bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Retention begins before day one: orientation and socialization in libraries
Authors: Chapman Connie
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to promote the notion that an orientation plan and socialization to the culture of the organization are crucial components for the retention of library employees.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of selected literature was conducted from both within and outside librarianship to determine the relationship orientation and socialization have to retention.

Findings

Employee orientation is a multi‐stage process utilizing both formal and informal activities that help assist the employee to become part of the culture of any organization, including the library. A human resources program that includes well‐planned processes for recruitment, selection, orientation, socialization and retention will help a library be more competitive as librarians retire. Paying attention to these processes is increasingly important as we enter the period in which the baby boomer generation is moving toward retirement.

Practical implications

As baby‐boomer librarians retire, libraries should strive to maintain retention by improving current orientation practices and assisting with socialization to the organizational culture. The orientation process and retention can be improved by the use of checklists, the support of the immediate supervisor, and appointing a mentor.

Originality/value

The paper provides considerations that may assist planning approaches for libraries considering future staffing in a shrinking employment market.
Digital learning objects: a local response to the California State University system initiative
Authors: Hunsaker Marci , Howard Francis , Liu Shu‐Hua , Davis Jennifer
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a virtual library plan created by library directors of the 23 California State University (CSU) system campuses. The information literacy portion of the project offers a repository of high quality interactive digital learning objects (DLOs) in the MERLOT repository. Therefore, DLOs created locally at the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library at San José State University (SJSU) focus on topics that supplement the “core” DLO collection.

Design/methodology/approach

This case study presents planning assumptions for developing local content that complements a California State University (CSU) system collection of high quality interactive information literacy DLOs. The authors also offer suggestions from the professional literature that guide their application of such Web 2.0 tools as wikis, podcasts, and tagging to create supplemental learning modules for their local information literacy instruction program.

Findings

Web 2.0 Digital Learning Objects are essential components of an efficient academic information literacy program comprised of face‐to‐face and “on demand” virtual approaches. The California State University (CSU) system has identified a core set of DLOs, which are easily available in the MERLOT open access repository. Local development efforts, then, focus on the design and creation of DLOs of local significance.

Practical implications

Librarians at the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr Library in San José, California, USA, are developing local content for Web 2.0‐enabled information literacy instruction. These developments occur within the context of a 23 campus initiative, originating at the Chancellor's Office, which has identified high quality information literacy digital learning objects (DLOs). This core open access collection intends to fulfill academic libraries'core instructional needs and is freely available to any library through the open access MERLOT repository by any library

Originality/value

This paper recommends an approach for local production of virtual information literacy content which benefits from harvesting the “best of the best” currently available on the internet.
Sofia 2008: Globalization and the Management of Information Resources
Authors: Solis Jacqueline
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the “Sofia 2008: Globalization and the Management of Information Resources” conference, held in Sofia, Bulgaria in November 2008.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper gives an outline of the issues, content, speakers, participants, social networking and location of this conference.

Findings

The Sofia 2008 conference offered an excellent balance of informative presentations and social opportunities to meet other attendees and to discuss current topics in libraries, information management, and LIS education.

Originality/value

The paper provides a report of the biennial international conference of value to international information and library professionals and LIS educators.
Categorizing networked services
Authors: Thorbjørnsen Helge , Pedersen Per E. , Nysveen Herbjørn
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the properties and attributes of networked services and to propose a general categorization scheme for such services.

Design/methodology/approach

Two separate studies were conducted to test the validity and applicability of the categorization scheme. First, industry experts categorized a set of pre‐selected mobile services based on the services' dominant source of value. Second, a large‐scale end‐user study of the same services was conducted for testing cross‐service differences between the proposed service categories in terms of what drives perceived customer value. It is argued that services can be categorized on the basis of whether their dominant source of value stems from intrinsic, user network, or complement network attributes.

Findings

The study results largely support the proposed categorization scheme. The two studies suggest that categorizing networked services as driven by either intrinsic, user network, or complement network attributes is fruitful and helps pinpoint fundamentally different drivers of perceived customer value. The drivers investigated in the end‐user study explain 60 percent of the variance in customer value.

Research limitations/implications

The current categorization scheme will have stronger and clearer implications when the full array of antecedents and consequences of intrinsic, user network, and complement network attributes have been investigated.

