bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The transaction‐relational continuum: conceptually elegant but empirically denied
Authors: Palmer Roger
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the trend and/or paradigm shift to relationship marketing as a dominant framework that has shaped the way in which relationships are understood, and also to consider how the understanding of relationships can be improved.

Design/methodology/approach

A case‐based study was conducted in order to examine issues concerning relationships. A series of constructs was elicited from the relationship marketing literature to be used as the basis for this study.

Findings

Relationship development is explained by stages or state theory, whereby relationships develop over time or simply emerge. Confirmation is offered to the states theory, which suggests that relationships are relatively static and develop in less well‐defined ways.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited in scope, bounded by the context of the cases, which were limited to business‐to‐business suppliers of manufactured industrial goods.

Practical implications

Managers should be cautious of attempting to tactically change relationships as in practice this is more challenging than continuum‐based models would imply.

Originality/value

Continuum models imply that the process is one of tactical implementation rather than strategic redirection. This is not confirmed by the research, which provides an alternative model to understand and manage relationships.
Interfunctional climate and a new product performance: dependence as a moderator
Authors: García Rodríguez Nuria , José Sanzo Pérez M. , Trespalacios Gutiérrez Juan A.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This study aims to examine the marketing/R&D relationship under different relative dependence situations. Specifically, its basic objective is to analyse if the effect that the climate between these departments exerts on new product development performance is moderated by the dependence perceived by these areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The interfunctional climate was measured through six key variables of relationship marketing: cooperation, communication, trust, commitment, social satisfaction and conflict. To do this, the R&D directors of 178 Spanish innovative firms were surveyed. A sample of 345 products (177 successes and 168 failures) was been obtained.

Findings

The results derived from a multisample analysis allow the conclusion that in those situations of high dependence the creation of a satisfactory climate is specially important for the development of affective bonds, such as trust and commitment among the functional areas.

Originality/value

The novelty of the research lies in the use of the relationship marketing approach to investigate industrial intra‐functional relationships and their influence on a new product performance. Furthermore, the inclusion of dependence as a possible moderator of that influence represents an added value of the study.
How functional, psychological, and social relationship benefits influence individual and firm commitment to the relationship
Authors: Sweeney Jillian C. , Webb David A.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to extend previous research investigating the effect of relationship benefits on firm outcomes by developing a model that includes the effect on individual employees in the buyer firm. The model also aims to address benefits beyond the functional in business‐to business (B2B) settings by including psychological and social benefits.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a survey of 275 B2B buyers in Australian manufacturing firms.

Findings

The findings reveal that functional benefits enhance firm‐level commitment to the relationship, whereas psychological and social benefits affect individual commitment to the relationship directly and firm‐level commitment indirectly, thereby emphasizing the importance of considering the individual as distinct from the firm. Given that the relationship is a process over time, and in recognition of the non‐static nature of relationship benefits, the paper also explores the changes in benefits over relationship stages, including their impact on commitment. In contrast to expectations results show that while all three types of benefits increase, there is no change in the impact of all three benefit types on commitment across relationship stages.

Practical implications

The study recognizes that the individual in the firm also benefits from B2B relationships and offers a measure of both firm and individual relationship benefits for use in future studies. The measure may also be used as a point of discussion about relationship management.

Originality/value

The study is framed within social exchange theory and, is the first to simultaneously examine three types of relationship benefits and their interaction with both the individual and firm viewpoint. The study is also one of the first to empirically examine changes in relationships over the relationship stages.
De‐internationalisation and global strategy: the case of British Telecommunications (BT)
Authors: Turner Colin , Gardiner Paul D.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to examine the process of de‐internationalisation through an analysis of British Telecommunications' (BT's) experience. There is – to date – little research upon de‐internationalisation, this paper aims to contribute to the debate through assessing how businesses with a strong domestic position would respond to a turbulent commercial environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The key research issue is addressed in the paper via the use of a single case study.

Findings

The paper finds that BT, throughout the 1990s, developed an aggressive global strategy. However, by the 1990s, BT was in a process of retreat. This failure was influenced by the form and nature with which this strategy was executed, which resulted in a declining commitment to an aggressive global strategy. With the failure of the global strategy, BT reverted to a more defensive corporate strategy.

