bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Team performance in negotiation: a relational approach
Authors: Koc‐Menard Sergio
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore how negotiation teams can rely on social networks to enhance their performance at the table.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the impact of social relations on team performance in the negotiation task. It conducts a selective review and integration of negotiation, small group and social network research.

Findings

The paper's main argument is that teams can rely on social relations to locate and get hold of resources that will augment their ability to manage the bargaining process. To tap into the value of social networks, teams need to look beyond their internal processes and develop strategies that actively manage their environment. The paper examines three such strategies: membership change, knowledge acquisition, and ambassadorial activity.

Originality/value

The paper outlines a relational approach to team negotiation. This approach has the potential to improve team negotiation practice by opening up a new way to design and manage negotiation teams.
The nature of workplace boundaries between Australians and Singaporeans in multinational organizations
Authors: Loh Jennifer (Min Ing) , Lloyd D. Restubog Simon , Gallois Cindy
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore the nature of intercultural experiences of Australians and Singaporeans working in multinational organizations. Cultural differences are expected to influence how boundaries and boundary permeability are constructed which in turn affect how Australians and Singaporeans interact and communicate with each other.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 23 employees (ten Australians, 13 Singaporeans) working in multinational organizations in both Australia and Singapore. Grounded theory methodology was used to analyze interviewees’ intercultural experiences to determine the nature and composition of relevant boundary categories and permeability.

Findings

Seven workplace boundary categories of varying degrees of permeability were identified. Singaporeans were perceived to create more impermeable boundaries than Australians. Impermeable boundaries were found to also restrict intercultural interactions.

Research limitations/implications

The qualitative nature of the study, small sample size and interviewer's ethnicity could limit the generalizability of the results. Another limitation is that the data were based on self‐reports and participants may have reported socially desirable responses.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have important practical implications for managers who seek to promote the value of shared group membership and group identity.

Originality/value

This study integrates social identity theory with cross‐cultural theories and extends its application into a collectivist culture (e.g. Singapore) to provide an in‐depth understanding of the nature of workplace boundaries and boundary permeability between Australians and Singaporeans.
Time affluence, material affluence and well‐being among Turkish managers
Authors: Burke Ronald J. , Koyuncu Mustafa , Fiksenbaum Lisa , Demirer Halil
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Based on US college student and adult samples, Kasser and Sheldon suggested that time affluence (TA) may be a more significant predictor of subjective well‐being than material affluence (MA). This paper aims to replicate and extend their findings to an employed sample from another country and culture.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 877 men and women managers and professionals working in the manufacturing sector in Turkey using anonymously completed questionnaires.

Findings

This sample worked long hours and earned significantly less income than did the US samples. TA and MA were uncorrelated in this sample though positively and significantly correlated in the US samples. Income emerged as a significant predictor of MA but not TA. Hierarchical regression analyses, controlling for both personal demographics (e.g. age, education) and work situation characteristics (e.g. organizational level, organizational tenure) showed that TA and MA were significant predictors of most work outcomes (e.g. job satisfaction, job stress) and indicators of psychological well‐being (e.g. psychosomatic symptoms, life satisfaction).

Research limitations/implications

Data were collected at one point in time so issues of causality cannot be addressed. Results suggest that further research on TA and MA should be carried out in countries having different values and levels of development than in North America.

Originality/value

These findings partially replicate US results and extend them to women and men working in a single occupation in another country. They suggest that further research on TA and MA should be carried out in countries having different values and levels of development than in North America.
Work values, employment and ethnicity
Authors: Sharabi Moshe
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to compare the importance of work and other areas of life, as well as preferred work goals, among Jewish and Muslim academic graduates who work in the Israeli labor market.

Design/methodology/approach

The Meaning‐of‐Work questionnaire was conducted on 362 Jewish and 73 Muslim academic graduates.

Findings

The research findings reveal significant differences in all areas of life (work, family, leisure, community and religion) and in six of the eleven work goals. The MDS of Jews and Muslims also demonstrate different perceptions and internalization of work values among the two ethnic groups.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations of this study are related to the measures (importance of life areas and preferred work goals). Using a single‐item measure and ranking measures may not be the optimal, but those measures were used in a variety of studies conducted in several countries.

