bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flood warning in a Swedish local risk management context
Authors: Persson Erik Stig , Nyberg Lars , Svedung Inge
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore how local early warning systems (EWSs) for floods are established at the municipality level in Sweden. The study also aims to analyse the role of EWSs in a risk management context. The overall purpose of this study is to elucidate how and to what extent the adoption of local EWSs can generate value-added benefits throughout the wider risk management process.

Design/methodology/approach

– Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with supervisors at each municipality in order to depict how local EWS are established at the municipality level in Sweden. The interviews went through a content analysis with respect to theory on EWS and theory on the risk management process.

Findings

– The possible effects from an EWS is not only reduced flood losses but also potential spinoff. The possibility of spinoff effects from the system, but also the mitigating effectiveness in case of a flood is largely dependent on the well-being of the organisation and its risk management processes.

Originality/value

– This study widens the understanding of the value of an EWS and that the organisational culture and state of risk management system has influence on the availability of such value. Identifying the potential added value from EWSs is important from a more general disaster risk reduction perspective, as it helps to further motivate implementation of proactive risk management measures. This knowledge can be of help to others who investigate the possibilities of investing in EWSs.
Disaster risk governance in Africa
Authors: Van Niekerk Dewald
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to provide a retrospective assessment of progress in disaster risk governance in Africa against the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) since 2000. This assessment of progress achieved in disaster risk governance in Africa aims to identify achievements, good practices, gaps and challenges against selected HFA indicators (in particular Priority 1).

Design/methodology/approach

– This study mainly followed a qualitative methodology although quantitative data were interpreted to achieve the research objectives. Available literature (scientific articles, research and technical reports) on disaster risk governance was used as primary research data. This research used a selected number of African countries as its basis for analysis (Burundi, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Swaziland and South Africa). By investigating literature on disaster risk governance an analytical framework was developed which guided the assessment of the achievements, good practices, gaps and challenges in implementing disaster risk governance on the African continent since the inception of the HFA in 2005.

Findings

– The research found that African countries have been making steady progress in implementing disaster risk governance against theoretical indicators. The continent contains a few international best practices which other nations can learn from. Certain gaps and challenges are, however, still hampering better progress in the reduction of disaster risks. There is the need for multi-layered ownership and understanding of disaster risks and their cross-sectoral nature, with strong community engagement.

Originality/value

– An assessment of progress in disaster risk governance in Africa can assist greatly in shaping future international and national policy, legislation and implementation. The research provided input to the Global Assessment Report for 2015 and identified opportunities in disaster risk governance beyond 2015.
The “wicked problems” of governing UK health security disaster prevention
Authors: Connolly John
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the governance and policy-making challenges in the context of “wicked problems” based on the case of pandemic influenza.

Design/methodology/approach

– The case study research is based on an analysis of official documentation and interviews with policy elites at multiple levels of UK governance.

Findings

– Results of this study show that policy actors regard risk communication, the dynamics of international public policy and UK territorial governance as the main governance challenges in the management of influenza at a macro-level. The paper also serves to identify that although contingencies management for epidemiological issues require technical and scientific considerations to feature in governance arrangements, equally there are key “wicked problems” in the context public policy that pervade the health security sector.

Practical implications

– The study indicates the need to build in resources at a national level to plan for policy coordination challenges in areas that might at first be seen as devoid of political machinations (such as technical areas of public policy that might be underpinned by epidemiological processes). The identification of the major governance challenges that emerge from the pandemic influenza case study is a springboard for a research agenda in relation to the analysis of the parallels and paradoxes of governance challenges for health security across EU member states.

Originality/value

– This paper provides a novel interrogation of the pandemic influenza case study in the context of UK governance and public policy by providing a strategic policy lens from perspective of elites.
The challenge of managing informally
Authors: Saundry Richard , Jones Carol , Wibberley Gemma
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the orientations of line managers in handling workplace conflict. In particular it examines the tension between the traditional preference of frontline managers for informal approaches and the perceived certainty of written disputes procedures.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper draws upon findings from 12 organisational case studies, focusing on interviews conducted with HR and managers.

