bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Becoming an entrepreneur: opportunities and identity transitions
Authors: Lewis Kate V. , Ho Marcus , Harris Candice , Morrison Rachel
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to report an empirically grounded theoretical framework within which to understand the role of entrepreneurial identity development in the discovery, development and exploitation of opportunity, and to elaborate on how these identity transitions both mobilise and constrain female entrepreneurs.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative case study-based research design was used in this study. Primary and secondary data were collected from eight female participants (all of whom can be categorised as “mumpreneurs”) and analysed to inform the theoretical framework that is the foundation of the paper.

Findings

The authors describe how identity conflict, role congruence and reciprocal identity creation play a critical role in venture creation as a form of entrepreneurship. Drawing on the constructs of identification, self-verification and identity enactment, the authors build a theoretical framework for understanding entrepreneurial identity transitions in relation to opportunity-seeking behaviours.

Research limitations/implications

The work is theoretical in character and based on a sample that, whilst rich in the provision of theoretical insight, is small in scope. Additionally, the sample is located in one geographical context (New Zealand) which likely has implications for the way in which the key constructs are perceived and enacted.

Originality/value

This paper is an attempt to integrate conceptualisations of entrepreneurial identity development with opportunity-related processes in the context of venture creation. A holistic focus on identity transitions and their relevance to perception and action in relation to opportunity (the root of entrepreneurial behaviour) is novel; at this point, it is exploratory in intention and tentative in reach.
Interpersonal complaints regarding cancer care through a gender lens
Authors: Olsson Erik Masao
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate healthcare customer complaints concerning interpersonal matters in cancer care.

Design/methodology/approach

– Complaints from cancer patients and their relatives (n=116) that dealt with interpersonal matters registered between 2009 and 2011 at four local Patients’ Advisory Committees in Western Sweden were sampled and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Findings

– Complaints concerned lack of information and consideration from healthcare providers. Lack of empathy and civility also caused dissatisfaction, the latter particularly for women. Relatives complained that they did not feel included in the care process or were not offered proper support. Most complaints by relatives were filed by a female relative and concerned a male patient.

Research limitations/implications

– Information about patient demographics other than gender could not be investigated due to database limitations. Hence, factors such as age, country of birth, and geographical residence were not included for analysis. In addition, neither the type nor stage of cancer among the sampled patients was able to be addressed.

Practical implications

– Patient complaints should not only be viewed as a post-consumption judgment, but also as a service interaction activity. This may require healthcare providers to enhance their interpersonal skills, allowing patients and relatives to provide feedback during service interaction to satisfactorily address dissatisfaction. Visualizing gender disparities may help healthcare providers prevent stereotypical encounters. In addition, the provider should be invited to participate in the customer’s value creating network, which may also include knowledge and skills from other sources, such as relatives.

Originality/value

– Value co-creation offers a different view on patient complaints. Incorporating social construction into value co-creation may reveal socially constructed disparities. The paper provides aggregated information on cancer patients’ and relatives’ complaints concerning interpersonal issues, which can increase knowledge about patient healthcare service perceptions.
Healthscape role towards customer satisfaction in private healthcare
Authors: Sahoo Debajani , Ghosh Tathagata
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the motives that enforce consumers to find out the major determinants that frame healthscape in private healthcare service that leads to their satisfaction in a developing country like India.

Design/methodology/approach

– The generic motive dimensions are identified using an exploratory factor analysis. Next the reliability and validity of the factors are established followed by regression analysis using SPSS 20.0 s/w.

Findings

– This paper identifies six healthscape motives in the private healthcare sector named as service personnel conduct and cleanliness, service delivery and facilities, ambience, location and look, appealing decoration, and upgraded safety service, out of which only service delivery, ambience, location, and decorations contribute the most to build customer satisfaction as per their significance value.

Research limitations/implications

– The various dimensions of healthcare motives should be viewed as the levers of improving hospitals’ service quality in the minds of its present and future customers. This finding can offer valuable insight to the forthcoming as well as existing developer who are planning to have their healthcare service presence in India.

Practical implications

– This study suggests some important strategic guidelines for service positioning and market segmentation of healthcare services as per customer requirements. In the recent past, availing services from hospitals were purely utilitarian in nature. Customers were more inclined to get proper and timely services and cared more about the service quality of the healthcare service provider.

