bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Consumer preferences for retailer brand architectures: results from a conjoint study
Authors: Grunert Klaus G. , Esbjerg Lars , Bech‐Larsen Tino , Brunsø Karen , Jørn Juhl Hans
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how three dimensions of retailer brand architecture – share or retailer brands, quality of retailer brands and visibility of retailer brands – affect consumer intention to shop at stores

Design/methodology/approach

A conjoint analysis is conducted with a sample of 599 Danish consumers, which rated intention to shop at hypothetical new shops based on profiles derived from an orthogonal design

Findings

Two segments of consumers emerge, one price conscious and one more differentiated. Consumers prefer shops with lower price levels, with dominantly manufacturer brands, with quality of retailer brands at the same level as manufacturer brands, and with good visibility of retailer brands.

Research limitations/implications

The results are based on the evaluation of hypothetical stores, and many additional factors affect store choice in the real world.

Practical implications

Results suggest that we may be heading towards a polarized retail market, mainly divided between discount concepts and high quality retailer brand concepts.

Originality/value

The paper is innovative in isolating the effect of dimensions of retailer brand architecture on consumer store preference.
Approaches to HRM in the Barbados hotel industry
Authors: Alleyne Philmore , Doherty Liz , Greenidge Dion
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to measure the extent of the adoption of human resource management (HRM), the existence of a formal HR strategy, and the development of the HR function in the Barbados hotel industry compared with Hoque's sample of hotels in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative survey, covering 46 hotels out of a population of 75 hotels was conducted with the respondents being the hotel's management: a general manager, HR manager or line manager.

Findings

It was found that the adoption of human resource (HR) practices was more prevalent in Barbados hotels than in the UK sample. With respect to the existence of a formal HR strategy, the results were mixed. The results also show that in many respects the Barbados hotels are ahead of their UK counterparts in the development of the HR function.

Research limitations/implications

The research focused on a small sample in a developing country. In addition, responses were obtained from top management rather than all levels of staff.

Practical implications

The findings about HR practices were based on management assertions. There is need for a follow‐up with more tangible evidence.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the importance of HR practices in a developing country. These findings were unexpected, given that the UK is a mature western economy, where Barbados is classified as a developing country. They may be explained by the better‐developed formal systems for the management of employment relations at an industry‐level in Barbados.
The internet practices of hotel companies: an analysis from Greece
Authors: Zafiropoulos Costas , Vrana Vasiliki , Paschaloudis Dimitrios
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the practices hoteliers use to design their hotel web sites. It argues that hoteliers provide groups of relative information services, they provide them in different degrees of occurrence, and some of them being significant are not provided to meet the customers' demands, while others are provided regardless of their low perceived significance.

Design/methodology/approach

This work distinguishes groups of information services according to their occurrence and significance. The content of 798 Greek hotel web sites is recorded using the frequencies of 66 information features. Also a sample of 17 users provides the significance ratings of the information features.

Findings

Greek hotel web sites are primarily designed to serve as electronic brochures and, while they generally satisfy most of the users' needs, they partly serve as online transactions media, a function considered significant.

Practical implications

Identifies and rates the rendered groups of related information services at hotel web sites.

Originality/value

Enables hoteliers and web designers to evaluate significant web sites' characteristics.
Realistic recruitment
Authors: Raub Steffen , Streit Eva Maria
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To report on the results of an empirical study on recruitment practices in the cruise industry and interpret these results from the perspective of theory on “realistic recruitment”.

Design/methodology/approach

Research was carried out in a two‐step approach. In the first step, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with recruitment specialists at seven cruise lines and recruitment agencies. Based on these qualitative results, a survey questionnaire was sent to recently hired employees of a European cruise line. A total of 60 completed questionnaires were used for the analysis.

Findings

The study provides support for the existence and importance of a “realistic” recruitment approach in the particular context of the cruise industry. Recruiters possess extensive knowledge about the companies and jobs for which they recruit and systematically communicate negative information about difficult living conditions and work contexts on board through a variety of media. Candidates ranked the importance and usefulness of different media in the recruitment process and assessed their satisfaction with information received during recruitment.

