bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Working with or against the stores?
Authors: Geidne Susanna , Eriksson Charli
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the implementation by a non‐governmental organization (NGO) of an intervention with two different strategies – one employing confrontational approaches, the other cooperative ones – aiming to reduce the rate of successful purchase attempts (PAs) of medium‐strength beer in Sweden.

Design/methodology/approach

The Swedish Youth Temperance Movement (UNF) has been responsible for the development and implementation of the intervention, and a research team at Örebro University for the evaluation. The outcome analysis is based on 1,475 PA from 25 Swedish cities during 2003‐2006. Annual reports, discussions and telephone interviews have been used to understand the intervention process.

Findings

In 40 per cent of all registered PAs, beer is sold to minors. In the eight cities using a structured strategy, there is a significant decrease from 2003 to 2006 (44‐27 per cent;p<0.001). The confrontation method, compared to no model, is more than four times (OR = 3.8; CI 2.0‐7.0) more likely to yield a positive result. Compared to the cooperation method, it is even more likely to yield a positive result (OR = 4.7; CI 2.1‐10.7).

Practical implications

Working with a structured strategy gives significantly better results than working without one. The confrontation method is more successful than the cooperation method. Developing a preventive strategy takes time, cooperation perhaps requiring even more time to succeed than confrontation. The result reveals the importance of building local networks in the municipalities.

Originality/value

The advocacy for Swedish alcohol policy by the young members of UNF and participatory research is a unique combination.
How to organize for local resource generation
Authors: Backström Tomas
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The generation of resources is a central issue for the sustainability of companies. The purpose of this paper is to deal with two research questions: “Is decentralized generation of resources a possible way to reach sustainability in modern work life?” and “What prerequisites must be formed by organizations and managers to reach decentralized generation of resources?”

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical basis for this discussion is the complex adaptive systems theory. Three requirements for sustainable decentralized resource production are deduced: worker's autonomy, worker's integration in the organization, and demands on increased fitness. The empirical basis for answering these questions is the study of four different pharmacy‐districts, each with a different organizational solution. Three sources of data are used: interviews with the four pharmacy‐district managers; a questionnaire to all employees, and the balance scorecard of the company.

Findings

Two of the districts may have reached an unbalance on the system level between autonomy and integration. The other two districts have similar scores of medium for both autonomy and feeling of integration. One of the balanced districts has also a manager focusing bottom‐up change processes. This district has both the strongest resource generation and a leading position in increasing efficiency and customer satisfaction and, thus, sustainability.

Originality/value

A simple model is formulated based on complex systems theory and tested in real life: decentralized resource generation is one way of obtaining sustainability; co‐existence of both autonomy and integration of employees, combined with a leadership of transformative character, all encourage this. The paper may inspire researchers, managers, consultants and workers to use this new perspective on organizations and sustainability.
Towards communication and learning based leadership
Authors: Saari Eveliina , Talja Heli
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Management systems designed for the purposes of the industrial era are not sufficient to rise to the challenge of knowledge‐creating organizations. This paper seeks to analyse how the motives and aims of top management and knowledge workers differ from each other. In order to avoid confrontation between managerialism and research work logic, the paper suggests building up a communication and learning‐based leadership model.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on findings from the previous research projects, the paper analyses the challenges arising from the gap between top‐down type management and the research built on a bottom‐up basis. The empirical observations are based on the studies of organizational changes and development of research groups in Finnish public research organizations.

Findings

The paper presents four new constructions that the management and personnel of a research organization tend to interpret very differently: the tension between freedom and control, formation of research strategies, applicability of business management models to research organizations, and the meaning of structural changes.

Practical implications

The paper offers guidelines for constructing dialogue between managers and knowledge workers and highlights the importance of embedding communication and learning as an integral part of a knowledge organization's practice. Crossing of positions and building up accessible arenas and forms for continuous communication between managers and employees are encouraged.

Originality/value

The four constructions present a new framework for understanding the worldviews of top managers and employees in knowledge creating organizations when facing the challenges of globalization.
Complexity framework for sustainability: an analysis of five papers
Authors: Putnik Goran D.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an examination of the concepts and mechanisms of complexity and learning usability and applicability for management in turbulent environments as well as their examination through the Chaordic system thinking (CST) lenses and framework. Contributing to awareness of how different mechanisms could be interpreted as the complexity mechanisms and learning for sustainability of organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology applied is a secondary analysis of the papers that present concepts, research thesis and case study on applications of the complexity mechanisms and learning for sustainability of organizations.

