bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sense of attachment to place and fulfilled preferences, the mediating role of housing satisfaction
Authors: Khozaei Fatemeh , Ramayah T. , Sanusi Hassan Ahmad , Surienty Lilis
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This study aims to examine the possibility that housing satisfaction mediates the relationship between fulfilled preference and a sense of attachment to place.

Design/methodology/approach

A 15‐item questionnaire was administrated to 751 students residing in residence halls at a public university in Malaysia. The respondents were asked to choose their answer from a four‐point Likert scale that was constructed as follows: not at all; very little; mostly; and very much.

Findings

The results of the survey revealed that housing satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between fulfilled preferences and sense of attachment to place. These results highlight the importance of students' fulfilled preferences. It reveals that the more students' preferences regarding residence hall were fulfilled, the more they were satisfied with their residence hall and felt attached to it.

Originality/value

The findings of this study emphasise the importance of understanding students' residence hall needs and fulfilling their desire. These findings also emphasize that university students must not be viewed merely as temporary residents who stay in residence halls for just a few years.
Archivists 2.0: redefining the archivist's profession in the digital age
Authors: Kallberg Maria
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Public organizations are investing in e‐government development and e‐services to improve the interaction and services to the citizens. Archivists need to act more pro‐active to capture and manage records in order to be accessible both in the present and in the long‐term. Archivists need to understand the conceptual context and business processes in which the records are created. This study aims to focus on an ongoing process within a specific context, which may have direct, but also future implications for archivists' professional identity. Professional identity is understood as a sense of shared understandings and skills, experiences, common way of perceiving problems and their possible solutions. The study is meant to answer the overall research question and sub‐questions: What is the status of archivist professionals' positions and practice within public organizations? What organizational effect has the change from paper‐based to electronic record keeping had on archivists' professional positions and practice within organizations? How do archivists perceive themselves in their professional roles, i.e. identity? Are there any critical competence issues that need to be solved that are connected to new requirements in working methods related to electronic record keeping? and How do archivists define their skills and working performance?

Design/methodology/approach

The data presented and analyzed in this article are based on a literature review and an empirical study. The literature covers areas related to archivists' professional practice and future role. The empirical study is based on interviews with nine municipality archivists at nine different Swedish municipalities identified by the Swedish Association of Local Government and Regions as “good example” e‐government municipalities. All interviews were undertaken during January and March 2011.

Findings

The findings provide information on how archivists define their current and future professional role in relation to the organization and the development of information technology: the status of archivist professionals' positions and practice, for example, within public organizations. It explores the importance of strategic approaches to managing electronic records – from their creation throughout their whole existence, including long‐term preservation – and considers necessary changes to the professional image of archivists and the skills they need.

Originality/value

This article will be of interest to record keeping practitioners working in the shift to e‐government in local contexts and also to educators, as there appears to be a shift in the skills and knowledge required by those working in local government.
Functional classification scheme for records
Authors: Gunnlaugsdottir Johanna
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of studies conducted during the period 1986‐2010 in 75 Icelandic organizations on how employees classified or did not classify information and records.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology was used, involving open‐ended interviews, participant observations and internal documentary material.

Findings

The studies revealed that very few of the organizations used a functional classification scheme (FCS) organization‐wide to classify records when the data collection took place. When FCS was not used, records were variably stored unclassified or were classified by the employees according to individualistic schemes made up by themselves. It was further discovered that influential factors in a successful implementation of FCS were user participation in designing FCS, proper training and top management support in its use.

Practical implications

The findings could be practical for organizations that intend to improve information and records management and to maximize efficient retrieval of records for business and legal purposes. They could be a starting point in successful introduction of FCS in organizations, both in Iceland and abroad.

Originality/value

There is a lack of systematic analysis of studies on classification of records and FCS, not only in Iceland but in other countries as well. The findings provide new knowledge on how employees classify or do not classify records and use or do not use FCS and of which are the most influential factors in a successful implementation of such schemes.
Thoughts on the opportunities for records professionals of the open access, open data agenda
Authors: McLeod Julie
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this editorial is to highlight the potential challenges and opportunities for information and records managers of the “open access” agenda. This is becoming increasingly high profile not only in the research sector, but also the public sector as a result of a number of key drivers, namely, research funder requirements, regulatory compliance, and the demand for greater openness, transparency and accountability.

