bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk‐adjusted efficiency and risk aversion in the agricultural banking industry
Authors: Settlage Daniel M. , Preckel Paul V. , Settlage Latisha A.
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the performance of the agricultural banking industry using both traditional and risk‐adjusted non‐parametric efficiency measurement techniques. In addition to computing efficiency scores, the risk preference structure of the agricultural banking industry is examined.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to examine the efficiency of agricultural banks in the year 2001. Standard cost efficiency is computed and compared to both profit and risk‐adjusted profit efficiency scores. The risk‐adjustment is a modification of traditional DEA wherein firm preferences are represented via a mean‐variance criterion. The risk‐adjusted technique also provides estimates of firm level risk aversion.

Findings

Results from the traditional approach that does not account for risk indicate a low degree of efficiency in the banking industry, while the risk‐adjusted approach indicates banks are much more efficient. On average, 77 percent of the inefficiency identified by the standard DEA formulation is actually attributable to risk averse behavior by the firm. In addition, most banks appear to be substantially risk averse.

Research limitations/implications

The risk‐adjusted DEA technique used in this study should be applied to other, diverse data sets to examine its performance in a broader context.

Practical implications

Results from this study support the idea that traditional DEA methods may mischaracterize the level of efficiency in the data if agents are risk averse. In addition, the paper outlines a practical method for deriving firm level risk aversion coefficients.

Originality/value

This paper sheds light on the agricultural banking industry and illustrates the power of a new efficiency and risk analysis technique.
The impact of the average crop revenue election (ACRE) program on the effectiveness of crop insurance
Authors: Power Gabriel J. , Vedenov Dmitry V. , Hong Sung‐wook
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the 2008 Farm Bill's average crop revenue election (ACRE) program on the risk‐reducing effectiveness of crop insurance products.

Design/methodology/approach

Three crop/region combinations are examined, representing regions with both high and low price‐yield correlation regions. Actual production history (APH) and crop revenue coverage (CRC) insurance instruments are considered separately under the 2002 Farm Bill and under ACRE. Monte Carlo simulations, combined with the copula approach, are used to simulate net wealth distributions and to calculate the corresponding expected utilities. The outcomes are evaluated using certainty‐equivalent wealth based on different risk premium assumptions.

Findings

Crop insurance contracts appear to be more effective under the 2002 Farm Bill than under ACRE, especially for crops characterized by low yield‐price correlation. CRC insurance is found to be more effective than APH insurance for all crop/region combinations considered.

Research limitations/implications

The paper only considers a static framework and farm‐level insurance contracts. Further research could investigate how ACRE affects decoupled income support, whether the results change if Supplemental Revenue Assistance is included, or how different the outcomes might be for multiple‐crop farms.

Practical implications

The results suggest that risk‐reducing effectiveness decreases under ACRE and that no reasonable adjustment to APH base price can make APH competitive with CRC for any crop/regions considered.

Originality/value

The risk‐reducing effectiveness of the 2008 Farm Bill's ACRE program is analyzed, and as a methodological contribution the copula approach is used to model the multivariate distribution of yields and prices.
Combining social and nutritional perspectives: from adolescence to adulthood (the ASH30 study)
Authors: Lake A.A. , Hyland R.M. , Rugg‐Gunn A.J. , Mathers J.C. , Adamson A.J.
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus specifically on the benefits of using mixed methods to investigate dietary change from adolescence to adulthood exemplified using the findings from the ASH30 longitudinal study. The ASH30 study is a longitudinal dietary survey which provided quantitative evidence of dietary change and investigated factors influencing dietary change from adolescence to adulthood.

Design/methodology/approach

Two three‐day food diaries were collected both in 1980 (aged 11‐12 years) and 2000 (aged 31‐32 years) from the same 198 respondents in North East England. In 2,000 questionnaires were used to collect perceptions of, and attributions for, dietary change and open‐ended responses were analysed using content analysis.

