bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Financial barriers to the adoption of anaerobic digestion on US livestock operations
Authors: Gloy Brent A. , Dressler Jonathan B.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of livestock waste is a potential source of renewable energy and can reduce the methane emissions associated with livestock waste storage. Because AD is capital intensive, lenders will play a key role in the adoption of this technology. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the barriers that currently make lenders reluctant to finance AD systems and provide recommendations for public policies that would reduce these barriers, making financing more available and encouraging farmers to adopt digester systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes some of the barriers that currently make lenders reluctant to finance AD systems and makes recommendations for public policies that would reduce these barriers, thus making finance available.

Findings

AD systems face a number of financial barriers which make lenders reluctant to finance them. Many of these barriers can be overcome by adopting policies and programs designed to improve the understanding of the financial situation associated with AD adoption and establishing markets that reward livestock operations for achieving the benefits associated with AD installation. Some of the more important potential solutions include developing mechanisms to collect and analyze data associated with AD system economics and developing markets that reward livestock operations for producing the non‐market outputs of renewable energy and methane emission reductions.

Originality/value

The ability to attract financing is a key barrier to the widespread adoption of anaerobic digester systems. This paper describes these challenges and identifies solutions which would reduce these barriers and lead to greater adoption of AD on the US livestock operations.
On the systemic nature of weather risk
Authors: Xu Wei , Filler Guenther , Odening Martin , Okhrin Ostap
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the losses of weather‐related insurance at different regional levels. The possibility of spatial diversification of insurance is explored by estimating the joint occurrence on unfavorable weather conditions in different locations, looking particularly at the tail behavior of the loss distribution.

Design/methodology/approach

Joint weather‐related losses are estimated using copulas. Copulas avoid the direct estimation of multivariate distributions but allow for much greater flexibility in modeling the dependence structure of weather risks compared with simple correlation coefficients.

Findings

Results indicate that indemnity payments based on temperature as well as on cumulative rainfall show strong stochastic dependence even at a large regional scale. Thus the possibility to reduce risk exposure by increasing the trading area of insurance is limited.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical findings are limited by a rather weak database. In that case the estimation of high‐dimensional copulas leads to large estimation errors.

Practical implications

The paper includes implications for the quantification of systemic weather risk which is important for the rate making of crop insurance and reinsurance.

Originality/value

This paper's results highlight how important the choice of the statistical approach is when modeling the dependence structure of weather risks.
Family‐themed control in “service factories”
Authors: Kakavelakis Konstantinos
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the deployment of family‐themed control in McDonaldized service outlets. More specifically, the paper aims to contribute to the debate about the nature of the service encounter and the type of management control employed by organizations in the hospitality sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts a case study approach, focusing on a UK restaurant chain. A total of 55 interviews were conducted with area managers, restaurant managers and employees in seven of the company's restaurants.

Findings

The evidence shows that the case study company employed a family‐based type of control which aimed to address the perennial issue of high labour turnover, which is common in hospitality. The relative success of normative control in this case is explained by the fact that it did not co‐exist with other, more militaristic forms of control, as is often the case in fast‐food outlets.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a single organization. Further research is needed into the rationale behind the deployment of normative control by service factories.

Originality/value

This study addresses limitations in previous research which discusses types of management control in hospitality organizations within a framework informed by the notion of “best fit” between service archetypes and HRM styles. The paper shows that the adoption of specific types of management control is related not only to the nature of the service encounter but also to broader sectoral issues.
Employee empowerment: extent of adoption and influential factors
Authors: Baird Kevin , Wang Haiyin
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to examine the extent of employee empowerment within Australian manufacturing business units using an adapted version of the Pardo del Val and Lloyd instrument. The paper also examines the influence of organizational (business unit size, training, and link to rewards) and cultural (innovation, team work, and outcome orientation) factors on the extent of adoption of employee empowerment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected by survey questionnaire distributed to one business unit within 250 manufacturing organizations.

