bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fund assortments, gender, and retirement plan participation
Authors: Morrin Maureen , Broniarczyk Susan , Jeffrey Inman J.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to promote an understanding of gender effects on retirement plan participation as a function of fund assortment size.

Design/methodology/approach

A decision simulation was conducted among 349 US adults whose task was to invest in a hypothetical 401(k) retirement plan. The number of mutual funds offered for investment was varied and the effects on the incidence and extent of participation observed.

Findings

The results indicate that larger fund assortments tend to reduce participation among women, but increase it among men.

Research limitations/implications

Replication in other contexts and with other data sets would be worthwhile.

Practical implications

To enhance retirement plan adoption/participation, financial service firms may want to tailor such plans according to gender (and other consumer characteristics) according to the present set of findings.

Originality/value

First time authors are aware that the interaction between gender and assortment size is examined.
Deployment of business excellence in Asia: an exploratory study
Authors: Mann Robin , Adebanjo Dotun , Tickle Matthew
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of business excellence in Asian organisations. The study examines the effectiveness of business excellence in the organisations that adopt it as well as the approaches used to deploy business excellence. Finally, the study investigates the attitudes of organisations with respect to business excellence awards.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey of 74 organisations across five Asian countries was carried out in order to collect quantitative data. In addition, qualitative data was collected from 21 discussion groups held in all five countries and from 13 interviews held with senior executives of organisations that had won business excellence awards.

Findings

The organisations believe that business excellence is important in helping them reach their organisational goals. The results also show that participation in and winning business excellence awards is a key objective for many organisations in the region. However, the region still suffers from some barriers to long‐term commitment to business excellence including lack of development of a business excellence culture, a lack of resources and a failure to fully educate the majority of staff in business excellence.

Research limitations/implications

The study was directed at organisations that were deploying business excellence. It therefore provides an insight into their activities but it does not explore levels of adoption of business excellence in the study countries and consequently, does not investigate reasons for non‐adoption in organisations that have not used business excellence.

Practical implications

National productivity organisations and national award administrators have a crucial role to play in ensuring that Asian organisations are aware of business excellence initiatives and that the necessary support structures and activities to facilitate deployment are made available.

Originality/value

While there are many studies on the adoption of business excellence in western countries, no such studies have been carried out in Asian countries to date. Even in the west, few studies have obtained the views of so many national award winners (30 in this study) and few have investigated the role of the award administrators. Given that the adoption of business excellence in Asia lags western countries, it is important to understand how it has been adopted in Asia and the perceptions of the organisations that have adopted it.
The development of multi‐response experimental designs for process parameter optimization
Authors: Goethals Paul L. , Rae Cho Byung
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The selection of the optimal process target for a manufacturing process is critically important as it directly affects the defect rate, rejection and rework costs, and the loss to customers. A recent review of process target literature suggests that future work should incorporate models using multiple quality characteristics. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to create a more flexible and realistic approach to solving the multi‐response process target problem.

Design/methodology/approach

A design of experiments methodology is proposed to provide estimates of process parameters and a nonlinear constrained optimization scheme is employed to identify optimal settings.

Findings

The approximation of cost savings undoubtedly has a higher degree of accuracy than in the case where the engineer assumes values for the process parameters. Furthermore, greater flexibility is obtained in finding solutions that support both the manufacturer and the customer.

Research limitations/implications

This methodology relies on controlled experimentation and the replication of observations made on multiple nominal‐the‐best quality characteristics. Future research may include examining the effects of using smaller‐the‐better or larger‐the‐better type characteristics.

Originality/value

Unlike traditional attempts at solving the process target problem where the process mean, variance, and covariance between characteristics are assumed known in advance, this paper uses an approach that removes these assumptions, thereby providing a more practical depiction of the overall system. Furthermore, this methodology broadens the scope of process target problem research by seeking the simultaneous optimization of process parameters and considering a loss in quality attributed to deviation from a target value.
ISO 9000:2000 certification and business results
Authors: María Marín Luz , Carmen Ruiz‐Olalla María
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between ISO 9000:2000 certification and business results. It aims to provide reliable and valid constructs for measuring quality results and operative results in a specific sector: the furniture industry in Spain and to test the effects of certification on the aforementioned results.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted in 130 Spanish companies. Confirmatory factor analysis tests were used to verify scales validity and reliability. The analysis of the variance (ANOVA) was utilised to investigate the statistical effects of ISO certification.