Research limitations/implications

Both samples – for the qualitative and the quantitative part of the study – are relatively small. The fact that we focused on employees of a European cruise line may limit the generalizability of results.

Practical implications

Realistic recruitment can have a positive impact on turnover and job satisfaction. We provide recommendations for implementing a realistic recruitment approach in the cruise industry.

Originality/value

The realistic recruitment approach is uniquely suited for the particular context of the cruise industry. To our knowledge this is the first empirical study on this topic in the context of the hospitality industry.
Hotels' environmental management systems (ISO 14001): creative financing strategy
Authors: Chan Wilco W. , Ho Kenny
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Environmental concerns have been increasing in the travel industry. However, most hotels are unwilling to develop an international environmental management system (EMS) probably due to a lack of resources and knowledge. In order to encourage more organizations to take part in the EMS, three cases adopting international EMS are investigated to ascertain the ways to support the formation of EMS. Based on their experience, hoteliers are encouraged to team up with green members to apply for research funding for the investigation and implementation of EMS. Also, “energy performance contracting” methods to finance environmental improvement projects in hotels were also discussed.

Design/methodology/approach

A single case study approach was adopted to illustrate the differences in the resources mobilization for setting EMS in these three hotels. A search of documentary evidence and interviews with hotel staff was the main instrument for data collection.

Findings

The Shangri‐la Hotel used its own resources to set up its EMS and strategically used its developed template for other hotels in the group to follow. The other two hotels, Nikko and Grandstanford, adopted a creative and “non‐balance sheet” approach to mobilize resources for the formation of EMS. Both hotels have recourse to external resources including a university's engineering department, hotel management school, green bodies, government funds and trade associations to develop and implement the EMS. The study further identified energy performance contracting as another promising financing tool for the implementation of the energy‐related part of the EMS.

Research limitations/implications

The representative and general nature of the findings are limited to large hotels in metropolitan areas, as the three case hotels are located in the metropolis of Hong Kong.

Practical implications

The findings provide informative details on how to secure external resources to set up internationally recognized environmental management systems and the safe way for hotel operators to trial use energy‐saving facilities.

Originality/value

This study provides indications and details on some creative financing techniques for setting up EMS in hotels. These financial strategies are the first of their kind in print and can serve as a useful reference for hotels to develop international EMS.
The effects of technology and TQM on the performance of logistics companies
Authors: Brah Shaukat A. , Ying Lim Hua
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Total quality management (TQM) and technology are fast becoming essential features of business strategy for the success of many leading organizations in the world. More and more companies are using technology and adapting TQM for sustaining competitiveness in the marketplace. TQM works well for internal integration of logistics companies and they can benefit from the use of technology, including information technology (IT), to gain further internal and external integration. Seeks to examine this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This research examines the relationship between quality management practices, technology and performances of the logistics companies. The study seeks to gain insights from organizational variables and their effect on operational, quality, technology and overall business performance.

Findings

TQM and technology play important and complementing roles in improving the performance. The analysis shows that both high technology firms and high technology TQM firms perform significantly better than their low technology peers.

Research limitations/implications

The use of IT is crucial in improving operational, quality and overall business performance. The information and management technologies strongly correlate to TQM and serve as an enabler to quality performance.

Practical implications

The use of technology assists logistics operations in many ways, such as cutting down information and processing lead‐time, improve efficiency and minimize errors to the minimum. Perhaps, the logistics companies should look at the long‐term benefits of technology and gradually engage its use to streamline their operations.

Originality/value

The results in this research provide recognition for the importance of technology in quality management in the logistics industry.
Logistics integration processes in the food industry
Authors: Gimenez Cristina
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper sets out to empirically analyse the integration process that firms follow to implement supply chain management (SCM). This study has been inspired by the integration model proposed by Stevens.

Design/methodology/approach

Uses the survey method.

Findings

The results show that there are companies in three different integration stages. In stage I, companies are not integrated. In stage II, companies have a medium‐high level of internal integration in the logistics‐production interface, a low level of internal integration in the logistics‐marketing interface, and a medium level of external integration. And, in stage III, companies have high levels of integration in both internal interfaces and in some of their supply chain relationships.

Research limitations/implications

First, only one side of the manufacturer‐retailer relationship was considered, and, second, there was a reduced number of cases in each cluster.

