bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Do microblog postings influence consumer perceptions of retailers' e‐servicescapes?
Authors: Tran Gina A. , Strutton David , Taylor David G.
Published: July 2012

Purpose

Consumers are increasingly connected to each other through electronic devices. Consequently, the potential for online retailer (hereafter, e‐tailer) initiated communications delivered through electronic media to inspire viral‐like e‐WOM processes among consumers is also expanding. Microblog postings and e‐mails may impact consumers' perceptions of retail web sites (e‐servicescape). These perceptions may trigger other outcomes (i.e. greater trust, patronage, or e‐WOM) that redound to e‐tailers' interests. The first purpose of this paper is to expand online e‐tailers' (e‐tailers') understanding of how and whether microblog postings affect consumers' e‐servicescape perceptions. The second purpose is to investigate how and whether e‐servicescape perceptions influence consumers' trust in e‐tailers' web sites, patronage of e‐tailers, and propensity to engage in e‐WOM about e‐tailers' messages.

Design/methodology/approach

By integrating the e‐servicescape construct with the Network Coproduction Model of WOM theory, a model is developed. This model examines how e‐communication efforts affect consumers' perceptions of e‐servicescape, trust, e‐tail patronage and e‐WOM. Each relationship is investigated through a consumer survey.

Findings

Findings suggest: microblog postings may have a negative impact on consumers' e‐servicescape perceptions; retail web site's usability, financial security, customization, and entertainment value positively affect consumers' trust; and consumers' trust positively impacts retail patronage and e‐WOM intentions.

Practical implications

Prescriptive insights for managing microblogging in ways that more favorably influence consumers' perceptions of e‐tailers' e‐servicescapes – and subsequently consumer trust in, patronage of, and e‐WOM about the retailer and its web site – are developed.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to integrate word‐of‐mouth theory with e‐servicescape to test a model examining how microblog postings affect e‐servicescape perceptions, consumer trust, consumer retail patronage, and e‐WOM intentions.
The civil society route to social cohesion
Authors: Taylor‐Gooby Peter
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the theoretical basis of the claim that social cohesion is served better by processes within civil society than by government policies. This paper also aims to provide an empirical test using recent UK data. This paper combines literatures from sociology, political science and social psychology in an innovative way.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach used was analysis of a range of relevant literatures. Statistical analysis of the DCLG Citizenship Survey to examine aspects of cohesion was also undertaken.

Findings

The civil society argument has both strengths and weaknesses. Group processes and group interests in civil society may lead towards exclusion rather than inclusion. In the UK context, the civil society route to social cohesion is uncertain: the groupings that develop do not necessary promote commitments broadly across society and particularly between advantaged and disadvantaged citizens.

Research limitations/implications

This article shows the value of social psychological as well as sociological and political science material. It identifies severe limitations as well as strengths in the kind of civil society approaches that have been promoted in recent discussion of the “Big Society”.

Practical implications

The civil society route to social cohesion is no substitute for the welfare state.

Social implications

Moves to re‐centre social cohesion on civil society processes are unlikely to be successful.

Originality/value

The paper uses a combination of theoretical literatures from different disciplines, including social psychology. The paper uses an empirical test of the civil society thesis using up to date material.
Municipal subsidiary policy toward professional sports teams
Authors: Galily Yair , Yuval Fany , Bar‐Eli Michael
Published: July 2012

Purpose

Local authorities around the world provide different forms and different amounts of direct and/or indirect assistance to professional sport teams, which in most cases are owned by private business entrepreneurs. Findings from various studies indicate that professional sports teams do not make a significant contribution to a city in terms of its economy, tourism or even image. The purpose of this paper is to explore and question, from a local public policy standpoint, the justification for financial assistance from the local authority to privately owned professional sports teams that provide a public service or a public good.

Design/methodology/approach

In order to shed light on the process, a two‐staged study was used: an examination of the financial subsidies of ten cities in Israel, focusing in particular on Herzliya, an affluent community north of Tel Aviv. In the second stage, a representative sample of Herzliya's adult residents (18 years old and above) was surveyed with regard to the city's current policy on sports and the policy they would like to see enacted.

Findings

The findings show that both public officials and professional sports officials place subsidizing popular sports rather than professional sports higher on their priorities. The study concludes that the combination of a number of processes has brought about a democratic deficit.