Findings

The results revealed two reliable and valid constructs: quality results and operative results. These measurement scales differentiated all the certified companies in the sample from the non‐certified enterprises due to the better results obtained by the former.

Originality/value

Although some studies have concentrated on analysing different quality results deriving from certification and the results of different operations, there is still a clear need for research using previously validated tools to measure results. This research aims to fill this gap by validating two scales to measure both types of results: quality results and operative results.
Reliability improvement of modern aircraft engine through failure modes and effects analysis of rotor support system
Authors: Sharma Vinay , Kumari Minakshi , Kumar Santosh
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this analysis was to attempt to improve the reliability of a rotor support system of a modern aircraft engine.

Design/methodology/approach

The process used for carrying out FMEA is specified by MIL‐STD‐1629A procedure for carrying out failure mode, effects and criticality analysis.

Findings

In increasing demand in the avionics sector, particularly in modern defence and civil aircraft, safety and reliability are the prime concerns to complete the mission successfully. Technocrats are made to rethink the safety of complete systems by adding redundancy to the critical activities. A rotor support system (RSS) is an integral part of a gas turbine engine used in any aircraft. As its name implies, the rotor support system shares the load of the rotating component of an engine, hence the rotor support system plays a vital role in any aircraft engine. It shares the load of compressor rotor and stator, turbine rotor and stator, inter‐casing, and exhaust system of a gas turbine engine. Any failure in such a system may make the entire aircraft fail. Therefore it is worth carrying out Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) on such a critical system. FMEA is one of the effective reliability assessment tools, which evaluate systematically and document the potential failure modes of a system or equipment and their causes. It helps in grading the severity of all potential failure modes and is useful in carrying out the changes in the early phase of design. The analysis starts with the potential failure of the smallest component at the final indenture and goes up to the initial indenture level.

Originality/value

The paper adds insight into the reliability improvement of the rotor support system of modern aircraft.
Getting newcomers engaged: the role of socialization tactics
Authors: Saks Alan M. , Gruman Jamie A.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between socialization tactics and newcomer engagement and the mediating role of person‐job (PJ) and person‐organization (PO) fit perceptions, emotions, and self‐efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was completed by 140 co‐op university students at the end of their work term.

Findings

Institutionalized socialization tactics were positively related to PJ and PO fit perceptions, emotions and self‐efficacy, but not newcomer engagement. Socialization tactics were indirectly related to newcomer engagement through PJ fit perceptions, emotions, and self‐efficacy.

Research limitations/implications

Socialization tactics might be too broad and general to predict newcomer engagement. Future research should measure more specific socialization practices and job resources.

Practical implications

Organizations that want to engage new hires should use social socialization tactics to create positive emotions, develop higher PJ fit perceptions, and strengthen newcomers' self‐efficacy beliefs.

Social implications

Organizations can contribute to the well being of individuals and society by designing socialization programs that will engage new hires.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine relationships between socialization tactics and newcomer engagement and to study engagement as a socialization outcome.
Sustainable leadership at Siam Cement Group
Authors: Kantabutra Sooksan , Avery Gayle C.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This study examines the question of whether sustainable leadership principles, also known as Rhineland leadership, can apply to a listed business in an emerging economy.

Design/methodology/approach

Avery's sustainable leadership grid provided the framework for analysis of a major publicly‐listed Thai enterprise, the Siam Cement Group (SCG). A multi‐method case study used semi‐structured interviews with various stakeholders, observations, and internal and external documentation. The Rhineland principles were grouped into six categories for analysis: long‐term perspective, investing in people, organizational culture, innovation, social and environmental responsibility, and behaving ethically.

Findings

Overall, data showed moderate to strong evidence for 18 of the 19 grid practices at SCG, the exception being the CEO serving as speaker of the top team rather than being a heroic leader. Moderate evidence was found for consensual and devolved decision making and self‐governing teams. All 16 other elements were strongly evident.

Research limitations/implications

Case studies cannot lead to generalizations, and therefore further research is required into other businesses to gauge the extent of Rhineland practices in Thailand and other developing economies.

Practical implications

Rhineland principles link to enhanced brand and reputation, customer and staff satisfaction, and financial performance compared with business‐as‐usual practices. Therefore, managers are advised to evaluate their current practices with a view to adopting more sustainable versions. The sustainable leadership grid provides a useful checklist for this purpose.

