bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beyond Pygmalion effect: the role of managerial perception
Authors: Inamori Takao , Analoui Farhad
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The influences of perception have been studied in educational, army, sports and business settings but never in the development field. The Pygmalion effect generally suggests that the perceiver's positive expectation enhances the target's performance. This first time research seeks to explore how managerial perceptions of the aid workers of the local staffs affect their behaviour and performance in cross‐cultural project settings.

Design/methodology/approach

With the cooperation of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), 244 valid responses were obtained from the aid workers through a web‐based survey. Using factor analysis, five perception‐related factors and two behaviour‐related factors were extracted. Subsequently, in order to clarify the causal relationship, the above factors and one observed organisational performance variable were tested using path analysis.

Findings

Positive causal relationships were confirmed between two perception‐related factors and one behaviour‐related factor, and also between the behaviour‐related factor and the organisational performance variable. These results strongly suggest that aid workers' positive perception causes positive behaviour in local colleagues and will result in higher organisational performance.

Practical limitations/implications

Whilst avoiding generalisation, nevertheless, the results suggest that there is a need for people‐related and cross‐cultural management skills to ensure successful future activities, and stress management competencies to maintain the positive managerial perception on the part of the aid workers.

Originality/value

Despite the considerable influence of donor staff's managerial perception on the quality of the human relationships and organisational performance, this field of enquiry has remained neglected. The study provides first‐time empirical evidence on its significance.
A review of creativity within organizations from a psychological perspective
Authors: Klijn Marja , Tomic Welko
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to survey the main creativity models, mediators as well as the enhancers of organizational creativity, all from a psychological perspective. In addition, the paper seeks to identify gaps in knowledge of organizational creativity. Aspects of creativity that require closer inspection are described.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature on creativity within organizations from a psychological perspective was undertaken. A large number of research papers, mainly published after 1985 covering creativity and/or innovation, were identified and critically evaluated for relevance to the paper's purpose, and were judged on sufficient scholarship in order to create a narrative literature review.

Findings

Despite the great amount of psychological research on creativity and innovation, only a few models and theories appear to be defined. Moreover, their predictive value and incorporation of possible influencing factors is limited. In general, it can be concluded that the field of creativity requires more in‐depth research as well as a synthesis of results of various studies and models in order to effectively develop, promote and predict creativity within organizations.

Research limitations/implications

The review focuses mainly on psychological aspects of creativity in organizations as published in research papers. In future studies for determining generic theories and conclusions, other aspects, e.g. sociological, cultural, economic and biological, should be taken into account.

Originality/value

A large and diverse number of studies on creativity in organizations have been conducted, but a comprehensive review paper on organizational creativity is still lacking. This paper supplies this need for survey. The findings of the current paper provide a well documented framework in addressing creativity enhancers in organizational environments. Furthermore, it articulates suggestions for further research and can be a good starting‐point for newcomers in this research domain.
The effect of downsizing on organizational practices targeting older workers
Authors: Armstrong‐Stassen Marjorie , Cattaneo Julian
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between organizational downsizing and the extent to which organizations are engaging in human resource practices tailored to the needs of older workers (Study 1) and are providing a supportive training and development climate for older workers (Study 2).

Design/methodology/approach

Study 1 data were obtained from 449 employed individuals aged 50 to 68 years. Study 2 data were obtained from 395 employed individuals aged 50 to 70 years. Respondents were from a broad cross‐section of occupations and organizations across Canada.

Findings

Respondents in downsized organizations indicated that their organizations were significantly less likely to be engaging in human resource practices tailored to older workers and that their organizations had a less supportive training and development climate than their counterparts whose organizations had not downsized.

Research limitations/implications

The findings are based on older workers' perceptions of organizational practices, which may or may not be an accurate reflection of what organizations actually have in place.