Practical implications

The categorization scheme may provide managers with important guidelines regarding the kinds of business models and marketing means that will work best for the three different categories of networked services.

Originality/value

The paper contributes with a conceptual framework for understanding and categorizing both extrinsic and intrinsic drivers of service value. It extends and integrates previous work on network effects and adoption research and also offers empirical insight into an under‐researched topic.
Market orientation and performance: modelling a neural network
Authors: Silva Manuela , Moutinho Luiz , Coelho Arnaldo , Marques Alzira
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the impact of market orientation (MO) on performance using a neural network model in order to find new linkages and new explanations for this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

This investigation is based on a survey data collection from a sample of 192 Portuguese companies. A neural network model has been developed to identify the effects of each dimension of MO on each dimension of performance.

Findings

Relationship among MO and performance was corroborated but MO's impact is poor and based on its first dimension, market intelligence generation.

Research limitations/implications

Further research in this field should be conducted using other tools offered by neural network modelling.

Practical implications

Managers should give more attention to cross‐functional co‐ordination in order to improve market intelligence dissemination and responsiveness and, thus, global performance.

Originality/value

The paper presents the development of a neural network model to analyse this relationship.
The impact of improvisation training on service employees in a European airline: a case study
Authors: Daly Aidan , Grove Stephen J. , Dorsch Michael J. , Fisk Raymond P.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the value of improvisation training, as used in schools of acting, in preparing front‐stage service employees perform their roles when interacting with customers as cabin crew in Aer Arann, a regional Irish airline.

Design/methodology/approach

To discern the relevance and impact of improvisation training, a case study methodology was employed. The subjects of the investigation were seven recently hired cabin crew personnel for Aer Arann. Data for the case study were collected from the new hires at three different times.

Findings

The study shows that participants both enjoyed the improvisation training and found it to be very valuable as preparation for their roles in the airline. A key finding was that the new hires strongly recommended that improvisation training be incorporated into the airline's regular induction training programme. Specifically, participants felt the improvisation training improved their confidence, effectiveness, ability to adapt, spontaneity and comfort in successfully handling unique situations.

Research limitations/implications

As with many case studies, the study presented here focuses on a single company for its data generation. Further, because of the realities of commercial life, the subject pool is quite small, i.e. due to the demands of their position, only seven new hires were available for the 12 hours needed to conduct the training, as well as the subsequent assessment activities. Nevertheless, the case study enabled the authors to gain meaningful insights into the utilisation of improvisation training in a real‐world setting.

Originality/value

The research makes several key contributions. First, it links theory and practice by demonstrating in a real world context the efficacy of framing service as theatre. Second, based on the service theatre literature, the paper details the utility of improvisation training as a means of preparing front‐stage service employees for the rigours of their jobs. Finally, the research presents new, empirically based insights regarding the value and contribution of improvisation training in the services sector.
Antecedents to permission based mobile marketing: an initial examination
Authors: Jayawardhena Chanaka , Kuckertz Andreas , Karjaluoto Heikki , Kautonen Teemu
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper's aim is to develop a conceptual model to examine the influence of four antecedent factors (personal trust, institutional trust, perceived control and experience) on consumers' willingness to participate in permission‐based mobile marketing. The model is to be tested empirically across three European countries and gender.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected from surveys of consumers in Finland, Germany and the UK. The partial least squares (PLS) approach is utilised to test the model fit.

Findings

The main factor affecting the consumers' decision to participate in mobile marketing is institutional trust, which is a significant factor in all three countries and across gender. The influence of other antecedent factors are less pronounced. On the whole, it is found that the more experienced consumers become with mobile marketing, the less influence perceived control will have on permission. There are notable variations across gender, with perceived control being an important determinant of permission for men, while it is not so for women.

Research implications/limitations

The results indicate the relative importance of four antecedents in the likelihood of consumers giving their permission to companies to send mobile marketing messages.

Practical implications

As institutional trust is the most important determinant of permission based mobile marketing, mobile marketers should focus on building a strong and positive media presence and image, and thereby influence consumers' likelihood of giving permission to mobile‐based marketing.

