bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Encouraging CRM systems usage: a study among bank managers
Authors: Vella Joseph , Caruana Albert
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek to understand service providers and their intentions to use their organization's customer relationship management (CRM) technology. The paper identifies perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as key elements that are critical in encouraging service providers' intention to use CRM systems.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is grounded in the theory of reasoned action and the technology acceptance model. These are used as a basis for developing hypotheses of the relationships between the variables pertaining to the intention to use CRM systems, among a sample of service providers. Data are collected from a sample of managers in a community bank.

Findings

Results indicate that the higher the perceived ease of use, the greater the perceived usefulness and the higher the intention to use CRM. Moreover, perceived usefulness is also found to act as a partial mediator between perceived ease of use and intention to use CRM.

Research limitations/implications

The study was limited to a single entity and consequently the results should be generalized with caution. Replication studies, that could possibly include additional variables, across other countries and contexts are desirable.

Practical implications

The effect of Perceived Ease of Use on employees' intention to use CRM is supported, highlighting the need for management to devote adequate resources toward developing this aspect. This study is also helpful because it highlights the need for senior management to create the right environment to enhance systems adoption.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the interaction among these key elements and their effect on CRM systems adoption within a banking context, thereby contributing to better understanding of the underlying links.
Investigating reverse causality between human resource management policies and organizational performance in small firms
Authors: Katou Anastasia A.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test reverse causality between human resource management (HRM) policies and organizational performance, through the intervening steps of employee attitudes (satisfaction, commitment, motivation) and employee behaviors (absences, turnover, disputes), which are still relatively untested in small firms and in a non‐US/UK context such as Greece.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modeling was used to survey data from 197 small Greek private companies (manufacturing, services, trade) to examine causal inferences.

Findings

The study finds that HRM policies, being contingent on business strategies (cost, innovation, quality), have a positive effect on organizational performance through employee attitudes and employee behaviors. Furthermore, the study supports the view that although HRM policies do not directly lead to high organizational performance, it is high‐performing firms that can directly afford HRM policies.

Research limitations/implications

Although time‐lags are not present in the study in order to test time‐dependent reverse causality, the concept of instant changes is used to empirically demonstrate, through a simultaneous equation system, the causal order of the variables involved in the relationship under consideration.

Practical implications

Based on the business strategies of improvement of goods, quality enhancement and improvement of service, rather than on trying to cut costs and prices, the findings have implications for practitioners seeking to design HRM policies that will improve organizational performance.

Originality/value

The paper examines reverse causality within a simultaneous equations system expressing the relationship between HRM policies and organizational performance.
Nuclear snake‐arm robots
Authors: Buckingham Rob , Graham Andrew
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of snake‐arm robots to conduct inspection and repair operations within nuclear power plants. The systems that have been developed and deployed are described. Operational experience and results are provided. Inspection and repair of aging plant is increasingly important to continue to generate electricity safely from high value assets.

Design/methodology/approach

Snake‐arm robots are hyper‐redundant, multi‐jointed, wire rope drive manipulators that are able to snake between obstructions and gain access to areas that are inaccessible to people.

Findings

The benefits to nuclear operators arising from the deployment of snake arm robots include significant dose saving, increased quality and quantity of acquired data and the ability to enable repairs in highly confined spaces.

Originality/value

The two case studies are first‐of‐kind applications and indicate a direction of travel for the coming decades, both in the nuclear sector and far beyond.
Telepresence and delta style robots come of age at latest combined Automate and Promat Shows
Authors: Bloss Richard
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the Automate Show (robots and vision) and the Promat Show (material handling) that ran jointly in Chicago, with emphasis on the new robot innovations and applications on display.

Design/methodology/approach

In‐depth interviews with exhibitors of robots, as well as system integrators who apply robots to specific categories of applications.

Findings

Telepresence robots have come of age with multiple vendors offering units. Delta robots have found a niche in quick handling of packing and order assembly tasks.

Practical implications

Customers will have to begin thinking of robots as much more that automated workers and start to envision them as tools for making it possible for people to be in more than one place at the same time. Logistics customers need to examine the abilities of the delta style robot to do more and faster order assembly than ever before.