Social implications

Society and the planet stand to benefit under Rhineland practices. Increasingly, business is expected to help address many of the pressing problems facing humankind, such as climate change, pollution, unethical practices, and shortages of fossil fuels, water, and other resources. Rhineland leadership can contribute here because of its concern for the wider effects of its activities on society and the environment.

Originality/value

This paper is highly original. It contains the first examination of Rhineland leadership in a developing economy. In addition, it shows that even a public company can resist pressures to conform to business‐as‐usual practices and adopt the long‐term, socially responsible principles of Rhineland leadership.
Self‐regulation: a strategic alternative for small firms?
Authors: Anderson Alistair R. , Russell Ellina O.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

Regulations and complying with regulation are a considerable burden on small firms, which consistently report that regulation is an obstacle to growth. Regulation for small business includes financial and psychological costs and worry about non‐compliance. Accordingly, regulation inflation raises increasing difficulties in understanding and complying with new regulation. Time and resources are diverted from running or growing the business. This paper explores self‐regulation as a mechanism for resolving the problems of regulation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first sets out the “regulation problem” as seen by the research community and by small business. The analysis explores the issues associated with small business regulation and compliance. They show that “imposed” regulation is expensive and may not be very effective. They continue by examining the nature of self‐regulation and consider a case study: the auto trade.

Findings

Self‐regulation can have beneficial effects. All regulation need not be top down control and command and self‐regulation can be effective if done well.

Practical implications

Self‐regulation seems to offer a number of advantages over legislation for small businesses, but it appears that a number of conditions need to be met if they are to be seen as effective. The authors discuss the implications and benefits of SFROs as an alternative way of assuring regulatory compliance.

Originality/value

Self‐regulation presents an attractive solution to some of the problems encountered by small business regulation through providing a credible, flexible and cost effective alternative to command and control legislation.
Women and the press in British India, 1928‐1934: a window for protest?
Authors: Chapman Jane , Allison Kate
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to understand how, in tough economic times, British‐owned, English language newspapers such asThe Pioneerreceived and filtered news, especially gender‐related and nationalist‐related events and thinking.

Design/methodology/approach

Using qualitative and quantitative methods to assess communications by and about pro‐nationalist women, coverage of female activities was categorised into two groups: first, educational, social and peaceful campaigns and second, direct action such as strikes, burning of British cloth and business/land rent boycotts.

Findings

Direct action provided “bad news” coverage, but it simultaneously gave a small window for publicity. Less threatening peaceful campaigns provided a bigger window – enhanced by the novelty value of female activism.

Research limitations/implications

Historians need to look specifically at Indian newspapers during the struggle for independence for a counter‐hegemonic discourse that reached a wide public. When evidence of women's activism is paired with financial news, it becomes clear that women had a negative impact on British business. Furthermore,The Pioneer's own business dilemmas made the paper part of the economic and ideological maelstrom that it reported on.

Originality/value

This is the first time that the colonial press in India itself has been scrutinised in detail on the subject of the rising nationalist movement and women. Findings underline female influence on both economics and ideology – a neglected aspect of Indian gender scholarship and economic history.
Hard debt, soft CEOs, and union rents
Authors: Wilson Linus
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to derive insights about optimal managerial compensation and firm capital structure in unionized firms.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses applied game theory to address problems of CEO motivation in companies with unionized workforces.

Findings

Managers can use high levels of debt and costly bankruptcy to win wage concessions from workers. Alternatively, workers can obstruct management in the detection of poor work. CEO compensation that encourages rent sharing may reduce union hostility and associated deadweight losses. Shareholder value may be maximized by CEO incentive contracts with limited upsides, lower levels of pay, and some entrenchment protections.

Originality/value

This is the only study to use applied game theory to look at how CEO pay and capital structure affects the productivity of a unionized workforce.
Capital structure: professional management guidance
Authors: Stretcher Robert , Johnson Steve
Published: July 2011

Purpose

Capital structure decisions rely on a complex array of theoretical foundations and practical considerations. At the managerial level, it is impractical to base decisions purely on theory. While one can develop a perception of an optimal capital structure, the decision is often obscured by practical limitations to the theoretical base. In order to be useful to practicing managers, policies and decision techniques need to be efficiently accomplished and based on available information. This paper seeks to provide that practical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper recounts the simple theoretical base for capital structure, highlights some of the problems encountered when applying the theory to reality, and suggests a framework for practical managerial decisions about capital structure. This exposition is especially useful in undergraduate business curricula, in particular for finance majors considering professional management as a career.