Design/methodology/approach

The article is a viewpoint informed by the findings from two recent projects directed by the author and on wider conversations and publications. It is not an in‐depth analysis of the literature.

Findings

The author suggests that the increasing profile and importance of “open access” and “open data” offer new opportunities for information and records managers. They provide technical as well as people challenges and a new context in which information and records managers can apply their expertise. This will be different to the compliance agenda; it will be focused more on economic and competitor advantage.

Originality/value

The viewpoint brings together thoughts on the information and records management implications of open access and the potential value and role of records professionals. Its purpose is to stimulate debate and action.
School administration in a changing education sector: the US experience
Authors: Spillane James P. , Kenney Allison W.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Research, spanning half a century, points to the critical role of school administration and to the successful implementation of US government policies and programs. In part these findings reflect the times and a US educational governance system characterized by local control, a constitutionally‐constrained federal government, resource‐poor state governments, and an overall system of segment arrangements for governing education. However, the US education policy environment has changed dramatically over the past several decades, with standards and high stakes accountability becoming commonplace. The purpose of this paper is to examine the entailments of shifts in the policy environment for school administrative practice, focusing on how school leaders manage in the middle between this shifting external policy environment and classroom teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper's focus is on how school administration manages the dual organizational imperatives of legitimacy and integrity in a changing institutional environment. This paper is an essay in which the authors reflect on the entailments of shifts in the education sector for school administration over the past quarter century in the USA.

Findings

While considerable change for school administrative practice is suggested, the authors argue that organizational legitimacy and organizational integrity are still central concerns for school leaders.

Originality/value

Although the paper's account is based entirely on the US education sector, several aspects of the framing may be relevant in other countries.
The strength of accountability and teachers’ organisational citizenship behaviour
Authors: Elstad Eyvind , Christophersen Knut‐Andreas , Turmo Are
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) involves discretionary behaviour advantageous to the organisation that goes beyond existing role expectations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the link between the strength of accountability and teachers’ OCB within three different management systems in which teachers are working: a system of assessment‐based accountability; a system of the gradual introduction of accountability devices; and a system with no tests or examinations.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling of cross‐sectional surveys from the three different management systems was used to estimate the path coefficients and to compare the strength of relationships between concepts in the models.

Findings

The analysis shows that the factors that influence OCB in an accountability regime are clearly different from those in a regime with weak or no accountability devices.

Research limitations/implications

A cross‐sectional study does not allow us to test causal relationships among antecedents of organisational citizenship behaviour. The use of self‐reported questionnaire data is another shortcoming. Furthermore, the response rates leave uncertainty about whether the samples are representative.

Practical implications

The strength of accountability in education governance might influence OCB among teachers. Educational administrators could benefit from exploring this issue to help the establishment of institutional arrangements.

Social implications

The paper shows that OCB amongst teachers is essential for the smooth functioning of schools for several reasons.

Originality/value

The study integrates three strands of theories that have their focal points in employees’ perceptions of exchange: Shore's theory on employee‐organisation relationships; Bryk and Schneider's theory on trust in schools; and theories on accountability.
External mandates and instructional leadership: school leaders as mediating agents
Authors: Seashore Louis Karen , Robinson Viviane M.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how US school leaders make sense of external mandates, and the way in which their understanding of state and district accountability policies affects their work. It is posited that school leaders’ responses to external accountability are likely to reflect a complex interaction between their perception of the accountability policies, the state and district contexts in which those policies are situated and their own leadership beliefs and practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use both principal and teacher survey data to explore the question of how perceptions of external policy are associated with instructional leadership behaviors. Cases of seven principals are employed to flesh out the findings from the survey analysis.

Findings

It is concluded that external accountability policy may have a positive impact on instructional leadership – where they see those policies as aligned with their own values and preferences, and where they see their district leaders as supportive of school‐driven accountability initiatives. In these cases, school leaders internalize the external accountability policies and shape them to the particular needs that they see as priorities in their own school. Where one or the other of these factors is weak or missing, on the other hand, leaders demonstrate more negative attitudes to external accountability and weaker instructional leadership.

