategies - fair labour and sex appeal - that are not often used simultaneously by a single company within the contemporary consumer marketplace. The present examination of consumer responses to these advertising message strategies provides a unique contribution to our understanding of the relative \"value\" of fair labour, as well as sex appeal, in predicting brand attitude and purchase intention. In particular, this study expands upon earlier work by exploring Gen Y consumer responses to advertisements employing diverse message strategies that varied in content as well as in intensity (e.g., degree of sexiness) and by examining the relationship of these responses, as well as other variables, to patronage intention.This research provides evidence that among Gen Y consumers, a fair labour message may contribute to positive evaluations of advertisements and may build positive attitudes toward apparel retailers, which may, in turn, influence patronage intentions. Also interesting to note is that the apparel attributes factor, \"preference for socially responsible production,\" only predicted intent to patronize American Apparel among Group 1 participants, who were exposed to a fair labour message, only. As such, rather than relying upon the commonly held assumption that \"sex sells,\" apparel retailers targeting Gen Y consumers might consider invoking fair labour messages as a promotional strategy. Future researchers may wish to explore Gen Y consumers' responses to other promotional messages that invoke themes of socially responsible business practices. For instance, are promotional messages focused upon themes of environmentally responsible apparel production (e.g., organic fibers, eco dyes and finishes) salient for this group?As noted, prior research suggests that the level of sexual intensity featured in an advertisement may impact consumers' attitudes toward the advertisement as well as their purchase intentions and may be influenced by gender. Findings from the present work provide mixed support for this previous research and extend understanding of consumer response to varying levels of sexual intensity in apparel advertisements by examining the impact of sexual intensity upon brand attitude. In contrast to previous work (Andersson et al., 2004; LaTour and Henthorne, 1994), the present findings indicate that women reported more positive attitudes toward American Apparel than did men when exposed to Ad No. 2 and Ad No. 3, which represented high and moderate levels of sexual intensity, respectively. At the same time, however, findings also demonstrate that both males and females exposed to Ad No. 4, which represented a high level of sexually intensity, reported similar attitudes toward American Apparel. Here, it interesting to note that women's attitude scores for Ad No. 4, which includes graphic imagery and text implying sexual intercourse, were lower than were those for any of the other ads, perhaps providing some tentative support for the argument not to use blatantly overt sexual appeals in advertisements targeting women (see Andersson et al., 2004; LaTour and Henthorne, 1994).Finally, this work provides some support for existing theoretical models of consumer behavior, including Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) classic premise that attitudes predict behavioral intention as well as the generalized notion that consumer responses toward advertisements may shape intention to buy (De Pelsmacker and Van Den Bergh, 1996; Mitchell and Olson, 1981). Within the classic models tested for this study, attitude predicted intent to patronize American Apparel across all ad exposure groups. That attitude - but not subjective norm (with one exception) - predicted intent is consistent with the notion that the participants were largely socialized within the US culture, which values autonomy, and thus, were likely to perceive the self as independent from the influence of others (Triandis, 1995). Further, findings provided some support for the utility of an expanded reasoned action model in predicting patronage behaviors at American Apparel. Two variables added to the classic model emerged as predictors across several ad exposure groups: awareness of American Apparel and evaluation of American Apparel advertisements. In turn, these findings provide additional evidence in support of prior work examining the hierarchical effects of advertising on purchase intentions (see Batra and Ray, 1986; De Pelsmacker and Van Den Bergh, 1996; Mackenzie et al., 1986; Percy and Rossiter, 1992). In future work, researchers may wish to consider other variables relevant to consumers' apparel preferences and/or purchase behaviors, beliefs about advertising and promotion, and inclinations toward socially responsible business practices that could be added to the reasoned action model as predictors of intent to patronize apparel retailers. Such variables might include participants' apparel consumption patterns, fashion orientation, media diet or exposure, media literacy or skepticism, and attitudes toward apparel production and promotion methods, and personal or global values.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine Gen Y consumers' responses to American Apparel's use of two advertising message strategies - fair labour and sex appeal, using the theory of reasoned action to predict intent to patronize American Apparel and comparing the utility of the classic reasoned action model with an extended model that included variables external to the theory.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A questionnaire was administered to 425 consumers, who were randomly assigned to one of four advertisement exposure groups. Group 1 evaluated an American Apparel ad (Ad No. 1) that promoted fair labour practices. Groups 2, 3, and 4 evaluated Ad No. 1 as well as one of three additional ads that featured messages employing sex appeal of varied intensities.\nFindings: - Participants' attitudes toward American Apparel were more positive when they were exposed to the fair labour message, only, than when they were exposed to the fair labour message in conjunction with one of the three sex appeal messages. In the classic reasoned action models, intent to patronize American Apparel was consistently predicted by attitude toward the retailer. Extending the models increased the explained variance for Groups 1, 2, and 3, with several variables adding predictive utility.\nResearch limitations/implications: - A fair labour message may contribute to positive evaluations of apparel advertisements and may build positive attitudes toward apparel retailers. Thus, when appropriate, apparel retailers might consider using a fair labour message strategy, rather than a sex appeal message strategy.\nOriginality/value: - The study explores consumer responses to two distinct advertising message strategies not often used simultaneously by a single company within the contemporary marketplace and examines the influence of these responses and other variables on patronage intention.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Websters wins gold for its people practices: Openness, mutual respect and shared values impress the assessor
|
[
"Training",
"Awards",
"Teamwork",
"Accountancy",
"Empowerment",
"Orgaizational culture"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Openness, mutual respect and shared values helped a tax, legal, accountancy and financial-planning company to win the highest level of recognition that a UK organization can achieve for people-management excellence.\nUnusual approach to appraisal: Changes to legislation and practice are examined at regular in-house sessions open to all staff. These sessions also consider client case studies to see where knowledge can be shared with other clients or potential problems avoided in future.\nEleanor illustrates empowerment in action: The receptionist, Eleanor, is a good example of how empowerment works at Websters. She is involved and takes the lead in dealing with each new client, from the first enquiry to sign-up. She is in charge of that process. \"Before her arrival there was obviously a process in place but Eleanor has been encouraged to develop and suggest improvements and the company has seen the benefit of her suggested changes,\" said Catriona Freebairn. \"People are asked for input and opinion and then expected to act on this.\"\nFlexible workers make up most of the company: Andrew Webster, the chief executive, started the company as a one-man operation in 1990. Its growth to include chartered accountants, chartered tax advisors, a solicitor and independent financial advisors has been built on flexible-working principles. Flexible workers make up most of the company with a small base of full-time workers. The information-technology systems are sufficient to enable people to work permanently from home, if they wish, or split their work between home and office.\nNote: David Pollitt, Human Resource Management International Digest editor, wrote this article.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to chart the journey to Investors in People gold of Cambridge-based tax, legal and accountancy company, Websters.\nDesign/methodology/approach: It examines the firm's policies and approaches, in particular, in the areas of training, teamwork, empowerment and flexible working.\nFindings: It emphasizes the importance of openness, mutual respect and shared values at the company.\nPractical implications: It reveals that employees set their own development programs, which need not be directly related to their role in the company, although they must benefit the business.\nSocial implications: It explains how flexible working has been built into the structure of the company from the start.\nOriginality/value: It describes how a successful business develops, supports and motivates its team.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Cognitive understanding of knowledge processing and modeling in design
|
[
"Knowledge processes",
"Cognitive mapping",
"Product design"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Design is a knowledge driven process. Designers handle large amounts of knowledge during the design process. However, many existing systems for knowledge management integrate poorly with the design process. It has been argued that there is often a fundamental mismatch between the way humans process knowledge and the way it is processed by technology support systems (Kushniruk, 2001). Pioneering studies in cognitive science examined the design process from a variety of perspectives, such as problem solving (Goel, 1991). However, little research has addressed the cognitive and social psychological factors within knowledge activities, such as human cognitive needs, abilities and limitations when engaged in knowledge acquisition, sharing and utilization in product design.An improved understanding of knowledge processing will be critical to the success of information technology in improving knowledge management. Understanding how people value knowledge to make decisions is essential for the development of better knowledge-based system support. Cognitive knowledge modeling will result in a better understanding of knowledge support. It will also result in a natural integration of knowledge-based systems into the design process.\nA cognitive model of knowledge processing in product design: Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) classified knowledge as tacit and explicit. Tacit knowledge is that which is contained within a person's head, and is difficult or impossible to express, write down and codify. There are two dimensions to tacit knowledge:1. Technical dimension. It encompasses the kind of informal personal skills or crafts often referred to as 'know-how' (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995).2. Cognitive dimension. It consists of beliefs, ideals, values, schemata and mental models which are deeply ingrained in people.While difficult to articulate, this cognitive dimension of tacit knowledge shapes the way human perceives the world (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). Explicit knowledge, on the other hand, is that which can be readily articulated, written down, codified and shared. Standard operating procedures, and instructions on how to design a bicycle are examples of explicit knowledge. The cognitive knowledge processing in product design can be illustrated in Figure 1.Shown as Figure 1, knowledge in design space can also be defined as \"explicit knowledge\" or \"tacit knowledge\", which is divided by the dashed line in Figure 1. The part above the dashed line refers to \"explicit knowledge\" in design space, whereas the part under the dashed line refers to \"tacit knowledge\" in design space. The designer's internal world refers to human's cognitive world, whereas the external world refers to the external reality. Explicit knowledge in designer's internal world is easy to capture by analyzing the verbal communication. However, tacit knowledge in the designer's internal world is difficult to capture. Knowledge management in design should motivate the designer to transfer the tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge.Figuratively, let the tacit knowledge be the sea-based, and the explicit knowledge be the part above the surface sea level. The designer's internal world is like a piece of ice on the sea (shown in Figure 1). The ice that is on top of the sea surface is the designer's explicit knowledge. The ice that is under the sea surface is the designer's tacit knowledge. The knowledge processing in design space is a spiralling process of interactions between explicit and tacit knowledge.In this paper, to study the designer's cognitive processes, knowledge in designer's internal world is classified to market knowledge, technological knowledge, procedural knowledge and human knowledge (Qiu et al., 2006):* Market knowledge (MK). Represents the knowledge interacting with the external interface like customers, partners, suppliers and other stakeholders.* Technological knowledge (TK). Refers to the knowledge about technologies.* Procedural knowledge (PK). Refers to the knowledge about how to accomplish an end.* Human knowledge (HK). Represents the unique knowledge contained in human's cognitive world, such as the skills, experience, creativity and etc.Market knowledge, technological knowledge and procedural knowledge are mainly explicit, whereas human knowledge is mainly tacit. Only a small part of human knowledge will be externalized from tacit to explicit. During the design process, only the human knowledge that is externalized can be captured and observed.According to Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), knowledge creation is a spiralling process of interactions between explicit and tacit knowledge. The interactions between the explicit and tacit knowledge lead to the creation of new knowledge. The combination of the two categories makes it possible to conceptualize four conversion patterns, namely socialization (S), externalization (E), combination (C) and internalization (I) (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). The definitions of the four conversion patterns are adjusted to designers from Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) as follows:1. Socialization. It refers to the exchange of tacit knowledge between the designer and the external world in order to convey personal knowledge. Joint experience results in new shared tacit knowledge, such as common values or technical skills.2. Externalization. It describes the conversion process of tacit into explicit knowledge within designer's internal world. Externalization requires the expression of tacit knowledge and its translation into comprehensible forms that can be understood by others. Since tacit knowledge is difficult to express, the conversion process is often supported by the use of metaphors, analogies, or stories, as well as visualization aids, like models, diagrams or prototypes.3. Combination. It refers to the exchange of explicit knowledge between the designer and the external world in order to convey more complex and more systematized explicit knowledge. In this stage, the key issues are communication and diffusion processes and the systemization of knowledge.4. Internalization. It is a process in which explicit knowledge becomes part of tacit knowledge. This can happen through learning-by-doing, and documented knowledge can play a helpful role in this process. In this process, both capabilities and skills as well as firm visions and guidelines may be internalized to designer's tacit knowledge. This tacit knowledge gained on an individual level can be shared again through socialization-processes between designer and the external world, so that the knowledge spiral may be set in motion once more.The spiral model is based on the dynamic and continuous entangle-ment of the four modes of knowledge conversion.\nCognitive knowledge modeling: Cognitive knowledge modeling framework\nPractical implications for cognitive support and future research: Ideal cognitive support for knowledge-based system\nConclusion: This study crosses different disciplines including management, engineering and human factors. A cognitive model of knowledge processing was described. A cognitive knowledge modeling method was presented. Suggestions on cognitive support for knowledge based system were provided. Rather than focusing on supporting designer's knowledge need, this research emphasizes the need to support designers' knowledge processing process. It is necessary to provide cognitive support of the content, action and context of knowledge. Practical implications were presented and new directions were explored for research and practice. It is essential to understand further how designers share and utilize knowledge for design work and to use this understanding to develop a method of support for knowledge-based system.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this research is to aim to improve the cognitive understanding of knowledge processing and provide a cognitive knowledge modeling method in product design.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this paper, a cognitive model of knowledge processing is described. A cognitive knowledge modeling method is presented. Suggestions on cognitive support for knowledge based systems are provided.\nFindings: - There is often a fundamental mismatch between the way human process knowledge and the way it is processed by technology for supporting product design. It is necessary to develop tools, methods and technology which integrate seamlessly with the design process. This study focuses on the internal human activities and explores knowledge management research from a human factors perspective. Cognitive knowledge modeling will result in a natural integration of knowledge-based systems into the design process.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This study uses an experimental approach and hopefully the research can therefore be generalized to other situations.\nPractical implications: - This study provides guidelines for cognitive support for knowledge-based systems.\nOriginality/value: - Cognitive knowledge processing is described and a cognitive knowledge modeling method is presented. The paper explores knowledge management research by analyzing human activities, in combination with the study of management and engineering technologies.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A DEMATEL approach for evaluating barriers for sustainable end-of-life practices
|
[
"Decision making",
"Sustainable production",
"Environmental management",
"Interaction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The plastic industries in India is one of the sectors responsible for the rapid development of the country's economy (Mangla et al., 2015) and also for the growth of various fields like automotive, electronics, construction and textiles. The demand for plastics is growing day by day in India and is a major importer of poly-ethylene (Mandal, 2011) among the developing nations. Indian plastics industry is emerging as one of the fastest growing markets with a 12 percent (FICCI, 2017) growth rate every year. By 2020, plastics consumption of the country is expected to increase from 12 mmt (million metric tonnes) to 20 mmt per annum (Mathiyazhagan et al., 2016). Plastic parts usage is growing rapidly in different forms. Recent reports state that the total amount of plastic usage in all the sectors is at around 148 lakh tonne (Mathiyazhagan et al., 2016) in 2015-2016. Plastic part utilization is more in Western India which accounts for about 47 percent of the total whereas Northern and Southern India account for 23 and 21 percent (FICCI, 2017), respectively. Most of the consumption prevails in end-use industries such as auto parts, bulk packaging and electronic applications. Excessive demand from the manufacturing sector is responsible for the rapid growth of plastic processing. Next, to manufacture, plastics find a big market for applications in agriculture (Mandal, 2011) which improves overall productivity. There are different kinds of plastic raw materials grouped as engineering, commodity and special plastics. Among these, commodity plastics stand first with a major consumption by petrochemical industries. Special and engineering plastics are known for excellent mechanical and thermal properties over commodity plastics.\n2. Proposed barriers for Sus-EoL options: The barriers identified from the literature and the reliability analysis are discussed in the following subsections.\n3. Interaction analysis: Criteria interaction is mainly of two types, namely, criteria dependency and criteria interactivity. Criteria dependency is subdivided into three types, namely, structural dependency, causal dependency and preferential dependency. In causal dependency, cause and effect relationships between factors are identified, and the statistical results are drawn. They are about seven important techniques under causal dependency (Golcuk and Baykasoglu, 2016). These are causal maps (Vo et al., 2007; Rodrigues et al., 2017), DEMATEL (Wu and Lee, 2007; Patil and Kant, 2013), fuzzy cognitive maps (Salmeron et al., 2012; Ferreira et al., 2017), Bayesian networks (Marvin et al., 2017; Zeng et al., 2016), system dynamics (Pruyt, 2007; Xu and Coors, 2012), ISM (Agi and Nishant, 2017; Purohit et al., 2016; Girubha et al., 2016) and structural equation modeling (Bagozzi, 2010; Hair et al., 2012).\n4. Research method: The following subsection discusses the DEMATEL method and data collection technique adopted for this study.\n5. An illustration of methodology application to case problem: The case organization is a manufacturer of plastic parts using an injection molding machine. This firm is located in southern part of India established in the year 1997. Employees of the organization are involved in designing the mold, material selection and parameter optimization going up to the production of parts. The state of art infrastructure with R&D facilities, near zero defect rate, the urge to improve and innovate and dedicated customer support and service team are the factors that lend enormous strength to the organization which conforms national and international standards in terms of quality and has ISO 9001:2008 accreditation. The organization manufactures plastic injection molded components used in automobiles, home appliances, electronic components and other components like plastic containers and plastic trays using engineering graded polymers such as Grilamid TR55LX - EMS, Zytel 74G33 EHSL, Zytel 70G30 HSLR, Crastin S600, Stanyl TW241F6/TW34, Valox 420-1001, Lexan 143R/111 and Noryl SE1-960. The organization has customers in India as well as in a few European countries.\n6. Discussions: The aim of this study is to investigate the interrelationship among the barriers seen in implementing Sus-EoL options for used plastic parts. The data for pairwise comparison matrix are obtained from the designated expert team and DEMATEL method is applied to understand the causal interrelationships.\n7. Conclusions and contributions: This paper discusses the incorporation of DEMATEL for the analysis of barriers that influence the implementation of Sus-EoL practices in an Indian manufacturing organization. The DEMATEL method generates the cause and effect diagram through the incorporation of expert's opinion. Based on the literature analysis and discussions with the experts, 18 barriers were grouped under five heads. The DEMATEL framework is applied for getting an understanding of the interrelationships with the construction of prominence and net cause/effect diagram and prominence - causal relationship diagram. The categorization of the primary barriers, the most influencing barriers and cause and effect group is done on this basis. This study reveals the significant barriers (cause) which affect the implementation of Sus-EoL. These are: unsafe transportation of recovered parts or poor network design (B17), difficulties in disposing waste from recovered plastics (B18), lack of awareness about environmental benefits among customers (B15), poor success of curbside pickup (B13), lack of initiative from people (B7), difficulty in locating recycling point centers (B8) and poor consumer perception of recycled materials (B3). The case organization is advised to formulate strategies to address or overcome these barriers for the better implementation of Sus-EoL practices. On the other hand, the absence of any tax benefit or other rewards from the government (B2) is the least influencing or influenced barrier based on the prominence/causal relationship diagram (Figures 3-5). This implies that no tax benefit or other rewards from the government has less influence on increasing awareness among the people and the customers to bring back used products.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Sustainable end-of-life (Sus-EoL) practices can be achieved through manufacturing of sustainable products, and recovery and recycling after the use phase. To achieve Sus-EoL, the manufacturing organizations should handle their products after their EoL. The recovery of used products is achieved through the design of the collection location. However, the first step is to understand and identify the barriers (e.g. lack of awareness among people, lack of technology, etc.) which prevent the implementation of Sus-EoL practices. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper is about the 18 barriers responsible for the poor success of Sus-EoL practices of used plastic parts. By applying the DEMATEL method and by incorporating experts' knowledge, a prominence and causal relationship diagram was developed through which the influential strength among barriers was studied.\nFindings: The a value is computed as 0.068, and the values lower than a were eliminated to obtain the digraph. Poor curbside pick is identified as the most dominant barrier in implementation of Sus-EoL practices in plastic parts with an influential score of 3.96.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research is conducted in the Indian scenario which could be extended to global context by selecting the suitable barriers.\nPractical implications: The results from the study can be used by the managers of organizations to enhance the possibility of Sus-EoL practices by incorporating suitable strategies which is the significant contribution of this study.\nOriginality/value: In the past, few authors discussed about the barriers of Sus-EoL practices; however, the analysis of complex interrelationship does not exist. Thus, the global and group interrelationship has been studied which is expected to pave way for future research in the direction of elimination of barriers and so on.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Mapping educational leadership, administration and management research 2007-2016: Thematic strands and the changing landscape
|
[
"Content analysis",
"Management",
"Administration",
"Bibliometric analysis",
"Science mapping",
"Educational leadership",
"Mapping review"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Prior to the 1990s, educational leadership, management and administration (EdLAM) research has been mostly conducted by Anglo-Saxon scholars within Anglo-Saxon contexts (Hallinger, 2019). Since the early 2000s, an international EdLAM knowledge base has been gradually formed thanks to an increasing number of studies from emerging regions, as evidenced by a series of regional reviews covering, for example, Hong Kong 1995-2014 (Szeto et al., 2015), East Asia mid-1980s-2015 (Walker and Hallinger, 2015), Asia 1995-2012 (Hallinger and Chen, 2015), Africa up until 2016 (Hallinger, 2017), Arab societies 2000-2016 (Hallinger and Hammad, 2017) and Latin America 1991-2017 (Castillo and Hallinger, 2018).\nMethodology: Data sources and selection criteria\nFindings: Network map: five thematic strands\nContent analysis findings: Thematic Strand 1: school leadership for enhancing students' academic achievement and teachers' effectiveness\nDiscussion: This review mapped EdLAM development from 2007 to 2016. The bibliometric analysis identified five EdLAM thematic strands, most-studied topics, changes of scholars' research interests and the most-cited publications. The content analysis yielded key research findings and limitations in each thematic strand. Several of the most-cited publications (e.g. Cooper, 2009; DiPaola and Tschannen-Moran, 2001; Hallinger, 2011c) were listed in two strands, suggesting the five thematic strands overlap. This echoed the bibliometric network map in which we found boundary-spanning keywords (e.g. educational change, transformational leadership and instructional leadership) connecting several clusters. Hallinger (2019) discovered the same phenomenon in his author co-citation analysis; the overlapping publications were the ones bridging several thematic strands and exerted a strong impact on EdLAM development. The clustering of the five thematic strands was based on the accumulated keywords relatedness in the whole corpus (Van Eck and Waltman, 2017). This bibliometric analysis result is not in conflict with a small number of articles containing keywords from multiple clusters.\nLimitation and future research: The future research calls for more thematic reviews to gain a nuanced understanding of the five EdLAM thematic strands. Using the same bibliometric and content analysis methods, scholars can map the EdLAM research development in different geographic regions. The research limitations identified in each thematic strand, such as the understudied power issues and the impact of instructional leadership, can be further explored.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the development of educational leadership, administration and management (EdLAM) research by identifying thematic strands that hallmark key publications and synthesise major research findings and limitations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study combines bibliometric and content analysis methods to review 2,347 publications from 15 core EdLAM journals published from 2007 to 2016.\nFindings: The bibliometric analysis identified five EdLAM thematic strands: school leadership for enhancing students' academic achievement and teachers' effectiveness; leadership for educational change, accountability and promoting democratic values; leadership for social justice, equal education and narrowing achievement gaps; principal's instructional leadership for school improvement; and distributed leadership and its impact on organisational climate and teachers' attitudes and stress. The content analysis revealed that the EdLAM research from 2007 to 2016 further developed the following research areas: the dynamics between leaders and teachers in leadership work, the potential risks of distributed leadership and the EdLAM challenges brought by the New Public Management and neoliberalism.\nOriginality/value: This study depicts state-of-the-art EdLAM research. It confirms the combination of bibliometric and content analyses as a useful approach for large-scale review studies. Finally, this review suggests future research directions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Learning to become an academic in an SME
|
[
"SME"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This paper scrutinizes how an academic graduate and blue-collar workers learn to scaffold knowing in the context of a small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) that has previously employed solely blue-collar workers. This is worth examining as both organizational learning and academic knowledge creation in the SME need to be examined to inform theory and practice.\nTheoretical framework: The idea that learning and knowledge are socially and processually constructed in practice is widely accepted among scholars in the realm of practice-oriented social learning theories (Lave and Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998; Brown and Duguid, 2001; Brown and Duguid, 1991) and is crucial to contemporary practice theorists (Schatzki, 2005; Nicolini, 2012). Organizational learning emerges in a CoP that is a place for knowledge creation and a promoter of organizational development (Wenger, 1998; Wenger et al., 2002; Hall-Andersen and Broberg, 2014; Manuti et al., 2017).\nMethodology and case setting: A single case study is conducted to gain in-depth insights into and grasp the complexity of the case (Yin, 2014). The case study is longitudinal (Yin, 2014), as the study is conducted over seven months, enabling a study of the process of scaffolding knowing and becoming a knower in the SME. The case organization is a business with commercial activities within contractor machinery and waste management. The company operates in Denmark, and, other than the owner-manager, the company employs four people, including the academic graduate. Aside from the owner-manager and the academic graduate, the employees are a purchaser, a salesman and a bookkeeper. Employing the academic was accepted by the owner-manager and the board because of a need to integrate new knowledge into the organization. The academic graduate holds a master's degree in language, culture and economics from the cross field between the humanities and social sciences. The knowledge domain of the academic graduate differs from the other organization members in two senses. First, it is an academic university education. Second, the education is about language, culture and economics, which is a new knowledge domain in the SME.\nFindings: Scaffolding knowing about marketing by learning the practice of the small- to medium-sized enterprise\nDiscussion and concluding remarks: As stated initially, the metaphor of \"scaffolding\" refers to physical content to support the building of physical structures, which, I state, makes many elements in scaffolding highly tangible. However, when scaffolding knowing, the concept implies rather intangible elements such as experience. Using such a tangible metaphor to describe and analyze the potentially intangible concept of knowing is thus a limitation to this and other studies that apply the metaphor. Furthermore, grasping knowing in this manner implies that practitioners know about their knowing and practice as a starting point for scaffolding knowing.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore how an academic graduate from the cross field between the humanities and the social sciences and blue-collar workers learns to scaffold knowing in a small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME).\nDesign/methodology/approach: A case study was conducted in an SME that employed the first academic graduate among the company's blue-collar workers. The paper applies a practice-oriented theoretical framework to study scaffolding knowing among the workers.\nFindings: An academic graduate does not necessarily apply subject-specific knowledge from his or her university education in the SME practice. Rather, general academic knowing and academic work practice is applied when scaffolding knowing in the SME. Further, this depends not only on the knowing of the academic graduate but also on his/her ability to apply knowing and the willingness to change in practice.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study is a single case study gaining in-depth insights into one particular case. This calls for more research.\nPractical implications: The study points at the importance for managers and academic graduates in SMEs to foster learning activities and to be aware of and develop ways to integrate the general academic knowing.\nOriginality/value: The case study provides new insights into the concept of scaffolding knowing in practice theory. Further, it gains unique insights into the practical possibility of employing graduates from higher education in SMEs.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Exploring customer experiences with robotics in hospitality
|
[
"Embodiment",
"Human-robot interaction",
"Emotions",
"Experience co-creation",
"User experience",
"Consumer reviews"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The application of robotics is progressing rapidly, diffusing into a broad range of sectors including healthcare, education, hospitality and tourism. Researchers and practitioners are currently testing and applying robotics across various contexts in tourism and hospitality; for example, Sacarino is a humanoid robot that accompanies and provides guests with information about hotel services (Zalama et al., 2014). Henn-na Hotel in Japan deployed a functional trolley robot to escort hotel guests and carry their suitcases (Lewis-Kraus, 2016). Singapore tested Singapore's Automated Responsive Assistant (SARA), a robotic virtual agent, to offer information and assistance for tourists (Niculescu et al., 2014).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 USUS evaluation framework\n3. Methodology: Purposive sampling was adopted in this study to assess guest experiences with robots. In purposive sampling, samples deemed most appropriate for addressing a specific research question are selected (Buchmann, 2017). In this study, the selected samples are from four different hotels that have launched robotic service: Yotel in New York, Aloft Cupertino, Henn-na Hotel in Japan and Residence Inn Marriott LAX in Los Angeles. These four hotels were selected as they reflect different types of HRIs; at Henn-na Hotel, guests can interact with humanoid and zoomorphic robots at the front desk during check-in, while at Yotel New York, YOBOT, a functional robotic arm, helps guests store their luggage. At both Residence Inn Marriott LAX and Aloft Cupertino, guests can engage with robotic butlers, Wally and Boltr, respectively, for room service deliveries.\n4. Results: Narratives from the online reviews were categorized into the five dimensions of user experience in HRI: embodiment, emotion, human-oriented perception, feeling of security and co-experience. Table II presents examples of narratives for each of these dimensions.\n5. Discussion and conclusion: This study reviewed five dimensions for evaluating user experience in HRI (i.e. embodiment, emotion, human-oriented perception, feeling of security and co-experience) and then analyzed user experiences with robotics at four hotels (i.e. Yotel New York, Aloft Cupertino, Henn-na Hotel Japan and Marriott Residence Inn LAX) based on reviews on TripAdvisor, Agoda, Yelp and Booking.com. In doing so, this study provides a number of theoretical and managerial implications relevant for hospitality and tourism research and practice.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore consumer reviews with robotics based on the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences (i.e. embodiment, emotion, human-oriented perception, feeling of security and co-experience), as derived from research in human-robot interactions (HRI).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study first reviews the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences in HRI and then analyzes user experiences with robotics at four hotels (i.e. Yotel New York, Aloft Cupertino, Henn-na Hotel Japan and Marriott Residence Inn LAX) based on reviews on TripAdvisor, Agoda, Yelp and Booking.com.\nFindings: The findings highlight the influence of robotic embodiment and human-oriented perceptions on consumer experiences. The findings also suggest that users and robots can co-create novel experiences, with some guests even proactively seeking new opportunities to interact and communicate with robots to develop a certain level of \"relationship\" with them.\nResearch limitations/implications: An understanding of user experiences from HRIs can inform future hospitality and tourism research and management.\nPractical implications: This study contributes to hospitality and tourism management by highlighting current practices with robotics to suggest areas of improvements for enhancing future consumer experiences.\nSocial implications: Consumer experiences will change rapidly as hospitality and tourism management deploys robotics in the future.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the early studies in the field to explore consumer experiences with robotics based on the five dimensions for evaluating user experiences from research in HRI. In doing so, this study provides a number of theoretical and managerial implications relevant for hospitality and tourism research and practice.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Who gets all the PIE? Regulation of the statutory audit for private UK companies
|
[
"Audit fees",
"Audit market",
"Private companies",
"Big Four",
"Concentration",
"Public interest entities"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: We are an oligopoly - that is undeniable [...] I can't believe the industry will be the same [in the future]. We have to reduce the level of conflicts and [...] demonstrate why they are manageable and why the public and all stakeholders should trust us.Bill Michael, Chairman, KPMG UK[1]\n2. Theoretical framework: To analyse concentration in private firm audits and to understand if the current regulatory regime is appropriate, we bring together three important areas of theory. First, we view the existence or need for regulation through public interest theory, whereby regulation is used to maximise welfare and to limit market failure. Second, we look at both the role of professions and the need for regulation. Third, and related to the role of professions, we look at monopoly capitalism and its predictions for the structure of the audit market and the consequences of this.\n3. Regulatory background and prior literature: For a number of years, academic studies have raised awareness of the high levels of audit market concentration in a number of countries, such as the USA (Wolk et al., 2001), Germany (Quick and Wolz, 1999), UK (Beattie and Fearnley, 1994; Beattie et al., 2003; Arnold, 2009; Abidin et al., 2010), across the EU (Ballas and Fafaliou, 2008) and internationally (Francis et al., 2013). Moreover, regulators, market participants, and academics have raised concerns that a high level of supplier concentration within audit markets by the dominant audit firms, coupled with low levels of auditor switching, may impair independence and audit quality (e.g. Beattie et al., 2003; Oxera, 2006; Ballas and Fafaliou, 2008; Abidin et al., 2010; Francis et al., 2011; Francis et al., 2013). More recently, auditors have been criticised for their failure to identify the 2007-2008 Global Financial Crisis (Hopwood, 2009; Sikka, 2009) and alert investors to the high risk assets held by banks (Arnold, 2009; House of Lords, 2010). Post-crisis, inspection reports by Member States revealed that the lengthy relationships between auditors and their clients had resulted in the auditors exercising low levels of professional scepticism and performing inadequate procedures for the audits of major companies (EC, 2013).\n4. Data: 4.1 Sample selection\n5. Analysis: 5.1 Measuring audit market concentration\n6. Discussion of results: Having examined concentration in the private firm audit market and the lobbying carried out around the consultation on the scope of the definition of a PIE, we now discuss the predictions of our theoretical framework and the implications of our results.\n7. Summary: New regulation on the Statutory Audit of PIEs came into effect in June 2016 and required the mandatory rotation of company's auditors every ten years, prohibiting the provision of certain non-audit services by audit firms to their clients and capping the fees charged for non-audit services that are provided. These reforms should result in greater levels of audit assurance by reducing the overfamiliarity between auditors and their clients, increasing the choice between audit firms, and lowering the levels of concentration at the top-end of the audit market. However, rather than affecting all companies, these changes only apply to those firms defined as \"PIEs\" which, according to the EC, are companies where undetected material misstatement would have disproportionally greater consequences for society, shareholders and investors, compared to any other firms.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: While recently introduced EU regulation on the statutory audit of public interest entities (PIEs) aims to improve audit competition and quality, its success and impact depends on the definition of a PIE applied across the various EU Member States. In the UK, even though little is known about their auditing choices, these changes will not apply to most private companies despite their importance to the wider economy. The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the private company audit market and examine the lobbying behaviour of the accounting profession around the definition of a PIE in the UK.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using a large panel of independent private company audits in the UK and a textual analysis of submitted comment letters to a government consultation on the new regulation, this paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the audit market for private companies by measuring supplier concentration using four different measures of market share, and of the lobbying behaviour of the accounting profession.\nFindings: There are two main findings. First, the private company audit market is characterised by low auditor switching rates along with a tight oligopoly of the largest independent private company audits maintained by the Big Four audit firms. Second, the lobbying behaviour of accounting and audit firms sought, and succeeded, to limit the scope of the definition of a PIE in the UK, consistent with the theoretical predictions of monopoly capitalism and the theory of professions.\nOriginality/value: The paper shows that the definition and scope of a PIE needs revisiting both within the UK and across all EU Member States, with a view to including more of these economically important private companies and highlights the policy challenge of increasing competition and choice in a concentrated audit market.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Levelling the playing field? Active labour market policies, educational attainment and unemployment
|
[
"Unemployment",
"Displacement",
"Active labour market policy",
"Cumulative (dis)advantage",
"Job competition",
"Matthew effect"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This study aims to explain cross-national variation in the impact of education upon the unemployment risk using an institutional theoretical perspective. Structural changes in the economy weakened the position of the lesser educated, increasing their vulnerability to economic downturns. Researchers argue that labour market opportunities and outcomes of the lesser educated have diminished over recent decades as a result of the transformation of the economy. Under the influence of technological innovation and economic globalisation, the economy transforms from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy (Powell and Snellman, 2004). Due to technological innovation, labour demand shifts from low-skilled labour to high-skilled labour (Katz and Autor, 1999). However, it also seems that new technologies also affect jobs in the middle of the job structure, such as when routine production and clerical tasks are replaced (Autor et al., 2003; Goos and Manning, 2007). Consequently, workers that used to work in the middle segment increasingly compete for jobs with workers in the lower segment. Increased economic globalisation also weakens the labour market position of the less educated due to a reallocation of low-skilled jobs to developing countries (Wood, 1995). Demand for flexible labour also increased to efficiently adjust organisations to market fluctuations caused by increased international competition (McCann et al., 2008). As the likelihood of lesser educated people of having a flexible employment contract is higher (Schmid, 2010), economic globalisation is not only associated with a decrease in local demand for low-skilled jobs, but also with a reduced level of job security for the lesser educated.\nJob competition and substitution: According to the job competition theory, as explained by Thurow (1975), one's labour market opportunities are always relative to those of others. Employers rank applicants based on the costs they need to reach the full productive potential of a given job, forming a labour queue. This labour queue is matched with the job queue, which is the ordering of available jobs ordered according to their training requirements and rewards. The jobs with the highest training requirements are matched with persons with the lowest training costs until all job openings are filled. Hence, job competition is based on the ability to signal the lowest possible training costs to the employer relative to other applicants. Because the position in the labour queue is always relative, the probability of acquiring a job depends on the strength of the signal compared to that of others . In this context, the level of education is used as a signal for cognitive and non-cognitive skills of the applicant (Parsons, 1959). Non-cognitive skills refer to habits and traits, such as discipline, politeness and attendance, while cognitive skills refer to abilities related to reading, writing and mathematics among others (Farkas, 2003). Research shows that especially in the interactive service economy non-cognitive skills are more highly valued by employers than cognitive skills. However, non-cognitive skills are an additional requirement to cognitive skills, not a substitution (Mytna Kurekova et al., 2016). The options to measure both skill groups during the hiring process differ. Whereas cognitive skills can be more easily measured with standardized tests, non-cognitive skills are harder to measure, which induces the use of subjective criteria (Kmec, 2006). This suggests that when it comes to non-cognitive skills, employers rely more on presumed (stereotypical) group characteristics to order their applicants during the screening process instead of their actual skill level. Following the logic of the job competition theory, the labour queue position of the lesser educated can be improved by ALMPs that reduce training costs and provide opportunities for employers to obtain information on the actual skills and skill levels. However, at the same time, the higher educated would then obtain a lower position in the labour queue, lowering their chances of obtaining a job. As a result, downward substitution should happen to a lesser extent in labour markets that make more use of ALMPs.\nCumulative (dis)advantage and the Matthew effect: The possibility also exists that ALMPs increase labour market inequalities between lesser and higher educated people. ALMPs might produce a Matthew effect due to cumulative advantages of higher educated people and cumulative disadvantages of the lesser educated. The central idea of such an effect is that a group-based advantage or disadvantage will grow over time, widening inequality between social groups. Small disadvantages at a certain point in time might prevent closing the inequality gap or make it more difficult to do so. Conversely, small advantages at a certain time point might provide the opportunity to widen the gap even further between groups (DiPrete and Eirich, 2006). In short, cumulative (dis)advantage is a micro-level process that produces a macro-level effect of increasing inequality, i.e. a Matthew effect (Bask and Bask, 2015).\nData and method: To answer the research question, we used the fifth wave of the ESS (2010). The ESS contains micro-level data on 27 countries and includes a total of 52,458 observations. As we are interested in the labour market population, data on individuals younger than 15 and older than 65 are excluded. The micro-level data of the ESS are combined with macro-level data on ALMPs from the OECD because it is expected that the institutional structure of a national labour market partly influences the unemployment risk on the micro-level. The combination of micro-level and macro-level into one dataset allows us to simultaneously model the contextual and individual level variables, which prevents misleading conclusions to be drawn based on aggregated (ecological fallacy) or disaggregated data (atomistic fallacy). A disadvantage of multilevel data is that within-group errors tend to correlate due to common history, which results in standard errors that are too small (Hox, 2010). Several statistical techniques were used to address statistical issues concerning multilevel data. After excluding observations that did not meet the selection criterion and because not all countries in the ESS data set are covered by the OECD concerning specific ALMPs, the analyses were performed on data from 19 countries and 18,172 observations.\nResults: The results for ALMP training programmes (H1 and H3) are first discussed, which is followed by a discussion on the results for hiring subsidies (H2 and H4). The results of the multilevel logistic regression using participation rates as indicators for ALMP intensity are presented in Table II. The results with the indicators based on spending as a percentage of GDP are presented in Table AI. To test the hypotheses that the difference in the impact of education upon unemployment is smaller (H1) or bigger (H3) in labour markets with a high intensity of ALMP training compared with labour markets with a low intensity, interaction terms were estimated using both training programme indicators and the indicator for educational attainment. The first model in Table II shows a significant positive interaction between overall training participation and education on being unemployed (b=0.011, p<0.05). A similar pattern is observed in Table AI concerning overall training participation (b=0.071, p<0.05). The FEMs confirm these observations (see Table AII). The plots of within-country estimates of education on unemployment and spending on and participation in overall training both show a general positive relationship (see Figure A1). This suggests that the obtained results are robust against outliers and omitted variable bias on the country level. Figure 1 shows the marginal effects of the interaction between ALMP training participation, based on the multilevel model, that the predicted unemployment risk for the lesser educated is on average lower in countries with a higher participation rate, whereas the unemployment risk is on average higher for people with a higher education compared to a country with a low participation rate. The same pattern is observed concerning training programme spending.\nConclusion and discussion: The study utilises the job competition theory and cumulative (dis)advantage theory, as a contrast to the human capital and signalling theory, to formulate hypotheses about the potential effects that both ALMP programmes have on the impact of education on the unemployment risk. This study finds that hiring subsidy intensity is not associated with the relation between education and unemployment during an economic downturn. Nonetheless, training programmes do seem to affect the impact education has upon unemployment. Besides studying training programme spending and participation in general, a distinction was made between classroom training and workplace training. Higher levels of overall ALMP training programme intensity seem to be related to an improved labour market position of lesser educated people and a weaker labour market position of people who are highly educated. The results support job competition theory, which states that the strength of labour market signals is always relative to those of others. Thus, when the employment probability of one increases through a strengthening of the labour signal as the result of human capital development, those of others decrease. This implies that downward substitution is reduced, and the unemployment risk is distributed more evenly across educational groups. The higher educated are less likely to obtain a job with lower qualification requirements because of the stronger position of the lesser educated. Other researchers present similar findings. For instance, Bennett (2016) shows that with stricter employment protection legislation the less educated have a lower probability of becoming unemployed, while, at the same time, stricter EPL is associated with a higher unemployment risk for the highly educated.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate how active labour market policy (ALMP) training programmes and hiring subsidies increase or decrease differences in the unemployment risk between lesser and higher educated people during an economic downturn. A focus is put on potential job competition dynamics and cumulative (dis)advantages of the lesser and higher educated.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper uses multi-level data. The fifth wave (2010) of the European Social Survey was used and combined with macro-level data on labour market policies of the OECD. The sample consisted of 18,172 observations in 19 countries.\nFindings: The results show that higher levels of participation and spending on training policies are related to a smaller difference in the unemployment risks of the educational groups. Higher training policy intensity is associated with a lower unemployment risk for the lesser educated and a higher unemployment risk for the higher educated. This implies that the lesser educated are better able to withstand downward pressure from the higher educated, thereby, reducing downward displacement during an economic downturn. Hiring subsidies do not seem to be associated with the impact of education on unemployment.\nOriginality/value: The paper adds to the discussion on ALMP training and hiring subsidies that are primarily rooted in the human capital theory and signalling theory. Both theories ignore the social context of labour market behaviour. The job competition theory and cumulative (dis)advantage theory add to these theories by focussing on the relative position of individuals and the characteristics that accompany the social position of the individual.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Human resources - strength and weakness in protection of intellectual capital
|
[
"Knowledge",
"Innovation",
"HRM",
"Intellectual capital",
"Management",
"Qualitative research"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Human resources are invaluable sources of innovation and competitive advantage for firms (Sels et al., 2006; Massingham and Tam, 2015). Insightful, experienced and enthusiastic research and development (R\nProtecting tacit knowledge within companies: A great deal of research has concentrated on how to protect firms' intellectual capital and assets (e.g. Teece, 1986; James et al., 2013; Ahuja et al., 2013; Cohen et al., 2000; Davis, 2004; Hannah, 2005; Hertzfeld et al., 2006; Klein Woolthuis et al., 2005; Liebeskind, 1996; Harabi, 1995; Hurmelinna-Laukkanen and Puumalainen, 2007; Agarwal et al., 2009; Aaron and Finkin, 1998). In these studies, it has been acknowledged that knowledge is a company's strategic asset (Nonaka et al., 2000) and can be roughly split into the explicit and tacit. The most valuable intellectual capital of a company often lies in the knowledge reserves of its employees (Stahle and Gronroos, 1999; Bontis and Fitz-Enz, 2002), in a mostly tacit form. Tacit knowledge is hard to codify and transfer and is not easily visible (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995; Zander and Kogut, 1995). Tacitness of knowledge therefore characteristically offers protection for company-critical intellectual capital. However, this may also create problems in terms of adequate intra- (and inter-) firm knowledge exchange and innovation activity.\nCross-industry qualitative study on HR-related protection: Method and analysis\nDiscussion: The aim of this study was to find out how, and through which factors, human resource management practices can improve the ability of companies to limit knowledge leaking and leaving. Our empirical examination indicates that there are both knowledge-oriented and personnel-oriented factors connected to HRM that allow addressing these challenges. Of these, the personnel-oriented factors can be further considered from the point of view of commitment, trust, motivation, and sense of responsibility. Figure 1 summarises the HRM-related practices that have the potential to contribute to these factors in a manner that eventually mitigates knowledge leaving and leaking. Some practices can form links between the different factors (e.g. feedback and appraisal may promote commitment, but also give support for development of the sense of responsibility, and opportunities for learning and professional development can, in addition to commitment, relate to motivation), and as commitment, motivation, trust, and sense of responsibility are linked as well, succeeding in one area facilitates others in the best situations.\nConclusions: Summary of the findings\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Human resources in knowledge intensive industries create the basis for continuing innovation and subsequent firm performance. At the same time, they pose risks for the competitiveness of the firm: unwanted leaking of knowledge and intellectual capital to outsiders exposes firm-critical knowledge, and knowledge leaving with a departing key employee may jeopardise the firm's projects. The purpose of this paper is to examine how human resource management can serve as a protection mechanism to diminish knowledge leaking and leaving via employees.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors approach these issues through a case study utilising interview data from 22 interviews within two large research and development intensive firms.\nFindings: Human resources could be seen both as a strength and weakness of a firm with respect to knowledge protection. The findings indicate that there are numerous practices related to commitment, trust, motivation, and sense of responsibility available to deploy to strengthen loyalty and to improve preservation of intellectual capital.\nOriginality/value: While human resources management aspects have been widely discussed with regard job profitability and efficiency in generating intellectual capital, their connection to knowledge protection has often been overlooked. This study aims to contribute to this area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The 60th ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show 2005, 2-4 April 2005: "Voices of education - unleashing the power, passion and promise"
|
[
"Conferences",
"Education",
"Design and development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The ASCD conference was held in Orlando, Florida this year, my second visit to this conference and also second time to the Orange County Convention Centre. This has been transformed since my last visit four years ago with the addition of the newly built East Halls, which are linked by a futuristic walkway to the original West Halls Centre. The attendance was approximately 10,000 educators. I wish to acknowledge ASCD's help in arranging my attendance at this event for the second successive year and for the hospitality during the conference.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Aims to report on the 60th ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show 2005, held in Orlando Florida, 2-4 April 2005 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Discusses the presentations such as the obesity epidemic in children, educational progress in schools, creating capacity for learning, the human face of technological change, the implications of research and practice in school improvement for the design and implementation of accountability systems and the multiple intelligences of leadership.\nFindings: - The presentations gave excellent opportunities for teachers and researchers to share good practice and dialogue, as many of them were highly interactive.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a good overview of the 60th ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show 2005.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Conceptualising information and equipment technology adoption in construction: A critical review of existing research
|
[
"Diffusion",
"Construction",
"Implementation",
"Information technology",
"Adoption",
"Companies",
"Equipment"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The construction industry has traditionally lagged other industries in technology adoption (CII, 2008). However, in recent years, driven by the pressure to improve productivity, reduce costs, improve safety and increase sustainability, there is growing momentum to introduce new technologies into the construction industry (Loosemore, 2014). Brandon and Lu (2008) predicts that we are moving towards a \"machine-dominated\" construction sector and Hooper and Haris (2010) list a wide range of technological advances that are already starting to influence the way that firms in the construction industry work. These include: business information modelling, virtual and augmented reality; stereolithography; mobile and wearable technologies; automated material identification and tracking systems; GPS guided plant and machinery and nano technologies; and smart materials and building components, to name a few (Navon and Goldschmidt, 2003; Sacks et al., 2003; Navon et al., 2004; Navon, 2005; Navon and Sacks, 2007).\nDefining technology innovation: As a result of Schumpeter's (1934) formative work, five broad types of innovation are widely recognised:\nConceptualising the technology adoption process: In the technology adoption literature, there is a lack of consensus and often confusion regarding the meaning of key terms such as diffusion, adoption and implementation (Koebel and McCoy, 2006). According to Rogers (2003), \"technology adoption\" is defined as the steps taken in the process through which a decision maker passes to reach a decision to accept or reject a new technology. This is discussed in more detail below.\nA new framework of construction technology adoption: Looking at the existing literature on technology adoption above it is clear that there is no general agreement on the subdivisions of the adoption process across different domains. However, the majority of technology adoption researchers use a framework that consists of three overall phases that a potential decision maker may pass through: \"pre-adoption\", \"adoption decision\" and \"post-adoption\" (Rogers, 2003; Damanpour and Schneider, 2006; Rankin and Luther, 2007).\nConclusion: The aim of this paper was to critically review the existing literature on technology adoption in construction and propose a new conceptual model to guide future research. It was found that the existing literature offers valuable perspectives but tends to focus on individual technology types rather than the overall technology adoption process. When it does look at this process it tends to use a diffusion model (let it happen) rather than a dissemination model (make it happen) and to focus on customers rather than vendors of new technology. It was also found that construction companies' decisions for adopting and implementing a construction technology usually take place at the organisational level. Maximising the understanding of this decision process requires a transition from an individual-level perspective to an organisational-level perspective to align research with industry practice. In this paper, a conceptual framework consisting of several stages has been developed for future investigation of customer and vendor interactions in technology adoption. The identified gaps and the novel CTAF presented are of potential value to innovation researchers by providing a direction for research into the technology adoption process including key sub-processes. The identification of these research gaps will be helpful for academics in the construction equipment field to continue research into the adoption process of advanced products. Filling these research gaps will help customers and vendors navigate the technology adoption and technology dissemination processes.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of research in information and equipment technology adoption in the construction industry. The study also aims to formulate a conceptual framework of the different stages in the adoption process identify gaps in the existing literature and to provide a holistic picture of contemporary research in technology adoption in construction research literature.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A generic framework is initially proposed containing the fundamental concepts of \"pre-adoption\", \"adoption\" and \"post-adoption\". The review separates the literature according to three key perspectives: \"socio-economic\"; \"managerial\"; and \"psychological\". The applicability of the existing approaches to the construction context is discussed, and then a new conceptual framework for construction is developed.\nFindings: Significant gaps in the understanding of construction technology adoption are identified that provide an interesting agenda for future research. A Construction Technology Adoption Framework is presented, which draws together all of sub-processes involved in technology adoption. This framework covers key activities of both the vendor and the customer.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study has been restricted to information technologies and construction equipment technology. Other construction technologies, such as formwork systems, have not been examined.\nPractical implications: The new framework provides a direction for research into the technology adoption process including key sub-processes and potential research areas. The framework also assists vendors to influence customers' decision-making processes, and guides new customers in setting up their own decision procedures.\nOriginality/value: This paper departs from earlier research by focusing on information and equipment technology adoption rather than innovation adoption in general. In addition, this paper considers both sides of the adoption equation (vendor and customer), which is in contrast to previous binary studies which considered one side or the other. It delineates the boundaries of different concepts such as diffusion, adoption, acceptance and implementation, which have been interchangeably used in previous studies. This paper introduces the concept of dissemination to construction, which has previously been investigated in other industries.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Evaluating the prevalence of employees without written terms of employment in the European Union
|
[
"European Union",
"Employee relations",
"Undeclared work",
"Laws and legislation",
"Written contracts"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The aim of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of employees without written formal contracts or terms of employment. This is an issue that lies at the very heart of the study of employee relations. Although such a practice is not everywhere an illegal practice, it is widely believed that those without written contracts or terms of employment suffer poorer quality working conditions, that such a practice weakens collective bargaining and puts pressure on legitimate businesses to also adopt such a practice due to the unfair competition facing them (Andrews et al., 2011; ILO, 2015; Williams, 2014). Based on this assumption, not only has the European Commission since 1991 had a directive calling for all member states to adopt written contracts or terms of employment as a good practice, but legislative initiatives have been pursued in many countries to make it illegal not to offer written contracts or terms of employment to employees. Until now, however, little is known about the prevalence or distribution of employees without written contracts or terms of employment. This paper seeks to begin to fill that gap.\nEmployment without a written contract or terms of employment: literature review and hypotheses: For a quarter of century across the 28 member states of the EU (EU-28), the Employment Information Directive 1991 (91/553/EEC) has stated that every employee (however, defined by member state law) has the right to a written statement of the terms and conditions of their employment. Referred to as \"statements of employment particulars\", employers are directed to give all employees a written agreement that Article 2 of this 1991 directive states must include: the identity of the parties; place of work or employer's domicile; title, grade, category or nature of work, or a brief description of the work; commencement date; for temporary contracts, expected duration; paid leave; periods of notice or method for determining; initial pay; working time, and where appropriate, the collective agreement or joint representation institutions. This information, as Article 3 states, has to be in writing and cannot be changed without the agreement of the employee. The only exceptions, as Article 1 states, are that this does not need to be applied to those working less than one month or with a working week of less than eight hours, or to jobs of a \"casual and/or specific nature\" if this is justified by objective considerations.\nData and methodology: Data\nFindings: Of the 27,563 face-to-face interviews conducted during 2013 across the EU-28, some 11,025 respondents (42 per cent) were employees. Of these, one in 20 (5 per cent) reported that they did not have a written contract of employment. Extrapolating, this suggests that 10.6 million of the 212 million employees in the EU-28 do not have a written contract or terms of employment despite the existence of the 1991 EU directive calling for such an arrangement.\nDiscussion and conclusions: To evaluate whether employees from marginalized populations are more likely to be without written terms of employment, this paper has revealed that it is less socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and more firm size, institutional environment and spatial factors that are important in explaining the prevalence of employees without a written contract or terms of employment. Thus, governments should address not individuals but rather, the formal institutional failings and asymmetry between civic morality and state morality, in order to reduce the level of employment without a written contract, and focus their attention on smaller firms, larger towns and Southern European countries, especially Cyprus, Malta and Portugal.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Until now, there has been scant evidence on the proportion and characteristics of employees working without a written contract or terms of employment. To begin to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of employees without written contracts or terms of employment in the European Union (EU), examining whether they are unevenly distributed across countries and EU regions, and whether it is vulnerable population groups who are more likely to be without such written contracts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A 2013 Eurobarometer survey comprising 11,025 face-to-face interviews with employees in the 28 member states of the EU (EU-28) is reported.\nFindings: The finding is that it is less socio-demographic and socio-economic characteristics, and more firm size, institutional environment and spatial factors that are important in explaining the prevalence of employment without a written contract. Thus, governments should address not individuals but rather the formal institutional failings and asymmetry between civic and state morality, in order to reduce the level of employment without a written contract, and focus their attention on smaller firms, larger towns and Southern European countries, especially Cyprus, Malta and Portugal.\nResearch limitations/implications: Future research needs to evaluate whether and how the conditions of employment (e.g. wage rates, health and safety conditions, holiday entitlements) of employees without written contracts or terms of employment differ to their equivalents who have written contracts or terms of employment. This will reveal the implications of workers not being issued with written contracts or terms of employment.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the first extensive evaluations of the prevalence and distribution of employees without written contracts or terms of employment.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Learning from errors in dual vocational education: video-enhanced instructional strategies
|
[
"Workplace learning",
"Learning from errors",
"Vocational training",
"Instructional strategies",
"Video-based learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In recent years, the concept of error friendliness (Gartmeier and Schuttelkopf, 2012) has increasingly been used to highlight the potential role that errors can play in education both in school and workplace contexts. This is of particular interest in educational systems that offer learning experiences that alternate between formal and informal contexts, theory and practice and explicit and implicit knowledge. This is typical of dual vocational education and training (VET) systems, which are well established in countries such as Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland. In Switzerland (Strahm et al., 2016) in 2014, 64 per cent of upper secondary-level pupils attended a VET course leading to a federal VET diploma. An additional 10 per cent followed a post-federal VET diploma vocational baccalaureate course (Federal Statistical Office, 2015). In the same year, the public expenditure for sustaining the vocational and professional education and training (VPET) system and its 230 occupations was approximately 3.4 billion Swiss francs (SERI, 2016).\nMethod: When designing an instructional scenario that includes the treatment of errors, given that they comply with the first set of general components, the principles mentioned in the second set can be combined in different and varied ways. The next section presents a selection of such combinations and the corresponding cases.\nConclusions: The current paper aimed at investigating the feasibility of a learning-from-errors approach in VET. On one hand, error-friendliness cannot always be taken for granted in this context, and errors are often still perceived as something to be avoided because of the negative economic consequences they may have. On the other hand, learning from errors can be very useful to novices for developing deeper knowledge and mastery of professional procedures.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Starting from the identification of some theoretically driven instructional principles, this paper presents a set of empirical cases based on strategies to learn from errors. The purpose of this paper is to provide first evidence about the feasibility and the effectiveness for learning of video-enhanced error-based strategies in vocational education and training.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Four different cases are presented. All of them share the same design-based research perspective, in which teachers and researchers co-designed an (iterative) intervention in the field. Two cases are preliminary investigations, while the other two profit from a quasi-experimental design with at least one experimental condition based on error treatment and a control group.\nFindings: The four cases show the effectiveness of learning from error (and from error analysis). More specifically, they show the validity and flexible adoption of the specific instructional principles derived from the literature review: the use of inductive strategies and in particular, of worked-out examples; the reference to a concrete, possibly personal, experience for the analysis task; the use of prompted writing to elicit self-explanations and reflection; and the use of video for recording and annotating the situation to be analysed.\nResearch limitations/implications: The four cases constitute only a starting point for further research into the use of errors for procedural learning. Moreover, the cases presented are focused on learning in the domain of procedural knowledge and not in that of declarative knowledge. Further studies in the vocational education and training sector might serve this research area.\nPractical implications: The paper provides concrete indications and directions to implement effective instructional strategies for procedural learning from errors, especially within vocational education.\nSocial implications: Errors are often identified with and attributed to (individual) failures. In both learning institutions and the workplace, this can engender an intolerant and closed climate towards mistakes, preventing real professional development and personal growth. Interventions on learning from errors in schools and workplaces can play a role in changing such a culture and in creating a tolerant and positive attitude towards them.\nOriginality/value: The majority of studies about learning from errors are focused on disciplinary learning in academic contexts. The present set of cases contributed to filling in the gap related to initial vocational education, because they deal with learning from errors in dual vocational training in the field of procedural knowledge development. Moreover, a specific contribution of the presented cases relies on the use of video annotation as a support that specifically enhances error analysis within working procedures.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How gender biases drive venture capital decision-making: exploring the gender funding gap
