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Attracting doctoral students: case of Baltic universities
|
[
"Marketing",
"PhD studies",
"Baltic countries",
"Choice of university",
"Motivation to enrol"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Doctoral education plays two roles in society. First, it enhances the research potential of a country, which has a positive effect on its innovation potential and economic growth (Smith et al., 2010). Many countries recognise this and provide support for doctoral students via grants and/or scholarships. It is also reflected in the Europe 2020 strategy of the European Union, where the goal of enhancing R&D is among the five main goals put forward for the purpose of boosting innovation and supporting economic growth. Second, a doctoral degree gives certain benefits to its holder. Some are feeding own ego by acquiring the highest possible level of education; for others, it allows to deepen knowledge and acquire research skills. In addition, a doctoral degree also gives more space for manoeuvring in the labour market due to the abundance of Bachelor's and Master's graduates[1] and the related credential inflation (Collins, 2002).\n2. Existing research on the reasons of entering a PhD programme: The literature on the motivation to get a doctoral degree is scarce. The study documented in this paper focusses on PhD programmes rather than on professional doctorates due to the specifics of doctoral education in the Baltic countries, as explained in Section 3. Thus, this section also focusses on the studies about PhD programmes. Table I summarises the findings from the literature. As the table shows, studies were mainly conducted in Anglosphere countries (the USA, the UK and Australia/Australasia), although studies on Finland and Austria are also available.\n3. Doctoral education in the Baltic countries at a glance: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are small neighbouring post-Soviet countries with similar structures of education system. As shown in Table II, all three countries require a Master's degree or its equivalent to be admitted to PhD studies (professional doctoral programmes are not popular in these countries[4]). Typically, 240 ECTS points should be earned during three to four years from admission to graduation. To receive the degree, PhD students have to pass a defined set of mandatory and elective courses and defend a doctoral thesis, which is typically in the form of a dissertation. In other words, these are structured programmes as defined by Calatrava Moreno and Kollanus (2013).\n4. Data: In the literature on the motivation of enrolment in PhD studies, two methods of data collection are typically used: semi-structured interviews (Brailsford, 2010; Calatrava Moreno and Kollanus, 2013; Kemp et al., 2014; Kollanus, 2014) and surveys (Anderson and Swazey, 1998; Biddle, 2013; Guerin et al., 2015); Leonard et al. (2005) used a survey with open-ended questions.\n5. Results: 5.1 Goals pursued when enrolling in PhD studies\n6. Discussion and conclusions: The demand for PhD programmes in the Baltic countries has started falling recently, and the trend will, most likely, continue to face downwards purely for demographic reasons. Combined with dropping demand for lower-level tertiary education, it presents certain challenges for the HEI management. The competition in the market for doctoral studies will increase within each of the Baltic countries, but also across these countries, as HEIs will seek to attract students from abroad. This paper showed particular points of interest of individuals studying in each of these countries that HEIs should pay attention to when creating their marketing strategies.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: In the context of falling demand for higher education and, in particular, doctoral studies, it is important to understand how to attract new students. The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the decision-making process the PhD students of Baltic universities followed when choosing whether to continue their education at doctoral level and in which institution to do it.\nDesign/methodology/approach: It uses the data gathered in 2014 from all major Baltic universities providing access to higher education at doctoral level.\nFindings: At macro-level, the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are rather different in the supply of doctoral programmes and the level and dynamics of the popularity of doctoral-level studies in the population. Besides, strong country-specific effects on the goals students pursued when they enrolled in a doctoral programme and the information about the university or the programme they found useful are observed at micro-level. The main result is related to systematic differences in the perceptions students have about the benefits they will get from a doctoral degree across the current (at doctoral level) and previous (at Bachelor's and Master's levels) fields of study, as well as depending on labour-market experience and family and social circle.\nPractical implications: These findings suggest that Baltic higher education institutions should employ different marketing communication strategies when attracting new doctoral students, depending on the field of study and the country they operate in.\nOriginality/value: This is the first comprehensive study on the motivation of enrolment at doctoral level in the Baltic countries. It gives the management of Baltic universities a general picture of the motivation to get a PhD degree and factors affecting the choice of university, which can be readily incorporated into universities' strategy.\n",
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The evolution of the employee engagement concept: communication implications
|
[
"Job commitment",
"Communication management",
"Corporate communications",
"Employee communications",
"Internal communications",
"Motivation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Employee engagement is a matter of concern for leaders and managers in organisations across the globe; they recognise it as a vital element affecting organisational effectiveness, innovation and competitiveness. This concern is evident in findings of the Corporate Communication International survey of US chief corporate communicator opinion on practices and trends. The survey identified employee engagement as one of the three top trends facing organisations (Goodman et al., 2009). In Europe, a UK Government-sponsored review (MacLeod and Clarke, 2009) found employee engagement to be a cause for concern for leaders in private, public and voluntary sector organisations. This paper aims to make a contribution by considering the role of communication in enhancing employee engagement. Despite its importance for organisation leaders, there is considerable confusion about the meaning of employee engagement. This leads to muddled understandings of the term within organisations, for example, Balain and Sparrow (2009) report a survey which found 20 different models of engagement inside one single organisation. The term employee engagement has its roots in academic work. However, it was largely a business and consultancy issue in the 1990s. Now, the concept is attracting increasing attention from academics, particularly from scholars in business and management, psychology, and organisational behaviour disciplines. These sources have varying conceptions of the term employee engagement, resulting in confusion in the literature. This paper aims to provide a degree of clarity on the concept by identifying stages in its evolution and discussing its definition.Given global leadership concern about employee engagement, communication professionals involved in internal communication management need an in-depth understanding of the concept so that they can craft strategies and tactics which contribute to building engagement. Internal communication has been posited as an important factor in the development of employment engagement. Surprisingly, corporate communication literature has not yet adequately considered the concept. This may be due to confusion concerning the concept, and to concerns about overlaps with other constructs. This paper tackles the gap in the literature with a proposed model of the role of internal corporate communication in enhancing employee engagement.Article structure\nThe evolution of employee engagement: The notion of employee engagement has attracted considerable interest from business and consultancy firms since the 1990s and has more recently begun to attract wider academic attention. Analysis of employee engagement literature has enabled the identification of stages in the evolution of the employee engagement concept, conceptualised here as a series of waves. The literature includes conceptual and empirical work (Kahn, 1990, 1992, 2010; Saks, 2006, 2008; Macey and Schneider, 2008a, b; Robinson et al., 2004, 2007; Truss et al., 2006; Truss and Soane, 2010) and previous literature reviews on the topic (Fawkes, 2007; Kular et al., 2008; Wefald and Downey, 2008; Shuck and Wollard, 2010; Attridge, 2009). These waves are set out next along with a discussion of definitions, and are summarised in Table I.Pre-wave\nDiscussion: There are several issues arising from the evolution of the employee engagement concept due to the debate, contention and confusion evident in the literature. To consider the role of communication in enhancing employee engagement, three issues with implications for communication research and practice are addressed next: the fundamental nature of engagement; its overlap with other constructs such as organisational commitment; and, its communication implications.The fundamental nature of engagement\nConclusions: The conceptual model proposed in this paper provides a starting point for further research and contributes to filling the gap in research on the role of senior leadership in employee engagement (Albrecht, 2010). However, because the model takes an organisation-level approach, it is limited to one important dimension of internal communication, internal corporate communication. Clearly, the complexity of communication inside organisations needs to be recognised with research on other internal communication dimensions including line management, team peer and project peer communication.This conceptual article provides an overview of employee engagement literature with a novel contribution identifying evolutionary waves in the development of the concept. It considers the nature of the concept and its overlaps with organisational commitment. The article recognises that scholars have begun to consider engagement at an organisation level as well as job level. It suggests a definition of organisation engagement as a dynamic, changeable psychological state which links employees to their organisations, manifest in organisation member role performances expressed physically, cognitively and emotionally, and influenced by organisation-level internal communication.The article notes a conspicuous dearth of contributions from corporate communication and public relations disciplines and highlights foggy usage of the term employee engagement in previous communication literature. It contributes a model which conceptualises relationships between internal corporate communication and dimensions of employee engagement. The model suggests one way the concept can be viewed from a communication perspective and thus provides a platform for future communication research. For example, rhetorical studies could be conducted to explore the impact of corporate messages on engagement. Semiotic studies might consider the impact of verbal and visual symbols on engagement. Additionally, further work could consider how employee engagement is connected to other important constructs such as organisational culture or organisational identity.There are practical implications of the model as it encourages communicators to consider potential engagement effects of communication strategies and tactics. For example, the content of internal communication messages could be considered in terms of potential impact on meaningfulness and engagement. Message strategy development might include evaluation of the tone of communication. Tone could be evaluated in relation to its possible impact on perceptions of safety, and its likelihood of encouraging dialogue. Since engagement levels differ within workforces, the model encourages communicators to consider the communication needs of employees with varying levels of engagement. For example, a highly emotionally engaged employee may have a greater need for information to validate an ongoing sense of belonging to the organisation. Likewise, employees with high cognitive engagement may value access to detailed material to facilitate their understanding of, and contributions to organisational goals. Consequently, the model encourages practitioners to evaluate employee communication needs from an engagement perspective. This could influence the design of internal communication evaluation instruments and audit questionnaires. These practical implications have further consequences in regard to the skills, education and continuing professional development of communicators.The article discusses linkages between engagement and communication which suggest further research potential for the communication disciplines. There is potential for studies on the impact of internal communication on employee engagement at internal corporate communication, line management, team peer and project peer levels. This would benefit practice by informing corporate communicators about communication interventions to increase employee engagement. It would serve employee interests by providing a focus on communications needed by internal stakeholders to enable engagement. Such work could form an important fourth wave of employee engagement research.\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to corporate communication theory by considering the evolution of employee engagement and the role of communication in enhancing employee engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Despite its importance for organisation leaders, there is considerable confusion about the meaning of employee engagement. This paper aims to provide a degree of clarity on the concept by identifying stages in its evolution and discussing its definition.\nFindings: - Surprisingly, corporate communication literature has not yet adequately considered the concept. This may be due to confusion concerning the concept, and to concerns about overlaps with other constructs such as commitment. This paper tackles the gap in the literature with a proposed model of the role of internal corporate communication in enhancing employee engagement.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The article discusses linkages between engagement and communication which suggest research potential for the communication disciplines.\nPractical implications: - There are practical implications of the model proposed here since it encourages communicators to consider potential engagement effects of communication strategies and tactics.\nSocial implications: - The paper encourages communicators to consider the communication needs of employees.\nOriginality/value: - This conceptual paper provides an overview of employee engagement literature with a novel contribution identifying evolutionary waves in the development of the concept. It suggests a definition of organisation engagement as a dynamic, changeable psychological state which links employees to their organisations, manifest in organisation member role performances expressed physically, cognitively and emotionally, and influenced by organisation-level internal communication.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Apple was sweeter when Steve Jobs held sway: Company illustrates contrasting attitudes to organizational change
|
[
"Information technology",
"Innovation",
"Organizational change",
"Apple"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Look no further than Apple for an illustration of the right and wrong ways to bring about organizational change and the key role of personalities in the process.\nThe John Sculley era: Sales at Apple rose from $800 million to $8 billion under John Sculley's decade-long period at the helm. Part of the reason, ironically, was the success of products developed during the Steve Jobs era.\nTransformation under Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs was a transformational leader, passionate and enthusiastic about what he did and keen to inspire employees to give their best. He introduced the Think Different campaign to restore Apple's damaged brand. The slogan came to define the company for the next five years. Dissatisfaction with the status quo enabled him to put innovation at the center of the business. Communication with the employees became horizontal and collaborative in contrast with the top-down approach of John Sculley.\nLearning the lessons of Apple: Too few firms, it seems, have learned the lessons of Apple. Researchers estimate that around 60 percent of organizational-change initiatives fail. Among the reasons are:\nKey elements in implementing change: Three key elements can help in implementing change. First, creating the conditions for change and trusting people to get on with it are more effective than having one person believe that he or she can manage the change process and taking the view that some change will stick if enough change initiatives are launched. Figure 1 shows that emergent change and master change are more effective than directive change and self-assembly change. Emergent change is particularly effective in achieving wide-ranging and complex change.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper observes that Apple illustrates the right and wrong ways to bring about organizational change, and emphasizes the key role of personalities in the process.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Compares and contrasts the performance of Apple under the leadership of Steve Jobs and John Sculley.\nFindings: Advances the view that Steve Jobs was more successful because he focused on innovation, while John Sculley paid more attention to current products and profitability.\nPractical implications: Describes how the Steve Jobs era saw the introduction of such iconic Apple products as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, which helped the company to gain pre-eminence in its field.\nSocial implications: Argues that, in today's globalized business environment, organizational change is a must. Demonstrates how to achieve this successfully.\nOriginality/value: Describes two sides of the Apple story and draws the lessons for other businesses involved in organizational change.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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I believe therefore I care: The relationship between religiosity, environmental attitudes, and green product purchase in Mexico
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Mexico",
"Green issues",
"Empirical study",
"Environment",
"Emerging markets"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The deterioration of the natural environment is one of the most important challenges in the twenty-first century. Personal consumption, and more specifically, overconsumption, is a major factor contributing to the problem (Tanner and Wolfing Kast, 2003). In the long run, overconsumption does not only harm the natural environment, but also consumers' well-being and quality of life. Apart from the resource-intensive lifestyles of industrialized countries, emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil are putting additional stress on the ecosystem because of their substantial population sizes (Schafer et al., 2011). Thus, societies in both developed and emerging economies are pressured to find ways to attenuate and possibly reverse the negative effects of overconsumption by promoting pro-environmental behaviors such as recycling and the purchases of environmentally-friendly products.\nThe relationship between EA and behaviors: Although EA and behaviors can be subsumed under the umbrella concept of environmental consciousness (Dembkowski and Hanmer-Lloyd, 1994; Diamantopoulos et al., 2003), they are not necessarily strongly related. Rather, previous studies have reported mixed results concerning the relationship between these variables. On the one hand, theories modeling behavior change generally have proposed that behavioral changes are preceded by changes in attitudes (Berger and Mitchell, 1989; Fazio and Zanna, 1978). Based on the knowledge-attitudes-behavior (KAB) model (Flamm, 2006; Kaiser et al., 1999), EA should be able to predict green consumer behavior, and previous empirical research has found evidence in support of this relationship. For example, Roberts and Bacon (1997) found that environmental concern (EC) influenced several ecologically conscious consumer behaviors (ECCB), such as general recycling behavior and ecologically conscious decision making. Jansson et al. (2010) reported a positive influence of EA on curtailing behaviors such as reducing energy consumption and adopting environmentally-friendly technology. A similar, positive, and statistically significant influence of EA has been reported for the purchases of natural food (Homer and Kahle, 1988), the purchases of environmentally-friendly products (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Kim and Choi, 2005; Schlegelmilch et al., 1996), and pro-environmental behaviors in general (Aytulkasapoglu and Ecevit, 2002; Bamberg and Moser, 2007; Fraj and Martinez, 2006; Gatersleben et al., 2002; Kaiser et al., 1999; Meinhold and Malkus, 2005; Minton and Rose, 1997; Roberts, 1996).\nThe influence of religiosity: Religiosity, defined as the strength of religious motivations, values, and beliefs (Allport and Ross, 1967) or the degree to which individuals are committed to a particular religious group (Essoo and Dibb, 2004), is a major cultural force and influences consumer decision making substantially (Delener, 1990). The idea that environmental consciousness is affected by religious values has been expressed by several authors. For example, White (1967) suggested that Christianity is driven by a dogma of human mastery over nature and thus represents a fundamentally anthropocentric worldview. His thesis implies that religious values based on Christianity are negatively related to pro-EA and behaviors. Some empirical studies seemed to confirm this hypothesis. For example, Hand and van Liere (1984) found that Judeo-Christians were more committed to the mastery-over-nature orientation and less concerned about the environment than non-Judeo-Christians, and several authors reported a negative relationship for belief in the Bible and EC (Eckberg and Blocker, 1989; Greeley, 1993; Schultz et al., 2000). Contrasting these findings, other studies suggested that church attendance had no influence on EA when controlled for education, age, gender, and region (Kanagy and Nelsen, 1995) and a positive influence on environmental behaviors when controlled for EA (Kanagy and Willits, 1993). In the same vein, Martin and Bateman (2014) found no influence of intrapersonal religious commitment on ecocentric attitudes and behaviors. Thus, it is not surprising that a recent review article concluded that \"given the multidimensional nature of both religiosity and environmental protection, the results of different studies - a virtual 'briarpatch' of multivariate statistical analyses - seem to defy coherent summary\" (Harper, 2008, p. 5).\nModeration of the environment attitudes-behavior relationship: Early research on the attitude-behavior relationship suggested that correlations between attitudes and behaviors were generally very low and that the ability of attitudes to predict behaviors was in fact disappointing (Wicker, 1969). On the other hand, recent studies demonstrated a considerable amount of variability in the attitude-behavior relationship ranging from -0.20 to 0.73 (Glasman and Albarracin, 2006). Thus, an important stream of research has been investigating potential moderators of the relationship (Fabrigar et al., 2009). Among those constructs that seem to have a moderating influence on the relationship between attitudes and behaviors were attitude confidence (Fazio and Zanna, 1978), attitude strength (Holland et al., 2002), introspection (Wilson and Dunn, 1986), and self-monitoring (Zanna et al., 1980). However, research that integrates moderators into environmental studies in order to better understand the relationship between EA and pro-environmental behaviors such as recycling or the purchasing of green products is scarce. Among the few exceptions were Berger and Corbin (1992) who found higher correlations between general EA and environmentally-friendly behaviors for those consumers high on perceived consumer effectiveness than for those low on perceived consumer effectiveness. Further, Schultz and Oskamp (1996) found that EA were stronger predictors of recycling behavior when the effort required for the behavior was high, and that this relationship was weaker when less effort was needed for the behavior. Based on consistency theory in attitude-behavior research (Millar and Tesser, 1989), we suggest that religiosity may not only have a positive main effect on EA and pro-environmental behaviors, but also positively moderate the relationship between these two variables. Because we expect catholic religious beliefs to be consistent with pro-EA, we assume that religiosity will amplify the relationship between EA and behaviors. Specifically, we argue that under the assumption of a positive relationship between EA and GPP (H1); and positive relationships between religiosity and EA (H2) as well as religiosity and GPP (H3), religiosity will have a positive moderating effect on the environmental attitude-behavior relationship. Thus:\nMethod: Sample\nAnalysis and results: Scale reliability and validity\nDiscussion and implications: Previous research suggested that integrating a sustainability strategy into the corporate agenda can be a distinctive success factor for marketers (Hult, 2011). For example, Fabri-Kal, the sixth largest thermoformer in North America, makes its products entirely from plant based-materials and achieves a competitive advantage by positioning itself as a sustainable company (Crittenden et al., 2011). Our research is timely because it builds on the need to better understand the purchases of green products from a consumer-oriented perspective and models EA and the cultural value of IRO as antecedents of GPP. Based on primary data from 242 predominantly catholic consumers in Northern Mexico, our study supports previous findings suggesting a significant influence of EA on purchasing green products (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Kim and Choi, 2005; Schlegelmilch et al., 1996) and challenges those authors who assume a common gap between EA and behaviors (Bamossy and Englis, 2010; Gupta and Odgen, 2009; Kollmuss and Agyeman, 2002). Previous research has argued that the gap between EA and green behaviors is caused by the inclusion of behavioral measurement items that are too general, and has found substantial and significant correlations between the two constructs when green behaviors where operationalized in a more specific way (Follows and Jobber, 2000; McCarty and Shrum, 1994). It seems that the positive relationship between EA and GPP we found in our study indicates that we were successful in using a behavior measurement scale that was sufficiently concrete for the respondents. Our findings imply that marketers and policy makers striving to increase the purchases of green products should try to induce positive attitude changes concerning the protection of the natural environment and the effectiveness of buying green products.\nLimitations and future research: Our findings shed light on the relationship between a specific, important cultural value (religious orientation), EA, and a concrete type of pro-environmental behaviors (the purchases of green products). Despite these merits, our research presents several limitations that, though not threatening the scope or validity of our findings, should be taken into consideration when interpreting the results. At the same time, these limitations open an interesting agenda for future research.\n",
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of intrinsic religious orientation (IRO) on environmental attitudes (EA) and green product purchases (GPP) in Mexico.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses structural equation modeling to analyze the survey results of 242 consumers from Northern Mexico.\nFindings: The results of the study show a significant influence of EA on purchasing green products. In addition, the findings suggest that consumers with higher levels of IRO have a higher propensity to buy environmentally-friendly products, but do not show more favorable attitudes toward the environment than less-religious consumers.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study relies on a convenience sample from Northern Mexico. Further, the study relies on self-reported measures of green product purchase (GPP) and future research should incorporate real purchases of green products in addition to self-reported measures.\nPractical implications: The findings of the study imply that marketers and policy makers striving to increase the purchasing of green products should try to induce positive attitude changes concerning the protection of the natural environment and the effectiveness of buying green products.\nSocial implications: Since religiosity in Mexico influences the purchasing of green products positively, policy makers may reflect on what parts of current Catholic social norms could be leveraged to promote green behaviors among the general Mexican population. Social institutions and change agents, such as the Church and its representatives, may be central to achieving behavioral compliance to environmentally-friendly doctrines.\nOriginality/value: Investigating the factors that influence consumers' environmentally-friendly attitudes and behaviors in emerging economies is imperative for attenuating the negative environmental consequences of economic growth and consumption.\n",
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Intuition: the missing ingredient for good managerial decision-making
|
[
"Management",
"Decision making",
"Benefits",
"Entrepreneurs",
"Hurdles",
"Intuitive"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: the role of intuition in managerial decision making: This paper strives to inform decision makers about the ways their mind actually handles huge amounts of information and to raise awareness for the role intuition plays in managerial decision making. To this end, we point out how and when human beings use intuition and provide empirical examples that illustrate its value, as well as factors moderating its application. We close with advice on how to put intuition's elusive force to its best use in professional as well as everyday life.\nOur conscious mind is limited: so what?: The fact that we are only capable of processing a limited amount of information at a time isn't much of a surprise. We all have experienced difficulties in deliberating clearly if our conscious mind got jammed with information. Most famously, perhaps, George A. Miller drew attention to this fact by illustrating that we consciously can \"store\" only seven things (plus or minus two) at a time (Evans, 2003; Miller, 1956).\nWhy is being intuitive good for managers?: The answer to this question is (in part) given in the discussion above. However, in this section we provide empirical evidence regarding the benefits managers can derive from intuitive decision making. The data stem from a study we conducted in summer 2011, asking over 600 Austrian entrepreneurs and executive managers to indicate when they rely on intuition, when they perceive intuitive decision making as valuable, as well as questions regarding their organizations' performance.\nHurdles to being an intuitive manager: The fact that there are differences in propensity to rely on intuition among different professional groups isn't much of a surprise. Parikh et al. (1994) already showed that intuition is more relevant in marketing and human resource management than, for instance, in finance. However, our study reveals that social factors also influence whether managers act upon their intuitive hunches or not. We found that propensity to rely on intuition is related to a person's hierarchical position within an organization. The higher up in hierarchy, the more managers rely on intuition (see Figure 7).\nHow to become a \"good\" intuitive manager: Deliberative processes are based on intuitive signals, which are rooted in a person's innate predispositions, and are further shaped by a person's interactions with the environment. Unfortunately many experienced senior managers make the mistake of thinking they know all the clues that guide their decision making and forget that relying on their experience actually can lure them into an overconfidence trap, as this following example from the National Basketball Association (NBA) shows.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to clarify the role of intuition in managerial decision making by identifying when intuitive decision making is typically applied, of what value it is for organizations and what inhibits its application.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors combine insights from cognitive and social psychology with empirical evidence from a survey study with Austrian organizations.\nFindings: In conjunction with deliberation, intuitive decision making contributes positively to organizational performance. Its application is moderated by a person's hierarchical position, organization size as well as the subject at hand.\nResearch limitations/implications: While literature suggests to rely on self-reports to measure success, this approach can also be perceived as a limitation of this paper. Although insiders are most knowledgeable about their organizations, their information might lack objectivity. It is therefore important that future research applies more objective success measures.\nPractical implications: This research stresses the merits and dangers of intuitive decision making and advises managers how to become \"good\" intuitive decision makers.\nSocial implications: Understanding the hallmarks of intuitive decision making, as well as the factors that moderate it, alters the understanding of our actions and therefore has implications for all human interactions.\nOriginality/value: This paper adds to existing literature on intuition in management research by providing empirical data regarding the value of intuition and factors that inhibit its application in organizational contexts.\n",
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The barriers to the adoption of environmental management practices in the hotel industry: a study of Malaysian hotels
|
[
"Environmental management practices",
"Drivers of environmental management practices",
"Malaysian hotels",
"Hotels",
"Management strategy",
"Malaysia"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Sustainability and environmental management have become one of the most critical management issues facing companies in a wide range of industries as well as hospitality firms as a result of growing environmental awareness among consumers, governments and social groups, and employees. Sustainable development can be perceived and defined in many ways. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as:\nLiterature review on environmental management practices (EMPs): Rogers (1995) defined innovation as ideas, practices or concepts perceived to the potential adopters. However, whether an organization adopts an environmental practice or initiates a new kind of environmental practice in the market depends on various factors (Rogers, 1995). According to institutional theory, social pressures from other actors in market (such as the government and the public) is an important factor in determining an organization's intention to adopt or even over-comply with environmental management practices (Delmas and Toffel, 2003).\nResearch methodology: This study involves a conducting of survey to obtain the categorical data for statistical testing of the formulated hypotheses. The survey was conducted using the questionnaire, which sent through by mail. This method was employed in this study because of advantaged of covering a wide geographical area in less time and with less cost (Sekaran, 2009).\nValidity and reliability: Factor analysis was performed to test the validity of measurement used in measuring the drivers for EMPs, and EMPs. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO), measure of sampling adequacy is 0.7 and Bartlett's Test of Spherecity is significant (p<0.01). Table I reveals that the items for EMPs drivers loaded on five factors with Eigenvalues exceeding 1. These five factors (Regulation/Government, Customer Demand, Level of Competition, Greenness at the Organizational Level, and Attitude at the Organizational Level towards Change) explain 72 percent, 65 percent, 62 percent, 74 percent, and 78 percent of variance in the data (above that recommended minimum level of 0.50). However, out of 44 items, six items was deleted which were found did not meet the marked Communilities of 0.50 adopted by this research, or has high cross-loadings (above 0.35). Therefore, these items were deleted from the measures of EMPs drivers.\nResults and analysis: All items that drive the organization to adopt EMPs were measured using a seven-point likert scale anchored by 1 (strongly disagree) and 7 (strongly agree). The descriptive statistics presented in Table II indicated that four and five-star hotels' level of agreed had ranged from 3.33 to 4.64 which can be concluded as neither agree nor disagree. Greenness at the Organizational Level had the highest mean value (4.64), followed by Customer Demand (4.55), Level of Competition (4.54), and Regulation/Government (4.24), which was above the mid-point 4.00. However, Attitude at the Organizational Level towards Change had the lower mean value (3.33), which is lower than mid-point (4.00). The responses were also heterogeneously dispersed where the standard deviation of responses ranged from 1.28 to 1.70. One of the items measuring EMPs, Comprehensiveness of Environmental Management System (EMS), was measured using constant sum scale anchored by 0 (not practice at all) and 1 (have been practice), which ten questions equal to 100 percent (10 percent for each question). The descriptive statistics presented in Table II indicated that four- and five-star hotels mean score is 0.04 (4 percent) and the standard deviation is 0.03, which can be concluded that only 4 percent of 40 Malaysian hotels have been applied EMPs in their organization. Another item measuring EMPs is Management of Stakeholder Relations; it was measured using a seven-point likert scale anchored by 1 (very low extent) and 7 (very high extent). The mean score of Management of Stakeholder Relations is 3.88, which was below the mid-point of 4. This indicates that 40 hotels (four- and five-star hotels) have a low extent of EMPs. The standard deviation on the other hand is 1.32.\nDiscussions and conclusions: The results of this study build on prior study evaluating the motivations for EMPs adoption (e.g. Al-Shourah, 2007; Darnall et al., 2008; Delmas and Toffel, 2004; Le et al., 2006). It offers two contributions to theory and practices. First, this study provides empirical evidence of the potential business value created by adopting EMPs. The drivers can be motivation for the hotels to apply EMPs or becoming \"green\" in their organizations. For example, if the Regulation/Government gives more inducement to the hoteliers to apply EMPs, the hotelier will have some motivated to apply the EMPs. However, since this study is still in its first wave of collecting data, the result will not show the importance of drivers as a motivation and inducements that spur the interest of hotel industries to adopt EMPs.\n",
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},
{
"content": "Purpose: The objective of this study is to investigate if the five barriers, namely, Regulation/Government, Customer Demand, Level of Competition, Greenness at the Organizational Level, and Attitude at the Organizational Level towards Change, greatly impact the costs and potential benefits of environmental management practices (EMPs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: The target population of this research was 208 hotels, which are four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia. Due to small population, questionnaires were sent by mail to all the targeted four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia.\nFindings: Only Greenness at the Organizational Level was found to have partially supported EMPs. Even though the results show that there is significant impact overall between barriers and EMPs in 40 four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia. In other words, the drivers do influence hotels' application of EMPs but weakly.\nResearch limitations/implications: The limitation that is worth mentioning is regarding the drivers of EMPs chosen in this research. While the result indicated that drivers of EMPs significantly influenced hotels' usage of EMPs, the range of R2 of the five drivers and the two dimensions of EMPs was relatively very low.\nOriginality/value: A definitive conceptual framework of EMPs is essential, which could only be achieved through consensus and close cooperation amongst scholars and practitioners. For that reason, EMPs should not be seen as a mere collection of management systems but more towards management practices that are used within and for hotels' strategic purpose.\n",
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An advanced web attack detection and prevention tool
|
[
"Web application security",
"Web attacks",
"Web application firewalls",
"Web vulnerabilities",
"Cross‐site scripting",
"SQL injection",
"Data security",
"Computer crimes"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Web application security is important since web applications store sensitive user information. For example, if a web application that stores credit card information is breached, sensitive information could leak and the application will be considered to have failed to secure its users' sensitive data.The scientific area related to web security and particularly to the security of the world wide web, the Http protocol and the web application software is called web application security. This paper copes with the web application security, focusing on input validation vulnerabilities that, when exploited, could lead to a web application attack (Bertino et al., 2010). A vulnerability is a system weakness which compromises the application and its data. A bug, meaning an error, flaw or failure, or a defect in the design and/or the architecture of the application could be a vulnerability. An attack is the exploitation of a vulnerability in order to access the application, to leak sensitive information or to gain more privileges.A web application is a software application which is installed and running on a web server and which responds to requests for dynamic web pages via the HTTP protocol (Web Application Security Consortium, 2010b). A web application can support various types of transactions such as financial, e-banking, consultation and real-time communication with other users, as well as functions and services within an organization. This wide variety of applications leads to the need of developing robust and reliable web applications that secure the associated information assets and the integrity of all the data involved.Several tools have been proposed to help developers reduce application vulnerabilities through new APIs while, at the same time, various tools have been designed to help the applications test for the existence of such weaknesses. These tools, called penetration tools or web vulnerabilities scanners, search the web application for common vulnerabilities (Fong and Okun, 2007). In most cases, it is impossible to identify all of the security weaknesses a web application may have. This is the reason why a large variety of tools exist, such as the intrusion detection systems and the web application firewalls (WAFs), which audit the entire activity on the web server (Schultz and Ray, 2007). The latter are installed on the web server and watch the incoming and outgoing activity. Most of these tools are based on rule sets which define the web attack signature the firewall should detect (Gauci and Henrique, 2010).This paper introduces a new web server plug-in, which incorporates advanced WAF features. Specifically, it detects, prevents and records web attacks based on pattern recognition in an expandable and easily manageable way. The proposed system presents the following features that are innovative and new in comparison to other related tools (dotDefender, 2010; ModSecurity, 2010):* It is a cross-platform application, which means that it is OS-, as well as, web server-independent, hiding in this way the heterogeneity of servers and systems.* It offers a flexible attack search engine, which scans http requests and responses on the server side in real time without affecting the web server performance. This feature can be considered very important as it does not add significant overhead to the overall attack detection process.* The incorporation of new attack patterns can take place easily and in a manageable way, thus providing a flexible expansion capability.* By scanning http responses, attacks such as stored XSSs can be detected, a feature that cannot be found in other WAFs.In this paper, we first provide the necessary background information on the subject by explaining the way a web application is structured and operates (Section 2.1), and by presenting the HTTP messages involved (Section 2.2). Then, the most important web vulnerabilities, as they appear in the OWASP (2007) top ten project, are presented (Section 2.3). A presentation of the web attacks that the proposed new software module detects follows (Section 2.4). Afterwards, the related work on web application security is analyzed (Section 3). Then, a thorough analysis of the features, i.e. how it works and what it detects, of the new software (Section 4) called WebDefender, namely is provided (Section 5). Finally, future improvements are discussed (Section 6) and concluding remarks (Section 7) are presented.\n2 Background information: 2.1 Web applications\n3 Related work: As mentioned above, organizations such as OWASP and WebAppSec study and develop techniques to face web application attacks (Web Application Security Consortium Projects, 2010a; OWASP Projects, 2010). Many tools have been developed which either examine a web application for vulnerabilities, called penetration testing tools or web application vulnerability scanners, or detect any malicious activity in real time. The latter are called WAFs and intrusion detection systems.Penetration testing tools are used during the application testing. Most of them are configured to work in the user's environment by setting the web browser to use them as proxy servers. Known techniques are tested in an automated way. Some popular penetration testing tools are Paros (2010), WebScarab (2010) and Acunetix (2010).WAFs protect web servers. Even though they often come with hardware support, there are also WAFs that are purely software-based and work as web server plug-ins. dotDefender (2010) and ModSecurity (2010) are characteristic examples. WAFs detect and prevent attacks in real time based on rulesets and they are often compared to intrusion detection systems since they record malicious activity as well.Apart from these tools, there also exist APIs for programming languages which increase the security of web applications (OWASP, 2010). Furthermore, there are projects that advise developers on how to design and develop their applications with security in mind. Many of these projects can be found at OWASP's projects list (Web Application Security Consortium Projects, 2010a).Most of the web vulnerabilities that were mentioned in the previous section can be easily detected in the http messages. On the contrary, some others, such as information leakage and improper error handling, cannot be detected in an automated way since there are no criteria to determine when an error message provides many details or to evaluate a message context. Other attacks, like session management, can be detected using more complicated techniques such as intelligence or logic deduction; but these techniques decrease the web server's performance and boost the execution time of a request.As mentioned, WebDefender detects web attacks based on pattern recognition techniques. Although Web vulnerability scanners (Paros, 2010; WebScarab, 2010; Acunetix, 2010) work in the same way, they should be configured on a web client and they do not detect real time attacks. Furthermore, WAFs could be used to detect and prevent web attacks. The most reliable WAFs are based on hardware and not only software. More specifically, although software WAFs provide a lower cost solution, according to PCI Information Supplement (PCI Standards, 2008), hardware or appliance WAFs are suggested especially for high-volume sites or critical applications that need to support critical information. The disadvantage of these tools is that they check only the incoming traffic to the web server and not what the web server sends back.WebDefender is a lightweight tool, which runs on a web server without deteriorating the web server's performance having many WAF attributes. Some of its advantages compared to other tools include its simplicity to install, its easy parameterization, since the parameterization and administration are done through a simple web interface and its flexible search engine. WebDefender is easily expandable since other attacks which could be detected through pattern recognition can be added, while it can easily support modules that detect other attacks based on logic operations, such as session management. The system administrator can improve, add or temporarily disable attack patterns that WebDefender should search for. WebDefender can also detect web attacks stored in the database as it validates the http responses too. Thus, WebDefender is capable of detecting attacks that exist in the outgoing traffic of the web server, a feature not supported by other tools.\n4 WebDefender: 4.1 Requirements analysis\n5 Evaluation: WebDefender was compared to dotDefender (2010) and ModSecurity (2010). dotDefender is a commercial application firewall while ModSecurity is a widely used open source application firewall. Over 200 attack patterns were used to compare the effectiveness of these three tools. These patterns were based on common techniques from OWASP rules and from ways hackers use to exploit web applications vulnerabilities. The attack patterns used were categorized according to the attack they are used to exploit.The number of the attack patterns detected by each tool is expressed as a percentage. WebDefender and ModSecurity have almost the same percentage of success, 8 percentage units ahead of dotDefender. Specifically, the percentages of success of each tool are: WebDefender 63.8 per cent, dotDefender 55.7 per cent and ModSecurity 64.3 per cent. ModSecurity records the highest percentage, which was expected since this tool is one of the best and most \"mature\" WAFs. However, a weakness on identifying SQL injections came up. dotDefender showed a great weakness in detecting command injections and null-byte injections since almost all of them were recognized as bad URL encoding. WebDefender had satisfying results for every attack category examined but lacks the ability to check the parameters for encoding. For each attack category the results are shown in Figures 14-17. The results were as expected since regular expressions cannot guarantee a 100 per cent detection success. From our experience, if these checks become stricter then the possibilities to have false positives will increase.Some indicative attack patterns are displayed in Table II where w stands for WebDefender, d for dotDefender and m for ModSecurity. This table also presents the results for each tool, where 1 indicates that the attack was found and 0 otherwise.Figures 14-17 show the results for every tool for every attack category examined.During the SQL injection examination, WebDefender detected a large number of patterns having a success percentage of 55.24 per cent. dotDefender came next with a percentage of 49.52 per cent. ModSecurity was unable to successfully detect most of the attack patterns, as it had a success percentage of 36.19 per cent.In the command injection category, ModSecurity detected the 66.67 per cent of the attack patterns and came first. WebDefender detected 60 per cent of the patterns and dotDefender detected the least number of attacks.The third category examined was path traversal. ModSecurity detected almost all of the patterns since its success percentage was 95.83 per cent. WebDefender was able to detect 72.22 per cent of the patterns while dotDefender only 62.50 per cent of them.CSS was the last category to be examined. ModSecurity detected all of the patterns. dotDefender was second by detecting 88.89 per cent leaving WebDefender at the last place with a percentage of 83.33 per cent.The ability to identify stored XSS could not be evaluated since none of the other tools validate http responses while WebDefender does. A great advantage of WebDefender is that its rulesets can easily be modified. It may also run on any web server while the other tools have limitations.\n6 Future work: Even though the current version of WebDefender, as presented in the previous sections, is quite powerful, there are still open issues that can enhance its performance and functionality. First of all, a connection to port 443 should be supported in order to validate messages through SSL. Second, web attacks, which are not based on pattern recognition, should be detected through methods based on more complicated actions. For example, session attacks should be detected and prevented by checking that the session cookie comes from single IP address, its ID is not repeated or it expires as soon as possible.Moreover, the web server's response encoding should be supported, especially when the response is not encoded. Other work that should be done is to store the most regularly used pages temporarily in the proxy server so that the payload to the web server decreases.WebDefender could also support more advanced configuration settings by giving the administrator the ability to choose how the proxy server should act when identifying a web attack. For example, the user could be allowed to continue to navigate and in parallel to record all of his movements. The navigation should be terminated after a specified number of recorded incidents. This was not implemented in this version of WebDefender since this tool is currently used only for academic purposes. This extra feature will give WebDefender the ability to act differently when a web attack is detected. This very useful feature is missing from most of the existing tools.WebDefender could keep a list of all the files of a web application and the associated access rules in order to serve the browser requests based on these rules. This is a way to minimize problems such as path traversal, malicious files execution and failure to restrict URL access since it would be known if the access to that file is allowed or not. That means that the appropriate infrastructure should exist to support the above feature without decreasing the proxy server's efficiency and performance and without increasing the webpage execution time which could lead to delays in clients' serving.\n7 Conclusions: This paper presented WebDefender, a cross-platform tool which aims to protect web applications that are installed on any web server. This tool has features of both penetration testing tools and WAFs providing great flexibility and expandability. A comparison to WAFs was performed, demonstrating a good level of performance. Preventing attacks on web applications based only on software does not seem to be 100 per cent successful, an expected outcome when we talk about security. While efforts are made through the development of security APIs and new standards and guidelines for secure web applications development are investigated, the problem remains acute. However, the various security tools are continuously being improved and new techniques appear on the scene. The biggest problem can be attributed to the design of the applications, since many important security issues are not taken into account.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new tool which detects, prevents and records common web attacks that mainly result in web applications information leaking using pattern recognition. It is a cross-platform application, namely, it is not OS-dependent or web server dependent. It offers a flexible attacks search engine, which scans http requests and responses during a webpage serving without affecting the web server performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper starts with a study of the most known web vulnerabilities and the way they can be exploited. Then, it focuses on those web attacks based on input validation, which are the ones the new tool detects through pattern recognition. This tool acts as a proxy server having a simple GUI for administration purposes. Patterns can be detected in both http requests and responses in an extensible and manageable way.\nFindings: - The new tool was compared to dotDefender, a commercial web application firewall, and ModSecurity, a widely used open source application firewall, using over 200 attack patterns. The new tool had satisfying results for every attack category examined having a high percentage of success. Results for stored XSS could not be achieved since the other tools are not able to search and detect them in http responses. The fact that the new tool is very extensible, it makes it possible for future work to be done.\nOriginality/value: - This paper introduces a new web server plug-in, which has some advanced web application firewall features with a flexible attacks search engine which scans http requests and responses. By scanning http responses, attacks such as stored XSS can be detected, a feature that cannot be found on other web application firewalls.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Learning from intelligent conversation: How can insights from system theory contribute to advance IMP research?
|
[
"Cybernetics",
"System theory",
"IMP research"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: For many years, IMP research and researchers have been enjoying the challengers' advantage in business research. Particularly, within areas such as industrial marketing and purchasing, but also in other fields, the role of dyadic relationships and wider network connections for the organization and development of business activities has been used to question and criticize core assumptions in other research programs, such as the parametric marketing approach and the supply chain management research inspired from operations management (Hadjikhani and LaPlaca, 2013; Gadde, 1983). Much progress in advancing IMP insights has been made as a consequence of these debates. They have acted as levers for IMP researchers in their process of sharpening their own views and perspectives and with it developing still better rationales, research questions and approaches. Insights from the IMP research have had a tremendous impact. In marketing and supply chain management, IMP research has been a prime agent in changing conceptions with respect to the role and importance of business relationships in shaping the identity of firms, determining strategic options and challenging the firm-environment dichotomy of management and research thinking.\nInfluence of system theory on early IMP research: Since the early 1950s, general system theory has influenced many branches of the social sciences and continues to be a prominent source of inspiration in many of its research disciplines. It has become a nomenclature used to describe the inter-dependence and interrelationships between a specific set of elements across a wide range of sciences. Despite that new contributions to general system theory are sparse, the perspective is still a rich source of inspiration and lingers on as an influential force for much contemporary business research (Garud et al., 2009). Its pervasiveness - both as a method of analysis and also as a theoretical perspective - is also evident in several branches of marketing management research and a number of other theoretical frameworks from which the IMP research perspective has gained inspiration.\nA general outline of system theory as a research program and its influence on organizational research in general: The influence of system theory on the strands of literature that inspired the early IMP researchers at the end of the 1960s and throughout the 1970s is not particularly surprising when one considers the impact of classic system theory and early cybernetics on the pioneers of organizational and management research (as indicated in Figure 1). In this section, we shall discuss this impact in more detail and at the same time, we shall introduce some key concepts in system theory and cybernetics. These concepts will form the basis for the three puzzles, which we shall formulate in the next section.\nThree puzzles in system theory: The three puzzles presented deal with system boundary, system structure and stability. Although we present them as separate puzzles, they are clearly interrelated. We shall comment on some of these interrelationships throughout. For each puzzle, we start by briefly sketching the possible relevance of the puzzle to IMP researchers before proposing a number of questions or specific \"conversation topics\" for system theorists and IMP researchers.\nConcluding discussion and next steps: The main idea of this contribution is to advance the IMP approach through engaging in dialogue with systems theory. Not all conversation partners are equally worthwhile engaging in a conversation with. They may divert attention and lead to futile and long rides into darkness. However, rather diverge attention, the system-based perspective holds a promise for addressing problems and puzzles that are not leading IMP into new forays, but which address issues at the core of the program. Issues that are both relevant and challenging conversation pieces for furthering the formalization of the IMP research program. This is not to say that we believe in a surgical replacement of core tenets in the IMP approach with those of the system-based perspective. The reason why there might be synergic rather than allergic reactions from bringing ideas from the systems perspective and the IMP perspective into a joint conversation is primarily that they have joint intellectual roots and what Gioia and Pitre (1990) call permeable paradigmatic boundaries. Epistemologically, they share ideas of focusing on components, relationships, boundaries and dynamics when approaching the empirical domain. Ontologically, on the other hand, they differ considerably with regards to how they understand the nature of the empirical domain. A central difference is a discerning view on the importance of actors as conscious organizers of activities. Contrasting the underlying division lines between these viewpoints helps in the process of articulating one's own position, but also in advancing knowledge creation from that position. The intention of this effort is both to refine and sharpen what we think as researchers affiliated with IMP but also - much similar to Hakansson (1982) to focus on the underlying structure of beliefs that generate particular viewpoints in order to advance theory building and further formalization.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to contribute to further advancing of IMP as a research field by setting up and starting a theoretical conversation between system theory and the IMP.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The approach is based on a narrative literature study and conceptual research.\nFindings: The authors find that system theory and cybernetics can be regarded as important sources of inspiration for early IMP research. The authors identify three specific theoretical \"puzzles\" in system theory that may serve as useful topics for discussion between system theorists and IMP researchers.\nOriginality/value: Only a handful of papers have touched upon the relationship between system theory and IMP before. This paper combines a narrative, historical analysis of this relationship with developing specific suggestions for using system theory as a vehicle for further advancement of IMP research.\n",
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Measuring shopping values of Malaysian retail consumers
|
[
"Malaysia",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Shopping",
"Values",
"Measurement scale",
"Hedonic shopping values",
"Utilitarian shopping values"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Creating and delivering customer value is a precondition for retailers to survive in today's competitive marketplace (Rintamaki et al., 2006). Many shoppers are looking for more than simply fair prices and convenience, the cornerstones of utilitarian value. Retailers who understand the multiplicity of motives for shopping have the best possibilities to create value for their customers. Instead of defining motivation to shop only as a function of buying, the role of hedonic and social shopping motives should also be recognized (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982; Sheth, 1983; Tauber, 1972; Westbrook and Black, 1985). Shopping malls are the important part of lives of many people in today's era. For them, the shopping is considered as leisure-time enjoyment as entertainment, exhibitions and events are added as attractions to reinforce the leisurely aspects of going to the mall and induce participation and customer loyalty. The leisure shopping activities embrace a plethora of meanings and an inherent dynamic, evident for instance in shifts and nuance in consumers ways of experiencing and practicing such activities (Backstrom, 2011).Malaysia's retail market is estimated at PS14 billion for the year 2006 (Government of Malaysia, 2006). Growth has averaged 6.1 per cent yearly from 2001 to 2006. Competition is however stiff for the retail players. It is estimated that there are 124 shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor alone (The Business Times, 2007). The stiff competition for consumers among the major retail players has intensified due to the fact that Malaysian shoppers have become more sophisticated and demanding in their shopping experiences. The changing lifestyle of the Malaysian consumers makes it imperative for the retailers to understand the patterns of consumption. The changing consumption patterns trigger changes in shopping styles of consumers and hence the factors that drive people into stores. One major influencing factor determining the choice of a particular shopping centre outlet is shopping motivations. Shopping motivations have been defined by Jin and Kim (2003) as the drivers of behaviour that bring consumers to the marketplace to satisfy their internal needs. Research on shopping motivations has mainly been undertaken in the USA and European countries (Jin and Kim, 2003; Li et al., 2004). Unfortunately, the research in the area of shopping motivation is very limited in Asian countries including Malaysia. This study aims to verify the measurement scale of shopping values in the Malaysian context. Further, it measures the differences in the shopping values of the customers (if any) based on their demographic characteristics.\nLiterature review: Studies have documented that consumers may view either shopping in general or specific shopping experiences as entertainment or recreational (Kaur and Singh, 2007). Consumers derive various tangible and intangible benefits from shopping experiences (Tauber, 1972; Westbrook and Black, 1985; Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982; Babin et al., 1994; Babin and Darden, 1995; Zeithaml, 1988; Baker, 2006). Shopping does not only serve the purpose of merely a functional utility such as when a consumer finds an intended item, receives intended service or gathers useful information. Shopping centers are not merely place for shopping but also entertainment, socializing with friends or mainly browsing with no intention for buying. According to Holbrook and Corfman (1985), shopping values is either task related or hedonic in nature. A task related value or work related value is considered to be utilitarian while the shopping experience or the fun side is the hedonic value. Researchers have discovered that people typically shop for both hedonic and recreational outcomes, and a utilitarian outcome that is shopping could evoke value either through successfully accomplishing its intended goal or by providing enjoyment (Boedeker, 1995; Tauber, 1972; Jones, 1999).Utilitarian consumer behaviour has been described as task related and rational (Batra and Ahtola, 1990). The utilitarian shopping behaviour is characterized by task related, product-oriented, rational, and extrinsic motivations (Babin et al., 1994). It is related to necessity, rather than for recreation, and is often described in terms commonly used to evaluate work performance (success, accomplishment). The product is purchased in a deliberant and efficient manner. Shopping is seen as a task to be done. The objective is more towards getting the job done in the shortest possible time. A purchase of a product or service is not necessarily needed for shopping to be utilitarian in value since a consumer might only go to the shop for the purpose of collecting information out of necessity (Babin et al., 1994). Thus, utilitarian value is more relevant in explaining shopping as a job or task that has to be done. However, traditional product acquisition explanations based on the utilitarian values may not fully reflect the totality of the shopping experience thus leading to the presence of the hedonic value in shopping. It is also acknowledged that both orientations might be present in the same practice, as elements of a single shopping trip (Falk and Campbell, 1997).Hedonism has been described as the festive, ludicrous, or even epicurean side of shopping (Sherry, 1990). Hedonism is related to fun and playfulness rather than to task completion, and reflects the experiential side of shopping, comprising pleasure, curiosity, fantasy, escapism and fun. Hedonic value is more subjective and personal with shopping being seen as fun, an enjoyment rather than a task to be accomplished. Hedonic shopping reflects a form of entertainment and emotional worth. Hedonic shopping motivations are primarily based on the quality of the shopping experience rather than information gathering or product purchasing (Boedeker, 1995). Consumers also view a store as a place not only for shopping but also for other activities such as socializing with friends or browsing without purchasing products (Bloch et al., 1994).The hedonic shopping behaviour refers to recreational, pleasurable, intrinsic, and stimulation-oriented motivations (Nguyen et al., 2007). The purchase of the good may be incidental to the experience of shopping. People buy so they can shop, NOT shop so they can buy (Langrehr, 1991). Furthermore, a consumer can enjoy most products benefits nowadays by just observing or trying the product or service without purchasing it thus shopping with or without purchase can provide hedonic value to the consumer. Hedonic values might also account for impulse purchases and compulsive buyers since according to Rook (1987) the need to purchase than a need for a product is more important for these consumers. Additionally, excitement is also experience in shopping for instance in getting a bargain during shopping excursion. Excitement, a deep sense of enjoyment, escapism, the thrill of bargaining and haggling plus the adventure of a shopping trip are examples of why seeking such experiences is often more significant than the mere acquisition of the products.The entertainment aspect of retailing is viewed as a key competitive tool (Arnold and Reynolds, 2003). Entertainment and exploration are considered to contribute to hedonic value (Timo et al., 2006). The importance of the hedonic value has been well recognized by retailers in Malaysia. This can be experienced by visiting various shopping malls in Malaysia, such as Sunway Pyramid, Berjaya Times Square and The Mines Shopping Centre, offering various kinds of entertainment or experiences to ensure that the stores are enjoyable to visit.As proposed by traditional models of consumer behaviour, the behaviour of the consumers differs from each other because of differences in their demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. But a focus on experiential perspective also takes into account the fact that consumers are distinct individuals with emotions and different personalities.Some of the empirical researches have shown that culture and the state of a country's economy may moderate the level of hedonic and utilitarian shopping motives and experiences. Babin et al. (1994) asserted that high levels of hedonic shopping experiences may be encountered in developed consumer societies, but may be less prevalent or noticeably absent in less developed economies. The past literatures also reveal that consumers' tendency to engage in a hedonic (or utilitarian) shopping behaviour relies not only on products' characteristics (Addis and Holbrook, 2001) and/or shopping contexts, but also on their own individual characteristics.A number of studies have been undertaken for the last two decades by empirical researchers to measure the consumers' value in general as well as product or department specific. However, most of the studies focused in the context of the USA and Europe and very few to Asian countries. Table I provides a flavour of some of the most recent empirical studies directing towards the empirical measurement of shopping values of the consumers.In the Malaysian context, Ahmed et al. (2007) tried to measure the shopping behaviour and found that Malaysian shopping behaviour was very similar to that observed in Western shoppers in prior shopping studies. However, their research was confined to only students in the Klang Valley region and thus, the findings cannot be generalized to all market segments. Further, the study lacked in strong statistical support in validating the different dimensions of shopping orientation.This study is an attempt to fill this gap. The study aims to:1. test the validity of the measurement scale assessing shopping value orientation along two dimensions - utilitarian and hedonistic in the context of Malaysian consumers;2. measure and test the differences in the shopping values across the groups of different socioeconomic background of the consumers; and3. measuring the discriminating power of variables measuring shopping values.The rest of the paper is organized as follows: the following section describes the methodology with sub-sections on instrument, sampling and techniques of analysis. It is followed by a section on empirical findings. Next section provides the conclusion with managerial implications. The last section provides the limitations of the current study and suggestions for future research.\nResearch methodology: Measuring instrument\nResults and discussion: Characteristics of the sample\nConclusion: The study verifies the measurement scale of shopping values in the Malaysian context and examines a series of hypotheses to test the differences in the shopping values across the groups based on demographic characteristics of the consumers. The results reveal the hedonic shopping value measurement scale as a reliable and valid scale to be used in the Malaysian context. However, the study failed to validate the utilitarian shopping value measurement scale in the present context. The study further investigates consumer perceptions of the importance of hedonic shopping value and examine its specific dimensions (i.e. fun, excitement, escapism) in order to provide retailers with a better understanding of which dimensions of hedonic value are most effective in motivating consumers during the shopping experience. People who share similar value systems tend to have similar perceptions and behaviors (Egri and Ralston, 2004). As expected, the results showed that the level of shopping orientation may differ among different groups based on demographic characteristics. The findings on hypotheses test revel that there is significant differences in the hedonics shopping values across the groups based on the demographic characteristics such as gender, age, marital status and educational qualification. Among all the items measuring hedonic shopping values, it was observed that the feeling of joy and escape are the most important variables differentiating between the groups of male and female customers, young and relatively old-aged consumers, and single and married consumers.\nMarketing implications: When comparing the differences in shopping orientations by demographic characteristics of the consumers, a number of differences were observed. Female consumers are observed to be more hedonic than the male consumers; young consumers appeared to be more favorably disposed towards malls than slightly old aged consumers. Similarly, the hedonic value of married consumers is significantly lower than those of unmarried consumers and among the married consumers, the couple without children have more hedonic values than those couple with children. Consumers' satisfaction leads to positive results such as increase in customer loyalty toward the mall, increase in the mall's reputation, and reductions in costs required for attracting new customers, among others (Oh et al., 2012). Thus, the challenge for the mall management is to satisfy different consumer segments by focusing on the factors that are important to different socioeconomic groups. In response to the intense competition and the changing consumer environment, several industry practitioners and academic experts have expressed the benefits of targeting specific consumer segments. Shopping malls management should realize the effectiveness of targeting the specific segment of the market based on demographic and socioeconomic bases. The understanding for the need and characteristic of each customer segment gives the advantages for management of shopping mall in designing appropriate marketing strategies in order to attract potential customer segments which result the increasing visitor traffic and the increasing of tenants' revenue within the shopping mall. The recreational aspect of retailing is increasingly being recognized as a powerful competitive tool (Berry, 1996; Jones, 1999; Kozinets et al., 2002; Arnold and Reynolds, 2003). To secure their futures, retailers must do more than compete on value; they must provide the consumers with a bundle of benefits that give enjoyable experiences in a pleasant shopping environment to each market segment. Thus, the mall management must concurrently execute the right strategies to maintain their attraction to young consumers by including stores that are futuristic and offer the most advanced styles or technologies, and appeal to somewhat older adults by offering the tenant, entertainment, and experience mix they will prefer, as well. Similarly, a viable way of increasing footfalls in the shopping mall is to incorporate plans in the strategy to target the kids so that parents are likely to spend more time and thus increase the chances of making a sale. The management must be especially creative in finding ways to attract different group of customers so as to encourage them to stay longer and spend more.\nLimitations and suggestions for future research: Hedonic values of consumer motivations may vary for different products categories. For example, those products that are consumed in public (clothes) or whose consumption outcome is evident in public (shampoos and cosmetics), may have more hedonic values compared to the products with limited \"public face\". So, further research should be carry forward with regards to specific product category. Further, the hedonic value measurement scale could be used to measure the relationships and interrelationships between hedonic values and other important marketing indicators such as shopping satisfaction or patronage behaviour. Finally, the use of questionnaires and statistical methods of analysis is often criticized when studying experiential and symbolic aspects of consumption. The conceptualization of some constructs might benefit from more thorough use of qualitative methods, such as in-depth interviews and narrative analyses in future research.\n",
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},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to verify the measurement scale of shopping values in the Malaysian context. Both hedonic as well as utilitarian shopping value measurement scales were tested for their reliability and validity. Further, a series of hypotheses was developed to test the differences in the shopping values across the market segments based on demographic characteristics of the consumers. Finally, the discriminant analysis was used to determine the relative importance of each variable measuring shopping value in discriminating between the groups of interest.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The scale developed by Babin et al. for measuring shopping values has been put on test with modifications on selected questions to fit the local content. A convenient sampling technique was used to obtain information on hedonic and utilitarian values on a seven-point Likert scale from a sample of 200 consumers from major shopping centres in Klang Valley, the most developed region in Malaysia. Statistical tools such as Cronbach's Alpha test, confirmatory factor analysis and discriminant analysis were used to analyze the data.\nFindings: - The findings reveal that hedonic shopping value measurement scale is a reliable and valid scale to be used for Malaysian consumers. However, the same could not be ascertained on the utilitarian shopping value measurement scale. The results further reveal that there are significant differences in the shopping values across the groups of interest. The sense of joy and escape are the most important variables discriminating between the groups based on gender, age and marital status.\nOriginality/value: - The research in the area of shopping motivation is very limited in Asian countries, including Malaysia. This study undertakes an empirical examination of consumer value that encompasses the entire consumer shopping experience associated with the context.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Participation in practice and disaster management: experience of Uttaranchal (India)
|
[
"Natural disasters",
"Citizen participation",
"Community relations",
"India"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Participatory management has, at least in some development sectors, received some serious attention during the past decade. Space for such innovations has certainly been created but most of it has been donor-driven so far. Many of the best practices have also been documented.What is common to all these approaches is the central role accorded to village or sub-village level institutions. Why such institutions are needed and how the process of their establishment can be induced by management/development catalysts, are areas which need urgent attention of all individuals and institutions who are directly or indirectly involved in the process. For mainstreaming participation in practice into major management sectors such as disaster management, much more attention is immediately required.\nWhy village level institutions: 1. Disaster management has to enhance preparedness, mitigation practices and at the same time, streamline rescue, relief and rehabilitation practices. The primary focus of disaster management activities has to be geared to these ends. Again, these are contingent on the functional and effective operation of institutions, whether formal or informal, at the local level where it matters most.2. While the base of traditional institutions has gradually been eroded, as a result of the ill-conceived policies, new institutions that can respond to these challenges have not emerged as an effective force. In many instances, the policies of the State have inhibited the emergence of local initiatives. As a consequence, an institutional vacuum has become apparent in civil societies.3. The State, by and large, has lagged behind in summoning the constructive power of local level participatory organizations. Social fragmentation, disintegration of traditional values and institutions, and a general sense of social, economic and political alienation have been the obvious consequences.4. The need for induced institutional innovation has never been greater. The increasing pressure on resources, the compulsion to eke out a meager living from a fast depleting resource base, the imperatives to constantly adapt to novel changes in social and economic life (brought about by forces outside their control) in a difficult and often harsh and delicate environment have all contributed to this need. Few examples:Village organizations - AKRSP in PakistanUser's Groups - NepalContractual Responsibility System - ChinaJFM/VWSC/Garima - IndiaSelf Help Groups - Bangladesh1. These have emerged through inducement of NGOs, through the support of donor agencies, or through policy changes of the State in response to a deeply felt need, a need that required appropriate articulation. These, however, are still largely isolated instances but are indicators of the problems and prospects of institutional growth at the local level.2. Induced institutional innovation presupposes that innovations may not perhaps be forthcoming naturally. Some inducement for such development has to be there. The need for such inducement arises because of a number of imperatives. Some of these appear to be:* Activities that enhance short-term returns should be socially, economically and environmentally sustainable and therefore must be contemplated in terms of a longer time horizon.* Hazards and disasters need to be collectively managed while, at the same time, enough leeway has to be provided to encourage individual motivation and initiatives.* Indigenous resource management systems have to be complemented by a more participatory approach to implementation and decision making.* Technological inputs have to be blend with local needs and traditions.* Subsistence economics, such as those in most of the communities, have to be encouraged and a good measure of local/regional autonomy has to be maintained with respect to resource use and management.1. Experience shows that the missing link in local disaster management efforts was an absence of broad-based village organizations. Nurturing such institutions could effectively foster the disaster management of a symbiotic relationship between the State and civil society. The State cannot reach all the individuals and households, less so in the far-flung rural communities in difficult terrain.2. The State can, however, create a policy environment, can impart a sense of stability and mental confidence among the workers and cadres at the local level, and can allow the freedom to organize and take collective decisions at the village level. Decentralization efforts, which are being made in various countries including those in India, are examples of State policies that offer scope for induced institutional innovations in disaster management at the local level.3. Development of grass root institutions through such efforts can fill the institutional vacuum in the field of disaster management at the local level. The representative approach is clearly required at higher levels, but local disaster management demands a participatory approach based on consensus.\nPreconditions for inducement: 1. The political will, a clear strategy and sustained efforts would help in creation of such institutions. The major elements are:* Development of organizations for collective decision making and management.* Promotion of organizational catalysts - national and international NGOs or government-sponsored cadres or social organizers - to induce and encourage the establishment of organizations and provide support mechanisms to facilitate local disaster management.* Provision of program packages that respond to the needs of the organization and motivate the members to action.1. A sense of accountability and transparency in decision making and implementation is a necessity in order to encourage sustained participation from the members of the organization. At the same time, the requisite elements in a well-conceived program package should include the following:* A productive physical infrastructure scheme (says a multi-purpose shelter house/hut, school building, and link road) the benefits of which are apparent to all members of the organization.* A program for creation or upgrading of appropriate human skills (creation of Village Disaster Intervention Teams, members of which can be trained for first-aid, rescue, damage assessment, etc.) so that a local pool of trained manpower is created to serve local and immediate needs.* A component of capital formation through group savings which can also be set as collateral for external credit; this program package, however, has to be designed in a partnership, through dialogues between the village organization and the disaster management catalyst.1. Guidance without imposition has to be hallmark of such an approach and flexibility should be built into the program. Both the village organization, which is basically a broad-based coalition of common interest groups and users, and the disaster management catalyst, which has good links outside the village; have to combine their mutual resources and knowledge to develop the necessary mechanisms for learning from experiences.2. The process of initiating and nurturing the village organization is, however, the most important task, more so than achieving the end-result of the sustainable disaster management.3. The \"process\" is thus very vital because it determines the degree to which the benefits and costs of a particular activity are internalized by the users and beneficiaries. A very clear strategy regarding the \"process\" is necessary right from the beginning because an impression created in the initial phases tends to be lasting one.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Disaster management is not merely a subject to be taught in class rooms but a habit to be practiced not only by the individual but by the community as a whole. Participation of each and every component of society in practicing disaster management is the key to success. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Uttaranchal is a newly created state of India having 80 percent of its geographical area under mountainous terrain. The State is prone to various natural disasters such as earthquake, landslide, flash flood, etc. People and the government have learnt a lot from the past experiences and thus a strategy of community based disaster management is being developed to manage the disasters. The analysis is based on the data/information collected for the last seven years (1999-2005).\nFindings: - Democracy, by definition, means participation in governance. However, while we have practiced representative democracy for over half a century now we are still far away from a participatory democratic-mode.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The period under study is short for developing any hypothesis but sufficient care has been taken to consider vital factors.\nPractical implications: - Community participation in disaster is a common phenomenon in the countries like India. Considering the vast potential of community and putting its participation into practice in different stages of disaster management (prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and rehabilitation) will certainly help the disaster managers to make a safer society.\nOriginality/value: - Participation in practice is far more complex than in theory. Every sound theory in turn is invariably based on good practice. Practice, good practice, entails intensive and extensive attention to details; the nuts and bolts of it.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Intellectual capital reporting: a longitudinal study of New Zealand companies
|
[
"Intellectual capital",
"New Zealand",
"Hidden value",
"Knowledge intensive companies",
"Longitudinal",
"Traditional product-based companies"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Intellectual capital, although intangible, has been gaining momentum as an important component of the value of an organisation (Guthrie et al., 2006), such that its measurement and management is vital for the ultimate survival of an organisation. Organisations can no longer rely solely on their fixed assets to generate value. Instead, an organisation's survival now often depends on its ability to manage its intangible assets or intellectual resources and turn knowledge into value (van der Meer-Kooistra and Zijlstar, 2001). The people, knowledge and information systems within an organisation are the assets, resources and value drivers (Bose and Thomas, 2007), and can produce significant value for an organisation and are often reflected in market value (Chen et al., 2005). The market value of an organisation is an indication of how investors value the organisation based on its future earnings potential. However, book value is only based on information found in backward looking financial statements. Over the last three decades, research has uncovered an increasing gap between an organisation's book value and market value (Lev, 2001) that some have attributed to the rise of the \"knowledge economy\" (Lev et al., 2005). This gap between market value and book value - known as hidden value - has been attributed to the intellectual capital, or intangible assets, of an organisation (Lev and Zarowin, 1999; Whiting and Miller, 2008).\nIntellectual capital: No commonly accepted definition of intellectual capital exists, and the terms intellectual capital and intangible assets are often used interchangeably. For example, intellectual capital items are often considered to be intangible in nature, and intangible assets are often considered to be intellectual capital (Maditinos et al., 2011). Guthrie and Petty (2000) suggest that \"intellectual capital is used as the foundation for the creation and use of knowledge with the intent of enhancing firm value\" (p. 16). Therefore, intellectual capital is essentially the ability to translate organisational knowledge into value. Examples of this include an organisation's ability to innovate and to implement new initiatives, as well as the ability to forge and maintain positive relationships with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders.\nIntellectual capital reporting: In 1994, Skandia was the first organisation to produce an intellectual capital report, and since then many other organisations have begun to recognise the importance of measuring, managing and reporting intellectual capital (Ordonez de Pablos, 2005). Intellectual capital reporting became prominent in the late 1990s (Guthrie et al., 2004). Research by Brennan (2001) looked at the annual reports of 11 of the largest knowledge-based Irish companies. Her research found that intellectual capital was rarely referred to in annual reports, and when it was, it was usually done so using qualitative information rather than quantitative (Brennan, 2001). Prior research in Australia also found that 95 per cent of all intellectual capital reporting was in discursive (or qualitative) form (Guthrie et al., 1999) and a similar finding was reported by Guthrie et al. (2006) following their examination of intellectual capital reporting in Hong Kong and Australia. However, recent research on the form of intellectual capital reporting is sparse. This leads to the following research question:\nMethodology: The purpose of the study reported in this paper is to examine the intellectual capital reporting patterns of New Zealand companies. The research population includes all New Zealand companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange (NZX) prior to 2004. After excluding those companies listed on the NZX Debt Market and the NZX Alternative Market, the companies without all relevant information, and companies that had delisted prior to 2010, 93 companies remained.\nResults and discussion: Intellectual capital reporting patterns were identified in the sample. All 30 reports (three reports for each of the ten sample companies) contained intellectual capital reporting, yet no specific mention was made of the phrase intellectual capital and how it contributed to organisational value. This is consistent with earlier work by Abeysekera and Guthrie (2005) and Brennan (2001).\nConclusions, limitations and future research: The purpose of the study reported in this paper was to examine intellectual capital reporting patterns. In doing so, this study used a longitudinal time period and examined differences between knowledge intensive companies and traditional product-based companies, addressing gaps in prior studies. The research was undertaken with New Zealand listed companies during the period 2004-2010, and content analysis was used to obtain evidence of intellectual capital reporting.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine intellectual capital reporting patterns of New Zealand companies over a longitudinal period, comparing knowledge intensive companies with traditional product-based companies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Content analysis was used to examine the intellectual capital reporting of five knowledge intensive companies and five traditional product-based companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange during 2004-2010.\nFindings: The longitudinal study found that although there was an increase in intellectual capital reporting from 2004 to 2010, there was no strong pattern reflecting a marked increase in reporting over the time period. The findings also show that the level of intellectual capital reporting cannot be determined by the type of organisation. Further, the majority of intellectual capital reporting was found to be in discursive form and only a small percentage of reporting conveyed negative news.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results of this study are limited by the small sample size overall and the small number of companies in both the knowledge intensive and the traditional product-based groups.\nPractical implications: The research suggests areas that could be considered by regulatory bodies and policy makers when developing more informed intellectual capital reporting guidelines.\nOriginality/value: This research provides a basis for further research, debate and action regarding intellectual capital in both academia and practice. Longitudinal intellectual capital reporting research and distinctions between knowledge intensive and traditional product-based companies have seldom been undertaken. Consequently little is known about the changes in intellectual capital reporting over time or the differences in intellectual capital reporting, if any, between type of company.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The role of disqualification factors and double counting in estimating the market potential for consumer services
|
[
"Estimation",
"Sales forecasting",
"Armed forces",
"Recruitment",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An executive summary for managers and executive readers can be found at the end of this article.\nIntroduction: Estimating market potential is critical in marketing management and strategic planning. As Winer (2004, p. 71) indicates, estimates of market potential provide the basis for coordinating marketing management activities such as promotion, advertising, target marketing, and assisting \"the sales manager in developing sales territories, assigning sales people to those territories, and setting appropriate [sales] quotas\", as well as establishing sales forecasts.However, due to the unique characteristics of services, particularly the \"perishability\" component, accurately estimating market potential from which sales forecasts are derived is critical to successful demand management. Fluctuation in demand, in turn, has been identified as one of the most troublesome areas practitioners encounter in managing service organizations (Zeithaml et al., 1985), and various strategies have been described in the literature to deal with the variability in demand many service organizations confront. These strategies require an accurate assessment of the market potential for the service offering and a thorough understanding of the factors that influence demand for the service.In many service organizations, both in the private and public sectors, arriving at an accurate estimate of market potential is a difficult process. The process is often made more complex due to three critical factors: defining the relevant market, estimating the purchase or usage rate of the service, and defining factors that disqualify individuals from being included in the estimate of market potential. The use of multiple disqualification factors is often particularly problematic for the practitioner because there may be overlap in the disqualified groups, thus resulting in underestimated market potential. This in turn can lead to inappropriate marketing strategies and a misallocation of marketing resources.Many service providers confront the challenge of quantifying multiple disqualification factors and adjusting for the overlap among these factors when calculating their market potential. For example, insurance companies must consider numerous disqualification factors when estimating the market potential for their offerings. Disability insurance, for instance, would disqualify applicants for pre-existing health conditions, high risk lifestyles, and marginal income to name a few. Mortgage companies would consider recent credit history, collateral, annual income, and the amount of outstanding debt. Typically, marketing practitioners would sequentially subtract these disqualification factors to arrive at an overall estimate of market potential. This approach, however, would result in unrealistically low estimates of market potential because it fails to adjust for the double-counting of individuals who fall into two or more disqualified groups. Therefore, the crucial issue for these organizations is to identify and adjust for the overlap among the disqualification factors when arriving at an estimate of market potential.The primary objective of this article is to review methodological issues pertaining to estimating market potential with particular attention paid to the issue of double counting disqualified individuals. The unique challenges involved in arriving at market potential estimates for consumer services are illustrated using the United States Army's estimate of its market potential for recruits. The results of this investigation are contrasted with previous Army and Navy investigations to identify and quantify the effect that double counting disqualified populations had on the estimates reported in these earlier studies. The marketing strategies associated with the revised estimates are discussed and contrasted with the recruiting strategies that were linked to the previous estimates of market potential. This comparison highlights the misallocation of resources that can occur when market potential is underestimated.The process and issues the Army encountered in arriving at its estimate of market potential demonstrate the challenges confronted by a wide variety of service organizations. The estimates of market potential, in turn, assisted the recruiting command in carrying out ubiquitous marketing management activities such as defining target markets, developing advertising and promotional campaigns directed to these specific targeted audiences, establishing sales goals, assigning sales people (recruiters) to sales territories (recruiting territories), and monitoring sales performance.Given the importance of accurately estimating market potential in marketing management and strategic planning it is surprising that the academic literature and many marketing management textbooks offer no examples of the process in \"real world\" settings[1]. The results presented in this research are developed for a large national organization with a well-defined market requiring the incorporation of many overlapping disqualification factors when estimating market potential. Therefore, the research provides service sector practitioners with a realistic and highly useful example of the process of estimating market potential in a complex, real world setting.The next section of the paper describes the research setting and discusses the objectives established by the Army to guide the research process. This is followed by an overview of the process of estimating market potential and the challenges the Army encountered in estimating its market potential for enlistees. The Results section reports on the size and scope of the Army's market potential for recruits in various demographic segments and geographic areas and discusses how the revised estimates altered the Army's marketing strategies. The \"Managerial implications\" section extends the results to other service organizations in the private and public sectors. Finally, the concluding section presents a discussion of potentially valuable avenues for future research.\nThe research setting: The US Army Recruiting Command (USAREC) headquartered in Fort Knox, Kentucky served as the research setting for this article. USAREC's primary responsibility is to staff the Army with qualified individuals to meet the diverse needs of the organization. As shown in Figure 1, the recruiting command is divided into five brigades. The brigades form the highest level in the Army's organizational structure and they comprise 41 battalions (the second tier in the organizational chart), 270 companies (the third tier), and approximately 1,637 recruiting stations (the fourth tier). Recruiting objectives are established and monitored at the brigade level. Historically, the 2nd Brigade, located in the southeast section of the USA, has produced the highest contract production; the 3rd Brigade, located in the Great Lakes area, has registered the lowest contract production.The Army has traditionally defined its qualified available market, also referred to as the prime market, as consisting of \"17-to 21-year-old, medically[2] and morally qualified[3], non-military prior service males who achieve Category I-IIIA scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), high school graduate, and are otherwise not enrolled in college\" (Faulds and Gohmann, 2001, p. 1). However, the Army recently redefined the qualified available market to include both the male and female population in the 17- to 21-year-old cohort in the following demographic categories: Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian/Pacific Islander. Although survey data may be used to estimate the market potential for these groups, the costs of such estimates would be prohibitive. This study uses aggregate data from various sources to determine the market potential for each of these ethnic groups by sex and state. Data mining programs such as CHAID, which require disaggregate data, are not appropriate given their requirements for individual level data. In this paper a methodology is presented for dealing with double counting when using aggregate level data, a condition frequently encountered by service organizations.The approach developed in this research departs significantly from the methodologies used in previous studies to estimate the Army's relevant market, and thus from the results reported in those studies (Verdugo and Berliant, 1989; Thomas and Gorman, 1991; Zsido, 2000). These investigations reported estimates of the relevant market that were in the range of 14 percent of the total 17- to 21-year-old male population, which appears to be an extremely low estimate.Three factors account for these apparently low figures. First, some of these earlier studies were based on secondary data dating back to the Korean War era (Verdugo and Berliant, 1989). The second factor is more central to the issues discussed in this article. The earlier studies failed to accurately account for overlap in the populations that were represented in two or more disqualifier categories. Consequently, many individuals were disqualified two or more times. For example, individuals may have been disqualified because of their medical conditions and, again, because they were not high school graduates. The third factor was the failure of these studies to provide specific estimates for various demographic segments. All of the previous studies were national in scope. Their estimates not only produced questionable results but were also of marginal use for strategic planning purposes because they failed to capture important regional differences.A more refined method for estimating the potential market was necessary to achieve the Army's goal of reflecting the diversity that exists within the general population and to account for differences among states and brigades (Legree, 2002; Brimelow, 1995; Simon, 1989; Wattenberg, 1991; Weiss, 1988). Therefore, the new methodology had to incorporate the numeric changes in the size of various racial and ethnic groups as well as include a geographic component that identified the areas of the country (state and brigade units) in which the changes occurred. This geographic dimension was also necessary to accommodate the Army's complex administrative structure presented in Figure 1.\nMethodological issues in estimating market potential: The methodology used to develop an estimate of market potential is described next and a brief description of the specific calculations is provided[4]. A detailed explanation of the calculations is presented in the Appendix.Defining the relevant market\nResults and applications: Table II presents the results for the top five states in terms of the size of the population falling within the qualified available market for each sex by demographic group. As might be expected, the top five states for all demographic groups are among the most populous states in the nation. For example, the top five states for both male and female Caucasians were California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Ohio, although the ordering by sex was slightly different[5]. The same trends apply for the data on African-Americans and Hispanics, also reported in Table II.Different patterns emerge in the data when the states are ranked by the percentage of the population within the qualified available market (see Table III). For instance, for the Caucasian population Alaska, Hawaii, and Maryland appear in the top five states for both sexes. These states have smaller total populations yet have a much higher percentage of the population falling in the qualified available market. Again, this pattern of diversity holds for the other demographic groups as well.Table IV presents data for the entire nation pertaining to the size of each demographic group by sex for the years 1990 and 2000. Although the absolute numbers for male Caucasians increased marginally between 1990 and 2000, the percentage of eligible individuals within that demographic group declined. For both sexes, 24 states recorded a decline in the number of individuals within the qualified available market population and this pattern included a heavy concentration of eight western states in the 6th Brigade (see Table V).The African-American data are also reported in Tables IV and V. This particular demographic group is the only segment of the population that showed a decline between 1990 and 2000 in both absolute numbers and overall percentages for males and females within the qualified available market. The eligible African-American male population declined in 28 states as did the corresponding African-American female population. Once again, states within the 6th Brigade experienced the greatest decline (see Table V).In contrast to the two preceding demographic groups, Hispanics registered a population increase in 45 states for males and 42 states for females between 1990 and 2000 (see Table V). The top five states are again located in each brigade and include California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois (see Table II).The overall estimate nationwide for the percent of males between 17 and 21 years of age falling in the qualified available market in the year 2000 is 28.88 percent whereas the estimate for females is slightly lower at 24.26 percent (see Table IV). These estimates are considerably higher than previously reported figures that were in the range of 14 percent. However, the estimates are in line with those reported by the Navy - 33 percent for males and 24 percent for females (Bohn, 2001).The disparity between the estimates reported in this study and those provided in previous investigations can be attributed to the fact that the previous studies failed to calculate the magnitude of the overlap between various groups and thus double-counted those individuals who fell in two or more disqualified categories.Applications to the army and other military branches\nImplications for other service organizations: The Army used a five-step approach to estimate its market potential:1. Define the relevant market.2. Define qualification/disqualification factors.3. Estimate the purchase or usage rate.4. Determine sources of data required to estimate market potential.5. Calculate the qualified potential market.This methodology is applicable to many service organizations such as nursing homes, day care centers, health care, and education. The results reported may also be extended to other service organizations.Applications to profit and non-profit service organizations\nConclusions: This research, which is the first known study of its kind to appear in the academic literature, illustrates the importance of identifying and adjusting for the impact that overlapping disqualified population segments can have on estimates of market potential. The failure to account for and quantify this overlap, as in the case of the United States Army, can lead to serious misallocation of resources and inappropriate marketing strategies.The Army's experience of incorrectly estimating its market potential and the subsequent formulation of marketing strategies based on inaccurate information are likely to be present in a wide variety of other service organizations in both the private and public sectors. Given the importance of correctly estimating market potential and its impact on marketing management activities, particularly demand management, future research should be directed at applying and extending the concepts discussed in this investigation to other service environments. These settings can range from very simple to highly complex in terms of the number of disqualification factors involved in estimating market potential and the magnitude of the overlap existing among those factors. Such research would provide the marketing practitioner with useful examples of the process as it applies to a variety of real world environments and thus answer a frequently asked question in marketing management classes and real-world business settings: \"How do I actually estimate market potential?\"\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to review issues pertaining to estimating market potential for consumer services which may cause underestimates of market potential and result in inappropriate marketing strategies. Particular attention is paid to the issue of double counting disqualified individuals.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The process of estimating market potential for consumer services is described. Attention is paid to the role of factors that disqualify groups of individuals from inclusion in the relevant market and the problem of double counting disqualified individuals. Secondary data for enlistees in the United States Army are used to illustrate the process.\nFindings: - The United States Army's estimate of its market potential was approximately twice as large as previous estimates when the double-counting of disqualified individuals was eliminated.\nResearch implications/limitations: - This is the first study appearing in the academic literature that directly addresses the issue of double-counting disqualified individuals when estimating market potential. It is intended to raise awareness of the issue and lead to a more thorough coverage of the topic in marketing textbooks and other practitioner-related materials.\nPractical implications: - The process of estimating market potential applies to a broad range of service industries in which the double counting of disqualified individuals is an important issue. More accurate estimates of market potential can lead to more effective marketing strategies and improved allocation of marketing resources.\nOriginality/value: - A review of the literature indicates that, surprisingly, no previous studies have addressed these important issues. This article helps to fill that void.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Analysis of VET in Ukraine since the Soviet era