Findings

– As line managers undertake more responsibility for people management, their preferences for informal approaches to workplace issues appears to be being replaced by a more rigid adherence to policy and procedure. This is largely driven by a lack of confidence and expertise in conflict management and a fear of the repercussions (both legal and organisational) of mishandling difficult issues. Written procedure therefore provides managers with both a systematic guide but also a protective shield against criticism and litigation.

Research limitations/implications

– It is not possible to generalise from a limited sample, therefore this suggested change requires further exploration to assess whether it has been evidenced in organisations more widely.

Practical implications

– For practitioners this research highlights the critical requirement for organisations to develop key skills among line managers to enable them to respond effectively to problems at an early stage.

Social implications

– For policy-makers, the barriers to line managers implementing informal resolution should be considered.

Originality/value

– This paper enriches understanding of line managers’ current role in people management and the challenges they face in doing so informally.
The multiple faces of front line managers
Authors: Kilroy Jennifer , Dundon Tony
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present exploratory research on the potential variation of front line manager (FLM) types and attendant causal links between FLM style and employee outcomes. It challenges the value of a homogenous FLM construct and tests for variation in FLM styles which may affect behaviours and employee outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

– A set of discreet FLM types is defined from extant theory and literature (named here as Policy Enactor; Organizational Leader; and Employee Coach). Each type and its relationship to employee outcomes is explored empirically using survey data and qualitative interviews with a small sample of employees (n=46 employees across eight FLM groups) within a multi-national manufacturing plant.

Findings

– The findings provide preliminary support for an FLM “type” construct. Employees reported a significant dominance of the “Organizational Leader” type for one FLM, while across a broader set of FLM’s the proportions showed measurable variation. The qualitative data provides context examples that help explain FLM typologies and link to employee outcomes.

Originality/value

– Much of current literature explores the FLM construct as a singular construct, relying on its contextual relevance for definition within a certain discipline. This paper focuses on combining these contextual experiences to present a multi-faceted construct for the role of FLMs within the employment relations literatures. By moving from the implicit to the explicit, the paper offers a conceptual lens for quantitative and qualitative exploration of the role of FLM types. As a result, attendant and subsequent FLM and employee behaviours may be better examined and possibly better specified. To add value to this contribution longitudinal and more extensive data sets could be examined and tested in the future.
Revisiting Communities of Practice – the case of Egyptian graffitists
Authors: Abou-Setta Amal
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The Egyptian Revolution gave birth to an intriguing community of graffiti artists that have been going through successful social learning processes. The naturally formed learning groups provided a fertile substance for social learning research and called for a comparison between the nature and elements of social learning and those of the learning taking place in the more traditional settings in an attempt to magnify factors of success. The purpose of this paper is to draw upon Wenger’s (1998) theory of Communities of Practice (CoP) and examines three major elements of learning in relation to it; namely, motivation, social practice, and the role of experts.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper offers an in-depth analysis of perceptions of six Egyptian graffiti artists of their learning experiences.

Findings

– The paper argues that the motivational factor is underdeveloped in Wenger’s theory and that a concept that encompasses a combination of intrinsic motivation (IM) and identified regulation would provide a more accurate description of the driving force of a successful social learning process.

Research limitations/implications

– Although a snowballing approach was adopted, reaching the interviewees was not an easy task for security reasons; therefore, limiting the number to six was forced upon the researcher. Yet, a sense of saturation was reached. The paper underlines the vital role of social practice, which places meaning at the centre of learning, calls for revisiting the role of experts in Wenger’s theory and claims its marginality.

Originality/value

– Conclusions of this study suggest that the idea of a combination of passion and goal as core components of a CoP is an underdeveloped concept in Wenger’s (1998) theory and that outward motivational factors need to be discarded from the equation. This research proposes that a combination of IM and identified regulation provide a more accurate description of the driving force of a successful social learning process.
Developing “employagility”: the 3Es case for live-client learning
Authors: Fletcher-Brown Judith , Knibbs Karen , Middleton Karen
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to review live-client learning activities in higher education, highlighting a lack of multi-stakeholder evaluation of “learning by doing” pedagogies in current literature. It extends existing discussion of employability outcomes, dominated by findings from larger organisations, towards arguably, a more meaningful concept: “employagility”; whereby graduates engage in “agile” life-long skills development, through exposure to learning within small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME), enhancing potential to contribute to local and wider economies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Findings from in-depth, semi-structured interviews and reflective learning journals, captured from triangulated perspectives, presented as the “3Es”: employers, educators and engagers (in this case, undergraduate marketing students).