Originality/value

This is the first international empirical investigation of the different antecedents of permission‐based mobile marketing.
Brand authentication: creating and maintaining brand auras
Authors: Alexander Nicholas
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to consider the process of creating and maintaining brand auras through the assertion of authenticity and to address the gap in the literature.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study research strategy was adopted. The organisational processes considered justified the case study approach. Interviews with key actors were supported by other methods of gathering data and the triangulation of findings: documentary analysis and participant observation also provided valuable insights.

Findings

The paper evaluates the validity of Beverland's six attributes of authenticity to the brand considered in this research. The results show that three of the attributes are more significant in the case considered here: stylistic consistency, relationship to place and downplaying commercial motives.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may wish to consider other mass‐market products and the relative importance of identified sources of authenticity. Consideration should be given to the degree to which consumers are willing to assimilate and act on messages related to authenticity and its antecedents.

Originality/value

The findings are conceptually developed with reference to Leigh et al.'s levels of authenticity and considered with reference to six sources of authenticity important in the creation of brand auras. This paper originally and innovatively considers authenticity by looking indepth at the way in which a company operating in a mass‐market context, rather than a luxury market setting, seeks to assert authenticity.
The effect of entrepreneurship education programmes on satisfaction with innovation behaviour and performance
Authors: Cruz Natalia Martin , Rodriguez Escudero Ana Isabel , Hernangomez Barahona Juan , Saboia Leitao Fernando
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper attempts to shed light on the effect of educational programmes aimed at entrepreneurs on innovation and business success.

Design/methodology/approach

We use as theoretical framework the theory of planned behaviour. We use a sample of 354 entrepreneurs from Castile and Leon, Spain. To estimate the model we use a path analysis (AMOS 7).

Findings

Individuals who are concerned about further management education and entrepreneurship education show themselves to be more innovative. Moreover, indirectly, by means of the relationship between innovation and success, specific entrepreneurship education contributes to obtaining better business results. However, to have reached high levels of formal education makes entrepreneurs less conformist regarding the activity of innovation. The existence of a direct effect of innovative behaviour on business success is confirmed.

Research limitations

The limitations which our study presents are principally related to the measurement of the variables. Some of the characteristics of education should be studied more deeply.

Practical implications

The results obtained lead us to recommend that the educational centres and institutions which organise the programmes should give preference to specialised education and less to entrepreneurship education when seeking to reinforce the innovative spirit of the entrepreneurs.

Originality/value

The debate concerning the effectiveness of entrepreneurship educational programmes is still undecided, so much so that both supporters and detractors of entrepreneurship education exist. For that reason, this paper aims to shed some light on the effects of the educational programmes aimed at the entrepreneur.
Purchasing orientation
Authors: Lindgreen Adam , Révész Balázs , Glynn Mark
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief summary of all the articles in this special issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Briefly discusses each article in this special issue.

Findings

This special issue of Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing aims to understand in greater depth both business‐to‐business purchasing and various types of buyer‐seller relationships. The authors selected 14 articles that provide an in‐depth understanding of the critical issues involved in purchasing orientations.

Originality/value

The article highlights how the papers in the special issue seek to understand in greater depth both business‐to‐business purchasing and various types of buyer‐seller relationships.
Effect of strategic purchasing on supplier development and performance: a structural model
Authors: Sánchez‐Rodríguez Cristóbal
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This purpose of this paper is to introduce strategic purchasing (SP) and supplier development (SD) as constructs that could have the potential to contribute to the success of relationship marketing efforts. Based on the relational view of the firm, the authors propose that SP is an antecedent of SD practices and can create value for the buying firm in terms of better purchasing performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses derived from the key features of SP and SD practices are tested using structural equation modeling through field research on a sample of 306 manufacturing companies in Spain.

Findings

Findings from this study indicate that there is significant evidence to support the hypothesized model in which SP exerts a direct influence on SD practices and purchasing performance, as well as an indirect impact on purchasing performance mediated through SD.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is necessary to increase our understanding of a buyer's strategic purchasing and supplier development practices and more specifically how suppliers could develop a supporting environment to facilitate the strategic alignment of these two concepts. The limitations of the survey are also discussed.

Practical implications

The findings from this study provide supplying firms with an understanding of how buying firms use SD to deploy their SP initiatives in order to achieve improvements in purchasing performance.

