bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Different interpretations of a “fixed” concept
Authors: Emsley David
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the reasons why introducing a “fixed” management accounting technique, such as Juran's cost of quality technique, results in different, rather than similar outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Actor‐Network Theory (ANT) was used to examine events in a longitudinal case study where Juran's cost of quality technique was introduced into two manufacturing plants of the same organisation.

Findings

Both plants developed the cost of quality in significantly different ways to Juran's “fixed” cost of quality technique. In addition, significant differences were also found between the plants, despite the intention to replicate the cost of quality from one plant to the other.

Research limitations/implications

Although the precise circumstances of the plants in the case study are unique, the principles of ANT that describe how the cost of quality was introduced and the differences that were observed, are likely to be relevant to other organisations and techniques.

Practical implications

The practical implications of this study are that “fixed” techniques – such as Juran's cost of quality – are not fixed and are unlikely to be implemented in “textbook” fashion. To manage the innovation process better, practitioners need to understand the heterogeneity of actors' interests, the variety and complexity of the context and the iterative, recursive nature of the innovation process.

Originality/value

Although the cost of quality is an important management accounting technique, this is one of the few studies to have empirically examined it.
Globalization and its discontents
Authors: Sikka Prem
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to seek to illuminate some of the dynamics of globalization that enable capital to advance its interests.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses theories of globalization focusing upon the “race‐to‐the‐bottom”. Such theories draw attention to the way major businesses are using their power to secure advantages, often by playing‐off one nation state against another. Increasingly, offshore financial centres (OFCs) are becoming key players in this race. The paper uses a case study relating to the enactment of limited liability partnership (LLP) in Jersey, a UK Crown Dependency. The legislation was financed and developed by the UK firms, Price Waterhouse and Ernst & Young in collaboration with a network of advisers.

Findings

The paper sheds light on the resources deployed by major accountancy firms to secure conditions necessary for the smooth accumulation of private wealth and power. Accountancy firms used OFCs or microstates to reposition the state‐capital relationship in globalization and reconfigure the UK auditor liability laws. The paper also highlights the importance of the state to capital and globalization.

Research limitations/implications

In common with major capitalist enterprises, accountancy firms rarely provide background material to explain how they advance their interests. Inevitably, this limits the analysis. Nevertheless, the case study shows some trajectories that have enabled accountancy firms to advance their economic interests.

Practical implications

The paper shows that accountancy firms are able to use novel tactics to advance their interests and that national regulation cannot easily be understood without consideration of the wider international context.

Originality/value

Accounting researchers have rarely focused upon the use of offshore financial centres by major accountancy firms to advance their interests. It also shows that the local and the global are intertwined.
Performance management practices in public sector organizations
Authors: Verbeeten Frank H.M.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The aim of this study is to investigate whether performance management practices affect performance in public sector organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

Theoretically, the research project is based on economic as well as behavioral theories. The study distinguishes amongst quantitative performance (efficiency, quantities produced) and qualitative performance (accuracy, quality, innovation and employee morale) and uses survey data from 93 public sector organizations in the Netherlands.

Findings

The research shows that the definition of clear and measurable goals is positively associated with quantity performance as well as quality performance. In addition, the use of incentives is positively associated with quantity performance yet not related to quality performance. Finally, the effects of performance management practices in public sector organizations are affected by institutional factors. The results suggest that the behavioral effects of performance management practices are as important as the economic effects in public sector organizations.

Research limitations/implications

All limitations of survey research apply. The survey is based on public sector organizations in The Netherlands; findings may not be transferable to other countries.

Practical implications

The joint introduction of performance management practices may provide an opportunity to increase quantity performance yet may have no impact on quality performance.

Originality/value

The paper responds to previous calls in the literature to use quantitative research methods to generalize findings from previous case studies. Also, the paper empirically tests the impact of performance management practices on performance, an area that has attracted scarce research attention.
The role of quality improvement initiatives in healthcare operational environments
Authors: Alavi Jafar , Yasin Mahmoud M.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the utilization of quality improvement initiatives in healthcare operational environments. In the process, environmental changes and strategic responses are examined for a sample of healthcare organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey‐based research methodology is utilized in this study. Factor analysis is used to extract relevant factors representing environmental changes and strategic options relevant to healthcare organizations. In addition, simple percentages are utilized to assess the extent of implementation and effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives.