Practical implications

The findings attributed to cultural differences, ethnic conflict, as well as to the employment opportunities given to Jewish and Muslim academic graduates. The extra‐high work centrality of Muslim academic graduates reflects high non‐actualized potential for organizations and for Israeli society.

Originality/value

Work values of Muslims in general, and of Muslim academic graduates in particular, have not yet been studied in Israel and this is a preliminary study, which interprets findings through cultural, economic and social aspects of Jews and Muslims in Israel.
The role of trust in core team employees: a three‐nation study
Authors: More Keren V. , Tzafrir Shay S.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The paper aims to fill a substantive gap in the trust literature by analyzing the mediating role of trust across different national groups. It presents a theoretical advantage, from the human resource management perspective, is that the research model was examined within the context of a global pharmaceutical firm characterized by a multicultural workforce. This allowed for controlling organizational culture.

Design/methodology/approach

The research hypotheses were tested using data regarding only core team employees. Survey data obtained from employees of a pharmaceutical company in Israel, the UK, and Hungary. After the teams in each of the organization's three sites were mapped out, 205 employees working on 62 teams responded to the questionnaire resulting in a good quality of 61 percent response rate.

Findings

The results of zero‐order co‐relational and confirmatory factor analysis revealed the two trust foci to be interrelated, but distinct, constructs. This finding suggests that employees can develop trust in specific individuals, such as superiors, and generalized representatives, such as the organization. The mixed models analysis suggest that there are significant differences between the Israeli, UK, and Hungarian employees for three of the research variables: trust in the organization, turnover intentions, and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).

Originality/value

The paper is one of the first cross‐national empirical studies of its kind to demonstrate the role of trust as a mediator between organizational justice and employee work attitudes and behaviors. In addition, it is one of the first cross‐national studies on trust that controlled both industrial characteristics and organizational culture.
Career development, collective efficacy, and individual task performance
Authors: Kellett Janet B. , Humphrey Ronald H. , Sleeth Randall G.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that perceived collective efficacy would mediate the effects of self‐efficacy on individual task performance.

Design/methodology/approach

An assessment center design with 147 participants in 49 three‐person groups was used.

Findings

It is found that for individuals working on an assigned group goal, perception of the group's collective efficacy, rather than self‐efficacy, has a direct influence on task performance.

Research limitations/implications

Future researchers should examine the extent to which cognitive intelligence influences collective efficacy effects.

Practical implications

The research suggests that perceptions of collective efficacy and team support may influence early career developmental task performance.

Originality/value

This paper found that collective efficacy might be more important than individual efficacy in predicting individual task performance in some circumstances.
Reinventing the MBA as a rite of passage for a boundaryless era
Authors: Kelan Elisabeth , Dunkley Jones Rachel
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to explore whether the rite of passage is still a useful model with which to conceptualise the MBA in the era of the boundaryless career.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the formative experiences of full‐time MBA students at an elite business school, using in‐depth qualitative interviews. Through a discourse analysis, the paper shows how MBA students draw on concepts resembling the anthropological model of the rite of passage when making sense of their experience.

Findings

The resources MBA students have available to talk about their MBA experience mirror the three‐step rite of passage model. The first step involves separation from a previous career, either because of limited opportunities for advancement or in order to explore alternative career paths. In the transition or liminoid stage, identities are in flux and a strong sense of community is developed among the students and they play with different identities. In the third stage, the incorporation, students reflect on the value of the MBA for their future career.

Originality/value

The paper shows how the MBA is still seen as a rite of passage at a time when careers are becoming boundaryless. Within this more fluid context, the rite in itself is seen as enhancing the individual's brand value and confidence, enabling them to negotiate the challenges of managing a boundaryless career.
Generation Y and career choice
Authors: Hurst Jessica L. , Good Linda K.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The transition from higher education to employment is a major life change for many college seniors (currently, the Generation Y cohort). The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of Generation Y and to present new insights regarding Gen Y's retail career expectations, perceptions of retail careers, future psychological contract/entitlement perceptions of retail careers, and career exploration of the US retailing industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing quantitative research methods via an on‐line survey, the authors examined 193 Gen Y college seniors' retail career perceptions and expectations, and explored the influence these factors have on future psychological contract/entitlement perceptions of employer‐employee obligations and retail career exploration from nine US universities.