Originality/value

While there is some literature analyzing SP and the implications for buyer‐supplier relationships, the relationship between SP and SD practices and their effect on purchasing performance has not been yet analyzed.
Purchasing strategies in supply relationships
Authors: Svahn Senja , Westerlund Mika
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Purchasing has emerged as a key source of competitive advantage. This paper aims to explore how different purchasing strategies are connected to complex supply relationships and to the goal of purchasing.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on the literature on industrial network theory and industrial buying behaviour.

Findings

The contribution describes six types of purchasing strategies that firms exert. These strategies depend on the complexity of supply relationships and the buyer's purchasing goal. Conventional products and services are bought through transactional exchange relationships, whereas strategically important items are purchased through intentional supply networks.

Practical implications

Purchasing strategies of a firm emphasise either efficiency or effectiveness of operation. The type of exchange varies according to the nature of supply relationships: it is either transactional or relational. A key implication for managers is that they should recognise the goal of buying, the strategic importance of the object of purchasing, and choose accordingly between the different types of supplier structures.

Originality/value

The paper shows that firms' purchasing strategies depend on the nature of their supply relationships and the motive for purchasing. Different strategies emphasise different aspects and events that ultimately manifest themselves in the firms' business models.
A dialectical model of buyer‐seller relationships
Authors: Dampérat Maud , Jolibert Alain
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on building and testing a model of buyer‐seller relationships from a dialectical perspective. It aims to provide both academics and managers with a better understanding of the relationships among the key relational variables in business settings. The model distinguishes four levels of social complexity (individual, interaction, relationship, and intergroup level) and includes the key relational variable for each level.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 151 French professional buyers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the validity of the measures. The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. The empirical test includes linear, non‐linear, moderating, and mediating effects testing.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of the study relate to the sample of respondents and the measurement scales. More precisely, the sample is based on a unique company's customer data file and a single informant source. Results confirm the hypothesized model and its four‐level structure.

Practical implications

This study demonstrates that buyer relational orientation as well as seller expertise influence the course of business relationships. Although the necessity to train salespeople is obvious, the importance of training buyers is not as well documented. This study shows that they both need to be trained to manage business relationships appropriately.

Originality/value

This research examines the relationships among the key relational variables within a framework of four successive levels of explanation. It provides an alternative approach to studying business relationships.
Is personalization of services always a good thing? Exploring the role of technology‐mediated personalization (TMP) in service relationships
Authors: Shen Anyuan , Dwayne Ball A.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Despite the strong intuitive appeal of personalization (through employees or, increasingly, through the use of software applications), relatively little is known about its role in managing service relationships. This study aims to explore the burgeoning area of technology‐mediated personalization and its effects on customer commitment to service relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical perspective based on integrated reviews of service research and relationship marketing is developed and used to guide the exploration of personalization effects with qualitative data.

Findings

Personalization is not always good enhancement to service: its effects have contingencies and vary across the categories. Continuity personalization seems to be a promising area for researchers and practitioners.

Research limitations/implications

Personalization effects should be rigorously studied. Continuity personalization seems to offer a promising area for future research.

Practical implications

The intuitive belief about personalization is probably misleading. Whether or not personalization strategies help service relationships depends on their capacity to generate positive inferences on dimensions of performance, benevolence, and value provision. Out of the three types, continuity personalization offers a promising strategic option for managing ongoing customer relationships if well implemented.

Originality/value

The counter‐intuitive insights into personalization effects on relationship continuity address issues of theoretical and practical concerns.
Purchasing services online: a two‐country generalization of possible influences
Authors: Dall'Olmo Riley Francesca , Scarpi Daniele , Manaresi Angelo
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This research aims to investigate consumers' likelihood of purchasing services online in two countries, the UK and Italy, which differ significantly in the population's uptake of internet shopping. Four influences are considered: service type, contact with service provider prior to online purchase, familiarity with service provider, and experience with internet purchasing.

Design/methodology/approach

For motor insurance and travel, respondents were asked to indicate the probability of purchasing on the internet the service of a provider they had used before, after a face‐to‐face contact with the provider, and also without prior contact with the service provider. Respondents were asked the same questions also for a provider they had not used before.

Findings

Differences in the relative uptake of internet shopping in the two countries did not alter the general results: a need for face‐to‐face contact with the service provider prior to online purchase and a preference for buying services from a familiar provider. Previous general experience of online shopping increases the likelihood of purchasing online.