Practical implications

As firms' survival lies on integration, a good understanding of the integration process is a key aspect. In this subject, this study has a main implication for managers: in the integration process, firms must achieve a relatively high level of collaboration among internal functions before initiating any external integration.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study is to describe the integration process, comparing two levels of internal integration (logistics‐marketing and logistics‐production) and analysing the relationship between these internal integration levels and the level of external integration. Many studies consider internal or external integration from the logistics point of view, but very few consider both levels of integration simultaneously. This study differs from the existing literature in the fact that it explores the sequence of integration stages in an integration process.
Call center satisfaction and customer retention in a co‐branded service context
Authors: Keiningham Timothy L. , Aksoy Lerzan , Wallin Andreassen Tor , Cooil Bruce , Wahren Barry J.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper aims to examine call center satisfaction in an escalated call center context where callers are organization members of the primary/leveraged brand and have purchased additional co‐branded services as part of their membership. It also aims to examine the relationship between call center satisfaction and actual retention of both the co‐branded service offered and the primary brand (call center operated by the membership organization).

Design/methodology/approach

The survey data used in the analyses involve a sample size of 88 respondents, all members of a large, national nonprofit organization in the USA. Factor analysis and logistic regression were used to test the propositions.

Findings

The results indicate that caller satisfaction has four dimensions similar to those found in SERVQUAL. Although call center satisfaction dimensions are not significant for co‐branded service retention, the empathy dimension is most important to primary/leveraged brand retention.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitations of this research is that it tests the propositions within a single firm regarding calls concerning a single category (insurance). Future research should attempt to replicate these findings in other call center contexts.

Practical implications

Caller perceptions of service quality (specifically empathy) in the wake of a perceived service failure, while not very helpful to co‐branded service retention, actually mitigate primary/leveraged brand membership loss.

Originality/value

This study addresses the lack of research tying escalated call center satisfaction and both retention of the co‐branded service in addition to retention of the primary leveraged brand using actual retention data.
Tangibility as a quality factor in electronic commerce b2c
Authors: Melián‐Alzola Lucía , Padrón‐Robaina Víctor
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role and importance of the tangible elements of purchase processes in business to customer (b2c) electronic commerce, as well as the impact on overall perceived quality and the customers' attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

The database for this study was obtained from a sample of 191 individuals who had purchased on the internet. The techniques used in the statistical analysis of the data were the following: principal component, analysis structural equations and regression analyses.

Findings

The paper finds that four attributes – navigation, signposting, tools and explanation – explain the tangible dimension in electronic commerce. In the data resulting from the analyses, design is seen as an important factor of overall perceived quality and the willingness to recommend the purchase experience to others.

Research limitations/implications

If the company acts positively in the design, this will favorably affect overall perceived quality, but this is not enough to make a customer repeat. In future research, other dimensions which could retain the customers must be investigated.

Practical implications

The proposed scale to measure the dimension design could help firms to set an optimum design of their web sites, because a muddled and complex design represents a significant obstacle and may constitute a valid reason for a potential customer to decide not to return to the site.

Originality/value

Companies operating on the internet will find some suggestions in this paper on how to achieve competitive advantage through the optimum design of their web sites.
Jet entrainment minimization in an air curtain of open refrigerated display case
Authors: Navaz Homayun K. , Amin Mazyar , Rasipuram Srinivasan C. , Faramarzi Ramin
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To address the effects of velocity profile at the discharge air grille (DAG) on the amount of entrained air into an open refrigerated display case (ORDC).

Design/methodology/approach

The performance of an ORDC was studied by CFD, DPIV and LDV. The actual measured velocity profile at the DAG and total flow rate of the display case at its nominal operating conditions are used as guidelines throughout the CFD modeling.

Findings

It was found that a skewed parabolic profile with the peak shifted towards the inner section of the case generates the minimum entrainment and demonstrates that with simple changes to the geometry of the DAG, a significant reduction in the entrainment rate could be achieved.

Research limitations/implications

This study finds the optimum infiltration rate of a manufactured ORDC. A fundamental study is currently being done to address all the effective parameters that can affect the infiltration rate of any ORDCs.