Findings

The results reveal a moderate level of employee empowerment in Australian organizations, with the cultural factor, teamwork, and the organizational factors, training and link to rewards, found to have a significant impact on the overall level of adoption of employee empowerment. In addition, specific cultural and organizational factors were found to be associated with four different dimensions of employee empowerment (collaboration, formalization, directness, and degree of influence), and the empowerment of employees at three different stages of the decision making process.

Practical implications

The Pardo del Val and Lloyd measure provides a means by which organizations can gain an improved insight into their current employee empowerment initiatives and assess the critical preconditions that are most effective in enhancing employee empowerment initiatives.

Originality/value

This study confirms the validity of a new measure of employee empowerment. Furthermore, the study provides the first empirical analysis of the association between organizational and cultural factors with the level of employee empowerment as assessed by this measure.
Subsidiary staffing and initiative‐taking in multinational corporations
Authors: Dörrenbächer Christoph , Geppert Mike
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore the personal motives of subsidiary CEOs in taking initiatives in multinational corporations. In essence, the paper proposes that subsidiary initiative‐taking is strongly driven by the socio‐political positioning of subsidiary CEOs, which consists of specific “social aspects” that account for the basic orientation that subsidiary CEOs maintain in initiative‐taking, as well as “political aspects” that affect the ability of subsidiary CEOs to strategize and the ways they do it in the highly politicized processes of initiative‐taking.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on four exploratory case studies undertaken in German subsidiaries in France. Applying a matched pair approach it compares two subsidiaries run by parent country nationals (PCNs) with two subsidiaries run by host country nationals (HCNs).

Findings

The paper demonstrates that the nationality of the subsidiary CEO alone does not explain subsidiary CEOs initiative‐taking behaviour. Other factors that make up the socio‐political positioning of subsidiary CEOs, such as career aspiration, career orientation, access to resources and specific skills to form internal and local coalitions, as well as “external” coalitions with the headquarters, need to be considered as well.

Research limitations/implications

Given the qualitative research design and exploratory nature of the study there are limits to how far the findings can be generalized and applied elsewhere. More in‐depth research is needed to further develop the socio‐political perspective put forward here, especially to more closely analyze the interplay of actors' (CEOs') socio‐political positioning approaches within different contexts of subsidiary initiative‐taking.

Originality/value

The socio‐political perspective proposed here goes beyond and extends existing IRHM approaches, which narrowly focus on the overarching impact of nationality as a predictor of differences in the behaviour of subsidiary CEOs.
Two field studies examining the association between positive psychological capital and employee performance
Authors: Avey James B. , Nimnicht James L. , Graber Pigeon Nancy
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological capital (comprised of hope, optimism, efficacy and resilience) and employee performance through multiple studies and methods of data.

Design/methodology/approach

The study included two samples in a large financial firm headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The employees' level of psychological capital were measured with the psychological capital questionnaire. Via regression, this was related to individual level financial performance data from the firm and manager rated performance.

Findings

As hypothesized, psychological capital was found to be related to employees' level of financial performance, referrals within the firm and manager rated performance. The findings are relevant to advancing previous studies on psychological capital and employee performance in that multiple sources and types of data were used to test hypotheses overcoming past concerns of common method and source variance and adding validity to these results.

Limitations/implications

While the use of two samples replicating results enhanced generalization, the major limitation in the study concerns internal validity. Specifically, this study did not use an experimental design and, thus, relationships may be reverse causal or reciprocal.

Originality/value

Overall, the integration of positive psychology and organizational behavior continues to flourish. The paper demonstrates that psychological capital is associated with multiple measures of employee performance across two field studies. In conclusion, empirical research in positive organizational behaviour is likely to advance to the boundaries of the theory including how psychological capital manifests across multiple contexts, bio‐data predicting psychological capital and multi‐level issues such as team, group, organizational and even cultural psychological capital.
Leadership, climate, psychological capital, commitment, and wellbeing in a non‐profit organization
Authors: McMurray A.J. , Pirola‐Merlo A. , Sarros J.C. , Islam M.M.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This exploratory study aims to examine the effects of leadership on organizational climate, employee psychological capital, commitment, and wellbeing in a religious/church‐based non‐profit organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Leadership effects are investigated using established scales including the transformational leadership scale, (TLS), organizational climate questionnaire (OCQ), positive and negative affect scale (PANAS), psychological capital (PsyCap), and organizational commitment. It is a context‐based study that considers a unique organizational culture that comprises social, political, economic, technological, personnel, and personal facets. The survey was administered across a large religious/church‐based non‐profit organization.

