bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A closed-form solution in piezo-viscous squeeze films between a long cylinder and an infinite plate
Authors: Lin Jaw-Ren , Lu Rong-Fang
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The aim of this study is to extend the squeezing film problems between a long cylinder and an infinite plate, considering the piezo-viscous behavior (PVB) of the Barus experimental relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

– By integrating the nonlinear Reynolds-type differential equation directly, an analytical film-pressure solution is obtained and applied to investigate the load-carrying capacity and the approaching time.

Findings

– Compared with the case of constant-viscosity lubricants (CVLs), the effects of PVB are found to provide higher load-carrying capacities and longer approaching times for the squeezing films.

Originality/value

– It is found that when the cylinder is squeezed to a dimensionless central film height of 0.3, the dimensionless approaching time required for the CVL case is 4.922. However, the effects of PVB (α 0.0001, 0.001, 0.005 and 0.01) provide longer approaching times with values of 8.324, 8.438, 9.028 and 10.079. The cylinder-plate squeeze film system considering the influences of PVB results in a longer operating life.
Tribological behaviours of hybrid Zn–Al metal matrix composites produced by a rapid current sintering technique
Authors: Karslioğlu Ramazan , Akbulut Hatem , Uysal Mehmet , Bağdatli Guray
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The objective of the present investigation is to prepare a Zn–Al matrix (73 wt. per cent Zn + 27 wt. per cent Al) reinforced with SiC and graphite (Gr) hybrid composites by a rapid current sintering technique. Well-known Zn-based alloys are good candidates for load bearing applications. However, some limitations exist in Zn sublimation during casting and solid-state sintering and low-sliding velocity applications. The purpose is to develop new hybrid composites for self-lubricated bearing alloys by the facile production technique of current-activated sintering for these types of hybrid composites at very short sintering periods.

Design/methodology/approach

– Designing a special power unit for current sintering. The hybrid composites of the Zn–Al matrix were reinforced with 20 vol. per cent SiC and different amounts of Gr (2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10 weight per cent) and sintered rapidly by current sintering. Tribological tests for wear behaviors and self-lubrication effect were studied. The authors' approach is mainly to produce low-cost load-bearing materials.

Findings

– Successful and rapid production of Zn–Al alloy SiC/Gr hybrid composites in this study led to increasing load bearing capacity, decreasing friction coefficient and wear rate and production of good substitutes for conventional bearing applications.

Originality/value

– A conventional Zn alloy was reinforced with both SiC and Gr particles. This work is original in two ways. It is noted after the literature survey that this alloy is first reinforced with two different types of reinforcements as a hybrid type of composite. Second, the consolidation of this hybrid material was carried out by a direct current for eliminating Zn sublimation and shortening the production time. In tribological applications demanding strength and lubrication requirements, Zn–Al/SiC/Gr hybrid composites were assessed as good substitutes for conventional materials owing to improved wear resistance as a result of combined reinforcement of SiC and Gr particulates.
The online purchase as a context for co-creating experiences. Drivers of and consequences for customer behavior
Authors: Blasco-Arcas Lorena , Hernandez-Ortega Blanca , Jimenez-Martinez Julio
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the concept of engagement platforms and the theories of co-creation of value to analyze the purchase as a context for customers to co-create their own experiences. Specifically, the paper proposes that including online cues related to Customer to customer (C2C) interactions and coproduction in the engagement platform determines customer co-creation experiences. Moreover, the paper tests for the relationship between the co-creation experience and customer's purchase intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

– An online platform was designed and a purchase situation was simulated, in which the participants were asked to buy a pair of sneakers. To make the experience more realistic, participants could navigate and undertake activities related to the available cues, thus obtaining a direct experience of the possibilities of the platform. Structural equation modeling analyses were used to test the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

– The results confirm the importance of including cues related to C2C interactions and coproduction in order to increase co-creation experience possibilities for the customer during the online purchase. Moreover, if customers perceive that they are co-creating the experience, their purchase intentions increase.

Practical implications

– This paper addresses the importance of virtual engagement platforms as touch points for interaction and the importance of their characteristics for facilitating co-creation. These platforms provide customers with cues that promote their participation, the establishment of collaborative relationships and the co-creation of the purchase experience.

