bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Kinship, culture and ethics in organisations
Authors: Tilley Elspeth N. , Fredricks Susan M. , Hornett Andrea
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This article aims to report the results of an international survey (USA and New Zealand) that tested relationship effects on ethical behaviour. The findings point to the impact of perceived social bonds on ethical decision‐making. They also reinforce the cultural specificity of ethics. Both these findings confirm the importance of participatory, ground‐up, discussion‐based approaches to developing organisational ethical standards. The article discusses some implications of these findings for internal communicators involved with ethics programmes in organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used an established scenario‐style survey to test respondents' ethical decision‐making behaviours under different circumstances.

Findings

This article discusses two results that will impact on internal communication approaches to stimulating ethical attitudes and behaviours: the positive influence on people making ethics‐related decisions of a perceived relationship with those affected by the decision, and cultural differences.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited by the functionalist, hypothetical, descriptive survey design which identifies responses but not motivations, and findings are limited to the specific scenarios described. The results show the importance of future research to elaborate connections between perceived relationships, ethics, and culture.

Practical implications

The paper offers practitioners a research method, which they can use to stimulate personal and group reflection among staff about ethical decision‐making and the different factors that can influence ethical choices. In confirming a connection between perceived relationships and choosing more ethical behaviour towards others, the findings may also reinforce the importance of internal relationship building as an important aspect of organisational investment in ethics‐related outcomes such as fraud reduction and reputation management.

Originality/value

The research provides evidence for some connections that have not previously been explored in the organisational context, between perceived relationships and ethical outcomes. It also confirms the cultural diversity of ethics, but shows that enhancing perceived relationships may help bridge cultural differences on ethical norms.
A knowledge management approach to understanding ethical knowledge in public relations
Authors: Ting Lee Seow
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This study aims to explicate the characteristics of ethical knowledge according to a knowledge management theoretical framework that conveys ethical knowledge as a form of tacit knowledge that is personal, subjective, intangible, and difficult to communicate to others.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a survey with 350 public relations practitioners in the USA.

Findings

The findings show that ethical knowledge in public relations, as a professional construct, is tacit only to the extent that it is a personal body of knowledge grounded in individual actions and experiences, but it is explicit in that it is tangible and could be communicated and shared in the workplace. Age, work experience and the number of ethics courses taken in an individual's public relations career are some of the significant determinants shaping the public relations practitioners' conceptualizations of ethical knowledge.

Practical implications

The study reinforces the importance of a holistic approach to ethics, where structured and formal training programs and codes of ethics are supported directly by a congruence between formal initiatives and public relations professionals' personal values.

Originality/value

By explicating the characteristics of ethical knowledge and its implications on knowledge transfer of ethics in public relations, and in understanding the determinants shaping public relations professionals' conceptualization of ethical knowledge, this study offers an empirical contribution to an area of study that has received mostly normative and philosophical discussion.
Teachers: emotional intelligence, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment
Authors: Naderi Anari Nahid
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, and between job satisfaction and organizational commitment among high‐school English teachers. Furthermore, the study aims to examine the role of gender and age in emotional intelligence, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants were selected by proportional stratified sampling and simple random selection. This study adopted a survey research design that utilized an ex post facto research type in which the researcher used questionnaires to collect data from the respondents.

Findings

The results of the study indicate that there is a positive significant relationship between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, between emotional intelligence and organizational commitment, and between job satisfaction and organizational commitment. It is also found there is no significant difference among high‐school English teachers of different genders and ages concerning their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. But concerning emotional intelligence, the findings in this study provide support for gender differences, with females reporting higher emotional intelligence, but the results show no age differences among the participants.

Originality/value

The present study gains significance as the results can assist the teachers and organizations in enhancing the job satisfaction and organizational commitment of teachers, thus stemming the tide of high turnover in the teaching profession.
Workplace learning for the public good
Authors: Kessler Seth A. , Horton Karissa D. , Gottlieb Nell H. , Atwood Robin
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to describe preceptors' implementation experiences after implementing a workplace learning program in Texas WIC (women, infant, and children) agencies and identify implementation best practices.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used qualitative description methodology. Data collection consisted of 11 semi‐structured interviews lasting approximately one hour with all preceptors who piloted a workplace learning program in five Texas local agencies to examine barriers, facilitating factors, best practices, and the workplace learning program's impact.