Findings

The use of mixed methods brings added breadth and depth to the research which cannot be achieved by a single discipline or method. Determining what has influenced change in dietary behaviour from adolescence to adulthood is a complex and multifaceted task. Eating habits are influenced by multiple factors throughout the life course. Change in food intake between adolescence and adulthood related to life‐course events and trajectories. The qualitative findings highlighted relevant contextual information such as themes of moral panics, the concept of “convenience” and “fresh” foods.

Practical implications

Adopting mixed method approaches to exploring dietary change should offer a rich perspective from which to base realistic interventions.

Originality/value

Longitudinal dietary surveys present an opportunity to understand the complex process of dietary change throughout the life course in terms both of how diets have changed but also of why they have changed.
The influence of consumer involvement on quality signals perception
Authors: Espejel Joel , Fandos Carmina , Flavián Carlos
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the moderating effect of consumer involvement level in the influence exerted by perceived quality on consumer perceived risk, trust, satisfaction and loyalty. The paper seeks to conduct this analysis for a protected designation of origin (PDO) food product, the cured ham “Jamón de Teruel”. This analysis aims to distinguish perceived quality in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of PDO.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Specifically, consumers were asked to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements based on a seven‐point Likert scale. After completion of fieldwork, an analytic process (exploratory and confirmatory reliability analysis) was performed to obtain 441 valid questionnaires. A multi‐sample model was applied to analyse the effect level of consumer involvement in the proposed model.

Findings

The results suggest that the influence of quality attributes on consumers' perceived risk, trust, satisfaction and loyalty is substantially different between consumers with a high involvement level and consumers with low involvement. In addition, substantial differences were also found in the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic quality attributes on the model being analysed. The results of the analysis show that for the group of highly involved consumers the influence of both intrinsic and extrinsic perceived quality on the consumers' loyalty level is clearly higher.

Practical implications

Managers of PDO food products need to understand how consumer involvement level regarding their products influences consumers' decision‐making processes. Thus, PDO managers should take advantage of the situation that those highly involved consumers in this kind of product are more receptive to their advertisements. Moreover, promotion of PDO food products based on the quality, tradition and know‐how of certain brands may make the consumer reach higher attention levels in an easier manner, so that their loyalty levels towards the brands will be reinforced.

Originality/value

The paper analyses the moderating effect of consumer involvement of a traditional PDO food product. There is a lack of literature that focuses on the influence of consumer involvement of food products in consumer behaviour patterns. The paper tries to advance this important research line.
Wine, history, landscape: origin branding in Western Australia
Authors: Duarte Alonso Abel , Northcote Jeremy
Published: November 2009

Purpose

Wine is an integral part of so‐called “Old World” nations, amalgamating with the local history and landscape, and providing a powerful “origin branding”. To date, however, these dimensions have been discussed to a very limited extent in emerging “New World” wine regions, where the lack of a traditional heritage of wine making presents special challenges in terms of origin branding. The focus of most previous research has been on the viewpoints of consumers, not those of producers. This study seeks to explore these dimensions among small wine growers.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a qualitative approach, 42 interviews with winery operators from several emerging Western Australian wine regions were conducted.

Findings

In the absence of historical wine pioneers and traditions, winery operators in emerging wine‐producing regions use alternative means for “origin branding” that emphasise heritage and landscape characteristics centring on the wider “rural idyll”. These associations serve to forge a “vintage” identity for their industry, which essentially masks its youth for their region.

Research limitations/implications

In view of the more than 200 small wineries operating in Western Australia the number of respondents in the study may not allow for making generalisations of the state's wine industry.

Practical implications

The current growth in the number of wineries in the regions studied and the increasingly acknowledged quality of their wine product may help towards the establishment of their history and identity, thus contributing to origin branding over time.

Originality/value

The study explores the importance of history and landscape among winery operators in promoting their wineries and their wine products in the context of emerging wine regions, an area for the most part ignored in contemporary research.
What mother never told you about Excel . . . it's not all number crunching
Authors: Bendoly Elliot
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to inform the general management community on the qualitative and visualization capabilities available to them through Excel.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a basic overview and illustration of a subset set of qualitative capabilities, along with some brief tutorials and tips on how to make use of these capabilities. Discussions are aimed at novices and those with experience in Excel alike. A reference for more in‐depth discussions and guidance is provided.