Originality/value

This analysis draws on a unique, large‐scale data base and uses a mixed methods approach to answer the question.
Managing the intersection of internal and external accountability
Authors: Knapp Michael S. , Feldman Susan B.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to the intersection of external and internal accountability systems within urban schools, and the role of school leadership, especially that of the principal, in managing this intersection. In particular, the paper explores how school leaders are able to strengthen and sustain the school's internal accountability system, in pursuit of school‐defined learning improvement agenda, and at the same time respond productively to external accountability demands. The paper also seeks to identify consequences of these leaders’ efforts to navigate an often problematic set of converging demands.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on findings from a larger multi‐case study of learning‐focused leadership in 15 schools in four urban school districts in the USA. Schools were chosen to represent those that were “making progress” (by local measures). Data were collected over 18 months, spanning two school years, from Spring 2007 to Fall 2008. Data collection included multiple site visits, semi‐structured interviews and observations of leadership activity across school and district settings, and a variety of documentary evidence.

Findings

Though working in substantially different contexts, these leaders found remarkably similar ways of crafting tools and creating occasions, from the array of external accountability demands and resources, to serve internal accountability purposes. They did so by internalizing external expectations and developing accountable practice within the school, leading through data, and modelling what it meant to learn to lead in a fully accountable way. As they did so, they reshaped the scope of instruction and the instructional improvement conversation, and also made teaching and leadership practice more public.

Originality/value

This paper extends discussions of school‐level accountability in two ways. First, it updates scholarship on accountability by examining school‐level responses at a time five years into the new accountability context in the USA defined by strict system‐wide expectations and mechanisms. Second, the paper demonstrates ways in which the often onerous demands of external accountability systems can be treated as a resource by school leaders and used in ways that bolster the school's capacity for accountable professional practice.
Bridging accountability obligations, professional values and (perceived) student needs with integrity
Authors: Mintrop Heinrich
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the tensions between external accountability obligations, educator's professional values, and student needs. Strategic, cognitive, and moral dimensions of this tension are captured with the central category of integrity.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a mixed methods study that compares five exceptionally high performing middle schools with four exceptionally low performing middle schools in the state of California (USA), controlling for demographics, school context factors, and below average performance range.

Findings

It is found that schools under similar circumstances differ on the degree of integrity. Schools with high integrity have a good balance between values and reality, are more cohesive and more open to dissent. In each case, integrity was associated with an expansion of agency that combined moral earnestness with prudent strategizing and actively constructing interpretive frames that maintained a school's sense of self‐worth. Integrity develops or survives with a good dose of educational leaders’ personal strength, but also depends on leaders’ insistence to fully exhaust the moral horizon of an institution which obligates educators to balance equity, system efficiency, child‐centeredness and professionalism with prudence.

Research limitations/implications

This is a case study of nine schools in one state. Explanatory relationships can be explored, but not generalized.

Practical implications

The research has implications for leadership. It demonstrates the power of integrity as a key virtue of leadership under accountability pressures. It shows the different ways integrity can be forged in schools and the different ways it can be missed with consequences for school life.

Social implications

The paper stresses the point that it is quite conceivable that ideological zeal, Machiavellian strategizing, or eager system conformism may produce more forceful agency than integrity. But as everyday responses they are not as realistic, ethical or productive as the striving for integrity.

Originality/value

The practitioner literature often points to integrity as a desirable quality when dealing with tensions of the sort addressed in this paper, but little systematic theoretical thinking and empirical exploration of this concept exists. The paper makes an advance in both areas.
Use of qualitative research in foodservice organizations
Authors: Arendt Susan W. , Roberts Kevin R. , Strohbehn Catherine , Ellis Jason , Paez Paola , Meyer Janell
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the challenges encountered when conducting qualitative research in foodservice operations and to discuss the strategies to overcome the identified challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers conducted food safety observations, interviews, and focus groups with more than 600 foodservice employees and managers. The researchers encountered multiple challenges including institutional review board approvals, managements' willingness to participate, and organizational and cultural barriers.

