bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Supply chain management in SMEs: development of constructs and propositions
Authors: Thakkar Jitesh , Kanda Arun
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on supply chain management (SCM) practices in small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and outlines the key insights.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes a literature‐based research that has sought understand the issues of SCM for SMEs. The methodology is based on critical review of 77 research papers from high‐quality, international refereed journals. Mainly, issues are explored under three categories – supply chain integration, strategy and planning and implementation. This has supported the development of key constructs and propositions.

Findings

The research outcomes are three fold. Firstly, paper summarizes the reported literature and classifies it based on their nature of work and contributions. Second, paper demonstrates the overall approach towards the development of constructs, research questions, and investigative questions leading to key proposition for the further research. Lastly, paper outlines the key findings and insights gained.

Practical implications

Survival of SMEs will be determined first and foremost by their ability to provide/produce more, at less cost, in less time, with few “defects”. The key to this is effective SCM. The issue is much explored in the context of large enterprises but less attention is paid to SMEs. Paper aims to surface out some facts for the same. Originality/value The paper reports‐classifies the literature and development of construct and propositions.
My country is different
Authors: Hirsch Peter , Shaukat Najia
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The creation of a truly global marketplace with a rapidly expanding middle class has created unparalleled opportunities global brands and the multinational corporations that own them. From household and food products to travel and luxury brands, this converging global market with converging lifestyle aspirations would appear to enable global brand stewardship on an unprecedented scale. At the same time, brand marketing and corporate communications practices around the world have become increasingly consistent, eradicating what were once sharp local differences in theory and practice in different countries. The paper aims to focus on this issues surrounding this.

Design/methodology/approach

To understand the hidden obstacles to a seamless global approach to corporate and brand marketing, Porter Novelli commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey of the communications directors of US‐based global multinationals asking detailed questions about what they believe is working well in their global PR networks and what they believe is less than satisfactory. They were asked to rank the importance of a set of core attributes relating to brand marketing and corporate communications and then to rate the performance of their internal PR organization on those attributes.

Findings

The outcome of this research revealed five key sources of what can be called network inertia which is discussed in more detail in another paper.

Originality/value

Offers clear actions for global multinationals to meet the extraordinary difficulties in managing their PR networks to create and nourish effective and consistent brand stewardship across the globe.
Sharing Yalumba
Authors: Stephen Camilleri Cecil
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The paper seeks to outline the theory and practice of an action research program, which is aimed at redesigning and implementing a communications strategy that will effectively deliver an authentic environmental message to the stakeholders of the Yalumba Wine Company.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses recent communications literature to contextualise Yalumba's needs. The proposed action research is essentially, though not exclusively, an environmental strategic analysis of the wine company's current environmental communications efforts.

Findings

The Yalumba Wine Company has been operating in the rural environment for over 150 years, making it the oldest family‐owned wine company in Australia. It is committed to excellence across all its activities, from the vineyard to the consumer's table. By addressing those activities that have a significant environmental impact Yalumba ensures its employees and other stakeholders a healthy and productive life in an environment that is safe, aesthetically pleasing and ecologically functional. At Yalumba environment‐friendly sustainable activities are recognised as an intrinsic aspect of wine quality, and in order to progress this belief it must develop an environmental message that reflects authenticity, due diligence, product safety and credible environmental management.

Originality/value

Yalumba's commitment to sustainable winemaking can be more effective, sustainable and significant if environmental communications are employed effectively to convey to the organisation's stakeholders the corporate philosophy that expresses its corporate culture. In adopting this approach, context is critical and communication competence must be perceived in terms of action‐and‐reflection.
Constructing corporate commitment amongst remote employees
Authors: Jacobs Glenda
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a framework for examining and understanding corporate commitment amongst teleworking employees that deconstructs and expands upon approaches to date. It seeks to propose a perspective from which apparent tensions highlighted in existing studies can be understood and explored, and to suggest new relationships and combinations of conditions that impact on the communication practices and assumptions of both managers and employees.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach to data collection and analysis is qualitative and interpretive, with primary data obtained by means of semi‐structured interviews subsequently analysed using both open and focussed coding. This method was selected because the dimensions and implications of communication practices in this particular context were largely unknown.