Originality/value

– This paper is among the few works done on understanding private healthcare service delivery process in India and customer satisfaction level from those Hospitals. This study addresses the gap by identifying a set of dimensions that are relevant to customers for a unique healthcare experience.
An exploration of logistics-related customer service provision on Twitter
Authors: Bhattacharjya Jyotirmoyee , Ellison Adrian , Tripathi Sonali
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The success of e-retailers is intrinsically linked to the effectiveness of their logistics processes which, inevitably, involve third party service providers. As the most tangible representative of the e-retailers it is inevitable that customers expect the e-retailer to resolve delivery queries, including on social media platforms. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of e-retailers’ logistics-related customer service interactions on Twitter with a view towards identifying effective and ineffective social media customer service strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

– The design and public nature of Twitter encourages organic conversations between e-retailers and customers as well as between customers and other customers. The methodology applied here accounts for this by collecting and analysing interactions within and as part of conversations, not as independent observations. In total, 203,349 tweets were collected from 22 of the most popular e-retailers. A random sample of 5,000 logistics-related conversations (16,998 tweets) is used for the analysis presented here and forms a foundation for future research.

Findings

– Conversations are initiated by customers on the basis of 24 event triggers which can be categorised as occurring either before or after an order is delivered. These can be general queries or related to a specific order or delivery issue. The paper identifies a number of significant findings such as the extent to which e-retailers and logistics providers redirect customers to other channels to resolve queries, ignoring the implicit preference by customers to use Twitter to resolve their problem. Similarly, the lack of interactions between e-retailers and their logistics providers within the Twitter platform to help resolve customer queries results in ineffective customer service.

Practical implications

– The study identifies the way in which e-retailers can substantially improve the effectiveness of the customer service they provide on Twitter by ensuring that customer queries can be resolved within the platform and by working with their logistics partners to do the same. This is critical since problems may be directed to the e-retailer or the logistics provider but both companies jointly suffer the consequences of poor customer service.

Originality/value

– The study examines a hitherto underexplored aspect of retail logistics – the social media-based customer service activities of e-retailers. Methodologically, the study is rooted in the acknowledgement that interactions on Twitter form conversations and analyses should take this into account. This is a distinctly different approach from existing Twitter-related studies which conduct an automated sentiment analysis of tweets. This approach reveals a rich picture of interactions and, importantly, identifies where conversations between e-retailers begin, how they develop and how they conclude.
An investigation into critical service determinants of customer to business (C2B) type product returns in retail firms
Authors: Ahsan Kamrul , Rahman Shams
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– In spite of regular occurrence of product returns, research into determinants of returns services in retail businesses is still limited. To fill the gap, the purpose of this paper is to investigate critical determinants of customer to business type product returns services in the retail industry.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors develop a framework of product returns services that consists of three major service categories and 16 returns service determinants. The criticality of the determinants of product returns management are assessed employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based multi-criteria decision-making approach. Under AHP set up the authors interview retail operations managers of major retail firms in Australia to identify critical determinants of product returns services.

Findings

– Results indicate that the most important returns services dimensions are the way in which returns services are handled through interaction, and the outcome of service delivery. The top five critical service determinants of product returns are related to: communication support service for customer, money back for any type of returns, customer support access, user-friendly interaction, and product replacement.

Originality/value

– The findings of the study can be considered by senior managers of retail firms as a reference guide for designing efficient and effective returns service systems and developing strategies for competitive advantage through product returns, namely, customer retention.
Training needs of early career researchers in research-intensive universities
Authors: Bhakta Debasrita , Boeren Ellen
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the training needs of early career researchers (ECRs) in British research-intensive universities. This paper presents a new measurement scale constructed based on the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (a national framework in the UK to help researchers plan their training and development pathways) that disseminates ECRs’ training needs according to the four vitae development domains.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses the result of a survey organised among ECRs who were asked to fill-in an online questionnaire, which included a newly developed measurement scale. Training needs are analysed based on 57 respondents working in British research-intensive universities and having obtained their PhDs not more than five years prior to the survey.

Findings

This paper offers an insight into the experiences of ECRs in research-intensive universities in relation to their training needs, which are very much centred around the notion of becoming a subject-specific expert, who is able to attract research funding and lead and manage these projects, including the successful supervision of students.

