bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hand gesture recognition using low-budget data glove and cluster-trained probabilistic neural network
Authors: Luzanin Ognjan , Plancak Miroslav
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– Main purpose is to present methodology which allows efficient hand gesture recognition using low-budget, 5-sensor data glove. To allow widespread use of low-budget data gloves in engineering virtual reality (VR) applications, gesture dictionaries must be enhanced with more ergonomic and symbolically meaningful hand gestures, while providing high gesture recognition rates when used by different seen and unseen users.

Design/methodology/approach

– The simple boundary-value gesture recognition methodology was replaced by a probabilistic neural network (PNN)-based gesture recognition system able to process simple and complex static gestures. In order to overcome problems inherent to PNN – primarily, slow execution with large training data sets – the proposed gesture recognition system uses clustering ensemble to reduce the training data set without significant deterioration of the quality of training. The reduction of training data set is efficiently performed using three types of clustering algorithms, yielding small number of input vectors that represent the original population very well.

Findings

– The proposed methodology is capable of providing efficient recognition of simple and complex static gestures and was also successfully tested with gestures of an unseen user, i.e. person who took no part in the training phase.

Practical implications

– The hand gesture recognition system based on the proposed methodology enables the use of affordable data gloves with a small number of sensors in VR engineering applications which require complex static gestures, including assembly and maintenance simulations.

Originality/value

– According to literature, there are no similar solutions that allow efficient recognition of simple and complex static hand gestures, based on a 5-sensor data glove.
Contrasting realities: corporate environmental disclosure and stakeholder-released information
Authors: Rodrigue Michelle
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to study the informational dynamics that take place between a firm and its stakeholders with respect to corporate environmental management.

Design/methodology/approach

– The analysis is based on a case study contrasting environmental information reported by the case firm with environmental information about the firm disclosed by four stakeholder groups or their representatives (governments, the community, environmental non-governmental organizations and investors) over three years. The information flow of disclosure is also considered.

Findings

– The results suggest that the informational dynamics are composed of multiple related patterns. The patterns range from correspondence between disclosures to stakeholders complementing or contradicting corporate disclosures. Different patterns are associated with different levels of interactions from stakeholders, who are most involved when they combine disclosure patterns around key environmental issues for the forest industry. Limited interactions are observed from the firm, suggesting a symbolic engagement within the dynamics and a strategic accountability approach.

Research limitations/implications

– Limitations are found in the focus on disclosure outlets without examination of their production and reception, and in the inherent nature of the documents collected to represent each perspective. Some stakeholder groups were excluded from the study due to data unavailability.

Originality/value

– This paper offers an in-depth analysis of firm-stakeholders interactions with respect to environmental reporting and maps the information flow of their disclosure.
Food additive control: a survey among selected consumers and manufacturers
Authors: Nadia Shaheen Koyratty Bibi , Aumjaud Badroonesha , Amnee Neeliah Shalini
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to explore consumer knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to food additives and to investigate manufacturers' attitudes and practices pertaining to food additives and their control.

Design/methodology/approach

– Questionnaire administered face-to-face interviews were conducted with 180 consumers from the population working at the University of Mauritius while an interview guide was used for in-depth interviews with 12 manufacturers.

Findings

– The results showed that 65 per cent of all respondents never checked food labels for additives. Overall, the respondents had poor knowledge on food additives. A significant relationship was established between level of education and knowledge rating based on percentage correct answers to food additive questions (p<0.05). The mean percentage correct answers for consumers with different educational levels increased in the following order: primary education; secondary education; tertiary education (p<0.05). The responses relating to attitudinal statements reflected indecision and certain misconceptions. In-depth interviews with local food manufacturers revealed positive attitudes and practices towards food additives. Several problems relating to additive control were mentioned, such as outdated regulations and weak enforcement.

Research limitations/implications

– Given the sample sizes, the consumer research should not be extrapolated to the Mauritian population while the exploratory manufacturer study should not be generalised to the whole food industry.

