bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Syntagmatic relationships and indexing consistency on a larger scale
Authors: Olson Hope A. , Wolfram Dietmar
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to examine interindexer consistency on a larger scale than other studies have done to determine if group consensus is reached by larger numbers of indexers and what, if any, relationships emerge between assigned terms.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 64 MLIS students were recruited to assign up to five terms to a document. The authors applied basic data modeling and the exploratory statistical techniques of multi‐dimensional scaling (MDS) and hierarchical cluster analysis to determine whether relationships exist in indexing consistency and the coocurrence of assigned terms.

Findings

Consistency in the assignment of indexing terms to a document follows an inverse shape, although it is not strictly power law‐based unlike many other social phenomena. The exploratory techniques revealed that groups of terms clustered together. The resulting term cooccurrence relationships were largely syntagmatic.

Research limitations/implications

The results are based on the indexing of one article by non‐expert indexers and are, thus, not generalizable. Based on the study findings, along with the growing popularity of folksonomies and the apparent authority of communally developed information resources, communally developed indexes based on group consensus may have merit.

Originality/value

Consistency in the assignment of indexing terms has been studied primarily on a small scale. Few studies have examined indexing on a larger scale with more than a handful of indexers. Recognition of the differences in indexing assignment has implications for the development of public information systems, especially those that do not use a controlled vocabulary and those tagged by end‐users. In such cases, multiple access points that accommodate the different ways that users interpret content are needed so that searchers may be guided to relevant content despite using different terminology.
Optimism, overconfidence and entrepreneurial activity
Authors: Trevelyan Rose
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the question of confidence in entrepreneurship, and the impact confidence has on key tasks in the venture development process.

Design/methodology/approach

Propositions about the relationship between key elements of confidence (optimism and overconfidence) are made in order to unpack the confidence construct. Simple tests of these propositions are conducted using a small sample of Australian entrepreneurs. Further propositions are made about the impact of optimism and overconfidence on activity across different phases of the new venture development process.

Findings

Two elements of confidence, optimism and overconfidence, are distinct in their association with each other and with a third individual difference (regulatory focus). The dual and sometimes opposing impacts of optimism and overconfidence on new venture activity are explored. Optimism and overconfidence are both beneficial when deciding to become an entrepreneur, but overconfidence is harmful when making decisions in response to setbacks.

Research limitations/implications

Conclusions are limited by the sample size and simple analytical techniques. Rather, the impact of the paper is in the implications of the independence of optimism and overconfidence. Future research can explore and test the propositions made about when each is harmful and when beneficial.

Practical implications

For entrepreneurs, it is important to be aware of your optimism and overconfidence in different situations. When optimism is beneficial, use it, but when overconfidence is harmful, mitigate against it by asking the right questions and working with others to check assumptions and strategies.

Originality/value

This paper distinguishes between two individual differences, optimism and overconfidence, that are typically thought to be interdependent and beneficial for entrepreneurs.
Pitfalls in the application of analytic hierarchy process to performance measurement
Authors: Peters Malte , Zelewski Stephan
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The paper seeks to show pitfalls in the application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to efficiency analysis and performance measurement as well as ways to steer clear of these pitfalls.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper outlines guidelines for avoiding pitfalls in the application of the AHP to efficiency analysis and performance measurement.

Findings

The pitfalls discussed in the paper can be understood as a type of critical reflection of best practice, since they stem from the experiences of the application of the AHP in the area of efficiency analysis and performance measurement.

Research limitations/implications

The pitfalls discussed are based on a limited number of projects covering only a few industries. Further work may be required to test the general validity of these findings.

Practical implications

The ways to steer clear of these pitfalls can guide a decision maker to a proper application of the AHP in the area of efficiency analysis and performance measurement.

Originality/value

The paper goes beyond the multi criteria decision‐making literature where only general criticism of the AHP is found and the area of efficiency analysis and performance measurement is neglected.
Measuring cultural perceptions of western project managers operating in the Asian region
Authors: Burchell Richard , Gilden Anthony
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to show how western project managers operating in Asia can employ a survey based on cultural dimensions and continua as a means to assist with managing a team of host national staff.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey based on a model of national cultural dimensions is described.