Originality/value

The current academic environment is extremely competitive, and as in other segments of the labour market, it is vital that ECRs recognise the need of continuous training to maintain their competitive status in the knowledge-based economy. This paper is original, as it disseminates a new measurement scale and provides fresh empirical results on the training needs of ECRs in British research-intensive universities.
Using an aesthetics and ontology framework to investigate consumers’ attitudes toward luxury wine brands as a product category
Authors: Stiehler Beate E. , Caruana Albert , Vella Joseph
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to classify and investigate customer attitudes toward luxury wine brands in the USA (a developed market) and South Africa (a developing market) by using an aesthetic and ontological framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Using recognized scales, consumers’ ontological and aesthetic orientation and attitudes toward luxury wine brands as part of a product category are measured. Data for the USA sample were collected using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform, whereas the South African sample data were collected from a sample of Generation Y consumers. Using the two orientation scores, it was possible to create a 2 × 2 matrix with low and high scores for the two countries investigated. To determine the relationship between the resultant groups and attitude toward wine, ANOVA was performed. Differences among the groups were identified via a comparison of means.

Findings

The results suggest that the use of aesthetics and ontological orientations enables the identification of different luxury wine consumer modes in the two countries studied. In addition, these demonstrate significantly different attitudes toward luxury wine brands as part of a product category.

Research limitations/implications

The samples for both countries were collected using a non-probability sampling method, and any generalization to the greater populations must be undertaken with caution.

Practical implications

The findings demonstrate a unique approach that provides an alternative form of segmentation for luxury wine brands. Recommendations to target the different identified modes and how these impact attitudes toward luxury wine brands as a product category in the two countries are made.

Originality/value

The study contributes to the literature by providing a unique and alternative method of market segmentation and shows how this affect attitudes toward luxury wine brands as a product category.
Can the negative binomial distribution predict industrial purchases?
Authors: Wilkinson John W. , Trinh Giang , Lee Richard , Brown Neil
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to extend the known boundary conditions of the negative binomial distribution (NBD) model, and to test the applicability of conditional trend analysis (CTA) – a key method to identify whether changes in overall sales are accounted for by previous non-buyers, light buyers or heavy buyers – in industrial purchasing situations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study tested the NBD model and CTA in an industrial marketing context using a 12-month data set of purchases from an Australian supplier of a range of industrial plastic resins.

Findings

The purchase data displayed a good NBD fit; the study therefore extends the known boundary conditions of the model. The application of CTA provided second-period purchasing frequency estimates showing no significant difference from actual data, indicating the applicability of this method to industrial purchasing.

Research limitations/implications

Data relate to just one supplier. Further research across several industries is required to confirm the generalizability and robustness of NBD and CTA to industrial markets.

Practical implications

Marketing decisions can be improved through appropriate analysis of customer purchasing data. However, without access to equivalent competitor data, industrial marketers are constrained in benchmarking the purchasing patterns of their own customers. The results indicate that use of the NBD model enables valid benchmarking for industrial products, while CTA would enable appropriate analysis of purchases by different classes of customer.

Originality/value

This paper extends the known boundary conditions of the NBD model and provides the first published results, indicating the appropriateness of CTA to predict purchasing frequencies of different industrial customer classes.
Understanding structures and practices of meaning-making in industrial networks
Authors: Lowe Sid , Rod Michel , Hwang Ki-Soon
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an approach for exploring industrial marketing network environments through a social semiotic lens.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper introduces social semiotic perspectives to the study of business/industrial network interaction.

Findings

This paper describes how structures of meaning derived from a cultural history of signification and interpretive processes of meaning in action are co-determined in social semiosis. The meaning of environments using this social semiotic approach is emphasised, leading us to explore the idea of the “atmosemiosphere” – the most highly complex business network level, in illustrating how meaning is made through structuration between structures of meaning and their enactments in interactions between actors within living business networks.

Practical Implications

Figurative language plays an important role in the structuration of meaning. This facilitates establishing plots and, therefore, in the actors’ capability to tell a story, which starts with knowing what kind of story can be told. By implication, the effective networker must be a consummate moving “picture maker” and, to do so, she must have competence in narrative, emplotment, myth-making, storytelling and figuration in more than one discursive repertoire.