Findings

This research identified several workplace learning implementation best practices, including the importance of planning at multiple organizational levels, candidate selection, flexible implementation design, managerial buy‐in, preceptor knowledge and availability, open communication, and the establishment of clear expectations and timelines.

Originality/value

Examining implementation of a workplace learning program across a multi‐level public health service organization using a multi‐theoretical approach contributes to the existing workplace learning literature. Recommendations regarding implementation best practices are discussed.
State responsibility for human trafficking – perspectives from Malta
Authors: Farrugia Ruth
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to establish the existence and enforceability of State responsibility for human trafficking, making special reference to children and Malta. Given that trafficking has been described by the European Court of Human Rights as a form of modern slavery, the paper's hypothesis is that the State has a responsibility to ensure that all possible steps are taken to combat the practice and to protect possible victims.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is divided into three parts: the first part makes a concise review of the international criteria applied in response to human trafficking, the second part examines the pertaining situation relating to human trafficking in Malta and the final part makes an analysis of the recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Rantsev v. Cyprus and Russia.

Findings

The paper demonstrates that the affirmation of State responsibility to combat human trafficking is enforceable, with reference to the Rantsev judgement which clearly attributes a positive obligation on States under Article 4. It also highlights the difficulty in tracing judgments related to human trafficking as evidenced by the review of the Maltese position, although this appears to be an issue common to a number of States which indiscriminately put together all cases for trafficking (drug trafficking and human trafficking).

Originality/value

The paper only uses first‐hand sources and Maltese judgements are supplemented with original research into cases as reported in the press. The third part of the work analyses the recent judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in Rantsev v. Cyprus and Russia (2010), speculating as to its impact on all member states of the Council of Europe, including Malta.
Institutional will – the organized crime remedy
Authors: Mazur Robert
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The objective of this article is to examine the criminal conduct of convicted bankers and institutions for the purpose of identifying any measurable factor that can determine the degree of risk an organization faces from the threat of organized crime.

Design/methodology/approach

Primary research was conducted of the money laundering related acts of bankers and banks charged with criminal offenses. In addition, interviews were conducted of professionals with first‐hand knowledge, directly involved in the events related to these prosecutions.

Findings

Although maintenance of a competent anti‐money laundering compliance program is required by law, the real measure of a financial institution's risk from organized crime is directly proportional to the degree with which the business line of an institution genuinely embraces, participates in, and benefits from the anti‐money laundering protocols established by the institution's compliance function.

Originality/value

This paper is original research conducted and presented from the viewpoint of a specialist.
“Rule‐based but risk‐oriented” approach for combating money laundering in Chinese financial sectors
Authors: Ai Lishan
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper attempts to examine the practical condition of implementing risk‐based approach (RBA) in Chinese financial sectors.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper compares the differences between rule‐based approach and risk‐based approach (RBA), and provides different options to financial institutions considering their own circumstances.

Findings

This paper finds that capacity constraint is an issue for directly transplanting the RBA performed by developed countries to Chinese financial institutions.

Originality/value

This paper creatively proposes a rule‐based but risk‐oriented AML approach or partial RBA that fits Chinese financial institutions' reality underpinned by Chinese culture, and correspondingly, different assessment methods are presented as well.
Changes in methods of freezing funds of terrorist organisations since 9/11
Authors: Danziger Yoram
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This article seeks to examine approaches to combating the “scourge of international terrorism” by targeting the financial resources of terrorist organizations and their supporters.

Design/methodology/approach

The article begins with the disputed issue of how to define a “terrorist”, “terrorism”, “terrorist organizations” and “acts of terrorism”. In a global financial system, differences between the definitions of those terms could have significant implications because terrorists have the means and will to operate their financing infrastructure from the least effectively regulated jurisdictions. There are many methods by which terrorists finance both their organizations and specific attacks. By concentrating on three examples of recent terrorist activity, namely the 9/11 attacks in New York, the 7/7 bombings in London, and the transfer of funds from the “Union of Good” to Hamas to fund terrorist attacks in Israel by means of a certain charitable association, the article illustrates the problems facing legal regimes seeking to limit terrorist funding.