Findings

Complexity and learning, applied through the CST, are enablers of sustainability of organizations. CST mechanisms are proved feasible and acceptable within the organization that seeks sustainability, which is an emerging requirement in nowadays turbulent environments.

Practical implications

All findings contribute to further learning and growth in capability for application of the complexity mechanisms and learning towards sustainability in concrete organizations.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the perspective of organizational sustainability through complexity and learning approach. The complexity approach means in the first place that for going towards the sustainability the complexity should be increased, in opposite to the “traditional” management approaches. Additionally, the CST is seen, and validated through the secondary analysis of five papers in this special issue, as a model of complexity for management towards sustainability.
Development of a decision support tool for supply chain coordination using contracts
Authors: Arshinder  , Kanda Arun , Deshmukh* S.G.
Published: April 2009

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a decision support tool based on various types of contracts in a two‐level supply chain. A supply chain (SC) consists of disparate but interdependent members, dependent on each other to manage various resources (inventory, money and information). The conflicting objectives between these members may cause uncertainties in supply and demand, which can be managed by adopting coordination with the help of contracts (such as buyback, revenue sharing and quantity flexibility). Design/methodology/approach: A decision support tool for SC coordination using contracts (DSTSCCC) has been developed to explore the applicability of contracts and to compare different types of contracts in various situations. The DSTSCC is comprised of an analytical module, which is an extension of the classical newsboy problem and a simulation module. Findings: DSTSCCC helps in determining decision variables for different scenarios of contracts in the best interest of all SC members as well as whole SC. Practical implications: DSTSCCC is a simple‐to‐use and easy‐to‐implement decision making tool which helps in taking decisions prior to the actual start of SC activities. The prior decisions may help to handle future exceptions. SC members may jointly select the most profitable contract to share risks and rewards. Originality/value: DSTSCCC comprised of analytical module and simulation module presents an Integrative framework which cannot be dealt in isolation. The output of analytical module becomes input for simulation to quantify performance measures. The improvement in performance measures after satisfying the objectives of all SC members helps in realizing coordination in SC.
Emotional intractability: gender, anger, aggression and rumination in conflict
Authors: Coleman Peter T. , Goldman Jennifer S. , Kugler Katharina
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how people's gender‐role identities (self‐identified masculinity and femininity) affect their perceptions of the emotional role of the humiliated victim in conflicts (and the norms surrounding the role), and how these perceptions affect the negativity and aggressiveness of their responses and the degree to which they ruminate over conflict and remain hostile over time.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper builds on literature on humiliation, aggression, gender, and rumination and presents a correlational scenario study with 96 male graduate students from a large Northeastern University.

Findings

Males with high‐masculine gender‐role identities are more likely to perceive the social norms surrounding a humiliating conflictual encounter as privileging aggression, and to report intentions to act accordingly, than males with high‐feminine gender‐role identities. Furthermore, participants are more likely to ruminate about the conflict, and therefore maintain their anger and aggressive intentions a week later, when they perceive the situation to privilege aggression.

Research limitations/implications

This paper sheds light on how aspects of peoples' identities can affect their perceptions of social norms (i.e. whether or not aggression is condoned), and degrees of dysphoric rumination and aggression in conflict. Subsequent research should investigate the social conditions influencing these processes.

Originality/value

Research on the psychology of humiliation has identified it as a central factor in many intractable conflicts. However, this is the first study to begin to specify the nature of this relationship and to investigate it in a laboratory setting.
The game to play: expanding the co‐opetition proposal through the strategic games matrix
Authors: Arantes da Costa Eliezer , Pascoli Bottura Celso , Maurício Gama Boaventura João , Américo Fischmann Adalberto
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Using Brandenburger and Nalebuff's 1995 co‐opetition model as a reference, the purpose of this paper is to seek to develop a tool that, based on the tenets of classical game theory, would enable scholars and managers to identify which games may be played in response to the different conflict of interest situations faced by companies in their business environments.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature on game theory and business strategy are reviewed and a conceptual model, the strategic games matrix (SGM), is developed. Two novel games are described and modeled.

