bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of culture on online management education
Authors: Wan Lee Jung , Becker Kip , Nobre Helena
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of national culture on the acceptance, and online interaction, of management education and training online using Hall's cultural classifications and Hofstede's cultural framework. Potential differences in perceptions of personal innovativeness and levels of online management education acceptance were examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Factor analysis, structural modeling techniques and independent sample t‐statistics were used to analyze samples collected from online management classes in the USA and Korea.

Findings

Results suggest that high‐context and collectivism cultures are more conservative to the adoption of online management education and training and participation in online interaction. A second interesting finding is evidence of the significant difference of adoption likelihood of learning innovation and changes. It was clear that a nation's culture directly affects the manner in which participants engage, relate and benefit from online management education/training.

Originality/value

These insights may help multinational companies predict adoption of online management education and the appropriateness of online training across regional differences so as to formulate more effective online management education and training strategies by accommodating their cultural influences.
Hi fans! Tell us your story!
Authors: Byrd Simone
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to establish an understanding of what components of the stewardship model (reciprocity, responsibility, reporting and relationship nurturing) were present on Toyota's corporate Facebook page through communicative patterns and themes in the wake of the 2010‐2011 vehicle recall crisis: and what comments/posts by the social media team – who act as “admins” of the social networking site to communicate with stakeholders and fans – indicate components of the stewardship model.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Kelly's stewardship model as the theoretical framework, the study incorporated qualitative methods – specifically, a textual analysis to review the recall‐related conversation on the Toyota corporate Facebook page from January 2010 until the end of the first quarter in March 2010. The Facebook page was reviewed two to three times per day to monitor the discussion. In conducting the actual analysis, Toyota's Facebook page “Wall” was reviewed for words and phrases that referenced one or more components associated with the presence of the stewardship model.

Findings

As the crisis situation unfolded and the media coverage of the recalls intensified, the results of the textual analysis indicated a significant integration of the steps consistent with the stewardship model. After receiving compelling criticism from Facebook followers of the company for not engaging enough, Toyota's social media team formulated an enhanced social media engagement effort which focused on stressing the importance of genuine, two‐way, online engagement in a consumer‐driven environment. By doing so, this greatly contributed to Toyota's ability to quickly rebound from the crisis as well as emerge with their company's brand reputation intact.

Originality/value

Overall, this research is significant because of its practicality and contribution to previous research in stewardship and social media. Furthermore, companies can learn from the example set by Toyota in that, while profits are important, building and nurturing long‐term relationships in a socially‐responsible manner can result in reinforced positive attitudes and behaviors, which are far more important to the company's bottom line. Finally, through the utilization of the stewardship model in an online engagement strategy during times of crises, incorporating a two‐way communication approach can yield positive results for the company's brand reputation.
How is the study of communication changing?
Authors: Scott Patricia B.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The Conference on Corporate Communication serves as a forum to “exchange ideas and information on relevant issues facing the corporate communication profession.” What have we found over the past 10 years? What themes have been seen as “relevant” and how has what we research changed? This paper aims to focus on the answers to these questions.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to examine how the central themes have changed over the years, a semantic network analysis was undertaken using the abstracts from all the presentations from each of the past nine years. The semantic network analysis examined the relationship among words to determine clusters of shared themes.

Findings

The research found that over the course of the last decade, the study of corporate communication is not static. It is ever evolving as the world changes and continues to rise to meet the needs of this changing world

Originality/value

This tool allowed the researcher the opportunity to capture the visible and quantifiable way in which themes are established in this community by noting a shared discourse among members that reflects common understanding of rules, a common belief of values and a way of life.
Revealing corporate identities in annual reports
Authors: Grove Ditlevsen Marianne
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to discuss corporate identities as they are expressed visually in annual reports in order to demonstrate how (and how much) the annual report as a statutory document is used strategically by companies as a means of investor relations in order to position the company as attractive to investors and other stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

An explorative visual analysis is employed on a corpus of six Danish companies from different branches of business and industry. The study is based strictly on a communication perspective and pays equal attention to the annual report's communicative purposes. In order to be able to draw conclusions on the strategic use of visual elements in annual reports, the findings from the visual analysis are further related to the corporate strategies of the companies as they are expressed through the companies' missions, visions, and values.