Originality/value

The paper makes a contribution through adding to an emerging debate on the form and nature of de‐internationalisation. This process is explored from the standpoint of a business that has sought to pursue an aggressive international strategy whilst sustaining a commitment to a strong domestic position. The paper highlights how de‐internationalisation is linked into the form and nature initial strategy.
The efficacy of alternative mechanisms in safeguarding specific investments from opportunism
Authors: Vázquez Rodolfo , Iglesias Víctor , Rodríguez‐del‐Bosque Ignacio
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Transaction‐specific investments are often required in marketing channels in order to improve channel efficiency. However, such investments often increase the risk of opportunistic behaviors being sparked off. This paper aims to analyze the role of partners' investments in specific assets and the development of relational norms as safeguarding mechanisms against opportunism.

Design/methodology/approach

Three hypotheses are developed in line with transaction cost economics and relational exchange theories. The hypotheses are tested on a sample of 479 manufacturer‐distributor relationships in the food sector in Spain.

Findings

The paper finds that partner‐specific investments and relational norms are effective mechanisms against opportunism. However their efficacy differs depending on which opportunism (supplier's or distributor's) is to be avoided.

Research limitations/implications

The paper focuses on two mechanisms, yet there are other safeguards that firms can employ.

Practical implications

The partner's investments in specific assets are an effective safeguard for suppliers as well as for distributors. Companies should aim for balanced investment in this field, as it is the optimum way in which to avoid opportunistic behavior. Relational norms have shown to be effective only for distributors.

Originality/value

The study adopts a bilateral approach analyzing the effects of the governance mechanisms on both supplier and distributor opportunism. The paper provides new evidence on the role of the partner's specific investments as a safeguard against opportunism. They do not directly act against opportunism, but they act as variables that moderate the causal relationship between the specific investments of the firm and the partner's opportunism.
An exploratory study of cause‐related retailing
Authors: Peters Cara , Thomas Jane , Tolson Holly
Published: October 2007

Purpose

In recent years, cause‐related marketing (CRM) has made a significant impact on businesses and charitable organizations. However, the study of CRM as a unique retailing format has received limited academic exploration. Central to this study's investigation is not just shopping® (NJS), an organization that uses CRM as a basis for its retailing model. This study seeks to examine cause‐related retailing (CRR) and the perceptions of three vested parties: consumers who have purchased from NJS events; vendors who sell at NJS events; and the NJS business owner.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary factors that potentially impact CRR efforts were explored through an extensive literature search and qualitative data collection. Data were collected via in‐depth interviews with 13 shoppers, 15 vendors and the NJS business owner. The data were analyzed and interpreted according to the protocol for case study research as outlined by Yin.

Findings

This study of the three vested parties from NJS found that the CRR model differs slightly from that of CRM. Findings from this study suggest that consumers are motivated primarily by the location, vast array of unique products, and social benefits as opposed to the support of the charitable cause.

Research limitations/implications

This study makes an important contribution to the CRM and CRR literature. Results also provide support for trends in retailing that show how consumers are actively searching for unique, non‐commoditized items. The findings illustrate that a combination of diverse retailing and socialization benefits, not price, drives this particular retailing venue. Additional research is needed to investigate the issues surrounding why the charitable cause is not a significant motivating factor in retail purchase decisions.

Originality/value

This research is original to the retailing and CRM literatures. One of the benefits of this exploratory study is that it provided the authors with an opportunity to examine a unique retailing venue, NJS, and to explore the impact of CRR on purchases.
Shopping malls attractiveness: a segmentation approach
Authors: Ismail El‐Adly Mohammed
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to determine the attractiveness factors of UAE shopping malls from the shoppers' perspective and then to segment shoppers according to these attractiveness factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of university staff and principal component factor analysis were used to identify shopping mall attractiveness factors. Segmentation approach using K‐means cluster analysis was also used to segment mall shoppers due to the identified factors.