|
[
"Gender imbalance",
"Gender",
"Decision-making",
"Investors",
"Women entrepreneurs",
"Gender bias",
"Venture capital",
"Gender role theory"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Women now account for 40 per cent of new US entrepreneurs, the highest representation since 1996 (Kauffman, 2016), but women entrepreneurs in high-growth ventures continue to face challenges when seeking venture capital funding. Companies founded by women receive a tiny fraction of all the venture capital invested. Women entrepreneurs were the recipients of less than 3 per cent of all venture capital funding in the USA (Brush et al., 2017). Financial capital is a critical resource for entrepreneurial firms that seek to expand quickly (Brush et al., 2014; Becker-Blease and Sohl, 2007). Research has often considered that perhaps women do not want to operate high-growth ventures (Cliff, 1998; Coleman and Robb, 2012; Heilman and Chen, 2003; Morris et al., 2006), or that women may not seek growth capital for their ventures at the same rates as men (Kwapisz and Hechavarria, 2017; Manolova et al., 2008). Thus, the dominant perspective in the literature has been that women neither want nor seek out venture capital funding for their ventures.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Men founders raise almost 50x more venture capital (VC) than women. As 93 per cent of VCs are men, because of the significant gender imbalance in gatekeepers and investment decision-makers for early-stage capital, there may be critical outcomes for women entrepreneurs who are being caused from men having overweighed in decision-making roles. Outcomes include biases against women by VCs that prevent their ventures from being considered for funding from the pitch as well as obtaining opportunities to pitch VCs in consideration for funding from biases in the evaluations of the businesses themselves.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper is a consolidation of several studies the author has conducted in VC decision-making and gender bias to understand the drivers of the enormous gender gap in VC funding. The author presented it as a talk at the University of Regina and was asked to submit a paper about it here.\nFindings: The findings reveal how the 93 per cent male context of the VC industry is in itself a significant cause of the gender gap in funding. If there were more women VCs, more women entrepreneurs would be funded.\nOriginality/value: The author showcases how the gender gap in decision-making roles in VC has important implications for women entrepreneurs to obtain funding.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Use contexts of personal computing devices: determinants of use context changes
|
[
"Smartphones",
"Technology-to-performance chain",
"Computing devices",
"Diary study method",
"Use context"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In recent years, information technology (IT) rapidly and dramatically has become a ubiquitous, pervasive part of everyday life (Bodker et al., 2014). Among various changes, increasing diversity of pervasive computing devices and applications will have an increasingly important impact on users (Chaari et al., 2007). Such devices and applications need contextual information, including the type and state of network connection, users' location, and hours of use. Users of computing devices and IT services may exploit different aspects of devices or services and access different information in different context situations (Chaari et al., 2007). For these reasons, there is a great need for studies and investigations on computing use context. Substantial research has already been undertaken on how to use context data in the development of systems and applications (Chaari et al., 2007). However, context investigations in terms of users are insufficient and difficult to implement. One of the major purposes of this study is to provide guidelines and general implications related to use context studies from users' perspective. In this study, the use contexts of personal computing devices, changes in use contexts, and determinants of use context changes are investigated.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Use contexts in personal computing devices\n3. Analysis 1: exploratory findings for use contexts of personal computing devices: 3.1 Diary study method and data collection\n4. Analysis 2: use context changes of personal computing devices: 4.1 Data descriptions and analyses\n5. Analysis 3: determinants of use context changes: 5.1 Research model development based on impacts of smartphone\n6. Discussion and conclusion: This study aimed to investigate the use context of personal computing devices using multiple analyses. Based on the results of the first analysis, the use context of personal computing devices was represented differently and was clearly defined depending on the device used. For the time-related use context factors, the results showed: desktops are usually used in the daytime on weekdays for working, studying, or undertaking productive activities; laptops and tablets can be assumed to be devices typically used for personal purposes; smartphones are always used a lot, but can be considered devices with more personal purposes; and taken together based on the time-related use contexts, each device has its own distinct use context in spite of the blurred boundaries between computing devices caused by the emergence and improvement of alternative computing devices. With regard to the location use context factor, the use of desktops was relatively more sensitive to the social-spatial context of the workplace. Furthermore, the location use context of each device differs depending on its degree of mobility. For the activity use context factor, the use of desktops, laptops, and smartphones have different activity contexts in order to achieve task completion goals. Activities using desktops, laptops, and smartphones are clearly defined depending on the device used compared to netbooks and tablet PCs. Therefore, devices that correspond to specific activities cannot be replaced by other devices, and other devices seem to provide additional convenience or utility to users. Regarding network connectivity, for desktops, wired internet was the major network connection. In the past, many laptops had wired internet connections too, but in line with trends to thinner and lighter devices, laptops with wireless connections are becoming more important. Tablet PCs provided both Wi-Fi connections and cellular data. However, for tablet PCs, the wireless internet was more important and common than cellular data, while for smartphones, the use of mobile telecommunication service, including cellular data, was very important. Therefore, the use of devices that have limited network types that can be connected and an essential network connection for device operation correspond more with network connectivity.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use contexts of personal computing devices in multiple steps and conducts an in-depth analysis for the use context of smartphones. The determinants of use context changes of smartphones are investigated using the technology-to-performance chain model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In steps 1 and 2, a diary study method and 2014-2015 Korea media panel research data provided by the Korea Information Society Development Institute are used. Correspondence analysis, kh2 independence tests, and standardized residual analyses were conducted. In step 3, this study develops and validates a framework for use context changes using a survey method and structural equation modeling.\nFindings: The results show that the use context of personal computing devices is represented differently and is clearly defined depending on the device used. Furthermore, the use context of smartphones has changed significantly because of the rapid growth of smartphone users and diverse usage patterns of smartphones. The research model results show that users expand the scope and frequency of smartphone use when they experience improved performance in everyday tasks and feel that smartphone content and functions could support everyday tasks better.\nOriginality/value: This study presents novel early stage research and presents empirical evidence and propositions in both exploratory and confirmatory ways. The main contribution of this study is to provide guidelines and general implications for other empirical studies on the use contexts of devices or information technology services.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The dual promise of green jobs: A qualitative study of federally funded energy training programmes in the USA
|
[
"Green jobs",
"Workforce development",
"Economic development",
"Emerging occupation",
"Policy",
"Careers",
"Technical education",
"United States of America",
"Training"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The worldwide recession has resulted in massive jobs loss and industrial restructuring. Many low-skilled jobs have been wiped off the rolls and economists predict that they will not return (Carnevale et al., 2010). In their wake a new labor market, requiring post-secondary credentials and the ability to continuously learn has emerged (Holzer and Lerman, 2009). When the economy recovers, analysts predict a significant mismatch between the skills of the workforce and the requirements of emerging jobs (Carnevale et al., 2010).\nThe dual promise of green jobs: The climate change debate has surfaced the inherent conflict between the environment and the carbon-based economy (Renner et al., 2008). Recently the debate has broadened to include concern for the social dimensions of sustainable development (Anderberg, 2008). These debates have in part played out in economic policy reports on green industries and jobs. A key proposition underlying this literature is that many of the world\nContext: features of green jobs and emerging labor market: The propositions that form the argument of the dual promise of the emerging green labor market are found in Table I.\nWhat is a green job?: The massive public investments in green industry are motivated in part by the political aim to jumpstart the economy and create jobs. The politicians and officials who enacted these policies are feeling pressure to show a return on the publics\nLabor market dynamics: Despite the challenges to defining and counting green jobs, green jobs do exist that can serve as models. According to some analysts (Renner et al., 2008, 2009; Gordon et al., 2008; Jones, 2008; Pinderhughes, 2007), these existing jobs validate the normative definition of green jobs because they pay more than other jobs in the same skill range and some offer advancement potential(Pinderhughes, 2007). Pinderhughes (2007) also found, and others have confirmed (Renner et al., 2008; Jones, 2008), that workers associated green jobs with cleaning the environment and improving the quality of life, so they consider green jobs a source of meaningful work.\nIndustry dynamics: Though it is unclear whether green jobs will emerge as a significant source of employment growth in the long term, some analysts described a virtuous cycle of radiating market growth (Renner et al., 2008; Anderberg, 2008; Stone, 2010). As other industries adopt or integrate green technologies and practises, they may experience energy cost savings and market advantages that can be reinvested to fuel economic expansion and job growth in those sectors (Renner et al., 2008; Anderberg, 2008).\nWorkforce development challenges: Workforce development programmes and practitioners face several challenges in responding to the education and skill needs of the emerging green industry. One challenge is the structure of the industry and jobs. The green industry in the USA is largely comprised of small to mid-sized firms that are geographically dispersed and not well organized, so it is difficult to engage them in workforce development forums and programmes (Bozell, 2010). Likewise, many green jobs emerge from within existing occupations that take on speciality tasks related to green activities and these tasks are difficult to identify and codify for training purposes (US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 2009).\nStudy of the early start-up experiences of two energy training partnerships (ETP): The two ETPs in this study were selected because they were:\nStart-up challenges and strategies: The participants shared common challenges related to lack ofinfrastructure to support entry into the green sector, lack of synchronization in labor market, and the workforce.\nDiscussion: Table IV compares the experiences of the participants to propositions in the literature.\nConclusions and implications for training and development: The green jobs in this study were not new jobs; rather employers were adapting existing jobs to meet the demands of new market opportunities in the emerging green economy. Looking across the four workplaces it may be said that the emerging green jobs required a higher component of knowledge intensity (Martinez-Fernandez et al., 2010), meaning that workers not only needed new technical skills, but they also needed a deep understanding of the work processes, the market demands, as well as the needs of specific customers in order to help the employer respond to the uncertainty in the emerging green economy. Thus an argument may be made that the green jobs in this study required a new type of occupational knowledge, knowledge that enabled workers to perform occupational tasks as well as combine, manage, improve and change work tasks and processes as the circumstances required.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The aim of this paper is to review the policy literature on green jobs and green jobs training in the USA and to present findings of a qualitative study on the start-up of two Energy Training Partnerships (ETP) funded by the US Department of Labour to train workers for green jobs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper includes a review of the policy literature, document reviews, and interviews with administrators, employers, educators, workforce officials. The literature presumes green jobs training will help create jobs and that these jobs will provide opportunities for the poor. This study examined these propositions within the context of the ETPs.\nFindings: Stakeholders faced challenges related to a misaligned infrastructure, lack of synchronization in the labour market, and workforce gaps. They responded by coordinating available resources in innovative ways. Though many policy propositions were confirmed, the premise that green jobs are a pathway of poverty was not. Entry requirements were high and programmes lacked funds for long-term education.\nResearch limitations/implications: Because the sample was small and little was known about the nature of emerging jobs, more research is needed on green jobs and their skill requirements.\nPractical implications: The study found that coordination on the policy and programme levels helped stakeholders respond to challenges. Also, new opportunities for the poor may be realized by embedding short-term training in a broad continuum of education and strategically linking both to economic development activities.\nOriginality/value: Little is known about how training aligns with emerging industries. This study helped fill this gap by examining how stakeholders responded to the demands of the green sector.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Involving young people in changing their school environment to make it safer: Findings from a process evaluation in English secondary schools
|
[
"Community based interventions",
"England",
"Intervention",
"Implementation",
"Schools",
"Youth",
"Health Promoting Schools",
"Bullying",
"Adolescent health",
"School environment",
"Process evaluation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Reducing bullying and aggression in secondary schools has been a consistent priority within recent British public health, education and criminal justice policies (Department for Children, Families and School, 2008, 2009; Department of Health, 2009; Home Office, 2011). In the UK, assaults against ten to 15 year olds are more likely to happen at school than anywhere else (Home Office, 2006). Secondary schools are also the \"epicentre\" of bullying, the site where it most commonly begins, and where young people are most concerned about being victimised (Chamberlain et al., 2010). Although cyberbullying has brought new dangers and may increase the risk of serious mental health harms and suicide (Lindfors et al., 2012; Moore et al., 2014), most bullying and aggression via the internet and mobile phones is an extension of traditional forms of peer bullying originating in school (Juvonen and Gross, 2008; Cassidy et al., 2009). Furthermore, there is a growing concern regarding the increasing \"low level\" aggressive and provoking behaviour among British secondary school students, which is educationally disruptive, emotionally harmful, and can lead to more overt, physical aggression and social exclusion over time (Scott et al., 2001; Steer, 2009).\nResearch methods: A cluster randomised controlled pilot trial was undertaken in eight English secondary schools with allocation to either an intervention initiating change locally in bullying and aggression through the school environment (four schools) or continuation of normal practice (four schools). The intervention was piloted during the 2011-2012 academic year and was intended principally to augment rather than to replace existing activities (e.g. training, curricula, etc.) in intervention schools. However, the intervention process was intended to change existing non-restorative disciplinary school policies and practices where restorative approaches were deemed more appropriate.\nFindings: At all four pilot schools an action group was established and met at least six times during the 2011-2012 school year. Each action group included at least six student representatives. Meetings were always after school and typically lasted for about an hour. The establishment and maintenance of these groups appeared to be facilitated by features of the English secondary-school \"market\" whereby parents have some choice over schools and typically judge them based on their reputation and performance in \"league tables\". For example, head teachers and their SMT consistently reported that it was important to address aggressive behaviours in order to recruit and retain \"the best\" parents and students. SMT members also suggested that this project was prioritised as it was seen as likely to impress the national school inspectorate (Oftsed) due to its focus on student voice and behaviour. In order to consider in depth this intervention process for involving young people in changing their school environment to make it safer, the findings are structured below to address the following three sub-questions in turn: is it feasible to recruit students to join school action groups?; how do school action groups involving young people use tailored data reports?; and, how did students change their school environment?\nDiscussion: The limitations of existing student voice groups and the mix of methods used to recruit students ensured that a diverse range of young people were included at each school, including more and less academic students. Local data reports helped students work with staff to identify problems and priorities for action at their schools. The presence of students on school action groups effectively makes these data more \"public\" and this may itself partly help ensure that these data are a catalyst to action for school managers, however, it was apparent that students were also actively involved in discussing the findings and designing actions. Learning from these reports involved both the validation of pre-existing concerns and the discovery of new ones, which also mobilised them to review other sources of routinely available local data. The identification, analysis and triangulation of multiple local data sources was an unintended benefit, although this may be problematic for taking actions where these sources conflict or routine data are used to ignore \"outsiders\" data (Leicester, 1999). However, there was no evidence that this was the case at these schools. While data is ever only likely to be one factor in any institutional decision making (Nutley et al., 2003), the micro-level processes observed suggest that tailored feedback reports were used as evidence to inform student-led groups actions.\nAcknowledgements: The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) research programme at the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) funded this study. The authors would also like to thank Liz Allen, Rebecca Jones, Diana Elbourne, Dan Hale, Lyndal Bond, Stephen Scott, Deborah Christie, Alec Miners and Rosa Legood for their contribution and advice on this project. The work was undertaken with the support of The Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Joint funding (MR/KO232331/1) for DECIPHer from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the Welsh Government and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the process of involving students and staff on school action groups, and staff and student experiences of reviewing local data and initiating school-level changes, to address bullying and other aggression.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors draw on qualitative, process data collected at four purposively sampled pilot intervention schools in England via semi-structured interviews with school managers, action group members and facilitators (n=33), focus groups with students (n=16) and staff (n=4), and observations.\nFindings: School staff used multiple methods to recruit a diverse range of students onto school action groups. Locally tailored data reports were an important catalyst for action groups to identify priorities and plan whole school change - both through the process of \"validation\" (whereby existing concerns were confirmed) and \"discovery\" (whereby new problems were identified). An unexpected benefit of providing schools with these data was that it triggered analyses of other data sources, including routine monitoring data. External facilitators were important in promoting student voice and ensuring the intervention retained integrity as a whole-school restorative approach.\nPractical implications: It was feasible to involve young people using action groups, and there was evidence of school-level actions led by students, including in disadvantaged school contexts. Future Health Promoting Schools interventions could incorporate this approach to support locally appropriate, school-level change.\nOriginality/value: The micro-level processes that were observed, whereby action groups interrogated feedback reports and collected additional data, suggest the responsiveness of such youth-involvement interventions to local needs. Contrary to many public health interventions, implementation appeared to be facilitated rather than hindered by features of the secondary-school \"market\" whereby parents have some choice between schools.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Effects of masculinity-femininity on quality of work life: Understanding the moderating roles of gender and social support
|
[
"Gender",
"Social support",
"Bank employees in India",
"Masculinity-femininity",
"Quality of work life"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Traditionally, men were considered to be breadwinners, while women were expected to take on the role of homemakers (Pleck, 1977). However, with the changing times, the gender composition of the workforce in the organised sector has undergone massive changes in the past century and particularly over the past few decades, with entry of more and more women into the workforce (Bhalla and Kaur, 2011; Van Vianen and Fischer, 2002; Schwartz, 1989; Miller, 1978). One reason for this could be the redefinition of the roles of women and men in today's scenario - women are no longer content with staying at home and men are willing to share household responsibilities (Russel et al., 1988).\nQuality of work life: The concept of QWL emerged with Hackman and Oldham's (1976) Job Characteristics Model. This model tried to understand how psychological growth needs of the employees affected their internal motivations to perform effectively on the job and thereby their QWL. Hackman and Oldham (1976) stated that the psychological aspects of work were seldom considered important, but they were the ones that contributed most to improvements in the intrinsic motivations of the employees, which ultimately resulted in superior job performances. According to the two-factor theory of motivation (Herzberg et al., 1959), the \"hygiene factors\" which are extrinsic to the work itself include the policies of the organisation, supervisory practices and physical working conditions. They noted that though a lack or deficit in these components created dissatisfaction in the employees, but their presence did not contribute greatly to motivating the employee to perform better. This is illustrated best by the \"Service Encounter Needs Theory\" which explains the psychosocial dynamics in the interactions between service employees and customers, and its effects on both the parties (Bradley et al., 2010). The theory asserts that fulfilment of the psychosocial needs of the service employee, and the customer through the service employee would definitely result in more satisfied and loyal customers as well as more satisfied and loyal employees. The abovementioned models highlight the significance of understanding the psychological aspects of employee motivation to enhance his/her QWL, which would ultimately result in better performance of the employee at work, and thereby contribute to the success of the organisation.\nResearch motivation and objectives: Employees' satisfaction with the psychosocial environment is very important, especially for service-based organisations, as the success of the employee - customer interactions to a large extent determines the sustainable success of the organisation. Sirgy et al. (2001) found that the fulfilment of the family, social, self-esteem and aesthetic needs of an employee are important contributing factors to his/her QWL experience, once the physical and safety needs have been met. Both gender and gender role orientation influence the psychosocial needs of an employee (Kling et al., 1999; Hofstede, 1998). However, no empirical studies, so far, have tried to understand how masculinity-femininity, gender and social support interact to affect the QWL of an employee. Nath (2000) found that only those women who had an individual drive for success (which is typically a masculine characteristic) and also enjoyed high levels of social support were able to break through the glass ceiling and progress professionally. This finding was based on the qualitative interviews of 20 women executives. Masculinity-femininity not only determines what an employee considers important for a good QWL experience but also his/her motivation to succeed in the chosen profession. So the present study attempts to understand how masculinity-femininity influences an employee's QWL. Additionally, gender and social support have been included in this in this study. This would help to understand the differences in the nature of the relationship between masculinity-femininity and QWL for the two genders and also for different levels of social support. In summary, the objectives of this article are to understand the following:\nMasculinity-femininity, gender and QWL: To provide a good QWL to their employees, it is necessary for organisations to understand their needs, and the factors that influence such neEds Most workplace cultures are defined by the country's culture (Lyness and Kropf, 2005). In a scenario where the country is moving towards a more feminine culture, with women becoming an important and indispensable part of the labour force (Diggikar, 2013), men and women can be expected to rate QWL as equally important as their pay, if not more important. This means that employees are not keen on merely focusing only on material success (i.e. getting paid a high salary or getting promoted). Hence, the traditional model of work-where an employee is viewed as ideal only if he/she works constantly on a full-time basis, without being distracted by family or other personal matters (Pleck, 1977) - would hardly be applicable in the present situation (Lewis, 2010).\nMasculinity-femininity, social support and QWL: Social support is defined as the extent to which people around the employee provide support to him/her by being good listeners or by being people whom the employee can rely on for providing help when it is needed (Caplan et al., 1975). Though social support is one of the key components of a good QWL experience, there is a paucity of empirical research that directly links social support with QWL (Sirgy et al., 2001). However, some studies have shown that social support, especially from the supervisor and co-worker, are definitely key contributing factors in lowering several job-related stress factors like role ambiguity, role conflict, role overload (Marcellissen et al., 1988) and also work-family conflict (Van Dalen et al., 2006). Moreover, such job-related stress factors have been found to have negative effects on QWL (Bolhari et al., 2012). One Indian study showed that supervisory support and organisational support were important to experience a good QWL (Sinha, 2012). Furthermore, though family members cannot contribute directly to the reduction of an employee's work load, they can provide support emotionally when the employee is stressed due to work. On the whole, both research and practical knowledge seem to suggest that social support is indeed a significant factor in improving the QWL, because it contributes to satisfaction of the employees' social needs (Sirgy et al., 2001).\nGender and social support: Gender is one of the most dominant variables which decides the type of interpersonal relationships people have and also the quantity and quality of social support which they are likely to receive (Turner, 1994). Several studies have shown that females report significantly higher levels of social support than their male counterparts (Bellman et al., 2003; Liebler and Sandefur, 2001; Turner, 1994). Generally, women are perceived to be the \"weaker sex\" and therefore they tend to receive more social support from their colleagues and family. In addition, they also tend to seek support more actively than men. Hence,\nMethod: Procedure and participants\nResults: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: With respect to the correlation findings, it was seen that masculinity-femininity did not correlate with any of the other study variables. However, all the three types of social support were correlated significantly and positively with each other. Supervisor support and co-worker support are likely to be correlated, as a supportive supervisor would definitely encourage his/her subordinates to be supportive of each other. Interestingly, it was found that supervisor and co-worker support correlated strongly and positively with family support. It is possible that the personality of the employee plays some role in this. For example, employees who receive a lot of support from different sources may be more extroverted or may have tendencies to seek support from these sources as and when required. Alternatively, it is also possible that the very same employees provide a lot of support to their co-workers and families and co-operate well with their supervisors, due to which they enjoy high social support from these sources. Finally, all three sources of support were correlated strongly and positively with QWL, showing that social support from different sources was a potential contributor to experiencing a good QWL. Of the three sources, supervisor support correlated most strongly with QWL, followed by co-worker support and then family support. The specific contributions that each source of support can make to an employee's QWL and the order of their importance in improving QWL for the employee are discussed in further text.\nConclusions: This paper stresses the contributions of a person's gender and gender role orientation to his/her QWL. Specifically, this study helps to answer the \"why\" part of the gender differences in QWL more than the biological differences between the two genders; it is the interaction between an individual's gender with his/her gender role orientation which produces differences between men's and women's QWL. The best QWL is experienced when employees exhibit characteristics most typical of their gender. Also, social support from various sources (supervisor, co-worker and family) is required for the employee to experience a good QWL, and perform well at work. Finally, this study establishes that hierarchically the supervisor's support is most useful in contributing to an employee's QWL followed by the co-workers' support and finally support from the family members.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to attempt to understand the effects of gender, masculinity-femininity and social support from three sources (supervisor, co-worker and family) on the quality of work life (QWL) of an employee. In addition, the paper tried to explore the moderating effects of gender and social support in the relationship between masculinity-femininity and QWL. Relevant background variables such as age, marital status, parental status and sector have been included as control variables in the study.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from a sample of 307 bank employees in India (208 males and 99 females) working in private and public sector banks using the purposive sampling technique. Prior permission was obtained from the relevant authorities. To test the hypotheses, t-tests and hierarchical regression analyses were performed. In addition, the Baron and Kenny (1986) approach was used to test the moderating effects of gender and social support in the relationship between masculinity-femininity and QWL.\nFindings: Masculinity-femininity was not found to be significant predictor of QWL, while gender emerged as a significant predictor of QWL. Also, gender moderated the relationship between masculinity-femininity and QWL. All three sources of social support significantly predicted QWL. Results of t-test showed that female employees experienced better QWL than male employees. Furthermore, supervisory category employees and parent employees reported significantly better QWL than non-supervisory and non-parent employees.\nPractical implications: The key implication for organisations is that employees with both masculine and feminine tendencies are required to strike a balance between goal orientation and people orientation within the company. Also, employees should understand that their gender as well as their individual orientations towards masculinity or femininity will affect the dynamics of any interaction. Hence, being aware of the tendencies that are typical of their gender role orientations both while dealing with themselves as well as while dealing with customers, colleagues or supervisors would help in improving the quality of their work, as well as their QWL, especially in customer service professions.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the few studies that have tried to answer the \"why\" part of gender differences in QWL. In addition, this study contributes to an understanding of the relative importance of different sources of social support in improving an employee's QWL. Finally, this is the first study to understand the relationship between masculinity-femininity, social support, gender and QWL in the Indian context, where the overall cultural orientation towards gender roles is currently changing.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Design for occupational safety and health: key attributes for organisational capability
|
[
"Design for safety",
"Delphi technique",
"Health and safety",
"Prevention through design",
"Safety in design",
"Voting analytic hierarchy process"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In many countries, the construction sector has earned the unenviable rank of being amongst the topmost contributors to occupational fatalities, injuries and illnesses (see Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018; HSE, 2018). Over the years, this has triggered a plethora of efforts to reduce accidents, injuries and illnesses in construction. Amongst the initiatives in this direction is design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) due to the contributory role design plays in construction accident causation (Gibb et al., 2014). In line with DfOSH, design firms (or more broadly organisations with design responsibilities) are expected to produce inherently safer designs for construction, maintenance and the use of built assets. However, such organisations would have varying capability in respect of DfOSH implementation. Furthermore, empirical insight into what constitutes DfOSH capability in construction is non-existent (Manu et al., 2017), implying a lack of clarity regarding the assessment/determination of DfOSH capability of organisations with design responsibility on projects, e.g. architectural and engineering design firms, and design and build contractors. In response to this knowledge gap, this study addresses two key questions:\nLiterature review: The occupational safety and health performance of the construction sector\nResearch method: Given the paucity of empirical work on the subject of DfOSH organisational capability, there is no clear research-based insight regarding DfOSH organisational capability attributes. In such a situation, a qualitative inquiry is suitable given the absence of a rich literature base from which speculations or prior formulations can be made about the subject of inquiry (Fellows and Lui, 2008). In view of this, expert group techniques were deemed most appropriate to elicit the relevant DfOSH capability attributes and to ascertain their relative priorities. In particular, expert focus group discussion (FGD) (brainstorming approach) (Tomlison, 1994) and the Delphi technique (Hallowell and Gambatese, 2010) were combined sequentially. Expert group methods are increasingly being used in built environment research and other fields for elicitation of knowledge and identification of priorities, when there is incomplete/limited knowledge about a problem or phenomena (Ameyaw et al., 2016). While the expert FGD enabled elicitation of the capability attributes, the Delphi technique (combined with a multi-criteria decision-making method - voting analytic hierarchy process (VAHP)) enabled prioritisation of the attributes in order to address the aforementioned two research questions. Figure 1 gives an overview of the key phases of the empirical aspect of the research.\nResults: The results are structured into three main headings: results of FGDs; results of the Delphi; and results of the VAHP.\nDiscussion: In this section, the findings are reviewed and interpreted in the light of existing literature on DfOSH and capability maturity concepts. The categorisation of the proposed DfOSH attributes is consistent with the conventional notion of organisational capability maturity, albeit specific to DfOSH. Hence, the DfOSH capability attributes align broadly with key process areas commonly adopted in capability maturity models, namely: people (which is aligned to the \"competence\" and \"collaboration\" clusters); policy (which is aligned to the \"strategy\" cluster); process (which is aligned to the \"systems\" cluster); and technology (which is aligned to the \"infrastructure\" cluster) (Succar, 2009; Software Engineering Institute, 2011). Furthermore, attribute definitions align with Strutt et al.'s (2006) proposed three-stage categorisation of design for safety and environment for offshore facilities, namely: \"formal safety demonstration\", \"safety implementation\" and \"long-term investment in safety\". Based on Strutt et al.'s (2006) definitions, \"formal safety demonstration\" refers to the existence of systems and strategy within an organisation to ensure designs meet predefined acceptance criteria based on protocols and standards as well as sound risk assessments. The \"safety implementation\" category refers to the coordination of resources and supply chain, and the implementation of standards to achieve safety. The \"long-term investment in safety\" encapsulates the management of competence, research and development and organisational learning to sustain performance and continuous improvement. Despite some similarities in attribute definitions, Strutt et al.'s (2006) model focuses on safety and environmental performance as well as design for internal process maturity with less emphasis on historical indicators of organisational capability such as experience (i.e. both individual and corporate), which features prominently in the DfOSH capability attributes found in this study.\nConclusion: This study, through multiple iterations of data gathering from construction industry experts, has addressed significant research gaps relating to DfOSH organisational capability by answering two key questions:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Against the backdrop of the contribution of design to the occurrence of occupational injuries and illnesses in construction, design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) is increasingly becoming prominent in the construction sector. To ensure that design interventions are safe for construction workers to build and maintain, design firms need to have the appropriate organisational capability in respect of DfOSH. However, empirical insight regarding the attributes that constitute DfOSH organisational capability is lacking. The purpose of this paper, which trailblases the subject of DfOSH organisational capability in construction, is to address two key questions: what organisational attributes determine DfOSH capability? What is the relative priority of the capability attributes?\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study employed three iterations of expert focus group discussion and a subsequent three-round Delphi technique accompanied by the application of voting analytic hierarchy process.\nFindings: The study revealed 18 capability attributes nested within six categories, namely: competence (the competence of organisation's design staff); strategy (the consideration of DfOSH in organisation's vision as well as the top management commitment); corporate experience (organisation's experience in implementing DfOSH on projects); systems (systems, processes and procedures required for implementing DfOSH); infrastructure (physical, and information and communication technology resources); and collaboration (inter- and intra-organisational collaboration to implement DfOSH on projects). Whilst these categories and their nested attributes carry varying weights of importance, collectively, the competence-related attributes are the most important, followed by strategy.\nOriginality/value: The findings should enable design firms and other key industry stakeholders (such as the clients who appoint them) to understand designers' DfOSH capability better. Additionally, design firms should be able to prioritise efforts/investment to enhance their DfOSH capability.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Who is responsible for my workaholism: me, my parents or my workplace? The likelihood is that it is a mixture of all three
|
[
"Management",
"Human resources"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Fixed graphic\nUnderstanding workaholism: Wayne Oates defined the workaholic, in 1971, as a person \"whose need for work has become so excessive that it creates noticeable disturbance or interference with bodily health, personal happiness and interpersonal relationships, and with his smooth social functioning\".\nParental upbringing and workaholism: Parental attitudes during childhood are linked to workaholism. Many workaholics are from families where parents encouraged high performance and perfectionism. Work addiction, like other addictions, can be passed from one generation to another.\nWorkplace values, practices and workaholism: Organizational values and work practices also affect workaholic behavior. Managers who are accustomed to unpredictable, fast-pace work with demanding responsibilities are more likely to be workaholics. So, too, are managers who routinely spend long hours working in and outside the office, perhaps in work that involves much traveling.\nSuggestions for improvement: Mangers who are prey to workaholism should examine their work-life balance and, if necessary, seek help in improving it. This could be from colleagues, doctors, psychologists or counselors outside the firm.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of workaholism, the factors driving it and its impact on executives and their companies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper draws on the author's first-hand experience of working in this area.\nFindings: It identifies types of workaholism among managers. Explains that the positive side is individuals who are self-reliant, well-organized, have high standards and feel fulfillment when work is completed to a high standard and on time. The negative side is feelings of anxiety and physical and mental exhaustion, being restless and mentally preoccupied with work.\nPractical implications: It highlights the roles of parental upbringing, personal values and workplace culture and practices as drivers of workaholism. Being workaholic may lead to a rewarding career but can harm health and work-life balance.\nSocial implications: It suggests that, by understanding the nature of workaholism, individuals and organizations can take corrective measures.\nOriginality/value: It takes a psychological approach to understanding and managing workaholism.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Debt and ownership structure: evidence from Italy
|
[
"Corporate ownership",
"GMM",
"Panel data",
"Corporate governance",
"Corporate finances",
"Public companies",
"Debts",
"G23",
"G32",
"G34"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Jensen and Meckling (1976) argue that the allocation of the funding sources of equity and debt affects agency costs arising from the separation of ownership and control and that these costs increase with a decreasing share of ownership held by managers. The optimal capital structure is the one that minimizes the agency costs of equity and debt. Jensen (1986) argues that debt helps reduce agency costs and improve the relationship between managers and stockholders because it limits the discretion of managers to manage liquid resources. Debt also induces managers to increase the value of the firm and to not jeopardize their managerial skills and their reputation on the market (Fama, 1980; Masulis, 1988), although this assumption may not be valid in countries, where the abuse of leverage would serve to expropriate minority shareholders (Faccio et al., 2010).\n2. Literature review and hypothesis development: Debt and ownership structure can represent excellent mechanisms for the control of agency costs. However, the results found in the relevant literature on the relationship between debt and ownership structure do not appear univocal because some studies provide evidence of a negative relationship and therefore point out the control of agency costs (Myers and Majluf, 1984; Friend and Lang, 1988; Jensen et al., 1992), whereas other studies find evidence of a complementary relationship (Kim and Sorensen, 1986; Agrawal and Mandelker, 1987; Harris and Raviv, 1991; Boubaker et al., 2014), which could imply both the monitoring and expropriation of minority shareholders.\n3. Sample, methodology and data: This empirical investigation is based on a balanced panel data set of Italian-listed companies observed during the nine-year period 2005-2013. It explores, using both RE, as suggested by Hausman's (1978) test, and dynamic panel data, including system-GMM (Anderson and Hsiao, 1981; Arellano and Bond, 1991; Blundell and Bond, 1998), the relationship between debt and ownership structure using 369 firm-year observations on the Italian stock market. The RE is a model that assumes the time-invariant of certain specific variables used or which, on the contrary, undergo small variations during the observation period, as in the present analysis, and assumes that the individual-specific effect is a random variable which is not correlated with the explanatory variables and that the repressors are not completely collinear. In these cases, adoption of the RE is advisable because the fixed effects may create inaccurate estimates (Wooldridge, 2002). The RE is also recommended when examining a subsample of the population (Greene, 2012) and has been used in other similar studies (King and Santor, 2008; De La Bruslerie and Latrous, 2012).\n4. Results and discussion: Tables III to VIII report the results of the empirical estimation process. Table III illustrates the results obtained using the RE model. The relationship between LEVERAGE and OC3 is positive and statistically significant, just as the relationships between LEVERAGE and H-INDEX and between LEVERAGE and DUMMY_50 are positive and statistically significant.\n5. Conclusion: The relationship between debt and ownership structure is controversial, and research related thereto has produced mixed results. In the present study, the Italian context is examined, and the results are of interest because they reveal a positive relationship between debt and ownership concentration on the one hand and a negative relationship between institutional investors and debt on the other hand. With regard to the sample in the present study, debt seems to assume both functions, i.e. the disciplinary role of substitute at low levels of ownership concentration and a complementary role at high levels of ownership concentration. In particular, it seems that when the share ownership is low, the relationship is negative, but, when the level of ownership concentration is higher, the relationship becomes positive. The presence of institutional investors seems to reduce the debt level, thus assuming a substitution role.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the debt and ownership structure of a sample of Italian-listed companies to measure the role assumed in the control and monitoring of agency costs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study examines a balanced panel data, using both a random effects model and a generalized method of moments model to better capture any problems related to the endogeneity of the variables in the model.\nFindings: The results provide evidence of a positive relationship between debt and ownership concentration on the one hand and a negative relationship between debt and institutional investors on the other hand. The debt seems to assume both functions, i.e. the disciplinary role of substitute at low levels of ownership concentration and a complementary role at high levels of ownership concentration.\nPractical implications: This study provides three practical implications. The first is that the complementarity between debt and ownership concentration provides evidence of the entrenchment effect and tends to weaken the company financially. Second, the results also provide useful prompts to policy-makers who should encourage the presence of institutional investors. Third, the policy-makers should also encourage the expansion of the stock market to enhance the protection of shareholders, reduce private control benefits and provide Italy the same opportunities as other common and civil law countries to collect risk capital, avoiding the abuse of debt.\nOriginality/value: The empirical results suggest that ownership concentration increases the degree of corporate debt, whereas institutional investors assume the disciplinary role of monitoring and controlling agency costs. The results provide evidence of both the entrenchment effect and the alignment-of-interests hypothesis and that the expropriation theory seems to prevail over the control and monitoring role.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Aviation organization flies high as technical staff learn commercial skills: Authority gears up to compete across the globe
|
[
"Organizational culture",
"Aviation",
"Privatization",
"Employee development",
"Competition"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Sales teams and technical staff who used to be a breed apart are finding that their roles have increasingly merged at a UK aviation organization.\nThe form of training: The training company's engagement with the aviation authority began with an executive briefing of senior personnel to ensure that key staff understood what the training entailed and to get their views on the process.\nResults of the training: Evaluation processes have shown positive feedback from those taking the course.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Reveals that technical staff who used to be a breed apart from sales teams are finding that their roles have increasingly merged at a UK aviation organization as it competes with rivals. Explains that training is helping the technical staff to excel in their expanded role.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Explains the reasons for the training, the form it takes and the results it is achieving.\nFindings: Details how the training company introduced its selling course to the aviation organization's sales-force. The course focuses on training staff to get to know exactly what is required to help a customer. This is achieved by asking structured questions, listening carefully and identifying and developing value through outcomes that solve the problem and ultimately help the customer's organization to realize its desired business outcomes.\nPractical implications: Demonstrates that, by recognizing the wealth of experience and knowledge they could offer, the aviation organization's personnel began to identify the value they could create for their customers.\nOriginality/value: Gives the inside story of a training initiative that helped to transform the organizational culture at a formerly nationalized authority.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
External supply chain flexibility and product innovation performance: A study of small- and medium-sized UK-based manufacturers
|
[
"Innovation",
"Supply chain management",
"Buyer-seller relationship",
"Supplier relations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Supply chain (SC) flexibility is a critical source of competitive advantage for the focal firm[1] in the fast-paced business environment (Malhotra and Mackelprang, 2012; Sanchez and Perez, 2005). A flexible SC allows the focal firm in this industry to introduce new products to cope with the market demand and survive environmental jolts (Liao et al., 2010; Stevenson and Spring, 2007). For example, the fashion industry's product ranges and styles must be constantly renewed to meet the end-customers' ever changing tastes. When treating SC flexibility as an entire system, Malhotra and Mackelprang (2012) distinguish two facets of SC flexibility: internal manufacturing flexibility and external SC flexibility. Internal manufacturing flexibility captures a focal firm's capacity to adjust various manufacturing processes (i.e. mix, routing, etc.) effectively (Sanchez and Perez, 2005; Stevenson and Spring, 2007). External SC flexibility reflects the extent to which the (external) SC partners (i.e. suppliers) are willing and able to make changes to accommodate the focal firm's unanticipated requests (Hartmann and De Grahl, 2011; Omar et al., 2012). The current research focuses on the relationship between external SC flexibility and product innovation by addressing three unresolved issues in the extant literature.\nTheory and hypotheses: Literature background\nResearch method: Sampling and data collections\nAnalysis and results: A moderated multivariate regression analysis with an ordinary least squares is used to test hypotheses because the model contains multiple interaction effects (Aiken and West, 1991). The values of variance inflation factors (VIFs) are reported to assess the possibility of multicollinearity (Table III). The results show that multicollinearity (VIF < 3) is not a problem in this analysis (Hair et al., 2010). As Table III shows, ISF is positively related to product innovation performance (Model 1: b = 0.242, p < 0.001), whereas OLF does not have a significant effect on it (Model 1: b = 0.009, p > 0.100). The t-test for the quality of these two coefficients (t = 2.033, p < 0.050) shows that the coefficient of ISF is greater than that of OLF, which supports H1.\nDiscussion and concluding remarks: Theoretical contributions\nConclusions: Facing an increasingly competitive market environment, an SME with limited internal resources (Madrid-Guijarro et al., 2009; Quayle, 2003; Terziovski, 2010) must learn how to take advantage of relationships with other firms. External SC flexibility arises from the resources derived from having a relationship with flexible SC partners, which allows the focal SME to access its SC partners' resources to engage in value creating activities, such as innovation activities. Simultaneously, the focal SME should also exercise caution when using various types of external SC flexibility under different informal control mechanisms in its SC network. Further research should continue to explore and document external SC flexibility, the governance mechanisms and their performance implications in the SME context.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to examine the effect of external supply chain (SC) flexibility on the product innovation performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the contingent role of informal control mechanisms in moderating such an effect.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study conducts a cross-sectional questionnaire survey of 236 UK-based SME manufacturers.\nFindings: Inbound supplier flexibility (ISF) has a stronger positive effect on SMEs' product innovation performance than outbound logistics flexibility (OLF), and that the strength and direction of both effects depend on informal control mechanisms. Lead supplier influence negatively moderates the relationship between ISF and product innovation performance but positively moderates the relationship between OLF and product innovation performance. Normative integration positively moderates the relationship between ISF and product innovation performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study enriches SC flexibility studies by focusing on understanding the differential effects of ISF and OLF on product innovation performance, as well as the role that contingency factors play in these relationships in the SME context.\nPractical implications: To promote product innovation performance, SME managers should focus on building good relationships with their suppliers rather than their logistics service providers. SME managers should be particularly aware of the different types of informal control mechanisms that govern their SC relationships and adjust their managerial approaches accordingly.\nOriginality/value: This study distinguishes between ISF and OLF and examines their impacts on SMEs' product innovation performance. This study investigates the differential effects of lead supplier influence and normative integration on the relationship between external SC flexibility and SMEs' product innovation performance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Sustainability factors affecting local infrastructure project: The case of water resource, water supply, and local market projects in Thai communities
|
[
"Project management",
"Infrastructure management",
"Sustainability",
"Water resource",
"Water supply",
"Thai communities"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Infrastructure projects play an important role in community development and have significantly contributed to economic growth and sustainable development (Fedderke, 2006; Nijaki and Worrel, 2012). According to Gandhi et al. (2006), the bottleneck of transformation process for implementing sustainable development projects is successfully linked to adequate support that is actively involved in this aspect. The local development plan is a major key to enhance management capacity for encouraging community participation in developing infrastructure projects. The system needs to combine area-based conditions and appropriate knowledge and technology for doing various tasks and has to be strengthened. Local authorities and public organisations are playing a vital role to facilitate sustainable development processes to directly intervene in making a plan with a variety of functions. The sustainable infrastructure development requires appropriate strategies including mediator prompts to respond to any call for help among competing pressures for economic development, environmental protection, more equitable society and also generating useful current affairs for the public.\n2. Literature review: The background of local infrastructure project and community-sustainable development was reviewed thoroughly. Many researchers have suggested models and frameworks to achieve project sustainability. Choguill (1996) introduced a model and management structure for infrastructure-sustainable development. Mancini and Marek (2004) presented a model to outline the sustainability process for community-based programs. Johnson et al. (2004) proposed an associated planning model of both infrastructure and interventions for sustaining innovations within organisational community and state systems. The Office of RDPB in Thailand (RDPB, 2005) has presented the management framework of local projects in different geographical and sociological settings for achieving effectively sustainable development. The project was determined to support basic occupations for both of the local and urban people. Most projects involve significant improvement in an agriculture career, occupational promotion, water resources and water supply. Lee and Chan (2008 and 2009) developed a model for measuring and evaluating the sustainability performance of local/urban projects. The model can help to identify the sustainability criteria of the renewed projects, and also the level of satisfaction of the people involved. However, because of the limited number of cases, only a small group of renewed projects was available in community.\n3. Research method: After understanding the objectives of the study, the preliminary factors based on wide-ranging theoretical concepts from related literature were reviewed thoroughly. For any details concerning the essential factors in practice, they could be collected from full and fresh investigations by a wide variety of project representatives or participants. The brainstorming and discussing on how to efficiently implement the policy of local infrastructure sustainable development through a semi-structured interview and focussed group seminar/meeting was conducted. Accordingly, the researcher was able to gain thoroughly fresh and in-depth information covering all contextual conditions relevant to the actual phenomena. In particular, agricultural infrastructure and local commercial infrastructure projects were focussed on because of the high significant effects on community development. The agricultural infrastructure deals with the water resource and water supply projects that were prevailing in the areas of the projects. The local commercial infrastructure covers the community market, market building and village industry and crafts. Most of all, this best of available information warrants approval, as it is derived from one of the most reliable source in Thailand, Huai Hong Khrai RDSC which is equipped with all the completely essential elements to be of service to community. This is one of the most renowned agencies because of its efficient programs and eminent achievement on community sustainable development. It is also regarded as a model for local infrastructure sustainability projects.\n4. Data analyses: The SPSS software for Windows version 19 was used to analyse the data and test the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to examine the validity and the reliability of the components. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated to examine reliability of the instruments, evaluate the factors' internal consistency and help to determine where they best fit when loaded onto multiple factors feature. A higher cut-off of 0.70 was used because the instrument was newly developed. The correlation matrix and multicollinearity testing apparatus were put into practice. Multicollinearity is a statistical phenomenon in which two or more independent variables in a multiple regression model are highly correlated. The high correlation coefficient between two independent variables above approximately 0.80 was determined to have a possible problem of multicollinearity and which has to be excluded (Allison, 1999). This study set is used as the p-value at 0.05.\n5. Findings and discussion: The 243 sets of the questionnaire, with complete answers, were analysed by SPSS. As a result, the answers with a eigenvalues greater than 1.00 and with a total of three components at about 60.047 per cent of the variance in responses were extracted. Such findings were also confirmed by total variance explained in Table III. The graph plotted the extracted factors against their eigenvalues in descending order of magnitude to identify distinct breaks in the slope of the plot. Because the factor that appears prior to the beginning of a straight line, through the lower values of the plotted eigenvalues, is generally regarded as a cut-off factor and three factors are retained for an in-depth study. All 25 items could be grouped into six critical dimensions. The details of the factor loading, percentage of variance explained and the cumulative percentage of the variance are shown in Table IV.\n6. Recommendations: Applied from previous projects under control of the RDPB (2005), this study provides important factors for planning and managing to achieve the sustainability of infrastructure projects in the rural community. For any details concerning the practical application of the study, the missing links of the project/researcher work have been completed as needed. A very clear description of strategies in action through the research method/techniques is needed to identify and highlight the critical factors for accomplishing effective project sustainability has been added.\n7. Conclusion: This research has provided a broad examination to initiate the process and display the criteria of local infrastructure projects sustainability with data collected in Thailand. These critical factors can be utilised as a typical example so as to illustrate how to implement sustainability of a project on water resource, water supply and local market projects effectively. The finding conveys 6 dimensions of 25 authentic key factors that have a significant influence on infrastructure sustainability. These issues are proven to be valid, reliable and suitable enough to be maintained and expanded in a flow of sustainability benefits for a long term after the completion of an infrastructure project. Moreover, following a sound understanding all these significant factors, project managers, researchers and local authorities can recommend each issue for planning, managing and approving the decision to implement any new project in the community.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to identify the critical factors highly influencing sustainability of local infrastructure projects in the Thai community.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Both qualitative and the quantitative analyses were used when needed to follow the right procedure. Together, the panels of experts, selected from the related fields, were always prompt to cooperate with the strategies upon request. At the early stage, thoroughly fresh and in-depth information, theoretical and practical, in local infrastructure sustainability development, was gathered through literature review, a semi-structure interview and a focussed group meeting. For the pilot project, all crucial attributes were assigned to items of a questionnaire by a representative sample, Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Centre, one of the most important sources in community development in Thailand. Afterward, the improved questionnaires were surveyed for exact data by all target respondents: local infrastructure project managers/representatives plus the working staff. These accumulated data were analysed by SPSS and finally produced the expected outcome.\nFindings: They are categorised into 25 factors of 6 dimensions: management and administration, information and knowledge, policy and plan, environmental and natural resources, facility and infrastructure and finance and budget.\nOriginality/value: With regard to a valid analysis reference, the study outcome can be applied to be the deciding factor in choosing the proper local development projects or the model measuring the sustainability level of community projects in a real-life context.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Reforming primary healthcare: from public policy to organizational change
|
[
"Change management",
"Policy",
"Public sector reform",
"Primary care",
"Change process"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Disseminating best practices in primary care remains a worldwide challenge (Starfield, 2009). Since the 1970s, the perception of the primary care system has been that services offered are not accessible or efficient enough, and that attempts to change the system never reach their objectives (Levesque et al., 2007). In this paper, we present the findings of a study that examined the implementation of a public policy that aims to reform primary care through the creation of family medicine groups (FMGs) in Quebec, Canada. The FMG policy aims to improve primary healthcare services by promoting the widespread adoption of organizational attributes identified as desirable, such as physician groups working with nurses, information systems, extended service hours, and patient registration, among others.\n2. Relevant literature and analytical framework: Public policy emergence and implementation are closely tied (Storey, 2011). As Friedman explained, \"policy analysis must also be intertwined with organizational analysis\" (Friedman, 2006, p. 493). Like other authors (Barzelay and Jacobsen, 2009; Bidart et al., 2013), we developed our methodology and conceptualization based on Pettigrew's process-based research perspective (Pettigrew, 1985; Pettigrew, 2012).\n3. Methodology: Studying change processes calls for specific methodologies (Langley, 1999; Pettigrew, 2012; Eisenhardt, 2007). A multi-level longitudinal research strategy is more effective for revealing the change processes as well as the contexts \"that produce and are produced by them\" (Pettigrew, 1997, p. 340). For the purpose of this study, we utilized Yin's multiple-case study design (Yin, 2009) to analyse five FMGs (cases). The five cases were selected to contrast contexts (urban, semi-urban) and organizational characteristics (private/public, number of sites) (see Table I). The groups were assigned a letter code to protect their anonymity.\n4. Results: The results suggest that the transformation occurred in three stages. The first involved coming to a consensus at the system level over both the need to improve primary healthcare, and the FMG as the means to achieve this. In the second stage, the government launched the policy and the FMGs underwent an accreditation process. Once accredited, the FMGs proceeded with the actual change at the practice level. Table II presents a synthesis of these stages.\n5. Discussion: We began this study with the goal of shedding light on how prescribed and emergent mechanisms interact at various stakeholder levels, from the inception of a policy to the transformation of primary care organizations. The results presented in the previous section provide a thorough description of the cases studied. We will now discuss the empirical and theoretical contributions of these results.\n6. Conclusion: Our results offer unique contributions. They provide a better understanding of how planned large-scale change coexists with professional autonomy through an intertwining of change content and change processes. We also showed how change agency took the form of key initiatives at various levels in different contexts, and revealed the specific prescribed and emergent mechanisms driving change process and content.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Governments everywhere are implementing reform to improve primary care. However, the existence of a high degree of professional autonomy makes large-scale change difficult to achieve. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the change dynamics and the involvement of professionals in a primary healthcare reform initiative carried out in the Canadian province of Quebec.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An empirical approach was used to investigate change processes from the inception of a public policy to the execution of changes in professional practices. The data were analysed from a multi-level, combined contextualist-processual perspective. Results are based on a longitudinal multiple-case study of five family medicine groups, which was informed by over 100 interviews, questionnaires, and documentary analysis.\nFindings: The results illustrate the multiple processes observed with the introduction of planned large-scale change in primary care services. The analysis of change content revealed that similar post-change states concealed variations between groups in the scale of their respective changes. The analysis also demonstrated more precisely how change evolved through the introduction of \"intermediate change\" and how cycles of prescribed and emergent mechanisms distinctively drove change process and change content, from the emergence of the public policy to the change in primary care service delivery.\nResearch limitations/implications: This research was conducted among a limited number of early policy adopters. However, given the international interest in turning to the medical profession to improve primary care, the results offer avenues for both policy development and implementation.\nPractical implications: The findings offer practical insights for those studying and managing large-scale transformations. They provide a better understanding of how deliberate reforms coexist with professional autonomy through an intertwining of change content and processes.\nOriginality/value: This research is one of few studies to examine a primary care reform from emergence to implementation using a longitudinal multi-level design.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The application of an ANP-Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model to assess lean construction management performance
|
[
"Engineering project",
"Lean construction management performance",
"ANP-Fuzzy comprehensive evaluation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In recent years, customers' increasing demands for quality products, variety and quick delivery without tolerating delays has brought great competitive pressures for enterprises (Yadav et al., 2018). Many companies have sought approaches for removing non-value adding activities, while maintaining and continuously improving quality to meet this challenge (Yadav and Desai, 2016). Lean production, as an effective way to solve the existing problems, was proposed and widely applied in the manufacturing industry. There exist similar problems in the construction industry, such as duration delays, cost overruns, poor safety, material waste, low efficiency and inadequate customer satisfaction (Sols, 2018). Since the construction and manufacturing industries share many common characteristics, lean thinking was introduced to the construction industry to solve these problems. The term \"lean construction (LC)\" was introduced by Lauri Koskela in 1993 at the IGLC conference (Tezel and Nielsen, 2013). Since then, LC has attracted much attention. Numerous scholars, institutions and enterprises from all over the world have carried out considerable research on LC. Construction companies have begun to apply LC in practice as well and have proved it is effective in improving their problems (Nepal et al., 2015). Although LC is being accepted by more enterprises and applied to their practical projects, the performance of the application is different. It was needed for a firm, which implemented lean thinking in the producing process, to continuously monitor itself to know well of its leanness level and the improvement path for the future (Narayanamurthy and Gurumurthy, 2016). Moreover, organizations need to assess whether the lean implementation is successful to ensure that they obtain the maximum competitive advantage (Pakdil et al., 2018). To make enterprises remain competitive, continuous assessment of their management performance is required (Sangwa and Sangwan, 2018a). However, the method for evaluating LC management performance (LCMP) is lacking in construction enterprises. Additionally, research on the evaluation method has received little attention in previous studies. From a systematic literature review, existing studies related to LC have mostly focused on the basic theories, models, applications, benefits and integration with other ideas, such as sustainable development theory, green development theory and building information modeling technology. To fill this gap, the paper aims to put forward a method for assessing the LCMP of engineering projects.\n2. Literature review: Literature review is commonly used to understand different approaches of the topic to be studied (Yadav and Desai, 2016). The aim of the review was to understand the research progress of LC assessment and the methods adopted in the assessment. To achieve this goal, a systematic literature review was conducted by referring to books, articles and dissertations. The databases used to search the references were Web of science, ASCE Online Research Library, Emeraldinsight, Science Direct, EBSCO, PQDT, Scopus, Springer Protocols, Taylor & Francis and Wiley. Keywords such as \"LC assessment,\" \"LC performance,\" \"LC evaluation,\" \"lean assessment,\" \"lean performance,\" \"lean evaluation\" and \"leanness level\" were used to search for the relative studies. The search yielded 112 relative studies. However, only two papers have been found for assessing LC implementation. The rest were all for other industries, such as the manufacturing and service industries. In addition, the two papers came from a single author. One paper was his doctoral dissertation and the other was a published article. The assessment methods used in the two papers were the same.\n3. Establishment of the index system for lean construction management performance: Quality, cost, time, safety and organization are the primary tasks for traditional construction management. LC theory is not to negate the traditional construction theory, but to place more emphasis on making the construction process and results lean. Therefore, the tasks of LC management, like those of traditional construction management, consist of five dimensions as well, including lean quality management, lean cost management, lean time management, lean safety management and lean organization management. Additionally, the five tasks can be achieved through corresponding lean management tools because they are helpful for identifying and eliminating waste. The implementation of lean management tools will influence the performance of related tasks and then the whole project. Hence, the assessment index system for LCMP can be established based on the five tasks and corresponding lean management tools.\n4. The research methodology: 4.1 Research design\n5. Illustrative case applications: 5.1 Case chosen\n6. Conclusions and implications: 6.1 Conclusions\n7. Limitations and future research: Although the evaluation method proposed in this paper has proven to be feasible, there are still some limitations to be improved in the future. The most obvious limitation of the research is the subjectivity due to the use of surveys. Both the index system and relative importance are obtained from questionnaire, and the research results are greatly dependent on participants' knowledge and experience. Although 117 valid questionnaires were returned, it may be inadequate for not enough experts who know LC very well in the survey. Hence, the best way to make the research results more accurate is to invite more experts to participate in the surveys in the future. Another limitation is that only one case has been studied to validate the applicability of the proposed method. However, it is difficult to carry out multiple case studies because currently few enterprises have implemented LC in China. Therefore, it is necessary in the future to conduct more case studies all over the world to make the proposed method more standard. Additionally, the index system for assessing LCMP was established based on literature and conducting surveys in China, and it may not be completely suitable for other countries. It is necessary for different countries to research on the index system and criteria that are in accordance with local practice.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for assessing the lean construction management performance (LCMP) of engineering projects using the analytic network process-fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (ANP-FCE) model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Literature review and questionnaire surveys were used to achieve an evaluation index system for LCMP. The data needed to calculate the weights of the indices were derived from questionnaire surveys. The ANP and the Super Decisions (SD) software were used to calculate the weights of the indices and verify the validity of the weights. The FCE was adopted to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of LCMP, and the validity of the evaluation results was verified by applying the validity degree of maximum membership principle. The applicability of the method for evaluating LCMP was validated by empirical research.\nFindings: The proposed method for assessing the LCMP using the ANP-FCE model is validated to be feasible. Decision makers can easily identify the strengths and weaknesses of lean construction (LC) management of the evaluated project from the evaluation results.\nResearch limitations/implications: Some subjectivity may exist in the assessment process due to questionnaire surveys, and only one case has been studied to validate the applicability of the method. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to increase the number of LC experts and cases over the world to make the proposed method more standard.\nPractical implications: The research is expected to propose an assessment method of LCMP for construction enterprises, provide a reference to develop assessment standards for LCMP for building associations or governments and help decision makers know the improving path of LC management.\nOriginality/value: This research contributes to the literature by summarizing the commonly used lean management tools for quality, cost, time, safety and organization in practice, and proposing a novel approach for assessing the LCMP of engineering projects. The study is useful for researchers, project managers and decision makers engaged in LC.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Perceptions of climate change and water availability in the Mediterranean tourist sector: A case study of the Muga River basin (Girona, Spain)