Practical implications

Organizations, especially those that have downsized, will be at a disadvantage if they continue to ignore the needs of older workers. Employers will have to change how they view older workers and put in place organizational practices geared to older workers such as those examined in the paper. Ensuring that older workers have the requisite skills and competencies to extend their working lives may require government involvement.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates that downsizing is detrimental to organizational practices that the aging workforce literature identifies as especially important to older workers.
Age cohort effects, gender, and Romanian leadership preferences
Authors: Fein Erich C. , Tziner Aharon , Vasiliu Cristinel
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This study aims to examine preferences for both transformational and transactional leadership behavior for gender‐ and age‐based cohort differences. The purpose of this research is to enhance leadership and organizational change initiatives in Romania via the identification of age cohort and gender effects with respect to attitudes towards common leadership behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is conducted via a survey through the administration of questionnaires. The sample consists of 324 managers from commercial and service organizations in Romania, a country in which this issue has not previously been investigated.

Findings

The findings reveal that there are differences in preferences for leadership behavior based on age cohorts that reached maturity before or after the fall of Ceauşescu during the 1989 revolution. Also, female participants displayed a greater preference for transformational leadership behaviors relative to transactional leadership behaviors.

Originality/value

This is the first study to examine the effects of leadership preference based on age cohorts in Romania. The study also is one of the first to empirically examine the effects of age cohorts on leadership after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe. As such, these findings offer guidance in the development and implementation of leadership development initiatives and change management interventions for organizations operating in Romania, and present one example of cohort‐based and leadership‐specific attitude change in a country that is transitioning from communism to a free market system.
How private enterprises establish organizational legitimacy in China's transitional economy
Authors: Feng Tianli , Wang Guofeng
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal how Chinese private entrepreneurs behaved in a transition economy with a weak institutional environment to obtain organizational legitimacy.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on five consecutive nation‐wide surveys from 1997 to 2006 in China, the study provides empirical evidence and theoretical explanation on private entrepreneurs' behaviors in obtaining organizational legitimacy in China's transition economy.

Findings

The paper finds that the institutional environment in China's transition economy for private firms was weak. Specifically, weak property protection and Three Payouts showed a high risk of property confiscation for private firms; an under‐developed (discriminatory) financial system and a weak credit system had been big obstacles for the development of private firms, which resulted in debt chain among firms, a substitution for the weak financial system. Under such a hostile institutional environment where firms have been facing a high risk of organizational legitimacy, private entrepreneurs have great willingness to connect with government officers, participate in PC or CPPCC which are likely be politically connected, employ isomorphism in organizational structure, apply government‐oriented corporate social responsibility behaviors, on which they depend to obtain organizational legitimacy in transitional economy.

Originality/value

The paper exhibits the institutional environment in the past ten years in China's transition economy, and proposes the likely ways in which private entrepreneurs choose to establish legitimacy under a weak institutional environment.
A balanced scorecard approach for R&D: evidence from a case study
Authors: Bigliardi Barbara , Ivo Dormio Alberto
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to develop a balanced scorecard (BSC) model delimited for research and development (R&D) performance measurement.

Design/methodology/approach

A research methodology that is a combination of literature analysis, Delphi technique and case study‐based research was adopted. Specifically, starting from the analysis of the literature about performance measurement and metrics in general, and applied to R&D environment in particular, the relevant indicators (both financial and non‐financial) suitable to be used for the R&D activities were identified. These indicators were then submitted to a panel of experts, which, following the Delphi technique, determined the final list of indicators and the final BSC model. Finally, in order to validate the BSC model obtained, it was tested on a company operating in the automotive industry.

Findings

The preliminary result obtained from this case study, that is a BSC model suitable for R&D, helps in the development of a general BSC model to be tested on a wide sample of firms that actively operate in the R&D field.

Research limitations/implications

The research methodology adopted has, on the one hand, the advantage that allows the study in depth of a specific issue (the BSC) and, on the other, the results presented are not suitable to be generalized or extended to other contexts, although some extrapolations can be made.

Originality/value

The paper provides a structured performance measurement system designed for R&D that may be used as a reference for companies where R&D activities are the core activities, to establish applicable performance appraisal indicators.
Benchmarking success of building maintenance projects
Authors: Lam Edmond W.M. , Chan Albert P.C. , Chan Daniel W.M.
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to develop a project success index (PSI) to benchmark the performance of building maintenance projects from a number of key performance indicators (KPIs).

