bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of country and gender differences on consumer innovativeness and decision processes in a highly globalized high‐tech product market
Authors: Kim Wooyang , Di Benedetto C. Anthony , Lancioni Richard A.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on two objectives. First, to investigate how two consumer innovativeness measures (domain‐specific innovativeness (DSI) and general innovativeness (GI)) in a highly globalized product market (i.e. laptop computer) are related to two widely used demographics, country and gender. Second, to examine how innovativeness affects a series of consumer decisions such as information search, opinion dependency, and store choice.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors build a conceptual model linking two important demographics (i.e. country and gender) and consumer innovativeness (both DSI and GI), and test it using binomial logistic regression, with a sample of 614 respondents from Korea, China, and the USA.

Findings

Results are generally consistent with the authors' hypotheses. The two consumer innovativeness measures are significantly influenced by the two demographic factors, and product‐specific innovativeness shows more plausible results than GI. Furthermore, consumers' decision processes were found to have idiosyncratic patterns regarding consumer innovativeness and the two demographic moderators.

Research limitations/implications

The study may have demographical bias for two reasons: use of only limited metropolitan samples and a somewhat unbalanced sample in gender and occupation.

Practical implications

In the early stage of new product launch, DSI will be dominantly useful in market segmentation and targeting rather than GI. However, management should not overlook variability of countries and genders since consumers show idiosyncratic patterns in their decision processes.

Originality/value

The paper explores the field of consumer innovativeness studies using comparison of the two dimensions of consumer innovativeness measurements. Also, the study reconfirms the importance of demographics on consumers' decisions in the early stage of highly globalized product markets.
The effects of shopping aid usage on consumer purchase decision and decision satisfaction
Authors: Angela Chang Chiu‐chi , Kukar‐Kinney Monika
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two types of shopping aids, that is, research‐supporting and solution‐oriented shopping aids, and examine their effectiveness, considering both consumer and situational factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Expanded selection and additional detailed information are chosen to illustrate research‐supporting shopping aids, and personalized product recommendations and product ratings are used as examples of solution‐oriented shopping aids. This conceptual paper proposes that usage of shopping aids has an effect on the purchase likelihood and decision satisfaction and focuses on studying the moderating role of consumer product knowledge and time pressure. The thesis is that congruence between the type of a shopping aid and consumer characteristics, such as product knowledge, or situational characteristics, such as time pressure, should enhance the effectiveness of shopping aids.

Findings

The research propositions in this paper delineate how the use of retail shopping aids should affect the consumer's purchase likelihood, decision satisfaction, decision confidence, and evaluation costs, under the moderating influence of product knowledge and time pressure. Overall, knowledgeable consumers and less time‐pressed consumers should benefit from research‐supporting shopping aids (i.e. expanded selection and additional product information), whereas novice consumers and time‐pressed consumers should benefit from solution‐oriented shopping aids (i.e. personalized product recommendation and product ratings).

Originality/value

Retail shopping aids are designed to offer sales assistance for consumers to handle the obstacles to purchase completion. However, past efforts to install retail shopping aids have seen mixed results. This conceptual paper advocates that consideration of consumer characteristics and situational factors is necessary to understand the effects of shopping aid usage. This paper thus contributes to the understanding of solutions to purchase decision deferral and the determinants of decision satisfaction, and has practical implications for retailers regarding providing retail shopping aids to facilitate purchase completion and shopping experiences.
The financial regulation of energy and environmental markets
Authors: Diaz‐Rainey Ivan , Siems Mathias , Ashton John K.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the financial risks posed by energy and environmental markets and how these risks are addressed by current regulatory regimes and legislation. This assessment should be of interest to academics, practitioners, regulators and policymakers.

Design/methodology/approach

The first half of the paper provides a theoretical conceptualisation of the financial risks energy and environmental markets pose by drawing on established academic literatures on financial regulation and energy markets. The second half of the study provides a legislative analysis of the evolving approach to the financial regulation of energy and environmental markets. Drawing on “grey” literatures, this assessment critically appraises the array of current policy initiatives that have the potential to affect the financial regulation and operation of energy and environmental markets.

