bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Branded food spokescharacters: consumers' contributions to the narrative of commerce
Authors: LeBel Jordan L. , Cooke Nathalie
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine the nature of consumers' relationships with branded spokescharacters by drawing upon brand personality theory and reader‐response theory, focusing specifically on food trade characters. We aim to show that the persuasive power of these characters resides not only in their appearance, but also in the complex narratives consumers project (sometimes unwittingly) onto the spokescharacter.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reports the results of a survey – blending quantitative and qualitative methodologies – designed to document consumer perceptions, affective responses and spontaneous associations to different characters (i.e. Aunt Jemima, Robin Hood, Betty Crocker, Uncle Ben, Poppin' Fresh the Pillsbury's Doughboy, and M. Felix and Mr Norton, characters created by a Montreal‐based cookie company).

Findings

The results revealed that consumers associate spokescharacters with distinct personality profiles. Also, a connection was found between spokescharacters and narrative: a relationship where the characters become part of a larger narrative paradigm and more importantly, a relationship where the consumer is cast in a specific role vis‐à‐vis the spokescharacter.

Practical implications

These results should invite brand managers to stay current with the variety of associations that consumers form and how these associations influence the perception of their brand's personality. The results further underscore the need to understand the role into which consumers are cast vis‐à‐vis a branded character. Future research should examine cross cultural differences in the perception and narratives of branded characters, especially since many multinational companies use branded characters across cultural divides.

Originality/value

The paper shows how consumers play an active role in rendering a spokescharacter likeable, credible, and even memorable and documents the narratives that engage consumers and are both constructed collaboratively with them and propagated by them.
Brand analysis of a US global brand in comparison with domestic brands in Mexico, Korea, and Japan
Authors: Lee Min‐Young , Knight Dee , Kim Youn‐Kyung
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand how consumers in three countries (Mexico, South Korea, and Japan) perceive a US global brand versus domestic brands and their marketing efforts. There has been an increasing number of global brands and corresponding competition among global retailers. At the same time, markets in the world are becoming complex, and consumers in many markets demand localized marketing and branding strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The hypotheses are developed based on the brand analysis framework that consists of brand‐specific associations (emotional value, perceived quality), general brand impressions (brand awareness, brand image), and brand commitment (brand loyalty, purchase intention).

Findings

The results revealed significant main effects of country and brand type (global v. domestic) on brand‐specific associations, general brand impressions, and brand commitment. Interactive effects also existed on brand‐specific associations, general brand impressions, and brand commitment (only brand loyalty).

Research limitations/implications

While almost all of the hypotheses are supported, future research should test other global brands to generalized findings of the study. Sample can be extended to consumers in many other countries to provide more comprehensive insights into consumer perceptions and brand behaviors towards global brands.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate that clear‐cut and unique brand analysis patterns exist among consumers in three different countries for both a US global brand and domestic brands. Based on this, potential strategies for both US global brands and domestic brands are suggested for each country.

Originality/value

This study discovered the effects of country (i.e. Mexico v. South Korea v. Japan) and brand type (i.e. US global v. domestic) on consumer responses to three brand analysis components: brand‐specific associations, general brand impressions, and brand commitment. The results provide significant insights into what global and domestic companies must emphasize to be successful in capturing and sustaining consumers' desire to buy and use their brand.
The link between offline brand attributes and corporate brand image in bookstores
Authors: Vinhas Da Silva Rui , Faridah Syed Alwi Sharifah
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to look into the relationship between the physical aspect of a retail store, product‐related attributes, personal interaction with customers and perceived reliability and corporate brand image in an offline or bricks and mortar context.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on 511 interviews conducted in various bookstores and uses structural equation modelling as a statistical tool for concluding the above.

Findings

The paper argues that physical aspect of a retail store, product‐related attributes and personal interaction with customers will have a significant and positive direct effect on the offline corporate brand image whilst there was no significant connection between reliability and corporate brand image.

Research limitations/implications

The research has been conducted in one organisation, albeit a number of bookstores were scrutinized.

Practical Implications

The paper's managerial contribution lies in its lessons for practitioners who want to understand what are the key drivers of corporate brand image in an offline context. It also provides a background for further studies which can extrapolate the current thinking into other sectors in order to validate or refute the results presented here.