Findings

While application of traditional capital structure theory is often impractical, numerous tools are available for use by professional managers to make informed decisions about capital structure.

Practical implications

The conclusions from this paper provide a framework for current and prospective professional managers for making appropriate capital structure decisions in their management careers.

Social implications

Proper managerial techniques and considerations for leverage and capital structure can potentially benefit society through more prudent use of debt, based on the variety of measures presented in this paper.

Originality/value

Topics discussed in this paper have been in development since the 1950s. The contribution of this paper is the creation of a framework for understanding and applying these topics, for pedagogical and management training purposes.
Aspects of representation of library and information science
Authors: Badovinac Branka , Južnič Primož
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to deal with the “image problem” in the library and information science (LIS) profession from the cultural studies viewpoint. It aims to explore representations of LIS in LIS itself and to research the representation practices of LIS in the social and cultural environment.

Design/methodology/approach

After identifying some main features of professional discourse on the LIS image, the empirical part of the research particularly explored two questions: how LIS is constituted and how it is embedded in broader social practices. More than 300 articles were collected from the Slovenian daily newspaper with the largest circulation. The sample was analyzed quantitatively and two‐fold qualitatively.

Findings

The results of quantitative analysis outline the formation of LIS's community nature. The results of qualitative analysis mostly show the signifying practices in differentiating between the “old” and the “modern” and representing practices in creating “zealous” librarians and “suspicious” users. The results also point to librarians as “organic intellectuals”.

Research limitations/implications

The study is exploratory and at this point the thesis on “organic intellectuals” cannot be confirmed; in addition to the limits in the analysis methods, the theoretical background needs to be further explored. The findings cannot be generalized due to social and cultural differences.

Practical implications

The methodology can be applied to other research subjects. The results may be helpful for library managers and library public relations work.

Originality/value

There are only a few studies of such theoretical and methodological design that have researched the role of the LIS in society. The paper also analyzes the “image problem” in the daily newspapers.
Planning for the acquisition of information resources management core competencies
Authors: Martin Jim , Zaghloul Raik
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the development of a core set of information resources management (IRM) competencies and to detail a plan for their acquisition by IRM librarians of a large academic university library.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the work of librarians who manage information resources at the University of Arizona Libraries to inform the development of a set of core competencies. The planned implementation and assessment of a series of training sessions for developing these competencies is also discussed, as is the role of individual librarians who have been assigned specific tasks related to broader issues not easily addressed by a training session. Finally, a prioritized list of mastery‐level competencies for future development is defined.

Findings

By defining in detail the information resource‐related tasks for which IRM members are responsible, the authors were able to develop a plan for training modules that are designed to ensure core competencies for all team members.

Originality/value

This paper is a detailed plan for developing competencies needed to manage information resources at an academic library.
From personal values to creativity: evidence from frontline service employees
Authors: Sousa Carlos M.P. , Coelho Filipe
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine how personal values and the way employees respond to the organization and the job impact on employee creativity. Specifically, the paper proposes a framework that argues that creativity is a function of the employee's personal values, of organizational commitment and customer orientation. Moreover, it also aims to investigate the moderating effects of commitment and customer orientation on the relationship between personal values and employee creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual model was tested empirically using data collected by questionnaire in a sample of 266 bank employees. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis is relied on to test the hypothesized model.

Findings

The empirical results indicate that personal values, organizational commitment, and customer orientation are important drivers of the creativity of frontline employees. In addition, the paper also detected some moderating and mediating effects.

Originality/value

The contribution of this paper is fourfold. First, the influence that personal values might have on an employee's creativity is studied. Second, a conceptual model that incorporates variables concerning how employees respond to the context in which they work is developed: organizational commitment and customer orientation. The simultaneous effects of the organizational commitment and customer orientation of frontline employees on creativity are examined, to the best of the paper's knowledge, for the first time in the literature. Third, the interaction effect between personal characteristics and commitment and customer orientation on creativity is investigated. Finally, the study also contributes to current literature by examining these issues in the context of frontline service jobs.
Modeling regret effects on consumer post‐purchase decisions
Authors: Bui My , Krishen Anjala S. , Bates Kenneth
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess how regret affects consumer satisfaction levels, extent of rumination, and brand‐switching intention. The paper also seeks to examine any mediating effects between regret and rumination that can be found due to consumers' negative emotions.