Practical implications

Access to novel and powerful capabilities that have traditionally been under‐utilized in Excel are within grasp of any management research or practitioner, provided they know where to find some basic guidance and are intrepid enough to test it out. The wave of new, tech‐savvy management users is likely to have a pivotal impact on the way technology‐assisted decision making is thought of in the future.

Originality/value

The opportunity to open the eyes of a wider audience to the convenience and power of Excel as a development, decision support, research and teaching tool is of critical value. This work suggests that such awareness may be instrumental in changing the climate of organizational technology perspectives across a wide range of fields of practice.
Environmental scanning and investment decision quality
Authors: Maheran Nik Muhammad Nik , Jantan Muhamad , Fauziah
Published: November 2009

Purpose

Previous studies on scanning behavior have focused mainly on decisions relating to the choice of corporate strategies, leaving strategic investment decisions largely understudied. This paper aims to bridge the gap not just by examining strategic investment decisions but also by investigating the role of information processing capacity in enhancing the relationship between the extent of scanning behavior and the quality of the investment decision.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross‐sectional data are collected through a survey and analyzed by means of factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis.

Findings

Quality of decision is positively and significantly related to the extent of economic and competition information and the formality of method used to scan competition information. However, the extent of scanning for technology is contingent upon information processing capacity in order to affect the quality of the investment decision. Similarly, the method of scanning for economy, technology and competition information would depend on the information processing capacity to bring about a quality decision.

Research limitations/implications

Use of convenience sampling may restrict the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

As more economy and competition data are scanned, this would improve the quality of decision making, but for technology scanning the data have to be processed further before they can bring about changes in decision quality. For technology‐related matters, firms should be investing in the information processing capacity to produce quality decisions.

Originality/value

This study uses the decision as its unit of analysis to avoid having to average out the effects of making good and bad decisions often associated with a decision maker.
Exploring business ethics research in the context of international business
Authors: Robertson Christopher J. , Athanassiou Nicholas
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The aim of the paper is to examine the scope, level and content of business ethics research in three leading international business (IB) journals: Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS), Journal of World Business (JWB) and Management International Review (MIR). A subsequent examination of comparable themes published in the Journal of Business Ethics (JBE) is performed to establish commonalities and gaps on the topic of IB ethics between the leading IB journals and the leading business ethics journal.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 42 articles are identified in JIBS, JWB and MIR that are deemed IB ethics research, and 62 articles in JBE over the same timeframe. A content analysis of these articles is conducted.

Findings

The main thematic clusters in the three IB journals are ethical judgment analyses, violation of laws and regulations, national moral environments, and corporate governance. Codes of ethics are an underlying issue across many of these themes but this is not explicitly studied. Articles published in JBE show a wider range of themes than those published in the three IB journals.

Research limitations/implications

A broader selection of business ethics journals and of leading management journals that do not focus exclusively on IB could have produced additional important themes. Even so, there is an opportunity for IB ethics research to get into as yet unexamined important themes.

Practical implications

The ethical themes identified can help managers in their efforts to deliver focused and clustered ethical training.

Originality/value

This study establishes the themes that have been of interest to the authors and editors of academic articles in leading IB journals. What appears in such journals directly influences the research, teaching, and ultimately practice of IB. Such a perspective has not been studied in the past.
The value of assurance service: an example from the market for baseball cards
Authors: Sinason David H. , Webber Sally A. , Nikitkov Alex
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The need for reliable information for decision makers is a fundamental principle underlying the demand for audit and assurance services. Yet, individuals and companies often do not understand the value that users place on independent third‐party assurance. This paper aims to address this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the market for baseball cards to provide an empirical analysis of the value users associate with third‐party assurance services. Paired observations for baseball cards are identified on eBay; one with a third‐party assurance regarding its quality and one with only the seller's statement.

Findings

Comparative analysis indicates that bidders are willing to pay significantly more for the items when third‐party assurance was provided.