Originality/value

A fresh look at innovations in robotic technology for users. Robots are not limited to just “heavy” lifting any more.
A new bug‐type navigation algorithm for mobile robots in unknown environments containing moving obstacles
Authors: Zhu Yi , Zhang Tao , Song Jingyan , Li Xiaqin
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to improve the traditional bug algorithms for the navigation of mobile robots in unknown environments by considering the limitations in previous works such as generating long path, limited to static environments as well as ignoring implementation issues. With this purpose, a new bug‐type algorithm termed Distance Histogram Bug (DH‐Bug) is proposed for overcoming these limitations.

Design/methodology/approach

DH‐Bug redefines the traditional motion modes and switching criteria to shorten the path length. In order to extend the framework of the traditional bug algorithms to tackle the navigation problem in dynamic environments, a new mode and the related switching conditions are designed for dealing with moving obstacles. Moreover, a realization method termed the Distance Histogram (DH) method which takes many implementation issues into full account is proposed for implementing DH‐Bug on real robots.

Findings

DH‐Bug is convergent in static environments and it also guarantees “approximate” convergence based on several reasonable assumptions when there are moving obstacles. Simulations results show that DH‐Bug generates shorter average path length than some classical Bug algorithms in static environments and it also performs well in most simulations that contain moving obstacles except for some extremely adverse scenarios which have been discussed in the paper. Experiments on real robots further verify its applicability in both static environments and dynamic environments containing moving obstacles.

Originality/value

Compared with previous works, DH‐Bug has three main contributions. First, in static environments, it can shorten the average path length than many classical bug algorithms in the premise of guaranteeing convergence. Second, it can be applied in dynamic environments containing moving obstacles. Third, unlike the previous bug algorithms that always ignore the practical implementation issues, DH‐Bug presents not only an abstract concept, but also a realization approach for realizing this concept on real robots.
Fault tolerant motion planning of robotic manipulators based on a nested RRT algorithm
Authors: Xie Biyun , Zhao Jing , Liu Yu
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a new nested rapidly‐exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm for fault tolerant motion planning of robotic manipulators.

Design/methodology/approach

Another RRT algorithm is nested within the general RRT algorithm. This second nested level is used to check whether the new sampled node in the first nested level is fault tolerant. If a solution can be found in the second nested RRT, the reduced manipulator after failures at the new sampled node can still fulfill the remaining task and this new sampled node is added into the nodes of RRT in the first level. Thus, the nodes in the first level RRT algorithm are all fault tolerant postures. The final trajectory joined by these nodes is also obviously fault tolerant. Besides fault tolerance, this new nested RRT algorithm also can fulfill some secondary tasks such as improvement of dexterity and obstacle avoidance. Sufficient simulations and experiments of this new algorithm on fault tolerant motion planning of robotic manipulators are implemented.

Findings

It is found that the new nested RRT algorithm can fulfill fault tolerance and some other secondary tasks at the same time. Compared to other existing fault tolerant algorithms, this new algorithm is more efficient.

Originality/value

The paper presents a new nested RRT algorithm for fault tolerant motion planning.
Improved model‐based control of a six‐degree‐of‐freedom Stewart platform driven by permanent magnet synchronous motors
Authors: Meng Qiang , Zhang Tao , He Jingfeng , Song Jingyan , Chen Xuedong
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The precise control and dynamic analysis of the electrical Stewart platform have not been so well treated in the literature. This paper aims to design a novel model‐based controller to improve the tracing performance of the electrical Stewart platform. Moreover, the simulations under uncertain environments are used to verify the robustness of the controller.

Design/methodology/approach

In the electrical Stewart platform, there exist two special movements of the motor systems: motor systems' movement with the actuators and meanwhile the rotors and snails' rotation around their axis. The Kane equation is used to compute the driven torque of the movements of motor systems, actuators and movable platform. The improved dynamic models of the electrical Stewart platform which consider the motor systems and actuators' influences are used to design the novel controller. The PID controller and the simple model‐based controller are also developed to compare with the novel one. Moreover, the robustness of the controller is verified by the platform friction and the parameters uncertainty.