Findings

The theoretical conceptualisation of financial risks identified macroeconomic and energy systemic as the principal risks posed by energy and environmental markets. The legislative analysis contains various conclusions, prominent amongst which are: that the EU will play an increasingly important role in the financial regulation of energy and environmental markets through bodies such as ACER and ESMA; and that it is essential the boundaries of regulatory responsibility between energy and financial regulators are assessed to ensure activities leading to risk do not fall between the remits of responsibility.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of academic work on the financial regulation of energy and environmental markets, while prior policy and regulatory analyses have focussed on specific markets or products. This belies the interrelationships and, in some cases, the integration of these risks and the nature of financial crises. To amend for this omission we provide a holistic assessment of these legislative and policy developments.
Chronology of banking reforms in Nigeria
Authors: Bello Dogarawa Ahmad
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Governments of many developed and developing countries have designed and implemented various financial reforms to enable the sector to play the role of efficient financial intermediation, thereby helping to bolster economic growth and development. The purpose of this paper is to survey past and present literature on the chronology of banking reforms in Nigeria and the implications of the last reform on the Nigerian economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is analytical with mode of presentation based on content analysis.

Findings

The paper posits that the banking system in Nigeria has come a long way in term of regulations and reforms, number of institutions, structure of ownership, and depth and breadth of operations. However, the various reforms have not yet achieved the desired objectives, either due to poor implementation or improper institutional arrangement or sometimes due to abrupt termination of the reforms.

Originality/value

The paper suggests that henceforth, reforms should be designed according to the peculiarities of the Nigerian economy and institutional behaviour, and should be backed by adequate legislation.
Systemic surcharges and measures of systemic importance
Authors: Atle Berg Sigbjørn
Published: November 2011

Purpose

There is an emerging consensus that systemically important banks should face stricter regulations and systemic surcharges. To make this latter principle operational the regulator will need to quantify the systemic importance of individual banks. The purpose of this paper is to review the proposed measures of systemic importance from the research community and discuss their merits relative to how a regulator would ideally wish to calibrate surcharges on systemically important banks, and to evaluate how useful proposed measures of the systemic importance of financial institutions will be to regulators.

Design/methodology/approach

The author reviews the main contributions to the research literature and discusses their relevance for the problem faced by regulators.

Findings

There are five main caveats that make the proposed measures of systemic importance less useful for regulators.

Practical implications

The proposed measures may help identify relevant aspects of systemic importance, but the regulators will need to construct their own measures for practical use.

Originality/value

The paper provides a critical review of a research literature that could potentially have large practical implications.
Legality of payment protection insurance compensation arrangements examined on judicial review
Authors: Gray Joanna
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss R (on the application of British Bankers Association) v. Financial Services Authority and another (Queens Bench Division: Administrative Court: Mr Justice Ouseley). Date of Judgment: 20 April 2011.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper outlines the facts surrounding the case and comments on the decision.

Findings

This is a lengthy judgment that is dense in closely reasoned interpretative analysis of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 schema for regulation of the conduct of retail financial business and attendant redress mechanisms.

Originality/value

This keenly awaited decision raises several issues of wider public interest about the design and operation of the regulatory environment for retail finance in the UK. In the context of the FSA's emphasis over the past few years of its “Treating Customers Fairly” programme of work the legality of the action taken by both FSA and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) to effect a broad measure and depth of consumer redress in respect of what they judged to be widespread incidence of inappropriate sales of payment protection insurance (PPI) by banks in particular came under intensive scrutiny from the Court in what is a fascinating judgment for regulatory lawyers.
Internal communication and innovation culture: developing a change framework
Authors: Linke Anne , Zerfass Ansgar
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Since employees are considered to be one of the most important sources for innovation, the purpose of this study is to create a change management framework for implementing an innovation culture by means of internal communication.

Design/methodology/approach

First, an interdisciplinary model was derived from research and existing literature. It was then tested in a case study with qualitative expert interviews and a quantitative online survey among all employees of a sample firm.

Findings

Instead of a linear change, as implied by the theoretical model, different identification levels existed simultaneously within the firm's culture. A typology summed up the corresponding perceptions of the innovation culture: innovation culture, innovation pioneers, mediocrity, standstill, and refusal. Significant correlations between identification and internal media (r=0.405), as well as identification and action (r=0.158) underlined the importance of internal communication.