Findings

The study provides an empirical basis for concluding that visual elements are used strategically in annual reports to construct corporate identity aligned with company strategy in order to position companies as attractive to investors and other stakeholders.

Originality/value

This paper's contribution is to provide an empirical basis for a discussion of the potential of the annual report as a vehicle for constructing corporate identity.
Enterprise and entrepreneurship in English higher education: 2010 and beyond
Authors: Rae David , Martin Lynn , Antcliff Valerie , Hannon Paul
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This article aims to report the results of a complete survey of enterprise education in all higher education institutions (HEIs) in England, undertaken in 2010 by the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) on behalf of the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship (NCGE). The survey builds on prior work undertaken by the NCGE in England in 2006 and in 2007.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey aimed to establish a complete picture of curricular and extra‐curricular enterprise and entrepreneurship education. The survey uses a similar structure to the previous survey, enabling comparison to be made with enterprise provision over the 2006‐2010 period, as well as with the 2008 European survey of entrepreneurship in HE.

Findings

The results provide a stock‐take of enterprise education provision in participating HEIs and highlight the connections in institutional strategies between enterprise education, incubation/new venture support, graduate employability, innovation and academic enterprise. The paper reveals “hotspots” and gaps in enterprise provision and offers “benchmarks” for the sector.

Research limitations/implications

The article offers a summary of the implications for the future development and sustainability of enterprise education in HE, in relation to policy, funding and other changes in the sector. It also considers these issues in relation to recommendations from professional educators and government policy for future development of enterprise in HE and comments on the policy impact of this work.

Originality/value

The timing of the survey, in May‐July 2010, was important as it reflected the end of a period of over ten years of sustained investment in enterprise in higher education by the previous Labour government in the UK, through a range of funding initiatives. As major public expenditure reductions in support for HE and enterprise activity followed, this represented the “high water mark” of publicly funded enterprise activity in the HE sector, and raised the question of how enterprise education and support activities would become sustainable for the future. The report analyses existing provision, assesses its development over the 2006‐2010 period, and provides conclusions and recommendations covering future policy, development, resourcing, and sustainability of enterprise and entrepreneurship provision in higher education.
Examining competence factors that encourage innovative behaviour by European higher education graduate professionals
Authors: Bjornali Ekaterina S. , Anne Støren Liv
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the effects of individual competencies and characteristics linked to educational programmes that contribute to the development of competencies conducive to innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw on theories of intrapreneurial competencies – i.e. intrapreneurship and competence‐based innovation – and the entrepreneurship education literature. The study uses comprehensive survey data on approximately 11,000 higher education graduates, five years after graduation in 12 European countries, collected in 2005. The authors test hypotheses regarding the effects of individual competencies and study programme characteristics on the probability of introducing innovations at work, using logistic regression.

Findings

Several kinds of competencies are found to increase the probability that graduates introduce innovations at work: professional and creative, communications and championing, and brokering do so, while productivity/efficiency does not. Education programmes emphasising the development of entrepreneurial skills and problem‐based learning also promote innovation. Graduates in engineering are particularly innovative, whereas business and administration graduates are least innovative.

Research limitations/implications

The central implication is that intrapreneurial competencies are learnable. The results refer specifically to higher educated persons, five years after graduation.

Practical implications

Organisations that aim at stimulating employee‐driven innovation need to emphasise the development of intrapreneurial, and especially, brokering competencies. Higher education institutions should put more emphasis on the development of entrepreneurial competencies, for example through problem‐based learning.

Originality/value

The study makes an empirical contribution to theories of intrapreneurship and competency‐based innovation, by examining a wide range of competencies that promote innovation by graduate professionals in Europe.
Could higher education programmes, culture and structure stifle the entrepreneurial intentions of students?
Authors: Piperopoulos Panagiotis
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to explore and analyse the impact of higher education programmes, structures and culture on students' entrepreneurship intentions and attitudes. It investigates the relationships between education and entrepreneurship using a case study research approach.

Design/methodology/approach

During the academic year 2008‐2009, a questionnaire survey was distributed to a sample of 603 first‐year and final‐year students studying business and management studies at two public HEIs in Greece. Furthermore a series of in‐depth and semi‐structured interviews was conducted with students in order to capture the integral aspects of the phenomena under investigation (i.e. a more comprehensive understanding of the students' adverse intentions towards entrepreneurship), and with faculty members in order to enter their perspective on entrepreneurship and education, as well as unveil the structure (rules and regulations) and the culture (shared beliefs and attitudes) of HEIs.