Findings

Simulation results show that the novel model‐based controller can gain a better tracing performance than the PID controller and even the simple model‐based controller. Under the environments of the platform with friction and 5% parameters variety, the tracing performance of the novel controller is also satisfactory, which verifies the robustness of the controller. Most importantly, the novel model‐based controller can be used in a higher precision control demand and a more complicated environment.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this paper is to derive a novel model‐based controller considering the motor systems' influence, which enhances the robustness of the controller. To the authors' best knowledge, such a framework for the improved model based controller has not been well treated in the past literature. The conventional PID controller and a simple model‐based controller are also built to verify the advantages of the improved model‐based controller.
Optimal time trajectories for industrial robots with torque, power, jerk and energy consumed constraints
Authors: Rubio Francisco , Valero Francisco , Sunyer Joseph , Cuadrado Juan
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of the torque, power, jerk and energy consumed constraints on the generation of minimum time collision‐free trajectories for industrial robots in a complex environment.

Design/methodology/approach

An algorithm is presented in which the trajectory is generated under real working constraints (specifically torque, power, jerk and energy consumed). It also takes into account the presence of obstacles (to avoid collisions) and the dynamics of the robotic system. The method solves an optimization problem to find the minimum time trajectory to perform the tasks the robot should do.

Findings

Important conclusions have been reached when solving the trajectory planning problem related to the value of the torque, power, jerk and energy consumed and the relationship between them, therefore enabling the user to choose the most efficient way of working depending on which parameter he is most interested in optimizing. From the examples solved the authors have found the relationship between the maximum and minimum values of the parameters studied.

Research limitations/implications

This new approach tries to model the real behaviour of the actuators in order to be able to upgrade the trajectory quality, so a lot of work has to be done in this field.

Practical implications

The algorithm solves the trajectory planning problem for any industrial robot and the real characteristics of the actuators are taken into account, which is essential to improve the performance of it.

Originality/value

This new tool enables the performance of the robot to be improved by combining adequately the values of the mentioned parameters (torque, power, jerk and consumed energy).
The strategic role evolution of foreign automotive parts subsidiaries in China
Authors: Kim Kyung‐Tae , Rhee Seung‐Kyu , Oh Joongsan
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategic role evolution of client‐following local subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers in China.

Design/methodology/approach

The units of analysis are five local subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers dealing with Beijing Hyundai Motor Corporation in China; a case study methodology based on interviews with managers of the subsidiaries was employed.

Findings

First, a modified version of Ferdows's model can be utilized to aptly analyze the strategic role changes of subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers which have followed their major client into the emerging market. Second, the development of a subsidiary's functional capabilities varies from subsidiary to subsidiary, depending on the headquarters' (HQ) global strategy and the nature of its interactions with external players. Third, the strategic role evolution of a subsidiary is critically influenced by the levels of its functional capabilities. Finally, the mechanism for a subsidiary's strategic role evolution can be explained by the interactions of three critical factors: the task assigned by HQ, the subsidiary's choice, and the local environment.

Research limitations/implications

The external validity of this case study is yet to be verified and the possible gaps in perceptions between the subsidiary and the HQ have not yet been addressed. This is the first case study to address the strategic role evolution of client‐following subsidiaries of automotive parts suppliers.

Practical implications

This study presents the HQ with a framework for role assignments and a checklist for planning the development of a subsidiary's capabilities.

Originality/value

This is the first paper to investigate the strategic role evolution of local subsidiaries of foreign automotive parts suppliers in the emerging market, and it finds critical factors affecting capability development, which in turn shape the subsidiary's process of role evolution.
Suppliers' affective trust and trust in competency in buyers
Authors: Ha Byoung‐Chun , Park Yang‐Kyu , Cho Sungbin
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to measure trust that logistics/supply chain management (SCM) managers of supplier firms perceive toward inbound SCM managers of buyer firms, and investigate the effect of trust on supply chain collaboration and logistics efficiency. In doing so, two trust forms are introduced: affective trust and trust in competency. Besides, supply chain collaboration includes the three dimensions: joint decision making, information sharing, and benefit/risk sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

A path analysis was used to test whether the two trust forms affect the three dimensions of supply chain collaboration, and then, the three dimensions of supply chain collaboration, in turn, affect the logistics efficiency of supplier firms. An empirical analysis was conducted with Korean firms.