Research limitations/implications

This study only explores the topic from a communication science perspective. However, examining its link to other important factors like organisational structure would provide further insight. Also, research in different countries and fields is needed, since the results of this case study cannot be considered representative.

Practical implications

The goal of communication managers should be to lead employees through the phases of identification by specifically targeting their identification levels and using the appropriate media to address the findings.

Originality/value

The developed framework helps as a management tool for assessing how employees perceive messages of an innovation philosophy and internal media. By linking the internal, innovation, and change communication, it identifies new essential aspects for creating a communication mix and specifically communicating with the target‐group.
Detecting deception in written statements
Authors: Armistead Timothy W.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the most recently published and most comprehensively designed study of scientific content analysis (SCAN), a widely used but rarely researched method of content analysis for detecting deception in written statements.

Design/methodology/approach

The author reviewed the design, data, and findings of the study and performed statistical re‐analysis of the raw data. Prior citations and critiques of the study by scholars also were reviewed.

Findings

The design and data analysis of the British Home Office study are in part deficient. The design includes features of a quasi‐experimental study which were operationalized poorly, and the data aggregation and analysis produced an incomplete and problematic interpretation of the raw data. Prior reviewers of the Home Office study erred in part in their understanding of the study's findings and deficiencies.

Research limitations/implications

The research was limited to the raw data of the study, but even so, the results justify additional research on SCAN. In particular, studies should be designed that control for variables such as length of law enforcement career, educational level, number of written statements taken during the career, measures of verbal intelligence, and pre‐SCAN‐training ability to detect deception in statements. The design and analysis flaws of the Home Office study which are identified in the paper would also need to be avoided.

Originality/value

This is the first published paper to identify the full range of design and data analysis deficiencies of the Home Office study and to argue that its data nonetheless support the recommendation that SCAN be researched more thoroughly.
Women on SWAT teams: separate but equal?
Authors: Dodge Mary , Valcore Laura , Gomez Frances
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This article aims to examine male and female police officers' perspectives concerning women participating on special weapons and tactical (SWAT) teams. The study seeks to explore differences in opinions on a woman's ability to gain entrance and perform in a traditionally male‐dominated subculture.

Design/methodology/approach

A self‐report survey was distributed to a purposive sample of 202 police officers in the US. Male SWAT officers and females from seven agencies responded to 13 Likert‐type items and provided demographic information on years of experience, rank, and race.

Findings

The results show that male SWAT members are somewhat receptive to a woman becoming a team member; however, they are more likely than women to believe that females lack the needed strength and skills. Female officers perceive themselves as competent and valuable additions to SWAT.

Research limitations/implications

Although the research is exploratory and the findings are difficult to generalize, the results suggest that law enforcement's militaristic nature and role specialization continue to impede integrating female officers into SWAT subcultures.

Originality/value

This study is the first to employ quantitative methods to explore police officers' attitudes and gender's role in SWAT assignments.
Financing low income housing in Nigeria
Authors: Wapwera S.D. , Parsa Ali , Egbu Charles
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the methods of housing finance adopted by the low income and informal groups in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of 300 households in selected areas (low‐income/informal) of Jos Metropolis, Nigeria, was carried out, concerning the methods of housing finance used for building and home improvement.

Findings

The survey showed that 75 per cent of the households utilized traditional methods of financing and 25 per cent using modern methods.

Research limitations/implications

Based on data collected from the survey, the research serves as a basis for further research into traditional methods of housing finance in developing countries.

Practical implications

The analysis of traditional financing methods highlights the range and structure of the traditional methods of financing in operation in informal and low income areas of Jos Metropolis, Nigeria. For example, informal and customary/traditional methods (Esusu/Asusu, Age grade association, Men's Revolving Loan Association, Social club contribution among others), of financing appear to be very effective housing finance methods.

Social implications

The paper shows that In the absence of formal institutional financing methods, strengthening the community‐based social network through formalisation and empowerment for housing finance becomes vital.