Originality/value

Lack of transparency and the exclusion of the public in decision making processes has led to a democratic deficit in the local authorities. Once it was armed with empirical information and included in the decision making process, the public was able to reallocate the budget to meet its needs.
Socio‐cultural characteristics of physical activity habits in Israel (1992‐2008)
Authors: Galily Yair , Tamir Ilan , Meckel Yoav , Eliakim Alon
Published: July 2012

Purpose

In spite of the fact that the health, mental, and educational benefits of physical activity are well documented, information is still lacking regarding the physical activity patterns in Israeli society. The purpose of the present study is to shed light on the changes of physical activity practices between the years 1992‐2008 and to analyze the main reasons for such changes.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted among 501 adults (ages 18‐69) representing the Jewish Hebrew‐speaking population of Israel.

Findings

The percentage of Israelis who engaged in physical activity more than doubled between 1992 and 2008. Almost 56 percent of Israelis took part in some activity on a regular basis in 2008.

Originality/value

This investigation of some of these factors uncovers a cultural transformation as well as demographic, global, and cognitive processes, all of which affected and reflected upon physical activity in Israeli society during that period.
Determinants of cross‐buying intentions in banking services in collectivistic culture
Authors: Hong Jung‐Kee , Lee You‐il
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to be the first to explicate the determinants of customers’ cross‐buying intentions in the banking services of Korea and Taiwan, and then explore the influence of cross‐cultural values, such as “Collectivism”, to the relationships between these determinants and customers’ cross‐buying intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed a triangulation approach of structured surveys to 700 actual customers, and six interviews with professional senior managers engaged in customers’ cross‐buying activities of banking services in two countries – Korea and Taiwan. Confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchal multiple regression were conducted on these data using AMOS 10.1 and SPSS 12.0.

Findings

“Perceived value”, “Trust”, “Image”, and “Satisfaction” were found to be the determinants of customers’ cross‐buying intentions in the banking services of Korea and Taiwan, out of which “Trust” and “Satisfaction” were significantly influenced by “Collectivism”. The research also confirms that, even between countries with similar level of “Collectivism”, its influence can differ according to the determinants of cross‐buying intentions in banking services.

Originality/value

The conceptual model presented in this paper could be extended and tested on customers in an “Individualistic” culture, in future research. The analysis in the research could also be further elaborated for specific segments of customers.
Methods of improving the physical spaces of banking establishments
Authors: Reinares Pedro , Garcia Luis
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address physical space management in customer service establishments and recognise the importance for such establishments to consider the experiences of customers in these spaces. For this purpose, the authors suggest constructs that enable service companies to focus appropriately on clients and to create and manage the experiences of customers in these facilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for the analysis were gathered using a purpose‐designed structured questionnaire that was administered by computer‐assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). Quotas were established to ensure a reliable and accurate representation of the general Spanish population with current accounts at a retail branch of any bank. The data collected included 1,600 valid responses.

Findings

Changes in the physical spaces of banking establishments must be determined by “how such establishments want to be perceived” by customers. This research indicates that current management is inadequate, as evidenced by the resoundingly negative customer evaluations. Consequently, banking establishments must be redesigned to ensure that clients are placed at the centre of such spaces.

Practical implications

The authors’ practical recommendation is that banks should introduce changes to the environmental and physical components of their facilities to generate a more positive response from their customers.

Originality/value

The categorisation of the physical customer service space described in this paper will enable such spaces to be used to facilitate positive consumer experiences, to assist companies in achieving an improved client‐oriented atmosphere.
Determinants of internal governance quality: evidence from Sweden
Authors: Franck Peter , Sundgren Stefan
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess whether ownership concentration, leverage and demand for equity financing is associated with internal corporate governance quality. The paper focuses on dimensions of governance quality that are related to financial reporting quality.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors measure internal governance quality by an indicator variable that takes on higher values depending on whether a company has an audit committee, has a sufficient number of audit committee meetings during the year, has financial expertise on the audit committee, has an internal auditing function, a risk management function, a code of conduct and whistle blower provisions in the code of conduct. The sample consists of 91 Swedish listed companies of which 39 companies had to follow the Swedish Corporate Governance Code. The development of hypotheses is based on agency theory. Ordered logistic regressions are used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The paper finds a strong negative association between leverage and the internal governance quality score for companies that do not have to follow the Corporate Governance Code. The paper also finds a positive association between the governance quality score and dispersed ownership among companies that have to follow the code.