Findings

The article notes a broad convergence in the methods of those jurisdictions when combating the financing of terrorism.

Originality/value

The paper provides a discussion of financial resources of terrorism from a legal professional in an area where terrorism is a real danger.
“Guided tour”: a method for deepening the relational quality in narrative research
Authors: Everett Michele C. , Barrett Margaret S.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is two‐fold: first, to provide a description and theoretical rationale for a methodological innovation used to explore relationships visitors form with a single museum over time; and second, to examine and critique the research outcomes in light of this approach.

Design/methodology/approach

To probe individual relationships with a museum, in this narrative inquiry, a unique method of data generation was developed – a “guided tour” of the museum. The guided tour, led by participants, provided a context and purpose for rich conversations between researcher and participant and deepened the relational quality of the research.

Findings

The quality of the researcher‐participant relationship played a critical role in shaping understandings, gained through the research process, about the phenomenon under investigation and self.

Research limitations/implications

Findings from the study document that novel insights emerge when opportunities to strengthen the researcher‐participant relationship are built into the research design.

Originality/value

This paper illustrates the value of employing strategies that deepen the relational quality in narrative research.
Constructing imaginary narratives
Authors: Gandolfo Enza
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Deleuze and Guattari have argued that in art, including literature, the senses get hold of the world in a non‐conceptual or “sensational” way, adding “new varieties” that can lead to new ways of knowing and seeing. The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature of multi‐disciplinary, practice‐led research in creative writing as a form of knowledge making in qualitative research.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses her own writing, especially the novel Swimming (Vanark Press, 2009), which is situated in the broader context of feminist fiction writing, as a subversive feminist project that aims to intervene in and challenge the dominant narratives of what it means to be a woman, by creating “alternative figurations” of “woman” which highlight differences among women and enhance our understanding of “woman” as a complex and multiple subject always “in process”.

Findings

By using her own practice of fiction writing and research as a case study, the author explores the ways that constructing an imagined narrative – in this case a novel – can make a contribution to knowledge and raise questions about representation, truth and subjectivity.

Originality/value

In this paper, through a few examples from her novel, the author's aim has been to write a narrative of the process, of “material thinking” that led to the final work.
Friendship as research
Authors: Mackinlay Elizabeth , Bartleet Brydie‐Leigh
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the individual music research projects the authors were working on in Borroloola, Northern Territory of Australia, and the ways in which the lived and inter‐subjective concepts of sisterhood and friendship strengthened the authors’ shared experiences in the field and became the foundations of their method.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an auto‐ethnographic and inter‐subjective narrative approach, the authors consider how the intertwined notions of relationship as research and “friendship as method”, underpinned what was being researched, how the research was enacted, and finally how the authors came to further appreciate and understand the role that music‐making plays in facilitating this process.

Findings

The authors’ independent and shared experiences during this research were stark reminders that it is indeed the quality of field relationships and friendships, rather than clever theoretical ideas or fancy methodological frameworks, which ultimately determine the quality and depth of their musicological and ethnographic research.

Originality/value

This paper presents original, feminist‐based research which places concepts of sisterhood, friendship and relationships at the centre of music research practice in Australia. More specifically, this research highlights the complexities of such research practice across the boundaries of race, with and in collaboration with, Indigenous Australian women.
Gender typing in stepmothers: a phenomenological analysis
Authors: Gosselin Julie , Rousseau Katherine
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Difficulties in defining stepfamily roles remain an important issue for its members. A potentially important factor in defining roles in the family is the identification with a particular gender type and how it relates to one's expectations about one's place in the family system. The purpose of this paper is to explore how gender typing processes inform our understanding of the stepmother role construction process, and its link with stepfamily adjustment.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi‐structured interview data from six androgynous and six feminine stepmothers were selected based on gender type identification.

Findings

Results from this analysis were analyzed using a phenomenological approach, and are presented with the intent to explore how gender typing processes inform our understanding of the stepmother role construction process, and its link with stepfamily adjustment.