Findings

Obtaining in‐depth, credible information through observations, interviews, and focus groups adds depth and breadth to hospitality studies. However, given high industry turnover, recruitment and retention throughout a study is problematic. Moreover, researchers encounter many barriers as they obtain data, such as establishing authenticity and overcoming Hawthorne and halo effects.

Originality/value

Strategies to increase participation and thereby improve qualitative research have not been previously addressed in the hospitality literature
Structure and process modeling of seemingly unstructured leisure‐travel decisions and behavior
Authors: Martin Drew , Woodside Arch G.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce a structuring and processing model (SPM) as a framework for tourism decision making research.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs McCracken's long interview to collect data in field settings. The study introduces advances in Mintzberg et al.'s approach to structuring seemingly unstructured decision making to explain travelers' decision‐making processes.

Findings

SPM enables mapping and comparing visitors' plans, motivations, choices, and consequences. The results demonstrate nuanced decision‐behavior dynamics and complexities of visitors' travel‐related unconscious/conscious thinking and behavior.

Research limitations/implications

SPM does not attempt to generalize findings to large survey samples.

Practical implications

Travel planning and execution dynamics dictate that a decision‐making funnel metaphor in consumer research does not capture such trip complexity because additional decisions are made when the traveler arrives at the destination.

Originality/value

SPM is dynamic and inclusive explaining simultaneous planning elements as well as considering sub‐decisions occurring before and after different phases in the process. This model includes both conscious and unconscious internal retrievals as well as contextual influences relating to current planning affect the decision‐making process.
How to promote cooperation in the hospitality industry
Authors: Pechlaner Harald , Volgger Michael
Published: August 2012

Purpose

While it is possible to classify the previously suggested conditions to the promotion of interorganizational cooperation as either referring to strategic interdependence or to structural and procedural conditions, it is unclear which approach is more critical to the promotion of local and regional cooperation in the hospitality industry at the network level. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is twofold: to inductively develop propositions regarding the promotion of such cooperation in order to evaluate the relative importance of the two conflicting positions, and to demonstrate the suitability of GABEK to the development of these propositions.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a qualitative case study design, data were gathered by conducting 15 open interviews in a South Tyrolean destination and analyzed with the aid of the GABEK technique.

Findings

The results suggest that the structural and procedural conditions are relatively more critical to the promotion of interorganizational cooperation in the hospitality industry: first, the balancing of the efficiency and legitimacy dimensions via the organizational and procedural design of the cooperation seems crucial; second, intermediary organizations, if characterized by good corporate governance, may have a positive influence on cooperation; and third, the application of GABEK‐like tools may facilitate the finding of commonly shared solutions in cooperative configurations.

Practical implications

The research reveals actionable insights regarding the improvement of interfirm cooperation by offering managers tangible measures and a tool for implementing the theoretical concepts.

Originality/value

The paper is original because it contributes to evaluating the two main approaches to the promotion of cooperation and because it proposes an innovative methodology (GABEK) for practice‐oriented qualitative research.
Reflecting on a phenomenological study of creativity and innovation in haute cuisine
Authors: Stierand Marc B. , Dörfler Viktor
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper aims to present and reflect on a phenomenological research process used to elucidate the nature of creativity and innovation in haute cuisine.

Design/methodology/approach

In‐depth unstructured interviews and field notes capturing subjective experiences were employed to elucidate the experiences of 18 top chefs from the UK, Spain, France, Austria and Germany with regards to creativity and innovation.

Findings

The findings are twofold: first, an empirical sample finding is presented in order to contextualize the type of findings obtained; second, key methodological findings are presented explaining the process of elucidating the nature of creativity and innovation through iterative learning from the descriptions of the interviewees and the subjective experiences gathered.

Research limitations/implications

The underlying phenomenological study is limited to male haute cuisine chefs in five European countries. Future research is planned including female and male chefs from other countries in order to learn whether similar empirical findings can be obtained.

Practical implications

The paper presents a research process for elucidating cognitive and nebulous phenomena such as creativity and innovation to make them accessible to managers, researchers, students and policy makers.