Findings

The results for this group of project managers suggest some utility for the Kets de Vries model of cultural dimensions as a means for cross‐cultural studies.

Research limitations/implications

The small sample size is a useful means of measuring cultural orientations in cross cultural research.

Originality/value

Previous use of this cultural model in survey form has not been reported and the approach shows promise as a means for improving cross‐cultural understanding.
Reciprocally derived demand and pricing strategy for mature industrial products
Authors: Haley George , Goldberg Stephen
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the effects of a strategy of annual price increases for mature industrial, razors/blades products. Little prior research has looked at pricing strategy for mature industrial products and no prior research has looked at mature industrial products of capital goods (razors) and linked supplies (blades).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed a major industrial manufacturer's 3,000‐strong customer base to determine the price elasticity effects of annual price increases over a four‐year time span.

Findings

The authors found that though price elasticity appeared limited in the early years, it increased exponentially over the years.

Research limitations/implications

The authors used a single company's 3,000 strong customer base for in‐depth analysis of concepts, with attendant limitations. Specifically, the population of respondents, though large, represents the customer base of a single company. The findings of this exploratory study must be replicated with more diverse populations before they can be generalized.

Practical implications

The study's practical implications lie in its contribution to understanding pricing strategy in mature industrial markets. Researchers and managers frequently treat these markets as extensions of their emerging or growing product life cycle stages. However, mature product markets exhibit different product‐market characteristics.

Originality/value

The article's originality and value stems from its addressing an increasingly important issue. The lack of research covering mature industrial products' pricing strategy, coupled with the increasing number of products that fall within this life cycle, make the product category increasingly central to many companies' profitability.
Are marketing management decisions shaped during one's coming of age?
Authors: Cesar Motta Paulo , Schewe Charles
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show the generational cohort gap in values and consequent decision making existing between younger and older marketing managers in Brazil. The study investigates how generational research can innovate in the analysis of marketing management decisions. The truly essential questions are, first, whether cohort analysis can help explain marketing decision contexts, and second, if older cohorts find the younger cohort of managers today confrontational.

Design/methodology/approach

The method used in this investigation involved three phases. The first phase explored the validity of the cohorts to explain values brought into the decision context by different cohort members. The second phase asked managers to verify the values that came from phase one. The third phase advanced two questions. The first question identified the most critical value associated with new cohorts today and its implications for the organization's decision making. The second question investigated marketing issues that may develop from the values of younger cohorts coming into the organization. Managers in different cohorts at middle and upper level management were interviewed in all three phases.

Findings

The results show very different values between four investigated cohorts. These values produce different considerations among the cohorts when making marketing decisions. The greatest differences were found between the youngest and oldest cohorts. The lack of the generational understanding within a corporation, or the misapplication of this same understanding, may precipitate age divisions.

Research limitations/implications

Data were gathered from small samples and the results should be considered exploratory and not conclusive.

Practical implications

Management has shown little investigation of cohort differences and their implications for management decision making. This study suggests attention should be prompt since there appears to be a growing schism between newer members of the workforce and their older managers. Younger Brazilian cohort members embrace a strong sense of individualism that they bring to their jobs. This flies in the face of the corporate collective that companies need to survive. Finally, there remains a warning that neither management history nor company's history should be forgotten since they both bear upon marketing decision making.

Originality/value

This paper investigates a perspective on marketing decision making in organizations that has never been addressed in the literature. The eye‐opening findings suggest the need for addressing an issue before it becomes a problem.
Dietary intake in an elderly population living in Athens
Authors: Karaglani Lambrini , Derbyshire Emma
Published: August 2008

Purpose

It has been proposed that the Greek diet is changing and becoming increasingly Westernized. Although previous studies have assessed the diet of Greek adults, few have focused on the elderly in detail. The aims of the present investigation are to: assess habitual dietary intakes of elderly residents living in Athens and compare the modern Greek diet to the traditional Greek diet and UK recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

Thirty‐five free‐living males and 27 females (mean age 71.3 years, SD 7.2) living in Athens completed a background information questionnaire and 24‐h dietary recall.