Design/methodology/approach

A purchase‐decision scenario was presented to 125 undergraduate students. A between‐subjects experimental design was conducted and structural equation modelling was utilized to evaluate the model fit.

Findings

The results indicate that regret decreases consumer satisfaction level and increases brand‐switching intention. Negative emotion was found to demonstrate an indirect effect between regret and extent of rumination. The findings also suggest that negative emotion acts as a partially mediating variable between the effect of satisfaction levels on extent of rumination and the effect of regret on satisfaction levels.

Practical implications

This study emphasizes the importance of post‐purchase consumer satisfaction. Marketers must pay particular attention to both regret and negative emotion toward purchase decisions. By understanding how specific recourse can be taken to mitigate regret, negative emotions, and ruminative thinking, firms can potentially enhance a brand's image and instil brand loyalty.

Originality/value

This research further validates existing research regarding regret and consumption, while introducing the concept of rumination into the marketing literature. Marketers will have a better understanding of how regret, negative emotions, and rumination can play a role in post‐purchase consumption behaviours.
Measuring internet product purchase risk
Authors: Lynn Selby Coker Brent , Jeremy Ashill Nicholas , Hope Beverley
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a scale to reliably capture the variance of perceived risk towards purchasing on the internet at the product level.

Design/methodology/approach

A two‐dimensional scale to measure internet Product Purchase Risk (IPPR) was developed and tested in three studies. In the first study a preliminary pool of items was generated with evidence of content validity. In the second study the IPPR scale was purified using principal axis factor analysis. In the third study evidence of criterion‐related, known‐group, nomological, and discriminant validity was demonstrated.

Findings

The IPPR scale was found to successfully capture the variance of evaluation judgement and internet security risk. IPPR was also found to have a quadratic relationship with experience purchasing a product category from the internet.

Research limitations/implications

Although strong evidence to suggest construct validity was demonstrated, it is understood that efforts to establish the validity of new measures should be ongoing. Specifically, although the IPPR scale was shown to produce reliable‐measurements for seven different products, the measurement of IPPR across more product categories would strengthen evidence of generalizability.

Practical implications

Given that risk is strongly dependent on the type of product, the procedure to develop the IPPR scale demonstrates the importance of measuring risk at the product category level.

Originality/value

This is the first study to develop and rigorously validate a multi‐item measure of purchase risk at the product level. Given the importance of risk in understanding online consumer behaviour, the IPPR scale will be useful for future studies in this domain, especially for comparing findings.
Strategic relationship management and service brand marketing
Authors: Tsai Shu‐pei
Published: July 2011

Purpose

In recent years, the notion of consumer‐brand relationships has drawn increasing attention from both researchers and practitioners in the field of service brand marketing. However, different paradigms conceptualize and measure this notion from diversified perspectives. The current study, integrating and modifying the main concepts of different consumer‐brand relationships paradigms, proposes to test an integrative‐model.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper conducts an exploratory investigation and a cross‐regional survey, alongside the statistical technique of structural equation modeling, confirms the appropriateness of the entire model structure as well as the causal path pattern explicated by the proposed Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships model.

Findings

According to the Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships model, service brand commitment and service brand love partially mediate the effects of eight relationship components on service brand loyalty. Moreover, amid the eight relationship components, there are three components (satisfaction of affective attributes, trust, and self‐concept connection) also exercising a direct positive influence on service brand loyalty.

Originality/value

The Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships model delineates the antecedents and consequence of positive service brand relationships. Specific indicators of the latent constructs as well as the causal pathways among these constructs provide strategic principles for fostering strong and durable brand loyalty through consumer‐brand relationships in the context of service brand marketing.
Selecting a female athlete endorser in China
Authors: Tingchi Liu Matthew , Brock James L.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to investigate the relationship among attractiveness of female athlete endorsers, product/service match‐up, and consumers' purchase intention within the context of China.

Design/methodology/approach

A 3×2×2 between‐subject experimental design enabled a 12‐scenario study depicting a purchase experience manipulated by endorser attractiveness levels (high/middle/low), endorser‐product match‐up (high/low), and two different product types (to prevent single‐product bias). Differences between female and male samples are also compared.