|
[
"Ukraine",
"Vocational education and training",
"Former Soviet Republic"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The former republics of the Soviet Union have experienced dramatic and abrupt changes since independence and have the unprecedented opportunity to redevelop their education systems. The purpose of this exploratory project was to understand how one country - Ukraine - is working through the process by focusing on its vocational education. The study employed a variant of the ethnography research method to determine the current status of vocational education and training (VET) in Ukraine, how it has changed since independence, and to highlight some of the challenges to be overcome. Interviews and observations were conducted in 15 vocational schools throughout the country. The findings reveal an interesting evolution that combines elements from the Soviet era, while preserving their unique heritage and integrating modern European practices. The study provides an analysis of a distinctive education system, and has implications for international collaboration with VET teachers and teacher-educators. This paper provides background information to establish the context, followed by the conceptual framework which describes three broad models of VET in other countries; the methodology of the study is then outlined and its findings are presented to answer the research questions. Analysis, discussion, and recommendations conclude the manuscript.\nBackground: Ukrainian society has been in transformation since the end of the Soviet era, and much can be learned through studying the current literature, even limited by English-language documents. First, the population has declined from 51.7 million in 1991 to 45.6 million in 2011 (World Bank, 2011). Due to the unstable economy, significant emigration to other countries such as Poland and Germany for employment opportunities has occurred, and unfortunately many of those people have vocational qualifications or higher education, reducing Ukraine's \"human capital\" (Bastos and Koshulko, 2013). Furthermore, the working age population is also shrinking relative to the total population because of a lower birth rate and the ageing of society. These and other trends will likely lead to labour shortages in essential occupations (Lokshyna, 2011).\nConceptual framework: To understand how Ukraine's VET system is developing since independence, it will help to see how Ukraine fits within the framework of other countries and paradigms such as the international typologies proposed by Greinert (2004) and Bosch and Charest (2008). Although there are many differences between countries, and some overlap of the models, the basic classifications are:\nMethodology: To explore the vocational education system of Ukraine in-depth, a personal visit was made to meet VET professionals and see their programmes of study. The investigation was conducted at 15 vocational schools in seven different cities in Ukraine: L'viv, Kiev, Melitopol, Yalta, Simferopol, Berezovka, and Odessa. The objective was to obtain a representation of their VET system. The researcher also visited the following ancillary institutions:\nFindings: The findings of the project are organized around the research questions. Since the study was exploratory and collected just a sample of data, the findings may not be generalizable to the entire vocational system, to all schools or to all students, and any conclusions should be viewed as tentative.\nDiscussion: Analyzing the VET system in Ukraine provides some remarkable comparisons with western countries. To begin with, the occupational programmes are very similar; the one noticeable difference is that the health care cluster is not included at the high school level but instead is provided at post-secondary institutions. The substantial school-based enterprises are basically the same as other countries, but one gets the impression that in Ukraine it is more a matter of financial survival than an opportunity to provide work-based learning. As mentioned above most of the funding for Ukrainian education comes from the national government, with virtually no local control, which is especially problematic for the regional requirements. Likewise the collection and dissemination of valid labour market data on national and local levels would strengthen the foundation of their VET system; certainly it would improve career guidance and decision making for students. Several vocational school directors mentioned that vocational education is often perceived negatively by young people, and that \"too many of them go to universities\" because they think it is the only path to \"a good life\", a sentiment with which American and other VET professionals are familiar. However, government support for universities has decreased recently due to the downturn of the economy, and many university graduates cannot find suitable employment, so young people may reconsider the benefits of vocational education.\nConclusions: Ukraine is only one generation into independence and subsequent nation-building. The government, economy, and education are still experiencing turbulence while they transition towards a more democratic system - in fact they have to learn how to be democracy. The pace of change contrasts sharply with other modern countries which generally have had a more gradual and orderly evolution. However, Ukraine is having to re-invent its education system: it is reviewing the past, assessing their needs, considering other countries, and making conscious decisions about what will best serve its citizens. The VET system that is taking shape is best described as the state-regulated bureaucratic model because of central government financing and concern for social equity. Certainly, they need more time to work through the process and implement reforms, especially since most of the current leaders in education were educated under the Soviet system (Kutsyuruba, 2011). Unfortunately this leaves schools operating in \"survival mode\" while they wait for promised improvements (N. Dolinska, personal interview, September 2013). For Ukraine, the improvement of VET is dependent on better transparency of the economy in regard to reporting income and paying taxes, a valid analysis of labour market supply and demand, and more direct connections between vocational schools and businesses in the form of advisory committees and work-based learning.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how vocational education and training (VET) in Ukraine has changed since the Soviet era; and to determine its structure, successes, and challenges.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The author conducted interviews and tours at 15 vocational schools in seven cities in Ukraine.\nFindings: Ukraine is struggling to establish itself as an independent, modern country; education includes elements from the Soviet era and contemporary European practices; the VET system is taking on the state-regulated bureaucratic model; it has mixed success mainly due to economic development; social support for secondary students is very strong.\nResearch limitations/implications: Since Ukraine will eventually be a key player in international relations, it is important for scholars to understand how the VET system is developing.\nOriginality/value: This study provides an in-depth view of VET in this once closed country which is now susceptible to influence from Russia and Europe.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Effective public speaking: a conceptual framework in the corporate-communication field
|
[
"Corporate communication",
"Non-verbal communication",
"Managerial skills",
"Public speaking",
"Interpersonal-communication management",
"Corporate competitive advantage"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech attributed to Mark Twain (1835-1910).\n1. Introduction: Public speaking can be a very frequent and necessary activity in the workplace. The acts of expressing opinions and ideas, persuading others to think or act in a particular manner and simply providing information occur in all aspects of daily life (Harper, 2004). In any company, managers, team leaders, professionals, counsellors and employees that may need to make a speech should have the ability for public speaking. Such speeches can include short or impromptu speeches, formal greetings, presenting the results of a project before shareholders or stakeholders, managing workgroups, giving interviews, and promoting corporate branding or selling products. Developing this skill at all hierarchical levels allows to inform and persuade (i.e. inspire and motivate) stakeholders to believe in a cause, adopt a position or change or act to achieve a goal (e.g. Morgan, 2001; Clark and Greatbatch, 2011; Roos, 2013). Public speaking can be understood as a managerial skill (Waters, 1980) that is able to contribute to making a company more competitive.\n2. Literature review: A very small number of corporate-communication researchers has begun to examine the skill of public speaking as a source of competitive advantage in the corporate world. Scholars have generally focused on the following three subjects: fear(s) of public speaking; business leaders' speeches; and visual aids in business presentations.\n3. EPS: The principles of pragmatic communication (Watzlawick et al., 1967) teach us that it is impossible not to communicate, and that any communication is behaviour and any behaviour is communication. These principles allow to highlight that public speaking means communicating with rather than to the audience. Therefore, public speaking is an interactive communication activity carried out by one person (possibly in collaboration with others) who wants (or is called upon) to present ideas or thoughts by means of a speech made in front of a group of a few or many people gathered in a certain place to listen to the speaker(s). Public speaking does not denote a one-way broadcasting of information but a conversation between the speaker and audience.\n4. A conceptual framework: In this section, we develop a conceptual framework of the antecedents and effects of EPS (see Figure 2). EPS is part of a continuum between science and art: to deliver an interesting, appealing and engaging presentation, it is essential that public speakers combine skills of logic (i.e. public speaking as science) with an \"outside-the-box\" approach (i.e. public speaking as art). We will therefore discuss both the scientific and artistic skills of speakers as antecedents, and present our corresponding and testable research propositions (RPs), with particular emphasis on the variables that a speaker can control. Subsequently, we will discuss the main effects of EPS in terms of corporate communication and present corresponding propositions.\n5. Managerial implications: Although conceptual in nature, the proposed framework provides some practical implications for managers interested in improving their public speaking skills.\n6. Directions for future research: This paper has proposed a conceptual framework for EPS in the corporate-communication field by highlighting the dimensions and variables of the EPS construct, and its antecedents and effects. This framework can be considered a first step in compensating for the lack of research on this topic. While this paper does not claim to be thorough, it is designed to encourage future research to explore this area in greater depth.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of effective public speaking (EPS), and its antecedents and effects to provide a conceptual framework for the study of EPS in the field of corporate communication.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper whose analytical approach draws heavily on theoretical evidence published mainly in the corporate-communication literature.\nFindings: Public speaking means communicating with rather than to the audience: it does not denote a one-way broadcasting of information but a conversation between the speaker and audience. Strong arguments (logos) presented in a credible (ethos) and exciting (pathos) manner form the basis of EPS. Delivering an interesting, appealing and engaging presentation (i.e. the antecedents of EPS) requires that public speakers combine skills of logic (i.e. public speaking as science) with an \"outside-the-box\" approach (i.e. public speaking as art). EPS produces positive effects in the professional growth of an organisation's human resources, trust in corporate leadership, corporate-change process, motivation of human resources and corporate reputation.\nPractical implications: Underestimating the importance of the preparation phase is a critical mistake in EPS performance. Communicating from the heart ensures the speaker achieves the objective to be heard and remembered by the audience. Developing storytelling skill helps to persuade listeners more effectively because they feel more involved in the discourse. It is important to remember that perfection is artificial and imperfection is natural. EPS requires a training oriented towards personal exploration. As such, companies should invest in public speaking courses that adopt techniques such as experiential theatre.\nOriginality/value: This paper proposes a conceptual framework which can be considered a first step towards compensating for the lack of studies of EPS because, although it does not claim to be thorough in any way, it should encourage future researchers to explore this area in greater depth.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Snakes and ladders for digital natives: information security education for the youth
|
[
"Case study",
"Information security",
"Brain-compatible education",
"Educational gameplay",
"Information security education"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Information security knowledge and skills is becoming a crucial life skill for current information technology users. Users are becoming increasingly exposed to cyber security threats as their dependence on information technologies and services grows (Furnell et al., 2007).\n2. Background: 2.1 Information security education\n3. Methodology: This research was conducted in compliance with the seven guidelines for conducting research within the design - science research paradigm, as described by Hevner et al. (2004). This section will detail how this research has complied with each guideline:\n4. Conclusion: Digital natives are constantly being exposed to information technologies and services. Consequently, they are being exposed to a variety of information security risks and threats. Therefore, information security education is a necessary life skill for today's youth. Gameplay is proven to be an effective life skill and knowledge delivery system for the youth. Therefore, it can be used as a delivery mechanism for information security educational lessons to children.\n5. Limitations of research: This study had a number of limitations. First, all the learner groups who participated in this study were too small to enable analysis of findings for statistical significance. Second, the data compiled on the long-term effectiveness of the game for Group B were incomplete. This limitation was the result of School B's ethical concerns regarding learners being a vulnerable target audience.\n6. Future research: This research showed that the artefact can be used to increase children's awareness of information security principles. However, this is not statistically proven. Providing statistically significant verification will be the aim of future research.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to educate the youth about information security. Cyber technologies and services are increasingly becoming integrated into individual's daily lives. As such, individuals are constantly being exposed to the benefits and risks of these technologies. Cyber security knowledge and skills are becoming fundamental life skills for today's users. This is particularly true for the current generation of digital natives.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Within the design science paradigm, several case studies are used to evaluate the research artefact.\nFindings: The authors believe that the presented artefact could effectively convey basic information security concepts to the youth.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study had a number of limitations. First, all the learner groups who participated in this study were too small to enable analysis of findings for statistical significance. Second, the data compiled on the long-term effectiveness of the game for Group B was incomplete. This limitation was the result of School B's ethical concerns regarding learners being a vulnerable target audience.\nOriginality/value: This paper presents and evaluates a brain-compatible, information security educational game that can be used to introduce information security concepts to the youth from a very young age.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Generation and distribution of income in Mexico, 1990-2015
|
[
"Mexico"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In Mexico, the Human Development Index (HDI) during the period 1990-2015 increased by 17.6 per cent. However, this indicator of welfare is still lower than that of other Latin American economies; one of the main causes is the low level of per capita income in the economy (UNDP, 2018b). At the level of federal entities, Mexico City, Nuevo Leon, Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora and Aguascalientes stand out as the states with the highest levels of human development, while Hidalgo, Michoacan, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Guerrero have the lowest HDI levels, thus presenting a strong state and regional disparity in social welfare (UNDP, 2011, 2016). The dynamics of variables such as public expenditure, level of education and employed personnel, despite the positive trends throughout the study period, reveal the need for higher levels of investment, employment and education as its impact on the income dimension of the national and state HDI has been low (INEGI, 2018a, 2018b, 2018c, 2018d, 2018e, 2018f, 2018g, 2018h). In turn, the income concentration data in Mexico indicate that a significant percentage of the states has an asymmetric distribution of wealth, affecting negatively the level of welfare of the society (Tello, 2010; Quiroz and Salgado, 2016; Ortiz et al., 2017). For this reason, it is relevant to establish as a research question how efficient were the 32 entities of the Mexican Republic in the use of their economic and social resources to generate and distribute income during the period 1990-2015. The results of this study allow to quantify the efficiency in the management of the resources during the analyzed period and, therefore, contribute to the design of strategies and policies that energize the behavior of the income dimension of the HDI.\n2. The income dimension of human development in the entities of Mexico: The study of the dynamics of the income dimension of the HDI shows that during the period 1990-2010, the highest income indices were held by the states of Nuevo Leon, Mexico City, Chihuahua, Campeche and Sonora. On the other hand, the entities with the lowest income indices were Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo, which is directly related to the behavior of the GDP per capita (UNDP, 2011, 2016). Table I shows that GDP per capita had an increase of 58 per cent during the period 1990-2015 as a result of increase in public spending and investment attraction policies. The states of the country with the highest GDP per capita levels are Campeche, Mexico City, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro, Quintana Roo and Tabasco.\n3. Methodology: The idea of Farrell (1957), who explains that to measure the efficiency of a set of productive units, it s necessary to know the function of production and the frontier of efficiency, has been applied empirically through two methodologies: stochastic frontiers estimation and DEA measurements. The first involves the use of econometrics, and the second involves linear programming algorithms and benchmarking. DEA is a technique used to measure the comparative efficiency of homogeneous units. Starting from the inputs and outputs, this method provides a classification of the Decision Making Unit (DMU), giving them a relative efficiency score. A DMU is efficient when there is no other (or combination of them) that produces more output, without generating less of the rest and without consuming more inputs. In this case, we speak of an output-oriented model, while in the opposite case, it is called an input-oriented model. DEA models take advantage of the know-how of the DMUs and once determined who is efficient and who is not, set improvement goals for the inefficient, and based on the achievements of the efficient (Bemowski, 1991; Navarro and Torres, 2003; Serra, 2004). In our case, the model was oriented to the output because the ultimate goal of economic well-being is to maximize income and minimize the concentration of it.\n4. Analysis and discussion of results: The states considered efficient in the use of their resources to generate income and at the same time reduce the concentration of income, during the period 1990-2015, were Baja California Sur, Campeche and Mexico City. On the other hand, Quintana Roo and Nuevo Leon stand out as entities that approach efficiency (Table VII). These results are related to the endowment of factors that these states have and the level of life of their population. Specifically, it can be seen in Tables I and II that Baja California Sur, Campeche and Mexico City were characterized for occupying the first positions in terms of GDP per capita, public expenditure, employed personnel and average degree of schooling, as well as having the lowest levels of income concentration. Behavior that directly affected the position that they occupied in the national ranking of HDI (UNDP, 2011, 2016, 2018b). Emphasizing with this the preponderant position that they occupy within the regional dynamics of Mexico, being the entities that historically stand out in the country for their socioeconomic dynamism (Garza and Schteingart, 2010; Tello, 2010; Quiroz and Salgado, 2016; Ortiz et al., 2017). Thus, in this case, the efficient use of resources corresponds with the behavior of the main socioeconomic indicators and to the level of human development displayed by these entities during the study period.\n5. Conclusions: Human development in Mexico as a goal of economic development models has been partial as, on one hand, it exists a positive evolution in terms of health and education, coupled with positive, but not sufficient, growth rates of employed personnel, public expenditure and GDP per capita. On other hand, there are important lags in social matters such as marginalization and concentration of income. In regional terms, there is an uneven development of the entities in Mexico. States such as Campeche, Jalisco, Nuevo Leon, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Puebla and Mexico City have high levels of well-being, while, others like Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan and Chiapas are distinguished by their economic backwardness.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to review the efficient use of economic and social resources to generate income and, at the same time, reduce the concentration of wealth in the 32 states of the Mexican Republic during the period 1990-2015.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data envelopment analysis with the inclusion of a bad output was used to diagnose the efficiency of Mexican entities, and the Malmquist-Luenberger index was applied to understand how this efficiency evolves.\nFindings: The results clearly show that only 3 of the 32 units studied generated and distributed wealth efficiently, while the other 29 must increase their level of income and its distribution.\nOriginality/value: According to the authors' knowledge, this is the first work that performs a temporal analysis of the efficiency in the generation of Human Development Index using bad outputs and the Malmquist-Luenberger index.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The business-to-business inside sales force: roles, configurations and research agenda
|
[
"Job demands-resources theory",
"Inside sales force",
"Sales force configuration"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Initiating a buyer-seller relationship today seldom mirrors Hollywood depictions such as those in Wall Street (1987) or Mad Men (2007-2015), in which a salesperson meets a buyer over an introductory extended lunch. Today's business-to-business (B2B) relationships may also be launched and sustained through e-mail, telephone, social media or virtual meetings (Insidesales.com, 2016). In fact, the need for face-to-face interactions now occurs much later in the B2B sales process (Mantrala and Albers, 2012), if the buyer and salespeople meet in person at all. As salesperson-customer interactions become more digitally intermediated, the ability to maintain a strategic advantage by generating \"superior market sensing, customer linking and channel-bonding capabilities\" (Day, 1994, p. 41) leads to an increased reliance on the inside sales force (Zoltners et al., 2013).\nLiterature review: Despite the increasing focus on the inside sales force as strategically important in practice, academic research on the topic is limited. Given our research questions, we reviewed the academic research in three sales areas as follows:\nThe increasing importance of inside sales forces: Drivers of the rise of the inside sales force\nOverview of studies: To better understand the evolving roles and structures of the inside sales force, we adopted a qualitative approach using a series of interviews with multiple sales professionals in various roles. This approach enables us to develop a theory based on the perspectives of the respondents who live through the experience and are involved in the actual process. As Figure 2 illustrates, we conducted two in-depth interview studies. Study 1 aims to identify key differences between inside and outside sales roles, including the nature of the job characteristics, knowledge/skills/capabilities, candidate profiles and development opportunities and the dominant sales force control systems used for each role. Study 2 explores various configurations that firms use to organize their inside sales force to better understand how firm structure may affect their role and the coordination between the inside and outside sales force. Our goal is to pinpoint the benefits and costs, both strategic (i.e. for the firm and its customers) and operational (i.e. for inside and outside salespeople), of major sales force configurational archetypes.\nMethod: For each study, we created a protocol to guide the interview process and ensure consistent coverage of relevant topics during the interviews. We updated the protocol after each interview to remove saturated themes and to delve deeper into emerging themes. To ensure that we accurately captured the information respondents provided, we recorded all interviews, and a professional transcriptionist transcribed them verbatim. The method's iterative nature required ongoing data analysis to inform future interviews and observations. Constant comparison of the collected data resulted in an evolution of the research questions, concepts and linkages (Corbin and Strauss, 1990). Our purposive sampling procedure continued until we reached a saturation point in terms of gaining new information (Eisenhardt, 1989).\nStudy 1: differences between inside and outside sales roles and capabilities: As noted previously, Study 1 investigates the important differences between inside and outside sales roles and the impact of technology. Specifically, from a JD-R perspective (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007), we aimed to identify key differences between inside and outside sales roles in the demands imposed on them and the resources available to achieve their work goals and development. The following factors derived from prior research on the drivers of salesperson performance, social selling and sales force control systems guided our interviews and coding:\nStudy 2: benefits and costs of inside-outside sales force configurations: Study 2 investigates how firms configure their inside-outside sales organizations and the benefits and costs of doing so. We explore two critical issues:\nGeneral discussion: Firms are increasingly turning to their inside sales forces to reduce costs, provide strong customer support and broaden customer relationships. Yet, the sales academy has largely ignored investigations into the evolving differences between the inside and outside sales roles and the benefits and costs of sales force configurations. Our research fills these important research gaps.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to explore the changing nature of the inside sales role and the individual capabilities required for success. Additionally, it examines the influence of organizational structure on inside sales force capabilities. Although business-to-business firms are investing heavily in inside sales forces, academic research lags behind this evolution.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Using a two-study qualitative approach, the authors examine contemporary inside sales forces' responsibilities and operational configurations. Study 1 uses a cross-industry sample of sales leaders and professionals to examine roles and responsibilities. Study 2 used the second sample of sales leaders and professionals to explore the impact of various organizational configurations.\nFindings: The study identifies important differences between inside and outside salespeople in terms of job demands and resources; inside salespeople's greater reliance on sales technology and analytics than outside counterparts; and existing control systems' failure to provide resources and incentives to match with inside salespeople's increasing strategic benefits and job demands. The study also explores four distinct inside-outside configurations. The differences among these configurations help to explain the distinct benefits and costs of each configuration regarding the company, customer and intra sales force processes, which, in turn, determine inside salespeople's strategic benefits and job demands.\nResearch limitations/implications: The authors discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for research on the evolving roles and capabilities of the inside sales force; antecedents and consequences of firms' choice of inside-outside sales force configurations; and the impact of technology and the inside sales force. They propose a research agenda that includes a series of specific future research questions.\nPractical implications: This study informs managers of the unique role of the inside sales force and how it differs from their outside counterpart. The results inform managers of the issues inherent to various inside sales configurations, helping them determine, which configuration best addresses their customers' needs.\nOriginality/value: This research provides a detailed, updated account of the differences between inside and outside sales forces and the benefits/costs of major inside-outside sales force configurations. Drawing from job demands-resources, organizational structure and strategy-context fit theories, the authors develop research propositions about the underlying structural differences of inside-outside sales force configurations; how these differences drive the inside sales force's increasing strategic benefits and job demands; and organizational choice of inside sales force configurations. A research agenda is then presented.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Web-based discourse on agriculture among the general public: Comparing Germany and Switzerland
|
[
"Internet",
"Media",
"Food safety",
"Public opinion"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Studies on preferences among the general public regarding agricultural systems and policies usually have relied on surveys, either by using standardized questionnaires among a representative sample (Mann and Mante, 2003; Frewer et al., 2005; Loureiro and Lotade, 2005) or by applying in-depth interview techniques (Selfa et al., 2008; Scott, 2008; Soliva and Hunziker, 2009). While these approaches have generated remarkable results, they have several shortcomings, specifically when the ideal of deliberative discourse (Habermas, 1981) is used as a reference point. For example, researchers composing their sample often cannot distinguish between those parts of the population being strongly interested in agricultural issues and those being more or less pressed to form an opinion during the interview process. Likewise, the quality of the stated opinions (in terms of their compatibility with facts and logic) is usually not questioned or tested.\n2. Background on German and Swiss agriculture: Agriculture is one of the most centralized policy areas in the European Union (EU). Therefore, Germany's agriculture is strongly characterized by the \"pillars\" of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP; Brouwer and Lowe, 2000). Within this policy, 70 percent of the European agriculture budget is paid to farmers as income support. While this first pillar forms the backbone of the EU's joint approach to farming, an additional 20 percent of the budget is spent for rural development programs, which form the second pillar of the CAP and amend both regional and environmental policies. Germany is an example for an EU country with a traditionally rather weak political position of agriculture, both in terms of GDP and the cultural importance of farmers. It is among the few countries in the EU that follow a decentralized administration of the second pillar. The \"Lander\" are in charge of the multiannual rural development programs in order to account for regional differences of the economic and natural environment. Although the national Ministry of Agriculture had attempted to strengthen organic farming during the period of a red-green government (1998-2005) and although the current conservative government has focussed on issues of food safety, the division of responsibility for the first and second pillar of the CAP between Brussels and the Lander, respectively, leaves little leeway for an active agricultural policy by the national government.\n3. Methods: To compare the German and the Swiss discourse on agriculture in the internet, suitable web sites from these two countries had to be selected to collect material for the analyses. The Swiss public discourse in the internet usually is divided between the three language regions. As over 70 percent of the Swiss population of seven million people inhabits the German-speaking part of the country, the French and Italian language web site exchanges were dismissed as too small to generate meaningful results, particularly when compared with the discourse in Germany of 80 million potential participants. In addition, the data sources for our study had to meet certain criteria regarding the design of the exchange platform, the qualification of the target group, and the branding of the web site - criteria which the few French and Italian language web sites of Switzerland did not fulfill. These criteria are subsequently described.\n4. Analysis: 4.1. Quantitative analysis\n5. Discussion: The discourse on agriculture among Germans and among German-speaking Swiss in the internet took place separately and without many interactions. Hence, a comparison was possible. The quantitative and qualitative analyses of posts showed clear differences between the two countries regarding both commented news in newsrooms and discussions on message boards.\n6. Conclusions: The difference in agricultural communication issues and patterns in the web-based discourses between Germany and Switzerland has been stylized by depicting different systems of communication between the farming sector and the non-agricultural population. While communication always happens on the interpersonal level, there apparently is a principle difference between how Germans and how Swiss non-farmers perceive agriculture, and this difference is certainly based on communicative structures. Although a certain degree of speculation is needed to identify plausible explanations for these differences, two reasons are at hand.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The discourse about agriculture within Switzerland's and Germany's public is to be compared in order to obtain an idea about the impact of the different agricultural systems. The paper aims to discuss this issue.\nDesign/methodology/approach: After a brief description of agricultural systems and policies in Germany and Switzerland, the discourse among the general public in the two countries in internet newsrooms and message boards is analyzed. The subjects of discussions are compared, and selected sequences are analyzed using objective hermeneutics.\nFindings: Results indicate that, in Germany, agriculture is largely perceived as a black box where food safety is a crucial issue. Although food safety also is discussed in Switzerland, Swiss discussants focus more on changes that should be implemented in agricultural production and policy systems.\nResearch limitations/implications: The quantitative and qualitative evaluation of newsrooms and message boards reveals important insights, particularly in a comparative setting.\nPractical implications: A small-structured agriculture may contribute to generate trust in the reliability of food safety among consumers.\nOriginality/value: The discourse on German and Swiss internet platforms on agricultural issues reveals significant differences which shows that such an analysis allows important insights.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Organisational culture and effectiveness: A multi-perspective evaluation of an Indian knowledge-intensive firm
|
[
"Organizational culture",
"Organizational effectiveness",
"Three-perspective framework"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The rise and popularity of organisational culture in organisation research was primarily driven by the theorised assumption that particular organisational cultures are better suited to high performance (see Roethlisberger and Dickson, 1939). The search for this \"holy grail\" of cultural attributes that can bestow organisations with superior performance has dominated the research on organisational culture in the last 40 years with numerous studies exploring the nature of these linkages (Wang and Rafiq, 2014; Wilderom et al., 2000; Hartnell et al., 2011). Although there has been a general decline in the research interest on organisational culture, the interest on organisational values that culture captures is still intense, evidenced by the growing stream of studies on social capital (Espedal et al., 2013).\n2. Organisational culture and effectiveness: a review of literature: Despite widespread disagreement about its meaning, researchers commonly agree that organisational culture is multifaceted (Schein, 2010) and that it consists of subcultures (Martin et al., 2006). Consequently, culture is defined as \"that which is shared in an organisation-wide consensus\" and \"the patterns of meaning that link these manifestations together, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in bitter conflicts between groups and sometimes in webs of ambiguity, paradox and contradiction\" (Martin, 2002, p. 19).\n3. Research design and methods: Driven by the number of imperatives highlighted earlier, the data generation for this study followed an ethnographic qualitative approach to develop a rich and insightful understanding of organisational culture and effectiveness. In particular, qualitative methods can uncover values, beliefs and assumptions of organisational life (Pettigrew, 1979). The desire to generate depth of understanding prompted the use of the single-case approach (Dyer and Wilkins, 1991).\n4. Teleware: an introduction: Teleware was founded by five visionary professionals in the late 1980s as a PLC to develop the most successful software company in India - a vision believed to be its cornerstone - and is reflected in its HRM policies, and practices. Teleware has a range of communication products and serves a range of world-class customers. In a departure from its exclusive focus on software products, Teleware expanded into telecom software services in 2000.\n5. Organisational culture and effectiveness: an integration perspective: Viewed from an integration perspective, organisational culture is directly linked to operational effectiveness. In total, 40 per cent of Teleware's revenues come from the product division. Many employees, especially the senior executives, argue that a stimulating culture has helped Teleware produce six product patents which generate a steady stream of revenues. Analysis reveals a number of factors that contribute to the employees' belief that the culture is critical to effectiveness. The section begins by discussing what informants commonly described as Teleware's desire to adhere to its values. The next section discusses the values that appear to be widely shared in the organisation.\n6. Organisational culture and effectiveness: a differentiation perspective: This section presents a differentiation perspective. Many aspects of culture were frequently incompatible with the high claims of harmony at Teleware. These differences emerged primarily from the services supervisors and managers and from functional departments. This dates back to 2000, when Teleware started its service business, deviating from its exclusive product focus. Services business has a short-term focus and is people intensive, whereas product development has a long-term focus and involves rigorous research. With this expansion, Teleware grew from 481 to 2,000 people. Many managers in the service business were recruited from other organisations and were often referred to as \"laterals\" (outsiders), whose views differed from those of the home-grown managers, akin to what Meyerson and Martin (1987) described as \"counterculture\". Interestingly, the top management who are mostly from the product group continued to make important decisions. This conflict was manifested in the exercise of power in a number of respects (Martin, 1992). For example, the services managers frequently argued that Teleware's culture had an adverse impact on effectiveness. Extensive probing shed some light on such subtle conflicts. Service business managers commonly complained that the top management was not receptive to their genuine business concerns. Observations revealed that the political manoeuvring that accompanied the conflicts undermines effectiveness. A manager indicated that they had adopted different strategies of \"equalising power\":If we find that HR does not address our concerns satisfactorily, we ask our customers to write directly to the company [...]. We have found that an email from a big customer to the CEO quickly changes things(programme manager).\n7. Organisational culture and effectiveness: a fragmentation viewpoint: Participant observation and in-depth interviews uncovered a number of contradictions, ironies and ambiguities in organisational life. A programme manager remarked that the absence of a main door in Teleware is symbolic - \"virtually anything could get in\".\n8. Discussion: The findings suggest a range of contributions and implications for both theory and practice. The first contribution relates to the adoption of the three-perspective framework for analysing culture effectiveness relationship. This advances theory by providing a comprehensive theoretical rationale for the conflicting findings of the extant studies (see Wilderom et al., 2000; Denison et al. 2004; Fey and Denison 2003). Indeed, multiple cultural values prevail across an organisation and they influence effectiveness in varied and often unexpected ways. Such multiple cultural expressions have been captured in previous studies also; however, they stopped short of examining the impact of such cultural expressions on effectiveness (Harris and Ogbonna, 1997). Cultural values exert a positive influence on effectiveness by creating dynamic capabilities (Rindova and Kotha, 2001); subcultural conflicts largely undermine this; and fragmentation of values exerts a neutral, problematic or even positive influence, contemporaneously. Combining the three perspectives, different aspects of both constructs appear to be neutral, related, unrelated, negatively related and differently related at the same time. Singular perspective studies employ narrow lenses and capture only parts of this complex phenomenon. This conclusively explains their conflicting findings (see Ogbonna and Harris, 2014; Denison et al., 2004). This study also illuminates the futility of the call of many researchers for a large scale survey as a solution (Wilderom et al., 2000) as quantitative studies would be clearly incapable of capturing the dynamic nature of subcultural tensions and the contradictions and ironies that are part of culture, thus failing to present a comprehensive picture of organisational life. Thus, whilst culture can exert a significant influence on effectiveness, the nature of this relationship is, at best, complex and problematic. Similarly, the above discussion undermines Siehl and Martin's (1990) argument that non-financial aspects of effectiveness - productivity, quality and commitment - mediate the relationship between culture and financial performance (also see Mathew et al., 2012). The proposition for such a mediating role has been motivated by the research in a near similar field, that of HRM and performance (see Guest 2001); however, it has limited utility in analysing the impact of culture on effectiveness as the relationship of culture with both the mediating and outcome variables are equally complex and problematic. Importantly, knowledge intensive and technologically sophisticated software development work demands an environment of experimentation and tentativeness which are likely to create ambiguities and uncertainties at workplace. Managerial need for control and planning needs to be sufficiently nuanced to accommodate this need rather than viewing such complexities and uncertainties as aberrations.\n9. Conclusion: This paper documented the multiple particularities of an interesting and economically significant work context and makes insightful theoretical and managerial contributions. The employment of the three-perspective framework of organisational culture provides insights into the conflicts and indeterminacies of the findings of culture effectiveness studies. Appropriate cultures are prerequisites for effectiveness in the knowledge intensive, software firms, although it is not a direct predictor of financial performance. Contextual particularities challenge the formation of strong cultures and this poses challenges for cultural integration. Several contextual factors of the Indian software sector have contributed to a high emphasis on culture. As the Indian software firms move towards maturity, there is a heightened need for formal and sophisticated HRM systems. Whilst admitting the limitations of culture, this study highlights the criticality of sustaining appropriate cultures in a knowledge-intensive firm.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate the theorised relationship between organisational culture and effectiveness.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The empirical data were collected through a five month ethnographic study in an Indian knowledge-intensive firm. It adopts the three-perspective framework of culture that encompasses integration, differentiation and fragmentation perspectives and a comprehensive examination of effectiveness.\nFindings: Integrated, differentiated and fragmented perspectives of culture capture multiple organisational values and they affect effectiveness in varied ways. Appropriate cultures, although not sufficient conditions, are crucial for effectiveness, especially in knowledge-intensive firms. High levels of differentiation and fragmentation prevent the formation of strong cultures. This challenges organisational integration.\nPractical implications: There is heightened need for the application of sophisticated HRM systems in the Indian software sector. Some context specific measures of effectiveness are documented.\nOriginality/value: Through an insightful evaluation of culture effectiveness theorisation till date, the paper amplifies current theorisation and illustrates the potential and limitations of organisational cultures in achieving effectiveness.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Materialism, social stratification, and ethics: evidence from SME owners in China
|
[
"Entrepreneurs",
"SMEs",
"Motivation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Compared to managers especially in large companies, small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners have been seldom empirically investigated in respect of their ethical attitudes (Cullen et al., 2004; Fernandez and Camacho, 2016). This research insufficiency deems problematic as there are a prevalent number of SMEs in the world economy and the ethical inclination of SME owners tends to exert a far more direct influence on business acts than managers (De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009). Ethical attitudes capture the essence of individual ethical reasoning (O'Fallon and Butterfield, 2005; Craft, 2013), which refers to individuals' unwillingness to justify behaviors that are generally considered ethically suspect solutions to ethical dilemmas (Cullen et al., 2004, p. 412; De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009). This unwillingness is a crucial moral component that precedes actual action (Craft, 2013). Specifically, this study focuses on SME owners' ethical attitudes toward money-related deviances; these attitudes depict the owners' moral stance toward pecuniary gains that are derived from deviant behaviors (Cao, 2007). Because money is a utility metric, an ethical dilemma involving pecuniary elements usually entails an inconsistency between market pricing and social norms (Au and Tse, 2001; Kouchaki et al., 2013). It represents the situation that SME owners frequently encounter while seldom empirically investigated (Kouchaki et al., 2013).\nTheoretical background and hypotheses: In the field of business ethics, Rest's (1986) four-component model serves as the groundwork (O'Fallon and Butterfield, 2005) for understanding ethical attitude and behaviors. The model consists of four components including moral awareness (ability to discern ethical issues), moral judgment that is similar to ethical attitude (De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009), moral motivation (prioritization of moral values), and moral character (perseverance in a moral event). Each one has a certain impact on other components and these components precede ethical action. Frequently some elements derived from planned behavior theory (Ajzen, 1991) and Jones' (1991) issue-contingent model are incorporated into Rest's (1986) model to enrich contextual conditions. Consequently, extant explanations for ethical decision-making are primarily built on individual ethical competence and personal moral character that interact with contextual situation including characteristics of the moral event and organizational factors (Jones, 1991). Coherent with ethics research (Craft, 2013), substantial evidence in the field of entrepreneurship suggests that individual psychological and cognitive characteristics (Warren and Smith, 2015; Fischer et al., 2018) along with specific operations and financing situation (Johnsen and Sorensen, 2017; Pollack and Bosse, 2014) are responsible for entrepreneurs' decision-making for engaging into deviance.\nResearch methods: Data collection\nFindings: A majority of respondents in this study was male (68.6 percent) and married (82.5 percent). Their average age was 40.1 years old, and more than half (51.9 percent) had not received any university or higher education. The size of the investigated firms was small, with 55 employees on average. Among the investigated SMEs, 31.9 percent of firms operated in the manufacturing sector mainly including information technology and electronics (11.0 percent), textiles (7.6 percent), and machinery and hardware (5.3 percent); and 68.1 percent operated in other sectors, typically including wholesale and retailing (17.1 percent), financial services and consulting (12.3 percent), catering (10.5 percent), and recreation (4.5 percent).\nDiscussion: With regard to the stratification variables, the mixed results show that entrepreneurial education level is positively related to ethical attitudes toward money-related deviances, whereas household income level is surprisingly negatively associated with ethical attitudes. The former evidence is in line with the premise of strain theory because higher level education better equips entrepreneurs with professional abilities and skill, critical thinking, and ethical awareness to reduce personal strain in business operations, and accordingly, higher educated SME owners will be more likely to preserve the belief that individuals should stick to ethical acts (Cullen et al., 2004; Merton, 1968). In addition, despite few exceptions (e.g. De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009), this finding is generally consistent with prior evidence of the effects of education on delinquencies or economic crimes at both the individual and national levels employing strain perspective or its extensions (e.g. Agnew et al., 2002; Cullen et al., 2004) and Craft's (2013, p. 238) conclusion that \"education was found to have both a positive and neutral impact on ethical decision-making\" following his analysis of 27 empirical studies of ethical decision-making involving education predictors. It is noteworthy that although the prior ethical decision-making literature has identified a link between education level and individual propensity to accept ethical practices, it does not explain the underlying mechanism of the link, which is particularly emphasized in this study. The latter result is somewhat counterintuitive as the strain perspective suggests that the financial challenges facing SME owners could lead to their ethical compromises in business operations (Agnew, 1992; Merton, 1968). Contrary to prior evidence (e.g. Agnew et al., 2002; De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009), this study finds a negative relationship between SME owners' income level and their ethical attitudes. One possible explanation for this conflicting finding may reside in the argument that the downstream costs of unethical practices might be perceived as relatively lower for higher income SME owners than for lower income ones, which may reduce their cognitive thresholds of such deviance engagement. In addition, contextual conditions in emerging economies characterized by institutional voids and regulative enforcement difficulties may reinforce such an entrepreneurial perception (e.g. Puffer et al., 2010). Another potential explanation lies in the view that sufficient financial resources lead higher income entrepreneurs toward increased freedom and decreased interdependence, potentially fostering their sense of entitlement and self-focused tendency toward social behaviors (Piff et al., 2012). A prioritization of self-interest along with an indifference to other stakeholders could instigate an unethical stance toward money-related deviance among higher income SME owners.\nConclusion: The study has important research implications for entrepreneurial ethics. First, this study investigates and advances the strain perspective for understanding the ethical attitudes of SME owners who usually experience heavy economic pressures (Ahlstrom and Ding, 2014). It initiates the first step to address not only \"what,\" \"how,\" but also \"why\" social conditions of SME owners could affect their ethical stances (Whetten, 1989) in stratified societies in which economic goals prevail (Merton, 1938). Second, it has introduced and tested both structural and aspirational strain determinants of entrepreneurial ethical attitudes, generally affirming the effectiveness of the strain perspective. Therefore, it advances and complements the dominant behavior approach that emphasizes cognitive and other psychological processes in explaining individual ethical attitudes (Kohlberg, 1981; Rest, 1986). Such an investigation substantially broadens the research horizon of ethical reasoning in light of the fact that strain pressures introduced by social conditions have been largely ignored in prior research despite their significance and pervasiveness among SME owners (Cullen et al., 2004; De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009). Third, to the best of our knowledge, it is the first study to examine the influence of three materialism facets on entrepreneurial ethical attitudes toward money-related deviance. The evidence provides overall support for the recent progress of strain theory regarding the strain implications of prevalent materialistic values (Bernburg, 2002; Messner and Rosenfeld, 2009). In addition, the study found that only materialism facets attached with meanings such as success and happiness impair entrepreneurial ethical attitudes. It provides important implications for the research on the moral consequences of materialism, especially with regard to the separation between instrumental and terminal materialism (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1978). Fourth, substantial prior evidence has identified the association between demographics and ethical stances, albeit somewhat fragmentally and in isolation (O'Fallon and Butterfield, 2005; Craft, 2013). The reason for that situation may lie in the fact that the underpinning mechanism of these links is underexplored (Craft, 2013; De Clercq and Dakhli, 2009). In this study, the employment of the strain perspective attempts to investigate the mechanism from an insightful angle, facilitating a systematic inquiry into the association of demographics and ethical attitudes among SME owners. Finally, this study has assessed entrepreneurial ethical attitudes toward a typical form of ethical dilemma that involves monetary elements, responding to appeals from ethics researchers regarding the importance of context in ethical decision-making (Johnson and Smith, 1999; Trevino, 1986). Because money represents a central pursuit of business organizations (Kouchaki et al., 2013), the current research contributes to the growing body of literature on the overall role of money in SME operations (Harris et al., 2009; Kouchaki et al., 2013).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The study of business ethics has seldom shed light on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) despite their theoretical and practical significance. Drawing from strain perspective, the purpose of this paper is to address this insufficiency and investigate SME owners' ethical attitudes toward money-related deviances.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on a large sample of 741 Chinese SMEs, an OLS regression analysis was employed to test associated hypotheses. The robustness of results was additionally checked.\nFindings: The results suggest that for stratification variables, education level is positively related to ethical attitudes, whereas household income level is surprisingly negatively associated with ethical attitudes; for materialism facets, success and happiness exert a negative impact on ethical attitudes as hypothesized, but centrality has no associated impact.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study has examined both structural and motivational sources of personal strains on the ethical attitude of SME owners, while the characteristics of these strains could be explored in the future studies.\nOriginality/value: This study advances and complements the dominant behavior approach that emphasizes cognitive and other psychological processes in explaining individual ethical attitudes. It is also seemingly the first study to examine the influence of three materialism facets on entrepreneurial ethical attitudes.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
An automated framework for managing security vulnerabilities
|
[
"Risk management",
"Data security",
"Security products"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The exploitation of security flaws in internet-based systems is now one of the most significant opportunities open to malicious parties such as malware writers and hackers. As a consequence, vulnerability management represents an essential task for information technology (IT) security administrators. However, in order properly to be aware of the problem, administrators are obliged to monitor multiple sources of information rather than being able to rely on one reliable source. For example, if the organisation runs operating systems and applications from different vendors, it is necessary to monitor different vendor advisories (e.g. by subscribing to their associated mailing lists). However, the current approaches to alerting only provide a partial solution. For example, Microsoft's Strategic Technology protection system only solves the problem for recent versions of Microsoft Windows (i.e. it provides no help for other operating systems) (Microsoft Corporation, 2003). The SANS security alert mailing list provides multi-vendor information, but only does so on a weekly basis for the most critical vulnerabilities - thereby giving attackers an opportunity to exploit them before the notification is received (SANS Institute, 2004).Of course, in order to achieve effective vulnerability management, system administrators not only need to ensure that they receive notification of new vulnerabilities, but they must also follow this up by rectifying any that are relevant to their systems. However, each of these processes can be further decomposed into a number of sub-tasks. For example, once vulnerability notifications are received, they potentially need to be filtered to exclude those that are not relevant to the system configuration, then classified to group those that pertain to the same software or target, and then prioritised to ensure that the most critical issues receive attention first. Once this has occurred, the task of rectification often requires that appropriate patches are downloaded, distributed and installed for end-affected systems. The traditional requirement has been for administrators to undertake these tasks manually. However, with the dramatic increase in both the number of vulnerabilities and the speed at which they are exploited, this approach is unsustainable because of the major workload implications introduced as a result. This paper therefore considers an architectural design to automate tasks within both the notification and rectification processes, and presents details of a prototype system that has been developed by the authors. The next section outlines the increasing scale of the vulnerability problem, and points towards the need for automated solutions to help system security administrators. The discussion then proceeds to introduce the architecture of a proposed vulnerability notification and resolution framework, including the process from the receipt of an advisory message, through to the deployment of associated patches. Details of a prototype implementation of this approach are then presented, with particular focus on the notification aspect, which simplifies the receipt and manageability of information for administrators. The paper concludes with thoughts on the further continuation of the research.\nThe increasing problem of software vulnerabilities: A number of published statistics from recent years can be cited in order to evidence the increasing scale of the problem posed by vulnerabilities in system and application software. For example, Symantec's widely-cited \"Internet security threat report\" shows that 1,237 new vulnerabilities were identified during the first half of 2004, while 1,432 new vulnerabilities were identified during the first half of 2003 - representing a 12 per cent increase over the same period in 2002. Figure 1 represents the documented vulnerabilities in the Symantec database from 2001 onwards (Symantec, 2004).The scale of the problem is also reflected in the findings from other sources. For example, statistics from CERT show that the total number of vulnerabilities reported to them in 2002 and 2003 were 4,129 and 3,784 respectively, and 1,740 for the first half of 2004. While the latest figures represent a slight reduction, both figures are dramatically higher than the figure for 2001, which had been just under 2,500 (CERT, 2004).In addition to the scale, other notable factors are the impacts that exploitation of the vulnerability could have, and the ease with which such exploitation could occur. Returning to the findings from the aforementioned Symantec study it is clear that this gives no cause to relax - with 96 per cent of the vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2004 being rated as moderately or highly severe, and 70 per cent being classed as easy to exploit.The above findings suggest a problem that it would be very unwise to ignore. Unfortunately, however, the issue is complicated by the fact that responding to the problem involves significant workload implications for a system administrator. Indeed, previously published work from the authors has benchmarked the task that would consequently face system administrators over a one-year period if they wished to track relevant vulnerabilities and apply associated fixes. The findings suggested that even for a small network (of ten workstations), using a relatively standard selection of Microsoft software and an implementation of Linux, the task for administrators could involve installing an average of 40 patches per month across the affected systems (Alayed et al., 2002).In view of the above, it is clear that administrators could benefit from support in managing the vulnerability problem. The authors' research has therefore proceeded to contribute to this goal through the design and development of an automated vulnerability management framework.\nEnabling automated vulnerability notification and resolution: The proposed approach is intended to provide a comprehensive solution to the vulnerability problem, by enabling automation of both the notification and rectification phases. It is also intended to offer a flexible approach that can be customised to suit an administrator's needs, regardless of the vendors and products involved in the target environment.The first element in the prototype system is automated notification which will reduce the problem of information overload for administrators, by filtration, prioritisation, and classification of the incoming advisories, which will produce only the relevant messages to enable administrators to direct their efforts more effectively, reducing the amount of time lost following up irrelevant material and enabling genuine problems to be addressed more quickly. This will solve part of the problem, but having obtained the relevant information they then have to act upon it. The second element of automation would be an active vulnerability resolver, capable of acting on the notification data on behalf of the administrator.The proposals contrast significantly with current marketplace solutions for vulnerability resolution. Although some current scanners do include auto-update features that enable them to be aware of and detect the latest vulnerabilities (eEye, 2001), these require specific actions on the part of the product vendors, who must release the associated update for their product. Where products also include \"fix-it\" technology, allowing administrators to rectify some issues automatically, these often relate merely to configuration details and do not take care of significant software upgrades or patches (Forristal and Shipley, 2001). Some vendors, such as Microsoft, have also introduced automated software update facilities, but some network administrators are loathe to enable this feature in their clients as it may inadvertently harm operations if patches are not applied in a controlled manner.The overall process associated with the proposed architecture is illustrated in Figure 2 and described below:* Email Client. The Email Client receives the incoming advisories from the mail server and saves them in the inbox. In this research, Microsoft Outlook is used to provide this facility.* System inventory. The system inventory are collected from all system machines and updated regularly.* Automated notifications. All incoming mails of the Email Client are read, and vulnerability advisories are stored in a profile after verification of the vendor's digital signature. Classification, filtration and prioritisation of the advisories is performed according to administrator-specified criteria.* Advisories Database. The Advisories Database stores all the incoming advisories, along with classification data extracted from the original message.* Relevant advisories. The advisories that are relevant to the local system are displayed for the system administrator, and passed on for the rectification system to act on.* Automated rectification. The automated rectification acts on the relevant advisories by connecting to the vendor web site to download any specified patches, and consults the system administrator's policy for accepting them. Patches are stored in a directory, and are then later sent to the network clients and servers.* Workaround. Some advisories do not contain patches. The patches may be released later by the software vendor. Until the vendor releases the patch, workaround may be provided to prevent the attackers from exploiting the vulnerability.* Controller. This module is designed for use by the administrator to configure the notification and rectification modules.\nA prototype implementation: The architectural approach has been implemented within a prototype system, the key elements of which are described in the sections that follow.Automated notification\nConclusions: The exploitation of vulnerabilities represents an undeniable problem, and consequently demands action from system administrators and software developers. However, it is predicated that, even with the more security-conscious development practices now being adopted by software companies, patching is going to remain an issue for several years (Goodwin, 2004). As such, the associated vulnerability management responsibility for system administrators shows no sign of being reduced.This paper has outlined the architecture of an automated vulnerability resolver, and presented details of a prototype implementation. The automated notification system verifies the source of the incoming advisories, and enables messages from multiple vendors to be processed and prioritised within a single administrative interface. This is supported by an automated rectification system that obtains the required patches and allows them to be deployed to client systems.Although the prototype is functional, there are still some issues to be addressed. Principal among these is further development of the rectification system to guard against inconvenience or indirect denial of service to legitimate users (e.g. further options and intelligence within the system to ensure that patch installer does not disrupt user activity. Furthermore, the framework must ensure the validity of the patches and workarounds that it tries to apply, so as to prevent the rectification agent being misused by hackers as a means of getting the target system to accept malicious code. Nonetheless, the prototype system has succeeded in providing a harmonised front-end for administrators who would otherwise have to manually inspect, filter advisories from multiple sources, and then manually retrieve any associated patches. In this sense, several elements of the traditional administrative overhead have already been reduced.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to look at unpatched software which represents a significant problem for internet-based systems, with a myriad malware incidents and hacker exploits taking advantage of vulnerable targets. Unfortunately, vulnerability management is a non-trivial task, and is complicated by an increasing number of vulnerabilities and the workload implications associated with handling the associated security advisories and updates.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - As a step towards addressing the problem, this paper presents an automated framework that is designed to provide a vendor-independent means of vulnerability notification and rectification for system administrators.\nFindings: - In the proposed framework, incoming vulnerability advisory messages may be obtained from multiple sources, and then filtered and prioritised according to the specific requirements of the target environment (as determined by the security administrator). In addition to notification management, the framework provides an automated facility for the download and deployment of any associated patches. The framework has been implemented in prototype form, with particular focus on the notification manager.\nOriginality/value: - This paper presents an automated framework, providing a valuable and comprehensive solution for managing vulnerabilities in terms of notification and rectification systems.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A BIM approach for construction safety: applications, barriers and solutions
|
[
"Barriers",
"BIM",
"Solutions",
"HSE",
"4D visualization"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The report of HSE has shown that construction industry incurred more fatal injuries than any other industries and workers injuries and illness cost billions each year caused by the lack of safety in the construction industry (Huang and Hinze, 2006; Melzner et al., 2013). The research studies showed that the major causes of accidents are related to the unique nature of the industry, i.e. human behavior, difficult site conditions and poor safety management, which result in unsafe work methods, equipment and procedures (Koehn et al., 1995). Therefore, we require the use of new technology such as building information model (BIM) to reduce these problems in order to reduce work-related deaths, injuries and increase the safety of projects which has been proved in the world (Riaz et al., 2014; Taiebat, 2011; Lopez del Puerto and Clevenger, 2010). According to National Institute of Building Sciences-US (2007), BIM is defined as: \"digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility creating a shared knowledge resource for information about it forming a reliable basis for decisions during its lifecycle, from earliest conception to demolition.\" Hence, further improvements can be gained in construction safety through the use of new technology. The growing adoption of BIM in the AEC/FM industry is changing the way safety can be approached (Zhang et al., 2013).\n2. Research background: The construction industry has experienced a gradual decrease in its labor productivity since the early 1960s. In the meantime, the non-farm industries such as the manufacturing industry have increased their labor productivity (Gallaher et al., 2004; Rooke et al., 2004; Teicholz, 2004). The reduction of labor productivity in the construction industry requires more labor hours per contract dollar amount. This indicates that construction industry is lacking the development for labor saving ideas. In the past two decades, more than 26,000 US construction workers have died at work (Hinze and Teizer, 2011; US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). That equates to approximately five construction worker deaths every working day. As these statistics indicate, safety in construction remains a big problem. The sad reality of frequent loss of life, injuries, near-misses and collateral damage is that they pose liabilities that can be prevented. Safe construction requires care and planning throughout the project lifecycle, from design, through construction planning, through construction execution and extending into operations and maintenance. As good safety practices and records create a positive, hazard-free and productive work environment, planning for safety at the front-end of a project is not only the first but also a fundamental step for managing safety (Waly and Thabet, 2003). Table I illustrates the status of construction safety in some countries and it can be inferred that construction safety is a perennial global problem.\n3. Research methodology: BIM technology is a powerful technology but is rather new to Iran. Hence, the reason of this research was to expand a clear understanding about BIM implementation factors in the construction industry in Iran. This purpose has been achieved through three objectives which include identifying BIM functions and BIM benefits for construction safety that would convince professionals for adopting BIM, determination of potential barriers to BIM implementation in Iranian construction industry and assessment of the awareness level of BIM by professionals in Iran. In the end, the researchers presented solutions to cover these gaps. This study was in the category of exploratory research and in order to collect the essential data, the authors reviewed scholarly articles and journals to enhance the theoretical knowledge of BIM and its significance in Iran AEC industry. A questionnaire was developed to assess the perceptions of clients, consultants, and contractors on the relative importance of causes of barriers of BIM utilization for project's safety improvement in the Iran's construction industry.\n4. Results and data analysis: 4.1 Safety problems in Iranian projects\n5. Discussion: Although BIM has been discussed over the last decade, it has not been implemented satisfactorily among the construction industries in Iran. The majority of the designers welcome BIM, but there were designers who do not know much about BIM. As commented by the respondents, the lack of qualified in-house expertise and lack of BIM education/training were the most critical barriers to BIM adoption. In the author's perspective, one of the reasons for the lack of trained expertise could be a stagnant education system. The course work at Iranian architectural and engineering colleges is updated at very large intervals of time, thus leading to new graduates with obsolete knowledge and it should be included as a subjective course during degree time period as after which an architect has to face many challenges by which he may not focus in depth about BIM.\n6. Conclusion: In the world, the importance of safety in construction projects and also the uptrend use of new technologies, such as BIM and automatic rule checking, has been used to reduce accidents in construction industry clearly. In recent years, the use of various BIM capabilities is highly regarded in Iran and among these capabilities, the use of BIM to improve safety has been getting much attention. But there are some barriers that lead to failure in the adoption of BIM in Iran. The major reasons for this condition are being lack of in-house expertise, lack of skilled or trained employees, lack of collaboration, low demand from the clients and high cost of software. The rampant myths about BIM usage and the lethargic attitude of professionals toward validating the facts are keeping the firms away from the newly emerged BIM technology. Moreover, the AEC firms are too comfortable and are not willing to change the current practices. In this research, it was also noticed that Iranian Government is not involved in initiation to encourage BIM usage in construction industry and there is no initiation from educational institutions either to introduce new or current global trends related to the construction industry in academies. Totally, to foster BIM adoption in Iran, the government should take an active role to demand the use of BIM from design stage in construction projects. In addition, the government should collaborate with the industry, professional bodies and education institutes to establish clear standards and guidance on the use of BIM and to provide more tailored training to future students and practitioners. Finally, the authors believe that the following strategies would be helpful to promote the usage of BIM in the Iranian AEC industry:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Construction industry bears a lot of casualties and accidents more than other high-risk industries annually. Thus, the use of new technologies such, as building information modeling, automatic rule checking, information technology-based safety systems in order to implement the rules and safety standards, better controls the performance of workers on site and make high coordination between operational executives, leading to create a secure environment in projects by reducing accidents. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this study, a researcher-designed questionnaire was distributed among 200 companies that are active in the field of construction to evaluate the effect of building information model (BIM) for safety projects and barriers to adoption. Only 70 percent of questionnaires were returned. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences analysis has been used to determine the correlation coefficient among the respondents.\nFindings: The results show the factors that lead to failure in the adoption of BIM in Iran are lack of well-trained personnel, proper social infrastructure, guidance and governmental supports.\nOriginality/value: Finally, the authors presented solutions for overcoming barriers and proposed some factors leading to the successful adoption of BIM in Iran.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Value co-creation in B-to-B environments
|
[
"Hotel",
"Economic satisfaction",
"Travel agency",
"Business customer value",
"Social satisfaction",
"Value co-creation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Inter-organizational relationships have changed dramatically in recent years. Some authors describe the situation as \"seismic shifts in vendor-client interactions\" (De Leon and Chatterjee, 2017, p. 402); accordingly, traditional approaches to these relationships are expected to evolve toward more complex and dynamic structures (Hartmann et al., 2018; Hsu, 2016; Kohtamaki and Rajala, 2016; O'Cass and Ngo, 2012). Scholarly, these shifts can be envisioned through the topic of value co-creation (VcC, henceforth); indeed, as Zhang et al. (2015, p. 48) pointed out for B-to-B marketing, \"co-creation has become a central tenet\".\n2. Theoretical framework: 2.1 Value co-creation in B-to-B environments: origins, development and particularities\n3. Causal model approach: variables and relationships: Methodologically, the understanding of VcC in B-to-B environments as having a dynamic nature (first objective) takes on a means-end approach, where VcC is a central concept between antecedents (trust and commitment) and consequences (economic and social satisfactions).\n4. Analysis and results: 4.1 Measurement instrument: setting, scales and sample\n5. Conclusions: Through a means-end approach, this paper has proposed two objectives in line with the generally acknowledged recognition of the nature of VcC as dynamic - as a sequential process - and synergetic - as a combined interaction. A causal model tested positively among hotel managers evaluating their relationship with their main supplier, where VcC is a key linkage in a chain between antecedents (trust and commitment) and consequences (economic and social satisfaction).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the way in which B-to-B relationships are built, based on commitment and trust affecting value co-creation (VcC) and resulting in greater or lesser economic and social satisfaction and the manager's perception of the delivered value (business customer value) moderating these effects.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Through a means-end approach, a causal model is estimated with PLS using a sample of 268 hotel managers who rate their relationship with their main partner (travel agency or booking center) in Spain.\nFindings: VcC is a) dynamic because it is episodic, where VcC is a mediator between the trust-commitment relationship and two types of satisfaction (economic and social) and b) synergetic, because when the hotel delivers higher levels of business customer value, the effects in the linkages of VcC-satisfaction(s) are intensified. These effects are not significantly different on economic versus social satisfaction.\nResearch limitations/implications: The empirical paper collects the perception of a single partner (hotel managers) in a single setting (hotels in Spain). The moderating role of business customer value on the VcC-satisfaction(s) relationship should be further analyzed. The paper contributes to the growing literature on B-to-B VcC by translating empirically the theoretical richness of the VcC concept as being dynamic and synergetic.\nOriginality/value: This paper adds quantitative evidence to theoretical assumptions on VcC as dynamic and synergetic. The quantitative modelling proves VcC as a true mediator, in a chain of variables in a B-to-B setting.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Mapping the domain of the fragmented field of internal branding
|
[
"Employer branding",
"Brand identity",
"Internal branding"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The current emerging approaches to brand management suggest that brands are organic social processes (Iglesias et al., 2013; Merz et al., 2009; Payne et al., 2009) and that brand value is interactively co-created with multiple stakeholders (Golant 2012; Iglesias et al., 2013; Merz et al., 2009; Vallaster and Lindgreen, 2011). According to this perspective, there are multiple touchpoints that influence the customer brand experience and that need to be carefully managed (Brodie et al. 2009; Payne et al., 2009). Among all these touchpoints, it has traditionally been acknowledged that the direct interactions between employees and customers are crucial in building satisfaction and loyalty (Berry, 2000), especially in service contexts (Sirianni et al., 2013) and at the corporate brand level (Harris and de Chernatony 2001). However, the role of employees in brand building has also been recognized in other contexts, such as fast-moving consumer goods (Iglesias et al., 2013). Moreover, the growing literature also emphasizes the importance of online touchpoints and online communities; this reinforces the role of internal branding in ensuring that brand identity is also reflected through online experiences (Ind et al., 2013; Ind, 2014).\nBrand management as a social process: To highlight the interaction between consumers and employees, the service-dominant logic proposed that service is the fundamental basis of exchange and that the customer is a co-creator of value (Vargo and Lusch, 2004; 2008). This logic is \"inherently customer oriented and relational\" (Vargo and Lusch, 2008, p. 8), and thus, employees are key actors in this service ecosystem, creating value alongside customers at points of interaction. In this line of thinking, customer interaction with employees primarily determines the overall experience and subsequently brand value (Berry, 2000).\nAn introduction to internal branding: Although many different definitions of internal branding can be found, there is certain agreement that it is a process through which brands aim to facilitate the internalization of brand values by employees (Morhart et al., 2009), so that employee behaviour aligns with these brand values when delivering the brand promise (Vallaster and de Chernatony, 2005). Internal branding efforts attempt to positively impact employees' attitudes and emotions and consequently customers' emotions towards the brand (Davies et al., 2010). In summary, through the process of internal branding, employees gain value, which enables them to deliver value to stakeholders (Manolis et al., 2001).\nResearch objectives: To address the three concerns raised in this research, this paper aims to:\nThe components of internal branding: It is evident from the definitions that emerged from the systematic literature review that internal branding occurs through internal activities, such as internal communication or leadership, subsequently leading to brand-aligned behaviour with an end goal of creating powerful brands. In line with the overarching understanding of internal branding as a series of internal activities, dimensions of internal branding presented in the literature and identified in this systematic review are categorized into five key components:\nDefining internal branding: The first limitation of the existing definitions of internal branding is that the definitions are fragmented and even divergent. This is because different researchers have emphasized different dimensions of internal branding in their studies, and this is reflected in their subsequent definitions. Thus, different definitions of internal branding place emphasis on different aspects and components. For instance, Bergstrom et al. (2002) and Punjaisri et al. (2009) focus mainly on internal communications; King and Grace (2008) on the employee experience; Mahnert and Torres (2007) on the inter-organizational effort (Mahnert and Torres, 2007); Ind (2003) prioritizes brand ideologies; Devasagayam et al. (2010) elaborate only on internal brand communities; and more recent researchers such as Du Preez et al. (2015) draw on the dimensions of internal communication, brand leadership and brand-centred HRM (Bumann and Zeplin, 2005). All in all, a holistic and well-accepted understanding and conceptualization is lacking in the domain of internal branding. More importantly, researchers recognize that there is no widely accepted definition of internal branding, and thus, fragmented components are used in research (Du Preez et al., 2015).\nDemarcating the field: The synonymous use of \"internal branding\" and \"employer branding\" is commonly seen in the literature (Aurand et al., 2005; Mosley, 2007), which, in turn, has led to confusion as to the function of each. Table VI presents the key definitions of employer branding that have been extracted from the literature.\nAvenues for future research: Two central avenues for future research in the field of internal branding have emerged from the systematic literature review. According to the organic view of the brand (Iglesias et al., 2013), brand value is co-created by multiple stakeholders. Moreover, brands do not engage with customers in a vacuum, but through multiple brand partners. This means that, for instance, brand value creation does not only depend on the performance of the employees of the brand, but that from this participatory approach, the employees of its partners play also a key role on this process (Ind, 2014). Thus, the challenge is then to understand how to influence these external partners so that their employees also comprehend and embrace the brand values and can subsequently co-create the brand with stakeholders. Some suggested research questions are as follows:\nConclusions: Theoretical contribution\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to build a comprehensive conceptual framework of internal branding, to demarcate this field from employer branding and to develop an updated definition of internal branding that incorporates the findings of the literature review and emerging views in branding.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research conducts a systematic review of the internal branding and employer branding literature following previously established procedures.\nFindings: The major findings of this research are that internal branding comprises five key components within a supportive corporate culture, namely, brand ideologies, brand leadership, brand-centred human resource management (HRM), internal brand communication and internal brand communities; and that internal branding is related yet distinct from employer branding in its discipline, focus, components, outcomes and the role of the brand. The paper concludes with a comprehensive definition of internal branding derived from the conceptual framework and recent trends in branding, in addition to directed suggestions for future research in the field.\nResearch limitations/implications: This research highlights areas for future research within internal branding, including the need for further research on internal brand communities and how brands can \"internally brand\" brand partners.\nPractical implications: The research highlights the company-wide and brand partner-wide effort required in internal branding, in addition to the necessity of a supportive corporate culture.\nOriginality/value: This is the first review of internal branding and employer branding that aims to differentiate between the constructs and build a conceptual framework of internal branding, by drawing from the fields of HRM, marketing, branding and general management.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Exploring entrepreneurial orientation and intentions among technical university students: Role of contextual antecedents
|
[
"Structural equation modelling",
"Developing countries",
"University students",
"Entrepreneurial intentions",
"Contextual antecedents",
"Individual entrepreneurial orientation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship are considered as crucial growth agents of a nation to achieve economic, social, technological and organisational development (Acs et al., 2014; Bosma et al., 2018). They serve as catalysts for economic development due to the wide array of economic benefits provided by them in terms of introducing innovative products, services, job creation, facilitating technology transfer from lab to land, increasing competitiveness and enabling social empowerment (Acs et al., 2014; Bosma et al., 2018; Fayolle et al., 2016). Therefore, policymakers across the globe are emphasising on numerous entrepreneurship support measures (Gurol and Atsan, 2006). In line with the proliferating emphasis on entrepreneurship development, there is a precipitous rise in policies and government patronage to create entrepreneurial ecosystems for aspiring entrepreneurs in India as well. However, these formulated policies cannot achieve their desired goal and global benchmark due to lack of understanding of the critical factors and appropriate directions for enactment. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the fundamental factors in the specific context stimulating entrepreneurship development to achieve the desired outcome of such ambitious plans.\n2. Literature review and hypotheses development: 2.1 Individual entrepreneurial orientation and intentions - the relationship\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Data analysis and results: 4.1 Descriptive analysis\n5. Discussion: EO has been referred to as the \"strategy making processes that provides organisations with a basis for entrepreneurial decisions and actions\" (Rauch et al., 2009). A considerable volume of entrepreneurial research has examined the concept of EO in fostering EIs (Kantur, 2016), performance (Franco and Haase, 2013; Rauch et al., 2009) and success (Frese et al., 2002) at the firm level, and it has been extensively studied both theoretically and empirically (Bolton and Lane, 2012). However, at individual level, very few studies focussing on IEO (e.g. Bolton and Lane, 2012; Ekpe and Mat, 2012; Ibrahim and Lucky, 2014; Koe, 2016; Robinson and Stubberud, 2014) have probed and validated the impact of EO on EIs, business performance (Chien, 2014) and success (Bolton, 2012) in the entrepreneurial career of individuals. Most of the above scholastic works have assessed the reliability and validity measures of the IEO construct and its dimensions at the individual level and tested their explanatory capacity in linear relationships, neglecting the other antecedents affecting the dimensions of IEO. Therefore, scholars (Bolton and Lane, 2012; Popov et al., 2019) have urged for further research to examine the relationship between IEO and intentions in presence of other antecedents across varied contextual settings.\n6. Conclusion: This study explores the role of contextual antecedents and IEO in predicting university students' EIs. The results empirically validate that access to resources and entrepreneurial support favourably drive the entrepreneurial proclivity of university students. Access to startup capital, support from social networks, availability of relevant business information, and supportive university context have the ability to influence the \"strategic decision-making processes\" of the students and motivate them to venture into an otherwise uncertain occupation of entrepreneurship.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of the contextual antecedents on the individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) of university graduates, which, in turn, affects their entrepreneurial intentions (EIs).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Primary data were collected in the form of 510 valid responses from engineering students across two technical universities in India, through a structured questionnaire consisting of scales adapted from the extant literature, and the data were empirically validated in this study. The reliability and validity measures of the constructs were validated through the confirmatory factor analysis, and the proposed hypotheses were validated using structural equation modelling.\nFindings: The results of this empirical analysis validate that the contextual antecedents have a significant positive impact on students' entrepreneurial orientation (EO), which, in turn, has a significant positive influence on EIs.\nResearch limitations/implications: This analysis depicts the significance of EO as a perceptual driver at the individual level and substantiates that the availability of resources such as startup capital, access to business information, social networks and supportive university context significantly affects the decision-making process of an individual to venture into an otherwise uncertain occupation of entrepreneurship.\nPractical implications: The study has the likely potential to help university administrators and policymakers to allocate resources, develop strategies and provide effective entrepreneurial learning in entrepreneurship-oriented courses aimed at honing entrepreneurial skills and self-confidence of the university students. This holistic model can be used as a tool for resource planning and prioritising in order to provide the desired contextual support essential for fostering the IEO of the university students towards adopting entrepreneurial career, thereby assisting them to achieve their career goals and the broader objective of nation-building.\nOriginality/value: This study adopts an innovative approach to empirically validate the EO construct at the individual level, which has been studied at the organisation (firm) level till today. This research explores the relevant contextual antecedents and analyses their impact on IEO as well as the explanatory capacity of IEO to explain students' EIs in the contextual backdrop of universities in a fast transitioning economy like India.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Thought self-leadership strategies and sales performance: integrating selling skills and adaptive selling behavior as missing links
|
[
"Sales force",
"Sales performance",
"Adaptive selling behavior",
"Self leadership",
"Selling skills",
"Thought self-leadership"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The imperative to dissect the mechanism of sales force effectiveness is anchored in multiple perspectives held by sales researchers and sales managers. There is general agreement on the role of salespeople as a key resource for sales revenue, real-time market intelligence, trend spotting and business forecasting, but there has been an increasingly greater emphasis on developing a broader understanding of a salesperson's capabilities to meet rising customer expectations (Rapp et al., 2006). Rapid changes in the business environment warrant the realignment of customer-facing roles within an organization to best serve the current and future needs of its customers (Singh and Venugopal, 2015). Performance remains the focal issue within the firms as they direct their selling strategies toward attaining higher levels of customer value creation and building higher shareholder value; hence, the firms need to clearly understand the building block of its performance: the sales force (Agnihotri et al., 2012).\nTheoretical background and conceptual model: TSL, a distinct dimension of self-leadership strategies, involves making the best use of mental strategies to develop and maintain constructive thoughts. These mental strategies include positive self-talk, mental imagery and evaluation of dysfunctional beliefs and assumptions (Houghton and Jinkerson, 2007). These cognitive strategies serve salespeople in a way that enable them to practice the self-influence necessary to achieve work-related goals and therefore enhance their sales performance (Singh and Venugopal, 2015). We suggest that each of the constructive thought strategies plays a positive role in the salesperson's self-leading abilities. We present our arguments subsequently.\nSelf-regulation theory: Self-regulation theory is the foundation of the self-leadership construct (Williams, 1997) that captures the mechanism through which one influences and regulates one's emotions, cognitions and behavior to achieve performance goals. The self-regulation theory supports the conceptual model of this study in several ways.\nJob demands-resources theory: According to the JD-R theory, every job has a particular set of factors relating to employee stress and employee engagement; these factors can be broadly classified into two categories: job demands and job resources (Crawford et al., 2010). Job demands refer to those physical, psychological, social or organizational aspects of the job that require sustained physical and/or psychological efforts resulting in physiological and/or psychological costs. Examples of common job demands include high workload and emotionally demanding client interactions. In the context of a selling job, these could be high quota pressure, an unfavorable physical environment at work and stressful engagements with customers.\nHypotheses: Thought self-leadership strategies and self-efficacy\nMethod: Sample\nDiscussion: Within the sales management literature, most of the research has focused on the top-down approach of leadership. There is a growing interest among sales researchers to develop the body of knowledge that investigates the self-leading abilities of salespeople and their self-regularity mechanism deployed on the job (Panagopoulos and Ogilvie, 2015; Singh and Venugopal, 2015). We extend and aim to strengthen this line of investigation to suggest that self-leadership strategies and TSL in particular are powerful tools for salespeople, deploying which they can achieve higher levels of sales performance. Through this study, we sought to integrate the self-leadership literature with sales literature and argue for its critical importance both for theory building and managerial practice.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This study aims to address the need to study salespersons' thought self-leadership (TSL) and its effectiveness through the interplay of self-efficacy, skills and behavior at the individual level. It also advances the agenda of integrating self-leadership into marketing literature.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A model was tested using survey data collected from salespeople within pharmaceutical companies located in India and other Asian countries. A structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses.\nFindings: The results suggest an interesting interplay between a salesperson's TSL and his/her sales performance. The results also demonstrate the relationship between TSL and self-efficacy and the mediation mechanism through which self-efficacy influences sales performance. Results support the role of TSL as a distal predictor of performance and delineate the complexity of the mediation mechanism through theoretical grounding and empirical evidence.\nResearch limitations/implications: The research suggests that a salesperson's TSL relates positively with the sales performance through three process variables; self-efficacy, selling skills and adaptive selling behavior. The results should encourage managers to leverage salesperson's TSL strategies to build a self-leading sales force and optimize supervision cost. Moreover, training the sales force for enhanced TSL has immediate payoffs in terms of increased selling effectiveness. The study also discusses theoretical implications.\nOriginality/value: By examining TSL in the sales context, the study makes an original contribution to the extant literature. The results of the study enrich the extant information on self-leadership and sales performance linkages by suggesting a mediation mechanism and proposing an integrated framework with selling skills and adaptive selling behavior.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Growth opportunities in luxury goods and real estate