Originality/value

In using a structurational discourse perspective informed by social semiotics, our original contribution is a “business networks as discursive constructions” approach, in that discursive nets, webs of narratives and stories and labyrinths of tropes are considered just as important in constituting networks as networks of actor relationships and patterns of other activities and resources.
Workplace spirituality governance: impact on customer orientation and salesperson performance
Authors: Chawla Vaibhav
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Many sales organizations use traditional control systems such as agency theory, which entails motivating salespeople using rewards and punishments, as if they are mechanical beings that are devoid of emotions and spirit. Research shows that such control leads to dissatisfied customers, disengaged salespeople and poor organizational reputation. The purpose of this study is to present governance based on workplace spirituality as an alternative approach, wherein salespeople’s emotional and spiritual development is given primary importance. This is proposed to result in favorable performance and behaviors in alignment with organizational and customer goals.

Design/methodology/approach

The study builds a conceptual model from an extended literature review.

Findings

The developed conceptual model for workplace spirituality-based governance in sales organization consists of organizational structural factors, such as control and reward systems, as antecedents of psychological experiences of workplace spirituality in salespeople. These experiences are then proposed to result in salespeople’s increased customer orientation and objective performance, with organizational commitment as a mediator.

Practical Implications

The study has implications for organizations that govern salespeople by fiddling constantly with their salespeople’s incentive plans but find that most of these changes have little effect. The study proposes that companies will have more satisfied customers and successful salespeople, if they manage their salespeople’s emotional and spiritual side.

Originality/value

This study is the first to devise a governance system in selling organizations that is based on workplace spirituality.
Does brand orientation help B2B SMEs in gaining business growth?
Authors: Hirvonen Saku , Laukkanen Tommi , Salo Jari
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between brand orientation and business growth in business-to-business (B2B) small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The authors also explore whether this relationship is moderated by internal firm-related factors (firm age, firm size) and/or external market-related factors (market life cycle, industry type).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop and empirically test a conceptual model using data from 396 B2B SMEs operating in Finland. Structural equation modeling is used for testing the research hypotheses.

Findings

Brand orientation contributes to business growth via two indirect paths, the first one going through brand performance and the second one going through brand performance and customer relationship performance. However, although the effects are positive, the results reveal that the regression coefficients are relatively small, implying only a limited impact of brand orientation on growth among B2B SMEs. The results further suggest that firm age, firm size and industry type moderate the brand performance–business growth relationship, whereas market life cycle moderates the effect of brand orientation on brand performance.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could extend this study by examining brand orientation in industrial markets simultaneously with alternative strategic orientations, such as market, technology and innovation orientation. New moderator variables should also be considered, such as market or technological turbulence. Furthermore, given that this study uses a cross-sectional data set, it is recommended that future research should attempt to test the model using longitudinal data sets.

Practical implications

B2B SMEs are able to gain business growth through developing a strong brand. However, brand orientation per se appears to be of limited relevance for such an endeavor. Consequently, managers of small industrial firms should consider brand orientation only with, and in comparison to, alternative strategic orientations.

Originality/value

Brand orientation has been very rarely examined from the perspective of B2B firms or that of SMEs. Interestingly, the findings indicate that the performance benefits of brand orientation seem to be smaller among B2B SMEs than what earlier research would imply. The analysis of moderation effects offers additional insights into whether there are differences between industrial SMEs as to the relevance of brand orientation.
Innovation from emerging market firms: what happens when market ambitions meet technology challenges?
Authors: Sharma Arun , Jha Subhash
Published: June 2016

Purpose

Western business-to-business firms are under increasing competition from firms in emerging nations. As examples, Mindray in medical devices, LiuGong in earth moving equipment, Tata motors in Buses and Suzlon in Wind turbines are emerging as strong competitors in their industries. Yet despite increased competition from emerging nation firms, insufficient research has examined the growth of these firms, specifically in the areas of technology and innovation development processes. The purpose of this study is to examine how emerging nation business-to-business firms that have global ambitions achieve technology competence.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examined several case studies on emerging market business-to-business firms that have moved to global markets and highlight the following five: LiuGong China (excavating products), Mindray China (medical equipment), Suzlon Energy India (wind generators), Tata Motors Buses India and BYD Auto China (batteries to electric cars). The firms are in business-to-business markets, except for BYD China that emerged as a business-to-business battery supplier but is currently in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer markets.