Research limitations/implications

Future studies should examine a broader range of service categories and should consider travel products of different complexity.

Practical implications

Online/offline integration of service provision is very important, as consumers highly appreciate some form of human contact, prior to online purchase, even in countries where consumers are more used to shopping from home.

Originality/value

The paper provides a better understanding of the influences on consumers' likelihood of purchasing services online. Findings are generalized in two countries, with different uptake of internet shopping.
Effect of service provider's communication style on customer satisfaction in professional services setting: the moderating role of criticality and service nature
Authors: Webster Cynthia , Sundaram D.S.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship between service providers' communication style and customer satisfaction and how service criticality and nature moderate this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology included systematic sampling of consumers of professional services.

Findings

Although a service provider's communication style significantly relates to customer satisfaction, the relationship is moderated by service criticality and service nature. To enhance customer satisfaction, communication characterized by high affiliation is more important in high‐ than in low‐critical situations. Low dominance in communication is more important in low‐critical situations, but the level of dominance is unimportant in high‐critical situations. On the other hand, high affiliation is more important for credence services, but the level of affiliation is unimportant for experience services. Low dominance is more important for experience services, and high dominance is more important for credence services.

Research limitations/implications

The findings imply that service firm managers need to train their employees to consider the criticalness and the nature of the service being sold and then how to adjust their communication style accordingly. Because the research reported here focuses on professional services, future research needs to determine the effects of communication style on customer satisfaction for other types of services.

Originality/value

In conclusion, the findings generally support the theoretical orientations of the social interaction model and script theory in that there is a positive relationship between customers' satisfaction with service providers' communication style and with the service rendered. However, service criticality and the service nature need to be considered when deciding on the optimum service employee communication style.
New concepts of strategic spatial planning dilemmas in the Dutch Randstad region
Authors: Salet Willem , Woltjer Johan
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Drawing on changes in the nature of European metropolitan development planning in general, and the example of the Randstad, in particular, the purpose of this paper is to argue for an improved interconnectedness between regions and their public and private sector agencies. These should be linked to “flows of social and economic interaction”, and, as such, complement conventional notions of “bounded spaces” and “nested territorial jurisdictions”. This is in response to the now crucial question for metropolitan planning of how to develop and renew effective institutional capacity to deal with the increasing spatial complexities at regional or metropolitan level.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a case study‐based theoretical review of types of metropolitan planning, drawing on original policy documents and interviews with relevant policymakers.

Findings

It is shown that the answer to addressing the challenges of development planning at the city‐regional level is not primarily to enlarge the steering powers of regional planning per se, but to broaden its strategic network capacity through enlarging the coordinative and communicative intelligence of the intermediate regional planning bodies. This allows better responsiveness to the evident transformation processes within spatial development planning as such, with a growing emphasis on a strategic element within it. This, again, is more in line with the changeability of urban space.

Originality/value

The paper shows that the notion of spatial development planning has made a strong revival in the last ten years. It has been spatial planning that has attracted the key focus of debate, more so than adjacent policy‐making sectors (economic policy in particular).
Does low socioeconomic status affect use of nutritional services by pre‐diabetes patients?
Authors: Endevelt Ronit , Baron‐Epel Orna , Karpati Tomas , Heymann Anthony David
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper's aim is to identify whether community‐level socioeconomic status (SES) predicts: screening test for pre‐diabetes; actual diagnosis of pre‐diabetes; or nutritional counseling.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an analysis of 1,348,124 insured adults receiving medical care from Maccabi Healthcare Services (MHS) in 107 MHS clinics throughout Israel. The research population comprised 79 percent of the MHS members over 18 years of age in 2004‐2006. Area level socioeconomic data were drawn from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics SES index for every geographical area and each MHS clinic in the study was coded from: −1.03 to 2.73 (−1.03 indicating low SES and 2.73+ high SES) according to the SES index for the location. The fasting glucose laboratory test was used for analysis. Pre‐diabetes diagnosis was based on a fasting glucose above 100 mg/dl. Nutritional counseling was defined by dietitian visits in the claims database.