Originality/value

It is argued that it is possible to utilise and formalise these traditional methods of housing finance, in order to enhance access to finance for housing development in low‐income urban areas in developing countries.
Assessing human capital in knowledge intensive business services
Authors: Demartini Paola , Paoloni Paola
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address human capital (HC) evaluation methods in service industries. As suggested by literature some services may be as different from others as they are from products. Thus there is a great need for studies clarifying the distinctions between different service‐oriented firms with respect to the role and the measurement of intellectual capital (IC) and, in particular, of human capital, which is generally considered as the most significant element of IC.

Design/methodology/approach

An action‐research approach has been followed. Action research attempts to combine the process of research and action based on the key assumption that one can never really understand any human system without trying to change it.

Findings

The research focused on a high‐tech service company. The paper suggests that methods to measure human capital should consider, as a key factor, the firm's project management organisation. In fact, the temporary nature of projects stands in contrast to operations which are repetitive to produce products or services. In practice, the management of these two systems is often found to be quite different, and as such requires the development of distinct technical skills.

Originality/value

As far as IC literature offers several IC frameworks and suggests several tools, the paper's goal is not to develop a new one but to highlight the process leading to implement IC framework in practice.
A critical assessment of Stewart's CIV method
Authors: Aho Samuli , Ståhle Sten , Ståhle Pirjo
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the calculated intangible value (CIV) method as a measure of intellectual capital (intangibles) in enterprises. The aim is to show the benefits and disadvantages of the method and its actual relation to intellectual capital.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors present a conceptual, theoretical and empirical analysis of CIV to assess its validity as a measure of firm's intangibles.

Findings

The result of the analyses is that CIV is connected to all types of capital assets (physical, financial, combined physical and financial and intangible) and thus it does not unambiguously relate or measure firm's intangible value(s). CIV should be seen solely as a measure of financial efficiency derived from companies' return on assets (ROA). CIV measures an overall financial recognized comparative advantage in comparison with competitors within the same branch of industry. There is no evidence to support the simplistic assumption that a company's CIV is a measure of its intellectual capital.

Originality/value

CIV is used quite widely for purposes of measuring intellectual capital in companies and industries. However, its validity has never been subjected to critical examination. The results of this paper provide valuable information on the reliable measurement of intellectual capital and the further development of these measurements.
Examining ERP implementation success from a project environment perspective
Authors: Dezdar Shahin , Ainin Sulaiman
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that are crucial for the successful implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Although there are many factors that influence the success, this study focuses on factors related to the ERP project environment, namely, project management, team composition and competence, and business process reengineering.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire distributed to ERP users in Iranian organizations. In total, 384 responses were collected and analyzed.

Findings

A significant relationship was found between project management and team composition with ERP implementation success. The better the project management activities the more likely the implementation will be successful. Likewise, the possibility of successful implementation is higher when the ERP team is more coordinated and experienced.

Practical implications

ERP adopting organizations and managers could gain an understanding of the complexities inherent in ERP installations to avoid barriers and increase the likelihood of achieving desired results. The outcomes of this study are also useful to ERP vendors and consultants to prepare some strategies to overcome the misfit between their ERP products and ERP adopting organizations in developing countries.

Originality/value

This study is one of the few that examine the success of ERP implementation from the perspective of key stakeholders (operational/unit/functional managers). It has contributed to academic research by producing empirical evidence to support the theories of critical success factors and ERP implementation success. The findings may be useful to ERP vendors and other organizations in other countries, as they could be used as a guideline for future ERP adoption and implementation.
From “being there” to “being […] where?”: relocating ethnography
Authors: Pritchard Katrina
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expand recent discussions of research practice in organizational ethnography by engaging in a reflexive examination of the ethnographer's situated identity work across different research spaces: academic, personal and the research site itself.

Design/methodology/approach

Examines concerns with the traditional notion of “being there” as it applies to ethnography in contemporary organization studies and, through a confessional account exploring the author's own experiences as a PhD student conducting ethnography, considers “being […] where?” using the analytic framework of situated identity work.

Findings

Identifies both opportunities and challenges for organizational ethnographers facing the question of “being […] where?” through highlighting the situated nature of researchers’ identity work in, across and between different (material and virtual) research spaces.