Originality/value

These findings indicate that third‐party assurance is valued by consumers, and where information asymmetry exists between buyer and seller, sellers should consider the use of third‐party assurance to increase sale price.
Advertising disclosures and CSR practices of credit card issuers
Authors: Wang Alex
Published: November 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to test the relations among consumers' attitudes toward disclosures in credit card issuers' print ads, attitudes toward credit card issuers' CSR practices, and attitudes toward credit card issuers in general, with a survey study.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey study with a convenient sampling consisting of college students is used to test the relations among consumers' attitudes toward disclosures in credit card issuers' print ads, attitudes toward credit card issuers' CSR practices, and attitudes toward credit card issuers in general.

Findings

The results suggest that students' positive attitudes toward disclosures positively enhance their attitudes toward credit card issuers and credit card issuers' CSR practices. More importantly, students' attitudes toward credit card issuers' CSR practices mediate their attitudes toward disclosures on enhancing their attitudes toward credit card issuers.

Research limitations/implications

Disclosures are increasingly common in advertisements for a range of products, including banking, cigarettes, over‐the‐counter drugs, and diet products. Thus, the study's results can also be applicable for corporations that advertise financial and health‐related product or services. Despite the inherent limitations of this study (e.g. context‐specific, convenience sample, and limited product types) that have to be confirmed in future research, future research should examine the relationship between various practices of disclosures and different aspects of CSR practices.

Practical implications

Based on this study's results, credit card issuers should improve their practices of disclosures and communicate their disclosures better to college students. Since a positive relationship between consumer responses and CSR practices is evident, projecting good CSR practices can also enhance credit card issuers' corporate images.

Originality/value

The paper primarily studies the impact of advertising disclosures and CSR practices on corporate image from college students' perspective. The research adds value to the existing literature on CSR, which is important to both academic researchers and practitioners.
Looking beyond the horizon
Authors: Sayers Richard , Talvé Annie
Published: November 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an overview of the inaugural CAVAL Horizon Executive Leadership Program from the commencement of planning in 2006 through to the graduation of the first cohort in February 2009.

Design/methodology/approach

In February 2009, the inaugural CAVAL Horizon Executive Leadership Program (Horizon) graduated its first cohort of 12 senior library and information managers from Australia and New Zealand. The inaugural Horizon offered an integrated program of executive learning and development inspired by lighthouse leadership programs within Australia and overseas. The four month Horizon program included two residential workshops (the first at Werribee Park outside Melbourne and the second in Sydney), individual projects, unprecedented access to industry leaders from within the library sector and CEO's from large private companies, and a highly successful series of coaching tele‐workshops. Following their graduation from the program, Horizon alumni have used an e‐list and other networking opportunities to form a strong and mutually supportive community of practice.

Findings

The paper shares a range of insights about the development and facilitation of the program and discusses the critical lessons learned in relation to future executive programs of this type.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates illustrates that Horizon is Australasia's first and currently only executive program specifically designed to prepare senior library and information managers for appointments at director‐level and above.
Do library staff have what it takes to be a librarian of the future?
Authors: Kealy Karen
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline strategies and approaches in the workforce plan to address skill shortages in the university of Melbourne library to ensure that staff have the appropriate skills for the future.

Design/methodology/approach

The objectives were achieved by developing a workforce plan to identify skills gaps, and then to work with training providers to develop a training plan. There was collaboration with two TAFE colleges to deliver accredited courses to staff to develop the skills required, ensuring key competencies were achieved and the staff received accreditation for their learning

Findings

The workforce plan showed an aging workforce but also skill shortages across the library. If the library was to be able to deliver services to meet the needs of future students then it needed to develop training programs to enable staff to develop the appropriate skill sets required to meet the needs of the library in the future. A brief survey of participants of the course discovered staff found the course very useful, although not all staff were able to utilize their new skills as effectively as they might in their current roles. This showed a need to review and re‐write position descriptions for staff.