Findings

Affective trust has a significant influence on collaboration in information sharing and benefit/risk sharing, whereas trust in competency affects collaboration in joint decision making and benefit/risk sharing. Regarding supply chain collaboration, joint decision making and information sharing are found to affect logistics efficiency. Insignificant relationships are detected between affective trust and joint decision making, between trust in competency and information sharing, and between benefit/risk sharing and logistics efficiency.

Originality/value

By classifying trust into affective trust and trust in competency and by incorporating the three dimensions of collaboration, this paper analyzes the causal effect of suppliers' trust at the inter‐personal level on supply chain collaboration and logistics efficiency, and discusses the results compared to those focusing on buyers' trust.
Technology diffusion indexes across countries
Authors: Nissan Edward , Niroomand Farhang
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences between 46 countries, 25 of which are EU members, in their technological communication standards and technological efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

Two indexes were developed. The first, labeled Index 1, measures the communication standards of the 46 countries. The second index, labeled Index 2, measures their innovative efforts. Three different dimension variables were employed in each index. Analysis of variance and the coefficient of variation were used to find similarities and differences between and within the groups classified as EU and non‐EU.

Findings

Results show overall that there were no statistically significant differences in means when countries were grouped into EU and non‐EU.

Originality/value

The paper uses two indexes composed of indication variables to rate and rank 46 countries for their technological diffusion, considering communication standards and innovative efforts.
Infrastructure and productivity in Latin America: is there a relationship in the long run?
Authors: Kühl Teles Vladimir , Cesar Mussolini Caio
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between infrastructure and total factor productivity (TFP) in the four major Latin American economies: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors hypothesise that an increase in infrastructure has an indirect effect on output by raising productivity. To assess this theory, the traditional Johansen methodology was used for testing the cointegration between TFP and physical measures of infrastructure stock, such as energy, roads, and telephones. The Lütkepohl, Saikkonen and Trenkler Test, which considers a possible level shift in the series and has better small sample properties, was applied to the same data set and the two tests were compared.

Findings

The results do not support a robust long‐term relationship between the series; the authors do not find strong evidence that cuts in infrastructure investment in some Latin American countries were the main reason for the fall in TFP during the 1970s and 1980s.

Originality/value

The present paper addresses the empirical relationship between infrastructure and economic growth for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico between 1950 and 2000, using new time series econometric methods finding new evidences on this relationship.
Constructing macroeconomic performance index of Indian states using DEA
Authors: Sahoo Biresh K. , Acharya Debashis
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to construct a robust macroeconomic performance (MEP) index of the State economies of an emerging market economy, i.e. India.

Design/methodology/approach

Two variants of data envelopment analysis (DEA) models – radial and non‐radial – are proposed to construct the macroeconomic policy performance of 22 Indian State economies in the post‐economic reforms era covering the period: 1994‐1995 to 2001‐2002, using three macroeconomic indicators: growth in gross state domestic product, price stability, and fiscal deficit.

Findings

The authors' three broad empirical findings are: first, the radial and non‐radial DEA models yield significantly different rankings of State economies in terms of their MEP index scores; second, as against the use of only growth in gross state domestic product and price stability for MEP measure, the inclusion of fiscal deficit as an additional indicator yields a noticeable improvement not only in the State MEP index scores, but also in their rankings, thus providing the evidence of relatively successful attempt by the Indian States in reducing fiscal deficit, in general, and legislating FRBM bill, in particular; and third, a positive significant correlation between foreign direct investment (FDI) and MEP indicates that a State's overall macroeconomic policy performance does matter to attract FDI.

Research limitations/implications

Since the DEA models employed in this study ignore the possibility of asymmetric shocks, the MEP results might be questioned in this deterministic setting. However, the study period has been smooth and has not been subject to any major changes in the State economic policies. Therefore, the MEP results might not be susceptible such changes. However, further research is desired on examining the macroeconomic policy performance behavior of Indian States using bootstrapping DEA.

Originality/value

None of the past Indian studies were able to give a comprehensive picture concerning the MEP behavior of Indian State economies, since the methodologies adopted in those studies were not suitable to take into consideration all the macro indicators at a time. Therefore, this present study is considered the first of its kind in assessing the MEP index of the Indian State economies by simultaneously considering all the macro indicators.
Microenterprise financing preference
Authors: Osei‐Assibey Eric , Bokpin Godfred A. , Twerefou Daniel K.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the determinants of financing preference of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) whilst distinguishing a broader range of financing sources beyond what is typically the case within the corporate finance literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Under the framework of ordinal logistic regression, the paper also tests whether there is evidence of hierarchical preference ordering as predicted by pecking order theory (POH) using field survey data for 2009.