Practical implications

The paper provides researchers with prompts to examine their own situated identity work, which may prove particularly useful for novice researchers and their supervisors, while also identifying the potential for incorporating these ideas within organizational ethnography more broadly.

Originality/value

The paper offers situated identity work as a means to provide renewed analytic vigour to the confessional genre whilst highlighting new opportunities for reflexive and critical ethnographic research practice.
Narrative as an organizing process: identity and story in a new nonprofit
Authors: Herrmann Andrew F.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore narratives in a new nonprofit arts center. It includes the macro‐, meso‐, and personal narratives that keep the center organized in the midst of the chaotic everyday activities. It advocates the explanatory force of narrative as an alternative to organizational life cycle theory for understanding organizational startups.

Design/methodology/approach

This narrative ethnography involved participant observation, full participation, and narrative interviews over a three‐year period. Using grounded theory, narratives were examined to discover how they engendered and maintained order.

Findings

This paper contributes to the understanding narratives as a constitutional organizing and sensemaking process, including the narratives of “do it yourself,” and economic production, family and home, and personal narratives that constitute community, community boundaries, and identity, adding to our knowledge of organizing.

Research limitations/implications

The research examined only one local nonprofit arts center, therefore the findings are specific to this site and the same types of narratives may not necessarily be found in other nonprofits.

Originality/value

This paper examines a nonprofit during start‐up. It validates support for the examination of organizations through narrative ethnography and narrative interviewing. It purports that narratives constitute social identity, rather than being the evidence of social identity.
Achieving gender equity in science class
Authors: Esiobu G.O.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This study aims to verify the impact of cooperative learning as an intervention strategy towards the achievement of peace, equality and equity in the science classroom as part of the democratic process necessary for sustainable development.

Design/methodology/approach

The study sample comprised 56 SSS 2 students in one public co‐educational secondary school in Lagos State. Using a students' gender equity and peace questionnaire, results indicate that cooperative learning is effective in achieving a good measure of equity and peace between sexes in the biology classroom. Furthermore, cooperative learning was observed not to have differential impact on students of different ability levels with respect to their achievement of gender equity in the biology classroom.

Findings

The study concludes that cooperative learning mode is a gender friendly interaction pattern for all and should be encouraged at the secondary school level in order to empower all students to begin early to imbibe democratic values and behaviors necessary for peaceful coexistence and sustainable development.

Originality/value

The study provides a unique insight into cooperative learning and gender equity in Lagos, Nigeria.
Management perception of introducing social networking sites as a knowledge management tool in higher education
Authors: Garcia Elaine , Annansingh Fenio , Elbeltagi Ibrahim
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a study of the understanding and usage of social networking sites (SNS) as a knowledge management (KM) tool in knowledge‐intensive enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

In terms of research approach, the study has taken an interpretitivist framework, using a higher education (HE) institution as the case‐study, which is characterised by the need to generate process, share and use knowledge on a daily basis in order to remain competitive. The case study was analysed using qualitative research methodology, composed of interviews and utilised narrative analysis as a means of data analysis, thus deriving a characterisation of understandings, perceptions and acceptance of SNS as a KM tool.

Findings

The study provides evidence that even in HE, where it is generally acknowledged that there is a need to adequately capture, store, share and disseminate knowledge, as this can lead to greater innovation, creativity and productivity, participants were suspicious of the nature of the technology and the fact that it could intertwine their professional and social life. As a result, they were not prepared to invest the relatively high effort required in employing SNS as a KM tool as they also have difficulty in establishing the added value. Consequently, in order to employ SNS for KM purposes cultural, behavioural and organisational issues need to be tackled before even considering technical issues.

Originality/value

The paper provides an insight into KM and social networking in HE. This also highlights issue for international HE.
Science, mathematics and technology teachers' perception of school environment
Authors: Odogwu Helen , Adeyemo S.A. , Jimoh J.A. , Yewonde R.O.
Published: November 2011

Purpose

This study seeks to examine gender differences amongst science, mathematics and technology (SMT) teachers with regards to nine school environment variables as well as the association of these variables with teachers' professional background and school characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 275 female and 260 male SMT teachers.