Findings

Dietary protein, total fat and sodium exceeded dietary guidelines. Energy intake, non‐starch polysaccharide, vitamin D and calcium were below UK recommended levels of intake. Findings indicate that the diet of elderly residents living in Athens appears to be moving away from the traditional Greek diet.

Research limitations/implications

It was a limitation that a larger study population was not recruited. However, due to limited resources, this was only intended to be a small‐scale preliminary study.

Originality/value

This appears to be one of the few studies to investigate the dietary habits of the Greek elderly, prospectively.
Investigation of selenium in infant starting, special and follow‐on formulae
Authors: Cuderman Petra , Stibilj Vekoslava
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the selenium content in seven different infant starting formulae, eight different follow‐on formulae and in 15 different special infant formulae, from various producers, all commercially available in Slovenia.

Design/methodology/approach

Each product was taken in various lots during a three‐year period (from 2004 to 2006). For the determination of selenium content in different infant formulae the method of hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG‐AFS) was optimised. The reliability of the method was checked by the independent method of radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA).

Findings

The values for different infant formulae ranged from 20.9 to 207.9 ng/g powder. The paper compared the values obtained with the declared values where possible. The average concentration showed insufficient agreement with the declared value in four out of 30 cases. The paper also found significant variation in selenium content between formulae in the same group. In some cases, large variations between different lots of the same product were found.

Originality/value

Calculated from our results, from infant formulae babies obtain from 2.4 to 24.0 ug Se per day, showing insufficient agreement with recommended daily intakes published by D_A_CH and by WHO. Since information on the endogenous Se levels of infant formulae is largely lacking, therefore there is still need for stricter quality control of the selenium content in infant formulae.
Effects of team tenure and leadership in self‐managing teams
Authors: Stoker Janka I.
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This study seeks to identify the relationship between leader behaviour and the effectiveness of the members of a self‐managing team (SMT) in terms of perceived individual performance and emotional exhaustion. In particular, it aims to examine the moderating role of individual team tenure.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire study was conducted involving 154 team members of 21 SMTs. Two leadership dimensions were measured, plus team tenure and effectiveness (in terms of perceived individual performance and emotional exhaustion) of the individuals involved.

Findings

Team members with a short team tenure reported higher levels of individual performance when their team leader demonstrated directive behaviour. Conversely, these relatively new team members reported lower levels of individual performance and experienced greater emotional exhaustion when their team leader adopted coaching behaviour. For team members with longer team tenure, however, individual performance was greater and emotional exhaustion less when their team leader exhibited a coaching style of behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The data were self‐reported and the cross‐sectional design of the study precludes conclusions about the direction of causality.

Practical implications

Leaders of SMTs can benefit from insights into how the team tenure of the individual team members affects their responses to their leadership behaviours. By adapting their leadership styles to suit the characteristics of individual team members, leaders may be able to increase the effectiveness of the individual team members.

Originality/value

This study has examined the effectiveness of different leadership styles within real‐life SMTs and shown the importance of attending to the moderating effect of individual team members' team tenure.
“No time to stand and stare”
Authors: Lightbody Margaret
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the imagery of flexible work arrangements in professional accounting employment, as presented in the Australian professional accounting journals from 2004‐2007.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes the form of a critical analysis of discourse in articles in professional accounting journals.

Findings

While talk of “balance” and “flexibility” is widespread in the professional accounting journals in Australia, accountancy is portrayed as an environment dominated by a “work hard, play hard” culture. Flexible work arrangements are presented as acceptable work practices when they provide a means of facilitating this culture, rather than as an alternative method of working.

Research limitations/implications

The Australian accounting professional bodies continue to actively portray the long hours culture of professional work (and play) as the foundation of success, despite widespread concern about, first, the long‐term implications of such a lifestyle for employees’ personal wellbeing and, second, the lack of appeal of such working conditions for both existing and potential employees.

Practical implications

Despite the rhetoric of the need for flexible work practices to attract/retain accounting talent, accountants may find that there is limited support within the profession to facilitate career development while utilising such arrangements as part‐time work.