Originality/value

This paper presents this fact that the velocity profile at the DAG has a significant impact on the infiltration rate and electricity consumption of ORDCs. In turn, the velocity profile is dependent on the geometry and shape of the air passage before DAG. Thus, the analysis of the effect of the geometry on the velocity should seriously be taken into consideration by the case manufacturers.
The self‐employed woman owner and her business
Authors: Still Leonie V. , Walker Elizabeth A.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To conduct the first national study in Australia of women in small‐ to medium‐sized enterprises, and to develop a profile of the self‐employed woman and her business to serve as a benchmark for follow‐up research.

Design/methodology/approach

Comprised a self‐administered questionnaire which dealt with a broad range of issues concerning the start‐up and operational aspects of a small to medium‐sized business. The women participants were self‐selected and were obtained through mail‐outs to business and professional networks, and a nation‐wide advertising campaign. Three focus groups were also held to provide more background on some of the findings from the survey.

Findings

The study found a consistency in the characteristics of the women and their businesses, similar to those found at the localised level. A benchmark profile of both the Australian small business woman operator and her business was established.

Originality/value

Is the first national Australian study, and provides a benchmark for later studies in the same area.
Landslide problems in Uttaranchal, India: issues and challenges
Authors: Pande Ravindra K.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe how landslide and mass movements are recurring phenomena in the Himalayan region. The consequences in recent times have become more severe in terms of casualties and extensive damage to the roads, buildings, forests, plantation and agriculture fields.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on field work and secondary source on information about various landslides in the Uttaranchal, India.

Findings

In recent years, the intensive construction activity and destabilizing forces of nature have combined to generate huge and complex problems, never encountered before. Implementation of number of hydro‐electric schemes, large‐scale construction of dams, roads, tunnels, buildings, towers, ropeways, tanks and other public utility works as well as indiscriminate mining and quarrying have brought most of instability problems such as never witnessed before.

Research limitations/implications

Mitigation of an active landslide is a difficult option. It has been observed that despite of best technological options available the mitigation of an active landslide costs a lot which is, some times not economically viable.

Practical implications

Prevention is the best practice for landslide management which can be introduced through proper landuse planning.

Originality/value

The proper and scientific management of landslide will certainly reduce the miseries of the community living in this region. However, for that we must be addressed certain issues.
Disaster types in Malaysia: an overview
Authors: Mohamed Shaluf Ibrahim , Ahmadun Fakhru'l‐Razi
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To provide graduate students, researchers, and responsible personnel with an overview on the disaster types worldwide in general and disaster types in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

The types of disasters by region for the period 1988‐1997 were obtained from recent published sources. The disasters which occurred in Malaysia have been collected from several sources such as the technical, general articles, internet web sites, and internal reports. The disasters which occurred during the period of 1968‐2004 have been reviewed. The disasters have been classified into natural disasters, man‐made disasters, and subsequent disasters. The man‐made disasters have been classified into technological disasters, transportation accidents, public places failure, and production failure.

Findings

Disasters have been classified into natural, man‐made disasters. The regions worldwide have experienced all kinds of natural disasters in last decade. It was pointed out that the occurrence of disasters from almost all kinds of hazards is among the highest in Asia and the Pacific. Malaysia experienced natural, man‐made and subsequent disasters. Malaysia has experienced 39 disasters during the period of 1968‐2004. The natural disasters were 49 percent of total disasters. Most of the natural disasters were resulted from the heavy rains. Malaysia has experienced 18 man‐made disasters. The man‐made disasters resulted in 282 fatalities, and 1,892 injuries.

Originality/value

This paper presents an overview on the disaster types by region worldwide. The paper also presents an overview on the disaster types in Malaysia. This paper combined the scattered disasters into one record. Therefore, there is a need for an authorized body to be responsible for the collecting, arranging, classifying, and storing of all type of the accidents in Malaysia. This experience can be benefited from/at any country.
Participation in practice and disaster management: experience of Uttaranchal (India)
Authors: Pande Ravindra K.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Disaster management is not merely a subject to be taught in class rooms but a habit to be practiced not only by the individual but by the community as a whole. Participation of each and every component of society in practicing disaster management is the key to success. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Uttaranchal is a newly created state of India having 80 percent of its geographical area under mountainous terrain. The State is prone to various natural disasters such as earthquake, landslide, flash flood, etc. People and the government have learnt a lot from the past experiences and thus a strategy of community based disaster management is being developed to manage the disasters. The analysis is based on the data/information collected for the last seven years (1999‐2005).