Findings

The findings suggest that students' entrepreneurial intentions and aspirations deteriorate during their four‐year studies in universities, and that faculty members lack the mentality towards entrepreneurship education. Furthermore, the research data reveal that the structure and regulations of universities in Greece prohibit the commercialisation of knowledge, technology transfers, spin‐off enterprises and industry‐university collaborations.

Originality/value

Although the benefits of entrepreneurship education have been much extolled by researchers and policy makers in the advanced economies of the world, the impact that non‐entrepreneurial higher education programmes and cultures have on students' entrepreneurial intentions has never been tested before in the less developed regions of Europe. This study addresses this issue.
Revising manualised treatment programmes: incorporating practitioners' feedback
Authors: McMurran Mary , Delight Steve
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Implementing treatment programmes with integrity requires a clear statement of what is to be done in treatment, and treatment manuals do this to a greater or lesser degree. In correctional work, many treatment programmes are formally accredited, yet changes may need to be made after accreditation. Updating accredited programmes is important, but there is little formal guidance on post‐accreditation revision. This paper aims to report on practitioner feedback on one accredited programme – Control of Violence for Angry Impulsive Drinkers (COVAID) – with the aim of illustrating how practitioner feedback might be interpreted and used in revising treatment programmes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed 20 treatment managers in prison and probation services, of whom 11 (55 per cent) responded. Responses were analysed thematically.

Findings

Respondents indicated that COVAID met a need for offenders, met the responsivity principle, and was well supported by documentation and post‐training support audit. Respondents offered suggestions for improvement. Some changes to the manual were clearly required; however, many of the suggestions need to be addressed in training. While initial training can be amended for future use, developmental support is another means of maintaining treatment integrity.

Research limitations/implications

The number of treatment managers approached was small and responses were obtained from only 55 per cent of those contacted. Therefore, the views of respondents may not be representative of all treatment managers.

Originality/value

This report addresses the issue of programme re‐accreditation and the basis for revising treatments and treatment manuals.
The development and piloting of the Self‐evaluation of Adult Support and Protection Activity in Scotland: Resource Handbook
Authors: Hogg James , May David
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to describe the development and evaluation of a resource for use by practitioners to self‐evaluate their policy and practice in relation to the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007.

Design/methodology/approach

The self‐evaluation resource was developed in the context of multi‐agency adult protection policy and legislation to reflect key quality indicators relevant to stakeholders, the community, practitioners and their agencies.

Findings

The quality indicators were selectively piloted by 15 of the 28 multiagency partners in Scotland. The utility of the resource was demonstrated and in some cases the outcomes led to changes in policy and practice. The effect of resource restrictions was reported to have a bearing on the utility of the resource in some partnerships.

Research limitations/implications

The quality indicators were not equally piloted with participants focusing on evaluation of case outcomes rather than wider structural and agency‐wide aspects of adult protection.

Practical implications

The adult protection, self‐evaluation resource has been identified as a potential means of enabling multi‐agency partnerships to establish the effectiveness of their own policy and practice and offers the potential for cross‐Scotland comparisons and bench marking.

Social implications

The resource provides the basis for self‐evaluation and improvement in adult support and protection that will make the lives of adults at risk of harm safer.

Originality/value

An innovative approach is described to enable self‐evaluation by adult protection practitioners and policy makers to judge the effectiveness of their own performance and ensure improved performance.
Google Books and WorldCat: a comparison of their content
Authors: Chen Xiaotian
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare Google Books with WorldCat and to assess some other functionalities of Google Books.

Design/methodology/approach

Over 500 random samples generated from WorldCat were searched on Google Books. The search results were used to compare the coverage between Google Books and WorldCat, to estimate the successful link rate to a local library catalogue, the percentage available as full view, snippet, and preview on Google Books, and other services of Google Books.

Findings

Google Books can retrieve almost all the books catalogued in WorldCat. Its “Find in a library” link to a local library catalogue works 75 percent of the time. Fewer than 10 percent of Google Books items have free full views, and about 15 percent have snippets and previews, respectively. Previews are much more useful than snippets. Google Books probably indexes books that it does not possess in digital form, in addition to indexing all the books that it has acquired in digital form.