Originality/value

The paper scrutinizes the impact of: physical aspects; product related information; reliability; and personal interaction in the corporate brand image of a retail organisation.
Consumer use of the price‐quality cue in financial services
Authors: Estelami Hooman
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of use of the price‐quality cue in financial services, and to uncover some of its drivers. The drives studied are: advertising exposure, product complexity, and consumer price knowledge. The use of price as an indicator of quality has been a well‐documented phenomenon in consumer goods markets. However, the existence of this relationship has not been tested in services, and in particular in financial services markets.

Design/methodology/approach

A consumer survey of over 200 individuals contacted through intercept interviews was conducted. The use of the price‐quality cue and its drivers were measured using multi‐item scales, for six financial services categories: checking accounts, financial advisory services, automobile insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and tax accounting.

Findings

Significant variations in the use of price as an indicator of quality across financial services categories are identified. Furthermore, it is found that both consumer price knowledge and advertising exposure increase the use of the price‐quality cue, while product complexity was found to have no significant impact on price‐quality cue utilization for financial services.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could expand the array of variables which drive consumers' use of the price‐quality cue. In addition, a wider range of financial services categories could be studied.

Practical implications

Knowing the extent by which consumers depend on the price‐quality cue in their decisions is critical to optimal positioning of a financial brand. This paper provides specific managerial recommendations on how to approach the pricing and marketing of each of the six financial services categories studied. In addition public policymakers may find the findings of interest due to quality perception biases that may result from financial services providers' pricing tactics

Originality/value

While previous research studies in price‐quality cue utilization have primarily focused on manufactured goods, this paper is the only study that has examined the dynamics of price‐quality cue utilization by consumers in financial services. This is an important inquiry due to the large volume of consumer expenditures in financial services categories, and the significant impact that these categories have on the financial stability and well‐being of the public.
Dimensions of police culture: a study in Canada, India, and Japan
Authors: Nickels Ernest L. , Verma Arvind
Published: June 2008

Purpose

Some police research has used quantitative methods of typology construction in attitudinal data to explore the spatial structure of occupational culture, suggesting distinctions among officer‐types may be empirically useful. The purpose of this paper is to suggest scale construction as a complimentary approach, using original data collected from a multi‐national sample. Cultural structure is examined here in terms of the spatial relationship among variables rather than respondents. Cultural homogeneity is understood principally as the relative congruence of attitudinal constructs across national groups. Where common constructive dimensions are evident, meaningful analysis of attitudinal valence is then possible.

Design/methodology/approach

Data‐measuring attitudes in several facets of occupational outlook were collected from police in Canada, India, and Japan. Factor analysis was used to identify latent structures among question items in 11 inventories in the aggregate set and then again in each national sample. Factor solutions were then compared for congruence across the three nations and against the aggregate result. Scores from congruent factors were analyzed using ANCOVA.

Findings

The findings suggest an appreciable universality to factor structures in the inventories and samples examined here. Congruence across attitudinal constructs appears to break down in those aspects of occupational outlook that are most personal and most impersonal to the officer.

Originality/value

The paper offers a complimentary approach to existing quantitative methods in probing sameness and difference in police culture by focusing upon the constructive meanings of attitudinal measurements as expressive of the conceptual dimensionality of attitudinal space.
An examination of the types of leading questions used by investigative interviewers of children
Authors: Hughes‐Scholes Carolyn H. , Powell Martine B.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of leading questions used by a representative sample of investigative interviewers of children. In particular, it examined whether these interviewers use the type of questions that are known to elicit reports of false activities or events among child samples.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 82 police officers who were authorized to conduct interviews with alleged child abuse victims conducted individual mock interviews with children aged 5‐7 years. The focus of the interviews was an event that was staged in the children's school a week earlier. Prior to the interview, each officer was provided with accurate and inaccurate information about the event, including details about an activity that did not occur. The officers' task was to elicit as detailed and accurate account of the event as possible using the techniques they would “normally” use in the field.

Findings

Although the officers refrained from using coercive interview techniques, two problematic types of questions were relatively common. These include: questions that presumed that an activity/detail occurred that had not been previously mentioned by the child; and questions that included highly specific details about an activity. Both of these techniques had featured in prior laboratory research on children's false event narratives.