Findings

The co‐opetition model is not sufficient to realistically represent most of the conflict of interest situations faced by companies. It seeks to address this problem through development of the SGM, which expands upon Brandenburger and Nalebuff's model by providing a broader perspective, through incorporation of an additional dimension (power ratio between players) and three novel, respectively, (rival, individualistic, and associative).

Practical implications

This proposed model, based on the concepts of game theory, should be used to train decision‐ and policy‐makers to better understand, interpret and formulate conflict management strategies.

Originality/value

A practical and original tool to use game models in conflict of interest situations is generated. Basic classical games, such as Nash, Stackelberg, Pareto, and Minimax, are mapped on the SGM to suggest in which situations they could be useful. Two innovative games are described to fit four different types of conflict situations that so far have no corresponding game in the literature. A test application of the SGM to a classic Intel Corporation strategic management case, in the complex personal computer industry, shows that the proposed method is able to describe, to interpret, to analyze, and to prescribe optimal competitive and/or cooperative strategies for each conflict of interest situation.
Trust congruence among integrative negotiators as a predictor of joint‐behavioral outcomes
Authors: Tomlinson Edward C. , Dineen Brian R. , Lewicki Roy J.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe why trust congruence is important to negotiation, illustrate potential types of trust congruence in negotiating dyads, and link those types of congruence to joint‐behavioral outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Studies pertinent to negotiators' trust in one another are reviewed, and based on prior theoretical and empirical work, propositions are developed to posit how different types of trust congruence or incongruence can predict joint‐behavioral outcomes in an integrative negotiation context.

Findings

This analysis offers a potentially valuable framework for deepening the understanding of how trust affects interpersonal relationships and the negotiations that occur within them.

Originality/value

This paper extends prior work on trust that has linked unilateral trust in one's negotiating partner to behavioral outcomes by considering how a bilateral measure of trust (trust congruence) will affect these outcomes.
Inequity, conflict, and compliance dilemma as causes of cyberloafing
Authors: Zoghbi‐Manrique‐de‐Lara Pablo
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Prior research has found empirical evidence that procedural justice is an antecedent of cyberloafing in the workplace. The purpose of this paper is to explore why that association is possible. It is argued that perceptions of procedural justice affect cyberloafing because unfair procedure places an employee in conflict with the organizational rules. Accordingly, this paper predicts that it is normative conflict rather than procedural justice that really prompts employees to retaliate against the organization by engaging in cyberloafing.

Design/methodology/approach

Data are collected from 147 (19.4 percent) of the 758 non‐teaching staff at a public university where internet usage policy to combat its improper use has been increasingly rigid. Structural equation modeling is used to test the predicted mediation.

Findings

The results show that procedural justice is an antecedent of the normative conflict that fully mediates the link between procedural justice and cyberloafing.

Research limitations/implications

The subjects in this study reflect job conditions that are peculiar to the public sector. This may limit the ability to extrapolate the findings to the private sector. The findings provide a new explanation for the mechanics of the link between unfair/fair procedural perceptions and cyberloafing.

Practical implications

The findings contribute to a better understanding of the way procedural justice is able to monitor cyberloafing, and discusses how actions designed to promote procedural justice may be useful to the efficient management of normative conflict, hence, the normative process is able to stifle cyberloafing.

Originality/value

Employee perceptions of normative conflict are shown to mediate the relationship between procedural justice and cyberloafing. This is the first empirical test of this mediation.
Developing new corporate understanding of an existing product
Authors: Gofman Alex , Moskowitz Howard R. , Mets Tõnis
Published: April 2009

Purpose

Innovation cannot come without in‐depth understanding of the product and its consumer perception. This paper aims to show the approach for consumer‐centric re‐development strategy, from design of the experiment to execution, analysis, modeling and strategies for implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach described uses a relatively large‐scale experimental design of ingredients (12 variables) to vary sensory attributes and conduct sensitivity analysis with consumers.

Findings

The resulting product was a big marketing success for the producer. A disciplined experimentation based on statistically sound experimental designs produces much better food products with increased acceptability by consumers.