Findings

Democracy, by definition, means participation in governance. However, while we have practiced representative democracy for over half a century now we are still far away from a participatory democratic‐mode.

Research limitations/implications

The period under study is short for developing any hypothesis but sufficient care has been taken to consider vital factors.

Practical implications

Community participation in disaster is a common phenomenon in the countries like India. Considering the vast potential of community and putting its participation into practice in different stages of disaster management (prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and rehabilitation) will certainly help the disaster managers to make a safer society.

Originality/value

Participation in practice is far more complex than in theory. Every sound theory in turn is invariably based on good practice. Practice, good practice, entails intensive and extensive attention to details; the nuts and bolts of it.
Non‐monsoonal landslides in Uttaranchal Himalaya (India)
Authors: Rautela Piyoosh , Pande R.K.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Climatic conditions as also the agrarian economy of the Indian subcontinent is greatly affected by the monsoonal winds that are characterized by heavy rains between June and September. The paper is an attempt to break the myth that landslides are only confined to monsoonal months that normally have concentrated rains and can be expected in other seasons as well and, therefore, disaster alert levels cannot be relaxed during non‐monsoonal season. The communication also attempts to identify slowly ongoing weathering processes that might cause to slope failure without rains and, therefore, paves way for identifying similar landslide prone areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper discusses two landslides of the recent past; Uttarkashi landslide of 23 September 2003 and Ramolsari landslide of 30 March 2005 that took place after the seizure of the monsoonal rains and is based upon the first hand field observations of the authors. The paper discusses the likely causes of the slides along with the implications of this new trend of landslides taking place in the non‐monsoonal season upon the disaster management strategy of the state.

Findings

The investigations reveal that precipitation could be considered the trigger in case of Uttarkashi landslide but there exist no evidences to suggest that the Ramolsari landslide could have been triggered by increased pore water pressure. Slow ongoing and hard to observe processes of weathering seem to have initiated this slide.

Research limitations/implications

For the purpose of metrological parameters, the study relies upon the data of the state run rain gauges that do not have an appreciably good spatial distribution. Rainfall data of the nearest observation points is, therefore, taken as representative of the rainfall in the area under present focus. For Ramolsari, the rainfall data of Tehri is used while Uttarkashi has a rainfall recording observatory.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the importance of keeping the preparedness levels high for prompt post‐disaster operations all through the year. This paper advocates redefining high alert period for landslide hazard and for following high alert all through the year particularly in areas prone to landslides.
Promoting the health and wellbeing of young Black men using community‐based drama
Authors: Kemp Martin
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the role of drama and theatre in promoting the emotional and social wellbeing of a group of young Black men living in south London.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology was used in a process and outcome evaluation of a drama‐based initiative that aimed to promote young Black men's sexual and emotional health.

Findings

The research found that this community‐based initiative was able to promote young people's self‐esteem and a positive sense of agency. This was achieved by creating opportunities for self‐expression, reflection and self‐understanding, and through the development of relationships between participants characterised by trust and reciprocity.

Originality/value

The evaluation points to the strengths of youth and community work and arts‐based approaches in engaging young people around health issues and in promoting emotional wellbeing and a positive sense of identity among young people. The evaluation also highlights the usefulness of process‐oriented qualitative evaluation as an appropriate way of evaluating and contributing to the ongoing development of initiatives that aim to use the arts in healthcare settings.
Using social identity to explore the link between a decline in adolescent smoking and an increase in mobile phone use
Authors: Cassidy Simon
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The study seeks to further explore the hypothesised link between the increase in mobile phone ownership and use and the reported decline in adolescent smoking. Evidence for the link was gathered by examining perceptions of mobile phone use in the context of social identity and adolescent smoking.

Design/methodology/approach

The study developed and employed a questionnaire‐based survey design asking a sample of student participants to characterise mobile phone users using a semantic differential scale. Data were also collected in relation to individual levels and patterns of mobile phone usage. The sample consisted of 172 undergraduate students studying in the Faculty of Health based in a UK university.