Originality/value

– There is a growing interest in understanding how customers interact with firms to co-create experiences and in the influence of IT-related service in this process. Nevertheless, to date, the online purchase experience as a co-creation context has not been fully investigated.
Why do people play mobile social games? An examination of network externalities and of uses and gratifications
Authors: Wei Pei-Shan , Lu Hsi-Peng
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence people to play socially interactive games on mobile devices. Based on network externalities and theory of uses and gratifications (U&G), it seeks to provide direction for further academic research on this timely topic.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on 237 valid responses collected from online questionnaires, structural equation modeling technology was employed to examine the research model.

Findings

– The results reveal that both network externalities and individual gratifications significantly influence the intention to play social games on mobile devices. Time flexibility, however, which is one of the mobile device features, appears to contribute relatively little to the intention to play mobile social games.

Originality/value

– This research successfully applies a combination of network externalities theory and U&G theory to investigate the antecedents of players’ intentions to play mobile social games. This study is able to provide a better understanding of how two dimensions – perceived number of users/peers and individual gratification – influence mobile game playing, an insight that has not been examined previously in the mobile apps literature.
Value relevance of IFRS mandatory disclosure requirements
Authors: Tsalavoutas Ioannis , Dionysiou Dionysia
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address recent calls for research regarding the valuation implications of mandatory disclosure requirements (cf. Hassanet al., 2009; Leuz and Wysocki, 2008; Schipper, 2007).

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper measures compliance with all International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) mandatory disclosure requirements for a sample of firms. The paper subsequently explores whether the compliance scores (i.e. the mandatory disclosure levels) are value relevant and whether the value relevance of accounting numbers differs across high- and low-compliance/disclosure companies.

Findings

– The paper finds that the levels of mandatory disclosures are value relevant. Additionally, not only the relative value relevance (i.e.R2) but also the valuation coefficient of net income of high-compliance companies is significantly higher than that of low-compliance companies.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper is an indicative single country case study that focuses on the IFRS adoption year (2005) in the EU. It forms a new avenue for research regarding the valuation implications of mandatory disclosure requirements. It remains to future research to examine whether the findings also hold in other countries and periods.

Practical implications

– These findings are expected to be particularly relevant to standard setters and regulatory bodies that are concerned about the implications of mandatory disclosure requirements (Schipper, 2007).

Originality/value

– To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that examines the value relevance implications of IFRS mandatory disclosure requirements, focusing on European country after 2005. The authors indicate that IFRS mandatory disclosures do lead to more transparent financial statements (cf. Pownall and Schipper, 1999), mitigating concerns about companies’ fundamentals (cf. Anctilet al., 2004).
Efficient contracting, earnings smoothing and managerial accounting discretion
Authors: Khalil Mohamed , Simon Jon
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the contracting incentives (i.e. bonus plans, debt covenants, political costs hypotheses), and income smoothing can explain accounting choices in an emerging country, Egypt.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper uses the ordinary least square regression model to examine the relationship between earnings management and reporting objectives. A sample of 438 non-financial firms listed on the Egyptian Exchange over the period 2005-2007 is used.

Findings

– The paper finds that the contracting objectives explain little of the variations in accounting choices (i.e. discretionary accruals) in the Egyptian context. However, the paper finds that mangers are likely to smooth the reported earnings by managing the accrual component in an attempt to reduce the fluctuation in reported earnings by increasing (decreasing) earnings when earnings are low (high) in attempt to reduce the variability of the reported earnings.

Research limitations/implications

– The empirical results rely on the ability of earnings management proxies to adequately capture earnings manipulation activities.

Practical implications

– The findings of the study should be of substantial interest to regulators and policy makers. The results implicitly contribute to the ongoing argument in relation to the optimal flexibility permitted by standard setting and the argument that tightening the accounting standards and mandating International Financial Reporting Standards are likely to improve reporting quality and reduce opportunistic earnings management. The results reveal that many of the weaknesses related to corporate reporting in emerging countries may result from the inadequate enforcement of the law and the weak legal protection of minority shareholders. The results also highlight the crucial role of understanding the reporting incentives, which is mainly shaped by institutional and market forces and the legal environment, in explaining accounting choices.

Originality/value

– Unlike previous studies that tested an individual objective, this study examines the trade-offs among various reporting objectives in an emerging economy.
E-business internal audit: the elephant is still in the room!
Authors: Kotb Amr , Sangster Alan , Henderson David
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technological change on the internal audit practices and skills requirements for internal auditors in an e-business environment.