Originality/value

– These findings provide a factual basis for further investigations, review of current food legislation and development of education strategies for consumers, all aiming towards enhancing the effectiveness of the national food control system in Mauritius.
Willingness to pay for carbon footprint on foods
Authors: Echeverría Rodrigo , Hugo Moreira Víctor , Sepúlveda Constanza , Wittwer Cecilia
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to elicit the willingness to pay (WTP) of Chilean consumers towards the carbon footprint of food products (fluid milk and bread), controlling for several consumer's attributes.

Design/methodology/approach

– A contingent valuation method (double bounded dichotomous choice) was used to analyze the WTP, wherein personal interviews were applied to a sample of 774 supermarket consumers.

Findings

– Chilean consumers show a positive attitude towards the carbon footprint concept. Consumers are willing to pay 29 percent for fluid milk and 10 percent for bread, over their average prices. It seems that WTP for foods is negatively related to the share of the product on the monthly household expense.

Research limitations/implications

– Based on the results of this work, the WTP is unique for each product, and hence, any attempt to extrapolate these results must be done with caution. Further research should include a wider set of products.

Practical implications

– Local Chilean companies could obtain an advantage over their competitors (e.g. gain market share) if their products exhibit the carbon footprint. Moreover, if a company has a particular product with a competitive (low) CF, it could charge prices higher than those of its competitors.

Originality/value

– This is the first work that provides an analysis of the WTP for carbon footprint labeling of foods in developing countries.
Innovation capabilities in food and beverages and technology -based innovation projects
Authors: Tepic Mersiha , Fortuin Frances , G.M. Kemp Ron , Omta Onno
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to establish the differences between the food and beverages (F&B) and technology-based industries with regards to the relation between previously identified success factors and innovation project performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– These differences are established on the basis of logistic regression analysis, using 38 innovation projects (18 F&B and 20 technology-based).

Findings

– Newness of the innovation project to the company, communication capabilities and market potential have a more negative impact on innovation project performance in the F&B than the tech-based industry. Especially functional upstream capabilities increase the likelihood of success in F&B, when compared to tech-based innovation projects.

Practical implications

– While functional upstream capabilities are important for success of F&B innovation projects, there is still room for improvement in order to deal effectively with newness of the innovation project to the company. Internalization of resources from the network and a balanced radical/incremental innovation project portfolio contribute to additional enhancement of functional capabilities of the F&B companies, improving their capacity to deal with newness. Through a larger focus on co-innovation with retail, F&B companies can improve their intra- and inter-firm communication capabilities to attain more consumer-oriented integration of R&D and marketing activities, improving the market potential of their innovations.

Originality/value

– This paper demonstrates that the previously identified critical success factors for innovation projects differ in impact and importance for F&B innovation project performance when compared to innovation projects in the technology-based industry.
Supply chain performance benchmarking using grey-MOORA approach
Authors: Kumar Sahu Anoop , Datta Saurav , Sankar Mahapatra Siba
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– In today's competitive global marketplace, performance management has been identified as a key strategic consideration towards achieving an efficient supply chain management. The task of estimating supply chain performance extent is seemed a complex problem entitled with multiple subjective performance measures and metrics; subjected to decision-making environment which involves an inherent vagueness, inconsistency and incompleteness associated with decision-makers (DMs) (expert panel) commitment towards assessment of various subjective (quantitative) evaluation indices. Consequently, it becomes difficult towards making a comparative study on performances of alternative supply chains. It is, therefore, indeed essential to conceptualize and develop an efficient appraisement platform helpful for benchmarking of alternative supply chains based on their performance extent. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The work explores the concept of grey numbers combined with multi-objective optimization by ratio analysis (MOORA) in perceptive to evaluate best alternative from among available alternative supply chains.

Findings

– The method has been found fruitful to facilitate such a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem under uncertain environment and provides an appropriate compromise ranking order with respect to available possible alternatives.

Originality/value

– Supply chain performance appraisement provides necessary means by which an organization can assess whether its supply chain is performing well, whether it has been improved or degraded as compared to the past record. The purpose of this research is to develop and to empirically test a multiple-indices hierarchical appraisement model for benchmarking of supply chain performance and its impact on competitiveness of manufacturing industries.
Study on urbanization process evaluation and provincial comparison
Authors: Li Ye , Qin Meng
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to evaluate the stage and level of Henan province urbanization and provide basis for decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

– At first, build the evaluation index system which includes 17 indexes in four classes so that can reflect the level of urbanization development of the entire region comprehensively. Then build the gray clustering model based on set pair. On this basis, the paper evaluates the urbanization process in Henan province. In order to get a clear understanding of the urbanization level in Henan province, the paper selects several typical provinces and compares them with Henan province in urbanization process.