Findings

The authors relate that new enterprises are more likely to prefer low cost and less risky or less formal financing such as internal or bootstrap finances. However, as the enterprise gets established or matures, its capacity to seek formal financing increases, thereby becoming more likely to prefer or being in a higher category of formal financing. While the paper affirms the POH, it is argued that this order is a consequence of severe persistent constraints other than sheer preference. The findings further reveal that, microentrepreneur's and MSE's‐specific level socio‐economic characteristics such as owner's education or financial literacy status, households tangible assets, ownership structure, enterprise size, as well as sensitivity to high interest rates in the credit market, to be important determinants of either past (start‐up), present or future financing preference.

Originality/value

The main value of this paper is to analyse the determinants of financing preference of MSEs within the context of rural financial market (RFM) from a developing country perspective.
Interdisciplinarity on campus: how the publishing world is responding
Authors: Lawson Karen , King Christine , Matava Tobie
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore how the publishing world is responding to library collection development challenges posed by the growth of interdisciplinary studies programs.

Design/methodology/approach

The first step in this study was a survey of the websites of selected ARL and all Oberlin Group university and college websites to determine those institutions that have a clearly identified Interdisciplinary program or majors. The authors then investigated the status of interdisciplinary collection development practices at these institutions. Finally the websites of reviewers, publishers, and vendors were surveyed to explore what tools are available to help librarians identify new interdisciplinary monographs.

Findings

Rather than supplying formal interdisciplinary collection development support, most librarians rely on external resources to help identify interdisciplinary materials. As technology evolves publisher/vendor websites can provide librarians with the tools needed to conduct in‐depth searches of their catalogs, thus aiding in the identification of interdisciplinary monographs for purchase.

Originality/value

Building on previous scholarship about the growth of interdisciplinary studies and libraries, this paper extends the research by examining the tools available to help librarians bridge the gap created by new disciplinary formations and offers suggestions for publishers to enhance interdisciplinary selection.
When patrons call the shots: patron‐driven acquisition at Brigham Young University
Authors: Schroeder Rebecca
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This paper seeks to provide evidence that patron‐driven acquisition is a successful collection development tool.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used cost, usage, and cost per use as measurements to compare patron‐driven acquired print and electronic books with traditionally acquired print and electronic books to determine the success of five different patron‐driven methods.

Findings

The study found that usage is much higher and the cost and cost per use is lower for patron‐driven acquisition methods than for traditional collection development methods.

Originality/value

Collection development and acquisitions librarians can benefit from this research comparing traditional collection development methods with multiple patron‐driven acquisitions methods to better manage their resources.
Reference in transition: a case study in reference collection development
Authors: Detmering Robert , Sproles Claudene
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to describe the ongoing process of weeding, streamlining, and transforming a very large, print‐based reference collection at the University of Louisville's William F. Ekstrom Library, focusing in particular on the various issues involved in developing a more timely, focused, and electronic‐oriented collection.

Design/methodology/approach

Over the years, the Ekstrom Library reference collection evolved into a large, neglected, print‐based collection that ignored current space needs and user preferences for digital sources. To address this, the reference department developed a new, cooperative approach to reference collection development and weeding to improve the user experience and address serious space issues.

Findings

To achieve a more usable reference collection, the reference department needed to rethink the philosophy behind the collection and completely rewrite the collection development policy. These changes have facilitated the creation of a smaller, more user‐friendly collection that embraces the digital environment.

Originality/value

The article highlights problems and approaches to refocusing a reference collection in a time of transition, as physical library spaces continue to evolve and the value of a traditional reference collection appears increasingly uncertain.
Interview with Professor Robert Kaplan, author of What to Ask the Person in the Mirror
Authors: by William Strange Interview
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to provide an interview with Prof. Robert Kaplan, author of What to Ask the Person in the Mirror.

Design/methodology/approach

The interview is conducted by an independent interviewer.