Originality/value

The imagery of the contemporary accounting work environment as presented in the professional journals has not been examined in the accounting literature. As these journals are a primary means by which the profession communicates with its members, they present a good basis for examining how the accounting profession wishes itself to be perceived.
Industrial relations in Namibia since independence
Authors: Klerck Gilton
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The paper seeks to examine the changes and continuities in industrial relations in post‐independence Namibia. In particular, it aims to explore some of the key elements in the process through which the distribution of the costs and rewards of economic and industrial restructuring is institutionalised.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper concentrates, through in‐depth interviews with key role players, on how the attempts at sustaining a durable and redistributive trade‐off between economic efficiency and social equality led to a contradictory fusion of neo‐liberal and neo‐corporatist forms of labour market regulation.

Findings

The research reveals that changes in the regulation of the labour market since independence have created opportunities for advancement and participation by groups of more skilled and organised employees, while weaker and less skilled groups have generally experienced a decline in employment conditions and the absence of collective representation. These developments reflect and reproduce patterns of racial and gender discrimination, industrial structure, trade union membership and collective bargaining across the various sectors and occupations.

Practical implications

The paper shows that a system of low‐skill, low‐wage and low‐trust relations – with an emphasis on cost reduction and employment “flexibility” – is fast becoming embedded in industrial relations in Namibia. Given the prevailing economic policies, industrial strategies and labour market structures, Namibia's integration into the global economy will most likely involve the increasing dislocation and exclusion of vulnerable and “peripheral” workers from the formal economy.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the ways in which the transformation of industrial relations in Namibia is shaped by the legacy of apartheid‐colonialism and the pressures of globalisation. Specifically, the conjunction of increasingly deregulated product markets and increasingly regulated labour markets has driven a wedge between the pursuit of short‐term objectives and the attainment of long‐term transformational goals.
The Nigerian informal economy
Authors: Fajana Sola
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to address the issue of unionisation of the largely non‐unionised informal economic activities as a strategy for achieving decent work and pay as well as promoting national development in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The adopted methods include review of archival information and survey of the perspectives of the stakeholders in Nigeria's industrial relations system. To facilitate the realisation of expected developmental objectives, monitoring, evaluation, capacity building, organising and advocacy roles are recommended jointly and severally for the stakeholders.

Findings

It was found that decent work and pay, which would assist poverty minimisation and thus national development, would be furthered by unionisation of the informal sector. At the same time, there are many barriers faced by unions in seeking to organise in the latter area.

Research limitations/implications

The research focuses only on aspects of informal working; the informal economy represents a multi‐facetted and spatially diverse phenomenon.

Originality/value

This paper provides a detailed review of employment relations in non‐standard work in Africa, an area much neglected in the literature.
Employee relations in Algeria: a historical appraisal
Authors: Branine Mohamed , Foudil Fekkar Ahmed , Fekkar Otmane , Mellahi Kamel
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The paper seeks to examine the evolution of, and assesses current trajectories of change in, the Algerian employee relations system.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper reviews a range of literature on employee relations in Algeria and draws on the authors' research over the years in the field, including recent interviews with unions' representatives.

Findings

The paper provides evidence to suggest that the Algerian system of employee relations is a product of interactions and intersections between historical circumstances and different institutional arrangements and configurations to enable the state to hold together its power and control over unions. The paper shows how the preferential treatment of the UGTA by the government created an uneven playing field favouring the UGTA over independent unions.

Research limitations/implications

A major limitation of the paper is lack of strong empirical evidence.

Practical implications

The paper suggests that the single most important factor determining unions' ability to manoeuvre is the continuing support they obtain from the government and its institutions. The analysis provides practical suggestions for independent unions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper on recent developments in employee relations in Algeria.
The making of a foreign “labour aristocracy” in Botswana
Authors: Mogalakwe Monageng
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether expatriate workers in Botswana are a labour aristocracy.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a case study based on documentary research methods

Findings

The evidence presented supports the case for the existence of a foreign labour aristocracy in Botswana. The labour aristocracy thesis has come under attack for describing the better‐paid workers as labour aristocrats and for its failure to take cognizance of the heterogeneity of the working class. Although it appears that the thesis has now been relegated to the periphery of labour studies debates, evidence from Botswana of a two tier wage structure, one for citizens and another for “expatriates”, resonates with the basic tenets of the labour aristocracy thesis.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need to revisit the debate and for more case studies from different Third World countries.