Originality/value

The findings explain the process of elucidating the nature of creativity and innovation through iterative learning from the descriptions of the interviewees and the subjective experiences gathered. Further conceptual and methodological development emerges from investigating interviewees representative of the notion of the extraordinary.
Testing geographical information systems: a case study in a fire prevention support system
Authors: Taylor Mark , Higgins Emma , Lisboa Paulo
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and evaluation of a geographical information system (GIS) testing framework that was used to test a fire prevention support GIS.

Design/methodology/approach

A year‐long case study was undertaken concerning the testing of a fire prevention support GIS in a UK fire and rescue service.

Findings

The GIS testing framework developed involved testing the different components of a GIS, testing their interactions, and then testing the system as a whole. Since GISs contain different components such as spatial analyses and map‐based output, this supports the adoption of a different testing framework compared to existing types of information systems.

Research limitations/implications

GISs will typically be used by organisations for decision making. Clearly if the information presented by a GIS is inaccurate, unrepresentative, or unreliable, then the decision‐making process can be undermined.

Practical implications

This is particularly important with regard to GISs used by emergency services (such as the fire and rescue service studied) where lives could potentially be put at risk by erroneous information provided by such systems.

Originality/value

Previous research had indicated that GISs may be inadequately tested. The framework developed for GISs testing provided a systematic testing approach, reducing the likelihood of errors in such systems.
The effectiveness of social networks in complex adaptive working environments
Authors: Hasgall Alon E.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether working environments possessing characteristics of a complex adaptive systems (CAS), such as organizational social networks (SNs), will be perceived by the individual worker as contributing to working efficiency. The author tested whether SNs increase the workers' sharing of knowledge, sensitivity to environmental changes and synchronization of resource, which contribute to the autonomic ability to create solutions according to changing demands in turbulent environments.

Design/methodology/approach

A research questionnaire distributed online assessed the views and behaviors of 94 subjects regarding SNs. An index was formed for each of the four CAS variables (Goal compliance; Situational sensitivity; Integration of information; and Resource synchronization) to evaluate how the subjects perceive SN effectiveness.

Findings

A significant positive correlation was found between the degree of contribution to organizational working processes and the variables “Situational sensitivity” and “Integration of information”. This suggests that SNs allow workers to increase the degree of sensitivity to environmental changes; and that SNs allow a high degree of integration of information between the worker and other workers.

Originality/value

The utilization of SNs in organizations may allow quick and direct transfer of information between workers and answer immediate demands and requirements. Thus, organizations that are required to adapt to turbulent environments with high uncertainty factors and strong competition may benefit if their workers utilize SNs effectively. It can be concluded that SNs can be used as a friendly platform for the knowledge workers to update, be updated, sense environmental changes and integrate information in cooperation with other workers.
An integrated electronic medical record system (iEMRS) with decision support capability in medical prescription
Authors: Ting S.L. , Ip W.H. , Tsang Albert H.C. , Ho George T.S.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to show how a clinical decision support system can help in prescription and knowledge acquisition processes.

Design/methodology/approach

An integrated electronic medical records system (iEMRS) is designed to enhance the decision support quality in prescription.

Findings

By evaluating the system performance through 135 prescription records collected from a Hong Kong medical organization, iEMRS shows a satisfactory result in suggesting medicines that is properly the same as the decisions made by the physicians.

Originality/value

Compared with the static clinical guidelines built (manually) in the traditional clinical decision support system, knowledge in iEMRS is generated by the knowledge discovery result from professional experiences of various physicians and patient histories, which are more dynamic in nature. A treatment algorithm, designed in data mining technique, is introduced to improve information management in medical organizations by integration of decision support capability and EMRS, and supplement the deficiencies of traditional clinical decision support system.
Using multi‐criteria analysis to prioritize stakeholders
Authors: Bendjenna Hakim , Charre Pierre‐Jean , Eddine Zarour Nacer
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Many problems in science and engineering fields involve decision making. Usually these decision‐making processes are based on several criteria that represent various experts' knowledge. Stakeholder prioritization is useful for assisting in decision‐making situations where various stakeholders have competing interests, resources are limited, and stakeholder requirements must be appropriately balanced. When these conflicts arise it is important to the success of the organization that it has prioritized each stakeholder according to the situation. To date, few researchers tried to resolve this question, mostly are based on intuitive and very simple reasoning methods which are error prone. The purpose of this paper is to propose a multi‐criteria decision analysis process to help decision makers when evaluating and prioritizing stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

In this process, Mitchell et al.'s model is used for identifying criteria on which stakeholders will be evaluated and the fuzzy Choquet integral as an aggregation operator. This research also tested and discussed the proposal using a case study from Toulouse city subway.