Findings

Robert Steven Kaplan is a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School and former vice chairman of the Goldman Sachs Group. He is also co‐chairman of Draper Richards Kaplan, a global venture philanthropy firm. He advises numerous companies around the world.

Practical implications

Professor Robert Kaplan examines the self‐development of leaders by giving practical insight on how a leader can ask the right questions.

Originality/value

Leaders must learn how and what to question of themselves in order to become effective.
How to build corporate identity for strategic advantage … and how not to: lessons from a post‐communist country
Authors: Davis Paul J. , Yugay Yevgeniya
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The aim of this viewpoint is to highlight the importance of corporate identity.

Design/methodology/approach

The article lays out five key principles to shape a corporate image.

Findings

Corporate identity is the sum of all things that tell stakeholder groups what a company thinks of itself and how it aims to be perceived by others. It is the practice of fashioning an image that clearly represents where the business strives to position itself in the market place, an image that is consistent with, and supportive of its brands, products, and services.

Practical implications

Reference is drawn from post‐communist Kazakhstan serving to highlight how corporate image can be misjudged in smaller communities and the negative effects this can have on business.

Originality/value

The article provides sound practical advice on the need for organizations to develop a corporate image and how to achieve this.
Periodic performance prediction for real‐time business process monitoring
Authors: Kang Bokyoung , Kim Dongsoo , Kang Suk‐Ho
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide industrial managers with insight into the real‐time progress of running processes. The authors formulated a periodic performance prediction algorithm for use in a proposed novel approach to real‐time business process monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach

In the course of process executions, the final performance is predicted probabilistically based on partial information. Imputation method is used to generate probable progresses of ongoing process and Support Vector Machine classifies the performances of them. These procedures are periodically iterated along with the real‐time progress in order to describe the ongoing status.

Findings

The proposed approach can describe the ongoing status as the probability that the process will be executed continually and terminated as the identical result. Furthermore, before the actual occurrence, a proactive warning can be provided for implicit notification of eventualities if the probability of occurrence of the given outcome exceeds the threshold.

Research limitations/implications

The performance of the proactive warning strategy was evaluated only for accuracy and proactiveness. However, the process will be improved by additionally considering opportunity costs and benefits from actual termination types and their warning errors.

Originality/value

Whereas the conventional monitoring approaches only classify the already occurred result of a terminated instance deterministically, the proposed approach predicts the possible results of an ongoing instance probabilistically over entire monitoring periods. As such, the proposed approach can provide the real‐time indicator describing the current capability of ongoing process.
A study of knowledge culture in the consulting industry
Authors: Mas Machuca Marta , Martínez Costa Carme
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the values that make up a knowledge‐friendly culture in the consulting industry, in which the implementation of in‐house knowledge management (KM) projects has positive performance outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory analysis and a structural equation model were used on a sample of 100 knowledge workers (managers and internal KM project managers) in the consulting sector.

Findings

The results of this study indicate that the values identified (trust, transparency, flexibility, collaboration, commitment, honesty and professionalism) bear a close positive relation to the success of the KM project implementation (innovation, employee satisfaction, capabilities, quality and productivity). These values are divided into three groups.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on the consulting industry in Catalonia, Spain; further research will be required in order to apply the findings to other countries in the world.

Practical implications

The study provides a better understanding of the cultural success factor in knowledge management initiatives. It offers a significant and practical advance in terms of systematizing KM in organizations.

Originality/value

Knowledge management plays a crucial role in consulting companies, so it is necessary to determine the factors that contribute to its success, and particularly the factor of knowledge culture. However, few empirical studies have analyzed these values. The paper's main contribution is therefore identification of the core values of a knowledge‐friendly culture and their impact on performance.
Knowledge sharing, job attitudes and organisational citizenship behaviour
Authors: Teh Pei‐Lee , Sun Hongyi
Published: January 2012

Purpose

There are very few studies on the impact of job attitude on knowledge sharing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of job involvement, job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) on employees' knowledge sharing behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on a survey of 116 Information Systems personnel in Malaysia. Structural equation modelling is used to test the hypothesis.