Design/methodology/approach

– Generalist internal auditors and specialist information technology (IT) internal auditors were surveyed online in ten countries, including the USA and the UK which, together, provided the majority of responses.

Findings

– The results suggest a need for advanced IT-audit techniques in conducting the internal audit function, thereby increasing IT audit skill demands on generalist internal auditors. However, the results show a low confidence among internal auditors about their IT training and a continuing reliance upon IT audit specialists, rather than their own training/retraining.

Research limitations/implications

– The responses obtained in this study provide insight into both the status quo of the internal audit function, and to the changes that are needed to prepare generalist internal auditors for work in an e-business environment and, while the scale of the study limits the extent to which the findings may be generalized, they are consistent with the literature concerning the changing business environment and with the literature on resistance to change, suggesting that the issues revealed should be of concern.

Practical implications

– The results reported in this paper are useful to internal auditing educators and regulators in their consideration of the skills needed by generalist internal auditors in e-business environment.

Originality/value

– This study sheds light on a significantly growing area which remains relatively unexplored in the auditing-related literature, e-business audit. The study provides empirical evidence on challenges facing internal auditors in an e-business environment, thereby serving as a wake-up call, to both internal auditors and the professional bodies representing them, to defend their jurisdictional space against rival professional groups.
Economic crisis as a driver of management accounting change
Authors: Endenich Christoph
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate change processes within German and Spanish management accounting which are induced by the recent economic crisis. To illuminate these changes, a particular emphasis is put on budgeting processes and the role of management accountants.

Design/methodology/approach

– A cross-sectional field study that mainly builds on interviews with senior management accounting executives in nine German and nine Spanish companies was conducted. The German and Spanish companies were matched in terms of industry and size to assure comparability of the two national samples.

Findings

– The most recent economic crisis represents a crucial driver of management accounting change in the companies comprising my sample. Whereas budgeting is increasingly performed continuously, the empirical evidence suggests that opportunities are continually evolving that might result in a more powerful position of management accountants within corporate decision-making processes and an improved image of management accountants.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings of this study should not be generalised in a statistical sense. However, the results may be used as the basis for qualitative and quantitative follow-up studies.

Practical implications

– The paper provides several examples which demonstrate, that management accountants can improve their image and their influence on corporate decision making in times of economic crisis.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the literature by providing both theoretical refinement of and empirical evidence on propositions on the influence of the economic crisis on management accounting.
Using the military in disaster relief: systemising challenges and opportunities
Authors: Heaslip Graham , Barber Elizabeth
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to a greater understanding of the challenges of civil military logistical cooperation, coordination and collaboration in humanitarian relief logistics.

Design/methodology/approach

– Systematic literature review of academic journals.

Findings

– This paper has four main findings. First, a categorisation of humanitarian logistics literature is achieved through a systematic review. Second, a classification of military involvement in humanitarian relief logistics is presented. Third, the research substantiated systematic differences in the kinds of military cooperation not only due to stage of operations but also depending upon whether the disaster is “natural” or “manmade”. Fourth, the research identifies the challenges of civil military logistical cooperation, coordination and collaboration and posits recommendations to overcome the identified challenges.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper represents an exploratory study and provides the basis for further research on cooperation, coordination and collaboration between military and civilian agencies in humanitarian operations. The paper sets a research agenda for academics.

Practical implications

– This paper is the first to offer practical guidance to military commanders and managers of humanitarian agencies on solutions and recommendations to overcome the challenges to civil military logistical cooperation/coordination in humanitarian operations.

Originality/value

– The area of civil military logistical cooperation/coordination has received limited consideration within the humanitarian aid logistics literature to date. This paper is designed to redress this shortfall. As a result, it is hoped that it will act as a catalyst for further research and to widen and deepen the resultant debate with a view to improving the outcome for those affected by current and future disasters.
Literature review of humanitarian logistics research: trends and challenges
Authors: Leiras Adriana , de Brito Jr Irineu , Queiroz Peres Eduardo , Rejane Bertazzo Tábata , Tsugunobu Yoshida Yoshizaki Hugo
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review of humanitarian logistics (HL) that aims to identify trends and suggest some directions for future research.

