bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth or security? Regulatory focus determines work priorities
Authors: Steidle Anna , Gockel Christine , Werth Lioba
Published: January 2013

Purpose

Regulatory focus theory (RFT) can successfully predict and describe organizational behaviour and managerial decision making. However, no empirical study has tested its central assumption in an organizational context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between employee's regulatory focus and their work priorities.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 307 employees from the public and private sectors in Germany participated and three organizational priorities were confirmed in a confirmatory factor analysis: growth, existence, and relatedness aspects. Their relationship with employee's regulatory focus was analyzed using multi‐level modeling.

Findings

It was found that employees' promotion and prevention focus were related to specific work priorities: the higher a person's promotion focus, the more the person valued growth aspects. The higher the prevention focus, the more the person valued existence‐related work aspects. Both regulatory foci increased the importance of good relationships at work.

Research limitations/implications

The findings provide new insights into previous research on the impact of personality traits, especially regulatory focus, on job‐related attitudes like job satisfaction or job commitment.

Practical implications

The results are useful for leaders and human resource managers aiming to understand the driving forces behind employee's job motivation and decisions.

Originality/value

This is the first study to address the central question of different priorities associated with promotion and prevention focus in the organizational field. Results provide insight into previous findings on the impact of regulatory focus on job‐related attitudes and offer practical implications for practitioners interested in job motivation and decision making.
Transition and transcendence: the innovative development of Shanghai Library
Authors: Jianzhong Wu , Chen Xuyan
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review and examine the necessities and potentials for transition of a library from paper‐based paradigm to all media paradigm in the new changing age; and to recount the innovation efforts made by Shanghai Library aimed at actualising its development strategy.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reviews the major impacts that had fallen on libraries of the world, and the dilemma in particular that Shanghai Library was confronted with in its attempt to optimise the library services. Examples are given with facts and figures to illustrate how the library has been conducting innovation practices to fulfil its paradigm shift.

Findings

The paper concludes that today's libraries need fundamental transformation through innovation practices in various aspects and dimensions to keep up with the times.

Practical implications

The paper offers practical information and advice to those considering paradigm shift as a strategic organisational imperative.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates how the Shanghai Library has achieved transcendence through transition of its business priority from the paper collection to the various formats that keeps in alliance with the digital and, in further foresight, the omnimedia age.
Evaluating the service quality in the Regional Information Center for Science and Technology using the Six Sigma methodology
Authors: Biranvand Ali , Akbar Khasseh Ali
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of services provided by the Regional Information Center for Science and Technology (RICeST) employing the Six Sigma methodology.

Design/methodology/approach

The studied population in this research consists of the users of RICeST. To start with, 120 users of RICeST have been chosen as the samples in a simple random way. Next, in order to collect the data, the LibQUAL+ Questionnaire has been used. Having applied this questionnaire, the gap between the customers' expectations and perceptions has been identified and analyzed. Moreover, the given data are analyzed and their mean and standard deviations are calculated by “SPSS”. Then, in each of the evaluated cases, the calculated standard deviation is compared with the sigma level in the output table in order to specify the qualitative efficiency of services. Accordingly, the error rate in each of the provided services has been determined.

Findings

Findings revealed that staff at RICeST could meet the users' minimum expectations of this center in all cases except for the option “the courteous staff”; therefore, they have allocated the efficiency of 50 percent which is equal to 500,000 errors per million. In other words, the average rate seems to be true in all options about the staff in this center. The efficiency of 69.20 percent obtained from the users' view about the quality of existing resources of this center, represents their relative satisfaction with the information resources in RICeST. But it is just in the option “the presence of a web site in the center” that the level of users' expectations is equal to the actual level and the achieved efficiency of 99.97 percent. Finally, it has been found that the quality of library space at the actual level was lower than the maximum level of users' expectation, but higher than the level of users' minimum expectations. The efficiency of 69.20 percent about the physical space of RICeSt indicates 308,000 errors per million. Consequently, it is far from achieving the desired level or the maximum users' expectations.