Findings

The authors find that firms in emerging markets that have global ambitions follow different approaches to innovation development processes from conventional theories and assumptions held by scholars and practitioners in Western developed countries. Our cases suggest that firms follow the proposed progression: domestic markets – internally developed technology; domestic markets –acquired technology; and finally to, global markets – acquired technology.

Researchlimitations/implications

The authors contribute to research in three areas. First, they suggest that the innovation development process for emerging market firms is different from the Western world. Second, they provide a framework of innovation development process that can be tested in multiple environments. Third, this study suggests a deeper examination of the longitudinal development of business-to-business firms, an area that has received less attention.

Practicalimplications

The authors suggest that firms need to better track their competition from emerging nations because emerging nation firms can quickly acquire technology to become strong competitors.

Originality/value

Extant research has not examined these issues.
The importance, challenges and prospects of taking work practices into account for healthcare quality improvement
Authors: Allen Davina
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to underline the importance of taking work practices into account for quality improvement (QI) purposes, highlight some of the challenges of doing so, and suggest strategies for future research and practice. Patient status at a glance, a Lean-inspired QI intervention designed to alleviate nurses of their knowledge mobilisation function, is deployed as an illustrative case.

Design/methodology/approach

– Ethnographic data and practice-based theories are utilised to describe nurses’ knowledge mobilisation work. The assumptions about knowledge sharing embedded in patient status at a glance white boards (PSAGWBs) are analysed drawing on actor network theory.

Findings

– There is a disparity between nurses’ knowledge mobilisation practices and the scripts that inform the design of PSAGWBs. PSAGWBs are designed to be intermediaries and to transport meaning without transformation. When nurses circulate knowledge for patient management purposes, they operate as mediators, translating diverse information sources and modifying meaning for different audiences. PSAGWBs are unlikely to relieve nurses of their knowledge mobilisation function and may actually add to the burdens of this work. Despite this nurses have readily embraced this QI intervention.

Research limitations/implications

– The study is limited by its focus on a single case and by the inferential (rather than the empirical) nature of its conclusions.

Originality/value

– This paper illustrates the importance of taking practice into account in healthcare QI, points to some of the challenges of doing so and highlights the potential of practice-based approaches in supporting progress in this field.
The mutuality metaphor: understanding healthcare provision in NHS Scotland
Authors: Howieson Brian
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– Better Health, Better Care Action Plan (Scottish Government, 2007) sets out how the Scottish Government intends to strengthen public ownership of the National Health Service in Scotland. The purpose of this paper is to advance extant knowledge by understanding how a state-led mutual health policy may be interpreted, and importantly, communicated.

Design/methodology/approach

– The definitional problem of mutuality will be discussed and analysed in terms of how it is (or perhaps should be) communicated? will be offered.

Findings

– It actually may be more instructive to think of, and communicate, mutuality as a metaphor to aid understanding of the openness and fluidity found in NHS Scotland.

Research limitations/implications

– The existence of paradox and ambiguity does not, however, negate the usefulness of the term “mutuality”. Quite the opposite in fact: it is precisely by examining healthcare and its delivery through the lens of mutuality (rather than rejecting its complexity as a failure) that this amorphousness can be better appreciated.

Practical implications

– There is a need for more public, professional, and academic debate to explore and clarify its implementation, and how it is to be led. This must be provided whilst recognising the daily imperatives that NHS leaders must face. This would suggest, therefore, that a dual development path may help.

Originality/value

– Although Better Health, Better Care Action Plan was published in 2007, some eight years on there is still confusion and misunderstanding as to what mutuality in healthcare is, not only in policy and theory, but also in practice. It is hoped that this analysis will help address, in part, some of this confusion and misunderstanding.
The Healthy Liverpool Children’s Programme
Authors: Kaehne Axel
Published: June 2016

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to report the preliminary evaluation findings of an integration programme in the children’s health care sector in the North West of England. The programme was led by the local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) utilising a semi-autonomous working group model. It comprised horizontal and vertical integration. The evaluation reflects the emerging policy context of CCG leadership in the field of health care planning and commissioning.

Design/methodology/approach

– The evaluation used a mixed method observational study design to obtain the views and opinions of stakeholders and measured their change over time. A series of initial semi-structured interviews was conducted with purposively selected key professionals in strategic positions to assist in designing a survey instrument. An online survey was launched at programme inception and repeated at five months. Respondents were members of five implementation working groups. Survey responses were subjected to a descriptive analysis and tests of correlation.