|
[
"Consumer goods",
"Fashion design",
"Architecture",
"Financial markets",
"Investors",
"Real estate"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the real estate industry, architects create new opportunities when they work with old buildings or with vacant land. In the luxury goods industry designers have a similar role. For instance, in the case of Gucci, designer Tom Ford gave new life to an old brand. The trick was to employ a not yet famous designer to create value in terms of opportunities to release new products.What matters from the shareholders' point of view is the difference between what it costs to acquire the architect or designer and the value he or she creates in the form of new opportunities. In the luxury goods industry some designers, like Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld, have contributed considerably to shareholder value. In the real estate industry, hotels designed by luxury goods firms are an indication of an increasing convergence of design and architecture. In the following paper, some similarities between design activities related to luxury goods and real estate industries will be discussed.\n2. Luxury goods: There are certain factors that seem to have contributed to the recent development of the luxury goods industry. First, the existence of designers with an international reputation, who are either independent or controlled by luxury conglomerates. Second, there are some luxury conglomerates that are obviously aiming towards jewelry, accessories, wine, perfumes and cosmetics as complements to clothing. Third, confidence and trust are foundations of relational exchange. In many cases, the entrepreneurial model has moved from the fashion house directed by a greater couturier to the multi-brand company competing in the high profile end of the market. Some of the latter companies consider couture as a creative laboratory and a communication medium supporting the more profitable lines of business (Saviolo and Testa, 2002).To a large extent, luxury goods companies are dependent on their brands and their designers. It also seems that some buyers are willing to pay a high price for a high-profile brand. An example of this is Pinault's acquisition of Gucci shares some years ago, which was the result of a struggle with the other main potential buyer, the French group Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH).Early studies of the fashion industry were made by Gregory (1948) and Robinson (1961). Recently, Djelic and Ainamo (1999) have studied organizational aspects of the industry. Heilbrunn (1995) discusses a tripartite relationship between the company, the brand and the customer. He suggests that the brand works as an intermediary between the company and the customer.The company, the employee and the customer form another tripartite relationship (Gronroos, 1995). In the luxury goods industry it seems that the function of a brand or a designer is to guarantee the promises made by the firm to its customers and equity investors.Modern luxury goods conglomerates have sometimes grown through acquisitions, taking over fashion houses that were no longer able to afford the investments needed to preserve their brand identity. The web offers possibilities that could have an influence on the marketing of luxury goods. However, some people will still need to see and feel products at international catwalks and trade shows.The production of luxury goods is sometimes guided by multi-brand strategies in large conglomerates. In such cases, conglomerates are not very sensitive about which brand the customer sticks to as long as it is one of their own brands. Beverland (2004) has shown that the luxury brand is built on value-driven emergence, culture, history, product integrity, marketing and endorsement. However, in some cases it is the design and not the brand that is important in the marketing of luxury goods.The balance of new and old could also be of importance. LVMH, for example, has created some of the most lucrative brands in the world, from Dior to Dom Perignon. It has been said (by Bernard Arnault) that their strategy is based on products that are timeless, modern, fast growing and highly profitable (Wetlaufer, 2001 p. 121).Anyway, the label \"luxury good\" is in itself a paradox. Retailers want to sell as many of their products as they can; however, proclaiming their products as luxury goods implies exclusivity. Companies like LVMH, Gucci and Prada seem to have two kinds of strategies when they are managing their luxury brands. First, the impressive growth of sales volume demonstrates to shareholders that the right balance between the four parameters (timeless, modern, fast growing and highly profitable) has been found. Second, there is an option for future growth.The creation of a portfolio of options to introduce new products can resolve the luxury goods paradox of combining large sales volumes with exclusivity. If the number of different products is great, the total sales volume could be large, whereas the sales volume of each product is small. In order to increase the total sales volume, new products can be introduced at appropriate points in time. If such a strategy is applied, the role of designers is pivotal. Their creativity creates options in the form of possible new products.Amram and Kulatilaka (1999) have discussed five types of options, namely waiting-to-invest options, growth options, flexibility options, exit options and learning options. They argue that these options have an economic value in the same way as put-and-call options in the stock market have a value. A designer in a luxury goods firm or an architect in a real estate company is a personified option in the sense that he or she gives the firm an opportunity to launch new projects at appropriate points in time.Lewenhaupt (2002) offers some examples that can be useful in this context. The waiting to invest option is the option where the designer uses knowledge and experience from the past in an extreme sense. Pucci, for example, provides a lesson in surviving, by moving from one experience to another, before ending up with his fashion house in Florence 1950 and in Palazzo Pitti in 1953. A good example of a growth option is the Tom Ford story at Gucci, which has already been mentioned above. Carl Lagerfeld may be considered as a personified flexibility option, when he works for Chanel, his own trademark and many others at the same time. He also managed the exit option when working for H&M, producing only a single collection during the autumn of 2004. Finally, Prada could exemplify the use of learning options. Miuccia Prada used to say that she created clothes for people who did not care for fashion but were able to learn. The idea of long-term learning has actually been applied since 1913, when Mario Prada controlled the company. The motto was: \"we always make clothes for someone, for you or for somebody else.\"\n3. The case of LVMH: LVMH is one of the world's largest and most successful purveyors of luxury goods. The firm sells items that serve little purpose in the lives of consumers except to fulfill dreams. However, its chairman Bernard Arnault has expressed worries that the business is trapped in what he calls the paradox of star brands:It was something of a shock, to be honest, to discover that even talent could not launch a brand from zero. A brand must have a heritage; there are no shortcuts. The fact is, star brands take time to grow (Wetlaufer, 2001, pp. 120-21).According to Arnault, many brands have the potential to be stars, but a lot of them are poorly managed. For example, Bliss and Urban Decay were little start ups run by their founders, but had products with a lot of originality, when they were bought by LVMH. On the other hand there are many well-managed brands that will never be stars.Another way to express this is that some brands have embedded options, while others have not. As we have discussed above, these options (from growth options to learning options) can be personified by designers. In the case of LVMH, designers have obviously been supplying opportunities to sell products that have proved to be timeless, modern, fast-growing, and profitable.\n4. Real estate: Every piece of land is unique because of its location. If there is a building on it, the uniqueness can also be a consequence of its architectural merits (Hough and Kratz, 1983). However, most properties can be further developed in one way or another. A building could be constructed on a vacant lot, an old building could be modified or a new one could be constructed in its place.What is the reason then, that so many well-located properties are still not developed to their full potential? One important explanation is that owners of undeveloped or underdeveloped properties wait for the right moment to construct or modify a building on it (Titman, 1985). In other words, real properties are to a large extent considered as options. Laura Quigg (1993) made a famous empirical investigation based on 2,700 land transactions in Seattle. She found that buyers paid between 1 and 30 percent more for properties because they looked on them as development options instead of as completed projects.The real estate industry consists of investors and developers. Investors are often holding real property as an alternative or complement to stock investments. The term \"real estate developer\" applies to a person or firm that develops land and constructs improvements on developed properties. A successful developer must always have access to vacant land and to underdeveloped existing buildings. Therefore, the relationship between investors and developers is somewhat similar to that between buyers and producers of luxury goods. Architects and designers both produce options of growth in their respective industries.\n5. Similarities between luxury goods and real estate: It has been pointed out already by Myers (1977) that the firm's assets consist of assets in place and growth opportunities. He demonstrated that debt financing could be suboptimal when growth opportunities are concerned. When approaching equity investors, financial marketing can be used to demonstrate the value of the options embedded in these growth opportunities. This is relevant to both the luxury goods and real estate industries, because of the roles played by architects and designers.The concept of investor relations is usually conceived of as the communication between the company and its equity investors. Financial marketing (FM) can be envisaged as a broader concept, which includes the firm's relations with all relevant participants in the finance industry, including credit institutions and government agencies.A firm's stock price can affect how the firm is perceived by its investors as well as by its customers and employees. When stock prices reinforce the underlying trend, it can be called self-reinforcing (Soros, 1994). Subrahmanyam and Titman (2001) have demonstrated conditions under which an initial increase in the stock price affects the firm's profit, which in turn affects the stock price, and so on.At times the luxury goods and real estate industries have tried to profit from their common characteristics. An example is the creation of hotels that get their brand and design from a luxury goods firm. Versace has designed a Palazzo Versace hotel on Australia's Gold Cost; Armani has worked together with an Emirates property company to design ten hotels; Bulgari has opened a five-star hotel in Milan (Financial Times, 2004).\n6. Conclusion: Some possible similarities between design activities related to luxury goods and real estate have now been discussed. One common characteristic is the role played by designers and architects. They function as personified options in the sense that they would give their firms opportunities to launch new projects at appropriate points in time.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The paper aims to discuss some similarities between design activities related to luxury goods and real estate.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper discusses some similarities between design activities related to luxury goods and real estate. The focus is on new market opportunities and on shareholder value similarities for those two industries.\nFindings: - The paper finds that there is a fundamental similarity between the luxury goods and real estate industries. The common characteristic is the role played by designers and architects. They function as personified options in the sense that they give their firms opportunities to launch new projects at appropriate points in time.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This is a theoretical discussion backed up by cases from two types of industry. A broader empirical research can broaden the picture of this out of the ordinary field of research.\nPractical implications: - The paper is a very useful source of information and impartial advice for those who are interested in luxury goods, fashion design, architecture, financial marketing, investor relations, and real estate.\nOriginality/value: - The paper fulfils and identifies two fields of research, the real estate and the luxury goods industry. In the real estate industry, architects create new opportunities when they work with old buildings or with vacant land. In the luxury goods industry designers have a similar role.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Traditional "Zivana": a case study of a Cypriot distillery
|
[
"Alcoholic drinks",
"SWOT analysis",
"Marketing mix"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: That tradition matters is becoming obvious in the case of \"Zivana\", an alcoholic drink produced in Cyprus.Zivania is a traditional Cypriot alcoholic beverage, it is an aperitif, which is produced by mixing the essence of grapes with some special local varieties of high-quality dry wine. The remainder of the distilled grapes in the old times was called \"Zivana\". The Cypriot company LOEL, which produces zivania, has given the aperitif the trade name \"Zivana\". It is a strong drink and the content of alcohol is 45 per cent.The objective of this study is to examine the issues related to the production of \"Zivana\", and the marketing practices implemented by LOEL to promote the aperitif. Thus, the product, its target market and competition are analyzed, a SWOT analysis is performed and the marketing mix is presented. The marketing practices implemented by the company will then be assessed on the basis of those employed by other companies in the international wine and spirits market.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 The global spirits market\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Case study approach\n4. The findings: 4.1. General information\n5. Discussion: \"Zivana\" is a traditional aperitif embraced by consumers, which exceeds competition, because of its superior quality, despite its higher price. Quality is the most important strength of the company and it is a result of the superior technological equipment used for the production of \"Zivana\". Today consumers show a preference to high-quality alcoholic beverages because of the increasing household income, as mentioned by Stephens (2003) in the literature review. Though, the company could make offers more often as well as price reductions, as its competitors do and offer more gifts.In addition, the selection of the name \"Zivana\" was successful since customers do not ask to buy zivania but \"Zivana\".The packaging of \"Zivana\" is simple, however, its competitors offer more attractive packaging. As seen in the literature review, in the case of the Italian grappa, creative packaging has an important role in fighting competition (TED, 2006) and especially, if \"Zivana\" is exported, packaging will be much more important. In addition, as Dodd and Gustafson (1997) mentioned, an attractive and appealing label is also essential.A disadvantage is that since LOEL does not distribute \"Zivana\", it cannot have direct contact with its customers. Thus, the company cannot collect information about them, identify their needs, serve them better and reward frequent buyers to keep them loyal.The two RTD products, \"Zivana\" hot-ice lemon and \"Zivana\" hot-ice orange seem promising since, as Band (2003) mentioned, RTD premixes such as Smirnoff Ice and themed vodka bars raised the spirits popularity between young consumers and have already shown success in other markets.Promotion is very important for \"Zivana\", and as mentioned by Dodd (1997), magazines and journal articles influence consumers' selection. The product has the advantage that it is traditional and popular, thus, there is positive word-of-mouth, and as Dodd et al. (2005) have claimed, recommendations influence consumers' choices. In addition, by sponsoring youth events and participating in the annual Wine festival and in the annual Zivania's Symposium, the company promotes \"Zivana\" and offers consumers opportunities to taste the product, and as Thompson and Vourvachis (1995) argued, this can have effective results. Furthermore, the company could identify other customer groups apart from youth and promote the product by sponsoring events suitable to these groups. However, older population cannot be the target of such a strong drink as \"Zivana\", because there are health conscious attitudes (Chitakasem, 2004).Based on its superior quality, \"Zivana\" could participate in international or regional exhibitions to gain awards. As Orth and Krska (2002) mentioned, consumers are influenced by awards because they believe that this is a quality assurance indicator. This will be very important especially for the exports of the product.However, exporting \"Zivana\", is a difficult task. The product's price is high and the company must strengthen its efforts to include zivania in the traditional Cypriot drinks so that it will not pay tax and the price will decrease. To penetrate foreign markets, strong promotional campaigns will be needed, to boost brand awareness and compete with fashionable international spirits, which have respectable brand images and an international reputation as quality products.\n6. The contribution of this study: This study contributes to the alcoholic beverages sector since it is the only one so far that has provided an important insight in the production and marketing of \"Zivana\" and has gathered knowledge concerning the Cypriot market, where very limited research has taken place in this sector. The results of the study support the findings of other studies mentioned in the literature and they can be of definite interest and potential value to managers in this sector. Academically, further research based on these findings can add to the present pool of knowledge by further examining the marketing practices employed by other distilleries in Cyprus and worldwide.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues related to the production of \"Zivana\", a traditional alcoholic beverage produced by the Cypriot company LOEL, and the marketing practices implemented by the company. Thus, the product, its target market and competition are examined, a SWOT analysis is performed and the marketing mix is presented.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - To gain an initial understanding of the marketing practices employed by the company concerning the production of \"Zivana\", the case study method was employed, since its fundamental characteristic is the focus on a particular setting or event.\nFindings: - The findings showed that the company offers superior quality due to its high-end technological equipment and has defeated competitors, although it has a higher price than competitive products. The company is aiming at developing new products based on \"Zivana\" and at exporting its products.\nOriginality/value: - This paper can add to the present pool of knowledge in the sector of alcoholic beverages, since it is the only one so far that has provided an important insight in the production and marketing of \"Zivana\" in the Cypriot market. The results of the study support the findings of other studies mentioned in the literature and they can be of definite interest and potential value to managers in this sector.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Economic sustainability of buildings: Assessment of economic performance and sustainability index
|
[
"Architecture",
"Construction",
"Approach"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Assessment and certification systems for the sustainability of buildings have an increasingly important role throughout the lifetime, from design to deconstruction, including construction, operation and maintenance of buildings (see Figure 1). Assessment systems should include the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainability. In addition, they should make it possible to perform comparisons with other traditional decision criteria, such as technical and functional performance. According to the general principles of sustainability in building construction, as described in ISO 15392 (ISO, 2008), including all the three dimensions of sustainability. However, the individual assessment of the dimensions of sustainability can be performed separately depending on the purpose of the assessment. In this case, the declarations shall be made only to the dimensions effectively assessed.\n2. Methodology framework: The EcoSust model is based on a LCA for assessing the economic sustainability of buildings following the European construction sustainability framework as defined by EN 15643-1, EN 15643-4 and EN 16627 (CEN, 2010, 2012b, 2015). The model, as schematically shown in Figure 4, uses the results of the assessment of economic performance of a building, MAEP-RB, and performs a weighting and a normalization of several parameters, in order to produce an economic sustainability assessment. The result will be an economic sustainability index, EcoSust. Although intended to perform an economic sustainability of the whole life cycle of the building, currently it is developed only for the before use phase. The use of an economic sustainability index will allow the possibility of integration of EcoSust in a global evaluation of sustainability, where environmental, social and economic dimensions are simultaneously considered.\n3. Assessment of economic performance: To assess the economic performance of a building, it is necessary to have cost information of all resources used in it. The general structure of the EcoSust model, presented in Figure 4, shows that within the model there are two important databases:\n4. Calculation of weights: 4.1 Basis for the use of the analytic hierarchical process\n5. Economic sustainability index: Measurement of sustainability has been acquiring and increased interest, despite the fact that there is no consensus on how to address this problem. A commonly used approach is to use normalized values weighted for the different indicators. Normalization of indicators aims to set a dimensionless value that reflects the building's performance assessed in relation to a reference performance, benchmarks. To normalize the costs, it is necessary to determine the cost of conventional practice, KsPic, and the cost of best practice, KsPib, for all of the parameters of the hierarchical structure of the methodology. The following equation is used to normalize the costs (Diaz-Balteiro and Romero, 2004):(14)\n6. Conclusions: This paper presents a methodology, EcoSust, for assessing economic performance and for the assessment of economic sustainability of buildings, in the before use phase within the construction sustainability concept according to EN 16627.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative approach for the development of a methodology to systematically assess the economic performance and for the assessment of the economic sustainability of a building, through the calculation of an economic sustainability index, within the sustainability framework according to the rules defined in EN 16627.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodology follows the principle of modularity, where aspects and impacts that influence the economic performance of the building during the phases of its life cycle are assigned to levels. It presents a model based on the construction costs of the building. The methodology in centered in the before use phase and restricted to residential buildings.\nFindings: Definition of a model for assessing the economic performance and calculation of an economic sustainability index.\nResearch limitations/implications: The methodology is focused only in the before use phase of the buildings, assuming they have the same functional equivalent. It can be expanded to include the other phases of the building life cycle.\nPractical implications: The developed methodology will allow the selection of construction procedures, based on economic sustainability, contributing to more rational and support decisions.\nSocial implications: Contributing to a more sustainable society.\nOriginality/value: The European framework of EN 15643 and EN 16627 for the assessment of building sustainability is new and, as such, not implemented in most practical tools. Also, economic sustainability is not usually considered in detail in existing models. This paper presents a methodology following the framework and, simultaneously, possible to integrate in existing approaches.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The Joytoy Company: A teaching case on the importance of effectively managing the value chain
|
[
"Costs",
"Value chain",
"Decision making"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The Joytoy Company is a start-up toy company. The owners, John Park and Bill Deskamp, have developed a new toy. It is called, The Joytoy. The Joytoy is economically priced and well-liked by children and retailers. In fact, John and Bill have sold the Joytoy to the biggest discount department retailer in the country, Val-Mark. If things go well with this account, there is a possibility to expand and get the toy into other discount department stores and toy stores. The Joytoy Company has an order of 1,000,000 units for the upcoming holiday season. However, John and Bill have not developed a process to develop mass quantities of the Joytoy. The most the company has produced at one time is 50 units. The owners were able to take the order to a bank to secure financing for some initial capital. Now, John and Bill must develop an effective value chain that will maintain product quality, produce the necessary amount of units, and keep costs contained. During their first meeting after getting the Val-Mark order, Bill stated:John, can you believe it? After all of these years, we finalized the Joytoy and sold it to Val-Mark. I knew we had a good idea, but I didn't think it would take so long. Nonetheless, we finally did it!John replied:You are right! We have been working on the Joytoy for a long time. I can remember when it was just a sketch on a piece of paper. We have come a long way since then. Now, we have another challenge. We have to figure out how to make 1 million of them.\nBackground: The Joytoy Company is a toy company that was established in the last six months. John Park and Bill Deskamp have been friends for over 20 years and are co-owners of The Joytoy Company. They have been working on the development of the Joytoy for over ten years. John and Bill met in college while attending Anford University. John Park has a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a MBA. Most recently, he was a Marketing Director at Locter & Damble, a Fortune 500 consumer products company. Bill Deskamp has a Bachelor's degree in engineering and for the last 17 years, he has been working as an engineer for a local company.While John and Bill were in college, they talked about developing a toy and starting a toy company. They began to develop the Joytoy as a hobby several years after they both graduated from college. Since then, there have been over 20 versions of the Joytoy. The current version was finalized 12 months ago. Once the Joytoy was finalized, Bill and John set-up a corporation and presented the toy to Val-Mark. After three months of negotiation, Val-Mark placed a 12 month order for 1,000,000 units of the Joytoy. The Joytoy will begin selling during the upcoming holiday season. Therefore, the first shipment of 200,000 units needs to be at Val-Mark by 15 October 15. This is a short lead time, as Bill and John only have six months before the first shipment is due to Val-Mark.\nCurrent situation: Bill and John created this product on their personal time and with their personal funds. As a result, there is no formal organization in place. Although John and Bill recently quit their jobs and have fully dedicated themselves to the Joytoy Company, there are no formal departments or employees. It is just the two of them. They established the formal company of, The Joytoy Company, just before they made the presentation to Val-Mark. The good news is that there is some funding available to get the organization established. Bill and John took the Val-Mark contract to a local bank and used the contract as collateral to gain funding.They are well-informed about the necessary parts for the toy because they have been working on it for a long time and have made so many versions of it. In addition, Bill and John believe they have a grasp on the costs associated with making the toy. However, these costs are estimates. Although they are familiar with the costs of making the Joytoy in John's garage, they do not have actual costs to support the estimated costs for full production.But, they have made some progress. They have set-up office space, which includes an office, telephones, high-speed internet access, office furniture, copiers, letterhead, etc. In addition, they have located 2 possible buildings that can be used to manufacture the toys.Val-Mark has placed an order for 1,000,000 units. The first order of 200,000 units needs to be at the Val-Mark warehouse on 15 October 15. Please see Table I for the 12 month Val-Mark order.John and Bill have estimated the cost to produce the Joytoy to be $10.00/unit. The agreement between The Joytoy Company and Val-Mark states that the Joytoy Company will sell the product to Val-Mark for $11.50/unit and that the retail sales price to the consumer will be $14.99/unit. Based on this agreement, the Joytoy Company will make $1.50/unit, which is estimated to bring in $11,500,000 in revenues and $1,500,000 in profit to the company. If all goes well, John and Bill will reinvest a significant portion of the profits. This will allow them to continue manufacturing the toy and acquire new customers. Please see Table II for cost and pricing details.\nStrategic issues: John and Bill need to establish an organization that supports an effective value chain. This includes the primary activities of acquiring the raw materials, manufacturing the product, developing packaging, transporting the product, and marketing materials. Some secondary activities include hiring people, setting up a payroll system, and acquiring additional software to communicate effectively with Val-Mark and the suppliers. The estimated cost per unit is currently $10.00/unit. Please see Table III for a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with producing the Joytoy.With a cost of $10.00/unit and an initial order of 1,000,000 units, the estimated total costs for this project is $10,000,000. John and Bill have acquired funding of $5,000,000. Therefore, they will have to effectively manage this upfront funding until they can begin to get payment from Val-Mark. It is important to set-up a process that will maintain costs and not let them get out of control. How can John and Bill set-up a value chain that will maintain the product quality and keep the costs of producing the Joytoy within budget constraints.\nDiscussion questions: 1. What factors should Bill and John consider when deciding on how to set-up the critical value chain activities?2. Based on the information in the case, what are some of the cost considerations that Bill and John need to keep in mind when setting up the value chain?3. What are some implications if Bill and John establish a value chain that does not maintain product quality?\nTeaching notes: The use of case analysis has been a very effective teaching method. It allows students to apply concepts learned during the course to real-life scenarios. Often, many concepts are reviewed in a given course. But, there is not always an opportunity to take a practical look at how these concepts will play out in a real-life situation. Case analysis provides students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the difficulty associated with making effective management decisions. In addition, case analysis provides the instructor with another method that goes beyond the usual lecture and discussion format. It can reinforce concepts already discussed in class by providing students another opportunity to grasp the course concepts.This case is designed to assist the student's understanding of the importance of effectively managing the value chain. In the current technological environment, many companies are generating a significant portion of their profits from internal cost savings. A company's ability to manage internal costs has a direct impact on company profits. Similarly, allowing internal costs to get out of hand and exceed expectations can have an impact on profit. However, this impact is negative and can result in a company not achieving its established objectives or not being competitively priced at retail. Therefore, it is critical that companies have a clear understanding of the value chain and the costs associated with managing the value chain. When a company is well informed about value chain activities and costs, it allows the company to make better decisions. In this case, the students should gain a better understanding of the value chain, why it is important, and how value chain management affects costs. At the end of this case, students should have learned the following:* The key components of a value chain and why it is important to organizational success.* How the value chain affects internal costs and how this impacts overall profitability.* The importance of developing an organization that supports an efficient and effective value chain.To effectively use this case in a classroom setting, the following group exercise is suggested. Assuming that the class length is 1 hour and 15 minutes long, this exercise should take 2 class periods. This includes 15-20 minutes in the first session and all of the second session. If the class structure is different, feel free to adjust accordingly. Please see below for specific details.Requirements\nDiscussion questions: 1. What factors should Bill and John consider when deciding on how to set up the critical value chain activities?\nConclusion: Overall, the case analysis method can be very helpful to the learning process. It helps students to apply concepts learned during the course to real-life scenarios. This reinforces the concepts already discussed in class and provides students with another opportunity to grasp the course concepts. In this case, students get the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the difficulty associated with making effective management decisions. At the end of this case, students should have a better understanding of the value chain, how the value chain influences internal costs and overall profitability and the importance of developing an organization that supports an effective value chain. In addition, this case should help students to gain a better understanding what types of data are used to make decisions, the importance of understanding the competitive environment, and some of the real life strategic decisions that companies have to make everyday.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to increase the student's knowledge of the value chain and its importance in managing costs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach takes the form of a teaching case with practical implications, which also includes teaching notes.\nFindings: - It is important to effectively manage a company's value chain. A clear understanding of the value chain, combined with effective management of all aspects of the value chain can often lead to a competitive advantage in today's business environment.\nPractical implications: - A company can improve decision making with a clear understanding of the value chain.\nOriginality/value: - This case presents a practical and straightforward approach for instructors to explain the value chain concept and how important managing the value chain can be to the company's overall success.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Credit growth and macroprudential regulation: is ownership important?
|
[
"India",
"Banking",
"Macroprudential policies",
"Risk weights",
"Provisions",
"G21",
"G28",
"E51"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the wake of the financial crisis, countries have put a lot of emphasis to nurture their financial systems back to a position of soundness. Accordingly, policymakers have been experimenting with different policies towards improving the soundness and stability of their financial sector. One set of policies which has attracted the attention of policymakers are macroprudential policies (MPPs) (Caruana, 2010). Simply put, such policies seek to ensure systemic stability of the financial system by explicitly addressing the interlinkages between and the procyclicality of the financial system (IMF, 2012).\n2. Related literature: The existing literature has classified MPPs into two broad categories: those designed to address the procyclicality of the financial system and second, those focused on tackling financial system interconnectedness. The procyclicality mechanism is based on the tendency of economic agents to become overtly optimistic in an upswing and, thereby, increase their risk exposure, and subsequently become highly risk-averse during the bust phase. The latter, on the other hand, magnifies the impact of financial distress. This mechanism depends on risk concentration (the number and size of financial institutions, their substitutability and their vulnerabilities) and systemic interconnectedness (the level of intra-financial system activity) and is more evident at a point in time (cross-sectional dimension).\n3. Empirical strategy: 3.1 The database and variables\n4. Results and discussion: The results in Table III indicate that the coefficient on the lagged dependent variable (LDV) is negative: in other words, there are mitigating forces that lead credit growth to be lower in the subsequent quarter when it has increased in the previous quarter, which is supportive of mean reversion. Among the bank-level controls, the coefficient on CRAR is positive and significant, whereas that on NPL is negative and significant. In terms of quantitative effects, a 1 per cent point increase in CRAR would increase credit by nearly 2 per cent points, whereas a 1 per cent point increase in NPLs would lower credit growth by a slightly larger amount. To understand the economic significance, consider a bank with credit growth equal to 7.9 per cent, the corresponding CRAR and NPLs being 15.8 and 1.1 per cent, respectively. A 10 per cent rise in CRAR to 17.4 per cent would lead to a credit expansion by 9.5 per cent (=7.9 x 1.2) points. Likewise, it can be computed that a similar 10 per cent increase in NPLs would dampen credit expansion by roughly 9.6 per cent points.\n5. Concluding observations: The role of MPPs as a complement to macroeconomic and monetary policies has come into sharp focus since the crisis. India was one of the earliest to implement such policies. These MPPs targeted three major segments - CMs, CRE and housing - and were focused on containing potential over-extension in these sectors. While observers have claimed that these MPPs were useful in shielding the financial sector from the worst of the crisis, there is inadequate empirical evidence as to whether that was actually the case in reality.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to examine the impact of macroprudential policies (MPPs) on credit growth. Towards this end, the author uses quarterly data on Indian commercial banks for the period 2002:1 to 2012:1 that subsume the imposition of MPPs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The analysis uses the dynamic panel data (DPD) methodology to test the relevant hypotheses regarding the interlinkage between credit growth, bank ownership and MPPs. The DPD methodology has the advantage of being able to address the endogeneity between credit growth and macroprudential regulation.\nFindings: The results appear to suggest that MPPs targeted on provisions are relatively more effective in limiting credit expansion. When considered in conjunction with bank ownership, they appear to have much more force in moderating the severity of the credit cycle.\nResearch limitations/implications: The lack of an extensive database on the relevant variables might hinder the robustness of the results. It is possible that MPPs are effective in curbing loan extension to targeted sectors, which cannot be adequately examined using aggregate loan data.\nPractical implications: The role and usefulness of MPPs in limiting the build-up of risk has been widely discussed in recent times. Judged from that standpoint, the paper contributes to this literature by examining the issue for a leading emerging economy.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the author's knowledge, this is one of the earliest studies to examine this issue in a systematic manner for India.\n",
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Suggestions for alternative tropical cyclone warning graphics in the USA
|
[
"Tropical cyclone",
"Warning graphics",
"Hazards",
"Preferences",
"Suggestions",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The official hurricane warning graphic used in the USA is the Cone of Uncertainty (COU). The COU (Figure 1) represents the forecasted track the center of a tropical cyclone will take and the likely error in the forecast track. It is based on the predictive skill of past years, as well as numerous additional details about the storm (National Hurricane Center, 2012). This graphic is used by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to convey potential risk and to assist people with preparation and evacuation plans. Currently, several versions of the COU are used to communicate hurricane risk to the public. The NHC creates the official COU, and local and cable TV meteorologists modify it slightly for discretionary emphasis. The most common modification is removing the track line from the center of the cone, which the NHC experimented for the 2012 hurricane season. The track line has been a consistent feature from 2002 to 2012.The COU has come under criticism for its ability to be misinterpreted. Many people believe the cone depicts the swath of damage from the storm while in reality the intent is to portray the geographic area that could be potentially traversed by the center of the storm. Others believe that it shows the growth in size as the tropical cyclone approaches land. The most common error is a focus on the track line with deterministic interpretation or perception, not understanding that the center of the storm can pass to either side of the line (Broad et al., 2007). Thus, many residents have possibly been transforming the graphic into the cone of certainty. Statistics from the NHC indicate that track forecasts are becoming more accurate over time, and the COU is shrinking in size due to error reduction each year (www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutcone.shtml, accessed January 9, 2013); nevertheless, the COU was determined to be a source of confusion after Hurricane Charley and other major hurricanes in 2004 (Broad et al., 2007).Since its implementation, the COU has been a vital tool for the communication of hurricane risk information; however, relatively little is known about how the public interprets, evaluates, or utilizes this important graphic (Broad et al., 2007). Furthermore, there is a dearth of literature devoted to this specific topic; however, errors in landfall location interpretation of evacuees have been quantified (Senkbeil et al., 2010) and also ways to more effectively communicate hurricane risk information have been discussed (Demuth et al., 2012). Recent research has used numerical and statistical techniques to make improvements on quantifying the uncertainty of hurricane track forecasting (Meuel et al., 2012; Cox et al., 2013).If the graphic is causing confusion for a substantial portion of the population, perhaps there is a better way of communicating potential risk through alternative graphics. In an online NHC survey in 2004, most respondents preferred the current COU over two alternative graphics; however, the alternative graphics provided minimal stylistic and information differences when compared to the COU. Here we are exploring a greater breadth of alternative graphics with the intent on creating dialog on possible ways that risk communication might be enhanced for tropical cyclones.The first step in this process is to determine what aspects of tropical cyclone warning graphics are liked by the public. The COU depicts the current location, intensity, forward speed, and likely landfall time in addition to the uncertainty in where the storm may make landfall (see Figure 1). It does not provide a numerical probabilistic forecast of the intensity at landfall, or the probability of landfall location. The probability of landfall location is, however, provided in text products on the NHC web site. Such probability forecasts have been shown to be well received and understood by the public (Baker, 1995). Furthermore, participants in hypothetical weather decision making and choice method scenarios effectively used uncertainty to attenuate forecast error and improve the accuracy of decision making (Roulston et al., 2006; Joslyn and LeClerc, 2012). Additionally, while the public may understand, infer, and accept uncertainty in weather forecasts (Morss et al., 2008); evidence suggests that many also expect over-forecasting for extreme events such as tropical cyclones (Joslyn and Savelli, 2010). Including probability in graphics would help reduce the perception of over-forecasting by communicating a numerical range of uncertainty. These results suggest that probability should be a featured component of new warning graphics; however, for tropical cyclones the public may require a certain degree of scientific knowledge to fully understand forecasted storm attributes (Eosco, 2008; Drake, 2012).Therefore, it appears as if the creation of a new tropical cyclone warning graphic should incorporate probability and uncertainty, but yet still be simplistic and informative in its message. The creation of a graphic such as this may be very difficult, requiring several iterations. This is confirmed by Eosco (2008). Eosco met with government and private forecasters to discuss the objectives of the COU, and established a concept called visual validity. Visual validity refers to the process of correctly transferring scientific intent through visuals to evoke public understanding of risk. Eosco concluded that a complicated relationship exists between graphic design, scientific intent, and public interpretation. Visual validity research with tropical cyclone warning graphics is currently ongoing; however, the authors are not aware of any preliminary tropical cyclone warning graphic research that has been conducted with a large public sample.Using a large sample size with face-to-face and large group survey methods this research has three major objectives and questions:(1) Determine how often people are using hurricane warning graphics. Does graphic usage vary by location according to recurrence intervals?(2) Develop several alternative warning graphics and explore public preference for each; and. Does preference vary by age, gender, and frequency of usage?(3) Discuss what aspects of alternative graphics are most useful to people.. What elements of a tropical cyclone warning graphic are desired and effective?A methods section describes survey design, graphic creation, and data collection as well as quantitative and qualitative analysis procedures. The results section is similarly organized into several sub-sections following the objectives above. Descriptive and statistical analyses from field survey data were used to summarize the results of objectives 1 and 2. In objective 3, the qualitative results of a small additional field study are discussed, which led to a more comprehensive final qualitative analysis using student polling with a large sample size. A conclusion follows with suggestions for incorporation of results into operational practice.\nMethods: Survey design and graphic creation for field analysis\nResults and discussion: Use of hurricane graphics\nConclusion: Heightened salience of tropical cyclones in the last decade has led many academics, forecasters, and emergency managers to question the effectiveness of hurricane warning graphics. The centerpiece of information used by the NHC and the media to communicate the risks associated with land-falling hurricanes is the COU. Many people rely on this graphic when making evacuation and safety decisions; therefore, it is important to gather as much information as possible about how this graphic influences decision making.This research shows that people are using hurricane warning graphics, and that past tropical cyclone activity plays a role in hurricane warning graphic usage. Valuable insight was gained into what aspects of hurricane warning graphics coastal residents prefer. Field results show that the CPC graphic was liked at both locations, by both genders, and by multiple age groups. The second most preferred graphic at both locations was the current COU; therefore, it would be safe to say that most coastal residents have a preference for a graphic with a cone-like structure. It also appears that gender and age have a minor influence on graphic preference.After initial field research was performed, qualitative analysis was used to compare the CPC to a graphic that resembled the one used by the ABM. A sample of 115 geography 101 students at the University of Alabama compared an AG adapted for the USA to the CPC. The revised AG was preferred, with many favoring more detailed and deterministic information. Bias was possibly introduced with this graphic due to differences in visual resolution and landfall location so a revised version was prepared for field evaluation in a separate but related study. Further field research revealed that many people were confused by the AG. The results from field and student surveys proved to be inconclusive and thus more analysis was required. Many respondents in field research remarked that it would be useful to have a graphic that showed both coastal and inland hazard potential. Therefore, another alternative graphic was created with an emphasis on a variety of tropical cyclone hazards. This HG was then evaluated against the CPC and the AG using student polling with a large sample size.While there are interpretation problems with the current COU, the design and implementation of a new graphic may not achieve the desired improvement in risk comprehension. In order to develop a universal graphic, several factors must be considered. Based on comments from this research, these factors include elements of the current COU, modifications to provide color threat levels, post-landfall hazards, and changes in storm size and intensity. The inclusion of all these elements on one graphic would likely be too noisy and distract from the basic necessities identified in preferences for the CPC. A possible solution is to use a version of the CPC as the main graphic and also include graphics such as the current COU, AG, and HG as alternatives that can be accessed on web sites if users wish to search for more or different information. Before arriving at that operational implementation, an important aspect of additional research should be to take these results and incorporate assessments of visual validity so the efficacy of each graphic can be truly diagnosed. An assessment of visual validity is probably best conducted with selected smaller focus groups instead of the large convenience sample used in this research.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: - The cone of uncertainty (COU) warning graphic has created confusion for people trying to make evacuation and safety decisions. The purpose of this research was to create several alternative tropical cyclone graphics and present them to the public and college students via face-to-face surveys and polling.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Surveys depicting hypothetical landfall scenarios were administered in Pensacola and Jacksonville, FL. Respondents ranked five graphics in order of preference, and were encouraged to discuss their rankings. Following this initial field research, the most popular graphic of these five was compared to a graphic resembling the one used by The Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Comments were recorded for respondents favoring or disliking the Australian graphic in two separate analyses. A final graphic emphasizing post-landfall hazards was also created as a suggestion for future research and evaluated directly against the most popular graphics from field research.\nFindings: - A graphic called the color-probability-cone was the most popular graphic in field research. There were subtle differences in graphic preference resulting from age and gender influences, with only one significant result. Comments from subsequent analyses reveal that the Australian graphic causes mixed reactions. A final analysis with a larger sample of college students revealed that the color-probability-cone was the most popular choice; however, comments reveal that many respondents who had used hurricane graphics before liked the specificity presented by the Australian graphic and the hazards graphic.\nOriginality/value: - This research represents a possible initial step in the process of establishing a tropical cyclone warning graphic that is informative, visually appealing, and effective.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Do public sector mergers (re)shape reputation?
|
[
"Change",
"Stakeholders",
"Reputation",
"Organisational merger",
"Public organisations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The recent changes in the public sector amount to complex chains of cause and effect affecting several different stakeholder groups (Cunningham and Kempling, 2007). The aim has been improved services (Analoui, 2009), often benchmarked from the private sector because they are seen to better meet user and stakeholder needs (Ghobadian et al., 2009). During the processes of change public sector organisations face the dual challenge of engaging the different stakeholders while maintaining public trust in the public services (White, 2000). Pekkarinen et al. (2011) noted that despite the fact that user needs should be at the centre of public sector change, the different stakeholders and their experiences often remain unclear in the background of the processes. The importance of perceived public sector performance has recently been discussed (e.g. Greitens and Joaquin, 2012), and the concept often used to study perceptions is organisational reputation (Waeraas and Byrkjeflot, 2012; Waeraas et al., 2011; Josang, 2008), but few studies have focused on the stakeholder assessments before and after major organisational changes, such as mergers.\nThe concept of reputation and public sector organisations: To answer the research question of what happens to reputation after a merger, the concept of reputation must first be understood. A reputation could be described as a record of past deeds, and it is a reflection of an organisation's ability to meet the needs and expectations of its stakeholders (Coombs, 2007). This ability to meet needs is central for public sector organisations undergoing change, and a good organisational reputation among stakeholders is viewed as reputational capital (Coombs and Holladay, 2006).\nPublic sector mergers seen through reputation: Organisations collaborate for different reasons, but often the aims behind joining two organisations include co-exploration and co-exploitation, where the organisations together hope to be more innovative and efficient than on their own (Parmigiani and Rivera-Santos, 2011). Pfeffer and Salancik (1978) explained mergers as a way to control the organisation's dependency on its changing resources and environment. Mergers represent merely one form of public sector reform, but they are popular as they allow some maintenance of existing structures.\nResearch data: This study wanted to know what happens to organisational reputation in the aftermath of a merger, and the data used in the longitudinal analysis was collected through an online reputation survey among the stakeholders of the four organisations both pre-merger in 2008 and post-merger in 2011. Though many tools are available for measuring reputation, this one was chosen as it was especially tailored to meet the needs of the public sector, and more precisely the needs of the organisations under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The tool measured reputation through five established reputational factors and several open-ended questions (see Luoma-aho (2007) for the presentation of the tool), covering both quantitative and qualitative aspects of reputation.\nResults and analysis: a merged reputation?: Given the focus on changes in reputation post-merger, in analysis we largely concentrated on the qualitative answers. To start off the analysis, and to see the direction of the overall development in reputation after the mergers, we looked at the quantitative results of scores given by the stakeholders to each reputational factor before and after the mergers (see Figure 1).\nA stable, merged reputation: The results confirmed the stability of a good reputation despite the merger as only minor differences were detected. The qualitative analysis revealed that the strongest reputational traits remained after the merger: the organisations were still considered to have great expertise, be trustworthy but have heavy bureaucracy. Interestingly, one organisation's reputation seemed to dominate that of the new organisation, as can be seen from Tables I and II. In the case of research organisations, research organisation 2 was stronger, and in the case of authority organisations, the reputation of authority organisation 2 was more evident in the new, merged organisation.\nImplications and discussion: As the public sector worldwide is under pressure to downsize, mergers have become common. Though previous studies have noted that stakeholders' assessments play a central role during change (Lewis, 2007) and affect its success as well as organisational learning (Rusaw, 2007), they are seldom the grounds for actual public sector change. Previous studies have neither addressed the stakeholders' perceptions of organisational mergers from the point-of-view of organisational reputation. The findings of our longitudinal study of two recent organisational mergers in the Finnish public sector revealed that reputation remained similar both pre-merger and post-merger. Minor changes were detected, but to answer the research question of whether organisational mergers reshaped the reputation of the public sector organisations under study, we must conclude a cautious \"no\".\n",
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},
{
"content": "Purpose: The public sector worldwide is under pressure to downsize, which has led to mergers of public sector organisations. This paper seeks to bridge the unstudied gap of what happens to organisational reputation after a merger. The paper discusses change and reputation in the public sector, and reports findings of a longitudinal study on stakeholder assessments of four public sector organisations undergoing mergers recently.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Following a theory-driven content analysis, this longitudinal study compares stakeholder assessments of four public sector organisations' reputations a year before an organisational merger with assessments of the two resulting organisations' reputations two years after the merger.\nFindings: The paper finds that the mergers did not really re-shape reputation, but the once established reputation persevered. Although the organisations faced greater expectations after the merger, only minor changes in reputation were detected post-merger: the reputation for expertise, heavy bureaucracy and trustworthiness remained strong after the merger, but certain traits, such as being international and esteemed, were lost. In both cases, one organisation's prior reputation slightly dominated the new reputation.\nResearch limitations/implications: The findings may be limited to Finland and other Nordic countries, as well as those countries where trust in the public sector is high.\nPractical implications: Mergers may not change once-established reputations, and hence the improvements desired by mergers may go unnoticed by the different stakeholders. Organisations merging must prepare for increased stakeholder expectations, as the new organisations arise questions. Previous organisational traits may remain in stakeholders' assessments despite any achieved improvements.\nOriginality/value: This paper addresses the gap in studying organisational reputation after public sector mergers, and contributes to both theory and practice by providing insight into the stability of once-established reputations.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Linking attachment theory to abusive supervision
|
[
"Abusive supervision",
"Self-efficacy",
"Managerial psychology",
"Relationships",
"Social dynamics",
"Interpersonal relations"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Abusive supervision--defined as the extent to which supervisors engage in ongoing displays of verbal and non-verbal (non-physical) hostility (e.g. public ridicule, rudeness; Tepper, 2000)--is costly to employees and organizations. Previous research reveals that abusive supervision predicts stress, psychological and physical health problems (e.g. Schyns and Schilling, 2013; Tepper, 2000), increased turnover intentions (e.g. Harvey et al., 2007), burnout (e.g. Yagil, 2006) and negative job-related attitudes (e.g. Schyns and Schilling, 2013) among followers. Moreover, harm to the organization has also been shown; supervisor mistreatment is related to subordinate deviance (e.g. Thau et al., 2009; Tepper et al., 2009), and decreases in employee (e.g. Peng et al., 2014) and organizational performance (e.g. Schyns and Schilling, 2013). When consequences such as these are coupled with estimates that 14 percent of US employees are victims of abusive supervision (Schat et al., 2006), the importance of addressing this workplace problem is evident.\nTheoretical background: Attachment theory\nMethod: Sample and procedure\nData analysis: Given recent recommendations (e.g. Becker et al., 2016; Bernerth and Aguinis, 2016), we determined whether controlling for the aforementioned variables was necessary by examining the bivariate correlations (see Table I) between these variables and our mediator and dependent variables. Neither leader gender nor tenure with leader was significantly related to social self-efficacy or abusive supervision. We also analyzed our hypothesized model with and without the control variables to determine if the results differed (Becker, 2005). Doing so revealed that the difference in the standardized parameter estimates for all specified relationships in our model was less than 0.1, thereby meeting Becker et al.'s (2016) cutoff. Consequently, to maximize statistical power and enhance the interpretability of parameter estimates (Becker et al., 2016; Bernerth and Aguinis, 2016), we did not include any control variables in our hypotheses tests.\nResults: Descriptive data and intercorrelations for all study variables appear in Table I.\nDiscussion: Understanding the antecedents of abusive supervision is critical to preventing its occurrence, and thus, consequences. Accordingly, we sought to expand our current understanding of the cognitive and perceptual precursors that predispose some leaders to behave abusively. Specifically, based on a sample of leader-subordinate dyads working in a variety of industries, we explored how leaders' attachment orientation affects their engagement in abusive supervisory behavior through their social self-efficacy beliefs. Consistent with our hypotheses, our results suggest that leaders who are high on the close/depend attachment dimensions believe that they have the ability to cultivate successful relationships (i.e. demonstrate higher levels of social self-efficacy), and in turn, are less likely to enact abusive supervision. In contrast, leaders who are high on the anxious attachment dimension doubt their abilities to develop successful relationships (i.e. demonstrate lower levels of social self-efficacy), and consequently, engage in higher levels of abusive supervision. Taken together, these results bring us one step closer to understanding the cognitive basis of abusive supervision.\nConclusion: The implications of abusive supervision highlight the need to fully understand the precursors of this destructive form of leadership. The goal of the current research was to contribute to the growing body of literature on the antecedents of abusive supervision by investigating the predictive role of attachment orientations and social self-efficacy. In so doing, this study speaks to the cognitions and perceptions underlying the emergence of destructive leadership. While the need for longitudinal, multi-level replications remains, our findings provide initial insights into how leaders' views of the self, others and their own capabilities contribute to their abusive behavior, ultimately expanding our current view of those who enact abusive supervision.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of leaders' attachment orientation and social self-efficacy on the enactment of abusive supervision.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from a sample of leader-subordinate dyads (n=114), and were collected using a Panel Service.\nFindings: The results show that a Close/Depend attachment orientation was negatively associated with abusive supervision, while an Anxious attachment orientation was positively associated with abusive supervision. Social self-efficacy mediated these relationships.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results generate a deeper understanding of the etiology of destructive leadership. Applying attachment theory to the study of abusive supervision also offers a new theoretical perspective on potential precursors of this behavior.\nPractical implications: The findings suggest organizations might benefit from attempts to alter leaders' destructive attachment orientations, and by extension, reduce their abusive behavior. It may also be possible to reduce the occurrence of abusive supervision by implementing leadership development initiatives aimed at enhancing leaders' confidence in their social skills.\nSocial implications: By identifying several potential precursors to abusive supervision, this study highlights possible points of intervention to combat a form of leadership that is linked with employee suffering. Thus, the findings can be used to help improve the working lives of those who are affected by this destructive workplace behavior.\nOriginality/value: Until now, research has not considered leaders' attachment orientation as an antecedent to abusive supervision, nor has it explored the meditational role of social self-efficacy. The use of leader-follower dyads in this study also helps reduce issues related to social desirability biases and common method variance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Product wheels to achieve mix flexibility in process industries
|
[
"Process industries",
"Product wheel",
"Sequencing coordination mechanism",
"Mix flexibility achievement"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Not since the days of Henry Ford and his view of customers having the Model T painted in any colour provided it was black, has the customer had limited options. Expanding product lines is now a ubiquitous feature in industry; a feature whereby customers are exposed to a wide variety of product options. The many advantages of product variety for both customers and producers have been expounded in the literature: where for the former, benefits quoted include increased customer satisfaction due to increased options meeting wider customer tastes; and for the latter, benefits listed include increased market share. On the other hand, research also shows that product variety brings disadvantages for both customers and producers, where for the former, drawbacks include customer confusion and for the latter, drawbacks include increased complexity and costs (Herrmann et al., 2009; Berger et al., 2007; Ramdas, 2003).\n2 Mix flexibility achievement: Although in as late as 2011, after three to four decades of intense research, authors such as Rogers et al. (2011) argued that there was no consensus on a definition. This research adopted Upton's (1994) definition, where manufacturing flexibility is viewed as the ability to change or react to change. Flexibility has been identified as a goal in itself, as an objective in a company's manufacturing strategy. Similarly, flexibility has been viewed as a means to an end, as an enabler to provide a company with the means with which it can respond to changes in the market (Hallgren and Olhager, 2009). In short, researchers such as Winkler and Seebacher (2012) argue that as manufacturing companies face intense uncertainty, in the form of extreme competition, rapidly changing customer demands, shorter product lifecycles and significant technological advancements, manufacturing flexibility is critically needed to ensure that these companies are able to gain a sustainable competitive advantage.\n3 Lean manufacturing adoption in process industries: Although there still appears to be no true consensus on a definition for lean manufacturing or lean production, there is general agreement that the basic philosophy underpinning the lean concept is the elimination of waste (Pettersen, 2009; Wan and Chen, 2008). Early lean contributors such as Shigeo Shingo and Taichii Ohno have been credited with the identification of a number of wastes that should be eliminated in order for companies to reap lean benefits. Seven of these identified wastes are unnecessary inventory; transporting; unnecessary motion; waiting; overproduction; overprocessing and defects (Bicheno, 2004).\n4 Case study: Company Alpha, established in 1986, is a producer of sodium hypochlorite, also known as bleach. The company sells to both domestic and commercial clients in a number of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to bleach, the company also manufactures and distributes chloride gas and sodium hydroxide for commercial clients.\n5 Discussion: Although the product wheel presents an attractive method of achieving the sequencing coordination mechanism to achieve mix flexibility on a shared resource, the case study example outlined in Section 4 showed a number of challenges involved in its implementation.\n6 Conclusion: The product wheel concept used as a lean tool in the process industry provides a means through which the sequencing coordination mechanism used to manage shared resources in the achievement of mix flexibility can be realized. The product wheel concept takes into account the three main factors which Wilson and Platts (2009) argue impact mix flexibility: product variety; uncertainty and resource configuration. Both product variety and uncertainty are considered in the determination of the average product demand and demand variability, when the products are classified as MTS or MTO. Resource configuration is considered solely as it relates to shared resources, as the product wheel concept determines a workable sequence of products on that shared resource to ensure that a reasonable degree of leveled production can be achieved without sacrificing product availability. The product wheel concept is a heuristic technique, which requires a number of iterations to obtain the most appropriate final product wheel design.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Mix flexibility is a critical manufacturing flexibility type needed to produce a company's range of products. Oftentimes, multiple products are produced on shared resources which require coordination mechanisms to ensure their effective utilization. This paper aims to explore the applicability of the product wheel concept as a coordination mechanism that can be used to manage shared resources in operational mix flexibility achievement in process industries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The product wheel concept is a construct from the theory of lean manufacturing adoption in process industries. This construct is applied as a sequencing coordination mechanism, where similar products are grouped together to run consecutively in a production schedule. A single case study is used to illustrate the development and evaluation of a product wheel design.\nFindings: The results show that the product wheel concept does achieve the aim of grouping similar products in the production schedule, and, as such, can be used to improve the production planning process through the reduction of the number of time-intensive changeovers without sacrificing product availability to meet customer demand. The product wheel, however, is not a mathematical optimization technique; but is instead a heuristic technique which requires the use of judgment and experience to achieve an optimal design.\nOriginality/value: A theoretical contribution to the study of mix flexibility has been made, where the application of the product wheel construct presents a novel approach to the study of operational mix flexibility achievement, via the sequencing of products on shared manufacturing resources.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The impact of financial safety act and corporate governance on the level of financial disclosure: Case of Tunis Stock Exchange firms
|
[
"Corporate governance",
"Financial disclosure",
"Financial safety act"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The reducing of financial disclosure asymmetry contributes to the correct operation of the financial markets insofar as it facilitates the allowance of the resources, to adjustment of stakeholder positions, and gives a right of glance on company's policies. During past decades, financial disclosure acquired an increasing importance, at the point of making it an integral part of the large strategy of companies. However, it seems that investors lost confidence on the financial information publicly disclosed in financial statements, caused by the growing number of scandals related to disclosed financial statements not reflecting the financial standing of the company. These scandals, broadly echoed by the press, show large frauds rather than simple handling insofar as the countable principles and rules were often violated (Dumontier, 2003).\n2. Institutional background: accounting regulatory reform in Tunisia, the financial safety act: The Tunisian Government has enacted the Act ndeg2005-96 in response to the failures released by the council of financial market and some scandals that affected the firms' business (e.g. BATAM [...]). This Act was created to modernize the legislation and for ensuring the market's reaction, by the higher level and transparency of financial disclosure. A tuning fork of regulation was enacted, the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) in the USA, the Financial Security Law of France (LSF) in France and the FSA in Tunisia, to introduce enforcement of a variety of corporate governance mechanisms, and that insisted on the strengthening of the disclosure policy and accountability of these mechanisms.\n3. Assumption of research: In the USA, the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) was enacted in July 2002, whose objective was to overcome the distrust that arose in cases involving CEOs, external auditors and financial analysts (Enron; Moeller et al., 2004). In France, the LSF (2003) was enacted as a response to the crisis of confidence in financial reporting.\n4. Methodology of research: 4.1 The sample\n5. Results and discussion: A first look at the values of variables used in the Panel A of Table III shows an average board size of 7.92, with a maximum of 12 members (the maximum number of directors serving in the board of directors that can be acceptable under Tunisian law) and with presence of high proportion of independent directors on the board, representing 48 per cent of the total number of members.\n6. Conclusion: In this study, we investigated the financial disclosure level of firms listed on the TSE in the pre-reform and post-reform FSA. First, we found evidence that identify an improvement in the level of financial disclosure due to the adoption of FSA measurement of corporate governance strengthening. Then, the results supported a positive relationship expected between the level of independent directors in the board, auditor BIG and the presence of a joint audit and level of financial disclosure.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This research paper aims to identify and measure the contribution of the financial safety act (FSA) regulation in improving the level of financial disclosure of listed Tunisian firms. To answer the problems of the subject, the authors tried to hold accountable several determinants of the level of financial disclosure relating to the particular characteristics of the firm, and the adoption of the recommendations envisaged by the FSA, as likely to have an impact on the level of financial disclosure of Tunisian firms.\nDesign/methodology/approach: With a sample composed by 20 companies during the period from 2003 to 2010 (160 observations), the contribution of the FSA regulation in improving the level of financial disclosure of listed Tunisian firms was identified and measured. After that, the levels of financial disclosure before and after the FSA were compared.\nFindings: The study results confirm the positive and significant effect of the FSA on the level of financial disclosure. This impact seems to appear through the improvement of the disclosure level during the years which follow the adoption of the new regulation. The results of this study also show that firms with a high level of financial disclosure are those which have an independent board of directors, auditor BIG and joint audit.\nOriginality/value: This paper is devoted to evaluate the impact of the FSA ndeg2005-96 and corporate governance on the level of financial disclosure. The empirical study relates to a sample of 20 firms listed on the Tunis Stock Exchange observed over the period 2003-2010.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Entrepreneurial orientation and burnout among healthcare professionals
|
[
"Burnout",
"Healthcare",
"Entrepreneurial orientation",
"Well-being",
"Entrepreneurial strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Healthcare professionals are exposed to numerous occupational stressors that if persistent, can result in burnout. Burnout often represents the status quo among healthcare professionals and is generally characterized by emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and personal accomplishment (PA), with healthy workers deemed to have low EE and DP, coupled to high PA (Maslach and Jackson, 1981).New perspectives are desperately needed as research links burnout to psychological ill-health and absenteeism (Ybema et al., 2010), early retirement (Silver et al., 2016), increased risk of medical errors (Shanafelt et al., 2010) and compromised patient safety (Dewa et al., 2014). It is estimated that 68 percent of doctors in the USA (Shanafelt et al., 2012) and 31 percent of Irish hospital doctors (Hayes et al., 2017) meet the criteria for burnout. By 2017, the total cost of burnout for all physicians practicing in Canada and the USA was estimated to be $213m (Dewa et al., 2014) and $3bn (Shanafelt et al., 2017), respectively.Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is recognized as a key ingredient for organizational success (Wang, 2008). EO refers to a strategic orientation that captures an organization's pension for developing new possibilities, offerings and creative competitive actions characterized by innovation, risk-taking and proactivity (e.g. Covin and Wales, 2019; Covin and Lumpkin, 2011). EO is cultivated by organizational managers (Wales et al., 2011), and shapes organizational culture and climate to frame problems as opportunities in the mindset of employees (e.g. Kang et al., 2016; Mintzberg, 1973). With greater EO, managers embrace structural decentralization and employee autonomy (Lumpkin et al., 2009). There is a growing research on EO in healthcare, e.g., EO and job stress in healthcare (Monsen and Boss, 2009), EO-performance relationship in hospitals (Hinz and Ingerfurth, 2013), as well as EO and aspects of positive psychology, e.g., psychological well-being of entrepreneurial pursuits (Ryff, 2019). Furthermore, Babyar (2017) highlighted the need for organizational interventions for physician burnout to be researched. Physician burnout is multi-causal; healthcare industries and related management have a responsibility to address this issue from an organizational point of view, by researching meaningful interventions (Babyar, 2017). Most recently a Special Issue in the Journal of Business Venturing has been dedicated to deepening our understanding of the linkage between entrepreneurship and well-being (Wiklund et al., 2019). However, how EO may contribute to a reduction in burnout (e.g. enhance well-being, increase quality of care, improve staff and patient satisfaction including a greater sense of autonomy, engagement, motivation and passion) has received limited scholarly attention.Nonetheless, EO has the potential to be a highly relevant and timely consideration in the field of healthcare. Recently, a study by Lopez-Cabarcos et al. (2019) has aimed to understand the mediating role of EE (a primary component of burnout) among a sample of European healthcare professionals and the capacity of certain organizational variables to moderate this relationship. This study represents one of many initial steps that are necessary to advance our understanding regarding the impact of organizational and managerial characteristics on the development and exacerbation of EE among healthcare practitioners. Building on this research, we propose that future scholars examine a specific organizational characteristic, namely EO and its impact on burnout; measure all three pillars of burnout (EE, depersonalization and PA) among healthcare staff (Maslach and Jackson, 1981); and finally, adopt a top-down, bottom-up approach, whereby EO is considered not only among management but also staff and its impact of their burnout (Monsen and Boss, 2009; Wales et al., 2011).Hence, this viewpoint highlights the importance of more fully embracing a research agenda that examines entrepreneurial organizational phenomenon in healthcare organizations. Entrepreneurial processes, such as increased autonomy, have the potential to reduce stress among prosocially motivated individuals striving for performance and thus a potentially significant effect on employee burnout (Kibler et al., 2019). Research exploring the development and maintenance of well-being among entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial organizations suggests an important impact of EO on eudaimonic well-being (i.e. a realization of personal potential, purposeful life engagement and the effective management of complex environments, Ryff, 2019). We draw attention to the need to mine more deeply within the vein of EO research including phenomena such as an entrepreneurial management style, an entrepreneurial organizational configuration and how entrepreneurial behavior is manifest as a means to provide new and useful perspectives for thinking about healthcare organizations as competitive actors which confront common challenges in the pursuit of high performance. Our research agenda engages organizational scholars to consider how EO is manifest and influences organizational functioning within a typically non-profit, socially driven healthcare context (Lumpkin et al., 2013; Morris et al., 2011). Time has come to explore EO and the lessons of entrepreneurship as a means of not only improving the competitive standing of businesses, but also provide a more complete tool for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Both entrepreneurs and healthcare professionals confront high-stress environments and the necessity of cross pollination of research should be recognized for the betterment of both domains.\nModel: entrepreneurial orientation for healthcare: Herein we propose a model in order to synthesize, integrate and link the key concepts of EO and burnout within the healthcare domain, thereby offering a new conceptual lens and generating new opportunities for research with the potential to benefit various healthcare stakeholders. The proposed model includes: a conceptual map outlining key components which interact with and influence EO and possible outcomes of entrepreneurial management on individual healthcare practitioners (specifically, components of decreased burnout including, reduced EE and depersonalization as well as greater PA) (Figure 1).\nAn entrepreneurial orientation lens in healthcare: Over the last four decades, EO has become a central topic of entrepreneurship research (e.g. Anderson et al., 2015; Lumpkin and Dess, 1996; Miller, 1983; Wales, 2016). Miller (1983, p. 771) characterizes an entrepreneurial firm as one that \"engages in product-market innovation, undertakes somewhat risky ventures, and is first to come up with \"proactive\" innovations, thereby beating competitors to the punch.\" From a managerial-rooted, strategic process-based perspective, innovation captures an organization's commitment to support new ideas, creativity and experimentation in relation to the development of new products, services and processes (Lumpkin and Dess, 1996). Proactivity spans organizational efforts to anticipate, support and implement changes in the organization and its offerings (Morris et al., 2011). Risk-taking captures the extent to which managers embrace the commitment of resources to projects where outcomes are unknown, and there is both a chance of meaningful gains as well as investment loss (Wiklund and Shepherd, 2003). Together, these three dimensions are widely recognized as collectively indicating the overall degree of EO within a firm (Covin and Lumpkin, 2011). Work exploring EO has also established the importance of autonomy and an embrace of competitiveness within many entrepreneurial contexts (Lumpkin and Dess, 1996; Lumpkin et al., 2009).EO may have varying degrees of salience based on the extent to which the healthcare organization supports and facilitates an entrepreneurially oriented climate and mindset among its employees (Kang et al., 2016). Some may question the appropriateness of EO to healthcare. Studies have found that entrepreneurship can result in high levels of stress (Monsen and Boss, 2009), and grief (Jenkins et al., 2014). Other studies show that work-related stress impacts one in four adults (Rauch et al., 2018). Stress does not just affect entrepreneurs and the healthcare sector but is evident across sectors. Furthermore, while entrepreneurship is stressful, entrepreneurs generally persevere in managing the entrepreneurial process (Ranch et al., 2018). Moreover, there are likely key moderators and contextual influences that must be identified in future research.Studies of EO in healthcare are relevant and timely because healthcare managers are now turning to entrepreneurial activities to generate innovative strategies and remain competitive in a turbulent environment (Vecchiarini and Mussolino, 2013). In a pioneering study, Hinz and Ingerfurth (2013) found a positive EO-performance relationship among hospitals across environmental conditions. Accordingly, even in challenging and hostile environments, their findings suggest the importance and need of EO among healthcare organizations. To deepen our analysis along these lines, healthcare professionals that are encouraged to exhibit a strong EO may be less influenced by organizational factors that lead to burnout; that is, healthcare professionals exposed to an EO mindset might naturally be less sensitive to the vicissitudes of the healthcare environment. Research in this vein will explore a new lens into how being entrepreneurial, as a pervasive organizational phenomenon (Wales et al., 2011), effects burnout among both managers and employees, at all levels of healthcare organizations.Organizational conditions for EO\nOutcomes: addressing burnout among healthcare professionals: In healthcare, there has been a growing interest in the prevalence of burnout (Dewa et al., 2014). This interest is salient, given the growing concern about healthcare labor force shortages (Hawley, 2004) that is putting further pressure on existing healthcare professionals; thereby, putting employees at even higher risk of burnout. Furthermore, there is a link between burnout and intent to leave the healthcare sector (Hoff et al., 2002), which exerts further pressure on both the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals. As well as the severe individual psychological and physiological consequences, burnout leads to increased staff turnover, absenteeism and presenteeism in tertiary healthcare organizations. In 2010, 70 percent of American surgeons attributed medical errors to personal burnout rather than system issues (Shanafelt et al., 2010). Of severe concern, physicians are more susceptible to suicide than their non-medical counterparts (Gold et al., 2013). Healthcare professionals, patients and society are suffering from the effect of burnout. A study by Fernet et al. (2010) showed that employees who exhibited suboptimal motivational orientation (i.e. were more controllingly than autonomously motivated) were more sensitive to the quality of their interpersonal relations with their colleagues, and had a greater risk of burnout.An entrepreneurial mindset, organizationally embraced as an EO has the potential to help employees at all levels generate satisfaction, encourage a positive psychological outlook, better physiological states and resilience to work-related stress (Ryff, 2019). More research is certainly needed to confirm these postulated relationships. Given the commonalities across populations, it may be reasonable to consider that fostering an entrepreneurial spirit might have similar outcomes for addressing questions pertaining to the well-being and burnout of healthcare professionals. Hospitals are allocating increased attention and resources to innovation and starting to generate rather than merely adopting novelty (Hult and Ketchen, 2001; Salge and Vera, 2009). Therefore, exploring the effect of EO on healthcare staff burnout may offer a key missing element and lead to the development of novel ways that managers can help mitigate the effect of burnout for the health sector and beyond. We look forward to increased research attention at the intersection of entrepreneurial management and healthcare.\nConclusion: As health systems globally struggle with the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals this puts more strain and risk of burnout on existing staff. This viewpoint illuminates the urgency to address the organizational issue of burnout among healthcare professionals and suggests the importance of considering the effects of an entrepreneurial management approach within healthcare organizations. It is our hope that EO research will continue to emerge across disciplines as EO may provide insights into the value, consequences and management of entrepreneurial behavior within healthcare organizations. It is our anticipation that future research exploring this novel perspective will shed light on notable, wide-ranging implications for both entrepreneurship and healthcare management.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Among healthcare professionals, burnout is one of the key challenges affecting organizational outcomes, employee productivity and quality of care. The knowledge of burnout and its root causes and primary contributors continues to grow yet remains limited. In many environments, an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has been shown to dramatically improve organizational outcomes and performance. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate critical research areas at the intersection of organizational EO and employee burnout within the healthcare sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A conceptual model which considers how EO has the potential to provide an operational context that may negate, lessen or delay the negative effects of burnout among healthcare professionals, is advanced as a useful focal point to foster research exploring connections between organizational orientation and employee well-being.\nFindings: Insights into how an opportunity-embracing EO characteristic of high-tech firms may shape how stress is experienced and address burnout when applied to healthcare organizations. A decrease in burnout stands to improve quality of care as well as the satisfaction of staff and patients alike, including a greater sense of autonomy, engagement, motivation and passion.\nOriginality/value: This research agenda proposes new insights and the need for additional research into how the manifestation of organizational EO may contribute to the field of medicine, influence burnout and enhance the well-being among healthcare professionals.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Removing "invisible" barriers: opening paths towards the future of accessible tourism
|
[
"Prejudice",
"Benefits",
"Education",
"Empathy",
"Future",
"Apathy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Will tourism in the future be or not be accessible for all? Will people with disabilities, as well, be able to enjoy their travels and holidays as any other tourists nowadays do? Could accessible tourism become a niche instead of a segment within the tourism sector in the near future? Will technology, indeed, be able to remove barriers and show the path of faith in benefit of the tourism industry? And what about education? Will we know how to play its fundamental role so as to overcome attitudinal prejudices? And society, will it make its borders with diversity sufficiently flexible in the future?\nA scenario-planning approach: Definitely, all these questions and uncertainties lead us to raise a number of scenarios where we can imagine not a perfect and preferred future but several possibilities depending on the interaction of different driving forces.\nThe scenarios: Four scenarios have been constructed to draw four different ways and outcomes for the future of accessible tourism. They were designed on the basis of an economic system whose dogma is to intensify the benefit. All scenarios have faced different situations which discussed if benefit and accessible tourism would be compatible. If there is, indeed, a segment or just a niche.\nScenario 1: Eden Garden: Summary\nScenario 2: Golden Bridge: Summary\nScenario 3: Wasted Future: Summary\nScenario 4: The State of Hope: Summary\nHeuristic thoughts on accessible tourism and some of its future options. Strategic ideas and proposals: According to the description and examination of our four scenarios, it is feasible to highlight some ideas of strategic relevance which must be started together. Some of these strategic ideas act as common denominators and - therefore - their eventual absence would make the overall strategic formula surrounding the whole scenario inoperative.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the analysis and grasp of accessible tourism, from its present into a medium-term future. It provides a socio-anthropological approach.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper uses the scenarios-planning analysis framework proposing four scenarios arising from the interaction of aforementioned driving forces. The author also use a trilemma to both form and evaluate scenarios. The criteria for the trilemma were (stakeholders, cooperation and prejudice).\nFindings: The strength of combining a new set of driving forces, namely, empathy, apathy, certainty in economic profits and fear of economic losses, which would enable to draw four plausible scenarios into the future of accessible tourism within a scenarios-planning framework. The significance is to provide \"food for thought\" to address the future through a range of different concepts.\nResearch limitations/implications: The main limitation is the difficulty to obtain honest answers about why the lack of development of accessible tourism.\nPractical implications: Participant observation on both groups and individuals in vacation atmosphere. Also, in-depth interviews to different stakeholder representatives.\nSocial implications: To try to explain to the stakeholders their wasted economic benefits and, at the same time, the opportunity of getting social prestige.\nOriginality/value: The main value is about considering the interplay of social concepts as empathy, apathy, \"aesthetic prejudice\" and fear of losses or faith in profits.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Developing key competencies for sustainable development in higher education
|
[
"Sustainable development",
"Higher education",
"Competences",
"Learning"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Science and technology are the crucial structural driving forces in all societal spheres. Sustainable development is the ethically founded response to a worldwide process in which not only research is increasingly carried out on the basis of private and economic interests but where these interests are also shaping the profile of academically educated young people (Altner and Michelsen, 2005).Against the background of globalisation and increasing complexity, higher education for sustainable development (ESD) aims at enabling people to not only acquire and generate knowledge, but also to reflect on further effects and the complexity of behaviour and decisions in a future-oriented and global perspective of responsibility. Higher ESD has to participate in the discussion about sustainable ways of living and working. Acquiring relevant competencies within and by academic work cannot be a private concern of faculty, staff or administration. Absolutely essential is a new learning culture which does not confirm academic tradition but examines its potential for a sustainable future, in an open-minded and participative process. It has to be related to one's own sphere of influence and desires. On the other hand, individual and societal learning should be related, for sustainable development is a matter of negotiation. Within this perspective, it seems vital to consider the university as a learning and life world. In general, universities are seen as formal educational institutions. When discussing the role of academia for competence development the focus is mostly on study programmes and courses - thus formal learning settings. But universities also offer opportunities for learning in informal settings, such as volunteering in student groups. The potential of the different settings and their relationship are discussed theoretically and with regard to their meaning in practice[1].\nTheoretical framework: Competencies and key competencies\nResearch question: Both threads presented establish the starting position for answering, the question how acquiring key competencies for sustainable development can be realised at universities. The theoretical considerations are supplemented by empirical data obtained via two specific fields of examination:RQ1. Examining an interdisciplinary study programme from the perspective of what contribution reoriented interdisciplinary study programmes can make to the realm of formal learning.RQ2. Analysing the \"lifeworld university\" with the question of how student participation on campus, understood as a field of informal learning at universities, contributes to developing key competencies.\nMethodological approach: Acquiring competencies is not only based on individual processes, but is always achieved in social contexts and, at least in part, collaboratively. In order to reproduce such group processes parallel to individual ones, it is necessary to use an approach which is suitable for adequately reproducing cross-individual opinions. Analyzing focus group discussions considers that subjective meaning structures are frequently integrated in social contexts, which can only be surveyed in group situations (Denzin and Lincoln, 1998). For the study programme \"Sustainability\" three focus group discussions were carried out with each of the three project groups of the programme in August and September 2005 which worked together on producing a final report. The analysis of the acquisition of competencies within the framework of student on-campus volunteer engagement is based on three focus group discussions with a total of 13 students[4] which took place in April 2007.The focus group discussions were realised using Morgan's (1997) process model. The presentation was carried out by two scientists involved in the project \"Sustainable University\" using a rough thematic guideline (topic guide). The guideline to be used and the research situation were successfully tested in a pre-test. The focus group discussions, taking an average of 60-90 minutes, were recorded digitally, transcribed and anonymised. The data were analysed using the qualitative data analysis software MAXqda. The results of this analysis are presented in extracts in this paper.\nSample: For the focus group discussions, two samples representing formal and informal learning settings were chosen.Study programme \"Sustainability\"\nResults: Acquisition of competencies\nDiscussion: The results obtained regarding the acquisition of competencies in formal and informal settings at universities make clear the following:* Within the study programme \"Sustainability\" as well as the students' volunteer work, developing competencies or rather particular dispositions is encouraged. Important aspects of \"Gestaltungskompetenz\" such as interdisciplinary collaboration, planning and implementation skills or the ability to motivate oneself and others are addressed.* To acquire and implement competencies, the existence of various and manifold contexts is important. In formal settings multifaceted contexts have to be created; informal learning offers these per se. It is, however, dependent on the fact that universities create spaces for informal learning and appreciate and support informal learning processes. The present results illustrate which factors play an important role in this context.* Developing competencies is only controllable up to a certain degree. Learners' individual responsibility is of great importance: it leads to a maximum of possibilities for learning and acquiring competencies. Learners can be supported by making spaces for informal learning processes available to them.* Interdisciplinarity is important for promoting reflection processes, developing a key competency for interdisciplinary collaboration and developing motivational dispositions. In formal settings, the possibility for interdisciplinary collaboration must be made available; in informal settings it is more likely already existent as subjects are not differentiated.The results of the present analysis indicate that formal as well as informal learning settings at universities are relevant for developing competencies for sustainable development.Thus, it can be stated that a culture of teaching should be superseded by a culture of learning that combines the learning processes in academic formal and informal settings and that includes competencies developed in extra-curricular settings. Establishing such a learning culture enlarges the learning space and facilitates better learning opportunities for developing future-oriented competencies across different contexts. In addition to professional-vocational education it aims at a personal development that enables individuals to cope with complex situations, to be able to act and to decide reflectively, to take responsibility, to consider ethical criteria while acting and to be able to envision consequences.The question remains how formal and informal learning can be systematically related to each other. If and in how far both forms of learning can complement one another (additive learning), how they can extend and transform what has already been learned in each respective area (transformative learning, Schugurensky, 2000, p. 6), or in other words, which interactions actually exist between them remains to be examined. Initial indications emerging from the obtained data suggest that mutual support could exist: \"[...] and that can also be marvellously combined, and I do, yes, I really feel that studying, thus the theoretical, and the practical work are also incredibly mutually dependent\" (INT 1, TN 5).\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - To date, little attention has been given to the circumstances in which the process of developing key competencies for sustainable development may take place. The purpose of this paper is to consider, the possibilities both of formal and informal learning and their relationship to competence development within higher education.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - An explorative, qualitative study based on focus groups was designed using different groups from formal and informal learning settings.\nFindings: - The development of key competencies is based both on cognitive and non-cognitive dispositions and asks for multiple contexts. Through combining formal and informal learning settings within higher education - as part of a new learning culture - a variety of contexts can be given and competence development can be enhanced.\nResearch limitations/implications: - While aspects of both formal and informal learning settings could be identified, the interdependencies between them remain elusive.\nPractical implications: - Based on the findings, some main aspects for acquiring competencies can be pointed out that may be crucial in higher education settings.\nOriginality/value: - The paper analyses the implications for both formal and informal learning settings of new ways of developing key competencies within higher education. Particular attention is given to interdisciplinarity and students' self-responsibility.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Values as a bridge between sustainability and institutional assessment: A case study from BOKU University
|
[
"Engagement",
"Assessment",
"University",
"Sustainability",
"Performance",
"Values"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: There is increasing recognition within the university sector that higher education institutions (HEIs) need to engage in more sustainable practices within their campuses, educational, research and engagement activities (COPERNICUS, 2012; Ferrer-Balas et al., 2010). One aspect of this has been to develop ways to assess progress in sustainability using assessment or appraisal tools such as the Auditing Instrument for Sustainable Higher Education (AISHE)[1] (Roorda, 2014; Roorda et al., 2009), Green Plan[2] (AASHE, 2012), Alternative University Appraisal (AUA)l[3] (AASHE, 2012), Sustainability Tracking, Assessment\n2. Case study - university of natural resources and life sciences (BOKU): 2.1 Introducing BOKU\n3. Discussion: The following section presents the implications of the findings from the pilot study. The authors focus in a first instance on opportunities created by the elicitation of shared pro-sustainability values, especially in terms of the way in which individuals understand and potentially engage with sustainability initiatives. This is followed by a discussion about implications for the way in which values are communicated within institutions and the integration of sustainability into institutional assessment through the development of values-based indicators.\n4. Conclusion: Values have been largely overlooked by conventional institutional performance assessments in HEIs. The paper makes the case for the creation of context-specific sets of values-based indicators which can measure and motivate transitions towards sustainability. The authors see at least three benefits of this process:\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate that values-focused assessment can provide a useful lens for integrating sustainability and institutional performance assessment in universities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study applies a values elicitation methodology for indicator development, through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and a stakeholder workshop, in a pilot project at BOKU University, Vienna.\nFindings: This case highlights that many of the values held by university staff and students are pro-sustainability values. Starting from these values may be a useful way of engaging university stakeholders in sustainability dialogues. The paper illustrates how values-based indicators can be integrated into university performance assessments, providing a novel way of thinking about sustainability assessment in universities.\nResearch limitations/implications: The exploratory pilot was carried out in a university with a focus on natural sciences. Further research could replicate and compare the results of this paper in other institutions.\nOriginality/value: Creating a shared understanding of pro-sustainability values can help individuals to reconceptualise sustainability in relation to their own work and motivations. In doing so, it can highlight the inherent synergies between sustainability assessment and institutional performance assessment in the higher education sector, which are usually seen as separate domains.\n",
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How does enterprise and entrepreneurship education influence postgraduate students' career intentions in the New Era economy?