Findings

This study illustrates the significance of distinguishing between the needs that underpin employees' choosing to continue the relationship and their readiness to act in the organisation's interests. It also demonstrates that categorising the nature of the organisational relationship by identifying employees' mental relationship models may be, if not more useful than identifying types of commitment, at least additionally useful in understanding how organisational commitment in remote workforces is constructed and perpetuated.

Originality/value

This study and the framework it proposes for understanding commitment adds to existing research into remote workforce commitment in that it suggests new ways in which to conceptualise and examine what studies to date have identified as its constituent elements and antecedents. In particular, it facilitates debate and discussion regarding the ways the range of influences on behaviours identified as “committed” interrelate, as well as regarding the way employees' disposition may alter the perceived meaning of such behaviours.
Communicating to a diverse workforce
Authors: Holtzhausen Lida , Fourie Lynnette
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to determine whether language proficiency, race and education levels influence employees' perceptions of symbolic corporate identity elements of Lonmin Platinum, a mining company operating in the development context of South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

The nature of the endorsed symbolic corporate identity was determined by means of personal observations and semi‐structured interviews with managers. To determine employees' perceptions a quantitative questionnaire survey was conducted with a stratified quota sample of 508 company employees. Questionnaires were divided between the five business units of the company, each with its own corporate identity. Facilitators (speaking a variety of languages) were used to assist semi‐literate and illiterate employees. The data were analysed by means of basic descriptive statistics such as frequency tables and contingency tabulations.

Findings

It seemed that race and educational level did not influence employees' perceptions of symbolic corporate identity elements. However, employees proficient in English, faired better when required to identify logos and company structures. This implies that when communication has a more informational character, Lonmin Platinum should consider communicating in different languages, suited to different educational levels.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this research could not necessary be generalised or be applicable to the whole mining sector.

Originality/value

This research is the first of its kind within the complex mining and minerals context of South Africa and provides a framework from where future research can be conducted and explored, which would provide a knowledge base for the management and communication of an endorsed symbolic corporate identity to a third world context with diverse workforces.
The construct validity of Schein's career anchors orientation inventory
Authors: Danziger Nira , Rachman‐Moore Dalia , Valency Rony
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the construct validity of the measurement model of Schein's Career Orientation Inventory, where entrepreneurship and creativity constitute two separate constructs.

Design/methodology/approach

A fairly representative sample of 1,847 Israeli working adults completed Schein's Career Anchor Inventory (COI) questionnaire, which probes career anchor constructs through associated indicator items. The data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis to compare the fit of the proposed nine‐construct model with that of Schein's eight‐construct model.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that: the proposed nine‐construct model of the COI, which distinguishes between Entrepreneurship and Creativity and designates each as a separate construct, yields a better fit than Schein's eight‐construct model; and the nine‐construct model has convergent and discriminant validity and unidimensionality.

Originality/value

The study's contributions are threefold: first, it generally supports Schein's Career Anchor Theory, yet with nine anchors rather than with the original eight; second, it confirms the distinction between entrepreneurship and creativity; and third, it highlights the need to rephrase several existing items, and add new ones. The suggested changes and the conceptual framework of the nine‐anchor model will make the COI a more valid and reliable instrument, both for theory‐building and for practical and diagnostic use by career counselors.
Making sense of careers through the lens of a path metaphor
Authors: Smith‐Ruig Theresa
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to understand how participants make sense of career through the lens of a path metaphor. Inkson's three types of career paths are used as a framework to determine whether the participants followed either a traditional and/or boundaryless career.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on interviews with 59 men and women employed in the accounting profession in Australia. The participants were asked to describe their career development to date.

Findings

During the interview the participants often used metaphoric language to describe their career development, especially “path”, “journey”, or “road” metaphors. Analysis of these career metaphors revealed that the participants experienced aspects of both a traditional and a boundaryless career. On the one hand, the professional structure of an accounting career required some participants to follow a more traditional career path, whilst, on the other hand, the increasing desire for a better work‐life balance and for stimulating work meant that other participants followed a boundaryless career.

Research limitations/implications

The study has implications for organizations trying to recruit, retain, and develop accounting professionals. The dilemma for individuals appeared to be focused on whether to follow a traditional career path, or pursue their own individual goals and carve out their own unique or boundaryless career.