Findings

The findings show strong positive relationships between employee ratings of their immediate supervisor's transformational leadership and employee ratings of organizational climate, wellbeing, employee commitment and psychological capital. Additional analyses which explored the impact of demographic variables revealed older employees recorded significantly higher scores on psychological capital than younger employees. These findings inform organizational sustainability where the principles of socially responsible management practices form the heart of responsible stewardship.

Research limitations/implications

Risks of method variance or response biases are likely as all data are drawn from employee surveys, and some selection bias as respondents could not be directly compared with non‐respondents.

Originality/value

This study makes a significant contribution to the non‐profit literature by providing further evidence of the impact of leadership on organizational climate, with the added dimensions of psychological capital, employee wellbeing, and commitment adding to the knowledge of these relationships.
TQM practices of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in the USA and China
Authors: Miyagawa Masahiro , Yoshida Kosaku
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and the business performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

In this empirical study, 200 companies were chosen by random sampling from the universe group of 519 in August 2007. A total of 32 usable questionnaires were received, and the overall response rate was 16 percent.

Findings

The survey results show that TQM practices significantly influence the overall company performance of Japanese‐owned manufacturers in the USA. This implies that TQM is an effective method for improving business performance, regardless of where the company might be operating, as long as the TQM practices are appropriately implemented. In addition to the research data, findings from a field research also provide supplementary evidence to support this conclusion.

Originality/value

This study compares the findings from a recent survey conducted in the USA with the authors' previous study done in China. The survey uses the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria as a measuring scale, and the project adopts a pre‐tested questionnaire as a survey instrument, which has also been used in previous empirical studies.
Potential low‐cost palladium‐alternatives for activating electroless copper deposition
Authors: Steinhäuser Edith
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is the investigation of the catalytic activities of selected metals in reductant oxidation.

Design/methodology/approach

Electrochemical measurements were carried out in order to obtain information about the catalytic activity of copper, silver, nickel, and palladium in the oxidation reactions of formaldehyde and glyoxylic acid.

Findings

Metals with high‐catalytic activity for each reductant oxidation can be determined by using cyclic voltammetry. These metals are suitable for an improved activation process in electroless copper deposition. Electrochemical measurements show that palladium does not have the highest catalytic activity of all tested metals. Therefore, alternative and inexpensive metals are explored as catalysts in electroless copper plating reactions.

Research limitations/implications

At the present time, formaldehyde is the established reducing agent in the electroless copper metallization of plated through‐holes. Because of its environmental impact, there is a need to replace formaldehyde. A change in reducing agent can lead to a change in the activation process, because there is no one metal that appears to be a good catalyst for the oxidation of all reducing agents that have been employed for electroless deposition. This paper suggests that further improvement in electroless copper plating processes may be possible with an alternative activation procedure that yields higher catalytic activity.

Originality/value

Based on the results of experiments, the development and optimization of activation processes in electroless copper plating can be advanced.
PCB process mechanization: various ways to automate
Authors: Holden Happy
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an updated overview of printed circuit manufacturing equipment from the perspective of “mechanization strategies and systems” in order to enable printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturers to select the appropriate equipment.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten process mechanization strategies were studied and illustrated with emphasis on the new conveyorized vertical plating and traditional horizontal conveyors, with some highlights of reel‐to‐reel chip on flex conveyorized plating equipment.

Findings

Novel mechanization continues to be created to enhance the technology, quality, and productivity of printed circuit manufacturing.

Research limitations/implications

Mechanized equipment has the most controlled conditions for research and another publication referenced will supply information on sensors and controllers for modern high‐speed PCB processes.