Findings

This study revealed six mall attractiveness factors from the shoppers' perspective: comfort, entertainment, diversity, mall essence, convenience, and luxury. It also arrived at three mall shopper segments, specifically, relaxed shoppers, demanding shoppers, and pragmatic shoppers. Each segment was profiled in terms of mall attractiveness attributes, demographics and shopping behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited in that it surveyed UAE University staff as shoppers. Thus, findings may not be representative of UAE shoppers in general.

Practical implications

Identifying mall attractiveness factors for a segmented market gives a better understanding about patronage motives than when it is applied to the market as a whole. This enables mall managers to develop the appropriate retailing strategies to satisfy each segment.

Originality/value

This is the first study to provide an insight of mall attractiveness factors as identified by different shopper segments in an Arabian environment without ignoring the special cultural differences in the UAE.
A flow solver for the Euler and Navier‐Stokes equations for multi‐phase flows with a stiffened gas equation of state
Authors: Taha Janan M. , El Marjani A.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to develop an efficient numerical method for simulating multicomponent flows by solving the system of conservative equations closed by a general two parameters equation of state.

Design/methodology/approach

A finite difference method for solving the two‐dimensional Euler or Navier‐Stokes equations for multicomponent flows in a general curvilinear coordinate system is developed. The system of conservative equations (mass, momentum and energy) is closed with a general two parameters equation of state (ρe=(p+γp∞)/(γ−1)), which, associated to a γ‐formulation, allows easy computation of multicomponent flows. In order to enforce the stability of the numerical scheme, the Roe's flux‐difference splitting is adopted for the numerical treatment of the inviscid fluxes. The method is adapted to treat also unsteady flows by implementing an explicit Euler scheme.

Findings

The method was applied to compute various configurations of flows, ranging from incompressible to compressible fluid, including cases of single component flows or multicomponent ones. Computations show that the use of primitive variables instead of conservative ones, especially at low Mach numbers, improves the iteration process when the resolution is performed with a relaxation procedure such as Gauss‐Seidel method. Simulations of compressible flows with a strong shock show the ability of the present method to capture shocks correctly even with the use of primitive variables. To complete numerical tests, flows involving two fluids with the presence of interactions between a shock and a discontinuity surface have been treated successfully. Also, a case of cavitating flow has been considered in this work.

Originality/value

The present method permits the simulation of a large variety of multicomponent complexes flows with an efficient numerical taking advantage of Roe's flux‐difference splitting in curvilinear coordinate system.
Thermal stability of a reactive viscous flow through a porous‐saturated pipe
Authors: Makinde O.D.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the steady‐state solutions of a strongly exothermic reaction of a viscous combustible fluid in a cylindrical pipe filled with a saturated porous medium under Arrhenius kinetics, neglecting reactant consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

The problem is formulated in terms of a non‐linear differential equation. Approximate solution of this problem is obtained using a regular perturbation technique. A bifurcation study is performed using a special type of Hermite‐Padé approximation method in order to determine the thermal criticality conditions.

Findings

The steady‐state thermal ignition criticality conditions as well as the solution branches was obtained accurately. It was found that a reduction in porous medium permeability will facilitate the early appearance of thermal ignition, hence, improving the effectiveness of engineering equipments like the catalytic converter used in an automobile's exhaust system.

Practical implications

A very useful source of information for researchers on the subject of thermal combustion in porous media.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates the effect of permeability parameter on steady‐state thermal ignition criticality conditions in a porous medium.
Foreign banks: executive jobs for Turkish women?
Authors: Culpan Oya , Marzotto Toni , Demir Nazmi
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the employment policies and practices of Turkish banks and how these practices affect the hiring and promotion of women. Turkey's banking sector consists of state‐owned, private, and foreign banks. The overall restructuring of this sector along with the increase of foreign banks is an opportunity to enquire whether human resource (HR) policies of foreign banks have a differential effect on women's employment.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected in three phases. Phase 1: employment data for all three bank types were analyzed with particular reference to women's employment. About 12 of the largest banks were selected for in‐depth study representing each of the three bank categories. Phase 2: bank‐specific data were collected from the HR directors including: bank structure, personnel and recruitment policies, management levels, women in each level and professional employment application. Phase 3: structured personal interviews were conducted with the HR directors in the 12 selected banks.