Findings

– The results show that the urbanization level in Henan province belongs to the general level; there is a gap in urbanization process between Henan province and other advanced provinces.

Practical implications

– The paper put forward a method to evaluate the urbanization process in Henan province and get a clear understanding of the urbanization level in Henan province.

Originality/value

– The paper combines the set pair analysis and the gray fixed weight cluster method based on triangular whiten weight function, which can avoid the defect that the assessment result is too vague and the difference is not significant.
Training the trainer – lessons from the new South Africa
Authors: Van der Merwe John , Sloman Martyn
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to consider some challenges involved in delivering a programme for the education of corporate trainers in the new South African economy.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper reviews the way in which training in organisations has changed in the modern economy; it asks whether “training” has any academic base with knowledge components or whether it is simply a craft discipline carried out in context by experienced practitioners. It examines the particular circumstances that arise in post-Apartheid South Africa and the challenges faced where participants are widespread geographically.

Findings

– The paper looks at the issues involved in module design under these circumstances and describes a study to determine the impact and value of the programme. It draws some conclusions that may assist in the design of similar programmes elsewhere.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is based on one university – although it is the first and only course of its type in South Africa.

Originality/value

– This paper provides an original perspective involving information from several countries.
Measuring the “managerial” efficiency of public schools: a case study in Italy
Authors: Agasisti Tommaso , Bonomi Francesca , Sibiano Piergiacomo
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to suggest a methodology to calculate efficiency scores for a sample of Italian primary and middle schools. The main aim is to relate these measures of efficiency to a set of “external” factors that can affect schools’ performance, such as the average socio-economic background of their students, their location in an urban/non urban setting, etc. After presenting this analysis, the paper proposes a procedure to calculate “adjusted” efficiency measures – which take in the role of external variables – in order to assess the “pure” management efficiency of each school, and so to avoid confusing the institution's performance with the aspects relating to its background.

Design/methodology/approach

– Efficiency is defined in its technical sense that is, the ability to transform inputs (financial and human resources) into outputs (results achieved by students in standardized test scores). A two-stage quantitative procedure was used to investigate “managerial” efficiency, so that the impact of external variables on educational efficiency could be suitably taken into account.

Findings

– The results show that the average efficiency score is quite high in the sample of schools considered, but potential savings can still be made: overall, with the schools’ available resources, achievement scores could be increased by about 20 percent. Efficiency and educational equity are complementary in primary public (state) schools, and the most efficient schools are those with the lowest internal variance between the students’ achievement scores; the same does not hold for middle school students’ results in mathematics. Lastly, several schools appeared to be efficient when the external variables were not taken into consideration, while their background actually favored them, and they are not efficient from a purely managerial perspective.

Originality/value

– The most important piece of innovation is the investigation of managerial efficiency and its implications on policies. This study confirms and suggests that there could be an inverse relationship between apparent (baseline) and true (managerial) efficiency, that is, between the efficiency scores achieved before and after the “correction” made for external variables.
Servitization and operations management: a service dominant-logic approach
Authors: Smith Laura , Maull Roger , C.L. Ng Irene
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide further insight into operations management of the product-service (P-S) transition, known as servitization, and the resulting product service system (PSS) offerings. In exploring the P-S transition, this paper adopts a service-dominant (S-D) logic view of value creation, using it as a lens through which to explore value propositions of the P-S transition and their operations design.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper presents an in-depth case study of an original equipment manufacturer of durable capital equipment who, over the last five years, has expanded its offerings to include use- and result-orientated PSS. The research design uses a multi-method approach; employing 28 in-depth qualitative interviews with customers and employees and analysis of texts, documents and secondary data including five years of enterprise resource planning (ERP), call centre and contract data.