Originality/value

The increasing expectations of users in libraries and information centers have caused that these types of centers need modern strategies and management techniques in order to comply with these increasing changes and requirements. Evaluating the service quality in the library means to assess the effectiveness of services provided. The effect of evaluating the service quality is not limited to this fact, in which the services are provided only for users, but it is also focusing on the users' application level and compliance with their information needs and satisfaction of the quantity and quality of services.
Reactions to allegations of discrimination
Authors: Fernanda Wagstaff María , del Carmen Triana María , Peters Abby N. , Salazar Dalila
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine alleged perpetrators' reactions to being accused of discrimination.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines how the mode of confrontation as well as the perpetrator's status relate to the alleged perpetrator's state of anger and the likelihood of providing a justification to the victim. To test the hypotheses, the authors conducted an experimental design using an organizational scenario.

Findings

The mode of confrontation predicts the likelihood of providing a justification to the victim. The paper also found that both anger and the likelihood of providing a justification for a charge of discrimination are higher when the mode of confrontation is indirect and the alleged perpetrator is the supervisor.

Research limitations/implications

An organizational scenario limits the realism of the study such that results may not generalize to actual organizational settings (Stone, Hosoda, Lukaszewski and Phillips). In addition, the response rate was low. Nevertheless, a full understanding of issues related to reactions to alleged discrimination will depend upon research conducted in a variety of settings under a variety of conditions.

Practical implications

It is unlikely that direct confrontations will be instrumental in correcting misperceptions of discriminatory behavior. Organizations need to provide training on how to manage confrontation episodes as an opportunity to mitigate perceived mistreatment.

Originality/value

Which mode of confrontation is best? Indirect confrontation is associated with a higher likelihood of the alleged perpetrator providing a justification for a charge of discrimination, particularly when the alleged perpetrator is the supervisor. However, anger is also higher when supervisors are confronted indirectly about allegations of discrimination.
Leader‐follower interactions: relations with OCB and sales productivity
Authors: Zacher Hannes , Jimmieson Nerina L.
Published: January 2013

Purpose

Based on substitutes for leadership theory, the aim of this study is to examine followers' learning goal orientation as a moderator of relationships among transformational leadership, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and sales productivity.

Design/methodology/approach

Data came from 61 food and beverage attendants of a casino, and were analyzed using regression analyses.

Findings

Transformational leadership was positively related to both OCB and sales productivity. Learning goal orientation moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB, such that transformational leadership was more strongly related to OCB among followers with a low learning goal orientation than among followers with a high learning goal orientation.

Research limitations/implications

Limitations of the study include the small sample size and cross‐sectional research design.

Practical implications

Organizations could train supervisors to practice a transformational leadership style and to take followers' learning goal orientation into account.

Originality/value

The findings of this study suggest that, with regard to OCB, a high learning goal orientation of followers may act as a “substitute” for low levels of leaders' transformational leadership.
Influences on leadership behaviour: a binomial logit model
Authors: Oshagbemi Titus , Ocholi Samuel A.
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to review what influences leaders' behaviours and why leaders behave in certain ways and not in other ways. Using a range of job characteristics such as the different leadership styles utilised in conducting various tasks and the leaders' age and gender for example, and employing a binomial logit analysis on a survey data, this research focuses on a range of possible influences on leadership behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the influences on leadership behaviour, a questionnaire was constructed with leadership behaviour, leadership style, job satisfaction and some demographic questions. The population for the study comprised employees from various sizes of UK companies from a wide range of industries. The questionnaire was administered mainly, but not only, to managers and leaders in the Key British Enterprises.

Findings

The paper found that a number of the leadership style dimensions and other explanatory variables were significantly related with some of the individual leadership behaviour types. For example, intellectual stimulation was positively and significantly related to delegative leadership which is a characteristic of creative organisations that have confidence in the abilities of its workforce. However, it does not find a direct gender effect on leadership behaviour.