Design/methodology/approach

– This conceptual paper develops a research framework for literature review through qualitative and quantitative content analysis. First, previous literature reviews in HL are updated and detailed. Then, seven classification criteria are added to earlier ones in order to advance the literature analysis.

Findings

– The conclusions identify some literature gaps and research opportunities. The main conclusions are the need for more studies into the disaster recovery phase and the need for closer relationships between academia and humanitarian organizations to increase the number of applied research.

Research limitations/implications

– The literature is limited to academic peer-reviewed journals because of their academic relevance, accessibility, and ease of searching.

Practical implications

– Help potential researchers to set up a research agenda for future work.

Social implications

– Reinforce earlier calls to increase truly applied research and improve social impact of the field.

Originality/value

– In total, 228 papers that were published in the HL area are reviewed, giving rise to the most extensive literature review in this area. New dimensions for literature review in HL are proposed, which give some new insights into potential research directions.
Human security and learning in crisis management
Authors: Mari Ainikki Anttila Ulla
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Contemporary armed conflicts predominantly take place in developing countries and there are often non-state actors involved in them. Civilians have been deliberately targeted in recent conflicts, and the international community has paid more attention to their protection. Human security means that individuals’ safety is a priority on the security agenda. Organizational learning is necessary in crisis management in order to evolve and provide tools to ensure human security. Organizational learning in crisis management requires individual learning, but individual learning does not necessarily lead to organizational learning at the level of institutions. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the development of crisis management and peace-building when taking into account crisis management personnel's experiences and their value in organizational learning processes. The results are applied to the context of humanitarian logistics that have special features including pace in comparison to other crisis management contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

– The empirical material consists of a Delphi panel process representing 15 experts and interviews of 27 individuals who had served as employees in civilian crisis management and military crisis management duties in Kosovo. The interviewees from the military side had background of being either a reservist or professional officer.

Findings

– Interaction and communication abilities are required from crisis management personnel and institutions. Personnel in crisis management need opportunities to give and receive feedback. At the personal level, work in crisis management is important for an individual. Returning home may be more challenging for an individual than starting to work in a mission. The framework of organizational learning is adequate for developing crisis management and humanitarian logistics.

Originality/value

– Crisis management personnel's feelings and opinions in depth have been rarely studied and the present study provides information about this personal level. Because of using two methods focussing on organizational learning and feedback, partial methodological triangular was carried out, which increased the reliability of the results. In regard to humanitarian logistics, feedback arrangements are also important when intending to develop learning organizations. Return arrangements for personnel in humanitarian logistics are also an important focus of study.
Game theory applications in humanitarian operations: a review
Authors: Muggy Luke , L. Heier Stamm Jessica
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to summarize ways in which game theory has been or could be utilized within the humanitarian sector and to identify future research opportunities in this field. Game theory is a tool for modeling systems in which multiple decision makers act according to their own objectives and where individual choices affect system outcomes. Humanitarian logistics systems are often characterized by the presence of many such decision makers.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors synthesize literature from operations research, humanitarian logistics, and the political and management sciences that describes either game theory models or settings in which game theory has the potential to contribute practical insights. Papers are categorized based on the types of decision makers highlighted and the facets of humanitarian operations described.

Findings

– The review of literature indicates that applications of game theory to humanitarian supply chain systems are limited to date but that many components of humanitarian operations can benefit from such study.

Research limitations/implications

– The literature on game theory in humanitarian supply chains is still emerging. The findings imply opportunities for researchers to advance both theoretical and practical understanding in this area.

Practical implications

– Current research provides some managerial insights to humanitarian practitioners, but future practice-driven research could increase the impact of game theory models in the humanitarian sector.

Originality/value

– This work reviews past research contributions in the area of game theory and humanitarian operations and recommends areas for future research.
Meeting needs: value chain collaboration in stabilisation and reconstruction operations
Authors: Rietjens Sebastiaan , Goedee John , Van Sommeren Stijn , Soeters Joseph
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– From the perspective of value chains, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the organization of stabilization and reconstruction operations, most notably in Afghanistan, with the intention to improve the way the beneficiaries are involved.

Design/methodology/approach

– Case study: the paper first develops a theoretical framework that draws upon value chain literature. To gather empirical data fieldwork was done within the Dutch provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Afghanistan. Methods that were used include interviews, participatory observation and desk study.