Findings

College seniors' pre‐entry retail job expectations, perceptions of retail careers, and future psychological contract/entitlement perceptions of employee obligations were significant predictors of career exploration; college seniors' preconceived notions of retail careers, combined with what they feel they would owe their future employer, are instrumental in determining retail career exploration decisions.

Research limitations/implications

Findings suggest directions for university faculty, academic advisors, and industry practitioners on facilitating college seniors' transitions from higher education to the world of work by suggesting recruitment strategies that can attract, retain and motivate Gen Y.

Originality/value

The findings provide useful criteria for organizational development strategies to assist with the transition from higher education to the workforce and may also improve the success of recruiting Gen Y employees. In addition, the conceptualization of psychological contracts (i.e. entitlement perceptions) differentiates this study from prior psychological contract research.
Explaining employees' evaluations of organizational change with the job‐demands resources model
Authors: Hetty van Emmerik I.J. , Bakker Arnold B. , Euwema Martin C.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

Departing from the Job Demands‐Resources (JD‐R) model, the paper examined the relationship between job demands and resources on the one hand, and employees' evaluations of organizational change on the other hand.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 818 faculty members within six faculties of a Dutch university. Data were analyzed using multilevel analyses with faculty as the grouping variable.

Findings

For the job demands, results show that emotional demands, but not workload, are negatively related to more favorable evaluations of organizational change. Regarding job resources, results show that support from the supervisor, job control, and opportunities for professional development is associated with more favorable evaluations of organizational change. Moreover, job control and support from the supervisor buffered the negative relationship between emotional demands and favorable evaluations of organizational change.

Research limitations/implications

One of the clear implications of this study is that organizations should try to provide their employees with adequate resources together with the ascertaining of jobs with low job demands such that people can fulfill their job without severe adverse working outcomes. If it is impossible to reduce or optimize specific demands, additional job resources should be provided.

Originality/value

The finding that job resources are important in shaping evaluations of organizational change perceptions is consistent with the idea that employees with enough resources will be motivated to do their job and to be motivated to participate in change processes. Employees, who perceive their work environment and their job as highly resourceful, are more likely to anticipate into a pending change effort.
Learning climate and work group skills in care work
Authors: Westerberg Kristina , Hauer Esther
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The overall aim of the present study was to investigate the learning climate and work group skills perceived by managers and their subordinates in the municipal elderly care, prior to a development project. The specific research questions were: Are managers' and their subordinates' perceptions of the learning climate related? and Does the manager's assessment of the work group skills correlate with the work group's perception of the learning climate?

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 12 managers and 130 of their subordinates were selected, and answered a questionnaire. The subordinates belonged to work groups with five to 19 care assistants working in elderly care. The majority of the participants were women (92 per cent). The mean age was 43 years old, range 20‐63.

Findings

Results suggest that the perception of the learning climate has a correspondence between the organisational levels (managers and their subordinates) and that there is a correspondence between managers' ratings of work group skills, in particular skills for effectively managing change, and the work groups' perception of their learning climate, in particular decision autonomy and developmental and collaborative potentials.

Research implications/limitations

The manager sample was small and from one single organisation.

Practical implications

The relations between the learning climate and the assessment of staff skills are important to the actions taken in order to facilitate workplace learning and development.

Originality/value

This study contrasted the managers' assessment of skills with their work groups' perceptions of learning climate, which is quite unusual in learning climate studies.
Social interaction and the formation of entrepreneurial characteristics
Authors: Yu Christina W.M. , Man Thomas W.Y.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper is an empirical study which aims to investigate the development of social interaction and their impacts on developing learners' entrepreneurial characteristics throughout their participation in an authentic enterprise activity.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample of this study was drawn from the participants of an enterprise activity called the Teen Entrepreneurs Competition for the high school students in Hong Kong. With the use of a mixed approach involving both qualitative and quantitative methods for data collection and analysis, the development and impacts of social interaction of the participants were investigated during their venturing process in the competition.