Originality/value

The benefit of using the journey or path metaphor is that it helps to explain and illustrate the various career options open to individuals. The journey metaphor was derived from the participants' own explanation of their career trajectories, and thus was not a metaphor imposed by the researcher.
Do the self‐employed value autonomy more than employees?
Authors: Prottas David
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the relations between perceived job autonomy and attitudes are stronger among self‐employed than employees.

Design/methodology/approach

Four samples (totaln=25,974), consisting of self‐report data from working adults, were used. In each, participants were classified under three work arrangements: owners of businesses employing others, independent contractors, and employees. The perceived job autonomy for each work arrangement was determined, as were the strengths of the relationship with attitudinal variables (job satisfaction, life satisfaction, professional commitment, and stress). Correlational analysis and hierarchical regression were used to test whether the strengths of these relationships were stronger among the self‐employed.

Findings

In all four samples, both types of self‐employed reported more job autonomy than employees. In all samples and within all work arrangements, the relationships between job autonomy were statistically significant and positive with respect to desirable outcomes and negative with respect to stress. However, the strengths of these relationships were no greater among owners or independents than among employees.

Practical implications

From a career advising and planning perspective, the research indicates that self‐employment, either as an owner or independent, is an effective tactic for individuals to increase their job autonomy. However, there was no evidence that the self‐employed differ from employees with respect to the benefit they receive from the job autonomy they perceive.

Originality/value

This study adds to the literature on career choice and self‐employment by comparing the strengths of relationships between job autonomy within and across work arrangements.
Political choices: the role of political skill in occupational choice
Authors: Kaplan David M.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to investigate how political skill relates to career decisions and occupational fit.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes undergraduate business majors to determine how their level of political skill influences their choice of career/major in a Holland‐type framework. Hypotheses are tested using logistic regression.

Findings

The paper finds that there is general support for the proposition that political skill influences the pursuit of social and enterprising majors/careers.

Research limitations/implications

While choice of major is a strong indicator of occupational choice, it is not a direct measure of individual careers. However, the results provide insight regarding how organizational politics relates to individual careers and suggests the need for further study.

Practical implications

The paper provides a valuable additional factor for assessing career fit.

Originality/value

This paper is the first to critically examine organizational politics with reference to career choices rather than career outcomes and provides insight into how these affect satisfaction and success.
Solutions to the five key brownfield valuation problems
Authors: Weber Bruce R. , Adair Alastair , McGreal Stanley
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to solve five key brownfield valuation problems.

Design/methodology/approach

This aim is achieved by using doctoral research on integrating the scientific process into the appraisal process. The first objective is demonstrating why four of the problems require solutions prior to solving the first problem, a valuation procedure for formerly used sites. A second objective is to use empirical data from appraisals to reveal why existing methodology is not reliable – because it does not solve the four problems.

Findings

The resulting findings are that a developmental model that incorporates the Triad approach to quantifying environmental uncertainty, initially used in the USA, simulates a process used by buyers to establish the price paid for brownfields with contaminated land.

Practical implications

The practical implication that results from this research is that valuers need to emulate the buyer's process when valuing this property type. Prescriptive procedures for valuation requiring the use of scientific methods, as used in the Triad process, need to be set forth to quantify the atypical uncertainties in valuing this property type. The results of this research should be of significant interest to all stakeholders that are involved in brownfield redevelopment, so that they can insure that their needs will be met by improved feasibility analysis.

Originality/value

This research is unique in that it is the first empirical test of the reliability of the valuation of brownfields that need to undergo a time‐consuming and often expensive soil remediation process.
The liquidity of direct real estate in institutional investors' portfolios: The Netherlands
Authors: Hordijk Aart , Teuben Bert
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The liquidity of direct real estate has been surrounded by mystery. Research in the USA and in the UK has contributed much to clarify the liquidity issue of direct real estate. In The Netherlands, not much research exists on this issue; however, a major ALM advisory firm in The Netherlands suggests a liquidity factor of 1.5 times the standard deviation of the ROZ/IPD real estate index, leading to a 50 percent higher risk compared to the current ROZ/IPD real estate index risk. This paper aims to investigate this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates whether this is a reasonable assumption by approaching the issue from several perspectives. First, the transaction process, the effects of heterogeneity and the size of the property are reviewed. The market risk between the date of the decision to sell the property and the date on which it was actually sold is also reviewed. The last element reviewed is the reallocation risk, in other words missed opportunities that have arisen because it could take longer to sell property than to sell stocks or bonds. Extensive anonymous information from the main institutional investors in The Netherlands is used, as well as interviews with the main brokers in The Netherlands. The survey is placed in an international context by comparing the results as well as the methods to previous surveys in the UK.