Findings

– In the value chain process six steps are identified: early warning, file and analysis, appraisal/qualification, assignment/management, execution and evaluation. Different categories of personnel (military, reservists, civilians) bring with them different backgrounds. This led to different opinions on who can be considered as the customer of the value chain. Moreover, personnel received different signals in the early warning step as to what needed to be done. From there on, different values and perspectives developed during the sequence of the various stages in the value chain that were not easily aligned. The formal structure of the work activities in the PRT was clear but did not match with the everyday reality. This showed another, much more fuzzy picture. Many mutual contacts were needed to overcome the coordination problems, but that required considerable additional efforts.

Originality/value

– The paper applies value chain literature to stabilization and reconstruction operations and focuses on the customers. It uses unique data and demonstrates the usefulness of a multidisciplinary approach.
Queuing network-based methodology for designing and assessing performance of centralized maintenance workshops
Authors: Simeu-Abazi Zineb , Di Mascolo Maria , Gascard Eric
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– In this paper, the authors are concerned with a maintenance workshop (MW) centralizing all corrective maintenance activities. The purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology for designing a central maintenance workshop, enabling the evaluation of performance in terms of cost and sojourn time, for a given budget.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors propose a modeling framework based on queuing networks. The aim is to maximize operational availability of the production workshop, by reducing the sojourn time of failed equipment in the MW.

Findings

– The proposed methodology leads to a maintenance decision support tool enabling to give the structure of the MW, performing at a higher level, but at a reasonable configuration cost. Simulation results illustrate the influence of different parameters, such as the number of stations and the level of spare parts in the MW, on the sojourn time of the equipment.

Research limitations/implications

– Only corrective maintenance is taken into account and only equipment that can be taken out of the production workshop are considered. The preventive replacement of some equipment items can be taken into account by the repair process by considering them as failed.

Originality/value

– The work falls within a more general framework for optimizing maintenance costs, in the context of integration of multi-site services in a distributed context. The paper is concerned with centralized maintenance, and proposes to integrate the so-called repair by replacement technique in a MW, used for a multi-site production workshop.
Complex maintenance programs quantification (CMPQ) to better control production systems
Authors: Ruin Thomas , Levrat Eric , Iung Benoît , Despujols Antoine
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for supporting complex maintenance programs quantification (CMPQ) for industrial systems. The methodology is based on a generic formalization of static and behavioral expert knowledge both on the target system and on the maintenance one. The formalization is carried out first by means of system modelling language (SysML) diagrams to model knowledge concepts and second by the transformation of these concepts into Altarica data flow (ADF) language for developing stochastic simulation.

Design/methodology/approach

– An industrial case study (ARE system) proposed by the electricite de France (EDF) company is used initially to show a real problem statement on CMPQ. It allows highlighting key scientific issues considered as the basis for methodology development. Main issues are related to static and dynamic knowledge formalization justifying the choice of SysML and ADF languages. The added value of this methodology is finally shown on the same case study serving as benchmark.

Findings

– This paper demonstrates the suitability of using of SysML language for modelling the CMPQ knowledge and then of ADF language in building executable model implementing simulation as needed for assessing key performance indicators of CMPQ. ADF is based on formal mode automaton. Mapping rules are developed to ensure correspondence between the concepts of these two languages.

Research limitations/implications

– Additional industrial validations of the methodology should be performed to really evaluate its benefits.

Practical implications

– This work was made possible thanks to a partnership with the EDF Company (French energy supplier). The results are therefore directly usable at practical industrial levels.

Originality/value

– The CMPQ methodology proposed is fully generic leading to offering a library of atomic ADF components (COTS) which can be instantiated to develop executable model with regards to each specific application. It allows to favor reusability and makes easier the model development above all for a user who knows nothing about the language.
Coloured stochastic Petri nets modelling for the reliability and maintenance analysis of multi-state multi-unit systems
Authors: Wang Zhouhang , Atli Maen , Kondo Adjallah H.
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to introduce a method for modelling the multi-state repairable systems subject to stochastic degradation processes by using the coloured stochastic Petri nets (CSPN). The method is a compact and flexible Petri nets model for multi-state repairable systems and offers an alternative to the combinatory of Markov graphs.