Findings

The findings showed that the participants' entrepreneurial characteristics would be developed and enhanced through the four key types of social interaction, including the interaction with team members, instructors, schoolteachers and business stakeholders. However, the impact of social interaction was more direct on the development of task‐oriented entrepreneurial characteristics, but less direct on the conceptual‐oriented entrepreneurial characteristics.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides useful insights into making a good use of social interaction in authentic enterprise education activities. Further studies can be conducted on studying the change in attitude towards entrepreneurship and the impacts of such change on the developing of entrepreneurial characteristics through social interaction in enterprise education.

Practical implications

It is recommended that enterprise programmes and activities should be maximised with participants' social interaction opportunities particularly with business practitioners and opportunities provided for participants to reflect on their social interaction from time to time in order to achieve better learning outcomes.

Originality/value

The results complement the existing literature on enterprise education by extending the current focus on the experiential aspect towards the interactive aspect during the learning process.
Intersection of trajectories: a newcomer in a community of practice
Authors: Campbell Matthew , Verenikina Irina , Herrington Anthony
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study of a newcomer to the practice of policing to explore conceptualisations of learning through practice. It aims to position learning as the intersections of trajectories of being and becoming within a community of practice. The paper seeks to argue that learners need to be understood with respect to their personal histories and how these interact with the social and cultural dimensions of the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is a case study of a new police officer with data collected through a series of interviews and observations over a two‐year period.

Findings

The case study presented demonstrates the relationship between prior experience, personal histories, participation and a sense of belonging in shaping the learning of early‐career police officers. It suggests that in considering newcomers to the workplace it is important to view the process of learning as being influence by these interconnected factors.

Research limitations/implications

This study concludes that the position of the individual in the social learning of a community of practice is an important aspect that needs further exploration. Although the significance of learner identity with communities of practice is acknowledged by Lave and Wenger it remains underdeveloped, and continues to present as an area for further research.

Practical implications

Trajectories of learning for newcomers to the workplace are affected by their previous social and cultural experiences and expertise, the association that they bring from these to the new community and participation in practices of the community. There exists, therefore, a role for managers in shaping the organisation to be supportive of these informal learning experience and, thus, the selection and training of managers should be aligned to these goals.

Originality/value

This paper extends current understandings of learning and development in the policing context as well as contributing to the broader discussion of informal learning in the workplace and understanding of experts and novices within communities of practice.
Internet gambling in the workplace
Authors: Griffiths Mark
Published: October 2009

Purpose

This paper seeks to overview the issues, concerns and challenges relating to gambling – and more specifically internet gambling – in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Using psychological literature, this paper outlines a number of important and inter‐related areas including brief overviews of gambling and problem gambling, internet gambling, social impact of internet gambling, types of gambling in the workplace and associated issues, and the effects of gambling in the workplace.

Findings

The paper reveals that issues surrounding gambling and internet gambling in the workplace are a neglected but important area for employers and employees.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical base for the paper was based on a small number of peer‐reviewed papers.

Practical implications

Using the findings of the psychological literature, guidelines for managers on the issue of gambling and internet gambling in the workplace are presented.

Originality/value

Research on internet gambling is sparse and there is almost nothing in the literature concerning implications of internet gambling in the workplace.
The political economy of the global pharmaceutical industry
Authors: Hira Anil
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The majority of the world's population has limited access to needed medicines. The purpose of this paper is to explain why certain characteristics of the global pharmaceutical market have not served a large majority of potential consumers in the developing world.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a political economy analysis of evolutionary and regulatory aspects of both supply and demand conditions for global pharmaceuticals, it can be understood why most of the world's poor have limited access to basic medicines. The paper then turns to what avenues are available for improving access to medicines. An analysis of the chief proposed solutions, namely: pooled demand and relaxation of intellectual property rights, reveals their inadequacies. A third emerging avenue, the growing production of pharmaceuticals in the south, is examined through case studies of leading producers including India, China, and South America.