Findings

In general, the findings appear to indicate that the studied organizations have achieved both operational and strategic benefits due to the effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives. The implementation of quality improvement initiatives appears to be in response to environmental changes and challenges faced by healthcare organizations.

Practical implications

Based on the findings of this study, decision‐makers are encouraged to commit organizational resources toward the effective implementation of quality improvement initiatives. Investing in quality improvement not only is justified, but also appears to be very much needed in a changing competitive environment.

Originality/value

This study contributes to enhancing one's practical and theoretical understanding of the competitive impact of quality improvement initiatives in different operational settings.
Accreditation: a cultural control strategy
Authors: Paccioni André , Sicotte Claude , Champagne François
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and understand the effects of the accreditation process on organizational control and quality management practices in two Quebec primary‐care health organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple‐case longitudinal study was conducted taking a mixed qualitative/quantitative approach. An analytical model was developed of the effects of the accreditation process on the type of organizational control exercised and the quality management practices implemented. The data were collected through group interviews, semi‐directed interviews of key informers, non‐participant observations, a review of the literature, and structured questionnaires distributed to all the employees working in both institutions.

Findings

The accreditation process has fostered the implementation of consultation mechanisms in self‐assessment teams. Improving assessments of client satisfaction was identified as a prime objective but, in terms of the values promoted in organizations, accreditation has little effect on the perceptions of employees not directly involved in the process. As long as not all staff members have integrated the basis for accreditation and its outcomes, the accreditation process appears to remain an external, bureaucratic control instrument.

Originality/value

This study provides a theoretical model for understanding organizational changes brought about by accreditation of primary services. Through self‐assessment of professional values and standards, accreditation may foster better quality management practices.
Testing not‐so‐obvious models of healthcare quality
Authors: Badri Masood A. , Taher Attia Samaa , Ustadi Abdulla M.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that, although there has been some research to identify the dimensions on which healthcare quality and in‐patient satisfaction should be measured, the confirmation of constructs and indicators that constitute an overall care quality and satisfaction remains unclear. The objective is to present several models of service quality and satisfaction in healthcare for discharged patients; and to test those models in a sample of discharged patients in public hospitals in the United Arab Emirates.

Design/methodology/approach

A detailed in‐patient survey (using interviews) was used. Data were collected with questionnaires from adult discharges (n=244) in public hospitals in the UAE. Several structures are proposed and tested. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and LISREL SIMPLIS using maximum likelihood estimation were used to estimate and test the parameters of the hypothesized models derived deductively from the previous literature.

Findings

Several models (with one, two, three and four constructs) with different structures were tested using CFA. The final recommended model is based on three constructs – quality of care, process and administration, and information. The goodness‐of‐fit statistics supported the basic solution of the healthcare quality‐satisfaction model.

Originality/value

The model has been found to capture attributes that characterize healthcare quality in a developing country such as the UAE and could represent other modern healthcare systems. It can be used as a basis for evaluation in healthcare practices from discharges (in‐patients) point of view. The study highlights the importance of patients' satisfaction with care as predictors of quality of care. The results also confirm the construct validity of the previously discussed healthcare quality scales.
Stakeholder preferences for cancer care performance indicators
Authors: Gagliardi Anna , Lemieux‐Charles Louise , Brown Adalsteinn , Sullivan Terry , Goel Vivek
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show that performance data use could be promoted with a better understanding of the type of indicators that are important to different stakeholders. This study explored patient, nurse, physician and manager preferences for cancer care quality indicators.

Design/methodology/approach

Interviews were held with 30 stakeholders between March and June 2004. They were asked to describe how they would use a cancer “report card”, and which indicators they would want reported. Transcripts were reviewed using qualitative analysis.

Findings

Role (patient, nurse, physician, manager) influenced preferences and perceived use of performance data. Patients and physicians were more skeptical than nurses and managers; patients and managers expressed some preferences distinct from nurses and physicians; and patients and nurses interpreted indicators more broadly than physicians and managers. All groups preferred technical process over outcome or interpersonal process indicators.