Findings

In terms of the generation of purchase intent, there is no difference between a middle attractive female athlete endorser and a low‐attractive one when both are in a low match‐up condition. While the use of middle attractive female athlete endorsers works only in a high match‐up condition with female consumers, it is certain that high attractiveness always works better than low attractiveness. In total, the results suggest that female athlete endorsers' attractiveness affects Chinese consumers' purchase intention more than match‐up.

Originality/value

The results not only compare the relationships between attractiveness and match‐up, but also push traditional endorser theories one step farther by examining the concept of middle level attractiveness and by probing the effect of a middle‐attractive female endorser. The cultural influence of Chinese traditional philosophy, The Doctrine of the Mean, on Chinese consumers is discussed and considered. The influence of middle attractiveness endorsers on study subjects of different genders is also discussed.
Service‐dominant logic: a rejoinder to Lusch and Vargo's reply
Authors: O'Shaughnessy John , Jackson O'Shaughnessy Nicholas
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper is a rejoinder to Lusch and Vargo's defense of their service‐dominant logic paper against criticism.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper responds to Lusch and Vargo's defense and criticism of the initial article primarily through examining the logic of their case.

Findings

The paper finds that both the charges and the arguments against the criticism have no merit.

Research limitations/implications

The paper offers guidance as to the approach needed to advance the study of service marketing. This rejects the notion that viewing all businesses as service entities is a progressive approach but recommends a disjunctive definition of service, which would throw up service‐categories that needed to be studied in their own right if progress is to be made.

Originality/value

The paper suggests that Lusch and Vargo's S‐D‐dominant logic is unlikely to be practically fruitful while remaining theoretically limited.
Stepping aside and moving on: a rejoinder to a rejoinder
Authors: Vargo Stephen L. , Lusch Robert F.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper proposes a rejoinder to the O'Shaughnessy and O'Shaughnessy rejoinder to “Service dominant logic: a necessary step”, the commentary on their previous criticism of service‐dominant logic.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a critical analysis of O'Shaughnessy and O'Shaughnessy's comments.

Findings

The paper finds that O'Shaughnessy and O'Shaughnessy's comments are, according to their own admission, contrived, without regard to or familiarity with the body of work they criticise. The work they disparage includes not only its own but, by implication, that contributed by a large and growing number of scholars worldwide who find service‐dominant logic a useful, informed and informing orientation to the market and marketing.

Research limitations/implications

Scholars are encouraged to continue to collaborate and contribute to the development and advancement of service‐dominant logic as an ongoing, open‐source endeavour.

Originality/value

This paper suggests that, whereas serious debate and dialogue about service‐dominant logic, including that which is critical, are encouraged and are essential to meaningful advancement, it is probably best to disregard the less useful criticism contained in O'Shaughnessy and O'Shaughnessy's rejoinder, and move on to more serious work.
Human resource development in the knowledge based and services driven economy
Authors: Tomé Eduardo
Published: July 2011

Purpose

In July 2009 the Universidade Lusíada de Famalicão organized the International Conference on Managing Services in the Knowledge Economy 2009 (MSKE 2009).http://clegi.fam.ulusiada.pt/MSKE2009/. MSKE 2009 was an interesting forum which gathered 60 specialists from 20 countries in different areas such as knowledge management, intellectual capital, human resource development, social policy, law and international economics. In the human resource development field, five relevant contributions were selected to compose the current issue. The purpose of this introductory paper is to review the literature on the role of human resource development (HRD) in the current knowledge based and services driven economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the importance of knowledge as a crucial economic factor and the importance of services as the main area of economic business. It shows how HRD relates to services and knowledge.

Findings

Starting at the time of the Agricultural Revolution when human resources (HR) were marginally considered, the paper ends in the globalized and technologic advanced world of 2010 in which HR are a decisive production factor and are analyzed by different very important scientific perspectives. Crucially, in the present new order of the world, services are the main economic sector in advanced countries. The important role of HRD as a factor of success in a world dominated by services and knowledge is explained. The major open questions and controversies related to HRD are enumerated.

Research limitations/implications

Quite a number of open questions remain in the HRD field. Those questions relate to individuals, educational system, organizations, and to society as a whole. Those questions are analyzed in detail in this introduction. The current special issue includes papers dealing with five separate topics related to the open questions: academic curricula needed for the service sector; role of universities and workplace work‐related arrangements of the educational system; intellectual capital management; career advancement; career aspirations.