Practical implications

Statisticians have turned their attention to modeling the relations between physical variables and subjective consumer responses. The resulting products are optimized to meet sensory preferences of the consumers including varied sensory segmentation of the markets.

Originality/value

Using advanced multivariate experimental design for sensory optimization has proved many times its advantages although still not universally used. The approach could help the marketers and developers create better products that consumers like.
Product recall crisis management: the impact on manufacturer's image, consumer loyalty and purchase intention
Authors: Souiden Nizar , Pons Frank
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of recall crisis management on the manufacturer's image, consumers' loyalty and future purchase intentions. More specifically, this research aims to clarify the types of recall strategies that companies put forward, as well as their impact on consumers' behaviors and perceptions of the manufacturer's image.

Design/methodology/approach

The current study focuses on vehicle users who have either experienced automobile recalls or heard them discussed. Data were collected via car‐related web sites. The final sample comprises 573 people. The direction and strength of the relationships between various consumers' attitudes toward the different recall methods and their purchase intention are assessed through structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

Results show that recalls contested by manufacturers have a significant negative impact on manufacturers' image, as well as on consumers' loyalty and purchase intentions. On the other hand, voluntary recalls or improvement campaigns have a significant positive impact on the manufacturer's image, as well as consumers' loyalty and purchase intentions.

Research limitations/implications

Proactive strategies are the best solution to avoid a loss in consumer loyalty to the manufacturer during a recall crisis. In the contrary, manufacturers' adoption of reactive strategies harms their image, as well as consumers' loyalty. This translates into a negative impact on future purchase intentions and manufacturers' market share. This study concludes by recommending appropriate strategies to limit possible negative effects of product recalls.

Research limitations

Some variables (such as media, the degree of severity of recalls and the frequency of recalls) are not investigated in this study. Additionally, the research is limited to the automobile industry. Other industries that also experience recalls (such as the pharmaceutical industry) might be considered in future research in order to confirm the consistency of the research findings.

Originality/value

The approach adopted by the current research is relatively different from earlier studies that directly link the types of recalls to the danger perceived by consumers that in turn affects their purchase intentions. In the current study, recalls indirectly impact purchase intentions principally via the manufacturer's image and brand loyalty. Additionally, the originality of this research stems from the fact that the manufacturer's image is considered as part of the changeable legacy of the company that itself may be affected by the “crisis situation,” not a stable asset.
Brand leadership and product innovation as firm strategies in global food markets
Authors: Gehlhar Mark J. , Regmi Anita , Stefanou Spiro E. , Zoumas Barry L.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to understand the motivations for product innovation and brand leadership using a series of case studies focusing on firms with leading market positions of different types.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study is presented of three leading food sector firms of different types (large/public, medium/private, and international/cooperative). An analysis of brand leadership is undertaken in the context of a conceptual framework linking process innovation, product innovation, and the firm's resource base and market orientation.

Findings

The cases suggest that process innovation supports product innovation as firms implement strategies to differentiate their products. Response to changing demand is a disciplined reaction where firms exploit their specialized resources using superior product knowledge and branding power. Leadership positions are maintained not only by responding to changing demand but by steering the market using innovative products and consumer education.

Research limitations/implications

This study suggests that firms use their unique resource base and form strategies to capitalize on their capabilities. A single, dominant orientation is not necessary to maintain leadership. Rather process innovation can facilitate product innovation leading to successful product differentiation and enhancing a leadership position. The question of whether the growing power of retailers means the demise for branded food manufacturers is one that deserves attention. Innovation and its motivation is a national public policy concern that is influenced by a myriad of regulations and laws administered by various agencies.

Originality/value

This study is the first one to pull together the experiences of food‐firm brand leaders with their branding and innovation strategies as they look to the global arena for growth.
Adoption of electronic medical records: the role of network effects
Authors: Ayers Douglas J. , Menachemi Nir , Ramamonjiarivelo Zo , Matthews Michael , Brooks Robert G.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the role of network effects (defined as increased utility for users of a technology that occurs when adoption increases among other users) in the adoption of electronic medical records (EMR) systems. EMR systems, which have experienced slow adoption rates, promise to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system by facilitating information exchange among physicians caring for the same patients.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey responses from physicians are used to test several hypotheses. The authors are interested in how market level EMR adoption was related to physician adoption intentions. The authors also test the “strong ties” notion of network effects by examining whether EMR adoption among generalists, and specialist physicians, had differing influences on adoption intentions in a given market.