|
[
"Climate change",
"Lodging industry",
"Perception",
"Mediterranean basin",
"Water resources"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Climate change represents a major environmental challenge. Data and projections from all levels indicate that climate change will have a major impact on, practically, all sectors of the economy, including the tourist industry. The Mediterranean basin, together with other leading tourist destinations, is likely to be among the most seriously affected areas (Perry, 2006; Rutty and Scott, 2010; Estrela et al., 2012; March et al., 2014; Roson and Sartori, 2014; Klontza et al., 2016). Effects could change holiday destination choices and demand, with the Mediterranean losing out to other destinations with more desirable or stable climate conditions (Gossling et al., 2006; Rutty and Scott, 2010; Roson and Sartori, 2014). It is, thus, crucial to take measures to help at-risk destinations prepare for new environmental conditions in which water availability will be an even more critical issue than it is today (Gossling and Hall, 2015).\n2. Theoretical framework: The need to promote sustainability criteria as a means of ensuring the future of tourism was highlighted during the first world conference on sustainable tourism held in Lanzarote in 1995. This need is even more evident now in view of how changing climate conditions have and will continue to affect tourism. The first studies on climate change mitigation and adaptation measures applied to the tourist industry appeared at the beginning of the twenty-first century and it became increasingly evident to some authors that such measures were essential if tourism was to be sustained (Kajan and Saarinen, 2013).\n3. Methodology: This study is based on semi-structured interviews with owners and managers of hotels, campsites and rural accommodation properties in the Muga River basin. We first consulted the Catalan Government's website to determine the number of tourist accommodation establishments in the area (Diputacio de Girona, 2017). Once these had been located and characterized, we contacted each establishment by e-mail to inform them about the aim of the study and invite them to participate. Those who agreed were contacted to arrange a face-to-face interview. Those who did not respond to the initial email were gradually contacted by telephone and asked to participate to guarantee a sufficiently representative sample of the different types of establishments and locations. Some of those contacted declined to participate for reasons related to a lack of time or a lack of interest in the topic of the study. A total of 31 owners and managers contacted by email and, in some cases, telephone agreed to participate, thus, ensuring a representative sample. With the 31 interviews, we found that we had reached the theoretical saturation point, which is the point at which no new information or points of view are expressed. The interviews, held on site, were tape-recorded with the consent of the interviewees and lasted for an average of 52 min. They were conducted between May and July and between September and December 2017. They were structured into seven main sections, namely, owner/manager profile; characteristics of establishment; facilities that require water; water consumption and water management systems; identification of water-saving measures, barriers and incentives; water management policies; and perceptions of climate change and adaptation and mitigation measures. The information collected in sections 1, 2 and 7 are relevant to the present study. Of the 31 interviews conducted (Table I), 18 corresponded to hotels (14 owners and 4 managers), 5 to campsites (3 owners and 2 managers) and 8 to rural lodgings (owners in all cases). In the rest of this article, the term manager is used to refer to owners and managers indistinctly.\n4. Study area: The case study was conducted in the Muga River basin (Figure 1), which is located in the extreme north-east of the Iberian Peninsula, just south of the French border. The area contains 52 municipalities and covers an approximate surface area of 1,150 km2. The basin contains several sub-drainage basins corresponding to the rivers Arnera, Manol, Llobregat d'Emporda, l'Anyet and l'Orlina and the canals Sirvent and Madral. The Boadella reservoir is the main source of water for the villages and towns in the region and it has an important role in regulating the flow of the Muga River. The reservoir was built in 1969 and has a storage capacity of 60.2 hm3. It has been affected by periods of severe drought that have caused conflicts between different sectors that depend on water (agriculture, industry, tourism and natural reserves) (Ventura-Pujolar, 2004).\n5. Results: 5.1 Perception of climate change effects\n6. Discussion: The main findings of this study are consistent with reports from previous studies, although they also provide some novel insights. Most studies, to date, have focused almost exclusively on the hotel sector and on beach and ski resorts. Our study offers a broader perspective, as we examined perceptions of managers of the hotels, campsites and rural lodgings located on the coast, inland and in cities.\n7. Conclusions: The first conclusion of our study is that climate change effects are perceived and interpreted differently across the accommodation establishments analyzed in the Muga River basin. First of all, a considerable proportion of those interviewed were of the opinion that climate change could have a negative impact on the area in general. There was also a perception that changes could negatively affect tourism and business, although this was held by fewer managers and most of these were running hotels and coastal businesses.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is understand these perceptions and identify main problems associated to climate change in order to design effective mitigation and adaptation strategies to guarantee the sustainability of tourism and natural resources. The Mediterranean basin is a leading international tourist destination and one that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Although these effects are largely known, in-depth studies of how they and the associated risks are perceived by key tourism stakeholders have not been performed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Interviews were held with 31 hotels, campsites and rural lodgings in the Muga River basin in north-east Catalonia, in which both owners and managers were asked about their perceptions of climate change, effects and countermeasures.\nFindings: Perceptions of climate change and its effects varied according to the type of establishment and location (coast, cities or inland). Significant differences were observed for perceptions of how responsibilities for implementing mitigation and adaptation measures to counter the effects of climate change, including water shortages, should be shared out between the main agents with an interest in guaranteeing the sustainability of tourism, namely, government bodies, tourist establishments and clients. The predominant opinion, however, was that the bulk of the responsibility should lie with government bodies.\nPractical implications: Only when those responsible for running tourist establishments are aware of the risks of climate change, it will be possible to design and implement effective short-, medium- and long-term strategies aimed at strengthening the resilience of the tourist industry.\nOriginality/value: The originality of this study lies in its novel methodology and approach, which involved analyzing perceptions of climate change, including water shortages and its effects among owners and managers of different types of tourist accommodation establishments in distinct parts of the same area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Guilt-free pleasures: how premium and luxury influence regret
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Experimental design"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the so-called democratization of luxury, both premium and luxury products and brands are becoming more desired and common than a few decades ago (Kastanakis and Balabanis, 2012; Truong et al., 2008). Luxury brands have changed and are no longer limited to the upper classes (Chandon et al., 2015; Yeoman and McMahon-Beattie, 2018). Given the changes in the luxury market in the past years, scholars have acknowledged that it is challenging to draw the line between ordinary, premium and luxury products (Miller and Mills, 2012). As expressed by Tynan et al. (2010, p. 1157), \"Luxury goods exist at one end of a continuum with ordinary goods, so where the ordinary ends and luxury starts is a matter of degree as judged by consumers.\" Where consumers draw this line and where premium goods are placed in the equation, is unanswered in the literature, yet relevant to better understanding both premium and luxury consumption (Nielsen Company, 2015; de Morais Sato et al., 2016).\n2. Methodology: To test the hypotheses, a 2 (prior event: success versus failure) x 2 (label: premium versus luxury) x 2 (product type: hedonic versus utilitarian) between-subjects design was adopted.\n3. Results: The final sample consisted of 386 undergraduate students from the Arctic University of Norway (45.2 percent male, 54.8 percent female; 19-37 years of age, M = 23.82, SD = 0.498).\n4. Discussion: The current study provides a novel insight into how a prior success or failure influences levels of guilt and regret in combination with the product type (hedonic versus utilitarian) and the labeling of premium versus luxury. A 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects online experiment showed that consumers have lower levels of guilt and regret, and should feel more licensed to indulge in a hedonic than a utilitarian premium or luxury product, after a success. However, after a failure, the effect shifts toward lower guilt and regret for a utilitarian product, but only for the luxury label. In other words, consumers feel more licensed to indulge in a utilitarian than a hedonic luxury product after a failure, but seem to justify buying a utilitarian luxury and premium product equally. The main effects were not significant independently; however, the three-way interaction is relevant to the research on high-end goods because it suggests a situation in which the premium label has a different effect from the luxury label.\n5. Conclusion: This study investigated how searching for premium versus luxury in combination with the product type and a prior event of failure or success can influence anticipated guilt and regret. A between-subjects experimental design was used, and the results suggested a three-way interaction effect of the label, product type and prior event of guilt and regret. When participants imagined that they were looking to buy a luxury or premium product following a success (receiving an A grade), they anticipated a lower level of guilt and regret when the product was primarily hedonic (a bottle of wine). In contrast, when looking to buy luxury after a failure (receiving an F grade), the anticipated levels of regret and guilt were lower for a product that was primarily utilitarian in nature (a coffee machine); however, this effect did not occur for premium. In sum, the results suggest how the anticipated level of guilt and regret may alter depending on the labeling of premium versus luxury products, a prior event of success and failure and the utilitarian or hedonic nature of the product.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate how a consumer's intention to purchase a premium or luxury product influences the anticipated regret and guilt.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects design (label: premium versus luxury x prior event: success versus failure x product type: hedonic versus utilitarian) on guilt and regret was implemented.\nFindings: Following a successful event, the anticipated regret and guilt are lower for a hedonic product compared to a primarily utilitarian one. The effect was valid when the consumers were looking to buy both luxury and premium. In a situation following a failure, the anticipated levels of regret and guilt were lower for a product that was primarily utilitarian in nature; however, this effect only appeared when the participants were looking to buy both luxury and not premium.\nResearch limitations/implications: People may feel more licensed to indulge in a hedonic premium or luxury product after a success and more licensed to indulge in a utilitarian luxury product after a failure.\nPractical implications: The results can be used to understand how to optimize a marketing message of indulgence whether or not one deserves it.\nOriginality/value: The study provides novel insight into how anticipated guilt and regret may be evoked by the goal of buying a premium versus luxury product in combination with the product type and a consumer's experience of a prior event.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The art of establishing a positive mentoring relationship: hints and tips for organizations from a school project
|
[
"Mentoring",
"Leadership",
"Good questions",
"Emotional drivers"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: I recently ran a leadership course for a group of high flying year 11 students (15 years old) in the UK. As part of this program, each was allocated a student newly arrived to the school as 11/12 year olds. They were to act as mentors to these new students and meet regularly over a period of three months. They talked about homework, work life balance, their thoughts about teacher responsibilities, outside interests and future hopes and dreams. The mentors reported their discussions back to me electronically enabling me to help them think through and reflect on how things were going, as well as offering tips for developing trusting relationships and how to handle the many issues that came up. This allowed the students to experience the kind of challenges they might meet in positions of authority at work. How similar those challenges proved to be.\nLevels of engagement: A common issue was reluctance to complete homework on time. In the work place this is the equivalent of the person who misses deadlines through lack of effort. In both cases, the temptation is to tackle the problem either by accusing them of laziness, telling them they ought to work harder, or a more subtle form of coercion such as listing all the benefits (to us!) of doing so. Does this work? Does this produce motivation? What is your experience, with your children or your staff? It is a very rare student indeed who completes homework because there is nothing else they would rather be doing! So what did we try? There are several levels of engagement when we are talking with other people. There is the purely factual level - What has happened? There is the motive behind the answer - What is in it for them? Finally, there is the emotional level - How do they feel?. It is at this level that you can begin to empathize with other people by demonstrating that you understand their feelings.Understanding this helped my mentors empathize with their youngsters. This earned the trust they needed to discuss what might be \"in it for them\" if they did hand in homework on time. For example, avoiding detentions, earning praise and encouragement from teachers and parents and, ultimately, helping them achieve.\nAvoiding yes/no answers: The simplest type of question is the closed question. There is a version of this that can be threatening, even when that is not our intention. \"Do you always hand your homework in on time?\" Questions which include absolute terms like \"always\" or \"never\" sound like questions that are intended to catch you out. They sound manipulative and are best avoided. People get resentful if they feel they are being led into a trap!A far better approach, because it encourages the other person to open up to you, is the open question. \"How did your teacher react when you were late with your homework?\" \"I got a detention.\" Now there was something they could work with. \"How much does it bother you when you get a detention?\" It is critical that we find out. It does not bother some kids at all! Anyone met a member of staff who does not give stuff, even when the consequences are threatening?\nTesting your own understanding: We have all made an assumption which is quite wrong and the other person says, \"That's not what I meant at all.\" How can we avoid that happening? It goes like this, \"Sounds to me as if [...] am I right about that?\"You will be surprised how often you will be spot on. This builds enormous trust and rapport. You are demonstrating that you understand, that you are even prepared to be corrected until you do. The bottom line is: you care.\nFinding out what it means to them: Now let's assume that you want to find out how important this is to the other person. You could simply ask a very direct question. \"Why do you say that?\" or just \"Why?\"One of my favorite techniques for assessing how important something is to the other person is to use the score out of 10 approach. It is as simple as this, \"On a scale of 1 to 10, where one doesn't matter at all and ten is catastrophic, how important is a detention to you?\"The next approach is to use my biggest fear. \"In your position, my biggest fear would be another detention.\" \"In your position my biggest fear might be that my chances of promotion are jeopardised,\" followed by, \"Is that a fear for you as well?\"\nGetting buy in: Have you ever offered a solution, which they agree is a good idea; and then they never act on it? They stay in a mess. Why?*The problem was not serious. Solving it was not very important.*The solution involves a commitment they are not prepared to make.*Their problem makes them the centre of attention. They will not be if someone solves it!*The solution was your solution not theirs.One of the hardest lessons for my mentors was accepting that we cannot help someone who does not want to be helped. Leaders do not allow themselves to be manipulated. Leaders do not allow people to put them on a guilt trip.\nHelping people find their own solution: When someone brings their problem to us, we try to advise, to suggest a solution. Why? Because it would work for us, and because we like to feel helpful! If it is their solution, though, are not they much more likely to act on it? We cannot solve problems for people, without taking control away from them. That is why people resent you when all you were doing was trying to be helpful? My mentors learned a far better approach.\"I'm sure you've given a lot of thought to this, what ideas have you come up with so far?\" or \"And what happened when you tried that?\"\nVisualization: Let's say she has ideas, how are you going to help her evaluate whether the idea has a chance of working or not? You take her through an imaginary process.\"Let's pretend you were to do that. What's going to happen next?\" followed by,\" How will that make you feel?\" If you are sure she's going to feel good, a closed question might be a very encouraging option here.Suppose she has not got a clue how to address the problem. In that case, it is perfectly OK to come up with some suggestions as long as we test the waters as we go. \"Let's say there were an answer. I'm not saying there is (never promise a solution). How would you feel about that?\" You are not telling her what she should do, ought to do. We have already seen what will happen if we dump our solutions on him, even if she agrees that the idea was a good one.\nTo summarise: The depth is not in the questions you ask. The depth is in the process of finding out what is behind what is being said, and the feelings that lie behind what is being said. It is emotional empathy that develops trust; it is trust which opens opportunities to encourage. This is not easy when you are dealing with a negative attitude; but in the words of Robin Sieger (2004), \"The person who does not encourage you has forfeited the right to influence you.\"The parallels between the issues faced by my student mentors and the issues I used to face in my management days were remarkable:*A student is not completing homework on time; a member of my sales team is missing targets.*A student is not fitting in with their peers; there is a member of my team that nobody seems to like.*A student is hard working, conscientious, motivated; but never receives a word of praise or encouragement from a teacher. A member of my team starts early and finishes late, showing total dedication to their job but their never seems to notice. At what age do we grow out of the need to be recognized, to be appreciated? At what level of seniority does it no longer matter to you if no-one praises you anymore? Is it when you become head teacher? Is it when you become a Company Director? Is it when you become a Mum or a Dad? The answer is we never do.This project has convinced me that introducing the principles of leadership into the classroom is ideal preparation for leaders of the future. It is also a preparation for life.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - This paper seeks to describe a leadership project for 17-18 year olds, run at a secondary school in Bath, UK, in which the students acted as mentors to younger pupils. It aims to draw out the lessons learned and identify how these same skills are required in organizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper is written as a case study/viewpoint.\nFindings: - The paper explores ways to move beyond questions which prompt no more than a \"yes\" or \"no\" response. It discusses recognizing \"what's in it for them?\" when dealing with staff motivation, especially when it involves a task they do not enjoy. The paper suggests that the presenting response of a team member will often conceal a hidden reason. It suggests questioning techniques which reveal what is behind that response, including the emotional drivers and the importance of actively listening for these, rather than acting on face value statements. It goes on to talk about methods of testing understanding of the other person's position, giving the opportunity to correct this if necessary. Finally, methods are discussed by which people can be helped to arrive at solutions of their own.\nPractical implications: - The project has implications for how schools assist students to develop the kinds of skills that the world of work requires.\nOriginality/value: - The paper will be of interest to those involved in the education of young people and how they might be better assisted to prepare for their working lives. It will also be of interest to those developing mentoring schemes within their organizations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Talent reviews: the key to effective succession management
|
[
"Management succession",
"Talent reviews",
"Talent map",
"Case study",
"Saudi Arabia"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Viewed against the backdrop of the recent economic downturn, the need to identify, develop and retain top talent for critical job roles has never been more important. This reality forces organizations to approach talent as a critical resource that must be managed in order to achieve optimum results. Organizations can therefore no longer be reactive in the supply of talent to execute the business strategy (Cascio and Aguinis, 2005). Tackling the current talent management challenges requires organizations to view talent management as a critical activity aligned with the organization's business strategy that aims to attract, develop and retain talented employees. Talent management incorporates several critical system components such as workforce planning, hiring and recruiting, career development, performance management and succession management, to name but a few. True integration of these system components is crucial to getting the most of the talent management process (Hatum, 2010).However, research shows that organizations are not ready or equipped to confront the talent crisis. Many organizations do not have a talent strategy and the talent management system components function in isolation. Such organizations, for example, meet their recruiting needs on a reactionary basis and lack a detailed career and succession management process (Miles and Bennet, 2007). The current better practice approach highlights the alignment of employees' capabilities and career aspirations with the companies' business strategy and talent needs. This high-impact succession management approach enables best-practice organizations to avoid costly mistakes in hiring, developing or promoting the wrong employee for a critical position (Bersin and Associates, 2009). Against this backdrop, the purpose of this article is to demonstrate how talent reviews can be utilized to optimize the succession management process.\nSuccession management: In this paper, succession management is viewed as an encompassing term related to the systematic process of determining critical roles within the company, identifying and assessing possible successors, and providing them with the appropriate skills and experience for present and future roles. Due to a combination of factors such as the economic downturn, the retirement of millions of baby boomers since 2010 and the increased turnover of CEOs of major corporations which has increased with 53 percent, it is apparent why succession management would be important for any organization (Williams, 2010). Hence, succession management should always be aligned with the strategic vision and objectives of the organization. The importance of succession management has also been highlighted by Rothwell (1994). The acceleration of development, the retention of talented people and the creation of pools of talented employees to fill key positions have been reviewed as major reasons for companies to focus on succession management.There are three main approaches that companies use to manage succession: short-term planning or emergency replacements, long-term planning or managing talent, and a combination approach (www.eowa.gov.au). A short summary of these main approaches will highlight the differences.Short-term or emergency replacements\nSuccession management strategy: Development guidelines\nTalent reviews: Dealing with talent has always been a challenging issue. Critical talent, top talent, high performing employees - these are all related to the topic in question. What is talent and how can organizations identify their talent? Michaels et al. (2001, p. xii) define talent as \"the sum of a person's abilities - his or her intrinsic gifts, skills, knowledge, experience, intelligence, judgment, attitude, character and drive. In addition, it includes his or her ability to learn and grow.\" Talent reviews are the key to effective succession management since it provides answers to the talent questions listed above.A talent review, usually executed within the context of a talent strategy, is a rigorous competency-based assessment of employees, to identify high-potential employees and future leaders, determine bench strength at a particular level (e.g. senior management), identify talent gaps, organizational vulnerabilities and risks, and to develop a view of organizational capability. Talent review processes assess candidates against a set of competency clusters and the results form the input to multiple human capital management processes and strategies, such as succession management amongst others (Talent Institute, 2009).Process and methodology\nCase study in Saudi Arabia: This article argues for the use of talent reviews as a key mechanism in effective succession management and its potential utility is demonstrated in the following case study.The background\nConclusion: There is no single method no matter how accurate that can predict an individual's potential for success. Using different assessment instruments increases the overall accuracy when identifying potential. A talent review process is therefore the key to effective succession management since it ensures that all succession decisions are based on scientific grounds.Succession management is not a guessing game or a toss-up between candidates. It is a comprehensive process that starts by defining business requirements and talent capabilities for the future success of the organization. On this basis, companies are encouraged to conduct a talent review to identify potential successors for critical roles. This should be followed by a gap analysis and individual development plans which should be measured and monitored. Only then can companies succeed in their strategic HR planning and management.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this article is to discuss succession management within the context of talent management, with specific reference to the role of talent reviews in the identification, development and retention of potential successors for critical job roles at different organizational levels.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The article utilizes a case study of talent reviews from a Saudi Arabian mining company, explores the different succession management approaches and highlights emerging best practice solutions in the field. In the case study, the primary task was to evaluate a sample of 59 executives and senior managers against the company's leadership competency framework in order to support them in a structured career development process within the context of the company's talent strategy.\nFindings: - The main findings indicate that the sample's strategic thinking ability and leadership skills are generally weak and that the current leadership capabilities might not be aligned with the company's growth strategy.\nPractical implications: - To enhance the talent review process, companies should: apply additional measures to develop a more complete picture of individual capability; fast-track the talent review process; create a talent score card; review selection practice; determine retention risk by means of a risk-criticality analyses; and implement individual conversations about performance and career development.\nOriginality/value: - The article has found that talent review is a powerful intervention tool that helps to identify high-potential employees and future leaders, determine bench strength at a specific level and identify talent gaps, organizational capability and risks. This study contributes to the practice of strategic human resources management with implications for succession management.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Leave policies in Europe: current policies, future directions
|
[
"European Union",
"Europe",
"Comparative studies",
"Maternity leave",
"Parental leave",
"Paternity leave"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Leave policies for parents have been moving up government agendas across the world. According to the International Labour Organisation (2014), in its 2013 survey of legal provision in 185 countries, all provided some form of statutory maternity leave for women, and all but two (Papua New Guinea and the USA) included some payment. Widespread leave provision is no longer confined to women. The International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s survey found that paternity leave was available in 79 out of 167 countries for whom information was available, with a payment of some sort in 71 (though in most cases paid by employers rather than social security systems). Parental leave, a form of leave which is equally available to both fathers and mothers, was present in 66 out of 169 countries supplying information, though only with some payment attached in 36 countries.\nThe EU as a supra-national legal entity: Over the years the EU, and previously the European Economic Community (EEC), have developed and implemented legislation on leave applicable in all Member States, especially via the legal instrument of Directives. The first attempt, however, a proposed Directive on parental leave and leave for family reasons, published in 1983 (COM(83)686), failed due to a veto by the UK, which for nearly 20 years, under a Conservative government (1979-1997), opposed any attempt by the EEC/EU to regulate the labour market. The second attempt, a Directive to improve the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding (92/85/CEE), was successfully adopted in 1992, and included minimum standards for maternity leave. The UK's continuing opposition to such measures was circumvented by the Directive being introduced as a health and safety measure, requiring support only from a majority of member states rather than unanimity.\nLeave policy in European states: All EU member states, as well as Iceland and Norway, have maternity leave (or an equivalent mother-only portion of parental leave), and parental leave. At least for the former countries, these leaves are mandated by EU legislation. But most of these 29 countries, 22 in total, also have paternity leave, which has not been so far covered by a Directive. Many countries also make some provision for a period of leave to care for a sick child or adult dependent. Having acknowledged the widespread presence of various forms of leave in Europe, it is also important to recognise the wide variation in how these leave policies are designed, in such dimensions as length, payment, eligibility and flexibility.\nFuture directions: Much work has been done on the development of leave policy in Europe, yet Europe is far from achieving a uniformly high standard in leave provision for parents of young children; much work remains to be done in improving the effectiveness of leave provision, especially from a social equality perspective. But, as we contend, Europe cannot afford to concentrate its efforts on this task alone. New needs and emerging challenges must be addressed if leave policy is to play a full and effective part in supporting the evolution of a relationship between care, employment and gender that is equitable and sustainable, ensuring the rights and well-being of care-givers and care-receivers alike. In this final section, we identify three key strands in the future direction that leave-related policies should take if they are to contribute to this important goal.\nConclusion: We edited a book 20 years ago with the title Parental Leave: Progress or Pitfall? The sub-title reflected both hopes for the potential of leave to increase equality and flourishing, and concerns that it might also have the potential to work against these goals. We wrote that:[...] the Catch 22 is this. If parental leave was equally taken by women and men, it might promote or consolidate gender equality. But to be equally taken requires gender equality to have been achieved already, or to be further advanced than at present. If gender equality is not already advanced, then parental leave may retard or even reverse progress towards its achievement.(Moss and Deven, 1999, pp. 13-14)\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the development of leave policies in Europe, both at a regional and national level, and to consider what future directions such policies might take to meet changing conditions and emerging needs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper draws on the work of an international network that the authors founded in 2004, which brings together experts on leave policy from over 40 countries, and in particular on an annual review of national leave policies conducted by network members.\nFindings: The article presents developments in European legislation on leave policy stretching from 1883 to the present day, and outlines the extent of leave policies in European countries and the wide variations in the design of these policies. It suggests that future directions in leave policy need to address the relationship between this and other policy areas; the need for a life course perspective to leave policy, getting beyond parental leave; and that leave should turn away from being considered an employment benefit towards becoming a universal right to care.\nOriginality/value: The paper provides a concise overview of leave policy in the global region where leave policies began and are today most developed, at both a regional and national level. It is also intended to stimulate debate about the future directions that leave policy might take.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Service quality research on China's hospitality and tourism industry
|
[
"China",
"Hospitality industry",
"Service quality",
"Tourism industry",
"Chinese literature",
"Synthesis review"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The performance of every facet of the tourism and hospitality industry in China has been unprecedented over the past decade. In terms of inbound tourism, China continues to be the top inbound destination in the Asia Pacific region, with visitors predicted to peak at 147.4 million in 2017 (Pacific Asia Travel Association, 2013). In recent years, China has been the fastest growing tourism source market in the world (World Tourism Organization, 2013a). The volume of outbound Chinese tourists jumped from 10 million in 2000 to 83 million in 2012, a more than eightfold increase within the period. China was ranked seventh in international tourism expenditure in 2005 and has since successively overtaken Italy, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. In 2012, China reached the top place in the source market, surpassing Germany and the USA. Chinese tourists' spent a record US$102 billion overseas in 2012, 40 per cent more than in 2011. The boom in inbound and outbound travel and expenditure can be attributed to several factors, including China's rich diversity of attractions and tourism resources, the reform and opening up policies, the emergence of new wealth and the growing middle class, rapid urbanization, the relaxation of restrictions on foreign travel and the appreciating Chinese currency (Nyaupane et al., 2006; World Tourism Organization, 2013a; Zhang and Heung, 2002; Zhang et al., 2003).\nLiterature review: Milestones in the development of the tourism and hospitality industry in China\nMethods: In this study, a systematic review approach is used to conduct an exhaustive search of the relevant electronic databases. To gain holistic coverage of the literature, journal articles published in both English and Chinese are included in the study. Four major databases, Emerald Insights, Hospitality and Tourism Complete, Sage Journals Online and Science Direct, are used to identify the relevant articles in English.\nResults and discussions: This section details the findings and demarcates the discussions in the four key areas, namely, overall publication trends, research disciplines and themes, research methods and authorship and institutional contributions. In the concluding section, the identified Chinese- and English-language studies are compared.\nConclusion and limitations: Research on the service quality in China's hospitality and tourism industry first appeared in 1998. Since then, more and more articles have gradually been produced. Thirty-one articles were published from 1998 to 2013 in the 11 leading Chinese and English hospitality and tourism journals. Twenty-five of the 31 (80.65 per cent) articles published are in Chinese, and 6 articles in English are scattered over 5 journals, namely, ATR, IJCHM, IJHM, JCTR and JHTR. Popular research themes are service quality management and evaluation in the hotel sector. In terms of research methodology, the majority of the publications are empirical studies that adopt a quantitative methodology. Surveys are the prime data collection tool in the quantitative studies, while literature searches and reviews are the key information gathering methods in the qualitative studies. The recent studies tend to use sophisticated statistical techniques, for instance, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Simple techniques are used in the early studies, such as descriptive statistics and performance analysis.\nTheoretical implications: This study offers a number of insights into the existing service quality research on China's hospitality and tourism industry and reveals the shortcomings of this research domain. It is clear that the research regarding service quality in China's hospitality and tourism industry constitutes a small proportion of the existing tourism studies. This finding serves as an impetus for more dedicated research on the service quality issues in the industry. The research on service quality mostly focuses on the hotel and tourism sectors, and very limited research has examined the airline, cruise and restaurant sectors, which play important roles in facilitating the development of the tourism industry. No research has examined the service quality in other sectors within the tourism industry, such as gaming, entertainment and rail travel. Indeed, although sharing a similar nature, each sector of the industry has unique characteristics. Therefore, research is needed on the service quality in these missing sectors.\nPractical implications: The findings of this study are also relevant to tourism and hospitality practitioners. Research is often a response to the trends and issues of the external environment. The industry players, which are predominantly small and medium-sized companies (Garay and Font, 2012), may not have the adequate resources and skills to execute research on service quality issues. The findings show the evolution of the service quality trends in China from 1998 to 2013 and provide insights into the changing issues in China's tourism and hospitality industry. Industry practitioners could also easily refer to their areas of interest in relation to the identified service quality sectors and subthemes. Moreover, the findings reveal the perceptions and expectations of customers, the management, monitoring and evaluation of service quality in China, and other closely related service quality issues from an insider's perspective, and thereby provide an overview of service quality management for foreign investors who are willing to enter and set up businesses in the Chinese market.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The study aims to provide an inventory of the existing English and Chinese research on service quality in China's hospitality and tourism industry. The study aims to identify the reasons for the lack of research on service quality in China's hospitality and tourism industry and the ignorance of the Chinese language literature in the field.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A synthesis review is conducted of 31 articles published in 11 leading Chinese and English academic journals from 1998 to 2013.\nFindings: Popular research themes are service quality management and evaluation in the hotel sector. The majority of the reviewed articles are empirical studies that adopt quantitative methods, and none of the English articles use qualitative methods. Recent studies tend to use sophisticated statistical techniques such as confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Changes in disciplines, publication trends and statistical techniques are observed. The theoretical and practical contributions of the Chinese and English publications are compared, and recommendations are made for future research.\nOriginality/value: This study is one of the first to review and compare the existing publications in the leading Chinese- and English-language journals. It provides a platform for scholars, especially non-Chinese literate researchers, to understand the research on service quality in the China hospitality and tourism industry.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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The role of gender in US microenterprise business plan development
|
[
"Gender",
"Business planning",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Microenterprises are commonly described as businesses with limited capital, few or no employees, and limited role in the market (Tezler, 1992, Cook and Belliveau, 2004). They are typically a self employment option and are often home-based (Cook et al., 2004). Although microenterprises are also international in scope, our discussion will focus on microenterprises in the US.Microenterprise programs (MEPs) have been created to encourage entrepreneurship and economic development at the grass roots level (Servon and Doshna, 2000). According to the 2005 Directory of Microenterprise Programs (Aspen Institute, 2006), there were approximately 517 microenterprise programs in the United States, providing loans, technical assistance, and training services to entrepreneurs. This number has grown substantially since 1992, when the Aspen Institute reported only 84 programs in the US.US MEPs provide training and loans geared toward creating and expanding businesses (Cook and Belliveau, 2004). However, they tend to differ from other economic development programs because of their smaller scale, focus on low-income participants, emphasis on training and technical assistance (Servon and Doshna, 2000), complementary role in poverty alleviation (Servon, 1997), and concern with clients' economic literacy and access to credit (Association for Enterprise Opportunity, 2002). If not for these types of programs, microenterprise clients would have no other access to business training and credit (Servon, 1999).MEPs tend to \"focus on entrepreneurs who generally confront higher levels of adversity than do other entrepreneurs\" (Cook et al., 2004, p. 398). These tend to be minority and women-owned new firms, as over 68 percent of MEPs have a client base of 50 percent or more women (Aspen Institute, 2006). As Robb's (2002) study demonstrated, survival rates for these ventures are likely to be lower than those of new firms owned by white males.Recent statistics document the growth in women entrepreneurship as \"the number of women-owned businesses in the US grew 20 percent between 1997 and 2002, twice the national average for all businesses ... and women now own nearly 30 percent of non-farm businesses in the United States in 2002\" (Bergman, 2006, p. 1). Clearly, increased women business ownership reflects an earlier finding by Scherer et al. (1990), who noted that in the 1980s, the number of self-employed women increased by 69 percent compared to a 13 percent increase in the number of self-employed men. Even so, women still lag behind men in both opportunity-based and necessity-driven entrepreneurship in the US (Breeden, 2004).Gender barriers to entrepreneurship\nProgram background: In 1992, a state economic development agency (SEDA) established a microenterprise training program to develop entrepreneurs in the successful running of their businesses. The MEP was open to anyone in the state, but targeted women and minority entrepreneurs who needed to develop a business plan for the start-up or expansion of their firms. The program enjoys a major distinction from otherwise similar efforts: students in this program were guaranteed access to lenders. This access consisted of working with lender instructor/facilitators.Curriculum\nHypotheses: Gender influence on program completion and panel review scores\nMethod: The authors used four years of data from registration and panel review information collected for all participants by the SEDA staff. Gender and education level were self reported on the registration form. Education level was based on the highest degree earned, which ranged from high school (the minimum required to enroll) to a graduate degree. This was translated into years of schooling, which ranged from 12 to 18.There were 1,013 participants in the program, consisting of 44 percent (446) males and 56 percent females (567). Since we were measuring all the participants of the program and not a sample, response rates and response bias were not relevant here.\nFindings: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: The examination of the role of gender in this business plan development program revealed a number of important findings. We were first interested in learning if gender, in and of itself, made a difference in the ability to graduate from this program or for the graduates, influenced their panel review score. According to the 2005 Microenterprise Program Directory report, 68 percent of US MEPs had a client base of over 50 percent women (Aspen Institute, 2006). These numbers are similar to earlier reports from the same group, suggesting that understanding more about role of gender in these programs matters. When one considers that the number of women-owned (whole or majority), privately-held business in the US grew 17 percent from 1997-2004, compared to 9 percent for all businesses (Center for Women's Business Research, 2005), the economic impact of the ventures is also increasing.In the first gender hypothesis set, we examined possible differences in graduation rates and panel review scores. Because previous research suggested that women tend to benefit more from these types of training programs than men, we wondered if women would do better in this program than men. The significant finding here was that in the presentation of the business plan before the SEDA panel, women scored significantly higher. This portion of the process focused on judging the ability of the participant to articulate their written plan, and respond to questions. Earlier research noted that a well written business plan is easier to understand and communicate (Cook et al., 2004), which suggests that a high scoring verbal presentation would likely follow a high scoring written plan. In this study, there was no difference in the written plan scores between men and women, yet the presentation at panel review clearly was a strength for women.Education's importance is related to the fact that it can be changed over time. Since education was found to contribute significantly to higher panel review scores, does this advantage apply equally when considering the gender of the participant? Our interest was in learning if all or just some entrepreneurs might benefit from increasing their formal education level before undertaking a business planning program. Examining the panel review scores by gender revealed that the level of formal education that a participant has when entering the program does matter, but only for women. The difference in women's panel review scores based on high versus low education level was large enough not only to provide a significant difference in the plan scores for them, but for all graduates. Among men, education level did not influence panel review scores.Something clearly occurred here, since the education level of all men and women participants was equivalent (3.1 years of college), and for just the graduates, men's education level was higher (3.6 years of college versus women's 3.2 years of college) but not significantly so. However, even though women graduates in the program had a slightly lower formal education level than men, they had higher panel review scores. As the education level clearly made a difference for women with respect to obtaining higher panel review scores, we compared different groupings to see what specific level of education level mattered with regard to panel review scores. Table I lists the significance differences in panel review scores for women depending on their education level:Another interesting finding was that when conducting the same statistical tests for men, no significant differences were found among any pairing, even among the groups with the greatest difference in level of education. For example, when comparing men whose highest level of education was high school versus men who had a graduate degree, the panel review mean scores were 6.92 and 7.37, respectively. This difference was not significant, with p=0.198. Overall, our results expand previous research that suggests that the education level of the participant is an important factor in doing well in these MEP programs (Cook and Belliveau, 2004). We can clarify the earlier research by saying that education level of the participant does indeed matter, but only for women.One possible explanation might have to do with the type of firm that participants are writing their business plans for. This program was open to entrepreneurs writing business plans for both startups and existing businesses, and these data were self-reported on the registration form. Startup ventures were ideas being researched but not yet underway, whereas existing businesses were in operation. Women developed plans for startups two-thirds of the time. Men tended to be evenly split, with 50.5 percent researching startups and 49.5 percent researching existing firms. The difference in the choice of firm type between men and women was significant (p=0.007). Given that a startup lacks a track record, the ability to create accurate projections tends to be more difficult than an existing firm (Longenecker et al., 2006). Therefore, a higher level of education may help in the development of a startup business plan. To test this explanation, we examined women graduates who had startups. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference in panel review scores between women with different educational levels. However, there was significant difference in panel review scores between women graduates with different education levels who had existing firms. Women graduates who had existing businesses and whose terminal education level was high school had the lowest panel review average score of any group, at 6.3. In comparison, women whose terminal education level was high school and were pursuing startups had a panel review average of 7.1. Comparatively, men scored 7.1 for existing and 6.6 for startups.The only significant difference in these four groups occurred between panel review scores of women pursuing startups versus women pursuing existing firms, at p=0.03. That was also the only significant difference in panel review scores involving just different firm types. In contrast, isolating firm type and gender, and then comparing different education levels showed significant differences for women pursuing plans for existing businesses. Table II indicates these results.Education clearly helped women developing business plans for existing firms because if they had at least two years of college, their mean panel review score increased to 7.6, from 6.33 for women whose terminal degree was high school. We now believe that the challenges of running a venture and developing a business plan were greater for women who did not obtain schooling beyond high school.As we examined gender differences by type of firm (startup and existing) and level of education, as reflected in either graduation rates or panel review Scores, we ran partial correlations and controlled for each variable separately. Results for firm type and education are shown in Table III.Findings indicate that controlling for each variable, the relationships relating to firm type and education level were confirmed.\nConclusion: We have identified a few key differences in business plan development based on gender. For men, formal education level did not influence the business plan scores earned at panel review. For women, it was the opposite, as formal education level played a strong role in determining quality business plan development, particularly for women with existing ventures. In fact, the difference in women's panel review scores based on education level was large enough to make a significant difference not only them, but for all graduates. Further, this effect could not be a result of disparate education levels as there were no significant differences between women and men's formal education levels upon entering the program.Women and men tended to graduate from this program at equal rates, and had equivalent overall business plan scores. However, women scored significantly higher than men in presenting their plan to the judges at panel review. This suggests that since they have a better ability to articulate their business plan to outsiders, they may be better equipped to gain investors if their ventures grow.\nFuture research directions: In recent years, the number of women-owned ventures has increased substantially and the growth of these ventures has outpaced the overall US economy (Office of Advocacy, 2006). Continuing to better understand what differences gender might make in business plan development should help this trend continue. To build upon our findings, we suggest identifying whether the type of education (business, liberal arts, sciences, etc) matters, or whether it is simply the process of formal learning that helps in the creation of a high scoring business plan. Additional research that examines gender and firm choice (i.e. service, retail, etc.), or gender and family responsibilities may also offer new insights on business plan development.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper proposes to examine the role that gender plays in a microenterprise program (MEP) that focused on developing quality business plans.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data were collected over four years from 1,013 participants in a microenterprise business development program. Empirical evidence is presented on the outcomes of the program.\nFindings: - Women and men had similar program completion rates and similar overall business plan scores. However, women scored significantly better on the presentation of their plan to judges. The level of formal education a participant had upon entering the program mattered, but only for women.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Further research could determine whether the type of formal education made a difference in producing higher scoring plans (liberal arts, business, etc.) or is it the process of formal learning that matters? Startups and existing firms, segmentation of firm type (retail, service, etc.) should be researched in conjunction with gender.\nPractical implications: - MEPs that emphasize helping women should pay particular attention to the level of formal education a participant has upon entering the program. Women were also found to do a better job of explaining their business plan to outsiders, which should enhance their growth potential.\nOriginality/value: - This article systematically examines differences that gender makes in completing a business plan development program.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
University quality and emotional attachment of undergraduate students in a private higher education in Malaysia: The mediating role of total experience
|
[
"Emotional attachment",
"Education",
"Total experience",
"University quality"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Emotional attachment, a well-known concept in psychology, has been extended in recent years to marketing in measuring customers' emotional attachment toward a brand. This concept is entirely new in measuring the intensity of consumers in higher education institutions (HEIs), namely the students. Consumers' commitment to a brand (i.e. brand loyalty) and their willingness to pay a premium to obtain it can be predicted by their emotional attachment (Park et al., 2010). A loyal student may continue to provide various forms of support to his/her academic institution after graduation such as through word-of-mouth promotion to future student, provision of financial support for collaborative research projects and/or through involvement in industrial placements of current students (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2001).\nLiterature review and study framework: Attachment theory\nResearch methodology and data analysis: Research design\nResults: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA)\nDiscussion and managerial implications: Using structural equation modeling, the results show that the sample data are a good fit to the proposed model. This provides support for the relationship between university quality and emotional attachment, which is mediated by the person's \"internal working model\" of the attachment relationship, namely the STE. In designing a tool that specifies elements of the educational experience, it is important not only to recognize the essential dimensions of quality but also seek to identify the items which are most important to the student (Rowley, 1997) and therefore are most likely to have an impact on their overall experience and emotional attachment with a particular HEI. Among the six university qualities, only management quality is found to have a significant direct relationship with emotional attachment. When introducing the mediation variable, namely total experience, only facilities' quality and industrial linkage are fully mediated by total experience, hence supporting H3e, H4d and H4e. To facilitate the discussions of the results, the next sections are presented via tangible and intangible aspects of university quality.\nConclusion: As a conclusion, to instil emotional attachment in students, a HEI provider should meet students' expectations with respect to the learning components that it can provide by improving the learning facilities and enhance the quality of industrial linkages as found in this study. This study highlights an important finding which is the relationship between the learning components (provided by the learning facilities and industrial linkages) and emotional attachment being insignificant when it is not mediated by total experience. Students need to go through certain experiences in order to establish emotional attachment. \"Higher education is unique as a service experience in that most customers must meet stringent academic and sometimes personal criteria before being permitted to enter on the experience through a series of assessment tasks, students are judged on their suitability as continuing customers\" (Rowly, 1997, p. 9). It makes sense for HEIs to understand that support given in the form of providing functional learning facilities and industrial linkage experience, as well as empathy from the management, foster strong emotional attachment in the student's heart. The number of strongly attached customers may be considered as an asset to a brand due to their willingness to pay a higher price given their strong brand attachment (Fedorikhin et al., 2008). Importantly, as higher education provision is a service and students are expected to fund their educational expenses, it would seem appropriate that universities make a shift from having a product-led, i.e. relying on the product to sell, toward a more \"customer-led\" approach (Angell et al., 2008). Therefore, a prime responsibility for the service marketer is that the management must make available their service quality tangibles so that the proper signals are conveyed about the service (Berry, 1980).\nLimitations and future research: A major criticism of this study is related to external validity as the sample for this study was solicited from respondents who are studying in a specific private higher academic institution. Hence, future studies need to exert extra caution when generalizing the findings from this study to other private university settings. Further validation of the model can be carried out by fitting the model with other samples of data such as the inclusion of the ethnicity of the students that might shed light on the findings. This study contributes to the attachment theory by showing that students are not emotionally attached to the academic staff (the human) hence contradicting Stever's (2013, p. 17) study that asserts \"A person focuses attention on the real person who is admired, to emulate and feel connected to them, and to make that real person the object of attachment.\" Future research studies can evaluate the moderating effect of the external environment such as the physical facilities on the individual (the staff quality) and emotional attachment. Future studies can also evaluate the effect of university quality on emotional attachment by comparing private HEIs and public HEIs.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to measure the influence of six university qualities, namely academic quality, academic staff quality, management quality, industrial linkage quality and facilities' quality, on students' total experience (STE) and emotional attachment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Judgmental sampling is used to collect data from a sample of 489 undergraduate students of a private higher academic institution. The data are then analyzed using structural equation modeling.\nFindings: This study finds that only management quality forms a significant direct relationship with emotional attachment, whereas facility quality and industrial linkage form a significant relationship with emotional attachment only when mediated with STE.\nOriginality/value: The results provide important findings to researchers and management of higher education institutions for future research directions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Work engagement among women managers and professionals in a Turkish bank: Potential antecedents and consequences
|
[
"Women",
"Banking",
"Job satisfaction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizations today are grappling with new challenges in their efforts to remain competitive. These include heightened performance pressures, the introduction of new technology, meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce and the globalization of business (Burke and Cooper, 2004; Cooper and Burke, 2002). Organizational leaders are increasingly concluding that a unique competitive advantage in their efforts to increase productivity resides in their human resources: all other potential competitive advantages (e.g. technology, capital, products) can be either bought or copied (Lawler, 2003; Pfeffer, 1994, 1998; Burke and Cooper, 2005).Organizations need to unleash the talents and motivations of all their employees if they are to achieve peak performance (Katzenbach, 2000). There is considerable evidence, that many organizations are falling short (Sirota et al., 2005) however. Galt (2005) reports findings from a Towers Perrin study conducted in Canada showing that only 17 per cent of employees surveyed were engaged in their jobs.Recent efforts to improve organizational performance have begun to emphasize positive organizational behavior concepts and positive emotions (Cameron et al., 2003; May et al., 2004; Seligman and Czikszentmihalyi, 2000). This includes concepts such as optimism, trust and engagement. Much of the earlier organizational behavior research has focused on negative concepts and emotions such as job dissatisfaction, alienation, burnout and intent to quit.Work engagement has received increasing research attention over the past ten years, reflecting this emphasis (Kahn, 1992; Leiter, 2005; Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004a; Schaufeli et al., 2003). Engaged workers are energetic, are positively connected to their work and feel they are doing their jobs effectively. It is a persistent and broad affective-cognitive state. Schaufeli et al. (2002) view it as a positive, fulfilling work related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication and absorption. Vigor is characterized by high levels of energy, the willingness to invest energy in one's work and persistence in difficult times; dedication is characterized by high levels of work involvement and feelings of pride and challenge from one's work; and absorption is characterized by deep concentration in one's work the sense that time passes quickly and one is reluctant to leave their work.The most commonly used measure of work engagement was developed by Schaufeli and his colleagues and comprises three components: vigor, dedication and absorption (Schaufeli et al., 2002). The accumulating research findings have shown that the measures of the three engagement concepts developed by Schaufeli and his colleagues (2002) are reliable, stable and valid (also see Schaufeli et al., 2006).Organizational behavior researchers have considered engagement as independent, dependent and moderator variables in various studies.\nEngagement as an independent variable: Salanova et al. (2005), in a study of front-line service workers and their customers, reported that work engagement predicted service climate which in turn predicted employee performance and then customer loyalty.\nEngagement as a dependent variable: In a multi-sample study, Schaufeli and Bakker (2004b) found support for the job demands-resources model. Structural equation modeling revealed that job demands (workload, emotional demands) were positively related to burnout, but not to engagement, and job resources (social support, supervisor coaching, feedback) were positively related to engagement and negatively related to burnout. In addition, burnout fully mediated the impact of job resources on health problems, and engagement mediated the effect of job resources on turnover intention. The authors conclude that two underlying processes can explain these results, an effort-driven high demand process leading to burnout, which then leads to health problems, and a motivational process in which available job resources foster engagement and affect behavioral work outcomes.Mauno et al. (2005a), in a study of subjective job insecurity among either permenant or fixed-term employees, reported lower work engagement among permanent employees. Mauno et al. (2005b) also found different predictors of work engagement in different organization sectors.Demerouti et al. (2001), in a study of employees from an insurance company reported that high work demands and high control were associated with higher engagement. Mauno et al. (2005b) also reported an association of high time pressures with higher levels of engagement.\nEngagement as a moderator variable: Leiter and Harvie (1998), in a study of a large scale organizational change in a hospital setting, reported that work engagement moderated the relationship of supportive supervision, confidence in management, effective communication and work meaningfulness and acceptance of the change.In a study of the correspondence between supervisors and staff members during major organizational changes, Leiter and Harvie (1997) demonstrated supervisors' confidence in the organization, their work engagement and assessment of work hazards, contributed to predicting staff members' engagement, and supervisor cynicism and exhaustion contributed to staff member cynicism and professional efficacy. The authors conclude that supervisors and staff members share perspectives on their day-to-day work, and the confidence and engagement shown by supervisors in interaction with staff members is influential in accepting and coping with organizational changes.It is important to study engagement because it is linked to positive individual and work related outcomes (Maslach et al., 2001). The present study examines potential predictors and consequences of work engagement in a sample of women managers and professionals working in a large Turkish bank. Previous research has shown that women in banking encounter obstacles to career development including studies of women in Turkish banks (Woodward and Ozbilgin, 1999; Collinson, 1987; Crompton and Sanderson, 1994; Ozbilgin and Woodward, 2004).The following general hypotheses were considered:(1) Work experiences such as support, reward and recognition, and workload would be positively associated with engagement.(2) Engagement would in turn be positively associated with both work outcomes such as job and career satisfaction and indicators of psychological well-being such as low levels of exhaustion and psychosomatic symptoms.\nMethod: Respondents\nResults: Hierarchical regression analyses\nDiscussion: This research examined potential antecedents and consequences of work engagement in a large sample of managerial and professional women working in a single major Turkish bank. Women working in this sector, both in Turkey and elsewhere, face barriers in developing careers having opportunities for advancement. Yet organizations in general, and their bank in particular, need to unleash the untapped potential of all their employees if they are to compete successfully in an increasingly demanding global market place.The results indicated that while personal demographic and work situation characteristics were generally unrelated to levels of work engagement, work experiences were found to be strong predictors of all three engagement factors: vigor, dedication and absorption. In particular levels of control, rewards and recognition and the fit of personal and organizational values emerged as important work experiences in this regard (see Table II).Work engagement, in turn, was found to have fairly consistent, but moderate, relationships with several work outcomes and indicators of psychological well-being (see Tables III and IV). Engagement it seems, has potentially positive consequences for both employers and their employing organizations.The research that has considered the organizational environment associated with high levels of work engagement has reported that organizational support plays a central role (Demerouti et al., 2001). Fortunately there is some understanding of the processes on mechanisms that underlay levels of support.Leiter (2005) offers the most comprehensive look at interventions in the workplace designed to enhance engagement with work. Increasing engagement with work is a challenging and complex undertaking. As the research findings show, engagement stems from the employees contact with a work environment.Leiter offers a conceptual framework to build engagement with work that considers the targets of intervention, strategies for intervention and potential consequences. Intervention targets include energy at work, involvement with one's work, and efficacy at work. Intervention strategies involve both individuals and organizational or workplace levels. It is critical to remember that individuals have different views and values about work, which can change over time, and that employees must participate in building engagement at work. Finally, the six areas of worklife considered in the present study can serve as targets for change (e.g. workload, control, rewards and recognition).Our findings suggest that engagement at work is associated with positive work and individual well-being outcomes and that organizational experiences are a major contributor to levels of employee engagement. They are consistent with the results of an increasing number of recent studies (Gonzalez-Roma et al., 2006; Hakanen et al., 2005; Langelaan et al., 2006; Montgomery et al., 2003; Sonnentag, 2003) reflecting the importance of understanding and increasing employee engagement. Research or engagement among women managers and professionals also provides a useful complement to the more common focus on their career obstacles.\nLimitations: This research has some limitations. First, all data were collected using self-report questionnaires raising the possibility of responses being affected by a common-method. Second, the data were collected at one point in time making it difficult to establish causal relationships. Third, a few of the measures had levels of internal consistency reliability below the generally accepted level of 0.70. Fourth, the extent to which these findings generalize to men to respondents working in other banks or other indicated sectors, or respondents in other countries is not clear.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The paper aims to examine potential antecedents and consequences of work engagement in a sample of women managers and professionals employed by a large Turkish bank.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Data were collected from 286 women, a 72 per cent response rate, using anonymously completed questionnaires. Engagement was assessed by three scales developed by Schaufeli et al.: vigor, dedication and absorption. Antecedents included personal demographic and work situation characteristics as well as work life experiences; consequences included measures of work satisfaction and psychological well-being.\nFindings: - The following results were observed. First, worklife experiences, particularly, control, rewards and recognition and value fit, were found to predict all three engagement measures. Second, engagement, particularly dedication, predicted various work outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, intent to quit). Third, engagement, particularly vigor, predicted various psychological well-being outcomes.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Questions of causality cannot be addressed since data were collected at only one point in time. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the effects of work life experiences on engagement.\nPractical implications: - Organizations can increase levels of work engagement by creating work experiences (e.g. control, rewards and recognition) consistent with effective human resource management practices.\nOriginality/value: - This study contributes to our understanding of work engagement among women managers and professionals.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
What's happening in coaching and mentoring? And what is the difference between them?