Findings

Findings show first that mobile phone use is associated with a number of positive, desirable personal and social attributes relating to concepts of social identity and image formation, and that many of the attributes associated with mobile phone use are those commonly associated with smoking behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

The association between mobile phone use and social identity theory provides a theoretical framework which helps explain the prolific rise in mobile phone use and can be used to support the viability of a link between a decline in levels of adolescent smoking and a rise in mobile phone ownership. Further evidence needs to be gathered which examines both behaviours in a single cohort of adolescents to establish the direct impact of mobile phone use on smoking behaviour in this particular group.

Practical implications

Mobile phone use may serve as a displacement behaviour for smoking in adolescents and may provide an example of a positive – as opposed to a negative – addiction, given that it is a potential alternative to smoking in adolescents.

Originality/value

The paper provides an examination of the health implications of a modern‐day social phenomenon. It draws on and draws together established theory and empirical work to further advance a previously proposed link between smoking and mobile phone use. Establishing such a link has important implications for health education and promotion activities.
Evaluation of a certification process for community nurses involved in sex and relationship education
Authors: Chalmers Helen , Aggleton Peter , Tyrer Paul
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Alongside teachers, community nurses have been identified as having an important role to play in the provision of school‐based personal, social and health education (PSHE) and sex and relationships education (SRE). However, there currently exist few programmes of preparation for this work that recognise the specific contribution of community nurses to SRE. This paper reports on findings from a formative evaluation of a pilot certification scheme for community nurses involved in SRE provision and recently implemented in England. The evaluation sought specifically to access views about the value of the educational experience in preparing school nurses to better fulfil their SRE role.

Design/methodology/approach

During the implementation of the pilot scheme, 124 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders, including national players, local scheme support leads, nurses participating in the pilot scheme, nurse managers and other colleagues. Data gathering adopted a close‐focus, largely qualitative approach. Partial transcription took place and a thematic analysis was carried out using constant comparative method.

Findings

Findings suggest that a well‐designed scheme of the type described is likely to be well received by community nurses, but that ways need to be found to ensure good synergy between local health and education services in the support of SRE in schools. At the same time, there is a need to respect the unique contribution of community nurses and the skills that they bring to this work.

Originality/value

This paper raises awareness and highlights issues surrounding a pilot certification scheme for community nurses involved in sex and relationships in education.
Linda Wirth: trends in female employment
Authors: by Sarah Powell Interview
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This article provides an interview with Linda Wirth.

Design/methodology/approach

Linda Wirth answers questions about trends in female employment.

Findings

Linda Wirth provides views and opinions on female employment.

Originality/value

Provides an insightful interview with Linda Wirth.
Keep in touch, say Australian police
Authors: Beal Brian
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This article describes the management of an A$20.5 million three‐year capital‐works program to develop and support radio communications for Australia's New South Wales Police Service.

Design/methodology/approach

Draws on information provided by the project manager.

Findings

Shows that, because of the vast area, the distances involved and remoteness of some of the sites, it was decided to use the existing human resources in a virtual‐team environment. Describes the establishment and operation, benefits and limitations of using a virtual project team, in addition to explaining how a benefit‐management plan was developed to provide a structured way to demonstrate achievements.

Practical implications

Concludes that virtual teams are cost‐effective, but managing them requires skills over and above the management of co‐located project teams.

Originality/value

Contains plenty to interest anyone involved in managing a large project, covering a wide geographical area.
Achieving excellence through innovative approaches to student involvement in course evaluation within the tertiary education sector
Authors: Gapp Rod , Fisher Ron
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The paper presents a new paradigm for implementing action learning in a key subject area in a program.

Design/methodology/approach

An action research‐based course evaluation methodology was linked to course design and development at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Involving students via effective communication provided a sense of connection and greater understanding for instructors in terms of engagement through direct insight into relevant issues of student learning and knowledge management.

Findings

The use of this and a wide variety of other relevant information via the application of action research provided an innovative platform that embedded the desire to innovate and improve the learning outcomes by combining course evaluation with a continuous course design process. This has been shown to be a far more effective method than the narrow measurement process of student course evaluation questionnaires.