Originality/value

The paper describes various mechanization strategies for equipment used in printed circuit manufacturing, combined with process sensors, automatic control, statistical design of experiments, and automation strategies that will present the best scenario for optimal PCB production.
Goodwill accounting and performance measurement
Authors: Schultze Wolfgang , Weiler Andreas
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline the link between value creation, performance measurement and goodwill accounting according to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US‐GAAP). Since economic goodwill is identical to the present value of future residual income, the paper examines how accounting information gathered for impairment testing of goodwill according to International Accounting Standard (IAS) 36 and Financial Accounting Standard (FAS) 142 can be used for internal control purposes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper adopts common assumptions in the literature of residual income‐based valuation and analytically derives a periodic performance measure of both value creation and its realization based on information available from impairment testing.

Findings

This paper demonstrates that information required by IFRS and US‐GAAP to evaluate a firm's goodwill can be used to design a performance measurement system which provides information about both value creation and realization of value.

Practical implications

From a practical perspective, the paper shows that appropriate adjustments of data used in impairment testing result in information which ideally fits the requirements of an optimal performance measurement system.

Originality/value

The paper presents a performance measure which provides information about the actual creation of value as well as its realization in a period and is superior to traditional residual income‐based performance measures.
Evidence on IFRS goodwill impairment testing by Australian and New Zealand firms
Authors: Carlin Tyrone M. , Finch Nigel
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to provide evidence relating to the potential for and extent of opportunistic exercise of discretion by large Australian and New Zealand reporting entities undertaking goodwill impairment testing pursuant to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The research question is addressed using an empirical archival approach. Independent risk‐adjusted estimates of firm discount rates are calculated for a sample of 124 Australian and New Zealand listed firms, and an analysis of variances between these rates and those adopted by sample firms undertaken for the purposes of ascertaining evidence of potential opportunism in discount rate selection.

Findings

Evidence consistent with opportunism in the selection of discount rates is reported. The results suggest the existence of a bias among Australian and New Zealand firms towards the application of lower than expected discount rates. This is interpreted as evidence of the opportunistic exercise of discretion to avoid unwanted impairment losses.

Practical implications

The results raise doubts as to the efficacy of the IFRS impairment testing process in practice and suggest the need for greater rigour and vigilance on the part of auditors and regulators overseeing entities reporting pursuant to IFRS.

Originality/value

This is one of a limited number of empirical studies into the effect of the IFRS goodwill impairment testing regime in practice in Australia and New Zealand. The paper provides new empirical insights into the operation of the IFRS regime, in particular, the key dimension of discount rate selection by reporting entities.
Learning to collaborate: a study of business networks
Authors: Veal Gareth , Mouzas Stefanos
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to give empirical examples of the processes whereby networks learn to collaborate. Specifically, the authors aim to examine efforts to learn to collaborate in response to the challenge of climate change.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses case study research methods to examine concepts previously developed in the literature and propose a conceptual framework of barriers to learning to collaborate.

Findings

Existing research on collaboration over environmental issues highlights the prevalence of cognitive deficiencies, an abundance of conflicts and disputes and the ignorance of exchange opportunities among interdependent actors. Based on a theoretical review and an empirical case study, the authors put forward a framework that involves three stages. The paper proposes that networks learning to collaborate undergo a process of: framing the problem; negotiating; and achieving wise trades.

Practical implications

At all three of the stages given above, there are significant cognitive biases, which can lead to failure to learn to collaborate. The paper gives examples that should help businesses and regulators to understand and avoid in‐built barriers that could lead to a failure of the network to learn to collaborate.

Originality/value

The paper reviews a number of research disciplines linked to collaboration and gives an empirical case study that explores their links. The authors then propose a conceptual framework of barriers to learning to collaborate, which can be used to help guide practitioners. Failure to learn to collaborate can be found in the many contemporary cases of conflicts and disputes; such as in the areas of intellectual property rights, international trade, inter‐firm alliances and vertical marketing systems.
Learning and innovation in inter‐organizational network collaboration
Authors: Westerlund Mika , Rajala Risto
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This study sets out to examine the relationship between firms' learning orientation and network collaboration. The aim is to investigate how learning orientation enhances network collaboration and to discuss the role of the co‐innovation focus in the learning orientation‐network collaboration relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling analysis of 90 small and medium‐sized industrial firms (SMEs), the study tests hypotheses regarding how two diverse learning orientations – i.e. exploration and exploitation – precede firms' network collaboration.