Findings

The results show the applicability of this process and the effectiveness of using the fuzzy Choquet integral than a traditional multi‐criteria evaluation method for human subjective evaluation, or when criteria are not mutually independent.

Research limitations/implications

The highly subjective nature of criteria weights and rapid elicitation can lead to questions of validity. Also, results are not always widely accepted.

Originality/value

The paper is original in considering the stakeholder prioritization problem as a multi‐criteria decision analysis problem; using a simple and well‐known model to classify stakeholders, i.e Mitchell et al.'s model; and in using Choquet integral as an aggregation operator which allows considering interaction between criteria.
Regional differences in managerial leader behaviour preferences in China
Authors: Littrell Romie F. , Alon Ilan , Wai Chan Ka
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This study demonstrates the complexities of analyzing determinants of leader behaviour preference dimension differences between and within national cultures. Culture is firmly established as important and influential effects in the international business environment. However, intra‐country regional cultural differences are relatively neglected. The purpose of this paper is to help fill this gap.

Design/methodology/approach

Field survey research, the Leadership Behaviour Description Questionnaire XII (LBDQ XII) was administered to people working in business organizations in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province; Hangzhou City, Jiangsu Province; Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province; and in the Macau Special Administrative Region, in the People's Republic of China.

Findings

Significant differences were found amongst the samples for each of the 12 leader behaviour dimensions of the LBDQ XII, with the exception that the nearby regions of Guangzhou and Macau exhibited no differences. The results indicate that “culture areas” exist in China, distinctly different from one another.

Practical implications

The results are based upon differences in mean of leader behaviour preference dimension scores amongst businesspeople in specific geographic regions; the usual level of analysis caveats apply: preferences of individuals will not conform perfectly to the means of the groups of which they are members.

Social implications

As interactions with businesspeople pervade life, knowledge of regional differences in expectations of their behaviour can facilitate more successful transactions.

Originality/value

The study provides the first multi‐regional empirical study of preferred leader behaviour of businesspeople in China, indicating preferences for managerial leader behaviour vary across regions. The findings can be used to develop awareness of differences managerial leader education, training, and development programmes for expatriate and local businesspeople.
A new organisational memory for cross‐cultural knowledge management
Authors: Sánchez Bengoa Dolores , Ruediger Kaufmann Hans , Vrontis Demetris
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Effectively managing the cultural environment is an important stepping stone towards international business success. Cultural problems, especially between partners coming from diametrically different cultural categories represent one of the key challenges of knowledge management in international business co‐operations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of controversial cultural attitudes on collaboration and the use of most diverse knowledge capital of employees being regarded as a key resource for innovation and competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a comprehensive literature review, the very extensive data collection phase, applying the case study method, was carried out over a 13 month period. It mainly consisted of in‐depth interviews requiring 23 of them to reach theoretical saturation, non‐participant and participant observation (seven), focus groups (four) and fieldtrip notes in two culturally diverse Russian and Austrian research settings. Theoretical sampling was used to select the participants. The grounded theory method of constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the gathered data.

Findings

The attitude towards sharing the precious resource of diverse employees' knowledge regarded as a prerequisite to international business success is influenced by national cultures. Protective attitudes for knowledge sharing limit the growth of humans' and the company's development. This paper suggests that providing the appropriate knowledge management tools and environment, especially referring to the soft aspects of emotions, will enhance and even change former institutionalised and ingrained patterns of behaviours. Therefore, the paper sheds light on the knowledge sharing contingency depending more on a social‐cognitive state rather than a static hierarchical status.