Originality/value

Collecting data from over 400 managers from a wide range of industries in the UK and reviewing the relevant literature on influences on leadership behaviour, the study found among other things, that delegative leadership style is significantly related to all the four transformational leadership factors. Delegative leadership is therefore judged to be a very popular leadership style that many managers practice in their organisations while consultative and participative leadership styles remain the least favourite and directive leadership style lies in‐between in a scheme of widespread application within organisations.
Demographic and socio‐economic determinants of financial satisfaction
Authors: Kalra Sahi Shalini
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of demographic and socioeconomic factors on the financial satisfaction of the individual investors in India, who belong to the urban socio‐economic classification segment‐A.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 374 individual investors, one‐way ANOVA, t‐test and correlation was conducted to find out which demographic and socio‐economic variables were associated with the individual's financial satisfaction levels.

Findings

The results of the research showed that factors such as age, marital status, occupation, work‐experience, income, saving rate, nature of household accommodation and investment tenure, impact the individual's financial satisfaction levels.

Practical implications

With the increase in the household income levels in India as a result of the tremendous growth and expansion that the Indian economy has witnessed over the last decade, there has been a growth in the demand for financial planning and wealth management services too. The purpose of financial advisory services is to understand the clients' behaviour and needs and accordingly provide advice on the various aspects of financial planning and wealth management. The findings of the study have implications for policy makers and financial service providers.

Originality/value

Though, the demographic and socio‐economic correlates of financial satisfaction have been extensively researched in the literature, there has been scant empirical research on the Indian financial consumer. This study fills this gap and is the first of its kind on the Indian Individual investor.
China at the crossroads
Authors: Lane Jan‐Erik
Published: January 2013

Purpose

China has become a most dominant player in the global economy with immense political repercussions, for instance in Africa. The extremely rapid Chinese economic transformation has been accomplished through strong globalisation with, for example, entrance into the WTO framework. Now it faces the challenges of accepting the other side of the globalisation coin, namely institutional transparency, ecological sustainability and foreign policy integration into the international community. The purpose of this paper is to explore this.

Design/methodology/approach

Macro approach using country indicators on economic growth, institutional transparency, rule of law and ecology pressure. It relates these index scores to the overall social transformation of the country.

Findings

China has performed well on economic globalisation but lags on political modernisation, i.e. institutional transparency as well as on ecological sustainability for a post‐modern society.

Research limitations/implications

China must address the challenges of the post‐modern society with its call for transparency, sustainability and peaceful accommodation with neighbours.

Social implications

Modernisation has two sides, not only economic growth. As China is set to become the world leader economically, it will embark upon the post‐modern society, with its demands for peace, rule of law and environmental protection.

Originality/value

The paper puts economic globalisation against political modernisation and ecological globalisation in a clear manner for China.
Market perception of firm strategy
Authors: Asdemir Ozer , Fernando Guy D. , Tripathy Arindam
Published: January 2013

Purpose

Research has shown that firms successfully pursuing either a cost leadership or a differentiation strategy are better able to gain competitive advantages over other firms and accordingly achieve superior performance. Thus, if firms actually do realize superior performance based on their strategic orientation, capital markets should recognize this and place a positive value on such strategy‐focused firms. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate how capital markets perceive and reward the strategies pursued by firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses Tobin's Q as a measure of market perception. By regressing Tobin's Q against relevant control variables and proxies for differentiation and cost leadership strategies, the paper evaluates the relationship between market perception and firm strategy. Furthermore, the paper also conducts abnormal returns analyses (both portfolio and regression analysis) to determine whether the market accurately prices the different strategies, given the complexity in both the nature and the implementation of such strategies.

Findings

The analysis shows that markets place a positive value on firms successfully pursuing either a cost leadership or a differentiation strategy; moreover markets place a higher value on firms pursuing a differentiation strategy compared to a cost leadership strategy. The abnormal returns analyses show that the market is not able to fully price the superior performance generated by pursuing differentiation strategy resulting in abnormal returns from portfolios formed based on higher levels of differentiation.