Findings

– The paper identifies ten generic P-S attributes that are abstracted into four nested value propositions: asset value proposition; recovery value proposition; availability value proposition; and outcome value proposition. In examining the operations design for delivery of these value propositions, it is found that the role and importance of contextual variety increases as the organisation moves through the value propositions. Interdependencies amongst the value propositions and differences in operational design for each value proposition are also found.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper investigates PSS through a S-D logic mindset. First, the paper considers value propositions of PSS not according to “product” or “service” but in terms of how resources (both material and human) are optimally designed to co-create customer value. Second, a value co-creation system of nested value propositions is illustrated. In so doing, the findings have a number of implications for literature on both PSS and S-D logic. In addition, the research adds to the PSS literature through the identification and consideration of the concept of contextual use variety.

Practical implications

– The paper demonstrates the complexity of the transition from product to service. Specifically, service cannot be seen as a bolt-on extra to their product offering; complexity caused by interactions and changes to the core offering require a systems perspective and consideration of both firm and customer skills and resources.

Originality/value

– This paper extends existing literature on the P-S transition and its implications for operations management. Notably, it takes an S-D logic perspective of value creation and in so doing highlights the importance and role of contextual use variety in the P-S transition. It also provides further empirical evidence that the P-S transition cannot be treated as discrete stages but is evolutionary and requires a complex systems perspective.
Company-specific production systems and competitive advantage
Authors: H. Netland Torbjørn , Aspelund Arild
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– In order to improve competitiveness on a global scale, multinational enterprises increasingly develop a company-specific production system (XPS) and deploy it in their worldwide operations. An XPS is synonymous with a tailored corporate-wide improvement programme. The purpose of this paper is to explore the circumstances under which an XPS can provide a competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses an explorative case study methodology to investigate the link between the establishment of an XPS and competitive advantage. Specifically, the paper investigates the part of the Volvo Group's globally implemented Volvo production system (VPS) that aim to improve the manufacturing processes worldwide. Due to its historical trajectories, Volvo constitutes a unique case for studying the trend and effects of XPS. The resource-based view of the firm provides the theoretical foundation for the analysis.

Findings

– The paper concludes with four research propositions. P1: In industries with widespread XPS implementation, an XPS is a necessary resource for achieving competitive parity; P2a: Early-starters get an instant temporary competitive advantage; P2b: Late-starters can achieve a temporary competitive advantage if they implement an XPS at a faster speed than competitors; and P3: An XPS can provide a sustainable competitive advantage if it has a superior fit with other path-dependent resources in the organisation.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper proposes an updated VRIO model, which is better suited for understanding the relations between an XPS and competitive advantage. The major limitation of the study is the single-case design, which complicates generalisation from the VPS to an XPS of the propositions set forward.

Originality/value

– Despite the significant trend in modern operations management, XPSs have received remarkably limited attention from academia except for the Toyota Production System. Presumably, this is the first paper to discuss the recent trend of XPS and its contribution to competitive advantage.
The servitization of manufacturing
Authors: Lightfoot Howard , Baines Tim , Smart Palie
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The servitization of manufacturing is a diverse and complex field of research interest. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative and organising lens for viewing the various contributions to knowledge production from those research communities addressing servitization. To achieve this, the paper aims to set out to address two principal questions, namely where are the knowledge stocks and flows amongst the research communities? And what are generic research concerns being addressed by these communities?

Design/methodology/approach

– Using an evidenced-based approach, the authors have performed a systematic review of the research literature associated with the servitization of manufacturing. This investigation incorporates a descriptive and thematic analysis of 148 academic and scholarly papers from 103 different lead authors in 68 international peer-reviewed journals.

Findings

– The work proposes support for the existence of distinct researcher communities, namely services marketing, service management, operations management, product-service systems and service science management and engineering, which are contributing to knowledge production in the servitization of manufacturing. Knowledge stocks within all communities associated with research in the servitization of manufacturing have dramatically increased since the mid-1990s. The trends clearly reveal that the operations community is in receipt of the majority of citations relating to the servitization of manufacturing. In terms of knowledge flows, it is apparent that the more mature communities are drawing on more locally produced knowledge stocks, whereas the emergent communities are drawing on a knowledge base more evenly distributed across all the communities. The results are indicative of varying degrees of interdependency amongst the communities. The generic research concerns being addressed within the communities are associated with the concepts of product-service differentiation, competitive strategy, customer value, customer relationships and product-service configuration.