Originality/value

Gender typing has not been studied in the context of stepmother families, even though research on stepmothers’ adjustment has highlighted the ambiguous nature of their role in the stepfamily. Additionally, while qualitative inquiry continues to represent the favoured paradigm in the emerging area of stepmother research, studies of this type remain limited in scope.
Film‐based creative arts enquiry: qualitative researchers as auteurs
Authors: Wood Martin , Brown Sally
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Inspired by an exciting revival of interest in the working methods and processes of the creative arts, the purpose of this paper is to make use of the auteur approach to film production, to further develop knowledge about sensuous methodologies in qualitative research.

Design/methodology/approach

An exegesis of the authors’ particular experiences in producing and disseminating a short documentary film is used to construct a framework from which to analyse affective modes of engagement within the parameters of qualitative research.

Findings

Qualitative researchers are characterised as creative artists who bring their precise aesthetic choice to bear on an audience through a mix of technical competence, distinguishable personality and interior meaning.

Practical implications

One way for qualitative research to have affective impact is to use the working methods and procedures of the creative arts.

Social implications

A research culture is required where risk is permissible and engagement with the creative arts is given greater recognition in future qualitative projects.

Originality/value

As a mode of creative arts enquiry, film making can allow a degree of the emotional meaning and feeling within a study to come through into the analysis and the viewer's/reader's affective experience. This is often difficult to come by in more scientifically‐driven research approaches.
The green preferences of commercial tenants in Helsinki
Authors: Karhu Jessica , Laitala Ari , Falkenbach Heidi , Sarasoja Anna‐Liisa
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to find out the green preferences of corporate occupiers in relation to their occupied offices. The study aims to focus on the preferences of the end‐users at the organisational level. It also aims to study the relative importance of these preferences against one another and to seek the differences between respondent groups.

Design/methodology/approach

The survey is a case study approach concentrating on the situation in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (Finland) in the summer of 2009. The survey was conducted as an internet‐based questionnaire with e‐mail invitations. The importance of nine given green attributes of the office buildings were ranked on a five‐point Likert scale. A total of 90 responses were analysed.

Findings

The results show that location achieved the highest importance, even though it was rated in terms of the environmental sense only. The energy efficiency of a building was ranked second. The indicative results suggest that industry sector and the position of the respondent effect the importance of the preferences.

Research limitations/implications

The Helsinki Metropolitan Area was the focus of the study, but it is believed that the results can be generalised to other office market areas in Finland.

Practical implications

The findings will benefit the management of occupying organisations, real estate investors and marketers who may now deepen their understanding of the preferences of corporate occupiers. The results may be useful to organisations promoting green buildings.

Originality/value

The mainstream sustainability research in the real estate sector has focused on green buildings in the area of new construction, and economical and technical approaches. This study concentrates on end‐users' considerations at the organisational level and green preferences in the existing office stock.
Support staffs' experiences of relationship formation and development in secure mental health services
Authors: Evans Kathryn , Murray Craig D. , Jellicoe‐Jones Lorna , Smith Ian
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Therapeutic relationships have been identified to be a key feature of staff working with patients within mental health settings and are widely referred to within research literature. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of support staff within secure mental health services with regards to the formation and development of therapeutic relationships with patients.

Design/methodology/approach

Ten participants were interviewed, all of whom were unqualified support staff based within secure establishments and working directly with patients.

Findings

Interpretative phenomenological analysis of the data resulted in the identification of three themes: “Building bridges”: developing relationships with patients; “You do forget what they've done”: seeing the person and managing risk, and “Playing your cards close to our chest”: maintaining boundaries.

Originality/value

The themes are discussed and evaluated in terms of relationship formation and development, barriers that may prevent such relationships from being built and the implications for clinical practice.
The nature of supervision in forensic psychology: some observations and recommendations
Authors: Day Andrew
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Supervision is often regarded as an important aspect of forensic psychological practice and yet little evidence exists to support the idea that supervised practice leads to better outcomes for either clients or organisations. This paper seeks to discuss some of the aims of supervision in relation to the needs of forensic psychologists, such that practice in this area can be developed further.

Design/methodology/approach

The current published literature on the nature of forensic supervision is reviewed and discussed.

Findings

A number of different models of supervision have been proposed and supervisory experiences can vary markedly according to both the individuals involved and the setting in which the work is conducted. There is a need to develop specialist models of supervision for those who work in forensic settings. Further research is needed to establish an evidence‐base for supervisory practices.