Research limitations/implications

By providing detailed information to the market about the strategies they follow, firms will enable markets to value their strategies accurately, thus reducing their cost of capital. Fundamental investors looking to earn abnormal returns can use firm strategy in their portfolio selection. A variety of characteristics are conceived to influence a firm's strategic positioning and market perception of such characteristics. This evaluation is limited to a macro level assessment of the implications of the overall strategy pursued by a firm. Future research, in the form of detailed field studies, could be directed at evaluating the market perceptions and other implications of multi‐dimensional, lower level, operational strategies on a firm‐by‐firm basis.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to show how financial markets value firm strategy. The paper also provides evidence to the complexity of a differentiation strategy, and how such complexity can lead to market mis‐pricing.
The impact of fair‐value‐accounting on the relevance of capital adequacy ratios
Authors: Liao Yi‐Ping
Published: January 2013

Purpose

This study aims to empirically investigate whether the adoption of fair‐value‐accounting decreases the relevance of banks' capital adequacy ratios (CARs) in explaining insolvency risks. Additionally, how the disclosure quality affects the superiority of fair‐value‐based CARs over cost‐based CARs is also explored.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from Taiwan banks from 2004 to 2010, the following tests are conducted. First, the insolvency risk is regressed on the reported CAR, along with the related interaction with the adoption of TFAS No. 34 to test the weakened relevance of CARs during the post‐TFAS No. 34 periods. Second, the relative relevance of fair‐value‐based CARs and cost‐based CARs is assessed using Vuong's Z‐statistic. Lastly, observations are partitioned into two groups – banks of higher and lower disclosure quality – to investigate whether fair‐value‐based CARs is superior (inferior) to cost‐based CARs for banks with higher (lower) disclosure quality.

Findings

First, adopting TFAS No. 34 reduces the relevance of CARs in explaining banks' insolvency risks. Second, fair‐value‐based CARs are superior to cost‐based ones in relation to insolvency risks only for banks of higher disclosure quality.

Originality/value

This study is the first to fill the empirical gap by demonstrating that the ability of CARs to explain the insolvency risk is adversely influenced by the adoption of fair value accounting. In particular, the results shed some light on the move toward fair‐value accounting, and may be interpreted that adopting fair‐value reporting is not flawless, drawing attention to the potential information loss in abandoning historical‐cost‐based regimes. Moreover, because the application of fair‐value accounting in the Taiwan banking industry is fairly similar to that of international or US GAAP, these results also yield insights into other standard‐setters.
Underpricing, board structure, and ownership
Authors: Darmadi Salim , Gunawan Randy
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether and how underpricing is associated with board structure and corporate ownership among firms conducting initial public offerings (IPOs) in the Indonesian equity market.

Design/methodology/approach

To capture the most recent development, the sample comprises 101 firms conducting IPOs in Indonesia's primary equity market in the period of 2003‐2011. The explanatory variables consist of board size, board independence, ownership concentration, and institutional ownership. In further analysis, the authors perform regressions considering three types of the controlling shareholder, namely families, foreign entities, and the government.

Findings

Providing some support for signaling theory, it is found that board independence is positively related to the level of underpricing. Further, this study provides evidence that the level of underpricing is negatively associated with both board size and institutional ownership, indicating that these two governance mechanisms play important roles in mitigating information asymmetry between the issuer and potential investors. Ownership concentration is insignificant in explaining the first‐day returns. When the type of corporate control is taken into account, it is revealed that government‐controlled companies tend to experience higher underpricing.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the IPO underpricing literature since the influence of corporate governance mechanisms on initial returns is relatively under‐researched, particularly within the context of emerging markets.
Not just location: attitudes and functioning of Arab local education administrators in Israel
Authors: Arar Khalid , Abu‐Asbah Khaled
Published: January 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to provide useful insights into educational under‐achievement among Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel (PAI), investigating the perceptions of local educational administrators (LEAs) towards the education system and itsmodus vivendi, to uncover difficulties and suggest directions to improve the processes and achievements of the PAI education system.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 16 stakeholders in local education (mayors, education department managers; school principals and parents’ representatives) in four Arab local governments in Israel to elucidate attitudes toward education.

Findings

The small random sample cannot claim to be representative however worrying problems were revealed: deficient resources in comparison to the Jewish education system; an ineffective political culture in local government; inferior status and problematic functioning of Arab education department heads and lack of inclusion of professionals and parents in decision‐making. These factors negatively impact the education system and its products.