Originality/value

– This research has further developed and articulated the identities of distinct researcher communities actively contributing to knowledge production in the servitization of manufacturing, and to what extent they are pursuing common research agendas. This study provides an improved descriptive and thematic awareness of the resulting body of knowledge, allowing the field of servitization to progress in a more informed and multidisciplinary fashion.
A balanced scorecard envelopment approach to assess airlines' performance
Authors: Wu Wann-Yih , Liao Ying-Kai
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This study purposed an integrated DEA-BSC model to evaluate the operational efficiency of airlines. To adapt this model, 38 major airlines in the world were selected to assess their relative performance.

Design/methodology/approach

– An empirical study is employed using a cross-sectional research design. The operational and financial data of 38 leading airlines companies were collected from annual reports and business reports. Specifically, this study integrated the concepts of balanced scorecard (BSC) and data envelopment analysis (DEA) and incorporated seven leading variables and four lagging variables from BSC to implement DEA.

Findings

– By using the leading and lagging variables to implement DEA, this study not only assessed the efficiency frontiers, input slack, output slacks, and benchmarking learning partners of 38 airlines, but also illustrated how leading indicators are related and influence lagging indicators. In particular, the study results indicated that airlines with excellent performance in the efficient frontiers tended to perform better in energy, capital, and other operating costs.

Research limitations/implications

– This study presented a DEA-BSC model to integrate the concepts of BSC into DEA. The empirical results showed that the model is more advanced than the capabilities of individual DEA and BSC. This model could also eliminate the faults of each one. Due to the cross-sectional research design of this research, future research should develop the longitudinal study to identify the time series of the influences of leading factors on lagging factors.

Practical implications

– This study offered an integrated model that incorporated the concepts of BSC and DEA. The leading and lagging factors of BSC were adopted to the evaluation of operational performance of airlines along with DEA. Therefore, BSC has served as the compliment of DEA. Using the DEA-BSC results, such as the efficiency frontiers, the amount of slacks, and benchmark learning partners, business executives could develop their improvement strategies.

Originality/value

– Since none of previous studies have integrated BSC and DEA to assess the operational efficiency of the airline industry, the results of this study could serve as a baseline for further academic validations, the results could also be very useful for the executives of airline companies to allocate their resources for further improvement.
Security investment in aviation industry: a longitudinal analysis
Authors: Wang Ying , Kofi Andoh-Baidoo Francis , Sun Jun
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– Terrorist attacks have generated interests among practitioners and researchers on transportation security enhancement. This study investigates the role that rationality play in government funding on this important aspect of homeland security. In particular, it examines how environmental changes and project characteristics influence the allocation of security-related Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants in the aviation industry. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– The central hypothesis is that rationality regulates transportations security investment through the dynamic balancing between type I error and type II error concerns. To empirically validate it, this study conducts various analyses on AIP history data. In particular, it uses text mining to identify the security-related AIP grants and their coverage, trend analysis to compare the trends of security funding and other transportation investment, and classification tree analysis to determine the factors that influence the allocation of security-related grants.

Findings

– The longitudinal distribution of security-related grants differs from other types of transportation funding in terms of their distinct responses to terrorist and economic events. Project characteristics including project coverage and facility location have secondary yet consistent effects on the allocation of security-related grants.

Originality/value

– This study empirically validates the concept of rationality in transportation security investment. In particular, the findings support that it in constant moves along both longitudinal and cross-sectional dimensions. The dynamic and multi-facet nature of rationality provides the key for researchers and practitioners to understand security funding in aviation industry.
Mantis: hybrid leg-wheel ground mobile robot
Authors: Bruzzone Luca , Fanghella Pietro
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The aim of the research is the development of a small-scale ground mobile robot for surveillance and inspection; the main design goals are mobility in indoor environments with step climbing ability, pivoting around a vertical axis and without oscillations for stable vision, mobility in unstructured environments, low mechanical and control complexity.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed hybrid leg-wheel robot is characterized by a main body equipped with two actuated wheels and two praying Mantis rotating legs; a rear frame with two idle wheels is connected to the main body by a vertical revolute joint for steering; a second revolute joint allows the rear axle to roll. The geometrical synthesis of the robot has been performed using a nondimensional approach for generality's sake.