Findings

The results show that job involvement, job satisfaction and OCB are independent and positively related to employees' knowledge sharing behaviour. However, organisational commitment has a negative relationship with knowledge sharing behaviour. It is found that OCB is not a significant mediator between job involvement, job satisfaction organisational commitment and knowledge sharing behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

It is widely reported that knowledge workers may not be willing to share with others since they can always argue that it is not their job to share. Therefore, knowledge sharing can be regarded as an extra job. OCB is an extra‐role behaviour which is especially relevant to research on knowledge sharing. Theories and research methods in OCB may be used in future research on knowledge sharing.

Practical implications

Given the importance of knowledge sharing in today's competitive business world, this study provides a broader understanding of different dimensions of job attitudes in relation to employees' knowledge sharing behaviours. Our findings suggest that organisational administrators and managers should look into ways of improving the levels of job satisfaction, job involvement, and OCB in order to facilitate knowledge sharing behaviour.

Originality/value

This study makes two distinct additions to the organisational behaviour and knowledge sharing literature. First, job attitudes appear to be significantly related to knowledge sharing behaviour, addressing a research gap in the literature of knowledge sharing and employee attitudes. Second, this study reveals that OCB directly affects knowledge sharing but it does not mediate employees' job attitudes to promote knowledge sharing behaviours.
Individual creativity performance and the quality of interpersonal relationships
Authors: Muñoz‐Doyague María F. , Nieto Mariano
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how the exchanges that employees maintain with their immediate superior and with their work group influence the creativity that they manifest.

Design/methodology/approach

A study was carried out among employees of a firm from the automotive sector. On the basis of previous works, the authors first built reliable multi‐item scales for each variable included in the model; then, a multiple regression analysis was conducted to ascertain the causal effect of those exchanges upon creativity.

Findings

The findings reveal that high‐quality exchanges between the employee and their work group and, to a lesser extent, their immediate superior, have a significant positive influence on their creative behavior.

Practical implications

All this underlines the importance of the composition of work groups for achieving the team environment necessary for creative production.

Originality/value

This paper provides new evidence about a still unexplored topic, trying to bridge the existing gap in the literature about the influence of leadership and group behavior on creativity.
Understanding survivors' reactions to downsizing in China
Authors: Guo Chun , Giacobbe‐Miller Jane K.
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Using an organizational justice framework, this paper aims to examine survivors' attitudinal and behavioral correlates to downsizing in Chinese state‐owned enterprises (SOEs).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted one qualitative study involving personal interviews and one quantitative study involving structured surveys to develop an understanding of the phenomenon.

Findings

The studies revealed that justice‐enhancing managerial practices were associated with survivors' evaluations of their outcomes after the downsizing, which in turn, were related to survivors' positive attitudinal and behavioral reactions.

Research implications/limitations

The findings suggest that organizational justice provides a useful avenue for understanding survivors' perspectives in the downsizing context in China. However, retrospective, cross‐sectional data were used. Future research might investigate causality in the downsizing process by using a quasi‐experimental design.

Practical implications

Managerial practices that address the relational aspects of organizational justice (informational and interpersonal justice) can serve as effective downsizing strategies in China.

Originality/value

The studies are among the first to explore survivors' perspectives of downsizing from a micro‐level, organizational justice perspective in China. They contribute to the organizational justice literature by examining the relative importance of various justice perceptions in a collectivist culture.
Naive dialecticism and Chinese employees' commitment to change
Authors: Chen Jingqiu , Wang Lei , Huang Minyan , Spencer‐Rodgers Julie
Published: January 2012

Purpose

This research aims to examine the relationships among employee commitment to change, naïve dialecticism, and performance change in the context of change in Chinese state‐owned enterprises (SOEs).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 287 employee‐supervisor matched data were collected by questionnaire from three Chinese SOEs implementing a major change on sector restructuring.

Findings

Results showed that affective commitment to change was related to performance change. Change thinking was positively related to all three components of commitment to change, whereas contradictory thinking was negatively related to affective commitment to change. Affective commitment to change fully mediated the association between contradictory thinking and performance change.