Design/methodology/approach

The research collected 110 responses from project participants with managing building maintenance project experience of the Hong Kong construction industry via ordinary postal mail. In addition, a project success equation was formulated from the principal components analysis to generate a composite score so as to indicate the level of success of building maintenance projects.

Findings

Industry participants believe that time, cost, quality, functionality, safety and environmental friendliness can be considered as KPIs for building maintenance projects. A single index can also be computed from the project success equation to apply different weightings to the respective KPI with different significance such that the performance of building maintenance projects can be compared.

Practical implications

The concept of success remains vague among project participants, which makes it difficult to assess whether the performance of a project is a success or failure. The development of PSI can indicate the overall performance of a building maintenance project and quantify the success concept in a scientific manner.

Originality/value

PSI‐Mains indicates the success level of a building maintenance project for benchmarking purposes. It also enables project stakeholders to measure the success of a building maintenance project and to compare the relative success level among different building maintenance projects in a scientific manner.
Measuring customer satisfaction of FM service in housing sector
Authors: Hui Eddie C.M. , Zheng Xian
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze crucial variables of customer satisfaction towards residential facility management (FM) service, and to enable FM companies to deliver high quality services.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on a survey of customer satisfaction of one residential property in Hong Kong. FM service is divided into two interrelated clusters which are denoted by two latent variables, and then a specific structural equation model is developed for identifying and quantifying the influence of service and management quality on customer satisfaction and clarifying the causal relationships between these latent and observed variables.

Findings

The research reveals that: both service and management quality have significant positive effect on customer satisfaction, and the effect of service quality is larger than that of management quality when the indirect effect is taken into account; service quality is a crucial latent variable influencing customer satisfaction and it has a significant direct effect on management quality; how the individual observed variables work together to characterize the corresponding latent variables from an empirical point of view, and some key variables that should be focused on by facility managers in the housing sector are also identified.

Practical implications

Structural equation models are advocated for evaluating customer satisfaction in the housing property sector of facility management service. It can also be used in other sectors of facility management, such as office, retail property or some public property management like hospitals and schools. It has implications for facility management managers in how to improve residential customers' satisfaction level.

Originality/value

This paper presents a quantitative model of characterizing the degree of customer satisfaction.
Systems approach and performance measurement by social enterprises
Authors: Straub Ad , Koopman Marnix , van Mossel Henk‐Jan
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper intends to ascertain a general guideline for performance measurement and management by social enterprises, combining public and private tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual systems approach is used as a framework. Maintenance service delivery by Dutch housing associations is used as a case study to show how the conceptual systems approach to performance measurement can be helpful to address the managerial problems of social enterprises, the actors involved and the possible consequences of new policies and interventions.

Findings

The system approach to performance measurement has the tools to bring transparency to the aims and means of the various participants in the production process of social enterprises having complex aims and tasks both in the market and in the public domain. The identification of key performance indicators, as well as the input, throughput, output and outcome indicators, ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal business process and also covers the accountability to external stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

The conceptual systems approach to performance measurement was tested by Dutch housing associations. Researchers are encouraged to test the conceptual systems approach to performance measurement in other social enterprises.

Practical implications

The complexity of the public housing sector and generally social enterprises needs transparent performance measurement. This complexity – due to dynamics in the surroundings – also causes measurement problems. When deciding on performance indicators it is essential to gain a clear idea of the manageable and unmanageable dynamics and to adjust the performance measurement system accordingly.

Originality/value

The importance of performance measurement by social enterprises is growing. The paper shows how the conceptual systems approach can still be very helpful to identify performance indicators combining tasks in the market and public domain.
Measuring service quality and patient satisfaction with access to public and private healthcare delivery
Authors: Owusu‐Frimpong Nana , Nwankwo Sonny , Dason Baba
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to explore patients' satisfaction with access to treatment in both the public and private healthcare sectors in London.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to determine patients' levels of satisfaction. A semi‐structured face ‐to‐face non‐probability quota sampling and a probability sample drawn from multistage cluster sampling methods were employed.