Originality/value

No previous empirical studies of this kind have been found. This study assesses Google Books' coverage and services with quantitative measures.
Twitter use by three political leaders: an exploratory analysis
Authors: Aharony Noa
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This study aims to understand how three political leaders – the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu; the Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron; and the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama – communicate through Twitter.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an analysis of tweets produced between August and October 2010 by three political leaders, using statistical descriptive analysis and content analysis.

Findings

The research shows that the US President tweets more than the other leaders, with the British Prime Minister tweeting the least, and that all three leaders use Twitter for both transparency and outreach.

Originality/value

As Twitter has become widespread over the last few years, and several studies have focused on Twitter and its impact on different sectors in our society, it is interesting to focus on political leaders' use of Twitter.
Integrated care for frail older people 2012: a clinical overview
Authors: Morris Jackie
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate a clinician's perspective on the shared integrated care of older people with dementia and/or frailty. In addition, it aims to describe the significance and value of dignity, kindness and compassion in care.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a general review of current policy, research and good practice, amplified from a clinical perspective.

Findings

The key components of effective integrated care are shared knowledge, understanding, training and support. Equally important are shared objectives, leadership, and governance.

Originality/value

The clinical perspective offered in the paper aims to link advances in medicine with advances in care. This confirms that comprehensive geriatric assessment, as well as working with individuals and their families, must underpin all integrated, humane and effective care for older vulnerable people.
A proposed decision‐making framework for a national infiltration SuDS map
Authors: Dearden Rachel A. , Price Simon J.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the decision‐making framework and datasets behind a national geographical information system (GIS) map that assesses the suitability of the subsurface for infiltration sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). In combination they provide geoenvironmental information on the necessary geological and hydrogeological considerations to facilitate preliminary site assessment.

Design/methodology/approach

The national suitability map comprises four parts, each of which considers a geoenvironmental factor essential to SuDS planning, installation and performance. The first three comprise: drainage; ground stability; and pollutant attenuation potential. The final map highlights those areas where infiltration may result in negative consequences such as the initiation or exacerbation of flooding or ground instability.

Findings

The application of the suitability map is demonstrated for an urban setting, showing its relevance to both planning for wide spatial‐assessment and site‐scale assessment.

Research limitations/implications

The suitability map aims to provide the data necessary for the assessment of subsurface suitability, rather than a recommendation on the type of infiltration system appropriate to the ground conditions. Future research could address this limitation by incorporating the use of quantitative site‐scale information, although it is unlikely that this would be possible at a national scale.

Practical implications

The suitability map is valid for use by developers and planners for the preliminary assessment of sites, but also by unitary authorities for the consideration of planning applications.

Originality/value

The paper introduces an innovative decision‐making framework to enable preliminary site assessment for infiltration SuDS and demonstrates the feasibility of the approach through an urban case study.
Determining factors of environmental management practices in Portuguese local entities
Authors: Lima Ribeiro Verónica Paula , Aibar Guzmán Cristina , da Silva Monteiro Sónia Maria , Aibar Guzmán Beatriz
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the development of environmental management practices by Portuguese local entities and their determining factors.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected by sending a postal questionnaire. In order to measure the degree of development of environmental management practices, an index of environmental management practices (EMPI) was developed, which reflects the extent to which a set of 16 environmental management practices have been implemented by the entities included in the sample. In total, four variables are considered in this study as possible factors that drive the development of environmental management practices by local entities: type of entity; size; proactive environmental strategy; and Local Agenda 21.

Findings

Results indicate the degree of development of environmental management practices in Portuguese local entities is low. Additionally, entity size, the adoption of proactive environmental strategies and the implementation of Local Agenda 21 are explaining factors of the degree of development of such practices.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the international research on environmental management in the public sector by providing empirical data from a country, Portugal, where empirical evidence is still relatively limited.
An assessment of the potential of refuse‐derived fuel in Latvia
Authors: Dace Elina , Blumberga Dagnija
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the production and energy potential of refuse derived fuel (RDF) in Latvia, in order to understand how large an impact municipal waste incineration with energy recovery has on waste management and energy supply systems in Latvia.