Practical implications

The paper highlights the difficulties faced by citizen employees in Botswana in seeking to improve their material conditions.

Originality/value

This paper reveals a linkage between a wages policy and the notion of national development in a specific society.
Union power and new managerial strategies: the case of South Africa
Authors: Wood Geoffrey , Glaister Keith
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This study aims to assess the relationship between unionization and employee collectivism, and managerial strategies for employee participation and involvement, within an emerging market economy that has prioritized export competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper centres on a survey of South African employees

Findings

The paper reveals the coexistence of high levels of union power, with a range of mechanisms for participation and involvement.

Practical implications

The South African experience underscores the extent to which greater regulation of the employment contract (through law and unions) can be complementary to both high value added manufacturing strategies and robust export performance. The South African case further highlights both the bounded and institutionally constrained nature of strategy formulation, yet also the willingness of clusters of firms to experiment with alternative strategies, albeit with mixed results: strategy and action represent a product of both setting and real strategic choices.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the extent to which greater collectivism and regulation within the workplace may contribute to economic success within an emerging market context.
Developing public library managers as leaders
Authors: Wilson Kerry , Corrall Sheila
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The paper's aim is to present findings of the recent evaluation of the Leading Modern Public Libraries development programme with reference to the management versus leadership dynamic. The programme provided a strategic intervention to address a perceived weakness in leadership development within the public library sector in England.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on recent examples from the literature, the theoretical differences between the concepts of management and leadership are discussed and used to inform consideration of the programme's effectiveness. Evaluation methods included participant observation, interviews, focus groups and a questionnaire survey, each administered at various stages of the programme with a representative sample of programme participants. Verbatim quotations from evaluation respondents are included in the analysis.

Findings

The research reveals that the programme has had a positive impact in enabling and developing leadership capacity within the sector, particularly in terms of developing participants' confidence and other interpersonal traits associated with effective leadership, including creativity and risk taking. Perceived benefits and limitations of the public library context in which the course was delivered have also been identified.

Practical implications

Important considerations on the transition from effective management to leadership, and the identification, support and development of future leaders within organisations are presented, with implications for current public library leaders, trainers and facilitators within the field.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the programme and its evaluation represent a strategic development initiative on an unprecedented scale in the public library sector.
Towards effective development of electronic information resources in Nigerian university libraries
Authors: Ani Okon E. , Ahiauzu Blessing
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This study aims to provide the framework for effective development of electronic information resources (EIRs) in Nigeria; it seeks to explore the levels of developing electronic information resources in university libraries in Nigeria.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted the survey method in the collection of research data. Validated questionnaires were administered to participants at a national workshop on Electronic Information for Libraries Network (eIFL.net) held at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile‐Ife, Nigeria, from 17‐20 October, 2007.

Findings

The findings show that the internet has been the major source of developing EIRs in Nigerian university libraries as 17 (89.5 per cent) of the surveyed libraries have internet connectivity. This is followed by subscription to electronic databases, online databases 13 (68.4 per cent) and CD‐ROMs 11 (57.9 per cent); electronic journals ten (52.6 per cent) and library computerization ten (52.6 per cent) while digitization of library materials received the least responses of three (15.8 per cent). From the survey findings, there is a high level of developing EIRs in Nigerian university libraries through direct subscription for electronic information (online databases, CD‐ROMs etc.) than conversion of information into electronic form in the library through computerization and digitization.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need to encourage local research in Nigeria by improving on the current level of conversion of local information for national and international access by users. Mass computerisation of library services and digitization of relevant library materials should be encouraged in university libraries in the country.

Originality/value

The paper provides insight into the level of development and utilization of EIRs in Nigerian universities
Service quality at University of Tehran Central Library
Authors: Nejati Mehran , Nejati Mostafa
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of service quality aspects from the perspective of University of Tehran Central Library users. It also aims to measure how successful the library has been in meeting users' needs by providing good and reliable services.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted among library users. In order to meet the objectives of the study, SERVPERF methodology was used. Information was gathered via questionnaires which consisted of structured questions. All the closed ended questions were designed to elicit responses on a five‐point Likert scale to measure both respondent satisfaction and perception of service quality.