Findings

As a result suggestions are presented about risk premiums as a protection against the liquidity risks which turn out to be quite low, much lower than the 50 percent increase of the risk premium on top of the ROZ/IPD real estate index's standard deviation of the total return. The results are compared to risk premiums for stocks and bonds at times of high and average returns.

Original/value

So far not many surveys have been done on this subject using the bottom up approach. If there were, those have been looked at in the literature review. The unique ROZ/IPD databank allows us to come up with real quantitative results related to the different types of real estate liquidity risks. The paper has identified five of those. The survey is restricted to results in a growing market because of the time frame and it is strongly recommended to repeat it after a depressed market.
Dual rate is defunct?
Authors: Mackmin David
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the historic evolution of dual rate valuation practice in the UK from the nineteenth century to the present time.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a review of published books, articles and letters dating from 1852.

Findings

The study establishes the fact that single rate was the only method in use in the nineteenth century and notes the overlap of two methodologies and beliefs in the first half of the twentieth century. It confirms that by the late 1930s dual rate had replaced single rate and an “establishment opinion” on the essential need to value leaseholds dual rate on the basis of a set of commandments had emerged without any apparent disagreement. This position, with some debated refinements for the effect of tax and treatment of variable profit rents, is shown to continue through the twentieth century and is reaffirmed in standard textbook teaching at the start of the twenty‐first century. The review touches on the criticisms noted by academics in the latter part of twentieth century. It identifies as a key issue the continuing persistent misconception amongst UK valuers that there is a reinvestment assumption in the present value of £1 per annum.

Originality/value

Dual rate principles are shown in the paper to be untenable and the profession is advised to remove the method from future training of valuers and to cease to make any use of the method in the valuation of leasehold investments.
Quality improvements in hospital flow may lead to a reduction in mortality
Authors: Gilligan Stephen , Walters Melanie
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of ths paper is to report that timely interventions to facilitate medical patient flow and reduce medical outliers may be associated with a reduction in hospital mortality.

Design/methodology/approach

Interventions to improve the flow of medical patients were used to unblock and facilitate the discharge process allowing a reduction in medical outliers. SPC run charts of mortality were used to quality control the changes.

Findings

Timeliness in daily senior medical review and discharge planning, a level 1 medical ward, and outreach including ALERT training and early warning scoring allowed a rationalisation in medical beds and a reduction in mortality for emergency medical admissions, reflected in a lower hospital standarised mortality rate (HSMR).

Practical implications

Interventions to improve flow can also lead to a reduction in mortality.

Originality/value

This paper emphasises how quantitative flow improvements can also generate qualitative improvements.
Experience based design: a practical method of working with patients to redesign services
Authors: Pickles John , Hide Elaine , Maher Lynne
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a study which aims to provide an alternative approach to clinical governance. This involves patients in redesigning services based on their actual experiences of health services. This will be of interest to front line health care staff and public and patient involvement leads.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper illustrates Experience Based Design (EBD) as a structured, formal methodology with clearly defined roles, actions and timescales. A case study approach is used to describe the implementation of this model in a District General Hospital.

Findings

This study demonstrates how three theoretical components of good design: functionality, engineering and aesthetics can be used as a framework to improve performance, safety and governance and in addition, actual experience of the service for patients and staff.

Research limitations/implications

The case study approach used has provided a good range of learning and transferable information; however, the results are currently based on a single site.