Findings

The results revealed varying access experiences among public and private care users. Public, as opposed to private, healthcare users experience unsatisfactory outcomes in relation to service climate factors (e.g. getting attention from doctors, time taken to get appointments, access to core treatment and opening hours). Overall, while women are more disadvantaged by spatial accessibility to treatment than men, both public and private healthcare users indicate major problems in accessing healthcare despite the myriad intervention strategies aimed at ameliorating the situation in both sectors. Therefore, access‐to‐care problems are significant and need to be addressed by managers and healthcare providers in order to improve the quality of service delivery and patient satisfaction. Private care users fare better than public users in obtaining medical care at short notice, having more agreeable opening hours for treatment and getting appointments for treatment with less difficulty.

Research limitations/implications

Whereas the limitation of the study was due to its small sample size, it nevertheless will stimulate insight into further academic endeavours.

Practical implications

Academics and practitioners will find the results very useful when making decisions about healthcare provisions and how they can best meet user/patient satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study is significant in drawing on the current literature on satisfaction which is usefully applied to evaluate patients' response to the quality management initiatives in the healthcare sector.
The Ombudsman in developing democracies: the Commonwealth Caribbean experience
Authors: Abedin Najmul
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the working of the Ombudsman offices in six developing democracies in the Commonwealth Caribbean in order to assess/evaluate the degree or extent of effectiveness of these offices. It aims to look at them from both contemporary and evolutionary perspectives. Although it focuses on the Commonwealth Caribbean, some references to other parts of the world are also made for a better and comparative understanding of the Ombudsman institution.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based mainly on archival research. Original/primary as well as secondary sources – old, recent and contemporary – have been used. Random interviews and observation have also been useful sources of information.

Findings

On the one hand, this study identifies various factors and related issues that make the performance of the Ombudsman institution difficult and problematic in the Commonwealth Caribbean; and, on the other, it also identifies some remedial measures for effectively dealing with these problems. Although the Ombudsman office has a number of inadequacies, it plays a fairly useful role in protecting and promoting human rights, in redressing grievances especially of the “small” people, and thus in contributing to good governance, transparency and democratic values.

Research limitations/implications

There is considerable dearth of literature on this institution in the Caribbean. This study, at least partially, fills the gap.

Practical implications

The adoption of the remedial measures identified will improve the performance and the effectiveness of this institution in varying degrees. These measures/recommendations will also facilitate the reform efforts of the policy makers who will find them useful.

Originality/value

The paper, based on original research, makes a significant contribution to the understanding of the Ombudsman institution.
Stakeholder salience and accounting practices in Tanzanian NGOs
Authors: Assad Mussa J. , Goddard Andrew R.
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the influence of stakeholders on accountability relationships and the development of accounting practices and processes within two Tanzanian non‐governmental organisations (NGOs).

Design/methodology/approach

Stakeholder analysis is employed to evaluate the positions of stakeholder groups in terms of Mitchell et al.'s attributes of power, legitimacy and urgency. Data analysis was undertaken using a grounded theory approach.

Findings

The research found that overseas donors were the stakeholders with the highest salience as a result of which they significantly influenced accountability relationships and accounting processes and practices within NGOs. Despite the often proclaimed NGOs' objective of improving welfare of beneficiary groups there appeared to be little accountability by NGOs to beneficiaries. Differences in the accounting functions in the NGOs were explained by the influence of dominant stakeholders, the credibility of the organisation and its managers and the varied ways through which the organisations negotiated and accounted for funding. Moreover, accounting was virtually unemployed in internal decision‐making processes indicating that it was largely a tool for satisfying claims of the highly salient stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

This paper makes a contribution to the literatures of both stakeholder theory and NGO accounting. From the grounded theory analysis it is suggested that the stakeholder framework of Mitchell et al. could be usefully extended in the three areas of power asymmetries of definitive stakeholders, stakeholder salience asymmetries across organisational phenomena and asymmetries across time.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the empirical accounting literature by seeking a deeper understanding of how and why accounting and accountability relationships develop within NGOs. It sheds light on a type of organisation that has not been extensively studied in the public sector management literature.
Defining and measuring productivity in the public sector: managerial perceptions
Authors: Linna Paula , Pekkola Sanna , Ukko Juhani , Melkas Helinä
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to identify what productivity means in the public sector, how it is measured and how it should be measured and improved, according to municipal authorities in managerial positions.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach is both theoretical and empirical. The first part is a literature review of research concerning public sector productivity. The second part presents findings of empirical research that is based on interviews and workshops with municipal authorities representing: special healthcare services; basic healthcare and social services, and educational services. The research was carried out in the Päijät‐Häme region, Finland.