Design/methodology/approach

The results of the study are based on historical data of municipal solid waste (MSW) management. The potential of RDF in Latvia is estimated and future sources of RDF production until 2020 are projected. The calculations of RDF potential are based on data on MSW generation, landfilling and composition, and on the calorific value of RDF fractions. The study also takes into account experimental results of RDF production trials in one landfill in Latvia.

Findings

The amount of MSW landfilled annually until 2020 will grow, therefore new waste management options will have to be found in order to comply with EU waste policy. One of the options is waste‐to‐energy. The energy amount potentially produced by incinerating RDF made of MSW in Latvia could account for approximately 2 per cent of the total energy amount produced in 2010, if the RDF conversion rate is assumed to be 30per cent, and up to 3.5 per cent – if the RDF conversion rate is 50 per cent.

Originality/value

There are just a few studies analysing RDF potential for a certain region (in this case – country). There is a lack of data and official projections of generated waste amounts which are typical for Latvia, therefore no detailed assessments are available on how much energy it would be possible to produce from the waste generated in Latvia. In this paper, the RDF production potential itself, as well as the energy potential produced via RDF in Latvia, is assessed. In order to estimate future availability of resources for RDF production, future MSW generation and landfilling amounts in Latvia until 2020 are projected.
Strategic information systems and the reconfiguration of value space: a case study of Yoox
Authors: Resca Andrea , D'Atri Alessandro
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The so‐called strategic information systems define systems that represent instruments able to provide a competitive advantage. In this case, the purpose of this paper is to go further and broaden the perspective to examine business sectors. Namely, information systems are conceived also as factors that reconfigure entire business systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The research strategy followed can be considered in the circle of the case study. Specifically the case is Yoox, a virtual boutique. The theoretical approach for answering to the questions how and why information systems are determinant in Yoox's development is based on Normann's work (Reframing Business). In fact, it outlines modalities through which information systems reconfigure value space and give details to forces enacted consequently.

Findings

The Yoox case study throws light on the fact that, actually, information systems can be a useful instrument not only for reformulating business models but also dynamics that characterize entire business sectors.

Research limitations/implications

The perspective proposed is limited to marginal aspects of the fashion business, i.e. global brands such as Armani have been involved in pursuing new online distribution channels outsourcing these services to a Dot.com company like Yoox.

Originality/value

A business such as a virtual boutique for a multi‐brand fashion and design is imitable due to the worldwide competition. The fact that Yoox became a provider of e‐commerce platform, forming the logistical side to the marketing strategies on the net, changes the scenario significantly. Yoox's mission is not only to sell fashion online but to provide a technological platform for e‐commerce. In this way, Armani, at first, was a Yoox provider but now it is also a customer. In some sense, the rules of the game of the fashion sector, have been, albeit marginally, modified.
The leadership journey
Authors: Jones Ray
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to present a personal reflection on leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on over 40 years of the author holding leadership roles in the personal social services in the UK, within a career which included 14 years leading an organisation with over 3,000 employees and a turn‐over, at today's costs, of £250 million.

Findings

The learning about leadership started at school and university, and a major lesson has been to recognise that leadership is not a solo activity. It encompasses a collaborative requirement to work with colleagues and to promote and value their contribution.

Originality/value

The paper provides useful information on leadership gleaned from personal observation.
Leadership – an elusive concept
Authors: Gray Harry
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to look at how the word “leadership” is often used too casually and too carelessly.

Design/methodology/approach

Attention is drawn to the importance of understanding the nature of the organisation where leadership occurs.

Findings

The paper illustrates why leadership is not a matter of personal qualities but a “function of the organisation” in which the overriding consideration is context and organisational purpose.

Originality/value

The paper provides a useful explanation of leadership.
Financing social enterprise: social bricolage or evolutionary entrepreneurialism?
Authors: Sunley Peter , Pinch Steven
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the extent to which urban social enterprises (SEs) have diversified their funding sources and shifted towards loans and development finance in recent years. The paper seeks to consider the underlying reasons for a limited demand for loans by comparing two theoretical perspectives on SE development. The concept of “social bricolage” implies SEs do not seek conventional business loans or equity finance, because they survive in resource poor environments by improvising and re‐using redundant capital. A second evolutionary approach implies that SE financing will be dominated by a reliance on habits and practices learnt from the contexts in which social entrepreneurs have operated.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on analysis of interviews with 40 SEs in four English cities.