Practical implications

The use of the EBD approach will ensure that healthcare services truly reflect the needs of patients and carers based on their specific experience. It provides a mechanism whereby patients' views contribute fully to the change process leading to safer, more effective and reliable care. This approach will require the application of the non‐clinical competencies included in the Medical Leadership Competency Framework and specific health and wellbeing dimensions in the Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Originality/value

This paper offers a new model that can be incorporated into service redesign. The model enables greater understanding of clinical governance as described by patients through narrative of their actual experiences.
Children and young people: reviewing practice and policies
Authors: Cowan Jane
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to important new guidance from the GMC (General Medical Council) on the care of children and young people and its implications for updating and reviewing existing policies and practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper assesses the applicability of new GMC guidance, 0–18 Years: Guidance For All Doctors, with regard to several aspects of healthcare professionals' responsibilities to children and young people – communication, immunisation and safeguarding children. Its compatibility with existing key guidance from the Department of Health is also examined.

Findings

The GMC's new booklet enhances and updates previously existing guidance regarding the care and treatment of children and young people. This is an opportunity for healthcare professionals to review their own practice, update their knowledge and improve their procedures and protocols where applicable.

Originality/value

This paper offers a viewpoint that should encourage healthcare professionals to familiarise themselves with current guidance and examine their own performance and responsibilities towards children and young people.
“Thumbs‐up is a rude gesture in Australia”
Authors: Tipton Frank B.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider the role of culture in international business studies, viewed from the perspective of textbooks in the field.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyses the separate chapters on the role of culture in 19 survey texts in international business at three levels: factual assertions; social and historical interpretations; and application of general theories.

Findings

Although all textbooks in international business emphasize the importance of culture, the survey reveals serious weaknesses at all three levels, including straightforward errors of fact, more subtle errors of interpretation, and serious problems with definitions and application of theories of cultural difference. The weaknesses are strikingly consistent, and the paper examines a range of possible common causes. Imbricated in the professional structures of the field, the authors appear to be under pressure from publishers, they share a US‐centred bias, and they appear professionally isolated.

Originality/value

Parallel to theories of nationalism and some postcolonial theorists, it can be argued that the implicit purpose of the texts is not to engage sympathetically with actual cultural differences, but rather to mould the next generation of American managers into a common pattern, by identifying an exotic cultural Other against which students will form their new identity. One of the consequences is that it does not matter greatly to the authors whether other cultures are presented accurately, or not. In practical terms, however, cultural differences are important and are recognized as such in international business studies, and so there is reason to hope that the texts will be improved.
Managing talent across national borders: the challenges faced by an international retail group
Authors: Boussebaa Mehdi , Morgan Glenn
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of national institutional contexts on a multinational's project to develop a transnational talent management system.

Design/methodology/approach

The study combines a comparative analysis of British and French conceptions of management with qualitative empirical data drawn from interviews, observation and documents collected in France and the UK.

Findings

The concept of “talent management”, as understood by UK managers, could not simply be reproduced in the French setting where the idea of managing talent took on a different meaning. The attempt to do so through a UK‐instituted programme ignored this difference and resulted in the complete failure of the headquarters' project to develop a transnational talent management system.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretical implications include the importance of an institutionally sensitive approach to the study of talent management within multinationals. A limitation of the study is that it is based on a single case study.

Originality/value

The paper is a case study of a cross‐national talent management programme from a comparative institutionalist perspective rather than that of mainstream international management. It highlights the conflicts and tensions involved in implementing management systems uniformly across national borders. The paper's Anglo‐French focus also contributes a comparative angle that is relatively rare in institutionalist studies of MNCs (multinational companies). Finally, the paper sheds light on the newly emerging and yet under‐researched concept of “talent management”, connecting this idea with existing debates on multinationals and institutional change and reproduction.
Taking the mess back to business: studying international business from behind
Authors: Hopsdal Hansen Gard
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the role of the qualitative researcher in international business (IB) studies and the need for a local perspective to better comprehend the complexity and consequences of international economic activity.

Design/methodology/approach

Argues that the internationalization process is constructed at the doorstep where local and international actors meet and should thus be studied from both angles. The article provides some empirical examples and anecdotes from research in China to underpin the argumentation. The questions are discussed in the voices of “the Geographer” and “the Explorer” – characters borrowed from Saint‐Exupery's novelThe Little Prince.

Findings

Research on IB is overly oriented towards the activities of international actors. More knowledge on how local actors evaluate and act upon international initiatives and the relations between entrants and locals may provide better understanding of realities and dynamics of actors in both camps.