Research limitations/implications

Expressed views are not directly applicable beyond this setting, or to the general public but findings are congruent with attitudes to performance data for other conditions, and serve as a conceptual basis for further study.

Practical implications

Strategies for maximizing the relevance of performance reports might include technical process indicators, selection by multi‐stakeholder deliberation, information that facilitates information application and customizable report interfaces.

Originality/value

Performance data preferences have not been thoroughly examined, particularly in the context of cancer care. Factors were identified that influence stakeholder views of performance data, and this framework could be used to confirm findings among larger and different populations.
Focus on quality in healthcare in Ireland
Authors: Collins Chris G. , Joyce Pauline
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to summarise the recent debates and issues on the healthcare system in Ireland, which have come to the fore through media exposure. The implications for these debates on quality are suggested and questions are raised to stimulate further debate.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent reports and media opinion articles are reviewed in the light of the health reform programme and the increased prosperity due to the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland.

Findings

The Health Service in Ireland is not what it should be. Progress has been made but resistance at all levels is significant due to the mistrust and miscommunication between the managerial and clinical personnel which have built up during the past number of years. The trust of the public is at an all‐time low. However, once patients are within the system they are satisfied with their care.

Originality/value

This is a discussion paper which raises more questions than answers and is timely with the focus on quality in healthcare, particularly now as Ireland prepares for a general election for a new government with healthcare a priority issue.
Attitudinal and behavioral consequences of work‐family conflict and family‐work conflict
Authors: Yavas Ugur , Babakus Emin , Karatepe Osman M.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual model to examine the effects of work‐family conflict, family‐work conflict, and emotional exhaustion on job performance and turnover intentions. The paper also aims to investigate the role of gender as a moderator of the posited relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of frontline hotel employees in Turkey serves as the study setting. Data were collected via self‐administered questionnaires. A total of 723 usable responses were obtained.

Findings

The results show that employees facing conflicts originating from their work (family) and family (work) roles become emotionally exhausted. These two forms of interrole conflicts are also significant predictors of frontline employees' turnover intentions. Gender moderates several of the relationships proposed in this paper.

Practical implications

Turkish hotels will benefit from establishing a family‐supportive work environment to lessen the detrimental impact of conflicts in the work‐family interface on frontline employees' emotional exhaustion and job outcomes. A dual (i.e. gender‐specific) approach appears to hold promise in managing frontline employees.

Originality/value

When these results are compared to the results of studies conducted in western countries, a number of similarities become evident. These similarities broadly suggest that research findings derived from western countries are generalizable into a culturally different setting, and support the premise that as traditional gender roles continue to expand and change, a convergence of findings in work‐family research takes place cross‐culturally.
A definition, model, and empirical analysis of business‐to‐business relationship quality
Authors: Holmlund Maria
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The aim of this research is to provide insights into quality in a business‐to‐business relationship setting. The objectives are to review related relationship quality studies, to put forward first a definition and then a model of perceived business‐to‐business relationship quality, and afterwards to illustrate and deepen this model with empirical data from a typical business‐to‐business relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The whole study rests on accumulated theoretical insights from service management combined with IMP literature which have been used together with empirical findings in an abductive manner to expand the scope on quality to encompass dyadic quality perceptions in a business relationship setting.

Findings

The definition and model do not so much depend on completely new elements, but instead the contribution lies in the way that current insights and empirical data have been combined into a conceptually dense and comprehensive entirety. Focusing on the process character of a relationship and the content of quality perceptions in a relationship, several new conceptualisations are developed and illustrated with empirical data. These are: unit and span of perceptions; comparison standards; variation in interactions; technical, social, and economic quality dimensions; process and outcome quality domains; four different hierarchical levels for categorising business interactions; and a dyadic analysis of perceived relationship quality.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed definition and model were developed for analysing typical ongoing business‐to‐business relationships.

Practical implications

The study offers a tool for analysing and improving relationships, setting priorities in quality improvements, and selecting counterparts.