Findings

– The data showed high levels of commitment and perceptions of shared vision and goals amongst respondents which were relatively stable over time. Responses also indicated that the programme was perceived to have a considerable impact on collaborative work but that this initial effect decreased over time. There were no significant attitudinal differences across sectors or professional groups.

Originality/value

– The study demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of the multi-agency working group model to implement change. Whilst confirming initial positive effects of integration programmes on collaborative work, over time this appears to wear off to be replaced by increased levels of skepticism amongst participants. The author findings have implications for service commissioners and service planners engaging in vertical or horizontal integration of children’s services.
Integration, assimilation or separation?
Authors: Kizgin Hatice
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to assess recent acculturation theory regarding the existence of two co-existent characteristics, the public and private. This has been focussed on the ethnic Turkish community in The Netherlands.

Design/methodology/approach

Considering more than 200 second- and third-generation citizens, the underlying structure of this acculturation using an established two-dimensional public/private metric has been identified using exploratory factor analysis. An assessment has been made of generational differences, alongside associations with the respective assessment of host and ethnic identity.

Findings

The findings in the paper suggest that the Turkish acculturation within The Netherlands is based on “Turkish socialisation”, “Islamic faith/religion”, “Dutch socialisation” and “Dutch assimilation”. The “socialisation” constructs capture both public and private experiences, suggesting acculturation is more one-dimensional. Furthermore, these constructs display the greater associations with their respective identity measures, and this ethnic identity is increasing rather than diminishing by generation.

Originality/value

As emerging ethnic markets continue to become more mainstream in Western Europe, their marketing importance also grows. Muslim immigrants are a growing interest of marketers, as they grow in size and purchasing power, and marketers use sub-cultural segmentation and targeted marketing to reach these consumers.
The human capital and the obtainment of halal certification
Authors: Rafiki Ahmad , Abdul Wahab Kalsom
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between human capital and obtainment of halal certification.

Design/methodology/approach

The human capital theory is deployed as the basis to analyse the possible factors that determine the obtainment of halal certification by small firms. Four independent variables that were delineated include business experience, motivation, training and education. The proposed hypotheses mark the relationship between the four variables and the obtainment of the halal certification. The sample size (n = 370) is a group of small firms randomly picked from the four regions in the North Sumatera Province, Indonesia.

Findings

By adopting the quantitative deductive-hypothetical method and the logistic regression analysis, the result has revealed that the aforementioned four variables have a significant relationship with the obtainment of halal certification.

Originality/value

This paper provides the empirical findings and valuable insight for future researchers. The importance of obtaining the halal certification lies in not only more than convincing customers with the goodness of ingredient or compliance with the religions’ obligations but also it can serve as a strategy that brings a competitive advantage to the firms to grow. While the elements of human capital would be the factors that influence in the decision-making of obtaining the halal certification.
The direct and indirect influences oflocusof control on Jordanian parents’ communication patterns
Authors: Al-Zu’bi Abdelhalim
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to measure the direct and indirect influences oflocusof control on the communication patterns of Jordanian Muslim parents in the marketplace activities that directly influence their children’s consumption behaviour. The validity oflocusof control components within the context of consumer socialisation and cultural perspectives has been taken into account before testing the hypotheses.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 400 self-administered questionnaires were distributed to Muslim parents via their children aged from 8 to 12 years in 12 public schools that were randomly chosen from different areas of Amman metropolitan-Jordan. The principal component analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, paired samplet-test, the multiple regression analysis, and the bootstrapping test using structural equation modelling were used to validate the model’s constructs and to test the research hypotheses.

Findings

The communication patterns of Jordanian Muslim parents are more likely to be influenced by the high and low beliefs in the chance, whereas the highest degree of the indirect influences is associated with Muslims’ belief in powerful others.

Research limitations/implications

It measured the mediation of socio-orientation, but neither concept-orientation nor the simultaneous interventions of the two dimensions were taken into consideration. The solicited sample has been relied on parents’ responses. Future research considering mothers-fathers, mothers–adolescents or fathers–adolescents dyadic perspectives may disclose the convergence and divergence among Muslim family members to better understanding the mediation process.