Findings

– Students identified involvement in “real” live-client projects, applying knowledge learned in the classroom to solve a business problem, enabled them to develop skills demanded by employers. Clients noted how student work exceeded expectations, providing tangible outputs and innovative ideas for their business, even through limited periods of interaction. Educators explained how relatively simple changes to curricula and extra-curricular activities can enable the development of SME-relevant “agile” graduates.

Originality/value

– With SMEs at the forefront of government programmes to lead economic recovery, it is imperative higher education institutions recognise the need for development of appropriately “agile” graduates. This paper contributes a new 3Es model illustrating mutual benefits of collaboration, proposing a “competence-employagility” continuum.
Providing engineers with OARS and EARS
Authors: Klonek Florian E. , Kauffeld Simone
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a vocational communication skill from the helping professions. Verbal skills in MI are summarized under the acronyms OARS and EARS (open-ended questions/elaborating, affirmations, reflections, and summaries). The purpose of this paper is to outline how MI provides important skills for engineers, and demonstrate skill assessment by using an observation-based scientific approach.

Design/methodology/approach

– Totally, 25 engineering students took part in a skill-based MI training. Quality assurance of the training was assessed by using a repeated measurement design with multiple measures: systematic observations from recorded interactions and self-reported and standardized performance measures. Two external observers reliably coded the recorded conversations using the MI skill code.

Findings

– Trainees showed a significant increase of verbal skills in MI. Directive-confrontational behaviors decreased after training. Self-reported and performance measures indicated significant increases in MI post training. Conversational partners in the post-training condition showed significantly more motivation in comparison to partners before the training.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limitation of the study is the small sample size. However, training effect sizes showed large effects on verbal skills.

Practical implications

– Communication skills in MI can be taught effectively for a technical population. This study suggests that MI is effective within the higher education of technical professions who have to deal with motivational issues. Observational measures can be used for quality assurance purposes, but also serve as a feedback instrument for work-based learning purposes.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to evaluate training in MI for engineers using a multi-method approach with observational measures.
Prototype models of opportunity recognition and the decision to launch a new venture
Authors: Santos Susana Correia , Caetano António , Baron Robert , Curral Luís
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to obtain evidence concerning the basic dimensions included in cognitive prototypes pertaining to opportunity recognition and decision to launch a new venture; identifying the underlying dimensions of both prototypes – the cognitive frameworks current or nascent entrepreneurs employ in performing these important tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

– The bi-dimensional models were tested in a sample of 284 founder entrepreneurs, using a 48-item questionnaire. It was used as structural equation confirmatory factor analysis to compare fit indices of uni-dimensional second-order and third-order bi-dimensional models of business opportunity and decision to launch a venture.

Findings

– Results support the bi-dimensional models and offer support that both prototypes include two basic dimensions. For the business opportunity prototype these are viability and distinctiveness while for the decision to launch a new venture, the basic dimensions are feasibility and motivational aspects.

Research limitations/implications

– These results help to further clarify the nature of the cognitive frameworks individuals use to identify potential opportunities and reach an initial decision about whether to pursue their development. Uncovering the cognitive functioning of opportunity recognition and decision to exploit it, allow individuals to recognize opportunities easier and successfully; and to make more accurate and effective decisions.

Practical implications

– Knowing the basic dimensions of opportunity and decision-making prototypes contributes to develop effective skills with respect to business opportunity recognition among students enrolled in entrepreneurship programs. These surveys can be used for self-assessment and also for investors, tutors, and entrepreneurship agents in order to help evaluate features of business opportunities and decision to launch a venture.