Research limitations/implications

These results support the need for better training techniques for assisting officers to avoid the use of leading questions.

Originality/value

While it is well established that investigative interviewers do sometimes use leading questions when interviewing children, this is the first study to specify the incidence of various types of leading questions.
An analysis of alternatives to New York City's current marijuana arrest and detention policy
Authors: Johnson Bruce D. , Golub Andrew , Dunlap Eloise , Sifaneck Stephen J.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

During the 1990s, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) instituted a policy of arresting and detaining people for minor offenses that occur in public as part of their quality‐of‐life (QOL) policing initiative. The purpose of this paper is to examine the pros and cons of the current policy and compare it with possible alternatives including: arrest and issuing of a desk appearance ticket (DAT); issuing of a non‐criminal citation (violation); street warnings; and toleration of public marijuana smoking.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews several studies of QOL policing and examines the pros and cons of the current NYPD policy, compared to possible alternatives.

Findings

The number of NYPD arrests for marijuana in public view (MPV) (with most detained for one or two days) increased from 3,000 in 1994 to over 50,000 in 2000, and have been about 30,000 in the mid‐2000s. Most of these arrestees (84 percent) were minority; Blacks were 2.7 more likely and Hispanics 1.8 times more likely to be detained than Whites for an MPV arrest. Minorities received more severe dispositions, even controlling for demographics and prior arrest histories.

Originality/value

The paper recommends that the NYPD change to routinely issuing DATs to reduce detention for marijuana violators. Drug policy reformers might wish to further pursue changing statutes regarding smoking MPV into a violation (non‐criminal) or encourage the wider use of street warnings, as in Britain. Any of these policy changes would help reduce the number detained and the disproportionate burden on minorities associated with the current arrest and detention policy. These policies could help maintain civic norms against smoking marijuana in public.
Survival in an “all boys club”: policewomen and their fight for acceptance
Authors: Rabe‐Hemp Cara
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of policewomen to determine the extent to which female officers face resistance and obstacles to police work, to examine the coping mechanisms female officers utilized to overcome impediments encountered, and to establish common themes in female officers' success stories of acceptance and integration.

Design/methodology/approach

Owing to the difficulty in accessing female officers, the current research utilizes in‐depth qualitative interviews through snowball sampling. This methodology provided a rich sample of tenured female officers' experiences to explore resistance and integration.

Findings

The findings suggest despite early occupational experiences of sexual harassment, discrimination, and disrespect, after long tenures, female officers do achieve acceptance in police work. Female officers are holding high civil service ranks in police agencies and achieving new “firsts” every day, including breaking into stereotypically masculine assignments.

Practical implications

As police departments nationwide are having difficulties maintaining recruitment standards and full rosters, the current study can provide insight into the obstacles women face when joining police agencies and methods to alleviate these impediments, revealing an under‐recruited population for police agencies nationwide.

Originality/value

This study extends past literature by: examining female officers' experiences in a variety of agencies previously ignored in the literature; analyzing the tenure of the officers' careers to determine the onset and desistance of female officers' experiences with resistance and acceptance; and suggesting women do survive and, in some instances, thrive in an “all boys club.”
Exploring the limits of collaboration in community policing
Authors: Liederbach John , Fritsch Eric J. , Carter David L. , Bannister Andra
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide direct comparisons between the views of citizens and officers within a jurisdiction that has been largely influenced by the community‐oriented policing movement. Comparisons between police and citizen views are specifically made in terms of: the relative importance of crime problems in the jurisdiction; the value of community policing programs; overall satisfaction with the performance of the department; and strategies designed to improve the performance of the department.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of the study is officer and citizen surveys.

Findings

Officers and citizens significantly differed in their assessment of the importance of specific crime problems in the jurisdiction, the value of community policing programs, the degree to which they were satisfied with the performance of the department, and their assessment of improvement strategies. These differences are discussed within the context of previous literature that has focused on the implementation and continued acceptance of community policing.

Research limitations/implications

Findings are derived from surveys conducted in one jurisdiction. Findings are limited to the degree that citizen/officer views within this jurisdiction differ from those found elsewhere.