Research limitations/implications

The negative association between leverage and governance quality is opposite to the typical agency theory prediction. A number of other studies have also documented negative or insignificant associations with leverage in related settings. The research suggests there is a demand to develop theories related to leverage and the implementation of governance characteristics beyond the typical agency theory based predictions.

Practical implications

The results raise the question whether lenders more actively directly or indirectly should influence the governance quality of borrowers.

Originality/value

Based on the conjecture that governance quality increases with the number of governance elements, the paper studies a governance score that is built up by several elements of good corporate governance. Furthermore, the authors study a setting dominated by voluntary choices of governance quality, which makes it possible to study supply effects.
Was Dodd‐Frank justified in granting internal control audit exemption to small firms?
Authors: Mithu Dey R. , Sullivan Mary W.
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the cost of the internal control audit for small firms and assess whether the costs are scalable or, alternatively, whether they are higher in relation to firm size for small firms than for larger firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The method estimates the Section 404 audit fee premium for companies that became accelerated filers for the first time in 2006 and 2007. The authors use the estimated audit fee premium as a proxy for the premium that non‐accelerated filers would have to pay if they were required to obtain an internal control audit.

Findings

The main finding shows that the Section 404(b) estimated cost of the internal control audit divided by assets are significantly higher for non‐accelerated filers and first‐time filers than for those of larger firms.

Research limitations/implications

One limitation of the study is that, while it shows that the costs of the Section 404 audit are not scalable to firm size, it does not prove that the costs of the audit exceed the benefits for non‐accelerated filers.

Practical implications

The finding that the costs are proportionately higher for small firms provides some evidence supporting the decision to permanently exempt non‐accelerated filers from Section 404(b).

Originality/value

The results show that smaller firms pay proportionately more for the Section 404 internal control audit than larger firms. This suggests that the revised AS no. 5 did not succeed in making the internal control audit completely scalable to firm size.
Evaluating the persistence of subsistence work in contemporary economies
Authors: Williams Colin C. , Rodgers Peter
Published: July 2012

Purpose

Contrary to the view that the subsistence economy is some minor residue persisting in only a few peripheral enclaves of modern economies, the purpose of this paper is to begin to chart the importance and prevalence of subsistence work across the contemporary economic landscape and the reasons underpinning engagement in this form of non‐commodified labour.

Design/methodology/approach

To do so, the extent of, and reasons for, subsistence production amongst those living in contemporary Moscow is evaluated using face‐to‐face interviews with 313 households in affluent, mixed and deprived districts.

Findings

It was found that subsistence work is a ubiquitous phenomenon which is relied on heavily by Muscovite households. Until now, those participating in such subsistence work have been portrayed either as rational economic actors, dupes, seekers of self‐identity, or simply doing so out of necessity or choice. Rather than depict one as correct and the others as invalid, this survey inductively generates a theoretically‐integrative approach which differentiates between “willing” (rational economic actors, choice, identity seeking) and “reluctant” (economic and market necessity, dupes) participants in subsistence production.

Research limitations/implications

The paper examines only one city. Further research is now required into the extent of, and reasons for, subsistence production in the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as beyond.

Originality/value

This is one of the first papers to identify and explain the ubiquitous persistence of subsistence work in contemporary economies.
The accountant's social background and stereotype in popular culture
Authors: Evans Lisa , Fraser Ian
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The paper aims to explore the social origins of Scottish chartered accountants and the accounting stereotype as portrayed in popular fiction.

Design/methodology/approach

The detective novels of the Scottish chartered accountant Alexander Clark Smith are used as a lens through which to explore the social origins of accountants and the changing popular representations of the accountant.