Findings

The paper finds a limited degree of change and scant evidence of local decentralisation in social enterprises' financial contexts. It argues that both conceptual approaches offer important insights into the causes of the low level of demand for development finance by emphasising the importance of practical and improvised financial management. This is an adaptive response to uncertainty but is also a manifestation of SEs' inherited capabilities in public and charitable finance.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on a relatively small sample of social enterprises in central and deprived urban areas. The financial practices of social enterprises in other types of environment also require examination.

Practical implications

It is unrealistic to expect the majority of SEs to secure conventional loan finance, instead they require “softer” finance and intensive support from intermediaries.

Originality/value

The paper makes a novel empirical contribution by revealing social enterprises' views and recent experiences with funding. Its approach allows an intensive examination of key financial issues. It makes an original theoretical contribution by seeking to apply, develop, and evaluate two theoretical perspectives on the form and practices of social enterprises.
Re‐assessing Schumpeterian assumptions regarding entrepreneurship and the social
Authors: Palmås Karl
Published: August 2012

Purpose

In recent discussions on social entrepreneurship, there have been calls for the discipline to make better use of general theories of entrepreneurship. This article seeks to argue that while the literature may not be explicitly theoretical, it often draws upon taken‐for‐granted concepts inherited from Joseph Schumpeter.

Design/methodology/approach

The text seeks to identify Schumpeterian assumptions within the social entrepreneurship literature, and introduce alternative perspectives on “the social” and “entrepreneurship”, drawn from the social theory of Gabriel Tarde. These are then discussed in the context of the social entrepreneurial initiative Hand in Hand.

Findings

The article identifies and re‐assesses three assumptions: that of the social as container; that of capitalism‐specific societal dynamism; and that of the atomistic, non‐inventive entrepreneur.

Originality/value

By re‐imagining “the social” and “entrepreneurship” through the work of Tarde, the article suggests that scholars can develop new conceptualisations of social entrepreneurship.
Customer satisfaction and service quality in Islamic banking
Authors: Abdul Rehman Asma
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between customer satisfaction and six dimensions of service quality (CARTER model) in Islamic banks of Pakistan, the UK and UAE.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a sample of 225 customers of Islamic banks; 75 responses have been taken from each country. Structured questionnaire technique has been used to collect data.

Findings

The paper's findings reveal that Pakistani and UK Islamic banking customers consider assurance, reliability and empathy as significant factors for customer satisfaction, whereas UAE customers consider assurance and tangible as significant dimensions of satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The study's limitation relates to the sample size of the respondents.

Practical implications

This study is significantly important for the academic point of view, as well as for the practitioners, managers and policy makers to find out the pattern of customer satisfaction in terms of service quality for Islamic banks.

Originality/value

The current study is of particular value because it is a comparative study of customer satisfaction and service quality dimensions (CARTER model) of Islamic banks in Pakistan, UK, and UAE.
Credit risk management: a case differentiating Islamic and non‐Islamic banks in UAE
Authors: Masood Omar , Al Suwaidi Hasan , Darshini Pun Thapa Priya
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify any differences between the Islamic and non‐Islamic banks in the UAE on credit risk management.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses survey based methodology for data collection. The sample for the study consists of six commercial banks from UAE with three non‐Islamic and three Islamic banks and with 148 credit risk managers as respondents for the survey. The study aims to investigate factors which distinguish between Islamic and non‐Islamic banks in UAE. This is achieved by fitting a binary logistic regression model.

Findings

The study shows that the managers in Islamic banks now do not rely only on personal experiences and simple credit risk analysis. The Islamic banks appear also to be developing and practising the newer and robust techniques, in addition to traditional methods, to manage their credit risk in UAE compared to non‐Islamic banks, which indicates a possibility of further improvement in their credit risk management.