Originality/value

– This study embraces a conceptual contribution, proposing a different model of the business opportunity and decision to exploit prototypes, and it extends Baron and Ensley (2006) previous work, to another important step in the entrepreneurial process – the decision to develop an identified opportunity through the launch of a new venture.
Distribution network design: a literature review and a research agenda
Authors: Mangiaracina Riccardo , Song Guang , Perego Alessandro
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, it classifies research on distribution network design (DND) according to the methodologies adopted and themes tackled. Second, it discusses the main implications for practitioners. Finally, it proposes a few promising directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

– The review is based on 126 papers published from 1972 to 2013 in international peer-reviewed journals in the Business, Management and Economics field. The academic papers have been analyzed and classified based on the main research methods used and the themes tackled.

Findings

– It was found that most of the earlier research adopted quantitative models to deal with different decisions on DND, whereas the number of conceptual papers, proposing frameworks and classifications, is still limited. In all, 42 factors that affect DND have been identified and classified into five groups, and the relationships between factor groups and strategic decisions have been investigated. This study revealed that some important areas have not received much attention in the literature and, therefore, three potential directions for further research have been identified.

Research limitations/implications

– Due to the extremely large number of papers on DND, it is possible that a few papers may have inadvertently been missed. Despite the possibility of not being all-inclusive, the authors firmly believe that the general picture presented in this paper is precise and trustworthy.

Originality/value

– This review offers valuable insights for practitioners: a clear understanding of the main decisions related to DND; a comprehensive analysis of the main factors that affect the distribution network structure; a clear understanding of the relationships between factor groups and key decisions; and a guide to the models that can be used to support the different phases of DND.
Logistics service providers and corporate social responsibility: sustainability reporting in the logistics industry
Authors: Piecyk Maja Izabela , Björklund Maria
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a content analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports published by logistics service providers (LSPs), and to analyse factors influencing the level and scope of reporting. In order to address this objective, the authors show to what extent various social and environmental categories are covered in the CSR reports. The authors also investigate whether any differences in the use of CSR indicators can be found with regard to the use of a formal reporting framework, the size of a company, location of its headquarter, and ownership structure.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study begins with a comprehensive literature review on the CSR policies and practices in relation to the field of logistics. A database of 350 international LSPs is compiled based on independent rankings of top logistics companies. Applying a content analysis approach, corporate web sites and CSR reports are examined in order to investigate how sustainability is reported and what CSR-related indicators are published. Statistical analysis is carried out to provide insight into whether any differences in the use of CSR indicators can be found with regard to four key factors identified in the literature review.

Findings

– Although aspects of sustainability are mentioned on corporate web sites of most LSPs in the database (53 per cent), only 13 per cent publish formal CSR reports. This research identifies a variety of indicators used by LSPs and shows that the use of a formal reporting framework and the size of a company are the two main factors influencing the levels of CSR reporting in the sector.

Practical implications

– This paper provides an insight into how transparently LSPs report on the sustainability of their performance. LSPs can compare their own CSR reporting approaches to the body of scientific literature and the findings presented in this paper, in order to adapt more general concepts and best practice evidence to their needs.

Social implications

– By focusing on best practice in reporting of the environmental and social performance, this research can potentially improve the long-term sustainability of the logistics sector.

Originality/value

– This is the first study providing a comprehensive review of the CSR reporting practice in the third party logistics sector. As such, this paper provides an important basis for CSR-related research in the field of logistics and supply chain management. Several areas for future research are also identified.
Improving access to health services – challenges in Lean application
Authors: Cheng Siu Yee , Bamford David , Papalexi Marina , Dehe Benjamin
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Healthcare organisations face significant productivity pressures and are undergoing major service transformation. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate findings from a Lean healthcare project using a National Health Service Single Point of Access environment as the case study. It demonstrates the relevance and extent that Lean can be applied to this type of healthcare service setting.

Design/methodology/approach

– Action research was applied and Lean tools used to establish current state processes, identify wastes and develop service improvement opportunities based upon defined customer values.

Findings

– The quality of referral information was found to be the root cause of a number of process wastes and causes of failure for the service. Recognising the relationship and the nature of interaction with the service’s customer/supplier lead to more effective and sustainable service improvement opportunities and the co-creation of value. It was also recognised that not all the Lean principles could be applied to this type of healthcare setting.