|
[
"Coaching",
"Mentoring",
"Learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In many ways, coaching and mentoring have made significant strides in the past decade, although from time to time it has seemed they have also made substantial steps backwards.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the latest developments in the field of corporate coaching and mentoring.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Provides a viewpoint on the coaching and mentoring field drawing on research from Europe and the US.\nFindings: - Structured or supported coaching and mentoring within organisations is evolving rapidly and research is at last beginning to provide valuable insights into effective practices. Some strongly-held assumptions are being challenged along the way. Greater definitional clarity, within specific contexts, contributes to efficacy. Increasing professionalisation with the coaching and mentoring sector is being helped by dialogue between the various bodies representing coaches and mentors and by the spread of supervision.\nOriginality/value: - The article provides a succinct overview of the current position of the corporate coaching and mentoring arena and offers insights into how the field will develop in the future.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Does culture impact private label performance?
|
[
"Culture",
"Private labels",
"Retail market development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Considerable inter-country differences exist in terms of private label performance[1]. Recent surveys report a high penetration of private labels in Western European countries (45 per cent in Switzerland, 41 per cent in the UK and 34 per cent in Germany) but relatively low performance of private labels in Asian markets, with Hong Kong and Singapore having the largest share (8 and 5 per cent, respectively) (Nielsen, 2014). This is an important issue for retailers as private labels represent a key aspect of their strategy (Sethuraman and Gielens, 2014): not only do these brands carry the retailer's name and help to build and promote a store brand identity (Gomez and Okazaki, 2009), but they are also owned and managed by the retailer itself, which allows for better control over their own marketing mix and supply chain (Dhar and Hoch, 1997). This issue is particularly strategic in internationalisation processes (Burt et al., 2005): when a retailer relying heavily on private labels has to decide in which new country to set up, one of the fundamental questions to address is whether their private label strategy is likely to succeed and, if not, which adaptations should be performed to maximise the chances of success. Therefore, understanding the reasons for such a disparity in private label performance across countries is a key issue for retailers.\nTheoretical development and conceptual model: The impact of culture on private label performance\nMethodology: Data set building\nAnalysis and findings: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: This study examines how the five dimensions of the Hofstede model of culture influence private label performance. Two types of impact are considered: a direct impact that represents how consumers are influenced by their culture in their choice of brand and an indirect path that shows how culture favours or inhibits the development of modern retail chains, which, in turn, influences the performance of the private labels of these modern retail formats. We use a SEM incremental model building approach using packaged food industry data from 65 countries to test our model, and we control for important factors such as competitive intensity and macro-level socioeconomic factors. In summary, our results show a positive direct impact of individualism and LTO on private label performance; a positive indirect impact of individualism and UA on private label performance through the mediation of retail market development; and a negative indirect impact of PD and masculinity on private label performance mediated by retail market development.\nManagerial implications: Our research provides useful insights for managers, particularly regarding international retailing decisions. We focus here on two critical decisions: market selection and private label adaptation.\nLimitations and future research: Like any other study, ours is not free of limitations. First, our choice of the Hofstede model fits the country-level focus of our study; however, we acknowledge that this model has received some criticism. Hence, future studies could examine novel dimensions of culture based on alternative frameworks (such as the GLOBE project) or employ multiple cultural models. Second, this study uses secondary data. While this approach is often recommended for cross-country comparisons, it is also sometimes criticised for its potential limitations pertaining to accuracy. Future cross-country-level research could complement the Hofstede scores with primary data. For instance, adapting the Hofstede dimensions to the individual level (Yoo and Donthu, 2002) would allow for the study of individual-level considerations such as the impact of psychographics and perceptual variables. Third, some of the socioeconomic factors used as control variables in our model (such as GDP per capita) are correlated with the Hofstede cultural dimensions, which could cause some confounding effects. A VIF analysis showed that multicollinearity was not a problem in this study, but it would be interesting to find an alternative way of measuring covariates that are not correlated with cultural dimensions. Finally, this study empirically explored the impact of cultural dimensions on private label performance and retail market development. Future research should perhaps investigate this relationship by focusing on additional moderators, which may provide better and fuller insight into the role of all cultural dimensions on private label performance and retail market development.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: To better understand the disparity of private label performance across countries, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role played by national culture. Two types of impact are considered: a direct influence of cultural dimensions on the performance of private labels in a country and an indirect one where national culture favours the development of modern retailers, which, in turn, benefits private label performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using the five dimensions of the Hofstede model to describe national culture, this paper performs a structural equation modelling incremental building model approach using secondary data collected from a sample of 65 countries.\nFindings: The results show that individualism (positively) and long-term orientation (negatively) directly impact private label performance. Moreover, four dimensions (individualism, masculinity, power distance and uncertainty avoidance) are shown to have a significant indirect impact on private label performance via the mediation of retail market development, positively for individualism and negatively for the three other dimensions.\nPractical implications: The findings provide retailers with important insights into the critical decisions of the selection of new markets and adaptation of the private label strategy according to the culture of the country.\nOriginality/value: This research pioneers by being the first to determine the impact of all the dimensions of the Hofstede cultural model on private label performance, use a very large number of countries to test this impact and study the role of important retail market factors in this phenomenon.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Consumer behavior of generational cohorts for compression sportswear
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Baby boomer",
"Compression sportswear",
"Eye-tracking",
"Generational cohort",
"Purchase decision behavior"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The sportswear market is expanding as the trend of the promotion of healthy and active living grows. This is a trend that is expected to continue to grow internationally (Edwards and Tsouros, 2006). Therefore it is imperative for marketers to understand clearly the needs of their target customers in order to exploit them and increase their own market share.\nRelevant literature: We begin by reviewing literature relevant to the study to provide a foundation in order to develop our theoretical framework.\nGenerational cohort theory: Generational cohort theory is used to group people born in certain years, in order to suggest likely behaviors according to shared values (Schewe and Meredith, 2004); describe cohorts as groups born during the same time period who travel through life together; and therefore experience similar external events in their late adolescent and early adult years. Cole et al. (2008) explain that cohort effects relate to the long-term impact of events on people born in particular periods and remain with one during their life. The defining moments that these groups experience influence values, attitudes, preferences, expectations and buying behaviors; as a result these factors remain constant throughout the generation's lifetime and constitute a generational identity (Jackson et al., 2010; Schewe and Meredith, 2004). Smith and Clurman (2010) emphasize that understanding the values and motivations of a generation has become essential to targeting particular consumers, as each generation is driven by unique ideas about the type of lifestyle to which they aspire. Hofstede (1984) disagrees with the notion that individuals can be defined and segmented with regard to generational influences and rather considers that factors such as skill level, educational background and education influence individual preference. Quester et al. (2007), define the following generational cohorts: Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, Generation X, born between 1965 and 1976 and Generation Y, born between 1977 and 1994. Researchers and historians have used different names and dates to define cohorts; however, the literature fundamentally agrees on the general attitudes and behaviors of the groups (Wellner, 2000; Norum, 2003).\nSports compression garments: Compression garments have long been used in the health industry to treat patients with poor blood flow and conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (Dascombe et al., 2007). However, in recent years, the use of compression garments for sports and fitness has become increasingly widespread. Compression sports garments offer users engineered, graded compression to stimulate the flow of oxygen to muscles, reducing the build up of lactic acid (Cole, 2008). The benefits postulated by the majority of sport compression garments state that the wearer will benefit from increased blood flow, improved muscles oxygenation, reduced muscle fatigue, faster recovery, less muscle vibration and a reduction in muscle injury (Troynikov et al., 2010). In addition, most sports compression garment brands offer garment attributes such as UV protection, anti-bacterial properties, moisture management, temperature regulation and even a better proprioceptive sensibility (Liu et al., 2011).\nVisual attention and eye-tracking: Through the study of eye movements an understanding can be gained of how individuals acquire information (Duchowski, 2007). The movements of eyes consist of two components, fixations and saccades. Saccades are rapid jumps that the eye makes when it is looking from one area to another, focussing new visual stimuli onto the fovea (Duchowski, 2007). Fixations are moments when the eye is relatively still and focussing on a specific object or location; during a fixation the area or object being viewed is projected onto the fovea for detailed processing (Wedel and Pieters, 2008). Using saccade movements and durations of fixation, a pattern of eye movements, called the scan path (Solso, 1994) can be determined. The path that is travelled, where the eyes pause, jump or return to, can then be analyzed to understand visual attention.\nTheoretical framework: Although there are many influences on the purchase behavior of consumers, the following were the ones considered in the purchase of sports compression garments.\nMethodology: Two methods were utilized to test the hypotheses and understand the consumer purchase behavior for compression sportswear. A simulation study was conducted in Germany and an online questionnaire was distributed throughout Australia; providing a cross-national comparison.\nSimulation study: 1. Participants and procedure\nMeasures: The videos produced from the simulation study were analyzed using the Dikablis D-Lab software. Studies conducted by Ju and Johnson (2010) and Park et al. (2012) were used as a basis for the design and analysis of the study. Ju and Johnson (2010) utilized eye-tracking technology to study the visual attention of young women on different types of fashion advertisements, particularly focussing on areas of interest, total time viewing each advertisement and the number of fixations. Similarly Park et al. (2012) used eye-tracking technology to study how participants viewed particular fashion images, creating areas of interest on the images to analyze gaze duration and the density of fixations.\nOnline questionnaire: Data were collected through an online questionnaire. The target population consisted of Baby Boomers and Generation Y sporting enthusiasts who owned or were considering the purchase of compression sportswear. The link for the questionnaire was distributed via email to mailing lists of Australian gyms and sporting clubs. Initially the questionnaire did not receive many responses from Baby Boomers, therefore a local YMCA gym was visited and patrons from the cohort were approached to complete the questionnaire on site. The total number of usable questionnaires was 166, with 82 Baby Boomers and 84 Generation Y respondents. This sample size was considered sufficient to provide tentative outcomes, being consistent with questionnaires conducted by Jin and Black (2012) and Jeon and Ridinger (2009). Considering the limitations of the study, the sample had a good representation of both males and females, with 48 percent of the Baby Boomers and 63 percent of the Generation Y group being male.\nMeasures: A measurement of overall experience and activeness is obtained with the type, number, and frequency of sporting activities in which participants engage. A five-point Likert scale was used to determine level of agreement, influence and importance (a measure of 1 marking the lowest or least and a measure of 5 marking the highest or most). To test H1 the participants marked responses in regard to comfort, quality, and technical attributes. Braddock and O'Mahony (2002) and Cole (2008) described these factors to represent product benefits to consumers of sportswear. To test H2 participants marked responses regarding the importance of different advertising techniques, including the use of sport specific sponsors and activities. To test H3 questions sought answers to their buying approach, in-store purchase behaviors, and mode of purchase.\nResults: The study found that both generations of cohorts are active approximately three to four times a week. It was found that the main reason for activity was fitness as marked on the online questionnaire by over 80 percent of participants from both groups. Generation Y did include leisure, competition, and stress relief as other important reasons for their activity. When asked about specific activities Baby Boomers at a rate of 60 percent chose walking as their preferred method of activity. Also marked by this group were running, jogging, and weight training. This is consistent with findings of Wray and Hodges (2008) in regards to the preferred activities of Baby Boomers. Johnson (1996) and Steinhaus and Lapitsky (1986), found that the number one fitness activity that Baby Boomers partake in is walking, followed by aerobics and weight lifting.\nProduct benefits influencing purchase behavior (H1): Both generational cohorts ranked running and jogging high in their preferred sporting and fitness activities. Walking was the number one preferred activity of Baby Boomers at over 60 percent with running and jogging coming in second at 48 percent. Generation Y ranked running and jogging at just over 50 percent with cycling a close second at 50 percent. Unlike their Baby Boomer counterparts, Generation Y did have some representation of team sports in their preferred activities. In total, 30 percent of Generation Y participated in Soccer/football and about 10 percent in both netball and basketball. Baby Boomers had rates at or less than 5 percent for any particular team sport. The distinct needs for diverse types of activities will require different product benefits.\nCommunication methods influence purchase behavior (H2): During the simulation study of promotional images, on average, Generation Y subjects spent 81.52 seconds examining the images, whereas the Baby Boomers spent 63.00 seconds. Therefore, the Generation Y group spent approximately 23 percent longer on the images. It was found that that the results were statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.0299 at a=0.05 when conducting a student's t-test with the null hypothesis being that there is no relationship between generational cohort and time taken to view promotional materials As stated by Duchowski (2007) an increased viewing time indicates greater visual interest. This study along with Wolburg and Pokryvczynski (2001) find that the younger generation requires more visual information.\nPurchasing avenues influence purchase behavior (H3): The most frequent mode of purchase for both generational cohorts was the traditional sports store (Figure 4). A close second for Baby Boomers were department stores followed last by online methods. Generation Y preferred online shopping after traditional sports stores with department stores falling much farther down the list of preferred avenues of purchase. As many as 52 percent of Generation Y indicated a willingness to buy compression sportswear online while the Baby Boomers indicated percentages <30 percent. The greater online presence of Generation Y as found in this study and supported by Kumar and Lim (2008), proves that the generational cohorts have different alternate purchase methods. The primary avenue of purchase remains the same for both generational cohorts: the traditional sports store. A comment made by the Baby Boomer group was that in order to truly assess whether a garment would meet their quality perceptions they would need to fit the garment on their bodies and assess. This further suggests that they would be less likely to use online methods of purchase in comparison to Generation Y. These generational cohorts use different avenues to purchase their compression sportswear, supporting H3. The large variations shown in Figure 4 for purchase through a catalogue and \"other\" show the insignificance of these responses in comparison to the other purchase modes. As there were significant responses for some of the other modes, the large variance in these two options was not investigated further.\nGenerational cohort theory and purchase behavior (H4): With support for H1, H2 and H3, the present study has found that there are significant differences in purchase behavior of compression sportswear among the studied generational cohorts, and therefore H4 is also supported. One more additional generational difference is the importance of price for purchasing behavior. This difference was clearly present in the results of the questionnaire.\nDiscussion and managerial implications: The present study found significant differences in the purchase behavior of Baby Boomers and Generation Y for compression sportswear. Considering the two investigative methods undertaken, it was found that both groups were concerned about comfort, quality and the technical attributes of sports compression garments; however, the ranking of these values varied between the groups, with a particular difference being that Baby Boomers were concerned with protection whereas the Generation Y respondents cared more for performance enhancement. The German study found a similar result, with both groups caring for comfort and quality but having different priorities with the Baby Boomers showing concern for the resilience of the garment, and the Generation Y cohort focussing on technical information.\nLimitations and future research: Limited demographic information was collected from subjects in the simulation study. Hofstede's (1984) claim that generational cohort theory was not an indicator of consumer behavior, and that skill level and educational background has a greater influence on behavior and preferences has to be taken into consideration. In the present study it was found that generational cohort theory was relevant, but the demographic differences in education was not taken into account.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the difference in purchase decision behavior of compression sportswear by Baby Boomers and Generation Y.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two methods were used for data collection: a simulation study with 17 Baby Boomers and 23 Generation Y subjects using eye-tracking technology; and a questionnaire from a sample of 82 Baby Boomers and 84 Generation Y consumers.\nFindings: Generation Y are more inquisitive and focus greatly on technical information. Baby Boomers are more confident with their choices, taking a shorter time to reach a purchase decision; they are more concerned with aspects that protect the wearer.\nResearch limitations/implications: Limited demographic information was collected from participants in the simulation study, further research is required in this area.\nPractical implications: This study provides important insights into the purchase decision behavior of Baby Boomers and Generation Y for compression sportswear. By providing better understanding of some of the key drivers for purchase decisions it enables marketers to develop more effective marketing plans to engage with these important consumer groups.\nSocial implications: The focus and findings of this study provide further understanding of the motivations of two significant consumer cohorts. This study provides further momentum to the body of cohort research already available.\nOriginality/value: This study addresses a gap in literature with reference to the comparison of consumer behavior of generational cohorts when purchasing compression sportswear. Findings can be applied in other areas of sportswear and to other countries.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The impact of improvisation training on service employees in a European airline: a case study
|
[
"Role play",
"Service delivery",
"Services",
"Training",
"Airlines"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: One of the challenges facing many service organisations, particularly those that involve face-to-face interaction with customers, is the need to adjust to unique customer situations in real time. Services bring together customers and employees in an interactive exchange process that often creates the need to accommodate special requests, respond to service failure, and modify the service performance. The restaurant meal, airline flight, medical examination, bank transaction, hotel visit and numerous other service encounters encompass circumstances that may necessitate such employee actions. Ultimately the service employees' skill at adapting to varying situations may affect customers' perceptions of service excellence. The issue, of course, is how to develop such skills among the service organisation's workforce. We examine the utility of theatrical improvisation as one plausible means of achieving employee improvisation.Service as theatre\nThe case study research design: Our examination of the efficacy of improvisation theatrical training for services utilised a case study of employees within the airline industry. The case study method is becoming increasingly widespread in management research (Gummesson, 1991) and is used for a variety of reasons including the chronicling or characterising of events and for instruction (Marshall and Rossman, 1989). In addition, case research enables an understanding of the dynamics within single settings (e.g. Huberman and Miles, 2002) and is appropriate when the aim of the study is to provide management with new insights or tools (Gummesson, 1991), for example understanding the effectiveness of an improvisation training programme. The airline industry is appropriate for this study since, certainly in the case of cabin crew, it represents a \"people processing\" service (cf. Lovelock, 1994) that relies to a large degree on face-to-face interaction between customers and front stage personnel, in this case cabin crew - conditions that are apt to foster the need for employee adaptive skills.The airline that agreed to participate in our study was a regional Irish airline, Aer Arann (see www.aerarann.com) that services France, Ireland and the UK. The subjects for our investigation were seven recently hired cabin crew personnel (i.e. flight attendants) who were about to begin the company's introductory training programme. While all attendants had previous cabin crew experience with other airlines, none had experienced the use of theatrical techniques in customer service training. Table I provides a brief profile of the new hires.The airline, Aer Arann, gave us permission to augment its induction training programme by introducing the new hires to the concept of service as theatre and then conducting a hands-on improvisation training session modelled on what occurs in schools of acting and drama. Given the nature and size of the sample, our investigation was essentially a case study involving a pre-experimental design consisting of a one group pre-test post-test structure (Campbell and Stanley, 1966).As is normal, the new hires were first exposed to the airline's induction training programme, which primarily focused on the company's standard practices and policies. This was followed by two additional training sessions that addressed service delivery as theatre (Session one) and improvisation training (Session two).Session one\nResults: The results of this study are very encouraging. As already pointed out, the new hires had never been exposed to theatrical techniques in the context of customer service training. Hence, session one was the trainees' first introduction to the notion of service theatre and they were asked to provide their reaction to the concept. The following statements are the responses of the seven new hires to the idea of service theatre. These statements give an indication of the enthusiasm and indeed excitement about the concept, which was also very evident all during the session one training:I can see the relationship between acting and customer service and I'm looking forward to taking part in the next stage (male, three years' experience).Yes I agree. To provide great customer service there has to be an aspect of acting (female, three years' experience).Sounds like fun. I'm really looking forward to the next day (female, eight years' experience).I think it's a really good clever idea. When you put on your uniform and walk into work, you're a different person (female, six years' experience).It's a fantastic idea and it'll help a lot for the future (female, nine years' experience).Actually we act most of the time when dealing with customers (male, six years' experience).This is great ... this is going to be fun and very useful (female, six years' experience).Tables II-IV present the views and reaction of the new hires to the training and enables a comparison to be made between the pre-test and post-test measures. The middle column in each table shows the reaction of the new hires to the nine hours of improvisation training. Clearly, the new hires were enthusiastic about how such training could improve their confidence, effectiveness, ability to adapt and spontaneity. This was consistent with the general attitude the new hires displayed when actively participating in the session exercises. The new hires enthusiastically got involved in all aspects of the training. Further, they provided a host of examples of minor to major critical incidents they had experienced in their careers with other airlines for which improvisation had relevance. For example, the new hires felt that improvisation skills would be helpful in dealing with nervous passengers, passengers who question rules such as not using mobile/cell phones or laptops at prescribed times, passengers who block aisles while trying to load the overhead bins and a host of other situations. These examples and others were used as application exercises during the improvisation training.Overall, the results of the study suggest that the new hires had favourable perceptions toward both the Aer Arann induction training programme and the improvisation training. Both programmes scored very strongly on being useful, relevant and helpful, and the overall satisfaction rate was high. A key finding was that the new hires strongly recommended that the improvisation training be incorporated into the airline's induction training programme (see Tables II and III).As reported earlier, and as the quotations from session one indicated, the trainees were excited about service theatre. Apart from the responses to the structured questions shown in Tables II-IV, the comments to the open ended questions again indicate that they felt the improvisation training was very valuable for them. The following reactions underscore a general theme:Very helpful in training us how to deal with situations (male, six years' experience).Excellent, very worthwhile, enjoyable and active (female, three years' experience).Great experience. Put things in a different light (male, three years' experience).Very beneficial, because a customer may sometimes catch staff unaware and the correct dialogue may not take place and so you've a dissatisfied customer (male, three years' experience).This will help us act naturally (male, six years' experience).As noted, a post-test questionnaire was completed about three weeks following the improvisation training. That period allowed the new hires to reflect on the training they had received and, if necessary, put it into practice. Since the trainees had not previously experienced an improvisation workshop and, as discussed earlier, were obviously elated by the experience, it could be expected that they may have initially exaggerated their reaction to it. Therefore, it is very reassuring, as Table IV demonstrates, that the new hires found the improvisation training to be valuable in practice as well, i.e. their post-test scores were consistent with their scores recorded following the improvisation training. Again, the written remarks to the open questions in the post-test questionnaire give a flavour for the continuing support and enthusiasm for improvisation training:This training improved my confidence (female, eight years' experience).It taught me new ways of dealing with unusual situations (female, eight years' experience).... the training has been very good for me (male, six years' experience).Improvisation training makes us sit back and watch how other people deal with situations and what we would or could do differently (female, six years' experience).The post-test findings in Table IV clearly show that the trainees felt that when facing unique situations improvisation training improved their confidence, effectiveness, ability to adapt, spontaneity and comfort in successfully handling unique situations.Overall it is apparent that the new hires benefited from both the airline's regular induction programme and the improvisation training programme. While the induction programme helped the trainees become knowledgeable about the company's practices and policies, the improvisation training helped to prepare them to face unique situations they may experience while performing their job responsibilities.\nDiscussion: Several key findings emerge from our case study of improvisation training. First, it is clear that those trainees who participated in the theatre-related training sessions found them to be rewarding and relevant. This includes both the introduction to the idea of services as theatre and the actual hands-on theatre-based improvisation training. While the organisation's induction training programme provided the new hires in our study with a practical exposure to the airlines procedures and practices, the improvisation training complemented the standard training by preparing the trainees to respond to unusual and challenging situations with a level of comfort and creativity. Further, based on the comments offered by the new hires in response to our open-ended questions, the improvisation training was perceived as providing an element of fun and enjoyment to the training regime. Hence there is a measure of \"added value\" linked to the improvisation training that manifests itself both in terms of preparing the personnel to deal with unanticipated situations that emerge in service delivery and more effectively engaging them in the training process itself. It bears noting that these observations are gleaned from the responses of our participants who had significant work experience in this service sector.As with any case study, there are caveats regarding the investigation that should be noted. Clearly our findings are based on a very limited number of participants. However, our participants represent the number of new hires recruited at that time. They were available to us for 12 hours each on company time, a total of 84 working hours. Other staff had to be rostered for these hours, so it was impossible for the company to make additional staff available, for example staff recruited three months earlier. This, of course, highlights one of the challenges of conducting experimental research in-company. However, it is not unusual for case studies to discern useful insights from a limited number of participants (Gummesson, 1991). In addition, our case study focuses on only one service type. Future investigation of the efficacy of improvisation training for service employees could utilise additional Aer Arann respondents and/or research other service types. Nevertheless, responses to our open-ended and structured questions suggest that, from the participants' point of view, theatrical improvisation training is worthwhile for front-stage service employees.\nConclusion: The goal of our exercise was to assess whether the service theatre metaphor and the application of it as theatrical improvisation training was perceived as valuable by service personnel who are onstage in a real world context. Evidence from our case study examination suggests that such training is indeed worthwhile. Clearly, further exploration of the efficacy of theatrical improvisational training is desirable. For instance, it would be interesting to investigate its potential in various types of service delivery systems, for example, high-contact versus low-contact services, business-to-business versus business-to-consumer services, or hedonic versus utilitarian services. It may well be that the utility of improvisation training varies across different service circumstances. Nevertheless, our study provides some initial evidence that improvisation training has practical and positive outcomes for frontline service workers in a people-processing service context.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of improvisation training, as used in schools of acting, in preparing front-stage service employees perform their roles when interacting with customers as cabin crew in Aer Arann, a regional Irish airline.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - To discern the relevance and impact of improvisation training, a case study methodology was employed. The subjects of the investigation were seven recently hired cabin crew personnel for Aer Arann. Data for the case study were collected from the new hires at three different times.\nFindings: - The study shows that participants both enjoyed the improvisation training and found it to be very valuable as preparation for their roles in the airline. A key finding was that the new hires strongly recommended that improvisation training be incorporated into the airline's regular induction training programme. Specifically, participants felt the improvisation training improved their confidence, effectiveness, ability to adapt, spontaneity and comfort in successfully handling unique situations.\nResearch limitations/implications: - As with many case studies, the study presented here focuses on a single company for its data generation. Further, because of the realities of commercial life, the subject pool is quite small, i.e. due to the demands of their position, only seven new hires were available for the 12 hours needed to conduct the training, as well as the subsequent assessment activities. Nevertheless, the case study enabled the authors to gain meaningful insights into the utilisation of improvisation training in a real-world setting.\nOriginality/value: - The research makes several key contributions. First, it links theory and practice by demonstrating in a real world context the efficacy of framing service as theatre. Second, based on the service theatre literature, the paper details the utility of improvisation training as a means of preparing front-stage service employees for the rigours of their jobs. Finally, the research presents new, empirically based insights regarding the value and contribution of improvisation training in the services sector.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Perceived learning outcomes in entrepreneurship education: The impact of student motivation and team behaviour
|
[
"Education",
"Entrepreneurialism",
"Team learning",
"Motivation (psychology)",
"Students"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This research contributes to the growing discussion on entrepreneurship education in universities, particularly on entrepreneurial learning outcomes and how they are being achieved. Solid research on the outcomes of entrepreneurship education is scarce (Gorman et al., 1997; Menzies, 2004; Pittaway and Cope, 2007). As the number of entrepreneurship education offerings has continued to increase both in Europe (Fayolle, 2005; Nurmi and Paasio, 2005; Hannon, 2007) and in the USA (Katz, 2003; Kuratko, 2005) the issue has started to gain more attention. The growing interest in entrepreneurship education and its outcomes is something shared by both academics and policy makers.On a policy level there is a widespread belief that entrepreneurship education offers an efficient and cost-effective means of increasing the number and quality of entrepreneurs in the economy (Matlay, 2006). In addition, entrepreneurship education is seen to contribute to the development of other important skills appreciated by future employers, such as problem-solving, innovation and team skills (Chia, 1996; Heinonen, 2007). The importance of entrepreneurship education at different levels of the education system is widely acknowledged (Bosma and Levie, 2010). However, from the policy perspective it is still unclear by which means the desired outcomes are to be achieved and whether policy manoeuvres can make any difference at all.The prior research on entrepreneurship education and its outcomes has highlighted the role of entrepreneurship education in affecting the students' attitudes towards entrepreneurship, their motivation and intentions in engaging in new ventures (e.g. Dreisler et al., 2003, Peterman and Kennedy, 2003; Klapper, 2004, Fayolle, 2005; Pittaway and Cope, 2007; Athayde, 2009). A widely used framework to analyse the impact of entrepreneurship education is Ajzen's \"Theory of planned behaviour\", which focuses on individual entrepreneurial intentions, i.e. intentions to start-up an entrepreneurial venture (Krueger et al., 2000). Entrepreneurial intentions can only partially explain the actual start-up decision, as there is usually a significant time lag between initial intentions and actual behaviour. However, intentions have been widely used as a proxy for entrepreneurial learning outcomes. Recent results show that an education in entrepreneurship has a positive effect on the desirability and feasibility of starting a business (Peterman and Kennedy, 2003). However, entrepreneurship education can also have goals other than starting up a company. Previous research (Henry et al., 2005) suggests that entrepreneurship education assessments need to be sensitive to these different goals set for entrepreneurship courses and programmes (Hytti and O'Gorman, 2004). Indeed, the actual effects of entrepreneurship education are still not known, and there is a need for more rigorous research investigating the impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial outcomes (Henry et al., 2005; Colette et al., 2005; Matlay, 2008).Although entrepreneurship education is perceived to be important from the point-of-view of policy makers and educational institutions, university business students may be less motivated in their approach to entrepreneurship and prefer to seek employment in large international corporations (Roffe, 1999; Brindley and Ritchie, 2000; Moy and Lee, 2002) and so would expect their studies to contribute towards that goal. The worst-case scenario is that the significant investment in entrepreneurship education programmes is ineffective, if the programmes are not aligned to student expectations. The previous research has not tackled the question of how student motivation to study entrepreneurship affects their perceived learning outcomes. Furthermore, research on entrepreneurship education has emphasised the use of team learning in order to generate an experience pool and a forum for reflection (Reynolds, 1993). Teamwork and group-based learning is also being widely applied in management education (Kalliath and Laiken, 2006). Yet we know little about how this learning method, in terms of team behaviour, affects entrepreneurial learning outcomes and whether it supports or hinders students with different motivational backgrounds in doing a good job on an entrepreneurship course.This article works towards these ends by investigating the motivation of a group of students to study entrepreneurship as well as their learning outcomes from one basic-level university course in entrepreneurship. The objective of the course was to improve the student skills in generating new business ideas by exploiting a teamwork approach to the course assignment. In this study we suggest that entrepreneurial behaviour can be encouraged via certain course assignments, activities increasing problem-solving capability and opportunity recognition, and experimental learning methods (Kuratko, 2005; Heinonen, 2007). The students were divided into teams that were each assigned three industries at random. The course assignment was to create a business idea combining the three industries in an innovative way. The assignment was designed to support idea generation as an active process (Klofsten, 2005) in which all group members participated.The aim of this paper is to investigate the impact of students' motivation to study entrepreneurship on their performance in business idea generation. Additionally, the study analyses how learning in student teams moderates this relationship. The study contributes to our theoretical understanding of how entrepreneurial learning outcomes are affected by student motivation and team behaviour. Second, by focusing on the final achievement, namely business ideas as entrepreneurial learning outcomes, the article illustrates an option to study the impact of entrepreneurial education, particularly when creation of a new venture is not an immediate objective of the course. Finally, the study contributes to the evaluation and research practices of different entrepreneurship education initiatives. The study proceeds as follows. In the next section, we establish the theoretical foundations and hypotheses of the study and continue by presenting the sample data and the variables used. Finally, we present the results and draw our conclusions in the discussion section.\nTheoretical foundations and hypotheses: A business idea as a learning outcome\nMethodology: Sample and data collection\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to address the impact of a person's motivation to study entrepreneurship on their subsequent levels of performance in terms of the generation of business ideas, while taking into account the effect of student team behaviour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper hypothesises that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as team behaviour influence the learning outcome and that team behaviour moderates the relationship between motivation and learning outcomes. A survey was used to generate data. A total of 117 students, who participated in pre-programme, and post-programme surveys, provided the sample data. First, explorative factor analyses were employed to examine the latent variables. Second, hierarchical lineal regression analyses were carried out to test the proposed hypotheses.\nFindings: - It was found that intrinsic motivation has a negative effect on the learning outcome while extrinsic motivation had a positive one. However, the team (and in particular the resources that become available) positively moderates the relationship between the intrinsic motivation and the outcomes.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The paper contributes to the evaluation and research practices of different entrepreneurship education initiatives. The data are derived solely from business students, a factor that may cause bias in the results. In addition, the paper relied on self-assessed perceptions of learning outcomes, since the stakeholder evaluations were team-level measurements.\nPractical implications: - Students on entrepreneurship education programmes have different forms of motivation for studying entrepreneurship, and those tend to affect their satisfaction with the outcome of their studies. Using teams on an entrepreneurship course seems to generate more positive outcomes for students with both low and high intrinsic motivation, but particularly among the latter group. Ultimately, the results suggest the need for greater flexibility in course design.\nOriginality/value: - The paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of how entrepreneurial learning outcomes are affected by student motivation and team behaviour. It makes an original contribution in distinguishing between an extrinsic and an intrinsic motivation to study entrepreneurship, and highlights the effect on learning outcomes of resources acquired through team behaviour. It also illustrates an opportunity to study the impact of entrepreneurship education, particularly when the creation of a new venture is not an immediate objective of the course.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A link between knowledge sharing and managers' characteristics
|
[
"Knowledge sharing",
"Supervisor",
"Knowledge-oriented leadership"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Changes in society and the rapid development of technology transform, among others, the manner in which companies maintain their competitive ability. For many organizations, it has become necessary to put their human capital to better use - learning more and faster. Therefore, knowledge sharing (KS) among employees is vital. Sharing knowledge contributes to cost reductions, faster completion of new development projects, bigger innovation capabilities and better performance overall while growing revenue from new products and services (Sharifkhani et al., 2016). Additionally, most current organizational processes require the engagement of several employees while making sure each of them contributes with their own expert knowledge (Kock and Davison, 2003). Sharing knowledge enables individuals to access new knowledge and varied ideas that they may not themselves encounter (Boh and Wong, 2013). To sum up, better organizational outcomes can be gained by KS (Sharifkhani et al., 2016). Hence, understanding how organizational and individual factors influence KS is essential and beneficial (Li et al., 2014).\nTheoretical framing and hypotheses: KS can be defined as the act of providing task information and know-how in order to help others and to collaborate with others to solve problems, develop ideas or implement policies or procedures (Wang and Noe, 2010). KS can occur at the individual, group or organizational levels (Razmerita et al., 2016). Regarding the individual level, KS means that employees exchange work-related information, ideas, suggestions and experience (Assegaff et al., 2017). Although KS is generally not an official task found in a job description, it is well known that it is vital to the prosperity of an organization (Mustafa et al., 2016; Son et al., 2017; Wickramasinghe and Widyaratne, 2012). KS is a key process in the intensification of individual learning and in the improvement of overall organizational performance (Sharifkhani et al., 2016).\nMethods: This study was a part of a bigger internal university project dealing with KS in organizations. The rules for ethical research were applied, the questionnaires were anonymous and participants were informed about the research project.\nResults: Table II shows the basic statistical characteristics of the items in the KOL inventory as well as the correlations with the extent of KS in the organization. It seems that a superior's broadmindedness and interest in employees' opinions are essential.\nDiscussion and conclusions: Due to the increase in the pace of change, employees' extra-role behaviors, such as KS, have become essential for overall organizational performance and effectiveness (Son et al., 2017). Despite the fact that managers have a big influence on their subordinates, little research has focused on the relationship between leadership and KS. The study examines to what extent KOL matters in relation to the extent of KS in an organization. It furthermore examined the dimensions of the KOL.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and to what extent knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) is associated with knowledge sharing (KS) in an organization as well as the dimensions of this leadership style.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Opinion-based questionnaires were applied in the study. A principal axis factor analysis was conducted to find the main factors in KOL (n=236). The relationship between KS and KOL was tested with Pearson's correlation coefficient method.\nFindings: The findings support the importance of high-quality leader-member exchange for KS because KOL had a strong significant positive association with the extent of KS in the organization (n=96, r=0.521). The principal axis factor suggested three factors, all of which were moderately significantly related to KS: the perceived support from the superior, enough time for KS and information flow from the superior.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research design in this study was cross-sectional. Thus, the interpretations of the cause-effect relationship among the variables could not be determined. Furthermore, the findings should be confirmed using a larger sample.\nPractical implications: The study indicates that if innovativeness and the use of human capital are important for an organization's competitive ability, it is vital to train managers to be able to apply KOL.\nOriginality/value: Few studies have addressed the relationship between leadership and KS. Hence, this study contributes to a better understanding of the relation between KS and KOL style. Additionally, KOL is probably a multidimensional construct, but little empirical work has been done to explore it.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Empathy for service: benefits, unintended consequences, and future research agenda
|
[
"Conceptual",
"Service",
"Empathy",
"Helping behavior",
"Well-being",
"Service encounters",
"Perspective taking",
"Caring",
"Frontline service employees",
"Customer care",
"Dysfunctional customers",
"Emphatic concern"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Let me hold the door for you. I may have never walked in your shoes, but I can see your soles are worn, your strength is torn under the weight of a story I have never lived before. Let me hold the door for you. After all you've walked through, It's the least I can do. (Morgan Harper Nichols)\n2. The concept of empathy: Empathy broadly refers \"to the reactions of one individual to the observed experiences of another\" (Davis, 1983, p.113). As indicated, empathy has both cognitive and affective aspects in its response. The cognitive component is synonymous with \"perspective taking\" (Preston and de Waal, 2002) or \"actively projecting oneself into the shoes of another person\" (Preston et al., 2007, p. 254), and it enables a person to understand the roles or viewpoints of others (Devoldre et al., 2010). It is also referred to as \"theory of mind\" or \"mind reading\" (Baron-Cohen, 2008). The affective component, also referred to as \"empathic concern,\" involves an internal emotional reaction that enables understanding of another's feelings or \"trying on\" the emotion of that person, e.g. \"feel their pain\" (Preston and de Waal, 2002).\n3. Beneficiaries of empathy: Empathy offers a broad range of benefits at the micro, meso and macro levels. To the target individual and even the in-group to which the individual belongs, empathy motivates helping behavior, facilitates social bonding and enhances social support. Empathy benefits the service organization by improving perceptions of service quality, increasing consumer compliance, promoting customer forgiveness after a service failure, offering some protection of brand reputation and enabling design thinking. Last, empathy contributes to a kinder, gentler society by improving moral decision-making, reducing prejudice and discouraging anti-social behavior in service settings. Although the benefits of empathy serve the agent (individual, organization and society), the effects of empathy spill over to each level.\n4. Empathy arousal: predisposition, context and skill: As shown, empathy offers many potential benefits for service. So, how can organizations stimulate empathy in individuals? The following sub-sections illustrate that the degree to which individuals experience empathy is dependent on their predisposition, the context and how much training they receive in empathy skills.\n5. Unintended consequences of empathy: Scant research has uncovered the potential dark side of empathy. What remains unclear, in particular, is the relationship between the degree of empathy and the extent of helping behavior directed to an individual customer or FLE, as well as its implications to the firm and/or other customers. Does too much empathy-induced helping take valuable resources away from other customers? Batson et al. (1995) suggest that this is indeed the case. They find that participants who experienced high empathy allocated more resources to the target of empathy. These resources came not only at the expense of the allocator's personal welfare but also at the expense of the group's welfare, reducing the overall collective good:\n6. Non-humanized service and empathy: Empathy is the most powerful way for humans to understand and predict their social environment (Baron-Cohen et al., 2003). Therefore, empathy as a higher-order social cognitive ability, is the most difficult thing for AI to replicate (Huang and Rust, 2018). FLEs sometimes face unusual events or special requests from customers that require empathy and associated helping behavior. The AI in chatbots and robots is currently not capable of dealing with rare, extraordinary consumer requests or personal crisis situations requiring not just problem solving or subsequent referral but a level of empathy (Polani, 2017). For example, Miner et al. (2016) show that conversational AI agents such as Apple's Siri, Google Now, Microsoft's Cortana, and Samsung's S Voice are variable in their empathetic responses when consumers expressed depression, a physical ailment, or physical or sexual assault. This finding is critical, given the strong correlation between expressed empathy and suicide caller hang-ups. Helpers who express low empathy have significantly higher hang-up rates by suicide callers than helpers who express average or high empathy (Mishara et al., 2007).\n7. Managerial implications: There are individuals who have low trait empathy for genetic reasons or as an outcome of social practices. For example, autistic individuals have degrees of empathizing difficulties (Baron-Cohen, 2008). Similarly, psychopathic individuals have lower empathy levels and an attenuated ability to identify their own emotions and those of others (Mayer et al., 2018). Rising levels of social isolation, materialistic values and self-interest also diminish individuals' capacity for empathy, especially empathic concern (Konrath et al., 2011). Furthermore, social practices can undermine or desensitize individuals to empathy. For example, repeated exposure to violent video games increases aggression through its negative effect on trait empathy (Bartholow et al., 2005). Social exclusion and incarceration also reduce the likelihood to empathize with others (DeWall and Baumeister, 2006).\n8. Conclusion: While previous research has largely focused on the benefits of empathy in non-commercial interactions, offered are multiple novel research propositions to enhance understanding and application of empathy for service. As this paper illustrates, more empirical work is required to establish the most effective ways to manage the dispositional, situational and training factors that affect individuals' capacity to empathize, as well as uncover the boundary conditions of the empathy framework for service.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Empathy is a core characteristic of helping and caring interactions and thus is fundamental to service. Yet, to date, service marketing literature has focused on a restricted view of the value of empathy as it leads to improved service quality perceptions and successful sales outcomes. The aim of this paper is to provide a review of the empathy literature and the dispositional and situational factors affecting it, so as to further explore its potential benefits and limitations for service.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A summative review of the empathy literature uncovers cause-effect relationships and their potential boundary conditions. Theoretical propositions set an agenda for future research on empathy for service that breaks new ground.\nFindings: Empathy can reduce anti-social, revenge, discrimination and unethical behaviors in service settings. It can also improve value-in-context experiences for users of service innovations. Notwithstanding its potential benefits, empathy can diminish the objectivity and performance of service providers when experienced at extreme levels. Empathy can also serve as an ingratiation influence tactic and can be detrimental to the target in embarrassing service contexts.\nOriginality/value: This paper suggests propositions for future research to advance theory and managerial practice on the use of empathy to improve service outcomes for interacting actors. It also alludes to the potential dark side of empathy when experienced at excessive levels or when used to manipulate.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Hotel managers' perceptions of the value of diversity training: an empirical investigation
|
[
"Training",
"Diversity",
"Management",
"Values",
"Human resource development",
"Hotel manager"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Demographic diversity gives rise to creativity, innovation, and enhanced group problem solving, which in turn boosts the competitiveness of the organization (Konrad, 2003). Moreover, a diverse workforce can generate increased market share by better taking care of a diverse customer base (Konrad, 2003; Jayne and Dipboye, 2004). Yet diversity alone might not improve business performance (Jayne and Dipboye, 2004). Organizations need to institute effective diversity management practices to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce. The value of diversity training should be measured by its capacity to harness diversity for organizational advantage.\nLiterature review: The \"value\" concept\nMethodology: This study employed a survey-based methodology. Questions were focused to call forth responses at two levels of granularity: value judgments about diversity training in general (industry-level items, as in \"Diversity is a top issue for the hospitality industry today\") and evaluations of diversity training as experienced and indicated by performance or profitability (firm-level items, as in \"Job performance overall improved after my employees experienced diversity training\"). We sorted the survey questions into five sub-sections: corporate-level analysis (perception of how a respondent's corporate level employees feel about diversity training), peer-level analysis (perception of how a respondent's peers reacted to diversity training), self-analysis (perception of how a respondent reacted to diversity training), subordinate analysis (perception of how a respondent's subordinates reacted to diversity training), and value-judgment analysis (perception of a respondent's feelings toward diversity training in general).\nResults: A total of 242 responses were received from 96 hotels, yielding a response rate of 4.8 percent. While the response rate was low, this was likely due to the complexity of the survey distribution within properties. Moreover, subsequent tests for non-response bias (executed through random calls to non-respondents) suggested no basis or concern that respondents were not representative. Out of 234 respondents who indicated their gender, 135 (57.7 percent) were male, and 99 (42.3 percent) were female. Of the respondents who indicated their ethnicity, 191 (78.9 percent) were White, and 51 (21.1 percent) were non-White. In terms of reliability, all subsets produced acceptable alpha values, which ranged from 0.789 to 0.876. Please see Table I for details.\nDiscussion: Multiple regression analysis showed that hospitality managers perceive corporate-level employees as contributing significantly to value creation in their organizations through diversity training. Corporate-level employees operate, of course, at the top of their organizational charts. They initiate diversity training in their organizations. Often corporate executives can foresee how much diversity training their organizations need, and they are likely to know how much funding is available to be allocated to diversity training. In this regard, it is apparent that hospitality managers realize the importance of training corporate-level employees to address diversity-related issues. Hospitality managers work under corporate-level employees, which makes diversity training an important benchmark by which managers can gauge how they are treated by their superiors, especially insofar as a firm's effectiveness in addressing diversity-related issues affects a manager's ability to manage personnel and customer relations. Hospitality managers are therefore likely to benefit most from diversity training that is adopted by corporate-level employees. Moreover, hotel companies often manage several hotel properties, and corporate-level employees oversee all those properties and decide which ones need diversity training. Corporate-level employees who receive diversity training are therefore better able to bring harmony throughout an organization, across its several properties. These factors help to explain why H4 was supported by the data.\nConclusion: Discrimination in the workplace will remain a major issue as long as self-interest and in-group biases exist and firms who fail to eliminate it face legal action. Diversity training seems to offer several advantages as well as some disadvantages. To be effective, diversity training should target the right people at the right time and be provided with sufficient resources to achieve its objectives. Because of the enormous cost associated with diversity training, it is almost impossible for organizations to implement diversity training for all employees. The present study indicates that hotel managers value diversity training and suggests the need for organizations to understand how to prioritize various organizational levels for such training. Successful diversity training seems to depend on recognizing the needs of an organization, planning effectively, and allocating resources appropriately.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Recent research identifies several attributes that lead to the value proposition of a diversity-training program: corporate engagement in diversity training; participants' perceptions of how such programs aid their peers; self-analysis of participants in training; and perceptions regarding the benefit of diversity training for subordinates. The aim of this paper is to test a corresponding four-antecedent model of the value of diversity training from the point of view of hotel managers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey instrument was devised and sent to a random sample of hotel properties that asked managers questions related to the value of diversity training. Multiple regression analysis and t-tests were used as methods of data analyses.\nFindings: Results from 242 responses returned by managers of 96 hotels indicated that managers perceive themselves and the corporate executives to significantly add value to the organization through diversity training. Furthermore, ethnic minority managers do not value diversity training significantly more highly than their non-minority counterparts do; similarly, little difference exists between genders on the four indicators of diversity-training efficacy.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study examined only one aspect of diversity management - diversity training. Among other limitations are the small sample and low response rates, which made it difficult to compare ethnic groups to one another.\nPractical implications: Through this study, managers' perceptions about which groups of employees add value following diversity training are presented. The findings are likely to help hospitality corporations to implement diversity training more efficiently.\nOriginality/value: This study indicates that hotel managers value diversity training and suggests the need for organizations to understand how to prioritize various organizational levels for such training.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Performance measurement practices in software ecosystem
|
[
"Performance",
"Software ecosystem",
"Software ecosystem healthiness",
"Performance measurement (quality)",
"Tunisia"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Software ecosystem is a new concept introduced by Messerschmitt and Szyperski (2003) and Bosch (2009). It is an emerging trend in the software industry, implying a shift from closed organizations and processes toward open structures, where actors external to the software development organization are becoming increasingly involved in development (Hanssen, 2011). Software ecosystem refers to a networked community of organizations, which base their relations to each other on a common interest in a central software technology. Software ecosystem leads to new opportunities and challenges to the industry and its organizational environment. For software ecosystem to survive, it is essential to be in a healthy state. As Eric et al. (2006) state, there are many dimensions on which an ecosystem can be measured to determine whether it is healthy or not. Thus, the important issues for this software ecosystem are firm performance and ecosystem healthiness (Iansiti and Levien, 2004). Healthiness is defined as a degree of a healthy software ecosystem, which means that a firm in a healthy software ecosystem can easily reach its financial goal better than other firms in other software ecosystems (Iansiti and Levien, 2004). In the software ecosystem, a firm's business processes are related to other firm's processes. Therefore, a single firm's performance is produced through the cooperation of a diverse number of entities in the same software ecosystem (Iansiti and Levien, 2004). Although, examining a software ecosystem is unattainable, the ecosystem should meet the implications of individual companies. The need of performance measurement at different levels of decision making, either in the individual organization or ecosystem, is undoubtedly not something new. In order to ensure that a software ecosystem is functioning well, measurements need to be introduced that would provide an overview of the state of the software ecosystem while at the same time raise attention for actions and allow comparison of software ecosystems (Manikas and Hansen, 2013). This can be done by applying various key performance indicators (KPIs) to specific aspects of the ecosystem. So, this paper emphasizes the importance of utilizing different types of measures together in measuring performance of software ecosystem. The study provides an empirical evaluation of a Tunisian software ecosystem on utilization and perceived effectiveness of performance measures. The results of this paper are mostly beneficial for practitioners, because the study presents a set of performance measures. In addition, the paper contributes to the literature related to performance measurement from an emerging market perspective.\n2. Literature review: A software ecosystem is a more recent term that refers to a networked community of organizations, which base their relations to each other on a common interest in a central software technology. It is considered a recent development within software engineering (Messerschmitt and Szyperski, 2003; Bosch, 2009) and few definitions already exist (Kittlaus and Clough, 2009; Bosch, 2009). The software ecosystem is defined by Messerschmitt and Szyperski (2003) as \"a set of businesses functioning as a unit and interacting with a shared market for software and services, together with the relationships among them.\" Focussing more on the common interest in the software and its use, Bosch (2009) defines this concept, as: \"the set of software solutions that enable, support and automate the activities and transactions by the actors in the associated social or software ecosystem and the organizations that provide these solutions.\"\n3. Research methodology: The main purpose of this research is to explore the utilization frequency and perceived effectiveness of performance measures according to the five dimensions of the software ecosystem healthiness (i.e. productivity, creativity, interoperability, stakeholder satisfaction and robustness). For further analysis, the following five research questions were prepared:\n4. Results: analysis of Tunisian software ecosystem healthiness: 4.1 Overall analysis\n5. Managerial implications: This study evaluates the extent at which 60 Tunisian software ecosystem organizations utilize and perceive the five software ecosystem healthiness measures as effective.\n6. Conclusion: In this study, we showed that five dimensions of software ecosystem healthiness (robustness, productivity, stakeholder satisfaction, creativity and interoperability) were successfully adapted to a Tunisian software ecosystem. The proposed model allowed us to identify the most used and effective indicators to evaluate the healthiness of software ecosystem.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to present the results of a survey study on performance and healthiness measurement practices in a Tunisian software ecosystem. The study evaluates the five dimensions of software ecosystem healthiness: robustness, productivity, interoperability, stakeholder's (customer and employee) satisfaction and creativity in the Tunisian context.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this research a questionnaire was developed and distributed to the 150 Tunisian software ecosystem partners.\nFindings: The results of this study show that managers should analyze the robustness, productivity, interoperability, stakeholder's (customer and employee) satisfaction and creativity measures simultaneously in order to enhance the quality of the decision-making process.\nResearch limitations/implications: In this study, one software ecosystem and 60 partners were examined. Future research should increase the number of respondents and the software ecosystem in order to generalize these results.\nOriginality/value: This paper is unique in reflecting the general practices and perceptions of software ecosystem organizations on performance and healthiness measures in Tunisia.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Background characteristics as predictors of Greek teachers' self-efficacy
|
[
"Education",
"Management",
"Structural equation modeling",
"Self-efficacy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: According to the social-cognitive theory of learning, a person's self-efficacy depends on behavioral, environmental and cognitive factors (Bandura, 1986). Bandura and Wood (1989) supported the idea that a robust sense of personal efficacy to sustain the necessary attention on productivity and a constant effort to achieve goals is the key of success in many areas. Bandura (1986) was the first to define self-efficacy as a person's sense and confidence in his/her abilities to achieve his/her goals. More specifically, the term \"self-efficacy\" refers to a person's personal critique on his/her capabilities to organize and perform a specific behavior (Staples et al., 1999). The concept of self-efficacy does not indicate the actual skills that a person may have, but the degree of his/her faith in them. People with high self-efficacy consider a new situation as a challenge, do not give up their effort in case of failure, but very quickly regain what they have lost, while people with low self-efficacy have low aspirations and consider a new situation as a threat, trying to avoid it, reducing their effort or even abandoning every effort to achieve their goals (Bandura, 1994).\nMethod: Participants\nResults: Reliability and construct validity of TSES\nConclusion: The Greek educational system is highly hierarchical and centralized. This paper presented a study designed to meet two requirements: first, the confirmation of a three-factor model of the multidimensional Greek version of TSES (Tschannen-Moran and Woolfolk Hoy, 2001; Tsigilis et al., 2010); and second, the investigation of whether the latent factor averages of TSES for different groups of background characteristics are significantly different in the Greek educational context.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between elementary and secondary teachers' background characteristics and constructs of self-efficacy, using the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale - TSES, during a difficult economic period for Greece and other European countries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Equation modeling techniques were used to examine the construct validity of Greek version of TSES and second to examine teachers' self-efficacy profile in primary and secondary schools during a difficult economic period for Greece and other European countries.\nFindings: The findings of the study, using the equation modeling techniques, revealed that a multidimensional first-order three-factor model fits well to the data using multiple-group analysis, the results of the study indicate that background characteristics, such as teachers' gender, teaching experience, educational level (elementary and secondary level) and age affect their self-efficacy factors (efficacy in student engagement, efficacy in instructional strategies and efficacy in classroom management).\nResearch limitations/implications: The data of the specific analysis is based on centralized education systems during a difficult economic period. For improvement, future research using longitudinal approaches may give further important factors across different academic years and across the same individuals. Further research is also required in order to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and students' achievement.\nOriginality/value: The originality and value of the current manuscript highlights the confirmation and the interpretation of latent factors measuring elementary and secondary school teachers' self-efficacy (TSES) based on a centralized educational system.\n",
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] |
Multilateral trade liberalization and developing countries' economic exposure to shocks
|
[
"Developing countries",
"Economic exposure to shocks",
"Multilateral trade liberalization",
"F10",
"F14",
"O20"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Economic vulnerability has become a prominent feature of the agenda of many international institutions, including the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and many regional development banks (e.g., the African Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank). In particular, the concept of macroeconomic vulnerability has been the subject of many definitions (see a literature review in Gnangnon, 2014; Guillaumont, 2016; Briguglio, 2016; Gnangnon and Iyer, 2017). One of these definitions considers it as the country's susceptibility to being harmed by external economic forces as a result of economic exposure to such forces. Another definition refers to \"economic vulnerability\" as \"the risk that economic growth [in a given country] is markedly and extensively reduced by shocks\" (e.g. Guillaumont, 2009, 2016). More generally, macroeconomic vulnerability, particularly in developing countries, has been examined using many conceptual frameworks, the vulnerability in the context of financial crises (e.g. IMF, 1998, 2013; Herrera and Garcia, 1999; Ahuja et al., 2017) and the vulnerability based on structural conditions that expose economies to economic and financial shocks (Briguglio, 1995; Briguglio and Galea, 2003; United Nations, 2006; Baritto, 2008; Guillaumont, 1999, 2006, 2010, 2016). The second type of macroeconomic vulnerability has sometimes been referred to as structural economic vulnerability in the literature.\n2. Discussion on the impact of domestic and multilateral trade policy liberalization on economic exposure to shocks: Before discussing the impact of multilateral trade policy (MTP) liberalization on countries' economic exposure to shocks, we start with a brief literature review on the impact of domestic trade policy liberalization on macroeconomic vulnerability (e.g. Gnangnon, 2016[5]; Gnangnon and Iyer, 2017). We subsequently rely on this brief literature review to discuss the impact of MTP liberalization on countries' economic exposure to shocks.\n3. Model specification and econometric methodology: To assess the impact of MTP liberalization, along with other domestic structural policies, on countries' economic exposure to shocks, we draw on Gnangnon's (2016) work and adopt, in the absence of a comprehensive theoretical model, a pragmatic approach. Therefore, we postulate the following model:(1)\n4. Analysis of estimations' results: Table I reports the outcome of the estimations of Model (1) specifications where the dependent variable is either \"ECOEXPOS\" (see Columns (1) and (2)), \"ECI\" (see Columns (3) and (4)) or \"AGRI\" (see Columns (5) and (6)). Note that in each pair of these columns we report the results of the estimation of Model (1) without/and with the institutional variable. This is simply to check whether the inclusion of this variable genuinely influences the impact of our key variable of interest, namely, multilateral trade liberalization, on the variable representing countries' economic exposure (or its two components). Table II presents the outcomes of Model (1) specifications that allow investigating whether the impact of multilateral trade liberalization on the vulnerability variable (or its components) is the same in \"LDCs\" and \"non-LDCs\" categories of countries (see results in Columns (1)-(3) for model specifications, respectively, with the dependent variable being \"ECOEXPOS,\" \"ECI\" and \"AGRI\").\n5. Conclusion: The world has witnessed a backlash against trade in recent years, which is reflected in a rising anti-trade/anti-globalization sentiment and a strong appeal for domestic trade protectionism measures. The call for protectionism measures by policymakers in some countries may be explained, among others, by the rise in these countries' economic exposure to external shocks. This rise in their size of economic exposure to shocks may be attributed to greater trade policy liberalization, in spite of the benefits of trade liberalization measures. However, by adopting restrictive trade measures, these policymakers overlook the benefits associated with trade policy liberalization, which, depending on countries' circumstances and policies, could more than compensate the possible adverse consequences of the vulnerability to external shocks. This anti-trade sentiment is likely to undermine the recent efforts of WTO members, who adopted several decisions (and one important Agreement, i.e. the Trade Facilitation Agreement) at the Bali and Nairobi Ministerial Conferences. If genuinely implemented, these decisions and agreement would lead to greater multilateral trade liberalization. Against this background, the current paper examines the impact of multilateral trade liberalization on countries' economic exposure to shocks. If indeed multilateral trade liberalization contributes to reducing countries' exposure to shocks, then the backlash against trade liberalization, which will undermine the likelihood of further trade multilateralization, will be associated with higher countries' exposure to shocks. To perform the analysis, the paper draws on the structural Economic Vulnerability Index developed by the United Nations and calls into question the hypothesis that this index if independent of economic policies. Thus, the paper argues that some components of this index could be influenced by economic policies, including domestic and international economic policies. In this context, the paper defines the concept of economic exposure, which is the average of two sub-components on the \"Exposure\" component of the structural Economic vulnerability index. These sub-components include export product concentration, and the share of agriculture, forestry and fishery in GDP. The empirical analysis focused on a panel data set comprising 120 countries, over the period 1996-2013 and employs the within fixed effects estimator. Results suggest clear evidence that over the entire sample, multilateral trade liberalization exerts a reducing and significant impact on countries' economic exposure to shocks. In particular, multilateral trade liberalization appears to negatively influence two components of countries' size of economic exposure to shocks, namely the degree of export product concentration and the share of agriculture, forestry and fishery in GDP. These results apply to both \"LDCs\" and \"non-LDCs,\" with LDCs being the ones that experience the highest magnitude of the reducing impact of multilateral trade liberalization on countries' economic exposure to shocks.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of multilateral trade policy (MTP) liberalization on developing countries' economic exposure to shocks.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The analysis is conducted on a panel data set comprising 120 countries over the period 1996-2013 and uses the within fixed effects estimator.\nFindings: The empirical results suggest that over the entire sample as well as sub-samples of least developed countries (LDCs) and non-LDCs, multilateral trade liberalization have a negative and significant impact on economic exposure to shocks. Interestingly, LDCs appear to experience the highest magnitude of the reducing impact of multilateral trade liberalization on countries' economic exposure to shocks.\nResearch limitations/implications: These findings suggest that a greater cooperation among countries in the world, including among WTO members to further liberalize trade would surely contribute to reducing developing countries' economic exposure to shocks.\nPractical implications: The current study shows that the current backlash against trade and the consequent strong appeal for domestic trade protectionist measures would likely to undermine the likelihood of further multilateral trade liberalization. One implication of this could be a rise in countries' economic exposure to shocks.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, this is first the study on this matter.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A critical review of empirical research methodology in supply chain management
|
[
"Supply chain management",
"Research work",
"Empirical research",
"Research design",