Findings

Support for network effects is found; each one unit increase in market‐level EMR adoption is associated with a significant increase in overall physician adoption intention in that market. Secondary analyses suggest adoption of EMRs by specialists is significantly predictive of generalists' adoption intentions in a given market. However, as predicted, EMR among generalists does not influence other generalists' intentions; nor does EMR adoption by a specialists influence other specialists' intentions.

Research implications

Network effects play a role in the EMR adoption among physicians. Decision‐makers wanting to influence adoption should target defined market segments in an effort to build a critical mass of adoption then move to adjacent segments once network effects take hold.

Originality/value

This paper applies network effects theory to help explain the suboptimal adoption rates of an important healthcare technology.
Problem localization using probabilistic dependency analysis for automated system management in ubiquitous computing
Authors: Piao Shunshan , Park Jeongmin , Lee Eunseok
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper seeks to develop an approach to problem localization and an algorithm to address the issue of determining the dependencies among system metrics for automated system management in ubiquitous computing systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposes an approach to problem localization for learning the knowledge of dynamic environment using probabilistic dependency analysis to automatically determine problems. This approach is based on Bayesian learning to describe a system as a hierarchical dependency network, determining root causes of problems via inductive and deductive inferences on the network. An algorithm of preprocessing is performed to create ordering parameters that have close relationships with problems.

Findings

The findings show that using ordering parameters as input of network learning, it reduces learning time and maintains accuracy in diverse domains especially in the case of including large number of parameters, hence improving efficiency and accuracy of problem localization.

Practical implications

An evaluation of the work is presented through performance measurements. Various comparisons and evaluations prove that the proposed approach is effective on problem localization and it can achieve significant cost savings.

Originality/value

This study contributes to research into the application of probabilistic dependency analysis in localizing the root cause of problems and predicting potential problems at run time after probabilities propagation throughout a network, particularly in relation to fault management in self‐managing systems.
Obligations of trust for privacy and confidentiality in distributed transactions
Authors: Mbanaso U.M. , Cooper G.S. , Chadwick David , Anderson Anne
Published: April 2009

Purpose

This paper aims to describe a bilateral symmetric approach to authorization, privacy protection and obligation enforcement in distributed transactions. The authors introduce the concept of the obligation of trust (OoT) protocol as a privacy assurance and authorization mechanism that is built upon the XACML standard. The OoT allows two communicating parties to dynamically exchange their privacy and authorization requirements and capabilities, which the authors term a notification of obligation (NoB), as well as their commitments to fulfilling each other's requirements, which the authors term signed acceptance of obligations (SAO). The authors seek to describe some applicability of these concepts and to show how they can be integrated into distributed authorization systems for stricter privacy and confidentiality control.

Design/methodology/approach

Existing access control and privacy protection systems are typically unilateral and provider‐centric, in that the enterprise service provider assigns the access rights, makes the access control decisions, and determines the privacy policy. There is no negotiation between the client and the service provider about which access control or privacy policy to use. The authors adopt a symmetric, more user‐centric approach to privacy protection and authorization, which treats the client and service provider as peers, in which both can stipulate their requirements and capabilities, and hence negotiate terms which are equally acceptable to both parties.

Findings

The authors demonstrate how the obligation of trust protocol can be used in a number of different scenarios to improve upon the mechanisms that are currently available today.

Practical implications

This approach will serve to increase trust in distributed transactions since each communicating party receives a difficult to repudiate digitally signed acceptance of obligations, in a standard language (XACML), which can be automatically enforced by their respective computing machinery.

Originality/value

The paper adds to current research in trust negotiation, privacy protection and authorization by combining all three together into one set of standardized protocols. Furthermore, by providing hard to repudiate signed acceptance of obligations messages, this strengthens the legal case of the injured party should a dispute arise.
Ubiquitous proximity e‐service for trust collaboration
Authors: Hwang Yuan‐Chu , Yuan Soe‐Tsyr
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The authors seek to propose the notion of ubiquitous proximity e‐service for exploring collective wisdom in the ubiquitous environment. Ubiquitous proximity e‐service highlights the collective effort focused on collecting the user group's power as the reference for ubiquitous trust decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides some theoretical utility support for ubiquitous proximity e‐service. The “homophily” describes the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others. By highlighting the “homophily” of e‐service participants, these isolated individuals can be treated as a group with proximity. The main value of ubiquitous proximity e‐service utilizes the network effect from the collective effort of interpersonal social network.