Practical implications

– The study is useful to organisations using Lean to undertake service improvement activities. The paper outlines how extending the value stream beyond the organisation to include suppliers can lead to improved co-production and generation of service value.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to service productivity research by demonstrating the relevance and limitations of Lean application in a new healthcare service setting. The case study demonstrates the practical challenges of implementing Lean in reciprocal service design models and adds validity to existing contextual models.
Hybrid controls and accountabilities in public sector management
Authors: Nyland Kari , Pettersen Inger Johanne
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss why public sector reforms hybridize during implementation processes, consequences on accountability relations and practitioners’ and policymakers’ reactions to these changes.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper considers experiences from three initiatives related to the governance reform in the Norwegian hospital sector. Data were collected via interviews and document studies, and all three cases were longitudinal studies.

Findings

– Unexpected consequences of reform initiatives and contextual changes are causing controls to hybridize and having profound effects on accountability relations. However, the gradually alignment of controls in a dynamic pattern of hybridization enables the balancing of conflicts in the chain of accountabilities. Hybrid controls are observed to emerge as stronger than the initial ideal control models. The longitudinal studies of control hybridization illuminate the sector’s survival in the long run, as they allow for adaptation to changes in contexts.

Practical implications

– This work augments leaders’ understanding of how governmental strategies may follow diverse paths and yield results that diverge from intentions. Narrow accountability bases inhibit the government from implementing political decisions through agencies. Conversely, agents must relate to direct control from authorities. The predictability of agents’ decision space is reduced, and the control process becomes more ambiguous.

Originality/value

– Through connecting what happens in agencies with accountabilities in the political level, it is possible to study the flexible nature of accountability relations and why controls hybridize. The paper underlines the need for longitudinal studies to describe complex patterns of reform initiatives.
Performance improvement, culture, and regimes
Authors: Charbonneau Étienne , Bromberg Daniel E. , Henderson Alexander C.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to better understand the performance improvement outcomes that result from the interaction of a performance regime and its context over more than a decade.

Design/methodology/approach

– A series of partial free disposable hull analyses are performed to graph variations in performance for 13 services in 444 municipalities in one province for over a decade.

Findings

– There are few examples of mass service improvements over time. This holds even for relative bottom performers, as they do not catch up to average municipalities over time. However, there is also little proof of service deterioration during the same period.

Research limitations/implications

– A limitation results from the high churning rate of the indicators. The relevance of refining indicators based on feedback from practitioners should not be dismissed, even if it makes the task of proving performance improvement more difficult. It is possible that the overall quality of services on the ground improved, or stayed stable despite diminishing costs, without stable indicators to capture that reality.

Practical implications

– Not all arrangements incentives and structures of – performance regimes – are equally fruitful for one level of government to steer a multitude of other governments on the generalized path to improved performance.

Social implications

– With the insight that was not available to public managers putting together these performance regimes in the beginning of the 2000s, the authors offer a proposition: mass performance improvement is not to be expected out of intelligence regime. It neither levels nor improves performance for all (Knutsson et al., 2012). Though there are benefits to such a regime, a general rise in performance across all participants is not one of them.

Originality/value

– Performance improvements are assessed under difficult, yet common characteristics in the public sector: budgetary realities where there are trade-offs between many services, locally set priorities, no clear definition of what constitutes a good level of performance, and changes in the indicators over time.
Are post-Soviet republics ready for the new public management? The case of educational modernization in Kazakhstan
Authors: Monobayeva Agipa , Howard Cosmo
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Since the collapse of the USSR, former Soviet republics have embarked on public service modernization, in most instances drawing on internationally dominant new public management (NPM) principles. Are post-Soviet republics ready for these administrative prescriptions? The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper discusses Kazakhstan’s experience with the implementation of NPM through a qualitative case study of the country’s adoption of the European Bologna higher education reforms.

Findings

– While implementation of the NPM-inspired Bologna program has produced significant achievements, there are also gaps and shortcomings. These are due to a remnant Soviet administrative practices including strong control by educational ministries, as well as incompatible organizational cultures and a tendency toward superficial formalism in the implementation process.

Research limitations/implications

– NPM tends to be introduced in a top-down fashion as a taken-for-granted component of state transformation, without sufficient attention to the capacities, cultures and systems required for effective and accountable performance-driven administrative reform.