Design/methodology/approach

– The method is grounded on specific theorems used to design an algorithm for systematic construction of multi-state repairable systems models, whatever is their size.

Findings

– Stop and constraint functions were derived from these theorems and allow to considering k-out-of-n structure systems and to identifying the minimal cut sets, useful to monitoring the states evolution of the system.

Research limitations/implications

– The properties of this model will be studied, and new investigations will help to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach in real world, and more complex structure will be considered.

Practical implications

– The simulation models based on CSPN can be used as a tool by maintenance decision makers, for prediction of the effectiveness of maintenance strategies.

Originality/value

– The proposed approach and model provide an efficient tool for advanced investigations on the development and implementation of maintenance policies and strategies in real life.
Building institutional capacity: more accountability than autonomy?
Authors: Mertkan Sefika , Sugrue Ciaran
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of the paper is to explore the strategies schools use to build capacity in English secondary schools where they operate under strong pressures to improve continuously and failure to do so carries severe penalties.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach involved in-depth case studies of six schools that utilized multiple sources of evidence. These include policy documents, interviews with multiple actors and observations of key management meetings.

Findings

– Findings suggest travelling strategies used by schools, but these are implemented with varying intensity, hybridity and creativity. The common travelling strategies re-contextualized in organizational fields are data workmanship, multi-level monitoring, and performance development. For participating schools, successfully replicating these three pillars through identity cloning, an attempt to establish institutional identities identical to that of the “performing schools”, helps lift schools in different contexts.

Originality/value

– There has been ample discussion on organizational capacity building, but the evidence on the actual strategies schools use is thin. This paper contributes to knowledge generation and understanding by providing as complete a picture as possible of the strategies schools use while remaining skeptical regarding the long-term consequences of short term “gains”.
How do I know I am valued?
Authors: Claxton Julia
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to understand the phenomena of an employee “being valued” in the context of a manufacturing SME.

Design/methodology/approach

– A qualitative study using rich data from in-depth interviews following a classical (Glaserian) grounded theory.

Findings

– A three dimensional concept of authentic pride enablement, altruistically-orientated shared-purpose and servant leadership explained the reasons people felt valued.

Research limitations/implications

– The limitations were that this study was in one context

Practical implications

– The implications are that if organisations consider a servant leadership approach, enabling of authentic pride and fostering of altruistically-orientated shared-purpose, this may help employees feel valued.

Social implications

– This has implications for how organisations can show their employees that they are valued.

Originality/value

– “Being valued” is a concept/construct that is widely quoted as a driver for employee engagement and yet rarely unpacked.
Does corporate social responsibility impact on employee engagement?
Authors: Ferreira Pedro , Real de Oliveira Elizabeth
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Despite the claim that internal corporate social responsibility plays an important role, the understanding of this phenomenon has been neglected. This paper intends to contribute to fill this gap by looking into the relation between CSR and employee engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

– A survey research was conducted and three different groups of respondents were faced with three different CSR scenarios (general, internal, external) and respondents' employee engagement was measured.

Findings

– The results show that there are no statistically significant differences in levels of engagement between employees exposed to external and internal CSR practices. Nevertheless, employees exposed to internal CSR are more engaged than those exposed only to external CSR practices.

Research limitations/implications

– The use of scenarios, although a grounded approach, involves risks, including the difficulty of participants to put themselves in a fictional situation. Also, the scale used to measure employee engagement puts the emphasis on work rather than on the organisation.

Practical implications

– Although this study is not conclusive it raises the need for companies to look at their CSR strategy in a holistic approach, i.e. internal and external.

Originality/value

– This paper represents a contribution to understand CSR strategic status and the need to enlighten the impact that social responsible practices can have on employees' engagement.
Employee engagement and autoethnography: being and studying self
Authors: Anne Sambrook Sally , Jones Natalie , Doloriert Clair
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– Employee engagement (EE) is a highly popular topic within workplace research, but has been studied almost exclusively from a quantitative, survey based approach, both in academic and consultancy led research. Yet, employee engagement is essentially an individual concept, concerning self, and this highly personal dimension fails to be captured in positivistic surveys. This paper offers a novel methodology in an attempt to address this deficit.