|
[
"Higher education",
"Entrepreneurship",
"Careers",
"Enterprise",
"Internationalization"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction and rationale: This paper is based on a short study of international students on an entrepreneurship programme in the UK and their perceptions of the influence of entrepreneurship education on their career making. It explores how enterprise and entrepreneurship education (EEE) can influence postgraduate entrepreneurship and career initiation in the wider context of the economic, entrepreneurial and employment opportunities perceived by these students at an international level.\nPrior work: The paper builds on prior work by summarising the relevant literature in three interconnected areas:\nInternational EEE: There is a significant body of work predating the crisis which explored and defined enterprise education in Higher Education, notably through contributions by Allan Gibb (2002), and by Garavan and O'Cinneide (1994a, b) at a European level; by Gorman et al.(1997)in a ten-year study which covered early work in the field; by Hannon (2004) in creating foundations for the subsequent NCGE initiatives; by Matlay and Carey (2007) through a ten-year longitudinal study from 1995 to 2004; by Pittaway and Cope (2007); and by Pittaway and Hannon (2008) in assessing institutional strategies for HE enterprise education.\nThe economic context: Britain is in line with other EU countries in experiencing rising and sustained unemployment rates in the 18-25 age group of over 20 per cent, or some six million young people in total (Eurostat, 2013); with the UK graduate unemployment doubling between 2008 to over 20 per cent in 2013. This results, not only from the recession, but from a longer term failure to create sufficient new jobs for young people, increasing rates and lengths of economic activity by older workers, and mismatches between educational \"production\" (skills) and employer demand. Both structural and cyclical worklessness in this age group is exceptionally serious, especially in post-industrial regions hardest hit by public spending constraints and dependent on declining public, retail, and service-sector organisations no longer able to provide the employment opportunities of the \"boom years\". The shrinkage in economic activity is having visible and marked effects: in the UK, the economy is some 15 per cent smaller than in 2008 (Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), 2013) and the decline in consumer spending, demand for business property and employment generation is widespread.\nGraduate career making and employability: Although economic trends continue to be adverse, there are counter-indications of some recovery in graduate careers in the UK, for example, in increased demand for engineering, computer science and IT graduates but reduced public, professional and administrative demand (Redman, 2012). However, unemployment for graduates from 2010/2011 compared to 2009/2010 had increased by only 0.1 to 8.6 per cent according to the annual DLHE survey, although in relation to degree subjects the range was from just fewer than 8 to over 12 per cent. Montgomery's contribution to the same report (Redman, 2012) reported that graduate self-employment had increased from 3.3 per cent in 2006/2007 to 4.8 per cent in 2010/2011. This is still a small proportion, and although self-employment is now considered to be a legitimate \"graduate destination\" the figure shows little change from the numbers observed by the researchers in HEIs during the preceding decade. AGCAS (2013) reported an upturn in confidence and \"buoyancy\" in their survey of heads of higher education careers and employability services in late 2012. This showed a decrease in public sector and full-time jobs, and an increase in part-time jobs and internships.\nSummary of issues from prior work: Demand from international students to study in the UK has continued to remain strong, despite the imposition of strict controls by the UK government in its ideological drive to \"clamp down on bogus immigration\". The global economic uncertainty and increasing availability of study in both home countries, such as China and India, and in alternative study destinations such as Australia, the USA and other European countries, such as France, the Netherlands and Denmark, where English language teaching is increasingly available, may well be affecting this but not yet to a significant extent. Career opportunity enhancement is a major motivation for their study decisions. However, the limited job prospects for graduates in the UK and visa restrictions mean that international students should not have high expectations of being able to work in the UK. This is one reason why entrepreneurship continues to be a popular study option. For example, 75 per cent (36) of a recent group of 48 international PG business students coming to Lincoln in spring 2013 opted for the entrepreneurship course. This supports our research interest in that we do not know enough about the students' motivations, experiences and learning outcomes in terms or career enhancement through entrepreneurial learning.\nResearch method: The research was conducted as a limited-scale and empirical educational study, with primary data collected from international postgraduate students enroled on an entrepreneurship elective course. The research took place at the University of Lincoln in Spring 2013, building on findings from a previous study which compared international PG students' motivations for selecting entrepreneurship as a subject for study across two universities; University of Derby and University of Lincoln (Rae and Woodier-Harris, 2012).\nAnalysis and presentation of results: The survey results comprise:\nFindings: issues and challenges: This small study reinforces the connection between entrepreneurship education as personal development and the enhancement of career learning. It is significant that the postgraduate programmes on which the entrepreneurship module was an elective did not include any core modules on personal or career development; all other modules focused on cognate business and management subjects. This is, to quote a Tom Jones song, \"not unusual\" but it does not fit well with the reasons that students give for coming to the UK to advance their careers. A direct consequence of conducting this research was the decision to include a core module on \"Personal learning and career development\" at the foundation stage of revalidated Masters programmes for international students at Lincoln to address this need.\nConclusions: This study continues the exploration of the human story of entrepreneurial and personal learning and development which the researchers have engaged in, individually and collaboratively, for some years. In this period there has generally been a sense that writing on entrepreneurial learning and education has attracted more interest (and certainly more citations) than a focus on personal and career development. Our view is that these two strands are inseparable. Moreover, the volatile state of the world economy and the environments in which students have to make their lives, businesses and careers means that they have never been more important or relevant.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: Enterprise and entrepreneurship education (EEE) is seen as a major contributor to economic growth and development in the post-2008 environment we term the \"New Era\". The role of EEE in enabling graduates to develop entrepreneurial intentions and career plans is therefore of major importance. The paper explores how EEE can influence postgraduate entrepreneurship and career initiation in the context of the New Era economy at an international level.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper explores the learning experiences of a group of 60 postgraduate international students who completed an Entrepreneurship programme at the University of Lincoln which included the development of personal learning narratives and career plans. The students were exposed to the opportunity-centred entrepreneurship approach and the \"Entrepreneurial Effectiveness\" model in the QAA (2012) guidelines. Their narratives were analysed to assess: prior career intentions, proposed career intentions resulting from the EEE programme, application of learning arising from the EEE programme and a survey of students was used to validate the narratives\nFindings: EEE has a wider influence on personal development and career planning than simply the intention to create new ventures. The paper builds on a prior study of international postgraduate students' orientation to entrepreneurship education in their expectations of the UK higher education, which confirmed that career development is a major motivator for international study in the UK (Rae and Woodier-Harris, 2012). The paper contributes new understanding of the relationships between EEE and graduate career intentions, especially at PG and international levels. The paper explores personal growth, confidence and identity development, formation of new career intentions and the application of learning. The international dimension is considerable and this is discussed.\nPractical implications: The paper has implications for the marketing, design and delivery of EEE at international and HE institutional levels, as well as for the practices of educators in designing, validating and delivering programmes for entrepreneurial career development, at national and international levels.\nOriginality/value: The paper contributes new understanding to the role of EEE in postgraduate career initiation at international level in a period of significant and complex economic transformation.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The impact of distance on headquarters' network management capabilities
|
[
"Distance",
"Capabilities",
"Relationships"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In today's environment of globally dispersed and networked multinational enterprises (MNEs), the role of an enterprise's headquarters (HQ) is a hotly debated topic. The subsidiaries of such MNEs are often interconnected and frequently control critical resources; this grants them significant autonomy and bargaining power in relation to their HQ (Vahlne and Johanson, 2014). Therefore, it is reasonable to view an MNE as a network of semi-independent units. In this paper, we will use the terms \"networked MNE\" and \"intra-organisational global network\" interchangeably. On one hand, the importance of HQs in such organisations is often emphasised, as complex organisations face a higher risk of underachievement if they lack sound managerial direction (Ambos and Mahnke, 2010; Ciabuschi et al., 2012). The term \"parent company\" is often used, which underscores the considerable capabilities and organisational knowledge content of HQs (Gammelgaard et al., 2012; Giroud and Scott-Kennel, 2009; Ambos and Mahnke, 2010). It is often argued that an HQ has considerable potential to increase the efficiency of a global organisation, facilitate the development of local capabilities and stimulate global learning and innovation due to its global perspective, access to local industrial networks and historically developed organisational and technological capabilities (Castellani et al., 2013). This is especially true for many MNEs that were not \"born\" networks but that instead incrementally developed into intra-organisational global networks when their parent companies transferred (offshored) their activities abroad (Ferdows, 2008; Massini et al., 2010). Such a process allows parent companies to develop experience and increase their capabilities as they gradually undertake more complex tasks; these new responsibilities can involve anything from the relocation of simple production or service tasks to the management of the resultant international operations network (Dekkers, 2011; Mugurusi and de Boer, 2013).\nTheoretical background: Types of network management capabilities\nMethodology: A retrospective, single case study was deemed appropriate for this investigation for several reasons. According to Eisenhardt (1989), a case study allows researchers to develop an understanding of the dynamics present within singular settings; this is particularly important when studying such a complex entity as a global operations network. A case study is also best suited to gaining an understanding of phenomena about which little is known, as this method is less reliant on previous literature or prior empirical evidence. According to Yin (2003), the use of a single case study may be particularly beneficial in the instance of longitudinal research. However, it should be noted that the case study approach is also often criticised. The main argument against this tactic is that it provides a weak basis for scientific generalisation, as cases are situation specific (Yin, 2003). However, some authors consider this to be the strength of case studies, as the instability of findings over time lends considerable importance to context, which case studies cover in detail (Dubois and Gadde, 2002).\nCase descriptions: Figure 1 depicts the product stories as constituting separate stages of what can be approximated as the company's history and development trajectory. This was deemed appropriate, as the delegation of product responsibility to subsidiary sites is an ongoing trend for several product lines. In Figure 1, Stages 1-3 reflect the stories of Products A and B, while Stage 4 was observed only for Product B. The table also summarises the capabilities that were developed by the HQ to manage its subsidiaries and outlines the distance dimensions that were encountered. Figures in this table illustrate changes to the organisational configuration. The sizes of the circles indicate the relative competencies, and their importance, of the HQ and its subsidiaries in the organisation; arrows reflect the dominant directionality of knowledge flows, and continuous or dotted lines represent the strength of relationships.\nAnalysis and discussion: Varying impacts of distance on the HQ's network management capabilities\nConclusion: This work investigated how distance (explicated as a variety of different distance dimensions) impacts the network management capabilities of an HQ in the context of the evolution of an intra-organisational global network. The results showed that distance impacted the effectiveness of the HQ's network management capabilities by affecting the interactions between the HQ and its subsidiaries and therefore influencing the HQ's knowledgeability about its subsidiaries' operations. Moreover, we found that the impacts of distance may shift from positive to negative over the course of the network's evolution. Two explanations for this shift have been put forward as potential topics for future research. The first one is that there may be a distance \"threshold\" prior to which distance stimulates interaction and encourages the development of an HQ's network management capabilities. Exceeding this threshold may hinder interaction and diminish an HQ's knowledgeability, thus reducing the effectiveness of its network management capabilities. Another possible explanation is that certain distance dimensions (specifically, the constituting elements of technological distance) are more disruptive than others to an HQ's network management capabilities. Future research is encouraged to investigate these aspects in greater detail.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The ability of an organisation's headquarters (HQ) to bring value to and manage a globally dispersed multinational enterprise has been questioned in the existing literature. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that HQ-subsidiary distance is an important factor that affects such ability; this report also investigates the impact of distance on the HQ's network management capabilities in the context of a global organisation's evolution.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this study, a single company was chosen to take part in a retrospective, longitudinal case study that highlighted two embedded product cases. The concept of distance was viewed as a variety of distance dimensions existing between the HQ and its subsidiaries.\nFindings: The results indicated that distance impacted the effectiveness of the HQ's network management capabilities by affecting HQ-subsidiary interaction and, consequently, shaping HQ's knowledgeability about the subsidiaries' operations. Moreover, the results suggested that the impact of such distance may shift from positive to negative over the course of a global organisation's evolution.\nResearch limitations/implications: Although this study was explorative, some generalisability to industrial-goods companies of Scandinavian origin that have transferred activities to their owned subsidiaries may be expected. Further replication of the study using multiple case companies across various industries and countries is desirable.\nOriginality/value: This work extends the understanding of technological distance, sheds light on the conditions necessary for the HQ of a globally networked organisation to engage in value creation in the context of its evolution and contributes to the overall appreciation of distance as a factor that comprises multiple dimensions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Dispersed leadership predictor of the work environment for creativity and productivity
|
[
"Creative thinking",
"Self development",
"Innovation",
"Leadership",
"Productivity rate"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Creativity and innovation are considered to be key factors for achieving the sustained organisational competitive advantage in the new economy. Therefore, organisations need to continuously adapt, develop, create and innovate (Kay, 1993; Martensen and Dahlgaard, 1999). President Bush (2002) believes that the strength of the US economy is built on the creativity and entrepreneurship of the people. Since it is argued that employees' creativity makes an important contribution to organisational innovation, effectiveness and survival (Ahmed, 1998; Amabile, 1996; Kanter, 1983), there is a need for organisations to create the organisational contexts that are most supportive to idea generation and creative thinking (Amabile, 1998; Eyton, 1996; Goldsmith, 1996). In other words, for employees to be creative there must be a work environment that supports the process of creativity.As a result, researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in studying the environmental factors (e.g. social, emotional, intellectual development and work conditions) conducive to creativity (Amabile et al., 1996; Oldham and Cummings, 1996; Paulus and Yang, 2000; Shelley and Perry-Smoth, 2000). Theory and research suggest that employees will be creative when they have a shared commitment to their projects (Monge et al., 1992; Payne, 1990), and when they are given adequate resources to conduct their work (Delbecq and Mills, 1985). Other areas of research revealed that employees would be creative when their work is intellectually challenging (Amabile and Gryskiewicz, 1987), and when they are given a high level of autonomy and control over their own work (King and West, 1985). Moreover, the literature reveals that organisational support and evaluation of ideas are necessary in order to support creativity (Cummings, 1965; Kanter, 1983) and that rewards and bonuses are necessary to encourage creativity and support the creative work environment (Amabile et al., 1996).Although the review of the literature suggests that supportive supervision (Oldham and Cummings, 1996) and participative management (Monge et al., 1992) foster creativity, little is known about the effect of dispersed leadership on the work environment dimensions that are most conducive to creativity and productivity. Current research lacks the empirical evidence supporting the relationship between dispersed leadership and the determinants of the creative work environment. In particular, there is an interest from academics and practitioners in addressing whether a dispersed leadership style enhances the work environment dimensions that play a positive role in creativity and productivity.This paper examines the impact of specific dispersed leadership factors on the dimensions of the creative work environment and how these affect creativity and productivity. The study involves a questionnaire-based survey of members of self-managing teams from a high technology organisation that is recognised for its creativity in the United Arab Emirates.\nLiterature review: Determinants of the work environment for creativity\nSubjects and procedure: Sample\nResults: Measurement models\nDiscussion: This paper addresses the impact of dispersed - self-management - leadership style on the work environment determinants conducive to creativity and productivity in an organisation, which is recognised for its creativity. The findings are consistent with the context of a participative management style and employees' creative performance theories. The results of the study indeed reinforce Monge et al.'s (1992) suggestion that a participative style of leadership fosters the determinants for creativity in the work environment.The current study seems to highlight that there are certain behaviours which managers can exhibit to promote employees' vigilance, independence, work autonomy and creativity. The results of this study suggest that it would be beneficial for managers to encourage employees' self-observation, self-reinforcement, self-expectation and rehearsal, as these behaviours alone explained over 29 per cent of the variance of the stimulant work dimensions of creativity. In other words, it is the self-management style that supports and encourages the reciprocal relationships among employees that are most important for creativity and the creative culture (Nonaka and Konno, 1988). Specifically, the results show that it is mainly the self-observation and self-reinforcement leadership behaviours that encourage and facilitate the determinants of the work environment for creativity, which in turn are essential for creativity and productivity.It is also important to note that the remaining 71 per cent of the variance is not explained by the variables tested in this study. One could assume that a portion of the remaining variance could be explained by other leadership styles, such as Stogdill's (1963) consideration leadership and Bass's (1985) transformational leadership, both of which contain themes common to those measured by Manz and Sims's (1987) self-management leadership. In addition, another portion of the remaining variance could be explained by other antecedents to creativity, such as the support individuals receive as children from their parents (Walberg et al., 1980); the employees' mood (Isen, 1999); and the employees' personality characteristics (Amabile, 1996; Feist, 1999).The results have also shown that the variables of encouraging self-goal setting and encouraging self-expectation were negatively associated with the work environment determinant that is linked with internal friction, conservatism and rigid, formal management structures (i.e. organisational impediments). These findings support those of previous studies. In particular, Jones (1996) found that a leader with a hierarchical attitude and behaviour (diametrically opposite to the self-management leader) will create an organisational structure and work environment which reinforce power-based relationships and one-way monologue, thus blocking dialogue, freedom and learning, and hence decreasing creativity and productivity. It is possible that in a work context which requires high levels of creativity (characteristics describing the current sample), leaders with a hierarchical attitude and behaviour are likely to be perceived as a means of external control resulting in decreasing the employees' intrinsic motivation necessary for creativity (Amabile, 1998).Thus, the art of leading creative organisations is the art of handling people and the task of leadership in such organisations is to provide the people with the work - environmental - conditions under which they can exercise their creativity. One may conclude that the role of the creative leader in an organisation is to be the provider of resources, context and situation for enhancing employees' creativity. Creative leaders should develop a specific behaviour and character of a supportive, facilitative kind that provides employees with goal clarity, autonomy, freedom, intellectual stimulation and fair evaluation as these are found to be conducive to creativity and productivity.Moreover, the leadership style that recognises and reinforces employees' performance (e.g. encouraging self-reinforcement) has a positive influence on workload pressure (e.g. urgent work). It is possible that if a manager encourages employees to praise themselves for a job well done (positive self-reinforcement) and the job is urgent, then the employees' perception of urgency in the work would enhance their intrinsic motivation and creativity (Amabile, 1998). On the other hand, the leadership style that criticises and discourages employees' poor performance (encouraging self-criticism) has a negative influence on workload pressure. It is possible that self-criticism affects people psychologically by leading them to believe that they cannot perform challenging and excessive or urgent work if the time in which to accomplish the task is perceived to be unrealistically short (Amabile, 1993; Amabile and Gryskiewicz, 1987).Finally, the findings of the study clarify which of the determinants of the work environment for creativity best predict creativity and productivity. In particular, the stimulant determinants of the work environment for creativity were found to be the fundamental levers of both creativity and productivity, while the obstacle determinants impede creativity and productivity. These findings are in alignment with Amabile et al.'s (1996) conceptual model, which predicts positive relations between creativity and the \"stimulant scales\" of the work environment and negative relations between creativity and the \"obstacle scales\" (p. 1159).I conclude that leadership in a creative organisation is largely a matter of giving employees resources, creative freedom, enthusiasm, support, a sense of ownership and encouragement. Thus, the role of the leader is to be the provider of a context and situation for creativity and productivity. The art lies in creating an organisational culture which reinforces reciprocally warm relationships and facilitates dialogue, a creative climate and innovativeness.Limitations and future work\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper examines the relationship between the dimensions of dispersed - self-management - leadership and a number of work environment dimensions conducive to creativity and productivity.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study involves a questionnaire-based survey of employees from a high technology organisation operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A total of 104 useable questionnaires were received from employees who are engaged in self-managing activities. These were subjected to a series of correlational and regression analyses.\nFindings: - There are three major findings in this research. First, the relationship between dispersed leadership and the \"stimulant\" dimensions of the work environment for creativity is positive and significant. Second, the relationship between dispersed leadership, with the exception of encouraging self-reinforcement, and the \"obstacle\" dimensions of the work environment for creativity is negative and significant. Finally, the findings have clearly shown that the \"stimulant\" dimensions of the work environment for creativity have a positive and significant impact on both creativity and productivity.\nPractical implications: - The study shows that the role of the leader is to be the provider of a context and situation for creativity and productivity. Thus, the art of leading creative organisations in the UAE is the art of handling people and the task of leadership in such organisations is to provide the people with the work - environmental - conditions under which they can exercise their creativity.\nOriginality/value: - The paper clarifies which of the dispersed leadership behaviours best predict the dimensions of the work environment conducive to creativity and productivity. The paper will assist organisations in the UAE in identifying those particular leader behaviours that appear to have an impact on creativity and productivity.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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The interplay of roles and routines: situating, performances and patterning in the emergency department
|
[
"Routines",
"Roles",
"Patterning",
"Situating",
"Performances",
"Scripted",
"Unscripted",
"Emergency department",
"Ethnography",
"Qualitative studies"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organizational routines, the \"repetitive, recognizable patterns of interdependent actions, carried out by multiple actors\" (Feldman and Pentland, 2003, p. 95), are at the core of how work is accomplished. Routines enable coordination, providing organizations with stability (Becker, 2004) but also afford change (Pentland et al., 2011). During the past decades, researchers have shifted to conceptualize routines as generative systems formed by ostensive and performative aspects (Feldman and Pentland, 2003; Pentland and Feldman, 2005). As such, routines consist of a duality of structure and agency, which are mutually constitutive (cf. Giddens, 1984). The ostensive refers to \"the abstract, generalized idea of the routine\" and the performative to the \"specific actions, by specific people, in specific places and times [...] the routine in practice\" (Feldman and Pentland, 2003, p. 101).Studies have shown that \"ostensive aspects [...] are not simply 'shared understandings'\"; they \"are distributed and partial [...] multiple [...] inconsistent or conflicting\" (Feldman and Pentland, 2008, p. 303). First, individuals understand routines differently as they perform various organizational roles (Nigam et al., 2016; Turner and Rindova, 2012; Zbaracki and Bergen, 2010). Second, even when individuals perform the same role characteristics such as personality (Sonenshein, 2016) and experience (Turner and Fern, 2012) can influence role and consequently routine performances, promoting the development of multiple routine patterns. While these studies suggest a relationship between roles and routines, they emphasize routines and take roles for granted, not exploring the dynamics involved in performing both phenomena in concert. In fact, as Barley and Kunda (2001) pointed out, organization theorists tend to take a structuralist perspective and see roles as a set of prescribed behaviors associated to an individual's social position (Hilbert, 1981). Although routine scholars have called for studies that investigate differences associated to roles (Turner and Rindova, 2012), roles are still largely black-boxed. This leaves unexplored the specifics of the influence of roles on routines.Considering the importance of roles and routines in organizations and that they are clearly intertwined in practice, the theoretical disconnect is surprising. This paper addresses this largely overlooked area by examining how roles and routines interplay in accomplishing work and how this influences routine dynamics. Several scholars have called for studies on what people do in order to advance an understanding of contemporary organization (Barley and Kunda, 2001; Bechky, 2011; Feldman and Orlikowski, 2011). In particular, routine scholars have noted it is easy to neglect the existence of multiple patterns, critical to understand how work is accomplished (Turner and Rindova, 2012). This study argues that understanding how roles and routines interplay is crucial to develop a more nuanced picture of organizations. In line with routine dynamics, this paper further suggests that unpacking roles holds potential to substantially increase the understanding of how organizational work is accomplished.To answer the research question (i.e. how do roles and routines interplay?), a four-year ethnography was conducted at an emergency department (ED) in a Swedish university hospital. The ED was suitable because it made visible the interplay and its criticality for the accomplishment of work. On one hand, EDs are characterized by strongly defined roles and strictly formulated routines (Praetorius, 2016; Valentine and Edmondson, 2015). On the other hand, although staff members are not supposed to deviate for safety reasons, uncertainty and time constrains require adapting as the situation unfolds (Bechky and Okhuysen, 2011; Danner-Schroder and Geiger, 2016). Roles and routines are therefore not always followed at face value (Praetorius, 2016). This, coupled with the need for reliable performance, increases the relevance of studying the interplay in such environments. The findings show that roles and routines are formed by scripted and unscripted patterns, which are situated in performances for enactment. Performances further trigger role and routine patterning. This study presents a framework explaining the interplay and how this affords organizational flexibility and stability.The remainder of the paper is structured as follows. First, a review of routine studies that have touched upon roles is presented. This is followed by a conceptualization of roles as patterns of action, and organization studies that have looked into role dynamics. Second, the methodology used in collecting and analyzing the data is discussed. Third, the findings are presented and summarized in a theoretical framework that explains the interplay of roles and routines. Finally, contributions as well as theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed, followed by limitations and suggestions for further research.\nTheoretical background: The influence of roles on routine dynamics\nMethodology: Research setting\nFindings: A narrative introduces the findings illustrating a case where scripted patterns were not sufficient to get the job done prompting the enactment of unscripted role and routine patterns.A mysterious nosebleed\nDiscussion: This paper aimed at increasing the understanding of the interplay of roles and routines in organizations. In doing so, this study showed that: (1) roles and routines are formed by scripted and unscripted patterns which make them flexible; (2) these patterns come together in performances through situating processes; (3) patterns can be combined enabling flexible performances and (4) although flexible, performances feed into patterning processes, contributing to the co-construction of roles and routines and aiding stability. Hereafter, the relevance of the findings for understanding the role of roles and routines in organizations and how these extend previous research are discussed.Multiplicity of patterns\nConclusions: This paper examined how roles and routines interplay in accomplishing work, through an ethnography of an ED at a Swedish university hospital. While in practice this is a clearly relevant topic, from a theoretical perspective it is a largely overlooked area. This paper contributes to research on routine dynamics by providing a detailed explanation of the sources of endogenous change and how these enable organizational stability and flexibility.This study has theoretical implications. First, while organization scholars have largely ignored the effects of patterns, this paper suggests that the existence of multiple patterns may lead to conflicts. Thus, exploring multiple patterns could help explain conflicts in organizations. Second, this study indicates that the multiplicity of patterns enables organizational flexibility and stability. Focusing on patterns may thus help develop richer understandings of this organizational paradox. Third, the findings emphasize the need to explore situating and patterning processes in explaining how roles and routines balance the tension of ensuring flexible enactments and consistency in patterns. More studies are needed to further an understanding of how individuals align their lines of actions and develop role and routine patterns.This study has also practical implications. First, it highlights the importance of designing flexible role structures with an individualized component. Managers can benefit from identifying unscripted patterns critical to work and making them part of scripted patterns. Second, managers should contemplate the influence that individuals, their relations and context have on work performance, as this can help organize work better and avoid for example role and/or routine conflicts. Third, acknowledging the existence of different patterns will help managers and employees understand why people do things differently. This could lead to better support employees who need additional skills to do their jobs and avoid unnecessary frustration. Fourth, educators could benefit from considering the multiple patterns and how they influence work already in educational programs and training activities of health care practitioners. Fifth, society and governments can benefit from understanding that the multiplicity of patterns impacts the length of ED wait times. This is a worldwide issue because of the negative effects waiting can have on the patient's health condition and the unnecessary costs it causes.While this study has limitations, they represent opportunities for future research. As other ethnographies, getting access was a challenge and not everyone agreed to participate. As ED visits are usually one-time events, taking the patient's perspective was difficult, and the study focuses mainly on staff members. Other organizations where customer relationships are more stable or long-term than EDs may offer this possibility. Further studies could explore how patterns are developed across organizational departments, as physical proximity and familiarity may influence this. Moreover, research could look into managers' perspectives, as they may develop different unscripted patterns to those held by employees. Finally, the study focuses on one organization. Future research can elaborate on the findings by examining other departments, organizations and contexts.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: While previous research acknowledges the influence of roles on routine dynamics, roles are largely taken for granted. The purpose of this paper aims at examining how roles and routines interplay in accomplishing work in organizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A four-year ethnography of an emergency department (ED) at a university hospital was conducted through observations, interviews and documents.\nFindings: Roles and routines are formed by scripted and unscripted patterns, which are brought into performances following a situational assessment. Performances trigger patterning processes prompting the co-construction of role and routine patterns.\nPractical implications: This study highlights the importance of designing flexible structures. Managers can benefit from identifying unscripted patterns critical to work performance and making them part of scripted patterns. Managers should contemplate the influence that individuals, their relations and context have on how work is done.\nSocial implications: This study suggests that the existence of different patterns impacts the length of wait times in EDs, a societal issue worldwide because of the effects that waiting can have on the patient's health condition and the unnecessary costs it carries. This study can help design solutions to decrease wait times.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to research on routine dynamics by providing a more nuanced explanation of the sources of endogenous change and how these enable organizational stability and flexibility.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Logistics performance measurement in the supply chain: a benchmark
|
[
"Performance measures",
"Benchmarking",
"Supply chain management",
"United States of America"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction and background: The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), formerly the Council of Logistics Management, has published a number of studies on logistics performance measurement (Kearney, A.T. 1984; Bowersox et al., 1989; Byrne and Markham, 1991; Global Logistics Research Team at Michigan State, 1995; Keebler et al., 1999). This body of research has suggested four significant common findings:1. Most US firms do not comprehensively measure logistics performance.2. Even the best performing firms appear that they do not realize full productivity and service benefits resulting from performance measurement.3. Logistics competency will increasingly be viewed as a competitive differentiator in industries and thus potentially a key competency for the firm.4. Logistics measurement at a supply chain level is limited at best.There are at least three basic reasons why a firm would want to measure logistics performance. Firms can reduce operating costs, use these measures to drive revenue growth, and hence to enhance shareholder value. When we measure operating costs we can identify whether, when and where to make operational changes to control expenses and this also, and very importantly, points outs areas for improved asset management. We can attract and retain valuable customers by improving the price value relationship of products offered through cost reductions and service improvements. Finally, returns to stockholder investments and the market value of the firm can be significantly impacted by logistics performance improvements working through the processes that lead to share price and dividend policy.Research described above has provided some insights, but there is a need for a comprehensive study to define exactly what we mean by logistics performance and then to examine more thoroughly the state of logistics performance measurement in US industry both internal to the company and from a supply chain perspective. Accordingly, the aim of this paper is to describe a research project that was undertaken to more explicitly define aspects of logistics performance measurement and then to describe the current state of practice. More specifically, we will answer the following research questions:RQ1. What do we mean by logistics measurement?RQ2. What is the current state of logistics performance measurement?RQ3. What are the perceived specific enablers and barriers to improving logistics performance measurement and, hence, actual performance both with the firm and across the supply chain?RQ4. How does management in general view logistics as a function within the firm?RQ5. What is the relative importance of logistics measurement as a management issue?RQ6. What is the perceived quality of the measures captured by the firm?We will begin with a comprehensive review of the literature, which is somewhat limited. We will then outline the various facets of our research methodology, which included a Delphi study and in-depth interview case studies, which then led to a comprehensive mail survey. We will direct our analysis of that research toward answering the above questions and then supply both managerial implications as well as future research directions.\n2 Literature review: To put the logistics performance literature in perspective it is necessary to briefly review the work done in supply chain performance measurement. The work of the supply chain council with their supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model dominates the practice of supply chain management and its performance measurement (Field, 2006). However, this model, while dominant in supply chain practice, has had little impact on academic research with limited exceptions (Wang, 2001; Huan et al., 2004; Lockamy and McCormick, 2004; Wang et al., 2004; Sofer and Wand, 2005; Mathews, 2006; Roder and Tibken, 2006; Yilmaz and Bititci, 2006). More recently, increasing attention has been given to benchmarking logistics and supply chain performance measures (Anand and Kodali, 2008; Wong and Wong, 2008; Punniyamoorthy and Murali, 2008).AMR Research is another firm providing services to supply chain practitioners who have reported on their work on supply chain metrics (Hoffman, 2004, 2006). This group notes not only differences on the ability to measure, but more importantly, even those that do have the ability to measure don't always have the ability to act upon those measurements in a meaningful way. It should be noted that most of the AMR work is highly related to SCOR.Academic research both conceptual and empirical has been very broad and includes attempts to model the supply chain in its entirety (Tracey et al., 2004) to very specific studies such as Ho et al. (2005) who develop an approach to measuring uncertainly in the supply chain. A number of interesting ideas and empirical applications exist. For example, Tracey et al. (2005) examined specific supply chain activities and noted which capabilities of firms impact more definitively on business performance. Pohlen and Coleman (2005) describe how both economic value added and activity-based costing can be used to evaluate supply chain performance. Chan et al. (2006) review measurement in the supply chain and describe several ideas on measuring supply chain performance. Shepherd and Gunter (2006) also provides a review, which is broader in scope. Park et al. (2005) adopt the idea of the balanced scorecard and develop a framework for a supply chain measurement performance system that incorporates balanced scorecard notions. In an interesting project, Angerhofer and Angelides (2006) model a collaborative supply chain and use simulation in a case study environment to show how performance can be improved. Other applications exist and it appears that performance measurement in supply chains is moving forward. Both academic work and the SCOR model, which is now in version 8.0, are making progress. However, as noted above, the SCOR model, which is pre-eminent in practice, has had limited application in the academic sector.There have been a number of empirical research papers which have examined logistics performance measurement. Beginning with Kearney, A.T. (1978, 1984) attempts were made to examine how logistics performance was measured and highlighted successful case studies. Byrne and Markham (1991) described quality and productivity improvement activities within the firm. Bowersox et al. (1989), and to a greater extent the Global Logistics Research Team at Michigan State (1995), documented measurement practices across a wide variety of businesses and found that many asset management and other investment measures were not available in a wide variety of firms. Specifically, they identified 17-key cost measures and only five were available and used in 90 percent of the firms surveyed. In a similar study Novack et al. (1995) found that while measures were used, logistics executives were in general unable to quantify the value of the logistics function to the firm. Caplice and Sheffi (1995) provided a foundation for selecting and maintaining logistics performance measures as a system. Fawcett and Clinton (1996) examined what impacts logistics performance within the firm and found seven factors that had demonstratable impact for manufacturing firms. Keebler (2000) found that leading firms were not capturing specific measures of logistics performance of importance to their customers. Rafele (2004) has suggested a framework for logistics service measurement within more of a supply chain perspective, rather than an individual firm. Research has been done to explore the benefits of collaboration with trading partners in developing collaborative supply chain performance measures (Simatupang and Sridharan, 2004; Choy et al., 2007). Germain and Iyer (2006) have examined both internal and downstream integration in logistics operations and found that firms that were more integrated internally were also more integrated downstream. Niemi and Huiskonen (2008) proposed an approach for internal, cross-unit benchmarking. Finally, Gleich et al. (2008) investigated logistics process benchmarking.Based on these studies one can come to the following conclusions:* There is a great opportunity for logistics cost reduction across the supply chain.* Data collection, information, and measurement is insufficient.* Articulating cost-benefit of supply chain management logistics opportunities is not easily done.* Many savings are likely to cross supply chain boundaries and there is limited research that examines this aspect of logistics performance measurement.\n3 Research design: The complex research design utilized in this study consisted of three separate parts, a Delphi study, a series of case studies and finally a cross-sectional survey. This complexity was necessitated by the minimal research that had previously been done, the perception of the researchers that there was a lack of definitive conceptual clarity of the phenomena being studied, and the need to further explicate the research dimensions so as to lead to the realization of the benefits that appear to be possible for both individual firms and the supply chains within which they operate.3.1 Delphi study\n4 Findings: The sample respondents exhibited a broad range of characteristics.Over 25 industries were represented. Food and beverage (21 percent), chemicals and plastics (9 percent), automotive (7 percent), pharmaceuticals (6 percent) and paper and related products (6 percent) were the most represented. Manufacturing represented 56 percent, whereas distribution/wholesaling (11 percent), retailing (10 percent), third party logistics suppliers (7 percent), transportation carriers (5 percent), and public warehousing (3 percent) were also represented. Of the 355 responses, 51 percent were from executives with titles of vice president or senior vice president of logistics, operations, or supply chain management suggesting the importance of the function of the firm. Finally, the firms represented by the respondents had a wide mix of annual sales volume. Almost 31 percent were from firms under $250 million, whereas 21 percent were between $250 million and $500 million, 17 percent between $500 million and $1 billion, 21 percent between $1 billion and $5 billion, and 10 percent over $5 billion. Thus, there was a good mix of smaller and larger firms. A cursory examination of the general membership data of CSCMP suggests that the respondents are closely aligned to the overall membership of the group.Question 1\n5 Discussion and managerial implications: Based on the findings of what is being measured, most of the emphasis in logistics measurement is directed at activities internal to the firm. Still, many firms are not even capturing key measures of internal logistics performance. Many firms that are capturing logistics measures perceive their quality to be deficient. The lack of availability of accurate, timely, and actionable information seems to be blamed on the absence or incompatibility of IT systems and lack of organizational resources. Perhaps, in those firms, a strong case has not yet been made for the business value of improved logistics measurement. A case, or mandate, needs to be made to elevate the priority of logistics measurement capability within the firm, and between firms, to achieve organizational goals. Logistics planning and control systems cannot be effective without measurement. The firm's attention on internal utilization, productivity, and cost measures is necessary but not sufficient for improved supply chain performance. The firm needs to define the appropriate measures of its inter-firm processes. Trading parties need to work together to define terms and processes of importance to the relationship, and jointly agree on what is measured for comparison to desirable targets for performance. The research suggests that this is not being widely done, but those trading partners that do it enjoy mutual benefits.It was evident from the case studies that two capabilities distinguished those firms who were more advanced in logistics measurement, both internally and with trading partners. These capabilities were the use of activity-based costing and data warehousing. Having these capabilities permits the development of cost-to-serve measures, which, when compared to the customer's value of service, points to more profitably engineered activities and services.\n6 Conclusions: This research has provided a unique contribution in that it has provided a benchmark for the state of logistics performance measurement in the USA. Several conclusions from the research can be made. Logistics measurement can improve firm performance. Most firms represented by respondents to the survey do not comprehensively measure logistics performance. Even the best firms fail to realize their service and profit potential available from logistics performance measurement. There is a need for collaboration between trading partners on definitions of linking activities and processes and their measures of performance. Those firms that understand the value creation character of high-performance logistics are more likely to invest in enhancing its capability, thus making it more valuable as a trading partner.6.1 Limitations of the research\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of logistics performance measurement in corporations based in the USA.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A triangulation approach is used, including, a Delphi study involving more than 100 practitioners, academics, and consultants identified as logistics experts; personal interviews conducted with 55 executives of 20 firms identified by the Delphi study; and a questionnaire mailed to supply chain and logistics executives at over 3,300 firms in 25 industries.\nFindings: - Most US firms do not comprehensively measure logistics performance. The focus continues to be on performance within the organization and not on performance between and across firms.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Self-report surveys completed by a single respondent from each firm introduce subjectivity and bias to the study. The sample frame of organizations may not represent the universe of US companies, nor can findings be generalized to other countries.\nPractical implications: - There are great opportunities for logistics cost reduction and performance improvement within firms and across the supply chain. Firms can and should collaborate with their trading partners to implement appropriate measures of logistics and supply chain performance.\nOriginality/value: - This paper provides a benchmark for organizations assessing the quality of their logistics performance measurement practices and helps identify opportunities for significant improvement.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Could the balanced scorecard enhance pharmaceutical organisations' quality performance?
|
[
"Business performance",
"Quality performance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In today's international business environment, knowledge-based organisations are comprised entirely of intangible assets, whereas tangible assets have become less critical. It is well recognised that these intangible assets like quality, customer relationships and new drug design create value within organisations. However, traditional financial measures are not suitable for measuring their performance. Hence, there was a need for creating different performance measurement systems (PMS) (Soderberg, 2006) like integrated PMS (Nanni et al., 1992), Balanced scorecard (BSC) (Kaplan and Norton, 1992) and performance prism (Neely et al., 2002). This research will focus on the most popular and widely adopted PMS, namely, BSC.\n2. Literature review and hypotheses development: 2.1 Literature review of research variables\n3. Research methodology: The objective of this section is to explain the methodology chosen to provide an answer to the aforementioned research questions.\n4. Data analysis: 4.1 Reliability analysis\n5. Findings and discussion: Overall, the results of the simple regression indicate that BSC practices are significantly and positively related to quality performance. Results from the SEM suggest that quality performance is significantly and positively correlated to business performance; additionally, SEM results suggest that strategy and feedback/learning practices are indirectly correlated to business performance with quality performance as a moderator, whereas communication is the only BSC attribute that is both directly and indirectly related to the business performance; these results provide an answer to the research questions that are previously mentioned in the Introduction section. Equally important, the association between the BSC tool, quality performance and business performance will act as a motive for the national pharmaceutical companies to incorporate the tool within their management system to measure and subsequently enhance the performance with an emphasis on the BSC practices that have the biggest significance.\n6. Conclusion: In response to RQ1, the finding from the simple regression provides empirical evidence that BSC practices significantly and positively correlate to quality performance. However, strategy appears to have the most significant correlation with quality performance, whereas feedback/learning and communication seem to have less contribution to the relationship and alignment of strategy has a negligible contribution. In response to RQ2, the findings from the SEM suggest that quality performance has a significant and strong positive relationship with business performance, in terms of both market share and sales margin. This suggests that the realisation of quality performance as a result of BSC implementation has led to enhanced business performance; hence, this provides additional evidence to the assumption that BSC is positively related to business performance, directly and indirectly, which is RQ3. Results from the SEM provide an answer to the third question that the BSC not only contributes directly to business performance but also has a contribution through BSC association with quality performance. This implies that the organisations that want to achieve improved business performance are encouraged to implement BSC in its management system as a prerequisite for achieving quality performance that will eventually lead to higher business performance as suggested by this research and previous studies such as Patyal et al. (2017) and Zu et al. (2008).\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between balanced scorecard (BSC) attributes and quality performance and the possible moderating effect of quality performance on the relationship between BSC and business performance. The positive findings from the multinational pharmaceutical organisations in Egypt may help the national pharmaceutical companies to improve their performance when incorporating the same tool (BSC) in their quality management system.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research employs a quantitative approach to conduct a survey, and empirical data were drawn from 28 multinational pharmaceutical organisations in Egypt, 125 correct questionnaires were used for further analysis, and the research model was tested using the structural equation modelling technique by analysis of moment structures software.\nFindings: The findings of the empirical research reveal that the BSC attributes significantly and positively relate to quality performance where strategy translated to operations has the strongest relationship, providing feedback/learning and communication have a moderate relationship, whereas alignment relation is negligible in the presence of other attributes. Additionally, BSC attributes have a significant positive relationship with business performance directly and indirectly and quality performance is the moderator. Also, the research suggests that the quality performance has a significant and positive relationship with business performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: The overall research implication is that the BSC certainly acts as a ground foundation for consolidating the quality management system. The BSC practices presented in this research emphasise that this tool is not just an integration of financial and non-financial metrics that measure performance; rather, it is a performance management system that reinforces the quality system and helps to harmonise the strategy and goals that leads to improvement in the performance levels.\nPractical implications: The study shows that BSC practices support the organisational quality/business performances. Therefore, managers must develop and continuously refine their strategies, allocate sufficient resources for achieving targets of strategic measures, in order to achieve superior business performance.\nOriginality/value: Several studies approached the effect of some of BSC attributes on quality performance; yet, this research considers the association between the four attributes collectively with quality/business performance. Additionally, no previous research has comprehensively studied the moderating effects of quality performance on the relation between BSC and business performance, especially in pharmaceutical companies in Egypt.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Healthcare and aging: do European Union countries differ?