Findings

In order to leap the trust barrier for users to embrace these ubiquitous e‐services, ubiquitous proximity e‐service makes it possible for users to collaborate with their nearby user groups to establish a reliable and trustworthy interaction environment. The simulation outcomes for trust decision quality enhancement show a significant improvement in a variety of environment settings.

Practical implications

A significant value of ubiquitous proximity e‐service lies in the increased possibility of establishing innovative social network relationships. From the interpersonal perspective, unfamiliar strangers can make connections with individuals who are proximal and homoplastic to them. The strength of proximity gives people better chances to make interpersonal connections, including both weak ties and strong ties. By combining those interpersonal tie relationships, ubiquitous proximity e‐service can easily cause information diffusion and effectively encourage collective wisdom.

Originality/value

The paper advocates the utility of ubiquitous proximity e‐service that can be realized in the e‐commerce environment and which enables information diffusion effectively.
Security technologies based on a home gateway for making smart homes secure
Authors: Woo Kim Geon , Gyu Lee Deok , Wook Han Jong , Hyun Lee Seung , Wook Kim Sang
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify security technologies that are essential in making home network systems secure and to describe specialized security mechanisms for the home network and the relationships among them.

Design/methodology/approach

The research model is designed to support three functions: authentication, authorization, and security policy. Authentication is tested in several methodologies such as id/pw, certificate, or bio; authorization is tested using RBAC methodologies; and security policy is specified using newly‐designed script language, such as xHDL.

Findings

The findings for “authentication” suggest that home network users can access services conveniently and securely. In addition, the findings for “security policy” suggest that security policy for home network requires specialized rather than general specification.

Practical implications

The paper identifies three security functions essential for home network: authentication that supports most existing authentication mechanisms, so as to maximize user accessibility; authorization that is middleware‐independent and beyond the physical transport layer; and security policy optimized for the home network environment.

Originality/value

The paper focuses on an implementation‐based security model for the home network. Though interest and research in home network security are increasing, only limited authentication applications have been adopted in real deployment up to now. This paper introduces an integrated security model and emphasizes safety and convenience so as to promote reliability in home network services.
An efficient collusion resistant security mechanism for heterogeneous sensor networks
Authors: Hussain Sajid , Kausar Firdous , Masood Ashraf , Hyuk Park Jong
Published: April 2009

Purpose

As large‐scale homogeneous networks suffer from high costs of communication, computation, and storage requirements, the heterogeneous sensor networks (HSN) are preferred because they provide better performance and security solutions for scalable applications in dynamic environments. Random key pre‐distribution schemes are vulnerable to collusion attacks. The purpose of this paper is to propose an efficient collusion resistant security mechanism for heterogeneous sensor networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider a heterogeneous sensor network (HSN) consists of a small number of powerful high‐end H‐sensors and a large number of ordinary low‐end L‐sensors. However, homogeneous sensor network (MSN) consists of only L‐sensors. Since the collusion attack on key pre‐distribution scheme mainly takes advantage of the globally applicable keys, which are selected from the same key pool, they update the key ring after initial deployment and generate new key rings by using one‐way hash function on nodes' IDs and initial key rings. Further, in the proposed scheme, every node is authenticated by the BS in order to join the network.

Findings

The analysis of the proposed scheme shows that even if a large number of nodes are compromised, an adversary can only exploit a small number of keys near the compromised nodes, while other keys in the network remain safe.

Originality/value

The proposed key management scheme described in the paper outperforms the previous random key pre‐distribution schemes by: considerably reducing the storage requirement, and providing more resiliency against node capture and collusion attacks.
Marketing: philosophy of science and “epistobabble warfare”
Authors: Rod Michel
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review the philosophy of science debates in the marketing literature and describe the current situation in marketing with respect to philosophy of science issues.

Design/methodology/approach

As a viewpoint/conceptual paper, the approach is largely a review of the literature with interspersed personal commentary.