Findings

The novels contribute to our understanding of the construction of accounting stereotypes and of the social origins of Scottish accountants. They suggest that, while working class access to the profession was a reality, so was class division within it. In addition, Smith was ahead of contemporary professional discourse in creating a protagonist who combines the positive aspects of the traditional stereotype with qualities of a private‐eye action‐hero, and who uses accounting skills to uncover corruption and address (social) wrongs. However, this unconventional portrayal may have been incongruent with the image the profession wished to portray. The public image (or stereotype) portrayed by its members would have been as important in signalling and maintaining the profession's collective status as the recruitment of its leadership from social elites.

Originality/value

Smith's portrayal of accountants in personal and societal settings at a time of profound social change, as well as his background in the Scottish profession, provide a rich source for the study of social origins of Scottish chartered accountancy during the first half of the twentieth century. Further, Smith's novels are of a popular genre, and innovative in the construction of their hero and of accounting itself; as such they merit attention because of their potential to influence the construction of the accounting stereotype(s) within the popular imagination.
The concept of taonga in Māori culture: insights for accounting
Authors: Craig Russell , Taonui Rawiri , Wild Susan
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The indigenous Māori culture of New Zealand offers valuable insights for the development of ideas about the concept of asset. To highlight such insights, and to encourage a rethinking, this paper aims to explore the meaning of the closest Māori term to asset, taonga.

Design/methodology/approach

The critical review the authors conduct fuses Western literature‐based scholarship with an indigenous scholarly method that utilises oral information and the written literature of Māori scholars who have recognised traditional and scholarly credentials.

Findings

Taonga includes a sacred regard for the whole of nature and a belief that resources are gifts from the gods and ancestors for which current generations of Māori are responsible stewards. Taonga emphasises guardianship over ownership, collective and co‐operative rights over individualism, obligations towards future generations, and the need to manage resources sustainably.

Originality/value

The insights offered by Māori culture are beneficial in addressing a range of vexing environmental and social issues in ways that embrace a broader set of principles than those based on individual property rights and economic values.
Publish or perish
Authors: L'Huillier Barbara
Published: July 2012

Purpose

This poem aims to present a reflection on a common issue faced by academics around the world namely, the urgency to publish.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a fictional poem.

Findings

The poet considers how academics are being judged or rewarded by those in university administration. Regardless of how good a teacher they are, unless they have publications they are viewed poorly.

Originality/value

An attempt to summarize the situation many academics are finding themselves in – unless they publish that will be undervalued in the academic workplace.
The oldest profession
Authors: Saliya C.A.
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention towards how religious beliefs are linked to today's accounting principles and legitimating exploitation.

Design/methodology/approach

The poem is a critical thought.

Findings

Religious concepts have been widely used to justify various historical social injustices. Four basic accounting principles; matching, accrual, going concern and reporting cycle perfectly correspond with life cycles, the acts and rewards of such lives, and “balancing” the pains and gains of individuals and society. These concepts, which have now become the foundation of accounting, were in existence millennia ago.

Research limitations/implications

Accounting is broader than has been widely perceived. Accounting researchers should pay more attention to how accounting helped sustain social injustices.

Originality/value

This poem provokes thoughts on the origin of basic accounting principles and their historical roles in sustaining social injustices.
Market reactions to qualified audit reports: research approaches
Authors: Ittonen Kim
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the archival literature on market reactions to qualified audit reports and to seek to identify the different approaches used in those studies. In addition, the paper discusses the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches, summarizes key findings, and provides suggestions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews articles examining the relevance of qualified audit reports published between 1972 and 2010.

Findings

First, the review suggests that there are three main approaches used in the literature: the short‐window approach, the long‐window approach, and the indirect approach. Each approach has both strengths and significant weaknesses that should be acknowledged. Second, as a whole the empirical findings in this area are mixed. A more detailed analysis reveals that only the indirect approach has consistently found support for the relevance of qualified audit reports.

Research limitations/implications

This paper shows that in future, researchers in this area should strive to identify the correct information release date, because it is the most critical step in conducting event studies. In addition to the event date identification, the effect of simultaneous information releases during the event period must be considered. Last, it is suggested that researchers include other stock market measures besides abnormal returns in their analysis, because measures like change in volatility, volume, bid‐ask spread, and systematic risk could provide information that abnormal returns do not offer.