Originality/value

The paper uses questionnaire‐based methodology, which has not been used previously in the UAE financial sector, as well as in studies of credit risk management. Therefore, this research could become the cornerstone of further academic research in other developing countries using this methodology.
Bank‐specific and macroeconomic profitability determinants of Islamic banks
Authors: Masood Omar , Ashraf Muhammad
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to inspect whether bank‐specific and macro‐economic determinants influence Islamic banks' profitability in the selected countries of different regions.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to achieve the study objective and to answer the question, the balanced panel data regression model has been used. Bank level data is used and this study examines the alternative measures ROA and ROE as a bank‐specific function and macro‐economic determinants.

Findings

The study results signify that banks with larger assets size and with efficient management lead to greater return on assets.

Originality/value

The paper shows that management efficiency regarding operating expenses positively and significantly affects the banks' profitability.
A history of the concept of branding: practice and theory
Authors: Bastos Wilson , Levy Sidney J.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This inquiry aims to contribute to the literature on the historical developments that have influenced the origin, uses, and meanings of branding.

Design/methodology/approach

In this qualitative work an historical methodology was followed and, according to Howell and Prevenier's guidelines, a wide variety of sources were selected of the data presented. Moreover, this study draws on three important perspectives – that of the practitioner, the scholar, and the consumer – in order to offer a thorough view of the relevant issues concerning the evolution of branding.

Findings

The investigation suggests that various forces (e.g., the media, economic developments during the Second World War, marketing research and theorizing) have enacted a comprehensive transformation in the concept of branding. First, the paper offers evidence of the link between fire/burning and the origin of branding. Second, it shows that, in its early days, branding was characterized as a phenomenon with limited applicability. Third, the paper demonstrates how that phenomenon was transformed into a multidimensional, multifunctional, and malleable entity. Last, it presents recent evidence from both business and academia that shows the current, complex status of the concept of branding.

Originality/value

The paper is novel in its large perspective and integrative narrative, and the unusual exposure of its various conceptual issues and links. It should be of interest to marketing historians, brand managers, and scholars of branding.
A history of farmers' markets in Canada
Authors: Basil Michael
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Farmers' markets are often identified as the roots of marketing enterprise. They are usually considered as part of a traditional economy. This study seeks to examine how the social and political context shaped the appearance, growth, decline, and reappearance of farmers' markets in Canada. It aims to demonstrate the continuation and resilience of this industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Published research and historical documents of Canadian farmers' markets were used to derive a periodization of events based on events and turning points to allow an understanding of the factors affecting business success.

Findings

This study finds three eras of farmers' markets in Canada that were shaped by the social and political environment. In the first era, between 1800 and 1915, immigrants brought their conception of farmers' markets from Europe to the early settlements of the “new world.” In the second era between 1916 and 1970, as people moved west they became more self‐sufficient. Life became modernized and farming became more industrial. People shifted from their reliance on farmers' markets to more general mercantile stores and then to modern supermarkets. In the third era, starting in the 1970s, farmers' markets came into resurgence, largely as a result of a growing interest in the environment and local foods. They are currently, however, mostly relegated to a niche role in the modern food supply.

Originality/value

This study shows how the success of a particular commercial enterprise, in this case farmers' markets, is shaped by and reacts to larger forces in the business environment.
Occasional publishers: producing and marketing books in England, 1771‐1844
Authors: Banham Rob
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the way in which a series of related printing businesses, owned by members of the Gye and Balne families in Bath and London from 1771 to 1844, selected and marketed their titles when they ventured into book printing and publishing.

Design/methodology/approach

The basis of this research is extensive archival research analyzing primary sources, mainly the books and ephemera printed by the various firms, supported by information in contemporary newspapers and journals and in biographies of printers and publishers.

Findings

The focus of these businesses was not solely on production, but marketing was also considered, and each title was conceived and produced with a particular market in mind. In doing so evidence is provided of relatively advanced marketing strategies in use before 1850 and thus the paper questions the validity of the four eras model of marketing history.

Research limitations/implications

The available primary sources are limited; while a number of books and other printed items have survived there are no extant accounts, correspondence, or other records for any of the firms that were studied.