Findings

The paper summarises the key contentions of opposing academics and attempt to convey the futility and pointlessness of such argumentation and describe a novel (to marketing) “attitude” to conducting marketing research.

Originality/value

Rather than argue one particular perspective, it is this paper's central thesis that no one philosophical perspective does or should have a monopoly on what constitutes making a useful contribution to our understanding of marketing phenomena.
Decision system analysis of advertising agency decisions
Authors: Na WoonBong , Marshall Roger , Woodside Arch G.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report the use of decision system analysis (DSA) mapping the streams of communications (i.e. interactions), thoughts, actions and decisions involved for advertising agencies as executives in these firms gain client approval, and design creative, promotional and media strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses DSA. This little‐used technique requires protocol analysis, interviews and observation before transcription of the organizational decision processes into flow charts.

Findings

The research first identifies four models, describing four specific decision types, then derives a general model from them. Executives from four agencies not in the original sample later confirms the models. The models generally confirm the existing knowledge base, with a few minor exceptions.

Research limitations/implications

This qualitative technique suffers the common malady of the researchers losing objectivity because of their immersion in the case‐companies. Wherever possible the research employs quantitative techniques to verify observational judgments.

Practical implications

The “thick description” and the summary charts of the advertising agency decision processes have the potential to aid agency decision makers to better structure their decision processes.

Originality/value

The findings themselves are of significance to those involved in the advertising industry, and there is an element of originality in the classification and the thick descriptions of advertising agency decision systems. The resurrection of DSA and the demonstration that the technique is viable and valuable is also a contribution of the study.
“Emergent inquiry”
Authors: Keegan Sheila
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address the emerging way in which qualitative research is now carried out within the commercial world, the influences of shifting paradigms and the importance of theoretical understanding for current practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The “method” underpinning this paper is qualitative observation drawn from research across a wide range of client companies during more than 30 years of commercial qualitative practice, as well as from recent, ongoing conversations with other commercial practitioners and academics, and from the academic and literature.

Findings

Commercial qualitative research has, largely, moved away from a classic scientific paradigm towards a social constructionist perspective. The paper explores how the concept of emergence derived from complexity sciences and the contribution of neuroscience to understanding the role of emotion in judgement and decision making, can help make sense of current commercial practice.

Practical implications

The implications for commercial practitioners are highlighted. Training in analytical skills and emotional awareness as reflection‐in‐action is needed in order that analysis and interpretation are embedded within the ongoing research process, i.e. training needs to include qualitative thinking as much as practice.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the creative potential of “emergent inquiry”, improvisation “in the moment” and the particular skills required.
The great transformation in business and society
Authors: Dolan Simon L. , Raich Mario
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this is to trace the current changes in business and society and identify the forces that shape the new landscape. It is argued that any attempt to continue business as usual is doomed to fail.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper describes the change of paradigms that is taking place, and calls for respective alignment of business and political leaders. It further proposes that failure to perceive the changes or to take action, will lead to catastrophic consequences for people, organizations and society.

Findings

The paper concludes that there is a great need to change the fundamental principles of society away from dominance towards partnership and care; to change the fundamental paradigms which have stimulated the economy for centuries away from growth, towards transformation; to change the fundamental values underlying business from financial gain towards balanced values. The impact on economy and business would be far‐reaching, shifting their roles to focus on the real needs of people and society.

Originality/value

This paper proposes a roadmap to managing in tomorrow's landscape and is a wake‐up call to all people concerned with the future of our planet – political and business leaders, and scholars who conduct cross‐cultural research. Social responsibility needs to be taken seriously, and investment made in the future. Business and political leaders need to take the helm in this endeavor, and the role of the scholarly community is to provoke them to act.
Age and expatriate job performance in Greater China
Authors: Selmer Jan , Lauring Jakob , Feng Yunxia
Published: April 2009

Purpose

As opposed to the predominant belief in the West, in Chinese dominated societies there may be a positive relationship between age and perceived possession of high quality personal resources. That attitude towards old age may carry over to expatriates in Chinese societies. This may have a positive impact on expatriates’ job performance. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the association between the age of business expatriates and their work performance in a Chinese cultural setting.