Originality/value

This paper provides a review of the current state of knowledge on whether audit reports convey new information to the stock markets.
Desirable generic attributes for accounting graduates into the twenty‐first century
Authors: Tempone Irene , Kavanagh Marie , Segal Naomi , Hancock Phil , Howieson Bryan , Kent Jenny
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the requirements of accounting graduates in relation to generic attributes. Employers have consistently maintained that graduates are deficient in this area. This Australia‐wide, all‐sector study addresses the issue by examining what employers mean when they make demands for universities and academics to deliver work‐ready graduates.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews (recorded, transcribed and analysed with NVivo) with employers, and accounting professional bodies were conducted to ascertain their views of their needs of accounting graduates into the future.

Findings

Employers held the generic attributes of communication, team work and self‐management to be the most critical for graduates in the three areas of recruitment, training and ongoing employment. Demands on universities to deliver work‐ready graduates are not homogeneous. Employers in different sectors construe the meaning of generic attributes in line with their specific needs.

Originality/value

The study was an original piece of work that gauged the opinions of professional accounting bodies and employers of accounting graduates across Australia and in all sectors of the accounting profession. The value of the study is to inform academics as to the ranked importance of generic attributes but also alert them to the different meanings that are assigned to these skills by employers in different sectors.
Corporate villains: taking the bore out of law
Authors: Cameron Craig
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation of a storytelling teaching method in a company law course for accounting students and to evaluate its influence on engagement and effective learning.

Design/methodology/approach

The learning activity, known as “corporate villains”, is based on theories of storytelling and engagement. Selected qualitative and quantitative data from university course and teaching evaluation surveys were used to assess the achievement of objectives and identify learning outcomes.

Findings

The corporate villains learning activity engaged students at the beginning of the lecture and influenced student learning by demonstrating the relevance, or “real life” application, of company law to accounting students. Corporate villains also stimulated curiosity in learning more about the law which is characteristic of students pursuing a deep approach to learning.

Originality/value

The study extends the research on storytelling in accounting and legal education and supports empirical evidence as to the positive impact of storytelling on student engagement in learning. In particular, the study reveals the potential for corporate villains to address various academic and student concerns about company law by humanising the law and enabling students to connect the legal concepts to the story and to the curriculum.
The impact of financial development on economic growth
Authors: Masoud Najeb , Hardaker Glenn
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework that integrates the endogenous growth and functions of financial markets and institutions theory in order to investigate how the financial market and the banking sector develop indicators that affect economic growth in these countries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is an empirical analysis of the relationship between financial development and economic growth for 42 emerging markets, over 12 years, using endogenous growth model.

Findings

First, the results suggest that stock market development has a significant effect on economic growth, and this effect remains strong even after the influence of banking sector and other control variables using a growth model. Second, the research findings largely support the view that there is a stable, long‐term equilibrium relationship between the evolution of the stock market and the evolution of the economy.

Originality/value

The evidence supports the view that the relation between stock market development and economic growth in emerging economies is bi‐directional. The findings describe that the stock market and the banking sector in emerging economy are complementary rather than substitutes in providing financial services to the economy.
Exchange rate determination and structural changes in response to monetary policies
Authors: Kurihara Yutaka
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to analyse methods for determination of exchange rates in response to fundamental economic variables and changes in monetary policies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper undertakes empirical examination of exchange rate movements and their structural changes in response to changes in macroeconomic variables and monetary policies in the USA, the Euro area, and Japan.

Findings

Exchange rates have been influenced by macroeconomic fundamentals and have been impacted by the conduct of monetary policies in some cases. Some structural changes in exchange rates have coincided with implementation of drastic monetary policies but not in others. The Japanese quantitative easing policy has had an effect on exchange rates.

Originality/value

Monetary policy has been often examined; however, few studies have examined the response of exchange rate movements to monetary policies. Moreover, structural changes in exchange rates are examined in comparison with domestic monetary policies in the USA, the Euro Area, and Japan.
Productivity growth of zakat institutions in Malaysia
Authors: Wahab Norazlina Abd. , Rahim Abdul Rahman Abdul
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the changes in productivity of zakat institutions in Malaysia from 2003 to 2007. The data consist of a panel of 14 State Islamic Religious Councils (SIRCs) in Malaysia. Efficiency is measured by the Malmquist Index, using a data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses Malmquist Productivity Index, using a DEA technique. The Malmquist productivity measures are decomposed into two components: efficiency change and technical change index.