Originality/value

– Kazakhstan’s experience provides crucial insights into the governance structures, professional cultures and managerial capacities required for successful implementation of NPM in post-Soviet states.
Nordic local government: a success story, but will it last?
Authors: Haveri Arto
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The Nordic narrative on local government highlights municipalities’ role in social consumption, a model, which is often considered a success story. The purpose of this paper is to apply Gerry Stoker’s (2011) theory on local government roles in society to critically analyse the sustainability of the Nordic model.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing on literature review, documents and statistics of Nordic public authorities’, the author formulates exploratory theoretical propositions on the sustainability of the Nordic model of local government.

Findings

– The emphasis placed on welfare task has made Nordic local government overloaded and vulnerable to central government intervention and reforms, resulting in a cumulative process towards an ever narrowing conception of local government.

Research limitations/implications

– The research results are exploratory. Comparative empirical research is needed to verify the idea.

Social implications

– The legitimacy of Nordic local government may be challenged because of municipalities’ weakening possibilities to discharge their welfare role in a manner that would satisfy citizens’ growing needs.

Originality/value

– The paper is a critical analyses of the sustainability of local government system in Nordic countries. It discusses the possible negative consequences of the overemphasis of the welfare role of local government.
Intertwined
Authors: Avis Mark , Aitken Robert
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is an examination of the role of brand personification in the development of the concepts of brand personality and brand relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is a critical evaluation of literature from the 1950s and onwards, examining the evolution and development of brand personality and brand relationship theory and the role of brand personification.

Findings

– The major finding is that brand personification was developed as a research “gimmick” and that this “gimmick” provided the foundations for the development of the brand personality and brand relationship concepts. Further, the paper traces the evolution of the brand personality concept and identifies the ways in which it has been adapted from its original meaning.

Originality/value

– The paper contributes to the branding literature by providing a critical evaluation of the history of marketing concepts and by providing insights into the role that motivation research played in the development of modern brand theory.
Managerial training and development in telecommunication organizations in Palestine
Authors: Sabella Anton Robert , Analoui Farhad
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and extent of management development and training in Palestinian telecommunication organizations using a basic trichotomous (three-stage) model: needs assessment, training development, and evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey questionnaires supported by semi-structured interviews was conducted to capture and corroborate the issues raised by middle and senior managers. Subsequently, the valid data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and was tabulated for the purpose of interpretation and comparison with the findings available from literature.

Findings

– Despite the systematic approach to training and development, the findings revealed inadequacy deriving from heavy emphasis on conventional methods throughout the three stages particularly the formal in-house training; the current system does not offer a holistic approach to meet the challenging needs for management development.

Research limitations/implications

– The study adopts an exploratory in depth empirical investigation in Palestinian telecommunication organizations, it provides insight into management training and development in the private sector in Palestine. It has profound theoretical and practical implications for the increased effectiveness of management in the region and beyond.

Practical implications

– The use of trichotomous approach explores the entire process, rather than implementation alone, thus the findings will have practical implications for the researcher and practitioners to design, implement, and systematically appraise the effectiveness of training development initiatives.

Originality/value

– This paper offers both professionals and academics a fresh perspective on training and development in Palestinian telecommunication organizations; it highlights the importance of such activity, and stresses on the need for the design of programmes that can adequately incorporate the individual and corporate needs for development.
Time-based competence and performance: an empirical analysis
Authors: Al Serhan Yahya N. , Julian Craig C. , Ahmed Zafar
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between time-based manufacturing competence (TBMC), time-based competitiveness, time-based manufacturing capability, and the performance of SMEs engaged in the steel minimill industry in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study was based on an empirical investigation of manufacturing firms in the steel minimill industry in the USA. The sample of firms was provided by the US Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. In order to obtain valid and reliable measures of the variables, previously validated scales were used to measure all variables. The primary data for the study were collected from a self-administered mail survey of 137 SMEs with the sample consisting of 71 SMEs indicating a response rate of 52 percent.

Findings

– Statistically significant positive relationships were found between all independent variables and performance. The results also indicate that the high performers have a higher TBMC than the low performers. The findings further confirm the assertion in the manufacturing strategy literature which states that time, as a strategic factor, is a source of competitive advantage.