Design/methodology/approach

Controlling for the potential bias of a number of background variables, data collected from business expatriates in Greater China were analyzed by means of hierarchical regression.

Findings

Results indicate that contextual/managerial performance, including general managerial functions applied to the subsidiary in Greater China, had a positive association with the age of the expatriates. This finding provides partial affirmative support to the presumption that the age of business expatriates matters in a Chinese cultural context.

Practical implications

Companies sending expatriates to Greater China could introduce age among other selection criteria. At least, companies should not discriminate against older candidates in expatriate selection for Greater China. Furthermore, older expatriates destined for a Chinese cultural context could be trained how to exploit their age advantage.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous studies, this investigation attempts to match a certain personal characteristic of expatriates with a specific host culture. The results have implications for and contribute to the literature on expatriate selection as well as to the body of research on cross‐cultural training.
International survey research
Authors: Rao Pramila
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand national cultural dimensions and identify their relationship to survey‐response strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

This empirical paper will highlight the importance of understanding national cultural dimensions for adopting normative equivalence strategies in international survey research. The survey was sent to 104 Human Resource Directors located in Mexico via email and efax. The paper will identify survey strategies that contributed to a response rate of 49 per cent, which is considered high in cross‐cultural research.

Findings

The importance of normative equivalence strategies in international survey research is highlighted. While semantic and conceptual equivalence are aimed at survey coherence, normative equivalence strategies highlight the significance of the relationship‐building with the respondents. Normative equivalence strategies include identifying people that the respondents will trust and respond to, building an excellent rapport with the respondents, and identifying strategies to be perceived as part of the respondents’ group.

Research limitations/implications

This paper identifies strategies that potential researchers can adopt to increase response rate. Further, it integrates national cultural dimensions and strategies and provides a model that potential researchers can adopt.

Originality/value

This paper associates the latest national cultural dimensions (global leadership and organizational behavior effectiveness study) and survey research strategies – an aspect that has not been addressed in the literature before.
Person/organization job‐fitting and affective commitment to the organization
Authors: Behery Mohamed H.
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine the mediation effect of the psychological contract (PC) on the relationship between person–organization (P‐O) fit, person–job (P‐J) fit and affective commitment to the organization (organizational affective commitment or OAC).

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data for the study were collected using self‐administered questionnaires with 960 participants from 16 large companies in the UAE. Respondents were asked to provide their perceptions of the main concepts used in the study.

Findings

The results indicate that P‐O fit and P‐J fit were positively related to the OAC. In addition, the PC was found to be a partial mediator between P‐O fit, P‐J fit and OAC.

Research limitations/implications

The findings imply that managers should take into consideration the P‐O fit when selecting new employees.

Originality/value

Since little is known about the process by which UAE organizations promote the P‐J fit, P‐O fit or OAC, this article contribute to the literature by examining HRM practices in a non‐western, cross‐cultural context.
An empirical test of Peruvian subcultural values
Authors: Robertson Christopher J. , Nico Suárez Guerrero Cristóbal
Published: April 2009

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a value measurement tool based on an indigenous theory of cultural values. Moreover, this instrument was tested in a multi‐cultural sample from Peru.

Design/methodology/approach

A cultural values framework that traces its origins to Peru is employed as the conceptual foundation for a new instrument designed to measure values that are inherently linked to economic and social development. The survey is tested across diverse subcultures within Peru through 288 respondents.

Findings

The empirical results lend significant support to three hypotheses and a number of differences related to how certain values may be perceived in varying subcultural communities were identified. Perhaps the most striking finding is that Peruvians from different subcultural groups vary in their perceptions of which values are key to successful assimilation into the local indigenous communities as well as the values necessary for achieving success in international business.

Research limitations/implications

By developing and testing a developmental values instrument that was based on developing nation constructs we have created an opportunity for replication in other developing nations as well as industrialized economies.

Practical implications

A number of implications related to managing in Andean America are plausible. These results can assist multi‐national firms that elect to operate in the Andes to evaluate their marketing and sales approaches, as well as human resource management policies. In addition firms that seek new growth opportunities within Andean America may need to incorporate predetermined values that are germane to their potential strategic maneuvers in the region.

Originality/value

This paper is exploratory in nature and facilitates a deeper level of analysis related to subcultural values in developing nations.