Originality/value

The paper suggests local government should determine appropriate local policy, positioning education as a high priority with efficient education departments, more professional staff, and suitable education programs. Additionally state government should provide equal resources for the Arab education system, to lever Arab education in Israel.
Mental models: a robust definition
Authors: Rook Laura
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The concept of a mental model has been described by theorists from diverse disciplines. The purpose of this paper is to offer a robust definition of an individual mental model for use in organisational management.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach adopted involves an interdisciplinary literature review of disciplines, including system dynamics, psychology, cognitive science and organisational learning.

Findings

Critical reflection on the published individual mental model definitions revealed similarities and shortcomings. It is argued that here the literature presents some consensus in the concept being internally held and having the capacity to affect how a person acts. The proposed definition of an individual mental model was found to be robust through a complexity based inquiry conducted in an organisation within the hospitality industry.

Research limitations/implications

The application of the model has only been tested in one case study with a small staff sample in the hospitality industry. Thus generalisation is limited pending further testing.

Practical implications

The pilot study demonstrated the usefulness of the definition of an individual mental model in making the conceptualisations of work practices explicit at various levels within organisations.

Originality/value

This paper produces a definition that is lucid, inclusive, and specific for mental model research and knowledge management in organisations. The paper provides added value for academics and organisational practitioners interested in a robust definition for understanding the concept and the implications of mental models on an individual's actions.
An investigation into the cultural and religious determinants of national competitiveness
Authors: Yeganeh Hamid
Published: January 2013

Purpose

This paper aims to empirically investigate the effects of cultural and religious factors on national competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the concepts of national competitiveness, cultural values and religiosity are defined. Then, the relationships between these concepts are discussed and the hypotheses, variables, and theoretical models are presented. Finally, the empirical tests are conducted, the results are examined, and the theoretical/practical implications are discussed.

Findings

The empirical results show that controlling for the effects of socioeconomic development, culture and religiosity still have important implications for national competitiveness. More specifically, it is found that Autonomy, Hierarchy and Mastery cultural dimensions are likely to foster national competitiveness, but Conservatism, Egalitarianism and Harmony dimensions tend to impede national competitiveness. Additionally, it is found that regardless of the religious denomination, religiosity by itself remains a very serious hindrance to national competitiveness.

Research limitations/implications

This study has a limited scope as it relies on a narrow conceptualization of culture and religiosity. Moreover, this study relies solely on the national level data and fails to detect the effects of intra‐national variations.

Practical implications

The findings of this study bring valuable insights into the cultural and religious determinants of national competitiveness. Considering the reliability of data and the variety of countries included, the results might have important theoretical and managerial implications.

Originality/value

The chief contribution of this study resides in encompassing theories from various disciplines such as sociology, political science, anthropology, and business management to investigate the cultural and religious determinants of national competitiveness.
Explaining supply chain as an “opportunistic coalition”
Authors: Subedi Deepak
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and explain competition between buyers and sellers within the same supply chain network. It suggests that supply chain can be best described as an opportunistic coalition between the powerful and ambitious ones.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses the arguments and counter‐arguments on outsourcing and also supply chain management as presented in the academic literature. Then it analyses some of the prevailing practices in supply chain, and uses concepts of power, team and opportunistic alliance to suggest that supply chain could best be described as an opportunistic alliance.

Findings

Buyers and suppliers are always engaged in power struggles, even though they may be cooperating to run the supply chain smoothly. The degree of one party's success in such a struggle is determined by the extent of the others' dependence on it. The dependence is reliant on one's control over the process of defining, designing and producing the goods and services required to fulfil the needs of the end customers.

Research limitations/implications

While success in the market is equally important, this paper elaborates on the supply chain issue only.

Practical implications

The article is useful for managers, making “make‐or buy” decisions and entering into (supply chain) alliances. Similarly, students engaged in analysis and understanding of issues pertaining to supply chain management and strategy can find this article useful.

Originality/value

Competition within supply chain has been a missing link in the discussions of the supply chain strategy. The paper has conceptualized and elaborated this very important issue.
Visual and projective methods in Asian research
Authors: Belk Russell
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this review is to offer a summary of visual and projective research methods that have been applied or may be applied fruitfully in an Asian context. Examples are provided and a delineation of the strengths and weaknesses of the methods is made.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a review article covering a number of different relevant methods and briefly reviewing studies that have been conducted in Asia using these methods.