Originality/value

This research integrates “outside in” and “inside out” approaches to contextualize commitment to change studies in China. An “outside in” approach was followed to investigate the relationship between commitment to change and performance change, whereas an “inside out” approach was followed to add valuable insights to the commitment to change model from the point of view of Chinese naïve dialecticism.
Moral leadership and psychological empowerment in China
Authors: Li Chenwei , Wu Keke , Johnson Diane E. , Wu Min
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of perceived procedural justice and interactional justice on the relationship between moral leadership and the four psychological empowerment dimensions manifested in individuals' perceptions of meaning, competence, self‐determination, and impact.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 241 subordinates, who reported to 110 supervisors, were collected from clothing companies in southern mainland China. The subordinates responded to a self‐report survey, which consisted of the variables of interest. Because of the nature of nested data, hierarchical linear regression (HLM 6.0) was used for analysis.

Findings

A fully mediated model of perceived justice was supported. Procedural justice and interactional justice were found to be differentially associated with the elements of psychological empowerment. Specifically, while perceived procedural justice accounted for more unique variance in the empowerment facets of meaning, competence, and impact, perceived interactional justice accounted for more unique variance in the facet of self‐determination.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by first examining the relationships among moral leadership, two types of perceived justice, and the four empowerment dimensions in the Chinese context. A detailed discussion of the implication for both researchers and practitioners is also provided.
Advancing theory and research on employee behavior in China
Authors: Isenhour Linda C. , Stone Dianna L. , Lien Donald
Published: January 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to the special issue on employee behavior in China. It aims to highlight the importance of advancing theory and research on the topic, and to suggest that many of our theories are underdeveloped because they do not consider the critical role that culture plays in understanding behavior in organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper and does not employ research methods.

Findings

The results of studies included in the review suggest that Chinese employees' reactions to workplace bullying, layoff policies, autonomy and supervision, affective commitment, and moral leadership are related to their attitudes and behaviors. They also indicate that some unique Chinese values and perspectives may be related to the same criterion variables.

Practical implications

The review of articles in the special issue suggests that managers in Chinese organizations may want to control workplace bullying, develop fair layoff policies, enhance affective commitment to change, consider employees' traditional values, and develop fair employment policies because they are related to employees' attitudes and behaviors.

Originality/value

This review provides a unique perspective on employee behavior because it considers such behavior in a Chinese context. It also offers important implications for current theory, future research, practice, and society as a whole.
Rural‐urban gaps in academic achievement, schooling conditions, student, and teachers' characteristics in Pakistan
Authors: Tayyaba Saadia
Published: January 2012

Purpose

Recent educational research has demonstrated rural‐urban gaps in achievement and schooling conditions. Evidence from developing countries is still sparse. This study seeks to report rural‐urban disparities in achievement, student, teacher, and school characteristics based on a nationally representative sample of grade four students from four provinces of Pakistan. The study aims to take into account the limitations of previous research, mainly the issues of non‐representative samples and inadequate sampling techniques, by using proportionally adequate sample to address the potential differences in achievement of rural and urban students and how schooling, students and teacher‐related factors account for gap in achievement.

Design/methodology/approach

The primary data source for the study was the 2006 national assessment survey of year four students in government school across four provinces in four core subjects. The sample design included a two‐stage stratified random sample, where the major strata of national interest were student and school gender, geographical location and region. First stage involved selecting schools and in the second stage students were selected from schools. The procedure of estimation involved computing the average of each group's achievement scores and attached standard errors, the gap of standard errors and statistical significance of standard errors at 0.05 level.

Findings

The results show that rural and urban students had comparable levels of achievement in some of the tested learning areas. In Balochistan province, rural students outperformed their urban counterparts in three out of the four tested subjects. In Punjab and Sindh, urban students performed significantly better in social studies and language tests; scores on social studies and language did not differ significantly across location in the North West. The differences appeared to be partly explained by variation in schooling conditions, students' home background, and teachers' characteristics. Teachers' training turned out to be decisive in determining students' achievement, whereas availability of resources and multi‐grade teaching was less important.

Originality/value

Recent educational research from around the world has demonstrated rural‐urban gaps in achievement and schooling conditions. Evidence from developing countries is still sparse. This study is the first attempt to report rural‐urban disparities in academic achievement, student, teacher, and school characteristics based on a nationally representative sample. The study has employed an appropriate sampling strategy and proportionally adequate sample to address the potential differences in achievement of rural and urban students in four provinces. The findings could therefore be used to guide policy interventions in areas of curriculum differences, schooling conditions, teachers' training and multi‐grade teaching across provinces.