Originality/value

This is the first published study that expands the scope on quality, embracing interactions in the whole business relationship and two companies' perceptions of their relationship.
Reviewing congruity effects in the service environment musicscape
Authors: Oakes Steve , North Adrian C.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review that highlights significant findings from empirical research examining the impact of music within various real and simulated service environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the results of studies that have manipulated specific musical variables (genre, tempo, volume, and liking), and attempts to identify consistent patterns of findings to guide managers and researchers. The studies focus upon a range of dependent variables including evaluation of the environment, perceived wait and stay duration, consumption speed, affective response, and spending. Possible explanations for apparently inconsistent findings are discussed.

Findings

A variety of studies reveal the positive influence of musical congruity upon desired outcomes. Future research proposals identify the need to examine defining‐attribute and prototype theories of musical congruity.

Originality/value

The review highlights a range of implications drawn from the studies that will be of value to service organization managers who use music as a key component of their servicescape in order to enhance desired cognitive and affective responses.
Research themes, concepts and relationships
Authors: Pilkington Alan , Chai Kah‐Hin
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the core themes of service research by analysing citations in theInternational Journal of Service Industry Management(IJSIM). It also aims to discuss changes in the discipline's sub‐fields and identifies emerging topics.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is an empirical analysis of citations and co‐citations from theIJSIM. Network and factor analysis are used to analyse and group the data. The study is unique in performing the analysis at the individual publication level, rather than following the normal aggregated author co‐citation analysis method.

Research limitations/implications

The study examines onlyIJISM. Future study on other top journal such asJournal of Service Researchwould provide a more complete picture on service research.

Findings

The study identifies that the core ideas of service research centred on service quality and customer satisfaction. Also identified are periphery areas which may become more significant.

Originality/value

The main contribution of this article is the use of the novel network analysis technique to analyze the 15,003 citations in the 435 articles published inIJSIMbetween 1990‐2005. This is a quantitative analysis unlike previous review articles which rely largely on the observations and reflections of pioneering researchers.
Asset specificity in make or buy decisions for service operations
Authors: Espino‐Rodríguez Tomás F. , Lai Pei‐Chun , Baum Tom
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This work analyses make or buy decisions from the transaction cost economics perspective and the resource‐based view of the firm. The aim is to analyse the extent to which the presumptions of the two theories are valid in the service sector in terms of specific assets.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was conducted on a representative sample of hotels in Scotland, UK. Each of the surveyed hotels was asked for information about 13 operations or hotel processes. A comprehensive model is developed that establishes the relationship between asset specificity and operation performance and hotel or business performance, moderated by the form of governance (make or buy). Moreover, the relationship between asset specificity and outsourcing in the hotel sector is also examined. The different hotel processes are classified according to the asset specificity. The factors that could lead to an increase in the outsourcing strategy are also analysed.

Findings

The results indicate that, the relationship between asset specificity and operation performance is weaker when the operations are executed in‐house. In the case of the relationship between specific assets and performance, the findings regarding non‐financial performance are not contradictory since it is slightly higher when the operation is outsourced. The factors determining an increase in outsourcing would be those related to the quality of the operation and to non‐financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

Previous studies have not considered the relationship between specificity and business performance, which gives extra incentive to complement and expand the literature on service operations. Future research should analyze other theories on organisations and outsourcing. The findings should also be tested in other geographical regions and use sources of information other than the hotel managers.

Practical implications

The work generates knowledge and aids managers in their “make or buy” decisions for the principal processes in the hotel industry according to the asset specificity.

