bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vulnerable consumers: the social impact of branding on children
Authors: Roper Stuart , Shah Binita
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on a relatively unexplored area of branding literature, which is a study of the social impact of branding upon “tweens,” pre‐adolescent children aged between seven and eleven. Brands promote a desire in consumers that allows a premium price to be commanded. What is the impact upon children from lower socio‐economic groups who may not be able to afford these premium brands?

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory qualitative study involving focus groups with primary school teachers in the UK and Kenya and open‐ended projective questionnaires with primary school children in both countries formed the primary data collection. The data were then analysed using thematic analysis. The research objectives were as follows: to assess the importance of brands in the lives of primary school children and whether the exposure to brands has a positive or negative impact on children; to investigate the social impact of branding on children from low income families from the viewpoint of children and teachers; and to assess the cross‐cultural impact of brands by carrying out a comparative study on children/teachers from Kenya as well as the UK.

Findings

Brands can be the cause of social division amongst children resulting in the formation of “in” groups and “out” groups. Those who do not own the right brands may be discriminated against and experience social impacts which include being teased, bullied, having low self esteem and being socially excluded. Their parents also felt the effects through pester power, the guilt of not being able to buy their children the latest brands or by financially struggling to provide these brands for their children. However, positive impacts of branding also emerged from the study.

Research limitations/implications

A brand‐oriented culture impacts upon school life in both developed and developing nations. This is an exploratory study and therefore small sample.

Originality/value

A contribution to address the paucity of research on the negative impact of branding to primary school children.
A new performance‐based process model for built asset maintenance
Authors: Jones Keith , Sharp Mark
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to draw attention to the weakness inherent in the current theoretical model underpinning built asset maintenance and to propose a new performance based model that aligns maintenance/refurbishment expenditure to corporate performance.

Design/methodology/approach

An action research approach was used in which participants from within a commercial organisation worked with the research team to develop a new theoretical approach to built asset maintenance. A series of meetings, workshops and interviews were used to: evaluate the organisation's approach to built asset maintenance; identify opportunities for improvement; and develop a new conceptual model of their built asset maintenance process. The logic underpinning the conceptual model was tested through a series of presentations to the organisation's middle and senior management.

Findings

The current theoretical model underpinning built asset maintenance does not allow direct links to be drawn between expenditure and impact on business performance. The new approach forces facilities managers to consider the business implications of their actions before large maintenance programmes are developed and provides feedback mechanisms to monitor the impact of any actions against key business drivers.

Research limitations/implications

At this stage the new performance model is still theoretical and requires implementation to test its robustness and resilience.

Practical implications

The adoption of the model will force facilities managers to consider the implications of their maintenance/refurbishment actions at a strategic level, thus placing their considerations on a similar footing to their human resource and financial counterparts.

Originality/value

This paper extends the performance based concept to built asset maintenance and provides a practical process model through which the concept can be implemented.
A qualitative approach to exploring adaptive re‐use processes
Authors: Kurul Esra
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The paper aims to report on the development of a process mapping approach to explore adaptive re‐use processes.

Design/methodology/approach

Four case studies of adaptive re‐use projects in London (UK) were conducted. Two are reported here. Data were collected through in‐depth interviews with key agents and archival research on planning case documentation. Archival research was also used to “triangulate” interview data, which was analysed by using NUD*IST (now QSR N6) and Decision Explorer™ (DE). Data analysis entailed coding in NUD*IST, and map building and analysis in DE.

Findings

The key common areas between different projects, and networked pivotal activities and issues are identified. A powerful tool for visualising project complexity, and hence for project assessment and evaluation, is provided.

Research limitations/implications

Statistical tools could have complemented the post‐analysis verification discussions with the interviewees to ensure validity of the findings. Data processing and data export/import between software tools are extremely labour intensive and time consuming. Automated visual output is relatively poor for presentation purposes. Tacit researcher bias may be inherent.

Practical implications

The findings provide a basis for developing specific management strategies for complex re‐use projects. This novel approach could be developed into a tool for: post‐project reviews, strategic learning for experienced practitioners, educating and training academics and novice practitioners, and for managing project knowledge.

Originality/value

The creative use of NUD*IST and DE in combination is novel. Experienced practitioners will be presented with a powerful tool for visualising project complexity, and thus for monitoring and reviewing the levels of complexity at each stage, once further development, automation and sophistication are achieved. The critical aspects of adaptive re‐use process, the key activities and issues are pointed out for novice practitioners. Researchers will find the adoption of content analysis and cognitive mapping tools to process mapping innovative.
Brand+beauty+utility=property value
Authors: Roulac Stephen E.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the significant role that brand, beauty and utility play in defining property value.

Design/methodology/approach

Beyond introducing the idea that property value is composed of brand, beauty and utility, the factors that comprise these three components of property value are explored. The relative contributions that brand, beauty and utility make to understanding the source of property value are examined through empirical research evaluating the perceptions of the relative contributions that each of these three factors make to property value, based on the analysis of data on some 55 single family residential properties drawn from throughout the world.

Findings

The findings explain reasons why certain properties command premium prices, relative to other properties. As commerce prioritizes branding in merchandising generally – and especially for luxury goods – that brand would assume a growing significant role in property markets is not surprising.

Originality/value

These findings challenge traditional thinking and introduce a new, powerful explanation of the source of property values.
Using rents and price dynamics in real estate portfolio valuation
Authors: Baroni Michel , Barthélémy Fabrice , Mokrane Mahdi
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to use rent and price dynamics in the future cash flows in order to improve real estate portfolio valuation.