Findings

The analysis shows that learning drives firms' co‐innovation focus in terms of product and process co‐innovation. In particular, the explorative learning orientation is found to foster firms' network collaboration through product co‐innovation. Exploitative learning orientation promotes process innovations but discourages networking.

Practical implications

A key implication for business practitioners is the understanding that SMEs' explorative learning approaches drive their network collaboration. The development of novel product innovation calls for learning with partners in inter‐organizational networks, whereas process improvements rely on the firm's intra‐organizational learning.

Originality/value

The paper provides evidence of the connection between firms' learning orientation, co‐innovation focus, and networking. Thus, it contributes to the literature on organizational learning, innovation management, and business networks by explicating how learning drives a firm's networking through its co‐innovation focus.
The arrival of technological changes at the business net: a learning process
Authors: Chou Hsin‐hui , Zolkiewski Judy
Published: August 2010

Purpose

This study aims to explore the process of the arrival of technological change and how the learning process impacts on network evolution.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses longitudinal, case‐based qualitative research to illustrate the network dynamics underpinning two technological generations.

Findings

The arrival of technological change not only is a pivotal event concerning a firm's long‐term competitiveness, but also challenges the firm's ability to manage its portfolio of relationships and balance its position in the evolution of business nets. Such an arrival process can be viewed as a learning process, where the firm learns how to devise appropriate strategies based on its inter‐organizational interaction history to cope with the rapidly changing environment, for example technological changes.

Originality/value

The findings illustrate the value of analyzing technological change from a network perspective. They illustrate the complexity of the process and show that, despite cooperation and collaboration, relationships are constrained and/or enabled by organisational learning. Relationships are determined by a plethora of issues such as strategic fit, functional fit and time fit.
Organizational network legitimacy and its impact on knowledge networks: the case of China's TD‐SCDMA mobility technology
Authors: Low Brian , Johnston Wesley J.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify why and how organizational network legitimacy facilitates firms' access to knowledge networks and reciprocal knowledge exchange between stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involves a managerially oriented inductive interpretative research, with empirical evidence sourced from a single in‐depth case study, complemented by hands‐on experience with the industry.

Findings

Subsidiaries of multinationals operating in China's politically sensitive and protective mobility technology market have stronger proactive and collaborative aspirations towards exploiting emerging technological opportunities in the external environment and developing technological capabilities because they are more inclined to pursue organizational network legitimacy initiatives.

Research limitations/implications

How organizational network legitimacy is produced, where does it become manifest, and at what administrative layers within China's politically sensitive and protective telecommunications are systematic empirical research questions that could be examined in the future.

Practical implications

Internalizing, driven only by market and/or technology legitimacy, falls short of realizing the organizational network legitimacy goal. It must also include cognitive understanding of the net sum of relational, investment and social legitimacies, as these are cognitively binding as well as benefiting with respect to subsidiaries of multinationals in accessing knowledge networks.

Originality/value

The paper underscores the importance of studying organizational network legitimacy and how it impacts on firms' access to knowledge networks, in a politically sensitive and protective Chinese mobility technology market.
Sustainability and triple bottom line: key issues for successful Spanish school principals
Authors: Corral Granados Anabel , Granados Gámez Genoveva
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how an organizational triple bottom line approach can be adapted to increase organizational sustainability in a Spanish school setting and assist school directors, who hold the primary role, in the process of adaptation.

Design/methodology/approach

Through synthesising different conceptual approaches, a system model was created based on design models, such as the “Design of results” and the “Cogniscope”, and thereafter managerial triple bottom line theory was adapted to Spanish head teacher practices.

Findings

The model shows that although there is no regulated training in school management in Spain, sustainability in schools can be managed by following this or similar strategic models, as long as adequate resources and managerial tools are provided.

Practical implications

The paper discusses how sustainability can be achieved through the organization, management and implementation of already available resources in a school setting. This unique model informs, enables and empowers Spanish head teachers to lead and manage sustainable performances by following triple bottom line approaches.