Practical implications

Researchers of IB should go beyond the traditional sources of information (i.e. Multinational Corporation managers) and also consult actors on the far side of IB. By entering deeper into the field of study the researcher may be able to gain profound insight, but s/he may also become a more active ingredient in the realities being studied.

Originality/value

To discuss these issues through metaphorical characters like the Geographer and the Explorer, and, on top of this, construct an interview is of course a rather unorthodox solution. However, considering the methodological issues being discussed and the messy approach advocated the author found this solution appropriate.
Practices and dynamics of immobility
Authors: Méric Jérôme
Published: February 2008

Purpose

As its academic definition refers to, induction can be seen as a process designed to prepare newcomers in a company to integrate at least the way of working and collaborating in their new environment. Thus, induction as a process is somewhat a vector for institutionalization. The purpose of this paper is to consider induction as a practice embedded in specific contexts of action. In so doing, it proposes that induction can also be turned into an institution for itself, and this lead to a kind of organizational immobility.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper introduces the case of a consulting company. Supposing that induction is firstly a practice, that is to say an aggregate of ostensive (explicit pattern of action), performative (what is actually done) elements and artefacts (tools and material productions), the dynamics of interactions between these elements are examined.

Findings

Organizational dynamics and change are often considered as synonymous. The paper asserts that, on the contrary, constant dynamics in practices may contribute to organizational immobility. This process can be depicted as “control through the institutionalizing of practice (in the meaning of ways of doing).”

Research limitations/implications

The paper delivers an interpretation of such counterintuitive results, showing the role of modes of action in the way dynamics in practice can engender motion or stability. This research is based on a single case study in a specific range of activities. Additional analyses in other businesses should help deepen the understanding of such dynamics.

Practical implications

Introducing the institutional dimension of practices, this paper offers the opportunity to broaden perspectives on control and responsibility. Change is not only a matter of process design or of culture, which are organizational variables. It should be dealt with in the institutional field.

Originality/value

It sounds original that an organization like a consulting company, supposed to be as highly adaptable as it suggests to be, finally shows to be embedded in such traditional patterns of action.
Fabricating management practices: “Responsible Care” and corporate social responsibility
Authors: Berland Nicolas , Loison Marie‐Claire
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to focus on the policy of corporate social responsibility (CSR) launched in the chemical industry in the 1980s and known as “Responsible Care” (RC). The debate surrounding this issue prompts us to question the ever‐changing nature of this policy and the way to measure the performance achieved.

Design/methodology/approach

The findings are drawn from analysis of a double set of data including a longitudinal survey and a current case study. Blending these two data sets allows a better understanding of the ongoing building process of “RC” and, more broadly, of CSR.

Findings

This paper asserts that, contrary to the common wisdom developed in research, companies do not simply react to stakeholder pressure. Companies autonomously develop ways to protect their environment and so contribute to changing society's expectations. Thus, performance cannot be read without a dynamic perspective in mind.

Research limitations/implications

The authors' findings lead them to reconsider the assessment of companies' sustainable performances by taking into account the fabricating process of sustainable activities. The main limitation of this research stems from the single unit of analysis considered. Broader studies will be necessary to enrich our understanding of corporate policies.

Originality/value

The paper stands apart from the traditional view of organizations as cynical actors and attempts to provide a more complex picture of the behaviours observed.
The dynamics of capital structure and heterogeneous systematic risk classes in Egypt
Authors: Eldomiaty Tarek I. , Azim Mohamed H.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine firms' strategies to change long‐ and short‐term debt financing in Egypt. It aims to examine a list of capital structure determinants that include the basic assumptions of the three well‐known theories of capital structure: tradeoff, pecking order, and free cash.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilizes the properties of partial adjustment model for three heterogeneous systematic risk classes: high, medium and low. The sensitivity analysis is carried out using the “extreme bound analysis”.

Findings

The results indicate that Egyptian firms adjust short‐ and long‐term debt according to the class of systematic risk; long‐term debt is a source of financing at all classes of systematic risk; firms have obvious tendency to extent short‐ to long‐term one; medium risk firms adjust long‐term debt according to the industry average debt, and depend heavily on long‐term debt financing; firms depend significantly and constantly on the liquidity position to adjust short‐term debt levels; and medium risk firms are relatively affected by the basic assumptions of free cash flow and low‐risk firms are relatively affected by the assumptions of the pecking order theory.

