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Electronic women's grey literature in academic libraries	[ "Grey literature", "Women", "Library studies", "Collections management", "Academic libraries", "Electronic media" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Grey literature is an important outlet for women's writing. Unable to have their voices heard, women have often sought out alternative methods of publication. Diaries, newsletters, conference papers, pamphlets, and zines are just a few of the types of grey literature that women have used in order to make their unique and underrepresented views and experiences heard. Because of grey literature's rich history in the story of women and their struggle, it is important for academic libraries to collect and maintain this material for researchers and students to study and use.\n1. Literature review: In order to understand how grey literature is being incorporated into Women's Studies collections, we must first know what types of materials are considered grey literature. One of the most quoted definitions comes from David Wood who describes grey literature as \"literature which is not readily available through normal bookselling channels, and therefore difficult to identify and obtain\" (as cited in Auger, 1998, p. 3). Using this definition, grey literature includes unpublished conference presentations, theses and dissertations, technical and research reports, trade literature, datasets, government publications, bulletins, and newsletters (Auger, 1998; Blomqvist and Nielsen, 2002; Sulouff et al., 2005; Tripathi et al., 2006). Other descriptions that help define grey literature include: uncertain availability, poor bibliographic control, nonprofessional format and layout, and low print runs (Auger, 1998; Sellie, 2006).Wood's definition, while popular, first appeared in 1982 and the process of creating and disseminating grey literature has changed dramatically in the past 25 years. This is mainly due to the evolution of the internet as a popular information tool. The internet has allowed amateur publishers the ability to create more professional looking literature in higher volumes and to a larger audience at a lower price (Blomqvist and Nielsen, 2002; Malina and Nutt, 2000). Because of these changes in information creation and dissemination, a more modern definition of grey literature was formally adopted at the 3rd International Conference on Grey Literature in 1997. Here, grey literature is defined as \"that which is produced on all levels of government, academics, business and industry in print and electronic formats, but which is not controlled by commercial publishers\" (Siegel, 2004, p. 62). Electronic based grey literature would include discussion boards, web sites, web logs, electronic pre-prints and other online publications available in formats like Portable Document Format (PDF) and HTML, (de Blaaij, 2004; Mathews, 2004; Malina and Nutt, 2000).Grey literature is an important tool for hearing the voices of oppressed and underrepresented groups (Aina, 2000; Malina and Nutt, 2000). However, because of its unconventional publication methods, grey literature is often difficult for librarians to find and collect. Collection development policies often inadequately address grey literature, especially in the digital environment (Lehman and Webster, 2004). While most traditional resources in academic libraries are found through publication and database vendors, grey literature's main media in many fields, especially for research findings, are unpublished conference proceedings (Aina, 2000) and government documents (Auger, 1998) which are not typically available through traditional academic publishers.Two popular ways to obtain grey literature include \"exchange agreements with other organizations\" and \"purchases by subscription or on a single item order basis\" (Auger, 1998, p. 30). This can be a time consuming task for librarians who collect for more than one subject area or for those who not only do collection development but also cataloging, reference and information literacy instruction. Many grey materials, such as zines, often need to be sought out and, therefore, can only be found and collected by librarians who know what to look for and where to find it (Sellie, 2006). Collecting grey literature is also hindered by both the lack of discussion about it in traditional collection development courses at library schools and its fuzzy definition.This difficulty in collection development is unfortunate because grey literature is an important outlet for feminist thought. Women's voices have historically been suppressed and this has lead to their dependence on untraditional publishing strategies. Feminist grey literature has taken many forms including \"reports, information from women's organizations, diaries, dissertations, political tracts, theses, conference papers, teaching material, ephemera and so on\" (Malina and Nutt, 2000, p. 18). These documents are important in reconstructing the past from a female perspective and also in researching present day women's experiences (Kerber and De Hart, 1995; Searing, 1985).One of the most popular present day forms of feminist grey literature are zines. While difficult to categorize because of the variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of writing, they defy traditional publication and organization and are an \"independently written, produced, and distributed media that value freedom of expression and freedom from rules above all else\" (Sallie Bingham Center, 2007). Dating back to the 1930s, zine production took off in the late 1980s when photocopying become widely available and relatively cheap. Zines can also be found online in a form called ezines. Through zines and ezines young women (mostly in their teens and twenties) write not only about feminism and activism but also about their daily lives and interests (Bleyer, 2004). While not all zines are produced by women (there are zines on almost any topic), it gives women a channel and community in which they can create and share their thoughts and experiences free from publication standards (Gisonny and Freedman, 2006).The internet has also played an important role in the creation and distribution of feminist grey literature. Its potential for producing low cost document production and organization allows voices to be heard that are often silenced or restricted. It also gives women who have been excluded from conventional publication houses a space for their voices to be heard, including minorities, lesbians, non-academics, working class, and rural women (Malina and Nutt, 2000). In fact, small political groups with views outside the mainstream were some of the first political groups to go online. This is because the internet al.lowed them to find other likeminded people and to form groups that might not otherwise have been able to exist due to physical distance (Rash, 1997)Although grey literature plays a pivotal role in Women's Studies literature, research on the topic is fairly slim. Research on feminist grey literature consists of only a handful of essay-style documents such as Malina and Nutt's (2000) article on the grey literature's potential on the internet and how-to articles like Sellie's (2006) on female librarian zines. There is some useful research on academic Women's Studies collections such as Westbrook's (2003) survey of the information needs of Women's Studies scholars and qualitative research on the use of Women's Studies periodicals (Westbrook, 1998). These deal mostly with traditional literature, however, which leaves research regarding grey literature in Women's Studies collections as an unexplored area.\n2. Methodology: Document analysis was done on the electronic grey literature holdings at four randomly selected American academic libraries whose university has a graduate Women's Studies or Gender Studies program. Universities were selected from a list obtained from Smith College (www.smith.edu/swg/gradlinks.html). Universities with graduate Women's Studies or Gender Studies programs where chosen because their university libraries should have collections that can support advanced research. This list of 50 universities was then imported into an Excel spreadsheet and four schools were chosen using the Excel random number generator.The four universities chosen were given descriptive pseudonyms to insure their confidentiality. Below is a description of each university:* Small Private University is a small, private university with theological, liberal arts and professional colleges. Offers Master's in Women's Studies and also a concentration for PhD.* Regional Public University is a large regional public university with over 100 bachelor, master, and doctoral programs in liberal arts, science, and professional areas. Offers Master's in Women's Studies.* Large Public University is a large public research university with over 300 bachelor, master, and doctoral programs in liberal arts, science, and professional areas. Offers PhD in Gender Studies.* Medium Private University is a medium-sized private university with two liberal arts colleges and professional and graduate schools in arts and sciences, business, law, medicine, and theology. Offers PhD in Women's Studies.Women's Studies specific electronic resources available from the library were analyzed. This included:* databases that deal with Women's Studies grey literature and not general subject databases;* digital special collections;* Women's Studies web sites that have grey literature;* course guides the library has created for Women's Studies courses; and* any collections of ezines that are available through the library.Two specific areas were analyzed: the types of Women's Studies electronic grey literature materials available and the specific Women's Studies topics that have grey literature available.To insure the validity and trustworthiness of this qualitative study, several safeguards were made. Multiple libraries were studied to get a fuller view of how Women's Studies grey literature is collected in academic libraries. As the researcher, I stayed reflexive by keeping a log of my research processes and staying mindful of biases and discussing concerns, perspectives, and questions. I analyzed negative cases and unconfirming evidence in order to refine observation and analysis methods. And finally, I continually looked at what was not in the collection as well as what was.\n3. Findings: Databases, web sites, and digital collections at each academic library were examined in order to understand the Women's Studies grey literature collections at each library. Relevant databases and web sites were found on the Women's or Gender Studies subject guides that each library had on their web site. Digital collections were found through links located on the library homepage and on archival and special collections pages.3.1 Grey literature databases\n4. Conclusions and recommendations for further research: All of the libraries studied had various types of electronic grey literature in their Women's Studies collections. Databases and web sites were the most popular types of electronic grey material available. Most likely, web sites are popular because they are free to the library. Databases could be popular because they hold a large amount of grey literature that can be searched all at once. More research needs to be done to understand why Women's Studies librarians chose to collect these types of grey literature.Popular topics for Women's Studies grey literature varied depending on the type of the resource. Database content tended to focus on history, digital collections on literature, and web sites was multidisciplinary. There could be many reasons for these differences. For example, most databases are proprietary, fee-based information resources. They may collect historical materials and digitize them because there is a market in academic institutions for this type of material. However, web sites are usually free and may offer resources based on the current needs of all users, not just those in academia who have access to libraries that pay for material related to Women's Studies. More research needs to be done on the variables influencing the creation and collection of specific types of Women's Studies grey literature. For example, a case study on the creation of a digital collection of grey literature that is already housed in a library's physical collection.Grey material in the collections studied were not separated from other materials but were instead dispersed throughout the libraries' other electronic holdings. My impression is that the inclusion of grey literature was not intentional but was instead viewed simply as another tool for researchers to use along with other information resources. Whether intentional or not, academic libraries do collect grey literature for their Women's Studies collections. However, greater attention to grey literature needs to be made both in collection development policies and through scholarly research. This must be done so that students, educators, and scholars will have access to voices that might not be mainstream or popular, but are still important for and valuable to a democratic society.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to understand how electronic grey literature is being incorporated into Women's Studies collections at academic libraries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The electronic grey literature holdings of four American academic libraries at universities with graduate Women's Studies programs were collected and analyzed. This included: databases; digital special collections; web sites; and online course guides that the library had created for Women's Studies courses.\nFindings: - Women's Studies International and GenderWatch were the two most popular databases, being available at three of the four libraries studied. The most popular web sites were University of Wisconsin - Women's Studies Librarian (www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/) and WSSLinks: Women and Gender Studies web sites (http://libr.org/wss/wsslinks/index.html). Recommended web sites were overwhelmingly multidisciplinary in nature and covered a variety of topics related to Women's Studies such as business, art, health, music, and philosophy. The digital collections with women's grey literature all dealt with historical topics and were either about a specific group of people or a specific person or place that had a tie to the university where it was housed.\nOriginality/value: - Grey literature is becoming an increasing popular topic in collection development and document preservation. However, there is little research on grey literature created by women. Specific databases and web sites that were found in the collections studied are mentioned so that other libraries may use the information to enhance their own collections.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Integrated sustainability reporting at HNE Eberswalde - a practice report	[ "Sustainability reporting", "Participation of stakeholder", "Project management of integrated reporting", "Sustainability criteria for universities", "Sustainability principles" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Universities have a special responsibility concerning sustainable development to society. It is crucial how the topic of sustainability is actually penetrating the core businesses of teaching and research and their own operations; and how the achievements are transferred to society. At the same time, universities are increasingly obliged to act and are called upon by stakeholders from society and the university members to make an active contribution to sustainable development to a fair coexistence and to common sense. The particular responsibility of education for sustainable development as one of the basic tasks is also revealed in all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations - General Assembly, 2015) passed by the United Nations in 2015.\nSustainability at University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde: HNEE originated from the \"Hohere Forst Lehranstalt\" (Higher Forest Academy), founded in 1830. Sustainability has been a permanent part of teaching and research since the early days of the university. In 1811, Chief Forestry Councillor Georg Ludwig Hartig, who gave the impetus to open the forestry academy, wrote as follows:\nIntegrated sustainability reporting of the University for Sustainable Development Eberswalde: The sustainability reporting aims to present the university's sustainable development comprehensively for all areas of activity and to serve as an instrument for sustainable internal management. Accountability on all core areas of the university in a single report under the aspect of sustainable development brings together what would otherwise be presented in multiple documents.\nConclusion: This practical review shows how universities could meet voluntary and compulsory reporting requirements regarding sustainability integrated in just one document. This is based on the prerequisite that an agreement of sustainable development in the university has been developed and goals and measuring instruments have been formulated.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the development of an integrated sustainability reporting. In this paper success criteria are named and empirical values when dealingwith specific challenges are formulated. The focus is on the development of criteria for reporting, the involvement of university members and quality assurance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The voluntary and compulsory reporting requirements of German universities are presented, and the concept for integrated reporting is developed from them. Possible criteria catalogues for the evaluation of sustainable development are presented and evaluated. However, the focus is on the practical experience that the university has made in the launch and implementation of an integrated sustainability reporting - both in terms of content and organisation.\nFindings: A prerequisite for the preparation of a sustainability reporting is that the university develops a common understanding of sustainability and formulates objectives. This results in a structure for the reporting which is self-explanatory. For the project management before, during and after the reporting, it is indispensable to structure the work sequence (data collection, data analysis, text editor, etc) and to ensure a process-accompanying communication. Participation by all university groups in reporting is necessary.\nPractical implications: Universities have a special responsibility for the sustainable development of society. To be accountable for their activities in the field of sustainability, the practical report provides a handbook on which universities can set up their own sustainability reporting.\nOriginality/value: At German universities, there is a lively discussion on how to define a criteria catalogue to report objectively on sustainability. The Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development is involved in the discussion and, at the same time, sets a good example. This article describes the practical implementation of the Sustainability Report.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
State Street learns to stay globally inclusive: International financial-services company promotes lasting workplace equality	[ "Banking", "Awards", "Banks", "International finance", "Finance companies", "Financial sevices" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: An international financial-services holding company has seen female representation on its UK executive board rise from 11 to 36 per cent since piloting a global training program to increase inclusiveness across the workforce in 2011.\nClosing the gender wage gap: Despite the latest international figures, which put the average gender pay gap at close to 23 per cent, State Street's executive vice-president and chief human-resources and citizenship officer, Alison Quirk, recognized that \"successful companies actively work to identify and remove the visible and invisible barriers to women's advancement, including the gender wage gap.\"\nInclusive program design: A modular online training program was developed in consultation with State Street's executive committee for global inclusion, made up of five executive vice-presidents from across the organization.\nInternational implementation: After a year of planning, consultation and research, the program was introduced and communicated across the organization globally. It comprised two learning modules:\nOngoing online support: A State Street Intranet page was set up to support the training program. This site enabled managers and employees to learn from the experience of their equivalents undertaking the training in State Street offices across the world.\nManagement-level monitoring and accountability: Senior management leaders are held accountable for inclusiveness and for ensuring that their employees complete the training program. They help to promote the training across the company's international offices and receive quarterly reports on how many employees are taking part.\nA significant increase in diversity: Feedback from the most recent employee-engagement surveys indicates that employees who responded favorably to the training program are showing significantly higher levels of commitment to the company and intent to stay.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to describe an online inclusiveness-training initiative launched at global financial-services company State Street Corporation, which helped the company to earn a place among The Times Top 50 Employers for Women.\nDesign/methodology/approach: It explains the reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it achieved.\nFindings: It reveals that State Street decided to include employees from every level of the company in the design, development and implementation of the training. Details how an Intranet site provides employees with additional learning resources and opportunities for discussion. It illustrates how management-level accountability for the up-take of the program helped to identify areas where further promotion was needed and instilled a sense of competition among team-leaders.\nPractical implications: It highlights how female representation on the executive board of State Street, UK, has risen to 36 from 11 per cent and how, since the training began, 75 per cent of senior UK recruits have been women.\nSocial implications: It outlines how the company has maintained its commitment to improving workplace gender equality and reducing the gender wage gap.\nOriginality/value: It describes how managers from the company's various international offices were logged into a \"virtual classroom\" in groups of 50, where they watched the training modules delivered live and conferred online with their \"classmates\" around the world.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Pay equity and marginalized women	[ "Gender discrimination", "Equal pay for equal work", "Pay equity" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The gender pay gap is a complex and multi-faceted global issue that continues to attract public and academic attention. Many governments have responded with legislation and other policy interventions, including Canada, a global leader in pay equity. Within Canada, policy measures to address the discriminatory aspect of the gender pay gap have been implemented by the federal and many of the provincial governments. Nevertheless, a 2015 United Nations Human Rights report raised concerns about \"the 'persisting inequalities between women and men' in Canada, including the 'high level of the wage gap' and its disproportionate effect on low-income women, visible minority and indigenous women\" (Canadian Women's Foundation, 2016, para 1; United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, 2015, p. 2). The report actually called on the Canadian government to \"[...] strengthen its efforts to guarantee that men and women receive equal pay for work of equal value across its territory, with a special focus on minority and indigenous women\" (United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights, 2015, p. 2).\nPay equity and marginalized women in Ontario: Pay equity in Ontario: a brief overview\nMethodology: Research design\nResults: Early employment experiences - difficulties getting jobs in their fields\nDiscussion: Given the variations in the gender pay gap across intersectionalities, we tried to put the spotlight in this paper on issues facing racialized and immigrant women. It is evident that they face additional barriers in achieving pay equity, despite implementation of legislation aimed at equal pay for work of equal value in Ontario. These barriers and challenges include problems related to gaining employment in line with their education and skills, getting culturally assimilated into their new environments, and job insecurity which drove a fear to voice concerns about perceived pay inequities.\nConclusion: The discussion surrounding pay equity is complicated because the issue does not exist in isolation. Any attempt to correct the wage gap requires a long-term and widespread commitment to also address the underlying social, political and economic factors that place women at a disadvantage. As one of the interviewees in this study stated, gender equity and specifically, pay equity is so important \"because women are not less\".\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of marginalized women in achieving equal pay for work of equal value. The research focuses on Ontario, Canada, as this is a leading jurisdiction globally in implementing legislation on pay equity. It provides an opportunity to understand the lived experiences of women whom scholars have identified as particularly vulnerable in workplaces.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This is a qualitative research study. Twenty-three interviews were conducted with women defined as marginalized. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.\nFindings: Three themes resulted from the analysis: early employment experiences, cultural challenges at work and inequities in pay. The authors found that not only do structural and organizational barriers limit the ability of marginalized women to achieve parity in the workplace but there also is a hidden social element that requires further investigation.\nOriginality/value: The gender pay gap is wider for marginalized women, even after three decades since pay equity legislation was implemented in Ontario. There is a dearth of research on why this is the case. This study adds to the literature by focusing on a broader set of factors, in addition to legislation, that must be considered when focusing on solutions to the gender pay gap.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Research opportunities for a more resilient post-COVID-19 supply chain - closing the gap between research findings and industry practice	[ "Supply chain risk", "Supply chain resilience", "COVID-19" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: A survey published on March 28 by the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply found that 86% of supply chains are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic [1], and the Institute for Supply Management found that between early March and late March, the number of companies experiencing supply chain impact rose from 80 to 95% [2]. According to Walmart, multiple industries and categories (ranging from hand sanitizer and toilet paper to hair products) have been facing massive panic buying due to the COVID-19 pandemic [3], and the world's largest 1,000 companies had over 12,000 factories, warehouses and operations in quarantined regions in early March (Linton and Vakil, 2020, p. I). This has led to calls in the popular management press for the development of more resilient supply chains (Linton and Vakil, 2020, p. I) and the development of supply chain recovery scenarios and approaches (Simchi-Levi, 2020). Amongst the approaches suggested in popular management press for improving resilience and developing a recovery plan are collaborating with suppliers (Linton and Vakil, 2020, p. II) and accelerating technology implementation (Van Hoek and Lacity, 2020).Existing supply chain resilience literature would categorize panic buying as a demand risk, and the closure of supplying factories and warehouses as a typical supply risk (Christopher and Peck, 2004; Vanpoucke and Ellis, 2019). Unfortunately, existing supply chain resilience research may not have contributed to its fullest potential to an understanding of supply chain risks in industry. A survey with over 700 respondents conducted by Bassware found that 60% of responding procurement managers experience a lack of transparency in their supply chain [4]. Beroe, a procurement market intelligence service, published survey data based upon 450 companies from around the world on March 22 [5], indicating that only 49% of respondents had rolled out business continuity plans for the COVID-19 crisis and that only 57% of respondents have identified critical supplies and suppliers. Perhaps most interesting, 64% of respondents indicated that they anticipate a return to business as usual within 3-6 months. ISM also found that 44% of respondents to its survey did not have plans in place to cope with supply disruptions from China [6]. These findings imply that while we are witnessing textbook supply and demand risk scenarios, and while the popular management press is calling for resilience and recovery scenario development, many companies do not have a plan for resilience and recovery and most companies are hoping for things to just go back to normal in short notice. This suggests that there is a gap between the understanding of supply chain risks in literature and that in the industry.There have been consistent calls for more empirical and event-based research on supply chain risk and resilience in literature. As early as in 2007, for example, Kahn and Burnes (2007) called for more integrated research into supply chain risk management approaches and tactics for improving supply chain resilience. Sohdi et al. (2012) called for more empirical and event-based research. And as recent as earlier this year, Scholten et al. (2020) offered, in this journal, an editorial reflection about how publications on supply chain resilience often have a limited empirical base and that a considerable part of literature is conceptual in nature. Fortunately, there have been several calls for special issues on COVID-19 and the supply chain, including in JOM, DSI, SCMIJ and IJPR, and as a result, we may anticipate a rich stream of research in the coming period. Clearly now is a good time to address the calls for more empirical and event-based research that is less conceptual in nature. On top of that, a really good impact pathway for this research is the opportunity to begin to close the gap between the understanding of the subject in literature and the understanding of the subject in industry. This may support progress toward achieving greater supply chain resilience and supply chain recovery.The purpose of this impact pathway paper is to not only further inspire research but also to initiate empirical exploration of supply chain events surrounding COVID-19. By initiating empirical exploration, we will be able to identify opportunities for impactful and relevant empirical and event-based research that may help close the gap between supply chain resilience research and practice in industry. In order to achieve this supply, chain executives were interviewed, public sources reporting on COVID-19 supply chain developments were studied and we participated in several virtual and online roundtables with executives and open forums on the topic. While this does not represent a full systematic literature review or a full empirical study, it does enable very timely identification of an impact pathway for the research called for by many journals.The next section will further consider example supply chain risk drivers identified in literature in order to ground our exploration a bit further in existing research findings. After an overview of the method adopted for the empirical exploration, the next section shares empirical findings on the risk drivers identified in literature. This, in turn, provides the basis for identifying opportunities for research that can help inform industry efforts to build a more resilient supply chain.\n2. Literature has identified demand and supply risk factors going back at least six decades: The roots of supply chain resilience can be traced back in literature to the late 1950s. The bullwhip effect, first introduced by Forrester (1958, 1961), is a foundational theory for the operations and supply chain management discipline, and it directly relates to demand risks and how those can cause disruption throughout the supply chain. Beyond the need to manage the risk of demand signal amplification throughout the supply chain that Forrester's work introduces, Christopher and Peck (2004) and Mena et al. (2018) are amongst the authors that list out a broader number of categories of supply chain risks, including supply, demand and control risks. Pettit et al. (2010) build upon this work by listing common risk consequences of common supply chain management decisions. These include the risk increases resulting from the globalizing supply chains, focusing on supplier reduction for greater procurement negotiation leverage and establishing specialized factories for greater economies of scale. In a recent JSCM webinar on COVID-19 and supply chain, Ellram [7] builds upon these findings by stating that a lot of the resilience challenges have arisen from a cost obsession and short-term cost focus in supply chain management. She indicates that the move to low-cost country sourcing has led to long pipelines and limited local backup supply. Finally, Ellram claims that the fixation on financial statements has led to extended payment terms and inventory being moved to the balance sheets of suppliers, while lean techniques may have been applied to widely, reducing agility in the supply chain.The globalization of the supply chain can indeed achieve a cost of goods sold benefit through economies of scale and the location of production in regions with factor cost benefits. Globalization, however, also lengthens the logistics pipeline, and this introduces the risk of delivery delays and a dependency on remote sources (Harrison et al., 2014). A reduction of the number of suppliers can create leverage in negotiating payment terms and prices, but it also increases the dependency on those suppliers for continued supply. Dependency and supply risk is one of the two axes in the most well-known supplier segmentation from Kraljic (1983). In this segmentation, it is advised that for critical bottleneck supplies, companies focus on ensuring supplies rather than on cost savings, and for more strategic supplies, companies should adopt a more collaborative approach. Further, supply chain techniques that are suggested in literature to combat supply chain risks include active information sharing throughout the supply chain (Wagner and Bode, 2008). Technologies such as RFID and blockchain can accelerate information sharing and improve visibility into inventory positions and logistics flows (Pettit et al., 2019; van Hoek, 2019). This is particularly the case if the information exchange can shift from partial and sequential (one tier at the time) to more fully and instant (van Hoek et al, 2019). Supply chain techniques suggested to combat dependency on a few global suppliers and specialized factories include the use of flexible suppliers (Tang, 2006), ensuring redundant suppliers (Chopra and Sodhi, 2004), inventory buffers and backup sources (Vanpoucke and Ellis, 2019; Kahn and Burnes, 2007), multiple sources and the sharing of risks between supply chain participants and plants (Manuj and Mentzer, 2008). Figure 1 lists the techniques suggested in literature against the risk factors involved in COVID-19, as identified in the introduction section.\n3. Method: While impact pathway papers are not intended to be full empirical studies, we do aim to initiate empirical exploration in this paper. The exploration can inform the identification of research opportunities that can help close the gap between research and industry practice and that can impact managerial actions to improve supply chain resilience. There are three components to our exploration: (1) a review of public newsfeed, (2) participation in online seminars and roundtables and (3) interviews with supply chain executives. Given that our objective is to identify research opportunities and not so much to reach definitive conclusions, this empirical exploration can serve its purpose. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic is a new phenomenon and supply chains are very much in flux still, so an initial broad exploration seems fitting. It also offers some initial empirical data, which in and of itself is part of the contribution of this paper.To ground our discussions with executives in an initial understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on supply chains, we studied various daily and weekly supply chain newsfeeds, including Supply Chain Dive, Procurement Dive, the CSCMP SmartBrief, SupplyChainBrain, this week in procurement digital newsletter from Ardent Partners and the daily update on the impact of COVID-19 on global supply chains available from riskmethod.com. These sources provide a sense for industry challenges and action areas. Additionally, these sources provided some of the industry datapoints used in the introduction section of this paper.As a second step, participation in online roundtables, open forums and webinars offered the opportunity to learn from and discuss with executives and thought leaders the challenges, approaches and practices considered for improving supply chain resilience in the context of COVID-19. Similar to a focus group or workshop that might be typically used in early stages of empirical exploration, these sessions helped map out areas worthy of further and deeper exploration in one-on-one interviews with supply chain executives. The events participated in include:A webinar from CAPS Research on March 26; https://www-capsresearch-org.pitt.idm.oclc.org/coronavirus/,A virtual open forum discussion, An action agenda for effective post-COVID-19 supply chains, hosted by the Journal of Supply Chain Management on April 14; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgoe6iCYLF4&t=5s,A webinar hosted by CSCMP on April 24 on the impact of COVID-19 on US trucking market;An online roundtable hosted by Reuters on April 24 on implications of COVID-19 on inventory planning, sourcing and procurement,A webinar hosted by Ardent Partners on April 28 on \"CPO strategies: Paving the way to recovery\"; www.virtual.CPOrising.com.As a third step, interviews were conducted over videoconference with executives from a range of industries including transportation, retail, equipment manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, food manufacturing, durable consumer products manufacturing, apparel, technology and software services. These interviews were semi-structured and included high-level questions as well as questions about supply chain resilience topics and focus suggested in literature. Table 1 lists example interview questions. Interviews were held between April 6 and April 25, 2020. The interviews were recorded so that they could be transcribed, coded and revisited during the development of the paper. Quotes from the interviews will be used in the following sections to help illustrate findings and areas of research opportunity identified. These quotes and drafted versions of this manuscript were shared with interviewed executives to ensure correct citation and that the interpretation and analysis of findings fit with the discussion during the interview and the perspective of the interviewed manager. Sharing the citations and drafted findings with participating supply chain executives provided a useful feedback loop that further informed some dialogue and analysis. It also enabled validation and development of the research opportunities identified by contributing supply chain executives.\n4. Supply chain risks experienced during the COVID-19 crisis offer textbook examples of supply chain risks: Figure 2 summarizes risks and challenges reported by participating executives in the central column and resilience-improving efforts being pursued and reported in the far-right column. Comparing risks reported and resilience actions pursued in industry with those identified and suggested in literature (relisted from Figure 1 in the far-left column) indicates that there is a lot of consistency and overlap between the insights from literature and perspectives in industry. 4.1 Supply risks\n6. Conclusion: The many journals in our field that have released call for research on COVID-19 and supply chain management have helped create a possible high impact pathway for research on supply chain resilience. We hope that this paper can further inspire the research called for. More importantly, we hope that this paper can assist efforts to focus on opportunities to close the gap between supply chain resilience research and industry practice. More targeted, less conceptual and more empirical research into events surrounding COVID-19 can help managers resolve supply chain risk challenges and can help reduce the risk of needing to further relearn lessons already learned in research when the next crisis comes around. Contributing to sustainable de-risking of the supply chain is an impact pathway for researchers that leads to the opportunity to support building a better world.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The COVID-19 crisis has caused major supply chain disruptions, and these can be traced back to basic supply chain risks that have previously been well identified in literature. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a pathway for closing the gap between supply chain resilience research and efforts in industry to develop a more resilient supply chain.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Based upon virtual roundtables with supply chain executives, supplemented with interviews and publicly available datapoints about COVID-19 impact on the supply chain, we explore challenges in industry and suggest opportunity areas where research can support efforts in industry to improve supply chain resilience.\nFindings: During the COVID-19 crisis, participating supply chain executives are experiencing textbook supply, demand and control risks in the supply chain. They also observe a lack of preparedness, shortcomings of current response plans and the need for greater supply chain resilience. Focus areas in improving resilience mirror generic recommendations from literature and provide a rich opportunity to reduce the gap between research findings and efforts in industry.\nResearch limitations/implications: More empirical, event-based and less conceptual research into supply chain resilience has been called for several times during the last two decades. COVID-19 provides a very rich opportunity for researchers to conduct the type of research that has been called for. This research may contribute to the structurally de-risking of supply chains. Areas of research opportunity include decision models for supply chain design that avoid overfocusing on costs only, and that consider the value of flexibility, short response times and multiple sources as well as methods for enriching supplier segmentation and evaluation models to reduce a focus on savings and payment terms only.\nPractical implications: Key levers for de-risking the supply chain include the need to balance global sourcing with nearshore and local sourcing, the adoption of multiple sources and a greater utilization of information technology to drive more complete and immediate information availability. Perhaps most importantly, talent management in supply chain management needs to promote a focus not just on costs, but also on resilience as well as on learning from current events to improve decision-making.\nSocial implications: There is a great opportunity for supply chain managers to grow their contribution to society beyond risk response into the proactive reduction of risks for the future. Researchers can serve society by informing this progress with impactful research.\nOriginality/value: This article offers initial empirical exploration of supply chain risks experienced in the context of COVID-19 and approaches considered in industry to improve supply chain resilience. Opportunities for empirical, event-based and less conceptual research that has been called for years, are identified. This research can help close the gap between supply chain resilience research and efforts in industry to improve supply chain resilience. Hopefully the research opportunities identified can inspire the flurry of research that can be expected in response to the multiple special issues planned by journals in our field.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Organizational resources, organizational engagement climate, and employee engagement	[ "Engagement", "Organizational resources", "Engagement climate", "JD-R" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Researchers have clearly demonstrated that employee engagement is associated with a range of positive individual and organizational outcomes. Meta-analytic studies have shown, for example, that engagement is strongly associated with increased employee well-being, in-role performance, extra-role performance, and reduced turnover (Christian et al., 2011; Halbesleben, 2010; Crawford et al., 2010; Halbesleben, 2010). More broadly, evidence and arguments have been presented promoting engagement as a key source of competitive advantage and financial profitability (Albrecht et al., 2015; Barrick et al., 2015; Macey and Schneider, 2008; Salanova et al., 2005; Xanthopoulou et al., 2009). The construct therefore continues to receive a great deal of attention from researchers and practitioners.\nOrganizational engagement climate: Organizational climate remains a fundamental construct to organizational research and practice, and is widely recognized as an important determinant of attitudinal, behavioral, and performance related outcomes (e.g. Denison et al., 2014; Schneider et al., 2009). Schneider et al. (1975, 1983) argued that climate is constituted of employees' shared perceptions of the policies, practices, procedures, and behaviors that are rewarded, supported, and expected in an organizational context. Additionally, Schneider (1975) suggested that rather than conceptualizing climate as a generic and generalizable construct, it is better be conceptualized as a \"functionally specific\" construct couched in terms of a \"climate for [...].[something].\" Schneider's research, for example, has focused on a \"climate for service.\" Irrespective of whether conceptualized as generic or as functionally specific, the link between organizational climate and employee engagement has not been clearly drawn in the literature. Although Crawford et al. (2010) and Halbesleben (2010) provided meta-analytic evidence showing low to moderate positive associations between organizational climate and engagement, Halbesleben's conclusion was based on a limited number of studies reporting associations with vigor and dedication, and not the construct as a whole.\nMethod: Participants and procedure\nResults: Measurement model\nDiscussion: The research aimed to determine the extent to which a range of organizational context factors were associated with organizational engagement climate, employee perceptions of job-level resources, and employee engagement. In contrast to previous studies that have included only a relatively narrow range of organizational resources (e.g. Albrecht, 2012; Barrick et al., 2015; Biggs et al., 2014), six organizational resources were proposed to be directly and indirectly associated with engagement climate, job resources, and engagement. The six organizational resources included perceptions about HR practices (PHRP), senior leadership, clarity of organizational goals, organizational adaptivity, strategic alignment, and organizational autonomy.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The majority of job demands-resources (JD-R) research has focused on identifying the job demands, job resources, and personal resources that influence engagement. The purpose of this paper is to assess the significance of proposed associations between organizationally focused resources, organizational engagement climate, and engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors tested a model proposing that six specific organizational resources would have positive associations with organizational engagement climate, and positive direct and indirect associations with job resources and employee engagement. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted on cross-sectional survey data provided by 1,578 employees working in a range of different organizations.\nFindings: The CFA and SEM analyses yielded good fit to the data. As proposed, all six organizational resources were positively associated with organizational engagement climate. Four were positively associated with job resources, and two were positively associated with engagement. Organizational engagement climate was positively associated with job resources and employee engagement. Significant indirect relationships were also observed.\nResearch limitations/implications: Despite self-reported data and a cross-sectional design, tests of common method variance did not suggest substantive method effects. Overall, the results contribute new insights about what may influence engagement, and highlight the importance of organizational engagement climate as a motivational construct.\nPractical implications: The research offers up potentially useful measures of six organizational resources and a measure of organizational engagement climate that can complement and broaden the current focus on job-level diagnostics. As such, targeted management action and survey feedback processes can be used to identify processes to build sustainable organizational engagement capability.\nOriginality/value: No previous research has identified a comprehensive set of organizational resources, operationalized organizational engagement climate, or examined their relationships within a JD-R context. The results suggest that the JD-R can perhaps usefully be extended to include more organizationally focused constructs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Potential pathways for proficiency training in computer maintenance technology among prospective electronic technology education graduates	[ "Computer maintenance", "Learning self-efficacy", "Mediation pathway", "Practical skills training", "Vocational electronic technology" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Advancement in emerging technology is an indicator of continuous effective training in the education sector for students' smooth school-to-work transition. Similarly, the increase in the demand for the production of competent career-based manpower from technical vocational education and training (TVET) institutional programs for the world of work has continually been overwhelming (Draaisma et al., 2018; Odo et al., 2012), especially in underdeveloped and developing countries such as Nigeria. Thus, it becomes pertinent that the strategies, method and the horizon of training in TVET programs be upgraded periodically to meet the current and emerging trends in technology advancement as well as employment conditions (Gekera and Snell, 2018). Studies have shown that the basic emphasis of TVET is on the development of skills-based learning for occupational purposes (Ekpenyong, 2011; Goh and Zukas, 2016). Thus, TVET programs are expected to impart unprecedented school-to-work skills to the learner through different learning pathways (Biemans et al., 2016). One of such programs is technical education and training, which has electrical/electronic technology education as one of its specialties (Abdullah, 2013; Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), 2013; Okoro, 2004; Orji and Ogbuanya, 2018).\nTheoretical models of skill acquisition: In TVET, several models of skills acquisition have been suggested for practical or related skills training. Some of the models (see Okwelle, 2013) include: PaDelford's (1984) six-stage model of skills acquisition (perceiving, motivation, imitating, performing, adapting and innovating), Ezewu's three broad levels of psycho-productive model (low level, middle level and higher level) and Hoover's psychomotor skills model based on learning sequence into four (namely: observation; imitation; practice and adapting). Another notable model is the Dave's five-level psychomotor skills acquisition model (imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation and naturalization) (see Chieniem, 2003; Mishra et al., 2014). These models recognize learning from cognitive to psychomotor.\nConceptual framework and formulation of hypotheses: This study is modeled with practical skills training support by experts (herein referred to as vocational training support) for skills acquisition by applying the modified Dreyfus model of skills acquisition to determine the practical skills learning outcomes of the students in laptop computer maintenance. Recognizing that the outcome of a cause-effect relationship study is possible via a mediator (Hayes, 2013; Stone-Romero and Rosopa, 2008), this study proposes a mediation model as the conceptual framework (see Figure 1).\nMethods: This study was conducted in two stages - the preliminary (pilot) study and the main study.\nResults: The results of the study are presented as follows.\nDiscussion: The present study is focused on training implementation that employed a model of skill acquisition for the acquisition of practical skills in corrective maintenance of computers among vocational electronic technology students. The study determined the relative effects of vocational support and demographic variables on students' practical skills in computer maintenance, with a four-simple mediation model via learning self-efficacy. Based on the test of H1, we found that vocational training support has significant effects on the levels of practical skills acquisition. In other words, students' practical skills acquisition at the novice, advanced beginner, competent and competent stages were fostered via vocational training support mechanism. Although this is a novelty contribution of our study in vocational education, our findings concur with Negrini et al. (2016) who found that the quality of training given to employees determines their productivity, which in turn influence the premature termination of companies, as well as that of Wat (2016) whose study provided an insight to how a well-designed program provides opportunities to individuals' transition from skilled trade to university. Similarly, the outcome of our intervention implicitly depicts that students' school-to-work skills for career development are assured via vocational training or mentor support mechanism (see Crocitto et al., 2003; Kossek et al., 1998; Renn et al., 2014).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cause-effect relationship between vocational support and the levels of acquisition of practical skills via learning self-efficacy during a training intervention in computer maintenance technology among vocational electronic technology students.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Quasi-experimental research was employed. The participants were 84 undergraduates of vocational electronic technology education in Nigeria. The study applied the modified stages of the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition as the training model. The study proposed a four-simple mediation models based on the first four stages of the modified Dreyfus model of skills acquisition (namely, novice, advanced beginner, competent and proficient stages) via practical skills learning self-efficacy.\nFindings: The result showed significant effects of perceived vocational support in practical skills training on the levels of acquisition of practical skills in computer maintenance technology. Learning self-efficacy mediated the relationship between perceived vocational support and three levels of practical skills acquisition (advanced beginner, competent and proficient).\nResearch limitations/implications: All possible mediation pathways were not covered in this study. However, the study x-rayed the tendency of pathways in training intervention in vocational education and allied fields of study.\nPractical implications: This study has empirically provided evidence to support the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition, as a plausible practical skills training model. Hence, the study can serve as a model for other researchers for replication in other fields of study.\nOriginality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that revealed potential pathways in work-related practical skills training interventions. The study has also validated the Dreyfus model as a potential skill acquisition model for practical skills training.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How a sustainable message affects brand attributes	[ "Utilitarian benefits", "Customers’ preferences", "Hedonic benefits", "Sustainable messages" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Sustainable messages appear frequently in advertising to facilitate brand differentiation from competence and to make advertisements stand out from a cluttered environmental media (Leonidou et al., 2011). Many authors consider that when a company supports a social cause or develops sustainability production, these actions add value to its brand (Kashmanian et al., 2011; Keller and Lehmann, 2006). Indeed, Porter and Kramer (2006, p. 78) propose that sustainability is \"an inescapable priority for business leaders in every country\". Advertising is responsible for conveying the pro-environmental image to consumers by taking advantage of the growing environmental awareness among consumers (Grillo et al., 2008), and the sustainable message is a signal to consumers and other stakeholders indicating that the advertised brand is being managed with environmental respect, fulfilling the needs of future generations and the long-term economy (Porter and Van der Linde, 1995; Zinkhan and Carlson, 1995). In other words, a sustainable message can be considered as a window through which a company's future can be seen, in the sense that the company is facing the key environmental, economic and social issues that will determine if it will prosper in the forthcoming marketplace (Kashmanian et al., 2011).\nResearch framework: Significant resources have been invested to improve product and brand performance; in one case by product designers trying to improve form and function (Townsend et al., 2013), and in another case by marketers trying to improve brand image and sales by promotion and other commercial stimuli (Inman et al., 2009).\nMethodology: Study\nResults: We asked 600 students to participate in a voluntary activity, but only 490 responded to our call: 113 completed the survey of the weaker brand (Lenovo) with neutral advertising; 123 subjects completed the survey of the strongest brand (Apple) with neutral advertising; 110 completed the survey of the weaker brand (Lenovo) advertising with social causes, and 144 subjects completed the survey of the strongest brand (Apple) with cause-related advertising. Due to differences in sample sizes we perform our analysis with the standardized estimations represented by z. The results for the four sets of choice, for both the strong and weak condition brands, are shown in Table II.\nDiscussion and managerial implications: In this study, an experiment is conducted to evaluate how the inclusion of a sustainable message in print advertisements affects the pattern of consumer preference, a heuristic based on a linear compensatory model. Also, if this effect is moderated by the type of brand advertised, according to whether it is a strong or a weak brand. The work is guided by theories derived from the traditional dual processing models of persuasion (Cacioppo et al., 1986), taking into account that a message of sustainability follows the peripheral route (Berger et al., 1999). In addition to the principle of hedonic dominance (Chitturi et al., 2007), this model provides the basis for the corroboration of H1 and, in part, H2, insofar as the inclusion of a sustainable message in the advertisement causes consumers to perceive products as possessing higher quality, and they feel less guilt for giving greater importance to hedonic attributes (Okada, 2005).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand how an advertising campaign incorporating an ecological message affects heuristic structure of consumer preferences for hedonic (design and aesthetics) and utilitarian benefits (functionality and performance) provided by the product advertised. Also, the second objective is to reach an understanding of how brand equity moderates these relationships.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper proposes a two-stage study: a qualitative and exploratory part, in which the authors seek to determine the most important hedonic and utilitarian attributes as well as strong and weak brands, and a quantitative and causative part to test the hypothesis proposed.\nFindings: The results show that when the brand advertised incorporates an ecological message, consumers show a greater preference for hedonic attributes than when the advertisement does not incorporate this message. On the other hand when the brand incorporating the sustainable message is weaker, consumers show a greater preference for hedonic attributes than when it is stronger.\nPractical implications: The result shows important managerial implications for companies with weaker brands, since it indicates that it is much more profitable, in terms of consumer's perceived usefulness, to invest in social and ecological actions than stronger brands.\nOriginality/value: Analyse how the used of ecological messages can modify consumer's heuristic according to utilitarian and hedonics attributes.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Workout management of non-performing loans: A formal model based on transaction cost economics	[ "Banking", "Germany", "Real estate", "Loans", "Default", "Transaction costs" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Problem environment and aims of the study: While non-performing loans are a phenomenon that is permanently present in the balance sheets of banks and other lending institutions, the significant rise of non-performing loans in banks' balance sheets and the emergence of a non-performing loan (NPL) market are a temporary phenomenon. Several economies have experienced such distressed debt cycles. In the USA, the non- and sub-performing loans resolution was embedded into the savings and loans crisis from 1989 to 1994. In Japan, the NPL cycle began in 1997 and China and the rest of Asia deal with NPLs and SPLs since 1999. In Germany, the first publicly known transaction occurred in 2003 (compare to Figure 1).To estimate the magnitude of the NPL-problem to be solved in order to lead the market back into a healthy environment, the following rule of thumb might apply to Germany: If the sum of all German bank balances equals EUR 6.400 billion and the default ratio of loans typically lies around 5 percent, this leads to a market potential of NPLs of around EUR 320 Mio. Approximately 50 percent of these loans are secured with real estate, so the maximum potential of a German real estate NPL-market lies around EUR 160 billion. Other estimations with regard to lending volume as basis show even lower figures.It has to be kept in mind though, that not all of real estate NPLs will be sold as some credit relations or their underlying real estate are too specific in order to achieve an acceptable market price. Thus, the potential might even be a little lower than the afore-mentioned figure.A market generally builds up an amount of NPLs over time. The structural reasons for the upcoming of such markets vary for every country. German banks suffer from a low return on equity. There are several reasons for this phenomenon which lead to efforts in cost savings and concentration on core competencies and consequently to the necessity of an active management of non- and sub-performing real estate loans. The following reasons are the origin of the emergence of a non-performing loan market in Germany:* German banks are affected by the current recessionary environment and feel the consequences of the volume-, but not a risk-oriented aggressive lending policy of the last decades.* The banking sector itself is over banked. Consolidation and restructuring becomes necessary.* The expiration of state guarantees for banks governed by state became effective in June 2005. Therefore these institutions have to clean up their balance sheets in order to increase their profitability.* The New Basel Accord (Basel II), which will become effective in January 2007, defines risk-sensitive capital requirements according to the underlying debt. Therefore, for the high volume of non-performing loans, an increased risk provisioning is required.* Furthermore, personnel cost in the workout department rise.For the above-mentioned reasons, German banks have to focus on cost savings and concentrate on their core business.Therefore this research study focuses on the optimal management of non- and sub-performing loans. In order to judge the question of optimal management, transaction cost theory will be used as efficiency criterion to give advise which type of non- and sub-performing real estate loans should remain in the bank balance and be managed by a bank itself, should be outsourced to a servicer or should be sold to an investor.\n2. Literature review: Literature on the transaction cost economics started with Coase (1937) who raised the question why transactions take place within and outside the boundaries of a firm.Based on Coase's research findings, two main approaches have been developed. The first approach mainly pursued by Alchian and Demsetz employs cost consideration as explanation for internal or external structure emphasising the existence of economies of scale and marginal cost and productivity a of transaction in different control structures (see Alchain and Demsetz (1972, pp. 777-95); see also Demsetz (1968, pp. 33-58)).Williamson represents the governance structure approach, in which transactions are described by the following three transaction characteristics:1. uncertainty regarding process and the value of the transaction;2. specificity of the investments; and3. frequency of the transaction.Based on this, Williamson focuses on the question of hierarchical integration or market solution for transactions (in later publication, he also includes hybrid governance structure) as well as the optimal size of a firm and the optimal internal organisation (see Williamson (1967, pp. 123-38); see also: Williamson (1965, pp. 579-607; 1973, pp. 316-25, 1975, 1976, pp. 369-77, 1979, pp. 233-61)). Hart and Moore (1990) as well as Grossman and Hart (1986) and Erlei and Jost (2001) have proven specificity as most important transaction variable. For the purpose of this paper these formal approaches on hierarchical integration versus non-integration decisions serve as starting point the formal analysis.The German NPL market is still young in comparison to more mature markets in the US and several Asian countries. To date, academic papers and journal articles are rare. The existing academic literature on the examination of resolutions strategies of NPLs for German banks can be clustered into two groups. The one encompasses academic literature on the factors and the circumstances leading to the NPL crisis in Germany as well as the status quo. The other group of literature deals with structural and organisational resolution and workout strategies in more mature distressed debt markets, especially in the USA where the NPL-crisis lasted from 1989 to 1994 and Asia. Japan's banks struggle with distressed debt problems since the 1980s, China's financial institutions have started with an active NPL resolution in the late 1990s.A make, buy or sale decision of NPLs and its workout can be seen as a question on the outsourcing potentials in the loan granting process. This was analysed by Lautenschlager et al. (1998), who discuss the inclusion or exclusion of the workout unit into a bank's business and balance uncertainties related to this potential organisational transformation of the lending institution.Hardymon and Lerner (2003) argue that large German banks are the biggest group holding distressed assets in Germany. This is due to the bank's strong business relationship with the Mittelstand, a sector strongly hit by the recessional environment. Further on, they visualise a matrix of distressed investment targets concerning internal/external workout and whether it is resolvable/irresolvable by a fund.In the context of the ongoing crisis, Garthe (2004) discusses recent developments in the German banking and real estate sector. She points out three factors - the restructuring in the German banking sector, the economic slowdown and the atypical real estate cycle - causing the actual non-performing loan problems. Garthe (2004) argues that German banks have to solve the distressed debt issue during the next three years aiming to comply with the Basel II regulations and successfully restructure the over-banked sector with the result of a \"more sophisticated and innovative real estate lending in the future\". Hellauer (2003) deals with non-performing real estate loans and strategies for debt and real estate workout. Lieber et al. (2004) analyse differences of the German and the US distressed debt market and determine market potential and country-specific problems through a questionnaire survey. The German situation differs from other distressed debt markets especially in terms of the legal framework. Anders (2004) discusses that aspect as well as the legal uncertainties concerning non-performing loan transactions, respectively open questions on data protection and banking secrecy. The implication of banking secrecy and assignment of debt in non-performing loan transactions is also addressed by Cahn (2004).While academic literature is rare, the German distressed property debt market is comprehensively covered through practitioners' opinions and market reports (see Ernst & Young, 2004, 2006; Kroll and Mercer Oliver Wyman, 2005; The Boston Consulting Group, 2004).The spectrum of international academic literature is broader, especially in region of more mature distressed debt markets.The US non-performing loan cycle is embedded in the Saving and Loan Crisis from 1989 to 1994. Distressed real estate debt can be regarded as a sub-problem within the biggest banking crisis in the USA. In this context Cooper and Brown (1992) concentrated on the valuation of complex distressed real estate and real estate loans and derived a valuation methodology that is especially designed for that asset class. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (1997) published the probably most distinguished collections of associated publications on the Saving and Loan Crisis and distressed debt resolution. Focus is the complex combination of causes that led to and fostered the banking crisis including the role of commercial real estate lending and real estate cycles. FDIC (1998) concentrates on the role of the governmental institutions, the FDICs and the Resolution Trust Corporations (RTCs), and their experiences in the resolution of troubled banks as well as the asset management and workout of distressed assets.The renegotiation and restructuring of distressed debt is subject to a pay-off-model of Harding and Sirmans (2002). They determine the different reaction of borrowers (under-investment/over-investment) with regard to the different workout strategies and identify renegotiation strategies regarding the maturity being most efficient to the debtor due to an decreasing risk profile.Berger and DeYoung (1997) analyse the relationship between cost efficiency and NPLs in an ambivalent way. The higher the NPL-volume the lower the cost efficiency; nevertheless, mismanagement also lead to a rising amount of bad loans. Gibler and Black (2004) analyse outsourcing potentials of real estate function with respect to the agency problem related to that. Those findings may have important implications for the outsourcing of servicing and workout of real estate loans.Peiser and Wang (2002) analyse the resolution strategy of distressed debt in China through the foundation of state-owned asset management companies for the four biggest state-owned banks. They also identify the country specific problems of China by comparing the situation to the USA, where the RTC was established to foster a quick workout of the engagements. The financial and real options associate with the transfer of distressed debt to the asset management companies are explored by McIver (2005), focussing on the real option of an asset management company to become equity holder of a distressed asset via debt equity swap.A study on the securitisation of NPL in China was conducted by Chen (2004). His examination of the legal and economical framework concerning securitisation of non-performing loans results in a call for government participation via policy adjustments and debt restructuring plans, which are crucial for successful large-scale securitisation.For Japan, Herr and Miyazaki (1999) address the NPL problem and suggest securitisation as solution by transferring the distressed debt into securities and therefore achieve a positive balance sheet effect. As result, they also mention the necessity of the involvement of politicians who can foster the scheme of securitisation on the private banks side and in the Ministry of finance. The Japanese market of non-performing loans and the role of Governmental intervention are also subject of Barseghyan (2004). He identifies a link between the Japanese government's reluctance to solve the bad loan problem and the economic slowdown. He opines that the Governments behaviour deteriorated the economic situation of Japan and affirms this hypothesis by a normative study.A more general comparative study on the structuring of asset management companies was undertaken by Klingebiel (2000). She analyses and compares the use of asset management companies in the resolution of a banking crisis in a cross-country comparison and identifies success stories and drivers for different types of asset management companies of distressed debt.\n3. NPLs: 3.1. Definition of non- and sub-performing loans\n4. Transaction cost theory as decision tool for the organisational structuring of NPL workout: 4.1. Fundamentals of the transaction cost theory\n5. Conclusion: To summarise the results, in the following, the main strategic options to deal with real estate NPLs are depicted:* For performing loans, the degree of specificity of servicing is low. If servicing is not a core competency of the bank (which is usually the case), it should be done externally by a third party entity (\"make\").* For non- and sub-performing loans with collaterals of high asset and site specificity, transaction cost theory recommends own workout management as the discounts on the outstanding debt balance would be too high (exception, e.g. rent guarantees) (\"make\").* For non- and sub-performing loans with collaterals of low asset and site specificity, transaction cost theory recommends a market solution via disposal of the distressed loans to an investor (\"sell\") or outsourcing to an external third party workout manager (\"buy\").\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The German banking sector has recently been facing high real estate loan default rates resulting in the accumulation of a high volume of distressed real estate debt in the banks' balance sheets. As a consequence, German banks are confronted with the workout of their non- and sub-performing real estate loans to proactively solve the problem. When doing so, banks have to decide whether they want to conduct the loan workout in their own workout departments (integrative approach) or whether they prefer to outsource the workout to a third party servicer or even sell their bad loan exposure to an external investor (disintegrative approach). This paper aims to investigate this issue.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A bank's decision to employ an integrative or a disintegrative approach can be transferred into a make-or buy-decision as described by the transaction cost economics. The transaction between the bank and the workout manager is analysed by the transaction characteristics of the transaction cost economics. The specificity of the human capital required for the loan workout of real estate loans is a key consideration for answering the question of integration or disintegration. Assuming highly specific investments for both, the workout manager and the bank, a formal model compares the aggregated pay offs for the bank and the workout manager to determine the optimal control structure for the specific assets.\nFindings: - Following the assumptions of the transaction cost economics, the specificity of the investment of the workout manager (and also the bank) is crucial for the decision of integrating or disintegrating the workout of real estate loans. The degree of specificity required to perform the workout tasks depends on the status of underlying credit engagement and the characteristics of the collateral (the real estate). The formal analysis shows that the bank and the workout manager both under-invest in integration and disintegration scenarios. However, if the degree of specificity of the investments is equal, nonintegration is superior to integration. Forward integration is superior to nonintegration, if the bank's investment is more specific than the workout manager's investment.\nOriginality/value: - This research paper approaches the problematic from an academic stand point, integrating both the banking and the real estate perspective and aims to provide a recommendation for banks on the integration or disintegration of the workout unit for a certain real estate secured loan portfolio.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
What schoolchildren should be taught about medicines: Combined opinions of children and teachers	[ "Health education", "Medicines", "Teachers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Medicine education\nMaterial and methods: Overview\nAnalysis: Children\nResults: Children\nDiscussion: The vast majority of the teachers considered teaching about the proper use of medicines important to be included in the national curriculum of health education. However, most of the teachers indicated that the proper age to start teaching medicine education would be on the fifth- or sixth-grade (children 11-12 and 12-13 years, respectively), whereas the USP Guide for Developing and Evaluating Medicine Education Programs for Children and Adolescents recommends beginning in earlier grades (Bush, 1999). According to our study, the fourth-graders (10-11 years) are genuinely interested in medicines. Furthermore, it has been argued that children's health related beliefs and behaviours are relatively stable by the time they are 9-10 years old (Bush and Iannotti, 1988). It is important that education about medicines is started before medicine related behaviours are stable in order to increase children's opportunity to become empowered and rational medicine users.Both teachers and children, especially the seventh-graders (13-14 years), considered topics related to the abuse of medicines and medicine use with alcohol as the most important to teach at schools. This may reflect the current situation in health education in Finnish schools, where teaching concentrates on drug abuse. It is good to notice that the teachers, as well as the children, also emphasize some important issues related to the rational use of medicines to be taught throughout the school years.Children's attitudes have been shown to be generally negative toward medicine use (Gerrits et al., 1996; Trakas and Sanz, 1996; Menacker et al., 1999; Bush and Joshi, 2002, Hameen-Anttila et al., 2005 (in press). Furthermore, some researches have reported that children confuse the difference between illicit and licit drugs (Bush and Davidson, 1992; Menacker et al., 1999), and even that children fear using medicines (Menacker et al., 1999; Bush and Joshi, 2002). It is good that children view medicines with a certain respect, however, a negative attitude or even a fear of using medicines as found in these studies could have a negative influence in situations where medicine is really needed. By educating children about the proper use of medicines separately from drugs education these attitudes and confusions might be avoided. In our view, this could also be one way to prevent abuse of medicines rather than reacting to existing problems.According to our experience, the USP Guide for Developing and Evaluating Medicine Education Programs for Children and Adolescents (Bush, 1999) is a good basis for any medicine education program. However, children's interests about medicines might be culture bound which is indicated by differences in the results of our study and that of Menacker et al. (1999) in the USA. We recommend that children's opinions be evaluated when planning medicine education programs in different countries. This way, possible cultural differences could be taken into account.Focus group discussion proved to be a fruitful method to discover children's interests in medicines. However, some limitations can be noted. Teachers selected the groups of children to be interviewed in this study. This influenced the composition of the groups of children, since teachers were asked to select a group of children who do not quarrel and who normally are talkative. No quarrels occurred during the interviews but the groups differed somewhat on how talkative the children were. In some groups there were children who did not talk as much as others, and thus did not add as much information on what children of different ages would like to know about medicines.The themes we introduced to the children about medicines made the interviews quite tiresome, especially for the first-graders. First-graders also seemed to want to please the interviewer, which is found to be typical for this level of cognitive development (preoperational stage) (Bush, 1996). The interview guide and the introduced themes were more suitable for older children and such difficulties rarely occurred with them. In further studies, alternative methodologies could be used in order to avoid these problems, such as, questionnaires, showing the children medicine packages or using drawings during the interview, methods which have been successfully used in other studies concerning children and medicines (Bush et al., 1996; Menacker et al., 1999). In the analysis, the coding system relied on the subjective opinion of the facilitator and the difference between neutral and interesting categories was difficult to obtain. However, the coding was done two times on different occasions by the facilitator, a method suggested to increase reliability (Silverman, 2001).With the questionnaire we got a representative overview of teachers' thoughts about medicine education. However, further research is needed to explore teachers' attitudes towards medicine education as they are likely to influence the messages they are willing to teach children. Further studies are also needed which include the perspective of health professionals, especially school health nurses.As a conclusion, previous studies indicate confusion among children about licit and illicit drugs. This raises a question if education about the proper use of medicines should be separated from drugs education. Teachers of the present study saw education about the proper use of medicines as an important topic, and furthermore, were ready to teach it as a part of health education. In order to help teachers give medicine education, evidence-based recommendations and materials about the proper use of medicines were developed. In the next part of the research process, the usefulness of the material will be evaluated by elementary and middle school teachers.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This study is part of a larger project, which aims to develop medicine education materials for teachers. The aim of the present study was to discover children's interests in medicines and teachers' opinions on what should be taught about medicines to children of different ages. Furthermore, teachers' opinions were assessed about the importance of medicine education as a part of school health education. The aim of the recommendations, based on our research and the materials developed during this process, is to clarify what proper use of medicines can mean, and in this way help teachers fulfil the requirements of the new Finnish health education curriculum.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Twelve focus group discussions were conducted among a convenience sample of first-graders (7-8 years, n=23), fourth-graders (10-11 years, n=24) and seventh-graders (13-14 years, n=19). A national representative survey was conducted to gather data from the teachers (n=284, response rate 71 percent).\nFindings: - Children's interests and teachers' opinions on what could be taught about medicines to children of different ages were quite similar. However, fourth-graders were interested in many topics which teachers considered suitable for older children, for example, how medicines work, how to avoid adverse reactions, and abuse of medicines. The vast majority of the teachers (93 percent) considered teaching about the proper use of medicines so important that it should be included in the national curriculum of health education. Of the children, fourth-graders were the most interested in medicines.\nOriginality/value: - This is one of the first studies, which combine the opinions of children and teachers, on what to teach children of different ages about the proper use of medicines. During the study, evidence-based recommendations on what to teach children about medicines and teaching materials were created.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Leadership essentials from Sun Zi's Art of War and the Bhagavad Gita	[ "Leadership", "China", "India", "Culture" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: As the Chinese and Indian economies are rapidly growing in importance, management academics and practitioners have been exploring business practices and traditions of these two countries. We take this investigation back even further to the philosophies and ideas that have formed these two cultures embodied in two ancient texts - the Chinese Art of War and the Indian Bhagavad Gita. The former is the oldest treatise on war and the latter is part of the world's longest epic on war. While previous literature has focused on the \"contrasting ideologies\" (Parekh, 2008, p. 10) there have been no papers that have looked for similarities and room for convergence of ideas. Typically exploration of these ideas goes hand in hand with contrast to Western thought1. Rather than attempt East meets West this paper explores the potential for East to meet East.The origin of the Chinese Art of War dates between 400bc and 320bc (Griffith, 2005, p. 28; Wee, 2003, p. 1). The first translation was into French and can be attributed to Jean Joseph Marie Amiot in 1772 (Griffith, 2005, p. 11). According to Wee (2005, p. xi), \"Sun Tzu\" is the Chinese phonetic script developed by Academia Sinica of Taiwan, commonly known as \"tongyong pinyin\". But, the term \"Sun Zi\" (Fixed graphic 1) is the romanized spelling in \"hanyu pinyin\" adopted by China and therefore chosen for this analysis.The Gita, according to Hindu Endowment Board of Singapore (n.d.), is linked to the Dravidians dating back to about 3000bc. Elements of their language are still evident in Tamil spoken and written today (Soundar, 2005). From the academic perspective, the original author of the Gita is unknown (Mascaro, 1971). However, its history stretches from 400bc to 400ad (Haridas, 2001). The first translation from Sanskrit into English can be attributed to Charles Wilkins in 1785 (Mascaro, 1971). From the Hindu perspective, a holy man, Rishi Veda Vyas wrote the Mahabharata comprising about 100,000 verses (Nawal, 1996). The Gita is part of the Mahabharata with only about 700 verses. To Hindus, the Gita has been documented by Sri Ganesha, an elephant faced deity (Balakrishnan, 2005).Griffith (2005)2 for the Art of War and Easwaran (1998)3 for the Gita are chosen because they are the more recent translations. The next section outlines the Art of War and its implications to academia and management practice followed by a similar analysis of the Bhagavad Gita. Then, links between the two documents are examined before concluding with the identification of gaps for further research.\nSun Zi's Art of War: An outline\nThe Bhagavad Gita: Outline\nLinks between Sun Zi's Art of War and the Bhagavad Gita: Sun Zi has shortlisted leadership attributes but his document is silent on how these can be achieved singly or jointly (e.g. in training or through development). The key character traits are wisdom, strictness, sincerity, benevolence and courage (SZ: chapter 1, line 7). For the purpose of this analysis, sincerity and benevolence can be regrouped under decorum; strictness and wisdom can be associated with discipline; and courage and wisdom under duty. There is an overlap in the case of wisdom because this is born out of personal insight. Therefore, all three groups can be further linked to their respective yogas as illustrated in the following Figure 5.In the Art of War, leadership is divided between state and military as \"enlightened rulers deliberate on the plans and good generals execute them\" (SZ: chapter 12, line 16). On the other hand, leadership in the Gita is basically an individual's submission to Lord Krishna (Gita, X, pp. 9-11). His divine grace ensures sufficient wisdom in making choices. Being attuned to svadharma, to freely and willingly perform duties without concern for fruits of labor is the ultimate of self-management. To Drucker (1968, p. 148), \"The first requirement in managing managers is management by objectives and self-control\" (italics by Drucker). Such \"self-control\" requires intimate understanding of own traits. According to Sun Zi, recklessness leads to destruction, cowardice results in early capture, quick-temperedness can be easily provoked by insults, sensitivity to honor can be grossly swayed by public opinion, and an overwhelming compassion would lead to worry and indecision (SZ, chapter 8, lines 17-24).Both the Art of War and the Gita do not specifically define leadership but describe good leadership qualities instead. The former focuses on winning while the latter focuses on aligning individual attitude with the performance of a duty, commonly termed as sanctification of work. In both documents, leadership is a process of seeking and striving for common commitment to an aspired goal. Both want to win. the Art of War wants to conquer the enemy. The Gita is about conquering own indecision and indecisiveness.\nContrasts between Sun Zi's Art of War and the Bhagavad Gita: Due to language limitations, both documents cannot be compared directly. English translations also cannot fully expose the complete wisdom embedded in poetic verses and the clever use of rhymes. However, what is apparent in their differences can be divided into three categories.First, explicit in both documents is the inconclusive authorship of the original texts. While one manual advises leaders on battles (results), the other guides during battles (reflections). One advocates self-interest while the other self-control. Both advocate victory, but one eliminates the physical enemy while the other removes individual self-doubt. The Art of War manipulates (with spies and others) while the Gita motivates, by promoting unconditional devotion to duty. Applied to leadership, these Eastern classics tolerate tradition. Therefore both documents are readily accepted as common wisdom, especially when applied to business.Second, implied in both documents is the adherence to, and therefore a cultural promotion of, their respective languages. The Art of War is not merely a collation of principles about conflict but also a comprehensive compendium of prose in the Chinese language. Likewise the Gita is a celestial song in Sanskrit. Both have descriptive instead of prescriptive frameworks for effective leadership. But both manuals only recommend \"best practices\" without obligation for an individual's adoption and adaptation.Lastly, as a planning aid, the Art of War is not a precise tool to secure definite outcomes. Likewise the Gita cannot calibrate individual attainments during a self-discovery process, hence the need for a guru. As stated in XVIII, p. 67, the Gita is not to be shared with those who are not ready or unwilling to accept it. So both documents are only as effective as the interpretations by individual users.The contrasting issues can be divided into three categories, which are shown in Table II.\nRecommendations for the practice of management: For Sun Zi, optimizing deception is vital for victory, especially with advice from a secret warfare expert who must remain anonymous, faceless, traceless and mysterious. On the other hand, the Gita presents gunas as the key sources for individual deception. So, the same word (deception) conveys different perspectives. According to Deng Xiaoping who initiated economic reforms for China to become the third largest economy today (2009) after USA and Japan, \"it does not matter whether a cat is black or white, if it catches mice, it is a good cat\". So, although there are still many hidden truths in both the Art of War and the Gita, presently also limited by English translations, the leadership essentials explained in these documents can still be applied to the practice of management. Results are possible, although not always precise. Both documents contain useful guides, but can only be helpful when applied. In summary, a leader decides. Regardless of position or posture, every leader has the inherent duty to perform, just as a bird flies, a fish swims.A leader has to be resilient in order to remain relevant. By focusing on the process instead of rewards, a proper motive to manage man, machines, money and materials would assure results. So, both the Art of War and the Gita are indeed recipes for success. But, they need prudent conformity, not blind compliance, because the business environment is volatile and competitive.Ultimately, the practice of management is an ongoing inter-play of duty, discipline and decorum. However, the efficacy of leadership lies in the character of the leader. Sun Zi's five leadership traits of courage, benevolence, sincerity, strictness and wisdom are bundled together in the Gita as nishkama karma (selfless action).Tables III, IV and V showcase the other links between the Art of War and the Gita when applied to leadership.\nRecommendations for research: Not included in this analysis are empirical case studies to showcase how both documents are actually linked in business. Although Chu (2005) has combined both the Art of War and the Gita together, her analysis is restricted to the support Lee Zhong Wu's Thick Black Theory (Chu, 2005, pp. 353-64) that promotes a shield against self-doubt and a spear to take action regardless of consequences, although not ruthless.Further research is needed to focus on the efficacy of leadership (i.e. the most active ingredient, beyond being efficient and effective). Perhaps this research can include a leader's support from a self-sustaining competence network or an enduring intelligent system that monitors integrity and trust.Another area of research could examine leadership as a calling. Novak (1996) linked the practice of Catholic faith to business as a calling. Havard (2007) examined the application of Christian values for personal excellence in \"Virtuous Leadership\". Included in both the Art of War and the Gita are various virtues that need to be calibrated or measured indirectly. For example, the courage, composure, commitment needed for clarity on duty.Lastly is to explore the Principle of Subsidiarity (Rerum Novarum, 1891) inherent in these two documents. When individual dignity and autonomy are respected and secured, then matters that can be resolved, are actually resolved, by the most competent component, usually in the front line. Leaders should row less and steer more. Both the Art of War and the Gita have rich advice on this issue. For example:* \"Musical notes are only five, yet their melodies are so numerous that one cannot hear all of them\" (SZ, chapter 5, line 8).* \"Every action is surrounded by defects as fire is surrounded by smoke\" (Gita, XVIII, p. 48).\nConclusion: Both the Art of War and the Gita deal with decision making. Being \"detached\" in the Gita is to be \"aware of being aware\" to a constant and continuous commitment to delink fruits of labor from the right to work. However in the Art of War, detachment refers to a warfare expert who must remain anonymous, invisible, traceless and mysterious. So, the process and components to any success should always remain secret. Therefore, while the Indian document describes a selfless duty to personal mastery, the Chinese treatise advocates a faceless person behind every victory.While every leader has a position, it is more important to examine the individual disposition to discern. Among the five key leadership traits in the Art of War, wisdom is a common feature with the Gita. To the Chinese, wisdom refers to insights into intentions and actions, but to the Indians it is a state of spiritual engagement for divine insights.For Sun Zi, work is warfare, and all warfare is based on deception. To win without fighting is the epitome of all efforts. From the Gita, there is constant warfare inside everyone. To overcome, one needs to have the courage, commitment, composure and clarity to discover individual calling as the inevitable purpose in life. Work is aligning aptitude with attitude, which in turn determines the altitude of a leadership. In essence, the Art of War teaches manipulation while the Gita preaches motivation.To the study of leadership, this analysis introduces the concept of leadership resilience. Based on the principles of the Gita, work becomes worship and the desire to do right prevails. This advocates correct behavior (decorum) in leadership beyond strict adherence to corporate governance and the regulatory compliance to prevailing competition rules.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper's aim is to compare and contrast two ancient philosophies to determine their contribution to leadership. Fresh aspects to inclusiveness and resilience in leadership are to be examined.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper uses a conceptual analysis as the basis for future empirical testing. The respective contribution of Sun Zi's Art of War and the Bhagavad Gita to academic and practitioner literature is examined before key traits on leadership that are common in both documents are collated. These features are then investigated on their practical application to business. Based on the research gaps and shortcomings identified, new areas for further research are recommended.\nFindings: - These two ancient texts have contrasting ideas, yet there are areas of complementarity to suggest that Indian and Chinese leaders can learn from each other.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Future research may explore how in different forms of ownership including joint ventures or host country operations the perspectives of leadership can impact on the behaviour of managers towards employees of a different culture.\nPractical implications: - Both Chinese and Indian cultures are growing in importance. This paper helps leaders from each culture to better understand the different mind-sets.\nOriginality/value: - Previous research has focused on the contrasts whereas this research focuses on the synergies between the Art of War and the Bhagavad Gita.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Evaluating the impact of ERP systems in higher education	[ "User studies", "Information systems", "System quality", "Management information systems", "ERP systems", "User performance", "Higher education" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Background: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have become popular in firms throughout the world in order to deal with a rapidly changing environment and overcome the limitations of legacy systems (Kallunki et al., 2011). Unlike transactional systems that support-specific business activities, ERP applications are information systems (IS) packages that are engineered to institutionalize the sharing of organizational data resources (Klaus et al., 2000). Organizations around the world implement ERP applications to improve operational efficiency because such systems permit the seamless flow of information across the entire organization and address the problem of fragmentations of information or \"Islands of information\" in organizations (Eric et al., 2007). Since the emergence of ERP packages in the late 1990s, they have become popular among practitioners and IS researchers alike (Davenport, 1998). According to Gartner Inc, the revenue for ERP software around the world in 2011 is US $253.7 billion; this amount represents an increase of 7.5 percent compared to 2010's, as stated in Ifinedo (2011).\n2. ERP systems in higher education: Higher education institutions have been strongly influenced by global trends to adopt new technologies. There has been a call by governments for universities worldwide to improve their performance and efficiency (Allen and Kern, 2001). Challenges including increasing expectations of stakeholders such as students and governments, decreasing governmental support, meeting quality and performance requirements, and maintaining competitive education environments have pressured universities to adopt new strategies in order to improve their performance (Fisher, 2006). In response to the many challenges faced, higher education institutions have turned to ERP systems in order to cope with the changing environment (McCredie and Updegrove, 1999) and to replace aging management and administration computer-based systems (Pollock and Cornford, 2001). This consequently would improve learning services by providing better managerial tools (Kvavik et al., 2002) thereby increasing their pace of organizational change and effectiveness (Fisher, 2006; Nielsen, 2002).\n3. Model development: From the mid-1990s, IS researchers have concentrated their research efforts in developing and testing models that help in investigating IS in different organizational environments. As a result, a number of models for studying systems utilization of end users and other related issues including system use, system success, and user aspects have emerged. The most commonly used models are the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and the DeLone and McLean (D&M) model (Goodhue and Thompson, 1995; DeLone and McLean, 2003; Davis, 1989). Each model focusses on different aspects and has different perspectives on the impacts of IS on users and/or at least follows researcher's goals and research purposes. These models provide a much-needed theoretical basis for exploring the factors that explain IS' utilization and impacts on UP (Dishaw and Strong, 1999; Kobelsky, 2000) signifying the need for a model that can help better understand the relationship between IS and users in different environments. Such a model should embrace different dimensions of IS, technology and users contemporaneously. This would help identify most important aspects and shift the focus from less important or more researched factors to more important factors that bring new useful ideas to both practitioners and researchers.\n4. Methods: A survey methodology was used to gather data from ERP users in universities. The questionnaire was synthesized after an extensive review of the IS and ERP literature. The study was carried out in six large universities in Australia implemented several modules of ERP systems in different functional units such as human resource, students administration, and finance. The respondents numbered 387 ERP users in total from various functional areas in these universities. The name of the university is withheld due to our non-disclosure agreement with the executives.\n5. Discussion and analysis: Multiple regression analysis (MRA) was used to assess the effects of various factors included in this study on UP. MRA is useful to identify significant contributions made by these factors to predicting UP, rather than correlations, by themselves, as they do not explain all the relationships between factors in a study. This is considered to be appropriate given that most prior studies similar to this study have used regression analyses to assess the relationships between the factors and thus doing the same here will facilitate comparison of the study results with previous ones (Amoako-Gyampah, 2007; Lucas and Spitler, 1999; Calisir and Calisir, 2004). The results of the analysis are presented below followed by a discussion for each factor.