"Literature review"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: There have been significant attempts in the extant literature to understand developments in supply chain management (SCM). The concept of SCM was first introduced by Forrester (1961), who suggested that success of industrial business is dependent on the \"interactions between flows of information, materials, manpower and capital equipment\". But the term \"supply chain\" did not become popular until early 1980s (Oliver and Webber, 1982). Only handful of articles mentioned the phrase \"supply chain\" in the period 1985-1997 (Giunipero et al., 2008). The acceleration in development of SCM paradigm took place only in late 1990s, with majority of theoretical and empirical investigation starting in 1997 (Lambert et al., 1998; Giunipero et al., 2008). In a meta-analysis of 405 articles carried out by Giunipero et al. (2008), revealed that 70 percent of total articles published in SCM were empirical in nature and rest 30 percent were theoretical. Similarly, many other authors have also established this fact about empirical research in their literature reviews (Croom et al., 2000; Carter and Ellram, 2003). Empirical studies involve gathering and analysis of data, and subsequent reporting of findings and conclusions (Minor et al., 1994). Empirical research contributes in the context of theory building as well in validating the proposed theories. From the practitioners point of view it is easier for business executives to understand empirical research especially if they do not have advanced training in management science or operations research (De-Margerie and Jiang, 2011). They also pointed out that managerial relevance is a major criterion used to judge a manuscript's quality in the operations management (OM) discipline. In a recent study, on review of empirical research in business process management (BPM) highlighted that empirical evidence in future will be represented in ranked IS journals to a bigger extent (Houy et al., 2010). These evidences make it essential to periodically review the empirical research literature so that the literature can develop as per the needs of practitioners and academicians. SCM literature, being a contemporary of BPM and OM, is also burgeoning with huge number of articles per year hence the body of empirical research articles in SCM is also growing. It is thus very important to examine the methodology of empirical research in SCM so as to assess progress as well as suggest directions for future research. Although numerous meta-analysis and literature reviews have already been reported in the SCM literature but none of them has taken empirical research in SCM as focal area of review and analysis. This paper is written parallel to the study carried out by Soni and Kodali (2011), which was solely focused on presenting a critique on several issues of SCM content in empirical research. Since methodology in any form of empirical research plays a very important role and several critical issues like selection of research design, data collection methods, data analysis techniques used, etc. form a major part of research. Hence, in order to address these issues of empirical research methodology in SCM, a critical review of articles is presented in this paper. The review and classification process in this article is aided by six stage empirical research methodology presented by Flynn et al. (1990). This article is targeted towards the audience of empirical researchers in SCM. The findings of the paper will help the researchers to direct their efforts towards a standardized approach for carrying out empirical research in SCM.The objective of the paper is to provide a comprehensive assessment of empirical research methodology in SCM. The paper starts with review of earlier published literature review articles in SCM in Section 2. The methodology used for selection of time horizon for collection of research papers, journals selection, article selection, article classification and analysis is suggested in Section 3. This suggested methodology is then used to analyze empirical research articles in SCM in Section 4. Section 5 is devoted to discussion on significant findings, identification of gaps and future directions for empirical research in SCM. Finally, the paper is concluded in Section 6.\n2 Literature review: There have been several literature reviews in SCM. Croom et al. (2000) proposed a framework for the categorization of literature related to SCM and suggested how to review SCM research but they did not carry out the review of literature. It was rather targeted to contribute to a critical theory debate through the presentation and use of a framework for the categorization of literature related to SCM. Their analysis of the literature reported that the literature in SCM is primarily empirical and descriptive (57 percent) in nature. They considered a sample of 84 articles to generalize the findings.Ho et al. (2002) reviewed some empirical studies in the extant SCM literature with an aim of suggesting as to how SCM constructs in empirical research should be developed in order to strengthen the theoretical grounds of conceptual and empirical studies of SCM. Their effort however did not involve classification or description of the existing approach towards empirical research in SCM and neither did it cover an exhaustive set of articles for review. Their approach was highly selective.Carter and Ellram (2003) classified 774 papers published in JSCM from 1965 to 1999. They found out that approximately 75 percent of research in the journal is empirical in nature that included surveys and case studies. Their review is comprehensive in nature but it classifies research papers published in only one journal. It is thus very confined in nature, hence no inference can be drawn out about the complete population of SCM literature. It also does not express any specific intention towards contributing in the debate of empirical research methodology in SCM.Sachan and Datta (2005) classified 442 papers published in Journal of Business Logistics, SPM: An International Journal and International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management from 1999 to 2003. They concluded that survey research is most popular research design in SCM. However, the paper seems to be falling short of addressing all the issues of empirical research in SCM. Example, which is the most prevailing way of establishing a theory in SCM, is it theory building or theory verification? Similarly many other aspects of empirical research methodology related to research design, data collection methods, implementation, and data analysis are not addressed. Another shortcoming of their review is the sample size (SS). The literature published in SCM is immense. Focusing on top three journals surely gives the focus of SCM research but does not necessarily examine the possible directions in which current research is growing. Thus, a larger sample from varied population of journals is necessary for the critical literature review and recommendations.Burgess et al. (2006) presented a structured literature review of only 100 articles on SCM. It identified various conceptual and research methodological characteristics of SCM from a randomly selected journal articles. They came up with various findings in SCM research predominantly focused on theoretical development of SCM research. In their paper the suggestions for future research includes the use of larger SS and varied databases. This review also does not provide greater insight into empirical research in SCM.van der Vaart and van Donk (2008) analyzed survey based research with respect to the relationship between SC integration and performance (from 36 articles). The research effort is very logical and focused. With the outcome of paper, they proposed a framework for establishing relationships for facilitating supply chain integration. Their paper is however more concerned about analysis of SCM related issues and not research methodology used in survey based research.Giunipero et al. (2008) examined SCM literature (from 1997 to 2006) on the basis of SCM definitions, subject categories in SCM, empirical vs non-empirical literature, level of analysis, primary research methods, and data analysis techniques. One of the major shortcomings of the paper with respect to empirical research is that the analysis is limited to research methods used and data analysis techniques only. Second, the period before 1997 is not considered in the review. Further, the aim of paper is anyway not focused on in-depth analysis of empirical research methodology, rather it is two pronged and divided between empirical and non-empirical literature. Due to such approach, it does not address several issues of empirical research methodology like research design, data collection methods, SS, nature of respondents, country or region of study, etc.Hence, in order to fulfill all the mentioned shortcomings in extant reviews, a literature review methodology is proposed in the next section.Now order to orient the study at a broader and generic level, the number of articles considered, as well as the period under analysis has been expanded. The population of research articles from which empirical research articles are chosen is of size of 2,673 articles published before 2010. The review covers the articles published from 1980 to 2009, i.e. 29 years.In this paper, some of the same analysis that earlier scholars and researchers have already conducted (e.g. purpose of empirical research, country of sample industry (CSI), and level of analysis (in Soni and Kodali (2011)) along with data analysis techniques, qualitative/quantitative empirical research, etc.) are revisited because the review of empirical research methodology will be incomplete in absence of these analysis. The methodology of critical literature review is explained in subsequent section.\n3 Methodology: The comprehensive scheme for literature review of empirical research methodology in SCM is presented in five subsections: time horizon of review, journal selection, article selection, article classification and analysis of articles.3.1 Time horizon\n4 Analysis of empirical research in SCM: 4.1 Empirical research growth in SCM\n5 Discussion: There have been couple of literature reviews in SCM as discussed in Section 2 but none of them focused exclusively on descriptive statistics of empirical research methodology in SCM. Also the SS of papers with respect to number of papers (2,013 articles) as well as number of journals (21 journals) is larger than ever considered for literature review in SCM. The papers spans a longer time period of 16 years (1994-2009). Although samples were collected from 1980 onwards, but the first actual empirical research paper appeared in 1994 only in IJPSM. It is possible that several empirical papers might have been published earlier than this also in any other journal, which is not present in selected sample of journals. Since the amount of literature published in SCM is huge and still growing at a faster pace, it was decided to consider an exhaustive set of data for better introspection and trace the reflections of history and the future of empirical research in SCM.The results of classification clearly indicate the growth of SCM literature and empirical research in SCM since last 15 years. The significant findings, gaps and future directions for research are discussed subsequently in this section.5.1 Significant findings and gaps\n6 Conclusions: The paper reviewed a set of 619 empirical research articles in SCM research with respect to empirical research methodology and its related aspects. The paper started with identifying empirical research articles out of 2,013 research articles. It was observed that the number of empirical research articles in SCM is increasing. Later, all 619 articles were classified at each stage of systematic approach to carry out empirical research. The articles were found to be highly biased towards theory building and CS studies. Survey research design was found to be most preferred research design among researchers and use of questionnaires is the most prominent method of data collection. Descriptive statistics ruled the data analysis techniques with research based on quantitative data higher than qualitative data. Later, gaps were identified in current empirical research along with suggesting directions for further research and enumerating significant findings of review. From complete discussion it can be concluded that empirical research in SCM is increasing at a faster rate than ever but at the same time researchers should break the monotony in their research purpose for theory building and its related aspects and start focusing on various realms of theory verification, significance of triangulation of data, alternate research designs like action research, and all the points for future research suggested in the paper.The limitation of this study is that only four publishing houses are considered for article selection. It is possible to carry out research at even larger scale as SCM literature has become very vast. Second, there is certain amount of subjectivity involved in classification of articles as it depends on the author and his understanding. Although the article classification process is performed with utter care but still chances of inadvertent errors cannot be ruled out. Thus, in order to consolidate on these findings future attempts must be directed to validate the findings of this article.\n",
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},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on empirical research in supply chain management (SCM). It provides a comprehensive assessment of research methodology of 619 empirical research articles on SCM published between 1994 and 2009. In total, 21 journals were short listed out of 115 journals for the purpose.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper reviewed a set of 619 empirical research articles in SCM research with respect to empirical research methodology and its related aspects, using the empirical research approach given by Flynn et al. The paper demonstrates the present status of empirical research in SCM.\nFindings: - It is concluded from the analysis of the results that empirical research in SCM is increasing at a faster rate than ever, with theory building more in focus than verification. On the other hand, SCM researchers seems to have left several aspects of empirical research unexplored, such as action research, significance of triangulation of data and longitudinal data collection. Other significant findings revealed that SCM research is very scanty in developing countries, the majority of research papers are written at firm level only and several industrial sectors such as construction, retail, and agriculture are still unexamined.\nOriginality/value: - There have been a couple of literature reviews in SCM but none of them focused exclusively on empirical research methodology in SCM. Also the sample size with respect to the number of papers (619 papers), as well as number of journals (21 journals), is larger than ever considered for literature review in SCM. The papers spans a longer time period of 16 years (1994-2009).\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Socioeconomic determinants of poverty among urban households in South-West Nigeria
|
[
"Nigeria",
"Developing countries",
"Poverty",
"Socio‐economic determinants",
"Urban economies",
"Households"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The issue of poverty has been for a long time at the heart of development efforts among the nations of the world; both poor and rich alike. It is a cardinal focus of the millennium development goal; the first of the eight goals which is to half the proportion of the world's population living below US$1 per day by the year, 2015 (United Nations, 2010). Poverty is a multidimensional concept and has been viewed in different ways by many scholars. However, what appears to be a common view is that poverty exists when one is unable to satisfy some certain basic requirements. Of course, the subject of \"basic needs or requirements\" is also debatable. However, irrespective of how poverty is conceived, poverty analysis begins with the recognition of basic needs, what constitutes these basic requirements as well as the notion of deprivation. While it is being regarded as the outcome of the interrelationship between the socio-political and actions that eventually result into human deprivation and deterioration in the living conditions of the people (Sackey, 2005); it is regarded as lack of access to basic necessities of life such as food, water, shelter, and clothing as well as inaccessibility to the social, cultural and means necessary to guarantee, productivity, social reproduction, and everyday life of the society (The World Bank, 2000). The poor lack access to adequate level of education and are unable to satisfy their basic needs in terms of health (Sancho, 1996) and other necessities.Poor people can be classified as groups of people who live in poverty. They can also be described as the disadvantage groups who are marked by deprivation particularly of income and other basic needs of life. Poor people are those whose standard of living as measured by income or consumption is lower than the poverty line (Achial et al., 2010; Akerele, 2011). Poverty line is the income/expenditure benchmark below which a household is considered poor. This income concept (of poverty) presumes that poverty is essentially inability to meet certain standard of living and that income/expenditure is just the substance to meet these needs. Poverty as evaluated by income or expenditure is mainly used to identify households that are poor and this approach has become the preferred indicator for the quantitative measurement of poverty and living standards all over the world (Ayinde et al., 2002; Achial et al., 2010; Akerele, 2011). The Foster, Greer and Thorbeck (1984) poverty index, among others, have been widely adopted in the measurement of income poverty by many development scholars across over the world. It has contributed immensely towards the design, implementation and appraisal of prominent development programmes (Foster et al., 2010) in both developed and developing countries. Consequently, this study relies on the Foster, Greer, Thorbecke (FGT) poverty index because of its theoretical soundness, ease of application and its relevance within the domain of poverty and development policies.Poverty has its spread all over the developed and developing countries and is found both in the rural and urban areas. Incidence of poverty is much higher in the rural areas but its impact in the urban areas is nonetheless considerable. Incidence of poverty (also referred to as headcount ratio) can be defined as the proportion/percentage of the population who are living in poverty (Foster et al., 2010). It is a measure that describes the rate or prevalence of poverty in a certain population groups. Other poverty measures include poverty gap and severity of poverty (Foster et al., 2010). Poverty gap presumes that not all people are alike. The index basically differentiates among the poor (Foster et al., 2010). It provides information on how far an average poor is away from poverty line. The emphasis of the severity measure is on the status of the poorest of the poor (Foster et al., 2010).According to Ravallion (2007), though the significantly higher percentage of the world's poor dwells in rural areas, empirical evidence shows that the proportion of poor people living in urban areas of developing countries keeps rising at an increasing rate due to urbanization. As reported by Ravallion et al. (2007), urbanization is unbeatable and the developing nations are fast becoming more urbanized. The rate of population growth in urban centres is likely to double that of the entire world between 2003 and 2030 (United Nations, 2004). While the number of poor people in rural areas of Nigeria fell from 26.4 million in 1985 to 22.8 million in 1992, the number of people living in urban centres rose from 9.7 million to 11.9 million during the same periods (The World Bank, 1995). Furthermore, while the depth of poverty fell from 19.0 percent in 1985 to 16.0 percent in 1992 in the rural areas, it rose from 9.0 percent to 12.0 percent in the urban centres of Nigeria (The World Bank, 1995). According to Osinubi (2003), the depth as well as severity of extreme poverty in urban Nigeria has risen more than seven-fold when compared with a twofold rise in rural areas. The foregoing therefore, underscores the need for urgent attentions in matters pertaining to urban livelihood, most especially among the low-income households of developing countries.According to Osinubi (2003), Government of Nigeria has given less priority to issues of urban poverty in her development agenda. This perhaps explains why developmental efforts have focused more on poverty reduction in the rural areas. However, with the rapid population growth in the urban areas of the country, the share of poor people in the urban areas will increase greatly and poverty is likely to become more of urban phenomenon. Urbanization is a major factor responsible for the changing lifestyles and socio-economic spreads among urban inhabitants and its implications for urban poverty cannot be neglected. There are several factors responsible for poverty in Nigeria, both in the rural and urban regions. While some are as a result of unfavourable macro policies such as monetary, fiscal, and trade policies, others are related to failure of micro policies like credit or loan policies, agro-input supplies, policies on infrastructural development, just to mention a few. There are also some household socio-economic and community factors that influence poverty and peoples' welfare (Akerele, 2011). Socio-economic characteristics such as age and gender of households, educational status of household head among others have been identified as crucial factors that could influence poverty among urban households in Nigeria (Osinubi, 2003).While poverty alleviation efforts in Nigeria have focused mainly on how to reduce the incidence of poverty, it is apparent there are more to poverty than just achieving reduction in its prevalence since poverty is not experienced the same way among the poor. Some questions that could arouse intellectual curiosity are: who are the poor and how far are they from the poverty line? What are the critical factors that could help explain the poverty among the people? Which population group are the most severely affected by poverty and how much financial resources would be required to move them out of severe poverty? A programme might effectively reduce the number of poor (in terms of incidence of poverty) but might do so just by lifting only those who are closer to the poverty line out of poverty. This kind of policies are said to have low impact on the poverty gap and would be ineffective in reducing poverty among people with widened poverty gap. Wide poverty gap is a situation which characterises the distribution of poverty among the urban poor households in Nigeria. Thus, a critical evaluation of poverty levels as well as its associated socio-economic determinants bearing in mind both the incidence as well as the depth poverty would help re-orientate interventions on poverty and enhance the effectiveness of poverty reduction strategies. The understanding here is that households possess some specific characteristics which can be skilfully manipulated through policies to improve welfare status (Osinubi, 2003; Akerele, 2011).The study therefore sought to assess poverty levels disaggregated by socio-economic profiles of households as well as examine the influence of household socio-economic factors on poverty (incidence and gap) among urban households of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study seeks to answer to the following questions. Are households in the study area poor? How far are they from the poverty line? Can household socio-economic characteristics help explain poverty? What are the directions of influence and the likely policy implications for poverty reduction?\nMethodology: Study area\nMethods of data analysis: Poverty assessment\nResults and discussion: Description of households by socio-economic characteristics of household heads\nConclusion and recommendations: The study evaluates the level of income poverty among urban dwellers in Ekiti State, Nigeria by socio-economic characteristics of households and also brings to the fore the impact of household socio-economic characteristics on poverty. The study confirms the existence of poverty in the study area and that poverty was experienced disproportionately by different households. The incidence, gap and the severity of poverty were higher among female headed households. Incidence of poverty appears higher among households whose heads are basically salary earners. Highest level of poverty was found among household with large size and higher number of dependants. Education of household head and household assets reduce poverty while increase in the numbers of dependants widens it. The implications of the above are that improved education, affirmative programmes/programmes towards female, efforts to boost the salaries of civil servants and enhance peoples' income as well as strategies to enhance income earning capacities of the people coupled with efforts to mitigate larger family size would help alleviate poverty.Therefore, the study recommends a multipronged approached for tackling poverty. The existing universal basic education programme in Nigeria should be strengthened, well funded and adequately monitored in order to provide a better framework for integrating Nigerian school age population into the mainstream of education agenda. This will help guarantee the basic learning needs of these groups of people. This can be achieved through massive investment in infrastructural development, employment of qualified teachers, training and re-training of teachers to make them relevant in their areas of specialization. Likewise, the existing adult literacy programme should be encouraged in order to improving human capital and reduce poverty. In addition, investment in the tertiary arm of the educational industry especially in the area of infrastructure development as well as trainings of students in entrepreneurship and transferrable skills should be given priority attention. This will enhance the quality of school graduate and labour markets productivity which will invariably result into better living conditions. The study also recommends that the minimum wage for civil servants which is recently approved and signed into law by government should be implemented so as to enhance the living standard of people.To address the problem of urban poverty, the planning of poverty alleviation programmes should be bottom-top rather than the top-bottom approach which has eliminated people in the grass roots from the design and people's participation in the implementation of poverty development efforts. Governments should tenaciously pursue the capacity development and empowerment interventions in the area of vocational trainings and acquisition of other skills that could enhance the entrepreneurial potentials of the people. This programme should incorporate the teeming unemployed youths. The existing women specific poverty interventions should be more focused so as to empower women the more and open up the frontier of their income generating capacities to reduced the prevalence and the growing poverty gap among the urban households.Furthermore, direct actions (such as birth control measures) and other family planning strategies may assist families in exerting their preferences in controlling family size. This is possible through awareness and sensitization programmes by both government and non-governmental organization to provide family plan knowledge for urban households.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The role of household socio-economic factors towards achieving enduring poverty interventions especially among urban households of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. Household socio-economic factors, among others, have been identified by development practitioners in developing countries as variables which can easily be manipulated through policy levers to improve welfare of the poor. The purpose of this paper is to examine poverty situations among urban households in Ekiti State, Nigeria with emphasis on household socioeconomic characteristics and their associated influence on poverty.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A multistage sampling approach was used to select 80 households who were interviewed using a well structured questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed through Poverty index and Tobit regression model.\nFindings: - The study found that 41.0 percent of the households covered by the study were poor and would have to mobilize financial resources up to 45.0 percent of 1 US Dollar (N130) per day (for each household member) to be able to escape poverty. The incidence and depth of were higher among female headed households with values 0.26 and 0.43, respectively. The same pattern was also found among households with larger number of dependants with values ranging from 0.74 to 1.00 for incidence of poverty and from 0.70 to 0.77 for depth of poverty. Dependency ratio, household assets and educational status of household head, among others, are socio-economic factors influencing the poverty.\nOriginality/value: - The study recommends, among others, implementation of the new minimum wage scheme, encouragement of the universal basic education and adult education programmes, employment generations, family planning measures, and a well focused gender specific interventions for poverty reduction.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Reengineering the user: privacy concerns about personal data on smartphones
|
[
"Privacy concerns",
"Privacy",
"Personal data",
"Security issues",
"Smartphone data taxonomy",
"User awareness"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Motivation: As smartphone usage and capabilities grow rapidly, more complex operating systems and applications are developed that can offer a wider range of services to the users. Apart from the traditional mobile phone functionalities such as voice calls and text messaging, smartphones offer a variety of capabilities such as global positioning system (GPS) services, email services, video recording, web-browsing and third-party apps (throughout this document, we will use the term \"app\" as an abbreviation for mobile applications). Large volumes of users' personal data are generated and stored on the smartphones such as location traces, usage logs, contacts, photos, documents, calls and messages. Each data type serves a series of purposes ranging from the enrichment of the functionalities of the smartphone to improve the user experience, to the processing and storage of the data. Even when the smartphone is not actively being operated by the user, it produces personal information about the user such as location traces, date-time logs of smartphone activation or shutdown.\n2. Data taxonomy on smartphone devices: Every smartphone consists of a multitude of components and structures that (when) combined provide a series of functionalities offered to the user. These components are hardware resources, network services, informational data and application services and constitute the assets of the smartphone. These assets can be classified in four distinct categories:\n3. Data protection requirements: Obviously, smartphones are much more than communications tools; they combine features of a cell phone along with PC-like functionalities. Smartphones host a plethora of heterogeneous data generated from various hardware or software sources thus constituting a very rich set of personal information. As ubiquitous devices they merge or even interfere with a person's everyday life and respective privacy. Tracking a smartphone user and using applications to gain information may implicate in both the informational privacy and the communication secrecy of the user (Mylonas et al., 2013).\n4. Permissions' shortcomings: Popular operating systems for smart devices provide a large and heterogeneous list of permissions to handle the access of apps to the vast set of personal data. For example the Android operating system version 4.4 supports over 140 different app level permissions to control the access of apps to the resources of the smart device.\n5. Untraining the user and the developer: The progressive erosion of privacy caused by the increasing permission requests on each and every app update may have adverse effects on the user's attitude towards security. West (2008) enumerated a series of psychological attributes involved in security-depriving actions, and the lack of user motivation is one of the main traits a user may exhibit. As the user may be predisposed towards not performing security-enhancing actions - such as software updates in this case - it is reasonable to expect that the privacy degenerative app updates will further fuel such lack of motivation or even provide the user with an alibi not to perform updates. As a consequence, the emerging norms of the app ecosystem to request more personal data than required (by/to fulfil the purpose of the app, may result in the convergence or even the degeneration of the behaviour of privacy aware users and those who unconsciously consent in making their personal data available to third parties.\n6. Discussion and outlook: It is highly worrisome that today's smartphone operating systems do not provide an adequate level of protection for the user's personal data and it is possible that they are consciously developed with vulnerabilities. As depicted in Table I, sensor data are the most critical, because they can be read by any entity that has access to the smartphone device. Moreover, the entity that seems to be the most threatening is the operating system, which has access to all personal data and yet has security vulnerabilities.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the privacy and security concerns that have risen from the permissions model in the Android operating system, along with two shortcomings that have not been adequately addressed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The impact of the applications' evolutionary increment of permission requests from both the user's and the developer's point of view is studied, and finally, a series of remedies against the erosion of users' privacy is proposed.\nFindings: The results of this work indicate that, even though providing access to personal data of smartphone users is by definition neither problematic nor unlawful, today's smartphone operating systems do not provide an adequate level of protection for the user's personal data. However, there are several ideas that can significantly improve the situation and mitigate privacy concerns of users of smart devices.\nResearch limitations/implications: The proposed approach was evaluated through an examination of the Android's permission model, although issues arise in other operating systems. The authors' future intention is to conduct a user study to measure the user's awareness and concepts surrounding privacy concerns to empirically investigate the above-mentioned suggestions.\nPractical implications: The proposed suggestions in this paper, if adopted in practice, could significantly improve the situation and mitigate privacy concerns of users of smart devices.\nSocial implications: The recommendations proposed in this paper would strongly enhance the control of users over their personal data and improve their ability to distinguish legitimate apps from malware or grayware.\nOriginality/value: This paper emphasises two shortcomings of the permissions models of mobile operating systems which, in authors' view, have not been adequately addressed to date and propose an inherent way for apps and other entities of the mobile computing ecosystem to commit to responsible and transparent practices on mobile users' privacy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Supply chain management and quality management integration: A conceptual model proposal
|
[
"Integration",
"Quality management",
"Supply chain management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The supply chain management (SCM) extends the concept of integrated management to all organizations involved in the process, from suppliers of raw materials to end customers.\nLiterature review: QM\nConceptual model proposal: In the recent past, a few number of contributions have been proposed to address the integration between SCM and QM (Talib et al., 2010, 2011; Fish, 2011). As referred before, they focus on specific aspects of the logistics system leaving out key aspects of SCM. To further study the potentialities and hurdles of the integration of these two areas we propose a conceptual model to represent, in a comprehensive way, the key areas of both domains and the relationships between them.\nFinal remarks: Much attention has been dedicated to SCM concepts in recent years. However, the analysis of the relationship between SCM and QM and their integration is still very limited (Robinson and Malhotra, 2005; Azar et al., 2009). There are many similarities and differences between those areas and the understanding of those points can contribute for future operations management future research.\nFuture research: A comprehensive validation process of the model is required to get further insight on the subject allowing to understand how companies implement and integrate SCM and QM strategies and how that integration impacts on the overall organization performance. For that purpose, it is necessary to implement different investigation lines in multiple contexts.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical basis for integration of quality management (QM) and supply chain management (SCM). For that purpose, some common practices of both approaches are identified as having impact on the four balanced scorecard perspectives.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The main concepts of SCM and QM were reviewed from the literature in order to develop key practices that are common to both approaches.\nFindings: The findings suggest that the synergies of QM and SCM can promote the integration of the approaches which will promote a set of significant organizational benefits.\nOriginality/value: This study focuses on the integration of QM and SCM through their common practices. This issue has not been broadly explored and for that reason this paper contributes to the understanding of the critical factors for an effective integration of supply chain QM.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
How ownership affects the growth strategies of scientific journals: A study of economics journals 1950 to 2000
|
[
"Journals",
"Articles",
"Growth",
"Publishers",
"Strategies",
"Ownership"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of how scientific journals grew during the second half of the twentieth century and then to explore how different forms of ownership produced different growth strategies. The field of economics is used here as a case study. The half-century from 1950 to 2000 was a period of great expansion in all aspects of the academic endeavour and economics was no exception, indeed these years might well be seen as a golden age for the discipline both quantitatively and qualitatively. Just as one simple measure of the discipline's growth, membership of the American Economic Association rose from about 7,000 in 1950 to 27,000 by 1970, whereafter it stabilized (Day, 2010).\nSelecting the journals: In any research on the journals of a discipline there are problems with defining the universe to be studied: there is a tail of increasingly weak journals and a quality cut-off point needs to be selected. Likewise, there are journals that operate at the boundaries of the primary discipline serving scholars whose interests spill over into neighbouring disciplines and journals from neighbouring disciplines whose coverage has a connection with the primary discipline. There are no bright lines defining which journals should be included in an analysis such as this.However, in economics, the Journal of Economic Literature - the premier abstracting journal of the discipline - selected a subset of journals whose contents would not just be listed, but from which article abstracts would be published1. This selection, steered by an editorial board of distinguished economists, would seem to provide an appropriate way of selecting the journals that are of significance to the discipline. Those that had achieved inclusion in that list in 1999 form the set of journals considered here. Unfortunately the shift to digital publication in 2000 removed the space constraint that had required such selection and the number of journals whose abstracts were included increased substantially. So after 2000 this basis for choosing significant journals cannot be used, or at least the later data would have to be treated as a separate series.Even with this selection criterion however, some of the journals are cross disciplinary in nature; so in a study designed to evaluate the volume of article publishing in the discipline, some of the articles in a cross-disciplinary journal should be excluded as coming from another discipline. Determining which articles in a journal to include or exclude is a recipe for arbitrary decision-making that could be contested case-by-case, so it was cleaner to eliminate those journals, which were explicitly cross disciplinary. In fact, for economics this is probably not going to induce much of a bias: Pieters and Baumgartner (2002) show that there is remarkably little cross-citation between economics journals and those of other disciplines. As one's general impression indicates, the discipline is unusually self-contained and, connections with finance aside, there is little cross-citation. So eliminating interdisciplinary journals is defensible.The 70 journals included in the study are shown in Table I together with the dates when they first began publishing. Those journals that are abstracted in the Journal of Economic Literature but which were, as explained previously, eliminated from the study are shown in Appendix 1 (see Table AI), together with the reasons for their removal. The set of 70 includes all the journals that an Anglo-American economist would consider as important outlets for his work, and the journals that an economist would watch for important general work. This is not to deny that he might well also track a specialist cross-disciplinary journal pertinent to his particular set of special interests.The data on number of issues, articles per issue and pages were collected for each journal for the first issue of each decade (i.e. issue one of 1950, of 1960, etc.) through to the first issue of 2000. Most of this could be done online thanks to the generosity and resources of the University of Hong Kong Library, and to the convenience of JSTOR. Unfortunately not all journal proprietors cooperate with JSTOR and most other online sites were less convenient for this research. However, in the end, with help from Mehrnoush Mosaffarian of CIBER, all the gaps were filled2.\nExploring the growth of journal publishing over the period: Increase in the number of journals\nExploring growth strategies of publishers: Possible strategies and behaviours\nConclusions: The growth in the discipline of economics brought about a very substantial growth in the journals of the discipline. So the number of journals, their frequency of publication, and the size of individual issues all grew markedly from 1950 to 2000. The journal publishers chose different strategies to cope with the growing flow of papers according to their objectives: the non-profits chose to limit their growth and presumably raise the quality bar for papers to be accepted, adding new journals only modestly and increasing their frequency with similar conservatism. So, much of the increased supply of new papers was handled by the commercial publishers with their new journals and higher frequencies of publication.Looking at the growth in a more fine-grained way, the new entrants in the 1960s (see Table II) are with two13 possible exceptions all initiatives of scholarly societies and similar groups; in other words this was a period in which the process by which journals were created was unchanged. However, the 1970s (see Table III) saw a radical change when Elsevier/North Holland launched eight new journals, all but one14 targeted at a major subfield of the discipline: comparative, econometrics, financial, international, monetary, public and urban economics. The other four new journals in this decade can be characterized as \"business as usual\". But the Elsevier initiative marked a major change, and \"major\" is appropriate with respect both to the new approach and also because these eight new journals made nearly a 30 per cent increase in the number of journals in the discipline. Thinking in terms of market share, in 1950 the non-profits published 76.5 per cent of articles; by 2000 they were handling only 43.8 per cent.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine how journals expanded to accommodate the growth in scholarly writing from 1950 to 2000, and how the policy response differed between for-profit and non-profit publishers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Taking economics as an example and using an authoritative list of journals, data were collected and analyzed for the first issue of each decade on new journals, frequency of issues, number of articles published and pages per issue. Each journal was assigned to one of three ownership categories and growth policies analyzed separately for each.\nFindings: - Overall primary reliance was placed on launching new journals and increasing the frequency of issue. However, there was a marked difference between for-profits and non-profits. The former launched most new journals and increased publication frequency while keeping individual issues quite short. By contrast, the latter added few journals or issues, but did systematically include more articles in each issue.\nOriginality/value: - This paper looks behind the general growth in scholarly literature to analyze how journals have used the available tools - new journals, more frequent issues, and longer issues - to accommodate the dramatic increase in the number of articles written. Particularly original is the demonstration that for-profits and non-profits have used these tools in very different ways.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Consumer loyalty on the grocery product market: an empirical application of Dick and Basu's framework
|
[
"Customer loyalty",
"Dick and Basu's framework",
"Food products",
"Gender differences"
] |
[
{
"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: Representing one of the most important factors believed to explain consumers' brand choice, it is no surprise that the concept loyalty has aroused an enormous interest among academics as well as practitioners within the field of marketing and consumer behaviour. Loyal customers are typically less price sensitive, more resistant to offers from competitors and more likely to make word of mouth recommendations to others (Dick and Basu, 1994; Jensen and Hansen, 2006; Krishnamurthi and Raj, 1991). Facing today's intensive competition in the grocery industry (slim profit margins, more private-label brands, etc.), developing, maintaining and enhancing consumer loyalty seems more vital than ever for marketing managers operating in the grocery market. And striving for this goal seems even more challenging in the light of recurring assertions that brand loyalty among consumers is declining over time (Clancy, 2001; Dekimpe et al., 1997). Although empirical research has shown blurred support for a decline in brand loyalty (Dekimpe et al., 1997; Johnson and Russo, 1984), there seems to be a general consensus among academics and practitioners as well, that at least some product categories are facing less brand loyalty among consumers. Several reasons have been put forward for this trend. Greater consumer price awareness, less (perceived) product differentiation and increased emphasis on point-of-sale promotions instead of advertising are among the chief arguments (Clancy, 2001; Johnson and Russo, 1984). Add to this the changing gender roles, with men assuming an enhanced role in grocery purchasing on behalf of the household (Harmon and Hill, 2003). With an extra person sharing responsibility for the household's grocery purchases, the household will be more likely to use multiple retailers, which in turn, all things equal, increases the likelihood of brand switching. Furthermore, evidence (e.g. Campbell, 1997; Dholokia, 1999; Helgesen and Nesset, 2010; Noble et al., 2006) shows that men, compared to women, have different decision-making traits and preferences. Men tend to use a quicker and more straightforward decision-making style when they shop and often are more willing to try new products. With more men doing the household groceries, it seems likely that households will stick less to a particular brand. For example, in light of the above-mentioned findings on gender differences, it seems plausible to expect men to be more likely to switch to another brand rather than to defer a purchase, if their usual brand is not found in the store.Naturally, marketing managers on the grocery product market are worried about fading consumer loyalty and the subsequent consequences. Thus, to observe current trends in consumer loyalty on their market, managers need a framework for measuring loyalty. Furthermore, to strive for building loyalty among their target groups, managers also need to detect important antecedent factors to consumer loyalty, and not at least, to understand the behavioural consequences of consumer loyalty. In a seminal article, Dick and Basu (1994) provided a framework which may be helpful in this direction. In their framework a high relative attitude towards an object is a requirement for true loyalty to occur. Dick and Basu (1994) also suggest a number of antecedents to predict relative attitude and customer loyalty as well as various consequences to follow from relative attitude and the degree of loyalty. Obviously, the practical value of Dick and Basu's loyalty framework depends on evidence of a relationship between relative attitude and the proposed antecedents and consequences. The primary objective of this article is to demonstrate and evaluate the usefulness of employing Dick and Basu's framework of customer loyalty to the grocery product market. To that end, the article begins by briefly summarising the main approaches to customer loyalty, and contextually presents Dick and Basu's framework in relation to the grocery product market. Various antecedents and consequences expected to correlate with the degree of loyalty are presented along with corresponding hypotheses. Next, an empirical study, aimed at testing the framework and the established hypotheses, is presented. Results are reported and their implications for theory and practice are discussed at the end of the article.\nTheoretical background and hypotheses: Brand loyalty\nMethodology: Selection of product categories\nResults: The presentation of results is broken down into three sub-sections. The first section focuses on the concept of relative attitude. Scale reliability is estimated, scale means are examined across product categories, and finally the relationship between relative attitudes and the suggested antecedents and consequences is tested. In the second section, for each product category, the respondents are classified into one of Dick and Basu's four suggested loyalty categories and the distribution of loyalty categories is compared across product categories. Anticipated consequences from loyalty formation are examined by testing differences in scale means between the four loyalty categories. The third section focuses on the gender-related differences in relative attitude and loyalty categories.Relative attitude and its relationship with antecedents and consequences\nSummary and implications: This study has both theoretical and managerial implications. To the best of the author's knowledge, empirical studies that attempt to assess the usefulness of employing Dick and Basu's (1994) framework of customer loyalty are limited. The present study should be seen as a preliminary attempt to address this issue. The study suggests measurement scales capturing the concepts of repeat purchasing and relative attitude and further suggests a classification rule for transforming these two dimensions into Dick and Basu's four loyalty categories. The results confirm to a large extent the presence of Dick and Basu's four loyalty typologies across the five categories of grocery products investigated in this study. The results also provide evidence for the expected differences between product categories with regard to relative attitude and the proportion of loyalty categories within each product category. Coffee ends up with the highest mean score of relative attitude whereas toilet paper has the lowest mean score. Thus, the results to some extend signify that a high relative attitude is more common within product categories associated with frequent purchase or usage, higher self-expression and/or sensory-based consumption and for frequent advertised product categories.The results also support a number of Dick and Basu's propositions with regard to perceptual and behavioural consequences of a high relative attitude and true loyalty. The results prove a positive and significant relationship between relative attitude and repeat purchasing. The results also support that, the higher the relative attitude, the less likely situational factors or proneness to variety seeking cause brand switching among consumers. Finally, results also suggests that a strong relative attitude may to a minor degree facilitate a more positive perception of ads for the preferred brand opposed to ads for competing brands.The results emphasize the importance of taking gender into consideration when investigating consumer loyalty. As expected women tend to have a higher relative attitude towards grocery products than men do and consequently the proportion of true loyals is also higher among women.The results have implications for brand managers, especially with respect to marketing grocery products. Mean scores of relative attitude indicate a moderate to high level of brand preferences within all the product categories investigated in this study. Also the proportions of true loyals ranging from 31.5 percent for toilet paper to 64.3 percent suggests, that, at least within some categories of grocery products, it is still possible for marketers to create loyal consumers by building positive attitudes towards their products. The importance of building true loyalty is highlighted by the evidence of true loyals being significant more likely to postpone their purchases if the store is out of their favourite brand, the least likely to switch to a another brand if on sale, less keen on variety seeking and finally, more positive about commercials for their favourite brand when compared to commercials for alternative brands. Finally, marketers should note the relatively lower proportions of men being true loyals when compared to women. With more men doing the household groceries, it seems likely that households in the future will stick less to a particular brand. In this study men were found to be more prone for variety seeking and more likely than women to switch to another brand rather than to defer a purchase, if their usual brand is not found in the store.\nLimitations and future research directions: Consumers' behaviour is known to be influenced by cultural factors and therefore the results from this study on Danish consumers may not necessarily be generalized to other countries. This calls for similar studies to be done with consumers from other nationalities. This study focuses on the consumer loyalty within a grocery market context and the results may therefore not necessarily be generalised to other market types. Other studies should test Dick and Basu's framework on other grocery products and on other market types as well.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This study aims to assess the usefulness of Dick and Basu's framework of customer loyalty to examine consumer loyalty on the grocery product market.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - After a short presentation of Dick and Basu's framework, the article discusses a number of anticipated antecedents and consequences to consumer loyalty on the grocery product market. Next, the four loyalty categories and the hypothesized relationships with antecedents and consequences are tested on empirical data from a large survey investigating brand loyalty across five grocery product categories.\nFindings: - The results support the presence of Dick and Basu's four loyalty typologies within all the investigated product categories and further provide evidence for the expected differences between product categories with regard to the proportion of loyalty categories within each product category. The results also support relationships between relative attitude and corresponding antecedents and consequences as suggested by Dick and Basu. And, finally, men are found to be less loyal consumers when compared with women.\nPractical implications: - The study shows that, at least within some categories of grocery products, it is still possible for marketers to create loyal consumers. The importance of building true loyalty is highlighted by the evidence of true loyals being significantly more likely to postpone their purchases if the store is out of their favourite brand, the least likely to switch to another brand if on sale and less keen on variety seeking.\nOriginality/value: - Survey data from 348 households were used to test the hypothesised relationships.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
E-university delivery model: handling the evaluation process
|
[
"Process efficiency",
"E-learning",
"Virtual organizations",
"Riva model",
"Virtual learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the age of information, more universities are seeking new forms of learning platforms and communication channels. These communication channels need to meet the needs and expectations of students who already use similar applications in their everyday activities. Several universities have gradually sought to automate or move operations online. Innovation, interaction, collaboration are key elements along with technology-driven initiatives. In fact, Tapscott and Williams (2010) suggest user-generated media, social networking, crowdsource and peer production for the new university concept using mass collaboration is the new form of online collectivism. In a publication on e-universities, Ismail et al. (2017) looked at technological trends in e-universities as well as handling lectures/lessons in the context of the larger picture of university processes. In this respect, evaluation handling is an important element in moving forward the concept of e-university. This paper presents a review of the literature with regards to the evaluation process of e-universities. The paper uses two unique case studies of physical and virtual evaluation handling processes. Then, the paper reflects on improvements and limitations of the move towards virtual classroom within an e-university process.\n2. Literature review: With the advancement of internet, Bergstrand and Savage (2013) suggest that universities and colleges are increasingly motivated toward e-universities format. In this context, virtual or online education can be implemented, and courses can be offered with larger enrolments and smaller budgets. A survey by Allen and Seaman (2014) of 2,500 US colleges and universities showed that 5.6m students were enrolled in at least one online class.\n3. Methodology: This paper aims to design a virtual and integrated e-university process model to visualise the handling of evaluation as the essential process of any e-university process. This process to explore the available technologies and find a system that mirrors much of physical processes into a virtual environment. For this to be completed, the authors agreed on the methodology to follow these defined research objectives:\n4. Modelling: \"handling and evaluation\" process: The two diagrams below illustrate the activities, information and roles for \"handle an evaluation\" process both traditionally and online.\n5. Analysis: Tables I and II show the flow of data for each process based on the analysis of data flow from Figures 2 and 3. It demonstrates that the flow of data in the online system happens completely electronically. Electronic data sharing reduces the physical movement of data from one party to another and thus reduces mistakes that can happen while doing so. The availability of data on a centralised system allows the sharing of same data that speeds up the process rather than going through routine procedures to access it. On the other hand, the results can be published to students once the exam is corrected without any human intervention that reduces mistakes that tend to happen when physically copying grades from sheets. There are also more activities that take place in the traditional system in order to approve results like reviewing them towards the Excel sheets before publishing them. The system will eliminate mistakes produced when multiple data entry takes place also errors that happen during the calculation of the students' marks will be eliminated.\n6. Conclusion: The objective of this paper is to examine the vital quality assurance processes in academia as more universities move towards process automation, blended or e-university models. As demonstrated, this analysis shows that the process of online automation of the evaluation process is achieved using the case study of Arden University online courses.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The setting up of e-university has been slow-going. Much of e-university slow progress has been attributed to poor business models, branding, disruptive technologies, lack of organisational structure that accommodates such challenges, and failure to integrate a blended approach. One of the stumbling blocks, among many, is the handling of evaluation process. E-university models do not provide much automation compared to the original brick-and-mortar classroom model of delivery. The underlining technologies may not have been supportive; however, the conditions are changing, and more evaluation tools are becoming available for academics. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper identifies the extent of current online evaluation processes. In this process, the team reviews the case study of a UK E-University using Adobe Connect learning model that mirrors much of the physical processes as well as online exams and evaluation tools. Using the Riva model, the paper compares the physical with the online evaluation processes for e-universities to identify differences in these processes to evaluate the benefits of e-learning. As a result, the models can help us to identify the processes where improvements can take place for automating the process and evaluate the impact of this change.\nFindings: The paper concludes that this process can be significantly shortened and provide a fairer outcome but there remain some challenges for e-university processes to overcome.\nOriginality/value: This paper examines the vital quality assurance processes in academia as more universities move towards process automation, blended or e-university business models. Using the case study of Arden University online distance learning, the paper demonstrates, through modelling and analysis that the process of online automation of the evaluation process is achieved with significant efficiency.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Evaluating lean manufacturing barriers: an interpretive process
|
[
"Lean manufacturing",
"Lean production",
"Pairwise comparison",
"Interpretive ranking process",
"Lean barrier"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Since the mid-1980s, lean manufacturing (also simply called lean in the literature) has been receiving increasing attentions and lasting interests from both academia and industry alike (Belekoukias et al., 2014; Yadav et al., 2010; Jadhav et al., 2014a). Thanks to it, Toyota survived in the oil crisis in 1973 and increased their earnings and market share. With its dual foci: increasing the business value and eliminating the waste, lean has been recognized as one of the most popular business performance improvement approaches (Nawanir et al., 2016; Jadhav et al., 2014a). It has been implemented in both the service and manufacturing industries. Some often cited successful cases include lean applications, e.g., in healthcare services (Kollberg et al., 2007), in process industries (Abdulmalek and Fajgopal, 2007), and in call service centers (Piercy and Rich, 2009).\n2. Literature review: The objectives (or benefits) of lean implementation are evaluated based on a number of performance measures. As different lean barriers affect lean implementation differently, they may have different influences on the performance measures. In this regard, the literature is classified as lean barriers and performance measures below.\n3. Evaluating lean barriers with the IRP: As a ranking method, the IRP combines the analytical logic of the rational choice process with the strengths of the intuitive process at the elemental level (Sushil, 2009). It uses an interpretative matrix as a basic tool and conducts a pairwise comparison of the matrix elements (Sushil, 2009). This technique, thus, builds on the strengths of pairwise comparison approaches to minimize the cognitive overload (Haleem et al., 2012; Sushil, 2009; Sharma et al., 2014). As pointed out in Sushil (2009), the IRP creates new knowledge during the ranking process. Such new knowledge is very useful for future decision making. Other classification or ranking techniques, such as analytic hierarchical process, analytic network process, and interpretive structural modeling, do not have this capability. Moreover, the IRP can rank one variable in accordance with another (Sushil, 2009; Haleem et al., 2012), whereas other ranking methods rank one variable only. In view of its above advantages, in this study we adopt the IRP to evaluate the lean barriers in accordance with the performance measures.\n4. Further discussions: In accordance with the IRP-based lean barrier evaluation model (see Figure 3), we discuss below some theoretical and practical implications for a better lean implementation.\n5. Conclusions: In view of their importance and the lack of studies, we investigated lean barriers in this study, in the hope of helping firms better implement lean. We first identified lean barriers and performance measures scattered in the literature and further classified them into different groups/areas. For the identified lean barriers, we adopted the IRP to evaluate them in accordance with the performance measures. In evaluating the lean barriers, we applied the group discussion technique for obtaining the most important lean barriers and performance measures. Based on the lean barrier evaluation model developed, we recommended programs/activities for firms to overcome the barriers in lean implementation. In this regard, the contribution of this study is threefold. First, it identified and comprehensively presented the lean barriers scattered in the literature. Second, it developed a lean barrier evaluation model, which can help firms make better decisions in lean implementation. Third, it proposed some suggestions for firms to overcome the lean barriers. Along this line, there are several potential avenues for future research. First, empirical investigations may be carried out to identify the most important lean barriers and performance measures. Second, empirical studies may be conducted to test the lean barrier evaluation model developed in this study.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Firms have been implementing lean manufacturing to improve their business performances. However, they have difficulties in the implementation due to the many barriers. In view of the lack of research and the importance in understanding them, the purpose of this paper is identify and evaluate the lean barriers with respect to their levels of importance in implementation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: As lean barriers are scattered in the literature and a variety of performance measures are used in practice, an extensive literature review is first carried out to identify the lean barriers and performance measures. A novel ranking technique - interpretive ranking process (IRP) - is adopted in the evaluation. In the IRP-based evaluation approach, a group discussion technique, where five Indian lean experts are involved, is applied to determine the most important lean barriers and performance measures. Several matrices are developed step by step for calculating the ranks of the selected lean barriers. Upon validating the ranks, an IRP-based lean barrier evaluation model is developed.\nFindings: The IRP-based lean barrier evaluation model can help firms better understand lean barriers and their levels of importance in lean implementation. In the light of this model, to successfully implement lean, firms should provide sufficient management time and training to employees, develop a right culture, develop effective communication, carry out low-cost production, and obtain external funding.\nPractical implications: The evaluation results provide the practitioners with a realistic framework to deal with many problems, especially those related to resource allocation, in lean implementation. Based on the framework, practitioners can prioritize lean barriers during implementation in accordance with performances targeted.\nOriginality/value: This is the first study that provides a comprehensive review of lean barriers available in the literature and evaluates them in accordance with performance measures. The combined use of literature review and experts in the evaluation approach justifies the value of the study.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Leader-member exchange, work engagement, and job performance
|
[
"Leadership",
"Leader-member exchange",
"Job demands-resources theory",
"Employee engagement",
"Job resources"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Leader-member exchange theory (LMX theory; Graen and Cashman, 1975; Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995) is unique in its focus on the dyadic relationship between leader and follower. Rooted in role making and social exchange theories (Blau, 1964; Graen, 1976; Kahn et al., 1964), LMX theory states that followers develop unique exchange relationships with their leader. In turn, the quality of this relationship influences followers' work attitudes and behaviors. Consistent with these ideas, meta-analytic studies show that the quality of the LMX relationship is related to a range of positive follower outcomes, like job satisfaction, task performance, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), commitment, and role clarity (e.g. Dulebohn et al., 2012; Ilies et al., 2007; Volmer et al., 2011). However, although there is a wealth of literature on the proximal effects of LMX on follower outcomes (e.g. Dulebohn et al., 2012; Gerstner and Day, 1997), little is known about the process through which LMX influences follower outcomes.\nLMX and follower job performance: LMX theory proposes that leaders have unique social exchange relationships with their followers and that the quality of these relationships (ranging from low to high) differs between employees with the same leader (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995; Liden et al., 1997). Low-quality LMX relationships are based on economic exchanges, i.e., exchanges based on the formal requirements of the employment contract in which employees do what they are expected to do and get paid accordingly. In contrast, high-quality exchanges go beyond the formal contract and are based on trust, mutual obligation, and mutual respect and result in affective attachment. The type of LMX relationship that develops depends on the result of a series of role making episodes in which leaders express their expectations and employees show the degree to which they are able and willing to live up to these expectations.\nMethod: Participants and procedure\nResults: Descriptive statistics\nDiscussion: This study is one of the first to examine LMX as a distal predictor of job performance and relatedly, one of the first to test a sequentially mediating mechanism that can account for the LMX-job performance relationship. In addition, this study is innovative in that it is one of the first to test a sequential mediation model using structural equation modeling. Furthermore, to our knowledge, this is the first study that examines the relationship between LMX and work engagement. Finally, our sample consisted of a large number of police officers, for whom leadership is a very relevant part of everyday work life. The results largely confirm our hypotheses by showing that high-quality LMX relationships initiate a motivational process, whereby the relationship between LMX and subordinates' job performance is sequentially mediated by employees' job resources (developmental opportunities and social support) and work engagement.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the process through which leader-member exchange (LMX) is related to followers' job performance. Integrating the literature on LMX theory and resource theories, the authors hypothesized that the positive relationship between LMX and employee job performance is sequentially mediated by job resources (autonomy, developmental opportunities, and social support) and employee work engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 847 Dutch police officers filled out an online questionnaire. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships and to account for the nesting of employees in teams.\nFindings: Employees in high-quality LMX relationships work in a more resourceful work environment (i.e. report more developmental opportunities and social support, but not more autonomy). This resourceful work environment, in turn, facilitates work engagement and job performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: Because of the research design, it is difficult to draw conclusions about causality. Future research may test the newly proposed relationship using a longitudinal or daily diary design.\nPractical implications: This study emphasizes the value of high-LMX relationships for building a resourceful environment. In turn, this resourceful environment has important implications for employees' work engagement and job performance.\nOriginality/value: This study examines LMX as a more distal predictor of employee job performance and examines a sequential underlying mechanism to explain this relationship. Furthermore, this paper explicitly examined job resources as a mediator in the relationship between LMX and employee job performance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Examining chain bookshops in the context of "third place"
|
[
"Third place",
"Bookselling",
"Retail",
"Marketing",
"Restorative",
"Marketing environment",
"Consumer behaviour"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: This paper examines consumer experiences of chain bookshops and the potential, which bookshops have to be a \"third place\" for the people and communities who use them. The paper outlines the concept of third place as introduced and explored by sociologists Oldenburg and Brissett (1982) and Oldenburg (1999, 2001). It goes on to discuss the contribution of the humanistic geographers to the concept of third place, as well as looking at how the research paradigm of the restorative environment and directed attention contribute to this concept. The paper analyses how third place has been applied to changing social and leisure situations over the passage of time (Ducheneaut et al., 2007; Rosenbaum, 2006, 2008; Rosenbaum et al., 2007; Rosenbaum and Smallwood, 2011; Slater and Koo, 2010; Steinkuehler and Williams, 2006) and goes on to explore consumers' current experiences in chain bookshops, beyond that of mere utility, as a place of restoration and therapy, encompassing browsing, \"flow\" and the spending of time. As many UK bookshops reprofile as destination stores (Clements, 2005; Horner, 2009; Giles, 2011), the function of the coffee shop within the concept of third place is explored, as is its role as a supporter of socialising and meeting others, especially in bookshops. For managers, there are opportunities to encourage retail venues to explore their potential to be third places and restorative servicescapes. This can consequently encourage economic benefits.\nDefining a conceptual framework of \"third place\": The concept of third place has usually been applied to restaurants, bars, bookshops or even garden centres (Oldenburg, 2001); venues where sociability and conversation can be enjoyed in a non-judgemental environment. The study of restaurants or diners has tended to dominate any study of the concept of third place (Cheang, 2002; Rosenbaum, 2006; Rosenbaum et al., 2007), although video arcades and gyms have also been studied in this context (Rosenbaum, 2008). More recently the emergence of virtual communities and social networking has seen Oldenburg's concept of third place applied to elements of sociability online, in particular in the context of MMOGs - Massively Multiplayer Online Games (Ducheneaut et al., 2007; Steinkuehler and Williams, 2006). Recently, the notion of third place has been explored in an arts context, specifically by examining public consumption of Tate Modern and the Southbank Centre (Slater and Koo, 2010).\nMethodology: A mixed methods approach was taken to the data gathering, in order to answer the research questions most effectively and to triangulate the findings (Onwuegbuzie and Leech, 2005). The methodological approach adopted was a developmental one, allowing each stage of data gathering to inform and enhance the subsequent stage. First, interviews were carried out with bookshop experts (bookshop managers and one marketing manager) from four separate bookshop chains. The interviews probed managers' views of how they believed consumers used their bookshops, and what they experienced there. The interviews were transcribed and common themes and areas of concern were drawn out from these initial interviews, helping to inform the design of the subsequent questionnaire survey. A total of 100 questionnaires were carried out face-to-face with bookshop users across three chain bookshops. These questionnaire surveys asked whether bookshop atmosphere was important; the time spent in-store and the kind of experience (relaxing, happy, intimidating) a bookshop visit might be. The questionnaires were analysed using SPSS, although the qualitative comments were excised and coded separately. Three focus groups comprising of five, six and seven participants respectively were then carried out. They were used as a method of exploring in more depth the issues raised previously in both the interviews and the surveys carried out (Stewart and Shamdasani, 1990). The focus group interviews were transcribed and thematically coded (Miles and Huberman, 1994) and finally 158 online questionnaires with online bookshop users were undertaken. These online bookshop users were reached by posting links on an online book group, an online film discussion group, a local online newspaper and an online bookshop. The online questionnaires explored the online shopping experience but also asked these online consumers about their experiences in \"traditional\" bookshops and how the experiences compared. While the overall focus of the research was upon consumer responses to various marketing approaches undertaken by chain and online bookshops, a strong theme of using bookshops as a place to spend time, browse or relax emerged throughout the research in traditional bookshops. The manager and focus group comments are particularly central to this paper and it is also supported by results from the face-to-face questionnaires. The methodological ethos behind the research was open, encouraging respondents to share their opinions and experiences in as full a manner as possible. Even in the questionnaires carried out, there was considerable scope for participants to make extra comments at any stage of the questioning, both online and face-to-face. The interviews proved to be a rich source of data (Miller and Brewer, 2003; Kvale, 2009; Silverman, 2010) and given the developmental approach to the methodological design, the findings from the initial interviews were utilised in the design of the subsequent stages of data collection (Hakim, 2000, p. 37).\nResults and discussion: Third place - the bookshop managers' perspective\nConclusions: The research demonstrates that many consumers enjoy a restorative experience in bookshops, experiencing flow and enjoying the spending of time in a relaxed fashion, often with no thought of any ultimate purchase. Very little interaction or socialising with other consumers or booksellers takes place. Many bookshop users experience a restorative or therapeutic quality in bookshops and wish to spend time there without necessarily wanting to talk or socialise in a literal sense. The current research suggests that referring to bookshops as third places is misleading. While elements of third place are often experienced by consumers in the bookshop environment nevertheless it must be acknowledged that conversation rarely takes place. The research finds that the presence of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975) and the spending of time are vital elements of a therapeutic bookshop experience. The research acknowledges the restorative environment as proposed by Kaplan and Talbot (1983) as well as building upon the restorative servicescape proposed by Rosenbaum (2009). However, further research with a larger sample size is necessary in order to establish whether bookshops are conceptualised as restorative servicescapes. There are clear parallels between flow and the spending of time in the current research, and the four qualities integral to a restorative experience, as described by Kaplan and Talbot (1983). Future research should test these specific qualities of restorative experience in the bookshop setting. It would also be necessary to be clear about different kinds of bookshop, distinguishing between independents, chains, superstores or even book departments within garden centres, since these different venues may be ascribed different meanings by their users.\nManagerial recommendations: There are potential economic benefits to be had by retail organisations, should they adopt marketing approaches, which encourage the development of a restorative servicescape. While this cannot be entirely controlled, since identity of a third place or restorative environment is ultimately ascribed by users (Fournier and Lee, 2009) there are strategies, which can be followed. For example, the presence of an integral coffee shop is found to increase socialisation, encouraging the spending of time and often money. Even without an integral coffee shop, the bookshop still has restorative qualities, where consumers experience flow. This gives traditional book retailers a strong and unique competitive advantage over online booksellers and e-book retailers as well as encouraging economic benefits for retailers. While the current research found that, overall, consumers responded positively to the presence of coffee shops, there was broad agreement that coffee shops should be in a clearly demarcated area within the bookshop. Mintel (2007) research has found that coffee shops tend to attract socioeconomic group ABC1. This could prove advantageous for bookshops, which also tend to be populated by this social group, a growing proportion of the wider population.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This research theoretically conceptualises the notion of \"third place\" within the setting of chain bookshops. The widespread adoption of coffee franchises and comfortable seating has developed the bookshop as a leisurely setting. Underpinning the discussion in current retail marketing theory, the research aims to explore how the understanding of \"third place\" has changed with the passage of time and to examine whether chain bookshops can be called third places.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodological approach is largely qualitative, drawing upon interviews with bookshop managers with regard to their strategic aims, and using focus groups to discuss consumers' bookshop experiences. The research also draws upon quantitative data, i.e. face-to-face questionnaires and online surveys.\nFindings: The research concludes that while consumer experience of chain bookshops is positive, they cannot be called a \"third place\" due to the lack of conversation therein. Nevertheless, an important caveat exists - the presence of an integral coffee shop encourages socialising among bookshop customers.\nResearch limitations/implications: The project's scope is limited to chain bookshops in the UK. Future work might look at third place or restorative provision in other retail settings or over a wider geographic spread.\nPractical implications: The research has important implications and recommendations for managers of retail sites regarding the potential restorative qualities of bookshops, coffee shops and other retail environments.\nOriginality/value: This empirical research enhances scholarly understanding of the bookshop as a restorative space, highlighting an important advantage which traditional retailers have over internet retailers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Organizational justice: what changes, what remains the same?