Findings

The results show that, although University of Tehran Central Library has conducted several programs for improving its services, because of the lack of identifying the most important aspects of service quality in their customers' ideas, the efforts for providing customer satisfaction has failed to a great extent.

Practical implications

This paper will be helpful to libraries planning to implement a quality management system to improve their quality service and increase customer satisfaction through continuous improvement.

Originality/value

The concept of service quality assessment through SERVPERF is relatively a new concept among Iranian libraries and there is a lack of previous studies using this methodology in assessing perceived quality of academic libraries. Thus, this paper can be used as a guide for academic libraries that are interested in measuring customer satisfaction in order to excel in offering high quality services.
Issues and perceptions for ISO 9000 implementation in Greek academic libraries
Authors: Kostagiolas Petros A. , Kitsiou Maria B.
Published: August 2008

Purpose

Quality has been defined in many different ways and it forms a complex and subjective concept, incorporating at any given time the true (expressed and implied) needs of all those involved. A possible approach in the context of library and information services is the implementation of a well‐known quality management system such as the ISO 9001:2000. This paper aims to investigate and empirically assess the current issues and the perceptions for quality management systems implementation in Greek academic libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical qualitative survey based on the development of a questionnaire for semi‐structured interviews with the directors of Greek academic libraries. The study was conducted during the third quarter of 2007 in regard to the effects of quality management system implementation.

Findings

The comparisons between approaches to, and perceptions of, quality management need to be balanced. An interest for ISO 9000:2000/ISO 9001:2000 has been observed in academic libraries in Greece.

Practical implications

The study of the current attempts for implementing quality management systems as well as evidence about perceptions regarding ISO 9000:2000 of libraries directors may aid in the development of policies for quality management in academic libraries in Greece.

Originality/value

This paper provides information for ISO 9001:2000 implementation in Greek academic libraries and empirical results about the perceptions of Greek academic library directors based on semi‐structured interviews.
Are there common academic library customer values?
Authors: McKnight Susan
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper endeavours to provide answers to the following questions: Is there a correlation between what library customers value and the questions asked in benchmarking satisfaction surveys? Is there a core set of academic library customer values? Are there differences between what academic library customers value in Australia when compared to their counterparts in England? Do library customer values change over time?

Design/methodology/approach

The results of two similar university libraries' customer value discovery research are compared with each other, and also with the question set in the LibQUAL+™ survey. As the customer value discovery research was undertaken six years apart, the results are compared to see if there has been change over time.

Findings

Academic library customers identified a core set of values, and these values mapped reasonably well to the LibQUAL+™ instrument. However, there were unique value factors identified by the various customer segments that did not map. Some questions in LibQUAL+™ were more detailed in their exploration of library staff attributes than customers identified in their value proposition. Customers identify their values +without reference to library jargon.

Originality/value

The paper shows that customer value discovery and LibQUAL+™ are both valuable management tools that identify services and resources of importance to library customers.
Estimating replacement demand: lessons from Ireland
Authors: Fox Roger , Comerford Barry
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper seeks to examine the use of the cohort component method as a method of deriving replacement demand for manpower forecasting.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explains the principal concepts of replacement demand and how replacement demand has been estimated in two alternative ways: the cohort component method and using longitudinal data on individuals. The paper focuses on one of these ways, the cohort component method, and illustrates how this method can fail to capture all the relevant flows driving replacement demand. It also compares the method to the alternative approach based on individual data and discusses US and Irish results using both methods.

Findings

The cohort component method is found to underestimate replacement demand significantly in many occupations.

Research limitations/implications

Research estimates of replacement demand should be based on individual longitudinal data rather than the cohort component method.

Originality/value

Many countries undertake some form of occupational employment forecasting including, in many cases, making estimates of replacement demand. This paper should help to clarify the appropriate choice of methodology for estimating replacement demand.
The adoption of Japanese recruitment practices in Malaysia
Authors: Wan Hooi Lai
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The objective of this research is to examine to what extent Japanese recruitment practices are introduced and practiced in the auto manufacturing companies in Malaysia, since the implementation of the Look East Policy.