Findings

The results showed that total factor productivity (TFP) has increased slightly for the whole industry, which is mainly due to the technical change rather than the efficiency change. Further decomposition of the efficiency change into its pure technical and scale efficiency components suggest that the pure efficiency is found to be a more important source of efficiency change than scale efficiency component.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the productivity and efficiency of zakat institutions in Malaysia. It will be of value to provide evidence to the policy makers to improve the efficiency of the institutions.
Communication practices of US elected and non‐elected officials
Authors: Fisher Liu Brooke , Levenshus Abbey , Suzanne Horsley J.
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to refine and expand an emerging US government communication model, the government communication decision wheel, by testing the differences between the communication practices of US public sector communicators working for non‐elected officials versus those employed by elected officials.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from surveys of 781 US government communicators, the study compares the communication practices and influences of government communicators working for elected officials versus non‐elected officials.

Findings

The study identifies four significant differences and five similarities in how the public sector environment affects non‐elected and elected officials’ communicators’ public relations practices.

Research limitations/implications

While the study and underlying model focus on US government communication, this study provides valuable theoretical insights. It supports the model's underlying premise that the public sector is unique from the private sector while also further refining the significant differences within the US government sector.

Practical implications

This study helps US government communicators identify unique environmental attributes that affect communication activities in the public sector. It helps identify how these attributes affect communication practices within individual and collaborative contexts. Finally, it helps non‐governmental communicators and communicators outside of the US to understand how the attributes may affect communication practices when they collaborate with government communicators from the four levels of US government as well as with those who work for elected and non‐elected officials.

Originality/value

Despite the critical importance of communication in the public sector, very little research focuses specifically on government communication outside of political communication. The findings provide valuable insights for practitioners and contribute to public relations theory development for the under‐researched public sector.
Corporate and organisational diplomacy: an alternative paradigm to PR
Authors: Macnamara Jim
Published: July 2012

Purpose

A number of scholars including Benno Signitzer and Jacquie L'Etang have proposed public diplomacy as an alternative model to describe and/or inform the practices of public relations. However, international relations and political science scholars claim major differences between public diplomacy and PR, and few studies have sought to reconcile these claims and counter‐claims. The purpose of this paper is to report a comparative analysis of key concepts and principles of public diplomacy.

Design/methodology/approach

This article reports a comparative analysis of key concepts and principles of public diplomacy and the “new diplomacy” as described by Shaun Riordan and public relations (PR) as defined in Excellence theory and other contemporary models of PR to identify commonalties as well as divergences, and discusses how these can inform PR theory and practice.

Findings

This analysis shows similarities between these fields of practice, as well as six unique concepts and principles of public diplomacy and “new diplomacy” that inform corporate diplomacy and organisational diplomacy as an alternative paradigm to “public relations”.

Practical implications

Reconceptualising PR as corporate and organisational diplomacy involves much more than a name change. It recasts PR within alternative theoretical frameworks that are significantly different to those of dominant paradigms of PR and informs new and refined approaches to practice.

Social implications

Adopting the concepts and principles of public diplomacy and “new diplomacy” also would provide a more ethical and societally‐orientated approach to PR.

Originality/value

Most studies comparing public diplomacy and PR have focussed on commonalities with a view to expanding PR's territorial claim or gaining validation of PR. This analysis takes the opposite approach, identifying concepts and principles of public diplomacy and “new diplomacy” that contribute to an alternative paradigm of PR that is more effective, more societally‐orientated, more ethical, and ultimately more publicly accepted.
Meeting the needs of detached young runaways through psychologically informed environments
Authors: Smeaton Emilie
Published: July 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a commentary on Psychologically Informed Services: A Good Practice Guide, a recently published operational guidance document on developing psychologically informed environments (PiEs) in services for homeless people.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment based on the author's specialist knowledge gained from undertaking research addressing the experiences and needs of young runaways.

Findings

The new operational guidance is welcomed but should be extended so that psychologically informed environments are provided in services for young runaways under the age of 16, who often encounter abuse, mental health issues and problematic substance misuse and experience homelessness post 16 and into adulthood.