Findings

The HR departments of foreign banks use different assessment and selection criteria compared with Turkish private and state‐owned banks. These criteria emphasize rank‐in‐person, which enhances the upward mobility of employees. Because of their flexibility, they may advantage female employment.

Research limitations/implications

Survey data from female employees by type of bank would demonstrate a close relationship between organizational structure and women's career advancement. However, this study only interviewed HR managers. The methodology does not indicate whether and to what extent women in three banking types perceive the effect of structure on their career advancement.

Practical implications

HR practices of the three categories evidences that foreign banks in Turkey add a variety of competencies of their prospective employees in their application forms. These additional dimensions may improve the recruitment and promotion of women into management positions. It is argued that employment applications that include individual or rank‐in‐person characteristics rather than job‐based criteria advantage women.

Originality/value

This is the only study that examines women's employment stratified by Turkey's three banking categories. The effect of culture and structure on employment practices and how this influences the mobility of women are explored.
The relationship between mentee‐mentor gender combination and the provision of distinct mentoring functions
Authors: Fowler Jane L. , Gudmundsson Amanda J. , O'Gorman John G.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between specific gender combinations of mentor‐mentee and distinct mentoring functions.

Design/methodology/approach

Of the 500 participants, 272 were mentees and 228 were mentors from public‐ and private‐sector organisations, representing all four gender combinations of mentor‐mentee. Participants completed a 36‐item measure of mentoring functions.

Findings

Hierarchical regression analyses revealed few significant relationships between gender and mentoring functions. As far as mentees were concerned, female mentors provided personal and emotional guidance to a greater extent than male mentors; female mentors provided career development facilitation to a greater extent than male mentors and female mentees were provided with career development facilitation to a greater extent than male mentees; also female mentees were provided with role modelling to a greater extent than male mentees. As far as mentors were concerned, there were no significant differences in the functions provided to female and male mentees.

Research limitations/implications

The study emphasized the need to use measurement tools that examine distinct, rather than categories of, mentoring functions. The findings also suggest that gender may not be as influential, with regard to mentoring functions, as has previously been proffered. Knowledge about the relationships between gender and particular mentoring functions may be beneficial for potential and actual mentees and mentors as they make decisions about becoming involved in mentoring relationships, engage in contracting processes, and monitor and review their relationships.

Originality/value

The study was the first to explore the perceptions of both mentees and mentors on gender differences in mentoring functions provided, using an adequate sample and a mentoring instrument designed on a gender representative sample.
Entrepreneurial network composition
Authors: Klyver Kim , Terjesen Siri
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore gender differences in the composition of entrepreneurs' networks at four new venture stages: discovery, emergence, young, and established.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used ANOVA and linear regression on a sample of 134 female and 266 male entrepreneurs.

Findings

Female entrepreneurs have significantly lower proportions of males in their social networks in early venture development stages, but similar levels at later stages.

Research limitations/implications

Taken together, the findings suggest that, just as women in traditional organizations adapt social networks similar to men in order to succeed, their entrepreneurial counterparts build more “male‐oriented” networks as they proceed through venture phases.

Originality/value

This study uses a representative sample of male and female entrepreneurs to explore network composition at four distinct stages. The findings suggest that female entrepreneurs who are able to persist in the new venture process develop networks similar to their male counterparts.
Discrimination in interviews
Authors: Marshall David
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine what questions the potential employer may and may not ask in an interview.

Design/methodology/approach

Contrasts the behavior of Sir Alan Sugar, on the television program The Apprentice, with how interviewers should behave in more “normal” circumstances. Highlights the value of training to help to ensure that this happens.

Findings

Reveals that online training can help to keep employees up to date with the latest changes in the law. People can access just‐in‐time learning in their own way, and concentrate on the topics of most interest or value to them. They can find out answers discreetly, without losing face in front of their peers in a classroom.

Practical implications

Underlines that legal provisions often reinforce what organizations should be doing anyway, in the interests of good HR practice.