Practical implications

The local and global marketers may segment the Jordanian market into consensual, pluralistic and protective Muslim consumers; rely on reference groups on their promotion campaigns, as the Muslim parents in Jordan are more influenced by the powerful others; and use the concept of chance positively in their promotion campaigns.

Originality/value

Based on rigorous methodology, this is the first study that measures the direct and indirect influences oflocusof control on the communication patterns of Jordanian Muslim parents in terms of marketing milieu and collectivist cultures.
Metadata specialists in transition: from MARC cataloging to linked data and BIBFRAME (data deluge column)
Authors: Frederick Donna E.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The Association of Library Collections and Technical Services, better known as ALCTS, is a division of the American Library Association.

Design/methodology/approach

Approximately once a month, ALCTS hosts an “eForum”, which is a moderated email-based discussion. The February 2016 ALCTS eForum was called “Career Progression in Cataloging and Metadata”.

Findings

It was led by Lisa Robinson of Michigan State University and Stacie Traill of the University of Minnesota. Lisa and Stacie have provided a summary of the discussion on a publicly accessible website which is referenced at the end of the column.

Originality/value

There were a number of comments and discussion threads which reflect the changing nature of library data or metadata; how it is created and managed; and the specific skill sets of catalogers and metadata librarians. This installment of the Data Deluge contains an examination and discussion of challenges associated with the role and career progression of catalogers and metadata specialists as they establish their place in the emerging linked data movement in libraries.
Integrating tablet technology into information literacy training at CPUT libraries: a pilot project
Authors: Kleinveldt Lynn Tatum , Zulu Mbali
Published: June 2016

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to highlight the techniques and applications used to adapt information literacy (IL) modules in such a way that students acquired the IL skills through the use of tablet technology. The focus at higher education institutions has been placed on embracing the ever-changing Web technologies to enhance teaching and learning. This case study reports on a collaborative effort between faculty and librarians in 2014, where tablet technology was integrated into the Information Literacy Certificate Programme of Environmental Management Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) students.

Design/methodology/approach

To support teaching with technology at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), a pilot project was conducted in 2014 using tablet technology to train IL to a group of 20 ECP Environmental Management students in the Applied Sciences Faculty. All modules were adapted for this purpose meaning that students used the tablet throughout the training sessions.

Findings

Good collaboration between librarians and faculty, as well as interaction between students increased. Some of the challenges faced were unstable internet connection; many Web applications identified by the trainers to use during the training were not compatible with the Nexus 7 Tablet. Overall, the training went well. In the end, the librarians were successful in achieving learning to take place among students.

Originality/value

Currently CPUT Libraries promotes the Information Literacy (IL) Certificate Programme to first year students, integrating IL into the curriculum of faculty. It is hoped that this paper will give insight for academic librarians wishing to incorporate mobile technologies into their IL training programmes.
Corporate governance and information technology in fraud prevention and detection
Authors: Halbouni Sawsan Saadi , Obeid Nada , Garbou Abeer
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the role of corporate governance and information technology in fraud prevention and detection within the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a survey of financial accountants and internal and external auditors to assess their perceptions of the effectiveness of IT and corporate governance as measured in terms of the audit committee’s effectiveness, internal audit functions, external audit functions, culture of honesty and employee training programmes in preventing and detecting fraud in the UAE.

Findings

The results indicate that corporate governance has a moderate role in preventing and detecting fraud in the UAE and that IT has the same role as traditional fraud prevention and detection techniques. The results also show no significant difference between internal and external auditors in their use of technological and traditional techniques during the course of audits.

Research limitations/implications

The findings suggest that the senior management and boards of directors must better understand the importance of their oversight function. The finding that a culture of honesty has a low positive impact on fraud prevention and detection in the UAE indicates that chief executive officers and boards of directors must make more efforts to set the “tone at the top” to improve the corporate environment in terms of integrity and ethics, among other factors. Furthermore, as IT and traditional techniques provide the same function, senior management and boards of directors must be alerted to the importance of developing systematic approaches to fraud investigation that involve greater reliance on technological approaches.