\n6. Conclusion and implications: This study investigated the impact of ERP systems on UP in higher education. It is expected that the results of this study can be used by ERP practitioners and vendors. First, higher priority should be given to the SQ, fitness between the system and user needs and task requirements and IQ (in that order). Second, any actions taken to enhance IS quality can subsequently improve UP. Therefore, both IS system designers and practitioners should be aware of the importance of ERP SQ and should concentrate their attempts to improve SQ. Similarly, IQ plays a critical role in affecting UP and a mediating role in the relationship between SQ and usefulness and UP. Thus, ERP vendors should focus their efforts to improve system characteristics and functionalities that provide high-quality outputs (improve IQ).\n7. Limitations and further directions: Although the study factors explained a large portion of the variance in UP, there is a part of the variance that remains still unexplained. This might be due to other significant factors not included in this study, suggesting that more additional empirical and theoretical investigations are required to identify those factors and include potential effective factors. Similarly, some user characteristics were not investigated in this study. Further research incorporating additional characteristics to explore what else can affect UP might be useful. Although not a limitation per se, the framework of the study analyzed the associated effects of the study factors. The results of the analysis indicated that the direct vs mediated effects could be overshadowed. Previous studies found moderating effects of work experience, age, and system experience. However, we found no significant effects for these factors on UP.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impacts of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems on user performance (UP) in higher education institutions with a view to better understanding the ERP phenomenon in these institutions, and to determine whether or not these systems work well in such a complex environment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A quantitative methodology was used in this study and data were collected by means of a written questionnaire. Measurement items used in the operationalization of the study instrument were adopted from relevant prior research.\nFindings: The findings indicated that system quality, task technology fit and information quality are the most important factors that lead to better end UP. The provides evidence of the appropriateness of extending IS models as a useful way to give more powerful insights into user aspects and system impact.\nResearch limitations/implications: Although the study factors explained a large portion of the variance in UP, there is a part of the variance that still remains unexplained.\nPractical implications: Vendors and designers must consider user needs and concerns in the design of ERP packages. Understanding user characteristics and their interaction will lead to better benefits. For example, if ERP users are predominantly individuals with little computer experience, the system designers should invest more in making the systems easier to use to facilitate more system impacts and benefits.\nOriginality/value: There has been a general lack of awareness about the importance of evaluating ERP systems from a user perspective. Rather, the main focus of previous studies was either on critical factors and implementation issues and/or on user acceptance and satisfaction. This study underscores the importance of this issue and presents some insights into the benefits of ERP systems in higher education by taking lessons from IS theory in general.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Consumer valuation of traceability labels: a cross-cultural study in Germany and Greece	[ "Consumer behaviour", "Germany", "Greece", "Poultry", "Fish", "Traceability" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The issue of traceability information in relation to consumer behaviour in the food supply chain has been explored (Opara and Mazaud, 2001; Kraisintu and Zhang, 2011), but there is a demand for understandable traceability information by people recently. This demand was the reason for the formation of the Regulation (EC) No. 178 (2002), enacted by the European Parliament and Council in Europe and the Global Food Traceability Center in the USA. Moreover, the European Commission created specific regulations on traceability in chilled chicken (Regulation (EC) No. 1337, 2013) and fish products (Regulation (EC) No. 1224, 2009).\n2. Literature review: According to Roos et al. (2004), some of the most important aspects of an efficient traceability system are the cost of implementation and the development of standards.\n3. Research questions: Drawing from the few studies on the consumers' willingness to pay for chilled food products and the few studies on consumer choice in relation to literacy, the questions underlying this research's objectives are the following:\n4. Research methodology: The method applied was a discrete choice experiment, belonging to the stated preference method using distinct preferences (Shen, 2005). The sampling method was probabilistic, because it was based on discrete choice experiments. The total sample size for the choice experiment was 128 consumers per product per country summing to 512 consumers in total. The eligible consumers for the study were the ones over 18 years in charge of shopping in their household or shared shopping with others in their household. If the responsibility for shopping was shared equally between partners, the person with the next birthday was interviewed. Recruitment took place on the basis of literacy (low literate/high literate), gender (male/female), and age (younger/older). In total, 50 per cent of the sample was of lower and secondary education and the rest 50 per cent was consumers of higher education. In Greece, there were 61 men and 67 women, whereas in Germany, there were 52 men and 76 women. This showed that in Greece men covered the 47.6 per cent of the population taking part in the study and women 52.3 per cent, whereas in Germany men covered 40.6 per cent and women 59.3 per cent. In Greece, the age participation accounted for 41.4 per cent in ages between 25 and 34 and the rest 40.5 per cent represented ages between 35 and 54 years of age. In Germany, the age participation covered 33.5 per cent in ages between 25 and 34 and the other 34.3 per cent in ages between 35 and 54 years of age. Ages older than 60 participated as well, taking up about 17.9 per cent in Greece and 32 per cent in Germany. The respondents were interviewed outside buying outlets.\n5. Results: 5.1 Literacy impact\n6. Discussion: 6.1 Literacy impact\n7. Conclusions and limitations: The dissemination of traceability measures is an important public policy objective. A wealth of regulations and policies has been implemented to support this dissemination (Regulation (EC) No. 1337, 2013). Yet, consumers remain reluctant to buy traceable products. This study assesses literacy's impact on the combinations of traceability information on food packages of chilled chicken nuggets and fish fingers consumers choose. It also assists in the specification of some variables which explain consumers' buying behaviour. In addition, this study explains if price is important for the specific consumer choices at the time of the study. Moreover, this study offers some insights into the results of literacy in which pictures may be advantageous as consumers of specific levels of literacy appear to choose specific information being presented pictorially.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to assess impact of literacy on the combinations of traceability information on food packages of chilled chicken nuggets and fish fingers consumers choose.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A discrete choice experiment, belonging to the \"stated preference method\" was designed to meet the purpose of this study with 512 German and Greek consumers. According to this method, the information is gathered using methods of distinct preference asking individuals face to face questions about their behaviour.\nFindings: The results indicate that literacy has an impact on the combinations of information consumers choose; specific information is most useful and sought by high- and low-literate consumers; and price is an important factor for the consumer choices presented in the current study, but cannot overshadow other equally important factors.\nPractical implications: Marketing issues are raised because of the importance and utility consumers attach to traceability systems.\nOriginality/value: This is a novel research concerning literacy's impact on the combinations of package information chosen by consumers in Germany and Greece in relation to the two studied chilled chicken and fish products (i.e. chilled chicken nuggets and fish fingers).\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The child "in absentia" in furniture retail catalogues	[ "Advertisements", "Children’s bedrooms", "Furniture manufacturers", "Retail catalogues", "Semiotics of consumption", "Interpretive semiology" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: why children are not featured in furniture retail catalogues?: Whereas press advertisements for toys invariably feature images of their commercial target - children - an analysis of a sample of more than two hundred press advertisements and catalogues produced by children's furniture manufacturers reveals a definite tendency not to feature children in approximately two-thirds of cases.\n2. An interpretive semiology perspective of the visual rhetorics deployed by furniture retail catalogues: Since the seminal work by Baudrillard (1998), the study of signs has emerged as a major area of investigation in consumer research. Brands were analysed as mental constructions able to trigger deep emotions and evoke a large array of meanings (Mick, 1986). A particularly dynamic stream of research emerged during the 1980 and 1990s that promotes a neopositivistic semiotics perspective of marketing communication, based mainly on hypothetico-deductive approaches to test the pragmatic effects of visual rhetorics, i.e. their capacity to transform consumer interpretations and behaviour (McQuarrie and Mick, 1999). By contrast, another path of research on visual analysis drew on an abductive inferential process (Peirce, 1978) to shed light on the semiotic rules used to create social meaning in different contexts with the purpose of reaching intermediate levels of generality. As Holbrook and Hirschman state: \"[...], we use the [...] term 'semiology' to designate interpretive analysis in general and the interpretation of consumption symbolism and marketing imagery in particular\" (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1993, p. 232).\n3. \"Clear-cut images\": featuring portrayals of childhood and its relationship with objects: The first step in the analysis is to consider the press advertisement or catalogue image as a \"true image\" as defined by Roland Barthes, namely, what is on view at first glance (such as in a poster, for example). Indeed, the information communicated through commercial photography or images integrate representational and interactive elements to compose a meaningful \"whole\", ready-to-understand for the consumer (Almeida, 2009, p. 492). Just like an advertising image, the settings laid out in the catalogues can be likened to what Roland Barthes (1964), call the \"clear-cut image\", that is \"an image designed to be understood quickly by the greatest number of people\". The images in catalogues are characterized in the form of a \"snapshot\" highlighting the exemplary and normative character of the living space they represent. They show items effectively that describe their clients, and their aspirations, because their purpose is to attract clients to their shop, or ultimately to instigate an order online or by post.\n4. The catalogue imagery: visual brand storytelling to link product ranges and set market positioning: The semiotic analysis helped to solve the apparent paradox of the absence of the child in most of the bedroom images included in the furniture manufacturer catalogues by revealing how this absence of a real child actually reinforces the perception of children's past and pseudo-real presence in the settings presented. As Martha S. Feldman states, the primary aim of semiotic analysis is \"to be able to make sense out of phenomena that were previously puzzling or to make new sense out of phenomena that were not previously fully examined\" (Feldman, 1994, p. 30). As a consequence, the analysis needs to move one step further to examine what the role of the furniture catalogue might be in the process of \"meaning\" creation for the \"parent-child cluster\" consumer. By considering the catalogue as a meaningful syntagmatic chain of child bedroom images, it is necessary to question the global discourse produced by the brand that generates a more abstract meaning (Greimas, 1983; Marion, 2015) about contemporary childhood.\n5. Conclusion: a commodified global childhood imbued with imagination, social norms and domination structures: From a semiotics perspective, brands interweave a complex and dynamic net of signs through which they have the ability to generate continuously new social meanings. According to Holbrook and Hirschman, interpretive semiology of marketing practices - including the symbolic meanings of goods and the commercial settings organized by marketing imagery, brings crucial insights in understanding the evolving meaning of everyday cultural products such as children's bedrooms (Holbrook and Hirschman, 1993, p. 58).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: From an interpretive semiology perspective this paper examines the meaning suggested by the absence of children in newspaper advertisements, commercial websites and catalogue images of children's furniture manufacturers. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the multilayered process involved in conveying meaning to the \"parent-child cluster\" consumer through press and online advertisements designed by children's furniture manufacturers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A corpus of 200 press advertisements and catalogues produced by children's furniture manufacturers (particularly IKEA and Gautier) was analysed using a combination of Barthes' (1964) visual analysis and Greimas' (1987) narrative approach to visual discourses.\nFindings: The scenes portrayed to shape the message addressed to the \"parent-child cluster\" consumer, suggest that, in addition to fostering positive values such as self-fulfilment and stimulating background for an active child, they also promote discourses about contemporary childhood and parenthood.\nOriginality/value: This paper highlights how furniture retailers through the figurative choices they make to portray a child bedroom and to organize a series of child bedroom images within a catalogue, generate a brand discourse aiming to typify representations of childhood imbued with diverse cognitive, social and emotional dimensions within diverse cultural backgrounds.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Women managers, leaders and the media gaze: Learning from popular culture, autobiographies, broadcast and media press	[ "Research methods", "Authentic", "Popular culture", "Media representations", "Women leaders", "Women managers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: There is a lacuna of research in management and leadership which critiques gendered media representations and the impact on gendering processes of managers and leaders. This Special Issue of Gender in Management: An International Journal comprises an inaugural collection of papers through which we get to \"see\" women managers through a media gaze and to learn from research into popular culture through gendered analysis of television, autobiographies and media press. We are delighted to include research papers that convey how gendered media influences are; how it is influenced by women's political, public and organizational leadership; and how media constructs gendered (mis)representations of women leaders and managers.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this special issue is to extend the Economic and Social Sciences Research Council (ESRC)-funded UK seminar series-Challenging Gendered Media (Mis)Representations of Women Professionals and Leaders; and to highlight research into the gendered media constructions of women managers and leaders and outline effective methods and methodologies into diverse media.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Gendered analysis of television, autobiographies (of Sheryl Sandberg, Karren Brady, Hillary Clinton and Julia Gillard), broadcast news media and media press through critical discourse analysis, thematic analysis, metaphor and computer-aided text analysis software following the format of the Gender Media Monitoring Project (2015) and [critical] ecological framework for advancing social change.\nFindings: The papers surface the gendered nature of media constructions of women managers and leaders and offer methods and methodologies for others to follow to interrogate gendered media. Further, the papers discuss - how women's leadership is glamourized, fetishized and sexualized; the embodiment of leadership for women; how popular culture can subvert the dominant gaze; how women use agency and how powerful gendered norms shape perceptions, discourses and norms and how these are resisted, repudiated and represented.\nPractical implications: The papers focus upon how the media constructs women managers and leaders and offer implications of how media influences and is influenced by practice. There are recommendations provided as to how the media could itself be organized differently to reflect diverse audiences, and what can be done to challenge gendered media.\nSocial implications: Challenging gendered media representations of women managers and leaders is critical to social justice and equality for women in management and leadership.\nOriginality/value: This is an invited Special Issue comprising inaugural collection of research through which we get to \"see\" women and leaders and the gendered media gaze and to learn from research into popular culture through analysis of television, autobiographies and media press.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The mismanagement of knowledge management	[ "Knowledge management", "Management failures", "Risk management", "Project evaluation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Corporate spending on knowledge management (KM) projects has increased substantially over the years (Ithia, 2003). Fuelled by the notion that knowledge is a key resource upon which an organisation's competitiveness depends (Kogut and Zander, 1992), organisations are implementing various KM initiatives to identify, share and exploit their knowledge assets. Most KM projects take the form of developing discussion databases, technical libraries, lessons learned database, starting communities of practice and transferring best practices. Several highly publicised KM success stories include Buckman Laboratories' Knowledge Network (Zack, 1999), Xerox's Eureka database (Brown and Duguid, 2000), Tech Clubs in DaimlerChrysler, the communities of practice among quantitative biologists in Eli Lilly (Wenger et al., 2002), various KM initiatives in BP Amoco (Hansen, 2001) and the Center for Army Lessons Learned (Thomas et al., 2001).The purported benefits of KM improved decision-making, increased productivity, foster innovation, minimise reinvention and duplication, accelerate staff development, and lessen the impact of staff attrition would entice many a CEO. In some cases, the reported benefits from KM have been nothing short of remarkable. Xerox, for example, estimated to have saved $100 million from its Eureka database.However, despite the KM furore, it has been estimated that 84 per cent of KM projects exerted no significant impact on the adopting organisations (Lucier and Torsiliera, 1997). Rather worryingly, this suggests that most KM projects actually fail rather than succeed. Following Davenport et al. (1998), KM failure can be defined as a project which has few or none of the following characteristics:* growth in the resources attached to the project, including people and budget;* growth in the volume of knowledge content and usage;* a high likelihood that the project would survive without the support of a particular individual or two; and* evidence of financial return either for the KM activity itself or for the larger organization.There are obvious reasons why organisations would want to conceal KM failure, at least from public view. However, understanding the reasons for KM failure, and how KM projects can be better managed to avoid such failure, is an issue of high importance to the many organisations engaged in some type of KM activity.\nAim of this paper: This paper seeks to examine the causes of KM failure through a multi-case analysis. On the basis of the findings, a taxonomy of KM risks is proposed. The taxonomy is intended to offer insights to practitioners and help them manage the risks associated with KM projects. Additionally, given the scarcity of research publications in KM failure, a secondary aim of this paper is to seed interest among the academic community in this area, and trail-blaze the building of a body of formal knowledge on KM risks.\nResearch method: In order to shed light on KM failure, several case studies of KM failure from the literature were analysed. An initial, prospective set of cases was drawn up by searching three popular online databases (ProQuest, Ebsco Host and Emerald) using the search terms \"knowledge management\", \"failure\" and \"abandonment\". Search results that were obviously inappropriate were discarded. Cases were then filtered according to two criteria:1. the case was published in a peer reviewed scholarly journal, ensuring a certain level of case quality; and2. the case provided sufficient contextual details about the KM project from inception to eventual abandonment.From the set of five documented cases that resulted from the filtering, the authors examined the circumstantial elements of the failure, including the rationale and intended objectives of the KM project, the outcomes of the project and the reasons that led to eventual project abandonment.\nCases in KM failure: Case 1: a global bank\nFindings: a taxonomy of knowledge management risk: The researchers identified and isolated risks that contributed to KM failure in each case. Through an iterative process of categorization, the risks were consolidated and organized into several categories on the basis of similarity. The result of our analysis is the KM risk taxonomy shown in Table I. The taxonomy looks at risk from two perspectives.1. First, the phase in the project lifecycle at which the risk is most likely to occur, i.e. the planning, implementation, rollout or institutionalisation stage (Table II). KM projects are long-term organisational initiatives rather than a \"quick-and-dirty\" activity, and project risks can emerge at any point during the lifecycle. Not all KM projects necessarily reach the institutionalisation stage, and it is even conceivable that particularly poor projects may be abandoned as early as the planning stage.2. Second, whether the risk relates to technology, culture, content (or knowledge), project management or stakeholder. KM projects are not simply technology projects. There are cultural issues to consider related to the values of the organisation, content issues related to the characteristics of the knowledge itself, project management issues and stakeholder issues.The following sections of the paper describe the risks in the KM risk taxonomy in greater detail.\nTechnology risk: Most KM projects involve the application of technology such as the creation of discussion forums, knowledge repositories and intranets. The specific technology risks identified in our study were as follows.Technology ignorance\nCulture risk: Culture relates to the values and beliefs of the individuals within the organisation, as well as the organisation as a whole. Unless an organisation has a \"knowledge sharing\" culture, a KM project is unlikely to succeed. The specific culture risks identified in our study were as follows.Techno-bias\nProject management risk: KM projects, like any other project, can suffer from project management risks. The specific project management risks identified in our study were as follows.Shortfall in expertise\nConclusion: Enticed by the plethora of success stories, many organisations embark on KM projects believing their well-intended efforts will naturally result in the better exploitation of knowledge assets for business benefit. While published cases of KM project failure are still rare, this paper has highlighted the multitude of potential risks with KM projects. Unless KM practitioners are aware and able to effectively manage such risks, KM project failure may become just as common as IT project failure.Implications for practitioners\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - To examine the causes of knowledge management (KM) failure.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A multi-case analysis approach was used to review five documented cases of KM failure in the literature. Categories of risk were identified through an iterative analysis of each case.\nFindings: - There are four main categories of risk associated with KM failure, namely technology risk, culture risk, content risk and project management risk. The nature of these risks differs dependent upon the stage of a KM project.\nResearch limitations/implications: - A limited number of cases were reviewed.\nPractical implications: - Practitioners need to proactively manage risk to avoid failure in KM projects.\nOriginality/value: - Proposes a taxonomy of KM risk.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Product personality and its influence on consumer preference	[ "Consumers", "Brands", "Product image", "Consumption" ]	[ { "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.\nProducts as symbols: Products have a significance that goes beyond their functional utility. This significance stems from the ability of products to communicate meaning (Hirschman, 1981; McCracken, 1986). Products are symbols by which people convey something about themselves to themselves and to others (Holman, 1981; Solomon, 1983). This symbolic meaning is known to influence consumer preference.All commercial objects have a symbolic character, and making a purchase involves an assessment - implicit or explicit - of this symbolism ... (Levy, 1959, p. 119).The symbolic meaning of products has become increasingly important. Nowadays, differentiating products based on their technical functions or quality is difficult (Dumaine, 1991; Veryzer, 1995). Since the wave of the quality controls in the 1980s, products can be expected to fulfill their functions reasonably well. Symbolic meaning provides another way to differentiate products. Due to symbolic meaning otherwise indistinguishable products become differentiated in the eyes of the consumer. Similarly Salzer-Morling and Strannegard (2004) recently stated:With the abundance of products in the western world, the managerial challenge, it seems, has become that of differentiating similar products (p. 224).Due to its increasing relevance, many articles have investigated the symbolic meaning of products. The range of topics studied is very broad, varying from the cultural meaning of products (e.g. Kleine et al., 1993; McCracken, 1986), semiotics of consumption (e.g. Holman, 1981; Mick, 1986), products as tools for self-expression (e.g. Belk, 1988; Prentice, 1987), and impression formation based on possessions (e.g. Belk, 1978; Dittmar and Pepper, 1994; Gosling et al., 2002).Part of this literature is more specifically concerned with the use of personality related concepts, such as brand personality (Aaker, 1997; Biel, 1993), and product-user image (Sirgy, 1982; Sirgy et al., 1997; Sirgy et al., 2000). Parts of the symbolic meaning of products are captured by these concepts. However, some of the symbolic meaning has not been accounted for. Brand personality refers to \"the set of human personality characteristics associated with a brand\" (Aaker, 1997) and the product-user image reflects the stereotypical image of users of a product class or brand (Sirgy et al., 1997). Yet, the physical product itself also carries symbolic meaning.That part of the symbolic meaning that refers to the physical product itself and is described with human personality characteristics is called product personality (Jordan, 1997, 2000). In order to avoid confusion between \"brand\" and \"product\", we use the term \"product variant\" instead of \"product\" to refer to a single physical product. A product variant is defined as \"a distinct unit within a brand or product line that is distinguishable by size, price or appearance\", whereas a brand is defined as \"the name, associated with one or more items in the product line that is used to identify the source or character of the items\" (Kotler, 1997, p. 432). In accordance, product personality is defined as the profile of human personality characteristics that people use to describe a specific product variant and to discriminate it from others (Govers, 2004). The qualities of a product variant that are described with personality characteristics cannot be reduced to a single tangible attribute. Product personality is a high-level description of the product variant as a whole and is strongly influenced by product appearance (Govers et al., 2004). It is what designers refer to as \"character\" (Janlert and Stolterman, 1997). The most notable difference between brand personality and product personality is that product personality is product variant specific. It is less abstract than brand personality and directly related the product itself.The relevance of product personality stems from the fact that brands often feature product variants in a great variety of appearances and thus create differentiation within a brand. As a consequence, consumers do not only choose for a brand, they also choose for a specific product variant. Moreover, companies not only have to make marketing decisions at the level brands, they also have to decide at the level of product variants. During product development, companies manipulate aspects of the product variant in order to increase consumer preference.\nSelf-congruence: Previous studies have shown that, with regard to the symbolic meaning of products, self-congruence is an important factor in directing consumer preference. Consumers prefer products and brands with a symbolic meaning that is consistent with their self-concept. Self-congruity theory (Sirgy, 1982) suggests that consumers compare their self-concept with the product-user image of a product.The product-user image is defined as \"the stereotypic image of the generalized product user\" (p. 288). Motivated by self-consistency, people are expected to prefer a product with a product-user image that is congruent with their self-concept. In other words: people prefer a specific product because they see themselves as similar to the kind of people that are generally thought to use this product. Many studies found supporting evidence for this user-image congruence effect (Dolich, 1969; Ericksen and Sirgy, 1989, 1992; Grubb and Hupp, 1968; Heath and Scott, 1998; Hong and Zinkhan, 1995; Landon, 1974; Malhotra, 1988; Sirgy, 1985).Another self-congruence effect is found with respect to brand personality. Aaker (1999) found evidence for a brand-personality congruence effect. People prefer brands with which they share personality characteristics. Moreover, congruence between brand personality and the consumer influences the relationship that develops between the consumer and the brand (Aaker et al., 2004; Fournier, 1998).\nProduct-personality congruence: The current study investigates whether congruence between product personality and the consumer also has a positive effect on consumer preference. From psychology we know that similarity of personality has a positive influence on attraction. There are two main theories of human attraction: one theory states that \"opposites attract\" and the other states that \"similarities attract\". The first theory states that people are attracted to others who complement them. The \"similarities attract\" theory, otherwise known as \"homogamy\", states the contrary: people are attracted to others who are similar to themselves. Research has mostly found confirming evidence for the similarity-attraction relation (Antill, 1983; Nias, 1979). College students prefer roommates with similar personality traits (Carli et al., 1991). People like strangers more when they share similar personality characteristics (Byrne and Griffitt, 1969), and people are more willing to share assets or information with others who are similar to themselves (Byrne et al., 1966). Furthermore, similarity in personality is an important factor in long-term relationships. Spouses with similar personality characteristics report greater marital happiness (Antill, 1983; Barry, 1970; Tharp, 1963), and satisfaction with life (Arrindell and Luteijn, 2000).In analogy to user-image congruence, we converted the similarity-attraction relationship of human interaction to a product-personality congruence effect. Consumers were assumed to compare themselves with the personality of a product variant and expected to prefer product variants with a personality similar to their self-concept.The self-concept can be regarded either as a single construct or as consisting of multiple constructs. Some authors (e.g. Bellenger et al., 1976; Birdwell, 1968; Grubb and Hupp, 1968; Grubb and Stern, 1971; Hughes and Guerrero, 1971) have discussed \"self-concept\" as a single construct referred to as the actual self, real self, basic self, or extant self (Sirgy, 1982). Other authors (Belch, 1978; Belch and Landon, 1977; Dolich, 1969; Hong and Zinkhan, 1995; Kassarjian, 1971; Malhotra, 1981, 1988) view the self-concept as consisting of multiple components. Most of them identify two aspects within the self-concept: the actual and the ideal self. Sirgy et al. (1997, 2000) distinguish four different self-concepts:1. Actual self (defined as how people see themselves).2. Ideal self (defined as how people would like to see themselves).3. Actual-social self (defined as how people believe they are seen by significant others).4. Ideal-social self (defined as how people would like to be seen by significant others).The risk of this division into multiple selves is that the concept looses its meaning (Baumeister, 1998). According to the frequently quoted definition that the self-concept is \"the totality of the individuals thoughts and feelings having reference to himself as an object\" (Rosenberg, 1979, p. 9), the self-concept encompasses all ideas one has about himself, the \"totality\". Therefore, we will refer to the self-concept as a single construct.\nHypotheses: The current study reports two hypotheses to investigate whether consumers prefer product variants with a product personality that matches their self-concept. Our first hypothesis tests whether congruity between the self-concept and the personality of a product variant (product-personality congruence) results in consumer preference:H1. Product-personality congruence has a positive influence on consumer preference.\nMethodology: Respondents\nResults: Product personality\nDiscussion: The purpose of this study was to determine whether product-personality congruence positively influenced consumer preference. In addition, we investigated whether this influence is independent of the influence of user-image congruence. In a two-phase study, respondents first indicated the product personality of 12 product variants and the experienced level of product-personality congruence. Later, they indicated their preference for the different stimuli. Then, ten months later, the same respondents indicated the level of user-image congruence with the same stimuli.The results confirm our hypotheses; there is a significant positive product-personality congruence effect on consumer preference and this influence is independent of the user-image congruence effect. The results show a stronger effect for product-personality on consumer preference than for user-image congruence (b product-personality congruence=0.40 and b user-image congruence=0.35). This might be explained by the fact that we used stimuli that are mostly privately consumed. It is more difficult for a stereotypical image of the users to develop when a product is privately consumed, the effect of user-image congruence may therefore be stronger for publicly consumed, high status products than for products that are privately consumed (Sirgy, 1982). Due to its more individual nature, product-personality might be more relevant for privately consumed products than user-image congruence. A post hoc analysis further supports this argument. For the least visible product variants (the screwdrivers), product-personality congruence is a much better predictor of consumer preference than user-image congruence (b product-personality congruence=0.48, t(110)=5.81, p<.001; b user-image congruence=0.19, t(110)=2.33, p<0.05).The results of the current research further suggest that product-personality congruence, user-image congruence and brand-personality congruence have some similarities. User-image congruence and brand personality congruence increase preference (Sirgy, 1982; Aaker, 1999). Similarly, our results suggest that product-personality congruence can result in preference. All three constructs thus appear to result in consumer preference.\nLimitations: A first limitation of this research is that the relation between brand personality and product personality has not been studied directly. Though, we did use different stimuli from the same brand (three Philips coffeemakers) and found different product personality, more knowledge is needed about the exact relation between the two concepts. For example, are they really independent factors in consumer preference? User-image congruence and product personality congruence were found to be independent determinants of consumer preference. We suggest that brand-personality congruence and product-personality congruence are also independent influences. Yet, future research will need to confirm this assumption and investigate the exact relation between the two concepts.A second limitation of this study concerns the fact that the effect that we found of product-personality congruence on consumer preference may be the result of the same relationship the other way around. That is, people may have judged themselves to be similar to the product variants that they liked the most. Even though we measured consumer preference after we had established product-personality congruence, we only assessed correlations. Regression analysis does not prove a causal influence and we know from attraction literature that similarity is not only the cause of attraction; it can also be its consequence (e.g. Dryer and Horowitz, 1997).This limitation would have been less prominent had we used difference scores. However, the use of difference scores is not recommended with regard to this study (see methodology section). Another option is to use a more experimental design in which the levels of congruence are manipulated beforehand. We used this method in another study, investigating the influence of product-personality congruence on product attachment (Govers and Mugge, 2004), and also found confirming evidence for a product-personality congruence effect.\nManagerial implications: Previous research has shown that product variants can be designed to have a specific personality (Govers et al., 2004). This study has shown that product-personality congruence has a positive effect on consumer preference. As a consequence, companies that design product variants according to a pre-determined personality that matches the personality characteristics shared by the members of their target group can create preference. When offering a range of product variants that fulfill the same functional need, yet have different product personalities, a company enables more consumers to select a product variant that expresses their own individuality. As such, they can increase their market share. This is especially relevant in mature markets where differentiation in price and functionality is difficult.The positive effect of product-personality congruence is especially important in light of further individualization. People pride themselves on their independence and unique styles. Consumers feel good about their choices because they fit their own self-concept rather than the group norm (Solomon, 1999). Product-personality congruence links up with this development because it allows consumers to express their individuality.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Beyond their functional utility products have a symbolic meaning. Parts of this symbolic meaning are accounted for by concepts like brand personality and product-user image, which describe the symbolic meaning associated with the brand or product class. However, the physical product also carries symbolic meaning. That part of the symbolic meaning that refers to the physical product itself, and is described with human personality characteristics, is called product personality. The purpose of this article is to show that product personality positively influences consumer preference through a congruence effect.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A two-phase study was conducted. In the first phase, product-personality congruence was measured. The second phase was used to establish user-image congruence.\nFindings: - The results indicate that people prefer products with a product personality that matches their self-image. Moreover, this positive effect of product-personality congruence is found to be independent of the user-image congruence effect.\nOriginality/value: - Previous research has shown that product variants can be designed to have a specific personality. This study has shown that product-personality congruence has a positive effect on consumer preference.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Preliminary analysis on food intolerances of 88,436 healthy people to 14 kinds of foods	[ "Food intolerance", "Food-specific IgG antibody", "Health examination", "Healthy people" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Food intolerance (FI) has been a research focus in the European countries, and its applications have also rapidly spread around the world. Although the exact mechanism is unclear, it affects up to 15 ~ 20 percent of the population (Zopf et al., 2009). It is reported that most people with FI exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms and patients with severe symptoms show functional gastrointestinal disorders, the most common of which is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) (Bohn et al., 2013; Hayes et al., 2014). Also, FI is often associated with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a gastrointestinal disease that is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the premature infant population (Thompson and Bizzarro, 2008; Moore and Wilson, 2011). Because the functional disorders caused by FI are so prevalent, it is a recognized phenomenon that draws the attention of more and more researchers and clinicians. Thus far, numerous studies of FI have aimed at reducing the incidence and/or improving symptoms.\nMethodology: In total, 88,436 healthy people (20~70 years old) were selected and were taken for health examination in the International Medical and Health Science Centre of the Chinese (Blinded) General Hospital from January 2017 to January 2018, including 60,902 males and 27,534 females. Of the male subjects, 20,834 were 20~30 years of age, 24,576 were 30~50 years old, 15,492 were 50~70 years old; while 10,657 female subjects were 20~30 years of age, 9,853 were 30~50 years old, 7,021 were 50~70 years old. All subjects voluntarily went to the hospital for a medical examination and were told to participate in the study.\nResults: Figure 1 showed the IgG antibody positive rate of 14 kinds of foods in the serum of healthy subjects. It was found that among 14 kinds of foods, the total IgG antibody positive rates of egg and crab took the larger proportion than those of the others, and were, respectively, 31.03 and 25.92 percent. The others were ordered from high to low as follows: cod (9.59 percent)>shrimp (9.56 percent)>milk (8.41 percent)>soybean (7.77 percent)>rice (6.16 percent)>tomato (4.49 percent)>maize (4.18 percent)>wheat (3.60 percent)>mushroom (3.26 percent)>pork (2.21 percent)>beef (1.72 percent)>chicken (1.69 percent). Five kinds of foods (egg, crab, cod, shrimp and milk) accounted for 84.51 percent of the total positive rate. In these positive specimens, most of subjects' FIs were mild intolerance (that is level 1). The IgG antibody positive rates of egg and crab in mild intolerance had, respectively, reached 14.12 and 21.81 percent, which were significantly higher than those of the remaining 12 foods. For more details see Figure 1.\nDiscussion: Some researchers had believed that FI is mediated by IgG class of antibodies (Turner and Kemp, 2012; Gaur and Kumar, 2014), and therefore IgG is taken as a useful indicator of FI. Given food-specific IgE antibodies may not be present among a subgroup of patients with allergic symptoms due to FI, the detection of a variety of food-specific IgG antibodies was used in the study of Shakoor et al. (2016). Nevertheless, a previous study showed that the raised levels of IgG were a \"normal\" immune response and were not indicators of any pathology (Dixon, 2000). In despite of conflicting reports, the detection of a variety of food-specific IgG antibodies has being actively promoted and adopted by some commercial companies (Nettleton et al., 2009). A strong association between neurological manifestations such as migraine and IgG-mediated FIs had also been reported (Mitchell et al., 2011; Priedite et al., 2014). Therefore, in this study, ELISA method was used to detect the different food-specific IgG antibodies in the serum of healthy examined people aging from 20 to 70 years old, aiming at providing references for the diagnosis of clinical FI and guiding people healthy meals. We were surprised to find that the total positive rate of FI was as high as 64.16 percent in healthy people aging from 20 to 70 years old. That means like the rest of the world, FI is so common in China. An investigation performed by the British association of allergy showed that there are up to 45 percent of people in the population to produce different degree of intolerance for certain foods, and the incidence of infants and children is higher than that of adult (Saeed et al., 2004). FI affects up to 15~20 percent of the population depending on data collection methods and definitions (Zopf et al., 2009). Woods et al. (2001) investigated 17,280 adults between 20 and 40 years old in 15 countries, which found that 12 percent of the subjects had the food allergy or FI. What is more, Australia was up to 19.1 percent. The lowest level appeared in Spain with 4.6 percent. Additionally, in many cases, FI can lead to a series of diseases in the various systems of human body, including high blood pressure, obesity, headaches or migraines, chronic diarrhoea, fatigue, infection, etc. (Millichap and Yee, 2003; Breakey, 2004).\nConclusions: In this study, we preliminarily analyzed FIs of 8,8436 healthy people to 14 kinds of foods by the detection of food-specific IgG antibodies. The total positive rate of 14 FIs was as high as 64.16 percent. Five kinds of foods (egg, crab, cod, shrimp and milk) accounted for 84.51 percent of the total positive rate and the proportions were 31.03, 25.92, 9.59, 9.56 and 8.41 percent, respectively. In more than one kind FIs, egg took the largest proportion of 58.54 percent and the second was the crab with a positive rate of 56.19 percent. In one kind of FIs, the antibody positive rate of any food was significantly lower than that in more than one kind of FIs (kh2 629.35, p<0.001). Also, the study found that the older a subject was, the less likely he/she was to develop FI. Interestingly, gender was not a significant factor in FI. The results would not only prompt us to pay more attention to FIs in daily life, but provide theoretical foundation for the treatment of related clinical diseases as well as guiding people healthy meals.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Functional disorders caused by food intolerance (FI) are prevalent, thus it is important to analyze the FI of healthy people to common foods so as to guide the people for eating the healthy foods. The paper aims to discuss this issue.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In total, 88,436 healthy persons including 60,902 males and 27,534 females at the age ranging from 20 to 70 years old were subjected a normal physical examination. In total, 14 kinds of food-specific IgG antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunesorbent assay.\nFindings: The total positive rate of 14 FIs was as high as 64.16 percent. Five kinds of foods (egg, crab, cod, shrimp and milk) accounted for 84.51 percent of the total positive rate. In more than one kind of FIs, egg took the largest proportion than the others and the proportion was 58.54 percent. The second was crab with a positive rate of 56.19 percent. The antibody positive rate of any food in one kind of FIs was significantly lower than that in more than one kind of FIs (kh2=629.35, p<0.001). Also, younger age subjects displayed the higher positive rate than the older age groups. In addition, there was no significant difference on FI between male and female subjects.\nOriginality/value: The results would not only prompt us to pay more attention to FI in daily life, but provide theoretical foundation for the early prevention, diagnosis and treatment of related clinical diseases as well as guiding people healthy meals.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Work-life conflict of married and childless single female workers	[ "Gender", "Women workers", "Welfare", "Work-life conflict" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Work-life conflict (WLC) has received considerable attention lately from individual workers, companies, and researchers, especially with the increased interest in employees' well-being. Employees want to be successful in both their personal lives and professional lives by satisfying the needs in both domains, and organizations want to support their employees' needs by providing family-friendly policies and benefits, which can lead to a higher level of organizational commitment among the employees. Indeed, researchers initiated the discussion of how to deal with WLC, which has become a major research interest in the area of organizational behavior and organizational psychology (Parasuraman and Greenhaus, 2002).\nFamily and women's roles in Korean society: Traditionally in Korean society, which valued patriarchy and the Confucian tradition of emphasizing respect for filial piety, elders, and father's authority, women were described as mother, wife, and dependent family member, while men were the head of the family and had power and authority over their family (Choi, 1977; Rhee, 2015). Young females were expected to sacrifice for the family's welfare by helping with house chores and earning money to support their family until they got married, while young males had more opportunities to receive higher education. However, social and economic development has fostered many changes in women's power in their family and society as well as in the concept of familism. As a result, these days mothers and other family members tend to exist as independent individuals, and power and authority within a family are more decentralized than in the past (Lee, 2014). As a result, women have more opportunities to enter college and to participate in economic activities, and the labor force participation rate gap between men and women has been narrowing: according to KSIS (2015), the labor force participation rate gap between men and women was 22.6 percent in 2014, compared to 28.5 percent in 1994.\nLiterature review and hypotheses: WLC and women\nDesign of the study: Measures\nResults: Descriptive statistics and reliability\nDiscussion: Conclusions\nLimitations and future studies: Study limitations\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is threefold: to examine differences in the level of work-life conflict (WLC) experienced by married female workers and childless single female workers, to investigate the difference in the level of commitment to the organization between married female workers and childless single female workers, and to explore the relationship between WLC and organizational commitment and the moderating role of mentoring support in the relationship between WLC and the female workers' organizational commitment in a highly male-dominated culture.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Four hypotheses developed based on a review of the literature were tested using t-tests, a linear regression analysis, and hierarchical moderated regressions.\nFindings: First, no significant differences were found in the level of WLC and the organizational commitment of married and childless single female workers. Second, WLC was negatively related to organizational commitment. Finally, the results showed that mentoring support mitigated the negative effect of WLC on organizational commitment.\nOriginality/value: The significance of this study includes its investigation of the perceptual differences in WLC and organizational commitment between married and childless single female workers in a highly male-dominated culture. In addition, this study helps readers better understand childless single female workers' WLC in a highly male-dominant culture.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Education and fertility: an investigation into Italian families	[ "Italy", "Women", "Children", "Family", "Birth rate", "Human capital", "Education", "Fertility" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: In the literature, we may observe many works trying to investigate the correlation between education and the number of children. Indeed, Breierova and Duflo (2004) find that women's education increases the age at marriage and decreases the number of children born before the woman turned 15. Aldieri et al. (2006) study the linkages between fertility decisions and human capital of both males and females, proxied by years of schooling. The authors obtain a trade-off between years of schooling and the probability of having a new child. Black et al. (2008) find that increases in compulsory schooling reduce the incidence of teenage childbearing in the USA and Norway. Monstad et al. (2008) study the connection between fertility and education. Their results indicate that increasing education leads to postponement of first births away from teenage motherhood and towards women having their first birth in their 20s as well as for a smaller group up to the age of 35-40. However, they do not find that more education results in more women remaining childless or having fewer children. Osilii and Long (2008) pick out a causal effect of education on fertility in Nigeria and this effect is significantly negative. More recently, Kirdar et al. (2010) analyse the impact of the extension of compulsory schooling in Turkey from five to eight years on the marriage and fertility behaviour of teenage women. They find that the probability of marriage by age 16 is reduced by 44 percent and the probability of giving birth by age 17 falls by 37 percent. The effects of the education policy on the time until the marriage and first birth persist beyond the completion of compulsory schooling. After a woman is married, schooling does not have an impact on the duration until her first birth. Aldieri et al. (2010) investigate the role of women's education in the transition towards having a second child in Italy. By implementing an event-history model, they find a negative effect of women's education on the transition rate towards a second child. Aldieri and Vinci (2010) find a negative impact of educational level on the number of children in Italy, by considering the grandparents' education as an instrument of parents' education. McCrary and Royer (2011) use age at school entry policies to identify the effects of female education on fertility and infant health. They find that education does not significantly impact fertility. In particular, women born just before and after the school entry date are equally likely to become mothers and give birth at similar age.Our aim in this paper is to provide further evidence for the correlation between the number of children and educational level both at female level and at family level.The outline of the paper is as follows: in Section 2 we develop a theoretical model about the relation between the number of children and the educational level both at individual level and at family level. Section 3 describes the data and the estimation procedure. Section 4 discusses the empirical results and Section 5 concludes and gives some suggestions for further research.\n2 The model setup: 2.1 The basic framework\nProposition 1: There is a negative relationship between the number of children and education from one hand because high skilled workers have fewer children than low skilled ones, from the other one because in the better educated workers pool the higher educational level the lower number of children.ProofBy comparing equations (6) and (7), from which we may easily derive that: ns,t <nu,t , and from inspection of equations (4) and (5).2.2 Introducing a family context\nProposition 2: Even in the case of the family as decision unit, we can set up what follows:There is a negative relationship between the number of children and education from one hand because high skilled and mixed families have fewer children than low skilled ones, from the other one because there is a negative relation between parents' education and number of children in both educated and mixed educated families.ProofThe first part of Proposition 2 is from the comparison of, respectively, equations (14) and (18) with equation (20). As far as concerns the second part, it comes from inspections of equations (12) and (16).\n3 Dataset description and modelling: Our analysis is based on data taken from the European Union - Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) over the period 2004-2007. The EU-SILC database provides comparable, cross-sectional and longitudinal multi-dimensional data on income, poverty, social exclusion and living conditions in the European Union. The data are gathered by the Member States of the European Union and collected by Eurostat. Labor, education and health information is obtained for persons aged 16 and over. Income is mainly collected at personal level, but some components are included in the \"household\" section. The selected sample for the analysis of childbirths considers 10,720 Italian families over the period 2004-2007.All the variables used in the estimated model are collected in Table I, while Table II reports the descriptive statistics of our sample.Our dependent variable is represented by the number of children ever born (NC) to each respondent (and to his partner). As can be seen from the table, the mean children ever born for all families is 1.24 with a standard error of 1.056. For our multivariate analysis, we can use the educational levels of the female respondent as a determinant variable and that of her partner in such a manner that we may also identify the high educated families, characterized by a high educational level both for the wife and for her husband. In particular, we use the highest educational level received at the time of the interview. According to Hoem et al. (2001), it would be more useful to use education as a time-variant covariate, but in our case, all respondents have completed their studies before the first child was born. We make a distinction between respondents with a lower education (LowEd), with lower education certificate, and higher education (HighEd), with a secondary school certificate or a university degree. Results show that most of the people have a lower education, with a mean of 0.86, while the families with both partners high educated indicate a mean of 0.06. We control for age, by using five classes. In terms of other control variables, the probability of working for females is 0.28, that of having a permanent contract is equal to 24 percent in our sample, while the mean years of work experience is 19.92. As far as the health conditions are concerned, we consider a dummy which is equal to 0 if the woman's conditions are very good or good. In order to control for the economic situation of the households, we take into account six classes of the yearly family income, whether the family is owner of a house and whether the family has received government transfers for children. Furthermore, in order to control for the geographical variation in fertility tastes and education opportunities in Italy, we include regional dummies in the estimated models. In particular, we consider four regional areas: North-West (reference area), North-East, Center, South. As far as the environmental conditions are concerned, we include a dummy (UR) which is equal to one if the country of residence is densely populated (country has more than 50,000 inhabitants per square kilometer). Finally, we include time dummies in the model to consider a linear trend.Since the number of children ever born is a count variable, Poisson regression is the statistical procedure to conduct these analysis (Winkelmann and Zimmermann, 1995). The Poisson model is superior to ordinary least squares or other linear models because the distribution of a count variable, such as NC, is one that is heavily skewed with a long right tail. The skewed distribution of the NC is due to the observed distribution of data with a very low mean, a result which may be attributed to many females desiring few children and few females wanting many children in low fertility countries, such as in Italy. In addition, in the context of fertility, zero observations might be due either to the choice not to have children (i.e. the expected NCs are not always 0) or to impossibility to become a mother (i.e. the expected NCs are always 0). In order to handle this situation, we also estimate a zero-inflated Poisson regression (Winkelmann, 2000).\n4 Empirical results: By implementing a Poisson regression model we can try to estimate the impact of the females' level of education on the number of children ever born. In Table III, we estimate four models:1. a Poisson regression for only female's education;2. a Poisson regression where we consider the correlation between the number of children and high educated families with both partners high educated;3. a zero-inflated Poisson regression for only female's education; and4. a zero-inflated Poisson regression for high educated families with both partners high educated.In particular, for zero-inflation Poisson models, we identify two variables which we think may determine the excess zeros: \"health\" and \"age\". We may rationalize that the excess zeros in the fertility process may increase if health is not good or if age rises. From the empirical results indicated in Table III, we can observe a negative correlation between the number of children ever born and educational level, by confirming the results of previous theoretical model. In Poisson model, compared to being low educated females, being high educated ones decreases the expected number of children ever born by 14 percent (e-0.15-1), other aspects being equal. This seems to indicate a substitution effect higher than the income one. This negative effect for Italy confirm that found in Aldieri et al. (2006, 2010) and Aldieri and Vinci (2010). The result is very similar for high educated families with respect to mixed families and low educated families. As far as the control variables are concerned, the yearly family income is positively correlated with the fertility variable by showing an income effect, while experience variable is negatively correlated with the expected number of children, suggesting a problem to reconcile motherhood with a career. Higher is age (A5) lower is the expected number of children, stressing a biological matter to procreate for females starting family later. Having a good health and receiving government transfers for children affect positively the expected number of children, while living in a country densely populated reduces it. Finally, the Vuong test compares the zero-inflated model with an ordinary Poisson regression model. The significant z-test indicates that the zero-inflated model is better.\n5 Discussion and concluding remarks: The aim of this paper is to investigate from a theoretical and empirical perspective the correlation between the level of education and the number of children both at female decision level and family decision level. For this end, after having described a theoretical where we find a negative link between the level of education and the number of children of the individual and of the family, we use 10,720 Italian families from the 2004-2007 EU-SILC dataset. Our dependent variable is represented by the number of children ever born to each respondent. Since the number of children ever born is a count variable, Poisson regression is the suitable statistical procedure used to conduct the empirical analysis.First, we estimate the correlation between the female's education and her number of children, and then we use also partner's education to take into account the family dimension. Furthermore, in the context of fertility, zero observations might be due either to the choice not to have children or to impossibility to become a mother. For this reason, we adopt also a more appropriate tool, that is a zero-inflated Poisson regression.From the empirical results, we can observe a negative correlation between the number of children ever born and educational level, by confirming the results of previous theoretical model. In Poisson model, compared to being low educated females, being high educated ones decreases the expected number of children ever born by 14 percent (e-0.15-1), other aspects being equal. This seems to indicate a substitution effect higher than the income one. The result is very similar for high educated families with respect to mixed families and low educated families. As far as the control variables are concerned, the yearly family income is positively correlated with the fertility variable by showing an income effect, while experience variable is negatively correlated with the expected number of children, suggesting a problem to reconcile motherhood with a career. Higher is age (A5) lower is the expected number of children, stressing a biological matter to procreate for females starting family later. Having a good health and receiving government transfers for children affect positively the expected number of children, while living in a country densely populated reduces it.Further investigation is certainty required for a more comprehensive analysis. In particular, it would be interesting to investigate the role of wealth inequality in the human capital accumulation process and in the fertility decision both at individual and at regional perspective, in such a way that it is possible to analyse the relative effects on the local growth rate.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to analyze the correlation between the educational level and the number of children in Italy, where a very low fertility rate may be observed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Since the number of children ever born is a count variable, Poisson regression is the suitable statistical procedure used to conduct the empirical analysis. First, the authors estimate the correlation between the female's education and her number of children, and then the authors use also partner's education to take into account the family dimension. Furthermore, in the context of fertility, zero observations might be due either to the choice not to have children, or to the impossibility of becoming a mother. For this reason, the authors adopt also a more appropriate tool, that is a zero-inflated Poisson regression.\nFindings: - From the empirical results, a significant negative correlation may be observed between the level of education and the number of children.\nOriginality/value: - There are other studies in the literature focusing on the correlation between female participation rate and her fertility rate in the Italian case. In those frameworks, the education variable is usually considered as a control variable. The paper's contribution to the literature is twofold: on one hand the authors develop a theoretical model giving an intuition reason of mechanism underlying the fertility behaviour of families; on the other hand, the authors implement more appropriate empirical models to test for this hypothesis, taking education as the main variable.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How logistics service quality and product quality matter in the retailer-customer relationship of food drive-throughs: The role of perceived convenience	[ "Satisfaction", "Logistics service quality", "Product quality", "Convenience", "Retailer", "Basket expenditure", "Drive-through", "Shopping frequency" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Recent supply chain literature has documented that the world of retailing has changed dramatically in the last decade prompting considerable challenges in physical distribution (Adivar et al., 2019; Hubner et al., 2016; Ishfaq et al., 2016; Murfield et al., 2017). Grocery retailers (e.g. Carrefour, Tesco, Walmart) have adapted to hybrid selling forms by introducing drive-through concepts that have accounted for an increase in their market share (Adivar et al., 2019; Hubner et al., 2016). The drive-through concept is similar to the one called \"buy online pick up in store\" (Murfield et al., 2017), which is the most common hybrid channel for omni-channel retailers. French retailers have developed different models of the click-and-collect system (such as drive-in, drive-out and \"in-store picking\") (Jara et al., 2018; Wollenburg et al., 2018). The special feature of the drive-through system is that consumers select products online and then pick up the product in a warehouse (situated beside the physical store or at a specific location). Today, drive-through is recognized as being an innovating format since it has revolutionized the way customers interact with retailers. However, despite the growing importance of this hybrid format, the transformation in retail logistics leads retailers to consider strategic issues to improve the alignment of logistics and marketing (Adivar et al., 2019; Gligor et al., 2019; Jeanpert and Pache, 2016; Xu and Jackson, 2019b). The challenge is to offer the best system to satisfy consumers by providing a high-level of quality of product and service. Logistics excellence has been recognized as an area in which firms can create a competitive advantage. To successfully leverage logistics competitive advantage to customers, there is currently a significant increase in the coordinations between logisticians and marketing departments. In this sense, the quality of logistics service performance is a key marketing component that helps create customer satisfaction (Gligor et al., 2019; Mentzer et al., 2001).\nLiterature review and hypothesis development: The performance system of the drive-through format: the customer perspective\nMethodology: Sample\nResults: Structural model\nDiscussion and implications: The aim of this research has been to understand not only the drivers of customer satisfaction in the drive-through industry but also the impact of the interactions between these drivers and convenience on satisfaction. In addition, the study investigates the mediating role of satisfaction between these drivers and customer behavioural responses. The model that study empirically tests in this paper reflects, to the best of our knowledge, the first quantitative study to examine how the perceived quality of products (i.e. the PQFP and the PQPG) and the perceived quality of logistics service influence satisfaction, assess how experience-related benefits moderate these relationships and explore whether and how satisfaction mediates the impact of the perceived quality of products and services on both the shopping frequency and average basket expenditure of consumers in this sector.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on consumers' behaviours in a new trend of grocery retailing, called the drive-through format. It investigates the influence of logistics service quality and product quality (freshness of the product and the product in general) on consumers' reactions (satisfaction, average basket expenditure and shopping frequency) through the mediation of satisfaction. This work also examines whether convenience moderates the relation between perceived quality and consumer satisfaction.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study tests these relationships with both path and structural models using a data set of grocery drive-throughs in France, gathered during 2015-2016. To confirm the validity of each construct, this paper has based and purified variables using various scales established in previous studies by conducting exploratory and confirmatory analysis.\nFindings: Logistics service quality and perceived product are effective drivers of consumer satisfaction. As well, the results reveal a positive relationship between quality perceptions and behaviour (average basket expenditure and shopping frequency) through the mediating function of consumer (overall) satisfaction. Thus, the findings indicate that the positive effects of the interaction terms between convenience and both the perceived quality of service and the perceived quality of fresh products on satisfaction can lead to a higher purchase incidence in drive-throughs. However, the degree of consumer convenience does not alter the influence of product quality in general with regard to the formation of satisfaction in connection with drive-throughs.\nOriginality/value: Despite the growth of the drive-through format, few studies have investigated customer satisfaction within grocery retailing, nor its consequences and drivers, especially logistics service quality.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Student internships within an information consulting practice: a case study of taxonomy design	[ "Academic publishing", "Internships", "Consulting", "Taxonomy development", "MLIS practicum", "Taxonomy design" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Within industry settings, the demand for structures to organise knowledge and manage growing collections of data is ever increasing. The skills acquired by MLIS graduates are well aligned with this demand; however, actual application of the skills learned through coursework may be missing from the preparation a student receives during the degree programme. Internships, during which a student works with a faculty member in a consulting relationship for a business, can provide the bridge between course learning and knowledge application.\n2. Case illustration: This case illustration looks at an actual consulting project conducted by a faculty member and three students who were hired to develop an original taxonomy to support business analytics. The case may be characterised as an \"exploration of a particular project, policy, institution, programme, or system in a 'real life' context\" (Simons, 2009, p. 21), with the objective being both to explore and \"to explain a contemporary phenomenon\" (Yin, 2017, p. 286). As would be expected, some of the more detailed project information was proprietary; however, we can highlight two main aspects of the project that contribute valuable knowledge to the arenas of education and research. First, the value of internship-consulting collaborations as learning experiences for students in MLIS and similar degree programmes and second, the research outcomes of the taxonomy design work itself.\n3. Taxonomy development: research and design: Throughout our work to ensure the robustness of the taxonomy through design-phase methods such as environmental scans and trialling, we also anticipated making recommendations to the client regarding both assessment and governance. As such, we looked to established standards and best practices for taxonomy assessment, and it quickly became apparent that there is not a lot of research literature about how to assess the quality of a taxonomy. The Guidelines for the Construction, Format and Management of Monolingual Controlled Vocabularies from the American National Standards Institute/National Institute of Standards Organizations (ANSI/NISO) (2010) address how to test the quality and effectiveness of controlled vocabularies, and the very first sentence states:\n4. Outcomes and implications: Outcomes from the taxonomy project were threefold. First, the company received the taxonomy deliverables outlined in the consulting contracts, and its representatives were pleased with the work and what it would provide for its customers. For the ultimate users of the products that the taxonomy was created to support, academic journal publishers, the completed taxonomy would be leveraged to optimise the company's analytics tools for generating metrics and interpretive assessment. The end result for the publishers was being able to use the supported tools to achieve their objectives of reliable reporting, content discovery, and highly customisable analytics.\n5. Conclusion: Two main objectives were put forth in this discussion of taxonomy design as conducted by a team of MLIS student interns, working under the direction of a faculty member on a consulting project: first, to augment the learning experiences of the students through a real-world collaborative project of developing an extensive taxonomy and supportive deliverables; second, to determine the research contributions that the project generated through its methodologies and practices. One intern reflected upon completion of the project, saying:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper reports on a taxonomy design project involving graduate students in information science (MLIS degree) working as intern-consultants under the guidance of an information science faculty member. The consulting team developed a taxonomy that would reflect current academic departmental structures and be used to optimise publisher tools for generating metrics and interpretive assessment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this case study, three students worked under the direction of a faculty member on a consulting team for a Silicon Valley company that provides business analytics to academic publishers. Tasked with designing a taxonomy of disciplinary knowledge to support the company's analytical software tools, the students developed methods for environmental scans, vocabulary design, validation and taxonomy management for the project objectives.\nFindings: The consulting experience proved to be highly beneficial for the students as an opportunity to take concepts learned in their coursework and apply them in practice. The project team delivered to the company the most detailed taxonomy of academic disciplines in the marketplace, along with recommendations for its maintenance and management for ongoing support of business objectives. The company was supportive throughout the internship programme, generating collaborative contributions from all stakeholders.\nOriginality/value: As more students earning an Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) or similar degree move into a wide array of careers within business environments, internship experience through consulting can be an essential advantage to their preparation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Hybrid flow shop with multiprocessor task scheduling based on earliness and tardiness penalties	[ "Memetic algorithm", "Hybrid flow shop", "Multiprocessor task", "Time window" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Low-cost manufacturing is vital for the manufacturing companies to be one step ahead of the others in terms of competition. In this scope, determining good and optimal (if possible) job schedules while minimizing the production lead time needs to be focused on as it can drastically reduce the machine idle time and job waiting time and, therefore, minimize the extra costs.\n2. Literature review: In the literature, there are a considerable number of studies dealing with HFSMT. Oguz et al. (2004) proposed the first benchmark problem set and lower bound for HFSMT. They proposed a genetic algorithm (GA) to test the performance of heuristic in terms of percentage deviation from the lower bound or optimal solution, if available. Serifoglu and Ulusoy (2004) provided different benchmark problem set for HFSMT and proposed a GA for minimizing the completion time of all the tasks in the last stage for the HFSMT problem. Their GA included roulette wheel selection, one-point and uniform order-based crossover types and the job exchange-replace mutation operator. The initial population in their proposed GAs is fed with three chromosomes: one found by the shortest processing time sequence and one found by the longest processing time of completion times at first stage and also one found by the shortest total processing time method. They found the optimal solution for small-scale problems of HFSMT by running total enumeration method, i.e., testing each possible solution. Their GA results are compared with improved lower bound; solutions obtained by SPT, LPT and STPT heuristics, optimal solutions for small problems and estimated optimal values for larger problems. They integrated a two-opt local search heuristic into their GA and stated that adding a list scheduling (LS) decoding method did not lead to a statistically significant improvement in results obtained. Also, they stated that the lower bound equation developed for HFSMT problem is inadequate. A GA by Oguz and Ercan (2005) studied on HFSMT and proposed a GA with preliminary test to determine the best combination of the control parameters. They tested four versions of their algorithm and concluded that the algorithm approaches to lower bound better (e.g. average percentage deviation) when the new crossover operator (NXO) is used along with insertion mutation operator.\n3. Problem formulation: The following mathematical model is based on the formulation presented in the original work of Lin et al. (2013). We reformulated the mathematical model to address the problem of\n4. Developed memetic algorithm: Memetic algorithms are basically the combination of a global search algorithm (exploration) and local search approach (exploitation), for intense search around defined neighborhood. Memetic algorithm that has been developed to solve the problem\n5. Computational experiments: In this study, the algorithms were tested on benchmark problem instances that can be found in Oguz (2006) which consists of 240 problems divided into two types; Type Q and Type P with different combinations of n and k (n=10, 20, 50, 100; k=2, 5, 8), where each combination contains ten instances. Whereas the number of processors at each stage in Type Q is uniformly distributed (U (1, 5)); it is fixed as five in Type P problems. Problem names are decoded as \"Problem type/Number of jobs/Number of stages/Problem index.\" For example, the problem Q20S5T1 is the first problem in its category (Index=1) and belongs to Type Q problem which is harder to solve than Type P relatively, consisting of 20 jobs and 5 stages.\n6. Conclusions: In this study, our motivation was to introduce a common time window to HFSMT for the first time in the literature. A memetic algorithm, which is a population-based metaheuristic coupled with neighborhood search (local search), is developed in order to provide good solutions to the problem in hand. As the probability of finding quality solutions with MA relies upon the parameter choices, such as crossover rate, mutation rate, population size, iteration size and parent selection rate, in this case, the Full Factorial design is implemented to decide the best parameter set for each problem type, i.e. solving an instance out of each problem type with each possible parameter combination. Finally, as the algorithm is given its final scheme, the benchmark problem set provided by Oguz et al. (2004) was solved with the developed MA. The efficiency of local search method is assessed by paired t-test using the comparison between MA and GA results. The findings indicated that the local search improved the results significantly. Local search may increase the computational effort; however, it was negligible in this study.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Hybrid flow shop with multiprocessor task (HFSMT) has received considerable attention in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to consider an HFSMT scheduling under the environment of a common time window. The window size and location are considered to be given parameters. The research deals with the criterion of total penalty cost minimization incurred by earliness and tardiness of jobs. In this research, a new memetic algorithm in which a global search algorithm is accompanied with the local search mechanism is developed to solve the HFSMT with jobs having a common time window. The operating parameters of memetic algorithm have an important role on the quality of solution. In this paper, a full factorial experimental design is used to determining the best parameters of memetic algorithm for each problem type. Memetic algorithm is tested using HFSMT problems.\nDesign/methodology/approach: First, hybrid flow shop scheduling system and hybrid flow shop scheduling with multiprocessor task are defined. The applications of the hybrid flow shop system are explained. Also the background of hybrid flow shop with multiprocessor is given in the introduction. The features of the proposed memetic algorithm are described in Section 2. The experiment results are presented in Section 3.\nFindings: Computational experiments show that the proposed new memetic algorithm is an effective and efficient approach for solving the HFSMT under the environment of a common time window.\nOriginality/value: There is only one study about HFSMT scheduling with time window. This is the first study which added the windows to the jobs in HFSMT problems.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
R & D commercialization capability criteria: implications for project selection	[ "Project management", "Innovation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: There is a high risk of R\n2. Theoretical and conceptual background: 2.1. R&D commercialization process\n3. Research methodology: This research was an empirical investigation that comprised two distinct steps. The first step involved the in-depth interviews of 14 experts currently active in the field and with at least three years' experience in R\n4. Research results: 4.1. R&D commercialization capability indicators and criteria\n5. Conclusion and discussion: The research results indicate that R\n6. Implications and limitations: This study provides holistic R\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the criteria of R\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data were collected from 272 entrepreneurs and researchers with a structured questionnaire. The data analysis was carried out by the structural equation modeling (SEM).\nFindings: The research results revealed that there are six criteria for R\nResearch limitations/implications: This research is derived from samples form voluntary participants from the disclosed lists in the governmental research institutes. Although SEM results provide weight for each R\nPractical implications: This study provides the holistic R\nSocial implications: The roles of the evaluators are important when considering R\nOriginality/value: This paper proposes the holistic criteria in order to decrease the ambiguous subjectivity of fuzzy-expert system and to help with effectively funding R\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Who's responsible? Representatives' autonomy alters customers' emotion and repurchase intentions toward organizations	[ "Responsibility", "Organizations", "Attributions", "Service encounters", "Customer behaviour", "Representatives" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Front-line service representatives are the faces of their organizations. Customers' emotional and behavioral reactions to an encounter with a representative are directed toward both the representative and the organization (Bitner et al., 1990). Nonetheless, a customer may respond distinctly toward an organization or its representative when one appears more responsible for the outcome of an encounter. For example, experiencing consistent outcomes among interactions with a variety of representatives from a single organization over time may lead a customer to credit the organization for those outcomes (Hess et al., 2007). Alternatively, features of the service environment may offer clues as to who is responsible for an encounter (Lee and Cranage, 2016), such as a waiter's cheeriness being attributed to the waiter himself, while the paltry food quality being blamed on the restaurant as a whole.\nAutonomy information: Many service-based jobs are characterized by restrictions, low pay, job standardization and routinization (Ritzer, 1993, 2004; Bitner et al., 1990) such as fast food servers, low-end retail workers and call center operators. Others are characterized by few restrictions, professional educational requirements, high pay and benefits and flexibility (Morgan et al., 2014) such as counselors, advisors, government officials, professors and law partners. Whereas the types of positions may be differentiated by other important social distinctions (e.g. education, prestige and pay), we focus on the difference in the restriction or autonomy of the workers vis-a-vis their companies (Powell and Snellman, 2004), with one extreme being low in autonomy - regulated and required to follow the organization's rules - and the other extreme being high in autonomy - experienced and somewhat independent of the organization's rules.\nWho's responsible?: Representative autonomy should influence customers' reactions through attributions of responsibility - either conferring more responsibility to the organization or to the representative (Folkes, 1984). We propose that attributing a higher level of responsibility toward the organization will lead customers to feel and act both more positively and more negatively toward the organization depending on whether they experienced a positive or negative service encounter.\nCustomer's emotion and repurchase intention: Customers' emotions and repurchasing intention derive primarily from their experiences (Ho et al., 2017). A negative experience, even a single mistreatment by a representative of an organization, may prompt a customer to leave angry and never return (Smith and Bolton, 2002; Surachartkumtonkun et al., 2013). Positive service encounters may inspire gratitude and increase patronage of the organization (Han and Back, 2008; Ladhari et al., 2017), including a positive recovery from an initial negative experience (De Matos et al., 2007; Yuan et al., 2016). The primary feature of these emotional responses is the emotional valence ranging from negative emotions such as being frustrated or angry to positive emotions such as being happy, pleased or grateful (Lawler et al., 2008). As customers are most likely to make attributions after negative outcomes (Taylor, 1991; Weiner, 1985), more research has focused on who to blame for negative service encounters instead of who is held responsible for positive encounters (Yoon, 2013).\nHow do responsibility attributions alter customers' reactions?: If information about the representative's low autonomy shifts the attribution of responsibility toward the organization and away from the representative (H1), customers' response to the organization - whether positive or negative - should be intensified. In contrast, information indicating high autonomy should shift responsibility attributions toward the representative and away from the organization, thereby dampening the customers' reactions toward the organization specifically. Attribution processes are more salient when someone actively pays attention to the cause of an outcome (Weiner, 1985). Therefore, we expect that only when customers consider who is responsible for a service encounter will autonomy information alter their reactions. In other words, autonomy information may not influence how a customer service experience alters customer reactions directly, but only through the path of shifting attributions of responsibility between representative and the organization. As a positive or negative customer service experience should lead to positive or negative emotions toward the organization, these should be amplified when more responsibility is attributed to the organization (Figure 1).Therefore, we hypothesize that:\nStudy 1: We conducted an experiment crossing representative autonomy (between-subjects: low, high or baseline control) with customer experience (within-subjects: positive or negative; the order was counterbalance). The autonomy control was included to assess unmanipulated attributions of responsibility and to gauge the success of the low and high autonomy manipulations.\nResults: After seven participants reporting high suspicion or confusion were excluded, our study included 115 participants (52.2 per cent female, 56.5 per cent white, 25.2 per cent Asian and 91.3 per cent of 18-22 years of age).\nStudy 1 discussion: While generally supporting our model, results from Study 1 included unexpected effects that deserve further investigation. First, we chose to use separate organizational and representative responsibility scales to measure responsibility so it would be possible they vary separately, which they did. Specifically, organizational responsibility remained high (0.68-0.87, Table I) across autonomy conditions, whereas representative responsibility varied from low to high based on autonomy information (0.35-0.67, Table I). It is not clear whether this result arises from the particular implementation of this study or if this distinction is part of the process of making attributions to front-line service employees whose status as a representation of their organization perceptually yokes them to it. In our next study, which implements a different procedure, we use similar responsibility measures to see whether autonomy information again leads to separate responsibility attributions.\nStudy 2: We conducted a vignette experiment crossing autonomy (low vs high) by customer experience (positive or negative) by four vignette scenarios in a between-subjects factorial design with responsibility attribution, emotion and repurchasing measures.\nResults: Of those who completed the survey, 2 participants who took less than 1 min and 12 who took over 15 min were excluded. Therefore, our study included 393 participants who were 52.1 per cent female, 70.6 per cent white, 9.1 per cent black, 7.4 per cent Asian and 6.7 per cent Hispanic with a mean age of 36.4.\nStudy 2 discussion: We again found that autonomy information produces separately measurable attributions for representative vs organizational responsibility, and these measures of responsibility had different effects on the customers' reactions. Representative responsibility increased both positive emotion and repurchasing intention after positive, but not negative, experiences. This is in line with Study 1 which also showed that in cases of positive experiences, representative responsibility increased emotion.\nGeneral discussion: Summary and interpretation of findings\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to present and test a model of how the autonomy of an organization's representative alters the effects of customer experiences on customer emotions and repurchasing intentions toward the organization. Specifically, this paper offers a moderated mediation model whereby representative autonomy alters attributions of organizational responsibility, which moderate the effect of service experience on emotion and emotion mediates the effects of service experiences on repurchasing intentions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Study 1 is a laboratory experiment (N = 115), where participants engaged in a multi-round product purchasing task through an online representative of a company. Study 2 is a vignette experiment (N = 393), where participants responded to situations of purchasing either a car, furniture, haircut or vacation package from a representative of a company. In both studies, manipulated representative autonomy information was either low or high and manipulated customer experience was either positive or negative. Measures included responsibility, emotion toward the organization and repurchase intention.\nFindings: Structural equation models support the proposed model. In the presence of information about representative autonomy, the link between customer experience and repurchasing intent is amplified and mediated by emotion toward the organization.\nResearch limitations/implications: Because of the experimental approach, the findings may not be generalizable, but the experimental method allows for a controlled test of the process, ordering and relationship among variables.\nOriginality/value: Understanding how representatives' autonomy ultimately alters repurchasing and how this process involves responsibility attributions contributes to both practice and theory.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Multi-criteria decision making towards selection of industrial robot: Exploration of PROMETHEE II method	[ "Benchmarking", "Decision support systems" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The word \"robot\" was first conceived by a Czech author K. Capeak in 1920 and it came from the word \"robota,\" which means \"worker.\" According to the American Robots Association, a robot can be defined as a multi-functional operator, which can be controlled by programs (Mondal and Chakraborty, 2013). As defined by Rao et al. (2011), robots are \"automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulators programmable in three or more axes.\" As described by Chatterjee et al. (2010), an industrial robot is a general purpose, reprogrammable machine with certain anthropometrical features.\n2. State of art and problem statement: The extent body of existing literature is found quite rich in concerning robot selection problem (RSP) over the last about three decades. Researchers, engineers, scientists and robotics' experts all over the globe emphasized on different aspects of robotic system that included the selection of robots, design of controllers, robotic arms, manipulators, types of mechanisms used in robots and selection of grippers/end effectors, etc. Many precision-based methods for robot selection were developed (Kumar and Garg, 2010) and well documented as well.\n3. PROMETHEE II: Preference function-based outranking method is a special type of MCDM tool that can provide a ranking ordering of the decision options. The PROMETHEE method was first developed by Brans and Vincke (1985). The PROMETHEE I method can provide the partial ordering of the decision alternatives, whereas, PROMETHEE II method can derive the full ranking of the alternatives. In this paper, the PROMETHEE II method has been employed to obtain the full ranking of the alternative robots for a given industrial application. The procedural steps as involved in PROMETHEE II method have been enlisted as below (Brans and Vincke, 1985; Athawale and Chakraborty, 2010; Athawale and Chakraborty, 2011):\n4. Numerical illustrations: 4.1. Case illustration I\n5. Managerial implication: In course of decision making for robot selection, the PROMETHEE II approach has been found quite straightforward with less computational complexity when compared to other MCDM methods like VIKOR, TOPSIS, etc. The study bears significant managerial implication. Proper evaluation and selection of appropriate robot alternative may be proved fruitful for the industries in order to improve product quality as well as to enhance extent of productivity. Proper utilization of resources could easily be ensured. Functioning would be more accurate with reduced timespan. As a consequence, company can gain more profit in a longer run.\n6. Conclusion: Aforesaid study highlights application of PROMETHEE II method toward selection of industrial robotic system in pursuit of quantitative (objective) evaluation data. The following conclusions have been drawn:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Robot selection is one of the critical decision-making tasks frequently performed by various industries in order to choose the best suited robot for specific industrial purposes. In recent marketplace, the number of robot manufacturers has increased remarkably offering a wide range of models and specifications; thus, robot selection has become indeed confusing as well as complicated task. Selection of an appropriate robot is a sensitive process; it may result massive letdown, if not chosen properly. Therefore, for unravel the selection problem; the purpose of this paper is to explore the preference ranking organization method for enrichment evaluation (PROMETHEE) II method.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Apart from a large variety of robotic systems, existence of various multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) tools and techniques may create confusion to the decision makers' in regards of application feasibility as well as superiority in performance to work under different decision-making situations. In this context, the PROMETHEE II method has been found as an efficient decision-making tool which provides complete ranking order of all available alternatives prudently, thus avoiding errors in decision making.\nFindings: In this context, the present paper highlights application potential of aforesaid PROMETHEE II method in relation to robot selection problem subjected to a set of quantitative (objective) evaluation data collected from the available literature resources. Advantages and disadvantages of PROMETHEE II method have also been reported in comparison to other existing MCDM approaches.\nOriginality/value: The study bears significant managerial implications. Proper evaluation and selection of appropriate candidate robot would be helpful for the industries in order to improve product quality as well as to increase productivity. Proper utilization of resources could be ensured. Functioning would be accurate with reduced timespan. As a consequence, company can increase its profit margin in long run.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A discussion framework of store image and patronage: a literature review	[ "Store image", "Review", "Behaviour", "Store patronage", "Dimensions" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Background of this study\nMethodology: Overall methodology\nTheoretical discussion: Store image and dimensions\nA proposition of measurements for analyses: Store image\nConclusion: Overall findings and implication\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically review the literature that explores the relationships between store image and store patronage behaviour, thereby providing the practical analytical framework with measurements that aids marketers to build strategical marketing plans to attract loyal customers to their retail shops.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review method was applied to this study which analysed the literature of peer-reviewed articles in English-language journals and specific online databases. In total, 863 peer-reviewed articles which were published between 1950 and 2017 were examined to provide the practical framework with measurements for further discussion.\nFindings: It was found that within the eight identified dimensions of store image - merchandise, service, convenience, promotion, client, physical facilities, atmosphere and institutions, there are corresponding sub-sections that must be recognised, e.g. merchandise is made up of quality, assortment, price, fashion and guarantee. These dimensions have been analysed and discussed in the context of their impact on store patronage. However, because of the lack of clarity in predictors of store patronage, there has been confusion in academic discussions. Therefore, it is proposed that store patronage should be investigated with two parameters, customer and manager store image alignment and past purchase experiences.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study contributes to providing a useful discussion platform with an analytical framework and measurements. Due to the selected term-based search method, even with the authors' maximum effort, the number of selected publications is limited.\nPractical implications: This study introduces a practical conceptual framework for the measurements that need to be utilised by the marketers while building marketing strategies for attracting consumers to enhance their patronage behaviours. Retail services need to create a reinvented discussion platform with respect to store image and patronage. Consumers may perceive store image as being embedded in the store environment as a trigger for their patronage behaviour and, using the proposed analytical framework, the retailers can analyse and refine their marketing plans effectively.\nOriginality/value: This study presents the overall reappraisals of the initial literature with regard to the holistic development, implications and impact of store image on store patronage. Moreover, the paper seeks to provide a robust discussion paradigm for developing perspectives for improving patronage behaviours, thereby bridging the gap between store image and store patronage by attempting to use the relevant literature to contribute to constructive future discussions and useful dimensions while building marketing strategies.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Solution providers' strategic capabilities	[ "Solutions", "Servitization", "Resource-based view", "Solution business", "Strategic capability" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Product manufacturers are transforming themselves into solution providers to attain a sustainable competitive advantage (Kindstrom et al., 2012; Kucza and Gebauer, 2011; Story et al., 2016; Windahl, 2015) by sensing and seizing business opportunities in their customers' value chains (Kucza and Gebauer, 2011; Wise and Baumgartner, 1999). The business model change from standardized products to solutions or advanced services has been labeled servitization (Baines and Lightfoot, 2013; Vandermerwe and Rada, 1988), moving from products to services (Oliva and Kallenberg, 2003), going downstream (Wise and Baumgartner, 1999), tertiarisation (Leo and Philippe, 2001) and service infusion (Kowalkowski et al., 2012). The extant literature has described solutions as a set of products, services and software (Nordin and Kowalkowski, 2010) that require relational processes and collaborative learning among solution providers and their customers and suppliers (Barry and Terry, 2008; Jean et al., 2016; Tuli et al., 2007). Despite the encouraging examples of successful industrial solution providers such as Ericsson or Wartsila, prior studies have reported that perhaps only 20 per cent of manufacturers succeed in implementing their strategies to develop, sell and deliver solutions (Reinartz and Ulaga, 2008; Ulaga and Reinartz, 2011). Studies have reported that manufacturers fail to develop capabilities either to assess the markets, differentiate, scale or price their solutions (Gebauer et al., 2017; Indounas, 2015; Shankar et al., 2009). Consequently, it becomes increasingly important to identify, analyze and develop those strategic capabilities that enable manufacturers to create economic rents by providing solutions.\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1 Resource-based view of the firm\n3. Methodology and data: 3.1 Data collection\n4. Results: 4.1 Solution providers' distinctive resources\n5. Discussion and implications: 5.1 Theoretical contribution\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Drawing on the resource-based view of the firm, this study aims to analyze solution providers' strategic capabilities that facilitate above-average returns.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study applies a qualitative comparative case method. In addition to an extensive set of secondary data, the results are based on interviews with 35 executives from nine leading industrial solution providers, their strategic customers and suppliers. The analyzed solution providers were identified based on quantitative survey data.\nFindings: By observing six distinctive resources and three strategic business processes, the present study identifies seven strategic capabilities that occur in different phases of solution development and deployment: fleet management capability, technology-development capability, mergers and acquisitions capability, value quantifying capability, project management capability, supplier network management capability and value co-creation capability.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study develops a generic model for the strategic capabilities of servitization. Application of the developed model to different contexts would further validate and enhance it.\nPractical implications: Managers can use the developed model to benchmark, identify, build and manage solution providers' strategic capabilities and associated practices.\nOriginality/value: The study develops a valuable conceptual model based on the comparative case data. Case firms were selected for the study based on a representative quantitative data set. The results were verified and triangulated with external data.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