Findings

The percentage of insured individuals who underwent blood glucose testing during the study increased with age from 67 percent at ages 18‐45 to 92 percent for age 65 and over. The percentage of individuals diagnosed with pre‐diabetes also increased with age, rising from 4 percent in the younger group to 14 percent in those aged 46‐65 and to 14‐16 percent of 65 and older. The percentage of individuals with pre‐diabetes who visited a dietitian was 16‐27 percent for those under 65 and 14‐17 percent for those over 65 (males and females, respectively). Individuals living in lower socioeconomic areas were less likely to have blood tests. Among tested patients, the prevalence of pre‐diabetes was higher in areas of lower SES and their dietitian visits were less frequent.

Practical implications

In lower SES index areas, there is a need for better identification and treatment of patients.

Originality/value

The paper shows that a proactive approach is needed both to detect pre‐diabetes and to encourage patients to receive nutritional treatment.
Heeding the stains: Lacan and organizational change
Authors: Kenny Kate
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to add to current discussions on the use of Lacanian psychoanalysis in organizational change. Specifically, It argues that critiques of Lacan's work must be acknowledged and incorporated into these discussions. To date, there remains a silence surrounding these critiques within organization studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents the existing studies that draw upon Lacan's work in the context of organizational change initiatives. It highlights the value of this theory. Next, it outlines critiques of Lacan's concepts of phallus and incest taboo, and show how these concepts can be exclusionary.

Findings

The paper finds that there remains little debate within organization studies around such critiques. Lacan tends to be employed in ways that risk reproducing particular, exclusionary aspects of his theory. A homophobic and patriarchal legacy persists in appropriations of his writing. It outlines alternative ways of reading Lacan, which aim to avoid such exclusions. It shows how introducing such alternatives is a difficult project, first, given the silence surrounding critiques of Lacan in the organizational change literature. Second, following Foucault, It argues that language has power: a patriarchal schema is self‐reinforcing in its persistence within a particular discipline, and thus difficult to dislodge.

Research limitations/implications

Given these findings, the paper concludes that organization theorists and practitioners ought to engage with critiques of Lacan's work, when employing it in their own. The silence surrounding such legacies is dangerous. It argues that the first step in engaging with Lacan's work should be to give voice to such critiques, if his writing is to be employed in the practice and study of organizational change.

Originality/value

This paper provides a unique engagement with Lacan's work in the context of the study and practice of organizational change interventions. It presents an evaluation of well‐known critiques and useful recommendations for theorists and practitioners considering a Lacanian approach to this area of management studies.
Melting temperature depression of Sn‐0.4Co‐0.7Cu lead‐free solder nanoparticles
Authors: Zou C.D. , Gao Y.L. , Yang B. , Zhai Q.J. , Andersson C. , Liu J.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the melting temperature of the nanoparticles of the new developed Sn‐0.4Co‐0.7Cu (wt%) lead‐free solder alloy.

Design/methodology/approach

Nanoparticles of Sn‐0.4Co‐0.7Cu lead‐free solder alloy were prepared by the self‐developed consumable‐electrode direct current arc technique, where ultrasonic vibration was applied during the manufacturing of the particles. X‐ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscope were employed to analyze the crystal structure and morphology of the nanopartiles, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the melting temperature of both the bulk alloy and as‐prepared nanoparticles.

Findings

The melting temperature of the nanoparticles was approximately 5°C lower compared to that of the bulk alloy.

Originality/value

As a novel developed lead‐free solder alloy, the Sn‐0.4Co‐0.7Cu (wt%) alloy provides a cost advantage compared to the extensively used Sn‐Ag‐Cu system. Some limitations still exist, however, mainly due to its relatively higher melting temperature compared to that of eutectic Sn‐37Pb solder. In view of this situation, the attempt to lower its melting temperature has recently attracted more attention based on the knowledge that the melting temperature for pure metals is reduced when the particle size is decreased down to a few tens of nanometers.
Interfacial reactions between Sn‐Cu based multicomponent solders and Ni substrates during soldering and aging
Authors: Zhao Ning , Ma Hai‐tao , Wang Lai
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate the interfacial reactions between two Sn‐Cu based multicomponent Pb‐free solders, Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni and Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni‐0.5Au (wt per cent), and Ni substrates during soldering and aging.