Originality/value

There has been very little previous consideration of the nature of post‐qualification forensic supervision despite the need, and in some cases requirement, that forensic practitioners receive supervision. This paper discusses some of those issues that are considered important to effective supervision in the forensic setting.
For the birds: the FCC and avian mortality at communications towers
Authors: Cramer Benjamin W.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the contradictions between telecommunications regulation and environmental law in America, via coverage of the problem of large numbers of birds being killed at communications towers.

Design/methodology/approach

Via statutory, legal, and qualitative analysis, this article provides an analysis of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) compliance with environmental statutes and the conflicts that arise between the agency's mandate to maintain a robust telecommunications network and its statutory responsibilities for environmental protection.

Findings

Every year, millions of birds are killed at communications towers. In 1999, the US Fish and Wildlife Service issued guidelines urging the FCC to take action on this problem, as required by various environmental statutes. The FCC ignored the guidelines for several years and defeated the American Bird Conservancy in court when that group sued for observance of the guidelines, but this ruling was later overturned on appeal. The FCC has exhibited a pattern of responding to these developments years after the fact while obfuscating its previous history of non‐compliance and non‐cooperation. As of early 2012 no viable solution to the avian mortality problem has been proposed.

Practical implications

The FCC is required to comply with federal environmental statutes and regulations. However, citizens wishing to dispute FCC environmental compliance will face challenges arising from conflicting statutes and inconsistencies in federal agency behavior.

Originality/value

There has been very little research on the intersection of environmental law and telecommunications regulation, and the particular matter of avian mortality at communications towers has only been analyzed by ornithologists and environmental scientists.
Wholesale provision of broadband services: alternative pricing strategies and associated policies
Authors: Polykalas Spyros E. , Prezerakos George N. , Nikolinakos Nikos Th.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The paper aims to explore the “build or lease” dilemma that a new operator faces when it plans to enter a liberalized telecom market. The “build” decision requires the operator to invest in new network infrastructure. The “lease” part involves obtaining access to the subscriber by leasing the access part of the network via local loop unbundling (LLU) and/or by implementing wholesale broadband access (WBA) (also known as bitstream access). Which are the factors that an operator should take into account when it designs a broadband strategy based on LLU and/or WBA? Are there regulatory measures that can affect the outcome of such a strategy? The paper aims to provide specific answers to both questions.

Design/methodology/approach

Initially the paper establishes the case that LLU as well as WBA can indeed be considered as a useful instrument during the initial stages of broadband development. Consequently, the paper explores the “build or lease” dilemma by using a cost model created from actual market data that, first, identifies the most crucial parameters for the provision of broadband services via LLU, and, second, analyzes the relation between the operators' cost for full/shared LLU and the relevant cost for WBA deployment. The model is used in several scenarios that examine physical vs distant collocation, number of customers, bandwidth, backhaul links and full/shared unbundling access versus WBA, among other factors.

Findings

The cost model shows that there are several factors that should be examined when new entrants design their broadband deployment strategy. In such a case, as an operator establishes market presence, LLU becomes progressively more and more attractive. The paper also discusses how this process can be further accelerated if governments, regulators and operators adopt several additional guidelines with respect to broadband deployment based on LLU and WBA.

Practical implications

The results of the paper guide an operator in the design of a successful broadband strategy based on LLU and WBA.

Originality/value

As far as the authors know, such a cost model is not publicly available in the form of a research paper or otherwise.
Privacy impact assessment reports: a report card
Authors: Wadhwa Kush
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Privacy impact assessments (PIAs) are an important tool for managing risk in both public and private sector projects. The best evidence of how PIAs are being conducted is the PIA reports published at the conclusion of the process. This paper aims to consider PIA reports from five countries and assesses their strengths, weaknesses and impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper also identifies key trends and makes recommendations for improving the PIA process and enabling access to lessons learned by PIA practitioners.

Findings

The paper calls for further study of PIA case studies to determine how closely practitioners and assessors follow the PIA methodologies promulgated in their countries, to seek good practice in the preparation of PIAs and for the creation of a central repository for PIAs.