What geographical scope works best for rapidly internationalizing SMEs?	[ "Internalization theory", "Small and medium-sized enterprises", "Geographical scope of operations", "Internationalization process theory" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The past three decades have seen the appearance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a wide range of countries that are quick to start their internationalization. These rapidly internationalizing SME (i.e. firms with under 250 employees) have been denoted born globals or international new ventures (INVs) in the literature and are frequently portrayed as successful, innovative firms that aim for a global scope of operations already from inception (Knight and Cavusgil, 2004; Oviatt and McDougall, 1994). The learning and performance benefits of adopting a born global strategy are often highlighted in these studies (Chetty and Campbell-Hunt, 2003; Knight and Cavusgil, 2004; Rovira Nordman and Melen, 2008). In contrast to advocating a born global strategy, recent empirical studies imply that some SMEs' internationalization efforts are confined to their home-regions (Baum et al., 2015; Sui and Baum, 2014). Some scholars even argue that many of the born global firms seem to be born regional firms (Lopez et al., 2009). In these studies, a born regional strategy is associated with some key benefits for rapidly internationalizing SME, such as learning advantages and less resource demanding operations.\nLiterature review: Born globals or born regionals?\nResearch design: In this study, we analyze an explorative case study of a rapidly internationalizing SME in the Swedish life science industry. Exploratory case studies are particularly suitable for developing existing theories (Eisenhardt, 1989). A single case study also has an advantage over multiple case studies because it allows rich descriptions of a phenomenon. An explorative case study is, therefore, highly suitable to address the purpose of this study.\nThe PlantCo-case: In 1996, PlantCo started. The firm's business model is to develop and sell products based on the protection of plants from pests and diseases. The products that PlantCo sells will function as an alternative to chemical pesticides. Even though the firm is built around research that has been conducted at a Swedish university since the 1960s, PlantCo has from the start been owned by a large agricultural industry group, a conglomerate of Swedish farmers.\nDiscussion: This article has probed into the theoretical arguments of the internalization approach, the IP-approach and literature about international SME to enhance our understanding about the inherent benefits for rapidly internationalizing SMEs to follow a regional strategy. The analytical framework presented in Table I is used to analyze the PlantCo case.\nConcluding remarks: Building on the idea that internationalization is difficult, the internalization approach, the IP-approach and research about rapidly internationalizing SME share the common view that local knowledge resources are critical to succeed with internationalization. Another implied argument is that firms can use a regional or incremental approach to internationalization to avoid risks and save costs. These ideas contrast the traditional born global-view, stipulating that a rapid and broad internationalization is possible without much firm-specific knowledge about local markets. Instead, the preexisting international experience and international network connections of the staff provide born globals with the unique knowledge resources that they need for their internationalization (Oviatt and McDougall, 1994; Rovira Nordman and Melen, 2008).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to explore the benefits of a regional internationalization strategy and investigate how a rapidly internationalizing SME's development of market knowledge relates to this strategy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: After a brief overview of the literature on international SMEs, the internalization approach and the IP-approach, a case study is introduced and analyzed.\nFindings: The case findings illustrate that market knowledge steers the investigated firm to follow a regional approach of operations. The regional strategy lessens perceived risks, saves costs and generates sufficient knowledge about one market at a time.\nPractical implications: It is important for managers in rapidly internationalizing SMEs and for policymakers to recognize the benefits of supporting regional orientation initiatives for enhancing these firms' internationalization.\nOriginality/value: This paper presents a longitudinal case study that contributes to further the understanding and insights into the operations of born regionals. By probing deeper into the ideas provided by the internalization approach, the IP-approach and research about international SMEs, the study contributes with a unified framework for understanding the benefits for rapidly internationalizing SMEs to operate on a regional scope.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Investigating the work practices of network security professionals	[ "Work practices", "Network security", "Network security professionals", "Security tool development", "Security-related activities" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In an era of global reliance on networked systems, information security becomes a major concern for most organisations (Goel and Shawky, 2009; Dlamini et al., 2009). Despite the recent economic recession, the IT security market saw an increase of 12 per cent in 2010 to 16.5 billion US dollars, and is expected to exceed 125 billion globally by 2015 (Posey et al., 2014). The individuals who are at the forefront of the battle of protecting the organisational assets against unauthorised use and access are known as network security professionals. However, little is known about the work practices of these professionals. A deep understanding about the work practices of network security professionals could vastly benefit tool developers in designing effective and efficient tools for network security management (Goodall et al., 2009; Shiravi et al., 2012).\n2. Defining a network security professional: Defining a network security professional on the basis of job titles is a natural first approach. In such a scenario, one might consider only those with the keywords \"network security\" or \"security\" within their job titles. In reality, the network security industry is much more complex. D'Amico and Whitley (2008) note that job titles vary considerably across organisations, and there is a lack of functional job descriptions of a network security professional. Previous research established that the management of network security varies considerably across organisations. For this purpose, some organisations have dedicated security staff and formal computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs), whereas in other organisations, no formal CSIRT exists and the existing IT staff also perform security-related activities (Killcrece et al., 2003b; Hawkey et al., 2008). To address this lack of common descriptions and to account for general IT staff (e.g. network managers and systems administrators) responsible for network security management, we avoid a reliance on job titles and define network security professionals as \"individuals who perform network security-related activities as a part of their job\". A main contribution of this paper is to identify and define these activities.\n3. Review of previous work practices studies: A number of empirical studies have been conducted to examine the work practices of network security professionals. Some of these studies focused on specific types of network security professionals (e.g. intrusion detection analysts and incident response practitioners), while other studies took a broader perspective. This paper reviews ten notable empirical studies performed so far this century, focusing on the work practices of \"modern-day\" network security professionals.\n4. Proposed work practices model: 4.1 Methodology\n5. Validation of the proposed work practices model: 5.1 Methodology\n6. Discussion and implications: The results of our study provide two key contributions towards a more complete understanding of network security professionals. First, we propose a robust work practices model of network security professionals, which is created by utilising the existing empirical evidence and validated by gathering new empirical evidence through an online survey of 125 network security professionals. This model provides a relatively deep and broad understanding about the day-to-day activities performed by network security professionals, which could vastly benefit tool developers in designing and developing effective and efficient tools for network security management. The activities and their descriptions within the proposed model provide an outline of the functionalities for a usable tool, targeting one or a few specific activities. For example, if a tool developer intends to build a tool to support the activity of incident analysis, the proposed model would inform him/her that the process of incident analysis involves incident verification, artefact handling and incident assessment. Therefore, a usable tool targeted for incident analysis needs to provide sufficient functionality to perform the aforementioned sub-activities. This may include the support for analysing data collected from a diverse set of sources (e.g. packet captures, network flows and system logs), collection and analysis of artefacts (e.g. computer viruses, exploits and toolkits) and examination of the nature and scope of the incident, the extent of damage caused and available response strategies. In the absence of our proposed model, security management tool developers would not be able to acquire this level of details regarding the required functionalities of a particular tool, due to the numerous gaps and inconsistencies in the existing work practices models of network security professionals (see Table I).\n7. Limitations and future work: While our approach allowed us to investigate in detail the work practices of network security professionals, this approach was not without limitations. An online questionnaire enabled us to gather a relatively large number of responses from a wide geographical spread of professionals, which was imperative to build a robust work practices model. However, this restricted us from gathering rich qualitative data, which could have been used to explore in detail different interesting trends highlighted in Section 6 of the paper. Also, while we have a reasonable spread of survey responses (see Table II) in terms of respondents' daily time spent on security-related activities, a slightly higher participation of professionals who spend more than 50 per cent of their time on security-related activities could have created a better mix, potentially enhancing the robustness of the proposed work practices model.\n8. Conclusion: This work reviews several existing empirical studies and highlights numerous gaps and inconsistencies in the description of the work practices of network security professionals. It also merges existing empirical evidence to create a new and more consistent work practices model of network security professionals. The robustness of the proposed model is confirmed by conducting an online survey of 125 network security professionals with a wide demographic spread. The model itself should be a useful aid to tool developers, thus better meeting the needs of network security professionals. The findings of the survey also highlight interesting trends for different groups of network security professionals, with respect to performing different activities, which should help to better meet the needs of these groups.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the work practices of network security professionals and to propose a new and robust work practices model of these professionals.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The proposed work practices model is composed by combining the findings of ten notable empirical studies performed so far this century. The proposed model was then validated by an online survey of 125 network security professionals with a wide demographic spread.\nFindings: The empirical data collected from the survey of network security professionals strongly validate the proposed work practices model. The results also highlight interesting trends for different groups of network security professionals, with respect to performing different security-related activities.\nResearch limitations/implications: Further studies could investigate more closely the links and dependencies between the different activities of the proposed work practices model and tools used by network security professionals to perform these activities.\nPractical implications: A robust work practices model of network security professionals could hugely assist tool developers in designing usable tools for network security management.\nOriginality/value: This paper proposes a new work practices model of network security professionals, which is built by consolidating existing empirical evidence and validated by conducting a survey of network security professionals. The findings enhance the understanding of tool developers about the day-to-day activities of network security professionals, consequently assisting developers in designing better tools for network security management.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Navigating through institutional complexity: adoption of a process view in functional organizations	[ "Organizational structure", "Business process", "Process view", "Decoupling", "Institutional complexity" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In order to survive and succeed in current complex and dynamic environments, organizations have to adapt their organizational designs, and particularly organizational structures, to the requirements emanating from their environments (Volberda et al., 2012). Organizations with better fit to requirements from their environments tend to improve performance and profitability (Donaldson, 2001). Correspondence to requirements from the institutional environment, i.e. norms and regulations (Zucker, 1987), leads to increased legitimacy, political power, maximized share price and acceptance within the field of operations (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Heugens and Lander, 2009). In complex and dynamic environments, having a better fit may include rapidly adapting organizational structures, such as switching between hierarchy and business process views as basis for management which is the topic for this paper.\nConceptual framework: Process view and organizational structure\nMethodology: This study follows an abductive approach (Dubois and Gadde, 2002) as it was at discovering of new relationships within the existing theory of PM rather than generating new concepts or proving the existing ones. The choice of an approach was motivated by the contradicting requirements of the institutional environment that were calling for different structures within one organization. This study is an exploratory case study of a Norwegian shipping company NordNorsk Rederi that owns platform supplies vessels (PSVs)[1]. Case studies are an appropriate approach for the research in a situation when the phenomenon being studied cannot be separated from its research context (Saunders et al., 2009). The case study was selected as a critical case study that gives an opportunity to study the phenomenon within the setting that was not studied before (Saunders et al., 2009). In turn, designs of the organizations that operate in highly influential institutional environments have not been studied extensively before, due to their low numbers In fact, single case study is supposed to be an appropriate research design for the studies following abductive approach and aiming at theory refinement/extension (Voss et al., 2016).\nEmpirical findings: Institutional environment of the shipping companies\nDiscussion and conclusions: The empirical findings show that the studied company does not have one clear organizational structure, and that the structure changes depending on the situation and the requirements of the institutional environment. Thus, in the tender process and newbuilding/reconfiguration phase, the organization operates as a project-based organization (Figure 6). Project teams are interdepartmental and temporal by their nature, and are managed by project leaders who make final decisions (Sydow et al., 2004). The structure is driven by a need to promptly respond to the requirements of the tender invitation that demands involvement of various competences across the organization. On this stage, the organization does not apply a process view, neither formally nor practically, due to the non-routine nature of activities (Sydow et al., 2004).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the ongoing debate on the appropriate organizational design for the process management implementation. Using the lens of institutional theory, the paper discusses how organizations adapt to a required implementation of a process view alongside their organizational structures.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study is designed as a single case study of a Norwegian shipping company. On the one hand, shipping companies are traditionally managed by functions due to the specifics of maritime operations and high safety-related risks of the work. On the other hand, the rising demands of regulatory bodies and customers within the offshore logistics are calling for implementation of a process view within the organizations, which implies management by processes.\nFindings: The study analyses conflicting requirements of the institutional environment influencing organizational structure and how these conflicts are addressed by the company. Besides, it describes the decoupling mechanism the company uses to balance between such requirements and adapt to the changes of the institutional pressures.\nOriginality/value: The study introduces a situational-based organizational structure as an alternative for both process and vertical views implementation within the companies operating in the highly demanding institutional environments.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Cross-generational comparison of dispensed pharmacotherapy for depression	[ "Depression", "Gender", "Drugs", "Drug controls" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a highly prevalent mood disorder that affects up to 4.6 percent of the Canadian population annually (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Stephens and Joubert, 2001; Beaudet, 2000; Parikh et al., 2001). MDD affects people of all ages; its impact varies depending on the age of onset. For example, in youth and adolescents, MDD is associated with cigarette smoking, substance abuse, early pregnancy, poor school performance, impaired work and social functioning, suicidal behavior and ideation (Weller and Weller, 2000a, b; Lewinsohn et al., 1998; Parker and Roy, 2000; AACAP, 1998; Simantov et al., 2000; Glied and Pine, 2002; DeBar et al., 2001). Depressive symptoms and disorders in youth are also associated with increased risks for recurrent depressive disorders (Lewinsohn et al., 1999; Reinherz et al., 2003; Pine et al., 1999) and other affective (Martin and Cohen, 2000) and non-mood disorders (Lewinsohn et al., 2000) in adulthood. By comparison, among adults and seniors, MDD is associated with increased risks for psychosocial disability (Stephens and Joubert, 2001; Judd et al., 2000), lost work productivity (Stephens and Joubert, 2001; Broadhead et al., 1990; Kessler et al., 1999; Johnson et al., 1992) and mortality (Ensinck et al., 2002; Lett et al., 2007; Havik et al., 2007). Across all age categories, risks for suicide (Johnson et al., 1992; Kessler and Frank, 1997Harris and Barraclough, 1997; Appleby et al., 1999; Angst et al., 2005) and use of mental health and medical services (Weller and Weller, 2000a, b; Lewinsohn et al., 1998; Parker and Roy, 2000; AACAP, 1998; Simantov et al., 2000; Glied and Pine, 2002; DeBar et al., 2001; Johnson et al., 1992; Von Korff, Ormel, Katon and Lin, 1992; Howland, 1993; Demers, 1995; Katon et al., 1990) are elevated.Effective treatments, including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy result in symptom remission (Schulberg et al., 1996), improved interpersonal, scholastic and occupational functioning (Broadhead et al., 1990), reduced risks for suicide (Angst et al., 2005), disability from concurrent medical conditions (Benton et al., 2007), and use of health services (Parikh et al., 2001; Markowitz et al., 2005). Although pharmacotherapy is the most widely used therapy, it is lacking or suboptimal for the majority of depressed patients (Eisenberg, 1992; Parikh et al., 1999; Wells et al., 1994; Adler, 2000; Sirey et al., 1999; Moride et al., 2002; Lin et al., 2000; Sood et al., 2000; Katz et al., 1998; Crystal et al., 2003; Young et al., 2001; Fairman et al., 1998; Rojas-Fernandez et al., 1999; Unutzer, 2002; Percudani et al., 2005). Given the pervasiveness and impact of depression, delivering effective treatment is essential to improve quality and length of life. In 1999, the Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) released guidelines to improve primary care physician prescribing decisions related to adult depression (CANMAT, 1999). Then in 2001, CANMAT and the Canadian Psychiatric Association published guidelines aimed at psychiatrists that were tailored to youth and adolescents and to seniors (Thorpe et al., 2001). These guidelines differed from those in existence at the time by specifying first-, second- and third-line pharmacotherapies that were to be prescribed in response to a new depression diagnosis.Previously we identified patient, physician and delivery of care characteristics that predicted receipt of recommended pharmacotherapy dispensed in response to a new diagnosis of unipolar depression in adolescents, adults and seniors (Sewitch et al., 2007, 2006, 2005). In the present study, we reanalyze some of these data using similar selection criteria in order to compare predictors of adherence to pharmacotherapy guidelines across the three generational groups. By identifying similarities and differences in the pharmacological treatment of depression, our findings may provide additional insight into overall patterns of inappropriate treatment as well as direction for improvement efforts in the delivery of first-line pharmacotherapy for new onset depression.\nMethods: Study design and data source\nResults: Over the study period, a total of 258 adolescents, 2,746 adults and 2,623 seniors experienced a new depression episode and received psychoactive medication; these numbers represent 58 percent, 37 percent and 50 percent, respectively, of each generational group with a new depression diagnosis only. Table II presents the baseline characteristics of each generational cohort at study entry. A larger proportion of seniors lived in urban areas. In all groups the majority were diagnosed by general practitioners; of note, nearly 100 percent of adults were diagnosed by general practitioners. Depression NOS was the most common diagnosis given. Types of insuree were similar for adolescents and adults; all seniors were covered by the Quebec public drug plan. For nearly all adults and the majority of seniors, the same physician both diagnosed and was responsible for the initial psychoactive medication prescribed.Table III presents the pharmacological agents dispensed at the first prescribing visit. Antidepressants were the most commonly dispensed medication and were given to 66 percent, 75 percent and 64 percent of newly diagnosed adolescents, adults and seniors, respectively. The second most commonly dispensed medication was benzodiazepines in adults and seniors and stimulants in adolescents. Paroxetine was the antidepressant of choice for 25 percent of adolescents and adults followed by citalopram. By contrast, citalopram (14 percent), paroxetine (12 percent) and sertraline (12 percent) were favored among seniors. In total, 52 percent, 71 percent and 50 percent of pharmacologically treated adolescents, adults and seniors, respectively, received a recommended first-line pharmacotherapy.Table IV presents the results of the multivariate models for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy for the three study cohorts. For all cohorts, having the same physician who diagnosed the depression and prescribed the initial medication was associated with increased odds for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy. For adolescents, female gender and being diagnosed by a GP or pediatrician were associated with increased odds for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy; living in a rural area and receiving social assistance were associated with decreased odds. For adults, comorbidity was associated with decreased odds for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy. For seniors, male gender, being diagnosed by a non-psychiatrist and receiving a diagnosis of depression NOS were associated with increased odds for receipt of a first-line medication.\nDiscussion: In this population-based study, we compared the pharmacological treatment of depression across three generational groups and found similarities in the profiles of patients who received guideline concordant pharmacotherapy. Relational continuity of care, having a physician who both diagnosed the depression and prescribed the initial medication, was the strongest predictor of receipt of recommended pharmacotherapy across all generational groups. For adults and seniors, this finding suggests that depression treatment successfully moved to primary care because relational continuity occurred most often in primary care. Moreover, depression treatment guidelines should target the family physician audience because appropriate knowledge translation may help to explain the increased guideline concordant pharmacotherapy observed in the adult cohort, as these treatment guidelines were directed at primary care physicians. Alternatively, relational continuity among adolescents suggests that primary care physicians may be prescribing antidepressants for mild depression and without concomitant psychotherapy. Further research would help to clarify the context in which pharmacotherapy is prescribed to youth and adolescents.Consistent patterns of pharmacological treatment emerged among adolescents and seniors. For example, diagnosis by a non-psychiatrist was associated with an increased likelihood for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy. This association could not be evaluated in the adult cohort due to limited variability. Gender differences in receipt of recommended pharmacotherapy were also identified. Adolescent girls were more than three times as likely and senior women were 20 percent less likely to receive a recommended medication compared to their male counterparts. Whereas these gender differences in pharmacotherapy for new onset depression occurred despite the existence of guidelines, further research is needed to determine whether these findings are attributable to physician delivery of treatment or to patient prescription fulfilling behavior. Nevertheless, the ongoing controversy about whether men and women respond equally well to antidepressant medication (Gorman, 2006; Scheibe et al., 2003) may, in part, explain these findings.Finally, a broad range of non-antidepressants was used to treat new onset depression, the most common of which was benzodiazepines. For adults and seniors, benzodiazepine use was high. Although the majority of seniors dispensed benzodiazepines at the first prescribing visit may have been on long-term use, as 75.3 percent received the drug at some time in the year prior to diagnosis, the way in which the adult database was constructed limited our ability to examine this issue. Although benzodiazepines may increase the risks for sedative effect, dependence and worsening of the depression, especially among seniors, physicians may be attempting to address a clinical phenomenon, as concomitant therapy may reduce depressive symptoms, suppress SSRI side effects, improve adherence to treatment and reduce the risk for suicide by lowering anxiety.Other findings were unique to each generational cohort. Among adolescents, those living in rural areas or receiving social assistance were less than half as likely to be dispensed a recommended first-line pharmacotherapy. Possibly, accessibility or acceptability issues related to unemployment may help to explain these findings, given that Quebecers under 18, whose parents are covered by the public drug plan, receive medication without charge (RAMQ, 2008). It is also possible that antidepressant samples were provided during the clinical visit. Among adults, comorbidity was associated with reduced odds for receipt of a recommended first-line pharmacotherapy, possibly because of concern for drug interaction, as comorbidity was assessed using a scale derived from pharmacy dispensing claims. Among seniors, the nearly two-fold increase for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy associated with depression, NOS suggests an appropriate pharmacological response if this diagnostic code were utilized to indicate major depressive disorder or a more severe form of depression compared to dysthymia.Study limitations must be considered in the interpretation of our findings. Validity of the diagnoses was not established. Pharmacy claims were proxies for patient consumption and physician prescribing. Information on case severity, pharmaceutical samples dispensed and psychotherapy provided were not available. Given that the study was conducted using provincial health data, it is not known whether the first prescribing visit was planned. Study findings are likely generalizable to pharmacologically treated patients with uncomplicated depression given that those with other psychiatric conditions and prior use of antidepressants were excluded. Nearly 100 percent of adults were treated by primary care physicians, suggesting that either the pharmacological treatment of uncomplicated depression has moved to the primary care setting, or that the eligibility criteria and definition of new onset depression used herein did not capture the psychiatric pharmacological treatment of depression. Importantly, the findings for receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy represent the best case scenarios. Whereas we found that approximately half of adolescents and seniors and three-quarters of adults received recommended pharmacotherapy, only the initial medication dispensed in response to a new depression diagnosis was evaluated for concordance with guidelines; neither dose nor duration of treatment were considered. In our study wherein all three parameters were assessed, only 11 percent of adults were dispensed medication according to guidelines (Sewitch et al., 2007).This study of three generational cohorts of pharmacologically treated depression provides new insights on overall patterns of inappropriate treatment. Most patients were treated in primary care and received antidepressants. More adults compared to adolescents and seniors were dispensed the initial medication according to guidelines, perhaps because guidelines for adolescents and seniors were distributed to psychiatrists despite the finding that pharmacological treatment was given mainly by primary care physicians. Consistent patterns among adolescents and seniors were found that showed that gender differences and specialty of the diagnosing physician influenced receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy. Adolescent girls, senior men and patients diagnosed by non-psychiatrists were more likely to receive recommended pharmacotherapy. Across the three generational cohorts, relational continuity of care was associated with receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy suggesting the patient-provider relationship is key to receiving the accepted standard of care. Decision and policy makers may utilize these findings to improve pharmacological treatment of new onset depression.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to compare predictors of receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy in three generational cohorts of patients with new episode depression.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This retrospective database cohort study included adolescent, adult and senior Quebec Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan beneficiaries with new episode depression, who were diagnosed by primary care physicians or psychiatrists (October 2000 to March 2001) and received pharmacotherapy. Receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy, based on the first psychoactive medication dispensed following the depression diagnosis, was defined according to Canadian guidelines.\nFindings: - Receipt of first-line pharmacotherapy was documented in 52 percent, 71 percent and 50 percent of adolescents, adults and seniors, respectively. Among adolescents and seniors, diagnosis by a psychiatrist was associated with a lower likelihood of receipt of recommended pharmacotherapy. Adolescent females and senior males were more likely and adults with comorbidity were less likely to receive recommended pharmacotherapy. For all age groups, having a physician who both diagnosed the depression and prescribed the initial pharmacotherapy was associated with an increased likelihood of receiving recommended pharmacotherapy. Relational continuity of care influenced receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy. Gender differences in treatment were found in adolescents and seniors.\nOriginality/value: - This paper identifies predictors of receipt of recommended first-line pharmacotherapy in three generational cohorts of patients with new episode depression.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The effect of e-service quality on Jordanian student's e-loyalty: an empirical study in online retailing	[ "E-satisfaction", "Attitudinal loyalty", "Behavioural loyalty", "E-trust", "E-service quality", "Online retailing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: With the fast growth of the internet and e-commerce, more customers nowadays engage in online shopping. As a result, firms depend on online marketing to sell their products through websites, and to obtain a competitive advantage (Venkatesh et al., 2012). Over the last years, many retailers have added an online channel so becoming multichannel retailers (Frasquet et al., 2017). In recent years, service quality and e-service quality have been among the most important research areas in marketing due to their apparent influence on the financial performance of the firm (Kim and Lennon, 2017; Zahedifard et al., 2014), in addition to gaining a competitive advantage through superior electronic services (Yarimoglu, 2015).\n2. Literature review: Academic studies of electronic services have sparked intense debate in recent years. Two of the main areas of analysis have been the quality of service, as a multidimensional construct, and the development of various measurement scales. Previous reviews have been published of the concept and measurement models of service quality in general (Manuel, 2015; Salameh and Bin Hassan, 2015), the factors that impact the user experience of electronic services (Rowley, 2006), the marketing of services through the internet (Parasuraman and Zinkhan, 2002), satisfaction with electronic services (Chen et al., 2008) and the causal relationship between electronic service quality, e-satisfaction and e-loyalty (Aguila et al., 2013; Giovanis and Athanasopoulou, 2014).\n3. Theoretical background and research hypotheses: 3.1 E-service quality\n4. Data and estimation results: 4.1 Sample characteristics\n5. Discussion: To summarise, using a student sample of Jordanian Amazon.com users (n=316), this study examined the influence of e-service quality dimensions (i.e. efficiency, privacy, reliability, emotional benefit and customer service), mediated by the influence of e-trust and satisfaction on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Generally, for our sample e-trust was found to be a stronger mediator between the e-service quality dimensions and behavioural and attitudinal loyalty, with all the hypotheses regarding this sequence supported except in the case of emotional benefit and e-trust. With regard to the role of e-satisfaction as a mediator, a positive influence was found on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, in addition to emotional benefit and customer service. However, insignificant links were found between e-satisfaction and efficiency, privacy and reliability.\n6. Managerial implications and future research lines: To provide an excellent service quality, Jordanian and Middle East firms in particular and global firms in general should understand the patronage motives which drive consumers to use their online websites. As a result, understanding the basic attributes consumers consider when evaluating the service quality of websites is the first step in providing superior e-service quality (Parasuraman et al., 2005). With regard to e-loyalty, when loyalty is measured along the two dimensions studied here, firms can identify which stage of loyalty the customer is in; thus, if the customer is only in an attitudinal loyalty stage (e.g. spreading positive word of mouth but not using the service), special promotional programmes (e.g. special discounts, free samples) could be used to enhance his loyalty to make it become behavioural, whereas if a customer is already behaviourally loyal, customised offerings, price cuts and increasing the switching costs could further increase customer behavioural loyalty.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the dimensions of e-service quality, its effects on e-satisfaction and e-trust and its impact on behavioural and attitudinal loyalty in Jordanian youth users of online retailing.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The scale proposed in this study has been specifically constructed using the four models most recognised for measuring e-service quality: E-S-QUAL, WebQual, eTransQual and eTailQ. The dimensions used in this study are efficiency, privacy, reliability, emotional benefit and customer service. The research model was statistically tested by students in Jordan, using Amazon.com.\nFindings: It is found that privacy, reliability, emotional benefit and customer service are important elements to measure the e-service quality, but efficiency is not. E-trust was found to be an antecedent of e-satisfaction, and behavioural loyalty an antecedent of attitudinal loyalty.\nOriginality/value: The contribution of this study is thus the investigation of the causal relationship between the e-service quality dimensions, e-satisfaction, e-trust, behavioural loyalty and attitudinal loyalty, where it is necessary to consider the subject in more depth and to examine e-service quality dimensions based on a proposed model constructed from the four most common models.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Value creation in health care services - developing service productivity: Experiences from Sweden	[ "Health services", "Service levels", "Value analysis", "Value added", "Sweden" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A common notion in the Swedish health care debate, and in Northern Europe, is allegedly that service productivity, as accessibility and responsiveness (WHO, 2000, Hanning, 2005) have not developed sufficiently in relation to the increase in costs. Therefore, a national care guarantee of a limited waiting period has been implemented in 2005 in Sweden. The promises of the guarantee is summarised in the slogan \"0-7-90-90\". The numbers symbolise the amount of days that a patient has to wait for primary care (0), a consultation with a doctor (seven), a specialist (90) and at last treatment (90). It can take up to half a year before a treatment is provided. An additional problem is that regulations for the guarantee are deemed as difficult to survey and that there seems to be a lack of accessible information on the quality of different treatment options available to patients (Ministry of Finance, 2005; Hanning, 2005).Future growth of health care in Sweden is said to need increased productivity (Ministry of Finance, 2003/2004). The Long-term Planning Commission is not optimistic in its analysis of the possibilities of ameliorating the productivity, because health care services are typically seen as difficult to rationalise (Ministry of Finance, 2003/2004). One attempt at increasing \"productivity efficiency\", in order to reduce waiting lists, has been the internal market experiment (Oliver, 2007). The learning from this and other reforms, for example, the process of integrating providers (Ahgren and Axelsson, 2007), in several countries is that \"existing, long-standing organizational institutions\" and \"ways of doing things\" \"matter\". Thus it is not naturalised that the logic of the internal market drives productivity (Ahgren and Axelsson, 2007).In economic discourse productivity is seen as the value from production in relation to used resources, where value is assumed to show market prices for a good or the value for service for the customer (Hagen and Hagsten, 2006). Because of the fact that productivity in health care has not been measured previously, a fixed development of productivity is assumed in national economic accounting (Hagen and Hagsten, 2006). Proposed by the European Union, there will, in the future, measuring of productivity on a national level (Hagen and Hagsten, 2006). However, my claim for health care services is that, as Gronroos and Ojasalo (2004) argue, the traditional measuring of productivity in the service sector is misleading, because it does not involve the contribution of the customer.Presently there is a lack of methods for comparing quality and outcomes on an aggregated level as well as a limited amount of available assessments of the productivity development that includes quality. The Swedish Association for County Councils (Sveriges Kommuner och Landsting, 2006) has made a comparison between county councils of indications of quality, for example, how patients experience health after having stroke. Assessments that are made of effects, such as avoidable deaths or the prevention of patients suffering unnecessarily, are not taken into account systematically (Ministry of Finance, 2005).According to Bloor and Maynard (2006, p. 1259) \"health care systems still approach the measurement and management of productivity with a fixation on activity\" while the British Medical Journal (2006, p. 312) asks if productivity can be measured accurately. According to Gummesson (2004) and Berry and Bendapudi (2007) research regarding \"health care service productivity\" is underdeveloped.\nPurpose and disposition: The arguments brought up in the introduction point at symptoms of low development of service productivity as well as a preliminary conclusion that the old \"meaning\" of productivity seems to be irrelevant for health care, which indicates a need for analysing possibilities for developing service productivity in theory and practice. The text is composed of methodology, theories, value creation, match making and conclusion.\nMethodology: Methodological inspiration comes from discourse analysis, based on analysis of authoritative texts with a high validity in relation to the purpose (Grant and Hardy, 2004). The analysis draws on Foucault's (1972) concept of discursive formation, which as a system of dispersion, from out of specific conditions, regulates the dispersion of statements and the way in which they form a discourse. The fundamental element is the statement, which forms an authorised account of formulations and narration (Foucault, 1972). The circulation of certain statements usually arises through definitions of what is possible to say and by way of passing on from one text to another (Foucault, 1993). Within the statements certain concepts within specific fields of knowledge are constantly being repeated (Foucault, 1972). The thought about discourse is typically characterised by displacements and encompassing those who have the right to speak within the discourse and what may held as truth within a specific time period, while excluding those and that, which lack this encompassing (Foucault, 1972)Another concept borrowed from Foucault (1988a, p. 253) is subjectivisation, understood as \"the procedure by which one obtains the constitution of a subject ... \"The analysis also draws on Butler's (1993) concept of performativity, which is broadly influenced by Foucault's ideas of power as productive and of discourse as constitutive of subjects:Performative acts are forms of authoritative speech; most performatives, for instance, are statements that, in the uttering, also perform a certain action and exercise a binding power (Butler, 1993, p. 225).According to Butler (1993, p. 13) the performative is \"that discursive practise that enacts or produces that which it names\" and she claims: \"performativity must be understood not as a singular or deliberate \"act\" but, rather, as the reiterative and citational practise by which discourse produces the effects that it names\" (Butler, 1993, p. 2). In summary, performativity may be understood as an intermediary force within the discourse, which through its various discursive practises links people to specific subject positions and influence them to perform certain acts, which agree with these positions. These acts then in turn influence the one, who is performing the act as well as other people. Hence, the performativity of the discourse names and makes people to become subjects in line with the discourse.Further inspiration comes from the deep understanding of organising of work (Vinge, 2005; Mintzberg, 1983).Empirical material\nTheoretical framework: The proposed theoretical framework is based on the view of health care seen as service; \"the application of specialised competencies (knowledge and skills) through deeds, processes, and performances for the benefit of another entity or the entity itself\" (Vargo and Lusch, 2004, p. 2). It finds its premise in the formation of the service management discourse and redefinition of the concept of service productivity (Gronroos and Ojasalo, 2004) and the proposition that the customer is always a co-creator of value (Normann and Ramirez, 1994; Lusch and Vargo, 2006), completed with aspects of match making and support inspired by yield management (Kimes, 2000) and agent theory (Eisenhardt, 1989). Initially I use Gronroos and Ojasalo's (2004) definition of service productivity; a function of internal efficiency, external efficiency and capacity efficiency.Internal efficiency, i.e. how to do, refers to volume measures, cost control and processes. It is a matter of increasing cost efficiency without decreasing quality. Some examples are reviewing internal processes, avoiding repeated examinations that have been performed before and keeping information available.External efficiency, i.e. doing the right things, refers to the experienced quality of the customer. Some examples are avoiding unnecessary deaths or suffering, redundant waiting periods and powerlessness. A problem is that the effects of medication are seldom reported and that the quality records are not publicly available.Capacity efficiency deals with how well the health care capacity is used. Since management of internal processes and capacity are rather well-known phenomena in health care research I will focus on external efficiency, i.e. the interaction of the customer and the provider in the value creating processes. These processes are characterised by interacting actors in constellations, using free and flowing information.\nValue creation: From patient to customer\nMatch making - a challenge for management: Low accessibility - but why?\nConclusion: Possibilities for developing a customised concept of service productivity to the requirements of health care have been explored. It has been essential to focus on understanding of processes of value creation seen from the customers/patient perspective. As a value creator the customer affects his/her health and life quality in a way and to a degree that is relevant in health care. Value is created in the recreation of the value creation process and interaction between the provider and the customer. Instead of talking about activities, the concept of service productivity in health care should encompass values like experienced health, quality of life, reduced waiting time and accessibility, trust, information, avoidable suffering and avoidable deaths. An overall aim should be to create value by complementing, supporting and matching the value creation process of the customer (patient). Within the practical field a possible support system for how health care services could be integrated fitting the value creation process of the customer (patient) is lacking. Likewise, a support system for the management of a free exploration of health care options between health care units in accordance with the national care guarantee is missing. In light of the identified inadequacies, it should be a matter of interest to outline a support system for harmonising capacity between providers and organising ways of match making competence fitting the customers.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The \"old\" concept of productivity seems to be misleading in health care, because it does not involve the contribution of the patient in value creation. The purpose of this paper will therefore be to explore possibilities for developing service productivity in theory and practice.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The analysis is based on a discursive reading of authoritative texts, an understanding of how health care work is organised and of several examples illustrating value creation. A proposed theoretical frame draws on \"value creation\", \"match matching\" and \"agency\". Empirical material is used, as are an analysis of a service meeting in health care, official texts in a Swedish context and narratives written by \"users\" and professionals.\nFindings: - The concept of service productivity in the context of health care encompasses values such as experienced health, quality of life, accessibility, trust, communication, avoidable suffering and avoidable deaths, and not only reduced costs, activities and outcomes.\nResearch limitation/implications: - There is a need for more research concerning matchmaking and support of the customer. An overall aim for the providers should be to match the value creation process of the customer (patient).\nOriginality/value: - This is a conceptual paper concerning value creation and service productivity in health care.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Queueing management and improving customer experience: empirical evidence regarding enjoyable queues	[ "Service industry", "Marketing", "Promotion", "Consumer behaviors", "Waiting line" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Some service enterprises have attempted to attract customers to queues through such promotional activities as creating a long queue, limiting the quantity of goods available, fixing and short promotional time, broadcasting about their products through the news media, selling well-known goods, creating a crowd through hiring volunteers, establishing events that stimulate customer curiosity and offering low prices (Friman, 2010; Lotrakul et al., 2008; Solomon and Surprenant, 1985). Customers may queue for market launches, offers of discount products (Arora, 2012; Rosenbloom and Dupuis, 1994) or purchases of famous product brands (Dickson et al., 2004). Such queues are relatively common in the entertainment sector, at retail stores and at restaurants. In the entertainment sector, movie stars generate queues by holding autograph sessions. Global premieres of famous movies attract fans who queue to watch the film immediately upon release. Popular restaurants (such as DinTaiFung in Taiwan) frequently have long queues (Alexander et al., 2012; Choi and Sheel, 2012; Liang and Hsu, 2011; Tai, 2005). Queues in front of Apple stores when new products are released also reflect consumers' willingness to queue even when they do not need to (Allo and Hanany, 2012). These examples demonstrate the potential for entertainment, retailing and restaurant services to use queuing strategies for marketing (Koo and Fishbach, 2010; Prendergast and Lam, 2013). However, enjoyable promotional activities are not always successful if a company is unable to overcome potential customers' negative concerns about waiting time (Leslie and O'Reilly, 1999; Tronvoll, 2011).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Waiting-line phenomenon\n3. Research method: 3.1 Research framework\n4. Analytical results: Analytical results indicate that the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) value of all selected factors is 0.855 (>0.5) (Kaiser, 1974). The Bartlett results are significant. Survey results suggest that the questionnaire items that are used in this investigation are suitable for factor analysis based on the KMO and Bartlett tests.\n5. Conclusion: Customers who are forced to wait for an intolerably long time may become frustrated and leave, resulting in a lost marketing opportunity. Although some companies attempt to use customer queues in their marketing strategies, few such attempts are successful. This study includes a questionnaire for soliciting information about customers' experiences of waiting. The survey identifies customers' behaviors associated with waiting. This investigation also confirms the following factors: a company's promotional activities, customers' perceptions regarding waiting time, a company's queuing management and improvement of the waiting environment. The weights of all question items and factors are determined. The weight analysis reveals that customers' perceptions regarding waiting time are the main driver of whether they join queues.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is that service sectors sectors create queues intentionally as a promotional strategy. Potential buyers might become actual customers after witnessing and joining queues. However, the effectiveness of company promotional activities involving queues remains unclear. Despite the innovativeness of this marketing strategy, few companies have adopted this approach, owing to the lack of research on how waiting influences customer behaviors toward waiting in queues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Therefore, this study identifies four factors of customer willingness to stand in a queue using questionnaire survey: company promotional activities, improvement of waiting environment, company' reactions to the queue and customers' perceptions regarding waiting time.\nFindings: This study identifies causal relationships among the aforementioned factors. The results of this investigation reveal that a company's promotional activities significantly and indirectly reduce customers' perceived waiting time by improving the waiting environment. Analytical results also show that a company's queuing management can indirectly reduce customers' perceived waiting time by improving the waiting environment.\nOriginality/value: Based on the analytical results concerning causal relationships, improving the waiting environment is critical to affecting positively customers' perceptions regarding waiting time. Queuing management can indirectly reduce customers' perceived waiting time by improving the waiting environment. A company's promotional activities can indirectly reduce customers' perceived waiting time by improving the waiting environment. Customers who enjoy both the waiting environment and the promotional activities experience much shorter perceived waiting time.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
F1000: an overview and evaluation	[ "Scholarly publishing", "F1000", "Altmetrics", "Academic social networks", "Networked peer review", "Open peer review" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The primary purpose of this article is to provide a description, overview and evaluation of F1000, a unique publishing outlet and peer review system for researchers in the biomedical and life sciences. The article is organized into three parts: the first defines, describes and conceptualizes F1000, chronicling its evolution and growth; the second reviews and details the primary services provided by F1000; and the third evaluates and critiques the strengths and limitations of F1000. The purpose of the review is to provide a resource for scholars to consider when adopting, using and researching F1000 in current, future and ongoing scholarship.\nWhat is F1000?: The Faculty of 1000 (also known as F1000) is an innovative publishing outlet and peer review system for biomedical scholarship (Bornmann and Leydesdorff, 2013). The F1000 website (www.f1000.com) houses a variety of scholarly works in the domains of medicine and the life sciences, including articles, posters and presentations of scientific, translational and clinical research. The F1000 platform also hosts a digitally networked system of peer-reviewers who select, review and rate biomedical articles on topics in their areas of expertise (Li and Thelwall, 2012). Through the ratings of the F1000 reviewers, alternative biometrics for measuring the impact of scientific work are developed and promoted (Huggett, 2012; Li and Thelwall, 2012).\nThe development and evolution of F1000: F1000 was borne out of a desire to improve and supplement traditional biometrics that measure the quality of scientific articles in the field of biomedicine (Huggett, 2012). It was started in 2002 with the aim of using the recommendations of F1000 Faculty Members (FMs) to aid in the process of rating and showcasing the importance of published scholarly work. At that time, F1000 was seen by the developers as a corrective measure to the practice of judging papers and researchers solely through the prestige and impact factor of traditional scholarly journals (Jump, 2011) by alternatively promoting open science and post-publication peer review (Swoger, 2013). While the F1000 platform was initially named for the original faculty board of 1,000 members who reviewed research articles submitted to the site (Huggett, 2012), the site now has more than 8,000 experienced scientists and experts from all areas of biology and medicine (http://f1000.pitt.idm.oclc.org/prime). Since its initial release, F1000 has grown and proliferated to include three unique services: F1000 Research, F1000 Prime and F1000 Workspace.\nF1000 services: F1000 Research, F1000 Prime and F1000 Workspace: The primary services offered through F1000 are:\nStrengths: The F1000 platform and associated services - F1000 Research, F1000 Prime and F1000 Workspace - have many advantages over other types of publication venues and peer review processes.\nLimitations: Limitations of F1000 Research\nConclusions and directions for future research: When viewed in concert with one another, all three F1000 services can assist researchers by:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview and evaluation of F1000, a publishing outlet and peer review system for research in the biomedical and life sciences.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The review chronicles the rise of F1000 and describes the site's functionalities and use capabilities.\nFindings: The findings detail both the strengths and limitations of F1000 and point toward avenues for continued research and development.\nOriginality/value: This is the first review to provide a substantive evaluation of F1000 for academics to consider when adopting, using and researching the platform.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Information retrieval of a disaster event from cross-platform social media	[ "Information retrieval", "SVM", "Typhoon Haiyan", "Cross-media", "Event-related", "Hashtags" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Social media is a computer-mediated tool that allows people and companies to exchange news, information, ideas, pictures and videos in virtual communities. Social media provides information on a wide range of social activity and contains inter-agent connections that are characterized by fast response from a local to a user event. Therefore, social media is often used to analyze human behavior in dangerous situations. For example, Lu and Brelsford (2014) use a complex network to investigate the digital human behavior change in the 2011 Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami, and Olteanu et al. (2015) found that emergency managers and official emergency response agencies are increasingly using social media as part of their information gathering processes. In such kind of studies, the first task is to find proper information in social big data.\n2. Hashtag: a cross-platform reference structure: Hashtags, which are special words in social media, are used to connect several messages of similar topic. The simple rules to create a hashtag are as follows:\n3. Method on hashtags collection process: This work proposes a method to automatize collecting hashtags. This method enables the selection of hashtags to be more objective and unbiased by combining with extra temporal and geographic information of a disaster event. This paper also applied a significantly simplified algorithm to estimate the impact area of disasters and to enable the processing to be fully automatic.\n4. Experiments: To prove high selectivity of the proposed method, two groups of simultaneous disasters were selected: cyclones Nari (Philippines) and Phailin (India) in October 2013; cyclone Haiyan (Philippines) and flood in Texas (USA) in November 2013. All these disasters had the same impact, including rainfall and river flood. Hence, similar lexicon should be used in their descriptions, and existing keyword-based methods are not able to disambiguate events.\n5. Discussion: The article presents a method for retrieving natural disaster event information from cross-media. The aim of this method is to apply hashtags for cross-platforms retrieval. Besides, the other goal of the method is to investigate if the geographic data are valuable to extract distinct messages of social media. Although Grasso and Crisci (2016) extracted hashtags from Twitter for weather forecasting, the application of hashtag for cross-platform retrieval gets little attention. The experiment of the proposed method shows that hangtags are valuable to extract disaster-related information from different social media platforms for improving the situation awareness of emergency management.\n6. Conclusion: The proposed method was tested on disaster databases and disaster media. Experiments show that the proposed method has high selectivity and is able to collect distinct sets of hashtags even for similar simultaneous events. The experiments also show that time and space features from an extra data source are enough to collect hashtags in social media, and this method can be expanded to any social and humanitarian study of geographically related events.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose a method to retrieve data on an event based on a preliminary collection of event-specific hashtags.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Extra knowledge, or a list of events with recorded features that can be used to characterize an event and separate it from other simultaneously occurring social phenomena, is employed. The first step involves the estimation and use of the impact area to retrieve messages from Twitter. This is followed by an extraction of hashtags from these messages. After that, the noisy hashtags would be filtered out by some heuristic rules. Finally, hashtags are used to collect relevant messages from not only Twitter but also other social media platforms.\nFindings: The proposed method has high selectivity and is able to collect distinct sets of hashtags even for similar simultaneous events. In addition, spatial and temporal features are sufficient to improve collecting information of disaster events.\nOriginality/value: This work discusses a method of information retrieval of an event from cross-platform social media. The proposed method can be applied to other studies of geographically related events.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Influence of leadership competency and organizational culture on responsiveness and performance of firms	[ "Leadership", "Organizational culture", "Organizational performance", "Hospitality services", "Corporate strategy", "Malaysia" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Tourism is an important industry that has contributed to the growth of the economy of Malaysia (Mahendran et al, 2006). As an illustration, the tourism receipts have increased steadily from RM8,580.5 million in 1998 to RM49,561.2 million in 2008 (Table I). As shown in Table I, the tourist arrivals to Malaysia had also increased from 5.5 million in 1998 to 22 million in 2008.Strategy plays a major role in global competition of a service industry. In order to compete effectively, service organizations such as hotels that were investigated in this research have to link and incorporate their operations strategy to their business strategy (Skinner, 1969). Failing to do this may sacrifice their competitive advantage (Dangayach and Deshmukh, 2001).Just as in any industry, a service industry requires an effective operations strategy. The primary purpose of the service operations strategy is to create value to customers in terms of quality, price, and time (Haksever et al., 2000). Therefore, in order to provide these values, a service operations strategy should consider the management process within the firm across a broad range of practices as well as the outcomes of the process (Meyer et al., 1999). A practice refers to established systems and behaviors in an organization (Morita and Flynn, 1997). In other words, in order to understand the service operations strategy, the current practices used by hotel management should be examined since they reflect the operations strategy of the service firms. This approach corresponds to that of Mintzberg and Waters (1985) who see strategy as \"a pattern in a stream of actions, not decisions.\" In fact, in operational strategy there are two approaches for framework development:1. based on actions (practice); and2. based on decisions.Research suggests that it is actions rather than decisions that should be included in the operational strategy framework (as cited in Christiansen et al., 2003). By focusing on the practices that are implemented in an organization, the operations strategy framework represents a framework that can assist the organization in improving its performance (Bozarth and McDermott, 1998). Examples of research in operations management that used such practices include those that were carried out by Collins and Cordon (1997) and Mills et al. (1998). Therefore, for the purpose of this study, the terms operational strategy and operational practices will be used interchangeably.Generally, less emphasis is given to people and organizational aspects of operations practices (Skinner, 1969), which are very important to service companies. As a matter of fact, this area is not included in most operational strategy studies. Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons (2001) suggest that operations practices of a service organization need to consider two main aspects of service, i.e. structural and managerial. In this paper, we examined only the infrastructural aspects of operational practices, i.e. the influence of leadership competency and organizational culture, on service organizations (hotels). In other words, the main reason for conducting this study is to answer the question of whether or not these two aspects of operational practice affect hotel responsiveness and eventually its performance. Specifically, we use structural equation modeling (SEM) to empirically investigate how organizational responsiveness and performance are influenced by organizational leadership competency and culture. The next section presents the literature review related to this study.\n2. Theoretical background: 2.1 Organizational performance\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Survey instrument\n4. Discussion, implications, and conclusion: This study is about an investigation of the effects of the operational practices of the hotels in terms of their leadership competency and organizational culture on their responsiveness that would then lead to their performance improvement. In other words, we argue that hotel performance in terms of its revenue can be improved through operations practices of leadership competency and organizational culture. The findings of this study would add further knowledge in the area of service operations practices, especially in the \"soft\" issues (Fang and Wang, 2006) related to management in the hotel industry. Specifically, we examined the relationships among the soft issues, namely leadership competency and organizational culture practices, responsiveness, and hotel revenue. In turn, using the structural equation modeling, we found that both practices, i.e. leadership competency and organizational culture, have positive relationships with responsiveness. In addition, we also found that responsiveness has a positive relationship with hotel revenue. These findings imply that:* leadership competency and organizational culture practices are important factors for hotels in order to be responsive to their customer needs; and* being responsive to customer needs would improve hotel revenue.More detailed interpretations of our finding are discussed next.Based on the mean score obtained, hotel managers perceived that their organization have good leadership practices (M=4.18). In addition, the SEM analysis showed that leadership competency is positively related to responsiveness. This finding is consistent with the resource-based view and other studies that highlight the significant role of leaders in achieving high performances (Castanias and Helfat, 1991; Coughlan and Harbison, 1998; Fahy, 2000; Heskett et al., 1994; Prabhu et al., 2002). These previous studies also found significant relationships between leadership practices and performance. For example, Coughlan and Harbison (1998) found leadership practices to be the key driver in achieving high performance. Their finding is also supported by another study carried out by Prabhu et al. (2002) who found leadership as the key enabler of business excellence in public sector organizations. Meanwhile, Heskett et al. (1994) argue that leadership in the service profit chain anchors the chain success. In relation to the resource-based view, this study support Castanias and Helfat's (1991) and Fahy's (2000) contentions on the role of leaders in achieving competitive advantage. This finding is also in concordance with previous researchers who have also found significant role of leaders in achieving higher or excellent performances by their organization (Crocitto and Youssef, 2003; Crosby, 2002; Jabnoun and Rasasi, 2005). In the context of this study, good leadership competency such as self-managing, strategic positioning knowledge, critical thinking, communication skill, interpersonal skill, leadership skill, and industry knowledge and experience would improve the level of hotel's responsiveness towards its customer needs. The main difference between this study and the prior studies is that leadership is looked in the context of service operations practices. We provide evidence that leadership competency would affect cumulative capability or responsiveness of service firms.Second, organizational culture reflects the extent of shared values such as listening, giving rewards and recognitions, and caring for employees' welfare. The mean score showed that the hotels were practicing organizational culture that is conducive to their employees' work (M=4.23). Further, the finding shows that organizational culture is positively related to the responsiveness of the service firms. This particular finding supports prior studies which found the relationship between organizational culture and operations practices (Crocitto and Youssef, 2003; Fang and Wang, 2006; Paulin et al., 1999; Smith et al., 1996; Theoharakis and Hooley, 2003). Similarly, the main difference between this study and the prior studies is that we have viewed organizational culture in the context of operations practices. Our finding implies that organizational culture practices such as listening to staff, giving reward and recognition for their performance, and taking care of their welfare would lead to positive effect on the ability of a hotel to be responsive toward their customers.Finally, we found that the ability of hotels to be responsive to their customer needs would improve their revenue. In other words, by providing customers with speedy services, variety of services, and having employees with good attitudes would enhance hotel revenue. This result supports the proposition that responsive organizations would achieve competitive advantage in their organizational performance (Stalk and Hout, 1990). Additionally, the finding provides additional support for studies related to responsiveness and organizational performance (Chen et al., 2004; Kritchanchai, 2004; Sureshchandar et al., 2002; Theoharakis and Hooley, 2003). Other main differences between this study and the prior research are in terms of the methodology used to assess responsiveness and the conceptualization of responsiveness as a cumulative capability.Based on our results, a number of practical and managerial implications can be derived. First, in order to improve their hotel's responsiveness to their customer needs, hotels managers need to possess good leadership competency by upgrading their skills and knowledge in terms of self-managing, strategic positioning, implementation, critical thinking, communication, interpersonal relationship, and being well-versed with the industry. Second, in order to improve their hotel's responsiveness to their customer needs, hotels managers also need to instill an organizational culture that is conducive to listening to their staff, giving rewards and recognition for their performance and caring for their welfare. Last but not least, with their ability to increase the hotels' responsiveness via these two operational practices the managers can expect the revenue of their hotel to improve.This study examined two types of operations practices - leadership competency and organizational culture - that could affect organizational performance. Future research should attempt to examine other operations practices or strategies that may affect responsiveness.In conclusion, after being inspired by Fang and Wang's (2006) study, we have investigated the effect of \"soft issues\" such as leadership competency and organizational culture on operations practices and organizational performance in service companies. Additionally, we have also viewed operations practices in terms of cumulative capability (responsiveness) as suggested by Flynn and Flynn (2004). The results support all the hypotheses and confirm the impact of leadership practices and organizational culture on responsiveness and eventually on performance. In other words, these findings imply that performance of service companies not only depend on structural issues but also on soft or infrastructural issues such as leadership competency and organizational culture. However, these findings must be further tested due to some limitations of our study such as its cross-sectional nature, the use of perceptual measures, and the low response rate. Another weakness of this study is our use of a single measure with a purely subjective perception, i.e. increase or decrease in revenue rather than multiple measures to assess hotel performance. It is hoped that future research could overcome these limitations so that a better generalization could me made. Despite these limitations, this study offers new knowledge to researchers and practitioners regarding the effect of leadership behaviors and organizational culture on operations practices and on overall organizational performance of service firms.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the operations strategy of service firms (hotels) in order to determine whether the infrastructural aspects of their operational practices, i.e. leadership competency and organizational culture, would affect their responsiveness (as a cumulative capability) to their employees and customers and eventually their performance (increase in revenue).\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach takes the form of an empirical analysis of data (using structural equation modeling) obtained via a questionnaire survey involving 88 hotels of various ratings in Malaysia.\nFindings: - The findings indicate that leadership competency and organizational culture have positive relationships with responsiveness. In addition, responsiveness has a positive relationship with hotel revenue. These findings imply that leadership competency and organizational culture are important factors for hotels to be responsive to their customers, and in turn responsiveness to customers would improve hotel revenue\nResearch limitations/implications: - Some limitations include those that come with cross-sectional analysis, the use of perceptual measures, and low response rate.\nPractical implications: - Hotel managers need not only to improve their leadership competency but also to instil an organizational culture that is supportive of their employees. These operations practices would make their hotel more responsive to customer needs, which in turn would help to improve their hotel performance.\nOriginality/value: - There are differences between this study and prior studies. Leadership competency was examined in the context of service operations practices where evidence was provided that leadership competency would affect cumulative capability of responsiveness of service firms. Organizational culture was viewed in the context of operations practices, where the finding implies that organizational culture practices, such as attentive listening to staff, giving reward and recognition for their performance, and taking care of their welfare, would lead to a positive effect on the ability of a hotel to be responsive toward their customer needs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting: moderating effect of trust in the system	[ "Satisfaction", "Perceived knowledge", "Confidence", "Information seeking", "Commitment to vote", "E-voting" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Campus e-voting, also known as campus electronic voting, is related to the voting activities performed via electronic means to simplify the chores of casting and counting votes and save voters' time and energy from long queues and complex voting processes and procedures. E-voting refers to \"casting a ballot via a broader range of electronic telecommunications technology including telephones, cable and satellite television, and computers without internet connection\" (Gibson, 2001, p. 564). In contrast to traditional voting, campus e-voting is a viable, alternative method which allows voters to receive the election results on the day of the election itself, within seconds of its closing or at the end of the election period. Another vital trait of campus e-voting is that all previous election results are freely available in the voters' accounts. Besides, the utilisation of the electronic counting method or remote voting over the internet in campus e-voting also saves time for the university election commissions and administrators during the tabulation process. At the same time, the university election commissions and administrators benefit greatly in terms of reduced cost of printing, mailing and tabulating paper ballots workloads, and the reduction of the involvement of manpower required at the voting sites. With this system, democracy in the selection of the best and most suitable candidate is upheld, as the voters practice the right to make their decisions independently and cast secret votes without any influence from a third party. This contributes into the implementation and acceptance of e-government in different countries (Akhtar Shareef et al., 2014; Beynon-Davies, 2007; Choudrie et al., 2005).\n2. Literature review: This section reviews the literature on issues pertaining to perceived knowledge, commitment to vote, involvement, voters' confidence, stability, information seeking and satisfaction related to e-voting.\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Participants and procedure\n4. Data analysis: Table I displays the frequency distribution of the respondents' demographic profiles. A total of 150 students were involved in the study, with 35 per cent of them male and 65 per cent of them female. Besides, more than three quarter of the respondents (78 per cent) ranged from 19 to 22 years old, while 15 per cent of the respondents were less than 19 years old, and the remainder of the respondents ranged between 23 and 26 years old. In regards to the level of education, 59 per cent of the respondents were well-educated and held degrees, followed by 36 per cent who held STPM/Matriculation certificates, and the remaining 5 per cent with diplomas.\n5. Discussion: This study examined the determinants that influence students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting. The moderating effect on students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting among students with different levels of trust in the system were also investigated. The PLS-SEM approach revealed that four hypotheses were supported and two hypotheses were not retained out of the six hypotheses that were assessed. Empirically, perceived knowledge was found to be the second strongest determinant in students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting. Thus, H1 is reinforced. Voters with higher perceived knowledge tend to have positive satisfaction in campus e-voting. This is because they are more knowledgeable about the party they voted for in campus and are aware of the aspirations of the nominated candidate in upholding students' rights, needs and demands from the university management. They are able to rationalise their voting decision to others with confidence, as they are clear about the mandate heightened by the nominated candidate. In general, they keep themselves posted about the voting activities in campus. Importantly, the current findings supported the findings from prior studies (O'Cass, 2002; O'Cass and Pecotich, 2005; Singh and Roy, 2014; Sniderman et al., 1991). In addition, the moderation analysis revealed that the group of voters with high level of trust treated this factor as more important compared to the voters with medium level of trust.\n6. Conclusion: In a nutshell, this study concluded that perceived knowledge was the most significant factor that affected students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting. With the advancement of technology, the university election commission and management should efficiently use mobile social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp to enhance students' perceived knowledge on voting, nomination and selection of the right candidate. Besides, the usage of these channels for more intense campaigns would stimulate higher involvement from students to exercise their rights and responsibility to vote during the campus e-voting period. With sufficient knowledge on the issues of concern of the nominated candidate towards the progression of the university communities, voters would become experts on the e-voting processes and procedures and develop full commitment to vote and be highly involved in campus e-voting.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants that influence students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting, and to investigate the moderating effect on students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting between students with different levels of trust in the system.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This study employed a quantitative method and applied the use of self-administered questionnaires among university students who have at least experienced once in casting votes electronically in the past year during the campus e-voting period. The data were analysed using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach.\nFindings: The PLS-SEM approach revealed that voters' commitment to vote was the strongest determinant of students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting. Voters' high satisfaction with campus e-voting was based on the commitment and requirement of students of the university to vote. Compulsory voting was not a hassle for them in order to achieve campus development and sustainability. A moderation analysis revealed that the relative influence of commitment to vote on students' satisfaction in campus e-voting was higher in the group with medium level of trust than among the group with high level of trust.\nPractical implications: The election commission of the university and the university management should increase students' turnout and commitment to vote during campus e-voting by outlining effective marketing strategies, campaigns and promotions across a number of digital platforms, including mobile SNS. They need to ensure that voters can sense their involvement is warranted and will continue to vote electronically in the next campus election.\nOriginality/value: The research yielded an exclusive perspective into students' decision-making and satisfaction in campus e-voting. It also uncovered the influence of moderating effect of trust in the system in developing countries which is marginally concealed in the literature. The measurements produced can be used as a research tool for more exploratory and explanatory research related to political marketing among young adult voters.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Innovation capability and product innovation performance: the case of low-tech manufacturing firms	[ "Collaboration", "Learning", "Innovation capability", "Innovation", "Idea management", "Low-tech firms", "Product innovation performance" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Herbal manufacturing firms in Africa are finding that for them to be competitive, they need to be innovative, so that they can meet the growing demand for such medicines and other natural products (Lertnattee et al., 2013). At the global level, policymakers, health professionals and the public are dealing with questions of safety; efficacy; quality; availability; preservation; and further development of herbal medicines and health care (WHO, 2002). Wachtel-Galor and Benzie (2011) stated that about 25 per cent of drugs prescribed worldwide are derived from plants and that herbal products are frequently used in the delivery of health care. Despite this, herbal medicine is a critical area of health care in which innovation has been lacking (Al-Bader et al., 2010). The low level of development of science, technology and health-innovation capacity in Africa (Kaya, 2009), coupled with high demand for innovation in herbal medicine in African countries (Berger et al., 2011), means that herbal manufacturing firms must develop their innovation capability.\n2. Literature review: The notion of capability can be traced back to Penrose (1959) and Nelson and Winter (1982). Penrose suggested that resources consist of a bundle of potential services. While these resources or factor inputs are available to all firms, the \"capability\" to deploy them productively is not uniformly distributed. Similarly, Teece et al. (1997) and Mone et al. (1998) indicated that capability can be a source of competitive advantage. With the increase in globalisation and fierce competition, firms are required to enhance their productivity, sales revenue and competitiveness by increasing their capability to innovate. For firms to create and continuously renew this capability, they are required to use knowledge and expertise from different sources through learning processes (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990; Leonard-Barton, 1992; Bell and Figueiredo, 2012). A constantly changing business environment demands that this capability is built over time (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990; Barney, 1991; Fiegenbaum et al., 1996). Prior research has shown the critical role of innovation capability in product innovation (Wang et al., 2008; Zhou and Wu, 2010) because product development is viewed as a disciplined problem-solving process (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1995). Indeed, over the past decade, several scholars have examined innovation capability in different contexts.\n3. Research method: 3.1 Research design and case selection\n4. Discussion and conclusion: The research question which guided the study was: How do small low-tech manufacturing firms develop their innovation capability, and how does the innovation capability affect their product innovation performance? Both of the firms studied were started by individual entrepreneurs who then became the CEO. After operating for some years, the CEOs realised the need to change their operational strategy, to produce medicinal products to meet adequate and effective standards. Interactive learning appeared to be crucial for soliciting feedback and suggestions from customers, suppliers, competitors and governmental agencies, which then helped the companies to acquire knowledge that enabled the production, chemical composition and packaging of the medicinal products to be improved. Evidently, this interactive learning helped the two companies to acquire the knowledge needed for developing incremental innovation. This is consistent with previous findings regarding the importance of interactive leaning in innovation capability (Calantone et al., 2002; Bessant et al., 2012; Guan and Ma, 2003; Capaldo, 2007).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Despite the growing interest in innovation within low-tech herbal manufacturing from strategic and policy standpoints, little empirical research exists on their innovation capability. The purpose of this study is to explore innovation capability and its effect on product innovation performance of small low-tech herbal manufacturing companies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Innovation capability has been important to large companies in general, and to some small companies in particular, to address the issues of survival and profitability. A case study method is adopted to explore the process of innovation capability of low-tech manufacturing companies.\nFindings: Analysis of the two case studies reveals that collaborating with institutional agents, customers, suppliers and competitors in interactive learning, coupled with idea management and idea implementation, are factors that have influenced innovation capability. Also, cognitive ability and social interaction were identified to be crucial for innovation capability.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study analysed two homogenous companies from the same geographical area. It could be fruitful to extend the scope to include companies in other geographical areas and different industries, where the theoretical arguments advanced in this study can be tested further.\nOriginality/value: Although the volume of research into innovation capability is growing, few attempts have been made to explore innovation capability and its effect on product innovation performance within small low-tech herbal manufacturing companies.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Modelling information flow and sharing matrix for fresh food supply chains	[ "Integration", "Supply chain", "Information", "Food industry" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Information integration has emerged as one of the key dimensions of supply chain integration (SCI) and plays a significant role in the effectiveness and efficiency of overall supply chain (SC) practices of various industries, in particular with agri-food SCs involving a large number of stakeholders that includes logistics partners and regulatory bodies. At the same time, there is a growing need for information integration in agri-food SC practices in direct proportion to the increasing demand for agri-food products and the increasingly global nature of agri-food SC practices. Major reasons for rising world demand for agri-food products include the increasing growth of population and expanding middle classes in emerging economies as well as the global trend towards healthy eating habits. Projected forecasts suggest the average annual increase in world demand for agri-food will be 1.3 per cent during 2007-2050 (Linehan et al., 2012). Many governments are responsive to the need to position food security as a major item in their agendas. For example, the Australian Government has made extensive efforts as spelled out in its \"National Food Plan\", an initiative to develop an overarching framework to identify the role of government in the food SC (Australian Government, 2013), and plans to make Australia a sustainable and productive supplier of nutritious and affordable food for its people and the world (Australian Government, 2012). There is general consensus on the need for an emphasis on the importance of improving food SC management; challenges are compounded by the short shelf life and time sensitive prices of agri-food products, presence of decentralized small to medium producers in the upstream and major retailers in the downstream and potential vulnerability from natural disasters on longer SCs of fresh food supplies including the concerns about the food safety, security and quality (Delforce et al., 2005).\n2. Review method: A systematic literature review is a process of synthesizing research to enhance the knowledge base and inform policymakers and practitioners (Tranfield et al., 2003). A staged approach of planning, conducting the review and then reporting and disseminating the findings was used for this literature review process in order for it to be systematic, transparent and reproducible. Several limiting conditions were identified in the planning stage. Our search was limited to the peer reviewed journal articles published from 2003 to 2014 in order to capture and present the dynamics of research considering the recent developments in information and communication technologies, consumer requirements and regulatory requirements. Databases of ScienceDirect, Emerald and ProQuest were selected to represent the popular outlets for SC research findings. Multiple keywords and their combinations were designed to provide a wider coverage and completeness of the search. After a pilot run, the terms \"enabler\", \"information\", \"information visibility\", \"information sharing\", \"transparency\" and \"information flow\" were selected as keywords to be used in combination with the term of SC to generate search results that aligned appropriately with the scope of search. This search resulted in a total of 131 articles. In the beginning of the review process, duplicate records were eliminated and then a cleaned set of articles was screened through a careful analysis of the abstracts of all journal articles. In the subsequent stage all the selected articles were content checked and only the relevant articles (information integration in fresh food SC) were considered for further review. This reduced set had a total of 37 articles. Since objectivity is as important as systematization and quantification in a systematic content analysis (Kassarjian, 1977), an independent analysis was carried out by four researchers whose backgrounds are in SC-related research. This step enabled a rigorous review of articles for relevance to the scope followed by categorization of search results for further review. Documentation of the search and review process and outcomes was maintained throughout the review process.\n3. Information integration in SCs: While there is plethora of reported research literature on broader SCI there remains no universally accepted definition of information integration in SCs (Sun and Ni, 2012). With regard to the various dimensions/factors studied and reported, information integration is identified/categorized as a key dimension of SCI framework (Alfalla-Luque et al., 2013), a scope of integration (Narasimhan and Das, 2001) and one of the areas of broader SCI (Sun and Ni, 2012). In addition to the clear connection between information integration and scope of integration and SCI more broadly defined, a better understanding of information integration is vital for making clear the relevance and significance of information integration to overall SC performance (measurement, monitoring and improvement). In this regard, our review of the literature will reveal that definitions and descriptions of information integration that have been studied and reported, followed by an overview of related aspects, including a rationale for information sharing and the benefits of information sharing. This approach forms the basis for developing a comprehensive model to represent information needs among participant entities, consequences and barriers associated with information integration.\n4. Specific information needs of FFSC entities: Information needs of FFSC are diverse and include needs across SC entities, tracing and tracking needs of products of FFSC, specific needs associated with product, information and financial flows as well as needs on operationalization of various planning, control and execution methods. Specific needs of information across the partners have been considered, including information needs of planters and brokers (Bao et al., 2012), information needs for supporting transparency to consumers, the government and food companies (Trienekens et al., 2012), information sharing between producers and exporters (Jraisat et al., 2013). Other areas of information needs include tracing and tracking of products (Bosona and Gebresenbet, 2013; Hu et al., 2013) and information needs in operationalization of FFSC, in particular planning the harvest and distribution of perishable agricultural products (Ahumada and Villalobos, 2011), process modelling in demand-driven FFSCs (Verdouw et al., 2010). Information needs of operationalization of various planning, control and execution methods are considered from a range of models, including information needs for operating under SCOR model (Gunasekaran and Kobu, 2007) and information needs for managing quality and optimizing FFSC under dynamic conditions (Rong et al., 2011). Since the SCOR model of the Supply Chain Council (Version 10, 2010) provides a framework that links performance metrics, processes, best practices and people into a unified structure (SCC, 2010), it can be used as a basis for generating an information architecture which can be used to promote information sharing in FFSC.\n5. Modelling information flow in the FFSC: Information sharing can foster inter-firm coordination, mobilize better strategic decision making that will improve export performance Jraisat et al. (2013). In agri-food SCs that are export oriented, information sharing can help the members of the chain to better manage unanticipated weather changes, water shortages, product perishability, price volatility, and isolation of producers from markets and therefore need to be treated by SC members as a matter of strategic priority. Speaking more generally, Percin (2008) believes that information sharing within a SC can lead to opportunities to reduce inventory levels, improve the flow of goods and services, provide better customer service, and reduce overall SC costs all of which can benefit the overall network. Williams and Moore (2007, p. 469) further emphasizing the importance of information sharing argue that, while firm-to-firm relationships in a SC are important, \"power derived from information still serves as a critical success factor, and firms who have it or are suited to obtain it, are well positioned for competitive advantage\".\n6. Discussion and conclusion: The objective of this study is to review the current literature on information sharing in FFSC in order to identify key entities, model the information flow, develop an information matrix to identify the information needs and synthesize hypotheses for theoretical advancement. The classification of existing literature revealed the common piecemeal approach with the focus on limited numbers of echelons of the FFSC. This study takes a holistic approach and presents an integrated view of the FFSC. The authors have not encountered any other study that has attempted explicitly to identify the partners of the FFSC, modelling the information flow among them and their specific information needs.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Despite much research on supply chain (SC) integration and the growing emphasis on recent information technology advancements as an enabler of improved performance, there has been limited research focussed specifically on information integration in supply chains (SCs). The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature on information integration in the fresh food supply chain (FFSC) from a holistic perspective.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Literature review is done by systematically collecting and analysing the recent literature to identify various participant entities of the FFSC information network and their specific information needs.\nFindings: The information needs of FFSC entities are diverse but the needs are common across multiple entities.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study only reviewed the FFSC-related literature; an extended study of the food industry may reveal a more comprehensive view.\nPractical implications: These findings are useful for practitioners in understanding the participant entities in the information network and their information needs and for policymakers in formulating FFSC development initiatives.\nOriginality/value: The authors are not aware of another study that investigates the FFSC in a holistic approach, one that identifies the actors, their interactions and information needs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