Originality/value

The paper poses two innovative organizational memory conceptualizations based on respondents' needs and demands entailing a synthesis of knowledge management and interpersonal interactions to achieve the highest level of efficiency and high degrees of knowledge sharing and absorption. It bridges the gap of purely knowledge based and unemotional management tools towards a lively and engaging tool. This would appear to be the first time that an investigation of this type has been conducted explaining culturally influenced factors of knowledge management in Eastern and Western European co‐operations.
Influences of culture, geography and infrastructure on website localization decisions
Authors: Shneor Rotem
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role played by culture, geography and infrastructure on European airline's decision to launch market‐specific websites.

Design/methodology/approach

Logistic regression analysis based on 440 observations of home‐target country dyads collected from websites of nine European airlines, and supplemented by additional sources of macro level indicators. The unit of analysis is the country dyad.

Findings

Cultural distance between home and target country, geographical distance between home and target country, website traffic volumes originating from target country, demand conditions in target country, and competition intensity in target country all influence the decision to launch local sites. The cultural dimensions of individualism, masculinity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance, as well as the legal, commercial and IT infrastructures in target countries don't impact the same decision.

Research limitations/implications

The study's findings are limited contextually to B2C e‐service models, the airline industry and the European origin. Other industries, business models or regional origin of firms may exhibit different patterns.

Originality/value

The study shifts the research focus from what constitutes website localization into what dictates localization efforts' implementation. Surprising findings suggest that counter to earlier suggestions, infrastructural conditions and cultural dimensions' levels in target markets do not predict the launch of local sites, and that geographical distance impact decisions related to the geography neutral medium of the internet.
Personal preference or policy? Language choice in a European‐based international organization
Authors: Bouchien de Groot Elizabeth
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Mutual understanding and cross‐border synergy in international organizations largely depend on the efficiency of the language(s) used between employees in home and foreign markets. This study aims to provide insights in how language(s) can be applied efficiently in international companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The study reports on a cross‐cultural employee survey that was conducted in a Dutch international company intending to improve internal communications between Dutch‐based and German‐based employees.

Findings

The study shows that although English is a popular language in internal contacts with foreign colleagues, it is not perceived to be equally effective across borders. The results indicate that language background affects experiences with passive as well as active language skills. This suggests that an English language policy can be feasible, but that promotion and facilitation of language use is needed for specific language groups.

Practical implications

The study indicates that quantitative academic research can help international companies in formulating a relevant corporate language policy tailored to the needs of the organization.

Originality/value

The study uses insights from existing qualitative studies on corporate language in established multinationals to create a quantitative research instrument employed within a company with a relatively young internationalization strategy. As such, it contributes to substantiating previous research findings.
Co‐creating ONE: rethinking integration within communication
Authors: Susanne Johansen Trine , Esmann Andersen Sophie
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Integration is a key component within marketing‐ and corporate communication. Benefits include synergetic representations, increased credibility and transparency. However, integration may be problematic. With the purpose of re‐conceptualizing integration, this paper aims to discuss how organizational self‐understanding and self‐presentation are challenged by consumer resistance as integrative communication practices prevent organizations from fully engaging in meaningful stakeholder dialogue.

Design/methodology/approach

Framed by a cross‐disciplinary review of integration as a concept, Arla Foods' “ONE” is analyzed by way of a qualitative content analysis as an exemplary case of integrated communication. Subsequently, the case is approached from a critical consumer perspective, drawing on empirical studies of consumer responses to and conversations with Arla Foods.

Findings

An alternative approach to integration is presented replacing the notion of “one voice, one sound, one story” with an emersion of the organization into consumer narratives and market cultures. Integration is re‐conceptualized as moving from an intra‐organizational perspective towards a co‐creative perspective.

Research limitations/implications

There is a need for further re‐conceptualization of integrated communication in order to develop a theoretical framework and definition that articulates a co‐creative view on integration.

Practical implications

Re‐articulating integration based on co‐creation carries different potential consequences for communication management, e.g. listening to consumer voices, self‐reflection and co‐development.