Originality/value

The paper develops a specificity‐outsourcing matrix and identifies each of the hotel operations. Apart from testing the model in the hotel sector, which is an important sector of the service industry, the work offers a better understanding of outsourcing decisions based on the two basic theories used in the literature on services management. The paper also makes an innovative contribution by analysing relationships between operation specificity and performance that are previously untested in the service sector.
Scientific identity in top journals of services marketing: review and evaluation
Authors: Svensson Göran , Slåtten Terje , Tronvoll Bård
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The objective of the paper is to describe the “scientific identity” of the “top” journals in services marketing by reviewing and evaluating the methodological approaches and the geographical affiliations of authors published in selected journals.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of “top” journals in services marketing is selected on the basis of expert opinion. The selection includes the International Journal of Service Industry Management (IJSIM), the Journal of Services Marketing (JSM), the Journal of Service Research (JSR), Managing Service Quality (MSQ), and the Service Industries Journal (SIJ). The review and evaluation considers all papers (a total of 1,107) published in these journals over a six‐year period from 2000 to 2005. The papers are categorized and the geographical affiliations of the authors are noted. The compiled results are analyzed for patterns that reveal the “scientific identity” of each of the selected journals.

Findings

The “scientific identities” of JSM and JSR are revealed as being built upon quantitative research designs and the North American paradigm of research values. MSQ and SIJ are found to be largely based upon a mix of empirical research designs and the European paradigm of research values. IJSIM is found to be based on a mix of empirical research designs and a mix of European and North American research values. However, no journal is found to be narrowly focused, and the variety of “scientific identities” among the journals studied here bodes well for ongoing scientific enquiry in services marketing.

Research limitations/implications

Further studies of the “scientific identity” of individual research journals are required in other sub‐disciplines of marketing.

Practical implications

Scholars will benefit from insights into the “scientific identities” of the “top” journals in services marketing. In particular, scholars can note the particular features of individual journals while acknowledging the paradigmatic flexibility and richness of research designs that are present in all of these journals.

Originality/value

This is the first review and evaluation of the “scientific identity” of “top” service‐marketing journals in terms of categories of papers published and geographical affiliation of published authors. The study provides valuable insights into the nature of academic publishing in the burgeoning area of services marketing.
The future of distributed leadership
Authors: Gronn Peter
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the empirical utility and conceptual significance of distributed leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

Three main sources of evidence are drawn on. The paper reviews some neglected commentary of an early generation of distributed leadership theorists. It also discusses a strand of social science writings on emergent small number management formations. An alternative interpretation of the findings of three recent empirical studies of distributed leadership is provided. Some unresolved issues are considered.

Findings

Distributed leadership arose in reaction to understandings of leadership that emphasised heroic‐like individual behaviour. It has achieved a high level of theoretical and practical uptake. This paper, however, argues for reconsideration. Distributed leadership is shown to be largely unremarkable, especially in light of the continuity between current writings and those of early generation scholars. This claim is also reinforced by the inability of most current scholars to develop the emergent potential of a tradition of writings on the division of labour in small groups (emanating mainly from the work of Georg Simmel). Finally, the paper argues that a more appropriate descriptor for recent leadership analyses may be “hybrid”, rather than “distributed”.

Originality/value

Conceptually and empirically, there is still work to do. First, leadership's distributed status now aligns it with power and influence, each for some time recognised as distributed, although the preference for leadership as a vehicle of analysis ahead of power and influence still lacks sufficient justification. Second, while distributed leadership is sometimes thought of as synonymous with democratic organisational leadership, the latter is shown to be conceptually distinct.
Functionally adequate but causally idle: w(h)ither distributed leadership?
Authors: Lakomski Gabriele
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this conceptual paper is to argue that leadership, including distributed leadership, is a concept of folk psychology and is more productively viewed as an emergent self‐organising property of complex systems. It aims to argue the case on the basis that claims to (distributed) leadership outrun the theoretical and empirical resources distributed and other leadership theorists can offer to support them.

Design/methodological approach

The paper employs contemporary scientific as well as traditional philosophical criteria in determining the knowledge claims made by distributed leadership theories. Of particular importance are the coherence theory of evidence that employs the super‐empirical virtues, especially coherence to establish the scientific virtue of theory, and the conception of leadership as part and parcel of folk psychology.

Findings

When considering the basis of claims to distributed leadership from a neuroscientific and empirical perspective, there is little basis in fact about the existence of (distributed) leadership as an ontological category. Talk of leadership is a conventional, commonsense label for vastly more complex and fine‐grained causal physiological and neuronal activities within certain social contexts. In this sense distributed leadership is a conception available for reduction.