Findings

While each of the three options offers potential benefits, none is adequate to solve the problem – a new, perhaps combinatorial, approach will be needed to ensure that a wider global market for pharmaceuticals can be created.

Originality/value

The paper offers insights into the political economy of the global pharmaceutical industry.
Relative gender differentials and Islam in non‐Arabic nations: a regional analysis
Authors: Self Sharmistha , Grabowski Richard
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek to empirically analyze whether the impact of Islam on relative gender performance varies by regions of the non‐Arabic world's economy. In addition, if in some regions Islam is found to have a negative impact on relative gender performance, an attempt is made to determine what aspect of Islamic practice (not doctrine) might account for this impact.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical estimations are carried out in a cross‐country framework.

Findings

The results indicate that the impact of Islam varies by region, for the most part being associated with a worsening in relative gender performance. However, once it accounts for differences in birth rates, the negative impact of Islam on gender inequality disappears for all regions.

Research limitations/implications

Fewer variations in the data limit the estimation procedures one can use for the purpose of the analysis.

Practical implications

Contrary to the consensus in the literature, the paper finds that it is not Islam that worsens gender inequality but rather the high fertility rates generally found among followers of Islam.

Originality/value

The paper is unique in its focusing exclusively on non‐Arab countries.
Sustainable development in sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Nwankwo Sonny , Chaharbaghi Kazem , Boyd Derick
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore different prisms through which sustainable development (SD) is considered and to situate the discourse in African contexts by highlighting the contestations in which the conventional knowledge of SD is embedded as well as an agenda for improving the institutional framework for productive engagement of Africa nations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on desk research and synthesis drawn from the extant literature.

Findings

The orthodox knowledge of SD reflects axioms that are inextricably liked to the idiosyncrasies of the developed world; framed in opinions, languages and meanings that are poorly communicated to and understood by rural Africa. As a result, many African countries have remained bystanders in this important global discourse.

Practical implications

To engage Africa proactively, a more broadened perspective is required in promoting the global agenda for SD, taking more account of the continent's contextual subjectivities than is presently the case.

Originality/value

The treatment offered indicates a need for more context‐bound education (not prescriptions) that is sufficiently sensitive and respectful of the complex trajectories characterising Africa's development (or lack of it). It is from this knowledge base that a useful SD agenda for the region might emerge.
Globalisation and labour market flexibility: a study of contractual employment in India
Authors: Rajeev Meenakshi
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the status of a class of non‐permanent labour in the globalised era in India.

Design/methodology/approach

To understand this the paper uses both secondary level information and primary data collected through a survey. Secondary level data are analysed using a panel data model. Here, the hypothesis is: contribution of contract labour to production is greater than that of the regular employees. The primary level survey is conducted to know whether they are exploited due to their non‐permanent stature.

Findings

It is observed from secondary data analysis that the hypothesis is not rejected. Contract labour makes a significant contribution to production, while the regular employees do not. Primary survey also shows that they are exploited in many ways including through non‐payment of minimum wages.

Practical implications

The paper indicates that, while regulations are in place, they are abused and hence it is the implementation part on which government needs to focus.

Originality/value

Analysis shows how rationalization of employment does not take place due to labour regulations for the regular employees. It also brings to light through primary survey various lacunae in the implementation of the Contract Labour Act. Since survey of such labour class is difficult there are limited studies in this field.
Benchmarking competitive methods and strategic choices of Portuguese SMEs
Authors: Gomes Carlos F. , Yasin Mahmoud M. , Lisboa João V.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and benchmark the strategic approaches utilized by Portuguese small and medium enterprises manufacturing organizations in response to the competitive pressures in the European and global markets.

Design/methodology/approach

For the purpose of this paper, factor analysis and cluster analysis are used to analyze and to compare responses obtained from a cross‐sectional sample of 68 Portuguese manufacturing organizations.

Findings

Based on the results of the analysis, it appears that the sampled organizations are following hybrid strategic orientations. These strategic orientations appear to be motivated by well‐defined mixed strategies. The strategic elements of e‐business are detected in these mixed strategies.

Research limitations/implications

The sample used in this paper is specific in nature (Portuguese manufacturing organizations). Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly.