Originality/value

Provides clarity on an often‐misunderstood area of the law.
Maersk in China builds talent pipeline to meet challenge of rapid growth
Authors: Neal Andy
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and delivery of a talent‐development program that cuts across cultural expectations and challenges the learning styles of the participants.

Design/methodology/approach

Draws on the global experience of ChangeMaker International and successfully adapts a western experiential learning style for an Asian market. Brings the 70‐20‐10 principle of effective development to a new population.

Findings

Describes the obstacles and challenges and celebrates the successes achieved now the first batch has graduated, the second batch is mid‐program and the third batch has just entered.

Practical implications

Points out some of the lessons ChangeMaker has learned working with the Chinese over the last two and a half years.

Originality/value

Demonstrates how a partnership can be developed with a client on the other side of the globe and how persistence with the learning method has shown benefits for the participants and their business.
BT brings management of HR records into twenty‐first century
Authors: Lavelle Ronan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe how telecommunication company BT transferred its paper‐based personnel records on to an electronic system.

Design/methodology/approach

Details how the project was managed and the results that have been obtained.

Findings

Shows that BT is seeing improved retrieval times and reduced costs. Some 3.5 million sheets of paper have been scanned, 280,000 kg of paper has been shredded, and 22 rooms previously required for paper‐record storage have been released and reallocated for training.

Practical implications

Demonstrates that BT is also seeing additional benefits, including the ability to monitor access to archive materials and understand retrieval volumes.

Originality/value

Reveals that BT's HR department is now fully compliant with Data Protection Act regulations in the UK, alleviating the threat of prosecution or personal liability for failure to comply with regulations related to employee record‐keeping.
Putting yourself in the client's shoes
Authors: Hills Jan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance the view that being able fully to understand the perspective of a client is one of the key skills of successful HR people.

Design/methodology/approach

Reveals that the most successful HR people are able to look at situations from the client's perspective at all times, although this valuable insight is rarely discussed or included in training programs. Describes how these skills can be imparted.

Findings

Emphasizes the importance of putting oneself in the client's environment, doing what the client does and adopting his or her beliefs. Shows that, by seeing the situation from the client's perspective, it also becomes easier to present an idea or an argument in an assured, convincing way.

Practical implications

Highlights a set of skills that will not come overnight, but which will eventually bring about a surprising change in the way clients relate to their HR partners.

Originality/value

Contends that, as an HR person, being able clearly to understand the client's perspective is a hugely underrated and useful tool. It will help to tailor work processes, coaching and training sessions.
Digital curation
Authors: Yakel Elizabeth
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of development and recent focus on digital curation and ties it to larger cyberinfrastructure initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

Provides a useful viewpoint on the development and recent focus on digital curation.

Findings

Digital curation is the active involvement of information professionals in the management, including the preservation, of digital data for future use. While there have been people doing different aspects of data curation and digital preservation for decades, recent events have brought a number of ideas, organizations, and individuals together to focus more intently on digital curation. Reports in the US by the National Science Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies and in the UK by Dr Liz Lyon of UKOLN have pointed out the aspects of digital curation which need to be in place to ensure that digital objects can be maintained, preserved, and remain available for future use. These reports along with increased research focus at conferences and the emergence of new educational programs have led to the emergence of digital curation and made digital curators a new entry into the information professions. Increasingly, digital curation is becoming an umbrella concept that includes digital preservation, data curation, electronic records management, and digital asset management.

Practical implications

This article discusses and defines digital curation and notes how this theme has permeated in recent reports, conferences, and educational offerings.

Originality/value

The article synthesizes current digital curation efforts and helps to define this new concept for information professionals.
The system development life cycle and digital library development
Authors: Cervone H. Frank
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to develop an understanding of the system development lifecycle and its role in managing the development of digital library systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The article provides a conceptual analysis of the system development lifecycle within the context of digital library system development.

Findings

The system development lifecycle concept has been broadly applied to system development projects for many years. Project teams developing digital library systems can be more effective if they understand the expectations and outcomes of each phase of the system development lifecycle.