Practical implications

The outcomes and implications for the future are to ensure there is: an ongoing staff development and training program in place for staff to enable them to continually update their skills as required to meet the needs of the library; that staff have opportunities to utilize the new skills they have acquired to improve and deliver library services; and that staff have the appropriate time to learn and develop themselves

Originality/value

The paper shows that some of the key competencies required by staff are not always learnt in the workplace, or in universities, but can be delivered by vocational training providers such as a TAFE college. The idea of working with TAFE teachers to develop and adapt a training program is quite a different approach to solving this skill gap problem.
Social influence in military leadership training
Authors: Firing Kristian , Karlsdottir Ragnheidur , Christian Laberg Jon
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a renewed understanding of social influence in the military by exploring officers' decision‐making processes in a stressful situation. The intention is to develop self‐awareness as a central leadership capability in authentic leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

During wintertime in Norway, standing half‐naked and blindfolded on a wharf, officer cadets were offered the choice of jumping or not jumping into the icy ocean. From that starting point, a qualitative dialogue evolved in which the cadets reflected on their decision‐making processes and explored their reasons for making their decision. Finally, the decision was executed by the cadets on whether to jump into the icy water or not.

Findings

The results from “the water jump” showed that most of the cadets jumped, indicating that they preferred physical inconvenience over social inconvenience, and that officers are highly influenced by their group and the military organization.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted with a relatively small group and the findings may not generalize readily to other populations.

Practical implications

The “water jump” has been adopted by the Royal Norwegian Navy, and is under consideration by the Army and Police in Norway. Using the physical environment as a background to tap into the cadets' thinking in action provides knowledge about the individual self and social influence relevant to growth as leaders.

Originality/value

The paper is one of few to explore the role of social influence in the context of a military real‐world leadership training activity. Moreover, addressing social influence as a potential drawback in decision making is done to enhance self‐awareness as a central leadership capability of authentic leaders in operations.
A Buddhist view of leadership: the case of the OTOP project
Authors: Kemavuthanon Suvaroj , Duberley Joanne
Published: November 2009

Purpose

This paper is concerned with the role of leadership in community organisations in Thailand. While previous studies of leadership have focused on leadership theories influenced by male‐dominated North American studies, the present paper aims to demonstrate that it is necessary to take the influence of cultural, historical and social structure into account. The purpose is to develop a model of leadership constructed through accounts of the leaders and their subordinates. The model of leadership can potentially enable the leaders, and their subordinates to have a better understanding of the qualities, structure, boundaries and processes of leadership, which can be useful in testing the application of the model in other settings and contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

To support the aim, the study uses two main qualitative methods of data collection, which are in‐depth semi‐structured interviews and a focus group. These two methods offer insight and help to explore unexpected phenomena and the complexity of leadership.

Findings

The results and analysis lead to the conclusion that there are three levels of leadership process beginning with the benefits to oneself, the benefits to others and mutual benefits. The findings suggest that “philanthropy” and “thinking beyond self‐interest” are the crucial qualities of leadership that make other people want to follow a leaders' path.

Practical implications

The process of leadership will help leaders and their subordinates to be more self‐reliant and develop themselves in the long term.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the influence of Buddhism on the role of leadership in community organisations in Thailand.
Does marriage pay more than cohabitation?
Authors: Barg Katherin , Beblo Miriam
Published: November 2009

Purpose

Empirical research has unambiguously shown that married men receive higher wages than unmarried, whereas a wage premium for cohabiters is not as evident yet. This paper aims to exploit the observed difference between the marital and the cohabiting wage premium in Germany to draw conclusions about the sources, typically explained by specialisation (e.g. husbands being more productive because their wives take over household chores) or selection (high earnings potentials being more attractive on the marriage market).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper analyzes the cohabiting and the marital wage premium in Germany using a shifting panel design for marriages and move‐ins from 1993 to 2004 in the German Socio‐Economic Panel. With non‐parametric matching models men who get married (treatment group I) are matched with cohabiting respectively single men (control groups) and men who move in with a partner (treatment group II) with singles.

Findings

Matching reveals that higher wages are mostly due to positive selection – into marriage as well as into cohabitation. Supplementary analysis of intra‐household time use suggests that specialization, if any, is part of the selection process from single to cohabitation to marriage.