Practical implications

This paper attempts to shed some light on the effectiveness of current strategic practices of Portuguese manufacturing organizations. The findings of this paper have practical benchmarking strategic implications.

Originality/value

This paper investigates the nature and scope of new strategic orientations utilized by manufacturing organizations. Evidence of the presence of innovative, mixed strategies is uncovered.
Measuring and benchmarking the performance of coffee stores for retail operations
Authors: Joo Seong‐Jong , Stoeberl Philipp A. , Fitzer Kristin
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to measure and benchmark the retail operations of selected coffee stores owned by a specialty coffee company.

Design/methodology/approach

Data envelopment analysis is used for benchmarking the performance of eight coffee stores for two years using internal annual reports.

Findings

Major findings are that the inefficient stores need to improve occupancy related expenses and revenues from non‐coffee items. In addition, the coffee stores locate in an affluent residential area outperform the stores in the business district.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this paper is in the use of financial data. To overcome this issue, non‐financial data should be included.

Originality/value

The contributions of this paper are twofold: providing a framework for performance measures within a benchmarking perspective and evaluating the comparative efficiency of coffee stores using internal data, which is not accessible to the general public.
Benchmarking the presidential election of Barack Obama
Authors: Green Daryl D.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the range of benchmark applications associated with the historical event of Barack Obama being elected as the 44th US president.

Design/methodology/approach

Collection and critical analysis of secondary data from relevant publications analyzing the results of the 2008 presidential elections. Analysis of organizational behavior theories have been utilized in order to benchmark leadership attributes.

Findings

The paper concludes that Obama's presidential victory is influenced by several factors which included leadership traits, leader‐follower identification, and postmodernism.

Research limitations/implications

The paper examines benchmarking applications that are exclusively relevant in a public sector environment.

Practical implications

There are several implications for researchers and practitioners related to how future political strategies for US presidential elections might be planned.

Originality/value

This paper is significant because it presents a theoretical framework for interpreting the 2008 presidential election and setting the benchmark for the application of future presidential elections.
A synergistic performance management model conjoining benchmarking and motivation
Authors: Goncharuk Anatoliy G. , Monat Jamie P.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop an improved management/performance model that yields superior business productivity by conjoining internal benchmarking, external benchmarking, and a strong employee performance/behavior paradigm.

Design/methodology/approach

Strengths and weaknesses of conventional benchmarking approaches to productivity maximization are examined through both literature surveys and experiments.

Findings

It is found that most benchmarking efforts are hampered by resistance of employees to change. It is therefore concluded that benchmarking efforts could be enhanced by integrating employee motivation/behavior programs with the benchmarking efforts.

Research limitations/implications

The individual elements of the proposed model have been field‐validated; however the integrated model has not been field‐tested. This is planned as future research.

Practical implications

The conjoining of internal benchmarking, external benchmarking, and employee motivation/behavior programs should substantially enhance the results of productivity improvement programs based upon benchmarking.

Originality/value

This is the first effort that integrates internal benchmarking, external benchmarking, and employee motivation/behavior programs. This synergistic management model should be quite significant in enhancing corporate productivity.
Benchmarking leagility in mass services
Authors: Rahimnia Fariborz , Moghadasian Mahdi , Castka Pavel
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and highlight that the application of leagility can be possible in mass services as one type of services.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes a case study and considers the concept of the leagility in a mass service organization. By highlighting some of the characteristics of mass services, it examines whether or not this concept can be applicable in the context of mass services.

Findings

Despite the low customization in mass services, fast food restaurants have faced changing needs of the customers. To respond to these demands, the case study organization can adopt new strategies so that it could be able to serve the customer with short lead times, low costs and high variety.

Research limitations/implications

This paper considers leagility in a single mass service. Hence, in order to provide robust results in this type of services, more cases should be studied. It is also necessary to study leagility in other types of services that is, professional services and service shops.