Originality/value

The significance and originality of this paper lies in the fact that it proposes causal investigations of social phenomena such as leadership; demonstrates the importance and necessity of interdisciplinary research; and outlines exciting new research agendas that both question traditional taken‐for‐granted conceptions of social explanations and suggests directions of where solutions may be found in the future that are defensible by the best of current science.
Distributed leadership: according to the evidence
Authors: Harris Alma
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an overview of the literature concerning distributed leadership and organisational change. The main purpose of the paper is to consider the empirical evidence that highlights a relationship between distributed leadership and organisational outcomes.

Design/methodological approach

The paper draws on several fields of enquiry, including organisational change, school effectiveness, school improvement and leadership. It systematically analyses the evidence in each field and presents a synthesis of key findings.

Findings

The evidence shows first, that there is a relationship between distributed leadership and organisational change, second, that there is evidence to suggest that this relationship is positive and third, that different patterns of distribution affect organisational outcomes.

Originality/value

The significance and originality of this paper lies in the fact that it: takes a normative position on distributed leadership and is chiefly concerned with the question of organisational impact; demonstrates the importance and necessity of further research about the way in which distributed leadership influences organisational outcomes; and acknowledges the methodological challenges in conducting research on distributed leadership but argues that such research will make a significant contribution to knowledge and theory generation in the leadership field.
Taking a distributed perspective
Authors: Spillane James P. , Camburn Eric M. , Pustejovsky James , Stitziel Pareja Amber , Lewis Geoff
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper is concerned with the epistemological and methodological challenges involved in studying the distribution of leadership across people within the school – the leader‐plus aspect of a distributed perspective, which it aims to investigate.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the entailments of the distributed perspective for collecting and analyzing data on school leadership and management. It considers four different operationalizations of the leader‐plus aspect of the distributed perspective and examines the results obtained from these different operationalizations. The research reported in this paper is part of a larger study, an efficacy trial of a professional development program intended to prepare principals to improve their practice. The study involved a mixed method design. For the purpose of this paper a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, including an experience sampling method (ESM) principal log, a principal questionnaire (PQ), and a school staff questionnaire (SSQ) was used.

Findings

While acknowledging broad similarities among the various approaches, the different approaches also surfaced some divergence that has implications for thinking about the epistemological and methodological challenges in measuring leadership from a distributed perspective. Approaches that focus on the lived organization as distinct from the designed organization, for example, unearth the role of individuals with no formal leadership designations in leading and managing the school.

Research limitations/implications

Limited by the data set, the paper focuses on only four operationalizations of the leader plus aspect of the distributed perspective rather than taking a more comprehensive look at how the leader plus aspect might be operationalized.

Originality/value

The primary value of this paper is that it will prompt scholars to think about the entailments of different ways of operationalizing the leader plus aspect when using a distributed perspective.
The relationship between distributed leadership and teachers' academic optimism
Authors: Mascall Blair , Leithwood Kenneth , Straus Tiiu , Sacks Robin
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between four patterns of distributed leadership and a modified version of a variable Hoyet al.have labeled “teachers' academic optimism.” The distributed leadership patterns reflect the extent to which the performance of leadership functions is consciously aligned across the sources of leadership, and the degree to which the approach is either planned or spontaneous.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for the study were the responses of 1,640 elementary and secondary teachers in one Ontario school district to two forms of an online survey, xx items in form 1 and yy items in form 2. Two forms were used to reduce the response time required for completion and each form measured both overlapping and separate variables.

Findings

The paper finds that high levels of academic optimism were positively and significantly associated with planned approaches to leadership distribution, and conversely, low levels of academic optimism were negatively and significantly associated with unplanned and unaligned approaches to leadership distribution.

Originality/value

This study provides as‐yet rare empirical evidence about the relationship between distributed leadership and other important school characteristics. It also adds support to arguments for the value of more coordinated forms of leadership distribution.
Distributed leadership: democracy or delivery?
Authors: Hargreaves Andy , Fink Dean
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This article aims to discusses the nature and benefits of lateral approaches to educational change, especially in the form of distributed leadership, that treat schools, localities, states, or nations, as “living systems” interconnected by mutual influence.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a conceptual discussion of the interrelated ideas of living systems, communities of practice and networks. Research examples from England, North America, and Finland are used to underscore the article's argument.