Findings

– The experimental campaign on the first prototype confirms the fulfilment of the design objectives; the robot can efficiently walk in unstructured environments realizing a mixed wheeled-legged locomotion.

Practical implications

– Thanks to the operative flexibility of Mantis in indoor and outdoor environments, the range of potential applications is wide: surveillance, inspection, monitoring of dangerous locations, intervention in case of terroristic attacks, military tasks.

Originality/value

– Different from other robots of similar size, Mantis combines high speed and energetic efficiency, stable vision, capability of climbing over high steps, obstacles and unevenness.
The regulatory considerations and ethical dilemmas of location-based services (LBS)
Authors: Abbas Roba , Michael Katina , Michael MG
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review existing literature regarding the ethical dilemmas posed by location-based services (LBS) and their impact upon the adoption of a regulatory framework.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper employs a qualitative approach for reviewing LBS scholarship, in which existing knowledge is presented in narrative form and is critiqued thematically.

Findings

– In reviewing contemporary scholarship, the value of technical, social and environmental considerations is demonstrated. This encourages an understanding of the complexities, multiple interests and contextual factors that must be incorporated into the examination of LBS regulation in any social context.

Practical implications

– Approximately 85 per cent of handsets now have a global positioning system chipset on board. LBS affect a great number of mobile users. This research will create awareness among users of the potential benefits and harms that can come from the (mis)use of the technology. It will also promote an awareness of the complexities surrounding LBS regulation, drawing attention to the importance of collaboration and involvement of LBS stakeholders in the regulatory process.

Originality/value

– Defines the ethical dilemmas of LBS that influence regulatory choices through a review of applicable literature and proposes that future research simultaneously address technical, social and environmental factors relevant to LBS.
Measuring the value of online communities
Authors: Christian Franklin James , Mainelli Michael , Pay Robert
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a set of measures that enable better understanding of online communities, their value and the strategic decisions best suited to them.

Design/methodology/approach

– After an initial definition of terms and classification of online communities, a framework for assessing the value of communities is presented, enumerating benefits by their relationship to risk and reward. The disconnect between such benefits and the normal statistical measures of success is then addressed. The paper concludes with a short review of a range of other factors that should influence the valuation of online communities.

Findings

– There are three key points that should allow a structured approach to estimating the value of communities: a 12-part model for classifying online communities by their purposes; a consideration of how these should be measured; and a review of some other factors affecting the valuation of communities.

Originality/value

– The paper allows a framework for stakeholders of online communities to converse, plan and make decisions regarding those communities. The paper uses a framework already tested in the charity sector by Z/Yen Group and applies it in the online community space.
The impact of compensation on information ownership and privacy control
Authors: Aaron Gabisch Jason , R. Milne George
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The question over who “owns” and controls consumer data on the internet is emerging as an important issue as individuals increasingly share more of their personal information with marketers in return for services and benefits. This paper aims to examine how compensating consumers for their personal information affects their expectations for data ownership and privacy control.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors conduct two online scenario-based experiments with a sample of adult consumers. The results were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of variance.

Findings

– The findings show that receiving compensation, especially when it is a monetary reward, reduces consumer expectations for privacy protection. These effects depend on whether the information provided to marketers is perceived to be sensitive in nature.

Originality/value

– While a number of privacy studies have investigated the effects of compensation on encouraging self-disclosure on the internet, there is a lack of research that examines the effect of compensation on privacy expectations. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to test empirically the construct of information ownership in the context of privacy exchanges.
Technology acceptance model (TAM) and social media usage: an empirical study on Facebook
Authors: Rauniar Rupak , Rawski Greg , Yang Jei , Johnson Ben
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– Given the widespread popularity of social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn, theorizing and understanding the user attitude and usage behavior of social media site is fundamental in developing future understandings and deployment of these new technologies. One approach to such studies on drivers of social media usage behavior would be to revisit the technology acceptance model (TAM). The purpose of this paper is to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Decades of extensive research have focussed on validating the TAM, proposed by Davis (1986), for various types of information systems and communication technologies. TAM forecasts individual adoption and voluntary use of technology. This study examines individual adoption behavior of the most popular social networking site Facebook. The influences on the intention of using social networking based on individual's perceived ease of use (EU), the user's critical mass (CM), social networking site capability (CP), perceived playfulness (PP), trustworthiness (TW), and perceived usefulness (PU) is empirically examined with a primary data set of 398 users of Facebook gathered from a web-based questionnaire survey.