Originality/value

Despite the importance of mass services in today's life, research have focused on the application of operations management's concepts in manufacturing sector. This paper has proposed the possibility of applying the leagility concept in a case study organization to show that mass services can benefit from the advantages of both lean and agile paradigms.
Applicability and potential benefits of benchmarking in Brazilian clinical laboratory services
Authors: Alex de Oliveira Galoro César , Elizabete Mendes Maria , Nascimento Burattini Marcelo
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the applicability and benefits of benchmarking as a tool for quality analysis in Brazilian laboratory medical services.

Design/methodology/approach

A primary observational study is performed in eight hospital laboratories by tracking the receipt, analysis and return to participants of monitoring reports relating to several quality indicators for the years 2005 and 2006. Whenever possible, the paper applies 6σ criteria as an independent assessment of process quality.

Findings

Data obtained for the eight laboratories showed a monthly average (±SD) of 178,579 (±153,670) tests performed per laboratory, with 40,256 (±44,858) requisitions and 4.77 (±1.33) tests per requisition. Overall, productivity was 7.35 (±2.46) tests per man‐hour of work (MHW), increasing to 15.36 (±6.00) when considering only the analytical sector staff. An average of 1.63 (±1.14) lost hours per hundred MHW were reported (level 3.6σ), with 3.86 (±5.10) accidents at work reported (AWR) per hundred thousand MHW (level 5.5σ) and 4.22 (±2.61) redraws per thousand requisitions attended (level 4.1σ). The turn‐around‐times were 2.25 (±0.98), 3.29 (±2.12) and 8.54 (±3.25) hours for glucose level, haemogram and human immunodeficiency virus serology, respectively.

Practical implications

Benchmarking proved to be a useful and feasible tool for quality management in Brazilian clinical laboratories, particularly when associated with independent tools for evaluating the quality of laboratorial processes.

Originality/value

This is the first Brazilian study reporting that benchmarking provides useful information on the performance of different clinical laboratory processes and, therefore, could become an important tool for laboratory management.
Bridging the gap between service provision and customer expectations
Authors: McKnight Susan
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to serve as a reminder to all managers that they must understand their customers, from the customers' perspective, and not make assumptions about customer needs.

Design/methodology/approach

Customer value discovery workshops are held with undergraduate on‐campus students and academic staff at Nottingham Trent University to identify customer values and irritations. Library staff participate in the workshops and vote as they expect their customers to vote. The gaps identified between staff assumptions of customer perceptions of service importance and performance serve as a catalyst for staff engagement in the change process that is necessary to deliver on the value propositions and reduce customer irritations.

Findings

Library staff assumptions of customer perceptions are not always accurate. The gaps identified help to engage staff in the change process that is necessary to improve perceptions of value and to reduce irritations. By explicitly addressing the value propositions with the aims of adding value and reducing irritation, student satisfaction with library services, as measured by two independent satisfaction surveys, improves considerably.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on two customer segments of one university library. The research should be repeated after a gap of three‐four years to check if the value propositions and irritations have changed in that time. If so, the goals of the library's operational plan would have to change to reflect the new value propositions.

Practical implications

A comparison of the Customer Value Discovery methodology with LibQUAL+™, which is used internationally, and the Rodski Research Group's method, used in Australia and New Zealand, is given.

Originality/value

The Customer Value Discovery methodology is most often used in the commercial sector. This paper explores its potential in the not‐for‐profit sector in the context of a university library service.
Measuring academic libraries service quality in fuzzy environment
Authors: Zare Mehrjerdi Yahia , Sayyadi Toranlo Hossein , Jamali Reza
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the perception of service quality. The measurement of service quality has grown significantly in importance over recent years. However, since customers' perceptions of service quality are expressed subjectively in vague linguistic terms therefore, a fuzzy approach to service quality of an academic library is applied and the gap between the student's expectations and perceptions analyzed.

Design/methodology/approach

The LibQUAL method is applied to identify the gap between customer expectation and perceptions of the actual service received. The linguistic procedure is developed considering four dimensions of LibQUAL. The quality analyses are based on the non‐parametric rank‐based statistics (Wilcoxon's two‐sample rank sum statistic) and extended to fuzzy data which consequently reinforces results in comparison with crisp data.