Originality/value

Commissioners and practitioners should encourage the development of psychologically informed environments for young runaways to meet their needs, aid recovery and reduce the likelihood of experiencing homelessness as they move into adulthood.
The (dis)stressing effects of working in (dis)stressed homelessness organisations
Authors: Scanlon Christopher , Adlam John
Published: July 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a critical analysis of the potentially traumatising nature of working with (dis)stressed and traumatised people with complex needs who are homeless. It also seeks to provide a commentary on the contribution of Psychologically Informed Services: A Good Practice Guide in addressing the impact of these difficult dynamics upon workers, teams and organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an invited piece and is based on the specialist experience and viewpoint of the authors working as psychotherapists with a background in therapeutic community work and of their experience of reflective practice and team development consultancy with teams working in homelessness services.

Findings

With increasing demand and more restricted funding for homelessness resettlement services, the authors raise issues in the complex interaction of institutional and social and interpersonal dilemmas for staff “stuck in the middle” between the (dis)stressing nature of clients' “unhoused” minds and the (dis)stressed response of the systems of care. A group‐analytic, systems psychodynamics approach is used to shed light upon the risks to workers when services do not make time to reflect upon these (dis)stressing and potentially traumatising dynamics. They also point towards some of the personal and professional characteristics required in consulting to staff teams and agencies working with such complex dynamics.

Originality/value

The new operational guidance is welcomed, however, the authors suggest that the successful implementation of Psychologically Informed Environments (PIEs) is reliant on the capacity of any given organisation to build effective cultures and structures to support the development of reflective practice and team development.
PIEs, SPIEs, and Homo SAPIENS: a response from social psychiatry and social therapy
Authors: Harrison Tom
Published: July 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a commentary on Psychologically Informed Services: A Good Practice Guide, a recently published operational guidance document on developing psychologically informed environments (PIEs) in services for homeless people.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment, based on the specialist experience and viewpoint of the author as a rehabilitation psychiatrist, a medical historian of the therapeutic community movement, and a member of the “enabling environments” development group.

Findings

The new operational guidance is welcomed, with some provisos. Specifically, the author is concerned that, in the prevailing commissioning culture, and the individual pathology‐based presumptions of the “medical model”, a focus on the “psychological” may be taken to mean a stress on individual psychology and therapeutic techniques derived from individual therapy. This may distract attention from the need to work with the whole social environment, with peer support and with recognition of the importance of informal interactions, as opportunities for growth, if services are to work with the whole person.

Originality/value

Services that wish to develop as PIEs need to take care to work with the whole person, and their social selves, and to develop enabling environments that recognise and work with the importance of all relationships.
Psychologically informed services: a response from an advocacy perspective
Authors: Whelan Annie
Published: July 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to offer a commentary on Psychologically Informed Services: A Good Practice Guide, a recently published operational guidance document on developing psychologically informed environments (PIEs) in services for homeless people.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an invited opinion piece and comment based on the specialist experience and viewpoint of the author in working with advocacy services in the UK and in the USA.

Findings

The new operational guidance is welcomed, with some provisos. Specifically, any emphasis on training for staff should certainly include an equal weighting on training for service users themselves in order to support positive self‐direction and development.

Originality/value

Services that wish to develop as PIEs will need to ensure that service users are fully engaged and enabled through the process to identify their own needs.
Flexible strategic framework for managing forces of continuity and change in retail banking business processes in India
Authors: Gupta V.K.
Published: July 2012

Purpose

Retail banking is mass market banking where individual customers use local branches of large commercial banks for services such as savings and checking accounts, mortgages, personal loans, car loans, debit cards, credit cards, insurance and other value added services. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of the retail banking business processes from the perspective of continuity and change and identify the factors that affect these processes and overall performance of the retail banking sector. The aim was to develop a flexible framework for managing forces of continuity and change in retail banking business processes from a strategic perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The data on which this study is based were generated through secondary research using published sources and primary research through focused discussion with industry experts and personal interviews with over 100 experts from leading banks selected using a structured questionnaire.

Findings

It was found that most of the public sector banks scored high on the continuity forces and relatively low on the change forces. Most of the private‐sector banks studied scored high on continuity and also high on change forces making them more competitive, except one bank which is low on both the forces because it is a newly established bank. The study suggests that there is a need for public sector banks to focus their strategies on factors affecting change forces for the improvement of their overall performance in the long run.