An eye opener, but mostly for others: Employees' perceptions on workplace alcohol education programmes	[ "Alcohol prevention", "Workplace", "Education", "Participants", "Opinions", "Health care", "Alcoholism", "Employees attitudes" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Both the European Union (EU) alcohol strategy from 2006 and a range Swedish governmental statements made during the past ten years have suggested that the workplace is a suitable venue for alcohol prevention (Commission of the European Communities, 2006; Prop. 2000/01:20, 2005/06:30, 2010/11:47). In the EU alcohol strategy it is suggested, for example, that: \"For all workplaces, there could be a policy to prevent alcohol-related harm, including information and/or education campaigns, and to provide help and specialized care for employees with alcohol-related problems\" (Commission of the European Communities, 2006, p. 15). Programmes focused on education or the dissemination of information often take the form of universal prevention measures, i.e. interventions that target whole populations, in this case, the entire workforce in a workplace. The aim is to increase employees' knowledge about alcohol and its associated risks in order to reduce harmful drinking patterns and to prevent future alcohol problems.Even though previous research has most often shown that alcohol education programmes produce no significant effects on behaviour (Babor et al., 2010; Room et al., 2005; Hallgren et al., 2009; Larimer and Cronce, 2002) there apparently remains a sense that these are strategies that cannot be abandoned, particularly not in schools (Lilja et al., 2004), so educational interventions continue being used despite the meagre support for their effectiveness. Universal alcohol preventive interventions at workplaces are uncommon, however, with the main reason for this being a lack of interest from employers, which is often due to a perception that there are no alcohol problems that need addressing (Eriksson et al., 2004).Regardless of the usefulness of educational interventions as a means of reducing harmful drinking patterns in adult working populations, there is a question of interest which is how the recipients of these educational programmes perceive the fact that they are required by their employers to participate irrespective of their alcohol habits. The ideas and opinions of the recipients of alcohol education programmes are rarely heard. Previous research suggests that the likelihood of an intervention accomplishing its intended purpose increases if the participants view the intervention as being legitimate, meaningful and appropriate (Lilja et al., 2004). This paper studies the views of employees at three different worksites where alcohol education programmes were implemented.This study's primary focus is on the following questions:* What are the views and opinions of participants in an alcohol education programme about the initiative as a whole, its content and its potential effects?* From what underlying assumptions do these views and opinions derive?\nThe interventions: The three education programmes were fairly similar in content and purpose, but differed in length. The basic idea of all three was to communicate and discuss research-based facts on alcohol, using a seminar format comprising around 25-30 employees per group. The topics revolved around issues of current consumption patterns in the population, safe drinking levels, risk consumption, consequences, dependence, attitudes and values on alcohol and dependence and why these issues might also be important in workplace settings.The first education programme took place at a relatively small retail company in southern Sweden, Workplace A, which had about 45 employees. The programme lasted three hours and was performed by an organization called IOGT-NTO. This is a large Swedish temperance organization that counts prevention as one of its mission, with a primary alcohol policy to reduce alcohol-related harm and maintain a restrictive alcohol policy in Sweden. Thus teetotalism is not the organization's ultimate goal in relation to education programmes of this kind; instead the focus is directed at risk reduction and at generally improving awareness of alcohol-related consequences.The second education programme took place at an insurance company in Stockholm, Workplace B, with 187 employees. This programme was also performed by IOGT-NTO and lasted an hour and a half, divided in two 45-minute seminars - basically a shorter version of the first education. Workplaces A and B both had a number of current or historical links to or collaborations with IOGT-NTO at the organizational level but the employees themselves had no personal connections with the organization and were not abstainers.The third education programme was conducted in a small Swedish municipality, Workplace C, where all 872 municipal employees attended the seminars. The municipality has many work areas, with the largest beings schools, pre-school day-care, geriatric care and public utilities (Housing Corporation and Energy Company). This was a longer programme that lasted for a full day and it was implemented by an organization called the Human Resource Centre (HRC). HRC has been working with human resource questions for many years and alcohol and drug issues have been one of their main work areas. They work with educational programmes, consultations and coaching directed at both employees and employers.\nMethods: Ethical issues\nResults: In order to ensure anonymity, the results are not presented separately for the three workplaces. In instances where the opinions on the programmes differed in relevant respects (two different agencies were responsible for implementing the programmes at the three workplaces), this is noted.Demographics\nDiscussion: The quantitative data identified in this study shows that, overall, the education was fairly well-appreciated by the majority. The qualitative data provided more information on how, why and for whom the education was performed. The majority of those who responded to the questionnaire believed that alcohol was an important topic to discuss at the workplace and that the education was useful. Around half of the respondents claimed to have gained increased insight into their own consumption but the vast majority did not think that they would change their consumption.The themes identified can be seen as being concerned with notions of paternalism and beneficence. Aspects of paternalism can be seen in people's reluctance to be lectured or moralized at, or told what to do and how to act by an expert: they feel that it is up to themselves to choose and determine autonomously what does and does not constitute good behaviour, and that limitations on this can only be imposed by others if drinking has become a problem to the self or others. In contrast, being provided with information is considered important and legitimate. The line between information and advice is of course a fine one, and can depend on perceptions of who is conveying the message and how this is done, and indeed all health education programmes have been described as being potentially paternalistic (Kass, 2001).There was some scepticism about the content of the messages, with some participants believing that the risk levels on the number of standard drinks that could safely be consumed were set unrealistically low, and were in any case too categorical, overly simplistic, patronizing and not trustworthy.All three education programmes applied the general guidelines for safe drinking provided by the public health institute in Sweden, which currently involve a maximum of 14 standard drinks for men over the course of a week and nine for women. One standard drink equals 12 grams of pure alcohol (Andreasson et al., 2005). Previous research has also shown that knowledge of these guidelines among the general public is very low (Bendtsen et al., 2011) and it may be the case from this and other research that such state-ruled guidelines are regarded as constituting unwanted advice that interferes with personal choice. The guidelines are a topic of dispute among both medical professionals and researchers, and in terms of both what guidelines should be used and whether they have any effect (Room and Rehm, 2012; Casswell, 2012). Guidelines also differ between countries and over time (Harding and Stockley, 2007; Stockwell, 1998). There is also ongoing, although as yet inconclusive, debate about the possible health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, particularly in relation to cardioprotection (Roerecke and Rehm, 2012).Several of the study participants spoke or wrote about the feeling that recovering alcoholics would make appropriate teachers. The wish to be taught by former addicts has also been found among schoolchildren in the context of drug education programmes (McIntosh et al., 2004; Orme and Starkey, 1999). Issues of credibility appear to be the main reason underlying this desire: a person with experience might be easier to trust, will not or cannot moralize or lecture, will be perceived as real with some real-life histories, or possibly even horror stories, that touch emotionally. Listening to recovering addicts might also be appealing in making some listeners feel more normal and enabled to distance themselves from the problems described.The second overarching theme was beneficence. Beneficence is here defined as actions that are engaged in for the benefit of others. Beneficence is often argued to constitute a medical ethical principle that should guide medical healthcare provision (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). This study shows that this principle can also be linked to how the recipients of different education programmes value them, seeing them as legitimate and justified in so far as they are intended to benefit or promote the good of others. Earlier research has identified this common tendency to talk about \"others\" when discussing alcohol problems and alcohol policy (Olsson, 1991).An overall impression from this study is that prevention is a difficult and unwelcome topic to discuss and that it is easier to focus on alcoholics and high-risk consumers further along the \"consumption scale\" than on those within the normal range, including oneself. It was seen as important as putting alcohol in perspective as one of many potential health risks. A positive focus on health promotion rather than on risk reduction probably increases the likelihood that participants will relate it to themselves and other \"normal\" people, rather than only to the more extreme \"others\".Paternalism and beneficence are two frequently discussed phenomena that can be in conflict with one another in some cases (Breeze, 1998) for example in the context of the provision of medical care providers. They were certainly in conflict in the minds of participants in the current study. A certain amount of paternalism appeared to be acceptable if it is perceived as being beneficial to those in need, in the course of which it becomes reasonable even for \"me\" to attend education programmes since this method of delivery makes it possible to reach \"others\", so \"I am making a justifiable sacrifice in order to benefit those in need\".On the basis of the results of this study and many other studies, alcohol education (or indeed any health education programme) may be described as having four potential typical approaches:(1) neutral and objective information delivered in a non-judgemental way;(2) advice and recommendations delivered in a non-judgemental way;(3) \"lecturing\" on appropriate behaviour from a claimed objective standpoint; and(4) moralizing, judgement and admonition.The interviewees and respondents touched upon all these elements, and the four alternatives appeared to be located at a continuum or scale where the first option is most and the fourth the least appreciated.In practice it is unlikely that those who provide alcohol education programmes are consciously applying one of these approaches. Instead the programmes are likely to comprise a mixture of the elements described, depending on the objectives, ideas and individual characteristics that influence how the education is performed, what it contains and how it is perceived.Participants' views reflected the commonly discovered and largely indisputable fact that interventions involving the dissemination of information rarely lead to any behavioural change (Babor et al., 2010; Room et al., 2005). We need to therefore to reflect on whether there is nevertheless a significance and value in informing and educating people about alcohol and its risks, and in this case in a workplace setting.In an increasingly medicalized society, where people are putting their trust in experts and doctors, education programmes, although most often delivered by experts, will possibly improve participants' knowledge, which may well lead to a greater level of discussion and personal reflection and also the ability to challenge and question claimed truths about the world. In a medicalized society, problems become increasingly individualized, which may also serve to strengthen an \"us and them\" mentality, whereby it is \"others\" who have problems and who need to be treated. Education programmes that are provided to everyone, as opposed to more targeted interventions, are based on the belief that prevention should have a universal focus; this is in line with the tenets of the preventive paradox (Skog, 1999) which state that the majority of alcohol-related problems are attributable to moderate consumers.\nConclusions: the wider relevance of this study: Despite some reservations of the participants in this study about the relevance to themselves of an educational intervention on alcohol in the workplace, its legitimacy or its likelihood of influencing their behaviour, such approaches nevertheless have value. In a broad social context, where the possibilities for a strong state-governed alcohol policy have diminished and alcohol policy measures have increasingly come to focus on the individual and their responsibilities and lifestyle, or on risk groups, the dissemination of information and the provision of education may come to be counted among the core elements of alcohol prevention efforts.For such approaches to be maximally effective it is important to give consideration to the participants' opinions. Although the objective of this study was to analyse the opinions and underlying notions of participants about alcohol education programmes, the discussions for the most part became focused on opinions about alcohol education programmes at a more general level. The themes identified in this study are thus likely to be present among the participants in many other alcohol education programmes that aim to inform, teach and raise awareness about alcohol-related consequences. It might also be the case that the opinions and the themes they represent are also present in relation to other health education programmes dealing with, for example, nutrition or exercise. The results from this study provide some idea of the value placed on education programmes of this kind from the perspective of the participants, and the results may also be useful for those planning and performing education programmes focused on alcohol.Limitations and strengths\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of this study is to examine the rarely heard opinions of participants in alcohol educations - in this case, employees at three workplaces. What opinions were found in relation to the initiative, its content and effects, and what are the underlying notions from which these opinions derive?\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The study material consisted of ten group interviews and questionnaire responses (n:298) with both fixed and open response alternatives. The data were analysed using thematic analysis and frequency tables.\nFindings: - The alcohol educations appear to be perceived as legitimate and relatively unproblematic. Most opinions focused on the basic approaches used in alcohol education programmes at a more general level; there should be no lecturing and no moralizing and the content and lecturer should be trustworthy. One important finding is that education programmes like these are perceived as being useful, but mostly for others. These opinions appeared to be associated with two overarching themes in particular: paternalism and beneficence.\nOriginality/value: - The results of the study provide some idea of the value placed on education programmes of this kind from the perspective of the participants. Alcohol education programmes are perceived as being important and justified since they produce benefits for others, for those at risk. If the education programme is presented as being health promotive rather than risk reducing it is more likely to be perceived as relating to everyone, not only \"the others\". The results may be of relevance for those planning and performing many types of health education programmes.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Category-based or piecemeal-based processing? A dual model of web-mobile service extension behavior	[ "Mobile service", "Categorization theory", "Category-based processing", "Perceived entitativity", "Piecemeal-based processing", "Web-mobile service extension behaviour" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: After gaining success in the web service marketplace, providers usually extend their incumbent web services to mobile environments to capture this new marketplace (Lu et al., 2011). This generates a large number of mobile applications, including mobile payment (MP), mobile shopping and mobile gaming services (Sun et al., 2014). The phenomenon is commonly known as web-mobile service extension, which allows providers to leverage the advantage of ubiquitous computing in mobile environments and to offer real-time services (Wang et al., 2013). For providers, this extension strategy offers them lower service delivery costs and a new channel to engage consumers; and for consumers, benefits include greater service access and ease of interaction with mobile applications (Yang et al., 2014). Despite these promised benefits, significant challenges remain in the provision of these newly extended mobile services to consumers. The eMarketer reported that Apple's App Store has 2m mobile applications, but over 80 percent of mobile applications have been downloaded 1,000 times or below (eMarketer, 2016). Likewise, mobile applications with 1m downloads only account for 1 percent of all applications, and once downloaded, four in five are uninstalled after its first use (Hoehle and Venkatesh, 2015). Collectively, these observations denote a need to examine the factors that can increase the adoption of extended mobile services and the success of web-mobile service extension.\n2. Theoretical background: The categorization theory suggests that consumers' behavioral intention toward a newly extended product can be shaped by a dual-processing route: category- and piecemeal-based processing (for a review, see Table AII). If the extended product is perceived as belonging to a previously defined category, the knowledge of the category would be transferred to the extension (Gierl and Huettl, 2011). In this situation, consumers' judgment of the extended product is primarily based on their overall perceptions of the previously defined category called category-based processing (Sattler et al., 2010). On the other hand, if the extended product is viewed as not matching any previously defined categories, then the piecemeal-based processing will be evoked (Sood and Keller, 2012). Consumers' evaluation of the product is likely to be formed based on a weighted combination of the new product's attributes. Figure 1 illustrates the core elements of the categorization theory.\n3. Research model and hypotheses: Figure 2 presents the research model and hypotheses. The model is congruent with the categorization theory in which we operationalize category cue as perceived entitativity, attitudinal beliefs as performance expectancy (PE), control beliefs as perceived controllability, normative beliefs as subjective norm and behavioral intention as usage intention. We propose that PE, perceived controllability and subjective norm determine consumers' usage intention. Then, we propose that perceived entitativity has three types of effects in the model: direct, indirect and moderating. The direct effect hypothesizes that perceived entitativity exerts a direct and positive influence on usage intention. The indirect effect proposes that perceived entitativity affects usage intention by increasing PE and perceived controllability. The moderating effect indicates that perceived entitativity moderates the effect of subjective norm on usage intention.\n4. Methodology: We conducted a web-based survey to empirically validate the model. Our target sample was current consumers of Alipay, the largest web and MP provider in China. Recently, more and more online payment providers begin to extend their incumbent web payment services to mobile contexts, such as PayPal, Alipay, Amazon Pay and Android Pay (Wu et al., 2017). As of a natural extension of web payment, MP allows consumers to conduct ubiquitous payment with the help of mobile terminals (Lu et al., 2011). MP services support both remote payment in which transactions can be performed remotely independent of consumers' locations and proximity payment in which transactions are conducted by using mobile terminals on the spot through near field communication technologies (Zhou, 2013).\n5. Data analysis and results: We employed a component-based structural equation modeling approach, namely, PLS, to analyze our data. PLS is well adopted to deal with prediction-oriented models with formative indicators and their interactions (Chin et al., 2003). The specific software package was Smart PLS 3.0 (Ringle et al., 2015). Following Hair, Hult, Ringle and Sarstedt (2016) and Hair, Sarstedt, Matthews and Ringle (2016) two-step analytical procedures, we assessed the measurement and structural models, respectively.\n6. Discussion and conclusion: Drawing on the categorization theory, this study examines the impact of perceived entitativity on consumers' web-mobile service extension behavior. Our results demonstrate two major findings. First, PE, perceived controllability and subjective norm are important predictors of usage intention. These findings are consistent with piecemeal-based processing in which attitudinal, control and normative beliefs determine consumers' behavioral intention to use a newly extended mobile service. Second, perceived entitativity has three types of effects on consumers' intention to use mobile services: first, perceived entitativity has a direct and positive effect on usage intention; second, perceived entitativity positively influences PE and perceived controllability and thus indirectly affects usage intention; third, perceived entitativity moderates the relationship between subjective norm and usage intention. These findings are congruent with category-based processing in which category cues induce consumers' perception transfer from a reputable web service to a newly extended mobile service. Taking together, this study shows that both piecemeal- and category-based processing should be taken into consideration to understand consumers' web-mobile service extension behavior.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The advancements of mobile technologies and devices have greatly facilitated the extension of online services from web to mobile environments. Drawing on the categorization theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of perceived entitativity on users' web-mobile service extension behavior. The research model considers how perceived entitativity serves as a category cue to link the category- and piecemeal-based processing and shape users' adoption of extended mobile services.\nDesign/methodology/approach: An online survey (n=552) was conducted to empirically test the model. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling approach.\nFindings: The results offer two major findings. First, performance expectancy, perceived controllability and subjective norm are important antecedents of users' usage intention. Second, perceived entitativity has three types of effects on usage intention: it exerts a direct and positive influence on usage intention; it indirectly facilitates usage intention through increasing PE and perceived controllability; and it moderates the relationship between subjective norm and usage intention.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the literature by taking into account the interplay of category- and piecemeal-based processing to understand consumers' web-mobile service extension behavior.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Mitigating risk: mediating transition through the enactment of information literacy practices	[ "Information literacy", "Transition", "International students", "Practice theory", "Everyday life", "Information practices" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Transition constitutes an important challenge within a number of everyday and organisational scenarios. Political interest in educational mobility, the continued need to migrate or to seek sanctuary and the increasingly fluid nature of the workplace means that there is a growing call to address how people mediate the complexity of change. Transition is further complicated within intercultural settings, which refer to contexts where individuals from different cultures interact (Baldwin and Hunt, 2002), where it becomes linked to social and digital inclusion as well as to resettlement issues. The need to rebuild understanding whilst working across languages and cultural practices means that transition forms a time of uncertainty as newcomers are forced to deal with the pressures of unfamiliar demands and values. At the same time, transition also forms a time of generative opportunity as people learn how to connect with the sources of knowledge that will support this intensive period of change. The emphasis on the ways in which people rebuild meaning within a new setting illustrates the important role that information, which is defined in this paper as \"any difference which makes a difference\" (Bateson, 1972, p. 459), plays within the mediation of change. The recognition that learning forms the central pivot point of transition further positions information literacy, which refers to a \"way of knowing the many environments that constitute an individual's being in the world\" (Lloyd, 2007, p. 182), as the means through which individuals develop the intersubjective understanding that will enable them to navigate the shifts in social role and identity that are necessary within a new setting. The unavoidable and everyday nature of change also illustrates both the need and the impetus for this study's examination of transition from a Library and Information Science (LIS) perspective.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Information literacy within intercultural contexts\n3. Theoretical framework: Situated within an interpretivist framework, this research employs symbolic interactionism (Blumer, 1969) to provide the study's ontological framing, and constructionism (Gergen and Gergen, 2008) to provide its epistemological structure. The employment of a symbolic interactionist framing, which centres on the premise that individuals act toward things through the (changing) meaning it holds for them (Fine, 1993, p. 64), acknowledges the important role that student agency plays in the determination of information activity. The study's use of constructionism, which highlights how human perception, knowledge and social reality are built and sustained through social processes (Burr, 1995, p. 4), recognises the plurality of meanings that characterise information and language expertise.\n4. Methodology and methods: The study adopted a constructivist grounded theory methodological approach (Charmaz, 2014). The use of constructivist grounded theory, which draws attention to meaning as well as to multiple realities, moved the focus of this study beyond descriptions of skills and procedures to generate understanding that was situated in participant statements and activities. The emphasis on the co-construction of meaning further ensured that the study surfaced what was important to participants rather than just to the researcher. The use of constructivist grounded theory also foreshadowed the production of theoretical interpretation. Constituting interpretive theorising, which emphasises the construction of abstract understanding rather than decontextualised generalisations, as in positivist definitions of theory (Charmaz, 2014, p. 229), constructivist grounded theory is emergent as well as centred on a reflexive consideration of meanings and actions. Theory that is generated from this study is consequently centred on participant realities as well as the conceptualisation of connections between the local setting and broader social structures.\n5. Findings: Data produced from this study are used to explore language-students' information literacy practices. This analysis, which examines how language-students construct their new information landscapes as they transition into their host communities, identifies seven information activities that configure two categories, Calibrating and Repositioning, as represented by Figure 1. These categories subsequently establish the study's overarching theme, Mitigating Risk, which constitutes the grounded theory. Participant quotes will be used to contextualise these findings. Participants are referred to either by their own name or a pseudonym in accordance with their wishes.\n6. Mitigating risk: a grounded theory: Calibrating and repositioning were subsequently drawn together to produce the overarching category of mitigating risk. Findings were then conceptualised through the lens of the study's theoretical framework as well as other relevant theoretical constructs to produce the grounded theory of mitigating risk, as represented by Figure 2. The emphasis on interpretative sensitivity and the production of situated knowledge, which Charmaz (2014) positions at the heart of constructivist grounded theory, further illustrates how mitigating risk moves beyond a descriptive or explanatory rendering of the data to articulate emerging theoretical claims. More specifically, the grounded theory of mitigating risk states that the risks that are produced through participation in a new information environment catalyse the enactment of the information literacy practices that mediate student transition from acting like to becoming a language-learner overseas. Painting a rich picture of how newcomers build understanding within new information environments, the grounded theory of mitigating risk has a number of implications for our understanding of both transition and information literacy.\n7. Discussion: The grounded theory of mitigating risk demonstrates that the pressures that are produced during residence abroad catalyse the enactment of the information literacy practices that subsequently mediate student transition within a new setting. The recognition that this period of change forms a time of upheaval as well as opportunity means that mitigating risk has various implications for understandings about both information literacy and transition.\n8. Conclusion: This paper has presented the grounded theory of mitigating risk, which emerged through an extended exploration of the information literacy practices of English-speaking students who were learning a language overseas. The theory of mitigating risk illustrates how engagement overseas produces academic, financial and physical pressures that are mediated through students' increasingly knowledgeable engagement with the information sources that are valued within their new setting. The enactment of information literacy practices subsequently facilitates transition as students rebuild their language-learning identity through and in relation to their new setting. The recognition that student time overseas is structured through the challenges and opportunities that risk presents illustrates how the theory of mitigating risk develops understanding about the complexity of building meaning within culturally different contexts. The important role that information plays in facilitating the development of subjectivity further demonstrates how the theory of mitigating risk adds another dimension to literature that positions transition in terms of becoming (Gale and Parker, 2014).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present the emergent grounded theory of mitigating risk, which was produced through an analysis of the information literacy practices of English-speakers who are learning a language overseas as part of their undergraduate degree.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The grounded theory emerges from a qualitative study that was framed by practice theory and transitions theory, and employed constructivist grounded theory, semi-structured interviews and photo-elicitation methods to explore the information activities of 26 language-learners from Australia, Canada, the UK and the USA.\nFindings: The grounded theory of mitigating risk illustrates how academic, financial and physical risks that are produced through language-learner engagement overseas catalyse the enactment of information literacy practices that enable students to mediate their transition overseas.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study's theory-building is localised and contextual rather than generalisable.\nPractical implications: The grounded theory broadens librarians' and language-educators' knowledge of student activities during immersive educational experiences as well as extending understanding about the shape that information literacy takes within transition to a new intercultural context.\nSocial implications: The grounded theory develops understanding about the role that local communities play within intercultural transition and how these groups can respond to and prepare for increasingly fluid patterns of global movement.\nOriginality/value: This paper contributes to an increasingly sophisticated theoretical conceptualisation of information literacy while further providing a detailed exploration of transition from an information perspective.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Research note: The theory and practice of SAP's ERP forecasting functionality	[ "Information systems", "Manufacturing resource planning", "Sales forecasting", "Production planning", "Computer software" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have seen widespread adoption in business largely due to the appeal of integrating disparate functions (O'Leary, 2002). SAP(r) (Systeme, Anwendungen, Produkte in der Datenverarbeitungr, English translation - Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing) was founded in 1972 by five former IBM(r) employees. Headquartered in Walldorf, Germany, the company currently has 41,900 employees and 41,200 customers. In 2006, SAP(r)'s worldwide enterprise system license market share was 56 percent (based on the combined share of SAP(r), ORACLE(r), Peoplesoft(r)/JD Edwards(r), Siebel(r), and Microsoft(r) i2(r)). Revenue in 2006 was EUR 9.4 billion (SAP, 2006).SAP has a dominant customer base within Global 500 companies (SAP, 2006) and to facilitate further growth has an active go-to-market strategy of obtaining small-medium enterprise (SME) market share (SAP, 2006).The accuracy of sales forecasting is a major determinant of inventory costs, service levels, scheduling and staffing efficiency, and many other measures of operational performance (Lee et al., 1993). Product sales forecasting is also a critical starting point for mobilizing a company's resources, be they labor, capital, or equipment (Sengupta and Turnball, 1996). Once a realistic demand distribution for a product is established then customer service levels and inventory levels can be determined. However, failure to establish future customer demand without a reasonable degree of certainty often leads to poor levels of customer service and/or high levels of the wrong inventory. In the context of enterprise resource planning (ERP) sales forecasting it has been reported that ERP adopters admit to not fully utilizing their forecasting systems (Vega, 2001).Table I shows the results of an assessment of forecasting software programs (Tashman and Hoover, 2001) that rates spreadsheet add-ins, forecasting modules of statistical programs, neural networks, and dedicated business forecasting programs against the relevant forecasting principles (guidelines, prescriptions, rules, conditions, action statements, or advice about what to do in given situations, based on empirical evidence). Unfortunately, a fifth software category, forecasting engines for demand planning was to be evaluated by Tashman and Hoover, but due to an unwillingness of unnamed vendors to submit their products for review, was omitted. Tashman and Hoover selected 30 principles that were considered relevant to forecasting software and also included 15 software features. The forecasting principles and software features were divided into data preparation, method selection, method implementation, method evaluation, assessment of uncertainty, forecast presentation, and forecasting a product hierarchy.The assessment concluded that dedicated business forecasting software had the highest adoption of forecasting principles with an overall 60 percent best-practices score. Spreadsheet add-ins were found to have the poorest adoption of principles with a 16 percent best practices rating. The demand forecasting functionality of SAP's ERP offering is reviewed next.\n2. Application review: SAP's demand forecasting functionality: SAP's ERP (release ECC 6.0) offering contains a logistics module (LO) with sales and operations planning functionality (LO-SOP). Sales and operations planning (SOP) is described by SAP (2007) as \"a flexible forecasting and planning tool with which sales, production, and other supply chain targets can be set on the basis of historical, existing, and estimated future data\". The relationship between the SOP tool and other SAP planning functions is shown in Figure 1.As can be seen in Figure 1, SOP is concerned with the long and medium term planning of independent demand (finished goods, not components) and aggregate capacity. Demand management addresses medium term requirements at stock keeping unit (SKU) level. MPS/MRP addresses short term planning, including dependent demand items. Both production control and production order control are concerned with the execution and control of plans. Once planning in the SOP tool has been performed then planned independent requirements are transferred (either manually or automatically) to the demand management module for subsequent input to materials requirement planning (MRP). The planning process adopted by SAP is very similar to that espoused by Vollmann et al. (1992), showing a hierarchical structure with increasing levels of planning detail and correspondingly shorter timeframes.2.1 SAP sales and operations planning module\n3. Summary: Table III provides a review and summary of the SAP ERP functionality using the Tashman and Hoover (2001) criteria. The overall rating for SAP's ERP is 0.20 (i.e. the software achieved 20 percent of the possible maximum against best practice forecasting principles) this compares with an average of 0.60 for dedicated business-forecasting programs. Although 0.60 was the average for dedicated business-forecasting programs, the SAS econometrics and time series (ETS) offering (classified as a forecasting module of a statistical package) scored highest with 0.77 in the Tashman and Hoover review.In summary, SAP's ERP system fails in many areas of decision support including the provision of correlograms, multiple forecast comparisons, a structured event management process, and visible historical error measures which could account for the high level of ERP users (approximately 45 percent, in 2001) who perform demand forecasting in stand alone applications (Vega, 2001).The system uses accepted and proven forecasting methods (exponential smoothing) and applies a variation of Pegels' (1969) classification to the selection of forecast methods. This conclusion regarding the suitability of the available forecast methods is of great importance as, irrespective of the somewhat limited user interface, a poor choice of available forecasting methods would render the SOP module ineffective in a business environment. As stated earlier, demand forecasting is a critical input to allocating and mobilizing resources to meet customer demand at least cost. Mistakes in demand forecasting can prove serious, both in terms of customer service (revenue) and inventory levels (cost).To conclude, SAP's primary ERP offering have a number of serious limitations in relation to published business forecasting practice, although the forecasting models employed by SAP are well regarded in the literature.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this article is to provide a critique of SAP's enterprise resource planning (ERP) (release ECC 6.0) forecasting functionality and offer guidance to SAP practitioners on overcoming some identified limitations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The SAP ERP forecasting functionality is reviewed against prior seminal empirical business forecasting research.\nFindings: - The SAP ERP system contains robust forecasting methods (exponential smoothing), but could be substantially improved by incorporating simultaneous forecast comparisons, prediction intervals, seasonal plots and/or autocorrelation charts, linear regressions lines for trend analysis, and event management based on structured judgmental forecasting or intervention analysis.\nPractical implications: - The findings provide guidance to SAP forecasting practitioners for improving forecast accuracy via important forecasting steps outside of the system.\nOriginality/value: - The paper contributes to the need for studies of widely adopted ERP systems to critique vendor claims and validate functionality through prior empirical research, while offering insights and guidance to SAP's 12 million+ worldwide enterprise system practitioners.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Well-being among hotel managers: A study on the influence of job stressors and cognitive reappraisal	[ "Stress", "Leadership", "Hotel manager", "Middle management", "Job stressors", "Management development", "Well-being", "Health", "Emotion regulation", "Reappraisal" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Job stressors are common in today's workplace, and the hospitality industry is no exception (O' Neill and Davis, 2011). Research has revealed that in recent decades, stress on hotel managers has increased more than stress on managers in other industries (Woods et al., 1998; Johanson et al., 2011). Increased stress may be linked to the emergence of new operational structures and the transition of contemporary hotels from independent establishments to hotel chains (Bowen and Ford, 2004; Johanson et al., 2011; Burgess, 2012). For hotel managers, such changes have been coupled with new job stressors such as the centralization of decision-making processes (e.g. reduced autonomy) and the requirement to report to headquarters about strategic operational issues and cost control (Haver et al., 2014; Hodari and Sturman, 2014). As middle managers (i.e. below top managers and above first level supervision in the hierarchy) hotel managers are considered to be important mediators across organizational boundaries, but their role has not been sufficiently researched (Wooldridge et al., 2008; Humphrey, 2012). Considering the middle manager's pivotal role in executing leadership duties, this is of major concern (Burgess, 2013), particularly when there is increased expectation to serve the needs of increasingly individualistic customers (Crick and Spencer, 2011; Kim et al., 2012). Such multiple demands can lead to role ambiguity between customers, employees, managers and upper level leaders (Bowen and Ford, 2004; Kim et al., 2009). Being able to maneuver efficiently between numerous roles and deal with complex relationships therefore appears to be important and requires wise emotion regulation (Crick and Spencer, 2011; Chu et al., 2012).\n2. Literature review, conceptual framework and hypotheses: 2.1 Linking job stressors to well-being\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Sample and procedures\n4. Analysis plan: Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and general guidelines (Hair et al., 2014) were used to establish cutoff criteria related to validity and reliability of constructs. Reliability of constructs is investigated with the use of Composite Reliability (CR > 0.7) and Cronbach's alpha (>0.7). Convergent validity is explored with average variance explained (AVE > 0.5), while discriminant validity is tested with Maximum Shared Variance (MSV < AVE) and a criterion that the square root of AVE should be greater than inter-construct correlations.\n5. Conclusion and implications: 5.1 Conclusion\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This study aims to test a theoretical research model specifying how two emerging job stressors, i.e. centralized authority and reporting requirements, influence hotel managers' well-being. A mediated model through reappraisal is hypothesized.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The model was tested on 600 Norwegian and Swedish hotel managers using a questionnaire survey (72 per cent response rate). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analyses, correlation and structural equation modeling, which included bootstrapping.\nFindings: Job stressors were negatively related to well-being, whereas reappraisal had a positive influence on well-being. A positive relationship was found between reporting requirements and reappraisal, while the opposite appeared for centralized authority. A negative mediating role of reappraisal existed in the relationship between centralized authority and well-being, while there was a positive one in the relationship between reporting requirements and well-being.\nPractical implications: The findings will have important implications for management practices, as they illuminate how job stressors reduce well-being on the one hand and how reappraisal positively influences well-being on the other. This knowledge indicates that reappraisal is important for well-being when faced with stressful environments. The findings illustrate the importance of controlling stress in the managerial environment, and for hotel managers to maintain the ability to reappraise.\nOriginality/value: The study advances the knowledge of the managerial role, as well as the importance of reappraisal and well-being. This is the first empirical study among hotel managers testing a research model that illustrates how job stressors and reappraisal influence well-being.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Do they speak SNAG? Comparing male students' perceptions of workplace communication dilemmas with those of female students and female managers	[ "Australia", "Students", "Workplace", "Gender", "Communication", "Managers" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nGender and communication at work: Both academic research in linguistics (Brenner et al., 1989; Cameron, 2005; Eagly et al., 1992; Mulac and Bradac, 1995; Tannen, 1994; Thimm et al., 2005) and popular management advice sources (Bolinger, 1980; Harragan, 1976; Hennig and Jardim, 1977; O'Brien, 1993; Rosener, 1993; Tannen, 1986, 1990) have been preoccupied with women's and men's communication styles at work, particularly how women's communication styles adversely affect perceptions of them as leaders, innovators and problem solvers. Popular commentators have frequently appeared to accept a view that women's communication styles are \"naturally\" and hence appropriately different from those of men: inherently more indirect, quiet and narratively focused. Cameron (2005) points out the centuries-long history of this ideology, and how it has prompted efforts to influence how women speak, a practice she refers to as \"verbal hygiene\" (Cameron, 1995, 2005).Yet, as Tannen (1994, p. 10) and Cameron (2005, p. 450) point out, there is nothing essentially subordinate about women's typical communication styles, rather women's styles are constructed as subordinate in women's interactions with men, the dominant group in our society and many others. As explained in Barrett (2009), beliefs that different speech behaviours are both natural and appropriate for women and men is but one instance among many of the apparent naturalness and hence, appropriateness of women's subordinate place in society. Feminist researchers, using a variety of disciplinary perspectives, have sought to make these invisible issues visible. In organization theory, Acker (1990, 1994), Calas and Smircich (1996) and Wilson (1996) among many others have drawn attention to how the apparent naturalness of many existing organizational arrangements has disadvantaged women as managers and employees. As a result, and as Thimm et al. (2005, p. 531) point out, the study of gendered aspects of communication at work is now an integral part of the study of the \"gendered organization\".Many of the management advice sources mentioned earlier either explicitly or implicitly urge women to be aware of how gender-related speech practices can affect their progress at work. Yet, proposed \"remedies\" are not clear-cut and imposing them may create other problems. While some recommend women adopt the more powerful, direct speech styles stereotypical of men, others argue this is sexist (Cameron, 2005), will merely make women uncomfortable and self-conscious (Weiss and Fisher, 1998), or lead to them being penalized for not conforming to recognized norms of female behaviour (Case, 1993). Another counter-argument noted in Barrett (2009) comes from analysts of non-western languages who point to the similarity between women's traditionally less-direct approach to language, and the discourse elements, syntactic features, proxemics and other paralinguistic features of many non-western languages. Requiring women to change their speech patterns, even if this were possible, could mean losing the potential advantages in intercultural interactions of women's more indirect, \"rambling\" speech styles (Weiss and Fisher, 1998).Changing attitudes to feminism may also influence ideas about how women should manage communication at work. Media commentators argue that younger women have moved away from overt feminism (Brown, 2008; Neill, 2008; Wolf, 2009), seeing the battles to improve women's position at work as essentially won. For them, feminism means seeing women as victims (Albrechtsen, 2008; Brown, 2008; Neill, 2008). Moreover, according to Cameron (2005), workplace language ideology - that is, society's ideals concerning language itself, what it is for, and what constitutes skill in using it - has changed to a position of female verbal superiority. While the stereotypes of men's loud, direct speech and women's softer, indirect speech remain, value judgements about them have shifted under the influence of modern management styles which endorse cooperative problem solving, rapport building, emotional self-reflexivity and self-disclosure, \"active\" listening and expressing empathy (Cameron, 2005). All these are stereotypically part of the female rather than the male communication repertoire.\nTwo previous studies: Two previous studies have looked at these issues. Barrett (2004) investigated whether a group of organizationally very senior women managers in Australia valued masculine, feminine or mixed, \"adaptive\" communication strategies for three workplace dilemmas, and whether their perceptions of the strategies' effectiveness and probability were subject to gender-related norms. Overall, senior women managers in Australia valued masculine approaches to workplace communication but not the very strongly masculine approaches commonly recommended in the \"communication advice\" literature. They also drew on gender-based expectations, seeing some effective strategies as more available to men than to women. These results prompted a further question: how the \"next generation\" - aspiring women managers - would approach the same dilemmas. If younger women reject \"capital F feminism\", the next generation of female managers may think differently from their senior counterparts about what is effective and probable for managing communication at work. Barrett (2009) found that for short- and medium-term dilemmas (regaining the floor after an interruption and getting credit for ideas in a meeting), female management students, like senior female managers, see moderately masculine rather than the most masculine strategies as effective. However, female students were less influenced by the speaker's gender than senior women managers had been when evaluating the strategies' probability. They also rated some feminine strategies as more effective and more probable than female senior managers had done. So the new, more \"feminine\" values associated with current ideologies of workplace communication seem to influence future female managers. Nevertheless, this finding held for short- and medium-term strategies only. When evaluating longer term strategies aimed at gaining promotion, female management students - like senior women managers - saw women as less likely than men to use some strategies they considered effective and believed men would use. So the new values are not fully entrenched with aspiring female managers.\nWhat about aspiring male managers?: These studies prompt the question of whether aspiring male managers' approach to communication also reflects changing workplace communication ideals. After all, as Romaine (2005) points out, masculinity is no less a constructed script than femininity. It is difficult to know to what extent future male managers espouse feminist ideas and whether this influences their ideas about workplace communication. Many commentators suggest that feminism has confused men - especially young men - about what women want and how they should think about their roles as men (Cooper, 2010; Douglas, 2010; Kalas, 2010; Kean, 2010; O'Mahony, 2010). \"New\" male roles such as the \"sensitive new age guy\" or SNAG may simply replace old stereotypes with new ones (McLaren, 2010; Gunter, 2010), which may be unattractive to both women and men (Douglas, 2010). While male management students are likely to hear about disadvantage faced by women and minorities at work, they probably also know that men are not exempt from gender-based disadvantage ranging from high failure rates in school to greater exposure to specific health and social problems to a disproportionate effect of the global financial crisis on traditional male working-class jobs (Salam, 2009; Rosin, 2010). However, male management students see themselves as men and as future managers, the value placed on \"female\" approaches to using language at work may mean they favour less stereotypically masculine approaches to communication than is commonly supposed. This study investigates this, and also whether male management students evaluate workplace communication strategies differently from:* senior women managers; and* their peers, female management students.\nMethod: The survey instrument\nAnalysis: Demographic information about the participants and frequencies and distributions of responses for each scenario were calculated. t-tests for differences in the mean for the perceived effectiveness and probability of each strategy in each scenario were carried out. Before this, Levene's test for equality of variances was carried out for each strategy. Where results showed equal variances could not be assumed, the t-test took account of this. kh2-tests to see whether there were differences in the personal strategies choices of highly confident or less confident students are described later.\nResults: Number and demographic characteristics of respondents\nConclusions, limitations and further research: Overall, and particularly for short- or medium-term situations, students' perceptions about effective and probable communication strategies resemble those of managers. Some differences occur, however, and where they do, the two student groups resemble each other rather than managers. Specifically, students are more convinced than managers that men and women face similar communication problems at work and deal with them in similar ways. In fact, male students judged no strategy in any scenario as more probable depending on the speaker's gender. However, they saw some strategies as less effective for men than for women: the MM Strategy 1 in Scenario 2, and even the Fm Strategy 2 in Scenario 3. This result suggests a major shift. For male students, very masculine or even somewhat masculine strategies have paradoxically become unsuitable for men and suitable for women. The masculine strategies the \"advice\" literature suggested that women emulate now present risks or penalties for men, who may fear being perceived as speaking aggressively rather than speaking \"SNAG\" (sensitive new age guy) if they use them. These findings may reflect changes in workplace language ideology towards a more feminine approach. Alternatively, they may indicate men receive more credit when they act as SNAGs than women do for similar behaviour because management stereotypes suggest that for men to act inclusively requires effort whereas inclusiveness is natural for women. On the other hand, as shown by the findings about Strategy 7 in Scenario 2, male students also perceive risks in using overtly feminine communication approaches. In addition, because more confident male students are more likely than the less confident to use MM communication approaches, it may be that changing ideologies of workplace communication influence them less, and that this may continue as their confidence increases with greater workplace experience.Similar limitations apply to this study as for Barrett (2004, 2009). Using scenarios reduces the inter-rater reliability problems of studies which analyse natural language, where the ambiguities of utterances and other linguistic strategies create difficulties in determining speakers' goals. However, the resulting \"paper\" dilemmas and responses, even if based on typical workplace communication problems, are unlikely to reflect the complexity of the work world. In addition, given time constraints, only a few scenarios could be examined and a more comprehensive study might have produced more fine-grained results. Finally, the scenarios presented only male-female interactions (Scenario 1), or one gender interacting with an unspecified or mixed-gender group (Scenarios 2 and 3), but no female-female or male-male interactions in workplace communication dilemmas. It would be useful to extend the study to include a greater variety of interactions: male-female, single-gender/mixed gender and same-gender, as well as scenarios where the strategists are perceived to have different types and levels of power.The study lends itself to extension and elaboration. It compares the perceptions of students - aspiring managers - with those of experienced female managers. However, a longitudinal perspective gained by repeating the study with junior female managers and junior male managers would allow us to assess whether perceptions indeed change when students gain workforce experience. Finally, like the study of managers, this study was carried out in the Australian context. It would be useful to extend it to compare perceptions of speakers of different Englishes within one culture, in the spirit of the studies by Gumperz et al. (1982) and Mishra (1982). This would allow us to see whether the culture-based differences between the speakers these researchers found are maintained across short-, medium- and long-term situations. It may also be valuable to devise scenario-based studies in languages other than English to see how speakers in quite different linguistic cultures evaluate the effectiveness and probability of specific communication strategies at work, and how this relates to research on cultural differences.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Barrett compared the perceptions of female management students and senior female managers about effective and probable workplace communication strategies, and the extent to which each group's perceptions were influenced by gender norms in communication. The purpose of this paper is to compare male students' perceptions of the strategies to those of female students and female managers.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - In total, 255 second-year male management students evaluated strategies for the same dilemmas as the two female groups.\nFindings: - Overall, male students resemble female students rather than senior female managers. They reject some stereotypically male strategies, seeing them as more effective for women. Yet, male students regard an ineffective but probable approach to getting credit for ideas as even less effective for men than for women, and an effective, but feminine, strategy for getting noticed for promotion as more effective for women. Male students may believe using overtly feminine strategies penalizes men. Like female students, male students' confidence affects their personal choice of strategy.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The study used a limited number of dilemmas and demographic factors, limiting the results' generalizability. \"Paper\" scenarios, even if drawn from typical workplace dilemmas, may not reflect the work world. Nevertheless, the findings suggest language ideologies at work are changing for both genders.\nOriginality/value: - This paper describes the first study comparing students' and senior women managers' reactions to classic workplace communication problems. In addition, it investigates the perceptions of young men rather than stereotypical males.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A consumer definition of store convenience (finally)	[ "Convenience", "Shopping", "Patronage", "Department store" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The combined effect of dual income families and longer working hours has led to a time-scarcity epidemic; a phenomenon that has been observed in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia (Hamermesh and Lee, 2007). This has created the paradox whereby one of the most affluent and therefore attractive target markets, also works the longest hours and has the least discretionary time to dedicate to shopping (Sullivan and Gershuny, 2004). For this segment, time-saving shopping options are all important (Herrington and Capella, 1995; Gehrt and Yan, 2004; Atkins and Kim, 2012). Similarly, an aging population (Myers and Lumbers, 2008) and declining fitness levels (Witten et al., 2011) have created a generation of shoppers that seek out effort-saving solutions.\nReview of literature: Conceptualising and operationalising convenience\nMethodology: A self-administered survey was used for the purposes of data collection. Questionnaires were dropped off at randomly selected households in three small cities (population 15,000-25,000) in regional south-east Australia. A two-step method of geographic stratified sampling was used whereby both the neighbourhoods and the household starting point within each of those neighbourhoods were randomly selected. Once the starting point within each of these strata had been selected, every fourth household received a questionnaire. Of the 1,500 questionnaires delivered in this way, 494 were completed and returned, resulting in a response rate of 33 per cent.\nResults: RQ1: What, according to consumers, are the attributes of store convenience?\nDiscussion: Several significant implications stem from this consumer-based definition of store convenience. Not only do academic efforts tend to fall short of defining convenience in the same way as consumers; such efforts have also been amiss in their focus. Given the post facto method by which most previous efforts have defined convenience, it is to be expected that academics would do so using fewer attributes than consumers. However, one would expect that academic efforts to operationalise the construct would at least comprise the attributes that best represent it (e.g. those offering the greatest degree of convenience). Unfortunately that is not the case. The most commonly used attribute to define store convenience - parking - was ranked 8th by respondents in terms of its degree of convenience. The seven attributes that respondents perceive as offering greater convenience have featured in as few as just one (air conditioning, product return and checkout), two (store layout) or three (payment options) academic definitions, or been overlooked entirely (clearly labelled prices and store signs/directories).\nConclusions and future research: The results of this study provide for the first time, an empirically tested, consumer-based definition of store convenience. In so doing, it confirms the proposition that convenience has been poorly defined (Seiders et al., 2000). Of the 27 test-attributes, consumers regard 24 as being store convenience attributes. Such a figure represents a significant increase over any existing definition, and may explain why previous studies have offered the counter-intuitive finding that convenience can be less-than-important to shoppers. Moreover, whereas academic efforts have often focused on isolated dimensions of convenience, consumers define store convenience across the entire spectrum of access, search and transaction convenience.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Despite an increasingly convenience-oriented society, very few empirical studies have identified convenience as a salient determinant of store patronage. Such atypical findings could be due to the way in which academics have defined store convenience. The purpose of this study is to empirically develop an alternative definition of store convenience.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A household mail-out survey was used to identify the attributes consumers associate with store convenience.\nFindings: Empirical analysis provides strong support for the alternative definition, with respondents indicating that 25 of the test attributes serve as convenience attributes in the context of a department store.\nPractical implications: In spite of the many things a store manager can do to make their store more convenient, academic studies have recognised very few of these as convenience attributes. This study provides store managers with a list of 25 tools they have at their disposal to help save their customers' time and effort and help combat the internet threat.\nOriginality/value: Comprising 25 attributes, the alternative definition represents a significant increase over any existing definition. The failure of existing definitions to incorporate so many of these attributes may explain why academic research has suggested that, in an era of convenience, convenience itself is a less-than-salient determinant of store patronage.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Exploring key sustainable development themes through learning activities	[ "Universities", "Curricula", "Master's degrees", "Students", "Sustainable development", "Engineering education", "Learning activities", "Pedagogy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Addressing sustainable development issues through postgraduate professional practice Masters programmes allows the freedom to move beyond both curriculum constraints and an emphasis on reductionist thinking often found in engineering courses at the undergraduate level. First degree programmes have tended to focus on conveying basic engineering science and general principles, whilst at the postgraduate level the application of those principles can be explored against the constraints and complexities represented by the wider issues relating to sustainability.Fisk and Ahearn (2006) have suggested Masters level education provides two clear advantages. First, students bring with them a maturity and realism of outlook often based on their own experiences of working within engineering organizations. Second they are likely to take up positions of significant responsibility when leaving the course, being employed as leaders of engineering projects or recruited specifically to change management procedures towards more sustainable approaches. Fisk and Ahearn go on to suggest that such students \"are able to challenge assumptions in the classroom rather than discover a disjunction with reality only when they try to apply acquired knowledge in the field\".The taught MPhil in \"Engineering for Sustainable Development\" at Cambridge University is such a professional practice Masters programme. It was set up in 2002 and in the last nine years nearly 300 students from all of the major engineering disciplines have graduated from the course. The philosophy behind the MPhil and its original development is described in an earlier paper by the authors (Fenner et al., 2005). The course has gone through several stages of evolution with a clear set of themes emerging with which the students are expected to engage. The mechanisms used for introducing and exploring these themes are the focus of this paper.\nStudent background and expectations: Many students enrolling on the course come with a number of years' professional experience of working in the engineering industry. All major engineering sectors are represented in each year group with participants including civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and manufacturing/production/industrial engineers. Some groups have also included students with specialised backgrounds in marine, agricultural, architectural and environmental engineering, as well as in maths and physics. Whilst some students are new graduates, the age profile of participants at the start of the course has ranged from 21 to 64, with most being in their late twenties or early thirties. Each year group has had a strong international mix, with around 50 countries having been represented on the programme overall. Such a diversity of cultures and backgrounds leads to stimulating discussion in which different views are shared and challenged, with the resultant benefit being that students emerge seeing problems from a multiplicity of viewpoints and aspirations.The participants' expectations vary, but these can be broadly summarised into two categories. For some younger fresh graduates there is a tendency to seek prescriptive solutions, with a desire to be told \"how\" to deliver a sustainable project or product, perhaps in the form of a rigorous Code of Practice or Design Manual. This is a reflection of their previous education where right and wrong answers are the norm, and everything is reduced or deconstructed into smaller tasks or models for which definitively \"correct\" solutions can be provided. This problem solving focus based on a reductionist or Newtonian model is appropriate in some circumstances but the emphasis on the MPhil programme is to concentrate more on the need for problem definition. Furthermore, the students are confronted with a more holistic approach to measuring the performance of an engineering project which embraces both uncertainty and the need to achieve more than straightforward optimization around a single variable. Accepting that the engineer's first choice solution may not be acceptable in all parts of society can be uncomfortable for some who, if unchallenged, would perpetuate \"a design and defend\" attitude or a \"predict and provide\" solution. This reflects, in part, engineering educational structures and a largely conservative, risk-averse profession. Finding co-optimum solutions to satisfy a range of viewpoints and other constraints is challenging and requires an understanding and integration of issues which hitherto have not been traditionally within the domain of engineering professionals.More mature and experienced students frequently fall into a second category, as coming from industry they often have direct experience of bad practice and want to understand why this occurs. They are also making a significant personal commitment to refocus their professional lives through seeking a change of direction through a formal educational route, often at some direct financial cost to themselves, and are therefore likely to be intolerant of fuzzy or vague ideas. This means they are usually strongly motivated and keen to learn new tools and methodologies for analysing and measuring sustainable performance. One 51 year old former Highway Engineer articulated this well when she acknowledged that the course had: \"provided the full 64 colour set of crayons rather than the eight shades of grey pencil\" with which she had been working for most of her professional life.The challenge then is clear. How can numeracy-oriented postgraduate technical engineers be encouraged to embrace the wider social, economic, environmental and policy issues they must consider to ensure their engineering skills are properly focused in delivering appropriate solutions for the twenty-first century? The answer is to encourage them to begin by asking a broader set of questions, from which their own sustainable responses will emerge.\nSustainable development themes: There are many postgraduate programmes around the world which explore in technical detail a range of specialist issues such as the Economics of Climate Change or New and Renewable Energies. These are important and valuable programmes and train specialists in the growing number of technologies and policy issues urgently needed to transform how societies deal with the pressures on the environment, manage the diminishing stock of natural resources, and develop low carbon systems.Having recently looked at 108 institutions in the UK and 31 in North America the authors have been unable to find much evidence of programmes that actively attempt to change the mindset of general engineers who are still required to deliver the products and services demanded by a modern society, but in a more sustainable way and as part of an increasingly intricate socio-technical system. In a recent study of what engineering students learn on sustainability courses, Segalas et al. (2010) found that \"most students after taking a course on SD, focus on the technological aspects of sustainability, regarding technology as offering solutions to environmental problems\". They concluded that there was much less emphasis from the students on the social/institutional aspects of sustainability. Thus, engineering for sustainable development can be reduced, for some, to just the level of the smart technical fix.In part, this can be attributed to the notion that sustainable development is a vague, highly complex concept that is difficult to understand, and subject to endless definition and re-definition. Steiner and Posch (2006) argue that important concepts such as democracy, welfare and justice are not subject to an analytically precise definition and that similarly sustainable development is more dialectical than analytical. Despite this the ideas that lie behind the notion of sustainable development have to be translated into a series of key themes and these must be conveyed to students in effective learning environments. For example, Kamp (2006) describes how this has been achieved at Delft University of Technology recognising that sustainable development not only involves the environment, but also people and economics worldwide. This is summarized as requiring a transition towards non-polluting products that are made from renewable resources, as well as seeing the \"people\" part of sustainable development in a wide social context, so that organizations actively seek to make a long-term positive contribution to society, for which the company profit is the reward. It is important to encourage young engineers to think strategically about technology design and production and so understand processes of technological change. The overall objective has been clearly summarized by Bremer and Lopez-Franco (2006) when describing the graduate level programmes at ITESM in Mexico as creating students who leave the course as \"agents of change, knowing how their everyday actions and choices have an impact on the environment, our society and the well being of future generations\".In the MPhil programme in \"Engineering for Sustainable Development\" at Cambridge University several themes are defined, here conveyed as key challenges, in which engineers must respond to new societal expectation by:* Dealing with complexity - through adopting a systems approach.* Dealing with uncertainty - when decision making in the absence of complete information or evidence.* Dealing with change - by challenging orthodoxy and envisioning the future.* Dealing with other disciplines - through building multi-disciplinary teams.* Dealing with environmental limits - through resource efficiency, pollution control and maintaining ecosystem services.* Dealing with people - through consultation processes and negotiation to meet society's and individual's needs.* Dealing with whole life costs - by considering project externalities and life cycle management.* Dealing with trade-offs - by avoiding optimisation around a single variable to create solutions acceptable for all.These themes are mapped onto the formal activities which all students undertake throughout the MPhil programme. The following section will examine each of these core activities in detail and the students' responses to them. In addition to this (and not covered in detail here) there are over 30 elective modules available (studied by sub-sets of students) which provide specialist and more detailed teaching in topics such as Systems Dynamics, Complexity and Negotiation, and Development Engineering. Students also conduct a five month individual Research Dissertation in which they must plan, execute and critically evaluate an original and investigative piece of work reflecting a broad spectrum of sustainability themes. This aspect is also not reported or analysed here.\nReview of core activities: It is not the intention in this paper to describe the syllabus content, lecture topics or teaching styles of the programme which develop and draw out the above themes, instead, the activities actively undertaken by the students themselves are reviewed. These help support the formal delivery of the material and attempt to provide an experiential engagement with the key challenges.Residential field courses\nReflections on student feedback and performance: Student performance\nConclusion: During the evolution of the MPhil course in Engineering for Sustainable Development over the last nine years, a number of key themes have emerged. These have been in response to experiences of delivering the MPhil to a series of student groups or due to strategic restructuring of the course material to better reflect the issues embodied in the concepts of sustainability. This has resulted in a range of activities being developed to address the key issues identified. In some cases the relationship between the activities and the themes they address is clear and direct, in others it is more subtle. However, overall the course is delivering a balance of non-technical transferrable skills through the core module taught components or through facilitation of access to lessons elsewhere. Many of the activities require students to reflect critically on their own prior experience. Those in each group who have less practical working experience to draw on can find this more challenging than students who have elected to join the course in order to explore alternatives to the conventional solutions that they have found wanting in their prior professional experience.An overarching conclusion is that for students from an engineering background it is an holistic approach to delivering a new way of thinking through a combination of lectures, class activities, assignments, interactions between class members, and access to material elsewhere in the university that enables participants to develop their skills towards delivery of sustainable development in their future careers.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of the paper is to examine how a number of key themes are introduced in the Master's programme in Engineering for Sustainable Development, at Cambridge University, through student-centred activities. These themes include dealing with complexity, uncertainty, change, other disciplines, people, environmental limits, whole life costs, and trade-offs.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The range of exercises and assignments designed to encourage students to test their own assumptions and abilities to develop competencies in these areas are analysed by mapping the key themes onto the formal activities which all students undertake throughout the core MPhil programme. The paper reviews the range of these activities that are designed to help support the formal delivery of the taught programme. These include residential field courses, role plays, change challenges, games, systems thinking, multi criteria decision making, awareness of literature from other disciplines and consultancy projects. An axial coding approach to the analysis of routine feedback questionnaires drawn from recent years has been used to identify how a student's own awareness develops. Also results of two surveys are presented which test the students' perceptions about whether or not the course is providing learning environments to develop awareness and skills in these areas.\nFindings: - Students generally perform well against these tasks with a significant feature being the mutual support they give to each other in their learning. The paper concludes that for students from an engineering background it is an holistic approach to delivering a new way of thinking through a combination of lectures, class activities, assignments, interactions between class members, and access to material elsewhere in the University that enables participants to develop their skills in each of the key themes.\nOriginality/value: - The paper provides a reflection on different pedagogical approaches to exploring key sustainable themes and reports students' own perceptions of the value of these kinds of activities. Experiences are shared of running a range of diverse learning activities within a professional practice Master's programme.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Project portfolio management for product innovation	[ "Innovation", "Product development", "Australia" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Innovation project portfolio management (PPM) is of growing importance in a world of global competition where organisational survival increasingly depends upon a steady stream of successful new products. Innovation is now understood to be the main driver of economic growth in developed nations (OECD, 2000; DITR, 2003). Therefore the importance of maximising outcomes from innovation project portfolios is escalating. This is especially true for innovation projects for service product development as service products represent an escalating percentage of all new products (Pilat, 2000). Although product development projects are absorbing increasing levels of organisational resources (Edwards and Croker, 2001), new product success rates remain low. Many projects do not reach the launch or delivery stage, and for those that do, the new product success rates range from about thirty-five percent to 60 percent (Griffin, 1997; Tidd et al., 2005; Cooper, 2005). PPM methods aim to improve product success rates by ensuring that a strategically aligned portfolio of innovation projects is maintained. According to PPM literature, to provide the best value to the organisation, the portfolio must contain a balance of project types and risk levels and the number of projects must be limited to ensure that all projects can be resourced effectively, but sufficient to enable an adequate flow of projects and new product introductions. A common theme in the literature on PPM is the assertion that adopting certain methods or establishing best practices will improve innovation outcomes (Cooper et al., 2001; Matheson and Matheson, 1998), however empirical research in this area is limited (Killen et al., 2007). Building upon previous PPM research, the research presented here broadens the understanding of relationships between PPM practices and outcomes. The findings provide guidance for practitioners and directions for future research.The past decade has seen the firm establishment of PPM as a discipline (Adams-Bigelow, 2006; PMI, 2006). PPM practices have a strong base in R&D management and in the management of innovation projects, and have now evolved to support the management of project-based organisations (Dye and Pennypacker, 1999). This research project focuses on innovation projects only, however similar PPM methods are used across various types of project portfolios (such as IT projects and infrastructure projects) and findings from one area may lend insight to other areas (De Reyck et al., 2005, Morris and Pinto, 2004). While the bulk of innovation PPM research focuses on the development of tangible products, this research also considers PPM methods for service product development projects. For the purposes of this paper the term \"products\" will be used to include both service and tangible products. The term \"services\" or \"service products\" will refer to service products and the term \"tangible products\" will refer to manufactured or tangible products.This paper presents the findings of a research project that provides a benchmark of PPM practices in Australia that is comparable to previous North American research (Cooper et al., 2001). The research team includes a member of the North American team ensuring continuity and comparability of the results. The PPM findings presented provide a significant contribution to current PPM knowledge by including service products as well as tangible products in the study. The Australian study also extends the earlier research by exploring more deeply the relationship between the PPM methods used and new product success measures.The main research questions posed in this project are:1. How do PPM practices for service product development project portfolios compare with PPM practices for tangible product development project portfolios?2. Is new product success related to the methods used for PPM?3. What are the main challenges to organisations in managing their portfolios?\nBackground and research hypotheses: Portfolio management for tangible products and service products\nResearch design and method: In order to test the hypotheses H1, H2 and H3a, H3b and H3c and to collect data on RQ1, a comprehensive survey instrument was developed to capture PPM practices in use, outcomes from the PPM process and to identify PPM challenges. This survey was completed by sixty organisations in Australia. A portion of the survey draws upon the earlier surveys used by Cooper et al. (2001) in North America and the results from the common portions of the new survey are directly compared with the North American data. The Australian survey is also significantly extended and addresses two emerging challenges for managing a portfolio of new product projects. One challenge is to better understand service product PPM and how it compares to tangible product PPM and the other is to find ways to better measure the effectiveness of PPM methods.A pilot test of the survey was conducted with five organisations and the main phase of data collection from the 60 respondents was completed during 2005. The survey contains 88 questions (some with sub-questions) on the importance of PPM to the organisation, PPM structures in the organisation, details of methods used, PPM performance measures, new product success measures and challenges for PPM. Survey instruments were mailed out to 166 organisations who manage a portfolio of new product development products. Individual email and telephone contact was used to follow-up and to enhance the survey return rate. The final return rate of 60 valid responses represents a 36 percent return rate. The responding organisations represent a wide range of industries in 21 separate industrial classifications. Seventy percent of respondents fit within these nine classifications: finance and insurance; basic products, agriculture; computer and related; communications and telecomm; health and community services; electrical and electronics; food and beverage; petroleum, coal and chemical; and construction. The median size of the responding organisations is USD 94 million.\nFindings and hypothesis testing: There are no significant differences between the large majority of the PPM methods and outcomes in North America and Australia based on the responses to the common portions of the survey. Statistical significance is based on two-tailed significance values of less than 0.05 for a comparison of means of independent samples unless otherwise noted. The high level of similarity between responses in the two regions indicates that the insights gained from the Australian survey are likely to be applicable to North America and possibly other developed nations (Hofstede, 1997; Killen et al., 2006).Surveys from both regions include organisations spread across many different industry groups. The North American survey includes data from 205 organisations that focus on tangible products. The Australian survey includes data from 60 organisations that produce tangible or service products or a combination of both. To capture the blurring of the distinction between tangible and service products, each organisation was asked to indicate whether their new product portfolios includes only service products, only tangible products or a mix represented on a sliding scale from one to ten (Shostack, 1982; Slack et al., 2004). The 60 Australian organisations participating in the survey represent an even split between predominantly tangible product-based organisations and predominantly service product-based organisations. Innovation project investment levels are similar for tangible product-based organisations in both the North American and Australian studies. More detail of the benchmark respondents and results is available in the research working paper (Killen et al., 2005).H1. Differences in PPM processes between tangible product and service product development portfolios\nConclusions and management implications: Five hypotheses have been tested and the results are summarised in Table II.PPM practices for tangible product- and service product-based organisations are surprisingly similar and the level of PPM maturity is similar even though the service-based organisations are generally newer to PPM. The similarities between responses from Australian and North American organisations and between tangible product- and service product-based organisations indicate that PPM practices may be fairly universal and that management may find value in adopting PPM practices from different environments. These results could be read as indicating that \"best practice\" PPM performance is found in both tangible product and service product environments, and that other organisations can learn from \"best practice\" organisations regardless of whether they are service or tangible product-based organisations.Average PPM performance is not strong, but some organisations employ highly effective PPM practices. PPM performance measures correlate strongly with new product success rates. These findings suggest that for better innovation outcomes, management should place a priority on developing and improving PPM processes. However, keeping in mind the size of the data sample and the diverse range of industries represented, further research will be required to more fully understand the relationship.Strategic methods and portfolio maps have the strongest positive influence on portfolio performance while financial methods correlate with positive performance on only one PPM measure and do not lead to higher value projects in the portfolio as expected. The only significant negative correlation found is between the use of financial methods and the ability of the new product program to bring the company into new product arenas. Further analysis of the relationship and the actual methods used may reveal more about this relationship. It is possible that the design of established financial methods undervalue opportunities in new product arenas, and therefore the resulting decisions negatively affect performance in this area. Although financial measures are a part of most PPM processes, this research indicates that financial methods may not be the best dominant portfolio method to use. This finding reinforces earlier findings that expose some of the weaknesses of financial methods (Cooper et al., 2001; Ozer, 2002). Sophisticated financial tools can make financial analysis seem rigorous, but the data required to use the tools can be unreliable. Financial data is usually not very accurate at the stage where new product project portfolio decisions must be made, and may be skewed by optimism or enthusiasm.PPM challenges highlighted in the survey reinforce many of the challenges commonly discussed in the literature. The need for better methods to link long-term planning with project portfolio decisions is highlighted by several respondents, and represents an area under-explored in existing literature.\nFuture research: This research project provides a base for further research in an area of growing importance - service product PPM. PPM for services is an emerging area where very little research has been conducted. As services are becoming more important to the economies of developed nations, further research in this area presents many opportunities to extend the understanding of the practices and relationships initially explored in this research project.The links between PPM methods and outcomes presented in this paper could be further qualified and better understood through further research. In-depth case study analyses or studies that focus on a particular industry may assist in improving understanding of PPM relationships (Dawidson, 2004). In-depth case study research could also help to improve understanding and develop capability in methods to link long-term strategy and vision with current operations.Finally, this research project provides the first study into PPM practices in Australia. Initial indications are that PPM practices in Australia and North America are comparable and that the findings from each region should be applicable to the other. Future cross-cultural studies or international PPM comparisons will be useful to clarify or strengthen this understanding, and could also investigate relationships between PPM practices in other regions.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to create a benchmark and identify best practices for Project Portfolio Management (PPM) for both tangible product-based and service product-based development project portfolios.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A questionnaire was developed to gather data to compare the PPM methods used, PPM performance, PPM challenges, and resulting new product success measures in 60 Australian organisations in a diverse range of service and manufacturing industries.\nFindings: - The paper finds that PPM practices are shown to be very similar for service product development project portfolios and tangible product development project portfolios. New product success rates show strong correlation with measures of PPM performance and the use of some PPM methods is correlated with specific PPM performance outcomes.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The findings in this paper are based on a survey of a diverse sample of 60 Australian organisations. The results are strengthened by comparisons with similar North American research; however, they may not be representative of all environments. Research in other regions would further qualify the findings. As each organisation's PPM process is unique, case study methods are recommended for future studies to capture more of the complexity in the environment.\nPractical implications: - The paper shows that PPM practitioners and executives who make decisions about the development of tangible products and/or service products will benefit from the findings.\nOriginality/value: - This paper extends the existing understanding of PPM practices to include service development project portfolios as well as tangible product development project portfolios and strengthens the links between PPM practices and outcomes.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Product development in higher education marketing	[ "Higher education", "Marketing", "Innovation", "Culture", "New product development" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Higher education (HE) is an important part of the UK economy both in terms of its contribution to knowledge through graduates, research and interaction with industry, and in terms of its financial contribution to gross domestic product, which was estimated at almost PS60 billion in 2009. The sector consists of 166 HE institutions, including 116 universities. These institutions have approximately 2.4 million undergraduate and postgraduate students and employ about 375,000 staff (Universities UK, 2010).\nUniversity culture and organizational form: It is generally accepted that the culture of a business organization influences organizational form and the behaviour of staff (Barwise and Meehan, 2006). To some extent, universities are no different than any other service provider but arguably the HE sector has a fairly unique culture that has evolved over centuries. The culture has been shaped by considerations, such as, the virtues of academic freedom, and intellectual and social elitism. These considerations have led some commentators, such as, Roy (1977) to argue that culture impacts on universities more than any other modern day business organization.\nPerspectives on NPD: The extant marketing literature contains a variety of process models on NPD, which reveal a range of different perspectives on the associated issues (see, e.g. Cooper and Kleinschmidt, 1986; Griffin, 1997; Christiansen and Varnes, 2009). Cooper and Kleinschmidt's (1986) study examined NPD in twenty three firms and highlighted the importance of organizational culture, and the quality and commitment of staff. The study also identified a range of factors or activities that were critical to success. These factors emphasized the importance of: detailed market studies; financial analysis; product development; in house product testing customer tests of product test market; trial production; pre-commercialization; production start-up; and, market launch. To be successful, however, the study concluded that although flexibility was an important aspect of NPD, once the factors have been agreed, they should form part of a systematic plan or process and be uniformly applied.\nThe \"FFE\": early phases of NPD: The \"FFE\" is a broad term used to describe the early phases of product development, i.e. the stages before entering formal development (Kim and Wilemon, 2002). It is so named because these stages are unclear, difficult to define and not easily placed within a standardized process or plan. Consequently, the early stages of NPD are the most difficult to manage and, therefore, the FFE is regarded as the most troublesome phase of the innovation process (Poskela and Martinsuo, 2009). At the same time, however, it probably represents one of the greatest opportunities to improve the overall innovation capability of a business (Herstatt et al., 2004; Reid and de Brentani, 2004).\nThe empirical study: The empirical study focuses on the FFE processes from the initial concept to the point where the product is formally recognized by the organization and taken forward. Accordingly, using case study evidence from six UK universities, the research attempts to ascertain the common practices in FFE; and examine the various stages of the FFE process. Within the exploratory study specific attention was focused on the extent to which the FFE process encouraged and supported innovation and whether it was marketing oriented. Emphasis was, therefore, placed on how ideas for new modules and degree programmes were generated and how they were subsequently developed. In order to do this, it was necessary to examine the documentation relating to degree programme and module development. In addition, employees with direct experience and involvement with these processes were interviewed.\nFindings and discussion: The interview guide had four themes, which were derived from the extant literature: the motivation for individuals to innovate; sources of innovation; the level of support for creativity and innovation within the organization; and the screening process for the development of ideas. Taking each of the themes in turn, the interviews generated the following findings and discussion, which were informed by the aforementioned process documentation and literature review.\nConclusions: McLean (2005) stated that a stable and predictable environment, such as the HE sector, may \"actually increase an organization's ability to implement innovations\". However, concerns about the impact of higher tuition fees and the future \"social role\" of universities means that the emerging environment is anything but predictable. This will undoubtedly place additional pressures on the sector to be innovative and, therefore, the process for developing and screening new modules and programmes will remain both critical and challenging.\nLimitations: The issue of sample bias needs to be factored into however, given that these 6 institutions proactively engaged with this process possibly indicating a recognition or impetus on their part to learn how new programme development could be better understood. That the vast majority of the sample were teaching dominant institutions is also an interesting consideration as this will have an impact on the imperative to improve new programme development processes in an increasingly competitive HE environment.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: During the last 20 years or so the changing environment in which universities operate has meant that commensurately more emphasis has been placed on marketing principles. In light of this emphasis, it is perhaps a little surprising that relatively little attention has been directed towards the processes by which universities develop their products, and the extent to which module and programme development processes are market informed and customer oriented. The paper aims to discuss these issues.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a case study methodology to examine early stage new product development (NPD) processes in UK higher education (HE) institutions.\nFindings: The findings reveal some potential shortcomings in the early stages or fuzzy front end of NPD in universities. In particular, there appears to be a lack of staff incentives, financial or otherwise, to innovate and introduce new ideas relating to module and programme development.