|
[
"Evolution",
"Employee attitudes",
"Distributive justice",
"Interactional justice"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The study of justice perceptions is an important area of research in organizational behavior because of its relationship to relevant individual and organizational outcomes (Cohen-Charash and Spector, 2001). In organizations, individuals develop different types of justice assessments: distributive justice judgments - how outcomes should be distributed; procedural justice judgments - how decisions should be made; and interactional justice judgments - how people should interact. When workers feel they are treated unfairly, absenteeism, turnover, stress, and retaliatory intentions tend to increase (Colquitt et al., 2001; Nirmala and Akhilesh, 2006). On the other hand, when workers feel they are treated fairly, there is an increase in positive work-related attitudes and behaviors, such as, satisfaction, commitment, citizenship behaviors, and acceptance of organizational change (Nowakowski and Conlon, 2005; Folger and Skarlicki, 1999). In short, \"justice keeps people together whereas injustice can pull them apart\" (Folger and Cropanzano, 1998, p. xii).\nThe evolution of organizational justice: Considerable empirical support exists for the difference, in terms of predictors and outcomes, between distributive and interactional justice dimensions (e.g. Colquitt et al., 2001; Nowakowski and Conlon, 2005). Table I presents some definitions of these dimensions. However, there is little agreement about what the theoretical justification for these differences is, how these dimensions relate to each other, and how they evolve over time.\nPredictors of distributive and interactional justice dimensions: One of the theoretical approaches used to explain justice perceptions in organizations is the social-exchange theory (Blau, 2006). This theory conceptualizes human relationships as exchanges of resources. Depending on the resources exchanged, these transactions may be economic or social. The sort of resource interchanged greatly defines the roles of the social actors in the relationship.\nOutcomes of distributive and interactional justice perceptions: Findings show that employees reciprocate the treatment they receive, directing attitudinal and behavioral responses at a specific target. Accordingly, it would be expected that reactions to the fairness of distributive and procedural aspects would target the organizational system, while reactions to the fairness of interactional aspects would target the direct supervisor. Masterson et al. (2000) demonstrate that reactions to interactional justice are related to citizenship-behaviors directed at the supervisor and job satisfaction, mediated by the quality of subordinate-supervisor relationship. Moreover, the authors show that procedural justice impacts outcomes directed at the organization. These outcomes include intention to quit, commitment and citizenship behaviors, and are mediated by perceived organizational support.\nMethod: Procedure\nResults: In order to evaluate reliability and internal consistency we calculated the Cronbach's Alpha, or the correlation between items, over various moments in time. As can be observed in Table III, these levels allowed us to continue our analysis.\nDiscussion: This study had two main goals: first, to examine the evolution of workers' distributive and interactional justice perceptions over a period of eight years in order to assess their degree of stability or change; second, to identify their most stable antecedents and outcomes. We expected that distributive justice perceptions would be more stable than the interactional justice perceptions. In fact, while there were no significant differences in distributive justice perceptions over the years, levels of interactional justice fluctuated significantly between 2000 and 2004 and between 2000 and 2008.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to examine workers' distributive and interactional justice perceptions at three different moments in time over a period of eight years, assess their degree of stability and identify their most stable antecedents and outcomes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data was collected through an overlapping repeated cross-sectional design. Of the participants involved, 334 were surveyed in 2000, 259 participated in 2004, and 285 participated in 2008.\nFindings: Distributive justice is more stable than interactional justice. Organizational support is the most stable predictor of distributive justice, and the quality of supervisor practices is the most stable predictor of interactional justice. Contrary to expected, interactional justice has a stronger relationship to workers' attitudes directed both at the organization and supervisor, and at the immediate work context.\nOriginality/value: This study adopts a long-term perspective covering an eight-year period. Furthermore, it focuses on two dimensions of justice that have been less studied over time.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Reflections on organizational team diversity research: In search of a logical support to an assumption
|
[
"Organizations",
"Team diversity",
"Assumption"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: For organizations, it is important that work groups are effective. Threats to group effectiveness are often understood to arise with the existence of differences among group members (e.g. Guzzo and Dickson, 1996). Investigating the possible impact of differences has been prominent among various scientific disciplines. One of them is the field of organizational team diversity. This type of research has usually aimed at identifying what degree of team diversity is optimal, that is, what differences are most beneficial/detrimental for team processes and team outcomes.\nThe assumption: An assumption is understood to refer to the act of taken something for granted which is theoretically not proven. While research on organizational team diversity, as most other research fields, makes several assumptions, we focus on one particular assumption. We outline it by drawing on several pieces of information: the definition of team diversity, IPO logic, and the operationalization of team diversity.\nThe origins of organizational team diversity research: In this section, we search for the origins of research on organizational team diversity. We do so by following the logic proposed by Thomas S. Kuhn in his seminal work on The Structure of Scientific Revolution (Kuhn, 1970, 2012). He argued that the origins of a research field are usually associated with the discovery of new phenomena. Thus, we investigate what new discovery could have marked the hour of birth for research on organizational team diversity.\nPotential origins of the association between organizational team diversity and team behaviors: In this section, we search for a theoretical explanation of how varying degrees of alignment among differences on team member attributes are supposed to influence team behaviors in organizations. We therefore, search for arguments in support of A1. Because such an explanation is unknown to us from the outset, we have to search for clues. A clue is any description which can be used to verify/falsify A1.\nDiscussion: The purpose of this paper was to investigate the adequacy of making an assumption that underlies research on organizational team diversity. In order to be able to do so, the assumption had to be made explicit. This was accomplished by referring to three conventionally employed aspects - the concept's definition, IPO logic, and the concept's operationalization - to this type of research. In retrospect, the act of outlining this assumption has been the paper's main contribution. In addition, given that all theory rests on specific assumptions, by highlighting a particular assumption, this paper can serve as an incremental step in the formulation of a theory on organizational team diversity.\nConclusion: Nature is diverse. Diversity describes that there are differences among the things that exist in nature. Often the idea exists that the presence of differences influences the behaviors of the things in nature. This idea, as we have demonstrated in this paper, also prevails in research on organizational team behavior.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Research on organizational team diversity operates under the assumption that team diversity matters for organizational team behavior. The purpose of this paper is to outline this assumption by referring to three aspects which this type of research has conventionally employed, that is, the conceptual definition, IPO logic, and the concept's operationalization. The authors subsequently search for its logical support.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The search covers several pieces of information: the possible origins of organizational team diversity research, models on group composition, and models on collective behavior.\nFindings: The authors do not find strong evidence in favor of the field's assumption.\nOriginality/value: The implications of this are put into context with contemporary research practices and diversity's popularity.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Retirement or committed to work? Conceptualising prolonged labour market participation through organisational commitment
|
[
"Worker",
"Ageing",
"Identity",
"Commitment",
"Human resource management",
"Older workers",
"United Kingdom",
"Quality of life",
"Employee attitudes"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The UK demographic profile, like most other EU countries, is characterized by an ageing population: current life expectancy for women is 84 years and for men, 81 years. Despite the recent recovery of the fertility rate, its drop between the 1960s and turn of the century implies a rising age dependency ratio (Smeaton et al., 2009) with 2.9 members of the working age population predicted to support each person of State Pension Age (SPA) by 2051 (ONS, 2010). At the same time since the 1970s the employment rate for men aged 60 to 65 has dropped to less than 50 per cent (Loretto et al., 2007) with about a third of men and women having been unemployed, inactive or retired during the years leading up to state pension age in 2007 (Smeaton et al., 2009). Once out of work, this age group finds it very difficult to re-enter the labour market (Root et al., 2009). Therefore, as Loretto et al. (2006) stress, keeping older workers in employment is instrumental in addressing the macro-economic concerns raised by longevity and meeting pension shortfalls.However, as such retention involves career management, training and development as well as flexible, staged retirement (Phillipson and Smith, 2005), the organisational human resource management (HRM) function often struggles to cope. Vickerstaff (2006) highlights that organisations lack the capability to manage the phase leading up to full retirement. Consequently, economic forces either on the part of the employer or the employee often determine an individuals' timing and process of leaving full-time, paid employment.\nMultiple commitments impact on managing retirement: While finances remain the overriding 'measured' determinant of why people retire or remain in work, many workers might prefer a gradual retirement (Vickerstaff, 2006). A staged and \"managed\" transition from full-time work, into full-time retirement, needs to take the multiple work and non-work related commitments into account. For example, Smeaton et al. (2009) conclude their study by stating that in order for any extension of working lives to be successful, employers need to find ways of engaging with and accommodating the needs and preferences of older workers.Each person has several domains of life, comprised of multiple constituencies. A number of identities can be arranged around \"work\", around the \"family\", the \"self\" and \"other life domains\". Congruence between personal facets of identity and work-related ones manifests itself in the expressed levels of commitment to the organisation, the workgroup and the profession or occupation, expressed in the concept of multiple identities related to aspects of work and the organisation (Ashford and Mael, 1989). The concepts of work and non-work related identities shed light on the fact that individual workers are seeking to combine and balance a range of responsibilities and interests.Meyer and Allen (1997) focus on types of organisational commitment and point out that one can be committed to stay with an organisation for a number of reasons without necessarily identifying with the organisation's values: people may stay because they need the financial security, expressing \"continuance commitment\"; if employees have received support in the past, they may feel a moral responsibility to stay, expressing \"normative commitment\" to the organisation. Therefore, \"just\" prolonging working lives would neither benefit the worker or the employer (Neuman and Baron, 1998). Consequently, from an employer's perspective, \"affective commitment\" among workers is most desirable, as it describes employees who are committed because they identify with what the organisation stands for and freely choose to associate themselves with that organisation (Meyer and Allen, 1997) in return for money and intrinsic benefits.Yet, for this to become reality, a change in organisational culture in terms of improving communication strategies, line management and the implementation of procedural justice (Folger and Cropanzano, 1998) is required. Figure 1 illustrates that matching personal with organisational identities can lead to positive outcomes for both, the individual worker as well as the organisation.So far, existing studies indicate that the ability to match work-with non-work-related commitments (Vickerstaff and Cox, 2005) is a priviledge of those with occupational pension schemes and high incomes, leaving those from lower socio-economic groups with little choice. Moreover, Redman and Snape (2006) found that negative stereotypes of older workers lead to perceived age discrimination, which negatively impacts on job satisfaction, leading to withdrawal and continuance forms of commitment. In contrast, work-based social support positively related to affective and normative commitments, thus confirming that the culture of the workplace plays a part in how workers contribute to and stay with their organisation (Redman and Snape, 2006).\nMethods: This paper draws on the UK based data, namely organisational case studies and one-to-one interviews generated by two ESF funded projects carried out between 2005 and 2009. The organisational case studies covered the following three sectors: a regional bus company, the National Health Service and a National gas engineering company, and semi-structured interviews with workers over the age of 50 years and their line managers (n=12) were carried out within these organisations (Jefferys and Winkelmann-Gleed, 2008; ESF6CIA, 2011). The projects' aims were to identify the empoyment policies needed to prevent an early exit from the labour market.The data were analysed in relation to matching work with non-work-related commitments and how this impacts on the individual's choice to work or to retire. Findings presented below are based on the following themes:* individual worker's choice in terms of retirement planning;* flexible working;* training; and* health.While not representative and limited in scope, the findings complement existing research by adding to the debate on the value of fostering organisational commitment with the aim of prolonging working lives.\nFindings: Choice in retirement planning\nDiscussion and conclusions: For more workers over the age of 50 to be offered a realistic opportunity to continue being economically active, a deeper understanding of the interface between work-related and other forms of personal identities is required (Winkelmann-Gleed and Baruch, 2002). Furthermore, conceptualising the reasons why individuals commit to staying with an organisation highlights the issues in organisational and human resource management. The voices presented in this paper clearly indicate that many seem to continue in employment for financial reasons despite wanting more balance between their work and other life domains.In line with other existing studies (Phillipson and Smith, 2005; Green, 2005), the findings were drawn from sectors that required knowledge-based, as well as practical skills. While some employers were concerned about retaining the older workforce and transferring skills to younger workers, there was little evidence that a real dialogue between line managers and individual employees was taking place. The findings point to a need for a wider debate over the role that fostering affective commitment to an organisation could play in retaining an ageing workforce. The moderating effect of positive relationships at work on organisational commitment could provide a starting point. In times of economic pressure, joblessness and spending cuts, investing in improving the quality of work itself may appear to be a luxury. Yet, it could be one that pays off in the longer-term for the organisation, as well as for the individual, by preventing ill health, high turnover, and low morale.Employers could too easily assume that offering forms of flexible working, including annualized hours, self-rota and remote working, could be the solution to managing and ageing workforce. Yet, the evidence is somewhat conflicting and moreover, not all workers want to or can afford to work flexibly, calling for a deeper engagement with the individual, matching their needs with those of the organisation. While flexible working may be important as people prepare for the transition into retirement, there is little evidence that such policies actually extend labour market participation. However, studies have also shown that inflexible working hours contribute to pushing workers into early retirement as they interfere with the desire to balance work with non-work related commitments and interests (Gustman and Steinmeier, 2004; Penner et al., 2002). While workers have a right to request flexible working and employers a responsibility to consider the request (BIS, 2009), commonly a mother's request may be granted, while an older worker's caring responsibilities can easily be overlooked (Evandrou and Glaser, 2004; Loretto et al., 2005). Individuals are committed to a range of desires, interests and obligations which need to be balanced more urgently with work as they grow older, thus creating multifaceted challenges employers need to engage with unless they are not concerned that people stay in work for continuance or normative reasons.What seems to emerge is the importance of work as one aspect of individual identities with the quality of work being crucial to not just prolonging working lives, but also to creating workplaces that promote a good environment for workers of all ages. The concept of multiple individual identities combines personal ones, such as family, hobbies, gender and ethnicity with work-related ones, such as colleagues, the work itself, the employer and the working environment (Hogg and Vaughan, 2002). A successful combination of these factors can lead not just to personal wellbeing, but also affect interactions and behaviour at the workplace (Cote and Morgan, 2002; Warr, 2002). The individual perceptions of relationships at work and work-related feelings can be an indicator of wellbeing at work and the level of integration reached, as they define job satisfaction (Tovey and Adams, 1999). As such, the shared, collective aspect of some jobs can make a positive contribution to experienced job satisfaction and overall wellbeing as it affirms individual's significance (Cote and Morgan, 2002; Warr, 2002).For the organisational perspective, effectiveness or capacity can be judged by such factors as the strength of motivation and morale of staff and the creation of a work environment in which staff can contribute their capabilities willingly (Beckhard, 1969; Mullins, 2002). Thus, the link between fostering intrinsic rewards, such as job satisfaction seems important, not just for older workers (Clark et al., 1996). While the link between being \"happy\" at work and working hard is still unproven, investing into improved quality of work and the working environment could potentially have a positive effect on the contribution older workers are making to the organisation as well as wider society.To conclude, in terms of managing extended labour market participation, the discussion should shift from one centring on specific policies to a more integrated effort of creating workplaces in which individual employees feel valued and would like to stay (affective commitment) rather than having to stay (continguent commitment or normative commitment) (Meyer and Allen, 1997).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide a UK older worker's perspective on the influences of multiple work and non-work related commitments on their decision to extend working lives or to retire. As demographic change and economic challenges related to the financing of health care and pension plans affect retirement policies, this paper seeks to explore the individual worker's perspective. Their choice is framed by seeking to balance financial security in later life with the positive elements of work and the desire to match work with other commitments, something hardly taken into consideration by employers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper combines findings from existing research studies and UK based, semi-structured interviews conducted as part of two ESF (European Social Fund) funded projects aiming at extending labour market participation for older workers. Key areas, such as retirement planning, training, flexibility and health are explored and the organisational identities/commitment literature provides a conceptual framework for understanding the push and pull factors associated with labour market exit among the over 50s.\nFindings: - Fundamental to the success of changes in government pension policies in terms of extending labour market participation of older workers is the element of individual agency rather than a view of victimisation. Viewing older workers as the ones who have to pay for increasing life expectancy by working longer could lead to people staying in work for the wrong reasons, negatively affecting productivity and job satisfaction. The discussion and conclusion stress the need for deeper understanding of work as one contributor to overall quality of life.\nOriginality/value: - The political agenda to prolong working lives is principally driven by economic arguments. However, for any future policies to lead to an intrinsic motivation to want to remain in work, the voices of older workers express the desire to combine work with non-work related commitments and identities. Achieving such balance could benefit the whole labour force.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Let's stop trying to be "sexy" - preparing managers for the (big) data-driven business era
|
[
"Big data",
"Business schools",
"Data science",
"Analytics",
"Curricula",
"Data-driven business"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The amount of turmoil caused by digital disruption is unprecedented, destroying most companies' long-successful business models and reshuffling the competition cards for the vast majority of sectors and industries (Weill and Woerner, 2015). After a few years since the \"big data\" alarm bell started heralding big data to be the \"next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity\" (Manyika et al., 2011), there is now no doubt that digitization and more specifically big data analytics (BDA) and data science (DS) will deeply impact industries, institutions, and most jobs (Loebbecke and Picot, 2015). Facing the urgent need to develop an analytics capability allowing to analyze big data and create value through the generation of actionable insights, a new breed emerged within firms, data scientists, in charge of capitalizing on the analytical opportunities associated with the big data phenomenon (Lee et al., 2014). Depicted as the \"sexiest\" job of the twenty-first century, a data scientist has been often described as \"a high-ranking professional with the training and curiosity to make discoveries in the world of big data\" (Davenport and Patil, 2012, p. 72). Companies have recognized the need to \"grow, nurture and retain data scientists\" in order to be able to proactively grasp the opportunities enabled by big data and analytics (Fosso Wamba et al., 2015). As of 2016, the data scientist \"frenzy\" has not faded as organizations are still \"recruiting like crazy\" (Ross et al., 2013, p. 90) such high-level profiles in a variety of industries and sectors such as information technology, marketing/finance services, consulting, healthcare, retail, or governments (Press, 2016; Burtch, 2016). Also, educational institutions have been no exception. They have quickly responded to the exponentially increasing demand for data scientists in the job market, a fact clearly demonstrated by the blossoming of hundreds of freshly minted Master's programs, certifications, Massive Open Online Courses, or even bootcamps (Waller and Fawcett, 2013a). However, the rigid discipline-based functioning of schools and universities is seriously challenged as the data scientist skills lie somewhere at the crossroad of a multitude of areas such as mathematics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, statistics, database management, and optimization, along with solid foundations in business and management (Chatfield et al., 2014).\nLiterature review: BDA - definitions and impact on organizations: Over the last five years, the term \"big data\" has gathered tremendous attention in the media as well as in both the academic and practitioners' spheres. Despite the fact that professionals and researchers have rapidly apprehended the major digitally enabled societal transformation that was looming, the term \"big data\" has always remained highly ubiquitous without any shared understanding or definition (Ward and Barker, 2013).\nMethodology: This paper is an opinion paper that aims at positioning itself as helping to tackle a challenge that is controversial, institutional, and disciplinary in nature (Rowe, 2012). It addresses the complex and multi-faceted problem of adapting business education to the new data-driven business paradigm shift; a critical issue that deserves the urgent attention of both practitioners and researchers but that cannot be addressed through a typical scientific investigation (Te'eni et al., 2015). The paper develops a discourse with arguments that are supported by both the academic and practitioners' literatures and provides implications to research and practice. As a result, the literature that is mentioned throughout the argumentation is used as supportive evidence of the claims that are being expressed. The literature review on which this paper is built has been performed in a manner that was as systematic and exhaustive as possible using the conventional bibliographic databases, with the specific purpose of capturing the complexity and multiple facets of the data-driven business transformation along the associated challenges faced by education. The main objective is not to investigate the issue through a scientific analysis but rather to initiate an open debate involving academics, practitioners, and educational institutions, questioning and revisiting the role, function, and nature of business education in a business world that is irremediably becoming \"data driven.\"\nBeyond BDA, the advent of a data-driven business era: Whether we call it big data, analytics, DS, or even if we use any other trendy term, there is no doubt that businesses are facing a reshuffling of the cards across all industries and sectors. Companies are striving to survive with more or less success, in a maelstrom of digitally enabled changes that impact their very nature that is to say: their strategy, business model, business processes, and internal structure. While this phenomenon was originally perceived as a technological disruption (Agarwal et al., 2008), it seems that we are witnessing a change of greater scope: the advent of a new business paradigm.\nHow shall we prepare the future managers of the data-driven business era?: The business education chess game\nDiscussion and implications: Our business world will have completed its data-mutation when the word \"analytics\" will stop being attached at the end of each business function and domain name. Irremediably, organizations are turning into entities dotted with a nervous system sensitive to organizations' internal and external stimuli. While electric signals and chemicals transit in reaction to stimuli along the nervous system of living beings, organizations have grown a nervous systems based on the generation, transfer, process, and storage of data. To carry on with the metaphor, nervous communications play a central role in determining and triggering sensations, feelings, thoughts, motor/emotional responses, learning, or memory. While instant reactions such as feelings or actions (motor responses) correspond to real-time analytics processes, those triggered through learning and memory pertain to the domain of predictive analytics. The brain (top management) and the spinal cord (middle management) thus play a central role in determining the reactions and responses to organizational and external stimuli.\nConclusion: Moving away from the myriad of terms and interpretations that surround the advent of a business world that is becoming more and more data driven, we can no more question the fact that organizations are now caught into a gigantic data \"storm\" and that their survival will depend on the development of their capacity to analyze data and to turn it into actionable value-creating insights. The changes that are necessary are far reaching as it is not simply about adding an extra string to the bow of organizations. It is rather about engaging on a transformational path that will affect all organizational aspects ranging from strategy, business models, business processes, management, or structure. In other words, data scientists cannot alone engrain a data-driven business DNA within organizations. Besides, the data \"wind gusts\" are so strong that the walls of the educational system and more specifically business education, are shaking. Educational institutions shall also engage the path of data transformation while business schools and universities need to rethink the pertinence of their silo-based functioning as well as the effectiveness of the implemented pedagogical models. Irremediably, academic thinking has no choice but to be gradually infused with analytics and become \"data driven.\" Education may otherwise miss the data-transformation train and thus fail at tackling the contemporary educational challenges that pertain to the datification of our society and overall mankind.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the inadequacies of current business education in the tackling of the educational challenges inherent to the advent of a data-driven business world. It presents an analysis of the implications of digitization and more specifically big data analytics (BDA) and data science (DS) on organizations with a special emphasis on decision-making processes and the function of managers. It argues that business schools and other educational institutions have well responded to the need to train future data scientists but have rather disregarded the question of effectively preparing future managers for the new data-driven business era.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The approach involves analysis and review of the literature.\nFindings: The development of analytics skills shall not pertain to data scientists only, it must rather become an organizational cultural component shared among all employees and more specifically among decision makers: managers. In the data-driven business era, managers turn into manager-scientists who shall possess skills at the crossroad of data management, analytical/modeling techniques and tools, and business. However, the multidisciplinary nature of big data analytics and data science (BDADS) seems to collide with the dominant \"functional silo design\" that characterizes business schools. The scope and breadth of the radical digitally enabled change, the author are facing, may necessitate a global questioning about the nature and structure of business education.\nResearch limitations/implications: For the sake of transparency and clarity, academia and the industry must join forces to standardize the meaning of the terms surrounding big data. BDA/DS training programs, courses, and curricula shall be organized in such a way that students shall interact with an array of specialists providing them a broad enough picture of the big data landscape. The multidisciplinary nature of analytics and DS necessitates to revisit pedagogical models by developing experiential learning and implementing a spiral-shaped pedagogical approach. The attention of scholars is needed as there exists an array of unexplored research territories. This investigation will help bridge the gap between education and the industry.\nPractical implications: The findings will help practitioners understand the educational challenges triggered by the advent of the data-driven business era. The implications will also help develop effective trainings and pedagogical strategies that are better suited to prepare future professionals for the new data-driven business world.\nOriginality/value: By demonstrating how the advent of a data-driven business era is impacting the function and role of managers, the paper initiates a debate revolving around the question about how business schools and higher education shall evolve to better tackle the educational challenges associated with BDADS training. Elements of response and recommendations are then provided.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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A study of the influence of workplace ostracism on employees' performance: moderating effect of perceived organizational support
|
[
"Workplace ostracism",
"In-role performance",
"Organizational citizenship behavior",
"Perceived organizational support"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Workplace ostracism, which is the extent to which people perceived as workers being ignored or eliminated by other employees at work, is a widespread workplace phenomenon, (Ferris et al., 2008). Workplace ostracism decreases the opportunity for social interaction, which is essential for people to meet their psychological needs. Indeed, workplace ostracism potentially affects employees' physical health (Heaphy and Dutton, 2008). It is especially true today, as teamwork has dramatically increased, suggesting the need for more social interaction and communication with colleagues (Sundstrom et al., 2000). According to a recent study, workplace ostracism is a very influential variable in explaining confined belonging and job contribution (O'Reilly and Robinson, 2009). Despite the prevalence and importance of workplace ostracism, surprisingly little research has examined the impact of this phenomenon (Ferris et al., 2008). It is, therefore, essential and timely to understand the effect of employee retirement on employee outcomes. Ostracism is an interpersonal stressor that can cause psychological difficulties (Williams, 1997, 2001). Studies have shown that the pain experienced in the workplace is closely related to undesirable outcomes such as life distress, turnover intention and poor physical health (Grandey and Cropanzano, 1999). As a result, it is crucial to study the relationship between workplace ostracism and psychological pain in the workplace.Moreover, it is also essential to understand how to cope with ostracism because effective coping strategies can alleviate the relationship between ostracism and its negative consequences (Williams, 2007). The conservation of resources (COR) theory assumes that people are trying to consume resources and maintain and protect the remaining resources in stressful situations (Hobfoll, 1989). According to this theoretical perspective, I conceptualize workplace ostracism as a stress factor that exhausts the worker's resources (e.g. self-esteem, time, energy) and makes the resources to meet labor demand insufficient. By examining the impact on employee attitudes, I extend the previous study showing the effect of job displacement on job outcomes. Also, I suggest that perceived organizational support (POS) is a vital variable in coping with workplace betrayal. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to investigate the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee attitudes by focusing on the joint moderating effect of POS.This study makes two significant contributions to workplace ostracism, employee attitudes and POS-related literature. First, I extend the workplace ostracism and employee attitude literature by theoretically and empirically testing the ostracism model (Williams, 1997, 2001) to link workplace ostracism and job performance in a field setting. Second, I review the joint moderating role of coping strategies, providing boundary conditions for the relationship between workplace ostracism and job performance. I present the research model of this study in Figure 1.\n2. Theoretical background and hypothesis development: Williams (1997; 2001) developed the most popular model for predicting the consequences of ostracism. This model is based on the belief that ostriches can be a threat to social resources and, consequently, stressors. Recent studies have shown that social ostracism leads to a series of psychological resistance reactions, including anger (Chow et al., 2008) and negative mood (Gonsalkorale and Williams, 2007). In particular, organizational studies have shown that overtraining in the workplace is associated with high levels of anxiety, depression, job-seeking behavior and turnover intentions and low levels of satisfaction and psychological health (Ferris et al., 2008; Hitlan et al., 2006).Interestingly, experimental studies provide evidence that the origin of ostracism does not significantly mitigate the harmful effects of ostriches. One study showed that people who were rejected by both inside and outside groups, manipulated by two groups of computer users (PC and Macintosh users), experienced a similar level of belonging loss (Williams et al., 2000). More research has revealed that rejection by contemptuous external group members is no more than being ostracized by rival out-group and in-group members (Gonsalkorale and Williams, 2007). Such distress includes job tension, emotional exhaustion and depressed mood at work. They have been linked to an outstanding job, family and health outcomes such as job satisfaction, work-family conflict (Grandey et al., 2005), organizational citizenship behavior, workplace deviance (Lee and Allen, 2002), job performance (Cropanzano et al., 2003), intention to leave (Harvey et al., 2007) and high blood pressure (Schaubroeck and Merritt, 1997).As interpersonal stressors, ostracism threatens the social resources of goals, which are assets that can be pulled to solve problems or cope with challenging events as needed (Greenhaus and Powell, 2006). People try to preserve, protect and establish resources in light of their limited resources (Hobfoll, 1989, 2001). Therefore, they see it as a threat when they see the potential or actual loss of these valuable resources. Indeed, resource loss events are responsible for most cases of depression (Hobfoll, 1989). Ostracism presents a significant challenge to reduce the resources an individual can have. It, on the one hand, requires individuals to mobilize resources to counter foreignism, while they are less likely to recharge their resources to others and cause resources to deplete. Because resources can help an individual deal with everyday tasks, people who lack resources can be stressed and tired.Although both males and females may engage in ostracism, females' motivation is often retaliatory (e.g. self-defense), while male's violent behaviors tend to be control-motivated (e.g. restoration of power and dominance; Kimmel, 2002). For instance, the Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey reported that violence initiated by a married female is more common among those who have been battered by their spouse (Philippine Statistics Authority and ICF International, 2014). Despite the apparent gender symmetry in the prevalence of ostracism, females still suffer far more harmful effects. First, females as opposed to males experience more significant psychological distress and risk for posttraumatic stress disorder from partner-initiated aggression (Archer, 2000). Furthermore, gender differences in body size and physical strength make females, as opposed to males, more susceptible to severe injuries requiring sustained medical care and attention. Second, throughout the lifetime, a female is more likely to report repeated and multiple forms of abuse and suffer more severe injuries as a result (Sacket and Saunders, 1999). Thus, females have become the priority in violence prevention and control as they suffer more frequent and severe injuries than male (Saunders, 2002). Finally, females in many societies confront more career barriers and nonwork demands (e.g. glass ceiling effects and conflicting demands of multiple role obligations; Hoobler et al., 2009) than males. Therefore, the results of ostracism on female employees may be particularly damaging. For these reasons, I focus on the work-related consequences of ostracism among employed females.I suggest that resource loss due to experience with workplace ostracism can lead to workplaces that directly affect job performance. Workplace ostracism also results in a more indirect \"loss spiral,\" leading to subsequent losses in other areas (Hobfoll, 2001; Ten Brummelhuis and Bakker, 2012) by depriving resources in one area. For example, workplace ostracism can lead to depletion of cognitive and physical energy as the negative perceptions and emotions of the family domain persist in the workplace. Employees must consume psychological resources to contain these negative thoughts and feelings if they do not want to undermine performance. Sadly, psychological interference with excretion in the workplace has been shown to reduce mental concentration, which is not always easy, as it can be detrimental to work productivity. I propose the following.H1. Workplace ostracism of female employees is negatively related to their in-role performanceLoss of resources experienced at home can reduce performance aspects other than the employee's prescribed job role. These aspects include organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) or voluntary and altruistic actions performed at work (Horton and Johnson, 1993). It is reasonable to assume that employees whose cognitive and emotional resources are depleted by workplace rejection are more likely to use available resources to meet their role requirements. As a result, the number of resources available to perform additional role actions can be significantly reduced. This possibility is consistent with the conservation principles of the COR theory, and individuals are motivated to preserve and reclaim lost resources fundamentally, thereby avoiding actions that could result in the loss of more resources. Also, even if women have excess resources, women can devote their lives to activities that help them deal with trauma from workplace excretion. For example, an employee who has experienced a work-out without having to spend time volunteering with an organizational committee instead of helping a coworker can decide to spend time and effort on remediation or take legal action against the partner. Sacrificing OCBs to deal with workplace ostracism-related concerns is economically rational because the failure to exhibit such behaviors is generally not punished by organizations (Podsakoff et al., 2000). I propose the following.H2. Workplace ostracism of female employees is negatively related to their OCBsThe COR theory predicts that people will invest or draw in other resources that they own or have access to in their environment to reduce the net loss of their resources. In an elaborate description of the COR theory, Ten Brummelhuis and Bakker (2012) suggested that in addition to their pool of resources, the environment in which people live can serve as a resource for buffering. One workspace resource that appears to buffer stressors constraints is recognized as POS (organizational support). According to the organization support theory (OST), employees must formulate support expectations based on how much an organization contributes and how well they are concerned about employee well-being (Eisenberger et al., 1986).According to the OST, I expect POS to cushion the negative relationship between job displacement and job outcomes for several reasons. First, POS provides access to the relevant resources of the workplace, which can help abused women supplement or stockpile resources. For example, support in the form of organizational policies such as personal leave and flexible work placement can provide opportunities for women to get out of work and get out of the workplace. (Allen, 2001). Supportive work environments can also help reduce work demands that can help peers to take over the work assigned to them and preserve the remaining resources (Ray and Miller, 1994). Second, a supportive work environment signals that the employee is a valued member of the organization, which can lead to resource accumulation through its positive impact on one's sense of self-worth and its satisfaction of the fundamental human need for belongingness (Rhoades and Eisenberger, 2002). Feeling of self-esteem and belonging are both essential social and emotional resources so that events or experiences that supplement or increase them can potentially respond to resource demands coping with job exclusion. Based on this theoretical argument, I provide the following predictions.H3. The negative relationship between workplace ostracism of female employees and their in-role performance is moderated by their POS, such that the negative relation is stronger for low as opposed to high levels of their POS.H4. The negative relationship between workplace ostracism of female employees and their OCB is moderated by their POS, such that the negative relation is stronger for low as opposed to high levels of their POS.\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Data collection and sample\n4. Results: 4.1 Verification of reliability and validity\n5. Conclusion: 5.1 Summary of research results\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Based on the conservation of resource theory, this study developed and tested the relationship between workplace ostracism and job performance. And it assumes that the direct link between workplace ostracism and supervisor-rated in-role performance/organizational citizenship behavior is moderated by perceived organizational support.\nDesign/methodology/approach: For this, this study used a survey method and multiple regression analyses with multisource data from 256 Korean employees and their supervisors.\nFindings: The results suggest the following. First, workplace ostracism was negatively associated with supervisor-rated in-role performance and organizational citizenship behaviors. Second, there was a stronger negative relationship between workplace ostracism and supervisor-rated in-role performance/organizational citizenship behaviors for employees with low as opposed to those with high levels of perceived organizational support.\nOriginality/value: This study is the first one to examine the moderating effect of perceived organizational support on the relationship between workplace ostracism and supervisor-rated in-role performance/organizational citizenship behavior.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Malaysian consumers' preferences for Islamic banking attributes
|
[
"Malaysia",
"Banking",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Islam",
"Customer preference",
"Islamic banks",
"Selection criteria",
"Factor analysis",
"Interview"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In the context of the growing international and global challenges, the banking sector as well as the other sectors of the economy resulted to intense competitive environment in the banking sector. This therefore, necessitates some unique measures and strategies by the financial institution in order to successfully attract more customers and gain larger market share and more revenue.In order to gain customers' satisfaction and loyalty, it is important for the banks to know the customers, their needs, their interests, their concerns, their styles, etc. As such, it is important for the banks to know those major factors that attract the customers to choose a given bank. The survival strategy therefore lies on finding consumers' priorities devise and means of satisfying the consumers. In the specific case of Malaysia, this is highly important due to the willingness of the country to become an Islamic finance hub, which is more challenging because of the established dual banking system.This new trend in the Islamic banking sector therefore attracted the interest of researchers, practitioners and regulators to embark on extensive research in different contexts with the resultant variation in their findings. Some of these findings are used in the current study as a guide based on the fact that, same criteria appear in almost all the previous studies with a slight degree of priorities and order difference.The current study is an attempt to answer mainly the following research questions:RQ1. Is there any difference in the perception of the customers about Islamic banking attributes?RQ2. What are the main attributes considered by the Islamic banks' customers when choosing a given Islamic bank?The remaining of the paper is organized as followed: the second section will treat literature review; the third section will discuss methodology, the fourth and fifth sections will discuss the results and conclusion, respectively.\nBrief overview on Islamic banking development in Malaysia: According to Mokhtar et al. (2008), the history of Islamic banking in Malaysia can be traced back to the establishment of Tabung Haji in 1963. The idea was mooted out of the necessity to develop a mechanism to encourage the Muslims to save for their pilgrimage, as the Malaysian Muslims in the past had resorted to various traditional means of saving and keeping their money for the sacred journey (Laldin, 2008, p. 3).In this regard, Sufian (2007) argues that the establishment of Islamic banking in Malaysia was mainly affected by its prior implementation in the Middle East. Notably, in 1980, the Bumiputera Economic Congress requested the Malaysian Government to allow the establishment of an Islamic bank in the country. Subsequently, the National Steering Committee was set up in 1981 in order to study this proposal in its different aspects. The conclusions of the study suggested that it will be viable to establish an Islamic bank in Malaysia. In fact, this marked the establishment of the first Islamic bank in the country, namely, Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) in 1983.Laldin (2008) considers that the bank's progress was very encouraging, with its activity rapidly expanding throughout the country. This has prompted the government to further develop the Islamic banking industry in Malaysia.As a result of the government's efforts, Malaysia has emerged as the first country to implement a dual banking system where Islamic banking system operates side-by-side with the conventional banking system. The Malaysian model has been recognised by many Islamic countries as the model of the future and many countries have shown interest in adopting the Malaysian system in their respective countries. In fact, delegates from various countries, mainly Muslim countries, have come to Malaysia, particularly to the Central Bank and BIMB, to study how the dual banking systems work (Mokhtar et al., 2008).The Malaysian Islamic banking system is currently made up of 15 banking institutions comprising nine domestic commercial banks, four foreign commercial banks and two Islamic banks offering Islamic banking products and services under the Islamic Banking Scheme. These Islamic banking institutions offer a comprehensive and broad range of Islamic financial products and services ranging from savings, current and investment deposit products to finance products such as property financing, working capital financing, project financing, plant and machinery financing, etc. (Sufian, 2007).\nLiterature review: The banking customers' selection criteria have largely been studied in the previous literature. For instance, Ta and Har (2000) investigated the undergraduates' bank selection decisions in Singapore. The study identified nine criteria for bank selection decision involving five banks. Based on these findings, it is indicated that undergraduates place high emphasis on the pricing and product dimensions of bank services. Their findings are similar to those of Amin and Isa (2008), Kennington et al. (1996), Gait and Worthington (2008), Abdjalil et al. (2010) and Becket et al. (2000).In contrast, Haque et al. (2009) conducted a study in the Malaysian market regarding the factors influencing the selection of Islamic banks. The analysis confirms the significant positive relationship of quality of services, availability of services, social perspective as well as confidence in bank with customers' perception about Islamic bank. This implies that, customer give high priority to factors such as quality of service and reliability of the banks in their selection criteria. The same results were found by Haron et al. (1994), Dusuki and Abdullah (2007), Frimpong (1999), Kaynak and Whiteley (1999), Edris and Almahmeed (1997), Kaynak and Harcar (2004), Liang and Wang (2007), Erol et al. (2007) and Gerrard and Cunningham (2001).The other selection criteria include, the bank's reputation and image, recommendation from a third party, convenience, professional advice, profit on deposits, interest rates, employees friendliness and competence, size of the bank, efficiency of personnel, location, advertisement, reception, transaction fees, bank's network, and prestige (Devlin, 2002; Hassan et al., 2007; Metawa and Almossawi, 1998; Edris and Almahmeed, 1997; Erol and El-Bdour, 1989; Khattak and Rehman, 2010; Boyd et al., 1994; Aldlaigan and Buttle, 2005; Jamal and Naser, 2002; Hegazy, 1995; Metwally, 1996). In addition, the religious factor was also found in the literature to be one of the criteria of Islamic banks' selection (Osman et al., 2009; Ahmad et al., 2010; Al-Ajmi et al., 2009; Bley and Kuehn, 2004; Metawa and Almossawi, 1998; Hassan et al., 2007; Gait and Worthington, 2008; Naser et al., 1999; Metwally, 1996; Hegazy, 1995; Haque et al., 2009; Okumus, 2005; Ahmad and Haron, 2002; Karim and Affif, 2006).One of the main differences between the conventional and Islamic banks is the Islamic aspect. Thus, it is expected that the religious motif will be the main selection criteria of Islamic banks. This claim was supported by the previous studies (Omer, 1992; Metwally, 1996; Metawa and Almossawi, 1998; Naser et al., 1999; Okumus, 2005). Nevertheless, this contradicts with some other studies which found that the religious factor is not the main and only factor of selection criteria of Islamic banks, and is not even part of the selection criteria in some instances (Erol and El-Bdour, 1989; Haron et al., 1994; Ahmad and Haron, 2002).Nevertheless, in the Malaysian context, studies on Islamic banking selection criteria are still scarce. In this regards, Dusuki and Abdullah (2007) examined the reasons motivating Malaysian customers to patronise Islamic banks. The authors used a combination of Friedman test as well as factor analysis. Their findings suggest that the selection of Islamic banks is a combination of Islamic and financial reputation, as well as the quality of services offered by the bank. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the authors used a limited number of variables, i.e. 12 variables, as compared to the current study which is using 23 variables from the previous studies.Furthermore, the study by Ahmad and Haron (2002) focused on financial directors, financial managers and general managers of finance in Malaysia, using descriptive statistics. The study reveals that the economic and religious factors were the most important factors for Islamic banks' selection in the Malaysian context. These findings though similar to Dusuki and Abdullah (2007) with regards to the Islamic aspect, they are different regarding the economic aspect as well as the quality of services offered. It is worth mentioning that the sample used in this study is relatively small compared to the sample usually used in similar studies.In addition, Haron et al. (1994) have studied the patronage behaviour of Muslim and non-Muslim customers in Malaysia, using t-test and factor analysis. Their findings indicate that the main factor of Islamic banks' selection was fast and efficient service, which was ranked second by non-Muslims. Moreover, friendliness of bank personnel was considered as the most important factor by non-Muslims, and was ranked third by Muslim customers. In this study the sample was relatively small considering the techniques used.As it can be inferred from the above studies, the Islamic aspect or the conformity of Islamic banks with the shari'ah law is not the only factor that motivates customers to adopt the Islamic banking services, and it may not be the main reason for them to choose their banks. Hence, in order to provide a comprehensive framework of the attributes that are most important for the customers when selecting a given bank, all of the above mentioned attributes will be included in the study.Having gone through the previous studies, it is noteworthy that none of them has employed mixed methodology, by using both quantitative and qualitative approach to confirm the results. This study is then an attempt to use mixed methodology in forms of triangulation to study the consumers' preferences of Islamic banks' attributes in Malaysia. Hence, the study makes the following hypothesis:Ho. There is no significant difference in the ranking of Islamic banking attributes as perceived by Islamic banks' customers in Malaysia.\nMethodology: Quantitative approach\nFindings: Friedman test\nConclusion: The main aim of this study was to detect the selection criteria of Islamic banks in Malaysia, as well as the priority and importance of these criteria for the customers. It was found that the main criterion of customers' selection was the service quality and convenience. This is a combination of the quality of services offered, convenience, personnel friendliness, personnel competence and knowledge, professional advice given by the personnel, location, and finally reception.The quantitative findings suggest that Islamic banks should not depend on the religiosity of the Malaysian customers to market their Islamic banking services, as the religious motivation is not the main factor of selection and patronisation of Islamic banks in Malaysian. Rather, Islamic banks should enhance the quality of their services. This passes through training and updating the personnel on the latest innovations in terms of Islamic banking service. Furthermore, Islamic banks in Malaysia should position their branches where there is concentration of habitat as well as working areas, such as commercial complex and so on.The Islamic banks should also provide appealing and updated facilities and amenities in their branches, since this is complementary of the good reception criteria of the customers. These items will subsequently strengthen the image and reputation of the Islamic banks in Malaysia, especially in the current period.In contrast, the qualitative findings revealed that majority of the customers have chosen Islamic banks because of their religious motivation, and their duty vis-a-vis the achievement of full shari'ah compliance of Islamic banks in the future. This was subsequently proven by the customers' perceived importance of shari'ah compliance of Islamic banks, unanimously expressed by the interviewees.Beside the practical implications above mentioned, the findings have significant implications also for the policymakers and regulators, whom should align their policies and regulations with the preferences of the Islamic banking customers as outlined above. Finally, the findings of the current study have great implications for the body of knowledge as well, in the sense that they provide a ground for the future studies to establish a comprehensive model for Islamic financial services adoption that will consider both the conventional dimensions as well as the dimensions that are specific to the Islamic banking practice. This is due to the fact that the previous studies have proven that religious based motives are not the only factors influencing the patronisation decisions of Islamic banks' customers.\nLimitations and implications for future research: Though the current study is based on a large sample size, i.e. 500 respondents, which provides a great indication on the patronisation behaviour of Islamic banks' customers in Malaysia, the sample was taken only from two Islamic banks. Thus, the findings cannot be generalised to customers of the other Islamic banks in the country. Consequently, the future researchers are recommended to select a more comprehensive and representative sample of the setting to be studied.The future researchers are also recommended to find the interactions between these above mentioned attributes and establish a comprehensive model illustrating the way these variables interact with each others. Finally, the future researchers are recommended to study the counterpart of the patronisation behaviour attributes, which is the withdrawal behaviour in the Islamic banking industry in Malaysia and the other countries where Islamic banking is practiced.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the preferences of Malaysian banks' customers for Islamic banking attributes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper uses mixed methodology. The quantitative approach consists of the collection of primary data through a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 500 Islamic banks' customers in Malaysia. The data gathered were analysed using factor analysis as well as Friedman test. In parallel, qualitative approach was used, in forms of semi structured interviews with ten Islamic banks' customers. The results of both approaches were then reported accordingly.\nFindings: - The quantitative approach reveals that the preference for Islamic banking attributes in Malaysia is a combination of the quality of services offered by the Islamic banks, as well as the convenience associated with it. On the other hand, the qualitative approach revealed that choosing Islamic banks was mainly due to the religious motivation of the customers.\nOriginality/value: - This paper is one of the few that has used a qualitative approach to study consumer preferences for Islamic banking attributes. Furthermore, the paper employs this methodology in the context of Malaysia, which enriches the studies done in this context and area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Analysing the effect of flexibility on manufacturing systems performance
|
[
"Flexibility manufacturing systems",
"Manufacturing systems",
"Performance levels",
"Production scheduling",
"Experimental design"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Severe competition in today's manufacturing environments forces companies to fully optimize their processes in order to supply customer with high-quality products on time with lowest possible cost. Designing optimal manufacturing systems is a major step ahead in satisfying customer needs. In designing manufacturing systems, responsiveness and agility related measures must be taken into account in order to improve effectiveness and performance. One of the important enablers of performance improvement is flexibility. It is a known fact that flexibility has a positive effect on the manufacturing system performance if it is properly utilized by the manufacturing control system (usually scheduling). However, the relationship between flexibility and manufacturing system performance through scheduling is not completely explored in the previous studies. More work is needed to present effect of flexibility on scheduling performance of manufacturing job-shops.In a classical job shop scheduling problem (JSSP), n jobs are processed to completion on m machines. Each job has distinct routes according to the technology constraints which are fixed and known. Although an optimal solution algorithm for the classical JSSP has not been developed yet, there is a trend in the research community to model and solve a much more complex version of the problem called flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSSP) because of widespread usage of numerically controlled multi-purpose machines in modern job shops. These multi-purpose machines can be easily reconfigured to process different operations in a reasonable setup times. Owing to that feature of job shops, each operation can be processed on more than one machine alternatives which results in machine flexibility. Modeling the scheduling problems by classical approach without taking into consideration the overlapping capabilities of multi-purpose machines does not reflect the reality of modern job shops. Moreover, predetermining machine routes without considering alternative routes that are resulting from overlapping machine capabilities can reduce the job shop performance considerably (Baykasoglu, 2002).FJSSP is an extension of the classical JSSP and incorporates all of difficulties and complexities of its predecessor JSSP. The classical problem definition for FJSSP is to assign each operation to a machine out of a set of capable machines (the routing problem), and to order the operations on the machines (the sequencing problem), such that a predefined performance measure is optimized. The FJSSP mainly presents two difficulties. The first one is the assignment of each operation to a machine, and the second one is to schedule of this set of operations in order to minimize a predefined criterion (Mesghouni et al., 1998).The introduction of flexibility complicates the already difficult and NP-hard classical JSSP. Hence, modern heuristics and AI techniques seem to be unavoidable for solving FJSSP. A survey on the solution approaches for FJSSP and the differences from the classical JSSP is carried out by Ben-Daya (1994). Brandimarte (1993) proposed a tabu search-based solution algorithm for FJSSP. In this research makespan and total weighted tardiness are defined as objective functions (OF). Brucker and Neyer (1997) developed a hierarchical tabu search algorithm for FJSSP. This algorithm determines the machine assignments primarily. In the second step, operations schedule is generated on the machines. El Maqrini and Teghem (1995) proposed a generic design methodology for FJSSP which includes setup times, release times and due dates. Chambers and Barnes (1996a, b), developed dynamic and adaptive solution strategies for FJSSP. Mesghouni et al. (1998) proposed a genetic algorithm and different genetic operators to solve FJSSP. Chen et al. (1999) developed a new genetic algorithm to solve the FJSSP. In their research, the representation of solutions by chromosomes consists of two parts which determine the routing policy and sequence of operations on each machine. Mohamed et al. (2001) studied the relationship between the degree of machine flexibility and the level of system performance. Kacem et al. (2002) developed a solution approach for FJSSP based on multi-objective evolutionary optimization. Baykasoglu (2002) integrated the process plan selection problem into the FJSSP and developed a grammar-based simulated annealing algorithm for the solution of the resultant problem. Baykasoglu et al. (2004) developed a multiple objective tabu search (MOTS)-based algorithm for FJSSP which also contains process plan and machine flexibility. Kim et al. (2003) developed a symbiotic evolutionary algorithm for the integration of process planning and job shop scheduling. Tanev et al. (2004) presented an approach based on hybrid evolutionary algorithm for real-world FJSSP.In this research paper, a practical modeling and solution approach for modeling and solving FJSSP which was first proposed by Baykasoglu (2002) is used to analyze the effects of flexibility on job shop scheduling performance. The FJSSP modeling and solution approach of Baykasoglu (2002), Baykasoglu et al. (2004) and Ozbakir (2004) makes use of grammars, MOTS and a dispatching rule-based heuristics. Employing grammars in FJSSP simplifies the problem modeling. Using the grammars also helps to extent the scope of the FJSSP by considering alternative process plans. In the present study, effects of alternative process plans (process plan flexibility) on the flexible job shop scheduling performance are also considered and analyzed as well as the effects of machine flexibility.\nA brief review of modeling and solution approach for FJSSP: The grammar-based multiple OF job shop scheduling system that was previously developed by the authors (Baykasoglu, 2002; Baykasoglu et al., 2004; Ozbakir, 2004) is used in the analysis of flexibility on the performance of job shops. The scheduling system uses tabu search algorithms that was previously proposed by Baykasoglu et al. (1999) to evaluate multiple criteria. In this section a brief explanation about the solution approach is given to provide integrity. Detailed explanations on the scheduling system can be found in Baykasoglu (2002) and Baykasoglu et al. (2004).Grammatical representation of FJSSP\nExperimental design and analysis: In this study, hypothetical FJSSP are used to analyze the effects of different process plan and machine flexibility levels on job shop scheduling performance. Test problems are generated systematically. Problem sizes and process plan flexibilities are shown in Tables VI and VII. The data given in Table VI shows the process plan alternatives for different problems. For example, 5 x 5 FJSP can have 2, 3 and 4 alternative process plans as low, medium and high level of process plan flexibility.The parameters of the test problems are determined as shown in Table VII. Three levels of machine flexibility are determined according to the machine numbers in the job shop:* M: machine number.* J: job number.* Operations of jobs are generated by uniform distribution U[M/2,M].* Machine alternatives of operations are generated by uniform distribution U[1,M].* Processing time of an operation is generated by uniform distribution U[1, 99] for the first alternative machine. For the other alternative machines, processing times are generated according to the firstly generated processing time.* Due dates are calculated by using the TWK rule. Tightness of TWK rule is taken as k=1.3.In the computational experiments nine test problems are generated for each problem size with three different process plan and three different machine flexibility levels.Design of Taguchi and full factorial experiments\nConclusions: In this paper, effects of machine and process plan flexibilities on job shop scheduling performance are investigated. However, there are several other factors related to the algorithms used to schedule job shop which also affects the performance. Some of these factors are also incorporated into the experimental analyses. Three different \"process plan flexibility\" and \"machine flexibility\" levels are specified. Four different problem sizes such as 5 x 5, 20 x 5, 25 x 10 and 50 x 15 are evaluated by statistical analysis. Performance variations job shop scheduling among different process plans and machine flexibility levels are investigated and their statistical significances are determined. Full factorial experiments, main effects and ANOVA results show that \"machine flexibility\" \"process plan flexibility\" and \"dispatching rule number\" are the most effective factors on the scheduling performance. Multiple comparison tests are also applied to determine the direction of the variation among flexibility levels. As a result of these detailed analysis it is found out that the effect of \"machine flexibility\" on the job shop performance is more than the other factors for all problem sizes. Using different dispatching rules in scheduling always increase the job shop performance. After a certain machine flexibility level, the speed of performance improvement declines dramatically. These important findings should be taken into account while designing scheduling decision support systems for job shops which have flexible processing capabilities.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - In today's very competitive, dynamic and unpredictable manufacturing environments it is critical to improve manufacturing performance in order to be able to compete. Responsiveness and agility become important characteristics of manufacturing systems and organizations. Manufacturing systems must be designed optimally by taking into account responsiveness and agility related measures in order to improve effectiveness and performance. One of the important enablers of performance improvement is flexibility. It is a known fact that flexibility has a positive effect on the manufacturing system performance if it is properly utilized by the control system (usually scheduling). However, the relationship between flexibility and manufacturing system performance through scheduling is not entirely explored in the previous literature. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of process plan and machine flexibilities on the scheduling performance of manufacturing job-shops.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Effects of process plan and machine flexibilities on the scheduling performance of manufacturing job-shops are analyzed at different flexibility levels by using the grammar-based flexible job shop scheduling system that is developed by Baykasoglu et al.. Three different flexibility levels are defined for process plans and machines. Four different problem sizes are evaluated according to \"makespan\" \"machine load balance\" and \"mean waiting times of jobs\". Performance differences among \"process plan\" and \"machine flexibility\" levels are determined and statistically analyzed through Taguchi experimental design methodology.\nFindings: - It is found out after detailed analysis that the effect of machine flexibility on job shop performance is higher than the process plan flexibility. It is also figured out that after a certain level of machine flexibility, the speed of scheduling performance improvement decreases considerably.\nOriginality/value: - The paper presents the interaction between flexibility and scheduling performance of manufacturing job-shops. The findings should be taken into account while designing scheduling systems for job shops that have flexible processing capabilities.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Management, management everywhere: whatever happened to governance?