Research limitations/implications

As with all action research this is a continually evolving process and the data provided are from early iterations of the cycle.

Practical implications

The research provides a platform for ongoing investigation of learning while improving and assuring outcomes for those involved in the process.

Originality/value

The study presents a new paradigm in action via a case study set within core management and human resource management courses. The new evaluation methodology, together with its implementation, has proved beneficial in terms of innovation through the action research cycle.
Workplace stress and the student learning experience
Authors: Stevenson Anne , Harper Sarah
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To investigate the possible effects of workplace stress in academics on the student learning experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires were designed and distributed to all academic staff at a Scottish Higher Education Institute. This measured perceived levels of stress amongst academic staff and the possible impact of this on the learning experience of students.

Findings

Stress can be seen to impact both negatively and positively on the student learning experience. However, over half of respondents considered themselves to be considerably or extremely stressed and similar levels perceive that stress causes their teaching to be “below par” thus impacting negatively on the student learning experience.

Research limitations/implications

The research was carried out in one institution and hence results cannot be generalised to cover the whole higher education sector.

Practical implications

The findings, together with a growing awareness of the impact of employee stress on organisations, emphasise the need for the institution, and individuals within it, to control stress levels to ensure the student learning experience does not suffer. The paper does not address the growing phenomenon of e‐learning which may act as a stressor: further research is recommended in this area.

Originality/value

This paper highlights that the detrimental effect of stress does not only impact upon members of staff; stress may also impact negatively on the student learning experience.
Distributed database damage assessment paradigm
Authors: Zuo Yanjun , Panda Brajendra
Published: July 2006

Purpose

Damage assessment and recovery play key roles in the process of secure and reliable computer systems development. Post‐attack assessment in a distributed database system is rather complicated due to the indirect dependencies among sub‐transactions executed at different sites. Hence, the damage assessment procedure in these systems must be carried out in a collaborative way among all the participating sites in order to accurately detect all affected data items. This paper seeks to propose two approaches for achieving this, namely, centralized and peer‐to‐peer damage assessment models.

Design/methodology/approach

Each of the two proposed methods should be applied immediately after an intrusion on a distributed database system was reported. In the category of the centralized model, three sub‐models are further discussed, each of which is best suitable for a certain type of situations in a distributed database system.

Findings

Advantages and disadvantages of the models are analyzed on a comparative basis and the most suitable situations to which each model should apply are presented. A set of algorithms is developed to formally describe the damage assessment procedure for each model (sub‐model). Synchronization is essential in any system where multiple processes run concurrently. User‐level synchronization mechanisms have been presented to ensure that the damage assessment operations are conducted in a correct order.

Originality/value

The paper proposes two means for damage assessment.
Laws and regulations affecting information management and frameworks for assessing compliance
Authors: Luthy David , Forcht Karen
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper aims to consider a number of key laws and regulations that have implications for information management and internal control systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a discussion of the key laws and regulations. It also considers a number of frameworks that may be useful for assessing compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Findings

Organizations worldwide are impacted by an increasing number of laws and regulations. Many of them have important implications for information management and internal control systems even though they may lack explicit references to information management. This is because information technology (IT) has become pervasive in modern organizations, and it is self evident that awareness of applicable laws and regulations, along with their potential impacts on information management systems, is critical for compliance.

Originality/value

The paper shows how the increasing number of laws and regulations impact on the information management functions of organizations in a variety of ways.
Achieving automated intrusion response: a prototype implementation
Authors: Papadaki M. , Furnell S.M.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The increasing speed and volume of attacks against networked systems highlights the need to automate the intrusion response process. This paper proposes a means by which such automation may be achieved, and presents details of a practical implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper outlines the architecture of a flexible and intelligent automated response system that is able to adapt response decisions according to the context in which a detected incident has occurred. The discussion presents details of a prototype implementation that has been used to evaluate the concept in practice, and demonstrates the feasibility of assessing contextual factors associated with detected incidents.

Findings

A series of worked examples are presented to show how the same incident occurring in different contexts will trigger different decisions from the response system.