Findings

According to the results, there is a certain mismatch between perceptions concerning productivity and the potential that lies in this concept as a functional tool in the public sector's development efforts. Public sector productivity cannot be developed and discussed without taking into consideration the issue of effectiveness.

Practical implications

Deeper common understanding concerning productivity and effectiveness and their measurement are likely to facilitate municipal decision making and service processes in individual workplaces as well as within and among different spheres of authority – and thus facilitate mutual learning.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to development and application of productivity and effectiveness thinking in the public sector. It is linked to service excellence, performance measurement and management systems, creativity in process delivery and deployment of improvement techniques in the public sector. It is of interest both to researchers and practitioners.
Once upon a time
Authors: Flory Marja , Iglesias Oriol
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss a critical review of the role of rhetoric and narratives in management research and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

Conceptual implications are drawn from the analysis and discussion of the papers of this special issue, as well as from previous literature.

Findings

Managers and researchers will be unable to explore the potential of narratives and stories fully if, at the same time, they do not deeply comprehend the underpinnings of rhetoric.

Originality/value

The paper further discusses the role of rhetoric and narratives in management research and practice and also explores the relationships between rhetoric and narratives.
Rhetoric in management and in management research
Authors: Bonet Eduard , Sauquet Alfons
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a critical view of rhetoric, science, scientific research, and management that discloses the role of rhetoric in these fields and that offers a conceptual framework for this special issue of the Journal of Organizational Change Management.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken is a critical and historical analysis.

Findings

The following main topics are uncovered: first, even if we think on scientific theories in terms of the classical concept of proven knowledge by empirical evidence and logical deduction, they are constituted by propositions accepted by reasonable rhetorical arguments, which depend on the paradigm of each scientific community. Second, even if we consider that scientific research is a strictly rational activity that follows precise methods, it continuously involves rhetorical reflections, judgements, arguments and debates. Third, even if management sciences usually conceptualize management as activities led by rational arguments and decisions, management constantly involves rhetorical conversations, in which managers use language for achieving their aims.

Originality/value

Beyond the scope of many research papers and books that emphasize the role of rhetoric in science and in management, the paper offers a systematic approach on the foundations of the functions of rhetoric in science and in management.
Management – decision and interpretation
Authors: Siggaard Jensen Hans
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the main characteristics of the model of persuasive management, comparing it with the model of scientific management and the model of rational management. The paper also offers a model of management education based on the education of leaders in the classical world, which involves three kinds of abilities: skills of persuasion (rhetoric), knowledge and practice of virtues (protreptics), and knowledge of science, society and conceptual and practical instruments.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach taken is a conceptual and historical analysis.

Findings

The paper finds the identification of the characteristics of persuasive management, and the skills that it requires.

Originality/value

Beyond the scope of many research papers, the paper offers a systematic view of the aspects of management that involve persuasion.
Autopoeisis and meaning: a biological approach to Bakhtin's superaddressee
Authors: Goosseff Kyrill A.
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the connections between autopoiesis, as described by Maturana and Varela, and Bakhtin's work on dialogue in understanding successful organizational rhetoric.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews two foundational texts in order to see the connection between them.

Findings

The concept of “organizational closure” will govern the domain of communication and therefore also any act in rhetoric.

Originality/value

This is a first attempt to link “organizational closure” as it exists in autopoiesis to Bakhtin's notion of a superaddressee.
Slumdog Millionaire
Authors: Magala Sławomir
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reinterpret rhetorical inventions in global multimedia and to re‐conceptualize the theoretical analysis of processes of sentimental representation of global inequalities, unfair terms of exchange and attempts to balance them (“Bollywood” of Mumbai vs Hollywood of LA).