Findings

The article underlines how, within this conception, distributed leadership operates as a network of strong cells organized through cohesive diversity and emergent development rather than mechanical alignment and predictable delivery. However, more deeply and more critically, the chapter also investigates whether, in practice, these lateral strategies are being used to extend democratic public and professional involvement in developing the goals and purposes of education or whether they are being primarily used as motivational devices to re‐energize a dispirited profession into producing more effective and enthusiastic delivery of imposed government performance targets?

Originality/value

The paper provides useful information on developments in distributed leadership.
A study of the supermarket industry and its growing logistics capabilities
Authors: Kumar Sameer
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze and identify commonalities and differences between the supermarket industry and its logistics capabilities in developed economies such as North America, the European Union and Japan, as well as the emerging Asian economy of India.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative analysis, based on data, other pertinent information gathered from reports on various economies within the supermarket industry and personal interactions with a few supermarket chains managers, is used to derive various insights of strategic value in retailing and distribution. Major industry practices and logistics trends are examined and answers are sought to important business questions.

Findings

The results of analysis show that the supermarket industry is customizing operating strategies. Efficient consumer response (ECR) standards are becoming a common method used to increase the supermarket supply chain efficiencies that are driving logistics trends within the industry. The trends include expanded service requirements, mass customization, customer loyalty and private labeling, delivery options and increased challenges in diverse markets. Reverse logistics, electronic point of sale data collection and management of supply chain by third‐ and fourth‐party logistics providers are also becoming increasingly important for the supermarket industry.

Practical implications

Advancements in transportation and storage technologies, including breakthrough technologies to improve supermarket operation to the level of leading automobile manufacturers, present increased challenges and opportunities to the supermarket industry. In addition, changing consumer tastes offer companies in developed countries as well as developing countries like India, the chance to garner increased revenues. It is imperative for supermarkets to heed changing buying habits, particularly in developed countries, which have highly mature/competitive markets. Although supermarkets within developed and developing countries may face different challenges, consumers everywhere still focus on value, convenience, variety and a better shopping experience.

Originality/value

This paper provides increased understanding of the strategic retailing and distribution issues present in the supermarket industry and examines a number of significant business questions pertaining to logistical trends. A unique juxtaposition of the supermarket industry within developed and developing economies provides various insights into the commonalities and differences within various countries studied.
Ethnic marketing for Turks in Germany
Authors: Erdem Kutay , Schmidt Ruth Ä.
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper sets out to provide an evaluation of population characteristics and historical trends for immigrant Turks within the mainstream German population with a view to informing target marketing strategies aimed at this growing and important segment.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is based on a literature review. The history of Turkish immigration into Germany from the 1960s onwards is discussed. Differences in motivation, life aims, economics potential, language skills and media use between the first and second generation are assessed and the implications for marketing and retail practice evaluated.

Findings

Findings indicate significant differences between the Turkish subculture and German mainstream culture. The importance of trust as a core family value, continuing affiliation with the “homeland” the emergence of a proliferation of Turkish language media and a comparatively youthful and affluent segment profile provide an argument for the value of ethnic marketing campaigns aimed at this consumer group as well as accommodation in the retail land service sector.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is secondary‐source based only.

Originality/value

A thorough analysis of the history and characteristics of this segment is provided to add to the English language literature on ethnic marketing.
Maps and the representation of urban shopping destinations
Authors: Warnaby Gary
Published: April 2008

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the use of town centre guides as a device for the representation of urban shopping destinations.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a review of the relevant academic literature in the areas of cartography and place marketing, the paper considers the use of graphic interface elements of scale, projection and symbolisation in the specific context of maps in town centre guides. The guides are drawn from various UK locations reflecting different levels of the retail hierarchy and different locational “archetypes” as identified by URBED.

Findings

The level of detail and content of maps in town centre guides studied varied significantly. All the graphic interface elements of scale, projection and symbolisation were incorporated. Projection was usually oblique, and in some maps isometric. Regarding symbolisation, the most important variables were shape and hue.