Originality/value

This is the first application of non‐parametric matching in a comparative study of the marital and the cohabiting wage premium and thus provides new insights into their respective sources. It is also the first investigation of family‐status‐related wage premiums in Germany.
Overcoming the limitations of efficiency modeling in the health care foodservice industry
Authors: Assaf A. , Matawie K.M.
Published: November 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to reflect on the sources of the technical inefficiency of health care foodservice operations, using a sample of Australian and American hospitals.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies the stochastic frontier model to reflect on the technical inefficiency and its sources. The advantage of the model is that it allows the simultaneous parameters estimation of technical efficiency as well as the factors that explain variations in technical efficiency. A set of hypotheses are tested to ensure the applicability and suitability of the suggested model. Then the model parameters are estimated, discussed and checked against the theoretical requirements and the literature.

Findings

Results show that all the variable coefficients are correctly signed and that the average technical efficiency is around 83 percent for Australia and 80 percent for the USA.

Practical implications

The technical efficiency results, according to the introduced model, suggest that health care foodservice operations in both countries are not operating at a full efficient level. The results also reveal that factors such as manager's education, manager's experience, and size have a direct impact on reducing the level of technical inefficiency of these operations.

Originality/value

This paper overcomes the limitations of the existing efficiency techniques in the area of health care foodservice and also provides policy implications by emphasizing on the sources of technical inefficiency of health care foodservice operations for Australia and USA.
Impure public goods and technological interdependencies
Authors: Löschel Andreas , Rübbelke Dirk T.G.
Published: November 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate empirically the findings of an analytical impure public good model. The impure public good model described in this study allows for the application of different technologies generating public and private characteristics. The influence of the individual technologies on the total level of (impure) public good provision is of main concern in this study.

Design/methodology/approach

After the illustration of the impure public good model, the analytical results are compared to the results of a numerical approach based on climate policy in Germany.

Findings

The study shows that comparative static analyses do not always generate clear results. Therefore, the numerical approach is helpful to derive unambiguous results. The paper finds that technologies which exclusively generate private characteristics may have significant effects on total impure public good provision, since they may replace the private characteristics of the impure public good.

Originality/value

This paper provides useful information on the influence of the individual technologies on the total level of (impure) public good provision.
Customer knowledge management in the natural cosmetics industry
Authors: Dimitrova Vesselina , Kaneva Mariana , Gallucci Teodoro
Published: November 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the level of customer knowledge (CK) for natural cosmetic products, namely Bulgarian rose products, in three European countries – Bulgaria, Montenegro and Italy – and to propose appropriate solutions for its management.

Design/methodology/approach

The research structure is based on a questionnaire and represents a part of the general investigation about the nature of the Bulgarian rose products. The study includes the responses to priority questions on customers' knowledge about these products. Feedback is received from 236 respondents in 450 distributed inquiries for the whole investigation.

Findings

The results of the research indicate that the role of the customers in the cognitive process of knowledge accumulation for the specific and rare aromatic rose products is captive, based on a new learning for the nature of the product and on the application of integrated marketing ideas for product development and promotion.

Practical implications

This paper gives suggestions for the customers' preferences of organizing communication systems by the use of integrated media mix of TV, internet and journals on the unique natural cosmetic products in Bulgaria. The empirical results show the opportunity to organize a collected database for healthy products as Bulgarian rose products.

Originality/value

The study of CK in the natural cosmetics industry is structured on the basis of logit regression model, which targets to analyze the increase of the chance for effective knowledge transfer with customers, with the recognition of motivation for purchasing natural Bulgarian rose products and the exchange of high‐grade information with customers about this product.
Demand chain management: a Swedish industrial case study
Authors: Hilletofth Per , Ericsson Dag , Christopher Martin
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of demand chain management (DCM) by investigating how it has been structured and executed in an international manufacturing company.

Design/methodology/approach

The main emphasis has been on producing descriptive results and the applied research strategy has been an embedded single case study. The case organization originates from Sweden, but it has significant international presence. Empirical data have been collected mainly from in‐depth interviews with key persons representing senior management in the case company.