Originality/value

The study utilizes seldom‐used concurrent surveys of officers and citizens within a single jurisdiction. The method allows for the direct comparison of police and citizen views. Thus, this paper provides evidence regarding the feasibility of collaboration between police and citizens, and the continued viability of community‐oriented strategies.
Exploring sexual harassment in a police department in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Lan‐Ying , Cao Liqun
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the conceptual and empirical issues related to sexual harassment (SH) in a police department in Taiwan.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were collected. Through the analysis, the paper proposes that SH can be better divided into two subcategories: quid pro quo and hostile work environment harassment. Multivariate analysis is used to explore the sources of SH.

Findings

It was found that both types of SH can be better explained by work environment variables than by demographic variables, but the specific sources differ. Hostile work environment harassment is predicted by the extent to which female officers perceive or experience that deployment and transfer practices are influenced by their gender. Quid pro quo harassment is related to job barriers and dodging from work.

Research limitations/implications

The two scales used in this research have captured the core of SH, but they might not fully depict the nature of SH in the police department in Taiwan. The sample was limited to the largest police department in Taiwan and it may not represent the entire police in Taiwan.

Practical implications

If hostile work environment and quid pro quo harassments are related to different organizational factors, it is useful for policy makers in the police to differentiate these two different types of SH and develop differential prevention and response measures.

Originality/value

This paper highlights the need to differentiate quid pro quo and hostile work environment harassments. It fills a gap in the literature by providing the baseline information on the prevalence of SH in one police department in Taiwan and by examining sources of SH in a profession dominated by males.
When do breakpoints give mutual fund investors a break?
Authors: Sabry Faten , Wongsurawat Winai
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe data assembled on all registered US investment companies on advisory fees using the NSAR filings and to analyze the impact of the structure of the advisory contracts on the fees paid to mutual funds advisors. This analysis is particularly relevant now that mutual funds have to explain the rationale for the choice of the advisory fees in their public filings.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper summarizes data on advisory fees in the NSAR filings and uses regression analysis to examine the determinants of advisory fees.

Findings

The paper summarizes salient features of the mutual fund advisory fee contracts using the NSAR database. The analysis shows that breakpoint fee schedules designed to generate savings, do not automatically translate into lower expenses for the investors.

Practical implications

When determining the renewal of an advisory contract, the board of trustees of a mutual fund will then need to assess myriad factors related to the costs and profits of the fund, including the nature of the fee schedule. Regression models provide objective measures of assessing the reasonableness of advisory fees.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the evaluation of mutual funds advisory fees and highlights the usefulness of the NSAR filings. The debate is especially relevant given the additional SEC disclosure requirements.
The development of US regulation of broker‐dealer research
Authors: Gittleman Charles S. , Sacks Russell D.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe regulatory activities since the initial regulatory actions between 2001 and 2003 in response to securities firm research analyst conflicts of interest that were identified after the “internet bubble.”

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes a number of important regulatory activities, including: interpretive activities, such as the 2004 Second Joint Research Memorandum; establishment of a new licensing requirement for research analysts; additional rulemaking, in the form of 2005 changes to the SRO Rules that are meant to tighten those rules; the December 2005 report of the NASD and NYSE studying the operation and effectiveness of prior regulatory actions, including the SRO Rules; enforcement actions against both firms' and research analysts' behavior; industry sweeps gathering information regarding industry practices in respect of debt research; and rulemaking for purposes of implementing interpretive guidance and Joint Report.

Findings

Following extraordinary and sweeping regulatory actions between 2001 and 2003, securities regulators have continued a high level of activity with respect to securities research. Research regulation stands as a hallmark for the current era of securities regulation for at least three reasons: it has displayed a wide range of regulatory tools including rulemaking, publication of interpretive guidance, “sweep” examinations, licensing, and enforcement, and has been largely “principles‐based” rather than prescriptive in nature; it is marked by complexity: a web of SEC, SRO, and informal or “best practices” regulation now exists covering every aspect of securities research; and it is a cornerstone of an emerging regulatory theme of heightened and more detailed compliance for investment banking operations.