\nResearch limitations/implications: The issue of sample bias needs to be factored into however, given that these six institutions proactively engaged with this process possibly indicating a recognition or impetus on their part to learn how new programme development could be better understood. That the vast majority of the sample were teaching dominant institutions is also an interesting consideration as this will have an impact on the imperative to improve new programme development processes in an increasingly competitive HE environment.\nPractical implications: The paper discussed some of the implications for the corporate governance structures of universities and also emphasized the need for cultural change. In this respect, one of the biggest challenges facing universities is to break down or erode the barriers, which exist between academic and non-academic staff and create a \"level playing field\".\nOriginality/value: As the authors enter an era of higher student fees, the question of value for money combined with an associated increase in the expectations of university stakeholders, will have potentially quite marked implications for universities. Accordingly, the future viability of some degree programmes and, perhaps, even the long-term survival of some institutions may be dependent on the adoption of the sort of changes identified in this paper.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Participatory processes in sustainable universities - what to assess?	[ "Qualitative analysis", "Assessment criteria", "Higher education for sustainable development (HESD)", "Learning theories", "Participatory processes" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nLinking participation and sustainability assessment: The debate about the implementation of sustainability principles and values into higher education (HE) has been growing over the past 20 years, and an increasing number of universities are engaged in this implementation process in the most varied ways (Barth, 2013). There can be noted advancements in operational dimensions of a university in curricular and educational transformation as well as in research and outreach activities (Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI), 2012; Leal Filho, 2009). However, despite all progress, in most cases, sustainability has not yet become an integral part of the university system (Lozano et al., 2013), and the requested paradigm change from unsustainability to sustainability in university systems is not yet fully identifiable (Disterheft et al., 2013; Sterling, 2004). Participatory processes are seen as valuable for this paradigm change and can contribute towards the integration of the sustainability concept into the university culture (Disterheft et al., 2013; Sterling, 2004). However, the concept of participation is at present vaguely defined (Brodie et al., 2009; World Bank, 1996 for definitions) but not contextualized to sustainability in HE. Universities tend to focus on social participation, such as volunteering, and distinguish less between other forms, such as individual or public participation, that would also include political dimensions (e.g. voting and direct involvement in decision-making). Even though participation is partly considered in existing assessment practices, for example student engagement in community outreach activities, it is still unclear what and how to measure, as the concept of participation touches areas of institutional governance, social learning and organisational learning. So far, there have been comparatively few research studies on participation within sustainability implementation at university level, and a more differentiated understanding of these processes is still missing, both in practice of conducting a participatory process as well as in the sustainability assessment.\nMethods - developing assessment criteria for participatory processes in sustainable universities: The data collection method used as part of this work had two main objectives:\nFindings and discussion: The interviewees from the first data collection generally agreed that aspects of participation are or can be included somehow to existing assessment tools but that the existing assessment approaches are rather limited, causing frustration to several of the respondents:\nConclusions: The linkages between participation and sustainability implementation, complemented with the sustainability assessment, form the starting point for this ongoing research.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to connect participatory sustainability implementation with sustainability assessment, exploring learning theories, the principles of Higher Education for Sustainable Development (HESD) and respective indicators applied in the university context. Even though participation is partly considered in existing assessment practices, it is still unclear what and how to measure participatory processes that envision implementing sustainability principles in higher education institutions. Holistic approaches are often proclaimed, but reductionist assessment methods are frequently followed.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study followed a qualitative approach, inspired by the Delphi method, and includes semi-structured expert interviews (N = 15) and two focus group discussions (N = 23), with participants coming from a total of 17 different countries. Data were analysed and compared according to qualitative content analysis and systemized according to the underlying theoretical strands.\nFindings: The findings suggest that participatory processes can be better assessed from a social learning and organisational learning perspective, emphasizing non-linear criteria for the quality of the process in terms of depth and meaningfulness as well as criteria for the quality of the outcome in terms of knowledge generation and innovation. The findings also point implicitly to the need of considering double- and triple-loop learning, if a culture of participation towards sustainability is to be pursued, and underline the high impact of institutional governance.\nOriginality/value: Although a great volume of literature about sustainability implementation in higher education exists, studies focusing on participatory processes in this context are rather scarce. This research pays attention to sustainability experts working in universities rarely heard in a more systemic manner and also applies a reflective participatory approach itself by using qualitative methods.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The influence of gender on leadership in education management	[ "Australia", "Leadership", "Skills", "Education management", "Gender research", "Vocational education training" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The twenty-first century has seen career advancement in leadership for women across all education sectors including Australian vocational education training (VET). Although women numerically dominate the education workforce, education organisations contribute to the gender in balance with the majority of senior management and leadership roles held by men (Pounder and Coleman, 2002; Mc Tavish and Miller, 2009b). The gender in balance is inhibited by institutionalise gender systems, social practices and structures often seen in education organisations. These systems contribute to the challenges faced by women as they progress through the career ladder, regardless of their accomplishments or merits (Schachter, 2017). Nevertheless, education organisations recognise the importance of gender balance in management and leadership roles and continue to invest in leadership programs that encourage both men and women to participate. However, the majority of leadership programs emphasise the importance of leadership behaviours, attributes and competencies with limited focus on skills (Mehrabani and Mohamad, 2015; Albashiry et al., 2015). The limited focus on leadership skills is also evident in the leadership literature which focuses predominately on leadership theories of traits, behaviours, contingency, transformational and enabling leadership (Falk, 2003). The literature reveals that men and women have different leadership styles and portrays men as objective, focused, analytical, impersonal, paternalistic, authoritarian and task orientated, whilst women are emotional, sensitive, co-operative, democratic, people and relationship focused (Pounder and Coleman, 2002; Brinia, 2012). Although the differences in men and women leadership styles may inform leadership programs, the differences in gender required leadership skills have largely been neglected. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine leadership skills required for senior managers in VET; determine if skills ranked by importance differ by gender; and if the differences in ranking provided insight into why women are not advancing to senior management roles (Pounder and Coleman, 2002; Oshagbemi and Gill, 2003). The study is further warranted, as skills are abilities that can be developed and learnt and once learnt cannot be discounted or undervalued (Chell, 2013). Hence, identifying leadership skills and their ranking of importance based on gender will provide practical implications to inform leadership programs and provide further insight into leadership research.\nMethod: Research design and sample\nDiscussions: The twenty-first century has seen career advancement in leadership for women across all education sectors including Australian VET. Although women numerically dominate the education workforce, education organisations contribute to the gender in balance with the majority of senior management and leadership roles held by men (Pounder and Coleman, 2002; Mc Tavish and Miller, 2009b). The gender in balance is inhibited by institutionalise gender systems, social practices and structures often seen in education organisations. These systems contribute to the challenges faced by women as they progress through the career ladder, regardless of their accomplishments or merits (Schachter, 2017). Nevertheless, education organisations recognise the importance of gender balance in management and leadership roles and continue to invest in leadership programs and encourage both men and women to participate.\nLimitations of the study: Although the study had limitations, the findings provided an overall contribution to leadership, leadership skills, gender studies, management and VET. The study captured the employees' perspective of leadership skills and not that of the employer, which may differ. In addition, the quantitative methodology did not allow for in-depth investigation of skill requirements, which may be revealed through unstructured questioning, used in qualitative methodology (Creswell, 2009). Therefore, further studies from the employer's perspective and more in-depth questioning may generalise the findings of this study.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Leaders in education face diverse challenges in an increasingly competitive and changing environment. Although women numerically dominate the workforce, senior managers are predominately men. The purpose of this paper is to examine leadership skills required for senior management roles in vocational education training (VET); determine if the ranking of importance of skills differs by gender and if the ranking contributes to women not advancing to senior management roles. As skills are abilities that can be developed and learned focusing on leadership skills will provide further insight into leadership and influence leadership development programs in VET to re-orientate women into senior management roles.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The methodology was based on the theoretical framework of the Leadership Skills Strataplex Model (LSSM). The model categorises leadership skills into cognitive, interpersonal, business and strategic skills and determines skill requirement based on management level. A quantitative study with data collected from an online survey completed by 100 senior managers employed in Australian VET, with an even distribution of men and women, identified leadership skills and ranked the importance of the skills. Analysis of the data was conducted using correlation test and principal factor analysis.\nFindings: Both men and women identified that cognitive, interpersonal, business and strategic skills were required for senior management roles in VET; however, they ranked the importance of these skills differently. Men ranked business and strategic skills as the most important whilst women ranked cognitive and interpersonal skills. The findings provide insight into how gender influences leadership with men focused on task-orientated leadership skills whilst and women focused on relationship development leadership skills.\nResearch limitations/implications: The major limitation of this study was that the results were derived from the employees' perspective and not that of the employer. However, the limitation does not detract from the overall contribution, this study makes to leadership, leadership skills and VET. The findings of this study suggest that further education leadership research is warranted as most studies are predominately focused on leadership theory with limited reference to leadership skills.\nPractical implications: The findings of this study provide practical implications to inform VET leadership professional development programs for teachers and managers to focus on leadership skills. The difference in ranking of importance of leadership skills by men and women highlights that focusing on specific leadership skill development of cognitive, interpersonal, business and strategic skills for aspiring managers may help re-orientate women into senior management roles.\nOriginality/value: The use of the LSSM, previously used in government and higher education to identify leadership skills, the online survey as the data collection tool and quantitative analysis provides originality in the methodology rarely seen in VET education. The study adds value to education management, VET, leadership, and gender research by providing insight into leadership skills.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Smart maintenance: instrument development, content validation and an empirical pilot	[ "Maintenance", "Manufacturing", "Production", "Instrument development", "Content validation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Rapid technological change is posited to reshape the manufacturing industry. The technological capacity to store, communicate and compute information grows at exponential rates (Hilbert and Lopez, 2011); artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly surpassing human-level performance in various application areas (Shoham et al., 2018), and rapidly falling input prices for digital technologies make it cheap to collect, store, and analyze data (Byrne et al., 2018). This technological change, referred to as \"Industry 4.0,\" is receiving tremendous attention by researchers, practitioners and policy makers within Operations and Production Management (O&PM) (Liao et al., 2017; Matthias et al., 2017; Koh et al., 2019; Olsen and Tomlin, 2020). However, owing to the rapid advancement of this novel topic, current Industry 4.0 research within O&PM faces both conceptual and empirical limitations. The flood of conceptual papers and literature reviews has created confusion and an inability to reach agreed upon definitions of key concepts (Osterrieder et al., 2019; Culot et al., 2020). The multitude of maturity models and readiness indexes (Mittal et al., 2018) have led to inconsistent operationalizations, making it difficult to establish construct validity within and across studies (Koh et al., 2019). In other words, there is considerable variation in what Industry 4.0 is and how it should be measured. This lack of both conceptual and operational clarity impedes theory development and practical value.One specific area within the umbrella of Industry 4.0 that is receiving growing attention from scholars and practitioners is maintenance. For manufacturing plants, increasing levels of automation and introduction of digital technologies into production systems have spurred the need to reduce operational costs and achieve high productivity by means of near-zero downtime. For industrial service providers, the ubiquity of data, computing power and analytical capabilities have increased the performance and value of maintenance services (Roy et al., 2016; Huang et al., 2019; Vogl et al., 2019; Olsen and Tomlin, 2020). Empirical research has therefore anticipated, described and analyzed a broad range of implications of Industry 4.0 on maintenance practices (Akkermans et al., 2016; Bokrantz et al., 2017). However, like Industry 4.0 at large, the lack of concept clarity and the absence of empirical measures regarding maintenance practices limit scholars' ability to effectively guide the industry community. To consolidate the diversity of terminology with respect to maintenance within Industry 4.0, scholars have focused on uncovering the defining characteristics of the concept of \"Smart Maintenance,\" both applied to plant maintenance (Bokrantz et al., 2020b) and to maintenance services (Huang et al., 2019).A thorough understanding of Smart Maintenance will therefore provide valuable guidance to an industry community that struggles with grasping and implementing maintenance practices that meet the needs of Industry 4.0. Achieving this understanding requires the development of empirical measures that allows O&PM scholars to extend knowledge on antecedents, consequences and correlates of Smart Maintenance. Therefore, this research seeks to develop a theoretically grounded and empirically validated measurement instrument that captures the four dimensions of Smart Maintenance as applied to the plant maintenance function: data-driven decision-making, human capital resource, internal integration and external integration (Bokrantz et al., 2020b). Using a rigorous process for scale development and testing, we generate items to represent the constructs, quantitatively assess content validity, collect data for empirical pilot test and assess the factor structure. The instrument can be used by scholars for theory-testing with respect to Smart Maintenance, and by practitioners to assess, benchmark and longitudinally evaluate Smart Maintenance in their organisation.\n2. Theoretical background: Owing to the rapidly growing interest for technological change within the manufacturing industry, there are plenty of proposed concepts with respect to maintenance within Industry 4.0. Bokrantz et al. (2020b) and Huang et al. (2019) reviewed a large range of existing definitions and showed that the scope of terminology includes, but is not limited to: \"E-maintenance,\" \"Prognostics and Health Management,\" \"Predictive Maintenance,\" \"Maintenance 4.0,\" \"Smart Maintenance,\" \"Intelligent Maintenance,\" \"Data-driven maintenance,\" \"IoT enabled Maintenance,\" \"I-maintenance\" and \"Digital maintenance.\" These two reviews illustrate the presence of concept proliferation and lack of concept clarity, which obstruct consistency in operationalization (Wacker, 2004; Podsakoff et al., 2016) and thereby limit the reproducibility of theory-testing (Koh et al., 2019).A fundamental necessary condition to develop valid and reliable empirical measures is a conceptualization that clearly specifies the meaning and structure of the concept (Podsakoff et al., 2016). In other words, without good conceptual definitions, construct validity cannot be achieved (Wacker, 2004). To achieve our goal of developing a theoretically grounded and empirically valid measurement instrument, we consider the conceptualization of Smart Maintenance in Bokrantz et al. (2020b) to be the most suitable foundation for two reasons. Firstly, it specifically applies to the entity of the plant maintenance function, which is the focus of the present research. Secondly, it meets established criteria for good conceptual definitions (Wacker, 2004; Podsakoff et al., 2016). Therefore, in the remainder of this section, we describe the Smart Maintenance concept, assess concept-measure consistency and specify a corresponding empirical model to be developed and validated. 2.1 Theoretical model and underlying dimensions\n3. Research design and research methods: We adopted a standardized research design and a set of research methods for construct measurement and validation. Instrument development is a lengthy process that involves multiple independent studies ranging from initial conceptualization to final development of norms for use (MacKenzie et al., 2011). In this study, we pay particular attention to the early, fundamental steps of the process such as adequately defining the concept (Wacker, 2004; Podsakoff et al., 2016), ensuring concept-measure consistency (Goertz, 2006) and rigorously assessing content validity (Hinkin and Tracey, 1999). Based on the conceptualization of Smart Maintenance (Bokrantz et al., 2020b), we conducted two independent and sequential studies aimed at operationalization, explained in Figure 2. Study 1 focused on development of measures and involved generation of items (step 1) and assessment of content validity (step 2). Study 2 focused on scale evaluation and refinement and involved data collection for empirical pilot test (step 3) and assessment of factor structure (step 4). 3.1 Conceptualization: development of conceptual definitions\n4. Results: This section reports the results from the two sequential studies: study 1: instrument development and content validation, and study 2: empirical pilot. 4.1 Study 1: instrument development and content validation\n5. Discussion: Using two sequential studies, we have developed an empirical measurement instrument for Smart Maintenance. The first study generated a pool of items that capture the four dimensions of Smart Maintenance, followed by assessing the items' content validity (Table 1). The second study collected empirical data for a pilot test, followed by testing the validity and reliability of four one-factor models for each of the dimensions of Smart Maintenance respectively (Table 3), as well as a combined four-factor model (Table 4). In summary, the two studies provide evidence of the content validity of the measurement instrument, as well as good global model fit and psychometric properties. The construct development process presented in this paper thereby makes several theoretical and practical contributions to the O&PM field. 5.1 Theoretical contributions\n6. Conclusions: By means of a sequential construct measurement and validation procedure, we have developed a psychometric instrument that measures the four dimensions of Smart Maintenance: data-driven decision-making, human capital resource, internal integration and external integration. The instrument has confirmed content validity and demonstrates good model fit and psychometric properties based on data from an empirical pilot. Scholars can use the instrument for theory-testing aimed at extending knowledge on antecedents, consequences and correlates of Smart Maintenance. Practitioners can use it to assess, benchmark and longitudinally evaluate Smart Maintenance in their organization. Using the instrument in both research and practice serves to develop evidence-based implementation strategies as well as to stimulate the removal of barriers to adoption of Smart Maintenance within the manufacturing industry. Using the instrument in both research and practice will enable an understanding of Smart Maintenance that can serve as critical guidance to an industry community that struggles with grasping and implementing maintenance practices that meet the needs of Industry 4.0.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Scholars and practitioners within industrial maintenance management are focused on understanding antecedents, correlates and consequences of the concept of \"Smart Maintenance,\" which consists of the four dimensions, namely, data-driven decision-making, human capital resource, internal integration and external integration. In order to facilitate this understanding, valid and reliable empirical measures need to be developed. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a psychometric instrument that measures the four dimensions of Smart Maintenance.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The results from two sequential empirical studies are presented, which include generating items to represent the constructs, assessment of content validity, as well as an empirical pilot test. With input from 50 industrial experts, a pool of 80 items that represent the constructs are generated. Thereafter, using data from 42 industrial and academic raters, the content validity of all items is assessed quantitatively. Finally, using data from 59 manufacturing plants, the dimensionality and factor structure of the instrument are tested.\nFindings: The authors demonstrate content validity and provide evidence of good model fit and psychometric properties for one-factor models with 8-11 items for each of the four constructs, as well as a combined 24-item four-factor model.\nOriginality/value: The authors provide recommendations for scholarly use of the instrument in further theory-testing research, as well as its practical use to assess, benchmark and longitudinally evaluate Smart Maintenance within the manufacturing industry.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Manifestations of e-government usage in post-communist European countries	[ "Information and Communication Technology", "E-government", "Post-communist countries", "D12", "L86", "O30" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is currently one of the most significant factors contributing to socio-economic development, or the development of civilization in a broader sense, which comes down to a transformation of nearly all areas of life. The development of ICT has generated a type of technological shock, which has shaken the foundations of production models of information, knowledge, and culture and given birth to a period of socio-economic transformation (Benkler, 2008, p. 399). The leader in ICT is the internet, which offers endless possibilities for managing information that no other tool can offer. There are no distances, borders, and socio-economic or cultural differences with regard to the internet. Both personal and technical interactions are equally available and the role of the latter is constantly increasing. The significance of the internet is a consequence of its accessibility. Through the decades, countries have increasingly invested in their ICT infrastructure to enhance progress. How the development of ICT varies across countries becomes a critical indicator of the global digital divide. In 2012, there were 2.4 billion internet users in the world. At that time, 368 million people in European Union member states enjoyed internet access (Internet World Stats, 2014). The development of new communication and information technologies has opened new perspectives for the modernization of public services, healthcare, environmental management, and new ways of communication between the citizens and public administration (Balan, 2013). The emergence of new ICTs has brought about many new assumptions concerning radical social changes in various areas of operation of administrations, such as, among others: an increased participation of the citizens in governance; an increase in e-democracy; changes in organizations, like moving from hierarchical to horizontal structures; a transition to virtual organizations; and moving away from classic bureaucracy to New Public Management and digital governance (Sandor, 2012).\n2. Literature review: 2.1 ICT for the government\n3. Research methodology: The objective of this paper is to determine to what extent consumers/internet users use e-administration in post-communist countries belonging to the European Union. Secondary data obtained from a study carried out at the request of the European Commission were employed for the purpose of conducting an analysis, using SPSS. The study was conducted between November 15 and December 7, 2012 in 32 European countries. Among others, the questionnaire contained questions concerning various types of e-administration services. An online panel survey targeted and identified users of e-government services. For each of the 32 benchmarked countries, a representative sample of internet users was surveyed via local online panels to which the provider consortium has access. The user survey and online data gathering process included the following steps: preparation of the online questionnaire; translation of the final version of the survey instrument; and, after the EU member state representatives presented feedback and validated the translations, all translated versions of the questionnaire were programed, tested, and published online. A total sample of n = 28,000 citizen respondents was obtained overall (European Commission, 2012a). For the purpose of accomplishing the specified aim, the authors of the present paper analyzed the presence of e-administration service usage in the following post-communist countries belonging to the European Union as of December 31, 2012: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. One thousand respondents from each country under analysis were surveyed (n=1,000; 95 percent reliability, maximal theoretical CI=+-3.10). The authors of this paper used the responses of 7,984 respondents from post-communist countries for the purpose of the analysis. Incomplete questionnaires were not considered in the analysis.\n4. Results: Table I juxtaposes the statistical relationships between the respondent's state of residence and inclination to use e-administration. The analysis suggests that the location of the respondent's residence influences the use of e-administration. However, the relationship is not strong. In all of the cases, the Czuprow's Convergence coefficient, reflecting the strength of the relationship between variables under analysis, was almost zero.\n5. Discussion and conclusion: The research results presented above show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the state of the respondent's residence and the use of e-government services. The existence of such a relationship has been confirmed for each of the eight e-government services under analysis. However, the strength of this dependency was found to be weak when tested with the Czuprow's coefficient. The analysis of e-administration usage in post-communist European countries has demonstrated that citizens of different countries use different e-government services. The citizens of Estonia were the biggest users of \"contacting public administrations by e-mail\" and \"sending (uploading) completed web forms that are necessary to obtain a public service.\" The citizens of Slovakia were the most likely to use information obtained from public administrations' websites (while the citizens of Estonia took the second place). Next, the groups of respondents that were most likely to download forms that are necessary to obtain a public service were the citizens of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The citizens of Bulgaria and Romania were the most likely to use the remaining e-administration services, including contacting political representatives of local, regional, national or European governments by e-mail; consulting policy documents or decisions on local, regional, national or European government websites; and participating in online consultations and interactive discussions on important social issues. One must bear in mind, however, that Bulgaria and Romania are the so called \"new states of united Europe,\" thus the citizens' increased interest in \"public life\" may be a symptom brought about by freshness, enthusiasm, and greater expectations aroused by the recent accession (in 2007).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the propensity to use e-government services in post-communist countries in the European Union.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A survey was conducted among 7,984 respondents from the states of Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. The analysis focused on the following manifestations of e-administration usage in these countries: viewing websites run by public administration bodies, making contact with public administrations via e-mail, downloading the forms necessary to obtain a public service, sending completed electronic forms to appropriate offices, and contacting politicians, activists, or offices electronically to discuss matters important for a region or the whole state.\nFindings: The results of the analysis presented in this paper show that there is a statistically significant relationship between the state of the respondent's residence and the propensity to use particular forms of e-government.\nPractical implications: Decision makers should create incentives to popularize electronic signatures, which are necessary to fully settle a matter in public offices via the internet. They could use financial assistance offered by the European Union to implement this technology. Moreover, they should award bonuses to private persons or entrepreneurs who use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in their contact with the state administration, for example, by way of charging less for issuing a driving license, building permits, or other documents necessary to apply for a building permit. The use of ICT in the client-administration relationship would reduce corruption levels by limiting direct contact and allow for reconstruction of all of the digital records to apply for a given permit, document, etc.\nOriginality/value: With the rapid growth of internet (and e-commerce) worldwide, the public administration sector has many opportunities, especially in a developing democracy. The paper is unique because it shows data collected from almost 8,000 respondents and it presents a comparison of the use of e-government among citizens of nine European Union member states.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
High rate of inappropriate referrals to specialised day case unit for immunisation	[ "Day care", "Immunization", "Referral", "United Kingdom" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Childhood immunisation is one of the most cost effective activities undertaken by health professionals and it has been an important part of health services in most developed countries for about 200 years (Plotkin and Plotkin, 1999). Since the advent of immunisation there have been myths and misconceptions about the safety and value of vaccines (Elliman and Moreton, 2000). Sub-optimal immunisation practices of health care providers, mainly overly cautious interpretation of vaccine contraindications, result in missed opportunities for immunisation (Statothupulu, 2002). Referring children to hospital for immunisation as day cases is becoming increasingly common.\nPatients and methods: A retrospective study was designed to assess the day case admissions for immunisation. Data from the computerised consent forms and the ward register were used to prepare a list of children immunised in the day case ward of Basildon University Hospital, UK, between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2003.Whenever the documented data was inadequate, the original case notes were referred to. Those children who were immunised in the neonatal and children's wards while being inpatients were excluded from the study. A pro forma was designed to record all the relevant data that was analysed subsequently.\nResults: In between 1 January and 31 December 2003, the total number of children immunised in the Basildon and Thurrock area was 35,909. There was an obligation to accept all the referrals sent for immunisation in hospital as day cases without question. A total of 57 immunisations were carried out in the day case ward under medical supervision. Of these, 30 (53 per cent) were referred by general practitioners. The Immunisation Co-ordinator and health visitors made eight referrals (14 per cent) each. Paediatric consultants made six referrals, and in five cases the source of referral was not documented (see Figure 1).The vaccine that was administered most commonly was the first dose of MMR (32 per cent) followed by the second dose of DPT/OPV/HIB/Men C (23 per cent). There were six children referred for BCG vaccination and two for Hepatitis B. The commonest reason for referral was previous reaction to vaccine (37 per cent), especially local reaction that was severe in 12 per cent and mild in 21 per cent. Two children were referred with history of systemic reaction (apnoea) to previous dose of vaccine. History of egg allergy was the reason for referral in 23 per cent cases. There were various other reasons for referral such as history of allergy to diary products, history of convulsions, parental concerns, hydrocephalus with shunt, family history of egg and vaccine allergy, autism, and history of generalised rash (?cause). In ten cases the reason for referral was not documented (see Table I).Eight children were immunised with DTaP (acellular pertussis) vaccine instead of the normal DPT because of the history of apnoea after previous dose of vaccine (two cases) and due to previous severe local reaction (six cases). There were no adverse events following DTaP administration. All the children with history of mild local reaction were successfully and uneventfully immunised with the DPT vaccine. MMR vaccine was given to all the children with history of egg allergy without any skin prick testing and all of them remained asymptomatic. Overall, no adverse events were noticed in any child immunised in the day case ward. All of them went home the same day, the maximum time spent in the ward being 5.5 hours.\nDiscussion: The clear directives published by the UK Department of Health should largely have eliminated the grey area of contraindications to immunisation. It is now well established that conditions such as egg allergy, past or family history of allergies, convulsions or previous local reaction to vaccines (unless severe) are no longer regarded contraindications to routine childhood immunisations (Department of Health, 1996). However, some professionals and parents still feel considerable anxiety regarding immunisation. There is clear guideline as to when routine immunisation should not be carried out in the primary care setting. This is applicable only when there is a definite history of systemic (generalised) reaction or severe local reaction to a preceding dose of vaccine. Severe local reaction is defined as an extensive area of redness and swelling, which becomes indurated and involves most of the anterolateral surface of the thigh or a major part of the circumference of the upper arm. Systemic reactions include fever more than or equal to 39.5degC within 48 hours of the vaccination, anaphylaxis, bronchospasm, cardiovascular collapse, prolonged unresponsiveness, prolonged unconsolable high-pitched crying for more than four hours, and convulsion or encephalopathy within 72 hours. Appropriate specialist advice should be sought if there is any doubt.Our study highlighted that 24 (42 per cent) of the referrals could be judged as being inappropriate as per the guidelines set by the Department of Health. Children with general or severe local reaction to previous dose of vaccine require vaccination under medical supervision. Due to poor documentation, it was difficult to identify the severity of local reaction in many referrals. Although egg allergy is not a contraindication for MMR it might be appropriate to seek specialist medical advice in some cases due to parental anxiety. But the fact remains that these children could have received safe immunisation in the primary care setting itself had the healthcare professionals concerned acted with more confidence and reassurance. The actual number of inappropriate referrals therefore might be much higher than what we have projected. The training, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of personnel associated with immunisation therefore seem to be a significant factor influencing the final outcome of immunisation issues. Conditions such as allergy to diary products, autism, family history of egg and vaccine allergy, hydrocephalus with shunt or history of convulsions cannot be regarded as contraindications to immunisation. Some children were referred for BCG and Hepatitis B vaccine. All these children could have had their immunisation in the primary care setting. Parental concern is often pointed out as one of the reasons for hospital-based immunisation. However, in our study, only two children were referred to hospital stating parental concerns as the main reason for referral.There is increasing evidence that the MMR vaccine can be given safely to children even when they have previously had an anaphylactic reaction following intake of egg-containing food items (James et al., 1995). Skin prick testing with the undiluted MMR vaccine is being used by many centres (Kinder et al., 1992; Ko et al., 1995). The main benefit mentioned is that the negative result was reassuring to the parents. We have not resorted to skin prick testing in our hospital prior to immunisation. According to the data reviewed from 16 studies, involving 1,265 children, and published in the Green Book, the number of children with positive skin tests to egg was 1,209, of which only two (0.16 per cent) had anaphylaxis following MMR vaccine. History of hypersensitivity or anaphylaxis following intake of eggs is not a contraindication to MMR vaccine, unlike the influenza or yellow fever vaccines. Children allergic to eggs (including those who have had anaphylactic reactions to egg) do not appear to be at greater risk for anaphylaxis to MMR vaccine than other children (Lakshman and Finn, 2000). Children with a history of anaphylactic reaction to eggs or who have coexisting active chronic asthma are the only small subgroups of children allergic to eggs who require hospital supervision during vaccination against measles (Khakoo and Lack, 2000). The MMR vaccine therefore can be safely administered to children with allergy to eggs and such children must not have their vaccinations delayed.The District Immunisation Advisory Clinic should provide a reassuring environment for parents of children with problem medical histories to receive specialist advice and discuss the contraindications to immunisation with well informed professionals, thereby increasing the rate of immunisation (Hall and Williams, 1988). Provided that this advice is fed back to general practitioners, these clinics have a valuable educational role as well as ensuring that children with false contraindications are not denied immunisation (Begg and Nicoll, 2000; Lingam et al., 1986).The Basildon Immunisation Advisory Clinic is active and fully functional. During our follow-up audit meeting, the main reasons identified for missed immunisation in the community were wrong advice given to parents by some health professionals and delay in discussing and liaising with the Immunisation Coordinator. This had further precipitated referral to hospital, as parents could not be convinced at a later stage despite adequate explanation and reassurance. If general practitioners and health visitors are able to liaise and communicate with this clinic more effectively and quickly, then most of the immunisation issues could probably be better resolved at that level itself.We therefore conclude from this study that the real indications for hospital-based immunisation as day cases are few. It seems natural to be concerned about the safety of immunising children with various medical problems in the community. But the fact remains that there are only very limited indications for referral to hospital for immunisation.Any child who does not have an absolute contraindication as described in the Department of Health guideline can be given the full range of immunisation safely in the primary care setting itself. The Green Book should provide invaluable guidance for many difficult situations and is readily accessible on the web (see www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/GreenBook/fs/en).Successful immunisation needs continuous effort among all the health professionals involved. Because of the enormous variety of professionals involved in the delivery of any immunisation program, it is necessary to have a mechanism to ensure that all these elements work together to provide efficient service. We have identified a definite need for further education and training of all the personnel involved in immunising children. The primary care staff that deal with immunisation should receive appropriate training to gain confidence and expertise in basic life support and preferably advanced paediatric life support. They should have the necessary equipment readily available to resuscitate a post-immunisation anaphylactic reaction. Feedback of results is essential with periodic review and updating of skills (Polnay, 1988). With proper education and training, it should be possible to improve the level of knowledge, confidence and decision making capacity. Clear, transparent departmental guidelines for appropriate referral should be made available to community doctors and health visitors.This study has changed our practice in that we have now disseminated an official document to all health care professionals concerned with immunisation in our region outlining clear indications for day case immunisation in hospital. Strengthening the services of the Immunisation Advisory Clinic and making it the focal point of support, education and guidance with regard to immunisation issues should encourage paediatricians, general practitioners, health visitors and parents to make more positive informed decisions. Telephone, e-mail and facsimile transmission should be increasingly used for rapid, effective communication and further follow-up action, although this might involve resource implications. The educational and training needs of the Immunisation Clinic and general practitioner surgery staff will be identified through feedback and appropriate training would be provided at the earliest opportunity. The topic will be re-audited in the year 2006 prospectively on the basis of the new pro forma that we have devised, and a yearly seminar will be conducted in our department.We look forward to achieving a standard wherein the parents can be reassured that the general practitioner surgery and the Immunisation Advisory Clinic are capable of offering the same level of care and competence as far as immunisation is concerned in comparison to the hospital day case unit. Our hope and belief is that these measures would in turn improve the service efficiency with better utilisation of hospital resources at a time when we intend to modernise medical careers by laying greater emphasis on the primary health care.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Seeks to assess whether referrals for immunisation as day cases are appropriate and to identify any adverse events following hospital-based immunisation.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Computerised consent forms and the ward registers were used to generate a list of children immunised in the day case ward of Basildon University Hospital between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2003.\nFindings: - There were 57 referrals for immunisation under medical supervision in the day case ward during the 12-month period. General practitioners referred 30 cases (53 per cent) followed by eight (14 per cent) referrals each from the Immunisation Coordinator Clinic and health visitors. The commonest reason for referral was previous reaction to vaccine (21 cases, 37 per cent), followed by history of egg allergy (11 cases, 23 per cent). The types of vaccines that were most frequently administered were the MMR first dose (18 cases, 32 per cent) and the second dose of DPT/OPV/HIB/Men C (13 cases, 23 per cent).\nPractical implications: - A total of 24 (42 per cent) of the referrals were judged to be inappropriate as per the UK Department of Health's guidelines. No adverse events were noticed during hospital-based immunisation. Definite guidelines exist in the UK for immunisation. However, a large proportion of children who deserved immunisation in the community were referred to the hospital day case unit.\nOriginality/value: - This paper identifies the inappropriateness of hospital-based immunisation and emphasises the need to create increased awareness regarding the true contraindications to immunisation among healthcare professionals by further education and training. Further, it is expected to stimulate many paediatric departments to look at their own practice and find ways to improve service efficiency and effective use of resources.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The role of KIBS in the IC development of regional clusters	[ "Intellectual capital", "Knowledge management", "Networking", "Knowledge organizations" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The role of knowledge has been widely discussed in the management literature. It has been argued that the so-called \"knowledge-based economy\" functions - at least to some extent - with a different value-creating logic to the industrial economy. The special attributes of knowledge, especially its characteristic as a \"public good\" and the endless replication possibilities included in it, make knowledge a key economic resource. Knowledge is seen today as the dominant source of competitive advantage (Drucker, 1995; Marr, 2005).The role of regions is highlighted in knowledge-based economy. Knowledge sharing contains elements that require physical proximity - learning by doing and learning by using are good examples of this. Although the new information technology increases the possibilities for codifying knowledge and transferring it over long distances, much of what needs to be communicated remains tacit. Besides the opportunities for contacts and informal links provided by spatial proximity, there are also other rationales behind focusing on regions. The peculiarities of the institutional fabric vary between regions, and the primary place of firms' decision-making is at the regional level. Furthermore, there are often localised pools of specialised expertise for certain industries. Finally, actors in the same region share, at least to some extent, common perspectives, norms and culture, which helps in creating an atmosphere of trust and confidence (Dosi, 1999; Howells, 1999; Kautonen, 2001; Zenker, 2001).Thus, the increasing internationalisation does not erode the significance of regions. On the contrary, many researchers consider the globalisation and regionalisation tendencies to be interconnected and mutually reinforcing (Howells, 1999). However, regions have to be active and find their own strengths in order to survive. With this kind of a strategy even remote regions can attract different kinds of flows: capital, employee and knowledge flows (Castells, 1996).Networking and the development of strong regional clusters have been argued to be a method by which the competitiveness of regions can be increased. The discussion on regional clusters is topical, for example, in those peripheral regions of the European Union where structural alterations have made traditional industries and agriculture unprofitable. The role of supporting services beside the industrial core has aroused growing interest in regional networks and clusters in recent years. Sufficient supply of services in a region often causes the emergence of \"a virtuous circle\": the services attract more firms to the region and the growing regional economy needs more services (Martinelli, 1991). Along with the development of the knowledge-based economy, advanced manufacturing industries depend on the availability of so-called \"knowledge-intensive business services\" (KIBS) in particular.The purpose of this paper is to analyse the roles of KIBS in regional development, especially from the viewpoint of IC development in regional clusters. Regional clusters are collaborations of several organizations within the same geographical area and industry (Porter, 1990). The roles of KIBS are examined in three kinds of networks developing in the context of a regional cluster:1. production networks;2. development networks; and3. innovation networks.It is argued that in each of these network types a specific type of knowledge - explicit, tacit and potential, respectively - becomes highlighted (although also other kinds of knowledge are needed). Correspondingly, the roles of KIBS are to some extent different in different kinds of networks. Before going more deeply into these roles, we summarise briefly the central findings of the earlier KIBS research as well the arguments behind the above-mentioned categorisations of networks and knowledge[1].\nThe nature and significance of KIBS: KIBS are expert companies that provide services to other companies and organisations. IT services, R&D services, technical consultancy, legal, financial and management consultancy, and marketing communications are typical KIBS industries (Miles et al., 1995; Hermelin, 1997; Strambach, 2001).KIBS have been found to hold a crucial position in the knowledge processes between and within firms, due to which their role as a supporter of the development of the knowledge-based economy has inspired broad discussion. Several studies have shown that KIBS are important sources of knowledge, facilitators of knowledge creation and carriers of knowledge (Miles, 1999). The role of KIBS as knowledge sources is linked to their functioning as active innovators. The versatile innovation activities in KIBS - measured both by investments in innovation and by the outputs of innovation - have been confirmed, for example, by the Community Innovation Surveys (Miles, 2001). The ability of KIBS to facilitate the knowledge processes of other companies stems from their numerous and versatile contacts with various stakeholders. On the basis of these abundant contacts KIBS have a broad view of the latest developments, which enables benchmarking (Strambach, 2001). While \"shuttling\" between different clients, KIBS also carry new ideas and best practices from one firm to another. They have been found to be the most common vehicle for the diffusion of innovations from larger firms to small and medium-sized enterprises in many countries (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1999).In the analysis of knowledge networks, the role of KIBS as \"brokers\" or \"bridging intermediaries\" has been the focus of several studies, i.e. besides the above-mentioned functions KIBS have been studied as actors which combine knowledge sources and knowledge users. They have been seen to form nodes in systems of customers, cooperation partners, public institutions and R&D establishments (Werner, 2001). The significance of the brokering function of KIBS is highlighted by the fact that most innovations today are not created inside single companies, but in networks of multiple companies (i.e. Powell, 1998). Empirical studies suggest that the network relationships and the bridging function of KIBS are mainly horizontal, linking firms within and across industries. However, as the employees in KIBS typically have an academic background, there are also natural linkages to the scientific world. (Kautonen, 2001; Leiponen, 2001).KIBS act as an interface and mediator between the knowledge buried in the daily practices of firms and the generic knowledge available in the economy as a whole. They are containers and dynamic sources of \"quasi-generic knowledge\" extracted from repeated interactions with firms and other actors, including producers of new scientific knowledge (Antonelli, 1998, 1999). Some researchers have summarised the role of KIBS in the society by saying that KIBS form an informal, private, \"second\" knowledge infrastructure, which complements the intermediate role played by the formal, public knowledge base, i.e. education and research institutions (den Hertog and Bilderbeek, 2000).The development of information and communication technologies (ICT) furthers the demand for KIBS in several ways. Along with the \"explosion\" of the amount of information, there is a growing need for highly qualified professionals who are able to provide comprehensive and customised interpretation of random data (Lundvall and Johnson, 1994). On the other hand, the development of ICT also gives new incentives to the codification of knowledge (Lundvall, 2001). It increases the divisibility of information, which, together with the enhanced accessibility, results in the growth of the commercial potential of information. KIBS tend to be among the chief advocates and supporters of the emerging information markets. Finally, ICT has essentially increased the opportunities to effectively combine external and internal knowledge sources. It has enabled easier interfaces and higher levels of appropriability of specific problem-solving methodologies. Through the use of these new means, KIBS can better than previously provide their clients with access to information dispersed in the society and enhance shared learning experiences between the nodes of innovation networks (Antonelli, 1998, 1999).As many KIBS operate regionally or locally, selling services to nearby firms (Kautonen, 2001; Muller and Zenker, 2001), their contribution has been considered to be of special importance in the regional context. Besides the creation and transfer of knowledge, KIBS also develop an understanding of the different actors in a region. In knowledge networks, KIBS use their sense of the surrounding business environments and bring different actors together. Thus, KIBS have an important role not only from the general IC point of view, but also in the formation of regional IC. Regional IC can be viewed as a capacity of a region to create wealth with intangible assets.\nKnowledge types and different kinds of regional networks: Researchers of knowledge management have identified three different types of knowledge:1. explicit knowledge;2. tacit knowledge; and3. potential knowledge.Explicit knowledge is especially linked with the issues of timely information provision. Tacit knowledge is most often discussed in the framework of conversions between tacit and explicit knowledge brought to general awareness by Nonaka with his SECI model (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). In the strategic management of a firm, the SECI model has been argued to be best suited to situations where existing processes are gradually improved (Scharmer, 2001). At the moment, the chaotic and complex elements of knowledge and their management are attracting increasing attention. Scharmer (2001) describes this third knowledge type - potential knowledge - as \"not-yet embodied, self-transcending\". It is needed in sensing and actualizing emergent business possibilities; in other words, it is the type of knowledge that gives momentum to the knowledge spiral of the SECI model[2].In general, the focus in the knowledge management literature has shifted from seeing knowledge as an asset of a firm towards seeing it as a capability. This notion has also been the starting point in the network model of a regional cluster described in this paper (Smedlund and Poyhonen, 2005).In some earlier studies (Poyhonen and Smedlund, 2004; Smedlund and Poyhonen, 2005), we found that the nature and structure of networks in a regional cluster vary according to the strategic goals of cooperation. These goals may be:* efficient production;* gradual development; or* continuous innovation.In order to reach competitive advantage, a regional cluster needs efficient production of pre-designed products, learning of best practices and ideas with trustworthy relationships, and finally, innovation of totally new products, production methods or processes. Correspondingly, the network structure consists of:* production networks targeted primarily to the implementation of knowledge;* development networks targeted primarily to the transfer of existing knowledge; and* innovation networks targeted primarily to the creation of new knowledge.When the production, development and innovation networks are working properly, innovative ideas find the right parties in order to become processed; also, new innovations diffuse fast and thus enhance productivity.It is important to point out that the three network types are not closed systems inside a region. A regional cluster consists of many overlapping production, development and innovation networks, and some of the networks have also actors from outside the region. An actor in the regional cluster can simultaneously participate in every type of network. From the viewpoint of individual firms, a certain type of network may dominate the firm's operations in a given time, but successful firms usually have elements of all three network types simultaneously. In other words, a firm has to be able to manage its existing business efficiently, to ensure the growth with these businesses, and to develop new businesses (Fitzroy and Hulbert, 2005).The idea of three basic types of networks provides a model that helps to understand how competitive advantage is created in regional clusters. The separation of the functions linked with production, gradual development and innovation activities also reduces the complexity of the network relationships into a more manageable level.In the following, we combine the ideas of the three different network types and the three different knowledge types. We argue that explicit knowledge is especially important for production-centred networks. In development networks, tacit forms of knowledge and the conversions between tacit and explicit knowledge play a central role. In innovation networks, knowledge is still to a large extent in a potential, chaotic form; the task of the network is to bring order to this chaos and make some elements of the potential knowledge \"existent\". A more detailed discussion on this argument follows in the next section, where we analyse the knowledge functions of KIBS in each of the different types of networks.\nThe roles of KIBS in production, development and innovation networks: The three types of networks can be described with some basic dimensions. Following our earlier work (Poyhonen and Smedlund, 2004; Smedlund and Poyhonen, 2005), we analyse the networks in terms of the nature of relationships, competences, information flows, and leadership methods. These dimensions were originally identified by Stahle in her study on the \"knowledge environments\" of different types of companies (Stahle et al., 2003). We also find the categorisation to be applicable at the network level, and we have discovered differences between the three network types on the above-mentioned dimensions. This result provides additional grounds for our argument about the different nature of knowledge and the different roles of KIBS needed in different kinds of networks.KIBS in production networks\nConcluding remarks: In this paper we have argued that regional clusters need three different kinds of networks to carry out successful business - production, development and innovation networks. In each network a specific type of knowledge is dominant, although also other kinds of knowledge are needed. In order to produce products efficiently, production networks need first and foremost directly applicable explicit knowledge. Tacit forms of knowledge and conversions between tacit and explicit knowledge are characteristic of development networks, where firms concentrate on step-by-step learning from each others' experiences. In innovation networks knowledge is still to a great extent in a potential form. The development of regional intellectual capital, and consequently the competitive advantage of a regional cluster, is based on successful functioning of all network types and on the use of all knowledge types. This way regions can hold on to their existing success factors, building new strengths simultaneously.We have further argued that the intermediating functions of KIBS in knowledge processes - a topic that has aroused growing interest in recent years - can be examined in the framework of the three network types and three knowledge types. KIBS convey explicit knowledge to help their clients to manage their existing business efficiently. They ensure the growth of their clients' business by transferring best practices which abundantly involve tacit knowledge. Finally, they help their clients develop new business by acting as sources of potential knowledge and by facilitating the innovation processes. These categorisations are naturally ideal models that in everyday life are intermingled in many ways. We hope, however, that our simplified categorisations may bring some new light to the complex issues of networks and knowledge management.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The paper seeks to introduce the concept of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) in the context of regional networks and to analyze the roles of KIBS in regional development, especially from the viewpoint of regional intellectual capital.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Regional networks are presented as the networks of production, development and innovation in the region. Drawing from recent literature, the roles of KIBS in regional networks are discussed.\nFindings: - It is argued that networks for production emphasize explicit knowledge, networks for development emphasize tacit knowledge, and networks for innovation emphasize emergent, potential knowledge. It is further stated that KIBS provide the timely information needed in production networks, transfer best practices that support learning in development networks, and function as sources of innovation and facilitators of innovation processes in innovation networks.\nPractical implications: - The paper provides an approach to reduce the complexity of regional networks into a more manageable level, and highlights the importance of knowledge-intensive business services in regions.\nOriginality/value: - The approach used in this paper addresses the following gaps in existing research: it argues that KIBS are important actors in the regional IC development, highlights that the roles of KIBS are different in production, development and innovation activities, and argues that a successful region needs all of these activities.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Enhancing the lodging experience through ethical leadership	[ "Customer orientation", "Lodging industry", "Ethical leadership", "Service sabotage", "Commitment to service quality", "Ethical values person-organization fit" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The hospitality industry has been struggling with ethical issues for many years (Lee and Tsang, 2013). It is subject to unethical practices and ethically ambiguous situations such as overbooking, over charging, charging for unused services, forcing use of unneeded services, theft, mistreatment of others, racial prejudices, sabotage, benefit at the expense of guest supplementary service, sexual harassment, requesting proprietary information and providing misleading information (Harris, 2012; Poulston, 2008). Such actions are frequent and noticed by guests (Harris, 2012), particularly as personal service continues to be replaced by automation. It is no wonder that today the hospitality industry looks to integrity as one of the most important qualities in potential employees (Dimitriou, 2016).\nTheoretical background and hypotheses development: This research can be placed within the larger context of the service-profit chain (Heskett et al., 1994). The service-profit chain establishes relationships between an organization's operating strategy and service delivery system (including internal service quality), external customer value, customer satisfaction and loyalty and firm profits. This research focuses on organizational aspects of the service operating strategy (i.e. ethical leadership, ethical values person-organization fit) that might influence service delivery (i.e. customer orientation, commitment to service quality, service sabotage). More specifically, the hypotheses are grounded in ethical decision-making theory (Schwartz, 2016). One key aspect of ethical decision-making theory is that managers can influence organizational members' ethical decision-making behavior (Deshpande et al., 2006; Dimitriou, 2013). Given that employees generally seek ethical guidance from others (Kohlberg, 1969), hotel supervisors practicing ethical leadership behaviors can influence subordinate perceptions (i.e. person-organization fit) that can ultimately affect service employee attitudes (i.e. employee commitment to service quality), values (i.e. customer orientation) and behaviors (i.e. service sabotage). Based on this premise, the hypotheses that follow were developed.\nMethodology: Sample and data collection\nAnalysis and results: The variance inflation factor (VIF) was computed for each construct to determine if there is an issue with multicollinearity. The largest VIF is 2.9 (R2 = 0.65) for ECSQ. Given that VIFs of 10.0 or less (the closer to 1.0 the better) are considered acceptable, multicollinearity is not a concern (Hair et al., 2006).\nTheoretical implications: The results of the hypotheses and overall model (Figure 1) provide important theoretical implications. This research extends our knowledge of the impact of leadership on negative employee behavior by finding that leaders who are perceived to practice ethical leadership behaviors in lodging properties can reduce service sabotage behaviors indirectly by aligning the customer-contact employee's ethical values with those of the organization, as well as when this employee is customer-oriented. Second, while ethical decision-making theory (Schwartz, 2016) points to the role of management in influencing ethical decision-making the findings of this research help clarify the types of leadership behaviors useful for influencing ethical decision-making (i.e. improved CO and reduced sabotage behavior), in particular among customer-contact service providers in the lodging industry. Third, we expand our knowledge of person-organization fit theory by showing that person-organization fit has a direct link to service sabotage and also serves as a mediator between ethical leadership and service sabotage. Fourth, given the importance of providing high-quality service to customers, this research demonstrates how ethical leadership and customer orientation can be used to directly improve hotel/motel customer-contact employees' commitment to providing quality service. Finally, it is worth noting that the current study significantly contributes to the lodging industry literature by being among the first to examine this specific set of factors in a hotel/motel setting where unethical behaviors are a known and persistent problem. In sum, the findings of this study enhance our knowledge of the literature on ethical decision-making theory, customer orientation, person-organization fit and service sabotage.\nManagerial implications: It is important to reiterate that while the focus of this study is ethical leadership, it is not suggested that ethical leadership be used at the expense of other leadership styles and in fact it can be used to complement them. As expected in H1, when customer-contact employees perceive their supervisor to be ethical, they are more committed to providing quality customer service in the lodging properties for which they work. Employee commitment to customer service is important to service providers because providing superior service quality increases customer loyalty and retention rates (Liang and Zhang, 2012). Moreover, unethical behavior in the workplace has significant detrimental effects on the organization and its constituents (Giacalone and Promislo, 2013). Therefore, those supervising customer-contact service employees should undertake several behaviors to be viewed by subordinates as ethical. They should listen to their employees, have their best interests in mind and make fair and balanced decisions. Besides conducting their personal life in an ethical manner, ethical leaders should set a good example, earn employees' trust, discuss business ethics and values with employees, and discipline those who violate ethical standards (Brown and Trevino, 2006). The success of ethical leaders is based not only on their achieved results but also on how they are attained, and as such ethical leaders must always consider what is right in making decisions in the lodging industry.\nLimitations and directions for future research: Although this research used recognized research practices, limitations and directions for future research are offered to guide potential future analyses of the relationships examined. First, the authors examined hotel/motel customer-contact employees. It would be interesting to see how the relationships examined might differ by customer-contact employees in other industries or other parts of the lodging industry, such as inns. Moreover, it is difficult to state with accuracy how well this study's sample matches the larger population of hotel/motel workers given the difficulty of finding specific statistics in that industry. Although our sample compares favorably to workers in the hospitality industry at large, some caution should be given in generalizing the results to the hotel/motel industry. According to the US Bureau of Labor statistics (2016), the median age of accommodations workers was 39.8 years, the median tenure in the hospitality industry was 2.2 years, the median income in the hospitality industry was $27,456 and women comprised 52.3 per cent of workers in the hospitality industry. In our sample, the median age is 30 years, the median tenure is 2.0 years, the median income is $30,000 and women comprised 47.6 per cent of our sample. While similar, they are not the same.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Grounded in ethical decision-making theory, this paper aims to develop and empirically tests a model that examines the relationships between ethical leadership, customer orientation, ethical values person-organization fit, commitment to service quality and service sabotage among customer-contact service employees in the lodging industry.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were electronically collected from a national survey of 316 hotel/motel customer-contact employees.\nFindings: Results revealed that perceived ethical leadership behavior is positively related to customer orientation, ethical values person-organization fit and commitment to service quality. Customer orientation is positively related to commitment to service quality and mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and service sabotage. Ethical values person-organization fit mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and service sabotage.\nResearch limitations/implications: The study is cross-sectional, limited to customer-contact employees in lodging settings and examines merely the employee perspective.\nPractical implications: Lodging leaders can benefit significantly in many areas by practicing ethical leadership. For example, service sabotage behaviors can be reduced indirectly by aligning the customer-contact employees' ethical values with those of the organization, as well as when this employee is customer-oriented. An ethical leadership style also can positively influence customer-contact employees' customer orientation and increase their commitment to service quality. Lodging properties must hire and cultivate managers and supervisors with ethical values.\nOriginality/value: This research helps to better understand leadership behaviors useful for improving the ethical conduct and performance of customer-contact employees in the lodging industry, while simultaneously improving their commitment to service quality and guest-oriented behavior.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A DMAIRC approach to lead time reduction in an aerospace engine assembly process	[ "Six Sigma", "DMAIC", "Assembly process", "Civil aerospace industry", "DFSS", "Lead time reduction" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Air travel is an essential part of modern and business life that spans from passenger transportation to cargo freight. In particular, the civil aerospace industry plays a vital role in the UK's economy as it supports over 200,000 direct and 500,000 indirect jobs (UK Aerospace Industry Survey, 2011). UK Trade and Investment (2011) indicates that the civil aerospace industry is one of the UK's highest value adding manufacturing sectors and the largest aerospace industry within Europe, generating a profit of around PS22 billion in 2009. The UK Aerospace Industry Survey (2011) considers the civil aerospace market, particularly the aircraft engine market, as fiercely competitive. For example,\n2 Review of problem solving, process improvement models and DMAIC: Different problem solving and process improvement models have been proposed in order to help organisations improve their manufacturing and business processes. Some examples include: Ford 8D's team-oriented problem solving (Ford Motor Company, 1988), Japanese QC STORY (Tadashi and Yoshiaki, 1995; Hosotani, 1992), Deming's PDCA cycle (Imai, 1986; Sokovic and Pavletic, 2007; Sokovic et al., 2010), seven steps method (Westcott, 2006; Scholtes et al., 2003), RADAR scoring matrix (Hides et al., 2004; Sokovic et al., 2010), Xerox quality improvement process and problem solving process (Palermo and Watson, 1993), ISO/IEC TR 15504 process improvement approach (Anacleto et al., 2004; van Loon, 2007), Raytheon Six Sigma (Smith et al., 2002), IDEALSM (McFeeley, 1996; Gremba and Myers, 1997), ADDIE (Islam, 2006), FADE (Krasper, 1992; Schiller et al., 1994), Quality Function Deployment (QFD) (Vonderembse and Raghunathan, 1997; Ross, 1988). However, as DMAIC is required by Six Sigma, which has been extensively implemented in industry (Black and Revere, 2006; Antony, 2004) and considerable attention has been paid to lean Six Sigma (George et al., 2005; Arnheiter and Maleyeff, 2005; Naslund, 2008), which also requires the use of this model, DMAIC may arguably be considered the most popular and used problem solving and process improvement approach.\n3 Aerospace engine assembly process lead time reduction through DMAIRC: This section presents a case study where the traditional DMAIC methodology has been modified, by including an additional phase called \"review\" (R), in order to reduce the lead time and variability of an aircraft engine assembly process of a UK's world-class aerospace organisation fiercely competing in the aircraft engine and civil aerospace market. Cameron and Price (2009) consider a single detailed case study a valid research methodology, particularly when the focus of the study cannot be detached from the organisational context where it occurs. Even though a single case study might be considered as a limited approach to prove the effectiveness of DMAIRC, if it is replicated again in this and/or different industrial context a generalisation and validation of findings can be achieved. Therefore, it would fall to a future research agenda to test DMAIRC through the use of multiple cases study in different settings.\n4 Conclusions: Dinsmore and Cabanis-Brewin (2010) comment that problem solving and continuous process improvement are key elements to achieve business excellence. For this reason, many problem solving and process improvement methodologies have been proposed and adopted by organisations in their quest for business excellence. The Six Sigma's methodology DMAIC may be considered the most important and widely used problem solving approach in industry. However, although the effectiveness of DMAIC has been widely recognised by academics and practitioners, different authors and organisations have proposed different versions of DMAIC in order to adapt it to specific improvement projects and organisational needs. This paper has presented a case study where DMAIC has been modified and adapted to the specific needs and improvement goals of a world-class organisation fiercely competing in the civil aerospace industry. In particular, a \"review\" (R) phase has been integrated to the DMAIC methodology. This phase allows organisations not only to review the results obtained from the improvement initiatives undertaken but also to evaluate the possibility of performing further improvements in order to achieve the maximum possible potential of a process. Within the context of the case study presented in this paper where DMAIRC was applied, the review phase guided the improvement team to carry out five improvement cycles (i.e. five engine trials) in order to test and validate different workstations loads and assembly sequences in order to define the optimum ones to reduce the lead time of an engine assembly process.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Problem solving and continuous process improvement are key elements to achieve business excellence. Many problem solving and process improvement methodologies have been proposed and adopted by organisations, with DMAIC being the most widely used. The purpose of this paper is to present an empirical application of a modified version of DMAIC which enabled a world-class organisation to achieve an optimum reduction in the lead time of its aerospace engine assembly process.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper reviews the most commonly used problem solving and process improvement methodologies and specifically, DMAIC, its variations and limitations. Based on this, it presents define, measure, analyse, improve, review, control (DMAIRC). Finally, DMAIRC is empirically applied through a case study, in a world-class manufacturing organisation.\nFindings: The results obtained from the case study indicate that DMAIRC is an effective alternative to achieve the maximum improvement potential of a process. In particular, DMAIRC helped the organisation studied to achieve a 30 percent reduction in the lead time of its engine assembly process.\nOriginality/value: The novel problem solving and process improvement methodology presented in this paper can be used by organisations to undertake a more effective improvement project by assuring that the maximum potential of their improvement initiatives and processes is achieved.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Bid/no-bid decision factors for Chinese international contractors in international construction projects	[ "International construction", "Project management", "Strategic management", "Questionnaire survey" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the construction industry, a contractor may be awarded a contract through one of two ways: by competitive bidding, or by non-competitive means, such as direct grant or negotiation with an owner (Shash, 1993). On receiving an invitation to bid, whether through competitive or non-competitive means, the dilemma to bid or not to bid for a project needs to be undertaken in a rational manner. Failing to bid on a suitable project can result in loss of opportunity to realize profit, while also giving up a potential long-term relationship with a powerful owner/consultant, along with the chance to strengthen market position within the industry. On the other hand, deciding to bid on a project may cause both tangible and intangible losses. Bidding but not winning translates into a waste of time and resources in proposal preparation. But more importantly, bidding and then winning an inappropriate project, which is beyond the contractor's capabilities or goals, may lead to serious financial losses, an adversarial relationship with the owner leading to loss of reputation, and even bankruptcy and failure of the firm.\n2. Review of literature on bid/no-bid decision factors: The bid/no-bid decision is an important and recurrent decision-making exercise for construction contractors prior to committing themselves to preparation for a proposal. The decision is characterized by complexity and uncertainty, which arise from the interrelationship of numerous factors (Wanous et al., 2003). Regarding the shortcomings of the bidding strategy models derived from Friedman (1956), Ahmad and Minkarah (1988) argue that only through uncovering the potential factors can the underlying logic necessary to such a decision be determined. Based on a questionnaire survey conducted among the top construction contractors in the USA, Ahmad and Minkarah (1988) identified 31 factors affecting bid/no-bid and mark-up decisions. Since then, their opinion has been echoed by many researchers concentrating on the investigation of factors affecting the two phases of bidding process.\n3. Research methodology: To achieve the set objectives aforementioned, the whole research process is conducted by several steps, as shown in Figure 2. A questionnaire survey is a systematic and widely used method applied in the social sciences to collect the opinions, views and facts of respondents (Fellows and Liu, 2015), which has been adopted by numerous studies to investigate factors affecting bid/no-bid decision for domestic projects (Ahmad and Minkarah, 1988; Bagies and Fortune, 2006; Egemen and Mohamed, 2007; El-mashaleh, 2013; Hassanein, 1996; Lesniak and Plebankiewicz, 2015; Morteza and Nicholas, 2016; Olatunji et al., 2017). As this study aims to investigate the importance of bid/no-bid decision factors and the latent relationships among them, so a questionnaire survey is appropriate for data collection and is undertaken to collect the professional views of experts. Before conducting the questionnaire survey, it is necessary to identify the influencing factors, which constitute the main body of the questionnaire.\n4. Research finding and discussion: 4.1 Descriptive analysis\n5. Conclusions and implication: The bid/no-bid decision is a crucial and complex strategic decision in international construction. Factors that influence the decision must be understood clearly before proceeding with making the decision. However, a complete list of factors affecting bidding decisions for international projects, along with their relative importance, is currently lacking. This paper sets out to answer this lack. Through a comprehensive literature review, 41 factors influencing the decision have been retrieved. Based on this data, a questionnaire survey was developed to measure the relative importance of those factors. 119 valid responces to the questionnaire were received from qualified CICs, with the ranking importance of factors determined by statistical analysis - measuring mean score value and standard deviation. The discrepancy in rank and importance value perceived between large and small-medium CICs is explored by ranking disparity analysis, non-parametric test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test. The result indicates the discrepancy in rank and importance value is affected by several factors, but this does not change the overall consistency of rankings. Factor analysis is adopted to uncover the underlying factor groups considered by CICs in the decision. The nine factor groupings are obtained with a high degree of reliability and validity, with \"contractor's capability\" and \"country risk of the host country\" emerging as the two most important factors affecting the bid/no-bid decision for international construction.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Factors affecting bid/no-bid decisions of international projects are more complex than those of domestic projects. The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank decision factors considered by variously sized Chinese international contractors (CICs) and categorize those groups of factors important to experienced practitioners.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The analysis of factors identified by a literature review is conducted based on data derived from questionnaire results received from 119 CIC project and bidding managers. The relative importance of factors is measured by mean value and standard deviation. The discrepancy in rank and importance value perceived by variously sized CICs are explored by ranking disparity analysis, non-parametric test and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test. Finally, factor analysis is used to categorize the underlying groups of factors considered by CICs.\nFindings: In sum, 41 factors are identified through the literature review as having an impact on the bid decision. Significant disparities in ranking and importance are found in several factors, which partially affect the consistency of the ranking of factors perceived between large and small-medium CICs. Ultimately, nine major factors are identified as impacting the bidding decision, with \"contractor's capability\" and \"country risk of the host country,\" being the most important.\nResearch limitations/implications: The weight of a factor considered in a decision varies across contractors as a function of contractor size. Whether using models or subjective judgment in making decisions, it is beneficial to fully understand the main groups of factors influencing the decision. Vulnerability to country risk emerges as the first criterion accessed in the bid decision.\nOriginality/value: A comprehensive set of factors is established for CICs, including both general factors common to domestic projects, and international factors unique to international projects. All factors are grouped by inferential analysis from the perspective of contractors, which reveals the underlying mechanism of the bid decision-making process. While the data were collected from CICs, the methodology in exploring factors, along with implications, is determined to be applicable internationally.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Ladies' purchase intention during retail shoes sales promotions	[ "Malaysia", "Consumer behaviour", "Women", "Shoes", "Social surroundings", "Temporal perspective", "Task definition", "Physical surroundings", "Retail shops", "Sales promotions" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: All of us need shoes. A survey in the US showed the average pair of shoes owned per person is ten pairs and projected worldwide production of shoes by 2010 is 20 billion pairs (Albers et al., 2008). Shoes, or generally termed footwear, includes sandals, high heels, sport shoes, etc., are considered as seasonal products demanded by consumers. Shoes are designer-made, custom-made, or mass produced. According to Sonja and Steven (1998) virtually all products are seasonal if it dictates business strategy. In Malaysia, shoes are promoted as festive seasonal products in all shopping malls. According to the Malaysia Retailer-Chain Association (MRCA) website, there are more than 200 retail chain stores covering at least 6,500 outlets in Malaysia. Although there is no specific indication of members' retailing, it is estimated that these members provide more than 60,000 job opportunities for the industry[1]. The Datamonitor's retail data books indicate Malaysia department stores for clothing and footwear increased at compounded annual growth (CAGR) of 4.9 per cent between 2002 and 2007 and in 2007 these stores' product sales have accounted for 57.3 per cent share. Recently, the Malaysia Retail Report forecasted a continual growth of MYR 167.37 bn (USD 47.52 bn) in 2011 to MYR 252.0 bn (USD 71.55 bn) by 2014[2]. This suggests that the retail industry has a significant economic contribution to the nation.Malaysia is well known for its shoes design. Shoes retail sectors are generally positioned in modern shopping malls, housing specialty retail stores that promote famous local designers' shoes like Vincci, Lewre, and Jimmy Choo and imported shoes like Prada, Nose, Gucci, among others, inclusive of locally made non-branded shoes. Designer shoes sold in these outlets are targeted for middle to upper class consumers. Anecdotal evidence of these stores is located in Midvalley Mega Mall, City Square, Melaka Mall, and others.Interestingly, in Malaysia there are at least six sales promotions yearly. With a multi-racial society, the country's sales promotions often coincide to commemorate the festive seasons of various ethnic groups. These include Hari Raya Adilfitri Sales (for celebration of Muslim's fasting month), Chinese New Year Sales (for celebration of Chinese New Year), Deepavali Sales (for celebration of Indian Festival of Light), Christmas Sale (for celebration of Christmas season), Malaysia Mega Sales Carnival (formerly known as year-end sale), and Retail Anniversary Sale; averaging one sale every two months.In a competitive shopping mall environment, these shopping malls usually hold nation-wide sales simultaneously with the supermarket/grocery and retail shop outlets sales promotions throughout the year for consumers' visits and purchase. Due to its fast fashion fluctuation and seasonality, unsold off-seasoned shoes are often sold during sale promotion and often coincide with the nation shopping malls-wide sales.To ensure sales promotion effectiveness, some shoes retailers even resort to using vouchers as promotion tools (Peter and Olsen, 2010, p. 240) while others introduced membership cards with redeemable accumulated points for future shoes purchase as sale promotion strategy to entice consumers. This scenario clearly depicts sale by promotions are tougher than ever. This implies shoes retailers are required to comprehend consumers' purchasing behaviour, which could vary in different culture and age group (Kwok and Uncles, 2005). For example, the Korean teens are conscious about their images and tend to purchase shoes of aesthetic value than quality (Yoh et al., 2011). Whereas in America, shoes are extension of self among university students (Belk, 2003) and in India, there is no significant relationship between income and brand and imported shoes among urban consumers (Saha et al., 2010). These studies enquired the shoppers' views about footwear. Based on these contentions, we suspect the local consumers purchasing behaviour would differ as in other countries. Thus, this leads us to examine the local differences in shoes purchasing behaviour, specifically during festive sales promotions in malls' shoes retail stores.This paper is organised in the following way. It begins with the literature review on the Belks' multiple situational factors on consumers' buying behaviour during sales, in which the hypotheses are derived. The second section explains the research methodology that includes the quantitative analysis, sample and data collection procedures, and the empirical results. In the discussion section, the findings are discussed and recommendations proposed, with research limitations. Finally, the last section draws a conclusion of the study, with proposed future research.\n2. Literature review and hypotheses development: There are arrays of consumers purchasing behaviour and decisions studies using Belk's (1975) situational factors. The situational factors consist of physical and social surrounding, task definition, temporal perspectives and antecedent states. Comparative analysis of past studies found these factors were tested in one and across different countries. Anic and Radas (2006) used these variables on hypermarket in Croatia setting on grocery items and Zhuang et al. (2006) examined collectively in three countries/regions in USA, China, and Hong Kong shopping malls on purchase of food or non-food products. In Zhuang et al. (2006) study, the findings indicate varying behaviour among shoppers in different countries. For example, Hong Kong shoppers feel their companion affect their buying behaviour on food but the US and Chinese counterparts have mixed feelings on companion's influence. These studies also used random intercept technique for data collection where consumers were randomly selected for interviews immediately after shopping in mall environments, followed by completion of questionnaires. Critical analysis on these studies indicate the data were collected in market and shopping malls during normal shopping periods with both genders and products mixed (food and non-food) purchased settings (Zhuang et al., 2006; Anic and Radas, 2006; Roslow et al., 2000 - see Table I).Most countries hold similar sales promotions annually. During sales promotion, retail shops often display differences in physical surrounding with different decor, music, and sales discount ranging from 20 to 70 per cent. This environmental change would stimulate and affect consumer-purchasing behaviour. The intention of sales is to provide price reduction with product appeal (Alvarez and Casielles, 2005) with an outcome of drawing crowds to retails shops in shopping mall. Fam (2003) study on three types of sales: change-of-season (COS), Christmas sales, and general sales in New Zealand, Portugal, and Hungry show that sales promotion ensure stock clearance that increases profits, reinforcing store image, attracting new customers, and generate more in-store excitement.With reference to past sales promotion literatures, most studies were conducted in Western developed countries, such as New Zealand (Parson, 2003), Australia, (Kwok and Uncles, 2005; Dawes, 2004), the UK (Gilbert and Jackaria, 2002), Canada (d'Astous and Jacob, 2002), but little is known on consumer's behaviour during sales promotions by retailers located in Asian countries, especially in a developing country like Malaysia. The intention to use Belk's model in this study is justifiable based on the following reasons. First, in Belk's literature (Belk, 1975), the author compiled and reviewed situational variables used by other researchers (e.g. Mehrabian and Russell, 1974; Kasmar, 1970; Sells, 1963) to derive paradigm that describes the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R), which is applicable to \"array of situational dimensions.\" For example, the temporal perspective variable of Belk's model, the dimension of situations may be specified in terms of time of day to season of the year, past or future event, which other model did not address. Second, to our knowledge, Belk's model has not been used in sales promotion situation in mall's retail store and on one specific product - shoes. For instance, in Zhuang et al. (2006) study they found positive impact of shoppers' buying intention on non-food product (not specified) and they spend more time in a mall. The authors recommended examining on assortment of non-food products in retail settings to extend the external validity. Last, in the later development, Belk modified his model to include a non-situational factor and explained the significant characteristic of an individual or object (Belk, 1975) in which Zhuang et al. (2006) highlighted that the non-situational factor like gender and race are least examined.Therefore, in this study we fill the gaps by examining situational factors on female consumers' buying behaviour and link this to sales promotions. The situational factors consist of social and physical surroundings, temporal perspective, and task definition in mall shoes retail shops setting. We excluded antecedent state factor but replaced it with a non-situational factor, ethnic group as moderator to the framework to observe the predictors influence on sales purchasing outcome. Antecedent state factor was not included for reasons that we are examining buyers' shoes sales purchase experience and perceptions on the shops patronised. \"Antecedent states are momentary moods or conditions of buying such as acute anxiety, pleasantness, hostility, cash on hand, fatigue, and illness\" (Zhuang et al., 2006; Belk, 1975) is only applicable when an intercept technique is used where the consumers could still momentary recall their shopping moods, shops they patronised, and items purchased.We specifically choose all-female sample as past findings show that female spend more time and energy than men during shopping, thus making shopping as a form of leisure and enjoyment (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2003), and \"a typical later aged female teen was born to shop\" (Taylor and Cosenza, 2002). According to Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart for non-profit consumer research group Consumer Union, \"Women are passionate shoe shoppers and this survey shows that shoe shopping is almost a sport for women,\" (Goldman, 2007). Understanding female's shoes buying behaviour and intention, especially in a multi ethnic country like Malaysia would elucidate the significant characteristics of an individual woman.This would provide mall retail owners some appropriate promotional objectives and strategies; product's positioning, and target market to maximise sales profits. Furthermore, segmenting and understanding of target segments are important inputs to differentiating products and enhancing shopping propensity (Taylor and Cosenza, 2002). Furthermore, it adds to the external validity on purchase of shoes as non-food product recommended by Zhuang et al. (2006) using Belk's variables.2.1 Social surroundings\n3. Research methodology: 3.1 Survey instrument and data collection\n4. Discussion and recommendations: This study examines the extent to which ladies experienced in yearly purchased of shoes during sales promotions in mall retail shoes shop lots. In model 2, the findings revealed that at least 30.7 per cent of the variance in sales promotions purchase is explained by Belk's situational factors of Social Surrounding, Temporal Perspective, Task Definition, and Physical Surrounding. In model 3, the results show that the ethnic groups do not moderate the situational factors.4.1Temporal perspective\n5. Contribution to marketing practice: 5.1 Planning for sales promotion\n6. Limitations and future study: The study was conducted by convenience sampling in a university with a group of students and university staffs using Belk's framework. The respondents' perceptions and buying experience on local shoes sales promotions were found. As such, there are three apparent limitations identified. First, the results are not generalisable to other female's groups of age above 31, education level, income above RM 3,000, and other demographic attributes not specified in this study.Second, the study may yield different results if the respondents are intercepted immediately after shopping as the respondents' are able to recall then shopping events. This was due to the possibility of biases in retrospective accounts of past events (Schwenk, 1995; Singh and Greenhaus, 2004). However, it is assumed that these biases are minimal as there are six sales per year in the country, averaging one sale per two months. Despite the limitations, the findings provide some insights on the present day sales shoppers' behaviours for mall practitioners and researchers. Third, the dependent variable only asked the respondents' perceptions on all sales promotion in cluster as opposed to perception of different sales promotions.Future study should test on the antecedent state for the same frameworks, moderated by different age and incomes groups, and education level on the same product in retail shoes store setting to confirm the consistency of the findings by comparing the dataset with the present results. If the social surrounding factor consists of more than one-item, the questions should include few negatively worded questions to prevent the tendency of mechanistic respond from the respondents (Sekaran, 2004, p. 240).\n7. Conclusion: In this study, we examine ladies shoppers buying intention in mall retail shoes stores using Belk's model (Belk, 1975). The situational factors using social surrounding, temporal perspective, task definition and physical surrounding to sales purchase intention have identified few key variables that influence this group of shoppers' behaviour. Thus, the study is concluded as follows:* As shoppers preferred shopping during the first day of sales, retail owner must ensure pre-first day sales are well advertised in appropriate media.* As shoppers preferred shopping in outlet with more shoes designs, retail owner must ensure sufficient on sales shoes and new designs are display at the shelves.* As shoppers preferred an outlet with music and bright store, retail owner must ensure the right choice of music to match shopper's age group and festive songs couple with fancy bright lighting decoration.* As shoppers preferred to shop in large store, retail owner should consider mounting wall mirrors as interior design to elevate shop's space to meet consumer's preference on large shop space.* As shoppers are limited by budget during purchase, retail owner to consider strategies associated with the choice of monetary promotions and non-monetary promotions to suit all buyers (Kwok and Uncles, 2005) to attract them for next sales visits.Overall, the study indicates current mall sale retail shoppers' buying behaviour and decision, which may change over time. Compliance of these factors would induce more time spend among shoppers in the store and positive impact on buying behaviour and an impact on external validity. Therefore, successful retail investment will require constant monitoring and adequate response to changing consumer behaviour and needs in order to achieve and sustain competitive advantage and long-term profitability (Wong et al., 2001).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to examine ladies' buying behaviour during shoes sales promotions in Malaysia, using the highly validated Belk's Model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Using this validated model, the main research framework consists of Social Surroundings (SS), Temporal Perspective (TP), Task Definition (TD), Physical Surrounding (PS), used as predictors for Sales Promotion Purchase (SPP). Ethnic groups are used as a moderator for this study.\nFindings: - The results identify few key predictors during shoes sales promotion. Ladies expressed the importance of first day sales for first buyer's advantage, and they preferred large shops with music. Moreover, due to the multi-racial society in the country, ethnic group interaction on the model did not indicate impact of consumer differences affecting the sales promotion purchase. That is, during a specific festive season sale, all ethnic groups take full advantages of the sale.\nResearch limitations/implications: - This implies that Belk's Model is still applicable even in multi sales promotions for a specific product - shoes. However, the study may have the slight possibility of biases due to the retrospective accounts of recalling purchase involvement in retails shop(s) during sale promotions. Nevertheless, it is assumed that these biases are minimal as there are six sales per year in the country, averaging one sale per two months.\nOriginality/value: - This study provides an insight of ladies' purchasing behaviour and their preferred types of retail outlets, which contributes to retail owners' sales promotional strategies to attract consumers during festive seasons.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