Findings

– The results demonstrate that the revised social media TAM model proposed in this study supports all the hypotheses of social media usage behavior. The results of this study provide evidence for the importance of additional key variables to TAM in considering user engagement on social media sites and other social-media-related business strategies.

Originality/value

– Based on our review of existing scientific literature on social media, few empirical studies have been conducted to scientifically evaluate and explain the usage behavior of social media using Facebook. A validated instrument of usage behavior of social media can provide usability experts and practitioners with a validated tool to assess social media acceptance and usage behavior. This can help us gain a better understanding of “who is and who is not using these sites, why and for what purposes” (Boyd and Ellison, 2007).
Boundary spanning tactics and “traceable” connections in cross-organizational virtual alliances
Authors: Akoumianakis Demosthenes
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate boundary spanning tactics in a cross-organizational virtual alliance and discuss the analytical value of “digging” into technology for excavating boundaries and understanding their dynamic and emergent features.

Design/methodology/approach

– Although boundaries, their role and implications have been extensively investigated across a variety of online settings, the results are inconclusive as to the features of technology that create, dissolve or re-locate boundaries. This is attributed to the fact that in most cases technology is addressed as a black box – a discrete artefact of practice – without seeking justification for the inscribed functions that enable or constrain use. The paper overcomes these shortcomings by analysing digital trace data compiled through a virtual ethnographic assessment of a cross-organizational tourism alliance. Data comprise electronic traces of online collaboration whose interpretive capacity is augmented using knowledge visualization techniques capable of revealing dynamic and emergent features of boundary spanning.

Findings

– Boundary spanning in virtual settings entails micro-negotiations around several types of boundaries. Some of them are either enforced by or inscribed into technology, while others are enacted in practice. Knowledge visualization of digital trace data allows “excavation” of these boundaries, assessment of their implications on distributed organizing of online ensembles and discovery of “hidden” knowledge that drives boundary spanning tactics of collaborators.

Practical implications

– In cross-organizational collaborative settings, boundary spanning represents an enacted capability stemming from the intertwining between material and social/collective agencies. Consequently, boundaries surface as first class design constructs, directing design attention not only to features inscribed in technology (i.e. user profiles, registration mechanisms, moderation policies) but also the way such features are appropriated to re-shape, re-locate or dissolve boundaries.

Originality/value

– An empirical data pool compiled through virtual ethnographic assessment of online collaboration is revisited and augmented with knowledge visualization techniques that enhance the interpretive capacity of the data and reveal “hidden” aspects of the collaborators’ boundary spanning behaviour and tactics.
A surname brand effect explanation for consumer brand preference and advocacy
Authors: Howard Daniel , Kerin Roger
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– A lack of empirical evidence currently exists verifying name similarity effects on brand level choice and behavior. This research aims to test for and document the existence of a surname brand preference effect – whether individuals with surnames that match the names of brands prefer them more than other brands and behave in a manner consistent with those preferences.

Design/methodology/approach

– In two studies consisting of four national surveys, 50 consumer brands across 23 product categories were examined.

Findings

– Findings reveal that respondents with surnames that match well-known national brands more than doubled their preference rate for that brand. Findings also reveal that for consumers who prefer a brand, surname matching results in them being more than twice as likely to label themselves as brand advocates.

Originality/value

– These findings represent the first comprehensive examination of name similarity effects on brand preferences and advocacy. The data support and extend existing theoretical findings regarding an ego-driven interpretation of those effects. Implications for marketing practice and future research are highlighted.
Descriptive analysis of Nissan's electric vehicle commercialization strategies
Authors: A. Dehkordi Majid , Yonekura Seiichiro , Kohnepushi SeyedHadi
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to identify and describe the factors associated with Nissan Company's electric vehicle (EV) development. In addition, Nissan's different commercialization strategies toward EV and HEV development will be discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses a descriptive case study approach to provide a deep understanding of successful or failed projects of Nissan. In this term, the company's green car development between 1996 and 2012 will be analyzed. Based on the market presence, Nissan's electric vehicle production trend is divided into two different generations with different characteristics. The gap between these two generations has a structural effect on the current state of Nissan's EV development.