Originality/value

This is a valuable summary and analysis of seven years of regulatory activity on a complex issue by experienced securities lawyers
Recommended annual review for hedge funds and other private fund managers
Authors: Giordano Steven M. , Goldman Richard A. , Leonard Robert G. , Mavrides Michael F.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to remind sponsors and managers of hedge funds and private funds (including private equity and venture capital funds) of certain “best practices” that they should consider.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper offers considerations concerning: preparation and review of written compliance and procedures documents; updating Form ADV; other regulatory filings including blue sky filings, Form 13F, Schedule 13D/13G, Forms 3, 4, and 5, and other forms; audited financial statements; Schedule K‐1; offering document updates; fee deferral arrangements; CFTC requirements; liability insurance; employee training; and other annual requirements including privacy policies and new issues.

Findings

Amid recent rapid growth in hedge funds and private equity funds and volatility in the financial markets, it is more important than ever to ensure that regulatory filings and compliance policies and procedures are properly documented and followed.

Originality/value

This paper provides a brief, useful checklist from experienced securities lawyers, but a comprehensive guide or legal advice concerning any specific situation.
Navigating the evolving regulatory maze: compliance management in a changing world
Authors: Fahey Brian , Rinaldi Marc
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assist investment company managers in proactively navigating the risky and ever‐changing market and regulatory environment and to provide an outline for a flexible and robust risk‐based compliance management methodology.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper makes recommendations on: becoming familiar with best practices in internal controls and regulatory trends, reassessing compliance management goals and objectives, identifying risk scenarios and related compliance events, designing control systems, updating compliance policies and procedures, and conducting periodic reviews of compliance management systems.

Findings

The paper reveals that compliance risks have attained a new level of visibility. To minimize potential hazards, current and evolving risks must be identified, documented and effectively managed by investment firms, regulators and legislators.

Originality/value

The paper provides practical advice by a compliance management systems provider and a consultant specializing in compliance and risk‐based due diligence consulting.
SEC shortens Rule 144 holding periods and loosens restrictions on resales of privately placed securities
Authors: Ford Jacob Valerie , Bursky Daniel J. , Gelfond Stuart H. , Levitt Michael A. , Tropp Paul D. , Tsaganos Vasiliki B.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe recent amendments to Rule 144 of the Securities Act of 1933 concerning holding periods and resale of privately placed securities.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes key changes with respect to shortened holding periods, elimination of most requirements for non‐affiliates, and relaxation of requirements for sale of debt securities.

Findings

The paper finds that the SEC has adopted significant amendments to Rule 144 that will increase the liquidity of privately placed securities and ease the burden on issuers caused by having to grant burdensome registration rights. The amendments shorten the holding periods before affiliates and non‐affiliates may sell restricted securities and otherwise loosen restrictions on the public resale of equity and debt securities acquired in private placements.

Originality/value

The paper is a useful guide to rule changes written by experienced securities lawyers.
SEC proposes enhancements to Regulation S‐P
Authors: Callcott Hardy , Marshall‐Smith Gail
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explain the SEC's proposed amendments to Regulation S‐P to enhance the protection of consumer financial information.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains: the safeguards and disposal rules; the Commission's proposal to broaden the scope of the information covered by the safeguards and disposal rules; the proposed extension of disposal rule to individuals; the proposed more detailed standards for safeguarding information; the proposed more detailed standards for responding to data security breaches; and a proposed exception to Regulation S‐P for representatives who move to a new firm.

Findings

The paper reveals that the SEC has seen an increasing number of security breaches and, therefore, believes an enhancement to these rules is warranted.

Originality/value

The paper provides a clear explanation of proposed rule changes by experienced securities lawyers.
Summary of selected FINRA Regulatory Notices and Disciplinary Actions: January‐March 2008
Authors: Davis Henry A.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide excerpts of selected Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Regulatory Notices issued from January to March 2008 and a sample of disciplinary actions during that period. In July 2007, FINRA Regulatory Notices replaced NASD Notices to Members.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides excerpts from Regulatory Notice 08‐04, Delta Hedging Exception; 08‐08, Auction Rate Securities; 08‐09 Portfolio Margin Accounts; 08‐10, Options Position and Exercise Limits; 08‐12, Principal Approval of Sales Material; and 08‐13, Short Interest Reporting Requirements.

Findings

The paper reveals current regulatory trends.