Research limitations/implications

In general, the results provide evidence that the three theories have transitory effect from developed markets to transitional markets. In addition, the firm‐specific variables (industry characteristic, size and time) provide an additional support to the robustness of the results.

Originality/value

Few, if any studies, have been carried out in Egyptian data.
Testing weak‐form efficiency in the Bahrain stock market
Authors: Asiri Batool
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This study seeks to measure the behaviour of stock prices in the Bahrain Stock Exchange (BSE), which is expected to follow a random walk. The aim of the study is to measure the weak‐form efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach

Random walk models such as unit root and Dickey‐Fuller tests are used as basic stochastic tests for a non‐stationarity of the daily prices for all the listed companies in the BSE. In addition, autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and exponential smoothing methods are also used. Cross‐sectional‐time‐series is used for the 40 listed companies over the period 1 June 1990 up until 31 December 2000.

Findings

Random walk with no drift and trend is confirmed for all daily stock prices and each individual sector. Other tests, such as ARIMA (AR1), autocorrelation tests and exponential smoothing tests also supported the efficiency of the BSE in the weak‐form.

Practical implications

The finding of the study is a necessary piece of information for all investors whether in Bahrain or dealing with Bahrain stock market. Listed firms could also benefit from the findings by seeing the true picture of their stock price. Since, Bahrain is considered as an emerging market, the new methodologies used could be replicated for all other emerging markets. In addition, the finding is used as a base for testing the market efficiency in the semi‐strong form, which has not yet been tested by any researcher.

Originality/value

This study will add value to the literature of market efficiency in emerging market since it is the only study which covers all the listed companies and over a long period of time. To confirm the weak‐form efficiency in Bahrain, the study is unique in using five different methods in the same paper which have not been found in the previous literature.
Oil demand in China: an econometric approach
Authors: Hölscher Jens , Bachan Ray , Stimpson Andrew
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This study intends to explore the determinants of Chinese oil demand and to build a short‐ and long‐run model.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the Engle‐Granger two‐stage cointegration method to create a dynamic short‐run model. Data is taken from both international data sources and the Chinese authorities themselves.

Findings

The research largely confirms current research in the area. The error correction model finds that only vehicle numbers and real GDP are determinants of the demand in the short‐run. The model also shows that there is a fairly slow adjustment from the short‐run to the long‐run model.

Research limitations/implications

The model also shows that there is a fairly slow adjustment from the short‐run to the long‐run model. Both models find that structural breaks exist in the data and dummy variables were significant in allowing for the regime change.

Practical implications

The policy implications not only for China but the whole world are clear. China's demand for oil is growing at a rate that will be difficult to sustain. The world's refineries are currently trying to work at capacity as far as possible to take advantage of the high‐oil prices, which continue to rise.

Originality/value

This paper provides ongoing confirmation of the importance of China's oil consumption on world markets.
Facing the challenges of expansion in the European Union
Authors: Wang Fang , Kozlowski Wojciech , Ouyang Ming
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine challenges and opportunities that occurred in the Polish ultra‐high temperature (UHT) milk market after Poland entered the European Union.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an in‐depth analysis of the Polish UHT market and by interpreting statistical data, this paper analyzes the retailing, production, and distribution channels, branding, and potential changes in the marketing perspective of the UHT market in Poland. To understand the nature of the market, this paper employs a marketing science method, marketing persistence analysis, to explore the relationship of short‐term marketing efforts and long‐term market response in Polish UHT milk market.

Findings

Based on empirical testing of ten Polish brands, results show that the UHT milk market in Poland presents marketing persistence, which means that short‐term marketing efforts can generate long‐term revenue effects.

Research limitations/implications

If marketing spending data are available, causality tests can be performed to see what are most effective marketing means (e.g. TV advertising or sale promotion) in Polish dairy markets.