CHANGE: a concept of organizational learning and change	[ "Workplace training", "Organizational change" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: In the course of the past two years I organized and co-chaired several workshops in the Los Angeles area, attended by leaders of local for-profit and non-profit organizations. Among the attendees to these workshops were leaders from the academic environment, from locally and internationally operating business corporations, and from community development organizations. During the workshops, my associates and I facilitated various brainstorm sessions about ways to enhance the quality of life at work.\nCHANGE: There are various theories in existence on how to encourage organizational learning and subsequently ensure advanced quality in processes and procedures. This article introduces a straightforward process that can easily be followed in organizations that strive for optimal performance, efficiency in input, and maximization in output. The process to be introduced was developed on the basis of analyses of various workshops for business executives, for employees in the workplaces of some of these executives, and through in-depth interviews with three of these executives. This process is also easy to remember, because it is called: CHANGE, whereby each letter of the word represents a step in a continuously applicable process. Here's what CHANGE is all about:Checking\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This article presents a new concept of organizational learning and subsequent organizational change, called CHANGE.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - This concept was developed as a result of workshops executed for Los Angeles based business leaders; employees in for-profit as well as non-profit organizations, and three in-depth interviews with business leaders. The presented concept reviews and elaborates on six steps toward change, resulting from a practice of continuous surveying and consequential questioning of existing rules and processes. The article also presents a simple figure to explain this process.\nFindings: - Each letter of the word CHANGE represents a step in a continuously applicable process. These steps are: checking; harvesting; advising; navigating; granting; and executing.\nOriginality/value: - One thing that became very clear throughout the workshops and the interviews used for data collection toward this paper is, that CHANGE will work in for-profit, non-profit, small, medium sized, and large corporations if implemented with the right constituents and on a continuous basis.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Inter-company interaction framework: understanding the 4 Cs framework to promote learning	[ "Development strategies", "Engagement and learning", "Learning organization", "Team development" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Senge (1990) asserts that a shared vision is paramount to developing a learning organization. Building the shared vision is of such importance that Senge places it on his list of five disciplines required for the development of a learning organization. As he describes shared vision, it is an output from the interactions between agents that develops into a shared vision or aligned image of the future. So to understand the output of shared visions, one must also understand the underlying interactions that act as antecedents to the outcome.\nComplexity in inter-company learning: Organizational learning integrating across boundaries into partnering organizations is not a new phenomenon. Studies of inter-company relationships have been prevalent for over 40 years. With organizations relying on partners in the value chain, expanding the learning organization beyond one organization becomes a winning advantage as the organizations leverage one-another. As previous studies too numerous to list assert, if the entire channel, from raw material to end-consumer, can operate consistently as a learning organization, the ability to gain strategic advantage through quick learning should follow. However, linkage of learning organization concepts across organizations is not without peril as the development of interactions to create the shared vision are separated by two organizations not always aligned toward the same strategic business imperatives.\nWholesale channel: Much has been explored about methods to influence partner organizations in channel relationships. Two basic prevailing methods are economic (Etgar, 1978) and behavioral (Frazier and Summers, 1984). But, there are many other concepts such as commitment, loyalty, recurrent exchange, and transactional cost economics that have dotted the literature. The objective here is not to expand on the many theories as all of these methods play on the same concept of influencing the partner to act in a manner aligned with the joint objective of learning. These concepts begin with the assumption that the organizations are interacting at the same level. Or, to revert to Senge (1990), these studies often assume that the members of different organizations understand how to recognize the patterns of interaction within the partner organization. However, just as warned by Senge (1990) the recognition of interaction pattern is not always the case. The patterns of interactions between companies often occur at differing levels with very different objectives. And, these differing patterns of interaction create the confusion that ultimately either derail or accelerate learning.\nThe 4C framework of interaction patterns: The 4 Cs outline why the interactions toward a learning organization occur and what the interactions are based upon from both sides of the interaction. It there basis, the 4 Cs focus on why the two separate organizations even engaged in interactive learning. The 4 Cs can apply anywhere two organizations attempt to learn from one-another; however, in the context of this paper the focus is upon using the 4 Cs to promote a shared vision toward a learning organization.\nThe unmentioned fifth C: Conflict is the unmentioned fifth C. You can learn much from conflict. However, it is always best to be aware of gaps that could create conflict before it happens. For example, if your partner's pattern of interaction is consistently at the communicate level and you are trying to engage in collaborative activities, understand conflict may arise. This is the most extreme of the 4 C disconnect, and as you align on the C in your pattern of learning interaction, the level of conflict should become increasingly manageable. Understanding the 4 Cs is important and will greatly support the ability to foresee or understand the fifth C should conflict begin to arise.\nBenefits of the understanding the 4 Cs: Managing patterns of interaction is critically important in guiding the system toward a learning organization. As described by Senge (1990) the interaction patterns can either undermine or accelerate learning. Leaders who can quickly evaluate the inter-company system and understand the interactions can begin the steps to guiding the inter-company interactions toward a pattern that best meets the leader's objective on both sides of the interaction. Understanding why the partner is interacting and why your organization is interacting with the partner will greatly aid the leader's progress toward designing a learning organization.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce a conceptual framework to assist members of an inter-company structure in understanding the partner company's interest in interacting and advancing toward a learning organization.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The paper provides a framework outlining the differing patterns of interaction between the two separate organizations and describes how each of the differing interactions should be used to align the learning system. Without understanding the 4 Cs from the side of both companies, the interaction may misalign, and the shared vision of learning may fail.\nFindings: In order to best ensure consistency in knowledge sharing across the organizations, the L&D practitioner in conjunction with the sales and marketing arm of the organization should examine the interactions and identify the patterns of interaction before developing a learning system engaging the partner organization.\nPractical implications: Managing the patterns of interaction through an understanding of the 4 Cs allows the organizations to quickly understand why learning systems are failing and where conflicts may arise.\nOriginality/value: The paper offers a conceptual framework for senior managers to consider when they enter into an inter-company interaction. The example is set in a wholesale distributor model; however, the framework can provide the L&D professionals areas into which they can expand traditional learning environments when working across company boundaries.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Strategies for marketing diamonds in China from the perspective of international diamond SMEs compared to the west	[ "China", "SME", "Guanxi", "Strategy", "Diamond industry", "Social networks", "Ganqing", "Renqing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: We have seen in the past three decades far-reaching and essential changes in China's economic infrastructure and business environment (Gu et al., 2008). During this relatively short span of time, China has completely altered its economy, moving from a structure based on central planning to a socialist market economy in which legally independent firms coexist with a Communist political infrastructure called \"State Capitalism\" (Barbieri et al., 2010). Simultaneously contemporary China has advanced from one of the world's deprived, most economically backward nations to an emerging global leader with a substantial and opulent middle class.\nOverview of the Chinese diamond industry: Diamonds are thought to have been initially mined in India (Hart, 2001). They were cherished as gifts from the Gods. They were used to decorate religious icons, and were believed to bring good luck to persons who possessed them. By the start of the Roman Empire, a thriving trade in diamonds had developed between India, Mesopotamia, Syria, Ceylon, and China (Spar, 1994). Diamonds that reached the Roman Empire were prized for their supposed magical powers. Rome re-exported diamonds to China in exchange for silk, spices and other products demanded by its elites. The Chinese initially used diamonds as cutting tools (Harris and Cai, 2002) and only much latter implemented them into jewelry. In cultural terms, China is unique in that prior to 1993, polished diamond consumption was almost non-existent, and consumers were largely unaware of diamonds as a luxury product. The traditional Chinese market was for gold or jade (Berger and Herstein, 2012). De Beers formally established its first sales office in Guangzhou, China, in 1993 and began to develop this market (Even-Zohar, 2007). At that time, the diamond industry in China had a retail value of only $169 million, with an average growth per annum in the double digits (Haris and Cai, 2002). According to official figures, diamond imports for local consumption in China reached a record high of $699 million in 2009, an increase of 30.7 percent over 2008, and total trade was estimated at $4 billion in 2010.\nThe structure of the Chinese diamond industry: The organization of the Chinese diamond industry is complex and has undergone frequent changes. These changes are a function of legal and market needs as seen by the central government. From no official privately owned small businesses in 1979, by 1999 there were more than ten million SMEs registered in China representing some 90 percent of all firms (Anderson and Edward, 2008). According to the Chinese Economic and Trade Committee, these firms provided 60 percent of GNP, 40 percent of profits and taxes and some 68 percent of exports (Berger et al., 2013). Figure 1 provides a rough overview of China's present diamond industry structure.\nGuanxi: Social networks in the Chinese context are referred to as Guanxi, a particular Chinese social governance mechanism (Yang and Wang, 2011; Yen et al., 2011). Guanxi grew out of the concept of a collective society in which interpersonal harmony (Confucianism) is a central social value and the relational core is paternal (Patt-Shamir, 2006). It is a source of social capital that individuals and firms draw on especially when formal legal institutions are unavailable or unreliable (Gu et al., 2008). Social capital is the resource that arises from strong community ties, and exists in collective cultures especially where legal systems and enforcement mechanisms are weak or unreliable (Berger and Herstein, 2013). The development of business relationships under guanxi is considered an intensive process involving ongoing day-to-day management, which is costly, time consuming and does not necessarily generate an immediate commercial result (Guthrie, 1998). Guanxi is a construct made up of:\nBusiness models in the Chinese diamond industry: Model 1 - the socially embedded strategy\nMethod: To assess which of the three business strategies is more prevalent in the Chinese diamond industry, a two stage qualitative research design was implemented. The difficulty of obtaining access to executives in the diamond industry is well known given the secretive nature of the industry in general, compounded by the reluctance of Chinese business people and officials to make information available to the public (Li et al., 2009; Simoni et al., 2010). In the first stage, a qualitative exploratory research was undertaken to clarify the key ideas and ensure the appropriateness of the conceptual model. In this stage the researchers aimed for a better picture of the relationships between the various SMEs in the industry and to verify the validity of the interviews administered in the second stage.\nFindings and implications: The interview responses confirmed previous findings by Li et al. (2009) and Berger and Herstein (2012) that trade in the Chinese diamond domestic markets is conducted through SMEs and involves more fraud and corruption than in other international diamond markets. This is highlighted by the following response from one of the Chinese diamond firms \"I rather do business with a person I do not know or trust [...] it makes business less complicated.\" This implies that the model chosen is the rationale-based model instead of the expected socially based model prevalent in many other Chinese industries.\nImplications and conclusions: China is often viewed as a traditional society imbued with a unique culture where traditionalism and conservatism govern the way of doing business (Tam, 2002). Yet China is undergoing remarkable changes in the social and economic spheres. The Chinese diamond industry presents a useful case study for exploring the differences between rule-based and socially based business systems. As it is a new industry in China with relative new Chinese SMEs, it is an interesting case study that examines the traditional vs the modern way of conducting business in China.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The Chinese diamond industry is dominated by SMEs. The purpose of this paper examines which of the three business strategies prevalent in the global diamond industry is utilized by Chinese diamond SMEs compared to those used in other western countries. In so doing, it maps the major actors in the Chinese diamond industry and identifies the challenges faced by SMEs when entering the highly competitive but very lucrative Chinese diamond industry.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A two stage approach was undertaken. Step 1 involved exploratory field work with leading institutions. In the second stage a qualitative questionnaire was administered to members of 54 small to medium-sized international diamond SMEs operating in China. The difficulty of acquiring information on this secretive industry was further hindered by the equally secretive nature of Chinese culture.\nFindings: Guanxi was found not to be prevalent in the Chinese diamond industry. This is an interesting finding as China is a socially embedded and highly networked society. Chinese diamond SMEs conduct business by implementing a transactional-based approach to business strategy that centers on short-term cash-based transactions.\nResearch limitations/implications: Future studies should use a quantitative questionnaire with a larger set of Chinese SME diamond firms. Studies could also examine whether the transformation from a system based on social networks to a system based on market forces as found in the Chinese diamond industry has been transposed to other Chinese industries dominated by SMEs. This may show the rationalization of the Chinese economy and its progression toward western models of exchange.\nOriginality/value: This paper is a pioneering work on the structure and business strategy implemented by SMEs in the Chinese diamond industry.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Unfinished business: Peter Townsend's project for minimum income standards	[ "Income", "Incomes policy", "Elderly people", "United Kingdom" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government's commitment to \"ensure that work always pays and is seen to pay\" in the UK is to be welcomed (Cm 7957, 2010), but the concern for social policy continues to be the government's refusal to adopt an explicit research-based approach to establish social protection policy for healthy living (Glennerster et al., 2009). The UK urgently needs a Minimum Incomes Standards Commission, independent of government, to investigate and report on income adequacy in welfare and social protection policy for vulnerable groups such as pensioners, disabled people, and working families with and without children (Veit-Wilson, 1994b, 2001; Zacchaeus 2000 Trust, 2004). This shortcoming in British social policy was well recognised by Townsend (1952a, b, 1954) as far back as the 1950s; Townsend (1962, p. 220) argued that any effort to establish a \"minimum income standard\" in official policy is meaningless unless we are able to show empirically that households can and do in fact secure a healthy standard of living with their income.In two papers for the British Journal of Sociology (Townsend, 1954, 1962), the later article recently being republished in a special 60th anniversary issue of the journal as having had a significant and enduring impact on sociology (Townsend, 2010), and in the Poor and the Poorest (Abel-Smith and Townsend, 1965), Townsend recommended a statistical technique for using observations - taken from national household surveys - of the relationship between a healthy balanced nutritious diet and household income levels to help determine minimum income standards. The recent merger of two British social surveys in 2001 allows us to examine the relationship between diet and income in much greater detail than has hitherto been possible. In this article, we revisit Townsend's early work discussing the measurement of poverty and we attempt to operationalise his ideas for determining minimum income standards for healthy living using social survey data relating to the older UK population aged 60 years plus. Before describing the study methods and results, and discussing their implications, we examine Townsend's critique of Rowntree's research into poverty and his call for evidence-based minimum income standards to underpin social security policy.\nThe Rowntree/Townsend/Veit-Wilson poverty debate: From the seventeenth century onwards, we see social researchers in Britain attempting to identify non-arbitrary minimum income standards for different sections of the population (Deeming, 2010). Seebohm Rowntree's groundbreaking inquiries into poverty have attracted much attention over the years and have often themselves been a major source of confusion and debate within social policy (Veit-Wilson, 1986a). Rowntree's purpose was, explicitly, to put the question of whether people were poor beyond dispute. He was primarily interested in socially defined poverty, that which could be observed, and his team of researchers attempted to visit all working-class household in the city of York between January and September 1899, observing any evidence of \"want and squalor\" (Rowntree, 1901). Rowntree, the industrialist, was also interested in economic and budgetary aspects of poverty and he therefore devised a household budget standard for \"physical efficiency\"; this was in no way a standard for social life but one he believed to be above the level of subsistence to encourage productive work within the factory. Knowledge from the field of nutrition was used to help set the food budget; other budgets were constructed to cover the cost of clothing, fuel, and rent (Rowntree, 1901). In his second and third surveys of York, the list of personal and household items increased, reflecting the higher standard of living at the time (Rowntree, 1941; Rowntree and Lavers, 1951). The budget now included expenditures for social life and participation, necessaries for a healthy life (Table I).Clearly, a number of research strands come together in Rowntree's inquiry. Veit-Wilson (1986a, b), in his scholarly review of Rowntree's work, draws our attention to the sociological aspects of his survey, the observations of \"want and squalor\" that reflect contemporary social norms; while Townsend (1986) focused upon the economic and budgetary aspects of the inquiry. Importantly, Rowntree's findings and standards were used by William Beveridge and government officials in 1942 to rationalise social security rates, which has presented an enduring problem for social policy ever since (Townsend, 1952a, 2004; Veit-Wilson, 1992, 1994a)[1].Townsend (1952b) argued that the budget standards that Seebohm Rowntree had produced were essentially social constructs, almost entirely based upon the judgements and opinions of Rowntree himself. According to Townsend (1954), even identifying basic household essentials presented a challenge to social researchers drawing up the budgets for \"the poor\". In this process, Rowntree was ignoring many complex issues, thereby making his standards seem rather \"arbitrary\" to Townsend (1954). Rowntree had in fact singled out some items to be necessary, everyday items like a newspaper for example (Table I), but neglected others such as contraceptives or cosmetics. Townsend concluded that it was possible to debate such issues endlessly and, ultimately, one had to accept that many of Rowntree's budget standards were unreliable for determining minimum income standards.Today, researchers working within the budget standards tradition continue to grapple with many of the issues identified by Townsend, making normative judgements about the essential requirements for social life which are not dissimilar in form to those made by Rowntree over half a century ago; see for example the health budgets exemplified in Table II (Morris et al., 2007), the basket of goods approach developed by officials in the USA (Glennerster, 2002) and in Germany (Veit-Wilson, 1998), and basic needs standards (Bradshaw, 2001). Researchers have also attempted to overcome some of the problems by consulting members of the public to help set \"consensual\" standards for living (Mack and Lansley, 1985; Pantazis et al., 2006; Bradshaw et al., 2008); however, there are a number of techniques at hand that can be used to help determine minimum income standards as, Townsend observed.\nData and methods: Data\nResults: The next step in the analysis was to examine the data. First, the study estimates were checked and found to be comparable with government estimates reported for the same period (Table IV)[2]. Second, checks were made to ensure the data followed the pattern of a normal distribution with 95 per cent of all the observations for singles and couples within two standard deviations of the mean (although the figures and charts are not reported here).Next, we evaluate household nutrition levels using the national dietary standards recommended for good health, adjusted for age and sex. In total, just under half of the study sample met all of the recommendations for a healthy diet (Table V). Clearly, the findings shown in the table suggest some cause for concern from a public health perspective; a large number of older people in the UK are not getting the food they need for healthy living. Many of the diets appear deficient in calories and other nutrients. The government has been working with retailers and manufacturers to improve food labelling in UK supermarkets in order to promote healthy eating; a strategy specifically designed to encourage people to make healthy choices (DoH, 2004). However, purchasing power strongly influences our choice and food and income remains a key determinant of a healthy diet as Nelson (1999) observes. Analyses of the EFS data confirmed a positive relationship between income and good nutrition. Figure 1, for example, shows the results for single people living alone by quintile group (each group will include approximately 20 per cent of the households within the sample). Error bars represent 95 per cent confidence intervals from the mean. Less than 20 per cent of singles meet the minimum standards in the bottom quintile group compared to 60 per cent in the top quintile group; for couples the figures are 32 and 53 per cent, respectively. Nutritional status is related to income, in general the greater the household income the better the household diet; the usual statistical caveat applies however: correlation does not imply causation between income and recommended nutritional intakes as diet is mediated by education and culture (Wood, 1995).Townsend was looking to establish decent minimum income standards capable of supporting healthy living. In the distribution of disposable incomes, seen in Figure 2, he recommends drawing the line at the 25th percentile where the vast majority of the population can be shown to have secured a healthy standard of living indicated by good diet. Here, we find thresholds of PS115.00 per week for a single older person and PS207.00 for an older couple (2005 prices with sums rounded to the nearest British pound). If we apply the poverty thresholds to the total UK household population, we find about 2.7 million people with disposable incomes below the threshold for healthy living (1.5 million people aged 60 plus living alone and just over half a million older couples)[3].\nDiscussion: The inquiry has attempted to determine minimum income standards for healthy living for older people in Britain. Nutritional status was found to be related to household income (Figure 1), although this should not imply causation as diet is mediated by education and culture. Income standards were observed at the 25th percentile in the distribution of incomes as Townsend recommended, where the vast majority of the older population was shown to have secured a healthy standard of living. In Table VI, we compare the minimum income standards for healthy living against the relevant pensions and government social security provision. During 2005, the full basic state pension was PS82.05 for a single pensioner and PS131.20 for a pensioner couple. Almost all pensioners (96 per cent) in the UK receive the state pension, many also have an occupational or personal pension on top of this (Mold and Semmence, 2007). For those without occupational or personal pensions, there is the government's official welfare safety net, the pension credit guarantee. This is a means-tested benefit which, in 2005, provided a safety net of PS109.45 a week for single pensioners and PS167.05 a week for pensioner couples. Clearly, the basic state pension is substantially below the minimum income standards reported here; about 29 per cent (PS33.00 a week) below the line for single pensioners and 37 per cent (PS40.00 a week) for pensioner couples. Of more concern is the shortfall in the government's safety net, the pension credit guarantee: around 5 per cent (PS6.00 a week) for a single pensioner and 36 per cent (PS40.00 a week) for a couple. This suggests that the government's pension credit guarantee was unlikely to have been sufficient for living healthily for the vast majority of recipients. Worryingly, official statistics reveal that at least one-fifth of pensioners in the UK fail to claim the money to which they are entitled in full (Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), 2008). The consequences of our failing pensions system are becoming more visible, many older people are skipping meals to save money on food (22 per cent), whilst two-fifths are struggling to afford other essential items (Dominy and Kempson, 2006; Age Concern and Help the Aged, 2009).Townsend has repeatedly argued for decent retirement incomes for all older people, in order to achieve this, however the state must take more of a lead in helping people to save for retirement and in ensuring adequate retirement pensions for all citizens (Townsend, 1999; Davies et al., 2003). Such sentiments were recently echoed by the UK Pensions Commission (2006), chaired by Lord Adair Turner. The Commission has called for a more generous, less means tested, and more universal, state pension. The new Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition government has been reviewing the adequacy of the welfare system, including pensions provision (DWP, 2010). Whether the coalition government will deliver better state pensions remains to be seen: a better state pension would almost certainly require a higher public spending commitment; at present pensions account for about 4.3 per cent of GDP (Hills, 2006). Any long-term pensions strategy should also be informed by the level of income actually needed to live healthily in later life, which is why a coalition of 66 NGOs in the UK has been calling on the British Government to establish a Minimum Incomes Standards Commission (Zacchaeus 2000 Trust, 2004).Townsend's call for evidence-based minimum income standards to underpin social security policy has been gathering momentum in recent years as successive governments in the UK have openly dismissed the need to assess personal adequacy in the system of welfare and social protection (DWP, 2003; Cm 7957, 2010). Critics argue that welfare benefits have been set and maintained on a largely ad hoc basis and point to the failure of successive governments to adopt an explicit, research-based approach to setting minimum income standards (Veit-Wilson, 1994b, 2001; Glennerster et al., 2009). The UK urgently needs a Minimum Incomes Standards Commission, independent of government, to investigate and report on income adequacy for healthy living. On the international stage, the World Health Organization has also urged all countries to adopt evidence-based techniques to inform minimum wage and social benefit levels that are able to support healthy living (Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2008).The implications for research and society that this inquiry provides is not a measure of whether a level of income can secure a healthy standard of living but importantly whether it does so in practice, given the spending choices made by individuals. Family and household budget standards research in the Rowntree tradition can claim the former, i.e. they are able to show what families and households are able to secure, whereas the current research is about the latter, i.e. demonstrating what families and households succeed in everyday practice.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - Peter Townsend is one of the greatest social scientists of the twentieth century and best known for his pioneering research into poverty. This paper aims to revisit Townsend's early work discussing the measurement of poverty and attempts to operationalise his ideas for determining minimum income standards for healthy living.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The article is based upon a secondary analysis of data taken from the UK Expenditure and Food Survey, a continuous cross-sectional survey of household income, expenditure, and food consumption. Here, the sample has been restricted to an older population and the authors observe the relationship between household income and a healthy standard of living (indicated by diet) for people aged 60 years and over.\nFindings: - Minimum income requirements for healthy living, for this population in the UK, are 37 per cent greater than the British state pension for single pensioners and 37 per cent for pensioner couples. It is also appreciably greater than the official minimum income safety net (after means testing), the pension credit guarantee.\nPractical implications: - Objective evidence-based assessment of living standards are practicable but do not presently provide a basis for social policy in the UK or elsewhere apparently. Such assessment could provide a credible basis for helping to establish minimum income standards in official policy.\nOriginality/value: - Recent developments in the design of a British social survey have made it possible to operationalise Townsend's ideas for establishing minimum income standards over half a century after he proposed them.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Primary education in Vietnam and pupil online engagement	[ "Internet", "Pedagogy", "Computer science", "North Vietnam", "Urban and rural schools" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. School children use of the internet and the Vietnamese educational system: Digitisation and globalisation disrupt the social behaviour and living styles of not only adults, but also children. Researchers and educators have anticipated and closely monitored gradual changes in technological developments and their impacts on the educational field, in order to maximise the learning capabilities of children and increase the effectiveness of practised pedagogies and curricula. Various online learning platforms have been integrated in the higher educational systems, especially in developed countries. For example, high school educators in the USA endeavour to equip students and pupils with technological skills and prowess in order to enhance cognitive development as well as develop a solid foundation for further education. Subsequently, online teaching and learning tools have been integrated into various curricula with a specific aim of assisting students and pupils in better understanding science (Capuk, 2015). Furthermore, a spectrum of studies focused on the use of the internet, covering a number of aspects, such as fostering identity and researching healthcare issues among children (Katz et al., 2015).\n2. Aim and objectives: The study investigated school children modalities and patterns of internet use. The main drive was to identify the disparity amongst children from rural (Hai Duong) and urban (Hanoi) areas of North Vietnam towards internet usage, and eventually associate any identified digital divides with learning and self-development modalities. In particular, the study adopted the framework of conceptual structure in relation to the way online opportunities could pave the way towards learning and self-development (Rashid and Asghar, 2016).\n3. Study settings: Respondents and cluster sampling\n4. Descriptive analysis: As outlined in Table I, school children from the urban area who partook in the survey accounted for 61.3 per cent of the aggregate total number of children, of whom 65.9 per cent were enrolled in Grade 4. The number of children in Grades 4 and 5 in the rural schools was nearly equally distributed (49.8 per cent and 50.2 per cent, respectively). Also, overall, the number of girls and boys was proportionally distributed, accounting for 48.2 per cent and 51.8 per cent, respectively, and was furthermore nearly equally distributed between the two areas.\n5. Personal self-development opportunities: Various studies have identified three categories of online self-development opportunities amid children, namely, content-based activities, communication-based activities and conduct/peer participation activities (Issa et al., 2013). Hasebrink et al. (2009) categorised educational resources, including entertainment, games and fun, searching for information and social networking as content-based activities. Many other studies used the same categories for research in relation to online self-development opportunities among children, such as Pruulmann-Vengerfeldt and Runnel (2012) and Kalmus et al. (2012). In this study, content-based activities included school work, playing games, watching video clips, reading news and downloading music. Among all the listed activities, using the internet to watch videos and for study purposes exhibited the highest counts (n=371 and n=316, respectively). Other activities articulated were: downloading activities (n=160), reading news (n=155), playing games (n=201) and raising pets in the virtual world (n=115). Amongst children who indulged in content-based activities, those from the urban area showed to be more active than their rural counterparts. These findings revealed a different pattern in comparison to other studies conducted in European countries, where the children's top internet activity is related to studying (85 per cent), followed by playing games (83 per cent) and watching video clips (76 per cent) (Omar et al., 2014).\n6. Digital prowess and knowledge of internet use: Pupils were asked about the information related to social media profiles. The proportion of children from Hanoi who expressed that they possessed more than one profile doubled that from the rural area. However, over half of the total respondents (64.4 per cent) stated that they did not know the settings of their personal social media accounts and 44.2 per cent of the children were not conscientious about the information they included in their social media personal profiles. In other words, nearly half of the target sample was not aware of the type of information that can be shared. Although the proportion of children who had not yet acquired privacy controls' knowledge about social media account setting was significantly high in relation to sample size, this percentage is in line with a study from the Pew Research Centre, in 2012, which reported that among all popular social network site users, 48 per cent of them acknowledged having difficulties in managing privacy controls (Madden, 2012).\n7. Parent awareness and parental mediation: One out of three parents was not aware of their offspring's online activities, and only 38.9 per cent of children reported that their parents were well aware of such activities. In addition, an aggregate significant proportion of children either did not respond to this question (the data exhibit 9.5 per cent missing data) or did not wish to reveal any related information (13.1 per cent).\n8. Advice related to internet safety: Schools\n9. Discussion: The statistical results of the study showed that the participants accessed the internet more at home than at school, even in the case of those enrolled in the urban school. This supports the notion that state schools in Vietnam do not possess the same computing resources as those available in the children's households. This, in turn, presents educators with a hurdle to integrate new technologies or modern media facilities into pedagogy in school practices, especially in relation to the computer science subject.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the disparities in social awareness and use of the internet between urban and rural school children in the North of Vietnam.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A total of 525 pupils, aged 9-11 years old, randomly selected from seven urban and rural schools, who are internet users, participated in the study and consented to responding to a questionnaire adapted from an equivalent European Union study. A comparative statistical analysis of the responses was then carried out, using IBM SPSS v21, which consisted of a descriptive analysis, an identification of personal self-development opportunities, as well as issues related to pupils' digital prowess and knowledge of internet use and internet safety, including parental engagement in their offspring's online activities.\nFindings: The study highlights the fact that children from both the urban and rural regions of the North of Vietnam mostly access the internet from home, but with more children in the urbanized areas accessing it at school than their rural counterparts. Although children from the rural areas scored lower on all the internet indicators, such as digital access and online personal experience and awareness, there was no disparity in awareness of internet risks between the two sub-samples. It is noteworthy that there was no statistically significant gender difference towards online activities that support self-development. In relation to safe internet usage, children are likely to seek advice from their parents, rather than through teachers or friends. However, they are not yet provided with an effective safety net while exposing themselves to the digital world.\nOriginality/value: Although the Vietnamese national curriculum on the computer science subject does not explicitly cover the use of the internet and its related aspects, the majority of children who took part in this study claimed to have used the internet in their learning activities. This emphasises the urgent need for the Ministry of Education and educators in the country to not only improve information and communication technology facilities in schools, but also to revise the computer science curriculum in order to provide a supportive environment for learning development and collectively advocate the dynamics of internet use in order to ensure safe access and use by the children.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Enriching the ECSI model using brand strength in the retail setting	[ "Loyalty", "Brand strength", "Retail branding", "Grocery stores", "European Customer Satisfaction Index" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Grocery retailers are dominant players in the retail industry. Out of the 250 largest retail companies in the world the top eight are food retailers (Deloitte, 2016). Total grocery sales in Western Europe have reached USD1,508 billion during 2015 (Euromonitor, 2016). Furthermore, the grocery industry is characterized by intense competition with big multinational players expanding geographically (Cardinali and Bellini, 2014; Kumar et al., 2017). Thus, in a mature industry which is easily influenced by economic fluctuations (Cardinali and Bellini, 2014), it is difficult for grocery retailers to differentiate and to maintain their profitability (Kumar et al., 2017).\n2. Conceptual framework: 2.1 The ESCI\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Empirical context\n4. Data analysis and results: The measurement model and the structural model were assessed following the suggested procedure by Hair et al. (2017). Overall, the construct measures of both the measurement model and the structural model proved to be valid and reliable.\n5. Discussion: The objective of this study was to incorporate brand strength into the ECSI model and to investigate its role as a potential predictor of loyalty. Furthermore, this study attempts to investigate the role of CS to the retailer's loyalty and its impact on the brand strength in the grocery store setting and in a market under recession. To explore these relationships five hypotheses have been developed and empirically tested. Results of this study (Table V) revealed that CS (H1; b=0.261, t=10.833) and brand strength (H5; b=0.388, t=16.711) significantly influence loyalty. Also, CS significantly influences brand strength (H4; b=0.574, t=31.985). In relation to the determinants of CS, perceived product quality has a significant influence on both CS (H3b; b=0.297, t=7.895) and perceived value (H3a; b=0.202, t=7.308).\n6. Theoretical and managerial implications: This study provides some significant contributions to the marketing theory. Previous research has examined the direct relationship of CS on loyalty and most loyalty programs are based on the satisfaction-trust-loyalty paradigm. However, even though the effect of CS on loyalty is evident, there are variations in the level of impact and thus hard to predict loyalty. This research confirms that this cause-effect relationship is more complex. To better understand this relationship, the construct of brand strength is added as a mediator variable in the model. This study confirmed that the strength of the retailer's brand has a direct positive impact on loyalty and it is consistent with previous studies (Das, 2014; Veloutsou, 2015). In addition, this study identified that the most important determinants of brand strength (see Table AII) are the emotional closeness and familiarity with the store (0.341), the perceived superiority (0.302) as well as the reputation of the retailer (0.274). Also, the study confirmed the direct positive impact of CS to retail loyalty but the size of the effect is small (f2=0.068). So, CS alone has a low predictive value to loyalty toward the grocery retailer. However, this study has also found the indirect impact of CS on retail loyalty through the mediating construct of brand strength. The mediating role of the brand strength construct can be explained by the strong effect of CS (the predictor variable) to brand strength (the dependent variable). Another theoretical contribution of this study is the identification of the most influential determinants of CS. The results showed that the indirect impact of expectations to CS is greater than the direct impact. Thus, the study has found the mediating roles of perceived product quality and perceived service quality in the relationship between expectations and CS. Furthermore, the study has proved the importance of the functional store attributes to CS and loyalty in the grocery store setting; the expectations and the perceptions toward the retailer's product offering are the most important drivers of CS and loyalty.\n7. Limitations and further research: This study has few limitations. First, the study was focused on grocery retailers. Thus, in order to generalize these results, further testing across other retail segments (non-food retailers) is required. Second, respondents were asked to respond to the questions for their favorite grocery retailer. This may have influenced the strength of the relationships between the respondents and the selected grocery retailer. In addition, even though their responses were for the retailer, it is expected that their responses were influenced by their experience with a specific store of the retailer.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the retailer's brand strength as a potential predictor of loyalty. It also examines the role of customer satisfaction (CS) to the retailer's loyalty as well as its impact on the retailer's brand strength.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study was conducted in the grocery context and in a market under recession using the European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI) model. Data were collected through a telephone survey from 2,000 participants responsible for the household grocery shopping with a quota of 250 respondents from each of the leading grocery retailers in Greece. A formative measurement model was developed and the collected data were analyzed using partial least square path modeling.\nFindings: The findings revealed that the strength of the retailer's brand and CS influence retail loyalty and that brand strength mediate the strength of CS to loyalty. Results also suggested that the expectations and the perceptions toward the retailer's product offering are the most important drivers of CS and loyalty. Thus, the study has proved the importance of the functional store attributes to CS and loyalty in the grocery store setting.\nOriginality/value: Research examining the suitability of the ECSI model in the grocery setting and in a market under economic crisis is scarce. This paper addresses these shortcomings by examining a customer loyalty model which incorporates the brand strength construct and investigates the role of brand strength as a potential predictor of loyalty as well as the role of CS in the brand strength and loyalty.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Antecedents and consequences of attitude contagion processes: the example of apparel brand fan pages	[ "Social media", "Purchase intention", "Perceived benefits", "Facebook brand fan pages", "Attitude contagion theory", "Brand behavioural performance", "Brand recall" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Because of their rapid development, social networking sites (SNSs) have surpassed email, news media and television shopping channels to become the most popular online activity (Varnali and Toker, 2015). In addition, social media has changed the way people communicate and interact (Tuskej and Podnar, 2018). According to the Social Media Examiner's (2015) Social Media Marketing Industry Report, the three largest benefits of a brand establishing a relationship with its customers through social media are: higher exposure (90 per cent); more traffic to the brand's fan page (77 per cent); and a loyal fan base (69 per cent). The report also suggests that 96 per cent of marketers use social media for business marketing management and 92 per cent of marketers recognize the importance to their business of social media.\n2. Literature review and hypotheses: This study used attitude contagion theory to extend the research on consumer perception of three benefits beyond the external perspective and to explore community members' attitude transfer processes and how they affect subsequent variables, brand recall and purchase intention. Figure 1 illustrates the proposed model, which comprises several hypotheses.\n3. Methodology: 3.1 Sample and data collection\n4. Results: Statistical application techniques based on structural equation modeling were adopted; AMOS was used to analyze the correlated variables. According to Anderson and Gerbing (1988), structural equation modeling should be conducted in two stages, namely: measurement model analysis, which inspects whether the measured variable in the research model can measure the latent variables accurately and structural model analysis. After the measurement model was verified, the structural model was used to analyze the strength of the causal relationships between variables and their explanatory power. Finally, the Sobel test, bootstrapping and regression analysis were used to separately test the mediating factors for each of the four major constructs of the attitude contagion mechanism.\n5. Discussion: This study used attitude contagion theory, and the cause-and-effect factors that influence the attitude contagion process were successfully integrated. These were the antecedent factors of the integrated social contact, utilitarian and hedonic perspectives and confirmed the crucial mediating role of the following five major constructs - perceived community attitude, AFSRP, attitude toward products, attitude toward brands and brand recall - and the process through which they affect brand fan community members' purchasing decisions.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This study aims to investigate the social, utilitarian and hedonic benefits associated with a brand behavioral performance from an attitude contagion theory perspective. An integrated empirical model was constructed to identify the antecedents and consequences of consumer attitude contagion.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from 609 members of Facebook apparel brand fan pages using purposive sampling. Structural equation modeling was used to validate the proposed theoretical model.\nFindings: Social, utilitarian and hedonic benefits could be used to explain the effects of attitude contagion on various relationships. Attitude contagion factors partially mediate exogenous factors and the behavior of brand fans. Regarding the attitude contagion effect, perceived community attitude and attitude toward fans' sponsored recommendation posts have stronger explanatory powers for attitude toward products than for attitude toward brands. Specifically, attitude toward brands can indirectly influence members' purchase intention through brand recall. The proposed model exhibited desirable goodness-of-fit.\nPractical implications: The findings can give brand community managers insight into the development of consumer attitude contagion and assist companies to improve their community management.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to multiple perspectives in the literature regarding social, utilitarian and hedonic benefits and adopted an extension viewpoint to explain that the formation of consumer attitude is a complex process.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Entrepreneurship and poetry: analyzing an aesthetic dimension	[ "Narrative", "Aesthetics", "Semiotics", "Social constructionism", "Business poetry", "Entrepreneur poems", "Entrepreneur stories", "Entrepreneurial learning" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Narrative approaches in entrepreneurship are impacting on how we as a research community view entrepreneurship theory and practice at a theoretical, conceptual, methodological and pedagogical level (as evidenced by the works of Johansson, 2004; Down and Revley, 2004; Rae, 2005; Fletcher, 2005, 2007; Smith, 2005; Buttriss and Wilkinson, 2006; Down, 2006; Hamilton, 2006; Gartner, 2007; O'Connor, 2007; Ahl, 2007; Baker, 2007; Hjorth, 2007; Steyaert, 2007; Martens et al., 2007; Down and Warren, 2008; Boje and Smith, 2010; Larty and Hamilton, 2011). Studies relating to phenomenological enquiry (Cope, 2005) and social constructionism (Downing, 2005; Jones et al., 2008) have also added to and inform the debate as have the studies of Rae (2004, 2005) and Hamilton (2011) in relation to narrative and entrepreneurial learning. So much so, that an appreciation of narrative as a \"sense-making\" device (Selvin and Shum, 2008), or heuristic, through which to better understand the nuances of entrepreneurial action and utterances is growing rapidly amongst entrepreneurship scholars. Building on this, this paper investigates the aesthetic dimension of entrepreneur poems adding to our understanding of how sensory constructivist approaches aid us in theorizing every day entrepreneurial processes (Tornikoski, 2005).\nReviewing the literature on aesthetics and poetry: This section explores the literatures of aesthetics and poetry to position the study within extant literature and introduces the main concepts used in the study. Three sub-sections present the literature of aesthetics; develop a conceptual map; and contextualize entrepreneurship and poetry.\nIn search of method and aesthetic meaning: This section selects an appropriate methodology for analyzing the aesthetic dimension of the poetry selected for analysis. Poetry as a research strategy challenges the fact-fiction dichotomy and offers a form for the evocative presentation of data (Leavy, 2008, p. 63). According to Leavy (2008, p. 64) poetry is best used in research as a representational form and the basic method of analyzing poetry mirrors other forms of linguistic analysis. One looks for themes and recurring language to find hidden meaning via a reading. Nevertheless, Faulkner (2005a) argues that poetry must be judged by artistic and poetic criteria[3]. Using poetry as a heuristic device works because in conducting an analysis or a critique one is introducing a third voice. Indeed, poetic expression is often regarded as a third voice in qualitative expression. Building on the conceptual map above, a framework for conducting aesthetic analysis emerged.\nUnleashing the power of poetry: Poetry as a presentational mechanism is powerful because to appreciate the power of poetry one has to read it aloud and listen to it, to the diction and the sequence of words used. Poetry requires space of its own and one has to experience the power of the emotions it unleashes, stanza by stanza. We now unleash the power of poetry by presenting selected poems written by entrepreneurs to express their feelings, or poems which exude entrepreneurial passion. Poetry board one presents the ISBE poem. One can discern common themes which engage academic scholars of entrepreneurship such as instincts, ideas, adaptation, change, spotting gaps, hard work, risk taking and success. On the negative side there is talk of excessive pride and hubris, failure, cunning, chicanery and sharp practice:\nMaking sense of entrepreneurship through poetry: Entrepreneur and business poems are narrative forms close to storytelling (Richardson, 1997). Having presented and discussed the poems, it is time to address the first research question:\nConclusions, reflections, implications and limitations: This study contributes to the literature of entrepreneurship because it inquires into the aesthetics of a creative, entrepreneurial genre capturing the fleeting, ephemeral qualities of drama and passion associated with poetry and creative writing; and also because it creates a bridge between the (a)theoretical and the practical. It is a scholarly exploration concerned with an examination of a relatively unexplored linguistic and semiotic domain of aesthetics and what it can contribute to the collective body of entrepreneurship theory. Poetry perhaps offers readers a \"practical atheoretical\" method of entrepreneurial learning to develop Rae's (2004) concept of the \"practical theory\" because poetry offers implicit, intuitive, tacit and situated insights into entrepreneurial practices and processes. One does not prove the veracity of a poem - it either resonates with one, or does not. Poetry offers a novel form of contextual learning in a social setting using social and constructivist processes (Rae, 2005). Poetry as an avenue for learning is socially situated (Hamilton, 2011) embedded in every day practice in the context of the social life of the entrepreneur allowing unique access to practice-based knowledge. The findings are not intended to be generalized, but to offer empirical insights that extend atheoretical frameworks in order to better understand the entrepreneurial phenomenon. Furthermore, it explores the aesthetic base through which entrepreneurial processes become established and intervene in society. Entrepreneurship as a practice is characterized by two main components, namely action and communication, characterized by the sprits of competitiveness and creativity (Smith, 2006). By immersing ourselves in the poems we come closer to entrepreneurial spirit by reading about entrepreneurial actions and experiences in the words of entrepreneurs themselves. Granted they are crafted and carefully worded expressions of reality but the poems convey the power and passion of entrepreneuring. This discussion addresses the research question:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the aesthetic dimension of entrepreneur poems. The notion of the entrepreneur as storyteller, and the entrepreneur story as cultural genres have become so firmly entrenched in the collective social consciousness that little consideration is given to the existence of other narrative genres, such as business poetry as expressions, or manifestations of enterprising behaviour and indeed identities. Poetry, like art, possesses aesthetic dimensions which make it difficult to theorize and analyze. Indeed, as a genre, poetry seldom features as a heuristic device for better understanding entrepreneurial behaviour or learning. This is surprising because poetry in particular is a wonderfully creative and expressive narrative medium and accordingly, many entrepreneurs engage in writing poetry as a form of creative expression.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In this study the author considers the entrepreneur as poet and from a reading of the literatures of entrepreneurship and aesthetics develops an aesthetic framework for analysing entrepreneur poetry which is used to analyze six poems written by entrepreneurs or about entrepreneurs.\nFindings: That poetry has value in terms of entrepreneurial learning because of its atheoretical nature it permits listeners to experience the emotion and passion of lived entrepreneurial experiences and to relive these vicariously. In particular entrepreneur poems are a variant form of entrepreneur story devoid of the usual cliche.\nResearch limitations/implications: There are obvious limitations to the study in that the analysis of six poems can merely scratch the surface and that aesthetic analysis is by its very nature subjective and open to interpretation. The study opens up possibilities for further research into entrepreneur poems, the aesthetics of other non-standard entrepreneur narratives and consideration of the aesthetic elements of entrepreneurship per se. Poetics and aesthetics are areas of narrative understanding ripe for further empirical research.\nOriginality/value: The paper is original in terms of creating an aesthetic framework used to analyze entrepreneur poems. Indeed, little consideration had previously been given to the topic.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Career competencies and job crafting: How proactive employees influence their well-being	[ "Well-being", "Job crafting", "Proactive personality", "Career competencies" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: A healthy workforce is key to sustaining an effective and innovative organization (Schulte and Vainio, 2010). Traditionally, scholars have proposed a job design approach, in which managers (re)design jobs for employees to foster employee well-being, motivation, and performance. A job is well-designed if it is characterized by sufficient job resources and challenging demands, such as autonomy, task significance, and feedback (Oldham and Hackman, 2010). However, due to changes in the organizational environment, such as the emergence of flexible work arrangements, self-managing teams, and temporary contracts, a new perspective on job (re)design has emerged, which focuses on employee proactivity. This self-directed approach can be seen as a bottom-up perspective, in which employees themselves actively shape and alter the scope of their job (Bindl and Parker, 2011).\nEmployee well-being and proactive personality: Employee well-being refers to the evaluation of the overall quality of experiences and functioning of an employee. Research has demonstrated that employee well-being plays a fundamental role in the success of an organization, as it is an important predictor of employee productivity, absenteeism, and turnover (Grant et al., 2007). In this study, we included job satisfaction and perceived health as indicators of well-being, because these are considered important components of well-being (Blanchflower and Oswald, 1999).\nProactive personality and well-being: the mediating role of job crafting: Individuals with a proactive personality are more likely to challenge the status quo or take actions to (re)gain control (Crant, 2000). Several studies have shown that proactive personality is linked to actual proactive behavior. For instance, Becherer and Maurer (1999) found that proactive personality was directly related to entrepreneurial behaviors, such as starting a new business. Additionally, Bakker et al. (2012) found that proactive personality is an important antecedent of job crafting.\nProactive personality and well-being: the mediating role of career competencies: In addition to being important for managing one's job, proactivity is also relevant for managing one's career. A meta-analysis by Fuller and Marler (2009) indicated that proactive personality is related to objective and subjective career success, as well as to employability-related outcomes, including career self-efficacy and learning orientation. Furthermore, proactive personality is linked to a sense of personal responsibility for one's career and facilitates the building of social networks (Hall et al., 1996). As such, proactivity plays an important role in taking responsibility for one's career progress. One way for employees to actually get in control of fulfilling their career needs and goals is by the development of career competencies.\nMethod: Participants and procedure\nResults: The measurement model, including four latent variables (i.e. proactive personality, job crafting, career competencies, and job satisfaction) and health showed an acceptable fit to the data: kh2=432.71, df=111, CFI=0.93, TLI=0.91, and RMSEA=0.06. All factor loadings were significant except for the factor loading \"decreasing hindering job demands\" which did not load substantially on the latent job crafting factor (b=0.08, p=0.06). This indicator was therefore removed from further analyses (see also Tims et al., 2016), resulting in a substantially better model fit: Dkh2/Ddf=99.97/15, p<0.01, CFI=0.95, TLI=0.94, and RMSEA=0.06. Factor loadings ranged from 0.54 to 0.93 (all p's<0.001).\nDiscussion: In the present insecure work and employment environment, employees greatly benefit from a self-directed approach toward their job (Wrzesniewski and Dutton, 2001) and career (Fugate et al., 2004). As the economic crisis has resulted in less organizational resources and more job insecurity, and because careers have become less linear, it is of increased importance for employees to become and continue to be employable and to maintain their well-being (Silla et al., 2009).\nConclusion: The current study has demonstrated that job crafting and career competencies both mediate the relationship between proactive personality and well-being. Moreover, these findings indicate that proactive personality is not limited to either a work- or career-related outcome, but is related to both domains at the same time. As such, it shows that management researchers should take both jobs and careers into account when investigating organizational behavior topics, because proactive work behaviors and career development are both important in optimizing employees' work experiences and health, and job choices are profoundly motivated by career goals.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to bring together job design and career theory in the examination of how proactive employees optimize their well-being (i.e. job satisfaction and perceived health) through job crafting and career competencies. This study offers an integrated account of the pathway from proactive personality to well-being.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected by a cross-sectional self-report survey study among 574 employees working in various organizations.\nFindings: The results of structural equation modeling analyses supported the proposed double mediation model: job crafting and career competencies both mediated the positive relationship between proactive personality and well-being. The findings suggest that proactive employees can enhance their well-being both through proactive job redesign and the development of career-related skills and abilities.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study precludes causal explanations. Future research should further investigate the role of employee proactivity related to contemporary work topics, including temporary contracts and self-employment.\nPractical implications: Managers and HR practitioners can optimize employee well-being by focusing on HR policies related to job redesign, as well as investing in training and development of career competencies.\nOriginality/value: This paper integrates two research domains by exploring how proactive employees take a proactive stance toward their job as well as their career, and investigates how this proactive approach contributes to their well-being. In addition, the authors demonstrated a link between the development of career competencies and employee health.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
A model and exploratory study for promoting professional sales in winery visitor centers	[ "Wines", "United States of America", "Customer service management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Winery visitor centers have become an important avenue for increasing wine sales in today's competitive environment. Indeed, in the past 2 years direct to consumer wine sales in the US have increased by 30 per cent (Insel, 2007; Nowak et al., 2006; Olsen and Thach, 2006). Furthermore, of the visitors who go to a winery visitor center, 45-70 per cent are likely to purchase wine (O'Mahoney et al., 2006). Of the various sales channels, direct to consumer sales through visitor centers and wine clubs offer the largest margins (Root, 1996; Penn, 2004). It is now apparent that more wineries are emphasizing the revenue generating aspects of tasting rooms in their marketing strategies.Small wineries especially rely on sales from the visitor center as a means to reach consumers as traditional methods of distribution have become increasingly difficult to secure in recent years (Thach and Olsen, 2006). Not only do wineries benefit from the immediate sales generated in the visitor centers, but visitor centers can also be used to enhance the image of the brand, forge deep, and personal relationships with consumers and educate visitors on the complexity of wine. All of these factors not only help create long term customers among visitors, but develop brand ambassadors that help spread the word to others who may not have the opportunity to visit.Visitor centers not only provide a path to sustained profitability for many small wineries, but they are a key player in the growing field of wine tourism (Hall et al., 2000; Getz, 2000). Visitors to California wineries have increased from 14.8 million in 2002 to 19.7 million in 2005 with a $51.8 billion economic impact on the state (Wine Institute, 2007). In an increasingly competitive global wine industry, the wine tourism aspect can be an effective method to build brand awareness for a region's wines (O'Neill and Palmer, 2004).Even though wine tourism as a whole is growing, it is also becoming an increasingly competitive field. With more and more wineries opening visitor centers, the need to attract visitors to their properties, sell the wine and create loyal customers for future sales is clear. All aspects of the customer experience, including hospitality, customer service and professional selling must be carefully considered, but professional selling in winery visitor centers is the one area which has been reported as the most lacking (Root, 1996; Penn, 2003). Therefore, the objectives of this research study were twofold: 1) to introduce a model for professional sales in winery visitor centers; and 2) to use the model to determine the extent to which winery visitor centers are adopting professional sales techniques in serving their customers.\nReview of the literature: In reviewing the literature, there are three areas which are useful to examine: 1) the role of the winery visitor center in promoting brand awareness and sales; 2) training and incentives for employees in winery visitor centers; and 3) a description of professional selling in today's marketplace. These topics are explored more fully in the following paragraphs.Winery visitor center sales and brand promotion\nResearch methodology: In order to test the model, an exploratory study was conducted to investigate the adoption of professional sales techniques at winery tasting rooms. A standard questionnaire used for mystery shopping of winery tasting rooms was evaluated to identify items which matched the professional selling model. Three items were identified for each stage of the model, resulting in 15 items for analysis.Mystery shopping provides detailed evaluations by trained shoppers who are instructed in advance on what to look for and how to record information on customer service (Mickelson, 2003). Research has shown that mystery shopping is a reasonable approach to benchmarking the personal selling experienced in retail stores, as long as the number of visits is sufficient for reliability (Finn, 2001). For this study, mystery shoppers were identified and trained how to visit winery visitor centers, observe and ask questions, and then complete the survey. Training included a 2 h in person session, a telephone follow-up after the first winery visit, as well as providing written instructions.A total of 284 mystery shopper observations involving 38 different wineries in California were collected. All of the wineries in the study were visited on multiple occasions, ranging from 4 to 20 visits per winery visitor center, with a mean number of 9.2 visits per winery. Wineries were located in the three wine regions of Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. The shoppers were recruited to match an a priori quota based on age and gender, resulting in 28 shoppers equally divided between male and female. The age of the mystery shoppers ranged from 21 to 62.Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected by having shoppers fill out the survey immediately after the visitor experience. The numerical data, which included a standard 5-point Likert scale for the 15 items, were then analyzed to provide a descriptive portrait of a winery visitor center experience using SPSS software and simple statistical analysis. The qualitative data were not tabulated, rather they were used to interpret the results and shed further light upon the findings. Each of the five stages of the sales process was evaluated in the analysis.\nResults: The results illustrate how well the winery visitor centers performed in terms of professional selling. These are organized according to the five stages of professional sales for winery visitor center. Each stage was evaluated by the mystery shoppers using a five point scales of unacceptable (1), below average (2), average (3), above average (4), and memorable (5). The data are presented in five tables showing the percentage of respondents who scored in each of these five point categories, as well as the average mean for the item. Finally, totals for the three items in each stage of the professional selling model are provided at the bottom of each table.Results for Stage 1: making the introduction\nDiscussion: This research study has several implications. The first is that it introduces a new model of professional selling in winery visitor centers. This is useful, because it has been customized to a unique type of retail establishment that requires more relationship building that other types of sales environments. Furthermore, this study applied the model using an exploratory research method that illustrated how some California wineries are performing against the model.The findings of the exploratory research clearly show that while there are many wineries that employ aspects of professional sales techniques, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to improve the visitor experience. In terms of the introduction phase, visitors are usually being greeted promptly and the tasting procedures adequately explained, but the story of the winery is not being told. This is a lost opportunity to build the brand and convey a unique image of the winery to the consumer.The research also shows that employees often fail to engage the visitor in conversation, therefore limited the ability to perform an accurate needs assessment. Without a firm understanding of what specifically the consumer is looking for, it is difficult for the employees to use suggestive selling or up-selling techniques. It is also difficult to establish a meaningful relationship based on trust when the employees limit their interaction with guests to pouring wine and telling a canned refrain about each. According to the literature, this does not support professional selling and relationship building (Beverland, 2001).Overall, this research supports findings in other studies showing that more professional sales training is needed for employees in winery visitor centers (Root, 1996; Penn, 2003; Barclay, 2006; Thach et al., 2007). It also suggests that wineries need to encourage employees to promote the wine club, ask visitors to return again, and engage in other ongoing relationship activities.\nLimitations and future research: There were several limitations and opportunities for further research resulting from this study. As this was an exploratory study of a new model for professional selling in winery visitor centers, this is the first time this has been attempted and additional research is needed to help verify these results and to further test the model. Another limitation had to do with the fact that the study was restricted to only three wine regions in California. It would be useful to expand it to more states and/or countries. Finally, this study only provided descriptive statistics of service and sales in the tasting room. The evaluations were made by trained mystery shoppers to most accurately document the sales process, however, these shoppers had been instructed to make a purchase, therefore, the purchase behavior that might have occurred under regular visitor conditions could not be assessed. A study which involved an independent outcome variable, such as actual wine purchases, or purchase intentions due to the visit may yield more robust and intriguing results.Opens in a new window.Figure 1\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to present a model for promoting professional sales in winery visitor centers, as well as the results of an exploratory study to test the model.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A survey methodology was used to evaluate the sales behavior of winery personnel in three popular wine tourist regions of California, USA. In total, 284 mystery shopper evaluations were completed and analyzed. In addition, a professional sales model for winery visitor centers was developed based on secondary sources drawn from the literature.\nFindings: - Results indicate that some of the winery visitor centers have adopted professional sales techniques and trained their staff to perform these tasks, but there is still ample opportunity to improve. Sales presentations could become more interactive in many cases, and relationship and trust building actions could be emphasized more.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The study was limited to three wine regions in California, and only provides descriptive statistics of service and sales in the tasting room. Further testing of the model in new locations with expanded statistics would be useful.\nPractical implications: - The study highlight effective professional selling tactics used in winery visitor centers which could be adopted by managers. It also identifies areas for improvement.\nOriginality/value: - This paper introduces a new model on professional sales in winery visitor centers. This is the first of its type to be applied to the wine industry for direct to consumer sales.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Fame and fortune, or just fun? A study on why people create content on video platforms	[ "Motivation", "YouTube", "Streaming", "Prosumer", "Playbour", "Twitch" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Throughout recent years, we have witnessed the emergence and rapid growth of participatory culture (Chau, 2010; Jenkins, 2006; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; Rodrigues and Druschel, 2010) and collaborative consumption, sharing and production (Belk, 2014; Deuze, 2006; Hamari et al., 2016). These developments are exemplified by emerging services of the sharing economy (e.g. Airbnb, Uber), crowdsourcing (e.g. Amazon Mechanical Turk, Wikipedia), and content sharing sites (e.g. YouTube, Twitch). Accelerated by technological advancements, these forms of digital participation and collaboration have transformed the internet into a global stage for self-expression, active discourse, and peer-to-peer collaboration, where the celebrification of private individuals (Jerslev, 2016; Khamis et al., 2017; Marwick, 2015; Senft, 2013) and the monetisation of user-generated content (UGC) (Alexander, 2018a, b) has rapidly developed. This has dramatically changed the legacy conception of the ways in which information and content is internationally created and disseminated. The traditional business-to-consumer value chains seem increasingly irrelevant in digital environments, where consumers or \"users\" have become the main source of content creation, evolving into \"prosumers\"; active producers and consumers of digital content (Fuchs, 2014; Kotler, 1986; Ritzer, 2010, 2015; Toffler, 1980).\nBackground: Peer-to-peer economics and the social content creation culture\nResearch model and hypothesis: Previous research on social video content creation has indicated similarities in motivations driving video content production and distribution on different digital platforms (Brundl and Hess, 2016; Lottridge et al., 2017; Zhao et al., 2018). However, drawing on the approach of the SDT, there is a lack of understanding as to whether these increasingly professionalised activities are more prominently motivated by intrinsic or extrinsic motivations. This is primarily a result of the fact that these elements have not yet been analysed in this context.\nMethodology: Participants and procedure\nResults: Data were analysed at the levels of: overall intrinsic and extrinsic motivations modelled as second-order constructs (constructs that combine all items of constructs regarded as either intrinsic or extrinsic motivations); and individual constructs across intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.\nDiscussion and conclusion: The findings of this research reveal similarities with previous research into social video content creation (see, e.g. Brundl and Hess, 2016; Kim et al., 2017; Lottridge et al., 2017) and research into content production and consumption on different digital media platforms (Arazy and Nov, 2010; Cha et al., 2007; Chen, 2011; Joinson, 2008; Nov, 2007). Intrinsic motivations such as enjoyment and social interaction (relatedness) have a positive bearing on continued engagement in video content production. However, this study additionally identified a significant relationship between specific extrinsic motivations and the weekly activity levels of a content creator. These findings between extrinsic motivations and weekly activity levels of a content creator are significant to this study as they reflect the change towards the more professionalized aspects of this activity, and therefore will be examined in the discussion of this paper.\nLimitations and future research: The data collected in this study were gathered using an online survey, which can be associated with specific limiting factors. The online survey was filled out in a non-supervised environment, where respondents can be exposed to different distractions. This may affect their ability to respond to the survey and therefore lead to common-method bias (Straub et al., 2004). This research aimed to alleviate this issue by using various distribution sources for the survey, and a randomized order of the construct items in the survey.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the motivations behind online video content creation on services such as YouTube and Twitch. These activities, performed by private individuals online, have become increasingly monetized and professionalised through the accessible tools provided by video sharing services, which has presented a noteworthy manifestation of the increasing merger of the work and leisure within digital environments and the emergence of a hybrid form of work and play, playbour.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The data for the study were collected using an online survey of 377 video content creators and it was analysed via structural equation modelling.\nFindings: The findings of the study indicate that although the practice of video content creation is becoming more commercialised and professionalised, the extrinsic motivations, often associated with work (e.g. income, prestige), remain less significant drivers for content creation than intrinsic motivations (e.g. enjoyment, socialisation), which are associated with leisure activities.\nOriginality/value: This study offers insight into how the authors have begun to reorganise the position in the new digital labour culture, where monotonous tasks are increasingly automated, allowing room for intrinsically driven playful labour to develop within the leisure activities.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Enterprise security architecture in business convergence environments	[ "Modelling", "Data security", "Information systems", "Risk management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: The economy of the future derives from the science of today (Meyer and Davis, 2003). The representative science of today is 3Cs which consist of contents, computer and communication. Deise et al. provided four stages of e-business strategy: channel enhancement, value chain integration, industry transformation, convergence (Deise et al., 2000). Business convergence is based on 3Cs, and it seamlessly integrates customers and business partners into companies to build value networks, focuses on their core competencies, and outsources non-core business components. Business convergence is the unification of business function which creates the basis for new \"value-added services\" for businesses and customers that will increase revenue and margins in an increasingly competitive and connected market (Rold, 2002; Yoffie, 1997).Enterprises must adapt themselves to rapidly changing circumstance to survive in convergence environments. In biology, the metric is \"fitness,\" measured as the relative ability of an organism to breed successfully in a given environment. \"Adapting\" means continually improving fitness, in particular as the environment changes (Meyer and Davis, 2003). The more adaptive the enterprise firm, the greater its ability to improve its fitness as its market, industry, or technology changes. There are many things that enterprise should adapt themselves in convergence environments. In this paper, we provide the adaptive framework of enterprise security architecture in business convergence environments.Security refers to \"minimizing the risk of exposure of assets and resources to vulnerabilities and threats of various kinds\" (Bayle, 1988). Risk is a function of the consequences (or impact) of an undesirable event and the likelihood of that event occurring. Risk assessment is the process whereby risk relationships are analyzed, and an estimate of the risk of asset compromise is developed. Compromise includes unauthorized disclosure, destruction, removal, modification, or interruption. Options for managing risk include reduction, transfer, avoidance, and acceptance (CSE, 1996). There are three fundamental qualities of information which are vulnerable to risk and which, need to be protected at all times, namely availability, integrity and confidentiality. Swanson defined confidentiality \"the system contains information that requires protection from unauthorized disclosure\", integrity \"the system contains information which must be protected from unauthorized, unanticipated, or unintentional modification\", and availability \"the system contains information or provides services which must be available on a timely basis to meet mission requirements or to avoid substantial losses\" (Swanson, 1998).Managements are facing difficult problems and confusions when trying to plan or implement information security systems in business convergence environments. Problems are: What should be thought and considered on information security in business convergence environments? How they could manage the brain-teasing work of complicated enterprise security architecture? What is their baseline goal of information security? (Forcht and Pierson, 1994).This paper answers these questions by suggesting the enterprise architecture (EA) for information security systems. We suggest the architecture of security controls using EA concept to provide interoperability and agility.\n2 Literature review: 2.1 Convergence\n3 Enterprise security architecture in business convergence environments: 3.1 Framework\n4 Conclusion: Many enterprises create a business value with existing assets through a new strategic trend of business convergence. In business convergence environments, the strongest components, core assets or complementary assets of each enterprise are merged or allied to build a new business model. The matter of information security is one of the most brain-teasing things that enterprises should adapt.Managements face difficult problems and confusions when trying to plan or implement information security systems in business convergence environments. These are: what should be thought and considered on information security in business convergence environments? How could they manage the brain-teasing work of complicated enterprise security architecture? What is their baseline goal of information security? This paper answers these questions by suggesting the adaptive framework of enterprise security architecture in business convergence environments. It includes the security patterns of business convergence environments, enterprise security architecture, and reference models.Managerial implications for enterprise security architecture are summarized as follows:* It creates and maintains a common vision of enterprise security shared by planners, constructors and administrators in business and IT communities.* It unifies and integrates management processes and policies for information security across the enterprise.* It reduces delivery time and costs of various solutions by maximizing reuses of existing model of information security.* It leverages priorities of investments for information security, business logics, components, and data.* It drives a continuous alignment of planners, constructors and administrators of information security.* It provides an appropriate justification for exceptions which have been not defined yet.* With continuous usage, it feedbacks to the architects of information security to improve the security architecture of their enterprise.Limitation and further research issues are summarized as follows:* In Level-1, assets should be subdivided to provide more detailed risk factors of each business convergence strategy.* In Level-1, baseline controls should be subdivided to provide more detailed weight factors.* Reference models should provide more detailed descriptions.* Case studies should be performed continuously to consolidate contents of best practices.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - To provide the strategic model of approach which helps enterprise executives to solve the managerial problems of planning, implementation and operation about information security in business convergence environments.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - A risk analysis method and baseline controls of BS7799 were used to generate security patterns of business convergence. With the analysis of existing enterprise architecture (EA) methods, the framework of the enterprise security architecture was designed.\nFindings: - The adaptive framework, including the security patterns with quantitative factors, enterprise security architecture with 18 dimensions, and reference models in business convergence environments, is provided.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Information assets and baseline controls should be subdivided to provide more detailed risk factors and weight factors of each business convergence strategy. Case studies should be performed continuously to consolidate contents of best practices.\nPractical implications: - With the enterprise security architecture provided in this paper, an enterprise that tries to create a value-added business model using convergence model can adapt itself to mitigate security risks and reduce potential losses.\nOriginality/value: - This paper outlined the business risks in convergence environments with risk analysis and baseline controls. It is aguably the first attempt to adapt the EA approach for enterprise executives to solve the security problems of business convergence.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Web-based support system for flood response operation in Malaysia	[ "Worldwide web", "Floods", "Malaysia", "Communication" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The internet has become an indispensable information infrastructure for enterprises to collaboratively design, analyze and execute their processes (Cai et al., 2005). Internet and related technologies have dramatically changed the way organizations conduct their business activities. It enables communication to be performed beyond the geographical boundaries without time limitation access to the resources. Web-application is an example of internet technology which offers organizations with large numbers of advantages. The utilization of web-based system as an internal support system within organization triggers a new paradigm of information system.Web-based support system for business operations by Yao and Yao (2003) has gained a great deal of attention among the organizations to decrease their operational cost especially during implementation and maintenance of software product. In disaster management, the utilization of web-based support system facilitates the flood management committee (FMC) in various ways. This kind of system offers better organization of data and allows for faster data retrieval when it is needed in order to make appropriate decisions. In Malaysia, flooding happened almost every year throughout the country. The recent flood incident in Malaysia was on December 2006 and in January 2007, flood occurred twice in the state of Johor within two weeks due to heavy rain. More than 100,000 flood victims have been evacuated to more than 100 evacuation centers. Flood response management is really challenging and requires an effective computer support system to ensure that appropriate actions to be taken promptly.The aim of this paper is to present the architecture for web-based support system for flood response operation in Malaysia. The discussion of this paper begins with the literature of related works in flood management and review of flood disaster management in Malaysia. This is followed by the approach which has been utilized in developing the web-based system. Next, the software architecture is presented using Unified Modeling Language (UML) models and ontological representation. In the final part of this paper, the conclusion of the research work and suggestions for related future works are given.\n2. Review on related works and overview of flood management in Malaysia: Extensive research in disaster management has been conducted and some of the works focused on one type of disaster, while others discussed disaster management in general. Studies related to flood disaster management have been carried out for the purpose of improving and enhancing multi-organizational flood management tasks. However, most of the research works in flood management focused on flood forecasting and notification.2.1 Related works\n3. Research approach: The research methodology which has been utilized is this study is adopted from Liou (1990) which proposed a knowledge acquisition method for implementing expert system in organization. The knowledge acquisition is used to extract knowledge from experts and structuring the knowledge into computer readable form (Liou, 1990). The methodology comprises four phases:1. planning for knowledge acquisition;2. knowledge extraction;3. knowledge analysis; and4. knowledge evaluation.Figure 1 illustrates the phases involved in the knowledge acquisition methodology.During the planning for knowledge acquisition phase, the process of managing flood by flood management committee (FMC) is analyzed by conducting interviews and reviewing the internal documents. The second phase organized the gathered information about flood management in such a way that it can be easily understood. This is usually in the form of workflows and flow charts. In the knowledge analysis phase, the knowledge acquired from the previous phase is analyzed and presented in the form of flood management ontology and other appropriate models. In the final phase of the methodology, all the models which have been designed are tested using the developed prototype to show that the models are workable.\n4. Results: This section highlights the findings of the knowledge analysis and knowledge verification phases of the research. This research proposed an architecture for the web-based support system for flood response operation. The manual process of documenting flood related information has been changed to computer supported system which can improve the effectiveness of managing flood response. By using computer support system, flood related information can be organized and stored in safe place. At the same time it will also provide an easy way to retrieve the information in order to make a decision. Figure 2 illustrates the system architecture for the proposed web-based support system for flood response operation.Knowledge regarding flood response which has been acquired during knowledge acquisition phase is analyzed and presented in the form of software architecture and ontology. Software architecture benefits organization in various ways. According to Perry and Wolf (1990), software architecture is a very useful framework to satisfy requirements of a particular system. It also plays a role as a basis for technical design and managerial basis for cost estimation and process management. Software architecture might also be used as a basis for reuse and analysis of dependency and consistency. The basic promise of software architecture research is that better software systems can result from modeling their important architectural aspects throughout, and especially early in, the development lifecycle (Medvidovic et al., 2002).In this research, a software architecture for Web-based Support System focusing on the flood response operation is proposed. The software architecture has utilized object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) methodology. It adopted the unified modeling language (UML) approach which has been proposed by Object Management Group (Unified Modeling Language, 2006). The entire analysis and design processes have produced some useful documentation in the form of diagrams which representing the software architecture of the Web-based Support System for Flood Response Operation. By following standard notation for UML, this research has produced use case diagrams, activity diagrams, sequence diagrams, agent protocol diagrams and class diagrams. All diagrams which have been mentioned represent different behavioral and structural of the system.Dennis et al. (2005) claimed that different UML diagrams give different purpose and definition of the system. For example, use case diagram is useful to illustrate the communication between system and its external environment. To explain the concept in details, Table II shows the purpose of each type of UML diagrams which have been produced as software architecture models for this research.Figure 3 illustrates the use case diagram which consists of seven actors representing each government agency in FMC and the ten use cases are described in Table III.The architecture of FMS is presented in the form of activity diagrams. The main flow of the system is depicted in Figure 4 where all users are required to login to the system by providing their ID and password. Users are divided into two different categories where level 1 represents the top management of the agencies and level 2 for data entry staffs. Each user is identified according to his/her agency and the district he/she working with. Users are allowed to view their agencies' detail. The District Office and the National Security Division are the only government agencies which can view details of other agencies.The web-based support system for flood response operation provides different roles to the users according to their levels and agencies. Table IV shows the system functions provided for each agency involved in flood management.Ontological analysis of the domain has been performed to provide unambiguous knowledge on flood management responsibilities. According to Chandrasekaran et al. (1999), ontology is very useful to describe a body of knowledge and provide a collection of facts in some domains. The flood management activities have been classified into several different groups according to the responsibilities. Figure 5 illustrates the top level of the flood ontology which is in the taxonomy form. The root of this ontology is Flood Management System. It is divided into several entities that could be people, events or objects. The flood ontology includes Flood Disaster Management Committee, Flood Operation Command Center, On Scene Control Post, Flood Area, Victim, Supply, Health, Rainfall, Water Level, Evacuation Center, Infrastructure Damage and River Level.The web-based support system for flood response operation has been developed using Active Server Pages (ASP) technology that uses the Microsoft platform. Hardware and software specified in Table V have been employed.Figure 6 shows the screen shot of web-based support system for flood response operation. The Malay language has been used to fulfill the language requirement of the government agencies.\n5. Conclusion: web-based support system for flood response operation is really essential in providing effective and efficient relief to flood victims. The architecture presented in this paper allows the coordination of response activities among the agencies and provides up to date information which facilitates the process of decision making by the chairman of the flood committee. This is accomplished by an auto-generated mechanism for reporting of current situation. Future research includes the implementation of flood executive decision making capability which allows decision makers to choose the best action to be taken to solve the critical situation.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to present the utilization of a web-based support system for flood response operation in Malaysia. The system is intentionally designed to improve process and data management towards providing prompt and effective response to victims.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The implementation of the research adopted the knowledge acquisition method for implementing expert systems in organizations. The methodology consists of four phases of activities which are planning for knowledge acquisition, knowledge extraction, knowledge analysis, and knowledge verification.\nFindings: - The findings include the architecture of the web-based support system for flood response operation which is presented in the form of conceptual and software models. The architecture of web-based support systems for flood response operation can assist the flood management related agencies in managing and maintaining data related to floods. It also allows them to monitor the current situation of flood-related matters.\nPractical implications: - Web-based support systems for flood response operation is expected to improve the overall aspect of flood response operation by providing electronic features which facilitate the flood response process and data management. In future, expert systems for flood response operations is one of the enhancements to the current architecture.\nOriginality/value: - This paper presents the architecture of a web-based support system for flood response operation in Malaysia. The proposed architecture is beneficial for the flood management related agencies in order to plan further improvements in the current procedure for flood response.