Originality/value

The paper provides direct excerpts designed to provide a useful digest for the reader and an indication of regulatory trends.
Introduction to the special issue on “Critical reflections on management and organizations: a postcolonial perspective”
Authors: Bobby Banerjee Subhabrata , Prasad Anshuman
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a short note on postcolonialism as a field of critical inquiry in the business management field, and enable the guest editors to introduce the contents of a special issue entitled “Critical reflections on management and organization: a postcolonial perspective”.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper states that postcolonial theory seeks to critique and analyze the complex and multifaceted dynamics of modern Western colonialism and to develop an in‐depth understanding of the ongoing significance of the colonial encounter for people's lives both in the West and the non‐West.

Findings

The paper finds that modern western colonialism – a phenomenon with a history of roughly 500 years and a geographical reach that at one point spanned approximately 90 percent of the entire earth – is an episode of particular significance in human history.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the special issue contents reflect different aspects of contemporary issues in postcolonialism. In terms of postcolonial geographies, the special issue papers cover regions as diverse as Africa, Australia, China, India, Jordan, Malaysia, Poland, and the UK.
Understanding social change through post‐colonial theory
Authors: Śliwa Martyna
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the post‐colonial literature by addressing the phenomenon of language spread in relation to the spread of languages other than Polish within the Polish society since the end of the eighteenth century until the present.

Design/methodology/approach

The subject discussed here is approached from an historical perspective, through reference to literature and secondary data regarding the policies, practices and examples of language spread and linguistic imperialism in Poland throughout the history.

Findings

Through a comparative analysis across different periods in history, discussion of the Polish experience of language spread offers insights into its mechanisms and consequences for the society. It also shows how, since the collapse of socialism, Poland's socio‐economic transition has been accompanied by an increasing importance of the English language in the country, and how at present, the knowledge of English and access to it influences and is influenced by the existing social structures.

Research limitations/implications

An awareness of the processes of language spread and of responses to them can help us better understand the historical mechanisms of transition from one set of social relations to another, and contribute to the understanding of post‐socialist change.

Originality/value

By applying the notions of language spread and linguistic imperialism to a geographical context different from that of the former British Empire, and by including, in addition to English, the historical spread of two other languages, namely German and Russian, within the Polish society, this paper contributes to the body of post‐colonial literature.
Let the “other” speak for itself
Authors: Lai‐Wan Cheung Lenis
Published: June 2008

Purpose

China is a fast‐growing economy, and many multinational companies (MNCs) have found their ways to infiltrate that market. The competition among the MNCs has generated human resource management (HRM) problems. When formulating approaches in dealing with these problems, the expatriate management of the MNCs often “speak for” their local employees, as if the latter has no voice of its own. It is suspected that MNCs know partly what their local employees value. With such limited understanding, the former may be ineffective in managing their local staff. The purpose of this paper is to report a study that explores the HRM problems from local employees' perspectives. To understand Chinese employees, the conceptual lens, stemmed from Chinese philosophical traditions instead of that derived from western experience, is used.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through semi‐structured interviews with Chinese employees working in MNCs.

Findings

The findings suggest that “asymmetrical understanding” exists between expatriate managers and their Chinese employees, and that the former may know much less about the latter than it is normally assumed.

Research limitations/implications

The findings, illustrated through interviews, have shed light on how MNCs could manage their Chinese employees, and how a meaningful dialogue could take place: understanding the other (Chinese employees) on their own intellectual ground to overcome “asymmetrical understanding”.

Originality/value

By allowing the voice of the other to come forth rather than to keep it in the background as, at best, a whisper, the study helps create a platform for a meaningful cross‐cultural dialogue between voices from the west and the other.
Managing diversity or diversifying management?
Authors: Schwabenland Christina , Tomlinson Frances
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw on postcolonial theorising on hybridity as a heuristic to explore current tensions described by managers in voluntary organisations engaging with diversity issues. Voluntary organisations are particularly valued for their innovative services developed in response to the needs of their constituents. However, managers describe increasing tension between their organisation's mission on behalf of marginalised and excluded groups and the increasing expectation that these organisations act as contractors to the state and as providers of professionally managed services.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper draws on interviews with a range of key informants, including chief executives, specialist diversity managers and project workers, working in UK‐based voluntary organisations; the interviews explored diversity issues in a broad sense including campaigning and advocacy work as well as service provision.