Design/methodology/approach

Philosophical and qualitative analysis of the rhetoric of communication forged by global power games and applied to symbolic strategies of resistance, with a case study of a particular highly successful movie in global multimedia network, namely Slumdog Millionaire, which had been coproduced jointly by professionals from the former “colonial power” (the UK) and from the former “conquered colony” (India) in order to challenge the latest superpower (Hollywood and the USA).

Findings

Yesterday's underdogs are talking back and winning the symbolic game of multimediated communications by inserting a new professionally shaped response to the international inequalities laid bare and exposed to a growing critique. However, the ironies of the international division of labor and local cultural contexts can turn “sweatshops” into “boudoirs” subverting the rhetoric of Western domination. More Bollywood‐like strategies are needed to redress the imbalance.

Originality/value

Apart from the very specialist studies in the aesthetics of the film as an art form, this is the first attempt to demonstrate the common theme of resistance to the dominant rhetoric of multimedia industries on the level of coding symbolic meanings and disseminating them through aesthetically successful cultural commodities by groups and regions “cast” in subordinate roles by cultural industries.
Official chronicles of corporate globalization and unofficial stories of international mobility
Authors: Gaggiotti Hugo
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse contradictions, similarities, and differences between official corporate chronicles and individual stories of international managers of a multinational company.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis was made following methodological and technical approaches of critical analysis of narratives and organizational discourse of an ethnography conducted in a multinational corporation.

Findings

It is suggested that contradictions, similarities, and differences are ways that managers have to resist patronage and imposition of meanings. Implications for organizations are suggested.

Originality/value

The discursive manipulation of the meaning of time as a way of organizational patronage is considered.
Narratives: a powerful device for values transmission in family businesses
Authors: Jose Parada Maria , Viladás Helena
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to shed light on how core values are successfully transmitted in family businesses via narratives.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative‐interpretive approach is used. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews made to 17 family members from three family businesses of different ages, sizes, industries, and generations in control. The richness of these interviews, besides its depth and length, emerges from the complete picture formed by the comparison of the stories told by different generations.

Findings

Results suggest that narratives are a powerful device for transmitting values through generations. By telling stories, family businesses are able to build identity and shared meanings which led to successful performance in terms of revenues, reputation, shared identity, and continuity of the family business history.

Research limitations/implications

This paper is exploratory. Further studies focusing on failure in transmitting values could enhance and expand emerging results. Deepening on values transmission may be a key research opportunity for general conceptualization.

Originality/value

The paper raises interesting issues for the family business literature within the context of values, an important yet understudied topic in the field. It also contributes to narrative theory by highlighting the usefulness of narratives as a vehicle for values transmission.
Socialization into modernity: on organizational enculturation in infantocracies
Authors: Czarniawska Barbara , Kunda Gideon
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the persistent ambiguity of socialization practices in US and Swedish organizations, which promote a mature work identity while infantilizing their employees.

Design/methodology/approach

Application of the insights from modernist authors' analysis of modernity as experienced by a human subject within professional organizations (Gombrowicz and Musil) and as responsible for proliferation of layers of reality (Eco), to contemporary practices of socialization.

Findings

The conflict between the need to conform to the corporate culture and the temptation to subvert them for creative or destructive purposes results in production of a “person without qualities,” and in the rise of the contemporary form of hyperreal infantocracy, which requires sophisticated irony in order to deal with organizational practices.

Research limitations/implications

Paying more attention to literary analysts of contemporary condition such as Gombrowicz, Musil, Eco, and Kundera will allow to understand paradoxes of contemporary organizing beyond the limits of traditional social sciences.

Practical implications

Combating apathy and disillusion among both employees and human resource management practitioners requires a reconceptualization of the programs of organizational socialization in terms of a sustainable and responsible corporate citizenship.

Originality/value

Few authors have managed to mine the humanist heritage in order to salvage insights, which might have practical implications for a more balanced, sustainable, and humane organizational reality.
Examining the effects of website‐induced flow in professional sporting team websites
Authors: O'Cass Aron , Carlson Jamie
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to contribute to the internet marketing literature by examining the impact of flow on consumers' satisfaction, aroused feelings, website loyalty and word‐of‐mouth behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

A self‐administered online questionnaire was used for data collection through a market research firm which randomly selected individuals of its online panel. Participants were asked to recall a recent encounter with their preferred professional sport website and refer to that website regarding their answers. Data were gathered from 400 consumers from a variety of professional sporting teams. The variables under investigation in the study were measured using established scales from the marketing literature and adapted to the context of the study.