Originality/value

The paper contributes towards the domain of intrusion response, and proposes an approach that would enable automation of the response process to be more acceptable to security administrators.
Practices and problems in managing electronic services using SLAs
Authors: Fitsilis Panos
Published: July 2006

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to present the key areas of activity to be used for drafting service level agreements (SLAs) for electronic services and, at the same time, to present best practices and problems that arise from the application of this discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

A range of recently published (2000‐2005) works has been reviewed, in order to: a) analyse how an SLA has to be defined and applied b) identify the applicable best practices and c) identify the problem areas.

Findings

Provides guidance for the business and the Application Service Provider (ASP) when they want to engage in an outsourcing agreement by presenting best practices and problems that occur from the application of SLAs.

Research limitations/implications

Suggests further research is needed in a number of research areas such as: development of semantic models for SLAs, development of flexible pricing models in relation with SLAs, definition of SLAs in cases of dynamic service creation, etc.

Practical implications

A useful source of information both for academia and the business.

Originality/value

Provides practical insight on a specialized topic and guidance to researchers.
Action and organizational learning in an elevator company
Authors: De Loo Ivo
Published: July 2006

Purpose

To highlight the relevance of management control in action learning programs that aim to foster organizational learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review plus case study. The latter consists of archival analysis and multiple interviews.

Findings

When action learning programs are built around singular learning experiences, it can be questioned that organizational learning will materialize. This may be overcome by using action learning as a form of management control.

Research limitations/implications

The issue whether organizational learning can be achieved by connecting management control and action learning has as of yet not been acknowledged in the action learning literature, even though it is in line with the goals of the approach. Alas, it may be that our results are not easily applicable in other organizations. More research is necessary to assess this.

Practical implications

We show that when action learning is used as a form of management control, organizational learning may be facilitated.

Originality/value

Hardly ever are management control issues considered in action learning programs. This paper takes a “lessons learned” perspective to do this, and provides valuable input for further research.
The role of culture on knowledge transfer: the case of the multinational corporation
Authors: Lucas Leyland M.
Published: July 2006

Purpose

This paper aims to look at the issue of culture's role in knowledge transfer within multinational corporations (MNCs). Studies of MNCs have hinted at the importance of culture to the performance of subsidiaries. Using Hofstede's cultural dimensions of power distance, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and masculinity/femininity, it is argued that the location of subsidiaries along each of these cultural dimensions will significantly impact the possibility of knowledge transfer occurring between subsidiaries.

Design/methodology/approach

The objectives were achieved by providing additional insights into the complex nature of knowledge transfer efforts in MNCs. To do so, a discussion of the challenges associated with the dimensions of culture is presented. These challenges are further complicated by the degree to which the home office is involved in the strategic decision‐making process surrounding inter‐subsidiary knowledge transfers.

Findings

The paper suggests that managers should pursue knowledge transfer activities cautiously. Although these efforts may be supported by the home office, resistance to change and sharing must be carefully managed. Furthermore, knowledge transfer efforts are most likely to be successful if the parties are culturally aligned. And, when this is missing, success is highly dependent upon home office directives and support.

Research limitations/implications

This paper forces us to address a critical question: how do subsidiaries deal with the challenges to knowledge transfer efforts posed by cultural differences? While research has looked at various aspects of culture and its impact on MNC activities, more research is needed on these issues. As knowledge continues to be emphasized as the basis for performance differences, more thorough examination of the issues affecting it is necessary. In addition, variables such as spatial distance, native origin, and language differences, all of which make translation difficult, are not considered.

Practical implications

The ideas presented here reinforce the notion that national context and its impact on culture has major consequences for inter‐subsidiary knowledge transfer efforts. This is particularly the case when these transfers involve subsidiaries with different cultural dynamics. Since, knowledge is contextual, this helps subsidiaries identify their partners in this process, what are there benefits to be gained from engagement, and how involved the home office needs to be in these transfer efforts. Therefore, managers need to pay careful attention to contextual issues that affect knowledge transfer efforts.

Originality/value

It reinforces the notion that subsidiaries have access to confidential information regarding developments in other subsidiaries. This access to inside information allows for the speedy pursuit of knowledge transfer opportunities. However, such pursuits must be tempered by understanding that cultural differences may inhibit success.