Findings

Evidence was revealed of innovative ways of working that respond to the needs of particular communities and constituencies – thereby supporting the rationale behind the “business case” for diversity. Also found was evidence of pressures from regulators and funders to standardise that make such innovation less likely; involving processes of undermining the efforts of organisations to manage and organise themselves independently, and of essentialising – fixing the subjects of diversity in an identity of difference and inferiority. The findings suggest that “managing diversity” is inherently problematic.

Originality/value

There is little academic research that applies a critical perspective to voluntary organisations and less using postcolonial theory as a heuristic. However, voluntary organisations are central to both national and international anti‐poverty initiatives and programmes designed to facilitate community renewal.
Isle of exception: sovereign power and Palm Island
Authors: Tedmanson Deirdre
Published: June 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to trace the genealogy of state violence on Palm Island to argue forms of “colonial” control over Indigenous governance and organisational life persist in Australia. Using Agamben's theories ofhomo sacer, sovereign power and state of exception, the paper seeks to reveal the biopolitical nature of two centuries of abuses against Indigenous Australians. Arguably, past and recent tragedies on Palm Island show how juridico‐political regimes continue to subvert the citizenship and human rights of many Indigenous Australians – their sovereignty, governance structures and organisations. The purpose of the paper is to develop a greater focus in postcolonial writing on current political issues, by combining critical theory with grounded narratives of lived experiences and contemporary events.

Design/methodology/approach

Insights from political theorist Agamben are used to critically analyse the management of violence on Palm Island. The paper draws on documents from the public record, such as historical accounts, legislation, parliamentary Hansard and records of government inquiries, as well as first hand media commentaries of recent events. These textual data form the empirical and evidentiary base from which broader theoretical conceptualisations of this case are discussed.

Findings

The paper finds the lingering effects of past exclusion/s are inscribed in the discursive environment and continue to animate the power relations that effect the life and death experiences of Indigenous Australians today. It finds utility and relevance in applying Agamben's theories of the camp, state of exception andhomo sacer, to extend postcolonial understandings of contemporary Indigenous contexts. The legitimacy and derivative power of organizations is compromised during times of “exception” and this raises important theoretical issues worthy of further exploration from both a critical management studies and postcolonial perspective.

Originality/value

This paper applies Agamben's theories in an original way to the postcolonial context. It extends theoretical understandings of racial oppressions and organisational consequences.
Transfers, training and inscriptions
Authors: Chio Vanessa C.M.
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an alternative understanding of knowledge transfers in developing contexts by drawing on recent deconstructions of the development sciences in anthropology and postcolonial studies to analyze transfers of management knowledge in Malaysia. Contrary to most mainstream research that conceives of transfers as a literal or objective process of skills deployment and acquisition, it refers attention to the modernist assumptions, concepts and practices of knowledge/power that are attached to knowledge transfers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on primary and secondary data from two electronics multinational and statutory agencies in Malaysia. Primary data were collected via interviews with training officials and managers; observations were based on training and training‐related events like orientation. Secondary data include multinational and statutory agency literature, quality control circle reports and a corporate orientation video. Data analysis included discourse analysis and deconstruction.

Findings

Findings highlight the importance of situating knowledge transfers within the discursive and socially organized terrain (local and global) – economic, institutional, disciplinary – that transfers are embedded in, and the significance of knowledge transfers and the attendant focus on training as sites for cultivating and producing the modern market subjects needed to have and to sustain neoliberal forms of development and globalization. The paper re‐situates interests in knowledge transfers in terms of a need by state officials and foreign multinationals to actively produce and reconstitute local subjects into modern market citizens that are able and capable of contributing – as required – to the development and organizational needs of said institutions.

Originality/value

By extrapolating insights from recent deconstructions of the development sciences and postcolonial studies, the paper provides an alternative way of researching the process, and understanding the significance of transfers: one that showcases the close imbrications between knowledge, power, subjectification, and interconnections between local institutions/constituents (e.g. statutory agencies, government ministries, training personnel) and global capital (e.g. multinationals).
Women and work in a Jordanian context: beyond neo‐patriarchy
Authors: Al Kharouf Amal , Weir David
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify and re‐position the debate on the role of women in employment in the Arab Middle East by drawing on the findings of empirical research to critique the paradigm of “neo‐patriarchy” defined by Sharabi and used uncritically by others.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature on neo‐patriarchy is followed by some findings from an empirical study of 197 women in the Jordanian labour market, from a sample drawn on a population basis.