Research limitations/implications

This is an exploratory investigation using a limited number of town centre guides. An agenda for further research, focusing on issues in relation to the production and consumption of maps in this context, is presented.

Practical implications

The paper provides place marketing practitioners with guidance as to the development of town centre marketing/promotional material, which may incorporate maps.

Originality/value

Town centre guides are an important and commonly used promotional mechanism for urban retail provision. This paper considers issues relating to the use of a crucial component of these guides, namely cartographic representations of the town cente.
International expansion and retail sales: an empirical study
Authors: Etgar Michael , Rachman‐Moore Dalia
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of international expansion on the sales volumes of large‐scale retailers.

Design/methodology/approach

Sales data of 200 largest retailers from around the world reported in the 2004 Deloitte “Global Retail Power” survey were analyzed with regression analyses.

Findings

It was found that: even though internationalization makes a positive contribution to retailers' sales volumes its impact is small; this effect is not impacted by the moderating factor of the degree of retailer specialization along product lines; while another moderating factor, namely the identity of the retailer's country of origin, does make a difference.

Research limitations/implications

The research methodology and the nature of the data precluded the use of more “soft” measures such as measures of managerial cognitions, perceptions and attitudes to analyze their impact on the effectiveness of internationalization for retailers. The research used cross‐sectional data and further research should compare results in additional time points to capture the possible dynamic changes in this industry.

Practical implications

Retailers seeking to expand their sales volumes should not rely too much on internationalization but consider also other strategic options. They should therefore analyze carefully whether large investments in overseas operations are justified. This is particularly relevant for US retailers.

Originality/value

This paper focuses on the issue of internationalization as a viable retail strategy to achieve larger sales volumes. The study reaches its conclusions on the basis of an analysis of data from a large population of diverse, domestic‐only and international retailers from around the world from different sectors and countries of origin, who – the international retailers – operate in different countries.
The global retailer's strategic proposition and choice of entry mode
Authors: Park Youngsun , Sternquist Brenda
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The main aim of this paper is to provide research propositions that explain global retailers' international expansion. Global retailers are considered to be concentralized‐standardized retail formats.

Design/methodology/approach

Research literature is used to develop the concepts related to predicting international expansion. Examples from retailers are used to set the stage for proposition development.

Findings

Seven propositions are provided for further examination. These propositions are related to unique retail concept, private brands, unique capability, internalization advantages, pioneering advantages, resource availability, governance resources, and growth experience.

Research limitations/implications

This is a conceptual paper leading to development of propositions for further testing. An empirical analysis is required to determine whether the theoretical connections can be proven.

Originality/value

The major value of the paper is the melding of theory and retail examples to explain the international expansion of a particular type of retailer. Global retailers are centralized and standardized, thereby providing an expansion opportunity in the area of franchising.
Sainsbury's in Egypt: the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?
Authors: El‐Amir Ayman , Burt Steve
Published: April 2008

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is first, to explore the role of institutional theory constructs in a case of international retail divestment. Second, to examine the potential of constructed metaphors as a means of analyzing and communicating the findings of managerial research.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were generated from participant observations and interactions with stakeholder groups during a three‐month ethnographic study based in a Sainsbury store in Egypt. Data were analysed and presented via a constructed metaphor – namely Robert Louis Stevenson's story of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Findings

The case illustrated an apparent paradox between Sainsbury's technical superiority as a retail operator in the Egyptian market, and its social inferiority in its interactions with a variety of stakeholders, primarily customers and employees. The use of the metaphor to organize, analyse and present the findings proves to be a fruitful way to illustrate this issue, and parallels between the two “stories” provide further insights into behaviour – the denial of responsibility for (and the existence of) social inadequacies; and the implicit (and inevitable) existence of the capacity for social inadequacy in any business organization.

Practical implications

The potential to communicate managerial lessons by telling “stories” (the case) through well‐known “stories” (the novel) is highlighted.

Originality/value

The use of the constructed metaphor to analyse a case of international retail divestment is, to the authors' knowledge, unique and enhances the understanding of the legitimisation process and the role of socio‐moral codes in this process.