Originality/value

There has been very little research into the way small businesses during this period approached the marketing of their products. This paper is a potential model for further such historical research and also provides an example of how research into specific companies can illuminate the larger history of marketing, potentially changing the way in which we understand the development of consumer society.
Futile search for a better life? Two biographical case studies on women with depression and video game dependency
Authors: Bleckmann Paula , Eckert Judith , Jukschat Nadine
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Video game dependency (VGD) is a behavioural addiction on the rise with considerably higher prevalence among males, and the rates and patterns of comorbidity with other disorders seem to be comparable to that of substance‐related addictions. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the role of gaming behaviour and gaming motives in the biographical context for female addicts with this new type of dual diagnosis.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted semi‐structured biographical interviews as part of an interdisciplinary German research project on VGD conducted by the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony (KFN). Qualitative research process followed modified grounded theory.

Findings

For VGD women, frequent accounts of depression preceding VGD and of traumatic childhood experiences of loss and/or abuse were found. In two exemplary case studies, online gaming can be described at least in part as an unsuccessful coping attempt. For example, the MMORPGs seem to allow them to experience reliable “reward for their efforts” while experiencing feelings of worthlessness due to academic failure, to experience “social contact” in spite of a fear of closeness.

Research limitations/implications

Gender specific strategies in prevention and treatment of VGD need to be considered, though further research is needed to verify the findings on a larger scale.

Originality/value

The research on gender and VGD dual diagnosis provides qualitative pioneer work in an area where no published research results are available.
Toward a recovery time: forest herbs insight related to anthropogenic acidification
Authors: Riofrío‐Dillon Gabriela , Bertrand Romain , Gégout Jean‐Claude
Published: August 2012

Atmospheric deposition is a global concern contributing to soil acidification and biodiversity changes in forest ecosystems. Although acidifying deposition has decreased in the last decades in Europe, few evidence of ecosystem recovery from acidification has been reported until now. The objective of this study was to reconstruct spatiotemporal changes in soil pH across the entire French forest territory over the last 100‐year period through herb species assemblages. Data were collected from floristic databases resulting in a total of 120 216 plots covering French forests and spanning from 1910 to 2010. To define acidity figures, pH values were inferred from herb assemblages for each plot of the prediction dataset based on a weighted averaging partial least squares (WA‐PLS) model (R2 = 0.80, SD = 0.59 for the validation dataset). Spatiotemporal trends of mean pH changes were obtained by comparing plots with respect to the period (mean year of the period = 1933, 1966, 1984, 1997, 2007) and substrate (acidic and nonacidic forest areas). Bioindicated pH highlighted a decrease in soil pH in both acidic and nonacidic forest areas. The sharpest and most significant pH decrease occurred before 1984 in acidic areas, reaching 0.34 pH units. Subsequently, no significant changes were observed, with a tendency toward stabilization. By contrast, the pH decrease reached 0.19 pH units in nonacidic areas, only reaching significance between 1984 and 1997. Thereafter, we observed a slight and significant pH increase. Spatially, pH trends revealed a regionalized character of acidification regarding the substrate, which could not be related to the extent of deposition modeled by the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme. Both temporal and spatial trends highlight the lagged responses of nonacidic areas compared with acidic areas. Hence, floristic reconstructed pH trends demonstrate a gradual cessation and recovery from acidification of French forests after a period of intense atmospheric pollution.
Variability in morphology and cell proliferation in sequential biopsies of mantle cell lymphoma at diagnosis and relapse: clinical correlation and insights into disease progression
Authors: Vogt Niklas , Klapper Wolfram
Published: August 2012

Aims:  The variable morphology of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is assumed to reflect progression from an early form with classical cytology and mantle zone or nodular growth to a later, more aggressive variant of the disease with blastoid cytology and a diffuse growth pattern. However, studies of sequential biopsies of MCL are very limited, and we therefore undertook to carry out such a study.

Methods and results:  We analysed a cohort of 47 MCLs at primary diagnosis and relapse for cytology, growth pattern, and Ki67 index, and correlated the findings with outcome. In the majority of cases, the mantle zone growth pattern was lost, but it had been reacquired in a small subset of MCLs at relapse. Twenty‐two per cent of MCLs with classical/small cell cytology acquired blastoid features during the course of the disease. However, 50% of MCLs with blastoid cytology at primary diagnosis recurred as a classical variant. The Ki67 index increased over time, and was associated with prognosis in the primary and the relapse biopsy specimens.

Conclusions:  This is the first study to show, in a large cohort of MCLs, that the Ki67 index increases over time in MCL. Assessment of the Ki67 index remains a useful prognostic tool if assessment is performed in the relapse situation.