Research limitations/implications

– From a methodological perspective, a potential concern may be that the measures are all self-reported. Consequently, the relationships tested may be susceptible to the influence of common method variance.

Practical implications

– TBMC enables SMEs to offer high-quality products at low cost and in a timely manner. This reflects the value of the positive relationship between TBMC and business performance.

Originality/value

– This study’s finding identifies the need for time-based competition. The literature suggests that the strategic focus on time enables firms to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage. Nevertheless, this suggestion has been based on conceptual rather than empirical research. The results of this study provide empirical support for that suggestion with respect to SMEs.
What motivates small businesses for collective action in smart living industry?
Authors: Nikayin Fatemeh , De Reuver Mark
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study what motivates small businesses to engage in collective action, especially in high-tech industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– Application domain is smart living industry, in which installation companies offer ICT-enabled solutions for smart home services. A survey was conducted among 140 small/medium installation companies in smart living industry which are members of a major Dutch branch organization. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to model and analyse data from the survey.

Findings

– The paper found that different types of motivations do not significantly increase the collective orientation of small businesses. Moreover, the current involvement of small companies in smart living projects is not directly related to their collective orientation.

Research limitations/implications

– The lack of collaboration is resulting in market fragmentation and lack of technological interoperability. The paper advise policy makers to provide selective incentives to stimulate collaboration and to facilitate knowledge sharing on best practices and collective business cases.

Originality/value

– The motivational factors for collective action between small businesses in high-tech sectors have rarely been studied. Although many studies addresses collective action issues on an individual level, the literature lacks an integration of existing theories into a set of testable hypotheses that aim at motivators and inhibitors of inter-organizational collective action.
The adoption of renewable energy (RE) enterprises in the UK
Authors: Mbzibain Aurelian , Tate Graham , Shaukat Ali
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how national institutional structures affect farmers’ intentions to invest in renewable energy enterprises in the UK agricultural sector.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors draw on the construct of national institutional profile to identify the regulatory, cognitive and normative institutions affecting entrepreneurial intentions. A postal questionnaire survey of 2,000 farmers was carried out in the West Midlands Region of the UK and 393 usable responses were obtained. Principal component analysis and multivariate data analysis techniques are employed.

Findings

– Cognitive institutions were positively related to intentions. Contrary to expectations, the regulatory institutions were not associated with entrepreneurial intentions. Normative institutions were significantly related to intentions and interestingly, moderated the efficacy of regulatory institutions on entrepreneurial intentions.

Practical implications

– Cognitive and normative institutions may play a far more important role in determining farm entrepreneurship in the renewable energy sector than has been previously considered. Given that much of policy research is often biased towards regulatory institutions, this research shows that the construct of institutional profile offers a useful framework to investigate the effect of national level institutions on entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

– This study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship in the UK farm sector. It is the first study that demonstrates the role of the country’s institutional profile on farmers’ intentions to invest in RE. The existence of moderation effects between national institutions suggests that research focusing on single dimensions is likely to provide biased results.
Employee value congruence and job attitudes: the role of occupational status
Authors: Ren Ting , Hamann Darla J.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– Extant research has shown the positive effects of value congruence on individual attitudes, behaviors and performance. However, very few studies have been conducted to examine the difference in the relationship between value congruence and attitudinal outcomes across people of different attributes. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the relationships between employee-organization value congruence and job attitudes vary across different occupational groups, with the focus on different levels of nurses. The study provides evidence to organizations to adopt better approaches to harness the benefit from employees’ spontaneous work motivation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Nursing homes provide a unique research context because of the different nursing occupations with varying degree of identifying characteristics including educational attainment, skill level, income and decision-making power. The present study thus examines how the relationships between nurses-home value congruence and nurses’ job attitudes vary across different nursing occupations, instrumented by a survey of nursing staff of nursing homes in a Midwestern state in the USA.

Findings

– Consistent with prior research, value congruence is found positively associated with nurses’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment, but negatively with turnover intention. Consistent with the “diminishing marginal effect” argument, the relationships between value congruence and job satisfaction and organizational commitment are found more pronounced among nurses of lower occupational level.