Findings

– One key factor behind Nissan's success and lead in the current electric vehicle market is the long-term experience with specific type of market structure, which has nurtured the company with a strong green vehicle development capability. The study shows that the electric vehicles market gap acted as a catalyst for later Nissan's successful cases. Also, the authors demonstrate how the dramatic shifts in Nissan strategies helped the company to revitalize its leadership as an electric car guru.

Originality/value

– This study provides a better insight into the importance of early stage commercialization strategies in the re-born market of eco-friendly vehicles.
Front-of-package product labels: influences of varying nutritional food labels on parental decisions
Authors: Bui My , D. Kaltcheva Velitchka , Patino Anthony , C. Leventhal Richard
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This research aims to examine the effects of varying front-of-package (FOP) nutrition information type on parents' food product choices for children.

Design/methodology/approach

– A 3(FOP nutrition information: nutrient specific system vs food group information system vs summary indicator system) × 3(Perceived healthiness of the product: high vs moderate vs low) mixed-design experiment and content analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– Findings suggest that summary indicator systems were effective in positively impacting parents' choices for healthier food options, however not as effective as food group information systems – which includes specific nutrient content claims complementing less familiar health nutrient symbols.

Originality/value

– Implications for marketers, consumer welfare advocates and product brand managers are provided.
The influence of brand trust and brand identification on brand evangelism
Authors: P. Becerra Enrique , Badrinarayanan Vishag
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to examine how the nature of consumers' relationship with a brand influences brand evangelism, which represents an intense form of brand support behavior. Specifically, the study investigates the influence of two consumer-brand relational constructs, brand trust and brand identification, on brand evangelism. Brand evangelism, conceptualized as an amalgam of adoption and advocacy behaviors, is operationalized in terms of three supportive behaviors: purchase intentions, positive referrals, and oppositional brand referrals.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing from prior research on consumer-brand relationships, a framework of brand relationships and brand evangelism is developed. To provide a more robust test of theory, consumers' extraversion, gender, and brand experience are included as control variables. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

– The findings reveal that consumer-brand relationships influence brand evangelism, albeit in different ways. Whereas brand trust influences purchase intentions and positive referrals, brand identification influences positive and oppositional brand referrals. Overall, the findings reveal the power of consumer-brand relationships in engendering brand evangelism, relative to other factors such as extraversion, gender, and brand experience.

Practical implications

– In today's consumption society, where it is increasingly easier for consumers to demonstrate extreme devotion and derision toward brands, it is important for marketers to understand the drivers of behaviors directed toward brands. This study suggests that marketers can cultivate brand evangelism by building brand trust and brand identification.

Originality/value

– Marketing researchers and practitioners are only recently beginning to understand brand evangelism. This study demonstrates that consumer-brand relationships, rather than personality, gender, and usage experience, trigger brand evangelism and offers directions for future researchers to further explicate brand evangelism.
Evaluating the impact of economic factors on REITs' capital structure around the world
Authors: Rovolis Antonios , Feidakis Andreas
Published: January 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the determinants of the capital structure of real estate investment trusts (REITs) across the world and explore whether this structure is characterized by any common factors.

Design/methodology/approach

– Endogenous and exogenous factors that affect the financial management of real estate firms are identified in the analysis. “Regular” (static) panel data regression analysis, as well as dynamic panel data techniques, is applied to a panel of listed real estate firms from 2005 to 2010.

Findings

– Empirical results showed that factors such as tangibility, size of the company, growth opportunities, assets turnover affect positively the financial leverage of REITs; conversely, other determinants, being debit's cost, GDP, and long-term interest rates, are negatively correlated with the financial gearing of the REITs.

Practical implications

– This paper identifies factors that determine the capital structure of REITs around the world. Firm executives and policy makers in different countries may wish to adjust their policies (regarding capital structure) according to the empirical findings.

Originality/value

– This study, using a comprehensive dataset from all over the world, investigates whether there are solid and mutual factors that can characterize the capital structure of REITs.