Originality/value

The original contribution lies in re‐conceptualizing integration as moving from an intra‐organizational perspective towards a co‐creative perspective with both practical and research implications.
How large companies react to negative Facebook comments
Authors: Dekay Sam H.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

Of Fortune 100 companies 79 percent use some form of social media to communicate with customers and other stakeholders. However, these media pose the risk of providing a forum for comments critical of corporate leadership, services, or products. Most marketing specialists recommend that negative comments should be treated as opportunities to resolve potential problems. This paper seeks to assess whether large companies adopt the recommended approach when reacting to negative comments.

Design/methodology/approach

The study identifies official Facebook pages sponsored by the top ten companies (as defined by the Forbes 2000 for 2010) in four industry groups – banking, retailing, software and services, and household and personal products. The number of negative comments posted to these pages is calculated and corporate reactions to the comments analyzed.

Findings

The study concludes that large corporations do not generally approach negative comments as public relations opportunities, but prefer to censor, or ignore, critical feedback.

Practical implications

Results of the investigation indicate that negative comments are most likely to be posted in response to explicit marketing messages initiated by sponsoring corporations. Companies that combine marketing messages and “fun” postings attract significantly fewer negative comments.

Originality/value

This study is the first quantitative examination of the manner by which major corporations respond – or fail to respond – to negative feedback generated by Facebook “fans”.
The extent and patterns of multi‐stakeholder communications in annual report letters
Authors: Hutt Roger W.
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether CEOs use multi‐stakeholder communications in their annual report letters and to describe any patterns observed in those communications.

Design/methodology/approach

Annual report letters of the ten largest US companies were examined using content and text analysis procedures.

Findings

CEOs made little use of multi‐stakeholder communications in their annual letters. Some variations were found among the sample companies' letters, including differences in word counts, reading ease scores, and number of word types.

Research limitations/implications

A small sample of companies and one medium of communication were used in carrying out the study. Increasing the sample size, the array of industries represented, and the variety of media may yield more robust results.

Practical implications

Recommendations for communicating with a multi‐stakeholder audience are proposed.

Originality/value

The paper examines how stakeholders relate both to the organization and to one another, a focus not examined in great depth elsewhere in the literature.
The conversation age: the opportunity for public relations
Authors: Capozzi Louis , Berlin Zipfel Laura
Published: August 2012

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to describe the opportunity for public relations professionals in the new communications environment

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a point of view, and conducted secondary research to confirm and supplement it.

Findings

The communications environment has changed. The new climate requires organizations to engage in a two‐way dialog with their constituencies. “Push” communication has lost effectiveness. In this environment, people trained in public relations are in a unique position to take the lead in forming communications strategies for their organizations or clients.

Originality/value

This work is based on the authors' personal views of the current communication environment, and is supported by the views of many of the leading players in the public relations world.
Sustainable purchasing and supply management: a structured literature review of definitions and measures at the dyad, chain and network levels
Authors: Miemczyk Joe , Johnsen Thomas E. , Macquet Monica
Published: August 2012

Purpose

This paper provides a structured literature review of sustainability in purchasing and supply management, moving beyond the traditional environmental and social sustainability. The paper reviews the concept of sustainability at three levels of inter‐organizational analysis – i.e. dyad, supply chain and network. The paper distils the nature and scope of existing research and synthesizes measures used to research sustainability across organizational boundaries.

Design/methodology/approach

This literature review systematically analyzes existing literature. In particular, the review focuses on definitions and measures of sustainable purchasing and supply management to obtain an accurate view of current research.

Findings

This paper uncovers two distinct trends in the type of research carried out. First, internal or dyadic issues are in focus and second, a tendency to deal with environmental, as opposed to social, sustainability. Despite the need to look beyond the dyad given the risks associated with the extended network, few studies do so in any of the sustainability dimensions.

Research limitations/implications

This review is limited by the method employed focusing on definitions and measures. Although the review considers supply chain and network research, it does so purely from a purchasing perspective, thus excluding issues such as logistics and transport.

Practical implications

The paper identifies areas open to future research and provides practical insights into how sustainable purchasing and supply are measured. It also synthesizes existing measures of sustainability at different levels and organizes these into a taxonomy.

Originality/value

The paper examines studies across multiple levels of analysis and integrates multiple fields of knowledge to show how research on sustainability in purchasing and supply is structured.