Findings

The paper reviews five different uses of qualitative visual and projective methods in Asian consumer and market research: as archival data for analysis; as direct stimuli for data collection; as projective stimuli for data collection; as a means for recording qualitative data; and as a means for presenting qualitative findings.

Research limitations/implications

It is suggested that Asia contains a rich visual culture and that the research techniques reviewed offer compelling means for enhancing data collection, data analysis, and findings presentations from qualitative market and consumer research in Asia.

Originality/value

The paper brings together a diverse array of prior research illustrating the potential of the methods reviewed. In addition to discussing this research a number of references are provided for those wishing to examine these methods in greater detail and apply them to their own research.
Ethnoconsumerism and cultural branding: designing “Nano” car
Authors: Venkatesh Alladi , Khanwalkar Seema , Lawrence Lynda , Chen Steven
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to explore the cultural and branding issues that have gone into the design and development of Nano – a brand name for an Indian automobile – which is a low‐priced passenger vehicle targeted toward the middle‐class Indian consumer in urban settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a cultural framework for the brand initiative and its execution. Specifically, the paper uses an ethnoconsumerism approach to the issue of cultural branding.

Findings

The Nano car was conceived and executed under two narratives: an economical and affordable vehicle, and a brand appeal that would satisfy Indian cultural sensibilities.

Research limitations/implications

Cultural branding is becoming a popular approach in product positioning. This research shows that an ethnoconsumerist framework is ideally suited for examining cultural branding issues.

Originality/value

With the emergence of global markets, new methodologies have to be employed in studying cultural issues pertaining to local conditions. Toward this end, the paper provides an application of the ethnoconsumerism approach for studying branding phenomena.
Trust formation processes in innovative collaborations
Authors: Hardwick Jialin , Anderson Alistair R. , Cruickshank Douglas
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the practices and processes of trust building and use in collaborative networking for product innovation and to compare face to face with virtual networking.

Design/methodology/approach

Guided by a literature review and preliminary participant observation, 16 open ended interviews collected data about the processes in 11 small biotech firms. These data were inductively analysed by the constant comparative method to develop explanatory themes.

Findings

Trust was seen as a requirement for successful collaborative innovation, but the paper identified how different dimensions of trust are located in the trust building processes. Trust works by creating a platform of confidence that fosters flows of information and the exchange of tacit knowledge. Two types of trust relationships, the technical and the social, work in different ways to produce different, but complementary, types of trust. Virtual environments suit technical trust building but are less suited to developing deeper, more enduring forms of trust.

Research limitations/implications

These different approaches to collaboration are often implicit. But if practitioners are made aware of how they work, they can use the most appropriate approach to build trust.

Practical implications

The method and sample restrict general application, but the explanatory framework may be conceptually generalisable.

Social implications

Networking for innovation is seen as much social as technical.

Originality/value

The paper contributes conceptually by theorising the trust building process and its role in knowledge sharing and collaborative innovation. It addresses a gap in the literature in identifying how trust is produced, developed and employed in furthering innovation, in particular the behavioural patterns of using virtual networks in furthering innovation.
Social capital and innovation in the services sector
Authors: Petrou Anastasia , Daskalopoulou Irene
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to analyze the role of social capital on innovation through the analysis of the selective nature of network alliances in the tourism sector which is subject to a complex competition – cooperation context.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper approximates social capital via active and purposeful engagement in network alliances and estimates several probit models in order to test for the effect of social capital on innovation activity using cross‐section tourism data for Greece.

Findings

Overall results indicate that a firm's knowledge base is conducive to innovation activity. Nevertheless, the explanatory power of knowledge base variables weakens once the underlying social capital generation mechanisms are taken into consideration. The selective nature of network links is also evidenced.

Research limitations/implications

The use of cross‐section data might be viewed as a limitation. Nevertheless, the robust methodological approach and the very satisfactory fit of the estimated econometric model allow for the findings to be a contribution in the field and a reliable comparison basis for future evidence.