Design/methodology/approach

The process involves the gathering of both primary and secondary data, but the main method is a primary data survey. The approach is to target local enterprises as much as possible in the collection of primary data through a set of questionnaires, as well as in‐depth interviews with the human resource (HR) directors and some employees of each company.

Findings

It appears that the Malaysian manufacturing companies have not designed their recruitment practices after those of the Japanese. There is no one single model of recruitment practices operating in Malaysia, either among Japanese joint ventures or local enterprises. However, the findings do suggest the existence of some consistent sets of recruitment behavior among the companies, though it cannot be said with much confidence that these patterns are indeed representative of Malaysian recruitment behavior.

Research limitations/implications

Research has been limited to the manufacturing industry only.

Practical implications

HR practitioners can use the outcome of the study to gauge the adaptability of certain elements of Japanese recruitment practices to the Malaysian workplace.

Originality/value

This paper offers an insight into the applicability of Japanese recruitment practices and offers practical help to HR practitioners embarking on new recruitment policies.
Looking at leaders: a conjoint analysis
Authors: Soutar Geoffrey N. , Ridley Shaun
Published: August 2008

Purpose

Conjoint analysis is a useful research technique, but has not been used in the leadership area. This study aims to examine its relevance in exploring the trade‐offs followers make about leaders and the value of the leadership attributes examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Eight leader attributes were obtained from three focus groups. Past research and a sample of followers indicated their preferences for a number of leader profiles developed from the attributes, as well as assessing their present leaders on the same attributes. This enabled an estimation of the trade‐offs followers made in assessing leaders and the computation of a value “score” for their leader.

Findings

The study finds that participants traded off leader attributes sensibly, providing useful information about the attributes' value. Inspiration, trust and communication were the most valued leader attributes. However, most leaders were not viewed positively.

Research limitations/implications

Respondents were participants in development programmes, which may have impacted on the responses, but the results suggested the approach had merit. Research with more general samples of followers and a wider range of leadership topics is needed.

Practical implications

Future development programmes should focus on the “valuable” attributes and organisations also need to consider such attributes when selecting and evaluating leaders.

Originality/value

This paper uses a conjoint approach that has not been used in the leadership area. The results provide additional insights into the way followers view leaders and enabled a leader “score” to be computed, giving insights into the state of leadership within the group from which responses were obtained.
Subjectivity and social structure
Authors: Irwin Sarah
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to foreground social relations and inter‐connections as important components in a conceptualisation of social structure. The paper argues that the seeming disconnection between the normative and the social structural is a problem of explanation rather than a novel feature of contemporary social life.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are used from extended interviews conducted on two areas, concerning ethnicity and belonging, and gender, work and care, generated during the ESRC funded “CAVA” project (Research Group for the Study of Care, Values and the Future of Welfare).

Findings

It is argued that more productive analyses of social diversity and social change ensue from better delineating the mutuality of normative and social processes.

Originality/value

Through its cultural turn, sociological research has reaffirmed the importance of normative and evaluative processes in shaping human experience and social life. However, new accounts have faced difficulties in connecting the normative and subjective with social structural processes. This paper confronts that challenge.
Family migration and social stratification
Authors: Gayle Vernon , Boyle Paul , Cullis Andrew
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between family migration (i.e. couples with or without children moving home) and social stratification in Britain. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of family migration on social stratification using contemporary large‐scale nationally representative data.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). This is a nationally representative large‐scale longitudinal dataset which tracks a panel of British households and collects interview data annually.

Findings

The paper found a weak relationship between moving house and employment status. Long‐distance migration had a different effect for males and females when prior employment was considered. There was not relationship between migration and female occupational position, but a small effect for men when the move was for reasons related to their own employment. Generally, migration had a positive effect on the family's social class position.

Practical implications

The paper illustrates that longitudinal data are highly beneficial for analyses of family migration as they provide a temporal location for the move.

Originality/value

This is an original set of analyses of contemporary large‐scale nationally representative longitudinal data.
E‐procurement in the United Nations: influences, issues and impact
Authors: Walker Helen , Harland Christine
Published: August 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing e‐procurement adoption in the United Nations (UN) system of organizations are examined.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports on an extended multi‐method case study of e‐procurement in the UN. A three stage methodology is adopted – a questionnaire survey of UN organizations, case studies of e‐procurement issues in three UN organizations, and an interactive workshop with the heads of purchasing of UN organizations.