Originality/value

For librarians that do not have a formal system development background, this article provides a concise and to‐the‐point overview of the various stages of the system development lifecycle and the relationship of each phase to the development of a digital library system.
Outsourcing open access
Authors: Organ Michael , Mandl Helen
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to outline the experiences of an Australian university in selecting a proprietary solution for its open access digital repository requirements.

Design/methodology/approach

An overview is presented of the environment leading up to the decision to select Digital Commons over an open source software solution. The paper also outlines subsequent experiences during a one‐year period in operating the outsourced solution.

Findings

Outsourcing is an appropriate digital repository option for higher education institutions when costs are considered and compared with open source solutions, and especially when on‐site IT support is limited. Outsourcing allows local staff to concentrate on liaison with faculty in promoting and populating the repository.

Practical implications

A useful resource for those considering the use of proprietary or open source software for their institutional repository.

Originality/value

This papers deals with a little discussed area of the relatively new subject of open access institutional repositories.
E‐science and open access repositories in Spain
Authors: Rodríguez Bravo Blanca , Luisa Alvite Díez Ma
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to highlight the role of science repositories in the development of e‐science. It aims to provide an overview of the open access collections currently operating in Spain.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is an examination of the tools, type of contents, coverage and aims of the digital research collections generated by Spanish academic bodies.

Findings

There is only a limited development of institutional repositories, although it is possible to detect a growing tendency to create them. At the present moment, these digital collections seem principally to be seeking visibility for scientific output such as theses, journals, work in progress, preliminary results and other fringe or unconventional literature, without currently making use of academic teaching and learning materials or corpora relating to the cultural heritage.

Practical implications

It would be desirable for government to become involved in encouraging open access within a new model for academic communication. It would appear crucial for the repositories aimed at spreading knowledge of scientific research to set in place mechanisms for rigorous peer assessment, so as to ensure the quality of the scholarly work deposited.

Originality/value

This paper considers the role of science repositories in the development of e‐Science. The availability of resources for e‐science, the need to support the compilation of repositories of information in electronic format and the access to digitized content is a matter of maximum priority for any national science policy. Designing a new model for academic communication requires collaboration from the authorities, from universities, from librarians and also support from researchers themselves.
Linking repositories
Authors: Awre Chris , Swan Alma
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the linking repositories study was to conduct research to identify appropriate sustainable technical and organisational models to support the development of end‐user oriented services across repositories. The work covered four overlapping strands: user and community requirements, roles and responsibilities, technical architecture and infrastructure, and business and management models.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews, focus groups and a questionnaire were used to elicit the knowledge held. This information was combined with a literature review and reported alongside the proposed models derived from an analysis of the information gathered.

Findings

Five distinct groups of end‐users were identified and their respective roles and responsibilities identified. Relevant services to serve these groups were also identified and a services model constructed showing the relationships between them. An aggregation model is proposed to support technical development. A range of business models are suggested, each of which may be applicable in different circumstances.

Research limitations/implications

The models contain a series of recommendations for subsequent research and testing to establish the relative merits of the models proposed and develop these further.

Practical implications

The technical model in particular makes a number of practical recommendations for how repositories need to be structured so as to best support end‐user services. These are complementary to recommendations on repository management.

Originality/value

The research reported in this paper represents a consolidation of views reported previously, and a novel analysis of this information to assist in taking repository service development further.
Building institutional repository infrastructure in regional Australia
Authors: Drury Caroline
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the development of FOSTER, its anticipated use and outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports on the RUBRIC project and the development of FOSTER.

Findings

The FOSTER toolkit is not a static resource, and accordingly may never reach a fully “completed” state. As the area of institutional repositories continues to develop, and further generations of appropriate solutions emerge, the FOSTER concept and later, Toolkit, will also continue to develop.

Originality/value

Provides a useful discussion on the development of FOSTER.
StarPlane – a national dynamic photonic network controlled by grid applications
Authors: Grosso Paola , Xu Li , Velders Jan‐Philip , de Laat Cees
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to look at a research project – StarPlane –a national dynamic photonic network controlled by grid applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines StarPlane, a research project funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and carried out by researchers at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Vrije University (VU).