Findings

It is found that there is no gap between the students' expectations and perceptions in three dimensions of “affect of service”, “library as a place”, and “personal control”. But, from the students' point of view, regarding the “access to information” dimension, there is a significant difference between the students' expectations and perceptions.

Research limitations/implications

The instrument that is administered is a paper questionnaire version based on the 2002 model of LibQUAL.

Practical implications

It is felt that application of this fuzzy procedure has implications on possible constraints on the statistics of interest, as well as on the p‐value of any associated significance tests.

Originality/value

This paper is possibly the first to demonstrate the application of fuzzy logic to the LibQUAL model. This fuzzy procedure persuades possibility constraints on the statistic of interest, as well as on the p‐value of an associated significance test. This fuzzy procedure persuades possibility constraints on the statistic of interest, as well as on the p‐value of an associated significance test.
Needs assessment of library instruction at Texas A&M University Libraries using student feedback
Authors: Gonzalez Adriana J.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this case study is to identify gaps in service for library instruction conducted at Texas A&M University Libraries by doing a qualitative needs assessment using student feedback.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Atlas.ti, student feedback comments taken from academic years 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 are coded in five fields: semester, classification, most useful, least useful, and comments. Major categories and subcategories are created for coding purposes and queries are run in that software program to identify needs and trends using the categories and subcategories.

Findings

The results demonstrate that a need for technology is high on the list of needs, however, surprisingly; it is instructor style and material that are found to be a slightly bigger need. Students want an engaging, enthusiastic, and basically pleasant instructor, more than their own computer workstation/laptop.

Research limitations/implications

The large number of respondents' feedback is a limiting factor. A point of data saturation is reached. It would be more effective to breakdown the datasets into semesters instead of by years.

Practical implications

With the known results, it would be feasible to present these findings to the library faculty or librarians, with teaching responsibilities, in order to begin addressing improving instructor style. It is also encouraging to discover that students want the ability to follow along, which is an indicator that they want to be engaged and feel that having their own laptop, for example would aid with that.

Originality/value

This unique study looks at library instruction from a student's perspective instead of from a programmatic perspective. This uniqueness opened up the opportunity for continued research using student feedback forms data.
What is impact assessment and why is it important?
Authors: Streatfield David , Markless Sharon
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to offer a definition of impact assessment and to discuss some of the implications of this and other definitions. A particular approach to impact assessment is introduced, as developed for use in a variety of library and information service settings and the principles underpinning this approach are described.

Design/methodology/approach

This approach has been adapted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Libraries Initiative (GL) when providing impact planning and assessment support to grantees through their “IPA Road Map”. The approach is also adopted by the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) in devising its impact assessment strategy for evaluation of its future Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) work.

Findings

The importance of impact assessment in a variety of settings is outlined: from school libraries to university researcher support and from public libraries to electronic information services.

Research limitations/implications

Although this paper draws on and quotes from the IPA Road Map developed by the GL, all the comments and opinions expressed are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing an official GL viewpoint.

Originality/value

Some “unofficial” observations are offered on the relationships between impact assessment, advocacy and service sustainability, particularly in relation to major service development programmes such as the GL.
Reflective discourse about intellectual capital: research and practice
Authors: Dumay John C.
Published: October 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of a critical research perspective in the development of research in the field of intellectual capital (IC) practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper initiates a reflective discourse about the relevance of contemporary approaches to research and practice in the field of IC and explores the way forward with a view to improving the relevance of IC to academics, practitioners and their organisations.

Findings

It is not the intention of this paper to prescribe specific formulae for the measurement, management and reporting of IC, nor further develop theory. It is the intention of the paper to lay the foundations for further discourse on the thinking behind contemporary IC theory and practice.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of the paper is that it represents the informed opinion of the author and these views may not be shared by other researchers and practitioners. The implications are first that it aligns IC to the current general and economic environment as there is a perceived increase in awareness among stakeholders to manage scarce and intangible resources. Second, by taking a critical approach to IC research it advocates how to develop insights and processes that can help build the recognition and benefits of IC practices.

Originality/value

This paper openly questions the need to develop further IC theory and advocates a way forward by outlining a critical approach to researching and implementing IC in practice.