Design/methodology/approach

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed to measure the melting behaviors of the solders and determine the temperature of soldering. DSC tests showed that the onset temperature were 227.47 and 224.787°C for Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni and Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni‐0.5Au, respectively. Two intermetallic compounds (IMCs), Cu6Sn5 and (Cu,Ni)6Sn5, were formed in Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni solder. While the IMCs detected in Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni‐0.5Au matrix were (Cu,Ni)6Sn5, (Cu,Au)6Sn5 and (Cu,Ni)6Sn5. The IMC layer formed at the both solder/Ni interfaces was (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 with stick‐lick morphology after soldering at 260°C.

Findings

The interfacial IMC layers became planar when aged at 170°C for 500 h. However, cracks were found in the IMC layers at both joints when the aging time reached 1,000 h, that implies reliability problem may exist in the joints. Moreover, Au‐containing IMCs were found on the top of the IMC layer in Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni‐0.5Au/Ni joint after for 1,000 h.

Originality/value

This study focuses on the interfacial reactions of Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Ni/Ni and Sn‐2Cu‐0.5Au/Ni during soldering and isothermal aging.
Thermal cycling of lead‐free Sn‐3.8Ag‐0.7Cu 388PBGA packages
Authors: Andersson C. , Vandevelde B. , Noritake C. , Sun P. , Tegehall P.E. , Andersson D.R. , Wetter G. , Liu J.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the effect of different temperature cycling profiles on the reliability of lead‐free 388 plastic ball grid array (PBGA) packages and to deeply understand crack initiation and propagation.

Design/methodology/approach

Temperature cycling of Sn‐3.8Ag‐0.7Cu PBGA packages was carried out at two temperature profiles, the first ranging between −55°C and 100°C (TC1) and the second between 0°C and 100°C (TC2). Crack initiation and propagation was analyzed periodically and totally 7,000 cycles were run for TC1 and 14,500 for TC2. Finite element modeling (FEM), for the analysis of strain and stress, was used to corroborate the experimental results.

Findings

The paper finds that TC1 had a characteristic life of 5,415 cycles and TC2 of 14,094 cycles, resulting in an acceleration factor of 2.6 between both profiles. Cracks were first visible for TC1, after 2,500 cycles, and only after 4,000 cycles for TC2. The crack propagation rate was faster for TC1 compared to TC2, and faster at the package side compared to the substrate side. The difference in crack propagation rate between the package side and substrate side was much larger for TC1 compared to TC2. Cracks developed first at the package side, and were also larger compared to the substrate side. The Cu tracks on the substrate side affected the crack propagation sites and behaved as SMD. All cracks propagated through the solder and crack propagation was mainly intergranular. Crack propagation was very random and did not follow the distance to neutral point (DNP) theory. FEM corroborated the experimental results, showing both the same critical location of highest creep strain and the independence of DNP.

Originality/value

Such extensive work on the reliability assessment of Pb‐free 388 PBGA packages has never been performed. This work also corroborates the results from other studies showing the difference in behavior between Pb‐free and Pb‐containing alloys.
Restorative servicescapes: restoring directed attention in third places
Authors: Rosenbaum Mark S.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce restorative servicescapes. The work demonstrates that younger‐aged consumers may remedy symptoms associated with directed attention fatigue, including adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), by patronizing third places, such as video arcades and coffee shops.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper evaluates a servicescape's restorative potential by drawing on established measures. Attention restoration theory (ART) has been explored in natural and environmental psychology, rather than marketing. The first study uses survey methodology to explore whether teenagers who patronize a video arcade sense its restorative potential. The second study uses survey methodology to explore the relationship between patronizing a restorative third place and being at risk for ADHD.

Findings

Study 1 reveals that video arcade patrons sense the arcade's restorative potential. Therefore, commercial servicescapes may possess restorative qualities. Study 2 reveals that college‐aged students, who patronize a restorative servicescape, are significantly less likely than other students to be at risk for experiencing ADHD.

Research limitations/implications

Although the data reveal a relationship between restorative servicescapes and ADHD risk, a diagnosis is not obtained. Furthermore, because survey methodology is employed, the causal influence of restorative servicescapes cannot be evaluated on their customers' health. However, commercial servicescapes can mimic the restorative properties found in nature. Thus, the health potential of public places on health may be profound.

Practical implications

Educational institutions, governmental agencies, and parents should consider publicly supporting third places for teenagers because doing so can remedy symptoms associated with mental fatigue.