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Dealing with initial success versus failure in crowdfunding market: Serial crowdfunding, changing strategies, and funding performance	[ "Hubris", "Entrepreneurship", "Experience", "Crowdfunding", "Attribution", "Serial crowdfunding" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The advancement of Web 2.0 and financial technologies has profoundly transformed the entrepreneurial financing. IT-enabled crowdfunding enables the financing of entrepreneurial innovations (Belleflamme et al., 2014; Mollick, 2014). Crowdfunding represents a collective financing mechanism over the internet to directly fund early stage ventures (Kuppuswamy and Bayus, 2017). It has the potential to democratize access to capital since its idea is to assemble small investments from a large group of individuals. In addition, crowdfunding not only facilitates information flow and transactions (Mollick, 2014) but also transforms the fundraising process by overcoming offline barriers to financial transactions (Agrawal et al., 2011). The number of crowdfunding platforms has increased rapidly, and more than 1,000 platforms exist worldwide presently (Massolution, 2015). Such significant growth in the crowdfunding platform indicates that crowdfunding assists entrepreneurs in transforming innovations into economically viable products, projects or ventures. Crowdfunding is a two-sided market where both entrepreneurs and contributors play a crucial role in contributing to such economic growth. Hence, it is vital to explore factors that have a considerable impact on the success of crowdfunding projects initiated by entrepreneurs or crowdfunding creators.\n2. Related literature: 2.1 Prior research on serial entrepreneurship in crowdfunding\n3. Hypotheses development: 3.1 Hubris, attribution and industry change\n4. Research method: 4.1 Research context\n5. Results: In H1a and H1b, we suggest that in crowdfunding market, the failure vs success of an initial project would lead the serial crowdfunders to change category for a subsequent project. The empirical results of the research models evaluating these effects are presented in Table IV. In Model 1, we include seven independent variables and the dependent variable (DCategory) testing whether the serial creator change crowdfunding categories from initial or success project to the next. In contrary to H1a, the result shows that initial failure reduces the likelihood of changing categories compared to initial success. Rather, initial success leads to more category changes for the serial crowdfunders in crowdfunding markets. Thus, H1b is supported as the coefficient of Initial Success is positive and statically significant (b=0.474, p<0.001). Two competing hypotheses - drawn from theories of attribution and hubris - offer competing predicts about the effect of initial failure vs initial success experience on behavioral decisions and funding performance of subsequent crowdfunding projects. Consistent with the notion of entrepreneurs' hubris (Hayward et al., 2006, 2010), the hubris hypothesis predicts that serial crowdfunders with initial success are more likely to take an explorative action by entering a new market. Furthermore, based on the emerging literature on crowdfunding, there are three lines of reasoning for this relationship. First, initial failure may trigger strong motivations for crowdfunders to engage in more exploitative behavior, suggesting that crowdfunders tend to launch a new campaign in the same category rather than launch a new project in a different one. Second, the serial crowdfunders who experience initial failure may find specific excuses with campaign strategies. They are more likely to correct or modify old plans and launch a new campaign with similar ideas. Third, crowdfunders who experienced initial success tend to leverage their experience gained from the same industry or category, eventually attempting to build their reputation in another industry.\n6. Discussion and conclusion: The purpose of this study is to investigate how serial crowdfunders develop different strategic responses to initial failure vs success of their crowdfunding campaign. Dawning on the hubris theory of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning theory, we find that serial creators who experienced the initial success are likely to engage more in explorative behavior by entering a new market. Switching industry is generally considered risk-taking action but hubris leads serial crowdfunders to change categories between their first and second crowdfunding projects. We show that serial crowdfunders with initial failure are less likely to attribute the failure of their initial crowdfunding to external factors such as crowdfunding category and therefore serial crowdfunders who experienced the initial failure are less likely to change categories between their first and second crowdfunding projects. In contrast, our results show that serial creators with initial success are more likely to explore a new market or a new crowdfunding category. Our hubris or overconfidence hypothesis is supported, suggesting that serial creators who experience prior successful crowdfunding projects are highly confident and such hubris motivates them to launch a subsequent project in a new category. We thus conclude that success of initial crowdfunding leads to increased likelihood of changing categories. That is, serial creators with successful initial experience in crowdfunding market become confident enough to enter a different market or crowdfunding category. Previous research on entrepreneurship literature posits that experienced, successful entrepreneurs are more likely to be overconfident (Denrell, 2003; Shepherd et al., 2003). Similarly, in crowdfunding market serial creators with initial success develop competence, leading to change in funding option, from the flexible funding to the fixed. Such behavioral response to initial success implies that successful serial creators exploit opportunities by being more adaptive, eventually willing to change direction and modify strategies as the real opportunity evolves. This is consistent with the hubris theory of entrepreneurship highlighting how hubris encourages entrepreneurs to start-up venture in the new industry but to also pursue growth strategies (Hayward et al., 2006). In crowdfunding market, hubristic serial crowdfunders overestimate the probability of a positive outcome when launching a campaign in new crowdfunding category.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Serial crowdfunding is becoming a common phenomenon as entrepreneurs repeatedly return to online crowdfunding to raise capital. In this study, the authors focus attention on serial crowdfunders, that is, entrepreneurs who experience launching more than one crowdfunding project. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of past experience on subsequent crowdfunding performance. This study also examines whether initial success vs initial failure leads serial crowdfunders to engage in more explorative behaviors (i.e. switching industry) and to take exploitative actions (i.e. adjusting campaign strategies in terms of goal setting and funding option).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data on serial crowdfunding projects was retrieved from Indiegogo platform. The logistic regression models are estimated to assess the impact of past entrepreneurial experience on subsequent crowdfunding decisions, and to estimate the effects of the three strategies on subsequent funding performance.\nFindings: The results show that serial creators who experienced successful initial crowdfunding are more likely to explore a new industry or product category in the crowdfunding market and to set a higher target capital for the subsequent campaign when they change a project category.\nOriginality/value: Despite the fact that there are a considerably large number of serial crowdfunders in crowdfunding market, relatively little research has been conducted to investigate the presence of learning benefits from a previous to a subsequent crowdfunding project. Two competing hypotheses, drawn from the attribution theory and hubris theory of entrepreneurship, were tested in this study to determine the impact of prior success vs failure experience on both subsequent crowdfunding decisions and funding performance.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The Mandela Portal - an assessment of global visitors using Web analytics	[ "Big data", "Portal", "Google Analytics", "Data trustworthiness", "Mandela Archive", "Nelson Mandela" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) was established in 1999 as the post-presidential office for Mr Nelson Mandela upon his retirement as South Africa's first democratically elected president. Mr Mandela had promised to serve only one five-year term, and upon retirement felt that he needed to continue working to promote social justice (Harris, 2012). He was actively involved in the work of the NMF for the first five years, but in 2004 announced he was \"retiring from retirement\" (Mandela, 2004). His stepping away from public life, and from direct involvement in NMF operations, sparked a review of the organisation's mandate, vision and mission. The review was completed in 2006, and adoption of the review report by the NMF Board of Trustees introduced a five-year transition process designed to transform the institution into the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory (Josias, 2006).\n2. Methodology: Archivists, library and other information professionals often lack a \"systematic understanding\" of how people interact with descriptive information and digital objects that are accessible through their institutions' website portals (Arendt and Wagner, 2010; Fang, 2007). Web analytics is seen as a method they could use to \"measure user actions, to understand some aspects of user behavior\" and to initiate ways of improving their online offerings (Prom, 2011, p. 158).\n3. Findings: There is considerable debate on the reliability of data captured by Web analytics tools (Clifton, 2012, pp. 26-29, Thomas, 2013, p. 17). For instance, the means to identify a unique visitor are still undergoing refinement (Menken, 2012, p. 20). As well, whether a page view consists of one hit to the page or different parts of the page is also debatable. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the base statistics are drawn from what Google Analytics terms as sessions defining each as \"a group of interactions that take place on the website within a given time frame\" (Google, 2016a). A session combines screen views, events social interactions and transactions, and therefore, the statistical figure will be much less than the number of page or screen views but represents a more organic engagement with a website.\n4. Discussion: Fang (2007, p. 15) argued that Google Analytics is a great tool for constructing user-centred websites because it offers \"a user-friendly interface and information reports that allow for quick identification of problems\". The findings in this article have revealed a number of aspects related to trends observed in the data and the analytics tools. This section is a discussion of the issues. Section 4.1 examines the Web traffic trends, Section 4.2 explores weaknesses observed in Google Analytics that would be common to Web analytics tools and Section 4.3 outlines the impact of the Web traffic trends on the development of the Mandela Portal.\n5. Conclusion: Web analytics is evolving and its methodology and terminologies are consistently being refined (LaCugna, 2013; Sostre and LeClaire, 2007, p. 309). This article used data drawn from Google Analytics tool to analyse Web visitors to the Mandela Portal and discuss some of the trends and patterns and their implications on the Portal's development. The Mandela Portal is at the core of facilitating global access to the Mandela Archive and is hosted by the NMF. This article outlined the conceptualisation of the Mandela Portal and the need to do an assessment of the visitors to the Portal. The period between 2009 and 2015 witnessed just over 13 million sessions of Web visitors to the Portal. The ranking of countries showed a dominance of three nations: the USA, South Africa and the UK. However, an inconsistency is the dramatic rise of visitors from Kenya in 2014 resulted in a top three ranking in 2015. An exploration of reasons suggests this is more likely the result of weaknesses in accuracy of data collected by the tool. Finally, the rankings also showed the dominance of English language in the Web browser settings, which is consistent with an earlier study (Katuu, 2009).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to perform a longitudinal assessment of the visitors to the Mandela Portal using Web analytics over a period of seven years, between 2009 and 2015.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper is based on Web analytics methodology that consists of a four-step process and utilises the first and second steps with data collected using Google Analytics.\nFindings: The research process found a number of trends relating to the Portal's visitors, including changes in the ranking of countries from which the visitors accessed the website as well as the variety of language settings in the Web browsers. It identified some issues both with the Google Analytics tool and broader implications on the trustworthiness of data.\nOriginality/value: This paper provides an analysis of Web visitors to the Mandela Portal, offering trends that are only possible when viewed over a long period. It also explores issues of data trustworthiness.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Carbon footprint stock analysis of US manufacturing: a time series input-output LCA	[ "Life cycle assessment", "Carbon intensity", "Green supply chains", "Input-output modelling", "Sustainable manufacturing" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Climate change and carbon footprint (CFP) are fundamental topics of industrial sustainability assessment and sustainable development policy making. Unfortunately, we are well behind the objectives targeted in the meetings of United Nations Climate Change Committee, and yet no worldwide commitment for taking the necessary actions has been reached based on the 2015 Paris meeting. Among the industrial and service activities in a country or across the world, manufacturing activities play a substantial role in meeting the expectations of consumers. Substantial environmental impacts result from these activities. In any discussion about sustainable development, sustainable manufacturing has to be a significant topic for assessment and policy making across the world.\n2. Literature review: 2.1 Background: input-output life cycle assessment (IO LCA) applications\n3. Methodology: An integrated methodology with three steps is developed to tackle the problem. First, IO LCA models are developed for the years between 1970 and 2011 by using the national input-output tables and environmental impact multiplier data sets. Second, the life cycle inventory data are obtained by integrating the economic output data of 276 US manufacturing industries in each IO LCA model for each year and the CFP results are obtained. Third, the resulting data are analyzed by using visual and statistical data analytics methods. Following sections explain the IO LCA model, time series analysis, and data collection steps.\n4. Results: We present the results in five sub-sections. In the first sub-section, we focus on the TEO variable and time series analysis is highlighted. The second sub-section presents findings related to the CFP considering the annual (flow rate) and stock (cumulative) behavior of these results. The third sub-section overviews the time series behavior of CFP intensity, termed as metric ton CO2-equivalent per million dollar economic activity. The fourth section focuses on the time series behavior of top ten carbon intensive industries in terms of total CFP share among all of the economic sectors. And, the fifth sub-section concludes the results section with a detailed supply chain decomposition analysis.\n5. Discussion: Supply chain management practices have been implemented from sustainability perspective and due to the successful implementation of these strategies, reductions in operational costs and environmental impacts are achieved. This success is indicated by the substantial reduction in the carbon intensity (see Figure 8). However, the total CFP impact has not been reduced due to enormous growth in TEO of manufacturing industries, which is being triggered by increase in overall demand/consumption. The increasing trend in economic output and household consumption are the top drivers of non-decreasing GHG emissions stock. According to the fifth assessment report for climate change prepared by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that \"cumulative emissions of CO2 largely determine global mean surface warming by the late 21st century and beyond,\" which significantly stresses the importance of looking at the stock of GHG emissions rather than the rate (IPCC, 2014). According to this study, the last four decades' cumulative GHG emissions results indicate that FM, petroleum products manufacturing, power generation, and basic chemical product manufacturing industries are the top drivers of GHG emissions thus climate change in the supply chains. The food, energy, and chemical products-related consumption is increasing more rapidly compared to the technological innovation achieved toward more environmentally sound manufacturing processes in these industries. This finding was also mentioned in the EPA's 2014 adaptation plan. EPA states that \"scientific evidence demonstrates that the climate is changing at an increasingly rapid rate, outside the range to which society has adapted in the past.\" This signifies the innovation in both production and the consumption aspects of the issue. Another recent study also indicate that \"Ambitious climate policy requires strong public support\" according to a public survey performed in China (Bernauer et al., 2016). Although some governments, business organizations, and societies are striving to make the world a more sustainable place, due to various reasons the success of USA toward stabilizing the GHG emissions is still out of reach.\n6. Conclusion, limitations, and future work: In this study, CFP assessment of US manufacturing was undertaken. The CFP assessment was performed by developing IO LCA models for the period 1970 through 2011. Several aspects of CFP assessment were considered, namely: time series, stock vs flow analysis, CFP intensity analysis, onsite vs supply chain impacts, and supply chain decomposition. We developed a time series EIO-LCA model to estimate the CFP stock and flow of US manufacturing industries considering onsite and supply chain impacts as a whole. The time series assessment of economic activity indicates a positive growth during the study period. In parallel with the economic output, the CFP trend showed a steady increase over the course of the same time period in terms of cumulative (stock) CFP. In contrast, carbon intensity of manufacturing activities has dropped significantly (by over 90 percent) in the last four decades, which can be attributed to technological advancements. Even though technology and the way goods are produced has changed and improved tremendously, the consumption (thus production) had gone up significantly. In return, the total CFP associated with manufacturing activities has increased steeply and continues to increase.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an input-output life cycle assessment model to estimate the carbon footprint of US manufacturing sectors. To achieve this, the paper sets out the following objectives: develop a time series carbon footprint estimation model for US manufacturing sectors; analyze the annual and cumulative carbon footprint; analyze and identify the most carbon emitting and carbon intensive manufacturing industries in the last four decades; and analyze the supply chains of US manufacturing industries to help identify the most critical carbon emitting industries.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Initially, the economic input-output tables of US economy and carbon footprint multipliers were collected from EORA database (Lenzen et al., 2012). Then, economic input-output life cycle assessment models were developed to quantify the carbon footprint extents of the US manufacturing sectors between 1970 and 2011. The carbon footprint is assessed in metric tons of CO2-equivalent, whereas the economic outputs were measured in million dollar economic activity.\nFindings: The salient finding of this paper is that the carbon footprint stock has been increasing substantially over the last four decades. The steep growth in economic output unfortunately over-shadowed the potential benefits that were obtained from lower CO2 intensities. Analysis of specific industry results indicate that the top five manufacturing sectors based on total carbon footprint share are \"petroleum refineries,\" \"Animal (except poultry) slaughtering, rendering, and processing,\" \"Other basic organic chemical manufacturing,\" \"Motor vehicle parts manufacturing,\" and \"Iron and steel mills and ferroalloy manufacturing.\"\nOriginality/value: This paper proposes a state-of-art time series input-output-based carbon footprint assessment for the US manufacturing industries considering direct (onsite) and indirect (supply chain) impacts. In addition, the paper provides carbon intensity and carbon stock variables that are assessed over time for each of the US manufacturing industries from a supply chain footprint perspective.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Responsible leadership and workplace deviant behaviour: modelling trust and turnover intention as mediator	[ "Responsible leadership", "Workplace deviant behaviour", "Trust", "Turnover intention", "Health sector", "Pakistan" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: The idea of RL in the contemporary world is gaining recognition. It has also emerged as a dominant component of literature because of executive misconduct and financial crisis contributing to organisational studies (Haque et al., 2019). An example of which is the irresponsible practices of lending money by US institutions that resulted in the meltdown of the financial system around the globe in 2008 together with plenty of other corporate corruption and scandals caused the management scholars and western governments to re-evaluate leadership practices in dominant corporations to get back the lost trust (Benn et al., 2014; Mousa et al., 2019). Scholars examined the term \"responsibility\" in terms of skill capabilities and obligations that should happen correctly. Maak (2007) defined RL as the ability and art involved in cultivating, building and sustaining trustworthy relations with various stakeholders, both inside the organisation and outside, and organizing responsible acts to attain a purposeful, shared business goals and vision (p. 331). It is such that, the responsible leaders ought to have resources and authority that help in establishing trustful relationships with organisations, stakeholders and workers to make them collaborate and determine a common social agenda (Mousa, 2017, 2018; Mousa and Puhakka, 2019).It is evident from the literature that an overlap exists between ethical and legitimate practices that stakeholders and responsible leaders share to fulfil social responsibilities that would add to the welfare of their organisation and working environment agenda (Mousa, 2017, 2018; Mousa and Puhakka, 2019). Antunes and Franco (2016) concluded that the organisations which maintain the trust relationships with stakeholders are the ones that will survive for long. Numerous attempts are made in the literature of leadership to help explain the phenomenon of RL, but only some empirical studies discovered the effect of RL on the organisational outcomes and its employees (Antunes and Franco, 2016; Haque et al., 2019). One of the factors in organisational studies is the organisational trust that is used to judge the behaviour of employees and commitment towards their organisation. Employees' trust determines their intentions and behaviours in the workplace (Ozyilmaz, 2010).WDB is defined as \"a behaviour that is voluntary and violates the significant norms of the organisation and in doing that threatens organisational well-being and the members of that organisation, or both\" (Robinson and Bennett, 1995, p. 556). Mangione and Quinn (1975) referred to such behaviour as counterproductive behaviour, while Giacalone and Greenberg (1997) labelled it as anti-social behaviour. Moreover, Vardi (2001) termed this kind of behaviour in the workplace as misbehaviour. Fox et al. (2001) evaluated behaviours at the workplace and suggested that deviance in behaviour at the workplace caused harmful and ill effects in the workplace that leads to aggression in the working environment, interpersonal conflict, robbery and sabotage. Here, the main idea is to harm the workplace that affects the purpose of the organisation, lowers the productivity and effectiveness of the organisation and harms the organisational social structure and equity perceptiveness (Bulutlar and Oz, 2009).Organisations that support the loyalty and trust of their employees by recognizing their independent individual contributions would get benefit by attaining employees' commitment towards their organisation (Liao et al., 2004; Wayne et al., 2002). On the other hand, lack of organisational trust will give rise to WDB's (Thau et al., 2007). Hence, with the deviant behaviour the scholars have started their search to find a solution to this problem (Chen and King, 2018; Guay et al., 2016; Hsieh and Wang, 2016). Therefore, with such a growing interest in WDB, several definitions are used in literature. One of the definitions of WDB described by Robinson and Bennett (1995) is \"voluntary behaviour that is aimed at violating norms of organisations, and in doing this action, it threatens the welfare of both the organisations and its members\" (p. 556).This research focuses on providers of healthcare services in a public hospital. Keeping in view the contributions of the healthcare sector ranging from saving lives, prevent and cure disability and diseases, relieve and prevent suffering and prevent consequences when a disease cannot be cured, this sector was chosen. Hence, the healthcare sectors ought to be deeply associated with deviant behaviour issues of the workforce. While past work on this topic is still not sufficient, more research is required to fill the gap of RL literature. The literature highlighted the need to examine the role of RL style in the health care sector to minimize the possibility of deviance at the workplace. Previously, some authors reported that responsible. Leadership reduces the occurrence of deviance behaviours in the organisation (Bedi et al., 2016; Mo and Shi, 2017; Neves and Story, 2015). The aforementioned authors of this study sought to fill up the gap of leadership related literature through discovering the relationship between RL and the workplace behaviour in the environment of Pakistani public hospital while seeing the mediating role of trust and TI. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge by enhancing understanding between RL and WDB amid the mediation of trust and TI.\nLiterature review: Responsible leadership\nHypothesis development: Responsible leadership and work deviant behaviour\nMethods: Sample and procedures for data collection\nConclusion: The study aims at establishing a relationship between RL and work deviant behaviour using SIT and psychological contract, involving the mediating role of employees' trust and turnover intentions. The study stands different because of using employees' turnover intentions as a mediator; though in earlier studies, the variable of employees' turnover intentions was used as an employees' outcome. The study reveals that perceived RL significantly affects employees' turnover intentions and work deviant behaviour. Furthermore, the relationship between RL and work deviant behaviour - a direct one is partially mediated by employees' turnover intentions. Hence, the results of study unfold how RL leads to employees' commitment towards the task, manger and ultimately for organisation and, consequently, enhancing employees' trust and mitigating employees' turnover intentionsImplications of research\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Drawing on psychological contract theory and social identity theory, this study aims at examining the mediating role of trust and turnover intention (TI) between the relationship of responsible leadership (RL) and work deviant behavior (WDB).\nDesign/methodology/approach: Data were collected from 230-full-time hospital staffs to examine the hypothesized relationship. Moreover, study employed a two-step SEM approach to test the proposed relationships.\nFindings: The results derived from \"partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM)\" analysis revealed that RL does not affect WDB. The findings further provided a noteworthy theoretical understanding that of influence of RL on WDB is better explained by trust, whereas the impact of RL on WD is less translated through TI.\nPractical implications: This study entails vital managerial implications by demonstrating that how hospitals should improve WDB.\nOriginality/value: The study makes a unique contribution in RL literature by linking psychological contract theory and social identity theory. This novel research endeavour also bridges important theoretical gaps by highlighting the additive effects of RL and exploring the competing mediation mechanism through which RL influence WDB.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Factors affecting dividend policy in manufacturing companies in Indonesia Stock Exchange	[ "Profitability", "Leverage", "Liquidity", "Collateralizable asset", "Growth in net asset", "Dividend policy" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: The capital market is the market for various long-term financial instruments in the form of equity and debt that have a maturity of more than one year. In capital market activity, investors have expectations of the investments they make, namely, in the form of dividends and capital gains. According to Gordon and Lintner (Meissner and Brigham, 2001, p. 67), the investors are much more appreciative of the expected income of dividends than the expected income from capital gains. In addition, the component of the dividend yield is less than the capital gain component in the expected total revenue equation. In addition, dividends are a fixed income element in the current year, whereas capital gains are uncertain.\n2. Literature review: Dividends are the share of profits earned by the company to shareholders that are proportional to the number of shares held. Dividends can be either cash or stock. Stice et al. (2005) in Suharli (2007) defined dividends as profit sharing with company shareholders in proportion to the number of shares held by their respective owners. Dividends distributed to shareholders may be expressed as a percentage of the value of the shares or amount of money per share owned.\n3. Development of empirical hypothesis: The relationship of collateralizable assets to the dividend policy\n4. Research method: This research uses a type of comparative causal research (causal-comparative research), where the fact or event is identified as an influenced variable (dependent variable) and the variables that influence (independent variable) are investigated (Indriantoro, 2012). In this study, the authors want to examine the effect of collateralizable assets, growth in net assets, liquidity, leverage and profitability of dividend policy by using quantitative approach.\n5. Results and discussion: Model assumption tests statistical analysis utilization, which means multiple regression analysis needs the fulfillment of several assumptions, that is residual normality, non-heteroscedasticity of residual variant, non-multicollinearity and linearity. Tests all of these assumptions are presented in Table I. First, normality test with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test with a significance value of 0.2>0.05 shows that residual normality assumption is fulfilled. Second, the test of non-heteroscedasticity of residual variant uses Breuch-Pagan test with significance value of 0.001<0.05, which shows that non-heteroscedasticity assumption is not fulfilled, meaning that there is a problem within residual variant heteroscedasticity. Therefore, it needs parameter estimation techniques except for ordinary least square (OLS), that is weighted least square (WLS). Advanced testing result uses WLS with significance value (Breuch-Pagan test) of 0.311>0.05, which shows that non-heteroscedasticity assumption of residual variance is fulfilled. Third, non-multicollinearity testing uses the variance inflation factor (VIF) test with all VIF values<5, which shows that non-multicollinearity assumption is fulfilled. Lastly, linearity assumption testing uses Ramsey RESET test with significance value>0.05, indicating that the linearity assumption is fulfilled. Therefore, all assumption fulfilled indicates multiple regression can be utilized, with parameter estimation option is WLS, given the use of OLS shows non-heteroscedasticity assumption is not fulfilled.\n6. Conclusions and recommendations: This study aims to determine the effect of collateralizable assets, growth in net assets, liquidity, leverage and profitability on thedividend policy at manufacturing companies listed on the ISE period 2011-2015. The results showed that collateralizable assets have a negative, but not significant, effect on the dividend policy. This shows that the high collateralizable assets do not affect the policy of the dividend of manufacturing companies. The second variable, growth in net assets, has a negative and significant effect on dividend policy. This shows that the higher growth in net assets will lower the dividend policy of manufacturing companies. Furthermore, the results show that liquidity has a negative and significant effect on dividend policy. This indicates that higher liquidity will lower the dividend policy of manufacturing companies. Furthermore, result that leverage has a negative and significant effect on dividend policy is obtained. This suggests that the higher leverage will lower the dividend policy of the manufacturing company. And lastly, profitability has a negative, but not significant, effect on the dividend policy. This shows that high profitability does not affect dividend policy of manufacturing companies.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the variables that significantly affect dividend policy.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This research uses a type of comparative causal research (causal-comparative research), where the fact or event is identified as an influenced variable (dependent variable) and the variables that influence (independent variable) are investigated. In this study, the authors want to examine the effect of collateralizable assets, growth in net assets, liquidity, leverage and profitability of dividend policy by using quantitative approach. The data used are secondary data obtained from Indonesia Stock Exchange website with website address: www.idx.co.id.\nFindings: The results showed that collateralizable assets have a negative, but not significant, effect on dividend policy. This shows that the high collateralizable assets do not affect the policy of the dividend of manufacturing companies. The second variable, growth in net assets, has a negative and significant effect on dividend policy. This shows that the higher growth in net assets will lower the dividend policy of manufacturing companies. Furthermore, the results show that liquidity has a negative and significant effect on dividend policy. This indicates that higher liquidity will lower the dividend policy of manufacturing companies. Furthermore, result that leverage has a negative and significant effect on dividend policy is obtained. This suggests that the higher leverage will lower the dividend policy of the manufacturing company. And lastly, profitability has a negative, but not significant, effect on dividend policy. This shows that high profitability does not affect dividend policy of manufacturing companies.\nOriginality/value: The authors contribute to prior research by providing the empirical evidence on the impact of collateralizable assets, growth in net assets, liquidity, leverage and profitability on dividend policy in Indonesia market as an emerging market.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Topic: chemical compositions and mineral content of four selected South African herbal teas and the synergistic response of combined teas	[ "Minerals", "Flavonoids", "Monsonia burkeana", "Bush tea", "Honeybush tea", "Total phenolic acid" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: South Africa has a rich heritage of herbal tea, such as rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) and honeybush tea (Cyclopia species) both of which are available in the national and international markets (Jolley et al., 2016). Currently, rooibos and honeybush are exported to both local and international markets with the potential for creating jobs and industrialization in line with the National Developmental Program (NDP) (National Planning Commission, 2011). Other noncommercialized teas in informal markets include bush tea (Athrixia phylicoides DC.) and special tea (Monsonia burkeana), which have been extensively researched (Mudau et al., 2007; Tshivhandekano et al., 2014). Both bush and special teas possess inhibitory effects against microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Klebsiella oxytoca, Proteus vulgaris and Salmonella typhi (Mudau and Mariga, 2013; Tshivhandekano et al., 2014). Furthermore, bush tea displayed antioxidant activities using the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay (Mcgaw et al., 2007). Rooibos and honeybush tea also have antioxidant and antimutagenic activities (Malongane et al., 2017; Marnewick et al., 2003; van der Merwe et al., 2006).Herbal tea contains minerals such as potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), boron (B), iron (Fe), sulfur (S), selenium (Se) and chromium (Cr) in addition to other bioactive compounds (Pohl et al., 2016). However, there is a large variation in the mineral composition and biological activity among different herbal tea species, part of which is due to differences in plant species and agronomic practices (Mamphiswana et al., 2011; Street et al., 2006). Among the compounds present in rooibos tea are aspalathin, nothofagin, iso-orientin, orientin and luteolin, while honeybush tea contains xanthones (mangiferin, isomangiferin) and hesperidin (Gelderblom et al., 2016; Nash et al., 2015). The aforementioned teas have a substantial amount of essential minerals such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper (Olivier et al., 2012). Bioactive compounds present in bush tea include quercetin, caffeic acid, inositol, kaempferol, apigenin, hymenoxin, myrcene, potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium and zinc (Lerotholi et al., 2016; Mcgaw et al., 2013). Special tea leaves are reported to contain chloride, copper, potassium, sodium, manganese, zinc, boron, phosphorus and magnesium (Mamphiswana et al., 2011). The consumption of herbal teas is therefore regarded as an important source of minerals and bioactive compounds, which may exert positive biological effects in humans. Substantial quantities of these compounds are water-soluble and drip into the tea liquor during tea preparation. Therefore, tea drinkers benefit from flavonoids, polyphenols and essential minerals. Tea polyphenols, tea catechins, caffeine, flavor, taste, amino acid and ash content are important parameters to determine tea quality (Adnan Muhammad , Ahmad Asif, Ahmed Anwaar, Khalid Nauman, 2013). Thus, tea that exhibits high ash, total polyphenols, total flavonoid content and high essential minerals content will have a high total quality score.Bush tea was selected for blending, mostly due to the presence of phenolics, flavonoids, mineral content and positive biological activity; furthermore, research is underway to explore the possibility of commercialization (Lerotholi et al., 2016). Southern Africa is an important central point of botanical and cultural diversity with only a few plant species fully commercialized as medicinal products. Recently, there has been increasing research and development activity resulting in new crops and several products of these plants (Van Wyk, 2011). There is a high demand for medicinal plants in Southern Africa, yet the management of these plants in the wild is not well regulated and sustainable. The decline in the wild stock of important medicinal plant species also affects the market supply of indigenous medicinal plant materials (Anon, 2003). Since the management practices of these plants in the wild are not well regulated, the intensive harvesting of these species for their medicinal use has in many places resulted in overexploitation and a serious threat to biodiversity (Wiersum, 2006). The determination of important quality parameters would help motivate for commercial production, especially if these parameters are comparable to those of commercialized teas.The present study was carried out to determine (1) essential minerals, total polyphenols, total flavonoids, moisture and ash content of four selected South African herbal teas of which two herbal teas are still harvested from the wild, which are perceived to be unsustainable compared to commercial available herbal teas, and (2) the effect of blending bush tea with other known herbal teas.\n2. Materials and methods: 2.1 Sample collection and preparation\n3. Statistical analysis: All data were exported to Statistica software version 10.0 (Statsoft, Tulsa, USA) and subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the determination of mean and standard error and separation of means. Duncan's post-hoc test was used to determine the difference in tea samples. For mineral analysis, the ICP Expert II software was used for the post-run analysis of data. Data were then exported to Microsoft Excel for further analysis. Exported data included original sample and solution concentrations, average intensities, triplicate intensity values, standard deviations and relative SD of both the intensities and the concentrations. The final data output from this analysis included only the concentration of each mineral. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using XLSTAT software (Addinsoft, Paris, France).\n4. Results and discussion: 4.1 Moisture and ash content\n5. Conclusion: Special tea had the highest ash content and high mineral content, while those teas with the lowest ash content such as honeybush tea had low mineral content. All tea samples contained a considerable amount of essential minerals, though the contribution of selected minerals to the recommended daily intake was minute. The determined total phenolic and flavonoid contents were comparable with other commercial teas reputed to have health benefits. Blending bush tea with other teas did not increase the mineral content of bush tea. However, there was a potentiation observed in the TFC. Special tea and bush tea are nutritionally comparable and in some instances exhibited higher values than commercialized herbal teas (rooibos and honeybush tea). Further studies will be undertaken to investigate the mineral bioavailability of herbal teas and also commercial viability of bush tea and special tea.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The present study was carried out to determine (1) essential minerals, total polyphenols, total flavonoids, moisture and ash of four selected South African herbal teas and (2) the effect of blending bush tea with other known commercial herbal teas.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The method used to determine moisture and ash contents followed that of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Nine minerals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu assay and aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, respectively.\nFindings: The results of the study demonstrated that bush tea had a high ash content of 8.01% and special tea (9.23%), while honeybush (1.96%) and rooibos tea (2.17%) exhibited a low ash percentage. The mineral content was higher in bush tea and special tea than in rooibos tea and honeybush tea except for sodium, which was higher in rooibos tea. The blending of bush tea with special tea improved its potassium content from 22,937.00 mg/kg to 23,379.20 mg/kg. Blending bush tea with rooibos tea at a ratio of 25:75 increased the flavonoid content to 12.21 ug/mL.\nResearch limitations/implications: The results of the nutrients composition cannot be generalized as it is influenced by other factors such as soil type and seasons.\nSocial implications: Increasing the commercialization of indigenous teas.\nOriginality/value: The results of the study suggest that bush tea and special tea are nutritionally comparable with South African commercial herbal teas. Thus, the consideration for commercialization of these teas is crucial.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Mapping supply chain strategy: an industry analysis	[ "Competitive strategy", "Supply chain management", "Cluster analysis", "Manufacturing industry", "Inventory" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: In the era of global supply chains, the management of sourcing, production, and distribution in partnerships with suppliers and distributors, has become a top priority for manufacturing firms to gain competitive advantages in the marketplace (Mabert and Venkataramanan, 1998). It has been observed that firms do not compete individually but their supply chains do (Christopher, 2011; Lambert and Cooper, 2000). An increasing number of industry supply chain mapping case studies have examined specific industry structural forces in shaping industry-specific inventory strategies. Some examples are found in aerospace (Macdonnell and Clegg, 2007; Bales et al., 2004), fashion (Cagliano et al., 2011; Sen, 2008), automotive (Handfield et al., 2004; Veloso and Kumar, 2002), chemicals (McKinnon, 2004), electronics and semiconductor (Resolve, 2010; Kim et al., 1999), food, fresh produce and grocery supply chains (AEA Technology Plc., 2009; Lowe and Gereffi, 2008; Fearne and Hughes, 1999; Holmstrom, 1997), furniture industry (Kaplinsky et al., 2003), health care supply chain (Aronsson et al., 2011; Danas et al., 2006), home appliance (Ahn et al., 2010), paper (Lehtonen and Holmstrom, 1998), and steel mills supply chain (Jung and Lee, 2006).\n2 Supply chain inventory strategy: Porter (1996) defined strategy as sustainable positioning, making trade-offs, and forging fit relationships among activities. As a critical component of business strategy, supply chain inventory strategy should be aligned with and integrated into the overall business strategy. In a practical application, UPS defines supply chain strategy as \"[t]he actual operations of [an] organization and the extended supply chain to meet a specific supply chain objective\" (Happek, 2005). A review of supply chain management literature reveals three related streams of research on the formation of supply chain inventory strategy:\n3 Theoretical framework: As the unit of analysis in this study is industry and supply chain inventory strategy involves upstream suppliers and downstream customers, we use Porter's Five Forces Model as an appropriate theoretical framework to examine how industry structural factors may have impacted inbound and outbound inventories. This is similar to Adewole (2005) who analyzed the competitive nature of the UK clothing manufacturing industry based on Porter's Five Forces Model and showed how IT investment could help small and medium manufacturers manage supply chain challenges.\n4 Data collection and measurement of variables: The dataset is collected from US Census of Economics and Annual Survey of Manufacturers over 1997-2008 with industries being classified according to the NAICS. NAICS is widely used by government and business to classify manufacturing establishments based on manufacturing activities and the production processes used in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. US Census Bureau collects information on manufacturing activities at the plant level but reports data at different aggregated levels based on the number of digits used. Reported data include dollar values of inventories at all three stages (raw material, work-in-process and finished goods inventories), total cost of raw materials, value added, and total value of shipments (equivalent to the sum of raw materials and value added), the number of employees, manufacturing hours, payroll costs and other operational information. With a focus on industry sectors, we choose the most aggregate three-digit NAICS industry as the unit of analysis in this study (Table I).\n5 Cluster analysis and results: To discern the patterns of industry inbound and outbound supply chains, we perform cluster analysis of industry average raw material and finished goods inventories, one of the most widely-used data mining tools which groups the data entities into clusters (Shmueli et al., 2011). The entities in each cluster are most similar to one another, with their attribute values having the smallest distances to the center of the cluster. Conversely, these distances are larger to the centers of other clusters. Cluster analysis was used to examine manufacturing industry characteristics and measure manufacturing performance (Gomes et al., 2011) and was also described in the analysis of the span of integration in supply chain integration (Kannan and Tan, 2010). The algorithm used in this research is k-means clustering, which is non-hierarchical and robust to outliers. The algorithm starts with a user-defined number of k initial clusters. Each record is assigned to the cluster with a centroid at the least distance. As a cluster loses or gains a record, the centroid is recalculated and records are reassigned. The algorithm stops when moving any more records increases cluster dispersion.\n6 Case analysis: To examine the validity of our cluster analysis, we perform in-depth analysis of four industries: food industry from Cluster 1, computer electronics industry from Cluster 2, wood product industry from Cluster 3, and medical equipment from Cluster 4. These are samples of the involved industries where extensive data was available to illustrate the impacts of Porter's Model and the forces that were the prime focus of the study.\n7 Conclusion, managerial implications, limitations and future research steps: In this study, we conduct cluster analysis of industries and assess the inbound and outbound supply chain inventory strategies of an industry based on the factors described in Porter's Five Forces Model. An industry shows low or high raw materials or finished goods inventories depending on its products, processes, and the dynamics of all forces described in the Five Forces Model, including competitive landscape, relationships with upstream suppliers and downstream customers, and threats of substitutes and new entrants.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: In manufacturing industries, the levels of inventories at all stages (i.e. raw material, work-in-process and finished goods inventories) indicate the firm's competitive positioning, strategies, internal processes and relationships with suppliers and downstream customers. The authors identify patterns of manufacturing industries based on levels of raw material and finished goods inventories to classify inbound and outbound supply chain strategies.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The authors review literature on supply chain inventory strategy and perform cluster analysis to analyze patterns of manufacturing industries based on manufacturing industry data collected from US Census of Bureau. Following Porter's Five Forces Model, the authors perform in-depth case studies of four representative industries to analyze factors driving supply chain strategies, including industry intensity of rivalry, threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of suppliers, and bargaining power of buyers.\nFindings: This study identifies three streams of research on supply chain strategy: Fisher's model and its variations, lean and agile paradigms, and push/pull systems. It finds that whether an industry shows low or high raw materials or finished goods inventories depending on its products, processes, and the dynamics of all forces described in the Five Forces Model.\nResearch limitations/implications: This study is not able to include supplier selection, production strategies, warehousing and distribution, and even product design into the analysis of supply chain strategy due to data limitation. This study classifies industries based on average inventory levels of raw materials and finished goods, while inventory levels and supply chain strategies for specific firms may vary significantly within each industry.\nOriginality/value: This study contributes to the supply chain management literature by providing a parsimonious framework of mapping inbound and outbound supply chain inventory strategies, and the results based on the analyses of all US manufacturing industries provide a baseline picture for supply chain management professionals with manufacturing firms.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Mobile phones for development: An information case study of mobile phone kiosk vendors in the Congo	[ "Development", "Impact", "Capability", "Mobile phone", "Information science for development", "Prepaid card" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Mark Hepworth (Hepworth and Duvigneau, 2012) worked with a variety of disadvantaged groups and communities and in different settings across the globe. Hepworth consecrated much work in promoting an information science's sensitivity to and engagement with development in developing countries particularly in Africa, with participatory method being his underlying method. Therefore, development of, for and by the poorest has been Hepworth's central theme. This includes everything from hospices or healthcare units, university learning systems, information literacies and environment to agriculture. This paper is a testimony to and recognition of this work. The paper is part of a doctoral work that Hepworth spearheaded to allow for development among illiterate mobile phone users in rural areas of the Congo. Sure enough, the topic mobile phones for development is gaining prominence in developing countries even as mobile phones are becoming the information technologies of the poor.\nLiterature review: To be clear, the crux of a literature review (Babbie, 2016; Bryman, 2016) is not so much about a reservoir of names and published works, but a researcher's capacity to unravel the trends entrenched in works previously done so as to bridge the discrepancies unveiled and craft some breakthroughs. As shown earlier, information science literature has not kept pace with the discussions of development studies to inquire into the actualization of human beings. In this respect, information science cannot compare with its sister disciplines. Sure enough, the last few decades, a whole host of areas of social science research with earnest engagement in the topic of development have arisen, such as communication development (Servaes, 2008; Servaes and Lie, 2015), anthropology development (Mosse, 2013), geography development (Silvey and Rankin, 2011), sociology development (Webster, 1997), information systems for development (IS4Dev) (Traxler, 2009), information and communications technologies for development (ICT4D) (Kleine, 2013; Unwin, 2009), knowledge management for development (KM4Dev) (Ferguson, 2016), etc. Even more interestingly, computer science whose influence is steady in information science (Hjorland, 2014) has spawned the subfield of computing for development aka Association for Computing Machinery and Development (ACM DEV) (http://acmdev.org/), with a view to eradicating poverty around the world.\nMethod: The first method of this study was a relatively new qualitative method called ecological sampling or ecological method (Navarro and Diaz-Gamboa, 2015). Quantitative research was found to be impractical in this study's investigated rural areas. Undoubtedly, surveys or questionnaires were not appropriate as concerned participants were illiterate. More particularly, since the mass killings or genocides, which took place not long ago on a number of occasions and not too far away from the investigated areas, were being undertaken based on circulated lists with names of individuals and communities, sheets of paper and written documents were associated with summary executions and tortures. In the same way, to ensure the safety and needed collaboration of concerned participants and their communities, videos and tapes were avoided during in-depth interviews and related discussions since these materials could be used after the research as evidence to mistreat, pursue, arrest, or execute identified individuals. Also, for participants' peace of mind, names of locations, individuals and communities were not asked, identified or collected. Reports of Human Rights Watch (www.hrw.org) show the freedoms and safety of individuals to be alarming in the Congo.\nFindings: It needs to be borne in mind that in this study kiosk vendors are taken to mean individuals who sell prepaid cards of mobile phones, which is different from other kiosk vendors or users such as barbers, cobblers, voters, etc. Kiosk vendors are one of the least researched groups of information age that researchers of LIS are invited to be aware of if they want to make the world a better place. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 kiosk vendors (see the Appendix). As mentioned earlier, for security reasons, identities and locations of participants were withheld and anonymized. Prepaid cards are usually sold in ad hoc kiosks at market places, intersections of roads, alongside stores and/or under a tree. Prepaid cards are cards with credits on them to allow people in rural areas - who cannot afford a monthly subscription - to access mobile phones. Hence, prepaid cards allow individuals to use a mobile phone on a pay-as-you-go basis. Also to be clear, the number of categories and their components provided below was determined by virtue of saturation (Lincoln and Guba, 1985), a technique, as explained above, of collection that stops when there is no newer information gained. For ease of communication, the findings were divided in four major levels describing kiosk vendors' experiences: characteristics, contexts, interpretations and recommendations.\nDiscussion: As Merriam and Tisdell (2016) rightly asserted:In the discussion the researcher points out what the study contributes to the knowledge base of the field by showing how the study's findings extend, modify, or contradict previous work. In this discussion the researcher situates the findings of the study within the literature base on the topic, pointing out what new insights have been found, what aspects of theory have been challenged, and so on (p. 92).\nLimitations: Four major limitations can be said to plague this study. First, the endeavour to whittle down a doctoral work to a paper can leave out important details needed for a better grasp of the discussions alluded to. Second, the qualitative research adopted in this study can pose problems for researchers accustomed to traditional broad-based and generalizable research reports. Third, just like any social group, kiosk vendors represent a much bigger phenomenon than prepaid cards. Fourth and last, the paucity of information research in areas of development can obscure the discussions raised in this paper. However, these and similar limitations do not outweigh the lessons learned of this paper and their potentials to key information scientists into the pressing issues of mobile phone technology.\nConclusion: Hepworth's work holds a tremendous wealth in ways in which information science can produce development among specific communities. The paper looked at ways in which mobile phones produced development for kiosk vendors and their communities - from the perspectives of kiosk vendors themselves. Development was seen not just as a management of business or organizations, but as an expansion of better and fuller lives of people. Thus, kiosk vendors' narratives were perused to highlight the lessons learned. It is time for LIS researchers to look past the development of information devices and behaviours. The trafficking of humans in the name of mobile era and its broadest dissemination warrants sustained information research. The sense that this paper's participants made of mobile phones was crystal clear to them, namely, that mobile phones were not a catalyst of development. We therefore suggested that: beyond information access and related new digital applications, mobile phones be a tool that expands individuals' capabilities around basic needs in rural areas; the selling of prepaid cards be part of a full-fledged job, with associated benefits and rights; decent facilities be built/used for the distribution of mobile phone prepaid cards; LIS researchers and policy makers go beyond the commodification or utilization of humans undertaken behind the facade of upgraded mobile applications to look into the chain of production and capture the effects of information services and systems upon involved social groups that tend to be marginalized; qualitative methods be used by LIS in order for experts in this field to immerse themselves in and/or drill deep in the experiences of those concerned; the continual dominance of positivistic research and philosophies in LIS be kept in check; and to avoid commodification, LIS authors focus on the lives of mobile phone kiosk vendors and on the contributions of mobile phones to these lives. Only then could information recorded or shared on mobile phones become information of well-being, and not of puddles, mosquitoes, poverty and inequality.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper relayed an important line of Mark Hepworth's work, which engages with information technologies and development. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a subfield of library and information science (LIS) for development to reclaim the role of information services and systems for social change in rural areas. The paper looked at the extent of development gained with the advent of mobile phones.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Rather than undertaking traditional large-scale, quantitative, context-independent and survey-type research, the paper employed capability approach and semi-structured interviews to ascertain the experiences that mobile phone kiosk vendors in the rural Congo had of mobile phones.\nFindings: It was found that mobile phones should be geared towards the liberation, and not utilization or commodification of humans and their needs and that mobile phones were not a catalyst of human basic capabilities.\nResearch limitations/implications: Since the method employed is an in-depth qualitative analysis of mobile phone kiosk vendors, obtained results can be used to enrich or inform mobile phone experiences in other settings and groups.\nPractical implications: This paper provided empirical evidence as to how an important group of mobile phone users could harness development with their mobiles.\nOriginality/value: Most LIS literature has presented mobile phones along the lines of information freedom or access, mass subscription, adoption rates, technological and entrepreneurial innovation, micro-credits, etc. However, the paper placed the topic development at the heart of LIS debates.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Evaluation of web search for the information practitioner	[ "Worldwide web", "Information searches", "Retrieval performance evaluation", "Search engines", "Measurement" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Web search is an important part of the working life of an information professional, but a little understood issue is one of evaluation. How do such professionals evaluate the retrieval effectiveness of a given search engine with regard to a particular information need, or compare the retrieval effectiveness of several search engines? There has been some research in web search evaluation, but few attempts to practically apply evaluation methods in a real environment. There is a need for structured and formal techniques for evaluation that yield quantitative data, in which searchers can clearly see differences in search engines. Such techniques have been around for over 40 years (Aitchison and Cleverdon, 1963) using precision and recall measures, but these techniques do not tackle all the issues that may occur when evaluating web search. In this paper we show why such traditional IR measures on their own do not provide enough information for the researcher when evaluating web search, and to show how diagnostic measures (such as recording the number of broken links) can be used to augment such traditional measures. The paper puts forward a methodology which was initially derived while working in the commercial sector, and has been subsequently refined over six years in teaching search and evaluation to Library and Information Science postgraduate students. We argue that this methodology gives a much better idea of the retrieval effectiveness of web search engines, as well as the ability to examine other processes in web search (such as crawling) which are not part of online search and are not addressed by such measures as recall and precision.\n2. Previous research in evaluation of web search: There is a significant amount of interest in the information retrieval research community in evaluating web search, including various tracks in the TREC conference series including the VLC2 (Hawking et al., 1999) and Web Tracks (Craswell and Hawking, 2005). Strong arguments are made for the use of scientific methods to evaluate web search either in a live environment (Hawking et al., 2001) or on a static frozen collection (Craswell and Hawking, 2005). A live environment in this context is a real online searching situation where the documents set changes (usually increases in size), while a static frozen collection is a document set used in laboratory style evaluations. Whilst we accept that in order to control variables for scientific experiments, in order to gather useful data, an information professional working with real web search needs to work with live web search engines in order to assess the complexities of web search. However, the practitioner can still learn from the many valuable lessons from scientific experiments, particularly the measures used by web IR researchers. But what precisely is it that the practitioner needs to evaluate?Web queries can be divided into three main types:1. navigational;2. transactional; and3. informational (Broder, 2002).A navigational query is one in which a user wants to find a particular website (e.g. the home page of City University), whereas a transactional query is where the user wants to find a site where some further interaction will take place (e.g. where can I buy bookcases?). An informational query is one which is needed to satisfy an anomalous state of knowledge, or ASK (Belkin et al., 1982). An example of this would be \"what are the legal precedents for civil cases in conveyancing?\" With navigational queries the user is looking for a single item for the most part, while the user requires multiple items for transactional and informational queries. The practitioner could potentially be faced with both navigational and transactional queries, but by and large their users' information needs may be classed as informational queries. Table I describes some traditional IR measures used for evaluation in web search together with their target query type. It should be noted that binary decisions on relevance (relevant or not-relevant) are dominant in the field to date, however there is some interest in using non-binary evaluation methods for web search (Clarke et al., 2005).Other non-traditional methods have been used for evaluation purposes. Vaughan (2004) uses a number of different mechanisms, for example result ranking quality (such as correlation between user ranked pages and pages ranked automatically by search engines), and stability measures (compare the ranking of documents over a given period, e.g. two weeks). However, these measures rely for the most part on relevant documents (in effect a detailed comparison of precision) or the ranking mechanism (between two sets of results). Other more frequently used measures try to examine in more detail why particular documents are not relevant, and if precision is affected adversely - we label these \"diagnostic measures\" (see Table II).These methods have been used in different contexts. For example, Leighton and Srivastava (1999) look at web search generally, while Wu and Li (1999) focus on web search for health information. It should be noted that these diagnostic measures can be used in conjunction with non-binary relevance judgements. In a review of web search methods Oppenheim et al. (2000) argue for a broad based approach using both traditional and diagnostic measures. The author fully agrees with this strategy, but if you are to use diagnostic measures you need to consider other aspects of web search (e.g. none of the studies referenced in this paper consider spam documents).\n3. Motivation for the study: The primary motivation for this study is to give information practitioners or professional search intermediaries some guidance on how to evaluate web search in the light of experience gained by researchers in the field. We believe that many of the traditional IR measures which have been used for many years are still useful for evaluation in our context, but many of the studies concentrate on evaluating test collections. This is very useful in a scientific context, but information practitioners have to deal with real dynamic collections, and these traditional measures in isolation do not provide the required mechanism for dealing with web search. The diagnostic measures provide information practitioners with the extra data they need in order to properly evaluate searching for information on the web for their users. The rest of the paper outlines this evaluation methodology and how to use it.\n4. Proposed evaluation methodology: Before starting the evaluation the practitioner needs to make some important decisions on what they will be evaluating. The first (and most obvious) decision to make is to determine which search engines they will evaluate in their study. This may include mainstream search engines such as Google (www.google.com) and Altavista (www.altavista.com) or more specialist search engines such as the Health Library (www.health-library.com) and Law Crawler (lawcrawler.findlaw.com). The choice will be often determined by the information needs of the users the practitioner serves. The number of search engines to evaluate is also an important issue - this will depend on the resources available to the practitioner (the evaluation methodology described in this paper is very resource intensive).When this is decided the number of topics to evaluate needs to be chosen (we suggest 50 as used in many TREC experiments) and the number of pages to examine for each topic for every search engine (this should be consistent across all topics and search engines). For the latter we recommend that only the first top ten sites are examined in the evaluation as it reduces the evaluation workload significantly. Many case studies have shown that users very rarely view pages of hits beyond the first page of the hit list (e.g. in Silverstein et al., 1999, 85.2 per cent of individual queries only viewed one page of results from AltaVista).A further issue to consider is the number of URLs to navigate from a hit list to find a relevant web page - or alternatively the number of clicks the user requires to find that web page. This may be needed for some queries where a relevant web page satisfying the users information need is buried somewhere within the website. A maximum of three clicks to find a relevant web page is considered reasonable - the \"three click rule\" (Zeldman, 2001). Alternatively the practitioner can use a more stringent method and assume that the user is only interested in pages that are linked directly from the hit list. In all cases the strategy used should be consistent, to ensure that the results produced for the evaluation make sense.When the issue of what to evaluate has been decided on, the practitioner can then think about conducting the evaluation. In the next three sections we describe the measures and the process that can be used for web search evaluation. We assume for this example that the information professional will undertake the evaluation, but the methodology could be utilized with users if such is required. Note that for the rest of our discussion we make a binary relevance assumption for documents. The variables used in the experiment are as follows.4.1 Traditional measures\n5. An evaluation experiment: 5.1 Data used for the experiment\n6. Conclusion: The evaluation methodology presented in this paper is a practical (if labour-intensive) mechanism for evaluation, which has been successfully used for teaching purposes at City University for the past six years. The source of this methodology was the need of a commercial organisation, which required an evaluation of search engine technology - this inspired the author to develop the methodology. The author found the method very useful when he applied it, and information science students at City University London have had the same experience in their working environments, having learned the method in their information retrieval module. We therefore believe that information practitioners will find this method a useful way of evaluating web search engines for the searches they conduct on behalf of their users. The advantage of this methodology is that it builds on a significant amount of work by the academic community, and it gives the evaluator much more information on why search engines do not do so well on average using evidence provided by the diagnostic measures. The example evaluation in section 5 demonstrates this clearly, where the impact of diagnostic measures on precision is shown to be significant in many cases. Further work from this study would include measuring the direct impact of diagnostic results on precision for a single search engine using some form of statistical analysis (as opposed to the pairwise comparison method used in this paper).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The aim of the paper is to put forward a structured mechanism for web search evaluation. The paper seeks to point to useful scientific research and show how information practitioners can use these methods in evaluation of search on the web for their users.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper puts forward an approach which utilizes traditional laboratory-based evaluation measures such as average precision/precision at N documents, augmented with diagnostic measures such as link broken, etc., which are used to show why precision measures are depressed as well as the quality of the search engines crawling mechanism.\nFindings: - The paper shows how to use diagnostic measures in conjunction with precision in order to evaluate web search.\nPractical implications: - The methodology presented in this paper will be useful to any information professional who regularly uses web search as part of their information seeking and needs to evaluate web search services.\nOriginality/value: - The paper argues that the use of diagnostic measures is essential in web search, as precision measures on their own do not allow a searcher to understand why search results differ between search engines.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The antiquity art market: between legality and illegality	[ "Arts", "Market economy", "Culture", "Selling" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nDefining the area of study: The loss of irreplaceable evidence of ancient civilisations is an ongoing challenge which is constantly becoming more urgent because of its increase. The amount of interest shown in these items, whether they be remains of temples, sculptures, murals or even articles entombed with the dead, encourages countless people to remove them from their original environment. They then undergo a long journey which takes them to a museum, an antique shop, a private house or even a warehouse.Crimes involving antiquities and, more specifically in the case of this paper, artefacts from archaeological excavations, may be defined in a number of ways. It might be a question of a breach of a national law on clandestine excavation, theft, inalienability of the artefact, the right of first refusal or even commercial law or laws governing exportation. Generally speaking, there are three categories of antiquity. First, there are those that come from authorised excavations, documented and carried out by archaeologists. Most countries try to keep them on their own soil. The second category comes from excavations carried out by people who were not authorised to do so. The artefacts have long been removed from their original context and they are either on the art market or they are in private collections and are likely to enter the market in the future. This category is tolerated by those in the legal profession interested in the trade in stolen artefacts. It is difficult to quantify this category made up of antiquities which were originally illicit but have become legitimate over time. Finally, in the third category, are recently looted antiquities that have undergone processes which will enable them to be passed off and sold as legitimate artefacts. As a matter of terminology, the term \"looting\" applies to any illegal excavation of antiquities or any removal of these items from the site or structures to which they belong or are attached. The term \"illegal\" means illegal in relation to the laws in force at the time of the excavation. The relevant legislation is the lex situs, the law of the country where the artefact was when it was extracted from the ground (Prott and O'Keefe, 1989).Most countries known as \"source countries\" have legislative devices which give the state ownership of archaeological artefacts found in the ground. Their export is prohibited or subject to conditions. When the country of origin wishes to recover artefacts that are considered to be looted, it must prove that the item comes from its territory and that it was stolen or exported after the adoption of the law granting the country title of the artefact. If the country in question provides the aforesaid proof and claims to be a victim of theft, we are faced with the classic case of the theft of an object taken in one country and discovered in another. On issues of illegal export and import, courts of recipient countries are usually reluctant to recognise that a cultural property import offence has taken place, on the basis that export of the items took place in violation of the law of another country.As an example we will take the case of the warship \"'t Vliegend Hart\" which was part of the fleet of the Dutch shipping company \"Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie\" (Surmont, 2006). The ship sank on 3 February 1735 in the North Sea off Zeebrugge in Belgian waters. The wreck is said to be filled with treasure, despite systematic looting by hundreds of amateur divers since its discovery in 1982. Now, considering this vessel to be the property of the shipping company VOC, The Netherlands specifically designed and built the \"MuZEEum\" museum in Vlessingen, and numerous items recovered from the wreck by a team of Dutch and British divers have been routinely taken there. This, from a Belgian perspective, is plain and simple looting and certainly not legitimate archaeological excavation. The Flemish Minister Dirk Van Mechelen stated in 2006 \"The Netherlands does not have the right: the wreck lies in Belgian territorial waters\".\nThe difficult question of origins: The archaeological artefacts market is a very closed arena in which transactions are carried out confidentially. Anonymity of buyers and sellers tends to be standard practice. This approach has been driven by \"both security concerns and the desire not to arouse the attention of tax authorities\" (Fraoua, 1985). In usual places of sale (auction rooms, antique shops and private collections), there is frequently no mention of where the item was discovered nor any indication of the previous owner. Instead, provenance is given in terms of geographical areas with varying degrees of precision ranging from the country to the region. This information is very sketchy. To make up for the lack of information on its use, its meaning or even the culture that created the item, the sales pitch focuses on the item's appearance or its various aesthetic qualities. The sales person uses their verbal prowess to titivate the potential buyer's imagination. Their sales patter influences the decision to buy and the final price. This is not only an object which is being sold but also an object with a story.In the academic study of archaeological heritage, the concept of provenance is linked to the circumstances of the excavation. The true meaning of archaeological artefacts is derived by examining them within the context of their discovery. Their location, their orientation and their number play a role in the archaeologists' interpretation of the site. Artefacts discovered by professional archaeologists open up our understanding of other cultures, other ways of understanding and ordering the universe. In this sense, an artefact from undocumented excavations becomes mute and all that remains are the aesthetic qualities with which we endow it. On the other hand, provenance refers to the item's trail, the identity of its successive owners and usually this is not disclosed. It is also seen as inappropriate to delve into such details. Nevertheless, in certain cases, provenance may be made clear. It may be the donation of a private collection to a museum, an auction following the death of a collector, or even when death duties are settled by gifting works of art. When an item is put up for sale, if its previous owner was rich or famous, this greatly increases the amount of profit to be made. Likewise, the valuation of an item put up for sale will increase in proportion to the amount that has been written about it in specialist publications, whether these be scientific publications or trade journals. These biographical notices authenticate the item's earlier existence on the legitimate art market.Forgeries and forged documents are a natural consequence of uncertain provenance, the limited number of items available on the market and the high price some of them fetch. Forgery techniques have become refined. It has sometimes become difficult even for expert dealers and scientists to distinguish between a genuine piece and a modern fake. Craftsmen and artists in source countries keep catalogues from major auction houses like Christie's or Sotheby's in their workshops and in fact know very well the price that these items can fetch on the art market. If they need to cross borders these items, just like stolen or looted pieces, are put into a container mixed in with an assortment of craft items intended for export. The fake is not necessarily manufactured in the genuine item's country of origin. For example, in Belgium, analysis of the wood from which a mask had been carved revealed that it came from a native species of tree, that does not exist in the genuine item's country of origin. Dealers describe items as being \"authentic\" or \"not authentic\" without going into detail of the analysis or reasoning that led to this diagnosis. They usually refer to their knowledge and their experience in handling these items. Our scientific knowledge of ancient civilisations may be thrown into question. Newly discovered artefacts, made by a local people, will be examined with suspicion. While it is true that new archaeological discoveries can still occur, this possibility has been skilfully exploited by local craftsmen and artists in source countries. Using their knowledge of the iconography of ancient cultures they have been able to recreate regional styles. Fakes may not be detected because they blend in with a collection of pieces of unknown archaeological provenance. These two problems, fakes and pieces without provenance, fundamentally spoil the integrity of this area of study. Rumour, suspicion and uncertainty sets in and there is a concomitant fall in the price of artefacts (Massy, 2003). Fake documents, sometimes made up from scratch to accompany an article and provide a history, are the consequence of the growing demand for items to be accompanied by \"papers\" which specify its trail. They may be derived from existing archival records about the artist or the trail of items. These documents may be altered by amendments, removals, or the addition of quotes. The delicate issue of the creation of archives should also be raised. From a methodological viewpoint, analysis of this type of crime becomes complex. It may take on a variety of forms and, at the same time, each form may be considered as a case in itself.\nThe antiquities market: The art market and some of its players\nConclusion: The antiquities market is characterised by a strong emotional dimension (real or imagined) because artefacts have meaning and some are symbols of national identity. Pieces that are obtained illicitly in one country are intended to be sold in a legitimate manner in the buyer's country. The status of the piece undergoes a transformation that takes it from having the status of an illicit piece, through a staging post or legitimation process (if necessary) to finally having the status of a legitimate piece. There is evidence of legal uncertainty and the beginning of a moralisation process. The questions raised relate to ethics, the organisation of society and intercultural relations. There are already some very complex fields of normativity which could address the issue of \"Where is the crime?\".The antiquities world has its own distinctive characteristics and its players operate in a symbiotic fashion. There are numerous stakeholders: archaeologists, dealers, collectors, politicians, museum curators, scientists, etc. Some of these players simultaneously perform different functions and are potential buyers with varying financial resources. Deliberately or not, the means by which pieces are acquired are socially organised. The players need to be able to deal with a certain degree of uncertainty in the information they have or which they can acquire. Our regard for artefacts is also heightened by the fact that most of the coveted pieces are unique.It is sometimes tempting for market players to discriminate between the legitimate world and the illicit in a Manichean style. It should however be noted that the two overlap. Legitimate markets are essential for this crime. It needs a market in order to operate. The structure of the art world, as we have examined it, has been shown to be the result of, as well as the medium for, criminal activities. Transactions can have a significant impact on profits. Pieces may be sold but they may also be exchanged for other pieces of similar value. The public nature of the auction contrasts with the impenetrability met by outside observers when they try to identify the players in this market or understand its inner workings. It is possible to use forgery to create a certain price for an artefact. This then creates the means to finance larger transactions that do not take place in public. Prices, as we have discussed, are not neutral, impartial or public. Can we be sure that the observable elements accurately reflect the transactions that take place? Are they representative of the rest of the market?\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The paper aims to present both the legal and illegal aspects of the market in antiquities, specifically cultural objects which are transported from source countries to countries where they are sold or auctioned.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The paper starts by defining the concept of antiquity and then examines the origin of objects, those involved in the market in different capacities, the question of how the origin of objects is examined, and the scope of the market. A number of examples are given as illustrations.\nFindings: - The analysis shows how many different participants are involved in the market globally. Views on how well the provenance of an object needs to be established and on what is cultural theft are changing. However, structural and cultural characteristics of the market mean that it remains difficult to penetrate and is susceptible to organised crime.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Space and legal constraints mean that only a few examples can be given and a small number of routes examined.\nOriginality/value: - This is one of the first global examinations of the criminality of this type of market.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Measuring family satisfaction with inpatient rehabilitation care	[ "User satisfaction", "Quality assessment", "Psychometric characteristics", "In-hospital rehabilitation service", "Family members’ satisfaction", "QFSR" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nBackground: Satisfaction, in particular patient satisfaction, but also that of their families, is considered a major indicator in the evaluation and improvement of quality in healthcare (Hekkert et al., 2009; Berges et al., 2006; Karlsson et al., 2011; Forsberg et al., 2006). Identifying the satisfaction of all involved in the care process (patients, family, and health workers) is a way for hospitals to evaluate the system's real capacity to respond to needs. The identification of family members' priorities can thus be an important instrument to improve ways of measuring care quality and can also help as a guideline for improving healthcare (Ammentorp et al., 2005; Donabedian, 1980; Margaritis et al., 2012). Before the 1990s, few published studies existed on family satisfaction in the medical setting: most dealt with family members' perception of the quality of service provided concerning patients who were: children (Latour et al., 2005), or elderly with loss of cognitive autonomy (Wakefield et al., 1997) or affected by psychiatric disease (Grella and Grusky, 1989). However, things began to pick up at the end of 1990s with a number of studies published on family satisfaction and family involvement in the care system in a wider ranging field including oncology, intensive care, and palliative care (Sarode et al., 2015; Morita et al., 2002; Wasser et al., 2001; Ringdal et al., 2002). But still today there are no studies to our knowledge on the satisfaction of family members of patients undergoing rehabilitation in hospital. Involvement of family members in the care process is fundamental both for the efficacy of the intervention and to ensure continuity of care and assistance to the patient following discharge. This has been demonstrated as crucial in diverse areas of rehabilitation, e.g., after traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke (Sander et al., 2012; Galvin et al., 2011), or in the long-term management of chronic diseases (Rosland and Piette, 2010). Thus, if monitoring of the processes is essential for quality improvement, it is fundamental to know how family members perceive the care received, in order to better manage their participation in the care process (Stricker et al., 2009). We believe that, since the family is a participant and involved in the care process, it should also be considered a client of the health organization, and hence monitoring family satisfaction is necessary.\nSubjects and methods: We invited 1,226 family members of patients admitted to a Center of Cardiovascular and Neuromotor Rehabilitation to complete the questionnaire enquiring about their perceived satisfaction before the patient's discharge. Of these, 160 (13.1 percent) did not give consent to treatment of their data for research, and were thus excluded from further analysis.\nQuestionnaire: A multiphase development process was designed to attain the items of the questionnaire. First, the research teams conducted a literature search to identify relevant studies and previously designed instruments, used to evaluate satisfaction of family member of other types of patients (psychiatric patients, intensive care patients, children, etc.). From this literature review the themes that emerged as relevant for family satisfaction were overall quality, competence, amount of information, physical facilities, providers' attention, or outcomes (Ringdal et al., 2002; Morita et al., 2002). Second, one member of the research team (EA) conducted telephone interviews with a group of family members of patients who were recently discharged from the hospital. In total, 15 family members were interviewed, eight relatives of patients discharged from the cardiovascular rehabilitation unit and seven from the neuromotor rehabilitation unit. The interview consisted of two open-ended questions: \"Can you tell me about your experiences of the care quality during your family hospital stay?\" and \"Can you tell me your feelings in relation to these experiences.\" Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were examined with thematic analysis. Three major themes emerged from the analysis of the transcripts: need to be met in a professional way by sanitary staff, need to be involved in the decision-making processes about care, desire that the familiar regain health. In line with these results and previous literature analysis the research team developed a first version of the questionnaire (13 items), including items about: overall quality and outcomes, involvement of family members in decision making and support provided, quality of information, efficiency and professional competence of sanitary staff, and efficiency of administration procedures connected with continuity of care.\nData analysis: Data analysis was performed using R (R Core Team, 2013) and LISREL 8.80 (Joreskog and Sorbom, 2006). After removing 50 cases, in which there were more than ten incomplete items in the second section of the questionnaire, 1,016 cases were retained with a total missing-items rate of 6 percent. Table I reports the distributions of the variables of the second part of the questionnaire. The respondents chose the answer categories \"very much\" (5) and \"much\" (4) more often than the other categories therefore the variables were negatively skewed and clearly kurtotic. The kurtosis and skewness tests for normality (Shapiro et al., 1968), and the Anderson-Darling and the Shapiro-Francia tests for normality of the variables led us to reject the hypothesis of univariate and multivariate normality for the items of QFSR. These tests were conducted using two packages of R, \"normtest\" (Gavrilov and Pusev, 2014) and \"nortest\" (Gross and Ligges, 2012). Accordingly, we decided to consider the Likert variables used in QFSR as ordinal, not truly continuous.\nResults: QFSR factorial structure\nDiscussion: The objectives of this study were to analyze the factorial structure of the QFSR and to test its measurement invariance in two groups of family members; i.e., of patients admitted to a cardiovascular vs neuromotor rehabilitation unit. Overall, our findings show that the QFSR can be a useful tool to measure the quality of care as perceived by family members and help to improve the rehabilitation services. The CFA conducted on the first subgroup of participants confirmed the factor structure hypothesized. The QFSR measures the overall satisfaction of family members as a second-order factor, based on their evaluation of: the organizational procedures linked to hospital stay, the medical treatment that the patient received, the relationship with the health workers, in particular nurses and physiotherapist, and the rehabilitation outcome. This theoretical model of overall satisfaction underlying the QFSR and its dimensions are in line with the variables highlighted as relevant in past research about family satisfaction but in different clinical settings. These studies measured family satisfaction with an overall assessment of satisfaction and then a specific evaluation of satisfaction of family members regarding outcomes, competence and amount of information given by health professionals (Ringdal et al., 2002; Heyland et al., 2010). The QFSR gathers information on these dimensions in relation to the rehabilitation setting with only 13 items. The correlations between the first-order factors provide support to the hypothesized structure of the QFSR too. In our CFA the lowest correlation between two first-order latent factors was 0.77 and the highest one was 0.85. This shows the factors indicate different dimensions of the same construct, overall satisfaction: same construct because the correlations are high, different dimensions since the highest correlation is 0.85, a cut off commonly used in structural equation modeling beyond which problems of discriminant validity are likely (Brown, 2012).\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the Questionnaire of Family members' Satisfaction about the Rehabilitation (QFSR), a new questionnaire assessing the satisfaction of patients' families with the in-hospital rehabilitation service, i.e., the organizational procedure, medical treatment, relationship with nurses/other health workers, and outcome.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The QFSR (13 items) was administered to 1,226 (F=60.4 percent; mean age=57.4, SD 15 years) family members of patients admitted to two units for inpatient rehabilitation, i.e., cardiovascular and neuromotor.\nFindings: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed the theoretical four-factor structure of the questionnaire in a subsample of 308 respondents randomly selected from the sample (SB kh2 (61)=57.4, p=0.61; RMSEA=0.0; 90 percent CI [0.0, 0.031], CFI=1.00). The remaining 708 respondents (393 relatives of cardiovascular unit inpatients and 315 relatives of neuromotor unit inpatients) were used to test measurement invariance between the groups of family members with patients in the two units. The configurial, scalar, and strict factorial invariance provided a good fit to the data.\nOriginality/value: The QFSR, specifically developed to measure the satisfaction of family members of patients undergoing rehabilitation, appears to be a promising brief questionnaire that can provide important indications for continuous improvement in the delivery of healthcare.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Telework adoption, change management, and firm performance	[ "Company performance", "Flexible organizations", "Spain", "Human resource strategies", "Teleworking", "Change management" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: There is a widely held belief that firms can gain competitive advantage by attracting and retaining the best human resources (HRs) (Delery, 1998). As competition among firms has increased in dynamic environments, the source of competitive advantage has migrated from tangible resources to knowledge and know-how that is created within organisations through the process of exchange and combination among employees. On the other hand, strategic HR scholars have argued that firms can effectively influence the interactions, behaviours, and motivation of employees through different HR practices (Wright et al., 2001). HR researchers have found a positive relationship between HR practices that create a more talented and committed workforce, and firm performance (Huselid, 1995; Youndt et al., 1996; Collins and Clark, 2003; Chan et al., 2004). However, although HR commitment practices appear to be related to firm performance, little research has empirically explored the causal mechanisms through which these HR practices lead to greater firm performance (Collins and Smith, 2006; Katou and Budhwar, 2006).The literature of strategic HR management suggests that HR commitment practices motivate employees to act in the best interest of the firm (Collins and Clark, 2003). Thus, the organisational climate created by HR commitment practices could facilitate the adoption of workplace flexibility practices that require higher trust between employees and supervisors to enhance the firm's flexibility capabilities. Flexibility is a valuable firm's ability that allows organisational change to respond to various demands from a dynamic competitive environment (Wright and Snell, 1998). Increasing global competition, accelerating technological change and expanding customer expectations are creating a turbulent environment. In this context of rapid and uncertain change, firms combine different forms of organisational flexibility to improve performance and adopt workplace flexible practices in order to be successful (Gittleman et al., 1998). Although researchers have shown that flexibility in other functional areas of the firm, such as operational flexibility, is related to increased firm performance, the contribution of HR flexibility has been little studied empirically (Bhattacharya et al., 2005).However, HR flexibility lays the foundations for the flexibility pyramid in the firm: labour (resources and practices) flexibility supports flexibility at the shop floor level which, in turn, enables flexibility at the plant level in order to promote overall operations and organisational flexibility. At the same time, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have made work more portable and ubiquitous which increases employee flexibility to organise work (Moen, 1996). A workplace practice that can simultaneously enhance organisational flexibility and employee flexibility, and in turn requires an organisational climate of trust between employees and managers, is telework. Telework can contribute to organisational change by redefining the boundaries of the firm and the way HR managers organise and manage work among employees. There is not an universally accepted definition of telework, but many definitions view telework[1] as the organisation of work by using ICTs that enable employees and managers to get access to their labour activities from remote locations (Nilles, 1998; Sullivan, 2003).The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the literature of strategic HR management by testing a model that analyses the contribution of HR commitment practices to firm performance through the adoption of telework and other workplace flexible practices that can concurrently impact on firm performance. The relationship between HR commitment practices, telework, workplace flexibility, and firm performance has not been studied by any published study of which we are aware. Although workplace flexibility is regarded as a key determinant of firm performance, this area remains underdeveloped both theoretically and empirically (Michie and Sheehan, 2005). Understanding the influence of telework in a workplace flexibility framework may explain causation between HR commitment practices and firm performance, and contribute to adopt telework to facilitate organisational change.The remainder of the paper is structured as follows. The next section reviews the theoretical context and outlines the research hypotheses. Section 3 describes the methodology of the empirical study, followed by the results and its discussion (Section 4). Finally, the paper concludes with limitations and suggestions for future research.\n2 Theoretical context and hypotheses: 2.1 Human resource flexibility, telework, and competitive advantage\n3 Methodology: 3.1 Sample and procedure\n4 Results and discussion: 4.1 Results\n5 Limitations and suggestions for future research: There are several limitations to the study. A first limitation is the use of cross-sectional, survey-based data that cannot infer causality. Longitudinal and qualitative designs are needed to get a better understanding of the relationships between HR commitment practices, telework, other workplace flexible practices, and firm performance. Besides, implementing telework and the workplace flexible practices may take several years to pay off. Thus, future research may find more appropriate the use of time lagged actual data to evaluate the impact of telework and workplace flexibility on firm performance.Second, we have assessed the research issue from the managerial perspective. A follow-up study of employees perception of several variables analysed in this study (e.g. access to HR commitment practices and employee benefits) could reveal possible contradictions between what policies managers claim there exist, and what policies employees perceive to exist.A third limitation is the measurement of flexibility at the firm level. To the extent that firms may obtain functional and numerical flexibility by means of their relations to other firms in networks - as is the case in linkages to temporary help firms - the most appropriate unit of analysis may be the network defined by the relationships among the firms and the labour market intermediaries from which they recruit their workers and subcontract some of their functions. For example, it could be interesting to research the role of telework in external relations with other firms to achieve firm flexibility.In addition, it may be desirable for future research to focus the analysis on firms facing similar environments rather than on firms with diverse environments, because within - rather than cross-industry surveys will better allow researchers to identify the causal relationships between HR commitment practices, workplace flexibility and firm performance.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - The purpose of this paper is to analyse the contribution of human resource (HR) commitment practices to firm performance through the adoption of workplace practices that require the organisational climate created by HR commitment practices.\nDesign/methodology/approach: - The approach is a survey of 156 Spanish firms and statistical test of research hypotheses through structural equation modelling.\nFindings: - The results indicate that the extent that employees have access to HR commitment practices and HR social benefits is positively related to the intensity of telework adoption. Firm performance is positively associated to the intensity of telework adoption, functional flexibility and internal numerical flexibility, and negatively related to external numerical flexibility. HR commitment practices impact directly and indirectly on different measures of firm performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: - Cross-sectional, survey-based data that cannot infer causality. Longitudinal and qualitative designs are needed to get a better understanding of the relationships. A follow-up study of employees perception of several variables analysed in this study (e.g. access to HR commitment practices and employee benefits) could reveal possible contradictions between what policies managers claim there exist, and what policies employees perceive to exist.\nPractical implications: - The adoption of HR commitment practices can facilitate the organisational change required by the adoption of telework.\nOriginality/value: - The findings provide evidence that HR commitment practices are indirectly related to firm performance through their effects on the use of flexibility practices like telework that require organisational climates containing high levels of trust.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Board diversity and corporate social responsibility: the moderating role of Shariah compliance	[ "Corporate social responsibility", "Shariah compliance", "Board diversity" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) requires firms to allocate funds for social improvement to promote goodwill towards the company, but there is more to it than just that. Macaulay et al. (2018) suggested a number of steps that firms could take beyond those required by law to enhance social well-being. A firm's CSR activities are governed by the board of directors (BOD) of the firm and often include environmental protection (Fallah and Mojarrad, 2018), safeguarding the rights of employees (Yoon and Lee, 2016), fairness towards consumers (Chaudary et al., 2016), as well as various external issues (Laudal, 2012) affected by the firm's actions. The BOD is responsible for tailoring the firm's actions to benefit all stakeholders. Studies of this business theory have made it clear that to be socially responsible, firms need to address the needs not only of the shareholders but all individuals having dealings with the firm. In the modern era, apart from the usual course of daily business, a firm's stakeholders are increasingly concerned about where the CSR budget is being spent. Most stakeholders hold passionate convictions and prefer to associate themselves with a firm that acts in a proactive, responsible manner. Potential investors are more likely to put capital into companies that are actively engaged in doing good works in society rather than those firms who do not. Promoting CSR activities enhances the reputation of the parent firm which can have substantial economic benefits (Ibrahim and Hanefah, 2016). CSR is the assurance of equality between economic, social and environmental concerns in business performance (Kao et al, 2018). Despite the fact that CSR poses complex challenges for developing innovative strategies, several initiatives have been adopted in Pakistan by Pakistani firms. In 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) laid down voluntary CSR guidelines to be observed by listed companies as part of their corporate governance (Lone et al., 2016). The present study explores the association between the BOD and the effectiveness of CSR, especially with regard to female representation, local or foreign origins, education and experience, together with the influence of Shariah compliance.\n2. Literature review and development of hypotheses: 2.1 Board diversity and corporate social responsibility\n3. Data and methodology: 3.1 Data sources and sample size\n4. Results: 4.1 Univariate analysis\n5. Discussion and conclusions: The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of corporate board diversity on CSR practices and the moderating effect of Shariah compliance. We analyzed the diversity data using fixed and random effects regression models, while hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to test the moderating effect of Shariah compliance. Under the umbrella of Shariah compliance our results showed that firms observing religious principles had an increased tendency to engage in CSR activities. A gender-balanced board was more likely to instigate activities aimed at CSR which supports the ideas of (Shaukat et al., 2016). A wider range of education on the BODs was also positively correlated with corporate social activities, in agreement with the claims of (Lindorff and Jonson, 2013). Firms that had a higher compliance with Shariah law also had boards that were more likely to utilize the diversity in members' education in problem solving and to ensure that the points of views of both genders were heard equally. However, the attitudes towards the value of different ethnic origins were about the same. In accord with the ideas of Khine et al. (2017) and Harjoto et al. (2018), gender equality, broader educational backgrounds and diverse ethnicity on corporate boards should enhance corporate social performance activities. Our findings suggest that combining these attributes with a high level of Shariah compliance among corporate members can significantly potentiate CSR activities. This result is in line with previous research (Usmani, 2010; Said et al., 2018; Choudhury and Hoque, 2006), in which it was found that Shariah-compliant firms participated in more community-related activities. Boards of firms that attach more importance to Shariah compliance tend to put forward stronger and more far-reaching CSR policies to improve social development and human well-being.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of board diversity on corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and the interaction effect of Shariah compliance of firms with religious and ethical principles.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A total of 65 firms listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) were selected. The data were collected from the companies' financial reports from 2012 to 2018 (n = 455). The data were analyzed using fixed and random effects regression models to test the effect of board diversity on firms' CSR activities, while hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to determine the moderating effects of Shariah compliance.\nFindings: The study found evidence for a moderating effect of Shariah compliance on the relationship between board diversity and CSR activities. The findings suggest that a high level of Shariah compliance together with diverse educational backgrounds and presence of both genders among corporate members significantly promoted CSR activities.\nResearch limitations/implications: The present study included the demographic variables, gender, ethnicity and education; but excluded language and culture. The results suggest that the Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan should attach more importance to Shariah compliance by firms in developing their CSR policies to improve social development and human well-being. Policy-makers should encourage more women to become directors on company boards and to increase philanthropic and charitable activities. These findings possess important implications for many Islamic countries irrespective of whether they are developed or developing.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first empirical analysis of the relationship between CSR and board diversity from the perspective of Islamic Shariah law. The findings will contribute both theoretically and empirically to the existing body of knowledge.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Hotel chains: survival strategies for a dynamic future	[ "Futures", "Hospitality", "Hotel" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: The capability is there for hotel companies to continue to develop and grow in their product. And the guest continues to be demanding, which they should, and wants to have things like technology and advanced opportunities [...] We in the hotel business are able to deliver that(Arne Sorenson, CEO, Marriott International).\nStaying competitive: Even during periods of rising revenues, hotel chains must be vigilant in protecting against profit erosion. Globally the pace of hotel openings is expected to pick up, potentially leading to decreased performance. With investors increasingly focused on purchasing better assets, and a more limited supply of assets projected to become available in core markets, competition is anticipated to heat up, with investments shifting to secondary markets (Jones Lang LaSalle (LaSalle), 2014).\nPersonalizing the experience: [We] need to focus more on creating a tighter or a closer relationship to [our] customers [...] Not only to mine customer data and [...] create revenue opportunities from that, but to provide customers with experiences that they want [...] to be even more user-friendly, more customizable, more personalized (Bob Iger, CEO, the Walt Disney Company;Bylund, 2015).Hotel chains will be faced with the necessity of better understanding customers and using that understanding to provide customers with a more personalized experience. For hotel chains seeking to embrace the future, it is vital that they master: analyzing big data to understand their customers beyond simple segmentation, measuring and monitoring evolving customer expectations, and creating authentic experiences.\nConclusions: Charting the path to success in the future will not be easy for hotel chains. The opportunities presented in this paper (inventive financing, emerging markets, total RM, thinking beyond segments, better understanding the customer, and co-creating experiences) cannot be attained without developing and executing a long-term strategy. Hotel chains will need to recommit themselves to pursuing better training and technology, attaining an enhanced understanding of their guests, creating authentic personalized experiences, maximizing all revenue streams, and determining where and how to expand.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to better understand the future of hotel chains by exploring the evolving expectations of guests, potential innovations, emerging opportunities, and likely future scenarios.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A literature review consisting of current events, industry reports, and recent trends is utilized to summarize and categorize the challenges and opportunities facing hotel chains.\nFindings: The future of hotel chains will be driven by the convergence of an increasingly competitive landscape, along with a diverse evolving customer base seeking out unique and individualized experiences. In order to survive in the future hotel chains will have to: listen to and learn from guests incorporating big data insights, go beyond segments to provide personalized services, continuously develop the brand through signature experiences, utilize collaboration and open innovation to maintain an edge in technology and service, and through total revenue management generate ancillary revenues and maximize guest spend.\nOriginality/value: This paper provides a comprehensive set of recommendations to hotel chains highlighting opportunities related to: financing, revenue generation, personalization, and co-creation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