Originality/value

– The extant literature does not explicitly compare the effect of within-occupation value congruence on various attitudinal and behavioral outcomes across different occupations. As values have individual and social foundations, in a specific workplace context, it is impractical, if not impossible, to gain a comprehensive view of employees’ value profile and work-related consequences without looking further into the differences across types of employee. Although without sufficient existing literature to compare to, the present study does provide consistent results with theoretical predictions, and display a relatively clear picture of how the relationships between value congruence and job attitudes are unwrapped along the occupational dimension.
Impact of transformational leadership on subordinate’s EI and work performance
Authors: Chen Angela Shin-yih , Bian Min-dau , Hou Yu-Hsiang
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship among emotional intelligence (EI), perceived transformational leadership (TFL) and work performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected from a military-based research and development institution. In all, 202 copies of questionnaires were returned, resulting a 67.3 percent return rate. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test this theoretical model.

Findings

– The data indicated that EI had a positive relationship with work performance; meanwhile, perceived leader’s TFL positively moderated the relationship between subordinate’s EI and work performance.

Research limitations/implications

– First, this study increased the understanding of the relationship of EI and work performance in a non-western culture context and therefore confirming the benefit of EI on a positive work psychology. Also, the findings helped the researchers to understand how situational factors, such as leadership, interact with individual factors, such as EI, to produce a positive impact on work output.

Originality/value

– Unlike previous studies connecting leaders’ EI with their leadership behaviors and subsequent effect on work outcomes, the present study looked into the moderating role of leader’s TFL on the relationship between subordinate’s EI and work performance.
Is cortisol as a biomarker of stress influenced by the interplay of work-family conflict, work-family balance and resilience?
Authors: Krisor Susanna Maria , Diebig Mathias , Rowold Jens
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The demands of balancing work and family roles are associated with stress experiences. Stress increases if work impinges too far on what is required from one’s family while a balance between these demands tends to decreases stress. The purpose of this paper is to investigate resiliencefor the extent to which it can predict both work-family conflict (WFC) and balance (WFB). Moreover, cortisol levels will be used as a physiological indicator of stress.

Design/methodology/approach

– Totally, 35 employed parents with children up to the age of six took part in the study. Salivary cortisol was collected three times a day.

Findings

– Results show that cortisol levels are related to internal as well as external WFCs while WFB is not significantly linked with cortisol. Resilience has a beneficial influence on the mean cortisol level. Moreover, resilience is also advantageous for the work-family interplay, especially WFB.

Practical implications

– The study concludes with suggestions for further research and advises that organizational and individual health promoting activities should seek to implement WFB as well as resilience strategies.

Originality/value

– For the first time, the aim is to assess whether work-family interplay and resilience are associated with an objective biomarker of stress, namely cortisol.
Employee participation and engagement in working for the environment
Authors: Benn Suzanne , Teo Stephen T.T. , Martin Andrew
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of specific human resource management (HRM) practices in the implementation of environmental initiatives in terms of their impact on employee attitudes to the organization and to its environmental programme.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study used a mixed method approach comprising a survey of 675 employees and 16 semi-structured interviews undertaken across two organizations.

Findings

– Survey data, analysed using path analysis, showed that participation in environmental initiatives is directly associated with higher levels of employee engagement with the organization, higher rating of their organization’s environmental performance, and lower intention to quit. The qualitative study supports the quantitative data, also highlighting other aspects of environmental initiatives that may affect employee attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

– Future study should either collect longitudinal data or rely on data collected from two waves of data collection. Objective performance data should also be collected in order to better understand the causal effect of HRM on environmental performance.

Practical implications

– Our findings have implications for the business case for sustainability, providing some evidence that implementing environmental initiatives with HRM support may not only motivate staff around environmental programmes but may provide wider benefits for organizations in terms of overall job satisfaction and employee retention.

Social implications

– Successful implementation of environmental management initiatives have both organizational and employee level outcomes. Employees who were more aligned with their organizational environmental objectives were found to be more engaged and less likely to quit.

Originality/value

– This study provided both quantitative and qualitative empirical evidence to support the importance of integrating the HRM function into the implementation of environmental initiatives.