Findings

The paper finds that e‐procurement is being used in the UN for transactions of routine, non‐strategic purchases. UN development agencies are more likely to adopt e‐procurement than humanitarian aid agencies as their operations are more predictable. The intention of the majority of UN organizations to adopt e‐procurement within three years has been reversed following the workshop, which revealed that adoption of e‐procurement would run counter to UN policies of supporting less developed nations, regions and organizations. A more cautious, “wait and see” approach has been taken rather than to unilaterally promote e‐procurement across the UN system.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on the UN, yet could have implications for other complex systems of organizations such as the public sector, or multinational companies considering implementing e‐procurement with suppliers in developing countries.

Practical implications

E‐procurement needs to be considered in the context of other procurement policy objectives. What may be good e‐procurement practice in a profit‐making firm may be viewed as competing with broader policy objectives of not‐for‐profit organizations. The digital divide is a salient contextual factor for the UN, and brings about unforeseen issues regarding e‐procurement adoption which may have resonance for other organisations.

Originality/value

Much research on e‐procurement has been conducted in the private sector and this paper contributes to the small but growing number of studies of e‐procurement in the context of the public and not‐for‐profit sectors by studying e‐procurement in the UN.
The long‐run and dynamic behaviors of wages, productivity and employment in Malaysia
Authors: Abdullah Yusof Selamah
Published: August 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the long‐run and dynamic behaviors of real wage‐employment‐productivity relationship, using Malaysian manufacturing data, and to determine which related labor theories are supported.

Design/methodology/approach

Time‐series econometric techniques, which include stationarity and cointegration tests, vector error correction model, impulse response function and variance decomposition, are applied to analyze the relationships of real wages, employment and productivity.

Findings

A long run relationship exists between real wages, employment and real productivity, with real wages being the main variable that adjusts to maintain cointegration. The theory that real wages inversely affect employment is not supported, while the performance‐based pay scheme theory, and not the efficiency wage theory, is validated.

Research limitations/implications

Although the data used to measure wages and employment account for most of the production in the various manufacturing sectors, they do not include all the manufacturing industries. The analysis is also limited in time span since data for earlier periods are not available.

Practical implications

The findings can provide assistance to policy makers in their implementation and evaluation of labor policies.

Originality/value

The real wage‐employment‐productivity relationship is examined in the framework of the Malaysian manufacturing sector, and the study includes both the long‐term and short‐run behaviors of the variables.
Growth, volatility, and credit market imperfections: evidence from German firms
Authors: Buch Claudia , Doepke Joerg
Published: August 2008

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is two‐fold. First, it studies whether output volatility and growth are linked at the firm‐level, using data for German firms. Second, it explores whether the link between volatility and growth depends on the degree of credit market imperfections. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a novel firm‐level dataset provided by the Deutsche Bundesbank, the so‐called Financial Statements Data Pool. The dataset has time series observations for German firms for the period 1997‐2004, and the authors use information on the debt‐to‐assets or leverage ratio of firms to proxy for credit‐constraints at the firm‐level. As additional proxies for the importance of credit market imperfections, we use information on the size and on the legal status of firms. Findings – The authors find that higher volatility has a negative impact on growth for small and a positive impact for larger firms. Higher leverage is associated with higher growth. At the same time, there is heterogeneity in the determinants of growth across firms from different sectors and across firms with a different legal status. Practical implications – While most traditional macroeconomic models assume that growth and volatility are uncorrelated, a number of microeconomic models suggest that the two may be linked. However, it is unclear whether the link is positive or negative. The paper presents additional evidence regarding this question. Moreover, understanding whether credit market conditions affect the link between volatility and growth is of importance for policy makers since it suggests a channel through which the credit market can have long‐run welfare implications. The results stress the importance of firm‐level heterogeneity for the effects and effectiveness of economic policy measures. Originality/value – The paper has two main novel features. First, it uses a novel firm‐level dataset to analyze the determinants of firm‐level growth. Second, it analyzes the growth‐volatility nexus using firm‐level data. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper, which addresses the link between volatility, growth, and credit market imperfections using firm‐level data.