Design/methodology/approach

– This complex concept needs to be studied from a more interpretivist and ethnographic angle, acknowledging that EE exists within a cultural context. The paper proposes the use of a contemporary, and somewhat contentious, form of ethnography, autoethnography (AE) that weaves together the researcher's personal and participants' experiences to illuminate the phenomenon.

Findings

– This paper briefly reviews extant literature on employee engagement, explains autoethnography and argues that AE is a highly suitable method to capture both the individual and social nature of self in employee engagement.

Research limitations/implications

– To understand how employee engagement works, we need to get at the depth of the concept, and the paper offers an innovative methodological contribution to achieve this. To date, this approach has received limited attention and only minimal anecdotal evidence is presented to support the argument for AE. However, there is substantial scope for further research adopting this novel, collaborative approach.

Practical implications

– An autoethnographic approach provides both emic (insider) and etic (outsider) perspectives on the phenomenon, thus harnessing both the experiences of those involved in AE initiatives (e.g. HR practitioners managing EE and employees being engaged) but also the researcher's experiences and interpretations of being engaged in their work, to elicit more rich, layered insights. Such nuanced understanding can help facilitate more appropriate, authentic and realistic interventions to harness employees' whole self and engagement.

Originality/value

– Autoethnography provides an innovative approach to studying employee engagement, offering an appropriate alternative to quantitative, snap-shot studies and is more in keeping with the founding scholar's intentions for research on this topic.
Sources of funding for decentralized R&D activity: effects of MNE subsidiaries' entry choice and laboratory roles
Authors: Manolopoulos Dimitris
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between R&D internationalization and finance decisions by providing survey evidence on the funding sources of R&D in light of recent perceptions of MNEs' decentralized knowledge-related competitiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study draws upon a survey of 83 decentralized R&D units located in countries outside the EU core of mature economies. Funding sources are classified as MNE-internal and external. Using simulation-based models, six ordered probit regression models were run with each funding source forming the dependent variable.

Findings

– There are three significant findings. First, decentralized R&D funding relies mainly on MNE-internal sources. Second, decentralized R&D funding patterns reflect on the interdependencies within an overall MNE R&D strategy that is articulated through varied laboratory roles. Third, while the strategy-finance interaction is confirmed, the prevalence of parent funding is challenged. Instead, evidence recorded here suggests support for the decentralized, “subsidiary-focused” perspective that has recently regained a considerable momentum in the literature.

Research limitations/implications

– Notwithstanding that this study reinforces the interaction between strategic decisions and funding patterns, more work is required to identify the effects of other aspects of strategy on the funding sources of decentralized R&D activity. However, it is seemingly the first study that investigates MNEs' R&D financial decisions in economies outside the EU core, incorporating also a wide array of external funding sources.

Practical implications

– Funding choices for decentralized R&D labs should be contingent upon their unique contribution to the competitive evolution of the MNE group. Further, R&D activity seems to leverage the autonomy of subsidiary managers.

Originality/value

– This research is one of the very few empirical studies providing evidence on the funding sources of decentralized R&D laboratories, and suggests possible predictors that have not been put forward hitherto.
How much does region affect performance?
Authors: Elango B. , R. Wieland Jamie
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The importance of regional strategy as a separate paradigm in the international business literature has grown in recent years, and the initial connections between regionalization and firm performance appear promising. What is lacking, however, is an empirical analysis quantifying the impact of regional effects on firm profitability. This topic is an important one for the field of international business, as drivers of firm profitability are some of the key motivators of research in international strategy. The aim of this paper is to empirically quantify the role of regional effects on the performance of service firms in a manner such that regional effects can be directly compared with country and firm effects on firm profitability.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using a hierarchical linear model (HLM) with four levels, the proportion of variation driven by regional effects is estimated. These estimates are obtained from a data panel of 48,083 units from 7,129 service firms across the three triad regions (North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific) over a ten-year time-frame (1999-2008).

Findings

– It was found that regional effects, in terms of relative importance, explain approximately 9 percent of the variance in firm performance. This pattern of results is consistent when the analysis was conducted during periods of increasing or decreasing profits, firm type, and ownership structure.

Originality/value

– Within the context of international business, work on regional strategy/regionalization has emerged as a separate stream of literature. This study is one of the first to quantify the influence of regional effects on performance using a 4-level HLM model. Additionally, this paper demonstrates the application of a 4-level model, potentially increasing awareness of this technique and usage in other multilevel topics in the IB literature, which offers several avenues for future research.
Fast fashion and the future
Authors: P. Abeles Tom
Published: May 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to suggest that all of the systems, education, economic and social, are caught in an ever-increasing pace, tied in large part to a set of beliefs, largely economic, that resemble a religion and for which there appears to not be a rational option to escape.