Originality/value

Terms such as triple bottom line and sustainability are fairly new and have received little attention in the field of education, even though research on organizational sustainability shows positive implications for future generations.
Early career teachers' quit intentions: implications for teacher education
Authors: Raju Pamu Mohan
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify what job‐related, individual, and profession‐related variables cause the intention to quit teaching among the early career teachers, especially teachers of Ethiopia.

Design/methodology/approach

Quit intentions were measured adapting the scale developed by Mueller and Lawler, and 11 profession‐related and person‐related job variables were measured by author‐developed and literature‐derived scale items on a five‐point Likert scale, along with five status variables. Data were analyzed from a sample of 308 early career teachers belonging to secondary and preparatory schools of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Findings

An alarming 53 per cent sample expressed high quit intention whereas only 13 per cent teachers showed low quit intentions. Choice satisfaction (accounting 44 per cent variance), availability of other job opportunities (23 per cent variance), perceived status (15 per cent variance), and self‐accountability (13 per cent variance) emerged as predictor variables. None of the five status variables emerged as significant predictors. Commitment to teaching profession was not a significant predictor, suggesting the two concepts independent of each other.

Research limitations/implications

Providing freedom of choice at entry level to teaching profession coupled with enhancing rigour in pre‐service education was suggested as major steps required for decreasing high‐level quit intentions.

Practical implications

Education policy needs to be such that for preparation of teachers of secondary and preparatory level, pre‐service teacher education students should have attained maturity of adulthood with a minimum academic attainment of a post‐undergraduate level or a post‐graduate level. This is to enable early career teachers to handle adolescence‐level school students by being equipped with better skills learned during pre‐service teacher education.

Originality/value

The results are pertinent not only to Ethiopia but also to any less developed or a developing country, where “catch them early” policy is followed for pre‐service education and where less rigorous pre‐service education exists.
Performance management practices, employee attitudes and managed performance
Authors: Kagaari James , Munene John C. , Mpeera Ntayi Joseph
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish the relationship between performance management practices, employee attitudes and managed performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a disproportionate stratified purposive approach, a sample of 900 employees was drawn from four public universities in Uganda.

Findings

The paper reveals that performance management practices and employee attitudes are crucial for achievement of managed performance in public universities.

Research limitations/implications

This was a cross‐sectional study that inherently has common method biases. Such biases could be minimised with replication of the study using a longitudinal study approach that would also unearth all salient issues that could have remained untouched.

Practical implications

The paper emphasises the need for public universities to institutionalise result‐oriented relationships and adapt in the external hyper changing environment.

Originality/value

The paper calls for a new approach to managing employees in public universities with increasing demand for university education and stakeholder interests in delivery of cost‐effective quality services.
Marketing framework in higher education
Authors: Ramachandran Narayanan T.
Published: August 2010

Purpose

In recent years, the higher education (HE) sector has been influenced by a marketised approach. Such an approach has enabled higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase their international presence and also to enhance their student profile. Nevertheless, marketing theories applied to commercial sector may not be relevant to the HE sector. The purpose of this paper is to examine how marketing framework has influenced various aspects of HE management and its implication to dealing with student issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a conceptual discussion of the issues.

Findings

The paper takes a critical view of customer metaphor for students and argues that such attempts restrict the rights and privileges that students and the HE sector traditionally enjoyed. Differences between commercial organisations and HE sector in terms of products developed and the underlying process of development are explored. How the uniqueness of the HE sector relies more on a sector‐wide agreement than on legal framework is analysed. The role of marketing units in developing a mature market which is strong enough to demand quality HE products is emphasised. Several aspects that need to be coordinated among quality assurance departments, academic staff, and the marketing departments are discussed.

Research limitations/implications

Indiscriminate use of marketing metaphors in the HE sector has introduced new dimensions to the relationship that exists between the HEIs and students.

Practical implications

Marketing in the HE sector is not similar to what exists in the commercial sector as “higher education products” are different from “commercial products” and students are different from “customers” who buy commercial products. Moreover, the roles of marketing departments in the HE sector are different from those in a commercial organisation.