Findings

A multiple analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant gender difference on the combined nine school environment variables. Analysis of variance further revealed a significant gender difference in work pressure, principal leadership, teacher‐student relationship and staff freedom. Gender differences in SMT teachers' perceptions of work pressure and principal leadership persisted after controlling for teachers' background and school characteristics. It is recommended that, principals of secondary schools be encouraged to be more democratic and flexible so as to foster an atmosphere of good working relationships with their teachers.

Originality/value

The study encourages SMT teachers to improve on their perception of students' learning in SMT. The impact of a teacher's interest or bias on students' can have a far reaching outcome on their learning.
The contribution of simulations to the practical work of Foundation Physics students at the University of Limpopo
Authors: Rebecca Mhlongo Motlalepula , Kriek Jeanne , Basson Ilsa
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Practical work is regarded as an essential part of learning; hence most tertiary institutions have included a practical component in their physics courses. There is a concern about the effectiveness of the practical work in most universities. The purpose of this study is to assess the contributions of simulations on 20 Foundation Physics students' practical work at the University of Limpopo.

Design/methodology/approach

Two tests, “Determining and interpreting resistive electric circuits concepts test” and the “Test of integrated science process skills” were used. A class test, observation sheet and worksheets for students' practical work were analyzed. Interviews with a selected group of students were also conducted.

Findings

Results indicated that the simulations contributed positively on students' understanding of electric circuits. However, the study revealed that the students who did simulations do not differ from those who did not do the simulations with regards to the development of process skills.

Originality/value

The value of this research is the application of simulation in physics with specific testing methods. In addition, the research is unique in a South African context.
Benefits of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management
Authors: Pal Singh Toor Tajinder , Dhir Teena
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to highlight benefits of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management. The paper focuses on need of advanced business intelligence and the crucial role of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management. Various case studies are used to highlight benefits.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper focuses on need of advanced business intelligence and the crucial role of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management. Various case studies are used to highlight benefits.

Findings

Benefits of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management. Case studies are used to highlight benefits.

Practical implications

Benefits of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management.

Originality/value

The value of the paper is that there is very little published writing on benefits of integrated business planning, forecasting, and process management stressed upon by the use of case studies.
Working women work‐life conflict
Authors: Shakil Ahmad Muhammad , Fakhr Zainab , Ahmed Jalil
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Working women being housewives have to face major problems. They have to trade off between work domain and family life domain, in perspective sector and area chosen. This study investigates the factors behind work‐life conflict experienced by women with responsibilities and type of work arrangement experienced

Design/methodology/approach

The study is conducted by exploring the responses of 100 women working in 25 different banks (public as well as private banks) in non‐contrived environment using random sampling in Attock and Islamabad cities of Pakistan. Regression and correlation is used for statistical analysis

Findings

The impact of women's earning potentials, household responsibilities, workplace environment and financial needs is analyzed on women work‐life conflict. Results from the study indicate that household responsibilities and workplace environment are strongly correlated to women work‐life conflict. Response rate is 75 percent and all the values for Cronbach Alpha are agreeable. Women earning potential and workplace environment are negatively related while household responsibilities and financial needs are positively correlated to women work‐life conflict

Research limitations/implications

This research selected sample from only two cities Pakistan i.e. Attock and Islamabad. Future studies could select other cities and compare results with city of selected sample. This research used random sampling procedure, which is the main limitation of this study. Future studies could use stratified random sampling procedure with more sample size.

Practical implications

It is hoped that the findings of this study will assist the human resource managers, practitioners and strategy makers to better understand women problems.

Originality/value

The added value of this paper is to link theory and practice, and explore the working women life conflict with job environment. Few studies have conducted over the years under this perspective in the Pakistan.
Leadership strategies: build your sphere of influence
Authors: Kaufman Barbara
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Reinforce the importance of influence skills, collaborative decision‐making and flexible leadership styles in today's complex business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

Introduce research conducted by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D. on influence and explain how these skills can be applied through examples and quotes from senior executives.

Findings

Influence skills help leaders get colleagues on board for change initiatives, access resources, guide teams, develop shared goals, reduce resistance, encourage teamwork beyond functional boundaries, win support from those with competing agendas, empower others and sell ideas to the boss.