Practical implications

Combining the empirical findings with the facts that previous marketing activities in Poland are relatively low, and it is now a historic transition for Poland after joining the homogenous market of Europe, the authors suggest that existing marketers increase the marketing investment to strengthen brands, gain market share, and build long‐term customer relationships. International marketers also have good opportunities now to enter Polish UHT markets through intensive marketing campaigns.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to apply marketing science techniques to examine the Polish market and the findings enable both academic researchers and industrial practitioners to understand this market better and explore its potential business opportunities.
Born foreign firms in Cambodia
Authors: Hipsher Scott
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the mode of entry decisions of firms owned by individuals from a developing country, Thailand, when establishing business operations into a lesser developed country, Cambodia.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a case study method, using interviews which were held with owners, managers and employees of eight Thai‐owned companies operating in Cambodia.

Findings

The paper funds that existing internationalization theory and mode of entry frameworks were useful for classifying the two largest firms in the study, however the smaller entrepreneurial firms could not be accurately categorized according to the existing classifications and therefore an additional category, the born foreign firm, was identified.

Practical implications

As small enterprises are responsible for the vast majority of business activities in lesser developed economies, understanding the nature of born foreign firms can provide policy makers and educators with information to build policies and educational program upon.

Originality/value

The phenomenon of the born foreign firm was identified and explored.
Editorial
Authors: Walker Derek H.T.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline the philosophy of the journal and present a summary of its content and how the various papers link to the journal's philosophy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a limited literature review to establish the journal's philosophy and linked description of the issue's content.

Findings

This helps readers to understand the scope scale and expectations of reviewers with respect to papers to be submitted and also helps readers understand what kind of papers to expect in this and future issues.

Originality/value

As the first issue, this editorial establishes the themes to be expected and it outlines several innovations in the journal's format.
Project relationship management and the Stakeholder Circle™
Authors: Bourne Lynda , Walker Derek H.T.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to summarise a successfully completed doctoral thesis. The main purpose of the paper is to provide a summary that indicates the scope of, and main issues raised by, the thesis so that readers that are undertaking research in this area may be aware of current cutting edge research that could be relevant to them. A second key aim of the paper is to place this in context with doctoral study and further research that could take place to extend knowledge in this area.

Design/methodology/approach

Research reported in this paper was based upon action learning from a series of case studies where a project management tool for managing stakeholder relationships was tested and refined.

Findings

The tool is useful in helping the project delivery team identify major influencing stakeholders and visualise their potential impact. This tool then helped the studied project delivery teams to develop stakeholder engagement strategies. While it was initially tested as a planning tool to be used at the early stages of a project it can be used through the whole implementation phase of a project as the flow of major stakeholders and their influence changes during a project.

Practical implications

The tool was further improved during 2006 and commercialised in 2007 and is currently being used by numerous organisations. In observing how it is being used and can be used, it is suggested that over time a useful data base of stakeholder behaviours is being established that can be mined and used to better predict stakeholder types and their likely actions.

Originality/value

This paper provides a summary of cutting‐edge research work and a link to the published thesis (see URL www.mosaicprojects.com.au/Resources_Papers_021.html for a pdf (7meg)) that researchers can use to help them understand how the research methodology was applied as well as how it can be extended.
Comprehensive framework for estimating the deployment cost of integrated business transformation projects
Authors: Hoon Kwak Young , Watson Rudy J. , Anbari Frank T.
Published: February 2008

Purpose

This paper is a summary of a successfully defended doctoral dissertation. The purpose of this paper is to place this research in context to emerging areas of project management and service science, management and engineering and to encourage others to embark on further research related to this important topic.

Design/methodology/approach

Results reported in this paper were based upon action learning from research in which a project management tool for estimating deployment cost was developed by capturing the knowledge of subject matter experts (SMEs) and subsequently tested against projects from various geographic areas.

Findings

There were two primary findings. A development and analysis of the conceptual estimating framework supports the assertion that the use of the framework provides an awareness of the project that may not otherwise be observed or, at best, would be observed later in the life of the project and potentially addressed at a higher cost. A strong association has been found between the conceptual estimate produced by the comprehensive framework and the conceptual estimate produced manually through the use of SMEs.

Originality/value

From academic perspective, the synthesis of technology management, business processes, and the conceptual estimating framework enhances the body of knowledge of project management. For practical applications, the method and framework employed can be utilized to build functioning conceptual estimating tools for deployment, which can lead to cost savings during the estimating process and, as this study surmises, will lead to more effective project management, control, and implementation.