Originality/value

The author believes this is the first such paper to review actual PIA reports.
Identifying the characteristics for achieving sustainable manufacturing companies
Authors: Thomas Andrew , Francis Mark , John Elwyn , Davies Alan
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the qualitative characteristics that can make manufacturing small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) more robust and hence become economically sustainable in this globally competitive environment. The characteristics identified will form the foundations for defining a new manufacturing management perspective to both academics and industrialists.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a comprehensive case study approach the authors initially analyse the developmental cycle of the subject company and then identify the key characteristics which enabled the company to become economically sustainable and survive in the changing environment in which it operates. The paper opens with a brief academic analysis of sustainability literature available, before developing the case study.

Findings

Traditional business improvement strategies, such as Lean and Agility, which many companies initially follow in an attempt to become more robust and economically stable, allow companies to deliver bottom‐line savings in production terms although their effectiveness depends upon the volume and demand profile of their products. Through the case study outlined in this paper however, a combined approach towards the application of Lean is outlined as a primary means of reducing operating costs alongside the simultaneous implementation of product innovation strategies which allows the company to break into new markets as a means to achieving long‐term economic sustainability and making it more robust to market changes. The development of a business within a business is described as an effective mechanism towards achieving business sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

The paper proposes a novel approach to achieving economic sustainability within a business and can be of benefit to the wider industrial and academic community. The development of work around a single company has its obvious limitations and it is crucial that further work, with a range of companies in the area of business sustainability, is key to developing a comprehensive set of sustainability characteristics.

Practical implications

The paper proposes a set of qualitative characteristics for the development of an economically sustainable manufacturing company. The development of a comprehensive case study with a subject company also directs and enables other companies of similar size and style to apply a similar approach and to achieve economic sustainability in an efficient and effective manner, through reducing production costs, minimising company failure and increasing business efficiency and effectiveness.

Originality/value

The development of a set of sustainability characteristics aimed at tackling directly the issues of economic sustainability is proposed and is considered by the authors as one of a kind. The case study approach also provides for a framework towards the implementation of sustainable manufacturing operations within SMEs.
The effect of linkages and information sharing on supply chain and export performance
Authors: Elwan Ibrahim Sherwat , Ogunyemi Olayinka
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to test the effect of supply chain linkages and information sharing on supply chain performance and export performance of textile and clothing (T&C) firms in Egypt.

Design/methodology/approach

A theoretical framework developed from the literature was suggested and tested using an online survey. The focus of this research is the export side of the T&C industry in Egypt. The sampling frame consisted of 310 T&C exporting firms, from which 63 samples were obtained. Linear regression was used to measure the relationships.

Findings

The results showed upstream (supplier) and downstream (customer) linkages and Information sharing to be positively related to both supply chain performance and export performance. The best predictors of export performance were found to be (in order of decreasing importance): supply chain performance; supplier linkages; and linkages (supplier and customer taken together).

Practical implications

The results of this study give T&C firms in Egypt greater insight on how they may become globally competitive and leverage their proximity to key T&C markets. Egyptian T&C firms should invest in long‐term relationships with their suppliers and invest in business processes that involve their customers and that provide for a higher quality and level of information sharing.

Originality/value

There are no studies that empirically demonstrate how a management paradigm change towards a focus on supply chain management practices influences the performance of the T&C industry in the global market. The paper adds to the literature supporting the positive effect of supply chain management practices on firm performance. Also, new indicators for measuring export performance are suggested and tested.
The lead factory concept: benefiting from efficient knowledge transfer
Authors: Deflorin Patricia , Dietl Helmut , Lang Markus , Scherrer‐Rathje Maike
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare two distinct network structures to determine and show which structure is more profitable. Specifically, it aims to show which factors render the lead factory concept advantageous.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a simple, two‐stage model for prototype and serial production, the authors highlight factors that determine the relative advantages and disadvantages of the lead factory concept in comparison to an archetype network. The archetype network mirrors those networks that have not implemented special strategic plant roles.

Findings

The analysis shows that the lead factory concept benefits from an efficient knowledge transfer. Particularly, it is more profitable than the archetype network under the following conditions: there are a high number of production plants; the adaptation costs for implementing the transferred prototype from the lead factory to the plant are low; the manufacturing costs for the prototype are high; and the manufacturing processes are not highly specific or knowledge intensive.