|
[
"User satisfaction",
"Accessibility",
"Service quality",
"Ageing",
"Patient satisfaction",
"Satisfaction",
"Service delivery",
"European Union",
"Patient expectation",
"Care services"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Demographic forecasts estimated that the population aged 60 years and over in Europe will increase by more than 50 per cent from 264 million in 2009 to 416 million in 2050. In developing regions this segment of the population will grow by more than 300 per cent from 473 million in 2009 to 1.6 billion in 2050. In Europe, those aged 60+ years will increase from 161 million in 2010 to 236 million in 2050 (United Nations, 2009). Access, equity and quality of health services are major aspects related to the organization and delivery of health services for any population. Globally, ageing populations present demand in the growing number of aged people in the population as well as their proportion in relation to the total population (National Seniors Australia, 2010; Luo et al., 2009). It is commonly agreed, that these demographic trends will subsequently change the socio-demographic structure of society and pose challenges around the use of healthcare services (Kanopiene and Mikulioniene, 2000). As the numbers of elderly people increases so too will the pressure on the public sector for long-term care (Reinhardt, 2003). Recent forecasts estimate that some healthcare systems (e.g. the UK) will face annual increases in costs varying from 0.48 to 1.12 per cent due to an ageing population (Caley and Sidhu, 2011). However, growing evidence suggests that age is an insignificant factor in the increase of healthcare expenditure if we control for proximity to death (Zweifel et al., 1999; Zweifel et al., 2004). There are some results, which contradict such negative scenarios. Studies from different parts of the world suggest significant reductions in the disability and mortality of seniors and an increase of general well-being (Manton and Gu, 2001; Kalediene and Macijauskiene, 2013; Steptoe et al., 2015). Notwithstanding, there is a great deal of evidence showing that seniors are the main users of healthcare services and they also consume a disproportionally larger amount of all prescribed drugs (World Health Organization, 1999; Department of Statistics of Lithuania, 2005; Maher et al., 2014; Sganga et al., 2015).\nMethods: Population and design\nResults: Of the 4,467 respondents, 1,908 (42.5 per cent) were males and 2,559 (57.5 per cent) females. The distribution of respondents by age was: 60-64 years (25.2 per cent), 65-69 years (24.4 per cent), 70-74 years (21.1 per cent), 75-79 years (16.1 per cent) and 80-84 years (12.2 per cent). A more detailed description of the study sample is presented in Table I and in a separate paper (Lindert et al., 2013).\nDiscussion: The findings from the ABUEL study indicate the existence of significant variations in use, accessibility and satisfaction with health services by countries and socio-economic factors. In this discussion, we address some of our findings which could be considered as the most important ones.\nConclusions and recommendations: The findings from the ABUEL study indicate the existence of significant variations in use, accessibility and satisfaction with health services by countries and socioeconomic factors. The organization and financing of healthcare systems could be one of the reasons for explaining this variation. This study provides valuable information about the key issues for the policy, planning and delivery of services as they relate to preferences for health services, individual and systemic access problems as well as quality and value perceptions by service users. Our findings have implications for adequacy, organization, cost and quality. Changes in policy, systems and education of communities can have outcome changes in terms of access and equity for the elderly; improved compliance in medication regimes will enhance quality of life and detract from premature and excessive burden on healthcare services and systems; efficiency and effectiveness in both use of health services and use of medication therapy will constrain costs; and improvement is risk and safety outcomes are important quality improvements that can be achieved in these service and social settings. However, we need to consider other factors such as patient behaviour, expectations, general economic situation and cultural norms. Further research is needed on the association of integrated care models on the help seeking behaviours of the ageing population.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate socio-economic inequalities in the use, accessibility and satisfaction with health services amongst 60-84 year old people from seven European urban communities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data for this study were collected in 2009. The target population was people aged 60-84 years from Stuttgart (Germany), Athens (Greece), Ancona (Italy), Kaunas (Lithuania), Porto (Portugal), Granada (Spain) and Stockholm (Sweden). The total sample comprised 4,467 respondents with a mean response rate across these countries of 45.2 per cent.\nFindings: The study demonstrated that the majority of respondents had contact with a health care provider within the last 12 months. The highest percentages were reported by respondents from Spain (97.8 per cent) and Portugal (97.7 per cent). The results suggest that 13.0 per cent of respondents had refrained from seeking care services. The highest rates were amongst seniors from Lithuania (24.0 per cent), Germany (16.2 per cent) and Portugal (15.4 per cent). Logistic regression suggests that seniors who refrained from seeking health care was statistically significant associated with those with higher levels of education (odds ratios (OR)=1.21; 95 per cent confidence intervals (CI)=1.01-1.25) and financial strain (OR=1.26; 95 per cent CI=1.16-1.37). Furthermore, the majority of respondents were satisfied with health care services.\nOriginality/value: The findings from the \"Elder Abuse: a multinational prevalence survey\" study indicate the existence of significant variations in use, accessibility and satisfaction with health services by country and for socio-economic factors related to organizing and financing of care systems.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Promoting digitally enabled growth in SMEs: a framework proposal
|
[
"Growth",
"Dynamic capabilities",
"Digital maturity",
"Digital transformation",
"SMEs"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: 1.1 Digitalization of SMEs: drivers and challenges\n2. Theoretical background: frameworks and maturity models for digital transformation: A management framework is a suite of structural elements or units that create a (theoretical) foundation for the management process (McConnell, 2010). Frameworks reflect the axioms, principles, structure and objectives that turn a body of knowledge into a body of understanding, answering questions regarding why certain techniques and constructs fit together (Managing Research Library, n.d.).\n3. A framework proposal: the \"DIGROW\" framework: 3.1 \"DIGROW\" framework building process\n4. Testing the \"DIGROW\" framework: 4.1 Method\n5. Discussion: In this paper we propose a dynamic capability-based framework for the assessment of the digital maturity of SMEs. In the following we will discuss first how this framework ties in with the current state of frameworks. Second, we will discuss its usefulness to guide digital transformation of SMEs. There are increasing numbers of maturity models assessing the state of digital transformation of firms. Many of these maturity models have been developed by consultancy firms (e.g. McKinsey, 2015) and are mostly geared towards bigger firms and lack a clear theoretical basis.\n6. Conclusions: 6.1 Implications to theory and practice\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide guidance to SMEs to sense and seize digitally enabled growth opportunities as well as start a project-based learning process to transform the organization in order to remain competitive in turbulent environments.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The proposed framework is nurtured from a dynamic capabilities approach as well as from digital transformation studies and mitigates shortcomings of existing frameworks on IT-enabled business transformation. A pilot study has also been carried out for testing the proposed framework.\nFindings: The results of the pilot study show that the framework is well understood by SME owners or managers and contributes to a comprehensive perception of digitalization challenges and potentials. The overall maturity level of the 52 companies analyzed is moderate. Firms are better at \"sensing\" than \"seizing\", that is, at identifying digitally based growth opportunities than in profiting from them. The test of the proposed framework also contributes to its further adjustment and refinement.\nPractical implications: The developed framework is useful for owners and managers of SMEs as a self-assessment of digital maturity. It sets a baseline regarding the current position and supports coordinated initiatives for digitally enabled growth.\nOriginality/value: Few frameworks regarding digital maturity have been developed. Most of them lack a sound theoretical foundation and are less suited to the needs of SMEs. There are few studies on digitalization in SMEs and they are not focussed on capabilities development but mostly on processes (Trung Pham 2010; Blatz et al., 2018; Mittal et al., 2018). Therefore, the originality of this paper is to propose a framework that allows SMEs to assess their digital maturity level and the capabilities associated with each level to enhance digitally enabled growth, contributing to expand the research on the relationship between dynamic capabilities and digitalization (Teece, 2017).\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Building winning relationships in business process outsourcing services
|
[
"Process management",
"Outsourcing"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: The business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is about a decade old in India. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 37 percent over the past five years, BPO is the fastest growing segment of the Indian information technology (IT)-BPO sector (National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM), 2009). BPO exports from India grew from US$3.1 billion in FY 2004 to over US$10.9 billion in FY 2008. Customer interaction and support and Finance and accounting together accounted for 65.6 percent of BPO export revenues in FY 2008.In India, BPO sector started with companies like general electric (GE) opening their captive centers at low cost destination countries like India in 1997.The objectives of these companies were to get the benefits of labour cost arbitration. Later third-party BPO service providers (international) like Convergys opened their centers in India. Recently, the Indian IT companies like Infosys joined the bandwagon by acquiring BPO companies in India. They have the advantage of cross selling to their existing customers, in the mean time captive centers became third-party providers (GE became Genpact in 2004) and started competing in the open market. With so many players in the market, the challenge all these companies faced was how to build and sustain business with the client. The service providers now could hardly compete on cost arbitration. They had to respond to their existing clients who had tasted and achieved labor cost arbitration benefits and have started looking beyond this. In addition, they had to win new customers by providing value, which is more than simply cost arbitration. With this business environment in mind we have undertaken a study of service providers operating in India.Outsourcing involves the sourcing of goods and services previously produced internally within the organization from external suppliers. In simple terms, BPO is defined as the movement of business processes from inside the organization to external service-providers (Saxena and Bharadwaj, 2007). Specifically, BPO involves contracting with one or more BPO service-providers (vendors) for the provision of execution of business process operations as per the client organization's requirements (Kshetri, 2007; Youngdahl et al., 2007). With the global telecommunication infrastructure now well-established and consistently reliable, BPO initiatives often include shift in work to international service-providers in countries such as India, which is called as \"offshore BPO\" or simply offshoring. BPO now encompasses nearly every business function and requires skillful management of people, technology, and processes. Thus, BPO is a socio-technical business innovation (Click and Duening, 2005).\n2 Theory: 2.1 Strategic nature of business processes\n3 Developing a conceptual model of building winning relationships: Any BPO initiative starts with the BPO client expecting a value delivery in the process operations (such as cost reduction, process performance improvement, etc.) as well as the service provider also expecting a business value addition (such as business growth, longer client retention, etc. Saxena and Bharadwaj, 2007). However, the BPO project may provide the expected outcome only to the client, or only to the service provider, or to none. In such a case the BPO project is considered as failed, otherwise the project is considered successful and may lead to a \"win-win relationship\" between the client and the service provider. We propose here a conceptual model of service provider competence to define the service provider's contribution to building winning relationship based on RBV and relational view.3.1 BPO service outcome\n4 Research methodology: 4.1 Instrument development\n5 Discussions: People, technology and processes together deliver the BPO services to the service provider. But the processes are managed by people and technology. In the absence of robust and scalable technology and knowledgeable people, service provider will fall short of delivering value to the client and hence the BPO outcome will not be achieved. Similarly the foundation of relationship is OMC. It is during pre-contract phase that service provider is carrying client due diligence, understanding the processes and undertaking contract formulation and negotiations. Once the process is in operations the seeds of relationship that were sown during pre-contract phase are carried forward and pitfalls of the contract or process delivery are understood and resolved through good RELMC. Thus, organizations are required to have not only a strong BPMC but strong RELMC as well.Thus, to answer RQ1, BPMC and RELMC are two important competence which will help service provider to deliver BPO outcome as intended by the client.The analysis does not show a significant relationship between BPO outcome and winning relationship.In order to understand the management implications of the results, it is desirable to understand a classification of business processes as viewed by both the client and the service provider. From the clients' perspective, processes have been classified as traditional, peripheral, critical, and strategic (Jenster et al., 2005); as core, critical but non-core, and non-core non-critical (Dole and Switser, 1998); critical, key, and support (Click and Duening, 2005). Similarly, from the service providers' perspective, Niranjan et al. (2007) have classified the business processes on complexity and criticality dimensions.In the initial stages of BPO, client organizations outsourced only their peripheral processes (non-core non-critical) primarily to reduce their costs and improve their performance. Though this type of outsourcing delivered benefits to the organization and impacted directly upon the bottom line; it did not help them in impacting their competitive position. However, this has given the service provider an opportunity to develop capabilities in such processes, related to domain expertise and value proposition. Levina and Ross (2003) refer to the opportunity available to IT vendors (service providers) to develop set of core competence by virtue of focus on IT service delivery that generate significant benefits to both the client and the service provider.For the service provider to continue engaging the same client (farming), it has to add value to its offerings in addition to cost arbitration. Same is true when the service provider is engaging with new client (hunting). So service providers are enhancing their capabilities. Thus, competence based model would help the service providers to move up in the value chain of processes. This would entice client to extend BPO to critical processes.However, the efforts of service providers are falling short of building winning relationships, i.e. sustaining relationship with client. The reasons for the same could be:* Most service providers providing BPO services for the processes which are not very complex and knowledge-intensive. That is, the service provided is more a \"commodity service\" rather than a \"niche service.\" Therefore, in spite of the successful BPO outcome, the client could easily switch to a new service-provider. Thus, there may not be any winning relationship coming out of it.* Pure process-centric client organizations (e.g. Barclay Bank, ABN-AMRO, and Elsevier) go for multiple service-providers as outsourcing policy. Therefore, they also do not seem to care for long-term winning relationship. In a recent example Aviva Insurance Company transferred its built operate and transfer operations from EXL to WNS. The reason being both WNS and EXL were its service providers. Though the BPO outcome delivery by EXL was good but at the time of taking the final decision Aviva transferred its processes to WNS.* Mismatch in outcome delivery and expectation of the client may negatively impact a winning relationship. The reason for mismatch could be the service provider is not competent and the client expectations are very high. In an in sourced environment the client may not have measured the process performance and in a way do not have clue as what to expect. One of the utility companies of UK said, \"We did not have clear understanding of how the process would work in outsourced environment and what to expect from the service provider. Now we are one year into this relationship and we have better understanding of it all.\" Thus, the value proposition expected by the client may be unrealistic. Hence, even if the client is outsourcing a process that cannot be exploited for higher value proposition, e.g. for transforming the process, the client starts expecting the same. Hence, the BPO outcome delivery falls short of the client expectations.* The value proposition and value delivered depend on the complexity of the processes. When the client is outsourcing less complex processes they can at the best expect transaction BPO outcome, i.e. cost efficiency. Expecting large business benefits out of this would not be correct expectations. As per the BPO process categorization, for a non-critical non-core process, a transactional value proposition may be adequate and a transformational or a strategic value proposition may not be feasible. However, for a core as well as critical business process, a transactional value proposition may not be very attractive, and any thing less than a transformational or a strategic value proposition may not be even worth considering for outsourcing.\n6 Conclusion: BPO service providers are addressing commodity services at present and hence not able to build long-term relationship with the clients. They need to exploit their competences by focussing on managing the intangible resources like the process knowledge, managerial IT knowledge and relationship to strengthen the engagement with the client.The research contributions should be interpreted in light of certain limitations. First limitation of this paper is low number of responses and hence we recommend this as an exploratory study. Even though scrupulous procedures were followed to develop and test the measures, it should be stressed that this is an initial step. The responses are given by the top managers of Indian BPO service providers (can be viewed as potential response bias associated with the \"single informant.\" Such practice is typical of survey research). BPO outcomes have been measured as what the service providers think the benefits they are able to provide to the clients.While we believe the items presented in the questionnaire are suitable for testing the variables, however this is an exploratory study and additional testing is called for to further confirm the results.Another limitation of this research work is that winning relationship has been defined as seen by the service provider in delivering service excellence. Client views have not been considered for the same.This research opens up several potential avenues for future research. This instrument could be modified to collect the client data, to have an understanding of the client view of the important competences of the service provider and their own. For example, there are indications in IT outsourcing research that customers and service provider have differing views on the significance of several of the factors (Goles, 2001). Furthermore, what service providers see as significant issues are often viewed differently by client (Michell and Fitzgerald, 1997) again in the context of IT outsourcing.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to discuss business processes as building blocks of organizational capabilities and outsourcing of business processes as a viable management approach in building winning relationships.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper develops a conceptual model to successfully implement \"global sourcing\" of organizational capabilities for the service provider and validates this framework using questionnaire survey methodology.\nFindings: - The paper identifies business process management and relationship management value propositions as the key dimensions for business process outsourcing (BPO) success. However, these value propositions fall short of building winning relationships.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The research is based on questionnaire survey of Indian BPO service providers. A survey of BPO clients may further strengthen the proposed framework and make the findings more conclusive.\nPractical implications: - The proposed framework helps both the BPO client and the service-provider organizations in understanding the critical role of relationship management in realizing the intended BPO service outcomes.\nOriginality/value: - The paper establishes the importance of capability service provision by the service provider as value proposition.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Marketing self-efficacy and firm creation
|
[
"Entrepreneurship",
"Entrepreneur",
"Firm creation",
"Marketing self-efficacy",
"New firms"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: New firm creation plays an important role in economic development and growth (e.g. Schumpeter, 1911/1934/1963, 1942; Birch, 1979, 1987; Cipolla, 1981; Schmitz, 1989; Porter, 1990; Lazonick, 1991; Baumol, 1993; Davidsson et al., 1995, 1998; Baldwin and Picot, 1995; Lumpkin and Dess, 1996; Reynolds et al., 1999; Wennekers and Thurik, 1999; Carree and Thurik, 2003; Wong et al., 2005; Bjornskov and Foss, 2013; Linann and Fernandez-Serrano, 2014; Urbano and Aparicio, 2016). The positive impact of general and entrepreneurial self-efficacy on entrepreneurship, new firm creation, and growth is well documented in past entrepreneurship and small business management and economics research (e.g. Bird, 1988; Boyd and Vozikis, 1994; Chandler and Jansen, 1997; Chen et al., 1998; Jung et al., 2001; Drnovsek and Glas, 2002; Baum and Locke, 2004; Segal et al., 2005; Zhao et al., 2005; Sequeira et al., 2007; Hmielesky and Baron, 2008; Bratkovic et al., 2012). However, the closely related dimension of marketing self-efficacy has not received enough attention in empirical research on the antecedents of new firm formation because it has mainly been considered in a compound together with other business function-related efficacies in entrepreneurial self-efficacy. In order to fill this research gap, this paper focuses on marketing self-efficacy and its relationship with firm creation. The key objective of this study was to examine the relationship between marketing self-efficacy and firm creation.\nSelf-efficacy: The concept of self-efficacy stems from social cognitive theory. Self-efficacy is defined as a belief in one's ability to organize and implement actions required to manage particular situations (Bandura, 1977). In other words, people will perform better when they believe they have the requisite skills to succeed. At the same, time self-efficacy influences intentions and performance and is itself influenced by individual traits and experiences (Bandura, 1977; Barling and Beattie, 1983).\nMarketing self-efficacy: Marketing self-efficacy is specifically linked to skills and competencies in the marketing field, such as strategic marketing decision making, sales performance, marketing communications, and marketing calculations. Marketing self-efficacy can be defined as the strength of belief of a person that she or he is capable of successfully performing the roles and tasks in marketing products or services. According to the studies presented below, self-efficacy in marketing is an important predictor of success in marketing-related tasks and careers.\nMarketing self-efficacy and firm creation: Firm creation is defined as the creation of new firms and can be considered the most salient entrepreneurial activity or manifestation of entrepreneurship (e.g. Antoncic and Hisrich, 2003, 2004). Entrepreneurship and marketing are significant determinants underlying the success, growth, and profitability of small- and middle-sized enterprises. Baker and Sinkula (2009) examined the relationship between entrepreneurial and marketing orientation and found that they can be related and complementary. Marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation should not be seen as separated, but as strongly complementing each other (Hills and Hultman, 2011, pp. 9-10). This implies that marketing competence, together with marketing self-efficacy, is also crucial when setting up a new firm.\nMethods: A survey questionnaire was used in order to collect the data. The data collection was conducted in person, stating the purpose of the survey. The survey mainly included closed questions, which give the possibility of subsequent detailed processing. Marketing self-efficacy was measured with six items that refer to self-efficacy in marketing-related activities, taken from the entrepreneurial self-efficacy scale used by Chen et al. (1998); respondents were asked to estimate to what extent they are personally able to perform the following tasks: set and meet market share goals; set and meet sales goals; establish a position in a product market; conduct market analysis; new markets and geographic territories; and new methods of production, marketing, and management. Likert-type scales were used; ratings of responses to questions on marketing self-efficacy ranged from 1 - very untrue to 5 - very true. The measure showed good reliability (Cronbach's a: overall sample 0.83, Finland 0.84, Slovenia 0.81) and internal consistency (one factor solution was indicated as the best in exploratory factor analysis). The marketing self-efficacy variable was computed as a mean value of the six items. Firm creation was measured with one item of entrepreneurship maturity (Antoncic et al., 2007) based on the question about the length of time the person (entrepreneur or non-entrepreneur) has had their own firm (for how many years have you had your own firm) or intends to start a firm in the future. Persons were divided into four ascending, firm-creation groups: no firm creators (non-entrepreneurs: do not intend to create an own firm); maybe firm creators (maybe-entrepreneurs: maybe will create an own firm in the future); potential firm creators (potential entrepreneurs: intend to create an own firm in one year or less or in two to three years); and firm creators (practicing entrepreneurs: have their own firm).\nFindings: Results of the regression analysis on the overall data are presented in Table I. H1 proposed a positive relationship between marketing self-efficacy and firm creation. The coefficient was found substantive, positive, and significant (standardized coefficient 0.20, significant 0.000). Variance explained was about 4.2 percent (R2 0.042). This finding is in support of H1, meaning that the higher a student's marketing self-efficacy, the more probable his or her firm creation.\nDiscussion and conclusion: In this section the findings are summarized, contributions and implications are discussed, limitations are presented, and future research opportunities are mentioned.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: New firm creation plays an important role in economic development and growth. Despite the recognized importance of general and entrepreneurial self-efficacy for entrepreneurship, new firm creation, and growth, research has devoted minimal attention to explicitly investigating the relationship between marketing self-efficacy and firm creation. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between marketing self-efficacy and firm creation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected in two European countries (Finland and Slovenia). Regression analysis was used to test the hypothesis.\nFindings: The findings of this study demonstrate that marketing self-efficacy makes a difference in firm creation.\nResearch limitations/implications: The model advanced in this study is partial and not comprehensive. Gaining insights into marketing self-efficacy-based firm creation in established economies of northern Europe and transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe can be valuable for broadening the new firm formation research and improving marketing self-efficacy-related practices in these countries.\nPractical implications: Practitioners and policymakers need to be aware that marketing self-efficacy can be an important driver of new firm creation.\nSocial implications: It is suggested that economic policymakers make funds available or channel investments into training and education in marketing abilities in elementary, middle, higher, and university education levels in order to increase marketing self-efficacy levels in the population.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to a better understanding of firm creation induced by marketing self-efficacy by developing and testing a normative model.\n",
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] |
Lean implementation and a process approach - an exploratory study
|
[
"Process management",
"Strategy",
"Lean production"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: With the widespread of Toyota's success in creating and developing a lean enterprise, guided by the lean management (LM) system and the emergence of The Machine that Changed the World, companies of various profiles have embarked on a journey toward lean. Academic literature quotes various examples of the successful implementation of lean principles regardless of industry or profile. Nevertheless, the instances of large automotive companies still prevail in scientific literature (Zhou, 2012; Jasti and Kodali, 2014). Since the idea of lean can be approached from different angles, there exists a wide array of applicable definitions. The plethora of existing definitions of lean based has had both positive and negative impact on the development of knowledge and managerial implications, and that calls for additional clarification of the concept of lean.\nResearch background: The reasoning presented in this research is based upon a claim proposed by Bhasin and Burcher (2006) stating that lean implementation essentially is a journey. Such an approach implies a gradual move from one stage to another with the new opportunities for improvement unfolding along the way. The perception of lean as a journey is further supported by Modig and Ahlstrom (2012) who highlight the importance of continuous improvement. According to these authors the adoption of lean should not be given a certain due date by which an organization would be able to assume itself lean, but rather look at the continuous undertaking of various steps toward eliminating waste and focusing on creating value to customer. Nevertheless, from the managerial point of view, lean adoption needs to be put within certain frames in order to monitor the progress.\nMethodology: The stated research objectives were achieved by conducting the qualitative case study. The case study method was deemed appropriate since it allows a deeper insight into the studied phenomenon within its context (Baxter and Jack, 2008; Flyvbjerg, 2006) which would not be fully attainable by quantitative study. According to Yin (2003), it allows for answering the \"how\" and \"why\" questions as well as recognizes the importance of contextual conditions. Yin (1984) also claims that case study research is particularly suitable while examining existing real-life scenarios. Two case companies were chosen for the study based on their differing approaches to the introduction and implementation of lean initiatives. By contrasting the two cases, meaningful conclusions were drawn and certain managerial implications outlined.\nFocused literature review: The notion of being lean is often described in simple terms as \"doing more with less\" and the idea of achieving greater effectiveness with less resources utilized changed the way manufacturing was perceived. According to Womack and Jones (1990) the advent of lean philosophy gradually transformed the manufacturing systems and revolutionized the approach to manufacturing. The gradual diffusion of lean outside manufacturing supports shows that the applicability of lean principles is not limited to manufacturing environments. Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge that lean implementation will greatly differ between organizations and therefore, blindly coping solutions without carefully tailoring will rarely be beneficial to any organization (Bhasin, 2012).\nToward a conceptual framework: Based on the aforementioned principles an attempt toward outlining a conceptual framework is made. Figure 1 is a graphical presentation of the concepts that were combined in order to justify the efficacy of considering lean implementation from the BPC and BPM perspective.\nCase analysis: Two medium-sized manufacturing companies of a similar profile but significantly different lean implementation approaches - Company A and Company B - were chosen for the study. The main focus is on Company A where lean implementation was identified as problematic and not developing, while Company B showing gradual process of extending the scope of the undertaken lean initiatives. Studied companies are compared to highlight the differences in their approaches to implementing lean.\nFindings: Company A\nConclusions, limitations and further research: In the research presented in this paper the success of lean is defined through the perspective of achievement of goals as well as the general ability to overcome the common barriers to lean implementation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper proposes, that without acknowledging that lean adoption needs to reach beyond the shop floor, it cannot be sustained, and neither is the transformation into a truly lean enterprise possible. The purpose of this paper is to address the gap in the scientific knowledge regarding the challenges of lean adoption in manufacturing organizations. The underlying assumption is that successful and sustainable adoption of lean should be approached from the perspective of business process change (BPC). By applying the logic of BPC to manufacturing environments, and by exploring the opportunities for lean implementation that reach far beyond manufacturing, the study is expected to contribute to the development of the existing knowledge.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research objectives were achieved by conducting the qualitative case study. Two case companies were chosen based on their differing approaches to the introduction and implementation of lean initiatives. Data were collected through in depth, semi-structured interviews supported by shop-floor observations.\nFindings: The paper provides insights into how can lean implementation be facilitated while a systematic, BPC is utilized. By contrasting the two cases, meaningful conclusions were drawn and certain managerial implications outlined.\nOriginality/value: This paper presents a new approach to lean implementation and aims to bridge both the theoretical and empirical gaps between the concepts of lean implementation and business process management.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
International marketing strategies of emerging market firms: Nature, boundary conditions, antecedents, and outcomes
|
[
"Emerging markets",
"Internationalization",
"Institutions",
"Resources",
"International marketing strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The world is experiencing a dramatic shift in economic activity from businesses located in industrialized economies of North American and Western Europe to emerging economies (Bruton et al., 2013; Bortoluzzi et al., 2014), to the extent that the last three decades have witnessed significant influence of emerging market firms on scholarly discourse on international marketing (Bortoluzzi et al., 2014). Emerging markets constitute countries that have low income but that have undergone rapid economic growth in recent years (Bruton et al., 2013; Wright et al., 2005). These economies are largely concentrated in Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, China, and transition economies of former Soviet Union and South-Eastern Europe (Hoskisson et al., 2000). In the view of the rapid economic outputs from firms in these markets, scholarly discourse on international marketing has accordingly shifted to incorporate the behavior of emerging market firms. In this direction, researchers are now beginning to challenge long-held international marketing concepts and theories developed to explain phenomena in developed markets of Western Europe and North America. A contention is that business environment conditions in emerging markets are unique and are in constant flux, with firms competing in and out of those markets deploying unique set of marketing strategies never seen before in the developed world (Wei et al., 2014; Govindarajan and Ramamurti, 2011).\nScholarly insights on international marketing strategy of emerging market firms: In evaluating the extant literature on the international marketing strategy of emerging market firms, we focus on empirical contributions on key drivers and outcomes, enabling us to examine the extent to which the manuscripts submitted to the special issue helped advance scholarly knowledge on international marketing strategy. Specifically, our assessment of the international marketing literature shows that prior empirical studies have focused on issues bothering on standardization vs adaptation of marketing strategies, market orientation, export marketing strategy, foreign market entry modes, organizational innovation, foreign investment strategy, market penetration and acquisition strategy, ownership structure, and export/international resource management strategies. Our conclusion is that only few scholarly works have been done on the relevant drivers and contingencies of how emerging market firms develop and leverage their international marketing strategies. It seems that most previous studies have focused on using aspects of international marketing strategy (e.g. market orientation and marketing programs adaptation strategy) to predict different components of international performance (e.g. export market performance and export intensity). In the two sections that follow next, we make an attempt to discuss the key antecedents, outcomes and conditioning variables that have been examined in previous studies reviewed.\nArticles included in this special issue: Table I summarizes the articles included in this special issue. The seven articles included in this special issue examined aspects of the conceptual domain of international marketing strategy, with some authors focusing on its key drivers and consequences within the unique context of emerging market environment. In addition, some authors focused on understanding contingencies of the drivers as well as the outcomes of the international marketing strategy concepts, examined within emerging market contexts. Notable characteristics of the articles are that each is developed in a unique manner, with the variety of theoretical and methodological approaches adopted. Specifically, the articles draw from different theoretical perspectives including internationalization theory, resource-based theory, and institutional theory. While the majority of the studies draw on survey data, a few others relied on panel data, multiple case studies and literature review to contribute to international marketing strategy scholarship from an emerging market standpoint.\nConclusion and future research avenues: The core objective of this special issue is to advance scholarly insights into the notion of international marketing strategy, with attention directed to the distinctive nature of the construct, its drivers, outcomes and boundary conditions pertaining to emerging market firms. The articles discussed in this introduction and the manuscripts included in this special issue present a range of research themes using a variety of theoretical foundations and methodological approaches to tackle the depth and breadth of research agenda on emerging market firms' international marketing strategies. While the articles included in this issue and those previous works analyzed in this introductory article have highlighted major research questions on how marketing strategy is practiced in emerging market firms, we provide a list of research topics that we believe needs additional scholarly attention.\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold: to publish scholarly works that extend knowledge on the drivers, consequences and boundary conditions of international marketing strategies employed by emerging market firms of all sizes and types; and to advance a narrative for future research on emerging market firms' international marketing activities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: To achieve this agenda, the authors invited scholars to submit quality manuscripts to the special issue. Manuscripts that addressed the special issue theme from varied theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches were invited.\nFindings: Out of 70 manuscripts reviewed, 7 are eventually accepted for inclusion in this special issue. The papers touched on interesting research topics bothering on international marketing practices of emerging market firms using blend of interesting theoretical perspectives and variety of methods. Key theoretical perspectives used include resource-based theory, internationalization theory, institutional theory and corporate visual identity theory. The authors employed unique sets of methods including literature review, surveys, panel data, and process-based qualitative and case-study enquiries. The authors used some of the most advanced analytical techniques to analyze their data.\nOriginality/value: This introduction to the special issue provides a review of the extant literature on the international marketing strategy of emerging market firms, focusing on summarizing key empirical contributions on the topic over the last three decades. Subsequently, the authors discuss how each paper included in this special issue helps advance the agenda to develop scholarly knowledge on emerging market firms' international marketing strategy.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Export market exploitation and exploration and performance: Linear, moderated, complementary and non-linear effects
|
[
"Exporting",
"Market exploitation",
"Market exploration",
"Ambidexterity",
"Curvilinear",
"Turbulence",
"Exports"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Market knowledge, that is, organised and structured information about the market, has long been recognised as necessary for firm survival and success (e.g. Li and Calantone, 1998; Slater and Narver, 1995). Its importance has increased significantly over the last decades given the progression from a manufacturing to a more information-centred economy and the concomitant greater role of market-based assets and capabilities in determining firm performance (De Luca and Atuahene-Gima, 2007; Ramaswami et al., 2009). Indeed, such firms as Dell and GE have benefited greatly from being well informed about their markets and close to their customers and business partners (Feng et al., 2010; Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2000). Among the benefits associated with market knowledge are high quality, cost efficiencies, flexibility and effective fulfilment of customers' needs, expectations and requirements (e.g. Feng et al., 2010).\nConceptual framework and hypotheses: The resource advantage theory highlights the importance of a firm's resources, competences and market environment in achieving sustained, superior financial performance (Hunt and Morgan, 1996). According to this theory the firm needs to cultivate, deploy and combine strategic resources to create a superior market offering. Knowledge is a strategic resource in that it meets the prescriptions of heterogeneity, immobility and value, and helps firms obtain superior performance (e.g. Hunt and Morgan, 1996). Nonetheless, possession of knowledge should be seen as a necessary but not sufficient condition for value creation and delivery; it is the deployment and utilisation of such knowledge stocks that lay the foundation for enhanced performance (Grant, 1996; Li and Calantone, 1998).\nMethodology: Research setting\nResults: Measurement model\nDiscussion and implications: Market knowledge has long been acknowledged as an important determinant of superior performance (e.g. Ramaswami et al., 2009; Slater and Narver, 1995). Market exploitation and exploration are two key learning activities that promote the deployment and utilisation of market knowledge (cf. Grant, 1996; March, 1991). While prior research has examined the direct, separate and linear influences of market exploitation and exploration on firm performance, it has been overlooked that their success may be context specific and depend on the external market environment; exploitation and exploration are inextricably linked and interdependent; and exploiting and exploring market knowledge may be related to export performance in a non-linear manner. Notably, studies on market exploitation and exploration in an export context have lagged behind those in domestic settings. This is regrettable given that the additional ramifications of the global business arena call into question whether or not market exploitation and exploration have the same value in the more complex international market environment. In the light of these considerations, this study extends previous research on market exploitation and exploration by investigating their linear, moderated, complementary and non-linear effects on export performance. A discussion of the findings follows.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Drawing on the resource advantage and organisational learning literatures, this paper aims to investigate the linear, moderated, complementary and non-linear effects of export market exploitation and exploration on export performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A quantitative study was performed using an online survey. The final sample consisted of 267 Portuguese export manufacturing firms. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling.\nFindings: Export market exploitation and exploration is positively and negatively related to export performance in a linear way, respectively. Export market exploration improves export performance under high levels of export market turbulence. Balancing export market exploitation with export market exploration enhances export performance. High levels of export market exploitation provide an additional boost to performance.\nPractical implications: This study contributes to a better understanding of how market exploitation and exploration relate to performance in the export context. To enhance export performance, managers should deploy high levels of export market exploitation, pursue export market exploration in dynamic export markets, and maintain a balance between export market exploitation and exploration.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to the export marketing field by shedding light on the complex nature of the relationships among export market exploitation, exploration and performance. Overall, the results provide novel evidence concerning the internal and external contingencies that affect the success of export market exploitation and exploration.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Proposals for enhancing tactical planning in grocery retailing with S&OP
|
[
"Grocery",
"Sales and operations planning",
"Planning integration",
"Retail planning",
"Tactical planning process"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Grocery retailers serve a competitive market with well-informed consumers expecting excellent product availability, rich assortment, fresh products, and low prices (Hubner et al., 2013; Kuhn and Sternbeck, 2013). The ability to meet such demands is challenged by environmental features, such as a long growth/production lead time, supply seasonality, and uncertainty (Taylor and Fearne, 2009; van Donselaar et al., 2010; Ettouzani et al., 2012; Alftan et al., 2015; Ivert et al., 2015), short product shelf life (Ketzenberg et al., 2015), demand variability, and large frequently changing product assortments (Hubner et al., 2013; Ketzenberg et al., 2015). To cope with these challenges, retailers have required short lead times from suppliers. Despite such requirements, the retailers face risks connected to reduced availability, frequent markdowns, and waste (Smaros, 2007; Hubner et al., 2013; Alftan et al., 2015), which are the factors that may greatly impact their profitability. Therefore, efficient supply and demand planning is essential for coordinating the numerous individual and time-restricted decisions that exist in the supply chain (Hubner et al., 2013). In particular, proper tactical planning may provide stability in this regard, as it sets the premise for further operational decisions.\nTheoretical framework: The main elements of supply chain planning are the processes and levels of integration applied to manage operations and relationships (Jonsson and Holmstrom, 2016), and these constructs form the basis of our theoretical framework. Based on the S&OP literature, we developed a framework for analyzing the tactical retail planning process and integration and the contextual dimensions of grocery retailing. Finally, we present previous studies on tactical planning in grocery retailing from the viewpoints of process and integration.\nResearch design: We follow a case study approach in order to serve the purpose of this paper: to explore tactical planning and to propose how process and integration mechanisms from S&OP can enhance the tactical planning of grocery retailing. Case study research is particularly helpful when exploring new and complex real-life events (Yin, 2009), when the context and experience are critical for understanding the phenomenon of interest (Barratt et al., 2011), and when the research builds on existing theoretical frameworks (Voss et al., 2002).\nWithin-case analysis: While considering the unique retail context, we analyzed the cases' current tactical planning processes and the mechanisms for plan integration from the perspective of S&OP process and integration frameworks (Tables I and II).\nCross-case analysis: In this section, we follow the variables of the S&OP process and integration mechanisms (Tables I and II) to identify similarities and differences across cases. We look for explanations for these similarities and differences based on contextual factors in the cases (Table III). At the end, we summarize the main contextual factors and highlight how they affect the need for tactical planning in grocery retailing.\nProposals for grocery retailing: Retailers are positioned close to the market and are dealing with a large and heterogeneous spectrum of products and customers, making them focus their planning on demand and market events while securing product availability from suppliers. The retail context involves a complex and abundant assortment, supplier, and store base, as well as supply and demand uncertainty; meanwhile, logistics serve as the main resource and constraint. The planning objectives in retail are oriented toward high availability and efficient handling of a broad range of products and high volumes to reach scale benefits (Cachon and Kok, 2007; Fernie et al., 2010; Hubner and Kuhn, 2012). Still, when there are constraints or pressures on the logistical systems - especially when market events overlap - managing supply and demand becomes challenging if decisions are not coordinated. Several impacts are evident, such as high inventory levels, waste costs, and transportation expenses, all of which could be managed following a balanced planning approach. Consequently, for grocery retailers, the S&OP process should be understood as an aligned and coordinated decision-making process for reaching the unified targets of planning (Tuomikangas and Kaipia, 2014).\nConclusion: This study's main contribution is its proposal that retailers would benefit from a formal and company-wide S&OP process to better unify different market-oriented plans. This unification could balance supply and demand without sacrificing the emphasis on demand planning and managing marketing events important in the retailing business. Furthermore, the study suggests improved integration by top management ownership, shared planning objectives, and reward mechanisms. The organizational structure should foster responsibility for integrating functional plans and for involving suppliers and customers in the planning. Integrated IT solutions may increase planning efficiency, but they do not ensure planning integration. Meanwhile, evaluating the performance of demand management activities would gradually improve knowledge about the impact of market events in enhancing tactical planning. This research elaborates on the existing retail planning literature (Hubner et al., 2013; Kuhn and Sternbeck, 2013) and enriches the S&OP literature with a retail-specific study (Kristensen and Jonsson, 2018; Thome et al., 2014; Oliva and Watson, 2011). Managerially, the study provides a proposal for designing the S&OP process in retailing, extending the work of Yurt et al. (2010).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore tactical planning in grocery retailing and propose how process and integration mechanisms from sales and operations planning (S&OP) can enhance retail tactical planning.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This work follows an explorative design with case studies from the grocery retailing industry in Finland, Norway, and the UK.\nFindings: The tactical planning process focuses on demand management and securing product availability from suppliers in order to reach sales targets. Less attention is directed toward balancing supply and demand or toward providing a single plan to guide company operations. Planning appeared to be functionally oriented with limited coordination between functional plans, but it did include external integration that improved forecast accuracy.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study involves grocery retailer cases with variable levels of S&OP maturity. The propositions need to be investigated further through action research or additional case studies to confirm their validity.\nPractical implications: The study proposes a design of an S&OP process in retailing and propositions for improving tactical planning integration.\nOriginality/value: The study complements research on retail tactical planning by taking planning process and integration viewpoints. The research suggests that retailers would benefit from a formal and company-wide S&OP process to unify different market-oriented plans to a single set of numbers, thus better balancing supply and demand without sacrificing the emphasis on demand planning.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Swedish researcher proposes degendered organizational resilience model that combines masculine "oak" qualities with feminine "willow" qualities
|
[
"Resilience",
"Organizational resilience",
"Degendering",
"Gendering practices"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A researcher from Sweden has proposed a degendered organizational resilience model. The new model is an attempt to challenge dominant concepts of organizational resilience that are frequently derived from stereotypical assumptions about masculine and feminine leadership styles. The model offers a framework to analyze power imbalances that prevent the development of more inclusive practices of organizational resilience.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Witmer's belief in the benefits of degendering resiliency is based on three assumptions. First, that gender is socially constructed. Second, that what is historically, socially and culturally constructed as masculine is seen as superior to what is seen as feminine, and third, that the gender system in organisations reproduces masculine power structures that marginalize the feminine qualities of the willow.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Witmer proposes the degendered organizational resilience (DOR) model to challenge current thinking and encourage more diverse practices. She analyses resilience factors using the three aspects of the DOR, which are power structure, gendering practices and language.\nFindings: The author concludes by saying that a dual focus on resilience and inclusivity will \"benefit men, women and the organisation, and it creates the space for innovation, learning and collective transformation.\" The result will be a degendered construct that arms organisations with the \"agile, collaborative aspects of the willow and the rational, logical aspects of the oak.\"\nOriginality/value: The author concludes by saying that a dual focus on resilience and inclusivity will \"benefit men, women and the organisation, and it creates the space for innovation, learning and collective transformation.\" The result will be a degendered construct that arms organisations with the \"agile, collaborative aspects of the willow and the rational, logical aspects of the oak.\"\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
The Lisbon Strategy after the mid-term review: implications for innovation and life-long learning
|
[
"Competitive strategy",
"European Union",
"European Union information",
"Social structure",
"Lifelong learning",
"Innovation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A larger debate over Europe should be developed in the next period. At the same time, the governments of the 25 Member States commit themselves to launch national reform programmes for a stronger implementation of the Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs, after its mid-term review concluded in the first semester of 2005.\n1. Overview of the Lisbon strategy after its mid-term review: The Lisbon Strategy launched by the European Council of March 2000 was precisely the elaboration of a European comprehensive strategy for the economic and social development in face of the new challenges: globalisation, ageing, and faster technological change. Its central idea is to recognize that, in order to sustain the European social model, we need to renew it well as to renew its economic basis by focusing on knowledge and innovation. This should be the main purpose of an agenda for structural reforms (Rodrigues et al., 2002).Over the last five years, this strategy was translated into an agenda of common objectives and concrete measures, using not only the traditional instruments, such as directives and the community programmes but also a new open method of coordination, which had already been tested in the employment policy and which was extended to many other ones: the policies for the information society, research, enterprise, innovation, education, social protection and social inclusion (Rodrigues et al., 2003).The general outcome in 2004 was clearly very unequal across policy areas and countries. A progress seems quite evident in the connections to internet, the networks for excellence in research, the one-stop shops for small business, the integration of financial markets, the modernisation of the employment services or in some social inclusion plans. But some important bottlenecks are evident in fostering innovation, adopting a Community patent, opening the services market, developing life-long learning or reforming social protection. Besides that, some Northern countries display better performances than some Southern ones, whereas some smaller countries seem to perform better than most of the big ones. This is, of course, a very rough assessment.In the meantime, the implementation gap was worsened by a communication gap, due to the absence of a communication policy able to connect some existent progress on the ground with this European agenda. In face of these shortcomings, the mid-term review in 2004-2005, under the Luxembourg Presidency, came up with some answers to the main problems which had been identified (Kok et al., 2004; Sapir et al., 2004):* blurred strategic objectives;* inflation of priorities and measures;* lack of implementation, coordination and participation mechanisms; and* lack of financial incentives.1.1. Clarifying the strategic objectives\n2. Sharing responsibilities to develop life-long learning: The commitment to prepare national strategies for life-long learning is already made in the framework of the national programmes for growth and jobs. The recent overview at European level led to the identification of some possible common objectives, which are summed up in the guideline 23 of the integrated guidelines for growth and jobs. More specifically, this strategy should aim at:1. defining the goals for lifelong learning in terms of not only educational levels but also new jobs profiles and competences;2. developing a new infrastructure for lifelong learning;3. creating a diversified supply of learning opportunities able to provide more customised solutions:* to develop the new instruments of e-learning and to explore the potential of the digital TV;* to turn schools and training centres into open learning centres;* to encourage companies to adopt learning organisations;* to shape the appropriate learning modes for each target group;* to spread new learning solutions for the low-skilled workers;1. fostering the various demands for learning and to create a demand-led system:* to improve the framework conditions for life-long learning;* to develop a dynamic guidance system over the life course;* to renew the validation and recognition system;* to create compensations for the investment in learning;1. spreading new financial arrangements in order to share the costs of lifelong learning between the various stakeholders and encourage the initiative of companies and individuals; and2. improving governance for lifelong learning.This kind of objectives seems to be consensual, but the implementation gap shows that the real problem lies with sharing responsibilities between the relevant actors. Hence, when it comes:* the identification of goals for lifelong learning: the public authorities should enhance the forecasting procedures, the companies should improve their human resources management, the social partners negotiate learning agreements and all these actors develop partnerships for growth, jobs creation and competence building;* the development of a new infrastructure for life-long learning: the public authorities should create knowledge resource centres and regulate the telecommunications and TV industries for this purpose; companies and households should equip themselves with the necessary hardware and software; the same should happen with the education institutions, which should also become content providers;* a more diversified supply of learning opportunities: education institutions should be turned into open learning centres and provide more tailor-made solutions for each target-group, companies should develop learning organisations and social partners negotiate a wide range of solutions;* to improve the framework conditions for life-long learning: public authorities should foster the provision of child care services and social partners should negotiate the appropriate flexibility in working time management, including time accounts and training leaves;* to develop a guidance system: the public authorities and education institutions should provide better guidance services and individuals should be encouraged to define their personal development plan;* to renew the validation and recognition system: the public authorities should create centres of competence validation, companies should present intellectual capital reports and individuals should define their personal portfolio;* to spread new financial arrangements for sharing the costs: the public authorities should cover the costs of basic education for all, improving the education of young people and support targeted adult people with tax relieves or direct incentives; companies should fund job-related training; social partners should negotiate the sharing of training costs in the labour contracts or the collective agreements; the education institutions should mobilise resources for new investment plans and the individuals could be encouraged to manage their learning accounts or special entitlements (drawing rights) for training.\n3. Sharing responsibilities to foster innovation: For a more effective implementation of the national programmes, this kind of sharing of responsibilities should be specified for the other policy fields. Another critical example for the success of the Lisbon Strategy, the sustainability of the European social model and the renewal of the European competitiveness is the innovation policy. Here again, it seems there is a quite high level of consensus concerning some possible common objectives which are summarised in the guideline 8 of the integrated guidelines for growth and jobs. Innovation policy should aim at developing:* The provision of R&D: creating conditions to foster the private investment in R&D, notably tax incentives and researchers mobility; reducing the cost of patenting and improving the management of intellectual property rights; fostering the interfaces between companies and universities.* Competence building: spreading skills for innovation at all levels of education; training for innovation management; enhancing the skills base in each sector or cluster.* Financial innovation: improving access to venture capital for innovative SMEs; reorientation of public investment to R&D and innovation; tax incentives with the same purpose; new priorities for structural funds.* Provision of consultancy services: developing the support services for innovation, transfer and diffusion.* Improving quality and paving the way to new products and services: competition policy; dissemination of quality standards; improving the criteria of public procurement; targeting sophisticated markets.* Changing organizations: national programmes for organizational development in companies; reforming universities management; modernizing public services.* Incubating activities: developing incubators; supporting high-tech start-ups.* Networking: promoting clusters and partnerships for innovation; extending access to broadband; developing e-business.Nevertheless, a clearer identification of responsibilities is needed when it comes to:* the provision of R&D which depends on the research institutions and on companies but also on the framework conditions to be created by the public authorities concerning the tax incentives, the research careers and the intellectual property rights;* the competence building which depends on the education and training institutions but also on the companies and their collaboration with these institutions;* the financial innovation which depends on the financial institutions but also on the companies initiatives and the regulatory conditions of the financial markets to be created by the public authorities;* the quality of products and services depends mainly on companies behaviour but also on the competition policy, the dissemination of quality standards and the criteria for public procurement to be developed by the public authorities;* changing organisations, regarding companies but also education and research institutions as well as public services; and* networking which depends on all actors which interact in the national or regional systems of innovation.Furthermore, the reforms of the European social model already mentioned above are also designed to support this renewal of the European competitiveness focusing on innovation.In conclusion, the sustainability of the European social model depends on the success of the overall strategy for growth and jobs, which are now the two key words; and this success depends on a new approach to renew the European competitiveness, a full use of the potential of the single and external market as well as on more scope for growth in the macroeconomic management. Finally, this success also depends on well-designed reforms of the European social model itself.The concrete solutions to achieve this particular combination in each Member State can only be found by itself. That is why the preparation and implementation of the national reform programmes for growth and jobs opens an opportunity which should not be missed.(Selected bibliography on the Lisbon Strategy for growth and jobs is provided in the section \"Further reading\" below.)\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to investigate the interaction between the sustainability of the European social model and the European Union's revised Lisbon Strategy and its focus on jobs and growth. The success of this strategy - following its five-year mid-term review in 2005 - depends on attempts to renew European competitiveness through, for example, innovation and life-long learning and well-designed reforms of the European social model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper reviews the evolution of the Lisbon Strategy and sets out the broader context for European policy on competitiveness. It provides the backdrop for discussions linking competitiveness to corporate responsibility.\nFindings: - The sustainability of the European social model depends on the success of the overall strategy for growth and jobs, in which innovation and life-long learning are key. The concrete solutions to achieve a successful combination of those factors in each member state need to be found by countries themselves. That is why the preparation and implementation of Europe-wide National Reform Programmes for growth and jobs opens an opportunity to drive competitiveness which should not be missed.\nPractical implications: - The paper addresses issues relevant for sustainable development, Europe's innovation potential and competitiveness and could open new areas for research. There is a need for a more forward-looking approach to European citizens' aspirations that focuses on: sustaining their living conditions in a global economy; making Europe a stronger player in improving global governance; and creating a more democratic and effective political system.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a new approach to renewing European competitiveness by fully exploiting the potential of Europe's own single and external market, as well sound macro-economic management of its growth potential.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Managing millennials: tips for global managers
|
[
"Training",
"Leadership,",
"Human resource management",
"Productivity",
"Millennials"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Since becoming a part of the workforce with the first college graduates entering in the summer of 2004, the millennial generation has made an intriguing impact on the way businesses today are ran and perceived. To some, they are the next \"greatest generation,\" armed with the tools and inclination to drive toward a better world. To others, they are \"generation whine,\" young people so over-indulged and protected that they are incapable of handling the most mundane task without guidance and hand-holding. In less than 15 years, these new employees have changed the landscape of the traditional workplace. This article will look at how this sector of the workforce is viewed in several countries, namely, the USA, India, New Zealand, and Sweden.\nSummation: Whether you believe millennials are wonderful with seemingly endless powers or \"generation whine,\" as leaders you will have to find the best way to get the most out of them. And after 15 years of observation and study in various countries, there now seems to be sufficient data with which one can work to devise an effective strategy on how to get them to produce.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to review how millennials, since coming into the workforce in 2004, have faired in several countries worldwide. After a synopsis of how the group is characterized in each country surveyed, suggestions are provided to human resource (HR) directors on how to further manage and motivate this employee sector.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper opted for document review of research from past 15 years on this sector of the workforce to contrast and compare how these workers had progressed (or not) depending on the areas of the globe in which they reside.\nFindings: The paper provides practical insights on possible ways and means to create productivity from these employees. It suggests that successful managers may have to be more creative in their ways to attract and appeal to this group but also be more deliberate in creating effective strategies tailored toward the digital native.\nResearch limitations/implications: Because the data in this group are still not voluminous and theories and conclusions on the impact they have made continue to vary depending on the circumstance, continued analysis to recognize new trends is suggested.\nOriginality/value: This paper suggests updated criteria for HR managers to better evaluate and motivate a growing sector of their workforces.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Organisations' conversations in social media: applying dialogue strategies in times of crises
|
[
"Social media",
"Crisis management",
"Dialogue",
"Multiple case studies"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Crisis communication research has been increasingly concerned with the relevance of Web 2.0-based channels to monitor crisis issues, present crisis responses, and cultivate critical relationships (Coombs, 2011; Gonzalez-Herrero and Smith, 2008, 2010).\nLiterature review: The theoretical framework developed in this paper is drawn from three major research fields: crisis communication research; social media and dialogue in public relations and management studies; and dialogue strategies in organisational and management studies.\nDialogue in crisis communication management - a theoretical framework: By combing insights from literature on crisis communication, social media and dialogue in management and organisational studies, we developed a theoretical framework that crisis managers can use when deciding their crisis response strategies and their communicative approaches. Figure 2 exemplifies the different steps an organisation should consider when planning its crisis communication strategies. As previously described, each strategy pursues different goals and the effectiveness of each strategy depends on the characteristics of the context in which it takes place. In a crisis situation, besides considering crisis characteristics and the level of attribution of responsibility vis-a-vis crisis history, relationship history and prior reputation (Coombs and Holladay, 2002), a company should also decide if its crisis responses should be conveyed through a monological approach, for example via press releases or CEO speeches, a dialogic approach, for example, via social media communications, or a mixed approach. The organisation should also ponder whether existing dialogues and related strategies can be exploited during crisis situations to communicate its responses in a more stakeholder-oriented manner. The choice of a dialogic approach in communicating crisis responses can be dependent also on its past dialogue history. If an organisation has previously used dialogue to engage its stakeholders for instance, stakeholders may expect the same organisation to use dialogue to interact and discuss things with them in critical situations as well. An organisation, then, would need to consider which dialogue strategy is more appropriate to support and assist the chosen crisis response strategies.\nMethodology: Because of the exploratory nature of our investigation, we decided to employ a multiple case study design to assess whether dialogue strategies occur in the same form in different crisis types and social media. We deliberately selected eight case studies (KLM Airlines, Nestle, Taco Bell, Discovery Channel, Domino's Pizza, Patrizia Pepe, Toyota, and BP), since these companies used dialogue during crisis (criterion 1), exemplify different crisis types and levels of responsibility (criterion 2) and used social media in their crisis response strategies (criterion 3, see the Appendix). These cases represent examples of natural disaster, malevolence, technical breakdowns, human breakdowns, organisational misdeeds, workplace violence, rumours and challenges (Coombs, 2007). Purposive sampling is used when the research goal is to extend the theory to a broad range of organisations (Eisenhardt, 1989; Eisenhardt and Graebner, 2007). Choosing different crisis types allows us to explore the choice of dialogue strategies in relation to an organisation's level of responsibility and the nature of the crisis.\nFindings: The eight companies analysed are all currently active in the selected social media, but they use these channels in different ways during crises (see Table II). Nestle and Discovery Channel focused only on Facebook for their crisis communications, while Taco Bell, KLM, Toyota and BP used all the three social media and decided to implement a combination of different dialogue strategies. It is important to note that Discovery Channel's crisis was highly debated and followed by Twitter, but all tweets posted during September 1, 2010 were not posted in the company Twitter account but tweets from other people's accounts, so they were not included in our sample because they did not represent the official voice of the company but were the personal opinions of individual stakeholders.\nDiscussion: The eight analysed companies chose to use a dialogic approach in their social media communications and adopted different dialogue strategies. Our findings show that concertative, followed by framing and transformative dialogue strategies were used most frequently. None of the companies used a generative strategy. This indicates that an outside-in approach combined with a centrifugal orientation was not considered by the chosen organisations as a suitable solution for crisis communication management.\nConclusions and implications: Despite the fact that crises are considered threats to organisational legitimacy and for this reason organisations could be more prone in protecting themselves by using monological communication approaches, dialogue can be considered a viable communication approach when an organisation wants to interact with affected stakeholders and protect its image. Crises can generate a lot of discussions and organisations need to be proactive and actively participate and not only observe stakeholders' conversations. In particular, in the online environment, a dialogue strategy could be used to participate in online conversations with the intent to reinforce organisational image during crisis (framing dialogue strategy), to offer solutions and presents own position (concertative dialogue strategy) or even to engage stakeholders in helping the organisations to find best solutions to respond to the crisis (transforming dialogue strategy). A generative dialogue strategy should be carefully used by companies affected by crises because this strategy promotes conversations among stakeholders but maintains that companies remain external observers. In crisis situations, however, this may not be appreciated by stakeholders who expect from an organisation to be fully responsible for a critical situation and thus fully engaged in conversations.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop and test a theoretical framework, grounded in managerial and organisational theories of dialogue, through which organisations can take decisions in relation to the most appropriate crisis response strategies for handling social media stakeholders.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The theoretical framework is developed through a conceptual analysis of literature on dialogue, social media and crisis communication. The theoretical framework is then tested in eight different international organisations experiencing a crisis. For each case, different web contents, such as organisations' status updates/posts, links, videos published on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, were analysed using a rhetorical research approach.\nFindings: The analysed organisations apply different online dialogue strategies according to crisis types and in combination with specific crisis response strategies. Most of the organisations investigated carry on those dialogue strategies suitable to develop consensus (concertative), guide conversations on specific topics or issues (framing), find solutions to the crisis collectively (transformative). Concertative strategies were often associated with informative crisis response strategies, framing strategies with denial and justification crisis response strategies and transformative strategies with corrective actions.\nResearch limitations/implications: By using a dialogic perspective in setting up online conversations with their external stakeholders, the paper proposes a theoretical model to explain companies' decisions in carrying on online dialogues during critical situations and thus contribute to the body of knowledge on online crisis communications.\nPractical implications: The proposed model can support crisis communicators to manage dialogue's aims and dimensions differently by taking into account both contextual and situational conditions.\nOriginality/value: By integrating management studies on dialogue into crisis communication and social media literature, the authors intend to offer an alternative thinking of organisations' decision-making in relation to crisis response strategies and social media stakeholders.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
From consumer to prosumer: a supply chain revolution in 3D printing
|
[
"Consumer behaviour",
"Supply chain management",
"3D printing",
"DIY",
"UTAUT2"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The diminished hardware costs, increased usability and exponentially growing databases for printable objects have paved the way for three-dimensional printing (3DP) to transition from a niche, business-oriented manufacturing technology to a widely available, consumer option (Petersen and Pearce, 2017). Entry-level 3D printers sell for as little as EUR200. In parallel, growing research offers various insights, though most of these pertain to the business applications of 3DP (Baldwin and Lin, 2002; Durach et al., 2017; Dwivedi et al., 2017). For example, manufacturing companies in industries such as healthcare and consumer goods (Bogers et al., 2016) rely on 3DP to alter their supply chains, reduce transportation requirements and achieve benefits in the form of cost reductions, energy savings and reduced CO2 emissions (Gebler et al., 2014; Petersen and Pearce, 2017). Furthermore, 3DP allows manufacturers to capitalize on the long-tail effect: rather than mass producing commercially viable products to appeal to many consumers, they can print specific items to target each individual customer (Brynjolfsson et al., 2006).\nLiterature review: Role of the consumer/prosumer\nHypotheses development: Performance expectancy\nFacilitating conditions: Facilitating conditions refer to consumers' perceptions of the resources and support available to perform some behavior (Brown and Venkatesh, 2005; Venkatesh et al., 2003). Because 3D printers require consumers to use some technology (e.g. computer and internet to download, adapt and design the object to print), we include this variable from the TAM (Pavlou, 2003). Formally:\nMethodology: Data collection\nAnalysis and results: Because of its ability to handle small sample sizes, we used SmartPLS 3.2.7 for all statistical analyses. That is, PLS supports prediction-oriented research by maximizing the explained variances of dependent variables. It also can test complex predictive models (Chin et al., 2003). According to Cohen (1992), the minimum sample size, at a 1 percent significance level and minimum R2 value of 0.10, should be 188; our sample exceeded this number (n=196).\nDiscussion: Theoretical considerations\nConclusion: In this study, we set out to provide insights into 3DP in a consumer context and provide expectations about how supply chain management and logistics will be impacted. We have identified the elements that lead consumers to use 3D printers at home and shift from consumer to prosumer. To this end, we conducted quantitative research and extended the UTAUT2, to conduct an empirical test of the significant predictors of consumers' behavioral intentions. Our findings indicate that the availability of facilitating conditions, the presence of hedonic rewards, and the ability to make one's own products drive behavioral intentions, while other commonly cited factors do not, which likely results from consumers' unfamiliarity with this technology.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Recent technological advances in three-dimensional printing (3DP) may disrupt traditional manufacturing and logistics processes. Because the increasing availability of 3DP service centers, affordable 3D printers, and online platforms empower consumers to design and print objects at home, companies must determine the motives that lead consumers to become prosumers so that they can establish appropriate business models and supply chains. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to identify factors that drive consumer acceptance and use of 3DP technologies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The explanatory conceptual framework, based on the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, undergoes empirical testing with a sample of 196 3DP consumers who participated in an online survey.\nFindings: Facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation and a do-it-yourself mentality are key determinants of consumer acceptance and use intention of 3DP technology.\nPractical implications: Companies can use these insights about consumers' motivation to determine whether their use of 3DP technology threatens current business models or supply chains. In turn, they can develop new ideas about how to adapt these features, as well as identify opportunities for new revenue streams.\nOriginality/value: Unlike most extant literature on 3DP in manufacturing and logistics domains, this study takes consumers' point of view to shed light on an issue typically investigated from an operations management perspective.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The role of trust in the governance of business process outsourcing relationships: A transaction cost economics approach
|
[
"Trust",
"Outsourcing",
"Governance",
"Transaction costs",
"Process management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Recent examination of end-to-end business processes has increased attention to outsourcing some or all of an organization's non-core activities. Because outsourcing allows organizations to focus on core competencies, organizations have increasingly embraced a selective sourcing strategy of outsourcing selected administrative, supply chain, or information technology (IT) processes. The emergence of business process outsourcing (BPO) introduces additional relationships between firms. Because of the close nature of many of the interactions between the vendors and the client organizations, a term that describes the relationship more accurately than \"business-to-business\" is extended enterprise. This term is appropriate because it encompasses the notion that it is not just goods and services that flow between organizations. Information that previously was proprietary, such as demand predictions and production schedules, now flows between clients and vendors. Cooperation and coordination exists between client and vendor concerning the planning, measuring, and assessing for the process. Decisions may be made jointly, or at least with cognizance and consideration of the impact on other organizations. The term extended enterprise is also appropriate because clients are still responsible for the ethics and the performance of the outsourced process and the impact on their reputation (Gomes-Casseres, 2006). Mouritsen and Thrane (2006) use a similar term, network enterprise, to describe the orchestration mechanisms that allow the firms to take advantage of the diversity of competencies and resources in different ways.\nTransaction cost economics and business process outsourcing: Much of the recent research on the governance of interfirm relationships is based on transaction cost economics (TCE) (van der Meer-Kooistra and Vosselman, 2006). For BPO, TCE is valuable because it identifies the factors that should be considered when decisions about outsourcing are made. The central purpose of TCE is to explain why some transactions or transactional relationships are better accomplished by using one institutional arrangement rather than by using other arrangements. TCE recognizes three forms of institutional arrangements (organizational forms): markets, hierarchies, and hybrids (Coase, 1937, 1998, Williamson, 1979, 1981, 1993, 2005). Markets are defined using the economic concept of competition, which assumes perfect information, homogeneous products, large numbers of independent clients, and free resource mobility. Hierarchies are defined as bureaucracies and are traditional vertically integrated organizations. Hybrids include the whole array of BPO arrangements that fall outside of hierarchies, such as joint ventures, networks, supply chains, and extended enterprises. TCE provides guidance about which form is appropriate.In perfect markets, terminating an outsourcing relationship has no consequences because a new relationship can theoretically be established immediately and without cost. Transaction costs occur when markets fail to meet the requirements of perfect markets. Transaction costs include the costs incurred during the three stages of the outsourcing relationship: contact, contract, and control. Transacation costs arise from three interrelated, but separate, elements: the transaction, the environment, and the parties. TCE reasoning leads firms to choose the most suitable governance structure (form of BPO relationship), thereby saving on transaction costs.Transactions\nTrust in business process outsourcing framework: The three elements (the transaction, the transaction environment, and the parties) that characterize whether transactions will be carried out through markets, hierarchies, or hybrid arrangements are used here to organize previous research on trust in BPO. The research reviewed is not limited to TCE-based studies. A framework-based on TCE-reasoning is used because it provides an approach to organizing the literature that highlights essential aspects of BPO relationships. The three elements that characterize transactions, i.e. the transaction, the transaction environment and the parties, are related to the three types of trust, trusted systems, trusted institutions, and trusted partners, respectively. Figure 1 presents an overview of the framework discussed below.van der Meer-Kooistra and Vosselman (2000) incorporated the notion of trusted partners into TCE and discussed the types of trust needed at each of the stages. Langfield-Smith and Smith (2003) further adapted the van der Meer-Kooistra and Vosselman model by discussing trust for each of the elements: the transaction, the transaction environment and the parties. Although neither van der Meer-Kooistra and Vosselman nor Langfield-Smith and Smith explicitly consider types of trust other than trust in parties, they both discuss the importance of the institutional environment. Although not discussed in the TCE literature, trust in the very systems that make the widespread existence of extended enterprises possible is included here.Transactions and trusted systems\nStages of the transaction and trust: According to TCE, transactional relationships have three stages: contact, contract, and control (Carmel and Nicholson, 2005; Nooteboom, 1992, 1993. During the contact phase clients incur search costs and vendors incur marketing costs. Contract costs include identifying possible future contingencies, negotiation, design of safeguards, and investment in assets specific to the transactional relationship. Control costs include the costs of monitoring, settling disputes, renegotiation, and potential loss of investment due to the relationship breaking up. The type of trust needed to increase the probability of success is different during the different stages of a BPO relationship.Contact stage\nConclusions: Grover (2003) observed in this journal that a major challenge in BPM is interorganizational processes. He notes that companies will have to tear down their boundaries and open up all but the most proprietary of processes. He is, in essence, recognizing that most organizations will become extended enterprises. Here, we have presented a framework that includes the role of trust in interfirm governance issues that arise in BPO.We have used TCE and the IS conceptualizations of trust to offer clients and vendors a framework for identifying the issues involved in BPO. Because humans are characterized by bounded rationality and opportunism, transactions require specific investments/arrangements to safeguard long-term outsourcing relations, especially when the environment is uncertain-changes in technology, new or renewed products or tough competition. Asset specificity also matters in BPO, because depending on the specific type, different measures can be taken to mitigate opportunistic behavior of the other party.We have also used the results of research in TCE and information systems to offer guidance for how to proceed through the stages of BPO, contact, contract, and control. Trust is a critical success factor in BPO. It is also complex and, as discussed in the framework, multiple types of trust need to be considered. This framework can be utilized in practice to aid clients and vendors in building and sustaining trust. It can be utilized by scholars to design relevant research projects.\nFuture research: As BPO becomes even more prevalent, the importance of research findings in this area will increase. One weakness of TCE involves how BPO and the related governance structure fit into an organization's strategy, culture and history. van der Meer-Kooistra and Vosselman (2000) found that institutional, strategic, cultural, and historical factors are important for control structures. How these factors influence trust in BPO and/or how BPO influences these factors are important theoretical and empirical issues.Another issue that arises in some BPO settings is the relative power of the client and the vendor. In areas closely related to BPO, such as supply chain management and customer relationship management, power has been identified as a relevant issue. Vangen and Huxham (2003) suggest that power is closely related to trust and control. How asymmetric power impacts opportunism, the related trust in other parties and the content of the contract is another important research question.Finally, research that integrates the three types of trust, trusted systems, trusted institutions, and trusted partners, needs to be carried out in BPO settings. At this point in time, three separate streams of IS research exist. Identifying the interactions and interrelationships among the types of trust in BPO settings would surely prove insightful.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - Business process outsourcing (BPO) has become so prevalent that a new term, the extended enterprise, has arisen to describe this approach to structuring an organization. The purpose of this paper is to integrate the information systems and the interfirm governance literatures to develop a framework for the role of trust in the governance of extended enterprises.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This paper uses transaction cost economics (TCE) to identify the elements and stages of BPO relationships. This paper then integrates those elements with the types of trust identified in the information systems (IS) literature to develop a framework.\nFindings: - TCE identifies three elements that influence the design and function of interfirm relationships: the transaction, the transaction environment and the parties (the client and the vendors). TCE also recognizes three stages in the transaction: contact, contract, and control. The IS literature identifies three types of trust: trusted systems, trusted institutions, and trusted partners. The paper links the two literatures into a framework identifying the type of trust related to each of the TCE elements; it then uses these linkages to identify the types of trust appropriate for each stage of the BPO relationship.\nOriginality/value: - This paper integrates the IS and interfirm governance literatures concerning trust in interorganizational relationships in an effort to offer a framework for building and sustaining trust between BPO vendors and clients and to identify potential directions for future research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
The double-edged sword of cultural distance in international alliances: How perceived cultural distance influences trust and task discourse to drive new product development performance
|
[
"Positive organizational scholarship",
"Cultural distance",
"International alliances"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Previous research on cultural distance questions international alliances' efficiency and innovativeness. Scholars have argued that international alliances' inherent cultural distance causes interaction problems, such as mistrust and destructive conflicts (Lyles and Salk, 1996), impeding knowledge exchange (Van Wijk et al., 2008), and decreasing alliance longevity (Barkema and Vermeulen, 1997; Hennart et al., 1998; Makino et al., 2007). Empirical evidence indicating both negative and positive effects of cultural distance (Christoffersen et al., 2013) has prompted recommendations to examine and rethink the prevailing research. Scholars have theorized the effects of cultural distance from a problem-focused view, while de-emphasizing beneficial effects (Stahl and Tung, 2015). The sparse literature conceptualizing positive outcomes of cultural distance assumes that culture-related differences in inter-organizational relationships result in complementarities and learning opportunities (Bjorkman et al., 2007; Morosini et al., 1998; Vaara et al., 2012). Nevertheless, research remains vague on the underlying processes of the positive effects of cultural distance in international alliances. This is a crucial research gap, as the learning and combination potentials driven by cultural distance might not automatically bring benefits (Reus and Lamont, 2009). In addition, research on cultural distance has mainly concentrated on joint ventures and M&A that have higher integration levels compared to non-equity alliances. Neglecting non-equity alliances is a serious omission, as empirical evidence indicates that cultural distance is less detrimental under conditions of higher autonomy and lower interdependency within inter-organizational collaborations (Stahl and Voigt, 2008). Therefore, this paper aims to explain the effects of perceived cultural distance on new product development (NPD) in non-equity alliances. The positive organizational scholarship (POS) lens is applied (Cameron and Caza, 2004) to conceptualize positive effects of cultural distance. Although scholars strongly recommend POS for investigating the effects of cultural distance, previous studies on cultural distance have rarely applied POS (Stahl and Tung, 2015). POS is a frame that draws on different theories to explain positive effects and to investigate the processes that produce them (Cameron and Caza, 2004). The hypothesized model builds on insights from social psychology (Bjorkman et al., 2007; Turner, 1987) and integrates the research on inter-organizational learning and complementarities (Grant and Baden-Fuller, 2004; Reus and Lamont, 2009). As theories explaining the effects of cultural distance strongly hinge on the perception of these differences (Shemla et al., 2016), we build the argumentation of this study on the concept of perceived cultural distance instead of the Kogut and Singh index, which has been criticized in detail (Shenkar, 2001). This paper elucidates that perceived cultural distance stimulates task discourse, referring to open and constructive discourse concerning ideas and opinions about the task being performed. This discourse can enhance firms' product innovativeness and speed to market in international alliances, as it enables alliance partners' employees to challenge their opposing positions critically (Tjosvold et al., 2014) and to develop a better understanding of each other's different skills, abilities, and knowledge (Hambrick et al., 2001), supporting the combination of complementary knowledge.\nTheory and hypotheses development: NPD in international alliances\nMethod: Sample and procedure\nResults: Hypotheses testing\nDiscussion: The ongoing research on cultural distance in alliances currently reflects a predominance of the Kogut and Singh index and the problem-focused view conceptualizing negative effects. Empirical results of previous studies reveal both dysfunctional and beneficial effects of cultural distance (Christoffersen et al., 2013). Although a growing number of scholars emphasize that cultural distance is a double-edged sword in inter-organizational relationships (Bjorkman et al., 2007; Reus and Lamont, 2009; Stahl and Voigt, 2008), the literature still remains unclear on the topic of the underlying processes that lead to positive effects of perceived cultural distance. To redress this imbalance in theory, this study applies POS on cultural distance. Stahl and Tung (2015) suggest POS as a \"fresh lens\" through which cultural differences can receive a \"fair share of rigorous and systematic investigation\" as a positive phenomenon. By arguing that perceived cultural distance stimulates task discourse, this study is related to the idea that cultural distance is associated with complementary perspectives, interpretations, and knowledge, creating learning and combination opportunities (Bjorkman et al., 2007; Zaheer et al., 1998). The hypothesized model extends previous research, as it shows the underlying mechanisms leading to the positive effects of perceived cultural distance. In so doing, this study follows the recommendation to refer to \"perceived\" cultural distance (Kirkman et al., 2006), as theories explaining the positive and negative effects of cultural distance hinge on the perception of these cultural differences (Shemla et al., 2016).\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: While previous studies have primarily assumed dysfunctional effects of cultural distance in joint ventures and M&A, this paper elucidates from a positive organizational scholarship perspective how perceived cultural distance can advance firms' new product development within non-equity alliances. The purpose of this paper is to explain how perceived cultural distance stimulates task discourse that supports alliance partners' employees in recognizing and applying culture-related differences as complementary problem-solving potentials. Due to a lower integration level in non-equity alliances compared to joint ventures or M&A, this paper assumes that the positive effects outweigh the negative effects of cultural distance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study applies structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized effects on a sample of 246 international alliances in the manufacturing industry.\nFindings: The analysis mainly supports the hypothesized model and unravels how positive effects can emerge from perceived cultural distance.\nPractical implications: The findings provide managerial implications. Alliance managers should note that cultural distance can have positive and negative effects, and thus it is not a barrier per se in alliances. Firms can benefit from cultural distance if they are able to leverage culture-specific complementarities through task discourse among partners in alliances.\nOriginality/value: The manuscript uses a unique data set of 246 international alliances from the global manufacturing industry. The manuscript has not been published elsewhere.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Decompression zone deconstructed: Products located at the store entrance do have an impact on sales
|
[
"Atmospherics",
"Field study",
"Decompression zone",
"Exposure effects",
"External variables",