Practical implications

When leaders harness the power of influence, they create a shared sense of responsibility, improve communications, encounter fewer problems with change‐implementation, discover more innovation and creativity, experience less attrition and less resistance while gaining access to more information for better decision making.

Originality/value

Leaders benefit from recognizing the importance of influence skills and taking the steps to increase their sphere of influence by nurturing a culture in which these skills can flourish.
Exploration of process and competitive factors of entrepreneurship in digital space
Authors: Hafezieh Najmeh , Akhavan Peyman , Eshraghian Farjam
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the process and competitive factors of entrepreneurship in digital space in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

In the last decades, the development and advancement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the business innovations related to them have defined a new economy which is known as “digital economy”. Establishing and running businesses in this digital space means carrying out a kind of electronic commerce by exploiting the internet and other electronic networks. The new digital economy provides exceptional opportunities for many entrepreneurs to create new ventures in different business areas according to electronic commerce models. Given that researchers in Iran have not studied digital entrepreneurship and there is a great interest in digital entrepreneurship, further research is needed on this subject. According to research in Canada by Carrieret al.on cyber entrepreneurship, the authors used the same method and studied five cases that work in digital entrepreneurship in Iran. In this paper, the authors first review the literature of digital entrepreneurship – digital entrepreneurship framework that include a typology of digital ventures and their characteristics, characteristics of digital entrepreneurs, and the distinctions between digital and traditional entrepreneurship. Then five digital entrepreneurs in Iran were surveyed to explore the process of their entrepreneurship and competitive elements applied by them.

Findings

The most notable contribution of this research is the focus on the process of this type of entrepreneurship and the steps which were used by entrepreneurs. Unlike the traditional forms of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurs in cyber space in Iran did not examine the feasibility of their projects; also, the identification of a business opportunity created business ideas. Another contribution is that the authors found ten factors as the internet‐based entrepreneurs' competitive elements in Iran, and also found interesting results about characteristics of internet‐based entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

This paper provides an overview of internet‐based entrepreneurship in Iran. According to collected information, the authors propose the process of internet‐based entrepreneurship and its competitive elements, and establish a basis for future research.
Limitations of e‐commerce in developing countries: Jordan case
Authors: Abbad Muneer , Abbad Rami , Saleh Malik
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the status of e‐commerce in terms of limitations, problems and barriers facing the application and use of e‐commerce in Jordan.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire approach was employed in this research study to obtain the most appropriate information for identifying the main limitations of e‐commerce in the context of the study. A delivery and collection questionnaire was used as a method for obtaining data from e‐commerce customers contacted through a number of universities.

Findings

There are found to be six main limitations of e‐commerce: security and trust; internet experience; enjoyment; language; legal issues; and technology acceptance (ease of use and usefulness). The results of this research showed that the main limitations of e‐commerce in Jordan appeared to be related to non‐technical limitations. The reason behind this result could be related to the lack of students' awareness of technical issues, in that they might not have known about the technical issues that could face e‐commerce.

Research limitations/implications

This research provides the foundation for additional research in developing countries related to e‐commerce, the results of which would be internationally useful. Comparison between countries could also be significant. Finally, investigation of the limitations of e‐commerce from a company point of view could be useful because companies are the providers of these services.

Originality/value

The paper summarizes the main limitations of e‐commerce from the Jordanian customer's point of view. In addition, the results of this study extend the body of knowledge by providing a set of limitations that may explain customers' perceptions of e‐commerce benefits and limitations. One finding – the difference in attitudes related to age, gender, internet experience, and income – may be of use to the development of company marketing strategies, for example, in regard to what enjoyment factors might motivate customers to do their shopping online. Managers and designers may find such information useful for predicting which systems will be acceptable to customers, diagnosing reasons why the system may not be fully acceptable to customers, and which corrective actions to take in increasing the acceptability of their systems.
Psychometric revision of a Jordanian version of the metamemory in adulthood questionnaire (MIA)
Authors: Alquraan Mahmoud , Alnaser Aljarah Abed
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the psychometric properties of a Jordanian version of the Metamemory in Adulthood (MIA) questionnaire of Dixon, Hultsch and Hertzog.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample for this study consisted of 656 students randomly selected from Yarmouk University‐Jordan. Translation‐back‐translation, classical test theory, IRT Rasch model, and confirmatory factor analysis procedures were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of a Jordanian version of the MIA (MIA‐Jo).