Practical implications

The moderate role of corporate governance suggests that senior management and boards of directors must better understand the importance of their oversight function to meet their obligations and fiduciary responsibilities to stakeholders. Furthermore, greater adoption of IT to detect and prevent fraud contributes to developing a systematic approach to fraud investigation, capable of identifying unusual activity using effective software.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on the role of corporate governance and IT in preventing and detecting fraud, particularly for Middle Eastern countries and other emerging nations. The study may provide insights to academics and practitioners in the UAE and their international counterparts.
International standards on auditing in the international financial services centres
Authors: Boolaky Pran , Omoteso Kamil
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the position of international financial services centres (IFSCs) in the International Federation of Accountants’ countries’ status on the adoption of International Standards on Auditing (ISA) and assess the factors influencing ISA adoption in these centres.

Design/methodology/approach

This research drew its data from various sources, including the World Economic Forum (WEF) data set, the World Bank Report on Observation of Standards and Codes, the World Development Indicators and the Economic Intelligence Unit Report on Democracy Index on 50 countries classified as IFSCs. The adoption status is then regressed on a number of variables of interest. To establish that the results are robust, the authors used a combination of different regression techniques comprising OLS, multinomial and logistic regressions.

Findings

In addition to the gross domestic product growth and education level, this paper adds new evidence to the literature by reporting the positive association between the level of democracy and the enforcement of securities’ regulation on ISA adoption. It argues that political, economic, social and legal factors impact on ISA adoption in the IFSCs.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size is limited to 50 from a population of 99 IFSCs because of the lack of data. Some of the independent variables are basically archival data. Reliance is placed on WEF with regard to the measurement of protection of minority interest, securities and exchange regulations and on the Economic Intelligence Unit for democracy index.

Practical implications

This paper stresses the importance of ISAs in IFSCs and the role of political power and the enforcement of securities laws on the adoption of ISA.

Originality/value

This study fills the research gap relating to the absence of empirical studies on ISA adoption and its drivers in IFSCs.
Procurement fraud in the US Department of Defense
Authors: Rendon Juanita M. , Rendon Rene G.
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This paper aims to explore selected real-world procurement fraud incidents in the US Department of Defense (DoD) and the implications of these incidents to the DoD’s contracting processes and internal controls.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes actual procurement fraud incidents and identifies in which phase of the contract management process the fraud occurred and which internal control component was associated with the fraud scheme.

Findings

The fraud incidents generally occurred during the source selection and the contract administration phases and involved the control activities, monitoring and control environment components of internal control.

Research limitations/implications

The fraud incidents are analyzed using contract management and internal control frameworks adopted by the US Government. Recommendations are developed for improving contracting processes and internal controls as an approach to deterring and detecting procurement fraud and may be applicable to other international public procurement bodies.

Practical implications

Governments are ensuring auditability in public procurement as a means of improving agency governance. The research findings suggest that an emphasis on capable contracting processes and effective internal controls should be adopted for fighting procurement fraud.

Social implications

Ensuring auditability in public procurement has a far-reaching effect in society. The value of capable processes and effective internal controls is gaining much attention in public agencies, as they strive for accountability, integrity and transparency in their governance processes.

Originality/value

By emphasizing capable processes and effective internal controls, governments can apply a strategic approach to detecting and deterring fraud and thus ensure that government monies are spent in the most effective and efficient ways.
Associating the motivation with the practices of firms going green: the moderator role of environmental uncertainty
Authors: Lo Sonia M. , Shiah Yu-Anne
Published: June 2016

Purpose

This study aims to explore the moderation effect of environment uncertainties (supply, competition and demand) in the relationship between a firm’s drivers (internal and external) and practices (purchasing, design and manufacturing, logistics and internal management) when going green.

Design/methodology/approach

The questionnaire survey was utilized in this study. The survey was distributed to 981 electronic manufacturing companies, with 174 valid responses collected (a response rate of 17.74 per cent). Confirmatory factor analysis and regression models were then conducted to test the result.

Findings

The result indicates that both the internal and external drivers have significant influence on the adoption of green-related practices when firms go green. It is further confirmed that the practice of green purchasing is significantly influenced by the moderator of environmental uncertainty. Moreover, supply uncertainty has the most significant influence on numerous green practices, such as green purchasing, internal management and green logistics.

Originality/value

This paper measures the drivers, practices and environmental uncertainty of firms going green from multiple perspectives. It provides guidance to practitioners on how to choose appropriate practices in accordance with the uncertainties they are facing.