"Store entrance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The entrance area of a retail store, where customers adjust to the store environment, is often referred to as the decompression zone (Russo Spena et al., 2012; Underhill, 2009). According to Underhill (2004), customers need \"a series of steps just to make the adjustment between 'out there' and 'in here'\" (p. 31). It has been argued that retailers should not put any products of value in the decompression zone, because customers will not be able to see them properly (Gladwell, 1996; Lewis-Hodgson, 2014; Streeter, 2005). Underhill (2004) argued that customers do not register things too close to store entrances or doors and do not typically attend to in-store information during the first 10-20 ft or 5-10 s after entering the store (Lewis-Hodgson, 2014; Tullman, 2000). If customers do indeed tune out retail information located in the decompression zone (Pham, 2013), this area would have a reduced ability to communicate marketing messages or serve as a selling spot. However, despite its tremendous importance to retailers, there is no \"scientific validation of this descriptive observation\" (Pham, 2013, p. 417). In addition, research on the external variables of the store environment, such as the store entrance area, has been extremely limited (Kumar and Karande, 2000; Turley and Milliman, 2000) and only a few recent studies have dealt with such variables (Hyllegard et al., 2016; Lange et al., 2016; Mower et al., 2012).\nTheoretical framework: Vanhuele and Dreze (2002) showed that approximately 70 percent shoppers were unable to correctly spot good and bad deals at the store entrance, and Jensen and Bech-Larsen (2016) revealed that a majority of customers entering a store replied \"don't know\" when they were asked about the deal price status of a particular product in a category they planned to purchase something from that day. Furthermore, Jensen and Bech-Larsen (2016) found that the proportion of customers who spotted deals correctly was significantly lower at the store entrance compared to other places in the store, suggesting that customers are more uncertain about the deal price status of various items when entering a store. In line with these findings, a decompression zone account would suggest that exposure to products at the store entrance area should have little impact on customers' purchases of these specific products, as such products would not be looked at (Streeter, 2005; Underhill, 2004). Indeed, Lewis-Hodgson (2014, p. 8) argued that \"Retailers should never place anything of value in this decompression zone because more often than not it will be overlooked,\" and further claimed that the first 10-20 ft inside the store entrance is where in-store stimuli are least effective.\nField Study 1: The main objective of Study 1 was to investigate whether exposure to products at the decompression zone would make customers more likely to purchase these products.\nField Study 2: The aim of Study 2 was to replicate and generalize the results of Study 1 under somewhat different conditions. While constant-holding whether or not the products used in Study 1 were located at the store entrance, one additional component was added in both conditions (a store employee greeting arriving customers to the store). Thus, instead of an empty store entrance condition and a condition with the store's products located at the entrance, there was one employee-alone condition and one employee + products condition at the store entrance. Previous research (e.g. Otterbring, 2015) has found that customers report significantly lower approach tendencies when they are greeted by an employee who stands close to the store's products, rather than alone, at the store entrance. This is because customers in the former case are more likely to infer an ulterior motive (such as making a sale) as the primary reason for the employee's behavior (cf. Campbell and Kirmani, 2000; DeCarlo, 2005). Thus, if customers would purchase a larger number of candles and candle holders in the employee + products condition - despite spending less money in this condition (due to an activation of their persuasion knowledge) - this would be substantial evidence against a decompression zone account.\nGeneral discussion: As far as can be ascertained, this is the first scientific investigation of whether products located at the decompression zone can increase sales of those products. Thus, the two field studies reported herein address Pham's (2013) call for research on this topic. The present research also fills a more general gap in the store atmospherics literature, as only a very limited number of studies have dealt with the external parts of the retail environment, such as the store entrance area.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Researchers have hypothesized that products located at the decompression zone of a store (the entrance area where customers adjust to the retail environment) do not influence sales of these particular products, because customers do not register things that are too close to store entrances. The purpose of this paper is to examine the validity of such a decompression zone account in actual field settings, and hence investigate whether or not placing products at the store entrance would increase customers' likelihood to purchase these products.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two field studies with a total sample of 715 customers were conducted, in which the entrance area of a home goods store was manipulated using a two-group quasi-experimental design. In Study 1, customers were (vs were not) exposed to candles and candle holders at the store entrance. In Study 2, an employee greeted customers at the store entrance with (vs without) the store's products nearby.\nFindings: Study 1 found that customers who were (vs were not) exposed to candles and candle holders at the store entrance purchased a significantly larger number of both these products. Study 2 replicated and generalized these findings. Although customers in the employee + products condition spent less money than customers in the employee-alone condition, the former group still purchased a significantly larger number of candles and candle holders. These findings go directly against a decompression zone account, but are consistent with research on exposure effects.\nOriginality/value: This paper is the first to empirically examine the validity of the decompression zone account in real retail settings. The paper also fills a more general gap in the store atmospherics literature, as only a very limited number of studies have dealt with the external parts of the retail environment, such as the store entrance area.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
PPP projects: improvements in stakeholder management
|
[
"Construction",
"Case study",
"Project management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Governments worldwide have been using public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a way of addressing infrastructure gaps (World Bank, 2016). PPPs are \"long-term contractual arrangements between a public-sector entity and a private-sector provider. The private-sector provider is engaged to design, build, finance, maintain and operate infrastructure assets and related services. The risks associated with construction delay, cost overrun and maintenance of the asset are transferred to the private sector partner\" (HM Treasury, 2018, p. 2). Whilst initially some reports praised the outcome of PPP projects (e.g. National Audit Office, 2009), in recent years, criticisms have appeared. For example, the National Audit Office (2018) states that whilst PPP have delivered on certainty of construction costs, improved operational efficiency and higher quality and well-maintained assets had not materialised. Internationally, Hodge and Greve (2007) provided highlights of both positive and negatives experiences in the USA and Australia. Despite its flaws, PPP continues to gain traction with governments. For example, in Sub Saharan Africa, most of the $93bn/year infrastructure deficit is expected to be provided by PPP (Olobo, 2016). Some of the PPP failures have been related to stakeholder management. For example, El-Gohary et al. (2006) highlighted cases of stakeholder opposition to PPP projects and Rwelamila et al. (2014) noted stakeholder rejection of the end product of PPPs.\n2. Stakeholder management theory: The Stanford Research Institute introduced the concept of stakeholders in management literature in 1963 (Freeman, 1984). Thereafter, Freeman in the 1980s proposed a strategic management framework, which provided the platform for stakeholder theory. Freeman stated that the \"new business environment\" depended on both internal and external stakeholders and owners and employees should be considered as a \"matter of everyday occurrence rather than an exception\" (Freeman, 1984, p. 7). This, he argued, became necessary because of the vital role each stakeholder group plays in the success of the business enterprise. Many scholars have built on the work of Freeman to advance stakeholder theory. Notably, Donaldson and Preston's (1995) work on stakeholder theory has been widely cited by scholars (Elias et al., 2002; Amaeshi, 2010). Donaldson and Preston (1995) divided the stakeholder concept into three different perspectives: instrumental; descriptive; and normative. The instrumental perspective seeks to establish a correlation between the achievement of an organisation's desired objectives such as profitability to stakeholder management. The descriptive perspective explores what organisations do, the methods and techniques employed in managing its stakeholders. Finally, the normative perspective considers persons or groups on ethical grounds; they have legitimate interests in an organisation and these interests are of intrinsic value (Donaldson and Preston, 1995).\n3. Research methods: This research adopted an abductive approach; this combines both an inductive approach (theory to observation) and a deductive approach (observation to theory) (Robson, 2011). The research methods adopted comprised of a review of literature, case studies and focus group meetings. The literature review was used to understand the key issues of stakeholder management theory and explore the extent to which these were relevant to the PPP context. This resulted in the development of a conceptual framework that was then used to collect data. Case study data were collected using semi-structured interviews, document analysis and direct observation. The findings were synthesised into a framework which was then validated in focus group meetings with industry professionals.\n4. Findings and discussion: The findings from the study are grouped under the following four themes.\n5. Framework development and description: Based on the findings discussed in Section 4, a framework for stakeholder management in PPP projects was developed. It consists of six steps as shown in Table IV. Column 1 identifies the requirements of the framework as synthesised jointly from the literature (Section 2) and the case study findings (Section 4). Column 2 (stakeholder management steps) are structured steps to address the requirements identified in Section 4. Column 3 (key activities (who)) are the individual tasks that need to be completed and by whom taking cognisance of De Schepper et al.'s dual responsibility recommendations.\n6. Framework validation: The purpose of the validation was to improve the framework by integrating industry practitioners' observations, suggestions and recommendations and to ensure external validity of the framework. The framework was not tested in a PPP project in Nigeria because PPP in Nigeria is still in its infancy with most of the projects still in the construction phase.\n7. Implications of the framework: This study has important practical implications for managing stakeholders in PPP projects. It provides a holistic approach to proactively manage stakeholders throughout PPP project phases. First, the findings verify that internal stakeholders' skills with managing external stakeholders influence the outcome of stakeholder management exercises. These skills are vital to garner the support of external stakeholders, which is required for successful PPP project outcomes. Considering its importance, it therefore implies that stakeholder management skills emerge as a key criterion for selecting a SPV during the project procurement phase.\n8. Limitations of the framework: Despite the favourable feedback from validation, there are limitations of the framework; mainly in terms of scope. The research is limited to two case studies in Nigeria and therefore may be applicable to a specific geographical context. Future research could extend this to other low- and middle-income countries to determine differences and similarities. Furthermore, the research is limited to the road transportation sector, and other sectors' peculiarities are not necessarily accommodated in the framework. Hence, research should be replicated in other sectors such as education, health, energy, etc. Finally, testing the framework in a real-world scenario was difficult because there are limited people in Nigeria with PPP experience; hence, the industry experts are used for the focus group.\n9. Conclusions: Stakeholders have an overwhelming influence on the outcome of PPP projects. Several PPP projects, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries have failed due to stakeholders' opposition. This has made it imperative to manage external stakeholders with a more effective and structured process to ensure their support.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The implementation of public-private partnerships (PPPs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries, has been hampered by external stakeholders' opposition leading to the failure of several projects. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to improve external stakeholder management in PPP projects.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two case studies consisting of 23 interviews with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders were employed. This was supplemented with a focus group approach to validate the framework.\nFindings: A new framework for the management of external stakeholders is developed. It encompasses new features such as the dynamic identification of stakeholders at each project phase and their corresponding interests.\nResearch limitations/implications: The scope is road transportation projects in Nigeria and thus the recommendations may not be globally applicable.\nPractical implications: The findings can help the public sector and their agencies to manage external stakeholders and maintain successful relationships on PPP projects.\nOriginality/value: The paper contributes to existing knowledge in four key areas: it confirms that the skill and actions of internal stakeholders are vital to the stakeholder management process; it shows that one-off stakeholder identification proposed in literature is a flawed approach; it proposes that the identification of external stakeholders' interests be dynamic; and it adds the perspective of low- and middle-income countries in stakeholder management in PPP projects.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany from a value chain perspective
|
[
"Ethnic marketing",
"Ethnic entrepreneurship",
"Value chain",
"Multicultural marketing",
"Ethnic food retail",
"Expert interviews",
"Qualitative survey"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The approximately 10,000 Turkish food retailers (Aygun, 2010) and 350 food wholesalers in Germany generate around EUR10 billion in revenue annually (Skarka, 2004) with more than 100,000 employees (Aygun, 2005). Nearly 30 per cent of all food retail shops in Germany are Turkish (Nielsen, 2012). They form an integral part of German society (Floeting et al., 2005; Sen and Sauer, 2005), serving as local suppliers for all residents in certain neighbourhoods (Floeting et al., 2005), especially due to the shrinking number of retail shops in general (Nielsen, 2012), as integrators for migrants, and as links between migrants and Germans and between informal and formal employment. In addition, they offer jobs and apprenticeship positions also to teenagers who would be difficult to place otherwise (Floeting et al., 2005).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Turkish food trade and consumers in Germany\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Expert interviews\n4. Results and implications: 4.1 Interviews with 18 experts\n5. Conclusion: Turkish food retail in Germany is threatened by shifts in demand and in competition. Although it fulfils social, cultural, and economic functions there has been little research on its challenges and opportunities. Therefore, we interviewed 18 experts from different parts of the Turkish food supply chain in Germany and surveyed 349 working Bachelor students of trade, industrial, and logistics management as well as business informatics to gain a more holistic, interdisciplinary, and practice-oriented view of the challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retailers from a value chain perspective.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Turkish food retail in Germany fulfils social, cultural, and economic functions, but is threatened by shifts in demand and competition. The purpose of this paper is to give a holistic, interdisciplinary, and action-oriented view of the challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based on a qualitative study using expert interviews with 18 businesspersons from different parts of the Turkish food supply chain in Germany and a qualitative survey of 349 working Bachelor students of trade, industrial, and logistics management as well as business informatics, this paper takes a value chain approach.\nFindings: The main opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany lie in increasing its efficiency, using purchasing associations and brand building, targeting well-funded German consumers, offering fluent Turkish-German customer service and shopping experiences, providing appealing shop locations, designs, and layouts, product range adjustments, and promotions.\nResearch limitations/implications: This paper is based on a small scale qualitative study as access to Turkish food retail experts is limited. The sample was carefully selected to be a fair representation of the Turkish food supply chain. As for the consumers, only students have been surveyed so far, because they were targeted by the experts interviewed. In order to allow wider generalizations, this sample could be extended.\nOriginality/value: This study complements and enhances the very limited research on Turkish food retail in Germany. For the first time, the call for a holistic, interdisciplinary, and action-oriented examination of the challenges and opportunities of Turkish food retail in Germany is answered from a value chain perspective.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A knowledge management framework for effective integration of national archives resources in China
|
[
"China",
"Knowledge management",
"Integration mechanisms",
"Knowledge assets",
"National archives resources",
"Resources utilization"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Archives resources are evidences, memories, identities, and knowledge assets of their creators for safeguarding their lawful rights and interests in a specific environment (Williams, 2002; An et al., 2010, 2014a; Henninger and Scifleet, 2016). They can be used to identify, appraise, preserve, and make available documentary materials of long-term value to the public. Archives resources can also be used for evaluating the accountability of individual institutions by preserving the public records and making them available legally and ethically. Furthermore, archives resources are preserved for public good as well as the memory of institutions for a culture (Michael, 2003; An et al., 2010).\nA review of the relevant literature on the integration of national archives resources: There are three perspectives in the integration of national archives resources in China with a specific focus, respectively, on rearranging the holdings of archives repositories (Dai, 2003; Li, 2010), reconfiguring archival information systems (He and Jiang, 2005; Wu and Fang, 2009), and reengineering archives services (An et al., 2014c). The first perspective is related to the accumulation of knowledge from archival resources. The second is concerned about sharing knowledge from archival resources. The third is related to the utilization of knowledge from archival resources. To optimize the utilization of national archival resources, these three perspectives need to be integrated as an organic whole for a continuum regime of knowledge from archival resources collection to archival knowledge management (An, 2015; Foster et al., 2013; Reed, 2015). In this context, the integration of national archival resources is referred to as the process of reforming archives processes, reengineering archive activities, and reconfiguring archives artifacts for improving collaboration, communication and connectivity to better manage national archives resources toward their value-added reuse (An, 2015; Foster et al., 2013; Reed, 2015).\nResearch methodology: This study aims to investigate how to effectively integrate national archives resources in China for optimizing their utilization. To achieve this aim, specific questions are formulated:\nMechanisms for the integration of national archival resources in China: A critical analysis of the process of integrating archival resources and their advantages and limitations in various institutions from the interview transcripts leads to the identification of 13 mechanisms for integrating national archival resources toward their optimal utilization in China. These mechanisms include legal control, stakeholder collaboration, ICT adoption, standardization control, management innovation, a power shift from state ownership and control to social benefits and utilization, accountability systems, administrative control, information resources management, people-centric services, treatment of complains, user feedback, and risk control. Table I shows an overview of the use of these mechanisms in the institutions investigated.\nToward a knowledge management-based framework: Knowledge management is a systematic process of managing knowledge assets, processes, and organizational environments to facilitate the creation, organization, sharing, and utilization and maintenance of knowledge for achieving the strategic aim of an organization (Davenport, 2001; Deng, 2010; An et al., 2013). It is a formal process that engages an organization's people, processes, and technologies in a solution that captures knowledge and delivers it to the right people at the right time (Duff, 2001; Jashapara, 2011; An et al., 2013).\nConclusion: Integrating national archives resources for providing people-centric knowledge services demands for a top-level design on such integration. To adequately address this demand, this paper presents a knowledge management-based framework for the optimal utilization of national archives resources through their effective integration in China. Such a framework is significant for protecting the value of national archives resources as knowledge assets of a state through arranging knowledge management roles embedded in e-governance, for sharing the value of national archives resources as knowledge assets in a society through reengineering knowledge management activities embedded in e-public service, and for increasing the value of national archives resources as knowledge assets of the public through developing knowledge management artefacts embedded in e-resources.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between different mechanisms for integrating national archival resources, leading to the development of a knowledge management-based framework for facilitating the optimal utilization of national archives resources in China.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study adopts a mixed-methods approach consisting of a review of existing mechanisms for integrating national archival resources and site visits and interviews for investigating the effectiveness of these mechanisms in real world practices for managing and utilizing national archives resources in China.\nFindings: The knowledge management-based framework is shown to be useful for building interdependence, interconnections and interactions between diversified integration mechanisms to meet national, societal and public needs in China. The framework is significant for rearranging the role of knowledge management in collaboration to protect the value of national archives resources as the knowledge asset of a state. It can reengineer the knowledge management activities in communication to share the value of national archives resources as the knowledge asset of a society. Furthermore, the framework can reconfigure knowledge management artifacts in connectivity to increase the value of national archives resources as the knowledge asset of the public.\nResearch limitations/implications: The review of the related literature is selective rather than comprehensive, and the interviews are based on a self-selected convenience sample, which is rather skewed demographically.\nPractical implications: The proposed framework can be used to guide the development of a national strategy for the effective integration of national archives resources to promote a better delivery of public-centric knowledge services in a specific society.\nOriginality/value: This study provides a knowledge management framework for the effective integration of national archives resources toward their optimal utilization. It contributes to the examination of the role of different integration mechanisms in interactive knowledge management processes and the advancement of academic debate on the effectiveness of these mechanisms for the integration of national archives resources to facilitate their optimal utilization in China.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Resource management and environmental health service delivery regarding milk hygiene: A South African perspective
|
[
"Milk",
"Hygiene",
"Environmental health and safety",
"Project management",
"South Africa"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Project management literature suggests that successful and proactive companies approach all their activities as projects, because there are in general insufficient resources (Burke, 2001). Therefore, there is a need for a project management approach (management by objectives) in Municipal Health Service (MHS) delivery to optimally manage the available recourses to achieve the required results. In other parts of the world the availability of environmental health (EH) resources and the increase in food outlets have led to a risk-based approach to prioritising inspections (Bryan, 1982, cited by Griffith, 2005, p. 134). This approach is intended to ensure better allocation of resources to the higher risk businesses that are inspected more often. It is important, however, to ensure quality and consistency of inspections - thus the move towards a more audit-based approach (Griffith, 2005, p. 134). EH is supposedly a preventative service, following the national and international trend to move away from the \"inspector model\", which mainly supports a reactive approach rather than the latest more developmental and proactive approach to EHS delivery, but in SA the EH programmes and resource allocations maintain the reactive approach (Mathee et al., 1999; DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa), 2007).For approximately 57.1 per cent of the DMs involved in this study, the delivery of EHS and subsequently MHS was a new service, and therefore they had not received any EH subsidies from their respective provincial departments of health (PDoHs) as in the case of their counterparts who had rendered EHS prior to the function being allocated to metros and DMs (DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa), 2007). This resulted in the newly established MHS sections at DMs having to compete with other functions in the DM for the available monitory pool. During 2006 the tax income base (levy income) collected by DMs in their respective areas was terminated and replaced with a levy replacement grant, which is paid directly from the National Treasury. This grant forms part of the equitable share allocation to DMs in South Africa. At the same time, the local municipalities (LMs) have their own tax base (health tax) through which they generate their own income, to cover their own EHS costs. All the LMs that used to render EHS prior to the function being allocated to metros and DMs also receive(d) EH subsidies from the various provincial departments of health. The downside is that the tax income that was being used - and in some cases is still being used - by LMs to cover EHS is lost to the DM as soon as the DM accepts full responsibility for rendering MHS in its area of jurisdiction, because DMs do not have the legislative power to collect their own \"health taxes\" (DBSA (Development Bank of Southern Africa), 2007). The legislative changes with regard to the allocation of the MHS function to the metros and DMs did not affect the income base of metros. This poses a further challenge to higher authorities such as the National Treasury, Department of Health (DoH), Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG), South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the DMs to clarify future funding sources for MHS, specifically in DMs.MHS are service oriented and mainly identify, monitor, educate and enforce the law to manage and control activities in the working, living and recreation environments. This also applies to milk hygiene monitoring and control, which could negatively affect the health and wellbeing of the public. Consequently, MHS are entirely dependent upon officials to perform these functions, and human resources are therefore the greatest asset of the service. The performance of MHS is thus directly related to the number of skilled municipal health staff and sufficient financial resources, equipment and systems to support and maintain MHS activities and decisions.This study aims to ascertain the availability and efficiency of MHS resources and the approach followed by MHS in South Africa in optimising the use of the resources in achieving the desired results when monitoring and controlling milk hygiene. This information should be invaluable in making suggestions to higher authorities to capacitate metros' and DMs' municipal health sections and managers. It could further assist in the development of systems to aid management decisions and direction to properly monitor and control milk hygiene in the informal milk-producing sector in a more sustainable way. It is the statutory responsibility of the various authorities - namely the national and provincial departments of health (NDoH and PDoHs), the national and provincial departments of provincial and local government (NDPLG and PDPLGs) and local governments (LGs) such as metros and DMs to protect the public's health and wellbeing. The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) also has a responsibility to collectively represent and guide LG as far as legal compliance issues are concerned and where collective LG interaction are required with higher authorities.\nResearch design and methodology: A quantitative methodology utilizing a structured questionnaire was used utilising questions that focused on aspects relating to the allocation and utilization of financial, physical and human resource management by MHS towards milk monitoring in particular. The questions further focused on the approach followed by MHS in milk hygiene control, in support of the optimisation of available resources in the execution of duties relating to milk quality control. All MHS managers or designated persons (directly responsible for milk quality control) in the respective metros (n=6) and DMs (n=46) concerned were targeted (100 per cent sample) for the questionnaire survey. This amounted to a sample size of 52. Of the MHS managers, 48 (92.3 per cent) responded, providing a 100 per cent response rate from the metros and a 91.3 per cent response rate from the DMs (data not shown).\nResults and discussion: Status and affiliation of respondents\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - As the regulatory authorities for registering, monitoring and controlling milk hygiene, metropolitan municipalities (metros) and district municipalities (DMs) should boast sufficient resources and systems to properly support the compliance of milk with legislative prescriptions and health standards. This paper aims to assess the availability and efficient management of resources for environmental health services (EHS), as well as the approach followed by local government (metropolitan and district municipalities as well as provincial health departments) in allocating available resources to monitor and control the informal milk-producing sector in South Africa.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A structured questionnaire survey was conducted, targeting the cohort of municipal health service (MHS) managers (n=52) at the various metros and DMs in South Africa. Questions focused on physical and human resource management as well as the approach followed by MHS towards milk hygiene control.\nFindings: - At the time of the survey it was determined that resources (financial, human and to a lesser extent transport) available for MHS to effectively monitor, control and support the informal milk-producing sector, were insufficient. Although food control enjoys high priority in MHS, activities such as sampling, premises inspections, and health and hygiene education at milking parlours, are predominantly performed on an ad hoc basis. This approach impacts negatively on the management of available resources and the effectiveness of interventions, leading to a need for national and provincial governments, industry and relevant associations to support and strengthen the capacity of municipalities to optimally exercise their powers and perform their functions.\nOriginality/value: - The importance of the paper lies in its quantification and description of the current MHS situation in South Africa and thereby, via quantifiable results it makes an appeal to regulatory bodies towards channelling and effective management of resources by applying project management principles and skills.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Consumer generated brand extensions: definition and response strategies
|
[
"Innovation",
"Brand image",
"Brand extension",
"Consumer-generated content",
"Creative consumers",
"Magic: the Gathering"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Over the past two decades, the internet has become society's new \"speaking trumpet\" - the megaphone of choice for people to amplify their voices and direct their messages in any direction they want. At-home video producers share their films on YouTube, employees report on the practices of their former or current employers on Glassdoor.com, restaurant patrons tell the world about their meals on Yelp or Instagram and, well, everyone shares everything about anything with everybody on Facebook.\nFirm-created vs consumer-generated brand extensions: Aaker and Keller (1990) define brand extensions as \"using a brand name to enter a completely new product class\". This distinguishes it from a line extension, which is a new product in the same class as the original product. Brand extensions leverage the existing brand equity, possibly the most valuable asset of companies, to reduce the risk associated with launching new products (Aaker and Keller, 1990). This widespread corporate strategy can help companies achieve growth, capitalize brand assets and redefine the nature and direction of the brand (Aaker, 1990). Virgin Group illustrates how valuable brand extensions can be. So-called spin-offs from its original Virgin recording label include transportation (e.g. Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains), wireless service provider Virgin Mobile, retailer Virgin Megastores and dozens more. However, poorly chosen or executed brand extensions can create damaging associations, which can affect both the extension and the parent brand negatively (Tauber, 1988). Well-known examples of poorly executed and therefore unsuccessful brand extensions are Harley Davidson's perfume and Heinz's All Natural Cleaning Vinegar (Haig, 2003).\nCase study - Magic: The gathering: To learn more about how firms should evaluate and respond to CGBEs, this paper presents a case study of Magic: the Gathering. The case study research methodology was selected to be the most appropriate method because it focuses on understanding the dynamics of a phenomenon and lends itself to the development of valid, testable and relevant theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967), allows researchers to provide description (Kidder, 1982) and generate theory (Gersick, 1988; Harris and Sutton, 1986). Additionally, case studies can use multiple levels of analysis within a single study (Yin, 1994). As a case study, Magic is not meant to be a representation of the entire CGBE phenomenon but is simply meant to illustrate theory:\nThe impact of customer-generated brand extensions on the parent brand: To develop a framework for firms to respond correctly to CGBEs, as a first step, we will discuss the impact that the five CGBEs from the case study have on the Magic: the Gathering brand and how this affected the response by Wizards of the Coast. The impact and responses are summarized in Table I.\nThe firm's response to customer-generated brand extensions: Based on the factors that firms need to consider when responding to CGBEs, we developed the decision tree that is shown in Figure 1 below. We propose that the first consideration that firms need to make is whether the brand extension has a negative impact on revenue. This is particularly the case if the CGBE offers a substitute for the original product. Wizards of the Coast reacted very strongly to Cockatrice because it jeopardized their online revenue by offering players a way to play the game for free. We further propose that the second factor to consider is the effect that the CGBE has on brand image because this can affect the firm negatively as well. Finally, the firm should take into account whether the CGBE could have any impact on the business of partner firms such as retailers and licensees.\nConclusion: The amount of CGC is on the rise. Passionate consumers now create their own content and share it online through YouTube, Facebook or other social media platforms (Berthon et al., 2008). In this paper, we focus on consumers whose accomplishments directly relate to existing brands. More specifically, we discuss instances of CGBEs - unpaid marketing efforts to develop a new product class, undertaken by brand loyalists on behalf of the brand.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Sometimes consumers express their enthusiasm for a brand by creating brand extensions, products or services in new categories that are closely affiliated with the \"parent\" brand. This paper aims to examine the positive or negative impact that consumer-generated brand extensions (CGBEs) can have on brand image and revenue, and the options that companies have available to deal with them.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper presents a case study of the collectible strategy card game - Magic: The Gathering - and discusses how the company responded to five different brand extensions that were created by players. This case study was used to develop a framework that allows managers to evaluate CGBEs based on their benefits and risks and to select an appropriate response.\nFindings: Four possible responses were identified: challenge, criticize, commend and catalyze. Which of these responses is appropriate for companies depends on whether the CGBE has a positive or negative impact on the brand image and revenue and whether this impact is large enough to merit an active response.\nOriginality/value: This study shows that it is essential for managers to understand how to evaluate CGBEs. Managed properly, they can improve product usage, help generate new customers and have a positive impact on revenue and brand image. However, CGBEs can also have a negative effect, in particular if they are substitutes for the original product.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Impact of store attributes on consumer-based retailer equity: An exploratory study of department retail stores
|
[
"India",
"Store attributes",
"Consumer-based retailer equity",
"Department retail brand",
"Department stores",
"Mall-intercept survey"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The idea that a brand adds value to products or services has been called brand equity (Das et al., 2012; Pappu and Quester, 2006a, b). Brand equity is defined as the marketing outcomes or effects that accrue to products or services with its brand name compared with those that would accrue if the same products or services do not have the brand name (Keller, 2003; Aaker, 1991). A brand with a high level of equity performs various important functions including sustained price premiums, inelastic price sensitivity, high market shares, successful expansion into new categories, competitive cost structures and high profitability (Keller, 2003). Therefore, practitioners and researchers have focused their studies on brand equity. For examples, several authors had extensively written about the concept of brand equity and about how to build, manage, and extend brand equity (e.g. Keller, 1993; Aaker, 1991). The branding and brand management principles were initially applied for product brands only. However, in recent times, researchers argued that \"branding and brand management principle can and should be applied to retail brands\" (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004, p. 340). As a result, the brand equity concept is now being applied and discussed in retail branding context too (Das, 2014a, b; Moller and Herm, 2013; Das et al., 2012). Here retail brand means \"retailers as brands\" (Zentes et al., 2008; Ailawadi and Keller, 2004) that is one of the most important trends in retail branding research (Grewal et al., 2004). Sometimes retail brand is confused with store brand, although they are two different concepts (Zentes et al., 2008). While a retail brand has been defined as \"a group of the retailer's outlets which carry a unique name, symbol, logo or combination thereof\" (Zentes et al., 2008, p. 167), whereas a store brand is defined as \"a brand owned by a retailer (a marketing chain or any other typical retail structure) or by a wholesale distributor (who owns the right to sell the brand exclusively in its own retail outlets)\" (Herstein and Gamliel, 2006, p. 307). The retail brands refer to \"retail stores as brands\" (Zentes et al., 2008; Grewal et al., 2004). For example, Wal-Mart retail store can be considered as a retail brand, whereas Sam's Choice can be considered as a store brand or a private label of Wal-Mart. Store brands are synonymous with own-labels or private-labels (Zentes et al., 2008). Although, sometimes retail brand names are used to label the store brands, it is not a universal characteristic (Zentes et al., 2008).\nBackground: In Indian department retail branding context, Das (2014a) explored the positive impacts of retail brand personality and self-congruity on store loyalty. Das (2014b) examined the linkages of retailer personality, perceived quality and purchase intention with store loyalty in Indian non-food retailing context such as fashion, department store. In Indian retail branding context, Das et al. (2013) explored the impacts of store attributes on store personality dimensions. Another study explored the positive impacts of retail brand personality and self-congruity on store loyalty (Das et al., 2012). Given its highly competitive nature and strong impact on patronage, branding and brand management principle are becoming increasingly important for all kind of retailers including fashion retailing (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004; Hartman and Spiro, 2005). Although, a significant number of researches have been focused on retail store image, very few studies have been conducted considering \"retailers as brands\" (Swoboda et al., 2009). For example, Das (2014a) found that gender moderates the relationship between symbolic retail brand benefits and store loyalty. Moller and Herm (2013) found the positive link between customers' bodily experiences on their perceptions of store personality. Shobeiri et al. (2013) examined the impacts of experiential values namely aesthetics, playfulness, customer return on investment and service excellence on e-retailer's web site personality. The results revealed that to depict the desired web site personality, e-retailer should use proper combinations of experiential values.\nConceptual foundations: Conceptualisation of department retail brand\nResearch method: Measure\nStatistical analysis: Descriptive statistics\nChecking for violation of regression model assumptions: Multicollinearity check\nDiscussions and implications: The objective of the study was to explore the impacts of store attributes on CBRE dimensions. The impacts of nine store attributes on each dimension of CBRE were assessed though stepwise regression analysis. The results of this study found that the different store attributes affect various CBRE dimensions differently (Table IV). The nature and significance of each impact was assessed through the sign (positive/negative) of standardised regression coefficients (b values), t-values and p-values. The positive regression coefficients (b values) indicated that the antecedents store ambience, product price, advertisement, and store name and carried brand name have positive impacts on the CBRE dimension retailer awareness (Table IV). The p-values column of Table IV depicts that the coefficients are significant at 5 per cent. Table IV shows that the store attributes, namely store ambience, product price, advertisement, general attitudes towards retailer, and store name and carried brand name have positive and significant impacts on the second dimension of CBRE, retailer associations. The store attributes store ambience, product style and variety, service quality of the store, advertisement, and general attitudes towards retailer have significant positive impacts on the third dimension of CBRE, retailer perceived quality. Finally, the store attributes, namely store ambience, advertisement and store name and carried brand name have significant positive impacts on the last dimension of CBRE, retailer loyalty (see Table IV).\nLimitations and suggestions for future research: This study is limited to one category of retail brand, department store. It also focuses on one city, Kolkata. Therefore, further investigation is required before any generalisation of these results can be undertaken. Given the nature of goods being sold in various retail formats, the retailer equity inferences can vary. So, future study can replicate the present study in other retail formats. We also recommend replicating this study in other cultures and compare how the results differ from the present study. Situational influences impact variance in consumer behaviour (Das et al., 2012). So, future researchers can investigate how different store attributes influence different CBRE dimensions under different situational influences like date, time and mood of shopping. Consumer behaviour varies across different segments of customer. Finally, future study can assess the impacts of store attributes on CBRE dimensions across different segments like, male vs female, young vs old, more experienced in shopping vs less experienced in shopping, and deal-prone vs non-deal-prone customers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of store attributes on consumer-based retailer equity (CBRE) dimensions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A mall-intercept survey was undertaken using a systematic sampling of department store shoppers of age 18 years and above in Kolkata, a metropolitan city in India. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from busy shopping malls or retail stores located in different places of Kolkata. The impact of store attributes on CBRE dimensions was explored using stepwise regression analysis.\nFindings: Results revealed that different sets of store attributes affect various CBRE dimensions differently.\nOriginality/value: This paper is probably the first to explore the link between store attributes and CBRE dimensions in an Indian and department stores contexts.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Measurement of port performance from users' perspective
|
[
"Port performance",
"Users’ perspectives",
"European ports"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Port performance measurement is gaining ground in contemporary port management. Intense competition and the transformation of port authorities towards a more commercialized and industrialized role are vital: ports, in their vast majority, are actively engaged into complex supply chains, aiming, among others, to increase market shares. In this environment, port authorities are moving into their transition to \"port development companies\" (De Langen and Van Der Lugt, 2017).\n2. Literature review: Aiming at facilitating international seaborne trade and being accelerators of efficient maritime transport systems and facilitators of supply chains, in which they are embedded (Robinson, 2002), ports need to be efficient. A vast interest on port efficiency measurement has been triggered, among others, by the increasing competition among ports (Tongzon, 1995) and is still evident, as ports are seeking continuous improvements in the port services quality.\n3. Methodological framework and pilot application: 3.1 Methodology\n4. Results and reporting: As already explained each criterion has been attributed a twofold evaluation from port users: in terms of satisfaction, and in terms of the given importance. A seven-point scale has been used for rating, with 7 indicating the maximum level of satisfaction and importance and 1 indicating the minimum level. The response rate at the various campaigns launched by the participant ports equals to 19.2 per cent, of the port users invited to the exercise. The overall evaluation of the port markets is presented in Figure 1 and is calculated based on the average of all the evaluations provided for the criteria included in each one. The color of the evaluation rating is related with the seven-point rating scale with red color being ratings (R) in the range 1 <= R < 3, deep orange ratings in the range 3 <= R < 4, orange ratings between 4 <= R < 5, yellow for ratings in the range 5 <= R < 6 and finally green for ratings in the range 6 <= R < 7.\n5. Discussion: overall experience and lessons learned: The pilot phase implementation has provided a significant feedback, both from the perceived value of the proposed framework perspective, based on the results, as well as from an operational perspective. In general, most of the ports participated in the pilot phase have been open, curious and interested in the process and the results. This is justified by the fact that a lot of non-technical questions have been communicated to the research team referring mostly to the effectiveness of the process itself.\n6. Concluding remarks: The paper presents a framework aiming at measuring the perceptions of port users - such as shipping companies - on port performance. With port users' perceptions being the missing link in port performance measuring tools, the paper suggests a framework that can lead to a comprehensive approach. The results of the pilot phase reveal several drawbacks in port performance elements in the participating ports especially for the container port market, the dry bulk port market, the Ro-Ro port market and the break-bulk port market.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Going beyond the usual approach of measuring port performance - focusing on the efficiency of port operations - this paper aims to look into shipping lines and other port users' perceptions on port performance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper develops a framework measuring the perceptions of port users (i.e. shipping companies, shippers, etc.) on port performance. A typology of elements that shape port users' perceptions has been developed with an eye on capturing the peculiarities of different port markets. Based on this typology, a tool to assess users' perspectives, and subsequently evaluate, any given port has been developed. The tool provides port authorities the flexibility they need for customized approaches. The developed evaluation mechanism has been tested on a group of European seaports, and the results are presented by this study.\nFindings: The framework and its pilot application unveil the key parameters that port users take into consideration when evaluating the effectiveness component of port performance. Moreover, the importance and evaluation ratings of specific performance parameters allow for a GAP analysis of the collected data.\nResearch limitations/implications: The paper advances scholarly and practical discussion on how of port users' perceptions can be a valuable tool for port performance measurement.\nPractical implications: The proposed tool can be a valuable add-on for port authorities to evaluate their performance from the port users' point of view and take the necessary actions to improve it. Also, the tool can be used for the evaluation of a new process, infrastructure. The evaluation of port users' perception of port performance can and must be part of a European ports observatory, as it is a set of indicators that clearly reflects the satisfaction of port users by engaging their view on port performance issues, instead of relying almost exclusively on port-generated data.\nOriginality/value: The paper develops a framework for measuring port user's perception on port performance, which is flexible and can be applied in any port.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Sew or purchase? Home sewer consumer decision process
|
[
"Decision making",
"Consumption",
"Home sewing",
"Ready-to-wear dissatisfaction"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The resurgence of interest and increased participation by women to sew their own clothing (Haider, 2014, 2015; Holson, 2012; Lewis-Hammond, 2014; Podsada, 2012; Sewing, Needlework and Piece Goods Stores, 2015) presents many questions related to their garment consumption decisions. The garment consumption process includes shopping for and purchasing a readymade garment from a pre-determined selection from a retailer. However, when a consumer is not limited by the clothing choices available from retail outlets this garment selection process may be altered allowing the consumer to control all aspects of their garment including style, fabric, color, and fit. There is a need to explain the process that an individual goes through when they have the ability to sew or purchase a desired or needed garment. This phenomenon is important to study due to the resurgence of interest and participation in garment sewing along and the significant societal changes that have occurred since home sewing participation was last explored. As these women's decisions operate outside of typical consumer culture for apparel consumption with purchasing decisions that are not addressed in any existing consumer consumption models, a new model is needed to explain this behavior. Explaining the purchasing decisions of consumers who can choose between sewing their own and purchasing ready-to-wear garments has implications for retailers of home sewing goods and RTW apparel. The purpose of this study was to explore female home sewers' garment consumption decision processes when they possess control over the choice to sew or purchase their clothing.\nLiterature review: Consumer decision making\nResearch problem: Academics have not yet considered if the consumption process is different for fulfilling garment needs by selecting materials and sewing garments for personal use vs choosing ready-to-wear apparel. Clothing sewing knowledge and ability provides consumers with a unique option in the decision-making process when a garment is desired or needed. While there are only two options, sewing or purchasing, the individual must contemplate their present state potentially including factors of time, money and skill. Due to the different steps in sewing one's own vs buying a ready-to-wear garment, there are likely differences in the consumer decision-making process used by individuals in this unique garment segment. The purpose of this study was to explore female home sewers' garment consumption decision processes when they possess control over the choice to sew or purchase their clothing. The current study reports a segment of the findings from a larger study on women who choose to sew clothing for themselves (Martindale, 2017). The segment reported here examines the unique sew or purchase decision-making process in which these consumers undertake as well as the related control over ready-to-wear consumption that sewing provides them. Grounded theory methods were selected as the best research method due to the lack of current home sewing research, lack of research on home sewers that sew garments for themselves, and lack of research on home sewers' consumer decision-making process.\nMethods: These findings of this research emerged from a larger qualitative grounded theory study exploring women's current motivations to sew clothing for themselves. This study is grounded in a postpositive interpretive framework. The research goal is to explain cause and effect, however, as postpositivists, the researchers acknowledge that \"all cause and effect is a probability that may or may not occur\" (Creswell, 2013, pp. 23-24). The guiding epistemological assumption for this qualitative study is that the subjective experiences of people are the source of knowledge (Creswell, 2013). Postpositivism is based on logic and empirical evidence (Creswell, 2013). Thus, Strauss and Corbin's (1990) grounded theory method, which exemplifies the postpositivist interpretive framework with its focus on construction of theory through systematic data collection and analysis procedures (Creswell, 2013), was selected for this study. This grounded theory qualitative approach allowed participants to tell their stories in their own words (Strauss and Corbin, 1990), as opposed to previous studies, which had limited participants to selecting from pre-determined items on a quantitative survey instrument (Chan, 1975; Ferguson, 1960; Kean and Levin, 1989; O'Brien and Campbell, 1927; York, 1961). Thus, new concepts were allowed to emerge (Saldana, 2016) to yield explanation of the consumer behavior of this previously unexamined market segment. The data analyzed using Strauss and Corbin's (1990) grounded theory method was transcribed interviews with female home sewers who sew clothing for themselves. A systematic coding process was used to analyze the data for repeated concepts, ideas, or elements. A three-stage coding process was used: first cycle coding (including in vivo, process, and initial coding), second cycle coding (including focused, axial, and theoretical coding), and theory building (Saldana, 2016).\nFindings: In the exploration of female home sewers' garment consumption decision processes when they possess control over the choice to sew or purchase their clothing, the core theme that emerged was control over ready-to-wear consumption. The two main categories under this core theme were dissatisfaction with ready-to-wear and factors considered in ready-to-wear purchase or sew decisions. a sew or purchase garment decision model is proposed, based on these findings.\nDiscussion: Consumer decision making\nConclusions: Dissatisfaction with ready-to-wear is a key reason that home sewers choose to sew their own clothing, despite the required investment of time and money. The aspect of ready-to-wear they are most dissatisfied with is fit on their bodies and physical areas of fit dissatisfaction include height and lower torso (e.g. buttocks and crotch). Home sewers believe that they can achieve better garment fit by sewing their own clothing. Home sewers who make their own clothes are not limited by the clothing choices available from retail outlets and have the ability to control all aspects of their garments including style, fabric, color, and fit.\nImplications: This research provides new insights into a growing consumer market which operates outside of typical consumer culture. Explaining the consumer behavior of this unique market segment of home sewers who sew clothing for themselves is important due to their uncommon motivations and garment selection factors, which affect their purchase decision process. This study contributes new information regarding the consumer decisions women go through when choosing to sew their own clothing. An explanation of these motivations and selection factors presented provides retailers of home sewing products insights to improve their merchandise mix (e.g. patterns, fabrics, and notions) and tailor their marketing messages to include the key evaluation factors found such as improved garment fit, uniqueness, or speed of sewing. The findings offer apparel industry professionals a unique perspective on the problems that concern female consumers with ready-to-wear. The interviews revealed that the most distressing factors with ready-to-wear was fit especially in the lower torso. It was also revealed that there is an opportunity to improve the selection specialty garment sizing specifically petite. The importance of control over self-presentation that the women in this study desired, as well as, the evaluative factors the women used when deciding to sew or purchase clothing depicted in the sew or purchase consumer model can be used by apparel designers and manufacturers to develop apparel products that consider these factors. The desire for a more customized fit found in the study suggest that alteration and customization services could be used win over consumers who can sew their own clothing, as well as, increase satisfaction with non-sewing female consumers. Proponents of apparel sustainability can draw from this study to encourage consumers to sew their own garments for increased garment sustainability as the findings indicate that garments sewn by the consumer were worn for longer periods of time and less easily discarded.\nFuture research: This study offers a starting point for further exploration into additional craft-related consumer decision behaviors through the development of sew or purchase consumer decision model (Figure 1). The findings of this study have contributed to expanding the existing research on craft consumers and have uncovered the need for future research to fully explain the behavior of this consumer segment. Further research is needed in stage one: garment need recognition, stage two: search for information and stage seven: evaluation of sew or purchase decision model (Figure 1). In stage one, it needs to be explored if there is a difference in garment need recognition for sewers vs non-sewers as sewers have the ability to modify existing garments as needed. Within the second stage it needs to be explored how sewers vs non-sewers search for information related to the needed garment as they can explore sewing patterns and fabric as well as available readymade garments at retailers. The evaluation stage of the model needs to be further explored as sewers are not only evaluating the finished garment, they are evaluating the application of their own skills used to create the garment and the level of sewer skill affects the quality of the sewn garments. Future studies will lead to a better explanation of the consumption behaviors of these consumers. Additional research is also needed to test the application of the developed sew or purchase decision model (Figure 1) to other handcraft types in which clothing can be made, such as knitting and crocheting. This research should continue to better explain the decision-making process of craft consumers for products other than clothing.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore garment consumption decision processes of female consumers when they have the option to sew or purchase their clothing.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research study presents a segment of the findings from a larger qualitative grounded theory study on women who choose to sew clothing for themselves (Martindale, 2017). This research analyzed the interview data pertaining to the unique sew or purchase decision-making process in which these consumers undertake as well as the related control over ready-to-wear consumption that sewing provides them.\nFindings: The ability to sew resulted in a unique consumer decision-making process in regard to the clothing purchases due to the control it provided them over their ready-to-wear consumption. The women developed factors that they used to make the decision to sew or purchase. Over all the ability to sew provided them the option to sew or purchase clothing, allowing the women more control over their clothing selection specifically in regard to the garments body fit.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study was limited to English-speaking women living in the North America. The qualitative data collected are specific to this sample which cannot be generalized to all female home sewers. Research involving a larger population of women from a larger geographic area is needed.\nPractical implications: The newly developed sew or purchase model provides an understanding of the control that having the option to sew or purchase provides female consumers. The findings offer apparel industry professionals a new perspective on ready-to-wear consumer dissatisfaction. The investment that is made when a garment is sewn instead of purchased has the potential to increase wardrobe sustainability as the consumer experiences more attachment to the clothing they have made. The model serves a starting point for further exploration into other craft-related consumer decision behaviors.\nOriginality/value: Purchasing decisions of this nature have yet to be considered in published research. Exploring these women's decisions who operate outside of typical consumer culture and developing a model for this consumer behavior explains a phenomenon not yet addressed by existing consumer consumption research.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Line Logic(tm) on the bow tie
|
[
"Product management",
"Product development",
"Product design",
"Brand extensions",
"Case studies"
] |
[
{
"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.\nLine Logic(tm): Several years ago, Quelch (2002), a prominent brand marketing scholar, suggested \"Don't forget who brought you to the dance, don't overdo the line extensions and don't lose the product-line logic\". With respect to the logic of the product line, Quelch went on to advocate the need for clarity and succinctness in a company's product portfolio. Line Logic(tm) offers just such a disciplined approach to creating and presenting a full complement of product choices.The six interrelated elements in Line Logic(tm) are:1. segmentation;2. naming conventions;3. design elements;4. tiered feature sets;5. pricing; and6. packaging.While these six elements are not new as sub-components of marketing and product line issues, the framework itself enables a logical, coherent process for thinking about product and brand extensions. Importantly, the framework is rather straightforward and easily understood by all functional areas within the company. As such, the Line Logic(tm) framework provides not only a balanced and logical product line for a company to present to its customers, it also works as a cross-functional communication tool within the organization. Since product managers are engaged in day-to-day product decision issues, as well as the development of future paths for the company's offerings, implementation of Line Logic(tm) facilitates both tactical and strategic efforts.Companies do execute various elements of the Line Logic(tm) system. The following highlights companies that have implemented individual components of the Line Logic(tm) successfully.Segmentation\nLine Logic(tm) execution in the sporting goods marketplace: The implementation of Line Logic(tm) is illustrated here in the example of a privately owned sporting goods company that manufactures field hockey, volleyball, and ice hockey equipment (information about the site company is disguised due to competitive concerns). Located in the USA, the company has long been particularly famous for its ice hockey equipment. The company entered into the business of manufacturing field hockey sticks in the late 1990s. While the stick had become a prominent player in the field hockey equipment product race, competitors, such as STX, Cranbarry, and T.K. Field Hockey, were making significant inroads in the overall field hockey equipment marketplace. The company feared that a competitor would begin to steal share of its field hockey stick market due to competitors' longer and more robust product lines.Field hockey was becoming a well-recognized sport in the USA, with around 15,000 participants by the turn of the century. The company expected the sport to take off, much like soccer, where there would be players in all age groups, from four or five years of age to players in the over-50 age group, within the next couple of decades. Knowing that an innovative approach was needed to become a major player in this marketplace, the company decided to utilize the innovative Line Logic(tm) product management system to build and structure its offerings in the field hockey market. Ultimately, the Line Logic(tm) system would enable the company to provide a logical, comprehensive set of field hockey products.Utilizing segmentation as its starting point, the company began to build its field hockey product offerings within the framework of beginner, intermediate, and advanced field hockey players. As with many sports, the thinking was that purchase interest/intent would increase as the player gained in skill strength. Thus, while this segmentation scheme would naturally have age-related elements (e.g. parents of a four-year-old beginning field hockey player would not be expected to purchase high-end field hockey products), segmenting based on skill expectations also required the company to keep in mind that beginning field hockey players come in all ages and sizes.Naming convention was critical as the company wanted the name to depict the expected intensity of play and be a name that could overlap all product lines. That is, the name had to be appropriate for field hockey as well as ice hockey products. Products targeted to beginning players were named \"Extraordinare\" - giving the impression that the player using the product is an extraordinary person and the child of a genius to have selected this brand. The mid-range product line was named \"Eminent\" - depicting a very talented and skilled athlete who was definitely at the cusp of successful play. The highest quality product, targeted to the best of the best, was named \"Swami\" - one capable of teaching others the sport.Design elements of the integrated field hockey line offerings were built around the segmentation scheme. From an industrial design perspective, the beginner, intermediate, and advanced field hockey lines were modified for various levels of play. For example, gloves in the Extraordinare line were developed with the lighter level of play in mind (e.g. softer material), while the Swami glove included a quick strap system, more durable (smart) fabric, and a stronger backbone.Considerable product development effort was spent on creating tiered feature sets, allowing customers to \"move-up\" within the product line before moving up to the next level of product. Within the Extraordinare line, for example, two Thunder (100 & 200) field hockey sticks are offered. The Thunder 200 stick is very similar to the low-end Rudiment 300 of the Eminent line of sticks (with the 300, 400, and 500). The Rudiment 500 is very similar to the Swami Blast 600 stick. The Blast line offers the Blast 600, Blast 700, Blast 800, and Blast 900. The company follows the same type of tiered thinking within its shinguard and gloves product offerings, with Eminent offering Divine shinguards and Radius Expanse gloves, and Extraordinare offering Mater shinguards and Radical gloves. Ultimately, for example, a customer in the Swami market segment could own a Blast stick, Circuit shinguards, and Courage gloves and feel assured that the best of the best was being used on the field.Price points denote not only the difference in quality as one moves from one product line to the next, but also denote differences among offerings within the line. For example, the least expensive Radical glove in the Extraordinare line is suggested for retail at US$9.99, with price increments of US$5 as one moves up in the Mater line. The Expanse gloves in the Eminent line are priced in US$10 increments, while variations (e.g. good, better, best) of the Swami Courage glove are offered in US$20 increments. The customer can purchase the high-end glove for about the same price of the next line's low-end glove. This puts the decision as to whether the player is ready to \"move up\" in the hands of the purchaser, essentially removing price as a potential barrier to moving up.Field hockey brand management realized that packaging would be a powerful means of communicating product value at the last three feet of sale. Thus, the less expensive products (Extraordinare) were packaged in blister packs (a molded plastic front sheet attached to a plastic backer). Eminent products utilized a more premium, clam-shell package which was molded plastic with a hinge and self-locking system. Swami products were offered in packaging that utilized package structure as a permanent means of storing and carrying the products. Thus, the products were sold in mesh bags (a common item on the field).\nThe bow tie dilemma: The company's push as a full-line supplier of field hockey products was built on its central hub of recognition in its field hockey stick. With the stick's infamous recognition of quality, field hockey management decided that the company needed to offer a full line of field hockey products that epitomized that same high quality if it wanted to develop a reputation as a player in the field hockey product industry.An analysis of the company's current and potential competitors and distribution options suggested it to be a niche company experiencing a bow-tie effect. The bow tie theory has its origins in the worldwide web (IBM Research, 2000). This theory explains the dynamic behavior of the web and offers the knot of the bow tie as the strongly connected core. Interestingly, this concept depicted the business situation at the sporting goods company. That is, the field hockey stick was the central hub or core that was at the heart of the company's field hockey business. The two offshoots of the bow tie represented the directions the company could take with respect to the marketplace. The company could draw customers with its field hockey stick, but what customers it was able to attract were funneled through two major types of distributors - mass marketers or sporting goods specialists. The origination of these customers, from either the left or right sides of the bow tie, also governed the type of competitor the company would face. Figure 1 portrays the results of such an analysis. The bow tie pictorial depicted a potentially large, untapped field hockey marketplace, albeit lower quality than that which the company had intended to target.\nThe what and how of Line Logic(tm) on the bow tie: The \"what\", or strategic decision, was whether or not the company wanted to play on the left side of the bow tie. If so, the tactical decision was \"how\" to play without weakening the company's hard-earned image on the right side. Sales analysis showed that the company had the chance to garner substantial sales of various types of field hockey equipment, particularly sticks, if it was to begin operating on the left side of the bow tie.Two major questions faced field hockey product management:1. How could the company offer low-end field hockey products without damaging its evolving reputation as a high-end field hockey product manufacturer?2. Was the Line Logic(tm) methodology useful on the left side of the bow tie, or should the company focus specifically on only one or two elements of the methodology?Answering these two questions would be critical to the long-term success of its field hockey product line.Bad or faulty decisions related to these two questions could mean damage to the company's relationships with customers and distributors on the right side of the bow tie as well as the inability to tap into the potentially large marketplace on the left side of the bow tie. Not only would accurate decisions result in great sales and profits, making the right decisions would contribute significantly to a better understanding of product line management and its relationship to the company's long-term channel strategy.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this article is to present Line Logic(tm) as a means of developing and building a company's portfolio of products.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper uses a sporting goods company in the USA as a case study to portray the implementation of Line Logic(tm).\nFindings: - An extensive analysis of the company and its implementation of the Line Logic(tm) methodology found that the company was operating in conjunction with a bow tie channel strategy.\nResearch limitations/implications: - A case study does an excellent job of capturing phenomena at a particular company. The Line Logic(tm) framework needs to be explored and reported in various companies, thus allowing multiple sources of data to highlight strengths and weaknesses of the Line Logic(tm) methodology.\nPractical implications: - There is no magic formula or prescription for managing a company's line of product offerings. Line Logic(tm) offers a disciplined approach to creating and presenting a full complement of product choices. As shown here, the implementation of Line Logic(tm) assists companies in understanding both strategic and tactical issues related to competitors and channel members.\nOriginality/value: - While there are companies that execute some of the Line Logic(tm) system, this paper illustrates the importance of line logic in the sporting goods industry. Additionally, the paper introduces the concept of the bow tie in product line planning.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Does gender matter? A review of work-related gender commonalities
|
[
"Gender",
"Culture"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The participation of women in the global labour force has increased dramatically over the past three decades, occurring in nations of varying levels of development (Raynor, 2007). Given the emerging global economy, understanding gender and cultural differences is critical to business success (Parboteeah et al., 2008; Stedham and Yamamura, 2004).Current research in management presumes the existence of work-related differences between females and males. However, it is not known if notable differences exist among those who are engaged in comparable work. If no practical differences exist, then the challenge of managing gender gaps should be of little practical concern. In this study, we will examine the degree to which differences and similarities exist between female and male business professionals.Theory\nMethodology: Work preference\nDiscussion: Gender similarity is influenced by shared language (House et al., 2004), common national institutions (Kostova, 1999; Meyer, 1977), and among those who reside within subsystem having common interests that are differentiated from larger systems in which they endure (Boulding, 1956; Katz and Kahn, 1978; von Bertalanffy, 1951). Given these research findings, the H1 posited more similarities than differences in male and female work preferences within each of the national samples. As shown in Table IV, when our work preference constructs were aggregated within each sample, we found that there are large differences within all three samples across all 17 work preference measures combined as shown by their strong effect sizes (US: e2=0.15; Jamaica: e2=0.20; Australia: e2=0.14). As also revealed in Table IV, however, when each of the 17 measures was analysed separately, we found only weak effect sizes within each of the three countries. Within each of the three samples of business students (AUS, JAM, and US) more similarities in gender work preferences than differences were found. More differences were found within the US sample than the JAM or the AUS samples. In the American sample, statistically significant differences were found in RSLT, JFUL, LEAD, TASC, TIMM, INDE, MECH, and HELP, but none had effect sizes that were notable (>=0.04) The JAM sample revealed differences in LEAD, FLEX, and MECH, with no effect sizes of consequence. Among those in the AUS sample, differences were found in MECH and LKBL with a moderate effect size associated with MECH (0.06). Thus, consistently with the H1, the data reveal that within each country there are more similarities than differences in work preferences between males and females.Our H2 predicted more similarities than differences between males and females in their work preferences in the combined three national samples (see ALL, Table IV). When the work preference constructs were aggregated across all three countries, we found that there were large differences within all three samples across all 17 measures as shown by the strong effect size (e2=0.09). The data revealed, however, that female and male strengths of work preference among the three samples were more similar than different when we examined each construct independently of the others. In only one of the 17 work preference dimensions was a difference noted: males were found to have higher preference for working with things (MECH; e2=0.04) than females. Thus, consistently with the H2, the data reveal that across all three countries there are more similarities than differences in work preferences between males and females.Although many cultural differences have been found to exist across national boundaries (Hofstede, 1980; House et al., 2004; Inglehart and Baker, 2000), the sharing of a common language provides support for the H3 generated by this study. It posits that national boundaries will have less effect on gender differences than will the commonality of language and interests which business students share. Fundamental to this hypothesis is that those within academic subsystems formed by common properties of attraction will have more similarities among them than differences even as they travel across national boundaries. Two-way MANOVA was used to examine all 17 constructs by gender and country. No notable effects on gender differences were found. Significant interaction between gender and national identity was found in only two of the 17 constructs. Thus, based on our samples from Australia, Jamaica, and the USA, our findings are consistent with hypothesis three - national country does not moderate differences in the work preferences of females and males who share an English-speaking, predominantly Anglo culture.In summary, when each of the 17 work preferences was analysed within each country, some significant differences were found, but few were noteworthy, and they were not consistent from nation to nation. Thus, the evolution-based proposition that gender differences found within countries would also be found across national boundaries was not supported by this study. Our study tends to support the gender similarities hypothesis posited by Hyde (2005) and others.The preponderance of our evidence supports our \"gender similarities\" hypothesis. We cannot accept it unconditionally, however, since among the 17 dimensions there appear to be some differences among work preferences of males and females. Yet, with the exception of MECH, such differences could not be discerned in terms of any of the other 16 constructs included in our study.When compared with previous findings reported in the literature, our study tends to support differences found between males and females in only a few areas. Our findings are similar to Betz et al. (2003), Holland (1997) and Prediger (1976) who found that males score higher than females in preference for working with mechanical things. However, it is important to note that whereas males prefer to work with mechanical things more than females, Nash (1975) found that both males and females perform equally well when working on mechanical tasks. Thus, even though males included in our business school samples prefer to work with mechanical things more than females, such differences do not give us reason to infer that a male with a high preference for working with mechanical things will perform better than a female who has a similarly high preference.\nImplications and concluding comments: One of the principal implications of the study is the emergence of increased gender similarity. This study has revealed that the type of work females and males may opt to do when participating in business-related work teams is much more similar than it is different. These findings indicate that in terms of the person-environment fit theory, both females and males are well-suited for like work-related roles and assignments in business teams, domestically and English-speaking countries globally. Only one measure, working with mechanical things (MECH), seemed to differentiate male and female work environment attraction, and that difference was moderate.Although males and females have long been recognised as being different (biologically, and in other ways that are culturally shaped), the study findings provide additional evidence to support a gender \"similarities hypothesis\" as it pertains to employee work preferences. Managers can expect similar work performance and person-environment fit relationships among those on their teams who share a common attraction to business, both academically and vocationally.There are several limitations of this study. The constructs used in this study have not been empirically demonstrated to be equivalent to those used in other studies where gender and sex differences were noted, beyond that of face validity. Samples from the three nations are relatively small. Although they include all students in three different business programmes at three different schools in three different nations, the sample from each nation needs to be enlarged to allow greater confidence in the conclusions drawn from this study. The research is limited to business graduates, and additional research on gender differences of work preferences needs to include college students pursuing other subjects as well as working adults drawn from similar occupational fields.Given the above limitations, the message from this study for managers of both domestic and global teams is that biological sex does not seem to matter when it comes to the selection, placement, training, development, and appraisal of team members - they are more alike than different. Other studies have suggested that women may be more likely to want to get along with others, whereas males may be more driven to lead and control others and achieve results (Meyers-Levy, 1988; McClelland et al., 1976). However, our study did not confirm such differences within or among our business school samples.Conclusions drawn from other studies about gender and sex might mislead leaders of work teams. This is especially relevant for business managers of global teams, wherein the gender differences such leaders have experienced within their own nations may, indeed, not exist across national boundaries. There is much more to be gained by team leaders to build on the talents of all on the team, without gender consideration, than to employ predisposed limitations or expectations based on their own narrow life experience or others' more generalised studies pertaining to gender differences.Global business teams, both physical and virtual, are gaining in both prominence and importance (Kanawattanachai and Yoo, 2002). More women are filling managerial positions in global companies, broadening their technical backgrounds and are becoming amenable to both internationally focused work and overseas assignments. It may well be that globalisation is mitigating differences caused by cultural background and gender (Ralston et al., 1997). The findings from this study require companies in their quest to identify, cultivate and expand competitive human capital to consider women and men as equals when staffing their work teams.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this study is to examine the degree to which differences and similarities exist between female and male business professionals.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A total of 1,164 students from three English-speaking countries completed a 75-item multi-dimensional tool that consists of 17 empirically independent work preference constructs associated with psychological learning styles, work values, work interests, and personality temperament.\nFindings: - There are few notable or significant differences between the work preferences of female and male business professionals within each country. Differences between the work preferences of female and male business professionals are not consistent from nation to nation.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Additional research on gender differences of work preferences needs to include larger samples of college students majoring in non-business subjects as well as working adults drawn from related occupational fields.\nPractical implications: - Managers need to understand that biological sex may be irrelevant when it comes to the selection, placement, training, development, and appraisal of employees.\nOriginality/value: - Contrary to prior research, the results refute the existence of work-related differences between females and males.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Stakeholders' responses to school-based management in Indonesia
|
[
"Indonesia",
"Student achievement"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: School-based management (SBM) has become a reform package for keeping the balance of authority between government officials and school stakeholders in decision making. In this context, \"the decentralization of authority and responsibility to the school level is referred to as school-based management\" (Caldwell, 2005, p. 223). It is further defined that \"School-based management (SBM) in a system of public education is the systematic and consistent decentralization to the school level of authority and responsibility to make decisions on significant matters related to school operations within a centrally determined framework of goals, policies, curriculum, standards and accountabilities.\" (Caldwell, 2009, p. 56). In any school systems, devolving authority and responsibility to school level is considered as a democratic fashion of educational system and accordingly, on the basis of empirical studies in Australia and other countries, SBM has consistently defined as a pragmatic approach to a formal alteration of the bureaucratic model of school administration with a more democratic structure which identifies the individual school as the primary unit of improvement relying on the redistribution of decision-making authority through which improvements in a school are stimulated and sustained (Gamage, 2006a, 1996a).\nGlobal reforms of SBM: SBM has become largely accepted as a major reform initiative, not just in developed nations such as the USA, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, but also in developing countries, including Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong and Thailand. It is crucial to pinpoint that SBM is not referred to school autonomy, as consistently asserted by leading scholars in SBM (Caldwell, 2014; Caldwell and Spinks, 1998, 2013) that \"A self-managing school is not an autonomous school nor is it a self-governing school, for each of these kinds of schools involve a degree of independence that is not provided in a centrally determined framework. The existence of a centrally determined framework implies that a self-managing school is part of a system of schools, so the concept applies most readily to systems of government or public schools, or to systems of non-government or private schools where there has been decentralization, such as in some systems of Catholic schools. Truly independent, non-systemic schools would ordinarily be considered self-governing schools\" (Caldwell and Spinks, 1998, p. 5).\nSBM implementation in Indonesia: By the end of the twentieth century, \"Indonesia was among the most highly centralized nations in the world.\" (Bjork, 2003, p. 193). He explains that \"the centralization of authority in Indonesia could enforce the dependence of regional leaders on Jakarta (the capital city) and even cause them to orient themselves away from their local constituents and toward the central authorities.\" But three years later, Bjork (2006, p. 129) also reports that \"Indonesia, like many developing nations in Asia, is currently riding a decentralization wave. The decision to redistribute authority to local levels represented significant departure from previous practice. A system that had previously concentrated authority firmly at the top was signaling that the Ministry of National Education/MONE's monopoly over the education field would be broken. After a long history of being denied opportunities to participate in the direction of schooling, local educators were given unprecedented authority over the curriculum, budgets, and school practice. Members of school communities were also encouraged to take part in school decision-making.\"\nResearch methods: This study applied both dimensions of quantitative and qualitative research design and data collection techniques. For the purpose of collecting quantitative data, rating scale was used by asking the respondents to indicate their degrees of agreement or disagreement in Likert scale (1-4, Strongly disagree-Strongly agree), dichotomous scale (Yes-No responses), and other graphic rating scale (1-5, Unsatisfactory-Excellent). A total of 350 questionnaires were delivered to 24 primary schools in two district town schools of Flores (the name of district towns are confidential for ethical purposes so they are labeled as town A and town B). The respondents rate from two district town schools was accounted for 95 percent (n=334), which is considered high. The schools in the district town A represented less effective SBM schools, while schools in town B represented effective SBM schools. All schools in both district towns were selected and convenience sampling technique was used to due to access to parents, teachers, principals, and school council members. The distance between town A and town B is 305 km, located in the same island.\nResearch findings: The research findings include the comparative analysis in the two district towns with regard to how the school stakeholders perceived about the school councils' authority degree, functions, areas of decision-making authority, decision-making styles and quality of decision-making processes. The school stakeholders were also asked about their beliefs about SBM as a way of increasing community participation, SBM as an approach to increase partnership in schools, and SBM as a reform package that improve teaching-learning environments student achievement.\nDiscussion: The findings of this study indicate that even though power and authority have been vested by central government to school level through the formation of school councils, much of it depends upon school principals in encouraging and initiating participatory decision-making as well as adequate understanding on the changes in authority and responsibility of school principals under decentralized system of SBM. In effective SBM schools, represented by school principals in town B district town of this study, the principals have become the partner of teachers, parents, and community representatives in decision-making processes for increased school improvement and student achievements. This finding is similar to other studies on effectiveness of SBM (Bandur and Gamage, 2014; Gamage, 2006a; Gamage and Hansson, 2006; Lam, 2006; Lingard et al., 2002) that principals have become partners of other decision-making groups, including teaching and non-teaching staff, parents, community, government and alumni representatives. In turn, it resulted in creating secured teaching and learning environment and facilities. In contrast, in less effective SBM schools, represented by the school district town A in this study, school principals and teachers are still dominant decision makers. The findings of this study clearly shows that there have been lower participation of school stakeholders in less effective SBM schools, and even the involvement of parents are only by invitation of school principals once a year at the end of academic year.\nConclusion: This study conclude that Indonesian SBM policy and programs have proven to be effective for creating better teaching-learning environments and student achievements in schools where school councils understood their decision-making authority and functions. When the school councils have clear positions in the school governance, they are very proactive in approaching school principals and local government authorities to overcome school concerns, i.e. in renovating classrooms and even to propose parental interventions in increasing student achievements efforts. With the high alert of school councils along with welcoming remarks of school principals in encouraging parents in school governance, higher community participation and partnership are exist in school level. Participatory decision making and consensus are experienced by school stakeholders in the efforts of improving teaching-learning environments. However, an effective implementation of SBM can be highly challenging, depending on the readiness and willingness of the school's stakeholders, adequate understanding of school principals, supports of local governments and international development agencies. The stakeholders located in district town A of this study confirm that where SBM policy and programs are without adequate training and workshop from experts and government, school council does not have significant impacts for improved teaching-learning environments and as a consequence, school quality efforts are dependent upon school principals and teachers.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the key determinants of effective school-based management (SBM) for improved teaching-learning environments and student achievements, while identifying the major reasons as to why poor implementation of SBM is associated with lower student achievements.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Both dimensions of quantitative and qualitative research were applied for the purpose of this study with active participation of 334 school stakeholders, including principals, teachers, parents, and school council members. In addition to the survey, 33 Interviews and FGDs were conducted with the participation of 61 key informants. These were followed by an examination of school documents, including students' national examination results.\nFindings: This study concludes that SBM drives the emergence of decision-making authority of principals, the presence of participatory school decision-making, and high involvement of school council for better teaching and learning environments. In turn, effective implementation of SBM policy is associated with healthier teaching-learning environment and better student academic achievements. However, less effective implementation of SBM is due to lack of proper understanding of the school stakeholders that resulted in lower academic achievement.\nPractical implications: Adequate provisions of training on the part of school council members and school principals are required for significant results of SBM policy and programs for improved teaching-learning environment and increased student achievements. The training focuses on, among others: school leadership, school development planning and changing roles of school leaders under SBM reform.\nOriginality/value: This study builds on global and Indonesian developments of the decentralized education through SBM model. This study is highly significant in addressing the current debates in existing literature about whether or not SBM has resulted in school improvements and higher student achievements. Practically, this study provides adequate insight to educational leaders, policy makers and international donor agencies in demonstrating why SBM is effective in particular school settings as well as why SBM policy and programs are not effectively implemented in other schools that resulted in lower student achievements.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Exploring transformative journeys through a higher education programme in a further education college
|
[
"Participation",
"Students",
"Learning",
"Transformative",
"Non-traditional",