Findings

The results indicate that a compelling online experience related to sporting team websites as represented by flow experiences appears to be a driver of positive aroused feelings, higher satisfaction levels, as well as website loyalty and positive word‐of‐mouth of sport consumers.

Research limitations/implications

The sample of the study is restricted to consumer evaluations from a specific website‐service context being the professional sport sector. The empirical relationships between flow, aroused feelings, consumer satisfaction, website loyalty and word of mouth reported in the study are tentative in the sense that they are based on cross‐sectional data.

Practical implications

The study provides important implications for flow theory development and implications for internet marketing strategy, especially for professional sporting teams.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the literature by investigating the relationship between flow and consequent outcomes of encounters and experiences of sporting team websites. Little research has addressed flow, and its effect on aroused feelings, consumer satisfaction and website‐related loyalty intentions, especially in the domain of professional sport websites.
A novel attribute‐based dynamic content area layout for internet newspapers
Authors: Haktanirlar Ulutas Berna , Attila Islier A.
Published: April 2010

Purpose

A layout problem may deal with the assignment and arrangement of buildings in a green field, location and/or relocation of machines/departments in manufacturing facilities, and so on. If multi‐periods are considered, the problem is called a dynamic layout problem in manufacturing environments. Designing web pages, especially internet newspaper layouts, might also be considered dynamic layout problems. This study aims to introduce a layout procedure for the front page of internet newspapers.

Design/methodology/approach

The news contents are ranked and selected based on their characteristic attributes. Then they are assigned to locations on dynamic content area of the front page. Layout optimization is made by use of Clonal Selection Algorithm (CSA). Finally, an illustrative example is provided and concepts for real life applications are discussed. The proposed method is based on CSA, which is a nature‐inspired technique. The novel heuristic is applied to a simulated system to depict how the news content layouts can be optimized in dynamic environments.

Findings

The capacity for addition of new news contents and removal of the old turns the internet newspaper environment into a dynamic structure. A systematic layout method for internet newspapers is developed to fill the gap.

Practical implications

The results are encouraging for real life applications of internet newspapers. The study has also introduced a new site for the manufacturing area. In the classic dynamic layout model, the machine locations and the number of available machines are assumed to be fixed. But the concept of introducing/removing news contents can be adapted to the machines at the manufacturing facilities.

Originality/value

The paper's value lies in showing that the front page layout is not considered to optimize the locations of the articles. Also, the proposed algorithm is applied to solve these kinds of problems.
User acceptance of a G2B system: a case of electronic procurement system in Malaysia
Authors: Sambasivan Murali , Patrick Wemyss George , Che Rose Raduan
Published: April 2010

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors that influence the intention to use and actual usage of a G2B system such as electronic procurement system (EPS) by various ministries in the Government of Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The research uses an extension of DeLone and McLean's model of IS success by including trust, facilitating conditions, and web design quality. The model is tested using an empirical approach. A questionnaire was designed and responses from 358 users from various ministries were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The findings of the study indicate that: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, assurance of service by service providers, responsiveness of service providers, facilitating conditions, web design (service quality) are strongly linked to intention to use EPS; and intention to use is strongly linked to actual usage behavior.

Practical implications

Typically, governments of developing countries spend millions of dollars to implement e‐government systems. The investments can be considered useful only if the usage rate is high. The study can help ICT decision makers in government to recognize the critical factors that are responsible for the success of a G2B system like EPS.

Originality/value

The model used in the study is one of the few models designed to determine factors influencing intention to use and actual usage behavior in a G2B system in a fast‐developing country like Malaysia.
Emotional intelligence and learning in teams
Authors: Clarke Nicholas
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the potential role of emotional intelligence (EI) abilities within learning in teams. The research focuses on examining how EI abilities are enacted within team contexts and how these are associated with critical reflection and team processes associated with learning.