Originality/value

The paper introduces the special issue of theJournal of European Industrial Trainingon “HRD in the knowledge based and services driven economy”.
Appreciating the complexity of organizational processes
Authors: Espejo Raul , Kuropatwa Daniel
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the evolution of a company in Argentina with the support of the viable system model (VSM) and the Viplan method. This company had had a cybernetic intervention in the 1980s and in 2002 went out of business. The authors' purpose was revisiting the company with the lenses of current organizational cybernetics to find new insights from its history.

Design/methodology/approach

The history was constructed by one of the authors, who was a key player in the company. He also obtained the views of other people who had worked in the company. These data were assessed interactively by the two authors using the VSM and the Viplan method.

Findings

Though a functional application of the VSM may be helpful to highlight communication and information requirements, it yields limited insights about viability. It is the assessment of relationships within the organization and with environmental agents that offers more valuable results.

Research limitations/implications

Often retrospective studies have limited value; it is easy to construct history to fit particular interests. However, the authors had very different backgrounds, one highly involved with the company's history, the other interested in clarifying the use of the VSM. The first wanted to provide an accurate history and the second insights to improve the application of the VSM.

Originality/value

The approach of the paper is focused on a particular and unique situation. Also the paper goes beyond the more traditional functional applications of the VSM. It is an application focused on people's relations and performance.
An argument for active citizenship and organisational transparency
Authors: Espejo Raul , Mendiwelso Bendek Zoraida
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to argue that active citizenship and organisational transparency are necessary to increase stakeholders' influence in policy processes. Active citizenship is necessary to involve stakeholders in policy processes and organisational transparency is necessary to improve communications between them and policy makers.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this paper explains a conceptual framework to understand communications in social systems. Second, it illustrates its application with reference to concrete policies in England.

Findings

It is found that for active citizenship it is necessary not only to increase stakeholders' competencies but also make effective those organisational structures relevant to the policy issues of concern. However, and this is a key reason to increase people's competencies, these structures are the outcome of self‐organising processes shaped by those who are better organised, with more resources and in positions of power.

Research limitations/implications

Beyond informed and well‐grounded dialogues, communications between citizens and policy makers happen through organisation structures that activate some resources at the expense of others and involve some stakeholders at the expense of others. Unless these structures make possible balanced communications between them, citizens will find it difficult to influence policy makers.

Originality/value

The paper sees the policy for active citizenship and community empowerment in England under the lens of a cybernetic framework.
Complexity approaches to self‐organisation: a case study from an Irish eco‐village
Authors: Espinosa A. , Cardoso P.P. , Arcaute E. , Christensen K.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on results of recent research about the self‐organisation (SO) of communities that aim to regenerate and/or improve their sustainability, also to reflect upon methodological and epistemological issues related to the application of complexity approaches to support SO in communities and in general, social enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper summarises recent research findings on SO and self‐transformation in communities using a combination of complexity approaches. It describes the methodological framework used to conduct action research about the self‐transformation and learning of a European eco‐community and reflects about the approaches used and lessons learned.

Findings

This research confirms the complementarity between two approaches to complexity management: the viable systems model from S. Beer, a pioneering approach to managing complexity in institutions, and complex adaptive systems, a more recent approach to deal with SO in organisations. Mapping the organisational dynamics and the structural changes decided by the community members shows interesting insights about emergence and SO. This is a state‐of‐the‐art research on multi‐methodological approaches to support complexity management in organisations.

Originality/value

As in many action research projects, early findings are limited to one particular organisation. Nevertheless, the theoretical frameworks of the broader research are useful for a wide variety of organisations, both in terms of guiding organisational transformations and supporting networking management of networks collaborating to create more sustainable evolutionary pathways.
Earthquake prediction, Wolfram Alpha, neuroimaging
Authors: Andrew Alex M.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review proposals for earthquake prediction and study using accelerometers incorporated in laptop computers. Also reviewed is a lecture by Stephen Wolfram, creator of the Mathematica software package, introducing a new venture called Wolfram Alpha that combines computation with access to real‐world data. Developments in neural imaging techniques and some findings are discussed, including a remarkable manifestation of neural plasticity.

Design/methodology/approach

The aim is to review developments on the internet, especially those of general cybernetic interest.

Findings

Use of accelerometers, incorporated in laptop computers for a different purpose, appears to offer valuable opportunities for earthquake prediction and study. Exactly what will emerge from the Wolfram‐Alpha initiative remains to be seen but it holds great promise. New neuroimaging techniques have shown their worth in producing new findings, including one that reveals interesting neural plasticity.