Findings

This research shows that DCM is about developing synergies between the demand creation and the demand fulfillment processes. A completely implemented DCM approach should incorporate all the major demand creation and fulfillment processes. This kind of fully implemented approach probably does not exist in real life today but some companies have started to develop versions including some of the major processes, and this research provides an example of this. The ultimate goal of DCM is to gain competitive advantages by differentiating not only the products, but also the delivery process. This is necessary in markets characterized of intensive competition, high product variety, large amounts of customer‐adapted products, and short product life cycles. It can be concluded that DCM is not another name for demand driven supply chains (SCs) or a fad. It is rather a way to finally benefit from decade long marketing discussions on how to achieve customer focus. It highlights the interplay between marketing and supply chain management (SCM) as an enabler of value creation.

Research limitations/implications

This research work is limited to one Swedish company; however, the case company has large international presence and is in top three in their industry measured by sales, which provides some ground for the generalization of the research.

Practical implications

This paper gives an insight for managers and practitioners to the value of coordinating marketing and SCM to develop a truly customer‐driven organization and SC.

Originality/value

Several studies have addressed the synergies between marketing and SCM but failed to address how to in some detail realize this in practice. This paper contributes by discussing how to realize this coordination in practice.
Turning knowledge into new product creativity: an empirical study
Authors: Yang Jie , Rui Mingjie
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and innovation and new product creativity and to identify different hidden patterns in which knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and innovation affect new product creativity.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employs additivity and variance stabilization analysis.

Findings

The new product creativity is significantly related to knowledge management.

Practical implications

The paper implies that if organizations fail to understand the subtle ways by which different dimensions of knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and innovation influence new product creativity, they may fail to harvest the full value of knowledge management in creativity improvement.

Originality/value

It is one of the first to assess the link between knowledge management and new product creativity.
Knowledge sharing: game and reasoned action perspectives
Authors: Ho Chien‐Ta Bruce , Hsu Shih‐Feng , Oh K.B.
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate knowledge sharing (KS) to characterize its behavior in companies based on the concepts of theory of reasoned action and game theory (GT).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper proposes two models: Model A: KS process is constructed by capturing personal psychological feelings; and Model B: KS process is not only constructed by personal psychological feelings but also takes into consideration other people's decisions. By comparing the two knowledge‐sharing models' predictability performance, the authors are able to characterize the process of KS.

Findings

The results show that different companies require different models. On average, Model B with game concept has lower predictive accuracy than the Model A without game concept.

Research limitations/implications

The paper provides practical implications for manager to frame effective KS policies and also suggests future studies to improve measurement.

Originality/value

The values of this paper are: provide a methodology to determine whether individuals analyze decisions of others in making KS decisions; test the predictive ability of GT analysis in a KS modeling, and build a single‐instance two‐person game to characterize individuals' tacit KS behavior.
Determinants of satisfaction and continuance intention towards self‐service technologies
Authors: Chen Shih‐Chih , Chen Huei‐Huang , Chen Mei‐Fang
Published: November 2009

Purpose

Self‐service technologies (SSTs) allow customers to offer their own service encounters via the interaction of electronic service interfaces or machines rather than by interacting with a firm's service personnel. This paper aims to develop an integrated model designed to predict and explain an individual's continuous use of SSTs based on the concepts of technology readiness (TR), technology acceptance model (TAM), and theory of planned behavior (TPB).

Design/methodology/approach

The participants are from 481 SST users as the sample finally. Structural equation modeling is applied to demonstrate the stability of the proposed model and the results of hypotheses testing.

Findings

This paper finds that consumers' satisfaction significantly influences continuance intention, while the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) simultaneously influence satisfaction. Optimism and innovativeness are also the significant motivators of satisfaction. However, TR's inhibitors (discomfort and insecurity) have no significantly negative influence on continuance intention towards adopting SST services.

Research limitations/implications

Different from previous SSTs studies, this paper suggests that SN and PBC play critical factors in users' adoption at SSTs encounters. However, additionally empirical evidences should be discussed why the inhibitors (discomfort and insecurity) of TR have no effect.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a comprehensive model to synthesize the essence of TR, TAM, and TPB for explaining customers' continuous intention of SSTs.
Green roof retrofit potential in the central business district
Authors: Wilkinson Sara J. , Reed Richard
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential for green roof retrofit to commercial buildings in a city centre to property managers and other property professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper addresses the research question: what is the potential of existing buildings in the CBD to accommodate a retrofitted green roof? Furthermore, it questions how many buildings are suitable for green roofs? The researchers compile a unique building database incorporating information about 536 commercial buidings and evaluate the potential suitability of each building to undergo a green roof retrofit. Assisted by other commercially available databases and software, the researchers are able to assess each roof based on criteria derived from an extensive literature review.