"Widening"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Transformative learning theory has an enduring quality. Notwithstanding short hiatuses during which time interest in the theory enters a period of quietude, a new publication or conference can re-ignite scholarly interest (cf. Cranton, 2006; Taylor and Cranton, 2012). Nonetheless, transformative learning theory has received some relatively intense criticism (Taylor and Cranton, 2012; Newman, 2012; Hoggan, 2015). The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, to briefly review the literature to report the basis on which transformative learning theory has been criticised. Second, to offer a rejoinder to the criticism; arguing that if teachers encourage students to \"critically reflect and challenge\" their perspectives and assumptions, something like transformation is likely to occur (Bitterman, 2015). Third, to explore approaches to teaching and learning, from where it might be anticipated, that instances of transformation could emerge.\nDefining transformative teaching and learning: Mezirow concluded, from studies of the factors that influenced women's experiences of programmes at community colleges in the USA, that participation in learning encourages a significant challenge to existing, usually deeply entrenched, frames of reference (worldviews). When challenged, they can be found faulty or inadequate, then modified or replaced by more authentic or trustworthy frames of reference (Mezirow, 2000). A number of studies have demonstrated the efficacy of transformative learning theory, as an organising concept, in a range of contexts; for example, informal adult education (Dirkx, 1998), higher education (King, 1997), family therapy (Egan, 1985), healthcare (Philipi, 2010) and the workplace (Watkins and Marsick et al., 2012). As stated earlier, our focus will be higher education programmes delivered in further education colleges.\nCritiques of transformative learning theory: Transformative learning theory has not been without its critics. For example, transformation is little more than a metaphor argues Newman (2012). Consequently, Newman continues, far too much is made of the established rhetoric of transformation and the eureka experiences of research respondents. The rhetoric may deny the ordinary and everyday experiences from which transformation may equally emerge (Dirkx, 2000). The key theme of transformative learning theory is the aspiration to initiate social, emotional and intellectual change. Newman (2012) rightly reminds us, however, that all learning involves change and merely getting students into a classroom after a lengthy hiatus, signifies that change may have already occurred. Nonetheless, transformative learning theory is now bolted on to almost any kind of learning outcome, seldom serving as a \"coherent theory\" (Hoggan, 2015, p. 58). We therefore concur with Cranton who proposes that merely engaging in a college education is not transformative. Neither is learning new skills or meeting new people with different points of view. Nor does achieving a degree necessarily constitute a transformative experience (Cranton, 1996).\nA rejoinder: While we concede that Newman (2012), Illeris (2014) and Cranton (1996) make important points, we argue also that, to a significant degree, they undervalue the empirical and conceptual efficacy of transformative learning theory. For example, although an imprecise concept and difficult to operationalise, King (2004) attaches meaning to transformation by reporting instances of change that includes for example, being significantly more open-minded, allowing for multiple perspectives of social phenomena, and reconsidering the way the world appears to (now transformed) research participants. In total, 36 of 58 participants in her study of students' transformative experiences reported these changes, which are unlikely to be inconsequential. They may be \"deeply felt\", may indicate significant shifts in the way these participants read the text of their own experiences, and consequently should be considered evidence of some transformation at least (King, 2004, p. 162).\nWho is to be transformed?: When contrasted with undergraduate students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), HE in FE disproportionately attracts non-traditional students (Burke, 2012). By non-traditional students, we mean those who have some common characteristics. Non-traditional students tend to be over the average age of traditional students; commonly returning to education following a lengthy hiatus away from formal learning. They tend to gravitate towards colleges rather than universities, often as a consequence of \"weak learner identities\" (Lawson, 2014, p. 344). Alternatively, traditional students typically enrol in university undergraduate programmes following a seamless transition from compulsory education. They will have attained what are considered Gold Standard qualifications with real academic currency; usually Highers in Scotland or Advanced Levels in England (Hawkins and Mills, 2010). They consequently have \"strong learner identities\" (Lawson, 2014, p. 344). Non-traditional students also tend to have competing responsibilities such as jobs, children and caring roles. Traditional students would not typically have these responsibilities. For non-traditional students, juggling these responsibilities can have an impact on the learning experience (cf. Pascall and Cox, 1993; Cappleman-Morgan, 2005; Creasy, 2013). Further, it is often assumed that non-traditional students lack the skills, education and advantages associated with traditional students (Leach, 2011, p. 248), and are \"under-prepared for academic rigour\" (Hawkins and Mills, 2010, p. 11; Burton et al., 2011; Arum and Roska, 2011).\nTransforming the self-identity: It has been suggested that in Mezirow's early observations of transformation, his emphasis on transforming meaning perspectives, frames of reference and habits of mind might have been limiting and \"too much related to cognitive learning\" (Illeris, 2014, p. 32). Illeris suggests that while these concepts offer a good point of departure for transformative learning theory, the change that is sought in the individual should be much deeper. Meaning perspectives, frames of reference and habits of mind simply do not fully \"capture the whole range of what transformative learning can address\" (Illeris, 2014, p. 39). Illeris posits his own definition of transformative learning, arguing that transformative learning comprises all learning that implies change in the identity of the learner (Illeris, 2014, p. 40). We can deduct from this definition that transformation should represent not only a total change in life perspective (worldview), but also an actualisation of that perspective. In other words, life is not seen from that perspective, it is lived from that perspective, indicating a meaningful shift in the learner's identity (Mezirow, 2000; Illeris, 2014).\nWhat kinds of teaching and learning approaches can transform?: It might first be useful to explore approaches to teaching and learning that will be unlikely to support transformation, before considering teaching and learning approaches that can be a catalyst for transformation. A useful point of departure may be the proposition offered by Freire (2010) that a \"banking\" system of teaching and learning will unlikely support transformative learning experiences. Similarly, instrumental learning geared almost exclusively to preparation for the workplace is also unlikely to facilitate transformation (Hultberg et al., 2008; Bathmaker and Thomas, 2009). Transformation occurs when learning encourages a deep questioning of \"longestablished frames of reference\" and the creation of \"new meaning schemes\" (Mezirow, 1990, p. 5).\nThe research context: The study from where our transformation stories emerge was undertaken with graduates of a full-time academic BA programme, facilitated in a Scottish Further and Higher Education College. Around half of BA participants are mature (25 years+) with caring or work responsibilities, often both. The findings of the research indicate that all the participants, to varying degrees, experienced some significant shift in attributes such as confidence, independence and willingness to try new things. We have drawn the transformation stories from a small selection of indepth interviews with participants who self-report shifting from a low to a high self-concept and where it was concluded, from their point of view, that their experiences of transformation had been significant.\nTransformation stories: The first participant featured is Janice[1]. Prior to returning to education, Janice had experienced some \"really serious difficulties coping with life generally\":I had been diagnosed Bipolar by my doctor and it petrified me [...] I wasn't coping with everything that was going on around me in my life at that time [...] I started having panic attacks and struggled to be with people [...] I was more of a recluse back at the house and I was scared to go out after that.\nConclusions: Our key proposition was that, despite being subjected to some sustained but in many ways valid criticism, transformative learning theory continues to be useful to educators as an organising concept. We presented our position by first reviewing the literature, clarifying what transformation means, in the context of teaching and learning, and from where transformative learning theory emerged; principally from the early research by Jack Mezirow. We also made the point that approaches to teaching and learning, the teaching and learning environment, and the relationships teachers develop with students, all have an important role in encouraging transformation. We reported how transformation is realised in the context of the BA programme, there will be other, equally effective approaches we are sure. Nonetheless, if it is true that nurturing transformation must be an explicit goal of teaching and learning; then teachers ought to explore teaching and learning approaches that are likely to increase instances of transformation. It was important that examples of students' experiences of transformation were reported. Space only allowed us to report four transformation stories. This is regrettable as the findings of the research indicated that all the research participants, to varying degrees, experienced some significant shift in attributes such as confidence, independence and willingness to try new things, the confluence of which represented real shifts in self-identity (Illeris, 2014). How participants reported experiencing, conceptualising and participating in their social worlds has become more discriminating. It may well be that experiences of transformation becomes a way of defining excellence. We guess that these kinds of experiences are common across the HE in FE \"sector\".\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the experiences of students undertaking higher education in a further education setting in the UK. Since the 1960s, there has been a policy commitment in the UK to widen participation in education to social groups previously under-represented (Thompson, 2000; Burke, 2012). The consequence is a discourse in which it is argued that higher education has been \"dumbed down\" to include non-traditional students frequently ill-prepared for academic challenges (Haggis, 2006). This research explored an alternative discourse, proposing that education should be a catalyst for significant social, emotional and intellectual growth, culminating in a transformative experience (Mezirow, 1978a, 1991; Cranton, 2006).\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 12 non-traditional graduates from a full-time BA programme at a Scottish College of Further and Higher Education were interviewed to determine if graduates experienced significant social, emotional and intellectual growth as a result of participation; what teaching and learning settings make this possible; can it be proposed that graduates can be transformed by the experience of higher education in further education?\nFindings: The findings of the research indicate that the participants all experienced some significant shift in attributes such as confidence, independence and willingness to try new things. How they experience, conceptualise and participate in their social worlds has become more discriminating. The authors conclude by proposing that higher education in further education (HE in FE) can have the potential to provide transformative experiences for non-traditional students.\nResearch limitations/implications: The implications of this study lie as much in the nature of the transformative learning experience as in the structures in which education is provided. Additionally, it is proposed that transformative teaching and learning theory may be as significant now as it ever was in understanding the changes which learners experience in higher education study. Limitations of the study include the small number of interviewees who were interviewed more than once in some depth, and the particular setting of one further education college. As in all such research generalisation might be difficult.\nPractical implications: Practically, the research suggests that the authors can learn from how students like the ones featured in the transformation stories experience learning in HE in FE. Despite being seen as \"non-traditional\" students who return to education with weak learning histories and fragile learner identities, the research has shown that if a nurturing, student-centred approach is adopted by teaching staff, a significant shift in how students see themselves and their place in the world can be achieved. This has significant implications for teaching practice. The findings could be an inspiration and guiding principle for other HE in FE tutors and help them find commonalities in their own work.\nSocial implications: The authors argue that education should not be regarded only as an economic-driven activity insofar as most HE in FE programmes are vocational and are geared towards preparation for the workplace. The authors' key proposition is that education can be a life changing experience that might be considered a transformation. The social implication is that participating in HE in FE could be a catalyst for the development of confident and engaged citizens, ready to make a real contribution to the social world beyond and out-with only the workplace. Within a Freirean framework, this might be transformative education's most significant contribution to society.\nOriginality/value: Transformative learning theory research has mostly been undertaken in informal learning contexts and higher education institutions. There has also been research undertaken on diverse contexts not immediately related to education. In terms of empirical research, however, transformation learning theory in HE in FE is yet unexplored. Yet, it is an ideal learning site to promote transformation because of the relatively small, intimate milieu, typical of colleges. The originality lies in the paucity of other research focused on transformation in an FE context. The value lies in its showing that particular teaching approaches can transform students in this context.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Human-centered authentication guidelines
|
[
"Guidelines",
"Cybersecurity",
"Usable security",
"Interface design"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Over the past few years, cybersecurity has, unfortunately, taken center stage as cyber-attacks have become a common occurrence. On a regular basis, we learn of another cyber-attack harming individuals and businesses. For corporations, millions of dollars and reputations are at stake. For individuals, one can only guess at the far-reaching impacts of having personal information, such as fingerprints, stolen (NPR, 2015). These losses could be prevented or at least could be managed by improving our cybersecurity systems. One important security gateway for accessing services is the authentication process, which can be improved by taking a human-centered approach.\nHuman-centered authentication design guidelines: Design to be inclusive\nConclusion: The greatest weakness of many systems is the user (Verizon Data, 2013). According to one of the most infamous hackers, Kevin Mitnick:\n",
"role": "user"
},
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"content": "Purpose: Despite the widespread use of authentication schemes and the rapid emergence of novel authentication schemes, a general set of domain-specific guidelines has not yet been developed. This paper aims to present and explain a list of human-centered guidelines for developing usable authentication schemes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The guidelines stem from research findings within the fields of psychology, human-computer interaction and information/computer science.\nFindings: Instead of viewing users as the inevitable weak point in the authentication process, this study proposes that authentication interfaces be designed to take advantage of users' natural abilities. This approach requires that one understands how interactions with authentication interfaces can be improved and what human capabilities can be exploited. A list of six guidelines that designers ought to consider when developing a new usable authentication scheme has been presented.\nResearch limitations/implications: This consolidated list of usable authentication guidelines provides system developers with immediate access to common design issues impacting usability. These guidelines ought to assist designers in producing more secure products in fewer costly development cycles.\nOriginality/value: Cybersecurity research and development has mainly focused on technical solutions to increase security. However, the greatest weakness of many systems is the user. It is argued that authentication schemes with poor usability are inherently insecure, as users will inadvertently weaken the security in their efforts to use the system. The study proposes that designers need to consider the human factors that impact end-user behavior. Development from this perspective will address the greatest weakness in most security systems by increasing end-user compliance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Formulation of reduced sugar herbal ice cream using lemongrass or ginger extract
|
[
"Herbal",
"Ice cream",
"Reduced sugar",
"Xylitol",
"Lemongrass",
"Ginger"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Many studies have demonstrated that the diet containing plants could reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes type 2 (Willett et al., 2006). Plant food contains nutrients and phytochemicals that have been reported with health benefits such as treating diabetes obesity and hypertension (Kromhout et al., 1996). A concept of these age-related diseases might be due to high oxidative stress process with low antioxidant capacity in the biological system. Plants are a potential source of natural antioxidants and could be promoted to consume with the foods. Many herbs are commonly used in Thai foods and many are reported to have antioxidant properties (11). Ginger and lemongrass were the two types of herbal selected for the study (Ghasemzadeh et al., 2010, Olorunnisola et al., 2014).\nMaterials and method: The formula of milk-based ice cream of Kaothien (Kaothien, 2012) was developed and used as the control formula; consisting of sugar 12 percent, egg yolk 3 percent, vanilla flavor 0.51 percent, stabilizer 0.4 percent, milk powder 6.51 percent, skim milk powder 1 percent, hot water 9.01 percent, fresh milk 47.55 percent and whipping cream 20.02 percent.\nResults and discussion: Feasibility study of using the extract from lemongrass and ginger in ice cream\nConclusions: The present study was an origin of reduced sugar herbal ice cream creation. A reduced sugar herbal ice cream was developed with the use of 15 percent lemongrass or ginger extract and subsequent replacement of sugar with xylitol at 90 percent in the formulation. The physical properties were not significantly different between the control and developed formula. Even though the calorie and fat content were found to be significantly higher than the control formula, nevertheless the sugar content was significantly lower than the control formula. Enrichment of ice cream with liquid extract from lemongrass or ginger extract both imparted a more appealing color and showed a higher content of the total phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity as measured by the FRAP and DPPH methods. The formulations with the herbal ingredients showed good potential as a healthy frozen dessert and could add a unique characteristic to Thai ice cream. However, the consumer acceptability of the reduced sugar herbal ice cream could be further enhanced.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Ice cream is one of the popular sweet throughout the world. However, it contains high fat and sugar but lacks natural antioxidants. Several herbs in Thailand which are traditionally used as food ingredients show high antioxidant properties such as ginger and lemongrass. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop reduced sugar herbal ice cream using lemongrass and ginger extract.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Two ice cream formulas were prepared by using the lemongrass or ginger extract at the levels of 10, 15 and 20 percent (w/w), respectively. Moreover, xylitol was added as a substituted sugar at 80, 90 and 100 percent (w/w). Sensory evaluation was conducted by nine-point hedonic scale. Moreover, the physical, chemical and microbiological properties of the final ice cream product were determined by comparing with the control formula.\nFindings: Based on the sensory evaluation, the two herbal ice cream formulas (15 percent lemongrass or ginger extract) with 90 percent xylitol replacement have the highest overall acceptability score of 7.28 and 7.44 (like moderately), respectively. The viscosity, overrun value and hardness of the reduced sugar herbal ice cream were not significantly different as compared to control formula (p=0.05). The chemical composition analysis showed that the total sugar of the product decreased by 65 percent. Moreover, antioxidant activities of herbal ice creams were higher than the control formula. The number of total bacteria of reduced sugar herbal ice cream was less than 10 CFU/mL.\nOriginality/value: The reduced sugar consumption is useful for lowering the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially diabetes mellitus. This paper presented the reduced sugar herbal ice cream formulas with high antioxidant activity. Therefore, these data could be the prototype in order to develop herbal and healthy ice cream product.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Semantic web, ubiquitous computing, or internet of things? A macro-analysis of scholarly publications
|
[
"Internet",
"Information science",
"World Wide Web",
"Information society",
"Digital communications",
"Information strategy"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Certainly, the future is information technology rich, but how do we conceptualize our visions of tomorrow? In this paper, we identify a body of concepts that are commonly used in depicting visions of future information infrastructures and provide an overview of the scholarly publications that relate to these concepts. This can be seen as a support for social scientists engaging with such scenarios that are typically promoted by technologists, remote from social and societal reflections.\nStudy approach: This study is informed by the established traditions of bibliometrics within the field of library and information science. We intend to bring clarity to, and gain a better understanding of, a suit of different concepts that address seemingly related concerns. We propose to achieve this by studying the scholarly publications within which these concepts are discussed. A central assumption within bibliometrics is that citations in scholarly publications can shed light on the process of scientific development and structure of science (Garfield, 1979). Accordingly, aggregated citation data at document level is typically used in bibliographic coupling and co-citation analysis (Kessler, 1963; Small, 1973) in order to identify research fronts (Small and Griffith, 1974). Co-citation at author level has been used in mapping of intellectual structures (McCain, 1986; White and Griffith, 1981). The intellectual structure could also be analysed at higher levels of aggregation such as journal and other sources for the publications (McCain, 1991a b). Even higher levels of aggregation such as organization or country of affiliation could be used.\nFlora of related terms: By an extensive review of the literature and snowballing technique, we have identified 14 different terms used in depictions of technology rich future visions. However, as the numbers of scholarly publications on three of these terms were too small we place the focus of the presentation on the remaining 11 terms:\nA macro-analysis of scholarly publications: The study started with reviews of a large body of documents comprising of scholarly publications, professional journals, blogs, news articles, official reports, and more. Based on these and in discussions with colleagues a snowballing process was initiated and 14 relevant concepts were identified.\nExtent of use of different terms: To get a sense of the extent of use of the different terms, Table I represents the search strings and the number of retrieved items related to each of the terms.\nCo-concept analysis: Following the indications of the previous section, we proceeded to further investigate potential separations between publications on different topics. One way of examining the topics discussed is to go by the keywords that authors ascribe to their work. In our data set, we identified 581 author-assigned keywords that each occurred more than ten times. We conducted a co-occurrence analysis in Sci2 (Sci2 Team, 2009) and visualised the results in Gephi, using the Force Atlas algorithm (Bastian et al., 2009) based on these (Figure 2).\nDocument types: To learn more about publication trends, we examined the document types as indicated in WoS. We found proceedings papers to be dominant. This could relate to the speed of technological progress and that the time lapse involved in production of journal articles may be undesirable. As shown in Table III, each of the document types from \"Review\" onwards stands for less than 1 per cent.\nDiversity in the choices of publications: To get a better sense of the publications in which the discussions are taking place, document sources were examined. As shown in Table IV, the dominance of Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) is very marked as it totals in 3,542 documents. Together with the next two sources they collectively form about 22 per cent of the total number of papers. While this is quite remarkable, it should be noted that each of these could be labelled meta-publications that primarily publish conference proceedings from a wide variety of different conferences. Accordingly, we found a wide dispersal in forums of discussions, as in total there were 6,111 different sources. Of those 6,108 sources each host less than 1 per cent of the total publications. At the end of the list we find over 3,000 sources each hosting 0.005 per cent of the publications, hence forming a very long tail.\nDispersion of concept use in different research areas: The research areas associated with the documents in our data set were examined and a total of 120 different research areas were identified (noting that 44 items did not include data related to this). Of these, 105 research areas were each associated with less than 1 per cent of the publications. Table VI lists those research areas that were associated with 100 or more documents.\nDispersion of concept use in different geographic boundaries: In reviewing some key documents at the initial stages of our study, we noticed a potential variation in the use of the terms based on geographic locations. Accordingly, an early question became whether the level of use of different terms varies in relation to geographical regions. This was put to test by looking at the spread of the use of terms over national and geographical boundaries. As shown in what follows, the results supported our conjecture.\nTemporal development of scholarly publications on each term: In Table X, we include the year of the earliest publications on each of these terms as they appear in our data set. The entries in Table X are re-organized in order of first year of publications.\nDiscussion: In this paper, we have identified and provided an outline of eleven different concepts, which are commonly used in depictions of future visions as afforded by technology. We have determined the extent of use of these concepts and have identified that the pattern of their use varies based on disciplinary and geographical boundaries as well as over time.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate concepts that are used in depicting future visions of society, as afforded by technology, to map the extent of their use, examine the level of their dominance in different research areas and geographic boundaries, identify potential overlaps, analyse their longitudinal growth, and examine whether any of the identified concepts has assumed an overarching position.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 14 concepts, each of which is used to depict visions of future information infrastructures, were identified. More than 20,000 scholarly documents related to 11 of these concepts (those with 20 or more documents) are analysed by various qualitative/quantitative methods.\nFindings: The concepts most referred to are semantic web and ubiquitous computing (all years), and internet of things (Year 2013). Publications on some newer concepts (e.g. digital living, real world internet) are minimal. There are variations in the extent of use and preferred concepts based on geographic and disciplinary boundaries. The overlap in the use of these terms is minimal and none of these terms has assumed an overarching umbrella position.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study is limited to scholarly publications; it would be relevant to also study the pattern of usage in governmental communications and policy documents.\nSocial implications: By mapping multiplicity of concepts and the dispersion of discussions, the authors highlight the need for, and facilitate, a broader discussion of related social and societal implications.\nOriginality/value: This paper is the first to present a collective of these related concepts and map the pattern of their occurrence and growth.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Impact of organisational change for leaders in mental health
|
[
"Mental health",
"Leadership",
"Governance",
"Service quality",
"Change management",
"Health services"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Organisational change and restructuring in healthcare occur for many reasons: ideological (Kirkpatrick et al., 2017); the need for enhanced service user empowerment (Anders and Cassidy, 2014); efforts to move away from a top down approach (Parlalis, 2011) and cultural change (Montgomery et al., 2011) among others. Evidently, while such change is often viewed positively, there can be negative consequences for stakeholders throughout the organisation. This may include executive managers exclusively focussed on operational matters to the detriment of strategic attention (Boyal and Hewison, 2016), a perceived lack of support amongst front line managers (Kumah et al., 2016), medical staff sickness absence (Gronstad, 2017) and in some cases, patients themselves through lack of access secondary to organisational restructuring (Sakellariou and Rotarou, 2017). McAuliffe (2014, p. 310) in reviewing clinical governance progress among other changes in Irish healthcare suggests the need to ask, \"what worked and why?\". This qualitative study explores the implementation challenges in healthcare from the perspective of executive leaders and managers in a healthcare system that has experienced considerable upheaval and change in a relatively short period of time. The following question is posed - how have executives and executive leaders experienced and influenced the evolution of organisational change and restructuring in healthcare and what implications has this change had on the quality and safety of service delivery?\nMethods: Design\nFindings: Three major themes emerged from the data as follows: organisational characteristics, leadership and accountability; sustaining collaboration and engagement with stakeholders; challenges to and facilitators of quality and safety. Participants clearly articulated their experience of change and transformation as executive leaders and executives working within the health service. They also discussed enablers and inhibitors to change from their perspective. However, participants focussed primarily on the challenges experienced and therefore, these are explored in greatest detail in the results section.\nDiscussion: This study examined how executive leaders experienced the history of rapid and significant organisational changes and restructuring in mental healthcare settings and the implications this change had on staff and on the quality and safety of service delivery. Several issues emerged concerning recruitment processes, change management, change fatigue, and anxieties about organisational restructuring within large health services, which were perceived as multi-layered.\nLimitations: The limitations of this study may include the possible lack of transferability to other settings, although the study involves interviewing area and executive management team members across three national and two independent service provider organisations. Another limitation, typical with research of this nature and reflecting the experience of Wallace et al. (2004, p. 28) is the elicitation of \"single respondents' views on complex issues of organisational performance\". In summary, while new and significant information is added by this study, there may be limited generalisability to other health settings and in particular jurisdictions outside Ireland.\nConclusion: That recruitment and retention of staff within mental health services remains a challenge. This is particularly complicated by national recruitment systems currently in place which are not always responsive to local need. The fact that mergers can impact on people's sense of identity and connection to an organisation has received scant attention. This study reveals that change fatigue is a real phenomenon amongst executive leaders who have experienced rapid and significant systems change over a relatively brief period. Furthermore, the lack of a joined-up information communication technology structure at the frontline level has greatly impeded opportunities for accurate recording of clinical effectiveness within services to include basic key performance, quality and safety indicators and robust clinical audit. Despite the considerable merits of the HSE, it can be multi-layered and may create barriers to innovation within individual mental health services due to an overly complicated system of external decision-making structures when compared to the independent service provider or private sector. Role clarity within executive teams and clear lines of accountability remain essential to good governance. There is also a need for training in corporate governance for those executive leaders emanating from clinical backgrounds and an enhanced understanding of the important role implementation science, change management and subsequent evaluation play in structural re-organisation.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organisational and structural change on the evolution of quality and safety in health organisations, specifically in mental health services.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. In total, 25 executive management team members in both public and private mental health services were interviewed and data were analysed using Burnard's framework.\nFindings: Three overarching themes emerged: organisational characteristics, leadership and accountability; sustaining collaboration and engagement with stakeholders; and challenges to and facilitators of quality and safety. Taken together, the findings speak to the disruptive and disorienting impact of on-going organisational change and restructuring on leaders' ability to focus on, and advance, the quality and safety agenda.\nResearch limitations/implications: Typical with qualitative research of this nature, the potentially limited generalisability of the findings must be acknowledged.\nPractical implications: There is a need for strategies to implement change that are informed by evidence and theory and informed by decades of research on this topic, rather than introduced ad hoc. Change agents must pair effective change management and implementation science strategies to specific contexts, depending on what is being implemented and ensure appropriate evaluation of organisational change to bolster the evidence base around quality and safety and inform future decision-making.\nOriginality/value: The study explores an identified gap in the literature on the impact of on-going organisational re-structuring and transformation on the evolution of quality and safety in mental health services.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Social value and online social shopping intention: the moderating role of experience
|
[
"Empirical study",
"Community",
"Online shopping",
"Social capital theory"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social shopping, as an extension of traditional e-commerce (Zhang and Benyoucef, 2016), has become an industry that enjoys high user growth rates and receives considerable venture capital (Olbrich and Holsing, 2011). The potential value that social shopping brings to marketing has aroused great interest among researchers in recent years (Shen, 2012; Hsiao et al., 2010). Nevertheless, compared to the enthusiasm from academia and capital markets toward this business mode, social shopping websites (SSW) are not running smoothly in China. Both Mogujie.com and Melishuo.com, as the most popular Chinese SSWs, are struggling through painful structural adjustments and experiencing a hard time in reaping expected profits from investment in creating a social environment embedded within online shopping. This leads to a call for a better understanding of how the social components of online shopping can gain a foothold.\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1 Consumer value perception in a social shopping context\n3. Research model and hypotheses: 3.1 The relationship among social value, utilitarian value, and hedonic value\n4. Research methodology: This study adopted the survey method to test our hypotheses because it is a well-adapted approach to reveal the personal and social beliefs and attitudes, and it could help generalize research findings (Fang et al., 2014).\n5. Results: 5.1 Measurement model\n6. Discussion: 6.1 Findings\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how the shoppers' social value perception affects their purchase intention in online shopping context through its distinct role and relationships with other value dimensions. The moderating effect of the characteristics of other members on the relationship among value dimensions and the difference of value perception between experienced and inexperienced members were also tested to identify the boundary conditions of the proposed model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The survey included 272 consumers from a well-known social shopping website in China to test the hypotheses.\nFindings: The results indicate that hedonic and utilitarian value fully mediate the relationship between social value and purchase intention. Perceived expertise positively moderates the relationship between social value and the other two values. In particular, the results found that while inexperienced members can acquire both higher utilitarian and hedonic value from social value and their purchase intention relies more on the hedonic value, experienced members place greater emphasis on the utilitarian value.\nPractical implications: The results may help vendors regain confidence in the social shopping business mode and offer specific policy implications on how to leverage shoppers' social value perception to generate their purchase intention in a social shopping context.\nOriginality/value: This study focuses on the legitimacy of the independent role of social value and sheds light on the relationships among social value and other value dimensions based on social capital theory, which was under-explored by previous studies. Besides, this study clarifies the moderating role of experience, which highlights the previously unnoticed changing role of consumers' value perception.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Self-control today, indulgence tomorrow? How judgment bias and temporal distance influence self-control decisions
|
[
"Self-control",
"Construal level",
"Temporal distance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: East Rutherford, NJ, 2014: \"The Seattle Seahawks have won their first Super Bowl title, crushing the favored Denver Broncos 43-8\" (NFL.com, 2014).\nJudgment bias, temporal distance and self-control decisions: Extensive research on decision-making has studied the role of optimistic and pessimistic judgment biases on consumption (Mueller, 1957; Tobin, 1959; Katona, 1979). The optimistic (vs pessimistic) judgment bias is a trait that expresses the tendency of individuals to think that they are less likely than others to experience negative events and are more likely to experience positive events (Helweg-Larsen and Shepperd, 2001). Marketing studies have analyzed the effects of optimistic and pessimistic biases on consumer intentions and attitudes (Nguyen and Claus, 2013), spending and saving behavior (Katona, 1979), consumer satisfaction (Westbrook, 1980), in predicting future behavior (Yang and Urminsky, 2015).\nThe mediation process of perceived control on judgment bias: Individuals' decisions have generated numerous explanations from the judgment bias perspective. Judgment bias serves to protect and strengthen the self, producing thoughts that increase self-esteem and reduce perceived risk (Taylor and Armor, 1996). The judgments of optimism and pessimism tend to be enhanced when individuals make comparisons (Menon et al., 2009). One factor that influences biases in judgment is perceived control (Klein and Helweg-Larsen, 2002). The perception of control can then directly modify biases in comparative judgments. Situations with a greater perceived control lead to optimistic judgments (Kruger, 1999), whereas lower perceived control situations lead to pessimistic judgments (Menon et al., 2009).\nOverview of studies: Three studies (one laboratory and two online experiments) analyze how judgment bias and temporal distance influence self-control decisions on consumers' willingness to pay. Judgment bias was made salient by scenarios (Study 1), chronically assessed in terms of participants' orientation (Study 2) or measured using real performance of soccer teams during a national championship (Study 3). Study 1 analyzes the effect of optimistic (vs pessimistic) bias on participants' willingness to spend for sporting goods. Study 2 examines the mediation process of perceived control in which participants' judgment bias orientation influence self-control decisions in the present and in the future. Study 3 shows that participants' judgment bias towards soccer teams in a real competition situation also influences self-control decisions.\nStudy 1: the effects of optimistic scenarios on the purchase of sport goods: Study 1 aims to examine how judgment bias (pessimism vs optimism) and temporal distance may influence access to self-control information and thereby influence the purchasing of sporting goods. In Study 1, we aim to demonstrate that judgments made under bias may change the impact of self-control on the purchase of sporting goods from their team. Study 1 includes information regarding how optimistic scenario (e.g. hiring a talented player) versus pessimistic scenario (e.g. hiring a poor player) influence self-control decisions, asking respondents to choose whether to buy sporting goods in the present and future. We predicted that when exposed to the optimistic scenario, the priming information of self-control will be inhibited. However, when exposed to the pessimistic scenario, the self-control priming information should be maintained or gain potential.\nStudy 2: the effects of chronic optimism mediated by perceived control: Study 2 aims to demonstrate that judgment bias (pessimism versus optimism bias) may influence access to self-control information and thereby influence the total amount of sports goods purchase according to temporal distance. Study 2 extends the previous study in three ways. First, Study 2 measures participants' chronic optimism (using LOT-R Scale - Scheier et al., 1994), reducing limitation of the judgment bias scenarios used in study 1. Second, this study activates positive feelings under the self-control and neutral conditions, asking respondents to choose whether to buy sporting goods in the present and future (between subjects design). Third, in Study 2, we try to demonstrate that judgments made under chronic optimism (vs pessimism) may change the impact of perceived control on the purchase of sports goods (mediation process). We predict that when participants have chronic optimism, will results in greater perceived control in the future (vs present). However, when participants have chronic pessimism, the self-control priming information should not influence participants' perceived control. In this study, the dependent variable was the total amount of cost of the products participants chose to buy. We have asked basketball supporters to simulate a shopping trip at the NBA Store website. We have also controlled for participants' involvement in basketball, and average spending for sport-related merchandise during the NBA season.\nStudy 3: the effects of team optimism in a real soccer season: Study 3 provides further evidence for our hypotheses, using a different form of judgment bias that could influence access to self-control information. This study extends the previous studies in two ways. First, we have measured participants' optimism and pessimism towards their team (adapted from LOT-R Scale - Scheier et al., 1994). The optimistic or pessimistic bias was determined by whether the soccer team had a prosperous or a bad season. We have used real data from Brazilian Soccer League A (see the method for details). Thus, the study can verify that the purchase intention was based on an optimistic or a pessimistic bias that is based on real team performance, during a national championship. Second, Study 3 was also used to increase the external validity of the results, using an online sample from a major national sports website (ESPN - Entertainment and Sports Programming Network). ESPN is the leading provider of multi-platform sports content in the Brazilian media.\nGeneral discussion: This article investigated how optimistic and pessimistic bias and temporal distance can influence consumers' willingness to spend. Three studies conducted in the context of sports goods uncover an important boundary condition of temporal distance on self-control decisions. Conversely to previous research, the results show that optimistic (vs pessimistic) bias can lead to more indulgent choices in the present and to greater self-control in the future. The findings also reveal that perceived control mediates the effects of judgment bias and temporal distance. When participants have chronic optimism (vs pessimism), it will result in greater perceived control in the future (vs present), which in turn will influence self-control decisions.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how judgment bias (optimism vs pessimism) and temporal distance influence self-control decisions. This research also analyzes the mediating role of perceived control on judgment bias and temporal distance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Three studies (one laboratory and two online experiments) analyze how judgment bias and temporal distance influence self-control decisions on consumers' willingness to pay.\nFindings: The findings uncover an important boundary condition of temporal distance on self-control decisions. In contrast to previous research, the findings indicate that individuals exposed to optimism (vs pessimism) bias display more self-control in the future and make choices that are more indulgent in the present. The findings also reveal that perceived control mediates the effects of judgment bias and temporal distance.\nPractical implications: The findings help managers to adapt short- and long-term marketing efforts, based on consumers' momentary judgment biases and on their chronic judgment bias orientation.\nOriginality/value: This research contributes to the literature on self-control and temporal distance, showing that judgment bias reverses previous research findings on self-control decisions.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Performance metrics analysis for aircraft maintenance process control
|
[
"Performance",
"Aviation",
"Metrics",
"Maintenance",
"Scorecard"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction and project motivation: To ensure the timely delivery of aircraft back to the US government, it is essential for Lockheed Martin to have the ability to react quickly to work stoppages or anticipate when such work stoppages would occur. This involves accurate inventory management, good supply chain management, well-defined customer/supplier partnerships, and well-defined product/work flow and methods by which Lockheed Martin can determine an aircraft's progression through the MRO process. In order to know if the company is reaching its organizational goals, performance metrics are used to trend and track performance at Lockheed Martin's Greenville, South Carolina site.\n2. Literature review: A thorough literature review was conducted as a precursor to the research in managing maintenance metrics and performance at Lockheed Martin shown in this case study. Our literature review includes research on the balanced scorecard (BSC) as well as research on \"SMART\" metrics (see, e.g. Kaplan and Norton, 1992, 1996; Department of Energy (DOE), 2002). In addition, research regarding managing maintenance performance was also considered.\n3. Case study and methodology: 3.1 Introduction to case study\n4. Results and recommendations at Lockheed Martin: The results of the scorecards in the quality department can be seen below (Table II). Simple descriptive statistics were used to provide the mean response of the surveys for each metric that was studied. In general, Document Rejects and Toolbag Audits scored the lowest. This result is consistent with the interviews, as the interviewees provided similar suggestions and conclusions. In addition, all of the metrics were consistently scored low in the cost, timeliness, and validity categories. This reinforces the fact that Lockheed Martin's processes are paper driven (which drives up the cost to reward ratio), and are slower to respond than recommended (timeliness). We provided recommendations for each metric separately based on the survey results and interviews conducted during the duration of the project.\n5. Conclusions and future work: In conclusion, the scorecard survey was successful in revealing potential problems with the metrics in the quality department. From the effort of both the research team and Lockheed Martin's group, many changes occurred for the better. The Document Rejects metric has been reworked and is no longer within the executive's metric deck. Related to root cause analysis, there are now four employees in charge of root cause analysis and statistics within the quality department.\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: Performance measurements or metrics are that which measure a company's performance and behavior, and are used to help an organization achieve and maintain success. Without the use of performance metrics, it is difficult to know whether or not the firm is meeting requirements or making desired improvements. During the course of this study with Lockheed Martin, the research team was tasked with determining the effectiveness of the site's existing performance metrics that are used to help an organization achieve and maintain success. Without the use of performance metrics, it is difficult to know whether or not the firm is meeting requirements or making desired improvements. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Research indicates that there are five key elements that influence the success of a performance metric. A standardized method of determining whether or not a metric has the right mix of these elements was created in the form of a metrics scorecard.\nFindings: The scorecard survey was successful in revealing good metric use, as well as problematic metrics. In the quality department, the Document Rejects metric has been reworked and is no longer within the executive's metric deck. It was also recommended to add root cause analysis, and to quantify and track the cost of non-conformance and the overall cost of quality. In total, the number of site wide metrics has decreased from 75 to 50 metrics. The 50 remaining metrics are undergoing a continuous improvement process in conjunction with the use of the metric scorecard tool developed in this research.\nResearch limitations/implications: The metrics scorecard should be used site-wide for an assessment of all metrics. The focus of this paper is on the metrics within the quality department.\nPractical implications: Putting a quick and efficient metrics assessment technique in place was critical. With the leadership and participation of Lockheed Martin, this goal was accomplished.\nOriginality/value: This paper presents the process of metrics evaluation and the issues that were encountered during the process, including insights that would not have been easily documented without this mechanism. Lockheed Martin Company has used results from this research. Other industries could also apply the methods proposed here.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Employers' experience in managing high potential employees in Malaysia
|
[
"Malaysia",
"Competence",
"Development programme",
"High potential employees",
"Identification of potential"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: High potential employees are the organization's top performers in their current jobs and have the potential to move up to higher positions and more challenging responsibilities. The Conference Board's 2010 study on Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) indicated three major challenges: business growth, talent and innovation and thus, the war for talent is on (Barrington, 2010). Research conducted in 2009 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) indicated that innovation is the single most important predictor of future growth (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2009). Innovation is all about producing something new that requires \"out of the box\" mindset among the human resources. Organizations depend on human capital to anticipate and steer changes. This is where the value of human capital outweigh the other types of capital for growth. Most organizations are keener to use promotion from within through succession planning that provides the in-house talented people the opportunity to climb up the management ladder (Wilkins et al., 2012; Lueneburger, 2012). This approach is used to ensure the potential managers and leaders have values and capability that are congruent with the organizations' direction.\nMethodology: In order to get better picture of how organizations in Malaysia identify, develop and manage high potential employees, the study chose respondents who were in the positions of company CEOs, HR managers and line managers from various industries. These were the people that were in the right positions to give their views on high potential employee management programs. The initial sampling method was to get about equal number of respondents from different industries. Due to limited statistics indicating the number of firms in every industry, the researchers allotted 100 survey forms for each industry. Convenient sampling was used and the potential respondents in the identified organizations were contacted personally. Upon getting their consents to participate in the survey, survey forms were sent out using regular mails and e-mails. At this stage, the number of those who gave their consents to participate was getting smaller. The case was as such because many potential respondents were reluctant to participate despite being assured that the data were going to be analyzed and reported in aggregate format and the identity of the organizations would never be revealed. Finally, a total of 260 forms were collected back but 23 forms were poorly answered. As a result, only 237 forms were useful for further analyses.\nResults: In all, 237 establishments which participated in the study were from diverse industries such as automotive, education, plantation, banking, financial services and insurance. In all, 16 percent were from banking, financial services and insurance and 11.8 percent were from public services and statutory bodies. The other industries that participated were like education, hotel and restaurant, retail and wholesale, automotive, consumer products and shipping. Out of 237 respondents, 78 percent were local establishments. Over one-third (37.6 percent) of respondents were from large establishments with more than 500 employees. In total, 21.9 percent in medium size establishments (101 to 500 employees) and the majority respondents (40.5 percent) were in small establishments. Table I showed the detail characteristics of the respondents.\nDiscussion of findings: The findings indicated that employers put highest emphasis on employees who were customer service oriented and able to create high performing teams. As indicated in a survey done by ERC (2009), high potential employees are described by organizations as apart from being ambitious, interested in advancement and participating at a higher level within the organization, they are most importantly, customer-focussed. Given dynamic business environment that is always driven by high expectations from customers, companies need employees who are able to anticipate changes and be proactive in dealing with changing customers' expectations.\nImplications of the study on practitioners: The present study indicated that customer service orientation and ability to create high performing teams are the most sought after characteristics in high potential employees. However, it is also found that the most common method used to identify high potential employees is performance appraisal by immediate superiors. Immediate superiors are not the best raters in determining an employee's interpersonal skills in dealing with customers and the team members. The right people to rate the person's potential and skill is the customers and the peers. It is ironic because the study reported that the use of customer and peer appraisal are quite uncommon. This gives a signal to human resource practitioners that there must be a match between what is measured and who gets to measure.\nRecommendations for future research: Despite the useful findings that are enlightening resulted from the study, it suffers from two major limitations. The results have to be taken and discussed with caution because it cannot be generalized and might be bias. The present study is participated by employers from diverse industries that might have different emphasis of competencies and expectations on the employees. Statistical tests to measure differences in terms of competencies, approaches in identifying and developing potentials across industries were conducted but resulted in insignificant findings. This could be due to the unequal number of respondents representing each industry. Furthermore, the number of industries studied is too high (about 16 types of industries) and this might be a factor resulting in the insignificant results. Therefore, for future research, it is highly recommended to focus on certain industries and collect sufficient number of respondents for each category.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine key competencies used by organizations in identifying high potential employees. It also seeks to examine practices and programs to manage such employees and finally to identify problems encountered in the development programs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The respondents of the study were HR practitioners. Convenient sampling was used and the respondents answered survey forms that were sent out using regular mails and e-mails. As a result, 237 forms were generated and used for analyses. In order to test construct validity, factor analyses were performed and mean values of each variable were also used for interpretations.\nFindings: Employers put highest emphasis on employees who were customer service oriented. Three major competences were identified - results-oriented character, interpersonal competence and technical competence/flexibility. The most common method to identify potential was performance appraisal by immediate superiors. The most common method to develop high potential employees was job enlargement and the most common problem in the development programs was in dealing with those who had personal and work-life balance.\nPractical implications: Performance appraisal done by immediate supervisor may not be the best method to gauge future performance and should be coupled with performance review or discussion with the superiors. Job experience is still effective in developing potential. Specific policies that help employees to balance personal and work life are important in development programs.\nOriginality/value: The responses from the HR practitioners shed some lights on what major competences are important in identifying potential that can be used in talent management.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Evaluating complementary synergies in integrated crop-livestock systems in Ghana
|
[
"Ghana",
"Complementary synergies",
"Economies of diversification",
"Integrated crop-livestock farming",
"D24",
"Q12"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Integrated crop-livestock systems include the production of various crops and livestock types in a mixed farming system (FAO, 2010). There are a number of ways through which prospects exist for exploiting complementarities from diversification in crop-livestock farming systems in Ghana and this is quite diverse depending on the production and the marketing environment. For instance, the nature of the agroecological zones presents varying opportunities for synergies in crop-livestock integration. There are six agroecological zones in the country - tropical rainforest, semi-deciduous forest, forest-savannah transition, coastal savannah, Guinea savannah and Sudan/Sahel savannah. Although crop-livestock production is possible in these zones, production is more viable in the transition and the savannah zones, because the distribution of rainfall and humidity supports efficient production of both crops and livestock.\n2. Data and methods of analysis: 2.1 Data and sampling\n3. Empirical results and discussion: 3.1 Characteristics of sample households\n4. Conclusions and policy recommendations: In this paper, a stochastic input distance function is used to examine the technical efficiency, complementary synergies and diversification economies in crop-livestock systems at the farm level among smallholders in the forest-savannah agroecological zone of Ghana. The results reveal that technical inefficiencies are significant in crop-livestock systems and they suggest that enhancing crop-livestock diversification leads to improvements in technical efficiency. In addition, significant technical inefficiencies are apparent in crop-livestock systems, hence, opportunities may exist to expand crop-livestock outputs without using additional inputs or improved production technologies. Remarkably, among the key variables found to significantly influence technical inefficiency is the extent of diversification in output combinations, hence signifying that specialisation leads to greater technical inefficiency. This implies diversification tends to enhance the technical efficiency of integrated crop-livestock farming systems and, hence, should to be encouraged by governments, policymakers and development agencies among smallholders in Ghana. Moreover, other factors, such as extension contacts and share of off-farm income, were also found to improve technical efficiency in crop-livestock systems.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of crop-livestock diversification among smallholders in the forest-savannah agroecological zone of Ghana.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study uses a stochastic input distance function to investigate the evidence of economies of diversification and its effect on determining diversification decisions of smallholders in Ghana. Furthermore, this study also explores evidence of scale economies in integrated crop-livestock systems among smallholder farmers.\nFindings: The empirical results show that economies of diversification are significant in determining diversification decisions of smallholders. The economies of scale are evident in integrated crop-livestock systems in Ghana, suggesting that opportunities exist to expand crop-livestock outputs without employing additional inputs or improved production technologies. Crop-livestock diversification is a desirable strategy for improving overall farm productivity among smallholders in Ghana. Economies of diversification were found to be significant among the output combinations, maize with other crops and other crops with livestock, in integrated crop-livestock production systems.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study is based on a cross-sectional data set. Hence, the findings may be subject to some limitations; however, the authors have sought to minimise such limitations.\nPractical implications: The results imply that crop-livestock diversification is a desirable strategy for improving overall farm productivity. Therefore, the findings are useful for policymakers to design appropriate strategies for enhancing the production of specific output combinations in crop-livestock diversification systems among smallholders in Ghana. Specifically, such policies should promote the production and integration of crops such as legumes with other crops, and livestock with other crops in diversified farming systems to enhance overall farm productivity. This will reduce food insecurity and poverty among rural farm households and the entire rural population.\nOriginality/value: These results indicate that to improve crop-livestock productivity through diversification, and reduce the effect of climate variability, it is imperative to provide the enabling environment that will facilitate and encourage production of these output combinations among smallholders in Ghana. The empirical results enhance the literature by providing empirical evidence of the complementary synergies and economies of diversification in integrated farming systems and, hence, make recommendations for improving these farming systems.\nPeer review: The peer review history for this paper is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-04-2019-0274.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Extending technology for market disruption: a case study
|
[
"Disruption",
"Innovation",
"Marketing strategy",
"Competitive",
"Brand extensions",
"Product innovation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: During an off-site strategy retreat, senior management of KVH engaged in discussions around the popular business strategy book The Innovators Solution. The company considered the introduction of a smaller, lower priced product to their current TracVision M3 product. In doing so, management sought to \"disrupt\" the market and attract customers who would not purchase the higher-end products of KVH or its competitors. It would also seek to \"capture\" the low-end customers of competitors. Research was conducted which suggested a marketing plan that was not followed initially. A subsequent adjustment to the plan led to product success and forced a main competitor to defend market share.\nBackground: Each year KVH Industries\nCompany overview: KVH Industries is a publicly traded company started in 1982 in Rhode Island. The company is headquartered in Middletown, Rhode Island and has manufacturing facilities in Illinois, and sales offices in Denmark, Norway and Singapore. All facilities are ISO 9001 certified. The company makes products that provide global high speed Internet, television and voice services via satellite to mobile users at sea, on land, and in the air. The company also manufactures high performance sensors and integrated inertial systems for defense and commercial guidance and stabilization applications. Its mobile satellite communications products include antennas for yachts and commercial ships, mobile DIRECTV antennas for automobiles, and mobile satellite telephones. KVH sells its satellite products to retailers and distributors, as well as boat and other vehicle manufacturers. Guidance and stabilization products include digital compasses, fiber optic gyros for tactical navigation and platform stabilization, and guidance systems for torpedoes and unmanned aerial vehicles. It sells its guidance and stabilization products to US and allied governments and defense contractors. Mobile communications products accounts for approximately 56 percent of KVH\nResearch and development: KVH believes that continued investments in research and development are critical to future growth and to ensure a competitive position in the marketplace. R\nMobile satellite communication products: KVH\nCompetition: In this market, KVH competes primarily with NaviSystem Marine Electronics Systems Srl located in Massarosa (Montramito) Italy, King Controls, Cobham Sea Tel, Inc., Intellian, and Raymarine. Foreign competition for the mobile satellite communications products has continued to intensify, most notably from companies based in South Korea that seek to compete primarily on price. All competitors offer satellite systems for large boats, with prices ranging from $2,600 to $13,000. The difference in pricing reflects the diameter of the dome, and range of satellite service. Larger domes are able to receive weaker satellite signals and therefore provide a greater range of reception. These larger domes also have the ability to track and receive signals from different frequency bands (i.e. Ka-band and Ku-band), and even track more than one satellite in different orbital locations simultaneously.\nTracVision line: KVH offers a range of mobile satellite TV and communications products for the marine market. The marine TracVision M-series satellite TV antennas are designed for recreational and commercial vessels. The TracVision family of products range in size from a low-profile 14.5 inch elliptical parabolic system in the newly developed M3, to a 32 inch diameter TracVision M9, retailing for approximately $13,000. The line also includes an 18 inch TracVision M5 which retails for approximately $5,000 and a 24 inch TracVision M7, retailing for approximately $7,500. All products in the TracVision line use a high-efficiency circular antenna and are compatible with Ku-band HDTV programming as well as high-powered regional satellite TV services around the globe.\nM3 development: KVH has been marketing satellite TV systems to yacht owners in North America and Europe for ten years. The primary market focus was vessels larger than 40 feet, which represented approximately 200,000 yachts worldwide. The market had been growing at an annual unit rate of about 15 percent. KVH estimated their market share to be approximately 75 percent but management was becoming concerned that this market was becoming saturated. The goal of developing and introducing the M3 was to target the boat-owner market with vessels smaller than 40 feet.\nThe plan: As a result of strategic discussions, Mr. Dodez decided to conduct a study to determine the potential for the TracVision(r) M3 system for boats 25 to 40 feet. Specifically, management\nResearch implications: Research findings suggested to KVH management that consumers in the targeted 25 foot to 40 foot boat range had little awareness and knowledge of the KVH product line. To be successful, they would have to develop a quality product with good range of reception and reliability, be small, aesthetically appealing, and available in a selection of colors. The product should be priced at retail under $1,000. Affordability is the primary driver and product interest is related to amount of time spent on the boat. Price bundling to include installation and some level of service such as a 1 year DirecTV(r) contract should be considered. The product should be targeted to boaters who spend more time on their boats, especially those that spend much time at their dock or at anchor.\nProduct launch: By early summer 2008, KVH had developed the TracVision M1 satellite TV system. It was decided to introduce the product under the TracVision brand. This was the smallest and lightest domed satellite TV antenna available for maritime use. This product included an integrated DIRECTV DC receiver (most other products in the market required the customer to go out and buy their own receivers), and was positioned to sell for $2,495 MSRP. Normal markup in traditional marine channels for this type of product was 25 percent. KVH\nUpdate: KVH had hoped the TVM1 would sell in the neighborhood of 5,000 units a year, but this was based on a sub-$1K retail price, disruptive distribution, and a stronger economy. Actual sales for 2009 and 2010 were less than 25 percent of this goal. Considering the economic recession and that sales of other TracVision products declined during the same time period, results are disappointing but not unexpected. In 2011, the retail price was decreased to $1,995 (down from last year\n",
"role": "user"
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{
"content": "Purpose: In an environment that is hyper-dynamic and faced with economic turmoil, it is crucial that organizations identify innovative competitive strategy. Using principles from Clayton Christensen\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper utilizes a case study to demonstrate successful application of disruptive innovation.\nFindings: A new evolutionary product was indicated in the research.\nResearch limitations/implications: There may be some lack of generalizability due to this being a case study for a specific brand in a specific industry.\nPractical implications: It is unclear whether a revolutionary, rather than an evolutionary, product introduction would be more successful. Practitioners should recognize the competitive opportunities afforded through \"disruptive innovation\" strategies.\nOriginality/value: This paper is of value to practitioners to see the success of one company\n",
"role": "assistant"
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College students, cookies and collections: using holiday study breaks to encourage undergraduate research in special collections
|
[
"Collections management",
"Archives management"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Rare book and manuscript collections can be intimidating to undergraduate students, who often believe the materials are for the use of faculty or other \"serious\" scholars. The Special Collections Research Center at the University of Chicago Library encourages the use of materials by faculty, graduate students, as well as undergraduates. However, many University of Chicago undergraduates do not realize that they are welcome to use the Special Collections Research Center and do not know what types of materials are available for their use. To help dispel this perception, the University of Chicago Library looked for a way to not only introduce undergraduates to these materials, but also to encourage them to use the Special Collections Research Center in order to pursue their own academic endeavors.As an experiment, staff from the Special Collections Research Center, along with members of the College Instruction and Outreach Committee (CIAO), developed the idea of a holiday study break. The objective of the event was to attract undergraduates through a fun theme event that would both introduce and energize students to the exciting collections and research possibilities in Special Collections. SCRC staff would select a variety of items based on a certain holiday theme, which students would have the opportunity to view during the event. A table with holiday treats would be included, separate from the collections, to provide a social space for students to mingle and discuss what they just viewed.The event organizers faced several challenges, including selecting appropriate items to display, developing an effective advertising campaign on a limited budget, addressing logistical concerns such as staffing and following the guidelines for handling Special Collections materials. Despite these challenges, the holiday programs were an overwhelming success. The first program, \"Love in the Stacks,\" attracted over 130 people in a two-hour period. The following year, another program for Halloween was introduced, \"Things That Go Bump in the Stacks.\" This brought in over 170 people.The holiday programs not only increased student awareness of the Center, but also brought new attention to \"special collections\" for The University of Chicago's undergraduates. We believe these events could be a model for encouraging use of rare books, manuscripts and archives at any academic library.\nSelecting materials: The first task for organizers was to choose display items from the collections that would represent an engaging variety of materials based on a holiday theme. After assembling a large assortment of materials, we narrowed this selection by considering issues of subject matter and preservation. We wanted the event to be hands-on, so that students could connect both physically and intellectually with Special Collections materials. For this, we looked for items stable enough to withstand minimal handling for at least two hours. We also wanted to represent different genres, fields, and time periods, so that students would understand the vast variety of research topics supported by our rare collections. In the end, for each event we chose twenty-five to thirty items, both printed and manuscript. For the Valentine's event, we included materials on love, romance, Valentines celebrations, as well as anatomical works about the heart. For Halloween, we included items on several scary subjects, including ghosts, witchcraft, vampires, and spiritualism.A selection of materials shown for the Things that Go Bump! in the Stacks Event\nMarketing: Marketing and advertising the event was based on a limited budget. For the Valentine's program, we designed a simple two-color poster with hearts (see Figure 1), which made both the design and printing inexpensive. However, for the Halloween event, we decided to use an image from our collections for advertisements. From the variety of suitable materials, we chose an eye-catching, hand-colored plate depicting skeletons at play for our graphics theme (see Figure 2). Scans of various details of this plate were used in designing signs, posters, and flyers, all posted around campus. Though full-color signs and posters were more costly, we decided to produce fewer advertisements in a striking design, and only post them in strategic, high-traffic locations in campus facilities.To supplement our posters, inexpensive and easily created tent cards were placed in several locations. Working with campus housing, the Library received permission to post tent cards on tables in student dining halls. These tent cards were also placed on tables in the reading rooms of the various campus libraries. Moreover, reminders were also distributed to students through the College \"Virtual Mailroom\", which allows announcements to be sent to students via e-mail.Library staff also conducted outreach to faculty. Organizers examined the course catalog to identify College classes that related to the themes planned for the events (for example, love for Valentines Day and gothic fiction for Halloween). Our subject specialists contacted the faculty members who taught these classes, highlighting that some collections on display may be appropriate for use in student research. As the event would be related to the courses, we believed this would be a great way to get students excited about how to use Special Collections in their studies.As a further promotional tool, the Library worked with the University's Networking Services and Information Technologies (NSIT) Academic Technologies department, who provided a 14 feet x 7 feet screen to place in the main entrance of the Library. Staff from Academic Technologies kindly donated staff time to create an animated presentation using some scans of the materials on display, along with other images relating to the holiday. For example, the \"Love in the Stacks\", animation included an animated cupid shooting arrows pointing to the direction of Special Collections, as well as scanned images of books, valentines, and other Special Collections material (see Figure 3). This temporary Library \"Times Square\" attracted the attention of everyone entering the Library on the day of the event and also advertised our exhibition to a whole new group of people.\nLogistics: Logistics presented several challenges for the programs. Obviously, food and rare books are not usually partners, so we had to plan for strict separation of the two. We decided that we would offer refreshments to the students in a gallery area at the entrance of Special Collections. We tried to select food that was simple, yet not too messy. Cookies and candy were served at both events. Lemonade was the only beverage offered, to eliminate worries about hot beverages with cream and sugar.After a chance to eat and drink, students would be directed down the hall to the display room area. A conspicuous table outside the display room served to catch any carried treats, and signs on this table and on the door of the display room requested that students leave food outside. Several large garbage bins were also placed nearby. This separation effort was maximized by posting a staff member at this table to ensure that no food or drink entered the room. Two staff members monitored the food area and directed traffic, and two staff members within the display room supervised handling of the materials and interacted with curious students.Usually, patrons arriving in the Special Collections Research Center receive a short personalized tutorial on proper handling of their research items from desk staff. Obviously, this level of preparation was impossible in this event setting, so supervision of the materials was a high priority during the event. The display tables were arranged in a closed square to encourage traffic flow around the room, and most items were displayed openly in foam wedge book supports to encourage students to page through and explore the materials. Staff was positioned both inside and outside of the square to guide students as they viewed materials and to correct any improper handling; however, we were surprised to find that correction was, overall, unnecessary. Despite not having prior experience interacting with rare books, all of our visitors were extremely careful and respectful of the items, and several students actually declined to touch the items for fear of incorrect handling.In regards to security, coats and bags were left outside the seminar room where the materials were displayed.\nEducational materials: To maximize the learning opportunities offered by the program, instructional handouts were seen as a vital addition to the program. Handouts suggesting search strategies for locating materials at the library were made available to students as they left the display room. For example, for the Valentine's program we created a handout called \"Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places?\" which highlighted effective databases and search strategies for locating materials on love and romance.For the Halloween Program, we handed out annotated bibliographies to each viewer to better familiarize students with the materials. Each numbered paragraph on the list corresponded to a numbered item on display. This handout allowed people to move about the room at their own pace, helped to counter a \"herding\" mentality, and allowed us to mingle and answer more questions from students while we monitored materials. Also, the bibliography served as a more permanent access point to Special Collections for students - the call number of each item was noted so that students could visit the collections again for their own research endeavors.\nAttendance: The events were an overwhelming success for the Library and popular with the students. A staff member was posted at the door with a counter to keep a tally on visitors during the event. To our surprise at the first event, students were lining up to enter the event as soon as it began. Over a two-hour period, \"Love in the Stacks,\" attracted over 130 people. \"Things That Go Bump in the Stacks,\" was even more successful, bringing in over 170 people.Although we marketed the programs primarily to College students, we discovered that about 1/3 of the patrons attending were graduate students or faculty. Many attended as a result of the interactive billboard, but many indicated that they had seen the event posted on the web site and scheduled time to attend.Although we expected the food to be the main draw to the event, many students bypassed the food, and instead rushed to the materials on display. Others left the event to return with friends to show them what was on display. Some students even used the event as a social occasion. During \"Love in the Stacks\", some students brought their boyfriends/girlfriends along and held hands as they walked about looking at the materials. Many of the students also stayed to speak with librarians further about their research and how they could use the materials after the event.\nFeedback and comments: Overall, students were overwhelmingly enthusiastic and excited about these events. Below are some comments which were left by students from \"Things That Go Bump in the Stacks\" which highlight their feelings:This is so awesome! Can we have a Special Collections exhibit for every holiday/occasion?A fun exhibit - makes me realize that I should find some pretext for using Special Collections soon.Wonderful! Let's have more events with items from the depths!What a great idea! The librarians were helpful and animated! Thanks so much!Fantastic! Many of these books I want to read now!Positively marvelous!Student-staff interactions further highlighted the student's pleasure at being able to attend the program and view the materials.For example, to engage the science majors, famous rare science materials were included in the selection of items shown for the Things that Go Bump! In the Stacks event. One student was intrigued by an engraving from the first edition of the earliest comprehensive textbook of anatomy by Vesalius, published in 1543. The engraving depicts a human skeleton with the spine completely straight, lacking its usual curvature. This same publication caused so much awe that several students asked \"is this real?\"Another student was delighted to see an artistic hand-colored image of a bat from Charles Darwin's The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle. He compared that image with the scientific drawings of other animals in the volume.The students were drawn in by the comparison of the rare science books with modern scientific knowledge, engaging them in further examination of the material and discussion with the Special Collections staff.At Love in The Stacks, near the end of the event when there were fewer people in the room, one student actually pulled up a chair, and began to read one of the books on display.We repeatedly noticed students pulling friends away from one item, to show them another \"must see\" item.Spectropia, or, Surprising Spectral Illusions: Showing Ghosts Everywhere, and of Any Colour is a 1864 parlor book of illusions requiring the reader to stare at a ghostly colored picture for a few moments, then to look at a blank wall after dimming the lights to see the retinal afterimage, floating in midair. When we explained the book's purpose to students, several asked to stay after the event to try out the experiment. Staff was pleased to see students interacting with the books in this way (see Figure 4).In addition to the smiles and positive feedback, we saw the program's goals materialize later, as students returned to Special Collections in the following months to access for their own research projects.\nWhat we learned - recommendations for similar programs: We learned a great deal from hosting these events. First, undergraduates continue to be attracted to print collections, not just full-text resources and Google. In addition, they still understand and recognize the importance and scholarly value of rare books, manuscripts and archives. For us, the challenge is helping students discover these resources.Second, spending more money for eye-catching advertisements placed in strategic locations will attract more attention than inexpensive paper flyers posted everywhere. Advertisements placed in offices and campus facilities where students mingle are the most effective. Emails directed and focused at specific user groups - such as an undergraduate club that might be interested in the topic - allowed us to personalize messages and reach patrons that don't notice flyers.Third, spreading the word to students about the events through faculty and support services on campus (such as undergraduate advisors, housing, and IT services) is a great way to ensure that everyone hears about the event. We were surprised by how willing people were to help us promote a program to encourage student learning and research. In addition, other groups often have unique ideas that may help promote similar events in the future.Finally, you can never have too much food with students! During the Valentine's event, we ran out of food at the beginning of the program, and our staff ended up running to the store to restock. We doubled the amount of food for our Halloween program and still came up short at this program. We realize now, with a limited budget, that a study break cannot serve as a day's meal.\nLooking ahead: With the great success of these two events, we decided to organize a third. Held on May 17th 2006, Swing Into Spring highlighted unique musical items from the Chicago Jazz Archive and Special Collections. It is our plan to continue to organize one event per year.These types of events not only help us connect students with the Special Collections Research Center, but help us promote the library, and better understand undergraduate library and research needs. They are as much educational as it is promotional. They are also a wonderful opportunity to talk to undergraduates, and show them what the library can do for them. In looking for innovative new ways to connect with students, teach students about the library and library resources as well as promote life long learning, we feel we have found an effective and engaging approach to use in addition to our many other efforts.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: - To launch the University of Chicago Library's study break program for undergraduate students which introduces them to rare book and manuscript collections.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Two study breaks, Love in the Stacks and Things that Go Bump in the Stacks' are described in detail, including selecting material for viewing, marketing the event and basic logistics. In addition the authors discuss the educational materials they created for distribution at the event, attendance, the feedback and comments they received and finally what they learned.\nFindings: - Provides information about the events, and looks towards future events. Discusses how book and manuscript collections can be intimidating to undergraduate students, who often believe the materials are for the use of faculty or other \"serious\" scholars.\nOriginality/value: - This paper describes an innovative program that has successfully introduced undergraduate students to Special Collections, and provides information which would allow others to offer a similar program.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Proactive transparency and outward accountability of frontline public bureaucracies: An integrated model
|
[
"Frontline public bureaucracy",
"Outward accountability",
"Proactive transparency"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Governments around the world are under consistent pressure from their citizens to improve governance mechanisms by means of visible transparency and accountability measures. Citizens' demand for transparency and accountability originates in their mistrust over the use of tax revenues (Halachmi, 2003). The traditional numeric approach to transparency through auditing and third-party certifications is considered precarious because it does not address citizens' skepticism (Press and Arnould, 2014).\n2. Frontline public bureaucracy: Frontline public bureaucracy in public administration literature is more known as street-level bureaucracy. Lipsky first coined the term \"street-level bureaucracy\" in 1969 (Kosar, 2011). Since then, different scholars have termed the officials that work in the frontline public bureaucracies in different names such as street-level bureaucrats (Tuurnas et al., 2016; Buffat, 2015; Caswell and Hoybye-Mortensen, 2015; Grissom et al., 2015; Alpes and Spire, 2014; Henderson and Pandey, 2013; Kubo, 2010; Loyens and Maesschalck, 2010; Hupe and Hill, 2007), frontline workers (Tuurnas et al., 2016; Buffat, 2015; Caswell and Hoybye-Mortensen, 2015; Henderson and Pandey, 2013; Loyens and Maesschalck, 2010), frontline professionals (Hupe and Hill, 2007), and frontline officers (Loyens and Maesschalck, 2010). These terms have often been used interchangeably in the same work. This paper uses the terms \"frontline public bureaucrats\" to refer to \"street-level bureaucrats\" and \"frontline public bureaucracy\" to refer to \"street-level bureaucracy.\" These bureaucracies are at the bottom of the governmental pyramid, making daily interactions with citizens, delivering them governmental benefits and sanctions (Lipsky, 2010). Citizens, through frontline public bureaucracies, directly experience their government.\n3. Transparency: No agreed definition of transparency exists. The terms transparency and accountability are malleable (Fox, 2007). However, transparency is understood as access to information. Transparency is \"enabling citizens to gather information on the policies and behaviors of their government\" (Florini, 2007; quoted in Hale, 2013, p. 32). The absence of access to information is the lack of transparency (Hale, 2013). Transparency can be clear or opaque (Fox, 2007). Opaque transparency does not reveal the actual behavior of organizations: how they make decisions or what are the results thereof. Clear transparency discloses \"reliable information about institutional performance, specifying officials' responsibilities as well as where public fund goes\" (Fox, 2007, p. 667).\n4. Accountability: It is a widely held assumption that transparency leads to accountability (Ruijer, 2013). Transparency is expressed as a symbol for accountability (Hale, 2013). Flyverbom (2015, p. 169) reading Schneiberg and Bartley (2008) found that the majority of literature on transparency takes the concept as \"a regulatory norm seeking to ensure accountability through (often mandatory) requirements about the timely and public disclosure of information.\" Therefore, the two concepts are intrinsically connected (Dumont, 2013). To be accountable, an organization must be transparent. Transparency mobilizes the power of shame, although the shameless may not be vulnerable to public disclosure (Fox, 2007).\n5. Organizational culture: Culture is a \"mental programming\" or \"software of the mind\" (Hofstede et al., 2010). It is shared patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting. Therefore, it is always a collective phenomenon. The patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting differentiate one group of people from others. They come from the unwritten rules of the social game. The understanding of culture given by Hofstede et al. (2010) is similar to that of Pettigrew (1979, p. 574), who defined it as a \"system of such publicly and collectively accepted meanings operating for a given group at a given time\" and provides \"a general sense of orientation\" to the group.\n6. The PA theory: The PA theory provides the arguments for proactive transparency in frontline public bureaucracies supporting for outward accountability. Here the principal is that the citizens and the agents are the bureaucrats. The principal authorizes the agents to perform some activities to achieve outcomes desired by him because he is not able to perform that work by himself. This delegation of work is a contract between them. Eisenhardt (1989) found the origin of this theory in the field of economics. She reported that the principal-agent relationship generates two problems: the agency problem and the problem of risk sharing. The first problem arises because the principal and the agent differ in their desired goals and the principal cannot verify the actual behavior of the agent. The second problem arises because the two parties possess different attitudes toward risks. Therefore, the focus of the theory is to determine the best contract, either behavior-based or outcome-based.\n7. Toward a model: The purpose of this paper is to describe a model explaining proactive transparency and outward accountability of frontline public bureaucracies with the help of several organizational factors. The previous sections have described the relevant concepts relating to the variables of the model. This section suggests relationships among these variables. The model has nine variables. A literature review finds four dimensions of organizational culture indicating relationships with the proactive transparency behavior. These cultural dimensions are power distance, uncertainty avoidance, participation, and team orientation. These cultural dimensions along with the other two organizational factors - discretion and resources - determine the proactive transparency behavior of frontline public bureaucrats. The proactive transparency behavior refers to the activities of bureaucrats to disclose information proactively. However, a mediating role of \"value of proactive transparency\" between the cultural dimensions and proactive transparency behavior is suggested. Ruijer (2017) found that government communicators who value proactive transparency also actively work for proactive transparency. Then, value of proactive transparency, discretion (as organizational structure), and resources (as organizational endowment) determine proactive transparency behavior. Finally, proactive transparency behavior determines outward accountability orientation. Each of these relationships is discussed below followed by a hypothesis.\n8. Discussion: This paper has outlined a model describing how an alternative mechanism of accountability of frontline public bureaucracies is influenced by several organizational factors. The alternative mechanism is named outward accountability, which refers to answerability to citizens. This answerability is soft because it just calls for justifications for bureaucratic actions and cannot impose sanctions. This transparency-based accountability is not an alternative to hierarchical accountability, which suffers from accountability deficits (Schillemans, 2011). Outward accountability supplements hierarchical accountability.\n9. Conclusions: Usefulness of the outward accountability model lies in its ability to detect corruption using the proactive disclosure behavior of the frontline public bureaucrats and holding them accountable. Detection of corruption is possible in the outward accountability model because the victims of corruption can ring the fire-alarm when it takes place. However, effectiveness of the mechanism in detecting corruption is contingent upon the principal's willingness to ring the fire-alarm. Schillemans and Busuioc (2014) noted that often the principal mysteriously chooses not to hold their agents accountable or is uninterested in knowing what their agents do.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a model that demonstrates how some organizational factors are linked to the proactive transparency behavior and outward accountability orientation of frontline public bureaucracies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The model is developed on the basis of literature review.\nFindings: It is shown in the model that some dimensions of organizational culture are linked to the \"value for proactive transparency,\" which, in turn, is linked to the \"proactive transparency behavior\" of frontline public bureaucracies. The proactive transparency behavior is also influenced by organizational structure and organizational endowment. Finally, the proactive transparency behavior determines \"outward accountability\" orientation.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to the understanding of the frontline public bureaucracy's transparency behavior and outward accountability orientation from the perspective of organizational factors such as culture, structure, and endowment.\n",
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The impact of sustainable manufacturing practices on sustainability performance: Empirical evidence from Malaysia
|
[
"Economic performance",
"Structural equation modelling",
"Sustainability performance",
"Environmental performance",
"Social performance",
"Sustainable manufacturing practices"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The activities of the manufacturing industry have significantly contributed towards strengthening the economy of many nations including developing countries, and they play a vital role in the global economy by supplying goods and services. In Malaysia, the manufacturing industry contributed 24.90 per cent to the gross domestic product in 2012 (MITI Weekly Bulletin, 2013). This indicates that the manufacturing industry is one of the promising sectors which will accelerate the development of the nation (Islam and Karim, 2011). However, in the absence of positive environmental initiatives, manufacturing activities will lead to the creation of enormous amounts of wastes, exploitation of natural resources as well as overconsumption of energy. This calls for the development and implementation of environmental initiatives in the manufacturing industry.\n2. Conceptualization and development of constructs: 2.1 Categorization of sustainable manufacturing practices\n3. Conceptual framework: Based on the literature review, it is found that there are no studies to date which are focussed on the impact of sustainable manufacturing practices on sustainability performance, in which the triple bottom line dimensions (i.e. environmental, economic and social aspects) are considered simultaneously. In this study, the conceptual framework is developed and tested using structural equation modelling (SEM) based on the findings of the literature review. The key constructs are also proposed in order to develop the conceptual framework. This framework can be used as a guideline to select the appropriate sustainable manufacturing practices and it serves as a checklist to determine which practices need to be improved in order to leverage the companies' sustainability performance. Figure 2 shows the conceptual framework proposed in this study.\n4. Research methodology: 4.1 Development of survey questionnaire\n5. Results: 5.1 Measurement model\n6. Discussion: The results of this study indicate that the respondents generally perceive that sustainable product design and development has a positive impact on environmental performance, but it does not have a positive impact on economic and social performance. This implies that sustainable product design and development does not have a direct, immediate impact on economic performance. This result agrees well with the findings of Eltayeb et al. (2010), whereby the benefits of eco-design are only gained after the retired products are reprocessed for material reuse in assemblies or sub-assemblies. In another study, Eltayeb et al. (2011) also found that eco-design only has a significant effect on intangible outcomes such as product image, brand value, goodwill of the firm as well as enhanced publicity.\n7. Conclusions and directions for future research: Sustainability in manufacturing has received great attention in recent years. Nowadays, there is a critical need for the manufacturing industry to preserve the environment without neglecting economic growth and social alleviation. A growing number of manufacturers are recognizing the need to take proactive steps to improve their sustainability performance by incorporating sustainability concepts into their company's strategy. In this regard, sustainable manufacturing appears to be a promising strategy to improve sustainability performance.\n",
"role": "user"
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"content": "Purpose: Sustainable manufacturing practices are one of the significant environmental initiatives taken by manufacturing industries to preserve the environment and improve the quality of human life while performing manufacturing activities. The emergence of the value creation concept, economic value no longer counts as a single factor for measuring manufacturing performance. Within the sustainability context, the impact of manufacturing activities on the environmental and social aspects should be taken into account as the basis for assessing manufacturing performance, which is called sustainability performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship of sustainable manufacturing practices with sustainability performance, which considers the environmental, economic and social aspects.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A questionnaire survey is carried out among 443 ISO 14001 certified manufacturing companies in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling is used to evaluate the relationship of sustainable manufacturing practices with sustainability performance.\nFindings: The findings of this study indicate that manufacturing process is the manufacturing stage that gives the most impact on the improvement of sustainability performance. Hence, it is concluded that manufacturing companies in Malaysia are highly focussed on the production bound when implementing sustainable manufacturing practices.\nResearch limitations/implications: Although this study indicates a good estimation of the proposed model, additional variables might be added to improve the prediction strength of the proposed model such as considering type of industries, economic scale or ownership. Adding the comparison of sustainable manufacturing practices between different countries also a valuable research to investigated.\nPractical implications: The framework proposed here can also assist manufacturing industries to conduct sustainability assessments by providing elements of sustainability performance and can serve as a guideline to select appropriate sustainable manufacturing practices and to what level the practices need to be improved to leverage companies' sustainability performance.\nOriginality/value: The framework proposed here can also assist manufacturing industries to conduct sustainability assessments by providing elements of sustainability performance and can serve as a guideline to select appropriate sustainable manufacturing practices and to what level the practices need to be improved to leverage companies' sustainability performance.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Intellectual capital and knowledge generation: an empirical study from Colombian public universities
|
[
"Intellectual capital",
"Higher education",
"Research",
"Colombian public universities",