Findings

The paper finds that StarPlane provides the management functions needed by applications running on the DAS‐3 Grid clusters to interact with the network control plane. The most unique features of StarPlane are the use of photonic equipment in the network core and the fast reconfiguration times of lightpath topologies.

Originality/value

This paper was written with the expertise of the authors and will be of interest to those people involved in computing and e‐science.
Continuous renewal, and how Best Buy did it
Authors: Chakravarthy Bala , Lorange Peter
Published: October 2007

Purpose

As an alternative to the two extremes of protecting and extending the core business versus transforming it, the article aims to propose two other renewal strategies, “leverage” and “build,” that together provide a pathway for continuous renewal.

Design/methodology/approach

This article looks at the case of Best Buy, which has progressively used “leverage” and “build” strategies to modify its competence platform from an early emphasis on operational excellence to complement it with modularity, flexibility and customer centricity. Correspondingly, its market reach has grown from Minnesota to all of North America with recent forays into China.

Findings

When the firm's performance did not meet expectations, top management did not focus merely on better execution; rather it questioned if the firm's vision needed to be revised. Best Buy's renewal journey is guided by a continuous re‐visioning of the company, or in Best Buy's jargon continuous re‐“Concept”ualization of the company. Best Buy has transformed itself via six concepts, Concepts I‐VII, with the change from one to the next accelerating over the years.

Practical implications

The article explains how a firm can use these two renewal strategies to perform a dramatic transformation, but through an evolutionary process not a revolutionary one.

Originality/value

The case illustrates the implementation of “leverage” and “build” strategies that together provide a pathway for continuous renewal.
Global expansion: balancing a uniform performance culture with local conditions
Authors: Bellin Joshua B. , Pham Chi T.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This article aims to advise leaders of global enterprises who are increasingly concerned about the effects of international expansion on their corporate culture. It seeks to explain that companies that nurture a set of enterprise‐wide mindsets can maintain a unity of purpose while at the same time successfully adapting practices to diverse local economic and cultural conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

An Accenture survey of more than 900 senior executives on the challenges of building a global organization revealed that they are increasingly concerned with the problem of maintaining a common corporate culture and identity. The firm then studied the best practices of successful firms.

Findings

When performance mindsets are widely shared, they translate established company values into practices by means of commonly understood guidelines on how to recognize and solve problems – which, in turn, guide the organization in making decisions when faced with many possibilities.

Practical implications

Country managers must ensure that the company's values and mindsets are used to overcome the national, cultural, and linguistic boundaries that can block success.

Originality/value

With the participation of leaders at all levels of an organization a company's management of its performance mindsets can become a distinctive capability and thereby a source of international competitive advantage. By successfully following these steps for managing and propagating shared values and mindsets across diverse organizations corporations can produce winning performance in the competitive international arena.
A strategy for knowledge management
Authors: Greiner Martina E. , Böhmann Tilo , Krcmar Helmut
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of organizational environment on the selection of knowledge management strategies. The paper focuses particularly on the relationship between business and knowledge management strategy and the success of the knowledge management initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a case study researching 11 German and Swiss companies. The knowledge management initiatives were categorized by six criteria (objectives, processes, problems, content, strategy, knowledge type) and their fit with the respective business strategy of the organizational unit was evaluated.

Findings

The findings in this paper suggest a relationship between the success of knowledge management and the alignment of knowledge management and business strategy. The paper also shows that an organization whose business strategy requires process efficiency should rely primarily on a codification strategy. An organization whose business strategy requires product/process innovation should rely primarily on a personalization strategy. The most successful knowledge management projects were driven by a strong business need and with the goal to add value to the organizational unit operations.

Research limitations/implications

The paper shows there are limitations due to the qualitative nature of the research: logical rather than statistical conclusions, small sample size, and subjectivity of interpretations.

Practical implications

The paper sees that a manager should be aware of the objectives and business processes of the organizational unit and chooses the knowledge management strategy and objective in accordance to the business strategy and objective.