Design/methodology/approach

A phenomenological approach to the investigation of EI abilities was adopted using a diary methodology to capture how EI abilities were enacted over a 14‐week team project by 80 MBA students from a range of international backgrounds. Such an approach is advocated to offer insights into the internal processes by which social action is perceived “in situ”.

Findings

The two EI abilities, emotional awareness and emotional management, were found to influence the three critical reflection processes: problem analysis, theorising cause and effect relationships, and action planning, as well as processes associated with team learning including team identification, social engagement, communication and conflict management.

Practical implications

EI may offer insights into how differences in the nature, direction and depth of critical reflection can occur in team learning contexts. Developmental initiatives that aim to improve the emotional abilities of team members may help individuals to better manage the emotional context of learning in teams.

Originality/value

Despite the increasing recognition of the role emotions play in learning, very little is known to date about how differences in the way in which emotional information is processed within social learning contexts can influence critical reflection or other learning processes. The paper fills some of the gaps.
Learning characteristics of small business managers: principles for training
Authors: Jeffrey Lynn M. , Hide Sophie , Legg Stephen
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to report on the second half of a two‐part study that identified relevant content for safety audit training in small businesses. The specific aim of the paper is to determine the preferred learning styles and approaches of managers in these businesses in order to identify some principles which could be used to tailor training to meet their particular learning needs.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants in the study came from three relatively high‐risk industries – road transport, construction, and the motor trade – producing a sample size of 102. A self‐report questionnaire was distributed via trade magazines.

Findings

Very few differences were found between the three industries. Most differences were between road transport and the other two industries. Managers in the road transport industry have a lower preference for learning by listening and are less likely to be sequential learners than managers in the motor trade industry.

Practical implications

Small business managers are systematic, hard‐working, pragmatic and prefer less formal modes of learning. These characteristics have implications for the structure and context of training programmes and the nature of the training materials.

Originality/value

The four learning profiles that emerged from the analysis in the paper provide a clear picture of the small business managers in the three industries studied.
Can an opportunity to learn at work reduce stress?
Authors: Panari Chiara , Guglielmi Dina , Simbula Silvia , Depolo Marco
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper aims to extend the stress‐buffering hypothesis of the demand‐control model. In addition to the control variable, it seeks to analyse the role of an opportunity for learning and development (L&D) in the workplace as a moderator variable between increased demands and need for recovery.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was administered to 199 employees (middle managers and clerical workers) at the district court of a region in North Italy during a period of training activities on stress management.

Findings

The results show that control and personal development perform a moderating role in the relationship between workload and the need for recovery by reducing exhaustion.

Research limitations/implications

The first limitation concerns the cross‐sectional design of the study, which does not make it possible to establish the direction of the causal relations hypothesised. Moreover, further research will be necessary to identify organisational strategies able to develop the personal competence of workers and manage learning at work.

Practical implications

The understanding of the importance of learning at work has practical implications for strategies of human resources management. Organisations that encourage personal learning by workers at the same time modify themselves, so that they become better able to adapt to changes and external demands.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the importance attributed to learning opportunities has a role in promoting work satisfaction and, specifically, in enhancing the quality of work life.
Learning to be a programmer in a complex organization
Authors: Johnson Maggie , Senges Max
Published: April 2010

Purpose

This paper seeks to analyse the effectiveness and impact of how Google currently trains its new software engineers (“Nooglers”) to become productive in the software engineering community. The research focuses on the institutions and support for practice‐based learning and cognitive apprenticeship in the Google environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a series of semi‐structured interviews with 24 Google stakeholders. These interviews are complemented by observations, document analysis, and review of existing survey and statistical data.

Findings

It is found that Google offers a state‐of‐the‐art onboarding program and benchmark qualities that provide legitimate peripheral participation. The research reveals how Google empowers programmers to “feel at home” using company coding practices, as well as maximizing peer‐learning and collaborative practices. These practices reduce isolation, enhance collegiality, and increase employee morale and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The case study describes the practices in one company.

Practical implications

The research documented in the paper can be used as a benchmark for other onboarding and practice‐based learning set‐ups.

Originality/value

This is the first research that gives insights into the practice‐based learning and onboarding practices at Google. The practices are assessed to be state‐of‐the‐art and the insights therefore relevant for benchmarking exercises of other companies.