Practical implications

The study provides us with useful insights as regards the selective nature of network alliances and their effect upon the innovative activity of tourism firms. Also, the importance of such findings to managerial decision‐making processes is evident as firms are themselves responsible for participating in successful, high impact, network alliances.

Originality/value

Innovation in tourism is a critical aspect of the sector's growth potential. Yet, research in tourism innovation and the factors that are conducive to innovation is rather limited. In that sense the paper makes a contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
Role of innovation in the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance
Authors: Uzkurt Cevahir , Kumar Rachna , Semih Kimzan Halil , Eminoğlu Gözde
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating role of innovation on the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for the study were collected through a survey from 154 branches of ten prominent banks in Turkey and responses were analyzed to assess the relationships between organizational culture, firm performance and organizational innovation.

Findings

The findings reveal that in the banking sector, although organizational culture and innovation have a direct and positive effect on the firm performance dimensions, organizational culture was found to have an insignificant regression coefficient on the dimensions of firm performance in the presence of organizational innovations.

Practical implications

These findings provide useful insights for organizations, particularly in the banking industry, seeking to be competitive and responsive to environmental changes by successfully introducing innovations. Conclusions emphasize that mechanisms to encourage and foster an innovative culture in the organization are likely to facilitate the introduction, adoption and diffusion of innovations which, in turn, is likely to result in achievement of superior firm performance.

Originality/value

Organizational culture has been studied in the literature as one of the characteristics impacting the firm's performance. But there is a paucity of research which models andempiricallystudies the relationship between organizational culture and the firm performance. In addition, several researchers have studied organizational innovation as a driver of firm performance but fewer researchers have studied organizational innovations as being impacted by organizational culture. In this study, the paper examines the relationship between organizational culture and firm performance and the role of organizational innovation in this relationship. This research makes an important contribution to the existing literature by empirically examining the relationship between organizational culture, innovations and firm performance.
From measuring to learning? – Probing the evolutionary path of IC research and practice
Authors: Yu Ai , Humphreys Patrick
Published: January 2013

Purpose

In line with an emerging critical trend in the field of intellectual capital (IC), the aim of this paper is to probe the evolutionary path of IC research and practices. The paper aims to argue that IC research and practices need to shift from the measuring paradigm to a learning paradigm.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 15 interviews with experienced IC consultants were conducted while they were all working on a European Commission funded IC project across five European countries from 2005 to 2008. Altogether their voices constitute a critical line of thought.

Findings

The findings showed that a learning paradigm does not take a stand against the measuring paradigm, however it does transform the measuring paradigm, as it takes it to a new level of understanding by engaging a firm's attention to the socio‐psychological mechanism that generates and sustains IC flows. IC flows entail new knowledge flows, practice flows, and affect flows that elicit organizational change and innovation.

Practical implications

The paper discusses two implications of this research. First, effective IC flow management may strengthen a firm's future earning potential by allowing for value‐added activities and by nurturing a strong learning motive. Second, three criteria for IC information disclosure are proposed to work around the issue of management control and/or public relations manipulation. The paper suggests that the design and implementation of IC models within a reporting framework should aim to make the concept of IC more accessible, actionable, and effective.

Originality/value

This paper offers a novel conceptual framework and an operational context which explore the possible ways of advancing IC research and practices.
A micro intellectual capital knowledge flow model: a critical account of IC inside the classroom
Authors: Oliver Gary R.
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use the critical approach to management research (Alvesson and Deetz), to examine intellectual capital (IC) with the twin perspectives of from inside the classroom and as a bottom‐up approach, and, in the process, develop a micro IC model of knowledge flows.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a case study, based on the author's experience in applying the concept of micro IC to the classroom and student learning.

Findings

IC is created without the students being formally aware of its extent. The focus moves from a top‐down evaluation of IC stocks such as student academic performance to a bottom‐up view of IC flows in which discipline knowledge is applied and generic attributes such as collaboration, communication and critical evaluation are exercised with incremental improvement. These are not normally noticed by the students. However, some skills which do not form part of the university skills plan are acknowledged by students. These include high engagement in the classroom instead of passive learning, more confident, flexible communication and persuasion, as well as the ability to speak unprepared without resorting to reciting from the textbook or lecture slides.