|
[
"Governance",
"Public management",
"Neo-Weberian state"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: For forms of government let fools contest;\nDoes New Public Management devalue governance, and governing?: The epigraph for this paper to some extent represents the fundamental logic of the New Public Management, although we would perhaps have to substitute \"managed\" with \"administered.\" Whether amended or not, that quote appears to capture the foundation of managerialism in public administration, and perhaps also some more general points about market-based solutions for public policy problems (see Peters, 2010). In such a conception of governing, the emphasis is being placed on making policies work, rather than on making policies.\nGovernance after NPM: While the New Public Management was, and continues to be in many cases, the dominant pattern of organizing and reforming the public sector, it has been, and continues to be, challenged from a number of directions. The most basic challenge would be that governments should just forget the tenets of NPM and go back to good old-fashioned bureaucracy. While scholars such as Olsen (2006, 2008; see also Peters, 2009) have not argued for a complete dismantling of the apparatus of public management, they have demonstrated the virtues of more formal and legalistic versions of public administration. As already discussed, the foundations of this challenge rest primarily on political and normative grounds.\nSummary and conclusions: Perhaps the most important difference between public management, as manifested in the NPM movement and my conception of governance, is that NPM was focused on the internal functioning of public organizations, and indeed largely focused on the performance of one organization at a time. The fact that these organizations happened to be within the public sector was largely irrelevant for understanding their performance. On the other hand, governance studies tend to be focused more outside of the public sector itself, and, although it may begin by thinking about a single policy area, generally will adopt a broader conception of the public sector, public policy, and of governing. (These statements are somewhat hyperbolic, but the purpose of hyperbole is to emphasize a point, rather than to be nuanced.)\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationships between governance and a variety of approaches to public administration, especially New Public Management.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study provides a conceptual review of the various approaches to public management and governance.\nFindings: Many approaches to public administration, especially New Public Management, place excessive emphasis on quotidian management issues and insufficient attention to broader issues of governance.\nOriginality/value: I liked it.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Competitive advantage in global markets: the case of the salmon industry in Chile
|
[
"Competitive strategy",
"Latin America",
"Competitive advantage",
"Chile",
"Regional clusters",
"Salmon industry"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Competitive advantage can be achieved by generic strategies of either cost leadership or differentiation (Porter, 1980; Kaleka, 2002). Matthyssens and Vandenbempt (2008) showed that companies strive to fight commoditisation and refrain from price-based competitive advantage however dominant \"industry recipe\" and their own traditional marketing approaches may hinder this strategy. They argued that \"non-price-based value creation paths require a sound degree of exploration to overcome these constraints\" (p. 326). The context of their empirical study was the Dutch electro-technical industry. To further explore generic strategies for mature industries (Bush and Sinclair, 1992), this study focuses on the Chilean salmon farming industry. Since the end of the twentieth century, this industry has rapidly evolved being a main player in global markets. However, its competitiveness has diminished and should be studied (Bjorndal, 2002; Perlman and Juarez-Rubio, 2010). The challenge for the salmon farming industry is the issue of how to enhance value creation through differentiation and innovative marketing strategies or alternatively though cost reduction. More specifically, key question for this study is what might be the nature and extent of differentiation? After reviewing the literature, we present a proposition related to the generic marketing strategies that companies can chose.\nTheoretical perspectives: The study is underpinned by Day and Wensley's (1988) conceptual model of competitive advantage, presented in Figure 1. Briefly, the model postulates \"Sources of advantage\" which refer to a situation where a firm has superior skills and/or resources relative to its competitors. Superior skills may be distinctive capabilities of personnel or systems and organizational structures that enable the firm to respond faster to changes in the marketplace. Superior resources are more tangible facets such as scale of manufacturing, geographical location and/ or distribution coverage, which may enable the firm to exercise its capabilities.\nCase study: the salmon farming industry in Chile: Over the past 30 years aquaculture has become the fastest growing sector of the global food market. Farmed seafood products are projected to surpass supplies from traditional wild capture fisheries. About 60 per cent of the world's salmon production is farmed. Salmon farming started on an experimental level in the 1960s but became an industry in Norway in the 1980s and in Chile in the 1990s. The major type of farmed salmonids is the Atlantic salmon with total world supply of 1.46 million tons in 2011. Growth in global supply of Atlantic salmon is estimated to be 119 per cent in the period of 2000-2012, varying between -2 per cent and 13 per cent annually with Combined Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7 per cent. Salmon consumption is considered to be healthy because of the fish's high content of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids. Within aquaculture, salmon is one of the most important species in terms of marketing trends (FAO, 2007; The Economist, 2003; Marine Harvest, 2012).\nMethodology: Data collection\nResults: Change and diversification\nConclusions: This study contributes to the literature by exploring generic strategies related to global business marketing of a resource-based industry. It expands the exploration of commoditisation and applies it to the natural resource industry of salmon farming, while focussing on emerging market in Latin America, which has been underexplored. Practitioners and trade associations may learn on empirical considerations of international business-to-business marketing strategies of the second global leader operating in the salmon industry.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to focus on how companies operating in international food commodity markets can improve their long-term competitiveness and profitability upon financial pressure. Management can choose between generic strategies of either cost leadership or enhanced value adding by differentiation and innovative marketing strategies. The aim of the paper is to highlight key findings from a case study perspective.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research is set within the farmed salmon sector in the world's second largest producing country, Chile, which is also a fast growing emerging economy in Latin America. Semi-structured personal interviews were conducted with General Managers of this global industry.\nFindings: Unexpectedly, our findings show that executives preferred competitive strategy of cost reduction rather than differentiation. Based on previous research, we recommend managers of individual firms and trade associations to play down commoditisation and to pursue differentiation strategies with particular attention to emergent environmental attributes.\nOriginality/value: Practitioners from Latin America may learn on empirical considerations of international marketing strategies taking this competitive global industry as an example. An overall cost leadership strategy is not sufficient in a mature industry, and customer-oriented strategies are needed more than production-oriented strategies. Clustered firms are recommended to benefit from differentiation strategies with particular attention to emergent environmental attributes.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The remarkable performance of international marketing in the second half of the twentieth century
|
[
"International marketing",
"Globalization",
"International trade"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Many peoples throughout history have gained preeminence in the world through their trade and exchange activities. Among them were the Etruscans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Chinese, Spaniards, and Portuguese. All of them had a major effect on the flow of goods and distribution of wealth around the world. It has only been since the second-half of the twentieth century that these efforts have been accompanied by a systematic understanding of consumer needs, an organized consideration of customer satisfaction, an analysis of the responsiveness of supply and demand in conjunction with cultural diversity, and by methodological approaches to market entry, expansion and penetration. Thus, it is only for the past two generations that international marketing has emerged as a research discipline. Within this short time span, globalization has enabled international marketing practitioners and thinkers to live up to the claim of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, who stated \"I am a citizen, not of Athens of Greece, but of the world.\" We define globalization as \"the increase in the frequency and duration of linkages between countries, leading to similarities in activities of individuals, practices of companies, and policies of governments\" (Czinkota, 2002). This globalization enables international marketing to take place all around us, and to continuously offer new opportunities and challenges.Some might even call today the triumph of international marketing. There is clear proof at hand that economies driven by consumer demands are more efficient that those directed by the plans of bureaucrats. The fastest globalizing nations have enjoyed rates of economic growth up to 50 percent higher than those that have integrated into the world economy more slowly (Global Business Policy Council, 2000; Samli, 2002; Czinkota et al., 2004). Globalizing countries have also achieved relatively more gains in political freedom, and greater increases in life expectancy, literacy rates and overall standard of living.Many firms have benefited substantially from the global market. With wider market reach and many more customers, firms in the international market typically achieve simultaneously lower cost and higher profits both at home and abroad. The benefits of market diversification and the stability arising from a lack of dependence on any particular market are additional positive effects. International marketers now learn from their competitors around the globe and can access, recruit and develop the best talent from anywhere. The cumulative effect of all these dimensions is significant. Research has demonstrated that, if engaged in international marketing, firms of all sizes and in all industries were able to outperform their strictly domestic counterparts. They grow more than twice as fast in sales, and earn significantly higher returns on equity and assets (Taylor and Henisz, 1994). Indeed, for Japan, Germany and the USA there have been periods where the international sector provided the only economic growth.Workers benefit from the international marketing surge. International firms of all sizes pay significantly higher wages than strictly domestic firms. Encouraged by global media scrutiny, international firms have also become greater practitioners of social responsibility, much to the benefit of their employees around the world. Never before have so many benefited to such a degree from benevolent rules implemented by corporate headquarters.Consumers are the greatest beneficiaries of all. They receive an unprecedented degree of product availability and choice. The products offer a better quality of life to a broader spectrum of individuals, usually at low prices due to international competition. International marketing has made it possible that, for the first time in history, the availability of goods and services from around the globe has gone beyond the reach of the elite and has become, especially in emerging markets, a reasonable expectation for large portions of the population.In spite of all these apparent benefits bestowed by international marketing, however, both the discipline and practice face major challenges. Many practitioners refuse to participate in global markets, either judging them to be too risky or themselves too unprepared. For example, in the USA, most e-tailers do not accept orders from outside their home market, and many European firms on the web do not support sales outside of Europe. Some equate the benefits of international marketing with the siren songs that lured Odysseus' sailors to ruin. International marketers stand accused of undermining advanced labor and living standards, exporting jobs, and exploiting, damaging or Americanizing the world.The academics representing the field are often unprepared to refute popular indictment in equally popular terms. Today, the field has its own academic journals and the second largest special interest group among the educators within the American Marketing Association. Nevertheless, academics are joining other specialties, and important subfields such as outsourcing and logistics, which could have brought major intellectual growth to the discipline, have been handed over to other fields. It almost appears as if past success achieved by international marketing has drained the field's enthusiasm and exuberance, and risks converting it into an inward-looking, hesitant discipline which follows rather than leads.We propose to develop a brief overview of the shifts, changes and adjustments of international marketing that took place during the second-half of the twentieth century and their far-reaching economic benefits for society and individuals alike. The analysis presented here offers some lessons as to reasons for accomplishments, causes for misdirection, and an outlook for what the future may hold.\nA chronology: Table I presents a brief chronology of international marketing during the second-half of the twentieth century. We will look at four distinct periods - three to carry us through today, and one oriented towards the future. The periods we identify reflect the key progress that has been experienced in international marketing and its impact on macromarketing's status.Our focus was on capturing the shifts in international marketing and trade that take place from generation to generation. One definition states that \"a generation is the interval of time between the birth of parents and the birth of their offspring\" (Heritage, 2005.) We therefore searched for the median age of mothers at first birth. Since, different countries have different median ages of first birth, and the median is changing over time, we needed to make a judgment decision of an appropriate interval. For example, in the USA the median age was 21.3 years in 1969, but increased to 25.1 years by 2005 (Census, 2005.) In the 1970's Europe, the median was 22 years, but rose to 25 years by 1997 (Demos, 1999.) The National Academy Press (2005) in turn reports that the current median age in formerly Soviet Asia, South and Central America is 21.5 years, in South Asia and the Middle East 20 years and in Africa 19 years. Given our desire to analyze international developments over a prolonged period, we decided to go beyond contemporary US numbers and look at the concept of a generation in its historical length and within the context of global information. Therefore, the decision was made to settle on an average generation length of 20.\n1945-1964: The state of the world\n1965-1984: The state of the world\n1985-2004: The state of the world\nFuture prospects: So what is the outlook, both in terms of the state of the world as well as the state of international marketing?The state of the world\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - International marketing has performed extremely well during the second-half of the twentieth century. This paper examines the outstanding performance from different perspectives and evaluates the future of international marketing in the age of globalization.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This paper presents a chronological review of international marketing in four distinct periods: 1945-1964, 1965-1984, 1985-2005, and 2005-forward. These periods are labeled as ages of coincidence, confluence, commingling, and creative conflict. The state of the world, the state of international marketing and the status of the marketing context are analyzed as they have emerged and changed.\nFindings: - The paper posits that for international marketing to continue to perform in its spectacular manner, the field needs to cross fertilize with globalization, which enables international marketing to reach out to all corners of the globe successfully and smoothly.\nOriginality/value: - The paper carefully identifies the relationship between globalization and international marketing and posits that the future success of international marketing is vitally dependent on the far reaching success of globalization.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
"It's not that I'm a racist, it's that they are Roma": Roma discrimination and returns to education in South Eastern Europe
|
[
"Ethnic minorities",
"Discrimination",
"Education",
"Europe",
"Labour market"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Almost two decades have passed since the countries of Central and Eastern Europe began their transition to the market. Much progress has been made in introducing market mechanisms to these countries, ten of which are now members of the EU, with more to follow. The period of transition witnessed severe recession, the emergence of mass unemployment and mass poverty for the first time since the Second World War, as well as rapidly growing income and wage inequality. Recovery began during the 1990s - with much variation in dates across countries - so that by 2005 all the new EU Member States as well as some countries in South East Europe (SEE) and the ex-Soviet Union had managed to recover their pre-transition levels of per capita income.However, one group, the Roma, have quite clearly not participated in the benefits of the new market economies. The Roma comprise a substantial proportion (5-10 percent) of the population in each of the countries considered here[1]. Although by no means an advantaged group under the previous system, they were at least guaranteed basic education, employment and, consequently income[2]. Since transition, they have largely been excluded from formal sector employment, and often also from much of the protection offered by the relatively well developed social security systems in these countries (Ivanov et al., 2006).One problem which arises in attempting to evaluate labour market outcomes of the Roma in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe is the lack of systematic data collection on this group. Much ink has been spilled on the Roma over the last two decades or so, but relatively little of this has been based on rigorous analysis of hard data. Three notable exceptions to this are United Nations Development Programme (2002), Ringold et al. (2005) and Ivanov et al. (2006). The analysis presented here uses data collected for the last of these reports in order to identify the determinants of labour market outcomes amongst the Roma and non-Roma in nine countries of South Eastern Europe. The survey covered both Roma and non-Roma populations living in proximity to each other. Thus the survey itself cannot claim to be nationally representative for each country covered - nor indeed was this its purpose - however, much effort was employed to ensure that the Roma and non-Roma samples were directly comparable one to another. It represents a systematic attempt to provide hard information on various aspects of the Roma's experiences in transition countries. In contrast to many previous efforts, inclusion of a comparison, non-Roma group in the UNDP sample allows the analysis to go much further in evaluating the relative effects of, in this case, education on the employment and income of the Roma population. To my knowledge, this is the first paper to attempt to explicitly identify and quantify the contribution of low education and discrimination to the Roma's disadvantaged position in the formerly Socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe.Specifically, the paper analyses the determinants of education, employment and earnings in SEE[3]. As noted above, Roma were the clear losers from the transition to the market economy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Nowadays they face unemployment rates well above, and incomes well below, the average of their \"majority\" counterparts. Explanations of why Roma seem to fare so badly tend to fall into one of two, usually not disinterested, camps: the \"low education\" and \"discrimination\" schools. That is, the poor employment prospects of Roma are due either to their reluctance to participate in education or because they are discriminated against in the labour market. This paper attempts to throw some light on the issue.The next section provides information on the survey data employed here as well as some descriptive information derived from it on Roma employment, income and educational participation in SEE. This highlights the lower educational participation of Roma as well as their much poorer labour market performance. The subsequent section reports the results of estimations of the determinants of educational participation, employment and wages. Limited information maximum likelihood (LIML) methods are used to control for endogenous school participation in the determination of employment and wages and sample selection bias in the determination of wages. The results, along with a decomposition analysis, are then used to discuss the validity of the two main basic explanations for Roma disadvantage: low education versus discrimination. The analysis suggests that both factors are at work. Moreover, they are complementary. Specifically, lower absolute returns to education for Roma imply that lower educational participation on the part of Roma is at least partially based on rational economic calculus. The final section offers some concluding comments. In particular, the implication of the complementarity between educational participation and discrimination implies that policy intervention needs to tackle both issues contemporaneously.\n2. A first look at the Roma educational participation and labour market outcomes: 2.1 The UNDP survey\n3. Looking for explanations: determinants of educational participation, employment and wages: In this section I analyse the determinants of education level, employment and wages. The analysis is limited to adults aged 25-64 and separate models are estimated for males/females and Roma/non-Roma. The determinants of years of schooling are estimated using OLS. Employment determination is estimated by univariate probit and the (natural logarithm of) monthly wages is estimated by OLS. Initially, these equations are assumed to be independent. Years of schooling are estimated as a function of variables representing permanent family income and the characteristics of the neighbourhood as well as an individual's age. In addition to years of schooling, employment and wage equations include also terms for whether an individual is married and/or the head of the household - both current characteristics which may well effect employment and wages but which were, in all probability, temporally subsequent to the leaving school. Since such estimates are likely to be biased by the endogeneity of schooling - participation in education will depend to some extent at least, on its effect on labour market outcomes - and, in the case of wages, sample selection bias, LIML estimates are subsequently offered which control for both of these problems.3.1 Determinants of educational participation\n4. Conclusions: In this paper I have examined the determinants of Roma labour market outcomes in South Eastern Europe. In doing so I have sought to evaluate typical explanations of why the Roma have occupied such a disadvantaged position in these countries since the transition to the market. In particular, the main focus of the paper is on the relative importance of education and discrimination in determining the labour market experiences of Roma compared to majority populations. Several interesting points emerge.Once one controls for the endogeneity of educational participation in the determination of employment, there is a substantial difference in the employment returns to education between Roma and non-Roma. The wage returns to education, controlling for sample selection and the endogeneity of schooling, are broadly similar in percentage terms for Roma and non-Roma. Once one takes into account the poorer employment prospects and lower base wages, however, the marginal absolute wage gain from an additional year of education for Roma is only a little over one-third of the analogous wage gain for majority populations. The results also support the idea of significant discrimination in both employment and wages. For Roma males, well over one-third of the employment differential is attributable to discrimination whilst for wages, discrimination accounts for around one quarter of the wage gap. For females, discrimination (based on ethnicity) appears to account for a smaller proportion of the gap - around one quarter of the difference in the employment probability and one-fifth of the wage gap. Moreover, given that the absolute wage gains from education are so much lower, the decision to participate less in education may, at least in part, be attributed to rational economic calculus rather than the somewhat vague and often pejorative \"cultural\" explanations of low educational participation amongst Roma.In terms of the policy implications, the results clearly suggest action to raise educational levels of Roma in coincidence with measures to combat discrimination. The specific policy provisions to adopt goes beyond what can be concluded on the basis of the analysis presented here. For example, one possible way of promoting educational participation is through the provision of conditional cash transfers (CCTs), although such transfers should probably be based on income or area of residence rather than ethnicity in order to avoid the risk of creating or worsening tensions between Roma and non-Roma communities. However, any measures designed to increase the educational participation of Roma would need to come to terms with the fraught issue of de facto educational segregation mentioned briefly in the first section of this article. What I hope does emerge clearly from this analysis is the need to address both issues concurrently. So long as there is significant discrimination against Roma in terms of wage and employment prospects so that the expected gains from educational participation are smaller for Roma, unilateral action on the educational front is unlikely to meet with much success.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper uses a unique survey of Roma and non-Roma in South Eastern Europe with the aim of evaluating competing explanations for the poor performance of Roma in the labour market.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Following a descriptive analysis, econometric models are employed to identify the determinants of educational achievement, employment and wages for Roma and non-Roma. Limited information maximum likelihood (LIML) methods are employed to control for endogenous schooling and two sources of sample selection bias in the estimates. Non-linear and linear decomposition techniques are applied in order to identify the extent of discrimination.\nFindings: - The key results are that: the employment returns to education are lower for Roma than for non-Roma whilst the wage returns are broadly similar for the two groups; the similar wage gains translate into a smaller absolute wage gain for Roma than for non-Roma given their lower average wages; the marginal absolute gains from education for Roma are only a little over one-third of the marginal absolute gains to education for majority populations; and, there is evidence to support the idea that a substantial part of the differential in labour market outcomes is due to discrimination.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The survey data employed do not include information on hours worked. In order to partially control for this, the analysis of wages is limited to employee wages excluding the self-employed.\nPractical implications: - Explanations of why Roma fare so badly tend to fall into one of two camps: the \"low education\" and the \"discrimination\" schools. The analysis suggests that both of these explanations have some basis in fact. Moreover, a direct implication of the lower absolute returns to education accruing to Roma is that their lower educational participation is, at least in part, due to rational economic calculus. Consequently, policy needs to address both low educational participation and labour market discrimination contemporaneously.\nOriginality/value: - This is the first paper to attempt to econometrically distinguish between discrimination and educational explanations of Roma disadvantage in the labour market in Central and Eastern Europe. The survey data employed are unique and appropriate for the task. Unusually for analyses dealing with returns to education, the LIML econometric approach employed controls for both endogenous schooling and two sources of sample selection bias.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Strain monitoring of railway bridges using optic fiber sensors
|
[
"Fibre optic sensors",
"Bridges",
"System monitoring,"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Many of the structures, especially bridges, need to be repaired or replaced because of their age. In order to minimize the cost of reparation and maintenance and to ensure the safety of civil infrastructures, there is an increasing need for health monitoring of structures all over the world (Housner et al., 1997; Zhang, 2000; Hong-Nan et al., 2004). Structural health monitoring (SHM) refers to the use of in-situ, continuous or regular (routine) measurement and analyses of key structural and environmental parameters under operating conditions, for the purpose of warning impending abnormal states or accidents at an early stage to avoid casualties as well as giving maintenance and rehabilitation advice (Housner et al., 1997). For medium span railway bridges, the train is the main load of the bridge structure. Therefore, the health monitoring system for railway bridges is mainly to monitor the dynamic response (includes the vibration displacement, acceleration, strain, deformation of bridges) when trains passing on bridges. And the strain is one of the most important parameters that reflect the bridge's health state. In order to learn the working state and safety of a structure, it is necessary to monitor the strain/stress of the structure under the action of loads.Structural health monitoring typically involves measuring the strain that a structure undergoes different loads. Strain is defined as the fractional change in length of a structural member due to the force acting on it. It is given by DL/L, where L is the original length of the member and DL is the resulting change in length. Most of the conventional sensors used in strain monitoring applications are based on transmission of electric signals. Their limitations are becoming more and more manifest. These sensors are usually not small or durable enough to be embedded in a structure to measure interior properties. They are local (or point) sensors, which are restricted to measure only parameters at one location and cannot be easily multiplexed. The long lead lines also pose problems for large civil structures, which often span several or tens of kilometers. In some cases, the signals could not be discriminated from noise because of electrical or magnetic interference (EMI). In addition, various demodulation techniques are required for different sensors. All the above add in increasing the inconveniences of conventional sensors in SHM. Fiber optic sensors (FOSs) are promising sensing alternatives in civil SHM systems and future smart structures. They exhibit several advantages such as, flexibility, embeddability, multiplexity and EMI immunity, as compared with traditional sensors (Choquet et al., 1999; Clark et al., 2001; Lengm and Asundi, 2003; de Oliveira et al., 2004).In recent years, Fabry-Perot optic fiber sensors are used for structural monitoring of large civil structures such as dams, bridges, buildings and composite material structures widely due to its unique features. These sensors can be attached to the surface or embedded into materials and structures to monitor conditions such as damage, strain, stress, crack formation, pore pressure and temperature continuously. The absolute extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (EFPI) is one of these sensors. This sensor has the inherent advantages of many fiber optic sensors like small size, light weight, non-conductivity, fast response, resistance to corrosion, immunity to electromagnetic noise and radio frequency interferences eliminating the need for costly and bulky shielding and lightning protection accessories (Hong-Nan et al., 2004). It can sense a variety of physical effects such as pressure, strain, temperature and displacement. Its small size allows them to be incorporated in composite material without sacrificing structural integrity. When it is used in the measurement, a common multimode optical fiber is needed to carry the signal to the readout units. The data from the read unit can be taken manually or permanently connected to a computer through RS-232 link. While the benefits of long term structural monitoring are yet to be fully realized.A case of long-term strain monitoring of a railway bridge with Fabry-Perot sensor is studied and implemented. In order to suit the requirement of long-term and real time monitoring, a remote strain data acquisition system is designed. The data and information acquired is transported through optic cable to the control room. The system is able to control the instrument and readout equipments at any moment to get the data needed and process the data automatically. Both static and dynamic measurements can be realized with this system. Some results of laboratory and field tests are presented.\n2. Fabry-Perot optic fiber sensors: 2.1 Measuring principle\n3. Calibration of strain gage: The experimental setup is shown in Figure 3. A steel girder (1500 mm x 62 mm x 9 mm) and a steel plate (426 mm x 60 mm x 12 mm) are designed to calibrate the strain gage. A F-P sensor was bonded in the middle section of the steel girder with a conventional resistive foil gage (calibrated) on the opposite side as a reference strain signal and the steel plate using for charger is put on the girder.Figure 4 shows the comparison of the Fabry-Perot sensor and the electrical strain gage simultaneously. The graphic shows the static data obtained from the Fabry-Perot sensors and the electrical strain gage. Comparative measurements with conventional electrical strain gage are in good agreement with the Fabry-Perot sensor. The strain response is linear (R2[?]1). The strain resolution of the sensor tested is 0.01 percent full scale. The experiment is repeated several times and similar results are obtained. It can be concluded that the strain gage is of good sensitivity, linearity and repeatability.\n4. Monitoring system based on F-P and LabVIEW: The Wuhu Yangtze River bridge (WYRB), as shown in Figure 5, was constructed from 1997 and commissioned in September 2000. The bridge has a double deck configuration with the expressway on the upper deck and the railway below. The whole span of the railway bridge is 10,616 meters with a main span of 2,913 meters and the whole span of the highway is 6,078 meters. The WYRB is the first cable-stayed bridge carrying both railway and highway traffic and it is the longest one up to now with maximum span of 312 m in China.For safety assurance and maintenance, a structural health monitoring system has been devised to monitor the integrity, durability and reliability of the WYRB. This monitoring system for the WYRB comprises a data acquisition and processing system with a total of approximately 120 sensors, including accelerometers, strain gauges, displacement transducers, temperature sensors, vibration pick-ups, magnetometers, manometers, flexivity sensors and so on, permanently installed on the bridge. The whole system is installed in the field in December, 2003. The monitoring span ranges over 400 meters. The distance between the monitoring field and monitoring center is about 3,000 meters.4.1 Monitoring spot\n5. Results: These sensors and the system have been run well in the field more than two years. The system not only can control data acquisition automatically, but also can acquire data by receiving the command from the main computer of the monitoring center. Once abnormal condition occurs, the system can give an alarm to inform the maintainer and the expert to analyze the reason and take measures. Furthermore, it can transport the data and results to the main computer foe storing when every sampling procedure is over. In a word, the system realizes the purpose of real-time, online and remote strain monitoring of the bridge. In addition, history data and records are stored in database, where the data can be transplanted from one DBMS to another by using ODBC (OpenDataBase Connectivity) technique. One of the results acquired at the rate of 100 S/s when a train passing by on 5th December 2003 is illustrated in Figure 9, in which vertical coordinates indicate the strains and lateral coordinates indicate the sampling points.The values obtained from the eight sensors accord with expectation and show the reliability of the fiber optic instruments used in the system. When the train passes the monitoring spot exactly, the strain value goes up to maximum gradually. With the department of the train the value goes down to static value again gently. The maximum value reflects the load of the train.\n6. Conclusions: This work studied the long-term strain monitoring of the railway bridge based on Fraby-Perot optical fiber technology. The real-time data gotten form the spot illuminates that the system has several advantages over conventional structural instruments including fast response, ability of both static and dynamic monitoring, absolute measurement, immunity to interferences such as lightning strikes, electromagnetic noise and radio frequency, low attenuation of light signals in long fiber optic cables. Results show that the system realizes the long-term and automatic monitoring timely. Namely, the Fraby-Perot optical fiber sensors can accurately measure strain and they are suitable for the long-term and automatic monitoring.From the moment of the system was installed in the monitoring field, the strain is continuously monitored by the FP-FOS and the volume of history strain data is stored in the given database. Once the system is interfaced with the bridge expert system, it can evaluate the health state of structure online and give an alarm in case of special climate, special load or serious abnormal operation. As a result, it can avoid the calamity occurring effectually and minimize the cost of reparation and maintenance.The work can be referenced in fields like geotechnical monitoring activities of safety and performance of earthworks and monitoring activities of major structures, such as tunnel, concrete bridges, concrete and earth dams.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this article is to suggest that Fraby-Perot optic sensor is a practical measurement gage to monitor the strain of great structures such as railway bridges.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A remote strain monitoring system based on F-P optic fiber and virtual instrument is designed to monitor the strains of a railway bridge.\nFindings: - The application results show that the Fraby-Perot optical fiber sensors can accurately measure strain and they are suitable for the long-term and automatic monitoring. In addition, the system has several advantages over conventional structural instruments including fast response, ability of both static and dynamic monitoring, absolute measurement, immunity to interferences such as lightning strikes, electromagnetic noise and radio frequency, low attenuation of light signals in long fiber optic cables.\nPractical implications: - Health monitoring of structures is getting more and more recognition all over the world because it can minimize the cost of reparation and maintenance and ensure the safety of structures. A strain monitoring system based on F-P optic fiber sensor was developed according to the health monitoring requirements of Wuhu Yangtze River Railway Bridge, which is the first cable-stayed bridge with a maximum span of 312 m carrying both railway and highway traffic in China. It has run stably in the monitoring field more than two years and fulfilled the monitoring requirement very well. Now the system has been transplanted successfully to the Zhengzhou Yellow Railway Bridge for strain monitoring. So the work can be referenced by other similar health monitoring projects.\nOriginality/value: - Long-term, real-time monitoring of strain using FP fiber optic sensors in railway bridge is an innovation. A remote strain data acquisition and real-time processing are another character of the system. The work studied can be referenced by other structures monitoring, such as tunnel, concrete bridges, concrete and earth dams.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Prediction of instantaneous driving safety in emergency scenarios based on connected vehicle basic safety messages
|
[
"Collision avoidance system",
"Connected vehicle",
"Vehicle crash assessment",
"Basic safety messages"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Connected vehicles (CVs) technique is advantageous to driving safety solutions by enhancing driver's perception about roadway hazards and informing driver of emergency situations that they cannot immediately recognize. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technology can significantly improve the driving safety on the basis of dissimilated real-time information between connected vehicles, such as vehicle motions, driver manipulate intentions and traffic status. When vehicles share their running information with other vehicles and infrastructures, driving actions can be planned more secure and hazardless in advance.\n2. Related work: The literature reflects substantial increase in research activity with regards to connected vehicles safety applications, covering a wide range topics of how connected vehicles will be adopted and used for collision warning and driver assistance.\n3. Framework: In this section, we proposed a framework to implement vehicle collision risk prediction and warning system based on the connected vehicle raw BSMs messages and extended driving safety related messages, which are compiled into standard data set that can be transmitted through dedicated short range communication (DSRC) among approached vehicles. As shown in Figure 1, the BSM information is gathered by vehicular on-board unit (OBU), containing the instantaneous vehicle position, vehicle motion and status of driver maneuver. It is synchronically received the BSMs messages of remoted vehicle delivered through the DSRC devices, which is processed to obtain the relative speed and distance to closest objects. These comprehensive BSMs message set are integrated to collision risk assessment model for informing the host vehicle drivers to adjust their maneuver behavior, and also inform the remote vehicle drivers to avoid potential crash risk.\n4. Modeling process: 4.1 Variable precision rough set model\n5. Results and discussion: 5.1 Experimental conditions\n6. Conclusions: Connected vehicles are a relatively new and emerging area of research activity in intelligent transportation systems, with strong interest from a wide audience that includes government agencies, auto makers, practitioners and researchers who are interested in implementing connected vehicles. The findings of this study are relevant to incorporation of alerts, warnings and control assists in V2V applications of connected vehicles. Such applications can help drivers identify situations where surrounding drivers are volatile, and they may avoid dangers by taking defensive actions.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Basic safety message (BSM) is a core subset of standard protocols for connected vehicle system to transmit related safety information via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I). Although some safety prototypes of connected vehicle have been proposed with effective strategies, few of them are fully evaluated in terms of the significance of BSM messages on performance of safety applications when in emergency.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To address this problem, a data fusion method is proposed to capture the vehicle crash risk by extracting critical information from raw BSMs data, such as driver volition, vehicle speed, hard accelerations and braking. Thereafter, a classification model based on information-entropy and variable precision rough set (VPRS) is used for assessing the instantaneous driving safety by fusing the BSMs data from field test, and predicting the vehicle crash risk level with the driver emergency maneuvers in the next short term.\nFindings: The findings and implications are discussed for developing an improved warning and driving assistant system by using BSMs messages.\nOriginality/value: The findings of this study are relevant to incorporation of alerts, warnings and control assists in V2V applications of connected vehicles. Such applications can help drivers identify situations where surrounding drivers are volatile, and they may avoid dangers by taking defensive actions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Focal fields in literature on the information divide: The USA, China, UK and India
|
[
"China",
"India",
"Information society",
"The USA",
"Information divide",
"The UK"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Countries are moving from industrial to information societies at different speeds. For example, Luxembourg has entered the advanced stage of being an information society; countries such as Switzerland, Finland and Norway are in the intermediate stage; and Estonia and Israel are in the primary stage. However, Romania, China, India, South Africa and so on have not yet entered the information society stage (DIID, 2017). Just as there are differences between countries in terms of transitioning to an information society, the information divide - \"the state of social division between those who are favorably placed in information resource distribution and those who are not\" (Yu, 2006) - varies between countries under the combined effects of economic development, history, culture and society. Today, countries must understand and resolve the information divide based on national conditions if they intend to ensure that no people will be abandoned in the information society.\n2. Methods: This research was a review of studies on the information divide based on literature published in the Web of Science Core Collection. Literature was collected through three indexes in the Web of Science Core Collection - Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) - because they include a collection of 11,655 peer-reviewed, high-quality scholarly journals published worldwide in over 234 science, social sciences and humanities disciplines (Minnick, 2018). As mentioned, the information divide is a state of social division, and various terms have been used to define this differentiated state including information/digital inequality, information/digital divide, information/digital gap, information/digital differentiation and information disparity. Several terms that describe those who appear on the right/wrong side of the divide also exist. People on the right side are defined as information rich or the information haves, while those on the wrong side are described as being in information poverty, being information poor, and as the information have-nots. Therefore, a title search (TS) was conducted in SCIE, SSCI and A&HCI in the Web of Science Core Collection using the above terms. During the search, some articles about information gap decision theory (IGDT) were retrieved. However, IGDT is employed for modeling and managing deep uncertainty in human affairs (Ben-Haim, 2006), and was thus rejected. Ultimately, this research was conducted through the following research strategy on September 26, 2018.\n3. The information divide from a country perspective: The degree of economic development and international status has led to different levels of concern about the information divide. Figure 1 summarizes the number of countries' names from the keywords in the literature and indicates the number of occurrences in color (the higher the frequency, the darker the color). The main countries are China, the USA, the UK and India. In this study, these four countries are defined as the focuses of literature on the information divide.\n4. Literature focuses in the USA, China, the UK and India: 4.1 An information apple a day: the health information divide in the USA\n5. Discussion: The USA is a leader in the global economy, but its health problems such as obesity, AIDS and suicide are more prominent than in countries with similar development levels, attracting the attention of the USA government. Since The Healthy People report was published, the government implements a health promotion and disease prevention program - the \"Healthy People program\" - at the beginning of each decade (Healthy People 2000, Healthy People 2010, Healthy People 2020) to create the current \"Healthy People program\" era. With the development of the internet, research on the information divide in the USA inevitably focuses on online health information. If the USA wants to address these disparities, the first and most basic role is providing disadvantaged people with access to health information. This means improving the accuracy and reliability of the health information resources available online for the public and encouraging the use and adoption of eHealth technologies (Amante et al., 2015; Spooner et al., 2017). The second role is distinguishing users' profile characteristics (age, education, gender and so on) (Prestin et al., 2015), while simultaneously knowing and differentiating users' behavior when they search for information online (Lorence et al., 2006) so that the government can act appropriately to the situation with the help of healthy information providers and internet managers. This will maximize the benefits of promoting healthy information via the internet. The last role is improving the eHealth literacy of health information providers and acquirers (Norman and Skinner, 2006). Health information providers' acceptance of and encouragement regarding patient portals should be emphasized, and their online communication skills enhanced through training (Miller et al., 2016; Murray et al., 2003). The eHealth literacy of health information acquirers is their ability to seek, find, understand and appraise online health information and apply the knowledge they gain to address or resolve their health problems (Norman and Skinner, 2006).\n6. Conclusion: This paper is an extensive review study on the information divide. The number of literature varies for countries. The most prominent are China, the USA, the UK and India, which have either a strong development momentum or an outstanding poverty problem. Under the combined effects of history, culture and economy, different countries focus on different fields. For example, in the USA, research on the information divide focuses on health information. In China, research tends toward urban-rural differences caused by economic development and imbalanced infrastructure construction. The obstacles faced by all age groups in the information society are emphasized in the UK, and India is concerned with the major differences between men and women in the use of information infrastructure. The literature has studied these focal fields from different aspects. Three focuses have emerged in health information in the USA: providers (hospitals), acquirers (patients) and intermediaries (communities and regulators). The urban-rural information divide has been discussed from the viewpoint of information infrastructure and information literacy in China. The information divide focus is on age discrepancy in the UK and can therefore be divided into a focus on teenagers, adults and older people. Social power, gender roles and the development of ICT are three focuses of researchers studying the gender information divide in India.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify key countries and their focal research fields on the information divide.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Literature was retrieved to identify key countries and their primary focus. The literature research method was adopted to identify aspects of the primary focus in each key country.\nFindings: The key countries with literature on the information divide are the USA, China, the UK and India. The problem of health is prominent in the USA, and solutions include providing information, distinguishing users' profiles and improving eHealth literacy. Economic and political factors led to the urban-rural information divide in China, and policy is the most powerful solution. Under the influence of humanism, research on the information divide in the UK focuses on all age groups, and solutions differ according to age. Deep-rooted patriarchal concepts and traditional marriage customs make the gender information divide prominent in India, and increasing women's information consciousness is a feasible way to reduce this divide.\nOriginality/value: This paper is an extensive review study on the information divide, which clarifies the key countries and their focal fields in research on this topic. More important, the paper innovatively analyzes and summarizes existing literature from a country perspective.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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What is the problem? Chew it as food for thought ... lessons for workplace learning
|
[
"Learning",
"Problem based learning",
"Workplace learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A facilitator addresses a group of employees: \"What is the problem? Chew it as food for thought. Spit out the garbage. Enjoy the flavor. Digest the 'meat'. Prepare your recipe. Share it with others.\" No, this is not a cooking lesson; it is a problem-based learning (PBL) facilitation session where participants reflect on a problem, identify pressing issues, determine learning objectives and share their views with others. This is the brewing process of PBL in the workplace.We live in a world with different facets of problems and challenges. They can either be developmental or destructive, the former providing opportunities for individuals to learn and grow while the latter, to stagnate and withdraw. Research shows that about 20 percent of employees learn from structured training programs while 80 percent through informal means. A key discovery is that employees often engage in personal strategies to handle daily tasks and challenges. These strategies, associated with informal learning, include questioning, listening, observing, reading and reflecting on their surroundings.In any organizational system, the haphazard interaction between employees and activities causes structural tensions that are historically accumulated through defensive routines. These tensions can be regarded as contradictions that produce immense potential for learning, change and development. However, contradictions alone do not give rise to an immediate learning opportunity; they must first be recognized as potential problems before they can be dealt with beyond defensive routines. These potential problems function as both resources and catalysts for learning in allowing employees to engage in a rigorous process of sorting things out (Senge, 1990).\nIdentifying the menu: what is PBL?: PBL first started out in the educational setting, which primarily began with medical school curricula. An example would be the McMaster University Program developed in Hamilton, Ontario, over 30 years ago. In the medical field, it has been found that learning is most effective when scenarios of clinical situations are used as catalysts for discussion. These scenarios, as opposed to traditional clinical case studies which are often used in small-group conference teaching, consequently become the trigger problems in PBL. However, PBL should not be confused with general problem-solving skills, although such skills are often the byproduct of PBL.PBL is a context-dependent experience in which the original experience must be recontextualized to fit a new situation. The assumption is that an organization has the capacity to learn specific things compared to its overall capacity to learn, an aspect not normally emphasized in the organizational learning literature. Unlike other types of learning, PBL is not simply learner-centered; it is highly application-oriented with a focus on power structures between members. Interestingly, its process does not terminate at the application; the prime objective is to use the practical to help learners grasp the theoretical. Thus, PBL promotes learning for specific outcomes often determined by a context (Barell, 1998).In PBL, engagement in the participatory process begins when employees are first concerned about a pressing problem that relates to them and their immediate context. Learning usually operates through the individual and collaborative analysis of the problem, and the identification of specific learning objectives. Consequently, individual reflective and investigative work is needed to illuminate problem solutions through peer tutoring, knowledge sharing, feedback and inquiry. The learning process is further supported by task-specific knowledge and expertise from people at all levels. In order to establish the relevance of PBL to workplace learning, it is important to view learning patterns as an enlargement of single-loop and double-loop that occur in organizational contexts where feedback loops form the core of process inquiry. So, what are the key ingredients that contribute to the successful implementation of PBL in the workplace? In addressing this question, two broad issues are further considered:1. the factors influencing PBL; and2. the practical applications of PBL.\nThe empirical study: This article is based on the findings of a study that was conducted in Singapore on the perceptions of PBL as seen providing a different dimension to learning, socializing and working. Views were sought at two levels:1. expert opinion; and2. experience of users.Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviewing with 50 professionals who had some experience in PBL as end-users in their workplaces. This was supported by convergent views of ten consultants who had helped organizations develop and implement PBL programs.\nSelecting the ingredients: factors affecting PBL: A key ingredient of PBL is using past experience as a guide to understanding current contradictions. This requires participants to respond to learning by doing and engaging in trial and error to generate a new level of experience that challenges defensive routines. The overall cycle involves the thoughts and actions of individuals acting primarily as change agents, modifying cognitive structures and paradigms (Revans, 1982). Collectively, they shape the behavior of the organization through a series of alternative actions that provide a different dimension to familiar routines. Table I illustrates how PBL might fit into the complexity of organizational dynamics without sacrificing the cyclical process of persistent inquiry.The interrelation between PBL and organizational dynamics is mediated by a learning orientation that facilitates dynamic communication, questioning and reflection. Here, the interplay of reciprocal influence in terms of power asymmetry in the interpersonal interaction will lead to double-loop learning. This type of learning encourages participants to challenge existing assumptions and look beyond error-reduction through multiple feedback loops. Double-loop learners are concerned with improving rather than merely performing a task (Argyris and Schon, 1996).\nPreparing the recipe: PBL application: The applicability of PBL to workplace contexts is largely determined by the intangibility of human dynamics, particularly areas pertaining to the way people think and what holds true for them as a motivation to cooperate with others. With a focus on competence development and management support, it is possible to generate strong learning networks for the continued renewal of competitive knowledge. Table II illustrates the intangible aspects of human processes that can be harnessed through PBL.In order to strengthen the level of organizational knowledge gained through PBL, several human resource management (HRM) practices and policies need to be carefully considered. These include greater flexibility in terms of the learning structure, a sound reward and recognition system, an appropriate positioning of the technological infrastructure and an effective communication channel. Complementing these policies are opportunities for human resource development (HRD) where the private reflective space of individuals becomes the connecting tissue to a wider community of practice. Table III further illustrates the implications for practice at the level of HRM and HRD.\nThe aftertaste: concluding remarks: The extent to which PBL can be successfully developed in workplaces depends on a variety of such factors as time, the facilitative role of organizational leaders and the collective readiness of individuals. Success also depends on the complexity of learning networks that need to be supported by strategic structures, systems and processes. More importantly, is there a reward and compensation system that might encourage individuals to learn continuously for the sake of the organization? Ultimately, one of the benefits of workplace learning is an increase in productivity and collective knowledge that can be used as a powerful source of competitive advantage for the organization. PBL is not a means to an end. At best, it is an end to a means.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The article explores problem-based learning (PBL) as an emerging approach to workplace learning. It discusses the role of PBL in the workplace, factors influencing its successful implementation and its potential application to organizational dynamics.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A qualitative study was conducted in Singapore using a purposeful sampling of 50 professionals who had some experience using PBL in their organizations. Views were sought through semi-structured interviewing and further supported by the expert opinion of ten PBL consultants.\nFindings: - Breaking away from the comfort zone is a fundamental approach to appreciating the fullness of uncertainty that confronts employees in today's workplaces. Looking within for answers is a first step to generating more questions for subsequent collaborative inquiry.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The interpretive process of PBL is challenged by the structured nature of each learning phase. Such systematization produces a learning that demands a capacity to balance the dichotomy of amplifying and constraining effects. An integrated epistemology can be further pursued.\nPractical implications: - Although driven by a shared problem, PBL requires a unique distribution of ownership to the problem such that it means something specific to the learner before diversity of perspectives can be further facilitated. PBL induces reflective practice.\nOriginality/value: - Although a pedagogical methodology, PBL has great potential for redefining workplace learning. It is a process that amalgamates a variety of familiar learning activities yet, in totality its distinction is realized in the mutually-implicating elements that are unique on their own.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Exploring the nature and impact of leadership on the local implementation of The Productive Ward Releasing Time to Care(tm)
|
[
"Leadership",
"Productivity",
"Quality improvement"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Health care organisations all over the world face challenges of improving safety, quality and efficiency. Initiatives based on Lean thinking (Lean) have shown promise for achieving these goals in a range of health care contexts (see e.g. Savary and Crawford-Mason, 2006; Bem-Tovim et al., 2007; Jones and Mitchell, 2006; Fillingham, 2007). Lean has a long history of development and use in the commercial sector and manufacturing industry where it is a well-established improvement approach (Young and McClean, 2008; Radnor and Boaden, 2008). It provides organisations with principles and tools to focus on the values which drive systems (Rooney and Rooney, 2005) and realign or refine processes or practices to cut out \"waste\" (e.g. interruptions, delays, mistakes or replication) and achieve the desired values (e.g. effective treatment, safe high quality care) (Womack et al., 1990; Crump, 2008). Now, to maximise on these benefits, there is a need to build evidence and strategies to support implementation in health care (Eccles et al., 2009). One important factor for driving improvement work is leadership (Ferlie and Shortell, 2001; Miller, 2006; Ovretveit, 2009; Barr and Dowding 2012) sometimes called \"improvement leadership\", however little is known about the most effective forms of leadership in this context (Ovretveit, 2009; Buchanan et al., 2007b; Denis et al., 2012).\nBackground: Different approaches to Lean in health care have been classified (Brandao de Souza, 2009) as \"manufacturing like\" approaches which usually involve streamlining departments within a hospital that typically deal with the physical flow of materials (such as pharmacy, radiology or pathology). \"Managerial and support service\" approaches to Lean concern the flow of information within the organisation (such as finance, medical secretaries, or other managerial departments and divisions). \"Patient flow\" approaches attempt to improve the patient journey within the hospital (or system) by streamlining the patient pathway. While \"organisational\" approaches emphasise the importance of designing a strategic and cultural plan from an organisational perspective in order to successfully implement Lean. Differences in approaches to Lean have been described by Emiliani (2008) as \"fake\" or \"real\" Lean. Fake Lean is where an organisation uses just the tools with an emphasis on rapid improvement rather than long-term change. Real Lean means showing a \"commitment to continuous improvement\" using tools and methods to improve productivity, as well as \"showing respect for people through leadership behaviours and business practices\" (Radnor and Boaden, 2008). Thus a key perspective that informs our exploration is that leadership shapes and influences approaches to Lean implementation.\nFindings: The findings are presented according to four interrelated themes about leadership that we identified across study 1 and study 2 data. Quotes from interviews with staff working to implement the programme are used to illustrate each of these themes.\nDiscussion: Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that suggest improvement programmes based on Lean thinking can assist with the challenges health care organisations face in both improving quality and developing effective leadership. The scope of the study - nationally representative of NHS hospitals in England - and depth of the study data means our findings are likely to be transferable to cases of implementation of Lean initiatives in other hospital settings and internationally. Overall the findings illustrate the dynamic nature of leadership in organisations that are implementing Lean and development of leadership through undertaking Lean improvement work. We found evidence that the Productive Ward is helping to develop leadership skills within the health care workforce in England; which has been shown elsewhere (BHSCT, 2009; NHSL, 2009; NHSS, 2008) by acting as a learning system to try out new skills and approaches on real projects within health care environments (Balle and Regnier, 2007).\nConclusion: This study aimed to explore the nature and impact of leadership in relation to the local implementation of quality improvement interventions in health care organisations. By drawing on staff experiences of implementing The Productive Ward in English hospitals insights were gained into leadership processes as related to lean health care. A framework for leadership processes is presented which could be applied, tested and developed in other contexts. The framework includes: consideration of leadership at multiple levels and how interactions between these levels shape outcomes; reflection on the need for different and contextually appropriate leadership roles, styles and behaviours at different levels and stages of implementation; valuing and providing support for meaningful staff empowerment; and connecting vertical and horizontal boundary spanning leadership activities to spread learning and sustain improvements. Further research is needed to explore potential differences in leadership within late adopting or non-adopting health care organisations; to better define and understand the longer term impact of spread and sustainability (beyond three years post-implementation); and to examine the influence of external driving factors such as health service policy and resourcing, external change agencies and patient groups.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and impact of leadership in relation to the local implementation of quality improvement interventions in health care organisations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using empirical data from two studies of the implementation of The Productive Ward: Releasing Time to Care(tm) in English hospitals, the paper explores leadership in relation to local implementation. Data were attained from in-depth interviews with senior managers, middle managers and frontline staff (n=79) in 13 NHS hospital case study sites. Framework Approach was used to explore staff views and to identify themes about leadership.\nFindings: Four overall themes were identified: different leadership roles at multiple levels of the organisation, experiences of \"good and bad\" leadership styles, frontline staff having a sense of permission to lead change, leader's actions to spread learning and sustain improvements.\nOriginality/value: This paper offers useful perspectives in understanding informal, emergent, developmental or shared \"new\" leadership because it emphasises that health care structures, systems and processes influence and shape interactions between the people who work within them. The framework of leadership processes developed could guide implementing organisations to achieve leadership at multiple levels, use appropriate leadership roles, styles and behaviours at different levels and stages of implementation, value and provide support for meaningful staff empowerment, and enable leader's boundary spanning activities to spread learning and sustain improvements.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A review of human resources management research: The past 10 years and implications for moving forward
|
[
"Hospitality",
"Staffing",
"Human resources",
"Performance appraisal",
"Training and development",