Social implications

The paper brings in the need for social responsibility for private sector banks and a need for a fine balance in forces of continuity and change for a long‐term sustainable business model.

Originality/value

This research paper represents one of the few efforts to study the business process management of retail banking in India from a strategic perspective and come out with a flexible strategic framework for managing forces of continuity and change for guiding this sector for its long‐term survival and growth. The flexible framework suggested and the C‐C Matrix can be of interest to researchers and practising managers to validate the applicability for other sectors, such as financial services, insurance, corporate finance, mortgages, risk management and other domains. The framework suggested can be adapted for application in the global context.
Achieving impact with clinical process management in hospitals: an inspiring case
Authors: Rohner Peter
Published: July 2012

Purpose

In the OECD countries, hospitals face increased financial restrictions and competition. Process orientation is an essential means of remaining competitive. A wide range of theories and concepts relating to clinical process management already exists. When it comes to practical implementation, however, a comprehensive approach for the target‐oriented and consistent introduction of clinical process management throughout an entire hospital is missing. The purpose of this paper is to document the case of a German hospital that has realised a project of this kind and demonstrate the impacts on cooperation and on operational efficiency, which is understood as the degree to which a hospital is capable of steadily realising short lengths of stay.

Design/methodology/approach

The case shows the approach to implementing theories and concepts for managing clinical processes in practice as a consistent management system in the day‐to‐day use of process management and its impacts.

Findings

The effect of using clinical processes shown in the case is an additional net profit of several million euros a year – without a reduction in quality.

Research limitations/implications

While the impacts of clinical pathways on hospitals are not country‐specific, the reasons are nonetheless subject to the political and economic conditions. Therefore, some findings are only valid for hospitals in German‐speaking countries. However, major effects (e.g. reduction in the length of stay) may exist everywhere.

Originality/value

The paper shows how process orientation in a medium‐sized hospital can be systematically implemented.
Beyond process monitoring: a proof‐of‐concept of event‐driven business activity management
Authors: Janiesch Christian , Matzner Martin , Müller Oliver
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how to employ complex event processing (CEP) for the observation and management of business processes. It proposes a conceptual architecture of BPM event producer, processor, and consumer and describes technical implications for the application with standard software in a perfect order scenario.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors discuss business process analytics as the technological background. The capabilities of CEP in a BPM context are outlined an architecture design is proposed. A sophisticated proof‐of‐concept demonstrates its applicability.

Findings

The results overcome the separation and data latency issues of process controlling, monitoring, and simulation. Distinct analyses of past, present, and future blur into a holistic real‐time approach. The authors highlight the necessity for configurable event producer in BPM engines, process event support in CEP engines, a common process event format, connectors to visualizers, notifiers and return channels to the BPM engine.

Research limitations/implications

Further research will thoroughly evaluate the approach in a variety of business settings. New concepts and standards for the architecture's building blocks will be needed to improve maintainability and operability.

Practical implications

Managers learn how CEP can yield insights into business processes' operations. The paper illustrates a path to overcome inflexibility, latency, and missing feedback mechanisms of current process modeling and control solutions. Software vendors might be interested in the conceptualization and the described needs for further development.

Originality/value

So far, there is no commercial CEP‐based BPM solution which facilitates a round trip from insight to action as outlines. As major software vendors have begun developing solutions (BPM/BPA solutions), this paper will stimulate a debate between research and practice on suitable design and technology.
Area activity analysis (AAA): a key 1990s tool put on the back burner
Authors: Harrington H. James
Published: July 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to align accountability and responsibility of each level of the organization and to establish internal and external customer supplier relationships and performance criteria.

Design/methodology/approach

Major processes within each natural work team are analyzed to establish efficiency and effectiveness requirements.

Findings

Major improvement in employee morale and internal customer satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Comprehensive complete implementation limited to only a few organizations. Conceptual approach widely accepted.

Practical implications

The paper establishes individual performance indicators for every natural work team within the organization.

Social implications

The paper provides each worker with a understanding of the natural work team's customer and the activities within the natural work team.

Originality/value

The paper shows that through the establishment of individual performance indicators, the natural work teams are allowed to focus on high payback improvements.