Originality/value

The paper enables better understanding of the conditions under which the lead factory concept is advantageous for transferring knowledge within an intra‐firm network.
Sales and operations planning and the firm performance
Authors: Márcio Tavares Thomé Antônio , Felipe Scavarda Luiz , Suclla Fernandez Nicole , José Scavarda Annibal
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to improve upon the highly dispersed sales and operations planning (S&OP) research by integrating the findings of existing studies to identify and measure the size of the effect of S&OP on firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology adopted was a systematic literature review of 271 abstracts and 55 papers. Three databases were selected for the search – Emerald, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect.

Findings

Although empirical evidence of the effects of S&OP in the supply chain is described, relatively few of the 55 papers reviewed estimate the effect of S&OP on firm performance. The research findings indicate a lack of unifying frameworks for the measurement of S&OP and constructs related to firm performance. The review offers partial evidence of the effect of S&OP on firm performance, suggesting the need for additional scientifically sound survey or case study research on S&OP.

Practical implications

Practitioners will benefit from insights related to the intermediate role of S&OP in mediating the effects of structural changes on firm performance. There is at least partial evidence that cross‐functional planning processes can mitigate the negative effect of misaligned organisational structures and contradictory incentives schemes on firm performance. Formal and informal communications between functions, networking and internal integrating roles can boost performance. Furthermore, internal alignment seems to facilitate supply chain integration with both suppliers and customers, particularly when inter‐organisational information systems favour supply chain integration.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to providing a better understanding of the role of S&OP as a determinant of firm performance in the supply chain.
The construction industry macro maturity model (CIM3): theoretical underpinnings
Authors: Willis Christopher J. , Rankin Jeffrey H.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce an alternative approach of measuring construction industry performance using maturity modeling. The focus is on introducing a newly developed maturity model referred to as the construction industry macro maturity model (CIM3) and highlighting its use by assessing the maturity of the construction industry of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

Current methods of construction industry performance measurement such as labor productivity and competitiveness are briefly reviewed, highlighting their weaknesses. The theoretical underpinnings of the CIM3 are discussed and the implementation of the CIM3 to measure the cost and quality management maturity of the New Brunswick construction industry is presented.

Findings

An assessment of the construction industry's maturity using the CIM3 provides a leading indication of performance. This is based on the industry being structured according to key practices areas that contain key practices. The industry's key practices are linked to objectives that lead to the achievement of performance goals. The maturity of the construction industry with respect to its key practices is a function of the relative importance of the key practices and the capabilities of the industry in implementing the key practices. Based on this, the implementation of the CIM3 in New Brunswick found that the NB construction industry is more mature in cost management than in quality management.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge on industry performance measurement, and more particularly, construction industry performance measurement. The concept of maturity modeling applied here promotes and demonstrates the use of leading indicators of performance, as recommended in most performance measurement literature.
Prominent obstacles to lean
Authors: Bhasin Sanjay
Published: May 2012

Purpose

This article aims to explore that despite the prominence of lean since 1990, there still exist ambiguous perceptions about the prominent obstacles preventing organisations either adopting lean or thwarting its wider implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 68 UK manufacturing organisations operating lean were analysed in an effort to elucidate the factors contributing to the low numbers of successful lean conversions. Surveys were utilised as part of the research methodology supplemented with seven extensive case studies in a validating exercise.

Findings

The prominent barriers are clearly identified in relation to the organisation's size, which should assist organisations about to embark upon their respective lean journeys. The preventative proposals should improve the implementation records.

Research limitations/implications

The research focuses on manufacturing organisations in the UK, and should greatly benefit companies and managers in their respective lean endeavours.

Practical implications

While the barriers were identified, their prominence and type varied amongst the sizes of the organisation. Equally, remedial strategies are proposed to improve the poor implementation record.

Social implications

In the UK a successful implementation rate of less than 10 per cent is not beneficial for either employees or employers, and is accompanied by a poor use of the external and internal funding available to organisations embarking upon lean.