"Compensation and benefits"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The discipline-based research on human resources (HR) management has evolved considerably over the past decade. During this time period, scholars have taken an increasingly closer look at each of the major HR functions to learn more about the ways in which specific types of HR policies, practices and procedures may influence a wide array of individual and firm-level outcomes. In addition, there has been a growing interest in the use of strategic lenses to learn more about the ways in which HR systems may be leveraged to achieve key business objectives. New and more comprehensive frameworks have been presented, and the respective empirical findings have generated numerous insights about the nature of HR systems and how they can be designed and implemented to help companies improve their competitive position.\nFindings from the general HR literature: Strategic HR\nFindings from the hospitality HR research literature: Using the same structure for reviewing the general HR research literature, I will now present an overview of the hospitality-specific studies that have examined each of the primary HR topics. As discussed in more detail below, there are several similarities in the general and industry-focused HR research literature regarding the relative amount and types of functional topics that have been published. In particular, hospitality scholars have not only validated the findings from studies conducted in non-hospitality settings but have also extended discipline-based models and generated important insights about the ways in which hospitality-focused HR systems may influence a broad array of individual-, unit- and firm-level outcomes. Table I presents a comparison of the topics and findings for each of the primary HR topics.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to present a review of the human resources (HR) research that has been published over the past ten years in discipline-based and hospitality-specific journals and identify key trends and opportunities for advancing future research.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper takes the form of a critical review of the extant literature in the general HR management and hospitality HR management fields.\nFindings: A comparison of the findings shows a substantial degree of overlap in the themes and results that have been generated to date. However, several hospitality studies have identified a number of variables that appear to be particularly relevant for labor-intensive, service-focused settings. As such, context-specific factors should be considered in efforts to advance our understanding about the ways in which hospitality HR systems may impact a wide array of individual and organizational outcomes.\nOriginality/value: The results offer a foundation for advancing future hospitality HR research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Middle managers' roles after a hospital merger
|
[
"Management practice",
"Middle managers",
"Hospital",
"Mergers",
"Decoupling"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Mergers have become an important element of public hospital reforms, and the implementation of such a structural change is challenging both for the service producers and for the restructuring of organizational forms and management practices. The last 20 years have seen the implementation of a large number of hospital mergers, mostly driven by financial pressures (Bazzoli et al., 2004). Much of the research in this area is done in the USA, where large hospital enterprises have a longer history. In Europe, hospital mergers gradually became more common in the UK and Scandinavia during the late 1990s. Since then, mergers of hospitals in Europe have been studied by several researchers (Choi and Brommels, 2009; Geisler et al., 2010; Solstad and Pettersen, 2010; Choi et al., 2012; Giauque, 2016; Jonasson et al., 2018), as the implementation of these restructuring efforts has turned out to have unexpected and often dysfunctional effects.\nTheoretical framework: Mergers entail complex and radical institutional changes, and they are dramatic for the actors involved. The merger process is challenging because the new, merged organization is very often geographically dispersed (Lounsbury, 2007, 2008), and one of the partners - most often the largest unit - may dominate, by, for example, hosting the top managerial team and the administrative functions. This is the case in our study. Consequently, our theoretical framework draws on contributions from the management control literature, as, broadly speaking, the main elements within this literature are coordination between managers and professional staff, and how coordination is perceived by the actors. We therefore begin with the concept of management control and continue with the roles of middle managers. Finally, we focus on hospitals as knowledge-intensive and professional organizations.\nResearch methods and empirical data: Research setting\nEmpirical findings: Data from the survey are presented as background for the interviews with the middle managers. The aim was to gain a deeper insight into how middle managers perceive their role as mediators between top management and the professional staff in the aftermath of a hospital merger. We structure the empirical discussion according to the main concepts in the theoretical framework.\nDiscussion and conclusions: This paper discusses how middle managers perceive their role as mediators between top management and the professional staff following a hospital merger. We also demonstrate how professional staff place themselves in relation to the top management several years after a merger was implemented. The motivation for this study is earlier research that indicated a need to understand better how human resources are managed in such major changes as mergers (Choi and Brommels, 2009; Mussari and Ruggiero, 2017; Jonasson et al., 2018).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Mergers are important and challenging elements in hospital reforms. The authors study the social aspects of management and the roles of middle managers in the aftermath of a hospital merger. Especially, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how professional staff and middle managers perceive their relationships with top managers several years after the merger.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted among the professional staff in two merging hospitals' units six years after a merger. Based on the main findings from this survey, a follow-up interview study was done with a group of middle managers.\nFindings: The management practices were diagnostic with few interactive or communicative activities. The respondents expressed that mistrust developed between the staff and the top management, and a lack of involvement and interaction lead to decoupled and parallel organizations. Social controls, based on shared norms, had not been developed to create mutual commitment and engagement.\nPractical implications: Policy makers should be aware of the need in profound change processes not only to change the tangible elements, but to take care of changing the less tangible elements such as norms and values. Professionals in hospitals are in powerful positions, and changes in such organizations are dependent on trust-building, bottom-up initiatives and evolutionary pathways.\nOriginality/value: The paper addresses the need to understand the dynamics of the social aspect in managing hospitals as knowledge-intensive organizations when comprehensive restructuring processes are taking place over several years.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Preferences of older people for environmental attributes of local parks: The use of choice-based conjoint analysis
|
[
"Open spaces",
"Elderly people",
"Leisure activities",
"United Kingdom"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Neighbourhood outdoor environments such as parks are public facilities that have the potential to offer diverse benefits for local residents. Neighbourhood open spaces have been shown to promote people's health, by supporting physical activity such as walking (e.g. Pikora et al., 2002, Bedimo-Rung et al., 2005), offering mental health through restorative experiences (Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989; Hartig, 2007) and through providing opportunities for positive social interaction (Kweon et al., 1998; Kearney, 2006). Such benefits may be particularly important for an ageing population characterised by decreasing levels of mobility and cognitive functioning. The presence of nearby outdoor spaces is known to be associated with more walking by older people (Li et al., 2005), and walking has significant health benefits for older people (Hakim et al., 1999; Manson et al., 2001), as for other age groups. Research has shown that access to green spaces in the neighbourhood environment can have a positive effect on longevity (Takano et al., 2002). The sense of purpose and autonomy that comes from congruence between a person's lifestyle and features of the environment may prolong older people's lives in their own homes and enhance their quality of life (Lawton and Nahemow, 1973).Certain features of this environment are key in supporting outdoor access. For instance, the availability of destinations has been identified as a predictor of adults' physical activity (Cerin et al., 2007; McCormack et al., 2008). The quality of footpaths en route to a neighbourhood park was also found to be associated with time older people spend in outdoor activities, as well as how much walking they do (Sugiyama and Ward Thompson, 2008).However, little is known about the relative importance of a range of different environmental features on older people's choice of behaviour, which influences their activity levels. Given the diversity of outdoor environments and their attributes, it is relevant to ask what feature in any given context will be influential (and to what degree) in older people's choice of determining whether to use or visit an outdoor environment. This is important as it addresses questions of what should be prioritised in the design and management of open spaces to facilitate and encourage older people's use of outdoor spaces.1.1 Aim of the study\n2. Methodology and data collection techniques: 2.1 Sampling and data collection procedure\n3. Results: 3.1 What is the relative importance of attributes for a local park?\n4. Discussion: This study examined the relative importance of the attributes of parks and routes to them for older people, using choice-based conjoint analysis. The findings, shown in rank order in Figure 2, indicate that older people are more likely to visit a local park if it is free from nuisance and has facilities, such as a cafe and toilets, has natural elements, such as trees and plants, and provides entertaining views or things to watch. With regard to routes to local parks, light traffic was shown to be an important factor. Utility scores calculated for the top five attributes provided information on what changes would make the most impact in terms of affecting choice and potential use of a local open space. For example, in the first-placed attribute, nuisance, the presence of vandalism or dog fouling was the most important factor influencing preference judgements about open space as it had the highest utility values. This is followed by the need for facilities, etc., the second-placed attribute as shown in Figure 2.4.1 The value of choice-based conjoint analysis\nConclusion: This study contributes to new understanding about what matters to older people in their preferences for local parks and open spaces. It informs where interventions and policy focus can be directed most effectively to increase older people's use of outdoor spaces. Based on these findings, it is suggested that future interventions aiming to increasing use of outdoor spaces by older people should consider: diminishing the level of nuisances, particularly those caused by vandalism and dog fouling; providing readily accessible amenities such as cafes and toilets; maintaining a green and attractive park (with trees and views to watch); reducing traffic speed on routes to parks; and providing seats along routes and in parks, particularly for those with mobility impairment.The findings of this study can help those involved in the design and management of outdoor environments to prioritise interventions that are likely to maximise preference for different segments of the older population. In terms of impact on policies, this research provides stronger evidence than conventional preference studies in identifying relevant environmental attributes that need to be altered to enhance older people's access to and use of parks and open space, thus encouraging more active lifestyles. It warrants the continued use of conjoint analysis procedures in research exploring salient environmental attributes that affect people's choice and potentially their behaviour. Research that includes the cost of changes between levels in attributes of the environment can further assist in determining value for money.To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to use conjoint analysis on aspects of the outdoor environment in relation to older people's preference. Choice tasks in conjoint analysis were found to be manageable for older people, and analysis of their responses produced useful information about the relative importance of attributes. This study demonstrated that conjoint analysis is a useful data collection and analyses procedure which may be applied to other environmental settings in which people's priorities are required to be understood.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This study aims to examine the environmental attributes relevant to older people's preferences for neighbourhood open spaces. It also aims to explore the association between the relative importance of different environmental attributes and personal and social characteristics in a sample of older people covering a range of geographic locations in the UK.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Choice-based conjoint analysis (CBC) was used to obtain responses from a sample of 237 older people (60 years +) living in the UK. A total of 13 environmental attributes were identified from earlier qualitative and quantitative studies. Participants were asked to choose a preferred park from a pair of hypothetical neighbourhood parks differing on four of the attributes presented in a questionnaire. The questionnaire included 14 such tasks.\nFindings: - The results suggest that older people preferred a neighbourhood park which is without nuisance, has cafes and toilets, many trees and plants, light traffic en route, wildlife to watch, and is well maintained. Analyses also reveal that whether or not people live alone, and their functional capabilities in getting around, make a difference in the way they place importance on attributes.\nPractical implications: - The findings can assist those involved in designing and managing outdoor environments to identify salient environmental attributes and prioritise interventions aimed at improving access to, and use of, outdoor spaces for older adults. The approach aids understanding of what is likely to maximise preference and use of open spaces in different segments of the older population.\nOriginality/value: - Conjoint analysis procedures are some of the best tools available for determining importance or relative value of attributes of complex environments from the user point of view. The CBC analysis has been employed for the first time in this study to explore the relative importance of such attributes of open spaces for older adults.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Component part quality assurance concerns and standards: Comparison of world-class manufacturers
|
[
"Benchmarking",
"Corporate strategy",
"Competitive advantage",
"World class manufacturing",
"Product development"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: 1.1 Quality assurances through the product life cycle\n2. Case studies of product quality revision and adaptability: 2.1 Methodology\n3. Company case studies: Rubbermaid is a high-volume manufacturer with a diverse product offering, designing, and manufacturing consumer products for large retail customers, such as Wal-Mart Co., and they design and manufacture products for regulated industries. Each of these customers expects the highest quality product at the lowest possible price. GEHCC is a low-volume manufacturer of a niche product for the magnet resonance imaging medical diagnostic systems. GEHCC designs and manufactures products under Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements, with their customers demanding extremely high quality and high reliability. This case study will present a review of the quality steps performed by appropriate management of Rubbermaid and GEHCC when they are faced with a design change to a part, benchmarking their quality processes with the highest industrial standards possible. The process identified for each company is a representation of the actual process used and in no way implies the complete compliant process.3.1 Case 1: GEHCC\n4. Discussion and implications: 4.1 Comparison of component quality processes\n5. General conclusions on quality assurance standards: Managing engineering change has always been a difficult and time-consuming task and is a regular source of inefficiency and irritation for manufacturers. Best-in-class companies understand that better change processes can drive top-line benefits and as a result are developing these processes with a focus on improving speed to market while maintaining high-quality standards. Quality, or the lack of quality, affects the entire organization from supplier to customer and from product design to maintenance. Quality has implications beyond those related to operations including; company reputation, product liability, and global implications. All serve as strong arguments for an organization to understand quality and build a total quality management system with the focus of identifying and satisfying customers needs.The cost of quality for any organization consists of four major categories, including prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure, and external costs. The cost of the first three factors can be reasonably estimated (Kennedy and Widener, 2008), but the external costs which are incurred after delivery of defective parts or services can be very hard to quantify and can exceed the value of revenues associated with a product, if proper quality management is not in place for an organization. In the present case study, management at both NR and GEHCC have shown a commitment to part quality throughout the development and redesign processes in place at each organization and have earned and maintained the reputation of best-in-class manufacturing in their respective fields.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide practitioners of management with a comparative analysis of how two global firms ensure quality standards in new product development/new product manufacturability processes and manage design changes in reduced product life cycles in the current economic recession.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The firms selected were: Newell Rubbermaid, a high-volume manufacturer with a diverse product offering, designing and manufacturing consumer products for large retail customers, and General Electric Healthcare Coils, a low-volume manufacturer of a niche product for the magnet resonance imaging medical diagnostic systems. This case study presented a review of the quality steps performed when they are faced with a design change to a part, benchmarking their quality processes with the highest industrial standards possible.\nFindings: - The effective managing of engineering change has always been difficult, time consuming, and a regular source of inefficiency and irritation for manufacturers. Best-in-class companies understand that better change processes can drive top-line benefits and the two distinct companies have developed very similar processes through effective industrial benchmarking activities that result in improving speed to market while maintaining high-quality standards.\nPractical implications: - The component part design revision processes are well documented between the two firms, with an appropriate comparative analysis.\nOriginality/value: - Corporate management has demonstrated a commitment to component part quality throughout the development and redesigns processes and has earned and maintained the reputation of best-in-class manufacturing in their respective fields. Through successful quality assurances and collaboration processes, the companies studied found stability in a very turbulent financial and service-orientated marketplace.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Inflation persistence and structural breaks: The experience of inflation targeting countries and the USA
|
[
"Structural breaks",
"Fractional integration",
"Inflation persistence",
"Inflation targeting",
"Rolling-window estimation",
"C14",
"E31",
"C22"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: One of the most important characteristics of the dynamics of inflation is its persistence. Policy makers view inflation persistence with great interest because of its central role in determining how monetary policy responds to shocks over time (see, e.g. Gerlach and Tillmann, 2012; van der Cruijsen et al., 2010). Persistence measures the speed at which shocks to inflation die out and the inflation rate returns to its target or its mean. With high inflation persistence, shocks to inflation exert long-lasting effects and may require a strong policy response to bring inflation under control. In the worst case, inflation may contain a unit root, which could lead to unpalatable choices for monetary policy, since inflation randomly drifts away in any direction, making it difficult for the monetary authorities to control inflation. In the best case, inflation may prove stationary, implying that it reverts to its initial level rapidly after a shock occurs. One area of the literature on inflation persistence considers whether shocks to the inflation process decay rapidly, as with nonintegrated processes, or whether they decay much more slowly, as with fractionally integrated processes. In the latter case, inflation rates display evidence of persistence or long memory[1].\n2. Data: We use monthly observations on the seasonally unadjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI all item; 2010=100) retrieved from the Main Economic Indicators database (OECD.StatExtracts) for the following 11 OECD countries that adopted IT on, or before, 2001: Canada, Chile, Iceland, Israel, South Africa, South Korea, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and UK. In addition, we use the USA, an OECD non-IT country, for comparison purposes. The data span the period from 1976:1 to 2013:6 for 450 observations. We seasonally adjust the CPI data using the X12 method of the US Census Bureau and measure inflation for each country as 1,200 times the logarithmic first difference of the seasonally adjusted CPI series. We follow Bernanke et al. (1999), Mishkin and Schmidt-Hebbel (2001), and Fracasso et al. (2003) to recognize the start date of each IT regime. Of the 11 countries, six are industrial economies: Canada (1991:2), Iceland (2001:7), Norway (2001:3), Sweden (1993:1), Switzerland (2000:1), and the UK (1992:10); and five are emerging market economies: Chile (1991:1), Israel (1992:1), South Korea (1998:1), Mexico (1999:1), and South Africa (2000:2)[6]. The date of the IT adoption dates appears in parentheses. Three of the emerging countries, Chile, Mexico, and Israel, experienced episodes of hyperinflation in the last 30 years[7].\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Fractionally integrated processes and measures of persistence\n4. Empirical results: 4.1 Rolling-window fractional estimation results\n5. Conclusions: We employ a three-stage approach to the analysis of the dynamics of inflation persistence in 11 IT countries and the USA. First, we implement rolling-window fractional-integration tests. The rolling-window estimates indicate that most inflation rate series exhibit a drop in persistence after the adoption of IT. The fall in persistence, however, does not always synchronize with the IT adoption date. Canada, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden experience a change in inflation persistence from long memory to short memory in relation to IT switching. This indicates that when announced, the targets instantly gain credibility. On the other hand, Chile, South Korea, South Africa, Israel, and the UK do not experience immediately a change in persistence. Inflation persistence in these countries maintains the long memory property before and immediately after the IT adoption. For Chile and South Korea, however, a decline in the persistence occurs the year following IT adoption. This indicates mild lag effects. For Israel and the UK, a decline only occurs four years after the IT announcement. This, on the other hand, suggests strong lag effects. For these countries, obviously, the targets do not achieve instant credibility. South Africa is unusual in that inflation persistence after IT adoption exhibits sustained increases, with estimates in the nonstationary, mean-reverting interval. Mexico is the only country that experiences a change in inflation persistence from a unit-root process (i.e. a nonstationary and nonmean reverting process) to a nonstationary and mean-reverting process two years prior to the formal IT announcement. This suggests the presence of strong anticipation effects: economic agents anticipated the IT switch and discounted it two years ahead of the formal announcement. Switzerland exhibits no change either. Inflation persistence in Switzerland exhibits short memory properties before and after the regime switch.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a sequential three-stage analysis of inflation persistence using monthly data from 11 inflation targeting (IT) countries and, for comparison, the USA, a non-IT country with a history of credible monetary policy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: First, the authors estimate inflation persistence in a rolling-window fractional-integration setting using the semiparametric estimator suggested by Phillips (2007). Second, the authors use tests for unknown structural breaks as a means to identify effects of the regime switch and the global financial crisis on inflation persistence. The authors use the sequences of estimated persistence measures from the first stage as dependent variables in the Bai and Perron (2003) structural break tests. Finally, the authors reapply the Phillips (2007) estimator to the subsamples defined by the breaks.\nFindings: Four countries (Canada, Iceland, Mexico, and South Korea) experience a structural break in inflation persistence that coincide with the implementation of the IT regime, and three IT countries (Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK), as well as the USA experience a structural break in inflation persistence that coincides with the global financial crisis.\nResearch limitations/implications: The authors find that in most cases the estimates of inflation persistence switch from mean-reversion nonstationarity to mean-reversion stationarity.\nPractical implications: Monetary policy implications differ between pre- and post-global financial crisis.\nSocial implications: Global financial crisis affected the persistence of inflation rates.\nOriginality/value: First paper to consider the effect of the global financial crisis on inflation persistence.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Big data for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME): a knowledge management model
|
[
"Knowledge management",
"Qualitative research",
"Small to medium-sized enterprise",
"Data administration"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The big data problem has become an important topic for years (Beyer and Laney, 2012; Zikopoulos et al., 2012). Big data are characterized by volume, velocity, variety and veracity (Wolff, 2014). Big data not only is a reality for large corporations but also raises opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) (Donnelly et al., 2015). SME makes a significant contribution to the economy. In the USA, SME accounts for more than half the private GDP and provides around half the private sector employment (SBA, 2020). Nowadays more and more SME are seeking information technology (IT) solutions to big data management (Schaeffer and Olson, 2014; O'Connor and Kelly, 2017).\nLiterature review: Synergistic relationship between big data and knowledge management\nA knowledge management model of big data for small and medium-sized enterprises: Methodology\nDiscussion: Despite the fast progress in both theory development and the practice of big data during the past years, the use of big data for SME is still developing. This study investigates big data from the perspective of the synergistic relationship between big data and KM. Using real-world business cases, the study derives a conceptual model that integrates big data and KM for SME.\nConclusion: This article conceptualizes a KM model based on the published case studies of big data for SME through qualitative data analytics. The model portrays the synergistic relationship between big data and KM and provides a framework for SME to use big data through KM. The framework includes four constructs, namely, strategic use of big data, knowledge guided big data project planning, IT solutions for SME and new knowledge products. These elements are related to the challenges of big data for SME and feasible IT solutions for SME to deal with big data. SME are commonly faced with resource shortage; nevertheless, an effective KM approach can help SME to achieve competitive advantage through producing new knowledge products from big data. Feasible IT solutions for SME to deal with big data are available and affordable, and the technologies are still moving toward the easiness and accessibility of big data analytics for SME.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Big data has raised challenges and opportunities for business, the information technology (IT) industry and research communities. Nowadays, small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) are dealing with big data using their limited resources. The purpose of this paper is to describe the synergistic relationship between big data and knowledge management (KM), analyze the challenges and IT solutions of big data for SME and derives a KM model of big data for SME based on the collected real-world business cases.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study collects eight well-documented cases of successful big data analytics in SME and conducts a qualitative data analysis of these cases in the context of KM. The qualitative data analysis of the multiple cases reveals a KM model of big data for SME.\nFindings: The proposed model portrays the synergistic relationship between big data and KM. It indicates that strategic use of data, knowledge guided big data project planning, IT solutions for SME and new knowledge products are the major constructs of KM of big data for SME. These constructs form a loop through the causal relationships between them.\nResearch limitations/implications: The number of cases used for the derivation of the KM model is not large. The coding of these qualitative data could involve biases and errors. Consequently, the conceptual KM model proposed in this paper is subject to further verification and validation.\nPractical implications: The proposed model can guide SME to exploit big data for business by placing emphasis on KM instead of sophisticated IT techniques or the magnitude of data.\nOriginality/value: The study contributes to the KM literature by developing a theoretical model of KM of big data for SME based on underlying dimensions of strategic use of data, knowledge guided big data project planning, IT solutions for SME and new knowledge products.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Marketing private hotel management schools in Australia
|
[
"Theory of planned behaviour",
"Motivational factors",
"Hospitality and tourism",
"Private hotel management schools"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The Australian education industry is worth approximately $17 billion, with the private higher education sector as one of its key emerging contributors (Group of Eight Australia, 2016). While Australian universities educate most tertiary students, they account for only 43 of the 172 higher education providers in Australia (Norton, 2014). This sees majority of higher education providers in Australia dominated by the private sector. The total student enrolments in private higher education institutions reached 43,676 in 2010, which accounted for 9 per cent of the total higher education enrolments in that year (Shah et al., 2013).\n2. Selecting higher education providers: In order to understand the reasons behind selecting a PHMS, the authors employed the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) as the theoretical framework to systematically understand this behaviour. The rationale behind this theory posits that behavioural intentions are influenced by three independent factors (attitude, social groups and perceived difficulties) (Ajzen, 1991). Furthermore, past studies have tested the efficacy of the TPB and successfully applied the framework to school choice selection behaviour of Australian primary schools (Goh, 2009, 2011), Australian universities (Prugsamatz, 2009) and Czech Republic universities (Navratilova, 2013). Therefore, this framework provides an ideal platform to understand the attitudes and difficulties of students when selecting a higher education institution. First, the attitudes of students towards their choice of university are controlled by several factors, such as academic reputation, quality of teaching staff and availability of courses (Jianvittayakitt, 2012; Fosu and Poku, 2014). In terms of subjective norms, parents, teachers, peers and career counsellors (O'Mahony et al., 2001; Jianvittayakitt, 2012) have been identified as social groups that affect the university choices of students. Perceived difficulties, such as cost of programme and location, inhibit such choices (Canale et al., 1996; Jianvittayakitt, 2012).\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Research design\n4. Results and discussion: In total, 18 key items were elicited from the interviews, including ten key attitudes, four important social reference groups and four key constraints. The attitudinal results revealed four factors that affected the selection of PHMS (Table I). First, the reputation of the school was identified as the strongest motivating factor, which is consistent with the findings from previous research (Wilkins and Huisman, 2011; Jianvittayakitt, 2012; Kusumawati, 2013) that identified academic reputation as a key determining factor. Second, the opportunity for industry placement was the second most reported reason for choosing a PHMS. Similarly, Velde and Cooper (2000), Shah et al. (2013) and Srinivasan and Karmakar (2014) reported the important role of industrial training in helping students apply their theoretical knowledge to actual work situations. Third, the students were motivated by the design and structure of the courses. Fourth, small class sizes and frequent interactions with lecturers were identified as positive reasons that motivated students to study at private schools.\n5. Conclusion: This paper fills the research gap on the factors that motivate students to pursue a hotel degree at PHMSs. This research also contributes to the paucity of education-related research in the hospitality field, where only 2 per cent of the 2,868 journal articles in the top 12 tourism journals are related to tourism and hospitality education (Ballantyne et al., 2009). This paper contributes to the extant knowledge by applying the TPB framework as a useful research instrument in eliciting and systematically identifying ten key attitudes, four social groups and four perceived difficulties.\n6. Practical implications: PHMSs must prioritise the maintenance and development of their brand reputation by hiring experienced lecturers and adopting an embedded practical curriculum, both of which were most frequently mentioned as attitudinal factors that influence a students' choice of a PHMS. Academics hired by PHMSs must have strong industry experience and background as well as tertiary qualifications. There must be no compromise on industry experience as this is a key differentiating point between academics at public universities who fall short on industry experience but are highly qualified. Students who go to PHMSs want to hear the practical experience of lecturers who have worked in the hospitality industry and the reality of how their studies can be of practical use when they graduate. Therefore, attracting and retaining these well experienced academics have to be the key focus of HR departments as they are front-line employees ensuring that moments of truth and expectations of students are met. For example, students attending a coffee workshop have basic expectations that the lecturer conducting the workshop has worked as a barista in a restaurant or hotel previously.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of 46 hotel management students from four leading private hotel management schools (PHMS) in Australia on their decision in choosing a PHMS over a traditional public university.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Employing the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework, the qualitative interview data identified ten key attitudes, four reference groups and four perceived difficulties as potential motivators of students deciding to enrol in PHMS.\nFindings: This paper identified reputation of school and industry placement opportunities as key attitudinal items shaping students' decision-making process. With regards to important social groups, education agents and family were key reference groups. In relation to perceived difficulties, students reported tuition and living costs, and far distance from home as key barriers in their decision to study at PHMS.\nResearch limitations/implications: The sample draws upon students from a single state, New South Wales, Australia and this limits the generalisability of the authors' findings. This study also excluded students from Australian public universities who may hold different perceptions towards studying at a PHMS.\nPractical implications: The findings have important implications for hotel schools to improve their curriculum designs and embed practical hands on the learning experience of their students. Marketing agencies can also use these motivational attributes in developing effective marketing campaigns to increase enrolment figures.\nOriginality/value: This framework has proven to be useful in helping marketers understand various underlying motivational factors to attract prospective students to enrol in private hotel management schools.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Grow your business by offering less - and more
|
[
"Business development",
"Value‐in‐use pricing"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Most business leaders buy into the logic of differentiating their products from those of competitors, and of offering more complete solutions to customer needs. But what if you find that other competitors with stripped-down offerings are gaining share? Does that mean you should abandon efforts at differentiation and switch to a simplified, low-cost product? If so, what should you do about customers who say they like the more complete, higher-value offering?\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Most business leaders buy into the logic of differentiating their products from those of competitors, and of offering more complete solutions to customer needs. But what if you find that other competitors with stripped-down offerings are gaining share? Does that mean you should abandon efforts at differentiation and switch to a simplified, low-cost product? If so, what should you do about customers who say they like the more complete, higher-value offering? In this column, Stuart Jackson considers a number of examples where companies have disaggregated their service offering to create a menu of options that appeal to a wide range of customers. The author then proposes four key questions for companies considering going down this path.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In this article, Jackson considers service disaggregation strategies for companies in a number of different industries, including retailing, airlines and software. Jackson then draws lessons that can be applied broadly across any business considering tiered levels of services and pricing as a new source of profitable growth.\nFindings: - Most companies want to offer more complete solutions to customer needs with all sorts of added features \"built-in\". This makes sense only as long as the large majority of customers really value all these features. If not, companies should examine ways to disaggregate their service offerings and broaden the range of their customer appeal.\nOriginality/value: - By looking in detail at when taking away product features or charging more for specific services does or does not make sense, this article provides valuable insights into how to understand and predict when changes in service offerings will support increased competitive advantage and value creation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Board connections and management commentary readability: the role of information sharing in Italy
|
[
"Information sharing",
"Corporate disclosure",
"Readability",
"Board connections",
"MD&A"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Prior literature claims that the management discussion and analysis (MD&A) is an important element of the annual reporting package, through which managers communicate firm performance and strategies in narrative form (Beattie et al., 2008; Cole and Jones, 2014). Over the years, accounting standards setters have increased their attention on the MD&A because of its resource allocation decision-making implications [Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), 2009; International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), 2010].\n2. Literature and hypotheses: 2.1 Readability studies\n3. Research design: 3.1 Sample and data\n4. Results: Table III presents the descriptive statistics. The mean of the Flesch reading ease is 37.6, indicating that the MD&A of Italian-listed firms is generally difficult to read for a large audience of people with an education below the university degree. This result is in line with the common view in literature that corporate reporting is difficult to read because of the technical language used by its authors (Beattie et al., 2004; Merkl-Davies and Brennan, 2007).\n5. Conclusions: This study has examined the impact of information-sharing disseminated through the firms' board connections on the readability of the MD&A. This is consistent with a large body of research that considers the network as a vehicle for sharing information and resources with beneficial effects on the management practices. The positive influence of the director's ties on the several aspects of a firm's conditions (e.g. corporate governance, performance, strategic alliance, etc.) has also been proven in a large field of research. However, to the best of our knowledge there is no empirical study that directly investigates the firms' board connections as determinant of the corporate disclosure readability.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to determine the impact of information-sharing disseminated through the firms' board connections on the readability of the management discussion and analysis (MD&A).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The investigation conducted in this study is performed by using a regression analysis. The readability of the MD&A is measured by the Flesch reading ease. The level of information-sharing is determined by the degree centrality index. The sample is composed of 83 Italian-listed firms that comprise over 4,000 directors for the period 2008-2012.\nFindings: The main results of this study show a significant relationship between the degree centrality and MD&A readability, suggesting that board connections play a crucial role in improving the quality of external reporting.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study uses a limited sample size. Further, we do not isolate the possible effect of other reporting incentives that may affect the readability of external reporting.\nPractical implications: This study argues that for a non-English-speaking country such as Italy, information-sharing is a vehicle for improving the quality of external reporting and the competitiveness of firms in international capital markets.\nOriginality/value: This research offers an original contribution to the existent literature by highlighting the role of the firms' board connections in determining the level of the corporate disclosure readability. This implies the opportunity for future research to take into account the firms' board connections when they analyze related phenomena.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Relations in KOS: is it possible to couple a common nature with different roles?
|
[
"Information retrieval",
"Semantics",
"Controlled languages",
"Knowledge organizations",
"Epistemology",
"Thesaurus construction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Knowledge organizations systems (KOS) such as thesauri consist of controlled vocabularies designed to allow for successful information retrieval (IR). They include different types of relations for guiding indexers and searchers to the selection of the most suitable terms for expressing given concepts/queries (Dextre Clarke, 2001). The relational structure of a thesaurus is based on methods for connecting terms with related meanings. Of course, being functional items designed to enhance information recall performance, they cannot be considered semantic tools strict sensu (such as lexical databases); i.e. they are not built with the purpose to provide a comprehensive specification of the meaning of terms. Nonetheless, they can be seen as operational semantic tools because they are made of semantic relations and somehow reflect the conceptual structure of a given subject field.\n2. The relational structure of thesauri: KOS such as thesauri are tools designed for improving IR. They are based on a natural language that is turned into a normalized language, where the terms are basically monosemic and the relations among them are made explicit.\n3. The tree model and its philosophical foundation: The origin of the notions of genus and species in the history of the Western thought can be traced back to Plato and Aristotle, whereas the representation of a series of subsequent genus-species links through a hierarchical tree structure can be traced back to the Tree of Porphyry (see Figure 1).\n4. Steps beyond the ideal of objectivity: The tree-like model has been the prevailing but not the sole classification model developed in the West. Beginning in the sixteenth century and encyclopedic projects, new figures and metaphors (e.g. the map, the net, and the labyrinth) were formulated to emphasize a more reticular character of knowledge.\n5. Investigating the nature of relations: The basic relations included in a thesaurus reflect the fundamental mental patterns that typify the human form of life, such as the predisposition toward classification and hierarchization (vertical pathways) and transversal associations (horizontal pathways). However, there have been different ways to \"code\" such patterns, leading to different types of relations. None of these types is \"given\" or universally valid, because all reflect the standpoint of a peculiar cultural or theoretical tradition.\n6. Different relations show a different degree of stability: The type of knowledge we are speaking of is not a priori. Rather, it always involves some sort of knowledge of the world. This same knowledge does not form a monolithic structure. It is an internally differentiated whole, which is made of parts showing different degrees of \"crystallization,\" and which is embodied as such in language.\n7. Different relations can play different roles: According to the view expressed in this paper, the design of KOS is today called to pursue (especially in multidisciplinary areas like the environment) the achievement of two main conditions: interoperability - i.e. the \"ability of two or more systems or components to exchange information and to use the information that has been exchanged\" (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1990, p. 114) - which requires to solve the problem involved in the merging of different retrieval languages, and expressiveness, i.e. the ability to represent contextual and many-sided information - as soon as this is useful for them, users should be made aware of the possible different views on a particular topic (see e.g. Hjorland, 2007, pp. 389-390) - which is needed to ensure that systems work successfully even at the local level (e.g. in a given operational setting). These two conditions are usually considered as mutually exclusive but nowadays there is an urgency to consider them simultaneously.\n8. Conclusion: A thesaurus is a tool that semantically organizes a given field of knowledge for operational purposes. Its relational structure is based on methods for connecting terms with related meanings and designed to support information indexing and retrieval. This paper has explained how different theoretical approaches to meaning, having different views about its nature and representation, could lead to different ways of designing the semantic structures of thesauri.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper, which increases and deepens what was expressed in a previous work (Mazzocchi et al., 2007), is to scrutinize the underlying assumptions of the types of relations included in thesauri, particularly the genus-species relation. Logicist approaches to information organization, which are still dominant, will be compared with hermeneutically oriented approaches. In the light of these approaches, the nature and features of the relations, and what the notion of a priori could possibly mean with regard to them, are examined, together with the implications for designing and implementing knowledge organizations systems (KOS).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The inquiry is based on how the relations are described in literature, engaging in particular a discussion with Hjorland (2015) and Svenonius (2004). The philosophical roots of today's leading views are briefly illustrated, in order to put them under perspective and deconstruct the uncritical reception of their authority. To corroborate the discussion a semantic analysis of specific terms and relations is provided too.\nFindings: All relations should be seen as \"perspectival\" (not as a priori). On the other hand, different types of relations, depending on the conceptual features of the terms involved, can hold a different degree of \"stability.\" On this basis, they could be used to address different information concerns (e.g. interoperability vs expressiveness).\nResearch limitations/implications: Some arguments that the paper puts forth at the conceptual level need to be tested in application contexts.\nOriginality/value: This paper considers that the standpoint of logic and of hermeneutic (usually seen as conflicting) are both significant for information organization, and could be pragmatically integrated. In accordance with this view, an extension of thesaurus relations' set is advised, meaning that perspective hierarchical relations (i.e. relations that are not logically based but function contingently) should be also included in such a set.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Influences of the spokes-character on brand equity antecedents
|
[
"Brand management",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Advertising",
"Marketing communications",
"Retail management",
"Marketing in China"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Using spokes-characters as product or service endorsers is a trend in advertising in different cultures (examples from different cultures available from Alt and Yoda, 2007; Bradshaw, 2010; Slater, 2008). The ubiquity of spokes-characters indicates that both the advertiser and the ad agency trust this tool. Sometimes these characters even develop into stand-alone brands. An example is Aleksandr Orlov, the spokes-character of www.comparethemarket.com, a UK online insurance company. Geographically speaking, the current spokes-character literature is mainly based on studies from the USA and the UK; how the spokes-character influences consumers in other regions is seldom discussed. Since the spokes-character is a commonly used marketing tool in the Asian market (Sudhaman, 2004), more research efforts should be devoted to understanding how such marketing tool influences Asian consumers.\nLiterature review: Theoretical underpinnings\nHypotheses: This section provides two sets of hypothesis. The first hypothesis aims to verify the constructs for measuring consumers' perception of the spokes-character and the following hypotheses intend to examine the relationships among the main constructs, i.e. the spokes-character, brand awareness/brand association, perceived quality and brand loyalty.\nResearch method: Data collection\nData analysis results: The measurement model\nDiscussion: A multi-dimensional scale for measuring consumers' spokes-character perception was proposed and the relationships among the spokes-character perception and antecedents of consumer-based brand equity were examined in this study. In practice, this paper proves that the spokes-character is an effective marketing tool.\nConclusions: This study applies associative network memory, distributed representations and human affect theory to explaining the effectiveness of the spokes-character in raising consumer-based brand equity. Empirically, this study uses 7-Eleven Taiwan's spokes-character, OPEN-CHAN, as an example to examine the qualities reflecting the consumer's perception of the spokes-character and to investigate whether the spokes-character is an effective tool to enhance a retailer's brand awareness/association and perceived quality, i.e. antecedents of retail brand equity. The results herein lead to the following implications.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: To draw attention to the importance of the spokes-character to marketing communications and a company's branding strategy, this exploratory study attempts to suggest a scale for measuring the spokes-character perception and to explore the relationships among the spokes-character perception and brand equity antecedents, i.e. brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality and brand loyalty, in the context of a retail brand. The purpose of this paper is to encourage the discussion about spokes-characters' functions in marketing and branding, particularly in the Asian market.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected through a survey among university students in Taiwan. The survey questionnaire was based on the literature on spokes-characters and on the available scales of consumer-based brand equity. Data were analyzed by using structural equation modeling.\nFindings: The results in this study show that the spokes-character perception is properly reflected by likability, relevance and expertise and likability is the most salient attribute. The spokes-character perception influences brand awareness/association and perceived quality, which in turn influence brand loyalty.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study suggests that likability, relevance and expertise are proper constructs connoting the spokes-character perception and verifies the influence of the spokes-character, as a source of secondary association, on brand equity antecedents, i.e. brand awareness/association, perceived quality and brand loyalty. This study also finds that the spokes-character serves as a cue of perceived quality.\nPractical implications: The suggested scale provides marketers with an instrument for measuring consumers' perception of a potential spokes-character. Besides, when the advertiser or the marketer designs a spokes-character, the character should not only be likable, but also be relevant and show expertise relating to the endorsed brand.\nOriginality/value: This study hopes to encourage more discussions about the utilization of the spokes-character in the Asian market because the discussion about how the spokes-character works in this market is still scant. This study also provides empirical evidence for the influence of a secondary association, i.e. the spokes-character, on brand equity antecedents.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Land use change on U.S. floodplain buyout sites, 1990-2000
|
[
"Land use",
"Buyout",
"Disaster mitigation",
"Floodplain management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Floodplain property acquisitions, or buyouts, are a type of non-structural mitigation that utilize a cost-share approach to reduce repetitive-flood loss. This voluntary program removes people and structures from the floodplain by paying homeowners the pre-flood value of their damaged properties; these properties are then converted to open space. Federal, state, and local governments often share the cost of purchasing these flood-damaged properties. Communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) are eligible to receive federal funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) as distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA contributes up to 75 percent of the buyout funding, leaving local communities and/or state governments responsible for the remaining 25 percent. These local municipalities assume the ownership and responsibility to maintain the open space in perpetuity. In addition to these federally assisted HMGP-funded buyouts, some communities elect to acquire floodplain properties using only local resources as capital projects. Since these capital projects are not subject to the same FEMA regulations, local governments are solely responsible for land use decisions.\nHistory of the flood buyout program: US floodplain development increased substantially throughout the twentieth century (Walker, 1990). This increase was financed by local, state, and federal government agencies and enabled by structural engineering projects such as retention dams, levee construction, and river channelization (White, 1958; Montz and Gruntfest, 1986; Burby et al., 1988). Federal decision makers embraced non-structural mitigation approaches following a period of intense and wide-spread flood damages in the 1960s, resulting in the passage of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (Platt, 1999). The NFIP was established through this legislation as a means to reduce flood-related losses by instituting financial disincentives for floodplain development. Rather than inhibit floodplain development, the NFIP spread the cost of local flood events across a federally financed risk-pool and further enabled floodplain development in many US communities. However, catastrophic flooding in 1993 initiated a change in US flood management culture and subsequent legislation reflected a shift toward non-structural mitigation techniques meant to inhibit floodplain development (Godschalk et al., 1999; Burby, 2001). Many communities adopted non-structural mitigation techniques such as stricter flood insurance requirements, zoning, and education outreach. Property acquisition is one of those non-structural mitigation techniques that gained popularity following the Midwestern floods of 1993.\nMethods: To understand how communities manage open space created through the buyout program, a two-phase mixed-methods approach was implemented that included a qualitative land use classification survey of floodplain properties as well as a semi-structured questionnaire of floodplain managers. A search to identify buyout properties was conducted through communication with state and local governments, FEMA records, as well as FEMA and state mitigation best practices publications. Additionally, searches were performed in ProQuest News and Newspaper database using the key word \"flood\" in conjunction with \"property acquisition\" or \"buyout.\" The search results were then limited by timeframe (1990-2000); yielding a total of 10,133 acquired properties. Both the HMGP- and locally funded buyout sites analyzed in this study represent a convenience sample with a shared temporal characteristic. This selected timeframe allowed sufficient time for property acquisition, structural demolition, open space development, and observations on land management trends. This study is classified as an examination of long-term buyout land management trends, defined as ten or more years, which is consistent with disaster reconstruction literature (Haas et al., 1977).\nFindings: Fieldwork revealed that although some of the local governments instituted creative land uses beyond FEMA's suggestions, the majority of buyout sites in this study were vacant lots, defined as areas of mowed grass or bare soil (Table I). Vacant lots were the most common land use at both HMGP-funded (34.2 percent) and capital project (27.0 percent) sites. The vacant buyout properties tended to represent a patchwork pattern with buyout parcels interspersed among privately owned homes. This patchwork pattern limits the opportunity for open space development; however, some communities found ways to increase the utility of these lots by implementing recreational land uses such as Frisbee disc golf courses. This recreational land use is a resourceful solution to increasing the utility of buyout properties scattered throughout a neighborhood and meets the recreational goals of FEMA open space management. Another high-utility open space land use that still maintains the function of the floodplain and is recommended by FEMA is athletic facilities. The land use survey identified athletic facilities as a popular open space land use particularly at HMGP-funded sites (HMGP-funded site =9.0 percent and Capital Project site =5.4 percent). Athletic land uses included, but were not limited to, skateboard parks, basketball courts, and soccer fields; generally, these occurred within or adjacent to community parks.\nConclusions and future work: The land use survey identified a variety of open space uses at buyout sites across the USA. Despite this variety, the majority of the communities in this study did not develop high-utility land uses as encouraged by FEMA resulting in a high percentage of vacant lots at buyout sites. Floodplain managers' survey responses indicated that these vacant lots are likely the result of limited resources; both in terms of budgets as well as access to information on open space planning. Highlighting this lack of information, many survey respondents commented that they did not have an open space management plan in place prior to floodplain property acquisition. Technical assistance with the creation and implementation of a management plan during the initial stages of floodplain property acquisition would likely increase the number of high-utility land uses at buyout sites. For many communities, budgetary constraints prevented the development of high-utility open space land uses as opposed to lack of planning or technical assistance. Although FEMA (1998) advocates for open space development as a means to increase the tax base, the initial cost of developing a high-utility land use is often unrealistic for communities recovering from a flood and property acquisition.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides guidelines for the management of open space created through property acquisition (buyouts); however, land use decisions are primarily left to local governments manifesting in a variety of uses. The purpose of this paper is to provide a land use assessment of buyout sites, to describe the changes in those uses that have occurred during a ten-year period from 1990 to 2000, and to offer an assessment of management approaches employed across these sites.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using a mixed-methods approach consisting of a land use classification survey and a semi-structured questionnaire of floodplain managers, this study explores the land use trends at buyout sites, diverse approaches local governments take in managing the open spaces created through floodplain buyout programs, and the successes and challenges communities face in open space management.\nFindings: Results indicate strong support from floodplain managers for property acquisition and several cases emerged where communities put their newly acquired public land to creative uses. However, the opportunity to leverage these properties for greater public values is largely being missed, primarily because of limited funding.\nPractical implications: The analysis indicates strong support among floodplain managers for the buyout approach; however, additional resource-sharing and funding opportunities are needed to increase the utility of buyout properties.\nOriginality/value: By evaluating the long-term management strategies floodplain managers utilize on buyout sites, this study adds to an underrepresented area of scholarship and is of value to practitioners, government officials, and academics.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Re-thinking SME disadvantage in public procurement
|
[
"Capabilities",
"Public sector",
"SME",
"Resources",
"Tendering"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The liability of being a small supplier in the public sector marketplace is a cross-cutting theme in procurement research. Over the past 25 years numerous academic studies and government reports have addressed the question of why small and medium enterprises (SMEs) struggle to compete for and win business with public sector organisations (see Loader, 2013 for a full review). As a result of these studies and reports we know that public procurement is challenging for SMEs on multiple levels and that there are no easy solutions to their under-representation. Problems include not only bureaucratic tendering systems and onerous qualification criteria (Fee et al., 2002; Loader, 2015) but also excessive risk aversion on the part of public buyers (Cabras, 2011) and a public sector marketplace that operates in ways unfamiliar to many small firms (Greer, 1999).\nLiterature review: Public procurement is a significant marketplace for private sector firms, accounting for 13 per cent of GDP and 29 per cent of government expenditure, on average, across developed economies (OECD, 2013). In monetary terms this equates to PS242 billion in the UK and approximately EUR1,900 billion in the EU, to give but two illustrations. Public contracts are attractive to private sector firms for a number of reasons. For a start, they represent a predictable and stable source of demand (Loader, 2005). Payment certainty is another factor, with survey evidence showing this factor to be among the main perceived benefits of supplying public sector organisations (MacManus, 1991). Besides this, some types of public procurement provide innovative firms with the opportunity to commercialise new products and services (Georghiou et al., 2014). Against these attractions, business-to-government is bureaucratic, legalistic and arms-length when compared to business-to-business (Lian and Laing, 2004). As such, it represents something of a double-edge sword for suppliers.\nResearch design: The research, hypothetico-deductive in form, is motivated by a desire to better understand the antecedents of firm participation and performance in public procurement. A conceptual model informed by RBV theory was specified initially. Variables for testing were identified based on foregoing studies. Each variable was operationalised and included in a survey instrument. The survey instrument was pre-tested with ten firms that had experience of tendering for public contracts, which is standard practice (Dillman, 2007). No issues were raised with regard to understanding the questions or pre-defined response sets. Ireland was chosen as the research setting. The Irish marketplace for public contracts, which accounts for approximately 12 per cent of national GDP, has undergone a series of policy changes since 2008 (OECD, 2013). All of these have sought to simplify the tendering process and make it accessible to smaller and younger firms. As such, Ireland represents an interesting context in which to test our model.\nResults: Results for the hypotheses are described in this section. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to test relationships between firm size and the resource and capability base for tendering (see Table IV). The effect of firm size on each variable (F-ratio) is reproduced, as are the differences in mean scores between micro, small, medium and large enterprises. For exploratory purposes the direct relationship between firm size and tendering activity and performance is also examined. The effect of the resource base of the firm on tendering activity and performance is then tested using linear regression models (see Table V).\nDiscussion: Firm size has always been at the core of debate on supplier involvement in public procurement. Early studies in this field were pre-occupied with the difficulties inherent in being a small supplier and sought to identify the internal and external barriers affecting them (e.g. Greer, 1999; Loader, 2005; MacManus, 1991). In the years since, the narrative of disadvantaged small firms vs dominant large firms has become pervasive in both research and policy. Yet as has been argued elsewhere, such binary distinctions are not exactly helpful when they imply that SMEs are uniformly disadvantaged in public procurement (Flynn et al., 2015) or in any other marketplace for that matter (Pett et al., 2012). To help in moving beyond this point our paper has taken a more fine-grained perspective on firm size and involvement in public procurement. It anchors its ideas in RBV theory, which adds explanatory depth to this line of inquiry.\nConclusion: Promoting SME involvement in public sector supply chains has become a mainstay of government policy internationally and a topic round which much procurement research has coalesced (Flynn and Davis, 2016; Kidalov and Snider, 2011). Still, there remains a paucity of empirical evidence and theorising on the precise relationship between firm size and ability and willingness to tender for public contracts. Our study offers a more penetrating analysis of this relationship by comparing the resources and capabilities of micro, small, medium and large enterprises and how these, in turn, affect tendering activity and performance. It does so through the lens of RBV of the firm, which brings some theoretical grounding to the problem. Its findings point to the desirability of moving beyond SME vs large firm distinctions and instead embracing a more layered, nuanced understanding of firm size and its effects. This has direct implications for how firm involvement in public procurement is investigated as well as how public policy is formulated and implemented. There is a need for more research in this area. With this in mind, a number of actionable recommendations to steer future enquiry are set forth.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between firm size, resources, capabilities and involvement in public procurement. While the liability of smallness has been a recurring theme in research into public sector suppliers, there remains a dearth of evidence and theorising on the effects of size.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A model linking firm size, resources, capabilities, tendering activity and performance is devised. Resource-based view theory informs the model. Survey data from over 3,000 firms active in the Irish public sector marketplace is used to test the model.\nFindings: As hypothesised, firm size is positively associated with tendering resources and capabilities. Resources and capabilities, in turn, influence tendering activity and performance. Specifically, resources act as enablers for the number and value of contracts firms tender for while capabilities are important for winning contracts. The author also finds similarities between medium and large enterprises in their ability to tender.\nResearch limitations/implications: The treatment of tendering resources and capabilities is not exhaustive. Future research could include additional indicators of resources (e.g. external consultants, IT) and capabilities (e.g. production, process innovation).\nPractical implications: Managers of micro and small suppliers should focus on augmenting their tendering capabilities as they lag bigger suppliers. Legislators need to re-assess current \"one-size-fits-all\" small and medium enterprise (SME) friendly policy as it is not sensitive to intra-SME differences.\nOriginality/value: This study introduces an important qualification into understanding of public sector suppliers by demonstrating that SME disadvantage is less black and white than shades of grey.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
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