Practical implications

Earthquake prediction and study, especially by a means that can be implemented quickly and cheaply, is of obvious value in quake‐prone areas such as California. Wolfram Alpha may come to be as familiar a tool as search engines are today. A primary aim of cybernetics is unravelling the working of the central nervous system, and both ethical and practical considerations favour non‐invasive means of investigation such as new neuroimaging techniques that have already proved their worth.

Originality/value

It is hoped this is a valuable periodic review.
Research and development: current impact and future potential
Authors: Rudall B.H.
Published: July 2011

Purpose

This paper aims to review current research with particular reference to new research and development initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

A general review and survey of selected research and development topics is given and some new challenges and applications of future technologies are considered with particular reference to their impact and potential.

Findings

The paper illustrates the multi‐ and trans‐disciplinary nature of studies in cybernetics, systems and management sciences, with a view to further research and development activity.

Practical implications

The choice of review provides an awareness of current trends in these areas of endeavour.

Originality/value

The reviews are selected from a global database and give a studied assessment of current research and development initiatives.
Hybrid supercapacitors based on polyaniline and activated carbon composite electrode materials
Authors: Jin Zheng , Ren Xiaomin , Qin Chuanli , Li Bohong , Quan Shuai , Bai Xuduo
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop feasible composite electrodes with a long cycle life and large specific capacitance and to investigate optimal ratio between aniline and activated carbon materials.

Design/methodology/approach

PANI/AC composite electrode materials were synthesised by in situ polymerisation of aniline on activated carbon with ammonium persulphate as oxidant. Hybrid supercapacitors are assembled by putting Ni‐MH battery separator between positive and negative electrodes. The electrochemical performances of PANI/AC composite electrode materials and supercapacitors are studied.

Findings

The results show that the optimal ratio between aniline and activated carbon is 1:1.08. The specific capacitance of polyaniline electrode materials is 956 F g−1. The specific capacitance of supercapacitors is 159.37 F g−1. This result could be attributed to the pseudocapacitive effect of Ni(OH)2. What's more, the activated carbon addition reduced the resistance of polymer electrode materials thus improving the cyclic life.

Research limitations/implications

The supercapacitors can be used in the field of automobiles and can solve the problems of energy shortage and environmental pollutions.

Originality/value

A hybrid supercapacitor, which was immersed in alkaline solution, was assembled by putting Ni‐MH battery separator between two electrodes Ni(OH)2 as positive electrode and polyaniline composites as negative electrode. In the case of alkaline solution, the capacitive performance of hybrid supercapacitor was improved and excellent.
Preparation of anatase nano‐TiO2/xanthan gum composite (NTX) and rheological study of the interior wall coatings using NTX as additive
Authors: Zhang Haili , Tian Fuzhen , Chen Song , Guo Qinghua , Liu Fen , Sun Donglan
Published: July 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a kind of novel and high‐performance rheological additive, an eco‐friendly composite of anatase nano‐TiO2 particles and xanthan gum (NTX), for interior wall coatings.

Design/methodology/approach

NTX was prepared through heating and refluxing the mixture of TiO2 hydrosol and xanthan gum, and five interior wall coating samples were fabricated with different NTX contents. The morphology of nano‐TiO2 hydrosol and NTX were characterised with TEM, and the stability and rheological properties of these coating samples were studied.

Findings

TEM images showed a core‐shell structure of NTX, and that nano‐TiO2 particles in it were encapsulated by xanthan gum, which was anticipated to weaken Van der Waals force among nano‐TiO2 particles thus preventing the aggregation of nano‐particles. All of the five coating samples were found to be non‐Newtonian pseudo‐plastic fluid, and showed excellent stability and thixotropic property.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focused on the preparation, the characterisation of NTX additive and the study of the rheological behaviours of the coating samples with NTX. Some other aspects, such as coating durability, photocatalytic ability and film properties, will be studied in the future.

Practical implications

It was proven that NTX was an effective eco‐friendly rheological additive for interior wall coatings. Consequently, this paper threw light on developing eco‐friendly interior wall coatings.

Originality/value

A kind of novel and effective rheological additive was developed for interior wall coatings in the study reported in the paper. A method was also developed to introduce functional nano‐particles into coating in a good dispersion state.