Originality/value

The preventative strategies should greatly benefit lean managers and improve the poor implementation rates in the UK. Correlating the barriers encountered to the size of an organisation would aid this process.
Integration of demand forecasts in ABC‐XYZ analysis: practical investigation at an industrial company
Authors: Scholz‐Reiter Bernd , Heger Jens , Meinecke Christian , Bergmann Johann
Published: May 2012

Purpose

Item classification based on ABC‐XYZ analysis is of high importance for strategic supply and inventory control. It is common to perform the analysis with past consumption data. In this context, the purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that an integration of demand forecasts can improve the performance of item classification, in particular the performance of ABC‐XYZ analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

For the study, real data of an industrial enterprise in the mechanical engineering sector (focal company) were analyzed and evaluated.

Findings

The study shows that a comprehensive data analysis of the focal company can recommend a specific implementation of the ABC‐XYZ classification. In contrast to the classic method of making the ABC‐XYZ analysis based on consumption data only, the approach developed in this paper offers considerable advantages. These are quantifiable in respect to an assumed optimal reference classification.

Originality/value

The evaluation of the results is very promising and applicable to other branches besides mechanical engineering.
A visual inquiry into ethics and change
Authors: Page Margaret L. , Gaggiotti Hugo
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the practices and findings of a visual inquiry developed by the co‐authors with students in a Business School in the south west of England. The authors are interested in how students engaged with the visual as a practice of inquiry and how this contributed to their development of a critical approach to the concept of ethics in business organisations.

Design/methodology/approach

Students visited an exhibition shown as part of the 100 days countdown to the COP15 UN climate change conference, and constructed visual representation of questions and dilemmas related to ethical business practice. The analysis focuses on student presentations, and the discussions that these provoked on the relationship between “business” and “ethical practice”.

Findings

Doing co‐inquiry with visual images enabled many students to engage more proactively with ethical dilemmas; to attend to deeply felt values that they were not accustomed to bring into the rule bound environment of the classroom; to develop critical readings of the visual as a discourse about business organisations and their claims to ethical practice; and to create their own visual representations of ethical dilemmas within business practice.

Originality/value

The research methodology brings together inquiry‐based learning and visual inquiry in the context of undergraduate learning in a business school. The paper considers the significance of the methodology and findings as a contribution to visual inquiry methodology and practice, and as a medium for enabling students in a business school to develop their ethical sensibility.
Intention to purchase fake products in an Islamic country
Authors: Riquelme Hernan E. , Mahdi Sayed Abbas Eman , Rios Rosa E.
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the factors that influence attitudes toward counterfeits, and the intention to purchase these illegal products in a Muslim country.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 401 participants completed a questionnaire that contained 41 statements related to beliefs about counterfeited products such as risks, ethics and social norms. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were performed to test the measurement and structural models.

Findings

Value consciousness, performance risk (negative relationship), norms (subjective and descriptive) and ethical consciousness influence attitude. Previous purchase moderates attitude and intention. Attitude explains a considerable percentage of the variance of intention to purchase counterfeits. Beliefs explain attitude to a large extent.

Research limitations/implications

There is a lack of product specification; also respondents were more educated than the population (73.3 per cent have a university degree).

Practical implications

People do not see themselves as being unethical in buying counterfeits, even in a religious environment and do not perceive prosecution risks. Government enforcement is important to alter these perceptions. Finding the right price that preserves a premium price for the brand and a perceived “fair” price may be the answer to the problem.

Originality/value

The paper describes a study conducted in an Arab Muslim and rich Middle Eastern country. Previous studies in Asian countries, less economically advantaged and with Muslim populations, have not related their findings to religious beliefs or ethical consciousness.
Entrepreneurial success, using online social networking: evaluation
Authors: Indrupati Joel , Henari Tara
Published: May 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of online social networking by entrepreneurs in the Arabian Gulf.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive research is conducted by interviewing a number of entrepreneurs in the Arabian Gulf who use online social networks as a method of promoting their products.

Findings

It is found that social networking is a cheap and easy method of advertising and gives all entrepreneurs a better chance of reaching their target market and, thereby, in succeeding in their ventures.

Social implications

With the rise in the use of social networking, entrepreneurs can now target their markets using online social networks. Social networking web sites allow businesses to introduce their products to specific market segments, with low expense, and with a low chance of failure. This rising phenomenon of web‐based social interaction can change the way businesses operate in future.

Originality/value

The paper explores the possibilities of entrepreneurial success with this new element, in electronic media, within integrated marketing communications.