Findings

A relatively small proportion of roofs are found to be suitable, partly a result of local climate conditions and rainfall patterns, and the physical property stock. On a purely physical assessment, only a very small proportion of CBD stock is found to be suited. These buildings are most likely to be in low secondary locations, ungraded or B grade buildings, privately owned, concrete framed and not overshadowed by adjoining properties.

Practical implications

Property managers and other property professionals can now determine the potential of their portfolio stock for green roof retrofit based on the review of building attributes required for success adaptation in this paper. It possible that greater potential for green roof retrofit exists in the suburbs or regional towns where lower rise buildings may reduce the amount of overshadowing found in city centres. Follow‐up research could focus on a comparison of regional and suburban developments.

Originality/value

This is the first study of its kind and has assessed such a large number of buildings for their suitability for green roof retrofit; the findings provide a reliable guide for policymakers regarding the potential number of city centre buildings which would be possible to retrofit. Such findings should influence policymaking and incentives to target effective sustainability policies with regards to existing buildings.
Calculating the cost of overheads: the real impact of HVOTLs on house price
Authors: Sims Sally , Dent Peter , Ennis‐Reynolds Gina
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish whether or not asking price can provide a reliable indication of the impact of a negative externality when transaction data are scarce.

Design/methodology/approach

Until recently, transaction data within the UK were either unobtainable or expensive. Subsequently, an analysis of the value impacts of living near negative externalities (such as high voltage overhead power lines (HVOTL)) relies almost entirely on valuer expertise. Since behavioural research suggests that valuers often anchor to asking price which, in theory, is based on the selling agent's opinion of the likely transaction value of a property, the argument is made that “asking price” provides a reliable indication of the impact of a negative externality when transaction data are scarce. This theory is tested through an analysis of the real versus perceived impacts of an HVOTL on proximate house prices.

Findings

The results, whilst providing additional evidence to support the relationship between value diminution and the presence of an HVOTL near residential homes, suggest that agents' marketing price does not capture the true impact of this type of negative externality and should therefore be treated with caution by practitioners seeking to establish the value of this type of property.

Originality/value

The results of this article add additional evidence to support the findings from previous studies in this field.
Neighborhood amenity packages, property price, and marketing time
Authors: Benefield Justin D.
Published: November 2009

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to introduce modeling of common neighborhood amenities as packages, rather than as separate independent variables in a single model. Results from the standard modeling technique of including separate controls for each amenity are provided for comparison. A secondary purpose is to provide price and time‐on‐market implications for amenities in seasoned versus newly constructed properties.

Design/methodology/approach

Common neighborhood amenities are grouped according to the total amenity bundle offered by each neighborhood. Hedonic pricing, hazard modeling, and two‐stage least squares regression are used to estimate price and time‐on‐market impacts for six common amenities.

Findings

Neighborhood tennis courts, clubhouses, boating facilities, and golf courses, as well as several amenity packages, significantly impact property values. Valuation of particular amenity packages differs between newly constructed and seasoned homes. Time‐on‐market results are less convincing.

Research limitations/implications

Neighborhood amenities considered separately can produce misleading results, so amenity packages should be included in future research. Specific numerical results would not apply to other markets and perhaps not to other time periods.

Practical implications

The study offers evidence regarding which neighborhood amenities are valued most highly in newly constructed properties, which is of interest to developers. The study also offers evidence on which amenities are valued more highly in seasoned properties, which is of interest to buyers due to concerns about re‐sale values.

Originality/value

The study offers the first grouping of neighborhood amenities into packages to more closely resemble the way buyers consider amenities during the purchase decision. The study is also the first comprehensive survey of commonly‐offered neighborhood amenities.