Design/methodology/approach

– A study of systems.

Findings

– It is argued that we are at a tipping point where there are too many holes in the intellectual dike, that a shift in many dimensions may not be preventable.

Practical implications

– While “techno-futurists” are promoting this increasing evolution pace towards a transformational singularity, there appears to be no serious consideration that humanity may get its “wish” as did King Midas.

Social implications

– There is a serious question as to whether there can be, and should be, alternatives not cast into the frame of the Neo-Luddites.

Originality/value

– This is a contrarian view of the current effort to promote the educational focus on STEM, science, technology, engineering and mathematics, almost as a pre-cursor to being able to participate in a technology-driven societal model of the future.
Academic freedom in the digital age
Authors: B. McCluskey Frank , L. Winter Melanie
Published: May 2014

Purpose

–This paper aims to discuss current thinking about academic freedom in the digital age. Digital technology makes the classroom more transparent to administrators. This raises new questions about academic freedom that institutions must consider going forward.

Design/methodology/approach

–The paper begins with a historical survey to define academic freedom. We then look at how new technologies have changed the classroom. The transparency and access of the digital classroom is new and wholly unprecedented in the history of the university.

Findings

–Academic freedom is undergoing a great change. Literature and policies have not kept up with this change. Colleges need to rethink academic freedom in light of these new technologies.

Practical implications

–This article is meant to assist universities in making policies for the digital age. How faculty are observed, who can observe the classroom, and the privacy of data are policy areas that must be codified by universities.

Social implications

–Many faculty are feeling more vulnerable in the digital age. General concerns about privacy can translate into privacy issues for the entire university. Policies need to evolve to be more relevant for the digital age.

Originality/value

–A Google search found only seven articles on academic freedom in the digital age, and two were by the authors. This paucity of literature shows that more thought and attention needs to be paid to this important subject.
Exploring stress management training provision for students in the context of post-secondary education: evidence from Greece
Authors: Panagiotakopoulos Antonios
Published: May 2014

Purpose

–The aim of this paper is to investigate the extent to which post-secondary educational institutions in Greece have incorporated into their curriculum modules related to occupational stress management in order to equip graduates with the required knowledge to cope with the stress caused by the precarious and intensified nature of contemporary jobs.

Design/methodology/approach

–In the present study, extensive secondary data analysis was undertaken, which was complemented by an empirical quantitative survey. Regarding the secondary data analysis, an in-depth examination of all the available core and elective modules was undertaken in 150 programs of 35 Greek post-secondary educational institutions. The analysis involved the detailed examination of the curriculum content across 20 disciplines. As for the empirical part of the study, a self-administered questionnaire survey was used involving 100 students across the 20 selected disciplines.

Findings

–The findings revealed that in Greek post-secondary education there is minimal systematic training provision for students around work-related stress management. The results show that stress management education is not incorporated in the curriculum as part of a key skills development scheme (either in the form of stand-alone modules or embedded in the curriculum) in most disciplines, which raises questions on the contribution of educational institutions in developing graduate employability.

Research limitations/implications

–The study argues that there is an immediate need for post-secondary educational institutions across the country to develop relevant modules around managing occupational stress in order to respond to society's contemporary needs. To this end, the study argues that stress management training should be introduced in all VET and HEIs in Greece in the form of compulsory, stand-alone modules across all disciplines. The module should cover at least three main thematic areas: symptoms of work-related stress; impact of stress on individuals and organizations; and ways to cope with occupational stress.

Practical implications

–The present study is particularly relevant to education policy makers throughout the world, due to the high levels of organizational change and uncertainty generated by the present global financial crisis and recession. Stress at work is likely to remain a “hot” topic in the agenda of government officials across the world, and finding ways to cope with occupational stress is likely to become a key challenge of post-secondary education.

Originality/value

–Despite the importance of stress management training for graduate employability, very few studies have been conducted around that topic. This work comes to fill a significant knowledge gap in relation to the nature and extent of occupational stress management training provision for students in the context of post-secondary education.