Originality/value

Marketing frameworks cannot be transplanted into a HE environment. The sector is unique and is characterised more by the principles of self‐governance and academic freedom. Application of marketing techniques will restrict students' rights and destroy the relationship that exists between the HEI and the students. Marketing departments should focus on creating mature markets.
Solutions offerings: a critical review and reconceptualisation
Authors: Nordin Fredrik , Kowalkowski Christian
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical analysis of the literature of solutions offerings; to provide a new conceptual framework, incorporating dimensions that can distinguish between different kinds of solutions and connect their different characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper takes a critical review of the relevant literature, 28 contributions being identified in a search of three major databases and a range of other published work for the broader perspective, illustrated by real‐world examples.

Findings

There is no unanimous and rigorous definition of solutions, but rather a number of often broad and generic descriptions that could be applied to a wide array of different offerings, if not generically.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of subject‐specific contributions to the literature may not have been sufficient, and a wider selection of keywords to identify them might have captured a richer variety of concepts and opinions.

Originality/value

This structured and critical review contributes to the literature on services and solutions, by developing a conceptual framework as a basis for future studies and current management strategy.
Benefits and uncertainties of performance‐based contracting in manufacturing industries
Authors: Hypko Phillipp , Tilebein Meike , Gleich Ronald
Published: August 2010

Purpose

In view of a lack of understanding of the consequences of performance‐based contracting (PBC), this paper aims to reveal deeper insights into the mechanisms inherent to PBC and explore which benefits and uncertainties may result for providers and customers.

Design/methodology/approach

Conducting a comprehensive literature review and drawing on insights from agency theory as a framework, the auhtors analyzed a broad range of academic publications on the benefits and uncertainties of PBC and developed testable propositions from the provider's and the customer's perspective.

Findings

With PBC, in comparison to the conventional selling and supporting of machinery or equipment, the manufacturers are more likely to acquire customers for highly innovative technologies, to increase their profit, and to improve customer loyalty. Manufacturers, however, have to deal with uncertain revenues and costs which affect their profit. The customers are more likely to receive increased performance at decreased costs. Concerning the performance, however, the customers enter into an uncertain relationship of dependence.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to analyze the benefits and uncertainties of PBC in manufacturing industries systematically from an agency theory perspective. The paper further develops extant research by outlining the mechanisms of PBC and relating the benefits and uncertainties that are scattered over a broad body of literature. The paper proposes several promising avenues for further research.
Promoting active communication behaviours through internal communication
Authors: Mazzei Alessandra
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a definition of internal communication based on intangible resources rather than organizational boundaries.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews the resource‐based theory of the company, the constructivist theory of communication and the situational theory of publics. It then proposes a resource model (RM) of internal communication based on interactive processes aimed at creating two catalytic resources for organizing: knowledge and allegiance. The field research explores whether this model captures the concept of internal communication prevailing in business, based on interviews with ten internal communication managers in Italian companies.

Findings

The companies in this paper display a strong awareness of how intangible resources, such as knowledge and employee attitudes, contribute to the company's success. Consequently, they seek to promote active communication behaviours among employees. The RM depicts many characteristics of the way managers currently perceive internal communication.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the qualitative nature of the research, the results do not have universal validity.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that the main function of internal communication departments is no longer to transmit messages but to promote active communication behaviours at all organizational levels.

Originality/value

The paper suggests a definition of internal communication that would help to generate the intangible resources that fuel organizations: knowledge and allegiance. It supports a new focus on active communication behaviours of employees.
Supply chains in the construction industry
Authors: Segerstedt Anders , Olofsson Thomas
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a special issue about the construction industry and the management of its supply chains. It aims to discuss and point to some differences and possible similarities with traditional manufacturing and its supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is mostly a literature review and contains official statistics.

Findings

The market of the construction company is mostly local and highly volatile. The long durability of the construction “product” contributes to the volatility. The product specification process before the customer order arrives shows different degrees of specifications: engineer to order, modify to order, configure to order, select a variant. (The common make‐to‐stock in traditional manufacturing does not exist.) A construction company only executes a small part of the project by its own personnel and capacity. This is a way of risk spreading and risk mitigation and to compensate for an unstable market. If a construction company wants to establish a new concept, from “engineer to order” to e.g. “configure to order”, it must be engaged earlier in the business process and with other than usual customers, which might complicate the process.