Findings

The findings indicate generally positive attitudes towards the employment of women and to the involvement of husbands in employment decisions, and to a slight preference on the part of managers for women as employees.

Research limitations/implications

These findings need to be supplemented by more intensive studies in work situations and by case‐studies of specific employment sites.

Practical implications

The attitudes of women in Jordan are in general positive towards employment and policy is evolving accordingly.

Originality/value

These findings point to the limitations of the “neo‐patriarchy” discourse and to the likelihood that the employment situations of women in Jordan do not need to be characterized by the discourse of under‐development and traditionalism.
Technology strategy and China's technology capacity building
Authors: de Meyer Arnoud
Published: June 2008

Purpose

China has the potential to become a major source of innovation for the world. The scientific investment is in place and rapidly growing. But in order to reap the benefits of this investment its organisations will have to become better at managing innovation. One of the key elements of innovation management is the determination and implementation of a sound technology strategy. The purpose of this paper is to offer a framework and a detailed overview of what it entails to develop and implement a technology strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted is observation and literature survey.

Findings

The paper emphasizes the alignment of the strategy with the organisational competencies and the strategic context, as well as the capacity to manage risk. The attention is also drawn on the need to find better ways for intellectual property protection, leveraging the Chinese market to explore opportunities for innovative ideas and the need to create less hierarchical organisations, that enable creative thinking.

Originality/value

This paper is an original summary of a wide range of research results on technology strategy.
Evolving learning strategies for latecomers
Authors: Xie Wei , Li‐Hua Richard
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers, to explore the issue of how learning strategies of latecomers evolve in relation to changing environmental features and their own technology accumulation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs a case study approach.

Findings

As latecomers approach technology frontiers, learning strategies need to change timely. After latecomers gain their initial foothold in the domestic market, R&D and innovation capabilities become vital for maintaining their margins and sustaining their growth. This paper illustrates that latecomers should use the relatively strong case flow for their long‐term efforts on innovative capability building, which were generated from their initial market success.

Originality/value

This paper provides a systematic analysis on the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers, less addressed by previous studies. This paper has following contributions: it identifies factors contributing to the rise and the fall of China's local handset manufacturers. These findings will act as an effective checklist for Chinese managers to design competitive strategies against multinationals. Second, it identifies that distribution channels can act as a source of competitive advantages for latecomers to compensate for their technology disadvantages at early stage. It is less addressed by previous studies in the field of technological learning. This finding may be of interest to managers in large catching‐up countries with home market advantages such as India, Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia.
Building a major transport infrastructure in Hong Kong in the historical context of the 1997 retrocession
Authors: Dufour Yvon , Steane Peter , Wong Lawrence
Published: June 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to look into the fate of a troubled initiative in one of Hong Kong's economic engines – the container handling industry – that was developed in the midst of the discussions between Beijing and London leading towards the historical 1997 handover.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a qualitative in‐depth analysis of a longitudinal case study, the impact of the historical context is shown.

Findings

The data suggest that the forecasting gaps are residual of prolonged decision‐making processes featuring a diversity of stakeholders pursuing their respective agendas and making the best of the opportunities presented by powerful contextual events such as the historical 1997 restoration.

Research limitations/implications

A few aspects of the forecasting process make a difference in the likelihood that the traffic forecasts will prove more accurate: improving the interconnectedness of the forecasting tasks; eliminating the problem of assumption drag; and developing knowledge in sociopolitical forecasting.

Originality/value

The value of this longitudinal case study lies in showing that major transport infrastructure forecasts are neither a deceptive nor meaningless series of projections to cool down potential opposition, as argued by the proponents of the political approach. Building a major transport infrastructure takes place through a nest of multifarious and unpredictable processes, intertwined with patterns of other strategic decisions and actions undertaken either by the public or by the private organizations involved, and influenced by major contingencies and historical contextual events over time.