Findings

The results of these analyses show that 76 items (out of 108 original MIA items) provide sufficient evidence in support of the reliability and validity of the MIA‐Jo. The results also show that the MIA‐Jo has the same structure or subscales as the original MIA.

Research limitations/implications

The sample for this study consisted of 656 students randomly selected from Yarmouk University‐Jordan. Therefore, the study recommends the necessity to conduct more research on the MIA‐Jo using samples that have a wider range of age (up to 80 years) and other strata of Jordanian society.

Originality/value

This study is expected to provide researchers and educators in Jordan with a valid and reliable instrument to do more research on metamemory and its relationship with other cognitive variables.
Public international law principles: an Islamic Sufi approach – Part I
Authors: Bidabad Bijan
Published: November 2011

Purpose

Many laws have been derived from the religions' legislations and lots of them have not the capability of uniqueness and publicity, due to variety of reasons, especially at the level of countries. But the spirit of legislations is the same and unique in all religions and it is the Tariqah (Sufi path), Sufism, mysticism and ethical beliefs that have been stable and unchangeable for millennia, and wisdom has accepted and accepts them in all times and locations. Thus, if the international public law to be defined and designed upon the base of the unique religions' spirit, we will reach to a unique law with most publicity. The purpose of this paper is to survey the subjects of Islamic public international law, and extend Islamic jurisprudence decisions from a theosophical point of view over the field of international law.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the foundation of public international law from the theosophy approach of Islamic Sufism and mysticism.

Findings

By raising 38 principles, the author proposes basic principles of important public international law subjects to prepare a backbone for recompilation of new law in this subject matter.

Research limitations/implications

Comparative researches in other religions' gnosticism will be helpful.

Social implications

Delicateness, truthfulness, and righteousness of Islamic Sufism, may turn the attentions of scholars and researchers to this viewpoint, and a new set of laws to be codified.

Originality/value

Public international law scholars have not touched the topic from a Sufi viewpoint. This paper opens new challenging arena.
Police service in the value shop configuration
Authors: Gottschalk Petter
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value shop configuration in police service for a criminal case.

Design/methodology/approach

An evaluation of a criminal case is presented.

Findings

It took Norwegian police 32 years to capture the Pocket Man who was responsible for more than 100 sexual abuses of boys over that same time period. Primary activities in the value shop applied to the case are: problem definition; investigation steps; investigation approach decision; investigation implementation; and police performance evaluation.

Originality/value

Based on an actual crime case, value configuration analysis demonstrates substantial potential in future policings.
Strengthening national food control systems
Authors: Rostron Katherine
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify global issues relevant to the strengthening of national food control systems with reference to the hospitality and food service sector. It is the second paper in a themed issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes presenting international food safety management challenges and solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review and semi‐structured interviews with food control officials and academics involved in the strengthening of national food control systems.

Findings

This paper finds that similar challenges are experienced by interviews in a range of countries. Food control management and information, education, communication and training are identified as key challenges for food control authorities. In addition, smaller and/or less developed businesses and particularly the hospitality sector, are highlighted as important.

Practical implications

The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

Originality/value

In this paper, the experiences of individuals involved in the development and implementation of national food control policy are brought together for the first time.
Evolving methods of HACCP: costs and benefits
Authors: Kane Kevin
Published: November 2011

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify costs and benefits associated with the implementation of evolving hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) systems. It is the third paper in a themed issue of Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes presenting international food safety management challenges and solutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes the form of a literature review of food safety research and the stated benefits of food safety management from regulators and other organisations.

Findings

This paper investigates the benefits and costs of implementing evolving methods of HACCP, such as the SFBB system. Statements of benefits from regulators and other organisations are compared to identify the main purported benefits, and these are discussed in relation to practical implications and industry interpretations.

Practical implications

The paper will be of value to practitioners, researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders involved in the food industry.

Originality/value

This is a unique comparison of the purported benefits of food safety management, with an in‐depth consideration of these in a real world context.