Originality/value

The paper enhances understanding about the influence of organizational environment factors on the success of knowledge management initiatives.
Motivation, incentives and organisational culture
Authors: Milne Patricia
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper, drawing as it does on earlier research, is to provide the context for a discussion on the use of rewards and recognition programmes in knowledge aware organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper shows that knowledge sharing is the fundamental requirement of a knowledge‐based organisation. Some of the greatest challenges for organisations moving down the knowledge management path stem from well‐established practices of hoarding knowledge, practices which, in the past, have been well rewarded. Employees' motivation was to hoard knowledge because of the competitive advantage that this would give them. The challenge now is to develop an organisational culture where sharing knowledge is the norm. In seeking ways to foster this culture managers are implementing incentive programmes in the belief that employees will be motivated to share their knowledge across the organisation. Some organisations are investing large amounts of organisational resources towards this end. This paper uses the results of the earlier research to provide a context for an examination of the use of rewards and recognition programmes in the knowledge aware organisation.

Findings

The paper finds that reward and recognition programmes can positively affect motivation, performance and interest within an organisation. While a little more problematic, team‐based incentives, if designed appropriately, can also encourage and support a range of positive outcomes. But research has yet to reveal whether programmes of this type will influence employees to share their knowledge and learning. Neither is there any research‐based evidence to show that these activities do provide the expected or hoped for return on the, sometimes, large amounts of money that organisations invest in them.

Research limitations/implications

While there is a strong history of research into the impact of rewards on aspects of employee behaviour including motivation and performance, no research to date has investigated the impact on knowledge sharing.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that managers who are relying on rewards and recognition programmes as part of their strategies for cultural change need to support research programmes so that they can be confident that the large amounts of resources they are investing for this purpose will bring the return they think.

Originality/value

This paper provides the context for a discussion. It shows that while organisations are investing in reward and recognition programmes, research on the value of such programmes as factors that motivate knowledge sharing has not been explored empirically.
Performance of knowledge management practices: a causal analysis
Authors: Zaim Halil , Tatoglu Ekrem , Zaim Selim
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of knowledge management (KM) infrastructure and KM processes on the performance of KM practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on personal interviews, data were collected from 83 managers from a single case study of a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) operator in Turkey.

Findings

The paper finds that hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Test of hypotheses revealed that both KM processes and KM infrastructure positively and significantly influenced the performance of KM practices. These findings tend to corroborate our conceptual model and are also in line with the existing literature. KM infrastructure was found to be more significantly affecting KM performance than KM processes, indicating that the context and background of KM is more important than the application aspects of KM.

Research limitations/implications

The findings in this paper cannot be generalized due to the case study approach. It may not be claimed that both KM processes and KM infrastructure solely determine the performance of KM practices. Instead, there are many other factors that may influence KM performance, which are somewhat beyond the scope of this research.

Practical implications

The paper shows that the evaluation of KM performance is expected to increase the effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability of KM efforts so as to add more value to the overall performance of the organization.

Originality/value

In this paper there is little or no empirical evidence investigating the influence of KM infrastructure and KM processes on KM performance. This paper rectifies this imbalance by clarifying the link between KM infrastructure, processes and performance.
Implementing knowledge management: a more robust model
Authors: Dufour Yvon , Steane Peter
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that knowledge management (KM) practitioners usually describe implementation in ideal and positive terms, such as making KM strategy happen, putting ideas into practice or turning embryonic KM strategies into reality. Research has been mainly confined to failures or mistakes in implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper seeks to coalesce some of the scholarly contributions about implementation success and failure, by providing an overview and critical analysis of configurational theory as an alternative approach in research and thinking about KM implementation issues.

Findings

This paper reviews the dominant approaches to KM implementation. It looks at the past academic and business practice literature on KM and calls for a radical change in the way of thinking and studying KM implementation, which incorporates configuration and contextual theories.

Originality/value

This paper provides an understanding of implementation from a holistic perspective, which allows divergent paradigms and perspectives to co‐exist, yet when able to recognise both strengths and limitations of each, it ultimately contributes to a more robust and coherent final analysis of KM implementation.