Research limitations/implications

The model for micro IC is based on case study research which has been conducted longitudinally for three years. The micro IC knowledge flow model has been developed outside the business environment but with reference to it.

Practical implications

There is scope to compare and apply the insights from the micro IC model to business performance without requiring an overarching interwoven set of indicators as is required by approaches such as the balanced scorecard.

Social implications

A micro IC approach provides a bottom‐up method for understanding the often significant benefits of IC that are hidden by a top‐down approach.

Originality/value

A micro IC approach has not been previously proposed. The paper both provides a model drawn from the knowledge literature and then applies it to learning and teaching in management accounting coursework which uses a team‐learning approach.
Does successful recovery mitigate failure severity?
Authors: Balaji M.S. , Sarkar Aditi
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The aim of this study is to examine the role of level of failure severity and recovery efforts in customer response behavior. Specifically, the paper investigates how severity of failure influence the relationship between recovery efforts and outcome variables of recovery disconfirmation, satisfaction, loyalty and negative word‐of‐mouth.

Design/methodology/approach

A 2×2 between subjects experimental design was carried out. Written scenarios were used to manipulate the level of severity and recovery efforts. Responses were collected from 103 participants on pre‐validated scale measures.

Findings

The results of the study yield significant findings of impact of failure severity and recovery effort on dependent variables in the Indian context. The findings indicate significant interaction effects on satisfaction, loyalty and negative word‐of‐mouth.

Originality/value

Prior studies on failure and recovery have mostly kept failure constant even though the magnitude of failure can range from low to high. This study examines the effect of level of failure severity and recovery efforts in customer response behavior. Further, this study extends prior research in recovery by investigating the variables of interest in the eastern cultural context such as India.
The establishment of legitimacy: the case of international projects
Authors: Aaltonen Kirsi
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The establishment of legitimacy is one of the critical issues faced by international projects that involve a host of stakeholders and are implemented in challenging institutional environments. The purpose of this paper is to examine the establishment of legitimacy and factors that affect this process in the context of international projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative, multiple case study of three international projects conducted in challenging institutional environments.

Findings

Based on a theoretical and empirical analysis of three case projects, the article identifies different strategies that may be enacted to gain project legitimacy in international projects. Furthermore, a set of propositions that describe the effects of different factors (the project's external environment, the project network, the process of legitimation) that explain the extent of the challenge faced by international projects in establishing legitimacy are developed.

Originality/value

The article sets the scene for theory development on project legitimacy. A better understanding of legitimation strategies and of the factors that affect the establishment of legitimacy in international projects advances research on project‐environment interaction and supports managers in proactively managing project legitimacy.
Sustainable development and project stakeholder management: what standards say
Authors: Eskerod Pernille , Huemann Martina
Published: January 2013

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how various approaches to stakeholder management, as well as sustainable development principles, are included in internationally‐used project management standards; and to consider the demands these approaches and principles place on project stakeholder management.

Design/methodology/approach

An analytical framework was developed based on stakeholder theory within general management, as well as on sustainability research. Desk research was carried out by applying the analytical framework to three project management standards: ICB, PMBOK and PRINCE2.

Findings

The research findings suggest that stakeholder issues are treated superficially in the project management standards, while putting stakeholder management in the context of sustainable development would ask for a paradigm shift in the underpinning values. The current project stakeholder practices represent mainly a management‐of‐stakeholders approach, i.e. making stakeholders comply to project needs, whereas a management‐for‐stakeholders approach may be beneficial.

Research limitations/implications

As the analysis is based on document studies of bodies of knowledge, the authors cannot be sure to what extent the standards represent real‐life practices. However, the standards are developed by practitioners agreeing on common practices. Further, they are used to certify project managers worldwide. Therefore, the authors find it safe to claim that the findings are relevant when discussing project management practices.

Originality/value

The value of this paper lies in the enrichment of the understanding of project stakeholder management by applying concepts from general stakeholder theory and sustainable development research.