Research limitations/implications

Experiences from Sweden and Swedish developments are the main source of information.

Originality/value

The paper introduces the articles that are a source of scientifically generated knowledge regarding various problems and opportunities associated with supply chain management in the project‐based construction industry.
A case study of multi‐team communications in construction design under supply chain partnering
Authors: Xie Charlene , Wu Dash , Luo Jianwen , Hu Xiaoling
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The increasing “globalisation” and complexity of construction design implies that the project team may involve subcontractors in the construction supply chain from widely distributed geographic areas. Thus communication is a vital process for the design. The aim of the present work is to investigate how construction design under supply chain partnering can be improved through a study of communication issues and problems.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey is initially conducted to investigate communication issues and problems in construction design. Based on the survey results, a case study is carried out to gain further insights into these issues and problems, exploring how the procurement like supply chain partnering influences the multi‐team communications in construction design.

Findings

The paper finds that partnering can eliminate many communication barriers and has a positive impact on social collaboration in the design process. It could have a negative impact on the team communications if proper procedures have not been put in place. In addition, co‐location can increase the degree of interaction, communication and technical collaboration in the partnership.

Originality/value

This paper may help construction project practitioners to focus their attention on the necessary respects of multi‐team communications between supply chain partners in construction design, leading to high cooperation and ultimately improving the quality of the design outcomes.
Fast‐growing firms in a transitional and extreme environment: are they different?
Authors: Hoxha Durim , Capelleras Joan‐Lluis
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The paper is aims at investigating the contribution of fast‐growing firms to employment and the determinants of fast growth in Kosova, which can be considered an environment characterized by a transitional period and extreme conditions for entrepreneurship.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper was based on the data collected from face‐to‐face interviews with 585 firm founders. The contribution of firms to job creation was computed by using descriptive statistics and then an ordinal logit regression model was employed to explore the determinants of fast growth.

Findings

Results indicate that the contribution of fast‐growing firms to employment in this environment is lower than that in Western and developed countries. Findings also suggest that fast growth is positively affected by specific human capital, intentions to grow and the ability to deal with external barriers, while having a university degree is found to be negatively related to fast growth.

Research limitations/implications

This paper provides a better understanding of the phenomenon of fast‐growing firms and has several theoretical and practical implications. Importantly, the research on fast‐growing firm is still not mature and the overall picture on fast‐growing firms have yet to be built.

Originality/value

Most of the empirical evidence on fast‐growing firms comes from developed countries. This paper provides the empirical evidence from a transitional yet extreme context to further our knowledge on the topic of firm's fast growth.
Differentiation for competitive advantage in a small family business
Authors: Douglas Alex , Douglas Jacqueline , Davies John
Published: August 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report how a small, family‐owned children's play centre can achieve competitive advantage by developing a differentiated service. The aim is to show how this differentiation strategy is operationalized in a small family business using safety critical and work critical regulatory practices, and to examine their impact on operations and customers.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach was taken, collecting data through observation over a 24‐month period from design, through construction, to the first 18 months of operations. A survey of customers was undertaken after the centre had been open for 12 months.

Findings

From startup in 2005, the centre has attracted between 1,500 and 2,000 children per week. It charges premium admission prices (twice those of competitors) and also charges for accompanying adults. Customers travel up to 20 miles to the centre, extremely high customer satisfaction levels are achieved, over 99 per cent of customers would recommend the centre to others and repeat visits are the norm.

Research limitations/implications

The research covers a single case and therefore is only generalisable back to theory rather than to the population of free‐standing children's soft play area businesses.

Practical implications

When organizations within a particular industry sector operate within the confines of that industry's legal requirements, it is the voluntary practices that are likely to lead to differentiation of the service.

Originality/value

The paper provides a detailed case study on how a small family business achieves competitive advantage by utilising safety critical and work critical practices to strategically differentiate its service offering.