"University performance"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: A knowledge-based economy is characterized by the growing importance of the creation, diffusion and practical use of knowledge for the efficiency of economic systems (OECD, 1996; White et al., 2013; Strozek, 2014). In this context, systems of higher education play a key role, as they are responsible for the transfer of knowledge and the formation of the human capital necessary for innovation and R&D, which must be closely linked to industries' need to facilitate economic development (Nguyen and Pham, 2011). These new competitive environments are pushing higher education institutions to expand their academic results amid financial constraints and calls for greater accountability (OECD, 2008, 2013; Singh, 2013; Esposito et al., 2013; Berman and Paradeise, 2016). In particular, Colombian universities that traditionally have had an emphasis on teaching show in the last decades an orientation to and strengthening of their research mission (OECD, 2012, 2016; OCyT, 2016; RICYT, 2017).Following this perspective, intellectual capital (IC) has been considered a valuable tool to improve the internal management of universities because it allows for the identification of strengths and weaknesses regarding research activities (Sanchez and Elena, 2006; Canibano and Sanchez, 2008; Ramirez, 2013; Ramirez and Tejada, 2013) and contributes to assessing the alignment between strategic orientation and performance (Secundo et al., 2010). In other words, from the conceptual framework of IC, it is possible to account for capacities and weaknesses in the management of the intangible assets of universities.Likewise, a large part of IC research within the public sector has focused on state universities (Dumay et al., 2015; Guthrie and Dumay, 2015; Samkin and Schneider, 2017), with studies in various countries such as Denmark (Hellstrom and Husted, 2004), New Zealand (Low et al., 2015), Austria (Leitner, 2004; Sanchez et al., 2009; Habersam et al., 2013, 2018), Spain (Sanchez and Elena, 2006; Canibano and Sanchez, 2009; Ramirez, 2010; Ramirez et al., 2017; de Frutos-Belizon et al., 2019), South Africa (Veltri and Silvestri, 2015), Portugal (Pedro et al., 2019), Italy (Secundo et al., 2010; Di Berardino and Corsi, 2018; Mariani et al., 2018), the United Kingdom (Bezhani, 2010) and Colombia (Sanchez-Torres and Rivera, 2009; Cricelli et al., 2018). Also, a recent review of IC literature on education has provided evidence of growing academic interest in this area as a relevant field of research (Bisogno et al., 2018).However, considering only empirical studies as a research focus, IC literature in universities is still limited (see e.g. Martinez-Torres, 2006; Feng et al., 2012; Mumtaz and Abbas, 2014; Mercado-Salgado, 2016; Cricelli et al., 2018; de Frutos-Belizon et al., 2019). Therefore, additional efforts are needed to obtain a better understanding of how IC dimensions (human capital, structural capital and relational capital) are combined and complemented to achieve results in the research mission and the generation of knowledge. First, this study contributes to addressing this gap by exploring the nature of the relationship between IC dimensions. Second, the article highlights the effect of these dimensions on the generation of knowledge. Third, this study is novel in that it develops a survey to measure IC in the Colombian context, which is underrepresented in current research (see e.g. Dumay et al., 2015), and selects researchers affiliated with public universities where the research will be carried out.This paper is organized as follows. The second section presents five key aspects: the literature review, conceptual framework of IC in universities, measurement of the knowledge generation construct, Colombia's profile in science, technology, and innovation, and hypotheses development. Section three describes the methodology and the sample. The fourth section reports the results of the evaluation of the measurement model and the adjustment of the structural model. Finally, the analysis of the results, conclusions, and theoretical and practical implications are presented in the fifth section.\n2. Framework and hypotheses: 2.1 Literature review\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sampling and data collection\n4. Results: This section reports the results of the measurement model evaluation and the adjustment of the structural model. 4.1 Reliability and validity of measurement models\n5. Discussion: The results of this study suggest that there could be positive relationships between the dimensions of IC and the generation of knowledge in higher education institutions. In this regard, the results provide support for H1 and H2a, referring to the positive direct effect of human capital on structural and relational capital, which is consistent with previous findings (Bontis, 1998; Bontis et al., 2000; Cohen and Kaimenakis, 2007; Cabrita and Bontis, 2008; Maditinos et al., 2010; Shih et al., 2010; Adekunle and Bontis, 2012; Kim et al., 2012; Mumtaz and Abbas, 2014; Tsao and Hung, 2014). In particular, H1 suggests that universities that place a high priority on supporting academic staff to improve their research skills could contribute to the development of policies aimed at promoting a research culture. In fact, in public universities, due to the modes of collegiate governance, academics are usually able to influence decision-making processes related to boosting and promoting this activity for the generation of knowledge.Similarly, H2a indicates that investment in human capital affects the accumulation of relational capital; that is, a higher professor qualification expands the possibilities of establishing new networks of scientific collaboration and cooperation between the university and the public and private sectors. Additionally, this study suggests that human capital positively and indirectly affects relational capital via structural capital (H2b), which is consistent with previous studies (Kim et al., 2012; Mumtaz and Abbas, 2014). Structural capital has a direct positive effect on relational capital, which confirms H3. This implies that the realization of alliances, research collaboration networks, extension projects with the environment, and agreements for the international mobility of teachers and students can strengthen the relationships with stakeholders (Feng et al., 2012).Also, the effects of the dimensions of IC on the generation of knowledge were investigated through mediating variables, which involves examining the direct and indirect effects of some variables. The results show that human capital does not have a positive direct effect on the generation of knowledge (H4a); however, it indirectly influences via relational capital (H4c), although not through structural capital (H4b). This result, although unexpected, can be understood from the view that networks of scientific collaboration and orientation toward the environment are the greatest assets of universities for generating and transferring knowledge. Previous studies have also observed the indirect influence of human capital on the performance of the organization through relational capital (Wang and Chang, 2005; Adelunke and Bontis, 2012). In the context of universities, Feng et al. (2012) point to both a direct and indirect positive effect of human capital via relational capital but not via structural capital. These results coincide with this study's findings. Therefore, the high qualifications and motivation of teachers influence the creation of institutional factors that support and promote higher levels of knowledge generation and cooperation with stakeholders.Although no evidence was found of the direct effect of structural capital on the generation of knowledge (H5a), this does not mean that the subdimensions of a motivating culture, research-oriented culture, and technological and financial capital play a minor role. One of the interesting findings of the present study shows that human capital is indirectly and significantly related to the generation of knowledge through the structural capital-relational capital pathway (H4d). Consequently, structural capital plays the role of a mediating variable. This suggests that institutional characteristics such as an environment conducive to research, availability of time, funding, and incentives have a positive effect on the increase of scientific collaboration networks, alliances, and agreements through research and extension projects, which influence the generation of knowledge. Another plausible explanation is that human capital requires the support of the other two main dimensions of IC to be effective enough to achieve research results. Finally, relational capital has a significant direct effect on the generation of knowledge (H6), which is in line with previous research results in the same sector (Feng et al., 2012; Mumtaz and Abbas, 2014). Therefore, university performance in the generation of knowledge can be improved by strengthening the three dimensions of IC by integrating them. 5.1 Theoretical and practical implications\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the relationships between the dimensions of intellectual capital (IC) and the generation of knowledge in public universities.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An online survey was developed and administered in Colombia. A total of 209 researchers participated in the study. Data were collected through IC measurements concerning the research mission of the universities. Scientific publications from the respondents and the citations received were taken as proxies for the generation of knowledge. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling was used.\nFindings: Hypotheses proposing a positive association between the dimensions of IC, namely, human capital, structural capital, and relational capital, and the generation of knowledge were tested. The findings highlight that human capital is indirectly and positively related to the generation of knowledge through relational capital, as well as through the path of structural capital-relational capital.\nPractical implications: The study suggests that directors of research at universities could improve the results of this activity by analyzing and understanding the dimensions of IC that contribute to the development of scientific capacities and the generation of knowledge.\nOriginality/value: This is one of the first studies that has examined the interrelationships between the dimensions of IC at universities and the generation of knowledge.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A typology of Indian hypermarket shoppers based on shopping motivation
|
[
"India",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Indian retail",
"Shopper typologies",
"Shopping behaviour",
"Shopping motivation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The Indian retail sector is expanding and undergoing rapid transformation. The BMI India Retail Report (BMI, 2011) estimates a growth in the total retail sales from US$411 billion in 2011 to US$804 billion by 2015. The report forecasts that sales through mass grocery retail outlets will increase by 126 per cent to reach US$60 billion by 2015. It also predicts an average annual GDP growth of 8 per cent from 2011 through 2015. Organised retail in India grew at a compound annual growth rate of 19.5 per cent from 2004-2007 (ICRIER, 2008). It is expected to increase from 5 per cent of the total retail market in 2008 to 14-18 per cent by 2015 (McKinsey, 2008). This growth is due to India's rapid shift from small independent retailers (\"mom-and-pop stores\") to large organised outlets such as the supermarket, departmental store, hypermarket, discount store, cash-and-carry centre and specialty store. To tap this growing market, many domestic players such as Reliance Retail, Bharti Retail and Pantaloon Retail, and multinational companies such as Wal-mart, Carrefour and Tesco are investing heavily in different formats of the Indian retail sector. The current debate on FDI in retailing in India makes the scenario more attractive for understanding the market structure in terms of consumer segments.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Shopping motives and shopper typology\n3. Method: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to gather the relevant data. The method used for conducting the survey is described below.\n4. Results: 4.1 Hypermarket shopping motivation\n5. Discussion: 5.1 Key findings and explanation\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Hypermarket is the most successful amongst organised retail formats in India. The purpose of this paper is to identify segments of hypermarket shoppers based on shopping motivation. The study profiles the identified segments on demographic characteristics and shopping outcomes, and compares the shopping motivation of hypermarket consumers with that of traditional store shoppers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study involved a survey of 201 actual shoppers in a hypermarket and that of 117 actual shoppers in 20 traditional stores. Principal components analysis of the motives for shopping at hypermarket and traditional store identified the respective dimensions of shopping motivation. Cluster analysis of the factor scores obtained on shopping motivation at hypermarket revealed the typology of hypermarket shoppers. Chi-square test and MANOVA were used to profile the identified segments of hypermarket shoppers on demographic characteristics and shopping outcomes respectively.\nFindings: Results revealed different dimensions of motivation to shop at the hypermarket and traditional store and four types of hypermarket shoppers were identified: utilitarians, maximisers, browsers and enthusiasts. The utilitarians are motivated by functional benefits such as the price and variety of products; the maximisers seek functional as well as recreational benefits; the browsers are high on social motivation; and the enthusiasts are high on all dimensions of shopping motivation. These segments showed overall significant differences on demographic characteristics and shopping outcomes.\nPractical implications: The proposal for allowing FDI in multi-brand retail in India, a rapidly emerging market for global retail players, is at an advanced stage of policy making. Many national and multi-national retailers are in the process of expansion in India. This study adds to their understanding of Indian consumers. Based on the identified typology, the study suggests different strategies to target different segments of hypermarket shoppers.\nOriginality/value: The study contributes to the growing field of cross-cultural research on shopping motivation by highlighting the typology of Indian hypermarket shoppers.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Joint optimal decision of the shared distribution system through revenue-sharing and cooperative investment contracts
|
[
"Supply chain coordination",
"Cooperative investment",
"OFP",
"Revenue-sharing",
"RSF",
"Shared distribution system"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Nomenclature\n1. Introduction: The rapid development of e-commerce is generating explosive growth of the express delivery industry in China. The size of China's e-commerce market has grown from 1,863.6bn Yuan in 2013 to 7,180bn Yuan in 2017. In 2006, the first statistical survey of the express delivery industry showed that it completed business transactions involving about 1.06bn pieces, and realized a total business revenue of 29.97bn Yuan. By 2017 (after ten more years of growth), the annual total of business transactions had reached 40.06bn pieces, and the total business income was 495.71bn Yuan. This means that the number of business transactions grew 40 times greater and the business income grew 17 times more within ten years. The express delivery industry is therefore a \"dark horse\" of rapid growth in the Chinese economy. Going forward, it can be expected that this industry will continue to increase its average annual business transactions by about 10bn more pieces per year, and to expand its annual business income by an average of about 100bn Yuan each year.\n2. Literature review: We introduce the sharing economy concept into research on SC management (i.e. logistics service SCM) (Liu et al., 2013), and we investigate the optimal operations mechanisms for sharing logistics in the express delivery industry. We conduct this assessment through comparing the projected results from various types of revenue-sharing contracts.\n3. Model descriptions: In order to reduce costs and increase efficiency of the express delivery industry, we design a two-echelon SC of a shared distribution system with one shared distribution company and N express companies, in which the express companies only operate the inter-city transportation and outsource the internal-city(urban) transportation to the shared distribution company, which is different from the traditional express delivery industry (Figure 1).\n4. Benchmark model: First, we consider the two-echelon SC of the shared distribution system with one shared distribution company and N express companies, operating as a centralized system. In this system, all decisions are centralized to maximize the financial performance of the entire SC, and the shared distribution company is vertically integrated with the express companies through a cooperative investment contract. As joint shareholders of the shared distribution company, all of the express companies make their decisions together, with their unit service price being pi. Then we consider a decentralized SC under a Stackelberg game, led by the express companies. In the decentralized situation, both the shared distribution company and the express companies make their own decisions to maximize expected profits under the constraint of the standard deviation.\n5. Revenue-sharing and cooperative investment contracts: This section focuses on express companies that jointly establish a self-operated shared distribution company, where the shared distribution company provides inter-city (urban) transportation services for all of the express companies. This jointly formed, self-operated shared distribution company maintains independent business operations. Each express company coordinates its own rights and interests through revenue-sharing contracts, and determines the proportion of its equity in the self-operated shared distribution company based on the revenue-sharing contract. This is why we call it a \"revenue-sharing and cooperative investment contract.\"\n6. Case study: 6.1 Case study and data sources\n7. Discussion: In recent years, the logistics industry in China has developed rapidly. Many of the industry players have merged and reorganized, and the level of market concentration has been continuously improved. In particular, the prosperity of e-commerce has further accelerated this trend. To enhance their market competitiveness while continuously improving their efficiency and reducing costs, many logistics companies have begun to conduct various levels of commercial cooperation. However, many problems still remain in terms of the specific details regarding the terms of cooperation and the distribution of commercial interests. The equity-based shared logistics cooperation mechanism that we propose in this study provides a practical, feasible method of cooperation for practitioners. Through conducting theoretical analyses, we give an operational method of equitable interest distribution, which is determined according to the proportion of order flow (OFP). This method solves the problem of relatively unfair distributions of interest that can arise in the process of cooperation among logistics companies.\n8. Managerial implications: Urban distribution is an important market segment for modern logistics, and an important entrance or last mile for the entire logistics chain. For a long time, the logistics market in China has been scattered, chaotic and weak. Urban distribution, as an important part of this business, is in even worse condition. In recent years, with the rapid development of the entire internet and technological innovation and entrepreneurship, the market concentration of the logistics industry has gradually increased, and a series of bold attempts to create innovative organizational models have emerged. These new models have featured logistics alliances, car-matching platforms and franchising. Such management- and technology-driven innovations respond to the deep need for creative management and organizational change in the modern logistics industry. These innovative applications have reduced the asymmetry of logistics information to a certain extent, and improved the synergy between organizations in terms of information-sharing and process coordination supply chain integration (SCI) (Flynn et al., 2010). However, significant problems still exist. For example, the issue of business alliances seeking to operate without substantial cooperation in logistics is very prominent. The core reason for this failure to cooperate is the lack of enforceable, stable and fair benefit distribution mechanisms. The joint investment and revenue-sharing mechanism proposed in this study provides a practical implementation plan. Our theoretical analyses rigorously demonstrate that the proportion of flow contribution (OFP) is the optimal basis for a benefit distribution mechanism, and that implementing this kind of mechanism is operationally realistic.\n9. Conclusions, limitations and future research: In this study, we apply ideas from the sharing economy to enable operational improvement of the express industry. These ideas can substantially reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of the express transport across China. In the shared distribution system that we construct, all of the express companies jointly invest in and establish a shared distribution company based on OFP or RSF principles. Such a system is operable in the real business environment, especially in today's era of the sharing economy. Although the expression of optimized decisions is extremely complicated and very difficult to understand or analyze, we can still use methods of numerical simulation and visualization to indicate the feasible domain space for our system. We find that the OFP is the best basis for determining the RSF. Regardless of the value of the RSF combination, the total profit of the SC under the RSF is never greater than the total profit of the SC under the OFP. Therefore, we can conclude that the OFP is an optimized solution for an Omni-channel shared distribution system.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The rapid development of e-commerce has caused not only explosive growth of the express delivery industry, but also ever-greater operational pressures. Models from the sharing economy may provide new ideas for operational improvement. The purpose of this paper is to consider an optimization method that reduces costs and increases efficiency. The proposed method enables a shared distribution system based on revenue-sharing and cooperative investment contracts.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors design a two-echelon supply chain (SC) of the shared distribution system with one shared distribution company and N express companies. In this SC, the express companies provide only inter-city transportation, and they outsource internal-city transportation to a shared distribution company. This distribution system differs from that of the traditional express delivery industry. The traditional system of delivery requires large numbers of empty trips (with no load to deliver), because the operating mode of urban distribution has been the franchise. To offer greater efficiency and performance, the authors introduce the sharing economy mode of express delivery. The authors examine the potential of a joint optimal decision-making strategy that involves revenue-sharing and cooperative investment contracts based on an order flow proportion (OFP) and a revenue-sharing factor (RSF). In this shared distribution system, the most important innovation is that all of the express companies jointly invest in and establish a shared distribution company based on OFP or RSF principles.\nFindings: The profitability of an SC with revenue-sharing contracts based on an OFP system is much higher than that of a decentralized SC, and it is very close to the profitability of a centralized SC. In SCs with revenue-sharing contracts that are based on RSFs, there are many possible combinations of RSFs that can increase the overall profitability. The analyses indicate that the OFP system offers the best solution in designing revenue-sharing contracts based on RSFs.\nPractical implications: This study indicates that revenue-sharing contracts based on both OFP and RSF principles can increase overall SC returns by 0.21 to 0.44 percent. In sum total, this improvement could mean a 0.84 to 1.76bn Yuan increase in revenues for the 400+ bn-Yuan express delivery industry.\nOriginality/value: The authors find that a combination of equity investment and SC coordination contracts makes the cooperation between SC members much more stable. Through this kind of shared distribution system, the scale of economy can further reduce the costs and increase the efficiency of the express delivery industry.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
A systematic approach to diagnose the current status of quality management systems and business processes
|
[
"Quality management systems",
"Business excellence models",
"Quality audits",
"Quality maturity"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Effective measurement to understand a company's performance is considered to support the management of business processes and change, long-term success, employee's motivation, better communication, resource allocation and the formulation of a company's strategy (Kumar et al., 2008; Bourne et al., 2000; Sinclair and Zairi, 1995). In this context, understanding the current performance of an organisation's quality management system (QMS) and business processes is instrumental in determining subsequent management decisions to effectively improve its operations. Garza-Reyes, Rocha-Lona and Kumar (2015) and Rocha-Lona et al. (2013) have highlighted the need for measuring the status of QMSs and commented that this activity should be recognised by organisations as a key element for improving business performance. This is because, as suggested by Oztas et al. (2007), measuring the effectiveness (i.e. status) of QMSs enables managers to understand how closely they are from meeting their targets and hence take better decisions for improving their processes. Traditionally, organisations have measured their QMSs through activities that include: internal benchmarking, internal self-assessment, comparison of the level of QMS activities against peers, assessments by people external to the company, analysis of internal and external audit results and attempting to understand how an outside independent observer might see the company (Oztas et al., 2007; Al-Nakeeb et al., 1998). However, in some instances, these approaches have been criticised for being subjective, unclear and because of the lack of a systematic approach for their deployment (Oztas et al., 2007). For this reason, some research has been conducted to propose different models and instruments to measure the status of QMSs. For example, Oztas et al. (2007) developed two matrix models to measure the effectiveness of QMSs in the Turkish construction industry. Van der Spiegel et al. (2005) proposed an instrument called IMAQE-Food to measure the effectiveness of QMSs in the food industry. Similarly, Singh and Smith (2006) created an instrument, which was validated within the context of Australian manufacturing organisations, to measure quality management practices. These methods, however, have been developed considering the specific needs and factors affecting specific industrial sectors, for which their transferability may need to be studied further. Other quality management measurement instruments proposed in the literature have included those proposed by Saraph et al. (1989), Flynn et al. (1994) and Grandzol and Gershon (1998). However, according to Singh and Smith (2006), none of those instruments reflect the current state of quality practices as they have considerably evolved over the recent years. In other words, they can be considered outdated. Finally, although other models such as the Capability Maturity Model Integrated (Menezes, 2002) have also been developed, these are mainly used by organisations to better control certain processes, including quality processes, but not to assess the status of their QMSs.\n2. QMS maturity level: The proposed method suggests that a diagnosis of the status of a company's QMS and business processes can be initiated by an assessment of the maturity of a company's procedures, processes, structure and resources dedicated to assure that their products and/or services satisfy their customers' expectations. Within the context of this paper, \"maturity\" refers to the degree of knowledge, effective deployment, use and concrete positive results obtained from a company's QMS. The six-level categorisation model proposed by Dale and Lascelles (1997) provides a simple tool for classifying and understanding the current organisational situation in reference to the degree of maturity of its QMS. Dale and Lascelles' (1997) model categorises the adoption of total quality management (TQM) principles into six levels. The six levels of categories an organisation may fall under are: uncommitted, drifters, tool pushers, improvers, award winners, and world-class. Table I presents a brief description of the six categories in relation to an organisation's characteristics of TQM adoption related to each level. In the proposed approach, these are used as a platform for performing the maturity assessment.\n3. A self-assessment approach for identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement in the organisation's business processes: Determining the organisation's strengths and opportunities for improvement in its core business processes is considered the next stage in diagnosing the status of a company's QMS and business processes (see Figure 1). The MDI introduced in the previous section would have already provided the organisation with some insight on its strengths and opportunities for improvement. However, a more thorough measure and analysis involving different aspects of the organisation's business activities and core processes are required to achieve this. A business excellence model (BEM) can provide an organisation with a powerful method of self-assessment to achieving this. The use of the BEMs has quickly moved from one of mere award participation to a more holistic approach employed by organisations to self-assess their operations (Rocha-Lona et al., 2010). A self-assessment exercise using a BEM can provide organisations with a detailed \"picture\" of their business processes and help in identifying the areas in need of improvement.\n4. Quality management audits: For some organisations, quality audits are a mandatory activity that needs to be performed in order to comply with requirements from their customers, suppliers, partners, collaborators, or industry sector and even to fulfil government regulations. Quality audits help organisations, and those that request them, monitor and assure that a QMS is in place and working effectively. In turn, products or services that comply or exceed quality standards would be expected. Oakland (1989) comments, \"a good quality system will not function without adequate audits and reviews\". It is for these reasons that the approach proposed in this paper suggests the conduction of quality audits. Quality audits will provide further information about the QMS and organisation's business processes, particularly whether they comply with the required standards. It is not within the scope of this paper to provide a detailed review of the quality auditing process. This is an extensive topic within the quality management area that has been clearly and extensively covered in specialised publications by, for example, Johnstone et al. (2015) and Phillips (2015). Instead, the main objective of this section is to explain how quality audits can be integrated and contribute to the diagnostic of the status of a QMS and business processes, see Figure 1.\n5. Role and importance of the QMS and business processes diagnostic on operational improvement and business strategy: A vital and initial step that may enable an organisation to improve their operations is to diagnose and understand the maturity of its QMS and the strengths and weaknesses of its core business processes. Evaluating whether the QMS complies with the standards set by the organisation's customers, suppliers, partners, etc. is also part of this initial step. Once achieved, the organisation can then propose and deploy an action plan to address the areas for improvement highlighted in the overall diagnostic of its QMS and business improvement activities. In the particular case of self-assessment processes, empirical evidence has revealed that the decisions and improvement agenda created based on such processes are rarely documented (Rocha-Lona et al., 2008). As a result, it is difficult to estimate the degree to which self-assessment influences improvement actions or whether or not its results are simply kept in the desk drawer of the organisation's CEO or directors, with no improvement actions being drawn and implemented. It is therefore of major importance that the organisation integrates the diagnostic of its QMS and business processes into its business plan and strategy. This would provide the organisation with an effective mechanism by which to: define adequate improvement actions; transform these improvement actions into an improvement agenda; implement, review and sustain the improvements; and document the results obtained. Recent research by Rocha-Lona et al. (2010) suggests that BEMs are suitable frameworks for supporting strategic planning and business improvements. Similarly, the diagnostic of a QMS can also support improvement actions if integrated into the organisation's business plan and strategy.\n6. Conclusions: This paper proposes a systematic approach for conducting a thorough diagnosis of a company's QMS and core business processes. In particular, the initial step of the diagnostic consists of defining the maturity level of the organisation's QMS. To do this, the paper proposed an MDI developed and adapted from the six-level categorisation model of Dale and Lascelles (1997). Defining an organisation's QMS maturity may contribute not only in providing a better understanding of its quality capabilities, structure, procedures and processes but also a comparative platform from which to later assess any improvements achieved.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a systematic approach to conduct a diagnosis of the current status of a company's quality management systems (QMS) and business processes.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The approach proposed is based upon the assessment of the maturity level of a company's QMS, for which a \"maturity diagnostic instrument\" is also proposed, a self-assessment exercise using a business excellence model and a first-party quality audit.\nFindings: The integration of a QMS' maturity assessment, a self-assessment exercise and a quality audit may provide a more thorough evaluation of various company's systems and operations. This paper provides organisations, and their managers, with a systematic approach to help them understand better the current performance of their QMSs and business processes.\nOriginality/value: This paper's main contribution consists in the proposal of a novel approach for organisation to measure and understand the status of their QMS and business processes. Subsequently, better management decisions to improve a company's operations can be taken.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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Impact of fossil fuel prices on electricity prices in Mexico
|
[
"Mexico",
"Unrestricted VAR",
"Electricity prices",
"Coal prices",
"Crude oil prices",
"Natural gas prices",
"C32",
"Q40",
"Q41"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Crude oil prices are one of the most relevant commodity prices in explaining both macroeconomic and financial variables. For example, previous studies find a significant impact of oil price shocks on real economic activity (Hamilton, 1983; Cunado and Perez de Gracia, 2003, 2005; Cunado et al., 2015), exchange rates (Bahmani-Oskooee and Saha, 2015; Pershin et al., 2016) and stock returns (Cunado and Perez de Gracia, 2014; Diaz et al., 2016). Furthermore, some studies also find that crude oil prices affect other commodities prices such as gold prices (Sari et al., 2010), natural gas prices (Brown and Yucel, 2008, 2009) or food prices (Avalos, 2014; Baumeister and Kilian, 2014).\n2. Related literature review on fossil fuel prices and electricity prices: The pioneer work by Serletis and Herbert (1999) analyses the relationship among the price behavior of the natural gas, fuel oil and electricity. Using daily data from October 1996 to November 1997, they find bivariate cointegration between the two natural gas spot markets prices and the fuel oil price. Since then a number of studies have been published and the majority of them detect some interaction among crude oil, natural gas and electricity prices (see e.g. Emery and Liu, 2002; Asche et al., 2006; Woo et al., 2006; Mjelde and Bessler, 2009; Mohammadi, 2009; Munoz and Dickey, 2009; Bosco et al., 2010; Furio and Chulia, 2012; Nakajima and Hamori, 2012, 2013; Frydenberg et al., 2014, among many others).\n3. Overview of the electricity sector in Mexico: 3.1 Institutional and regulatory framework\n4. Data set and a first look at the data: We use 14 Mexican electricity prices, the crude oil West Texas Intermediate cushing, the Henry Hub natural gas spot price and the NYMEX Central Appalachian coal futures settlement prices. The Mexican electricity prices are expressed in Mexican pesos per kwh and are obtained from Electric Federal Commission (see the web page www.cfe.gov.mx/). The natural gas price is expressed in US dollars per million Btu and the crude oil price is expressed in US dollars per BBL. The coal price data are expressed in US dollars per short ton. Crude oil, natural gas and coal futures prices are obtained from the US Department of Energy's, Energy Information Administration (see the web page www.eia.gov/). To define local or domestic fossil fuel prices - crude oil, natural gas and coal, we employ the Mexico/US foreign exchange rate; Mexican new pesos to one US dollar obtained from the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis (see the web page https://research-stlouisfed-org.pitt.idm.oclc.org). We use monthly data from the period January 2006 to January 2016 except for the variable eCTCP which starts in January 2008. Table III displays a detailed definition of all the variables.\n5. Empirical analysis: A preliminary step in our empirical analysis is the determination of the order of integration of the relevant time series. Following previous related studies (i.e. Emery and Liu, 2002; Mohammadi, 2009), we apply the augmented Dickey and Fuller (1979, 1981) and the Phillips and Perron (1988) unit root tests. We run the augmented Dickey-Fuller and the Phillips-Perron tests for both the level and the first difference of our variables. In addition, we also run the augmented Dickey-Fuller and the Phillips-Perron unit root tests considering both constant and constant and linear trend. The lag length of the augmented Dickey-Fuller unit root test is determined by the Schwarz information criterion. For each price variable, the results fail to reject the null hypothesis of unit roots in the level but reject the hypothesis in first difference (see Table V). Thus, we conclude that crude oil, natural gas, coal and selected electricity prices are stationary in the first-differenced form. For example, Mohammadi (2009), Mjelde and Bessler (2009) and Frydenberg et al. (2014) also obtained that electricity and fossil fuel prices contain a unit root.\n6. Final conclusions: This paper investigates the impact of fossil fuel prices on different electricity prices in the Mexican economy. Specifically, we propose an unrestricted VAR model and the sample covers the period January 2006 to January 2016. Our empirical approach employs the Mexican economy using alternative electricity rates such as domestic, commercial, industrial, public and avoid costs.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of fossil fuel prices - crude oil, natural gas and coal - on different electricity prices in Mexico. The use of alternative variables for electricity price helps to increase the robustness of the analysis in comparison to previous empirical studies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors use an unrestricted vector autoregressive model and the sample covers the period January 2006 to January 2016.\nFindings: Empirical findings suggest that crude oil, natural gas and coal prices have a significant positive impact on electricity prices - domestic electricity rates - in Mexico in the short run. Furthermore, crude oil and natural gas prices have also a significant positive impact on electricity prices - commercial and industrial electricity rates.\nOriginality/value: Two are the main contributions. First, this paper explores the nexus among crude oil, natural gas, coal and electricity prices in Mexico, while previous studies focus on the US, UK and some European economies. Second, instead of using one electricity price as a reference of national or domestic electricity sector, the analysis considers alternative Mexican electricity prices.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Supporting decision making in risk management through an evidence-based information systems project risk checklist
|
[
"Information systems",
"Risk management",
"Risk analysis"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Risk assessment is a vital process in any effective information system (IS) development. In fact, risks are intrinsic to any project and risk taking is a necessary component of any process of decision making. Poor risk management of IS projects often leads to failure, a situation not uncommon in both the public and corporate community. Failures have been linked to incorrect market positioning, inadequate business and risk strategies, poorly informed decision making based on insufficient information and without due authorisation from senior management (Nunes and Annansingh, 2002). Also, the situation is often intensified by absence of clearly defined risk limits, deliberately misleading reports, inadequate intra-organisational communication concerning risk vulnerability, superficial or unrealistic risk control, poor knowledge of the business environment and lack of timely decision making. As a result, various interested parties such as shareholders and other corporate entities are deprived of valuable information, which could lead to the formulation of more comprehensive and reliable risk systems, particularly as they relate to information systems.However, as proposed by Keil et al. (1998), \"before we can develop meaningful risk management strategies, however, we must identify these risks.\" Risk is the occurrence of an event that has consequences for, or impacts on, IS projects (Kliem and Ludin, 2000). As stated by Cadle and Yeate (2001), all projects involve risk of some sort. According to these authors, this risk may stem from the nature of the work - for example if there is considerable amount of innovation involved - from the type of resources available, from the contractual relationship which is in place or from the political and social factors which influence the project. Therefore, in order to better understand risk and its consequences, Charette (1989) proposes an useful conceptual overview of risk:First, risk concerns future happenings. Today and yesterday are beyond active concern, as we are already reaping what was previously sowed by our past actions. The question is, can we, therefore, by changing our actions today, create an opportunity for a different and hopefully better situation for ourselves tomorrow. This means, second, that risk involves change, such as changes of mind, opinion, actions, or places [... Third] risk involves choice, and the uncertainty that choice itself entails. Thus, paradoxically, risk, like death and taxes, is one of the few certainties in life.This overview of risk is particularly relevant when considered in the context of IS design and development processes. In fact, as discussed by Pressman (1997, p. 141), the future is our concern and the project manager must be prepared to identify risks that may cause the IS project to go off-track. By the admission of Charette (1989), this may in itself be an impossible task. In support of this idea, Drucker (1975) had previously proposed that:While it is futile to try and eliminate risk, and questionable to try and minimise it, it is essential that the risks taken are the right risks.So, if it is not practical to eliminate risks altogether; it must certainly be possible to manage projects in a way that recognises the existence of the risks and prepares, in advance, methods of dealing with them if they occur (Cadle and Yeate, 2001). This entails two major activities risk analysis and risk management. Risk identification, valuation and assessment are therefore the fundamental basis to support the entire risk management process (Nunes and Annansingh, 2002).This paper aims at proposing a risk identification ontology, in the form of a checklist that aims at supporting risk assessment, decision making concerning risk control and the planning of risk mitigation strategies. This ontology was constructed through an evidence-based approach closely linked to the reality of development and an analysis of failure emerging from real-life case-studies.\n2 Research methodology: 2.1 Research question\n3 Research findings: 3.1 Pre-project\n4 Conclusions: The checklist presented in this paper aims at supporting both practitioners and researchers in their risk thinking and assessment. For practitioners, the checklist is an important decision-making support tool and is aimed at helping in risk identification and assessment activities. For researchers, on the other hand, the check list provides a first attempt at establishing an risk ontology and a point of departure for further research. Future research in this area should aim at completing this first proposal, but also linking these risk factors to both causes and consequences.Another major conclusion of the case-study survey is that a considerable amount of risk factors are clearly incurred even before the start of the formal project. All these factors, identified in the pre-project dimension, severely pre-determine the future of the project and create very predictable risks that could be avoided if given due consideration. In fact, this research found evidence that risk thinking should start very early as part of pre-project and not, as most of the modern design and development methodologies propose, solely as part of the development process itself. For instance, dynamic systems development method proposes risk thinking as part of the functional model iteration, rational unified process proposes risk analysis and assessment as part of the inception phase, and finally, even extreme programming a proclaimed risk-driven approach (Li et al., 2006) only really formally advocates risk thinking during release planning. It is clear from findings of this study that risk thinking must start long before this, in fact, long before contracts are established.The usefulness of a checklist as the one proposed may be questioned if the list is used monolithically and never improved. In fact, \"as nothing is staying stable in our world, having a generic list is a drawback, unless it is being updated constantly\" (Vidalis, 2003, p. 20). Therefore, this list is expected to undergo a process of co-evolution with practice. It is not expected to be the definite and comprehensive response to every conceivable present and future risk event, but a starting point for risk assessment.Finally, it is important to highlight that this paper has focused on the pre-implementation and implementation phases of IT/IS projects, but other studies (Brown, 1995, 1998; Doolin, 2004; Vasconcelos, 2007) point towards the occurrence of significant risks in the post-implementation and exploration phases of the IS life-cycle. Further research into IS post-implementation should focus on negotiated interactions between social actors and technologists, in order to fulfil often divergent organisational internal agendas. This is an area where there is a significant gap, particularly in the relationships between risk thinking, development methodologies and agency in action.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to present a study of Information Systems project risk management aimed at identifying a risk ontology and checklist that will enable decision making and mitigation strategy planning in information system (IS) development in the public sector. This sector is an ideal research field in risk management practices, due to the visibility that failure of IS/IT projects has acquired as a consequence of the duty of accountability that characterises it.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study is based on a qualitative approach anchored on a critical literature review, leading to the development of an analytical framework, followed by a thorough case-study survey.\nFindings: - A project risk ontology was derived from the analysis of ten case-studies in the UK, USA and New Zealand and was divided into five main categories: pre-project, customer, project management, technological issues, and development methodology. The analysis found that a considerable number of risk factors are incurred before the start of the formal project and pre-determine the future of the project and create predictable risks that can be avoided.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This paper has focused on the pre-implementation and implementation phases of IT/IS projects and further research into IS post-implementation is required.\nOriginality/value: - The proposed ontology is designed to fit in real life systems development cycles and is aimed at supporting risk assessment and control. The findings suggest that risk thinking should start early in the project and not, as many modern design and development methodologies propose, solely as part of the development process itself.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Non-music books for the music library: a selective bibliography
|
[
"Collections management",
"Music"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Amateur, student, and professional performers are experiencing growing pressures, and an ever-increasing number are seeking advice from outside the literature of their instrument, indeed outside of the field of music entirely, in the quest to meet the performance demands placed on them. For decades prominent performers and teachers have recommended books intended for athletes and business people, as well as a variety of other self-help books, to help their students reach their full potential onstage. The choices seem limitless; however, a handful of titles are recommended so frequently that they should be included in a college music library.\nSports and fitness: Gallwey, T. (1997), The Inner Game of Tennis, revised edition, Random House, New York, NY\nSelf help: Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990), Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience, Harper Perennial, New York, NY\nThe body: Conable, B. (1995), How to Learn the Alexander Technique: A Manual for Students, 3rd edition revised and enlarged, Andover Press, Portland, OR\nEducation: Bloom, B. (Ed.) (1985), Developing Talent in Young People, Ballantine, New York, NY\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to provide a selective bibliography for librarians responsible for music collections and music students of resources outside of the field of music, which may be useful to musicians.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A range of works which are frequently recommended by music faculty are described to enable librarians and students to make selections appropriate for their needs. The works are divided into three sections: Sports and fitness, The body and Self help.\nFindings: - Information is provided about each book, including publisher, and how musicians may apply the information in each book to their situation.\nOriginality/value: - The paper offers practical suggestions for librarians responsible for music collections.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Getting personal with training: Why learning at a distance need not be "remote"
|
[
"Human resources management",
"Training",
"Learning organizations",
"Distance learning",
"Computer based learning",
"Internet"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nTechnology creates the virtual classroom: Faced with providing consistent training to its 800,000 employees, the United States Postal Service (USPS) accepted the help of web-based distance learning (WBDL). In particular, the organization needed to make sure the 79,000-plus employees with responsibility for such tasks as serving on selection committees or assessing applications for jobs experienced the same training.You cannot get 79,000 people in the classroom at the same time, updated manuals might be outdated by the time they get printed and distributed, and if you are going to teach people face-to-face there is the problem of making sure there are enough trainers, not to mention picking up the tab for the traveling expenses for those thousands of journeys to and from the training sessions.A classic case of where the wonders of the internet can be harnessed to provide training courses for thousands of people, even those working in remote areas online at the same time. No waiting for a place on a course, no traveling time, just turn on and begin.\nCustomers know a lot, and so should your employees: The USPS is just one of many organizations worldwide which has acknowledged the positive impact that rapidly-growing technology can have on its business. However, there are also many other organizations which could benefit, but have not yet felt bold enough to explore what, for them, is still the unknown. Maybe they should, because it is increasingly recognized that one of the biggest assets an organization can have is a well-educated, well-trained, highly-skilled, and knowledgeable workforce. In fact this human resource is probably the one factor that can make the difference between succeeding or failing against ever-increasing global competition and ever-changing circumstances.The speed at which WBDL can be delivered, along with its geographical advantage, is persuading many organizations to use it as an alternative, or addition, to more traditional training methods. They are further persuaded by its flexibility in adapting to the individual requirements of organizations. Statistics from the American Society of Training show that 10.5 percent of organizations' training was delivered through technology in 2001, compared with 8.8 per cent in 2000. Assuming that the trend is continuing at that pace, or possibly increasing, reluctant companies had better consider the possibilities of getting left behind in the search for knowledge, at a time when an ever-more knowledgeable customer base is out there with choices to make, and at a time when many business sectors are finding it difficult to recruit and retain key workers.\nHuman interaction - big challenge for WBDL: However, just like more traditional methods of training, the package has to be right. You have to know what it is expected to deliver, and make sure you monitor the results. WBDL is not just a case of putting current training material on a web site, sticking people in front of a screen and saying: \"There it is. Learn it\". A much more planned approach is necessary.Perhaps WBDL's biggest challenge in persuading people of its effectiveness is what element, if any, of \"human interaction\" is involved, some people believing that the total absence of a physical instructor or fellow learners is a significant, and potentially destructive, downside to internet training. Lori K. Long and Robert D. Smith say:The absence of physical, face-to-face interaction with an instructor or other trainees and the flexible format of the medium present both a challenge and an opportunity for those designing WBDL. The absence of human interaction may be addressed by building in opportunities for electronic collaborative learning (i.e. \"chat rooms\" or electronic bulletin boards). The flexibility offered by learner control provides trainers the ability to give trainees ownership in the learning process, which may also lead to more effective training.\nReal time or flexible instruction?: While a well-recognized advantage of WBDL is that training courses can be taken at different times to fit in with different learners' availability, if an organization's training can be done together, in real time, there is the possibility of using a live video link with the instructor or facilities for an online discussion between participants.The effective design of WBDL to meet an organizations' learning goals is paramount and the question of introducing (or not) an element of human interaction is an essential factor. Some organizations believe more than others about the benefits of causal interaction between employees (such as brilliant \"why didn't we think of that before!\" ideas coming from coffee-break chats).Another significant benefit of WBDL is that control of the learning situation is moved from instructor to learner, opening up the possibilities of learning at different paces, with web learners moving freely through the training and taking advantage, via hypertext links, of information in a different part of the training course or on an outside web containing related information.However, WBDL should be tied to specific business objectives, designers should consider the need and opportunity for collaborative learning, designers should carefully evaluate the level and design of learner control, and organizations should evaluate their WBDL efforts to determine if they are meeting their objectives.\nComment: This review is based on \"The role of web-based distance learning in HR development\" by Lori K. Long and Robert D. Smith, who advocate the benefits to organizations of training their employees by the use of computer-based knowledge delivery, but not to the total exclusion of the more traditional classroom-based training. Advances in computer-based technologies have facilitated many innovative methods of training, which can increase the value of employees as a strategic asset to the organization in building and maintaining competitive advantage. The authors emphasize the flexibility of WBDL, but caution that it might not be the right solution for all situations.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - To study the impact on human resource development of the advances in computer-based distance learning, and whether organizations that could benefit are taking the opportunities offered.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The authors have studied the growth of web-based distance learning (WBDL), which they describe in its different forms, and discuss its implementation.\nFindings: - The authors advocate the benefits to organizations of training their employees by the use of computer-based knowledge delivery, but not to the total exclusion of the more traditional classroom-based training. Advances in computer-based technologies have facilitated many innovative methods of training, which can increase the value of employees as a strategic asset to the organization in building and maintaining competitive advantage. The authors emphasize the flexibility of WBDL, but caution that it might not be the right solution for all situations.\nPractical implications: - To ensure that WBDL is a worthwhile investment for an organization, it is important to have an implementation plan that is specifically tied to an organization's business strategy. The authors emphasize the flexibility of WBDL, but caution that it might not be the right solution for all situations.\nOriginality/value: - An organization could use WBDL in the right circumstances as shown as a flexible medium for teaching in the organization.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Price segment stability in consumer goods categories
|
[
"Product management",
"Pricing",
"Consumer behaviour",
"Market segmentation"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Price segmentation captures response heterogeneity to price-related variables and creates opportunities to adapt price management to segment-specific price behaviour for enhanced pricing effectiveness and efficiency. While considering price behaviour a personality trait, the product category itself is observed as a determinant (Gabor and Granger, 1964; Erdem et al., 2002). This may be due to the distribution of quality uncertainty and price uncertainty in a product category. Whereas quality uncertainty is concerned with the distribution of intrinsic product quality, price uncertainty is defined as a situation where a consumer is uncertain about the prevailing prices for the products of an expected quality level (Mehta et al., 2003). From a risk theory perspective, price behaviour is part of a set of risk-handling strategies to reduce probability and or/importance of losses due to uncertainty (Roselius, 1971; Greatorex and Mitchell, 1994; Cases, 2002). Households may search a lot for price information and focus on low prices in some categories to reduce financial risk. At the same time they may have high reservation prices in other product categories. This phenomenon is also referred to as \"hybrid\" behaviour (Schmalen, 1994, p. 1222; Diller et al., 2000; Meer 1995). Using extent survey data on price behaviour in eight product categories, the purpose of this study is to assess price segment stability across the categories investigated. Three common factors are identified from a comprehensive set of price-related indicators and subsequently used for cluster analysis. The five segments \"brand conscious buyers\" (BCB), discount buyers\" (DB), optimizers\" (O), high price shoppers\" (HPS) and \"price seekers\" (PS) prove stability across categories and give some indication for management implications.\nMeasuring price behaviour with psychographics: Building upon the conceptual S-O-R-paradigm for discussing shopper reactions to price (Zeithaml, 1984; Jacoby and Olson, 1977), we differentiate activating and cognitive processes that determine the shopper's willingness to pay (Diller, 1978). The segmentation framework of this study recurs to three areas of key constructs to cover each of the psychological processes: value consciousness, price perceptions and price intentions.Value consciousness\nMethod: To this end, a representative survey on German households' price behaviour in five fast-moving consumer goods (tissue, chocolate bar, soap bar, detergent and facial moisturizer) and three durable goods categories (washing machines, television sets and jeans) was conducted in April 2002 in cooperation with GfK/IRI, Nurnberg, Germany. The product categories selected feature substantial differences with respect to quality uncertainty, price uncertainty, financial risk and familiarity with the purchase situation. Table I gives evidence for the category heterogeneity desired.In situations where price variability is high, consumers perceive high price uncertainty. Quality uncertainty is assessed with the indicator \"perception of quality differences\" in the product category. Further, familiarity as a function of purchase frequency should reduce the household's perception of price and quality uncertainty. Finally, the higher the product price the higher the motivation to use risk-handling strategies. Therefore, consumers are expected to have a lesser need to collect and reconsider information for brand choice in familiar purchase situations or where financial risk is perceived to be low (Richardson et al., 1996).A total of 2,621 buyers responded to a set of 16 items on price-related behaviour for segmentation. Socio-demographics and a range of general attitudes were also collected for cluster description. The set of price items accounts for the above described segmentation framework and intends to comprehensively cover the inner processes of consumer reaction to price. More specifically, we focussed on the four areas of \"value consciousness\", \"deal proneness\", \"willingness-to-pay\", \"price reliance\" and \"price as a quality indicator\". Note that one indicator of \"value consciousness\", \"concern for price\", was inversely reflected with two measures as \"concern for quality\" and \"concern for brands\" to avoid a social desirability bias. Further, one item to assess quality uncertainty was included. The items are given with scaling details in Table II[1]. The sample was divided into four sub-groups of two products each, leading after elimination of outliers to a total of 5,087 buyer-product combinations.The nature of our data analytical approach is exploratory. Factor analysis is computed for the total market and each product category to explore common factor structures. Composite scores are subsequently calculated as standardized means of the high-loading measures. The composite scores provide an estimate of the corresponding constructs used for segmentation. Cluster analysis of the scores is performed using the Ward-method to compute starting values for alternative numbers of clusters as input for K-means clustering (Punj and Stewart, 1983).To determine the optimal number of clusters retained for each product category, four criteria were assessed. Bacher (1996) suggests two decision criteria based on explained variance: First, ETA2 computes the share of the total variance explained by the clusters, whereas the second measure PRE2 is the expression of the additional variance explained resulting from the increase in number of clusters. PRE2 should exceed a minimum value of 0.15 to justify the separation of a further cluster (Bacher, 1996). The criteria are written as: Equation 1 and Equation 2 with K=number of clusters; SQin=variance within clusters, SQges=total variance. Third, F-values reflect the degree of homogeneity, and finally, t-values are analysed to assess cluster heterogeneity.The index of interrater reliability k, kappa (Cohen, 1960), is used to investigate segment stability across categories. Values of k greater than 0.74 are considered to indicate excellent reliability, values from 0.60 to 0.74 are considered good, values from 0.40 to 0.59 are considered fair, and values below 0.40 are considered poor (Meyer et al., 2002; Fleiss, 1981)[2]. We use the split-half method proposed by McIntyre and Blashfield (1980) to test stability for the total market, cross-validate user classification in the product category context versus classification in the total market context and investigate hybrid behaviour analysing the user classification for each of the two product categories assigned to the four sub-samples.\nResults and discussion: Factor analysis of the single items with varimax rotation results in a simple three-factor structure identical for all product categories. Note that the indicator \"relevance of alternatives\" was excluded from the final factor analysis because of insufficient communality with the factor structure of a previous analysis (<0.3)[3]. The item was instead used for cluster profiling. Factor loadings and the scree-plot are reported in Figure 1 and Table III. Explained variance ranges from a low of 51.9 per cent (WMA) to a high of 65.8 per cent (PTI, see Table IV).The identified factor structure reveals the underlying choice conflict between quality expectations and the need for lower prices which results in price tier preferences. The first factor \"Concern for quality\" (CQ) collects five items: \"quality importance\", \"price as indicator of quality\" (measured with the two items \"high price indicating good quality\" and \"very low price raising concern for quality\" recurring to Monroe (1973)), \"brand importance\" and \"perception of product quality differences\". In part antipode of price importance, we find reliability equally confirmed for all categories with a ranging from 0.72 (WMA) to 0.86 (PTI). The purchase decision process of consumers with high concern for quality should therefore tend to be less driven by value consciousness.The second factor may be best interpreted as \"Attention to price cues\" (AP). With the five items \"deal proneness (three items)\", \"price search\" and \"price reliance\" consistently attributed to this third latent variable, the vector contains a motivational aspect of value consciousness and expresses the consumer preference for deals. Reliability measurement delivers mixed results for two reasons. First, reliability is not satisfactory for washing machines (WMA, a=0.53) and television sets (TEL, a=0.68). Especially the measurement of \"deal proneness\" appears to be inadequate for durables with longer purchasing cycles and higher financial risk (i.e. item sa_2: \"spontaneous purchase decisions on deals\" are evidently less likely in such categories). Second, if the other six product categories give indication of reliability, a around 0.70 seems only acceptable at this exploratory stage.The final factor \"Internal reference price (IRP)\" groups the three cognitive categories of internal reference points, \"upper and lower price threshold\" and \"normal price estimation\", as well as the item \"willingness to pay\" as attitudinal disposition. It reflects in part Winer's (1988) conceptualisation of the internal reference price, a composite vector of multiple reference points[4]. Thus, shoppers are differentiated based on their subjective anchor for price judgments. With a around 0.90, reliability is confirmed for all categories.For segmentation, composite scores were generated calculating the means of the standardized items of the three factors. Starting values for two to ten clusters were computed as input for K-means clustering using the Ward-method. Table V suggests a five-cluster solution.The analysis of PRE2 excludes cluster solutions with values of 0.10 or below. Further, explained variance (ETA2) improves from 0.29 (two clusters) to 0.61 (five clusters). The five-cluster solution is perfectly homogeneous, and the average difference of t-values still shows a noticeable improvement of cluster heterogeneity from four to five clusters. Interestingly, the level of agreement, k, is relatively low for three or four clusters across categories, whereas five clusters show good stability for all product categories with the exception of washing machines (kWMA=0.47), and, to a lesser extent, of the two other durable goods, television sets and jeans (kTEL=0.65; kJEA=0.63). Split half analysis was performed to validate the price segment structure for the total sample. With k=0.90 an excellent degree of agreement between the nearest-centroid assignments of the holdout sample and the results of a cluster analysis of the holdout sample can be observed.Most importantly, the five-cluster solution makes psychological sense: Table VI gives the means of the three composite scores for each cluster. Note that high negative values for \"Attention to price cues\" (AP) and \"Concern for quality\" (CQ) read high agreement, whereas inverse interpretation is required for the \"Internal reference price\" (IRP). Cluster profiles of selected descriptive items are given in Figures 2-5.Optimizers\nManagerial implications and limitations: The preceding findings suggest that price management should be concerned with price segment structures and their specific price needs. Particularly, price segmentation could benefit to retailers like Eddie Bauer to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of consumer targeting. Several major implications can be identified: First, \"Discount buyers\" (DB) and \"Price seekers\" (PS) do not seem to represent a sustainable potential for quality differentiation. Second, price competition yields low perceived value for two further segments, \"Brand conscious buyers\" (BCB) and \"High price shoppers\" (HPS). Third, without compromising an expected high level of product quality for a lower price, \"Optimizers\" (O) are prepared to invest time and effort for price rewards. These insights suggest that national brands should design targeted price concepts such as couponing and reward programs rather than mere price promotions. Finally, knowledge of perceived risk patterns may help to address the consumers' price preferences according to classes of products.Some limitations of the study have to be noted which in turn offer opportunities for further research. While the study intended to identify common segment structures across fast moving consumer goods and durables, scales for measuring \"Attention to price cues (AP)\" have been inadequate for the two durables with longer purchasing cycles. Further, conclusions regarding product group-related price attitudes should be appreciated with caution, as the analysis is limited to cross-category observations only. The research does also not take environmental conditions at the point of purchase into consideration. These situational factors, such as store design or merchandizing techniques, may determine the buyer's shopping experience and moderate the perception of price cues. Lastly, the exploratory methodological approach to data analysis delivers insight into how consumer price behaviour may be differentiated. However, we implicitly assume that one identical behavioural model applies to all segments. This may not be true. Therefore, at a confirmatory stage, structural equation modelling for finite mixtures using refined measurement scales should aim at improving price segmentation by accounting for potential segment-specific relations between the segmentation variables.\nSummary: The study suggests five stable shopper segments across eight product categories. The result was obtained using composite scores of price-related items on the basis of a single factor structure identical to every category. Three segments with different emphasis on the importance of price and quality respectively were found. \"Brand conscious buyers\" (BCB) have high brand and quality preferences. In contrast, \"Price seekers\" (PS) focus on low prices. \"Optimizers\" (O) attach equal weight to quality and price. Two further price segments are identified which seem both to be characterized by using price as a choice heuristic. \"Discount buyers\" (DB) disregard the importance of either quality or brands or price. Prevalence of discounters and lowest price tier preferences reflect this attitude. \"High price shoppers\" (HPS) may simplify the product choice process by using the price cue as quality indicator.However, to a substantial part, price behaviour is hybrid: Price sensitive shoppers in facial moisturizers may be indifferent towards paper tissues, but quality conscious in detergents. Categories such as television sets and washing machines, for example, obviously differ from most fast moving consumer goods with respect to a more extensive purchasing process which may be also due to the perceived risk inherent in this class of products. Therefore, homogeneity of product categories in terms of perceived risk drives price behaviour consistency across categories.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - This paper sets out to explore the degree to which consumer price segments can be generalized across product categories.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A comprehensive segmentation framework of price-related activating and cognitive inner processes and preferences is proposed to account for heterogeneity in consumer response to price. Large-scale consumer survey data on price-related attitudes in eight consumer goods categories (paper tissue, soap bar, chocolate bar, detergent, facial moisturizer, television set, washing machine, jeans) are used for cluster analysis.\nFindings: - On the aggregate level, five stable price segments across consumer goods categories are identified and described. On the individual level, it is found that price behavioural consistency is a function of the category context in terms of price uncertainty and quality uncertainty.\nPractical implications: - The findings suggest that price management should be concerned with price segment structures and their specific price needs. Price segmentation could particularly benefit retailers in order to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of consumer targeting.\nOriginality/value: - The contribution of the study is to show that identical price segments can be identified across categories, whereas the individual segment membership depends on the nature and level of perceived risk in the category.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
Research in urban logistics: a systematic literature review
|
[
"City logistics",
"Systematic literature review",
"Urban logistics",
"Urban freight transport"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction and background: The continuously increasing share of the population living in urban areas, the concerns for pollution and safety in cities, the issues of traffic and congestion, and the newly available technological opportunities have attracted the attention of researchers and policy makers of urban transport. Focussing on freight transport, several problems must be addressed, such as the increasingly fragmented demand due to the spread of e-commerce (Esser and Kurte, 2005) and the synchronisation and harmonisation of the different flows of goods (Alho and Silva, 2015; Rose et al., 2016). Freight transport has also been acknowledged as a significant disturbance to the liveability and quality of urban spaces, especially near areas of historical and artistic value that must be preserved and made accessible and enjoyable to citizens and tourists (Dablanc et al., 2011). Consequently, this paper focusses on urban logistics, frequently referred to as city logistics (CL) or urban freight transport, whose solutions aim, on the one hand, to reduce all of the aforementioned negative impacts and, on the other hand, to offer better and faster deliveries. Throughout this manuscript, the terms CL and urban logistics are used interchangeably.\nThe research method: The SLR is selected as the research method for this study because of the nature of the research questions, which aim at understanding trends and detecting existing gaps in the scientific literature. The SLR method has been used to consolidate emerging topics in other areas, such as the role of logistics in achieving agility (Gligor and Holcomb, 2012), the extensions of sustainability codes to suppliers (Gimenez and Tachizawa, 2012), and the servitization of manufacturing (Lightfoot et al., 2013).\nDescriptive analysis of the corpus: Figure 2 presents the distribution by year of the papers in the corpus. Despite some fluctuations in the considered time interval, it is possible to appreciate the steady increment of contributions regarding urban logistics in the last five years, thus confirming the current relevance of the subject.\nClassification of the papers: To respond to\nMain research methodologies employed and relationship with the main topics: To classify the research methodologies, the analysis followed an inductive approach similar to the one previously discussed for the classification of the topics. Each author independently classified the methodologies used in the papers-based primarily on his/her own experiences. Then, following a discussion, a common classification table was developed by revising and grouping the various methodologies identified. For instance, case studies (single or multiple) and interviews were merged because they are always used jointly in our corpus.\nMain contributions driving the development of the literature: To complement the analysis illustrated in the previous sections and to provide an answer to\nMain research issues, gaps and future lines of research: In addition to providing answers to the three research questions, the perusal of the literature on urban logistics allowed us to identify some directions for research that deserve further investigation by both academics and practitioners. At the European level, the European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) and the Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE) jointly published a roadmap that identifies future challenges related to urban freight delivery, returns and urban logistics to improve the efficiency, sustainability and security of these activities (ALICE/ERTRACT, 2015). However, the future directions of research proposed in this paper are based on the retrospective analysis of the evolution of the literature. Thus, the suggestions for future research presented in this paper focus on those areas that can help the discipline to consolidate and evolve cohesively while simultaneously addressing the future challenges noted in the literature. Therefore, three main areas of possible investigation from which future research could stem are proposed.\nConclusions: The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic analysis of the scientific literature that addresses urban logistics from a logistics and management perspective. To the best of our knowledge, such an effort has not, to date, been undertaken, although it seems necessary given the fragmentation of the literature addressing this topic that emerged in the early stages of the research. Moreover, the topic of the urban transport of goods is receiving growing attention as witnessed by the increasing number of papers every year and the available funding at the local and European levels. Therefore, the objective of this work was to understand the origins of the literature and offer suggestions regarding the best directions for future research.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The last decades have witnessed an increased interest in urban logistics originating from both the research and the practitioners' communities. Sustainable freight transports today are on the political, social and technological agenda of many actors operating in urban contexts. Due to the extent of the covered areas and the continuous progress in many fields, the resulting body of research on urban logistics appears quite fragmented. From an engineering management perspective, the purpose of this paper is to present a systematic literature review (SLR) that aims to consolidate the knowledge on urban logistics, analyse the development of the discipline, and provide future research directions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper discusses the main evidence emerging from a SLR on urban logistics. The corpus resulting from the SLR has been used to perform a citation network analysis and a main path analysis that together underpin the identification of the most investigated topics and methodologies in the field.\nFindings: Through the analysis of a corpus of 104 articles, the most important research contributions on urban logistics that represent the structural backbone in the development of the research over time in the field are detected. Based on these findings, this work identifies and discusses three areas of potential interest for future research.\nOriginality/value: This paper presents an SLR related to a research area in which the literature is extremely fragmented. The results provide insights about the research path, current trends and future research directions in the field of urban logistics.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
A job demands-resources approach to presenteeism
|
[
"Work engagement",
"Burnout",
"Resources",
"Job demands",
"Presenteeism"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Presenteeism is a common and costly workplace issue. Surveys of Swedish, Danish and German workers indicate that between 65 and 78 per cent of participants reported at least one day of presenteeism in the previous year (Aronsson and Gustafsson, 2005; Hansen and Andersen, 2008; Iverson et al., 2010; Leineweber et al., 2012), which is approximately twice the number of participants who reported being absent (Iverson et al., 2010). The costs associated with presenteeism are less obvious than absenteeism, and as a result, are often overlooked in the workplace. This is concerning because presenteeism related expenses have increased, rising from $AU 25.7 to $AU 34.1 billion per year in Australia between 2005/2006 and 2009/2010 (Medibank, 2011). In addition to the organisational costs, presenteeism poses a significant threat to individual workers in terms of their career prospects, health and overall well-being. A number of presenteeism definitions can be found in the literature (Hummer et al., 2002; Chapman, 2005; Schultz and Edington, 2007; Johns, 2010). In this paper, presenteeism is defined as \"productivity losses that occur when an employee is present at work but, for a variety of reasons, performs his or her work tasks at a lower level than usual\" (McGregor et al., 2014, p. 1319).\nJD-R model and presenteeism: The JD-R model is a theoretical framework that proposes ways in which aspects of the work environment affect employee's energy, health and motivation (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007). Two broad psychosocial work environment categories are proposed under the model. First, job demands refer to aspects of an individual's job that require sustained physical and/or psychological effort and may, therefore, be associated with physical and/or psychological costs. Examples of job demands include time pressure, high workloads, irregular working hours, job insecurity, work-family conflict, bullying and difficult working conditions. Second, job resources refer to aspects of an individual's job that help them to achieve work goals, reduce job demands or encourage growth, learning and development. Job resources include social support, performance feedback, quality leadership, development opportunities and training (Bakker and Demerouti, 2007).\nMethods: Participants and procedure\nResults: Of the 1,050 participants in the data set, 14 respondents were removed as they recorded an inappropriate number of hours worked (e.g. below the cut-off of 30 hours per week or above the total possible hours in one week). A further 55 respondents were removed as they completed the survey in a manner that suggested they did not invest adequate time to read and respond to the survey properly (a cut-off point of <8 mins was used). One participant was also removed due to an extreme value on the presenteeism measure (i.e. more than the possible working days in one year), resulting in a final sample of 980 participants.\nDiscussion: This study provides novel insights into the nature of the associations between characteristics of the psychosocial work environment (i.e. job demands and resources) and presenteeism. Previous research has mostly investigated the direct contribution of work environment factors (e.g. time pressure, high workloads, poor support and job insecurity) to presenteeism (Caverley et al., 2007; Claes, 2011; Josefsson, 2012) and as a result the processes by which such variables influence presenteeism are largely unknown. The current study extended on previous research by utilising the JD-R model as a framework for investigating health impairment (i.e. burnout) and motivational (i.e. work engagement) pathways linking job demands and resources with presenteeism. This provides an important contribution to the literature which, with only a few exceptions, has been predominantly empirically driven and has not comprehensively investigated the role of psychosocial antecedents of presenteeism.\nConclusions: Presenteeism is an important issue that can affect the overall productivity of an organisation as well as the health, career prospects and well-being of its workers. This study represents an important contribution to the literature by demonstrating that health impairment (i.e. burnout) and motivational (i.e. work engagement) processes proposed by the JD-R model link job demands and resources with presenteeism. In particular, our results suggest that presenteeism is likely to occur under the following circumstances - when job demands, such as workplace bullying, time pressure and work-family conflict, are perceived to be high as the energy required to meet these demands may lead to increased burnout and subsequent presenteeism; and when job resources, such as quality leadership and social support, are perceived to be low as employees are likely to feel unappreciated and cynical towards the organisation which may lead to reduced work engagement, increased burnout (to some extent) and a rise in presenteeism. Organisations should therefore consider utilising interventions that focus on teaching employees how to better manage job demands as well as promoting and building job resources as a novel way to reduce presenteeism through improved burnout and work engagement.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: Utilising the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, the purpose of this paper is to examine how aspects of the psychosocial work environment (namely, job demands and resources) are associated with presenteeism, and in particular, whether they are indirectly related via burnout and work engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey of 980 working Australians measured the relationships between job demands (i.e. workplace bullying, time pressure and work-family conflict), resources (i.e. leadership and social support), burnout, work engagement and presenteeism. Path analysis was used to test the proposed hypotheses whilst controlling for participant demographics (i.e. sex, age, work level, duration and education).\nFindings: Higher job demands (workplace bullying, time pressure, and work-family conflict) and lower job resources (leadership only) were found to be indirectly related to presenteeism via increased burnout. While increased job resources (leadership and social support) were indirectly related to presenteeism via improved work engagement.\nPractical implications: The findings are consistent with the JD-R model, and suggest that presenteeism may arise from the strain and burnout associated with overcoming excessive job demands as well as the reduced work engagement and higher burnout provoked by a lack of resources in the workplace. Intervention programmes could therefore focus on teaching employees how to better manage job demands as well as promoting the resources available at work as an innovative way to address the issue of rising presenteeism.\nOriginality/value: This study is important as it is one of the first to examine the theoretical underpinnings of the relationship between presenteeism and its antecedents.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Elucidating the aesthetic and operational characteristics of UK boutique hotels
|
[
"Hotels",
"Hospitality services",
"Market segmentation",
"United Kingdom"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Boutique hotels have been in existence for many years. The majority of the literature suggests that boutique hotels were invented in the early 1980s when Anouska Hempel designed Blake's in London (Brights, 2007; Callan and Fearon, 1997; Caterer Search, 2005; Lea, 2002; McDonnell, 2005). Others suggest that Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell were responsible when they opened Morgans Hotel in New York in 1984 (The Independent, 2006). While it has been predicted that the boutique hotel sector will not prosper (Swig, 2002) the growth of this sector is, however, apparent (Aggett, 2007; Caterer Search, 2005; PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2006). It is difficult to state the exact size of the boutique hotel market because there is no official industrial definition (Aggett, 2007; Gooday, 2006; Teo et al., 1998).The success of boutique hotels has been attributed to greater interest in fine art and culture today (Freund de Klumbis and Munsters, 2005) as customers are beginning to shift their perceptions on what they expect because they want an experience, and not just a bed for the night (Freund de Klumbis, 2005; Freund de Klumbis and Munsters, 2005; Pine and Gilmore, 1999; McIntosh and Siggs, 2005; Van Hartesvelt, 2006).Similarities and differences in definitions of boutique hotels in both academic and practitioners' literature were found. This realisation reinforced our belief that a more thorough investigation is needed to distinguish \"boutique\" hotels, especially when the term is so liberally used today. Common characteristics of hotels in general, including location, size (often indicated by the number of bedrooms), facilities such as the provision of a restaurant, and star ratings are areas where academics and practitioners often do not agree. This paper has therefore been set out to investigate the basis of these characteristics under the headings of aesthetic and operational characteristics.The identification of a more precise definition of a boutique hotel will not only benefit trade bodies and associations when revising their grading systems, it would also provide clarity to the sectors that make up the hotel industry. Critically, this study aims to provide credibility to the sector, where not any hotel can claim to be boutique, as specific classifications will be required.Following from the primary literature review, secondary research is conducted to establish the accuracy of work that has been carried out before, and to investigate discrepancies and similarities. Characteristics and features revealed from literature reviews have been adopted and utilized to determine common characteristics of a sample of boutique hotels. The study was further augmented by face-to-face interviews with boutique hotel managers. A meaningful and functional definition of boutique hotels was then achieved using a combination of these measures.\nLiterature review: There are no official definitions of boutique hotels (Gooday, 2006; Teo et al., 1998; Van Hartesvelt, 2006). The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1999, p. 165) defines \"boutique\" as \"a small shop selling fashionable clothes\" but it does not provide a definition of a boutique hotel. The Chambers Dictionary (2003, p. 175), however, defines a boutique hotel as \"a small hotel, with an intimate and individualistic atmosphere and style\".Other terms used to describe boutique hotels include \"town house hotels\", (Callan and Fearon, 1997; Caterer Search, 2005; PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2006) \"hotels du charme\" (Callan and Fearon, 1997), \"lifestyle\", \"designer\" (Caterer Search, 2005; Forsgren and Franchetti, 2004; Freund de Klumbis, 2005; PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2006) and \"hip\" (Freund de Klumbis, 2005; Forsgren and Franchetti, 2004). The AA (2006) and the RAC (2006) offer a townhouse classification, while the English Tourist Board provides a description of boutique hotels and suggest that they could also be considered as restaurants with rooms. Lea (2002) suggests that \"alternative\" is a more useful description than boutique.Therefore the combination of service quality characteristics, individual design, location and facilities could help describe a boutique hotel. Moreover in 2005, PricewaterhouseCoopers (2005) stated that the defining characteristics of a boutique hotel include size, personal service, individuality, design and style, but in 2006 additional characteristics such as size, contemporary and specialised decor and being able to make the guest feel special were included. Caterer Search (2005) uses size, design and location in their definition. Rowe (2003) applied characteristics including design, location, history and size while Nobles and Thompson (2001) specified size, design and service. Swig (2002), on the other hand suggests that boutique no longer means small and personal but individual and unique.Characteristics such as size, ownership, service, decoration and the provision of restaurant or leisure facilities were also used to describe boutique hotels by Callan and Fearon (1997). McIntosh and Siggs (2005) focused their research on unique characteristics, personalised, homely, quality and value added which they indicate as important features to guests.With the proliferation of semantically preferred terms to describe boutique hotels, this study divides the array of characteristics into aesthetics (to include, style location, type of building and design) and operational characteristics (ownership, classifications and grading, number of employees and services provided) so as to determine if there is a relationship between the creative elements of the hotel and the operational elements. The selection of these characteristics was aided by the assessment criteria used by the AA (2006) for classifying travel accommodation.Aesthetics\nMethodology: Given the descriptive nature of this study's inquiry, a triangulation method was undertaken, as it has been suggested that the use of quantitative as well as qualitative research resulting in similar outcomes would help to demonstrate the accurateness of the research (Martella et al., 1999). As depicted in Figure 2, the first analysis explored and reviewed the current literature to identify common characteristics of boutique hotels. To corroborate whether the common characteristics found in the literature were similar, an investigation of boutique hotel web sites was conducted. Finally, in-depth interviews were carried out with practitioners in order to obtain the perceptions of personnel employed in boutique hotels. This was to further investigate whether the characteristics found in our first two phases could be further strengthened.As there is no formal listing of boutique hotels, the most appropriate sample obtained was selected from the literature review: PricewaterhouseCoopers Lifestyle Hotel Survey 2006 highlighted 11 UK consortia, Callan and Fearon (1997) indicated another four consortia, of which two of which were also highlighted by Freund de Klumbis (2005). The web sites of these consortia, along with the RAC (2006), AA (2006) and Visit Britain (2006), were examined. All the hotels within these 15 consortia and all the Town House hotels in the AA Guide Book 2006 were used in the sample. This provided a total of 152 UK hotels, which is an acceptable sample size for statistical analysis of the data (Clark et al., 2002).A content analysis approach was undertaken for each of the 152 hotels' web sites to ascertain the common characteristics, features and amenities of the hotels. A systematic method of collecting the online information was implemented (locating characteristics of rooms, followed by restaurant and bar services and finally identifying the facilities offered by the hotel) and the data was recorded on a spreadsheet, indicating the frequency of the characteristics where relevant. Content analysis has been considered a viable method of analysis to identify trends in the data where consistency in the process ensures that results are reliable (Weber, 1990). More importantly, content analysis has also been found to be useful when used in combination with other research methods (Lee et al., 2006).Upon the completion of data collection from the 152 web sites, four boutique hotel managers (randomly picked) agreed to participate in an in-depth interview to confirm the characteristics found in the data collected earlier. The face-to-face interviews were recorded on a digital recorder to facilitate transcribing and each interview lasted an average of 60 minutes. A comparative analysis (Clark et al., 2002) was then carried out with the results of the primary research of the hotel web site data to establish the common characteristics of boutique hotels and the views of boutique hotel managers. This was done to facilitate the identification of common results from the three phases of the research, enabling a clearer description or definition of what a boutique hotel is.\nFindings: Aesthetics\nConclusions: As the findings of the research agree with the majority of the literature that boutique hotels have fewer than 100 rooms (Aggett, 2007; Callan and Fearon, 1997; Freund de Klumbis, 2005; Teo et al., 1998), it is appropriate that this is one of the defining characteristics. The study has also discovered that the majority of boutique hotels are located in urban or city centre locations (AA, 2006; Callan and Fearon, 1997; Providence Hospitality, 2006; RAC, 2006). The findings and literature agree that the historic aspect of the building is an important feature of a boutique hotel as it helps to establish individuality (Aggett, 2007; McIntosh and Siggs, 2005). The use of older buildings that have previously been used in some other way is also a feature that is often used to create individuality.The findings presented a mixed response to the design features of boutique hotels, although it suggests that individuality is the most important aspect of the design (Nobles and Thompson, 2001; Providence Hospitality, 2006). An example of a hotel that has a distinct individual character would probably have incorporated contemporary luxuries in its premises while preserving the property (or proprietor's) tradition of service and heritage. A hotel that has achieved individuality would almost certainly be difficult to replicate.It has also been found in this study that boutique hotels are not necessarily privately owned. Although many of the hotels are group-owned it would be difficult for a large chain hotel to be able to create a truly individual hotel with a high level of personal service. The current grading system has been in use for many years and hotel managers believe that the general public are guided by this system. The research indicates that boutique hotels can be three-, four- or five-star, although some hotels did not have any star ratings.Good personal service is a requirement of a boutique hotel (Aggett, 2007; Callan and Fearon, 1997; McIntosh and Siggs, 2005); perhaps because boutique hotels tend to be smaller with fewer guests, this allows staff more opportunities to get to know guests and deliver service in a friendly manner, creating a relaxed and homely environment. The findings of the research also suggest that a restaurant facility is an important aspect of boutique hotels, which was also found to be important by Van Hartesvelt (2006) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (2006).In summation, this research would be beneficial for trade bodies, hoteliers and the general public to help them to understand what they should expect in a boutique hotel. This research has thus critically identified the characteristics that could facilitate defining a boutique hotel by identifying the characteristics, features and amenities of a boutique hotel according to academic and industrial literature. The definition of boutique hotels should therefore include the following:* are generally smaller in size, with less than 100 rooms;* are not part of a large chain;* are generally located in urban or city centres;* will generally have an historical or other interesting aspect associated with the building;* are individual in design with an emphasis on personal service;* include a good quality restaurant as an integral feature; and* are three-, four- or five-star rated.\nRecommendations for future research: This study has provided a consolidated glimpse of what a boutique hotel's characteristics include, although the method of research has not been used before. The authors recognise that the method may not be suitable for other researchers; however, it was found to be a suitable method to meet the aims and objectives of this study. It is recommended that further research is carried out to provide additional evidence to support the results of this investigation.Due to time and resource limitations, consumer perceptions in regard to the definition of boutique hotels have not been included in this study. Consumer perceptions could be included in future investigations, so as to provide a helpful balance in support of the results of this research. To provide additional support to the validity of the findings, prospective research might adopt this study's research paradigm in other geographical areas such as the USA and Australia. Finally, to accurately reflect the changes in quality and attributes found in hotel categories, future research could also investigate if the current grading system should be modernised to include the consideration of new sectors such as the boutique hotels.\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: - The paper seeks to clarify the aesthetic and operational characteristics of UK boutique hotels so as to obtain a clearer definition of boutique hotels.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Since an official list of boutique hotels is not available, the study looked at 15 consortia recognised as operating bona fide boutique hotels by a few authoritative sources (e.g. Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the RAC). Web sites of each boutique hotel were scrutinised by content analysing vital operational characteristics and aesthetic features that were presented. A comparative analysis was then carried out with the findings and interviews obtained from four boutique hotel managers to establish the common characteristics of boutique hotels.\nFindings: - The paper describes the aesthetics and operational characteristics of UK boutique hotels, indicating what can be found in a boutique hotel. One of the many important findings of this study suggests that the majority of boutique hotels are not privately owned, contradicting previous studies.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The list of characteristics is not exhaustive, although the interest in UK boutique hotels is rather recent. The research method used in this study has not been used before, and it is therefore recommended that research on consumer perceptions of boutique hotels should help to augment and balance the findings of this study.\nPractical implications: - A meaningful and functional definition of boutique hotels will enable trade bodies and relevant associations to revise their grading systems, better serving the hotel industry, as well as business and leisure travellers.\nOriginality/value: - This paper aims to give credibility to the sector so that not any hotel can claim to be boutique, as specific characteristics have to be fulfilled.\n",
"role": "assistant"
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] |
Ensuring that older means wiser: The importance of continuous development in design and engineering
|
[
"Older workers",
"Computerization",
"Design and engineering",
"Design software"
] |
[
{
"content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: It has been called a time-bomb - and the aging of Europe's population may yet have explosive repercussions.\nNo room for complacency: This means that professionals aged 30-plus are currently in demand - but the downside is that they can be lulled into thinking that they do not need to keep up to date. Often, they are saddled with responsibilities both at home and at work, and, in many cases, their work is integral to the business. They either believe that their learning days are over and they do not need further training or that they just do not have time.\nA different era: However, many older professionals - even those now in their 30s and 40s - started their working lives in a different environment. Globalization was less of a force, jobs were not so scarce and employers were not so risk-averse when it came to hiring staff. They were more willing to train on the job rather than insist on certain qualifications.\nConsistent qualifications: What can employers do to ensure that they continue to get the best from the experience and know-how of all their staff - not just the young, up-and-coming stars? And what can the workers do to ensure they remain of value, continue to be motivated and stay employable until they chose to retire or, in today's volatile world, until they need to compete against younger candidates in the search for a new position?\n",
"role": "user"
},
{
"content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to illustrate how important it is for older workers to keep up to date with technological and other developments - especially in industries experiencing major changes because of digitization. It also introduces the concept of IT certification and how this can help older workers to demonstrate their skills.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The conundrum of unemployed graduates at a time of skill shortages and where this leaves older workers is discussed. The design and engineering industry has been used as a specific example and the kind of changes taking place has been illustrated.\nFindings: Reasons why managers should encourage staff to keep updating their skills and why certification is a good way to do this have been provided.\nSocial implications: Reasons why employees who may be at the peak of their careers cannot afford to be complacent and to neglect to update their skills have been explained.\nOriginality/value: This study discusses the impact of graduate unemployment and the need for training upon older workers and demonstrates the value of information technology certification for this age group.\n",
"role": "assistant"
}
] |
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