Originality/value

The paper brings ART into the marketing discipline.
Emotions and stability in telecom‐customer relationships
Authors: Roos Inger , Friman Margareta , Edvardsson Bo
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether or not emotions experienced in customer relationships – linked to actual behavior – could enhance understanding of their future development.

Design/methodology/approach

A number of individual‐level relationships between customers and telecom operators are investigated. The empirical data consist of 113 switching stories reported during 81 interviews with telecom customers.

Findings

In the analysis, emotional experiences are related to customers' activity or passivity and to the stability (switching or not) in the relationships. The most important research contribution is the identification of different emotions related to actual behavior. Less stable customers are pessimistic about the operators and show nervousness, while stable customers may have initially been depressed in their relationships, becoming more relaxed and optimistic over time. Emotions do not seem to have the capacity in themselves to cause stability or instability, but they confirm through their connection to different types of trigger whether the relationship will be stable or unstable.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the present study are based on a longitudinal empirical study, but only in one industry. Although, the telecom industry may provide a very fruitful context for the longitudinal study of stability in customer relationships because of the turbulence it has experienced during the last decade, the industry representation is narrow.

Practical implications

Customers do not sever their emotional ties with the previous relationship when they enter the new one. On the contrary, they linger in the switched‐from relationship at least at first, which is indicated in the various emotional expressions they use. The present study takes some initial steps towards enhancing understanding of the dynamism in providing an insight into customers' differing emotional reactions connected to triggers during one and the same relationship.

Originality/value

Taking a longitudinal approach from the customers' perspective produces a set boundaries of customer relationships that may not coincide with the set boundaries seen from the service providers' perspective. According to the findings of the present study, it seems almost impossible to understand customer relationships without following customers on an individual level in both previous and current relationships. Despite the fact that dynamism in customer relationships is widely discussed in previous research, few studies have applied such a perspective.
Marketing Japan's travel and tourism industry to international tourists
Authors: Uzama Austin
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer some marketing suggestions for increasing the number of international tourists visiting Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a combination of the author's personal experiences and past associations working in the travel industry in Japan for 12 years. Data sources included amongst others: newspapers, business news magazines, academic journals, internet, the Japan National Tourism Organization database and other sources.

Findings

Japan will have to move beyond its lip service “Yokoso! Japan” campaign slogan, and formulate a long‐term tactical and strategic marketing plan.

Research limitations/implications

Some of the data used in the paper are inconsistent. While, for example, the Japan National Tourism Organisation ( JNTO) recorded 3.8 million foreign visitors in 2004, the official figure used during the launching of “Yokoso! Japan” campaign in 2003 was 6.14 million. It should be noted that, because all short‐term visitors either for sightseeing, diplomatic, conference or business to Japan are issued a 90‐day tourist visa, it is difficult to differentiate who is a tourist. For this reason, this paper, using JNTO's data, defines all foreign visitors with a 90‐day visa to Japan as tourists.

Originality/value

Some of the recommendations will help all stakeholders in the industry to increase the number of international tourists visiting Japan.
A role for business in the War on Terror
Authors: Howie Luke
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present research findings that improve our understanding of the role for business in the “War on Terror”. This paper is not about examining counter‐terrorism commodities or products. Rather, this paper aims to examine management attitudes and techniques for creating images of security that work to reduce the risk of terrorism.

Design/methodology/approach

A brief literature exploration informs research that was carried out in Melbourne, Australia in 2005 with managers in organisations located in Melbourne's central business district (CBD). This research comprised in‐depth interviews of 40‐60 minutes in length. In total, 12 managers were interviewed. Two key respondents emerged and their views are presented in this paper.

Findings

It is argued in this paper that managers are compelled to engage in counter‐terrorism in order to protect customers, clients and the public. Yet counter‐terrorism security is often not what it seems. When businesses are engaged in countering terrorism they are engaged in creating images of security.

Research limitations/implications

The sample population for this research is quite small and is not intended to be representative or generalisable to a larger population. Rather, this research represents special cases where counter‐terrorism has become an important consideration for business security. The results highlight effective and tangible mechanisms that managers can adopt to play a key role in the “War on Terror”.

Practical implications

This research can assist managers in preparing their response to terrorism and the threat it poses to their business.

Originality/value

Research on terrorism and business is rare and often under‐developed. This research contributes to our understanding of how businesses must confront and respond to terrorism.