How do teaching quality and pedagogical practice enhance vocational student engagement? A mixed-method classroom observation approach	[ "Vocational pedagogy", "Teaching quality", "Student engagement", "Classroom observation" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: A core aim of teacher education and continuous professional development is to build up teachers' capacities in pedagogy. International research has consistently shown that effective teaching calls for evidence from classroom observations on classroom practice and school improvement (Ko et al., 2014). High-quality teaching practices contribute much to students' learning achievements and teacher-student relationships in the classroom (Cornelius-White, 2007; Kyriakides and Creemers, 2008; Hattie, 2009). The teaching quality of preservice teachers is also important although their teaching practices might not be high and mature. For example, the teaching behaviours of preservice teachers were found affecting student engagement in the classroom, regardless of variations in the class size they teach and their gender (Maulana et al., 2017).It is reasonable to assume that the teaching quality for vocational education is equally important as it is for regular nonvocational education. For example, the perceived teaching behaviours were found to vary among secondary education, upper secondary and vocational education, but the variations existed because of teachers' educational level, at least among male teachers (Fernandez-Garcia et al., 2019). Furthermore, the professional knowledge and practice and patterns of vocational teacher education show a close relationship with the quality of professional reality of vocational teachers (Grollmann, 2008). Vocational teacher professionalism is a central concern to improve teacher training quality in British context of vocational education (Hodkinson, 1998). In Taiwan, professional development and teaching effectiveness of vocational high school teachers were highly correlated with their teaching ability and students' achievement (Hsiao and Lee, 2010).Evaluations of teaching quality in vocational schools are more complicated than that of teaching in nonvocational mainstream schools. Many vocational schools have yet to establish quality assurance mechanisms for improving teaching. In general, vocational curricula and teaching models are broader and more diversified than those in mainstream schools as they also include vocational and occupational skills training and workplace practice. However, vocational curricula in developed countries with a long history of vocational education such as Germany, the Netherland, Australia and the United Kingdom focus on measurable pedagogical behaviours of vocational practice and students' learning (Billett, 2003). And teaching behaviours of vocational teachers reflect not only their professional attitudes and personal ideas but also the practical tensions in the competence-based vocational education (de Bruijn, 2012).While policies and projects on vocational education tended to pay more attention to develop training packages for vocational teachers to acquire teaching expertise, there is a lack of scientific knowledge on effective teaching (Wu and Wang, 2008). For empirical research on teaching quality of vocational education teachers, the present study aims to investigate teaching practices, and their quality in vocational higher institutes with a focus on those showed a stronger impact on learner engagement. We apply international observation instruments that were initially developed for studying nonvocational teaching to our study of vocational teaching behaviours. For triangulation, we also characterise the teaching characteristics of vocational teachers through an in-depth analysis of teacher-student interactions recorded in field notes as evidence of student engagement. Classroom observation and concurrent field notes are expected to characterise the teaching quality of vocational teachers and student engagement and allow comparisons of similarities and differences between vocational and mainstream academic education.\nLiterature review: Teaching quality and teacher effectiveness\nMethods: To empirically explore the vocational teaching behaviours, we applied a concurrent mixed-method design that involved quantitative class observations and qualitative observation field notes to explore the impact of vocational teachers' behaviours and the effectiveness of teaching practice. The International Comparative Analysis of Learning and Teaching (ICALT) observation instrument initially developed by Van de Grift (2007, 2014) was utilised in this study. ICALT is an international classroom observation instrument validated in various countries, including the Netherlands, Indonesia, South Korea and South Africa (Maulana et al., 2017). This instrument was chosen as it was widely employed for research in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and England, as well as in teacher training in the Netherlands (Maulana and Helms-Lorenz, 2016). ICALT instrument is a useful tool to provide constructive feedback for teachers to develop complex teaching behaviours (van der Lans et al., 2018).ICALT consists of 32 items falling into six observable dimensions of teaching behaviours and three items of a single dimension of student engagement: Safe and Stimulating Learning Climate, Efficient Classroom Management, Clear and Structured Instruction, Activating Teaching, Adjusted Teaching for Learner Differences, Teaching Learning Strategy and Learner Engagement. Each domain contains several items that are rated on a four-point scale (1 = mostly weak; 2 = more often weak than strong; 3 = more often strong than weak; 4 = mostly strong). On the other hand, observational field notes drafted general questions and follow-up questions to ask teacher participants and students while conducting classroom observations.Participants and data sources\nFindings: The results of quantitative data based on the ICALT observation instrument on vocational teaching behaviours and the main findings according to the principle dimensions of vocational teaching and students' engagement in the classroom.Descriptive statistics of vocational teaching behaviours\nDiscussion and implications: The study identified the current situation of effective teaching behaviours of vocational teachers in higher-level vocational education in China. The findings showed the differences in the level of vocational teachers' teaching behaviours in each domain and proved that the changing vocational learning environment, vocational instructions and vocational learner engagement are characterised with flexible classroom teaching. Among others, adjusting instructions to inter-learner differences has the lowest mean average and strongly correlates with learner engagement. Although some research proves that differentiated instructions lead to better student learning performance (Reis et al., 2011), many other studies identified that differentiation in adjusting to inter-learner differences belongs to one of the complex skills of teaching behaviours, which implies that student teachers and experienced teachers need long-term interventions to develop this skill (Helms-Lorenz et al., 2013; Van de Grift et al., 2014).According to Bernstein's theory of pedagogic discourse of recontextualisation (1996; 2000), the changing vocational learning environment is recontextualised in the vocational pedagogic discourse towards a specific vocational teaching practice. The Chinese vocational learning environment has its characteristics for certain vocational subjects, particularly its flexible settings with diversified classroom arrangements of activities, which facilitates vocational subject training and the learning of craft skills. Consistent with vocational learning materials and supporting activities, the vocational pedagogical environment manifests students' learning and subject knowledge training in terms of vocational knowledge construction (Barnett, 2006; Li and Rikers, 2012).The flexible vocational learning environment allows students to engage in group-oriented subject learning and to be involved in the subject training process. Implementing flexibility in the classroom modifies teachers' pedagogical value of teaching scenarios in terms of designing interactive activities (Dillenbourg, 2013; Dillenbourg and Tchounikine, 2007). To encourage a stimulating flexible vocational learning environment, vocational training workshops and simulated subject training provide new opportunities for students with practical work-related skills, which indicates that effective teaching behaviours lead to vocational learning with practical training sources (Lucas et al., 2012). The findings suggest that vocational interactive classrooms and online interactive discussions designed by teachers promote students' learning engagement, and many researchers also propose that teachers' effective behaviours have a great influence on students' learning achievement (Hattie, 2009; Kyriakides, 2013).Vocational teachers' instructions involved their own workplace experiences while giving students staged instructions. Teachers prepared simulated activities to guide students in their practice-oriented training to improve students' classroom engagement. According to Ericsson (2008), deliberate practice for improving teaching performance acts as an important part of designing activities to acquire vocational expertise. In the study of deliberate practice activities of Chinese vocational teachers, vocational lesson planning and teacher reflections are considered as essential activities for vocational teachers to improve teaching performance (Li and Rikers, 2012). Despite the significant changes such as vocational teaching and learning, there are many challenges in improving the quality and the effectiveness of vocational curriculum and teaching practice.Collaborative teaching offered vocational teachers an opportunity to cooperate with professional staff from companies in practice-oriented subject areas. Collaborative teaching and learning have been applied in vocational training and education, which feature a teaching situation with a joint activity structure with daily work tasks in the workplace. Research conducted in collaborative instruction proposes that teaching in the workplace specifically helps teachers guide their students in their apprenticeship learning (Tanggaard, 2005). Lenah and John (2016) advises that teaching and learning in collaborated groups encourage students' active participation in their hands-on activities. Students learn their communication skills through collaborative teamwork in certain work-related activities designed by teachers and company staff, which highlights that collaborative instructions in vocational pedagogy offer vocational teachers new ways of thinking about teaching (Lucas et al., 2012).In engaging students to take an active approach to learn, students took the initiative in their learning process. Students worked on their training reports after practical classroom training, which demonstrated that they participated actively in in-class activities. Therefore, effective learning activities were deliberately conducted by teachers to help students' self-regulated learning during the training class. This implies that the practical learning activities relating to teaching effectiveness have a great influence on students' active participation. Studies conclude that effective pedagogical behaviours encourage students' learning at all aspects of classroom engagement including asking follow-up questions and active group discussions (Hsiao and Lee, 2010; Kyriakides, 2013; Marzano, 2003).\nConclusion and limitations: This study provides a concrete understanding of vocational teaching and learning, which provides practical implications for the development of the skilled workforce in the area of vocational education. Furthermore, the present study reveals that vocational teaching practice stimulates the interactions between students and teachers. The pedagogical practice is an observable teacher behaviour to measure student engagement and effective teaching using dimensional behaviour ratings (Ko et al., 2014; Helms-Lorenz et al., 2016; Maulana and Helms-Lorenz, 2016). Therefore, vocational teachers, with specialized teaching abilities combined with teaching strategies, emphasise teaching practice and student learning by creating a positive vocational learning environment.In the specific context of Chinese vocational education, Chinese higher vocational education has emphasised vocational-oriented teaching design concerning the development of higher vocational education in the path of promoting collaboration between enterprises and vocational institutions to improve students' practical skills and workplace learning experiences. On the other hand, the demand of labour market force and the skilled personnel are pushing the change of teaching and learning from all perspectives, particularly, in vocational teaching practice and students' learning and occupational competence development.Although this research may be limited for the number of class observations combining with field notes and the only one observer that were engaged in the study, the results offer relevant suggestions for vocational teaching practice and also for future research. On the other hand, the application of the ICALT observation instrument may need to be amended according to the specific context of the study. In the Chinese vocational education context, the main findings suggest that the changing vocational learning environments observed under the dimension of stimulating learning climate are not enough to cover the scoring categories within the instrument. However, the research results propose valuable indications for the further understanding of vocational and practical teaching on the professionalisation of teachers in Chinese higher vocational education. To know how vocational teachers are improving their pedagogical practice, we need further research from the teachers' perspective of vocational learning. Thus, the results of the present research provide a fundamental base for vocational teaching behaviours about teaching practice. As we do not know precisely how vocational teachers' learning (both organisational and personal work-related learning) promotes teaching practice in vocational education, thorough interviews with relevant vocational teachers are necessary.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate vocational teaching behaviours in facilitating pedagogical practice concerning students' classroom engagement.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A mixed-method approach with quantitative classroom observations and qualitative field notes was conducted at two higher vocational institutions in Guangdong province, south of China. Sixty lesson observations were rated combining with supplementary field notes from 20 teacher participants analysed through a comparative coding process.\nFindings: Means of dimensions of teaching behaviours and student engagement were calculated based on taking the averages of the means of items theoretically associated with each dimension. Through thematic analysis of observational notes, vocational instructions and students' engagement in vocational learning environment were more diversified in terms of vocational teaching practice, which manifested that vocational teaching behaviours focused more on adjusting students' practical learning.\nResearch limitations: The limitation is shown that the quantitative sample is small, yet affords greater depth of data for further discussion.\nOriginality/value: This study develops its setting and orientation by applying the classroom observation instrument into the Chinese high vocational context and offers more in-depth insights and exploration of the characteristics of teaching practice in vocational classrooms.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
New ICTs for Knowledge Management in Organizations	[ "Organizational innovation", "Collective intelligence", "Organizational learning", "Knowledge management", "Information and communication technologies" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: There is consensus in the literature about considering knowledge management (KM) as a set of practices related to the use of knowledge as a crucial factor to add and generate value (Cardoso et al., 2012; Cegarra-Navarro et al., 2015b). KM practices are supported by information and communication technologies (ICTs) that help facilitate knowledge acquisition/creation, knowledge dissemination, knowledge conversion and knowledge utilization (Martelo-Landroguez and Cegarra-Navarro, 2014; Palacios-Marques et al., 2015b). The main role of new ICTs (Web 2.0/3.0, collaborative technologies 2.0, social networking tools, wikis, internal blogging, etc.) is to help people share knowledge through common platforms and electronic storage. With appropriate training and education, new ICTs can make it easier for organizations to acquire, store or disseminate knowledge.\nAbout the articles: The guest editors have considered empirical research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods and conceptual papers that draw on the existing literature and develop innovative contributions that improve the understanding of the topic as well. Thus, the guest editors have been looking for a wide variety of papers that may contribute to the creation of a solid evidence base concerning the use of new ICTs for KM in organizations. The research methodologies used for gathering empirical data vary from quantitative surveys to exploratory case studies. Several rounds of blind peer review have been necessary, and they resulted in the final form of this volume on February 2016 for publication here. All articles selected demonstrated relevance to the understanding of new ICTs and its implications for KM. Readers of this special issue should be technically savvy, scientifically demanding and drawn to practically relevant phenomena.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this special issue is to point out the possibilities of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for knowledge management (KM) in organizations, offering different perspectives on and approaches for the role of new ICTs for KM, as well as measuring the impact and diffusion of new ICTs for KM within organizations.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The selection of the papers included in this special issue is largely based on the work of the conference \"7th European Conference on Intellectual Capital - ECIC\" (April 2015, Cartagena, Spain), where the special issue editors organized a track on \"New ICTs for Knowledge Management in Organizations\". The conference gathered leading scholars in the fields of intellectual capital and KM, dealing with the acquisition, creation and sharing of collective intelligence and how to utilize increased academic knowledge and networking in promoting economic and organizational innovations and changes.\nFindings: The collection of papers covered in this special issue identifies challenging problems on the role of new ICTs for KM and their role in the design and implementation of innovative products, services or processes in organizations.\nResearch limitations/implications: The special issue tries to offer some new relevant advances for the academic and practice communities in the growing body of research analyzing new ICTs for KM. However, the theoretical and empirical advances showed represent only a partial view, which corresponds to the impact of new ICTs for KM at the organizational level of analysis.\nPractical implications: The nature of new ICTs, such as social networking tools, wikis, internal blogging and the way they are used, suggest that nowadays they may differ from traditional organizational systems in two critical ways: the voluntary (typically not mandatory) use and their lack of activity or process orientation.\nOriginality/value: The special issue explores the phenomena by integrating different perspectives and approaches, including qualitative and quantitative empirical. This integration overcomes some limitations about the understanding of the issues under investigation.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Generation Z entering the workforce: the need for sustainable strategies in maximizing their talent	[ "Generation Z", "New age workforce", "Sustainable strategies", "Technology adaption" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n__NO_TITLE__: Millennials and their work style have been the most sought-after research topic for HR leaders. Although it has been three decades since the millennials entered the workplace, understanding them still remained dubious. While the research continues to go deep into the millennials, the HR leaders are faced with another cohort group known as Generation Z. An attempt is being made to build strategies for developing Generation Z, which can be compelling propositions that continue to generate a pipeline of future talent.\nEarly starters: The higher education system has gone through a paradigm shift with the advancement of technology challenging the traditional system of learning. With technology making inroads into the academic world, students have access to all the information they need. Further, Generation Z is active on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, etc., which help them to gain various facets of knowledge with a sense of responsibility. As students, they are encouraged to debate and participate in discussions providing them with an opportunity to present their point of view (Cameron and Pagnattaro, 2017). They continue to exhibit these traits as they enter the corporate world, thereby questioning the conventional way of doing things. Thus, it is essential for HR leaders to conduct new hire orientation sessions addressing basic questions and helping them to embrace organizational values and ethics. Face-to-face communication, in-person discussions, and constant communication over email will also help them to understand more about the organization and reiterate the core values and the ethics upon which the organizations are built.\nIndependent in nature: Generation Z are ambitious in achieving their goals. They believe that education is key to realize their goals and, hence, make tireless efforts to get admission to universities of repute that also offers scholarships. An absence of such scholarships has given rise to high and rising student loans. MeasureOne, an industry reporting and analytics organization, indicates that 71 per cent of the students in USA borrowed loans from various financial institutions (MeasureOne, 2017). As this generation likes to be independent, they like to work alongside their studies, thereby managing their personal expenses (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Further, working alongside provides them with hands-on experience that they wish to showcase once they enter organizations. The responsibility of clearing their loans also sits with them, and hence, they like to join an organization that not only gives freedom but also provides a competitive salary. They like to be loyal to their profession but not to the organization and thus, prefer to move to organizations that pay higher salaries. Organizations should take into consideration their aspirations and engage them in discussions explaining the other benefits associated alongside their pay. Although their loyalty is not guaranteed, this would at least help them compare the benefits with other companies before they call it quits.\nEntrepreneurial drive: The focus of the current-day education system is on practical training. Students are engaged in interactive sessions with practical training, where the students get hands-on experience. Working alongside their studies gives them an opportunity to understand work in a real-time scenario. This would also provide them with a choice to choose a job they want. As they enter the workforce, employers prefer students with a few years of experience over someone without any experience. In a survey by Northeastern University, 63 percent express interest in learning about entrepreneurship (Lanier, 2017). Keeping this in view, colleges across the world are incorporating entrepreneurship into their curriculum, where the students are encouraged to start their own enterprises. Leaders need to understand that the Generation Z likes to be innovative and entrepreneurial and, hence, need to provide opportunities for this generation to work independently. They should encourage their entrepreneurial nature and challenge them to be more innovative. Too much shadowing might not go well with them.\nSelf-efficacy: Generation Z are considered novices at work and hence, assigned tactical or low-value work. Besides, they are asked to do a single task at a time, focusing on the quality of the work. However, research indicates that these cohorts are multitaskers and like to do more than a single task. It is the duty of the immediate supervisor to follow them closely, identify their strengths, and provide them with opportunities to play to their strengths that keeps them motivated and energized in an organizational setup. Unlike the earlier generations, they are not content with what they do and often feel bored of doing repetitive jobs. They are not shy of learning new things and like to spend time on their smartphones, laptop, or other gadgets researching and learning new things (Zhitomirsky-Geffet and Blau, 2016). Besides, they are also quick, efficient, and can easily shift gears from one job to another. It is important for the organization to understand their capabilities and strengths and provide job rotation programs that provide a platform to work with other departments of their interest to advance their skills. Incidentally, today's organizations are entrusting entry-level employees with high-value work that requires research and advanced technologies, and hence, most of the entry-level jobs require a college degree, which was not the case during the 1980's.\nFlexibility: Organizations adopted flexibility in the workplace decades ago. However, there are quite a few organizations that still follow the traditional rules and regulations. Flexibility does not mean just working from home but refers to the willingness of the employers to allow an employee to work in a time that is convenient to them, be it a flexitime or a staggered shift. Generation Z likes to be independent but does not shy away from being collaborative, as they know how to connect well with others and devices seamlessly (Ozkan and Solmaz, 2015). They like to be trusted as matured individuals knowing what is expected out of them and, hence, do not see any difference in working from home versus the office. With technology everywhere, it has become easy for employees to manage work from anywhere. Research also indicates that the employee's productivity is high when working away from office, thereby eliminating the question of whether to work from home or office as long as the work is getting done. In fact, this can help organizations retain the best employees creating a win-win situation, as this generation likes to balance both professional and personal lives.\nGlobal exposure: The Web revolution and access to information, provided them a much-needed lens to understand the global imperatives. One of the salient features of business education is Global Immersion Programme/Exchange Programme. Business schools across the globe expose students to the theory through classroom sessions and business practices using simulation. As students advance in the learning process, their insights get enriched through an exposure to the global scenario. Global immersion program assumes significance in this context. The purpose of such programs is to bridge classroom sessions and business practices in another country. Generation Z likes to stay connected with the rest of their peers and exchange ideas and thoughts. Unlike previous generations, they are comfortable working across the globe as they embrace cultural, religious, race, and ethnicity differences right from their school days. Organizations should find the merits of Generation Z being global and deploy them accordingly. They are also quite comfortable working with anyone across the globe.\nTechno-geeks: Technology is playing a pivotal role in the lives of this generation; being raised with smartphones and other digital narratives every day, they expect everything to be fast and instant (Opris and Cenusa, 2017). A study by Deloitte reveals that half of these cohorts spend 10 hours a day or more on digital devices. With automation, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and machine learning coming into play, the technology-enabled gig economy and the crowdsourcing models introduce compelling alternatives for talent management (O'Boyle et al., 2017). HR will need to adapt to new technologies as machines start understanding human voices; the use of technology is much warranted to communicate with Generation Z. The use of Twitter and LinkedIn to attract talent and communicate with potential candidates is found encouraging, as some of the organizations found social recruiting a successful strategy in hiring these generations.\nConclusion: Research on Generation Z remains scanty as very little is known about this generation, and hence, there is no one-size-fits-all advice for the HR managers (Lanier, 2017). However, it is evident from the sources that they are techno-geeks and like to learn everything on their own. As they enter the workforce, HR leaders should be ready to address any challenges that arise due to age, experience, thinking, and style with other generations in the organization. Understanding Generation Z and allowing them to be what they are could be a strategy for the HR leaders; however, they need to redefine the policies and strategies for the organizations to sustain, as the organizations have no choice except to accept this cohort group. The growing use of technology and the new generation entering the workforce should be seen as an opportunity by HR leaders to redesign entry-level work.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to understand the characteristics of the cohort Generation Z and identify strategies for maximizing their talent. The study emphasizes that it is critical for the organization to revisit their strategies so as to accommodate this cohort group. With Generation Z entering the workforce, the nature of entry-level jobs is changing; hence, HR needs to redesign their strategies to attract and engage Generation Z.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The research design adopted for the study is exploratory in nature. The research analysis is based on the information/data collected from the journal articles, newspapers and various conferences and majorly from in-person discussions with the Generation Z cohort group.\nFindings: Generation Z believes in multitasking and likes to learn everything on their own, underscoring their individuality. They believe in doing more in less time, and thus, efficiency and effectiveness are attributed to be part of their DNA.\nResearch limitations/implications: It has to be accepted that very little is known about Generation Z as they have just started to enter the workforce. The next two years will have this cohort joining organizations in entry-level jobs. Organizations have to carefully watch and redesign their strategies to effectively engage this group, as they have no choice except to accept the new generation.\nPractical implications: The literature on Generation Z is scanty, as much of the scholarly research is done in isolation. However, prior studies indicate that Generation Z is tech-savvy and wants everything connected. Organizations will be forced to accept technology as the preferred medium of communication when Generation Z enters the organization.\nOriginality/value: The study presents an alternative for managing the Generation Z, thereby maximizing their talent in the workplace.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Economics of human resources development under globalization era: a study of BRICS countries	[ "China", "Human resources", "Economic development", "Globalization", "BRICS" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Human resources development refers to the development of human skill and knowledge of the labor force. It is the process of raising and inflating value addition capabilities of the population through education, skills, and knowledge which are requisites for the economic development of any nation (Abramowitz, 1981). According to Adelakun (2011), human resources are the knacks and skills possessed by a person. Therefore, human resources development is the progress of transforming humans by shaping and reshaping them according to the needs and ambition of the nation. Human resources are indispensable for economic growth and development (Pelinescu, 2015; Ahmad and Schroeder, 2003). Various researchers are in favor of the view that human resources are the foundation that ought to be handled judiciously (Ahmad and Schroeder, 2003).\nReview of literature: In our opinion, human resources is constituted of the size of the population of a country with its attendant efficiency, educational attainments, productivity, organizational capacities, and farsightedness. By human resource, we mean human capital. Human capital is comprised of the abilities, skills and technical know-how amongst the population of the country. A modern view of development diverges from the conformist approaches to economic growth, as it includes human capital formation, human resource development, and human welfare. It is necessary to specify this difference unequivocally to avoid any confusion. In our study development is economic growth measured by the gross domestic product of a country. In other words, the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a given region in a given period of time.\nMethodology: The study is primarily based on secondary data collected from the World Bank, IMF and Asian Development Bank over a period of 27 years (1990-2017). The study develops a model based on Pelinescu (2015) and Adelakun (2011). The time series data were analyzed using ordinary least squares (OLS) and the generalized method of moments (GMM). First, to control for country differences, we use Scheffe pairwise comparison tests to realize how human resources management varies between pairs of countries. Second, we used an OLS with time-fixed effects. In addition, because of endogeneity and serial correlation of the error term (Coe and Helpman, 1995; Keller, 2002), the second stage was complemented with the GMM technique to provide consistent estimates.\nSpecification of variables: PPP is an attempt at a relative measure, taking factors of each country into consideration to put a number on a person's standard of living within that country. GDP at PPP applies exchange rates to standardise the sum of the value of all goods and services produced in a country to value the aggregate at prices prevailing in US dollars. This provides a frame for comparisons across countries (Pelinescu, 2015; Adelakun, 2011). Measurement of human resources development in our study is based on the human resources index, based on four groups of matters (investment in education, the use of human resources stock, the productivity of human resources, and employment of human resources). This is more or less similar to the human capital index framed by the World Economic Forum (includes four aspects such as education, workforce, wealth, and wellness, and employment along with enabling environment - includes infrastructure, legal and other features that guarantee the value of value of human resources). Keeping this in mind the variables used in our study are:\nSpecification of econometric models: As mentioned, we are using the three steps methods to reach our final analysis to get efficient, consistent and unbiased results. The three steps are as follows.\nUnit root test: Non-stationary data lead to spurious regression because of non-constant mean and variance (Dimitrova, 2005). If a series is stationary without any differencing, it is said to be I(0) or integrated of order 0. However, if a series is stationary after first difference, it is said to be I(1) or integrated of order 1. To this end to avoid spurious regression which gives biased results, the augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) (Dickey and Fuller, 1979 tests have been used to examine the stationarity of the time-series data).\nOne way ANOVA: The one-way ANOVA is a method to find out whether there are any statistically significant differences between the means of two or more independent (unrelated) groups. To understand the dissimilarities in human resources development practices among the five BRICS countries the one way ANOVA method has been used.\nResults: The empirical estimation begins with an analysis of unit root test to detect whether the variables have trended or not to avoid spurious regression which would entail biased results. Table I shows the results of the tests on the variables and their level of stationarity.\nOne-way ANOVA and Scheffe pairwise comparison test: The main intent of this study was to examine the impact of human resources development practices on economic growth across countries. The study used one-way ANOVA to analyze the similarities in human resources development practices among the five BRICS countries. The output of this test is shown in Table II.\nOrdinary least squares and generalized method of moments results: As far as the measurement of human resources development is concerned the hypothesis of a correlation between independent error means tested by using Durbin-Watson statistics comply with the assumption of no independent errors. Table III shows the estimated results of the GMM and OLS models.\nDiscussion and results: The results of the three-stage model suggest the impact of human resources development on economic growth, though significant were limited in the BRICS countries over the past two decades. The study reveals that countries such as India and South Africa were unable to use their human resources efficiently to promote economic growth compared to Russia, China, and Brazil. The theoretical implication of our study is that human development has not been viewed in traditional manner as being likened to the totality of a nation's human population. Rather, human development has been viewed in terms of value addition to the nation's population which a state can affect upon its consttuent population. Human resource development as analyzed in our study with value addition in any form is effective in quantifying and shaping the developmental goals of any country. Further, during the era of globalization where everything is well-connected, open and cutthroat, different countries have shaped their economics significantly by managing their human resources. The transfer of skills and technology has been instrumental in human value addition and in the evaluation of a country's progress relative to the rest of the world. Holding this to be our theoretical base our paper studied the impact of alternate avenues of value addition to the existing human resources on the economies of BRICS countries in the era of globalization. We treat investment in education, health, R&D, primary and secondary schooling and patents as value additions in human resources which go to increase productive capacity and the earning potential of the labor force which are reflect in a higher growth trajectory of a country.\nConclusion: The study observes the link between human resources development and economic development of BRICS countries and reveals that human resources development has an impact on development though this impact was found to be limited to a few countries. The results of our study are indicative for developing countries and human resources managers placed therein. It provides a perspective on four areas related to human development. These four elements may provide the bedrock upon which to redesign and reshape the strategy related to human resources development in the interest of fostering the growth impetus. The study through its results and estimates confirms an ideal-type of human resources development strategy that may be followed by developing countries. To gain more insight into the impact of human resources development on economic growth in BRICS or other countries certain other variables such as those related to health infrastructure, education infrastructure, and transport and communication must be considered. In this regard the variables such as the number of hospitals per lakh population, number of doctors per thousand population, number of beds per thousand population, number of schools, colleges, and universities per thousand population and other related variables could be taken up for further research in this line.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The study aims to explore the extent to which human resources development quantifies the economic growth of BRICS countries under the globalization era by controlling country differences.\nDesign/methodology/approach: The study used the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and Scheffe pairwise comparison tests to quantify the impact of the variables and the level of difference among the BRICS countries onto human Resources development.\nFindings: The study observes that the impact of human resources development on economic growth of BRICS counties is significant but limited to few countries. The study reveals that countries such as India and South Africa are unable to utilize their human resources efficiently to promote economic growth, as compared with Russia, China and Brazil. The study further argues that there is urgent need of amalgam of various economic development theories keeping in mind the regional needs to extract the positive impact from human resource on economic development.\nResearch limitations/implications: The single limitation of this research is that it was not possible to compare the results with other developing countries to unleash the capabilities of human resources development with regard to economic growth at the universal level.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind to analyze human resources development at a much deeper level. The paper has chosen variables which are important from the policy perspective of government rather than the working perspective, which is a great contribution. Further, for human index the variables chose covering major aspects of human development from spending perspective.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Australasian Health Facility Guidelines: results of a user survey	[ "Hospitals", "Briefing", "Design guidelines", "Healthcare facilities", "Stakeholders", "Survey", "Australia", "New Zealand" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: In the past, many Australian States developed their own health facility design guidelines including New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Prior to the initiation of the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG) project in 2005 these local State-based guidelines comprised a patchwork of different ages, format, quality and coverage. In early 2006, objectives and anticipated benefits for a national project were agreed and documented, and in late 2006 the AusHFG were launched to guide the design and development of publicly funded health facilities across the Australasian region (CHAA, UNSW, 2010). By late 2009, the AusHFG had been in use for approximately three years in all jurisdictions except Victoria which persisted with the use of its own guidelines.\nBackground to the project: Health design guidelines stakeholders\nMethod: An electronic web-based survey (Survey Monkey) was developed to collect data from a diverse group of AusHFG project stakeholders. This did not include patient/consumer/community groups due to their lack of involvement in the AusHFG development process and lack of experience in using guidelines for briefing or designing healthcare projects. According to Babbie (1990), survey methodology is a well-recognised and legitimate form of scientific enquiry. Marshall (2004) noted that surveys or questionnaires are a cost effective data collection tool for gathering data from a geographically spread, yet well identified target audience that understands the topic and focus of the survey. This view is supported by Gable (1994) who states that surveys are useful for gathering the views of individuals across a range of organisations and are able \"... to provide generalisable statements about the object of the study\".\nResults: Background data\nDiscussion: The data gathered illustrates the wide reach of the AusHFG and their impact on projects in the three jurisdictions surveyed. It is likely that the AusHFG have a similar reach in the remaining Australian state-based jurisdictions and this could be tested in a future survey. Users come from a range of backgrounds with 80 per cent from a design/construction background and 13 per cent from health service management or clinical roles indicating significant use by clients or funding body representatives. This is consistent with the target audience for the AusHFG whose stakeholders are perceived to include client (or funder) representatives): health service managers, health services clinical planners, clinicians and other clinical experts who work in central offices or in facilities delivering care, and the health department officers who act as the main client representatives or project sponsors. Design and construction industry stakeholders are usually characterised as \"user stakeholders\" and this group includes architects, health planners, other designers, contractors and consultants. This latter group was anticipated to be the most frequent user of the AusHFG and this has been confirmed by the survey.\nConclusions: As a snapshot of the views of AusHFG users, responses were generally positive and supportive of the AusHFG project and its outputs. Many suggestions were made regarding possible improvements that would cost relatively little to implement. However, some suggestions and comments illustrated confusion regarding governance issues, the process of developing the guidelines, and poor communication of the intent and purpose of the guidelines by the project funding bodies to their jurisdictional-specific project teams.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The Australasian Health Facility Guidelines (AusHFG) project was initiated in 2005 by the Australian State and Territory Health Departments, and the New Zealand Ministry of Health to guide hospital development in the Australasian region. This paper shares the results of a 2010 survey of guidelines users in three of the health jurisdictions, conducted to understand whether the anticipated project benefits were being achieved and to seek suggestions for future improvements.\nDesign/methodology/approach: AusHFG users were surveyed using an electronic survey instrument. Data gathered included demographic information regarding the users and their projects, user views on the achievement of the anticipated benefits and their suggestions for future improvements to the AusHFG.\nFindings: In total, 152 people commenced the survey, with fewer fully completing it. Responses were generally positive and supportive of the project. Useful commentary was received regarding possible improvements; some of this illustrated user confusion regarding the purpose and inherent limitations of guidelines of this type.\nResearch limitations/implications: The survey was conducted in only three out of a possible nine health jurisdictions - it could be further extended to these other jurisdictions in the future.\nPractical implications: The research illustrated the need to identify, and to communicate clearly, regularly and effectively with key project stakeholders to ensure user feedback and support for using health design guidelines.\nOriginality/value: This is the first survey to be conducted of Australian and New Zealand users of health design guidelines. It provides useful feedback to those developing and implementing health guidelines, especially regarding the format, content and delivery of guideline information.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
More can be better: operating multiple business models in a corporate portfolio	[ "Business models", "Portfolio management", "Business model innovation", "Business model diversification", "Business model portfolio management", "Multiple business models" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Business model innovation (BMI), as a key to staying competitive in a changing market place, is a mantra that universally influences corporate strategies. It is understood that corporate firms are challenged by today's speed of change, with digitalisation as the fundamental driver. This change is giving rise to more new BMs than ever before, some with the potential to revolutionise traditional business. BMI is a topic worthy of more in-depth discussions, for practitioners and academics alike. Although the role of BMI in corporate innovation strategies is gaining importance, it is among the most complex forms of innovation posing many challenges for firms to master.\nBusiness model diversification as strategic vehicle: A BM \"refers to the logic of the firm, the way it operates and how it creates value for its stakeholders\" (Casadesus-Masanell and Ricart, 2010, p. 196) and is understood as a \"guiding instrument towards competitiveness\" (Hook and Stehn, 2014, p. 1315). Corporate BMI describes a change in this logic of value creation and value capture within a corporation. The configuration of one or more BMs is closely intertwined with the corporate strategy (Sabatier et al., 2010) as it refers to the selection of the BMs an organisation is competing with (Casadesus-Masanell and Ricart, 2010). According to Aversa and Haefliger (2015, p. 3), \"a firm diversifies into a BM portfolio when it engages with different (i.e. at least two) ways of creating and/or capturing value, each of which is associated with a distinct monetisation mechanism\". In this sense, portfolios are typical of rather mature companies that balance various activities (Sabatier et al., 2010). BM diversification as an additional strategy to horizontal, vertical and geographical diversification can be perceived as one way to mitigate risk and drive growth and shareholder value creation (Aversa and Haefliger, 2015).\nCase study of a large and diverse conglomerate: To better understand what enhances or impedes BM diversification on a corporate level in a realistic context, we chose a single-case-study approach. The company is a conglomerate in the technology sector with more than 400,000 employees, operating in different industries worldwide. The company has an excellent reputation for engineering knowledge and is highly innovative in the field of technology. It very successfully operates and manages a remarkably heterogeneous product portfolio in various industries. In the recent past, the topic of BMI had been gaining importance and, hence, so has the topic of BM diversification in corporate portfolios. By choosing a case study company and interviewing experts from this organisation with long-standing and diverse industry experience, we ensured homogeneity of contextual factors, e.g. corporate strategy.\nValue creation through business model diversification: All experts interviewed agreed on the need for a strategic BM portfolio as a tool for enhanced value creation. Such a tool can serve as an important driver for economic success in today's volatile environment because \"without change, firms will perish\" and following a BM portfolio strategy \"is a necessity\". Yet, the interviewees also recognised that factors enhancing or impeding BM are often mutually dependent and firm-specific.\nConclusion: BMI is widely accepted as viable tool to maintain and enhance competitiveness. Strategic BM portfolio management is increasingly seen as the next logical step in preparing a corporation for market needs, both current and future. To enrich this field, this research presents and discusses enhancing and impeding factors related to BM diversification as a growth strategy. It shows the emerging importance of the topic and indicates that diversification is a beneficial move helping a corporation to stay ahead of the competition. At the same time, a diversification strategy needs to fit into the overall corporate strategy; hence, the form of diversification requires a firm-specific decision, for which corporate management needs to carefully consider the accompanying challenges and opportunities within and beyond firm boundaries. The awareness of these impeding and enhancing factors helps practitioners to make strategic decisions. Let Miele serve as the conclusive example for a company successfully changing and enlarging its core BM. By introducing the Dialog Oven, a radical new cooking technology, Miele opened up possibilities for additional BMs. \"MChef\", a venture capital company of Miele, offers high-end ready-made meals to consumers, hotels and private clinics for room service. Thus, Miele added a new BM, well aligned with its existing portfolio.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Established firms are increasingly under pressure to develop new business models (BM) in a continuous manner to cope with competitive constraints and changing market requirements. Business model innovation (BMI) is widely accepted as a viable means to stay ahead of competition. Yet, firms struggle with successful BMI. The barriers to BMI is a widely discussed topic in academia and practice but with little reference to the barriers a firm is confronted with when operating multiple BMs in a corporate portfolio.\nDesign/methodology/approach: This paper investigates the implications for a firm operating a multitude of BMs concurrently. By combining the results of a literature analysis and 15 expert interviews from the fields of corporate strategy, business modelling and consulting, this paper presents and discusses the opportunities and challenges related to BM diversification.\nFindings: The findings show that a strategic BM portfolio can be installed for enhanced value creation. However, managing multiple BMs and finding the right balance between existing and new business pose a major challenge for many established firms. With these results, the paper contributes to the existing literature in the fields of BMI and BM portfolio management. The findings clearly show the emerging importance of a strategic corporate BM portfolio for both research and practice and may provide an impetus for management discussions involving strategic BM portfolio decisions.\nOriginality/value: By building on and adding to existing literature and discussing existing works, this paper aims to giving a structured and comprehensive overview of enhancing and impeding factors on value creation when operating multiple BMs in a corporate portfolio.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Structural breaks and labor market disparities in the Canadian provinces	[ "Unemployment", "Stochastic convergence", "β-convergence", "Structural breaks", "Unit roots" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Regional disparities have been an object of concern for many years and have been studied by many researchers all over the world. These disparities can create imbalances in the development process of any country and in some countries, this issue has already created political problems. Even though the disparity problem is important in any country; however, it is more significant in diversified countries, like Canada. As Gunderson (1996, p. 1) stated, \"[b]eing a geographically large country with substantial heterogeneity in resource endowments and accesses to markets, regional issues have always been important in Canada.\"\n2. Related literature: The provincial/regional convergence in Canada has been studied using different disparity indicators. Myatt (1992), using annual data from 1966 to 1990 and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR), studied the Canadian provincial UR disparities. He studied the trend, causes, and remedies of the provincial URs in Canada. The results showed that the UR disparity had an upward trend, which was worsened by federal to provincial transfer payments. He concluded that the UR in the Canadian provinces exhibit a divergent behavior. Coulombe and Lee (1995) used different measurements of per-capita income and output[4] to investigate convergence in the Canadian provinces. This study used a pooled cross-section time series data of the Canadian provinces from 1961 to 1991. They concluded that the results are in favor of the existence of convergence among the Canadian provinces. Furthermore, Coulombe and Day (1999) studied the evolution of the relative regional income disparities in Canada and compared it with the evolution of 12 US states bordered with Canada. They confirmed that convergence is occurring in the Canadian regions. Gil-Alana (2002) analyzed the persistence in the unemployment in Canada from 1966 to 2000, using ARFIMA models. He concluded that unemployment in Canada was highly persistent during this period.\n3. Methodology: The following two subsections describe the methodology of testing for existence of stochastic and b-convergence.\n4. Empirical results: We use quarterly URs for the ten Canadian provinces for the period 1976:1-2005:4 obtained from Statistic Canada. The ten provinces are Alberta, British Columbia (BC), Manitoba, New Brunswick (NB), Newfoundland (NF), Nova Scotia (NS), Ontario, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Quebec, and Saskatchewan (SAS). According to data, in 1976, the difference between the highest and lowest UR in the provinces was 8.6 percentage points, which respectively belonged to NF and SAS; while, in 2005, NF had the highest and Alberta had the lowest UR and the difference was 11.5 percentage points. Figure 1 plots the ranking of the provinces with respect to their URs. This figure reveals that NF has had the highest UR both at the beginning and end of the period considered, and the rank of provinces has not changed significantly.\n5. Conclusions: This paper has examined the stochastic and deterministic convergence of the unemployment rates (URs) in the Canadian provinces for the period of 1976-2005, using different methods. Using the ADF\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to use quarterly time series data from Canada and the Canadian provinces to determine if the unemployment rates in the Canadian provinces are converging to the national rate of unemployment.\nDesign/methodology/approach: First, the authors check for existence of stochastic convergence using recent unit root statistics, see Perron and Rodriguez (2003) and Rodriguez (2007). Second, the authors verify existence of convergence using methods proposed by Volgelsang (1998) and Bai and Perron (1998, 2003). All these methods allows for structural break(s) in the data.\nFindings: Results from different unit root tests, without and with structural breaks, confirm that stochastic convergence exists in all provinces. The other results show strong evidence that deterministic convergence exists and the unemployment rates of the Canadian provinces are converging to the unemployment rate of Canada. This conclusion is stronger when multiple breaks are allowed in the trend function using the approach of Bai and Perron (1998, 2003).\nPractical implications: Since the authors have verified the existence of stochastic convergence, any intervention in the labor markets of the Canadian provinces to control the provincial unemployment rate would have a temporary effect and these policies will not have a permanent influence on the unemployment rates. However, existence of b-convergence in the Canadian provinces shows that general policies toward lowering the national unemployment rate would decrease the provincial unemployment rates as well.\nOriginality/value: To the best of the knowledge, the paper attempts to study the unemployment rate convergence in the Canadian provinces using the above-mentioned approaches. These approaches allow the authors to take into consideration the possibility of structural breaks in order to get results that are more accurate.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs: a survey study	[ "Entrepreneurs", "Retailing", "Decision making", "Cognition" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Reasoning is the thought process that leads to knowing. According to de Wit and Meyer (1998), this thought process involves the cognitive functions of identifying, diagnosing, conceiving, and realising. In terms of management, the way in which these cognitive functions are conducted reflects an individual manager's \"cognitive style\" (White et al., 2003). Not surprisingly, White et al. (2003) observed that significant differences exist among the \"cognitive styles\" of various managers.The present study explores the reasoning processes and \"cognitive styles\" of entrepreneurs. Knight (1984) has noted that entrepreneurs can range from self-employed individuals to employees of large corporations. As shown in Figure 1, this wide range of entrepreneurs can be schematically arranged according to their degree of autonomy. Although the types presented in the diagram are not exhaustive, they cover a broad range of entrepreneurial behaviour - from independent entrepreneurs to managers of large corporations.Within this wide range of entrepreneurial activity, the present study focuses on the cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs in making marketing decisions. Contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs are neither solo self-employed entrepreneurs nor corporate managers; rather, they function with some degree of autonomy under a variety of contractually-based governance arrangements - including franchises, alliances, cooperatives, and network partnerships (Heide, 1994; Grandori, 1997; Grandori and Soda, 1995; Kaufmann and Dant, 1998; Tuunanen and Hyrsky, 2001). Although there is a certain uniformity imposed on participants in these arrangements, individual retail entrepreneurs are expected to exercise some degree of autonomy in taking advantage of local opportunities (Kaufmann and Dant, 1998; Sen, 1998; Tuunanen and Hyrsky, 2001).Such retail entrepreneurs have thus been characterised as \"intermediate actors\" between employee managers and independent owners (Tuunanen and Hyrsky, 2001; Knight, 1984). In terms of cognitive styles, the question therefore arises as to whether contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs tend to demonstrate \"managerial\" features or \"entrepreneurial\" features (Malach-Pines et al., 2002), and whether this has an effect on business performance. The present study therefore addresses the following research questions:RQ1. How can the cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs be classified?RQ2. If there are differences in the cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs, how are these differences reflected in their business performance?These questions are addressed in the context of marketing decision making at the store level (including sales and sales promotion, store-specific product selection, and pricing). The subjects of the study are a group of semi-independent retail entrepreneurs, known as \"K-retailers\", who are contractually linked to the large K-alliance retail organisation in Finland (Mitronen and Moller, 2003).The remainder of the paper is arranged as follows. Following this introduction, the paper presents a literature review and conceptual framework of entrepreneurial characteristics and cognitive styles. An empirical study is then described, and the results are presented. A discussion of the significance of the findings then follows. The paper concludes with a summary of the major findings and the implications for managers and future research.\n2 Literature review and conceptual framework: 2.1 Characteristics of entrepreneurs\n3 Empirical study: 3.1 Background to the study\n4 Findings: 4.1 Cognitive styles and marketing decision making\n5 Discussion: The first finding of significance in the present study is that most of the studied K-retailers demonstrated the cognitive style of a salaried manager, rather than that of an \"entrepreneur\". It is apparent that most of these K-retailers did not possess entrepreneurial intuition-dominant cognitive features - even though \"entrepreneurship\" is claimed by K-alliance to be a central value and success factor in its contractual arrangements with retailers.In seeking an explanation for this paradox, two logical alternatives present themselves:1. the respondents in the present study might have been inherently \"managerial\" (rather than (entrepreneurial); and/or2. the respondents in the present study might have become \"managerial\" (rather than (entrepreneurial).With regard to the first, it might be that K-alliance (for various reasons) attracts and recruits only persons who have an inherently \"managerial\" cognitive style.With regard to the second, it might be that the governance mechanisms of K-alliance might have an effect on the way in which K-retailers' gather, process, and evaluate information. In particular, the following aspects of control and coordination in the alliance might have such an effect:* chain contracts and trading contracts;* manuals of practice;* systems of training; and* new retailer recruiting process.Of these, the most important is the existence of chain contracts and trading contracts between Kesko and individual K-retailers (Mitronen, 2002; Mitronen and Moller, 2003). These contracts, together with manuals of practice, might limit the operational autonomy of K-retailers, such that they are not able (or not allowed) to utilise their intuition and creativity when making their marketing decisions (Tuunanen and Hyrsky, 2001). If so, this would be in accordance with the view of Knight (1984), who contended that the existence of entrepreneurial intuition-dominant cognitive features is related to degree of entrepreneurial autonomy. The systems of training in K-alliance might also play a role by teaching K-retailers to adopt an analytical style of gathering and interpreting information.To ascertain whether these respondents were inherently \"managerial\" and/or whether the control and coordination mechanisms of K-alliance cause them to adopt a cognitive style more akin to a \"manager\", it would be necessary to study the recruiting policies and governance arrangements (formal and informal) of K-alliance in greater detail. In particular, it would be necessary to assess the actual degree of autonomy accorded to K-retailers in making independent marketing decisions.The other result of significance in the present study was that there was no clear relationship between the cognitive styles of the respondents and their business performance. This could be explained by the existence of other factors not considered in the present study. These could be independent variables that directly explain the business performance of the retailer or mediating variables that influence the relationship between cognitive style and business performance. For example, the store location of a given K-retailer, or the existence of local competition, might explain business performance better than any cognitive factor. It is also possible that the governance arrangements of the K-alliance might determine business performance to a greater degree than do cognitive styles.\n6 Conclusions: The present study has investigated the presumed entrepreneurship of a group of semi-independent retailers who have contractual arrangements with K-alliance, the largest retail organisation in Finland. The purpose of the study was to investigate:* the cognitive styles of these retailers with respect to marketing decisions at the store level; and* whether the cognitive styles of the retailers affect their business performance.The study revealed that the K-retailers under investigation did not constitute a homogeneous group in terms of cognitive style. This result is in accordance with the findings of Forbes (2005), who found that entrepreneurs are not cognitively homogeneous. In the present study, all four of Jung's (1946, 1971) personality \"types\" were found among the food retailers, and all but one (intuiting/feeling) were found among the group of durables retailers. In addition, \"hybrid\" personality types that could not be classified in any of Jung's (1946, 1971) \"types\" were also apparent among both food and durables retailers.The majority of the respondents utilised \"sensing\" (rather than \"intuiting\") and \"thinking\" (rather than \"feeling\"). It can thus be concluded that most of the K-retailers demonstrated a \"managerial\" form of cognition, rather than an \"entrepreneurial\" form of cognition. This might be due to the K-alliance recruiting people who have an inherently \"managerial\" cognitive style, or it might be due to the governance arrangements of the K-alliance inhibiting entrepreneurial cognitive styles.With respect to cognitive types and business performance, the results revealed no statistically significant relationship between the cognitive styles of K-retailers and their business performance. There are several possible explanations for this finding. In particular, other factors - such as location and local competition - might affect the business performance of K-retailers. Moreover, a relative lack of operational autonomy among K-retailers might explain why their cognitive styles were apparently unrelated to business performance.With regard to future research, the management systems of contractually integrated retailing organisations could be taken into account in assessing the relationship between retailers' decision-making styles and their business performance. In addition, conceptual and qualitative empirical studies are needed to obtain a clearer understanding of the cognitive styles of retail entrepreneurs. In particular, there is a need to create a comprehensive framework that takes into account contextual factors (such as location and local competition) and the structural characteristics of retailing organisations (such as control and coordination mechanisms). Qualitative studies could reveal issues that would enable more thorough operationalisation of concepts linked to the personality of entrepreneurs in the retailing context.From the managerial point of view, the interesting issue is the degree of autonomy of contractually integrated retailers. Although entrepreneurs with a high degree of autonomy might be more highly motivated, more independent-minded, and more creative than retailers with little independence, they probably lose some potential efficiency because of their unwillingness to seek and accept advice (Knight, 1984). It can therefore be argued that retailers who belong to a large retailing group or alliance should be prepared to accept less autonomy for their own benefit, as well as that of the alliance as whole. However, if the control is too strict, entrepreneurial drive and creativity among the contractually integrated retailers will diminish (Tuunanen and Hyrsky, 2001). In this regard, Kaufmann and Eroglu (1998) have contended that a healthy retail format is one that evolves over time in accordance with changes in market demand and other conditions. Differences in tastes, income, media habits, and so forth reduce the benefits of extensive standardisation and justify adaptations and creativity at the local level.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: - This paper aims to investigate the cognitive styles of contractually integrated retail entrepreneurs with respect to marketing decision making. The study addresses two research questions: How can the cognitive styles of these retail entrepreneurs be classified? If there are differences in the cognitive styles of retail entrepreneurs, how are these differences reflected in their business performance?\nDesign/methodology/approach: - Following a literature review and conceptual analysis, a questionnaire on cognitive styles is developed on the basis of Jung's \"typology theory\" and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. A quantitative internet survey study is then conducted among 226 retailers contracted to the K-alliance of Finland. The results are then subjected to statistical analysis.\nFindings: - The study reveals that the cognitive style of most of the studied K-retailers is in accordance with the style of salaried managers, rather than that of \"entrepreneurs\". The study also finds no clear relationship between the cognitive styles of the respondents and their business performance.\nResearch limitations/implications: - The possible existence of explanatory factors other than cognitive styles was not considered in the study. Further research is required on other variables that might have a direct or indirect effect on the business performance of retailers.\nPractical implications: - The study has implications for the governance and management systems of contractually integrated retailing organisations; in particular the study suggests that such management systems might inhibit entrepreneurial cognitive styles.\nOriginality/value: - The paper offers new perspectives on entrepreneurship in the context of contractually integrated retailing organisations.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Evaluating the impact of economic factors on REITs' capital structure around the world	[ "Capital structure", "Panel data", "Real estate markets" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1 Introduction: Capital structure literature presents a paradox; the seminal paper of Modigliani and Miller (1958) should have ended any theoretical research, as it argued that capital structure is irrelevant in perfect capital markets (PCM). However, this topic has produced since then a voluminous body of research based on the idea that the PCM hypothesis is not empirically validated. In fact, current literature has provided ample evidence that the optimal capital structure of a firm can be affected by a range of factors. Some authors have argued that taxes and bankruptcy costs affect the capital structure of firms (Miller, 1977; DeAngelo and Masulis, 1980); the tradeoff theory (optimization theory) argues that firms seek debt levels that the tax advantages of additional debt offset the costs of possible financial distress and thus set a target debt to value ratio and gradually moving towards it (Kim, 1978; Kraus and Litzenberger, 1973). Agency costs theory asserts that debt motivates managers to be efficient and calls these positive effects of debt \"the Control Hypothesis\" for debt creation - when firm managers have substantial cash flow, they can waste the cash by consuming perquisites or by investing in low return projects (Jensen, 1986; Jensen and Meckling, 1976). The pecking order theory (POT) discusses the information asymmetry between managers and investors. In particular, managers possess privileged information about the firm value that investors do not. For this reason, POT claims that firms prefer internal to external financing and debt to equity, when issuing securities to avoid the potential valuation discount associated with equity issues. By contrast, when firms use external funds, they prefer to issue the safest security first (i.e. debt), then convertible securities and equity as a last resort (Myers and Majluf, 1984; Myers, 1977).\n2 Theoretical framework: As we argued above, a number of competing theories have been used in the capital structure analysis. Tradeoff theory emphasizes on taxes, the pecking order theory on asymmetric information and the free cash flow theory on agency costs. Several studies attempt to find evidence in order to corroborate these theories.\n3 Data and variables: Even though the study of capital structure can be applied to any industry, it is interesting to examine the behaviour of real estate firms, and especially REITs (for the proliferation of this type of companies around the world see, for instance, Schacht and Wimschulte (2008); for some other interesting topics regarding REITs see, for instance in this journal, Liu et al. (2012), Chang et al. (2012) and Khaled and Keef (2012)). These companies are operating in an economic environment which is characterized by a special set of rules, specific at country level. In the last decades, however, the increasing integration of financial markets has led to a corresponding increasing integration of urban property markets. Thus, a multitude of factors, of microeconomic and macroeconomic nature, is expected to affect the financial behaviour of real estate firms.\n4 Econometric methodology: In the subsequent analysis, a simple ordinary least square (OLS) regression is applied for every set of independent variables. Then, the fixed effects panel data estimator model (or, as it is called in the following tables, least squares with group dummy variables) has been utilized (for an introduction in panel data analysis and these estimators see, for instance, Baltagi (2005).\n5 Conclusions: This paper examines the capital structure determinants of REITs globally. The dataset contains accounting data from income statements and balance sheets as well as other microeconomic and macroeconomic data for the period 2005-2010.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: This paper aims to examine the determinants of the capital structure of real estate investment trusts (REITs) across the world and explore whether this structure is characterized by any common factors.\nDesign/methodology/approach: Endogenous and exogenous factors that affect the financial management of real estate firms are identified in the analysis. \"Regular\" (static) panel data regression analysis, as well as dynamic panel data techniques, is applied to a panel of listed real estate firms from 2005 to 2010.\nFindings: Empirical results showed that factors such as tangibility, size of the company, growth opportunities, assets turnover affect positively the financial leverage of REITs; conversely, other determinants, being debit's cost, GDP, and long-term interest rates, are negatively correlated with the financial gearing of the REITs.\nPractical implications: This paper identifies factors that determine the capital structure of REITs around the world. Firm executives and policy makers in different countries may wish to adjust their policies (regarding capital structure) according to the empirical findings.\nOriginality/value: This study, using a comprehensive dataset from all over the world, investigates whether there are solid and mutual factors that can characterize the capital structure of REITs.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Creating multi-vendor solutions: the resources and capabilities required	[ "Resources", "Services", "Manufacturing", "Capability", "Impartiality", "Solution" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: In the face of growing competition and stagnating markets, many manufacturers are transforming their organisations so that they no longer rely solely on their products to provide market differentiation (Oliva and Kallenberg, 2003; Ostrom et al., 2010); a process identified as service infusion (Brax, 2005). Instead manufacturers are undertaking service innovation to combine products and services into customized solutions (Lightfoot and Gebauer, 2011). Although there are many definitions of what constitutes a \"solution\" a number of distinctive features appear common: longitudinal relational processes (Tollner et al., 2011; Tuli et al., 2007); individualized product/service offerings which are customized and integrated to address customer problems (Matthyssens and Vandenbempt, 2010; Sawhney, 2006) and compensation on the basis of achieved performance or value for the customer (Sawhney et al., 2004; Storbacka, 2011). These characteristics highlight that solutions are more than just a complex variety of services (Nordin and Kowalkowski, 2010). The potential role of products and services from other manufacturers as components of solutions has also been noted as a characteristic of solutions (Foote et al., 2001; Miller et al., 2002). Service innovation as part of solution development is therefore not restricted to a manufacturer's own products and services, with products from other vendors also incorporated if required (Davies, 2004; Windahl and Lakemond, 2010). Equally, innovation within one component of the solution could lead to innovation in others; thus an appreciation of how this inter-relatedness might affect the overall customer offering is important (Evanschitzky et al., 2011).\n2. Theoretical framework: 2.1 Resources and capabilities\n3. Research methodology: The research was designed to determine the resources required by manufacturers to develop and deliver multi-vendor solutions; as such a qualitative multi-case study was undertaken (Eisenhardt, 1989). Initial assessment was undertaken of the products/services offerings of the ten largest manufacturers in each \"manufacturing\" sector (conforming to the UK's Standard Industrial Classification [2003] codes 20 to 35), to determine whether they offer multi-vendor solutions. The ten largest manufacturers in each sector were identified using the FAME database (Bureau Van Dijk). The analysis of these companies' customer offerings was initially conducted by considering their web-based marketing materials. The analysis suggested that offering multi-vendor solutions was prevalent in relatively few manufacturing sectors:\n4. Results: A summary of the main solution drivers and capabilities for each company together with an indication of the type of solution they offer is presented in Table III. This is followed by identification of the key resources and capabilities for developing and delivering solutions (sections 4.1 and 4.2). Resources and capabilities identified are common among all case companies unless specified for a particular sector.\n5. Discussion and conclusion: 5.1 Theoretical contribution\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the resources and capabilities required by manufacturers to develop and deliver multi-vendor solutions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A multi-case design comprising six UK-based manufacturers: two from each of the aerospace/defence, information technology and telecommunications sectors.\nFindings: Manufacturers can be characterized by their propensity to include products from other vendors in their solutions; single vendor solution providers (SVSPs) focus on solutions comprising their own products, while multi-vendor solution providers (MVSPs) fully embrace products from other manufacturers. Three capabilities were identified which distinguish MVSPs from SVSPs given the complexity of multi-vendor solutions (expertise specifying the solution, engineers trained in implementing/supporting the solution, partnerships with component suppliers of the solution). These capabilities are underpinned by both technical capability and impartiality in solution specification.\nResearch limitations/implications: MVSPs need to be impartial when specifying customer solutions. They should be guided by the best interests of the customer rather than the interests of the product-based SBUs. Achieving impartiality can conflict with some manufacturers' product heritage. The research has focused on three sectors; further research is needed to test whether the findings are applicable beyond these sectors.\nPractical implications: Solutions are a valuable approach in creating market differentiation, although not all manufacturers will possess the resources/capabilities to be successful.\nOriginality/value: A continuum of solution providers is proposed; SVSPs at one extreme and MVSPs at the other. The operant resource-based capability \"impartiality\" was identified as being particularly important to MVSPs in creating value for customers.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
The effects of a lean transition on process times, patients and employees	[ "Change management", "Lean thinking", "Patient safety", "Incident reporting", "Lean management", "Job satisfaction", "Continuous quality improvement", "Patient flow", "Waiting time" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\nIntroduction: Patients are increasingly demanding immediate, high-quality care individualized to their specific needs. This rising demand combined with the growing number of innovations to meet the need for improved quality has increased the associated health care costs (Orszag and Ellis, 2007). This also holds for the treatment of oncology patients by radiotherapy (Slotman and Vos, 2013; Van de Werf et al., 2012; Williams et al., 2007). To meet these demands and remain financially \"healthy,\" strategies are needed to combine sustainable quality improvement with increased efficiency. Within radiotherapy, quality assurance is an established value and patient safety is incorporated in all processes (Clark et al., 2010; Shafiq et al., 2009). However, as to the current perceptions patient safety improvement is inherent to additional activities and costs, which might negatively affect waiting times. Waiting time is generally unwanted in health care and it is even more fundamental in radiotherapy. Local tumor control and survival rates are negatively affected by increased waiting time, especially for specific tumor sites (e.g. breast, head, and neck cancer) (Mackillop et al., 1996; Mackillop, 2007). In addition, radiotherapy costs have to be managed. Although the rapid technologic innovation provides new treatment opportunities, it also brings additional costs (Van de Werf et al., 2012). Therefore, strategies combining improvement of care quality, waiting times, and efficiency have become increasingly important within the oncology.\nMethods: Setting\nResults: Process times\nDiscussion: During 2013, 15 multidisciplinary Lean interventions were initiated to increase process flow and decrease waiting times for radiotherapy treatment. These interventions were part of an organizational Lean approach and were preceded by organizational actions to improve commitment, create a shared vision, and facilitate change. As hypothesized positive effects were measured after the Lean interventions: waiting time (the time before the start of treatment) decreased and additional outcomes for patients and employees improved. The overall mean waiting/process time and the variation decreased. This resulted in a decreased percentage of patients exceeding the national norms and objectives for palliative and curative patient treatments during the second half of 2013. An additional benefit of the decreased waiting time was the possibly reduced level of anxiety and stress among patients, since the stressful period before the start of treatment was shortened for the oncology patients and their relatives.\nConclusion: Waiting times before radiotherapy treatment were reduced, patient safety and employee satisfaction were improved and absenteeism decreased after the implementation of specific Lean interventions. To enhance successful implementation of Lean and realize sustainable results, these specific Lean interventions were incorporated in an organizational strategy to improve commitment and shared visions and facilitate change. This approach proved successful on the short term. However, to determine if sustainability of results and continuous improvement was realized, further research should evaluate the measures on the longer term.\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: Treatment delays must be avoided, especially in oncology, to assure sustainable high-quality health care and increase the odds of survival. The purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that waiting times would decrease and patients and employees would benefit, when specific lean interventions are incorporated in an organizational improvement approach.\nDesign/methodology/approach: In 2013, 15 lean interventions were initiated to improve flow in a single radiotherapy institute. Process/waiting times, patient satisfaction, safety, employee satisfaction, and absenteeism were evaluated using a mixed methods methodology (2010-2014). Data from databases, surveys, and interviews were analyzed by time series analysis, kh2, multi-level regression, and t-tests.\nFindings: Median waiting/process times improved from 20.2 days in 2012 to 16.3 days in 2014 (p<0.001). The percentage of palliative patients for which waiting times had exceeded Dutch national norms (ten days) improved from 35 (six months in 2012: pre-intervention) to 16 percent (six months in 2013-2014: post-intervention; p<0.01), and the percentage exceeding national objectives (seven days) from 22 to 17 percent (p=0.44). For curative patients, exceeding of norms (28 days) improved from 17 (2012) to 8 percent (2013-2014: p=0.05), and for the objectives (21 days) from 18 to 10 percent (p<0.01). Reported safety incidents decreased 47 percent from 2009 to 2014, whereas safety culture, awareness, and intention to solve problems improved. Employee satisfaction improved slightly, and absenteeism decreased from 4.6 (2010) to 2.7 percent (2014; p<0.001).\nOriginality/value: Combining specific lean interventions with an organizational improvement approach improved waiting times, patient safety, employee satisfaction, and absenteeism on the short term. Continuing evaluation of effects should study the improvements sustainability.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]
Research on the classification for road traffic visibility based on the characteristics of driving behaviour - a driving simulator experiment	[ "Speed", "Driving simulator experiment", "Lane position", "Low visibility", "Traffic safety" ]	[ { "content": "Summarize the following paper into structured abstract.\n\n1. Introduction: Adverse weather conditions cause serious harm to road traffic safety, especially under low-visibility conditions related to fog. Previous studies have found that traffic accidents are more likely to happen under low-visibility conditions, and most of them are secondary accidents or multi-vehicle collisions under low-visibility conditions, which leads to more serious consequences (Abdel-Aty et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2017). The low-visibility conditions severely affect drivers' line of sight, which leads to a lack of accurate judgment of road geometry information and the real-time traffic flow state (Clark et al., 2004; Li et al., 2015). Statistics shows that approximately 600 fatalities and 16,300 injuries occur each year in fog-related crashes (US Department of Transportation, 2009). And the traffic safety situation under low-visibility conditions is also very serious in China. According to the China Road Accident Statistics Annual Report, 106,047 traffic accidents occurred in visibility lower than 200 m in China during 2015, leading to the deaths of 34,006 people, accounting for 58.61 per cent of all traffic deaths (CRTASR, 2011). Facing the severe security situation, fine classification of road traffic visibility is of vital importance to establish more accurate control measures and to ensure road traffic safety under low-visibility condition.\n2. Method: 2.1 Subjects\n3. Results: 3.1 Visibility correction result\n4. Discussion: The results of ANOVA showed that there were significant differences in average speed among different visibility conditions at straight segment. Lower visibility led to a decrease in drivers' average speed, which is consistent with previous researches (Zhu, 2010; Yan et al., 2014). Poor visibility conditions reduced drivers' line of sight and ability to recognize objects, leading to more errors in the drivers' judgment of the external environment and increasing accident risk under low-visibility conditions (Abdel-Aty et al., 2011; Zhang et al., 2017). In these cases, drivers usually took a compensatory reduction in speed to reduce accident risk (Hoogendoorn et al., 2011).\n5. Conclusion: This study conducted a driving simulation experiment to explore the fine classification of road traffic visibility based on the characteristics of driving behavior under different visibility conditions. Specifically, the results obtained are as following:\n", "role": "user" }, { "content": "Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to perform fine classification of road traffic visibility based on the characteristics of driving behavior under different visibility conditions.\nDesign/methodology/approach: A driving simulator experiment was conducted to collect data of speed and lane position. ANOVA was used to explore the difference in driving behavior under different visibility conditions.\nFindings: The results show that only average speed is significantly different under different visibility conditions. With the visibility reducing, the average vehicle speed decreases. The road visibility conditions in a straight segment can be divided into five levels: less than 20, 20-30, 35-60, 60-140 and more than 140 m. The road visibility conditions in a curve segment can be also divided into four levels: less than 20, 20-30, 35-60 and more than 60 m.\nOriginality/value: A fine classification of road traffic visibility has been performed, and these classifications help to establish more accurate control measures to ensure road traffic safety under low-visibility conditions.\n", "role": "assistant" } ]

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