Design/methodology/approach

Monte Carlo simulation methods are employed for the measurement of complex cash generating assets such as real estate assets return distribution. Important simulation inputs, such as the physical real estate price volatility estimator, are provided by results on real estate indices for Paris, derived in an article by Baroni et al..

Findings

Based on a residential real estate portfolio example, simulated cash flows: provide more robust valuations than traditional DCF valuations; permit the user to estimate the portfolio's price distribution for any time horizon; and permit easy values‐at‐risk (VaR) computations.

Originality/value

The terminal value estimation is a core issue in real estate valuation. To estimate it, the proposed method is not based on an anticipated growth rate of cash flows but on the estimation of the trend and the volatility of real estate prices.
A framework of anti‐phishing measures aimed at protecting the online consumer's identity
Authors: Butler Rika
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to aim to educate the internet consumer, who may be a potential phishing victim, and to suggest a framework of anti‐phishing measures, following the staggering increase in the number of recent phishing attacks. Phishing describes a method of online identity theft, in which phishers typically pose as legitimate organisations when sending deceptive e‐mail messages to internet users. When they respond to such e‐mails, victims are lured to malicious web sites, where they are duped into disclosing their personal details. In this way, phishers are able to commit identity theft, with possibly devastating consequences for the victim.

Design/methodology/approach

After a literature review of the available sources, the phishing threat is investigated by analysing the modus operandi of phishers and the basic components of a typical phishing scheme. A possible solution for the phishing problem is examined.

Findings

Phishers continually target the weakest link in the security chain, namely consumers, in their attacks. Educating the online consumer about phishing, as well as the implementation and proper application of anti‐phishing measures, are critical steps in protecting the identities of online consumers against e‐mail phishing attacks.

Originality/value

This article proposes measures that internet consumers can take to ward off phishing attacks, as well as remedial actions that they can take after falling victim to such an attack. By implementing these measures online, consumers can minimise the risk of becoming victims of successful phishing attacks, as well as remedy the negative effects of any past disclosure of information to phishers.
Using journal use study feedback to improve accessibility
Authors: Zainab A.N. , Huzaimah A.R. , Ang T.F.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to examine users preference and use of electronic journals in general, especially those published in a hosting system,Electronic Journal of the University of Malaya(EJUM)

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized the survey method and employed an online questionnaire as the data collection instrument. A list of 330 users who registered withEJUMwas selected and an e‐mail was sent to each with an invitation to complete the survey form linked to their mail. A total of 140 responses were returned, out of which 102 responses were usable.

Findings

The electronic journals are used for searching new information, reading full‐text articles, reading abstracts, and browsing the table of contents. Users are led toEJUMby chance while browsing the internet (41.8 per cent) when searching using Google, through citations obtained from conference papers, from articles or citations in databases. About 50 per cent of respondents rated the journals as “good” and 20.6 per cent rated “fair”. Respondents prefer keywords (28.9 per cent) and title (24.3 per cent) searches. The majority of respondents (70 per cent) prefer articles in PDF. The majority of respondents read the abstracts first to determine relevance before downloading the articles. Respondents believe that electronic journals will either co‐exist with print journals (46.2 per cent) or replace the print journals (25.5 per cent) or supplement (25.5 per cent) them. Users indicate the functions and features preferred in electronic journals.

Practical implications/limitations

A HTML indexing page is created to automatically harvest the meta labels from the contents pages of journal issues, which is captured by Googlebot of Google Scholar. This strategy improves accessibility as Google Scholar provides citation and publication counts for articles and authors. A quality matrix for an electronic journal system is presented

Originality/value

The study shows the extent to which e‐journals are used in Malaysia and provides a matrix of usability features which potential electronic journal publishers could consider.
A study of the information literacy capabilities of the Kuwaiti police officers
Authors: Al‐Daihani Sultan M. , ur Rehman Sajjad
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the information literacy capabilities of Kuwaiti police officers by focusing on computing and information skills and perceived value of information sources. The study is designed to test the hypothesis that there existed significant differences in information literacy capabilities based on three personal characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted of 211 police officers enrolled in a training program; 60 percent responses were received and analyzed using SPSS package.

Findings

It was found that generally the Kuwaiti police officers had weak computing and information capabilities. They were generally poor in searching skills. It was further found that departmental affiliation exhibited significant differences for computing and information skills.

Originality/value

The study is the first of its type in this region and has significant value in making it clear that appropriate programs of training are needed for the development of information and computing skills among Kuwaiti police officers.
Thinking preferences as diagnostic and learning tools for managerial styles and predictors of auditor success
Authors: Clayton Penny , Kimbrell Janet
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the thought processes of financial auditors in order to offer additional information on factors affecting their decision behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the psychology concept of cerebral dominance, two different instruments are used to measure the thinking styles of 20 auditors, at different stages of management. Prior research has indicated that “whole‐brain” thinkers (who do not exhibit dominance in either left‐ or right‐brain) may make better decisions, and thus, better managers.

Findings

The results of this study show partners in public accounting firms usually exhibiting a whole‐brain thinking style, while lower levels of management (staff auditors and managers) usually exhibit left‐brain thinking styles.

Originality/value

The findings have implications for training, education, communication, managerial styles, as well as the individual's position within the firm.
Utilizing multi‐dimensionality in the workplace: a meta‐study
Authors: Leonard Barbara , Biberman Jerry
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe and compare various theoretical models of decision making such as classical rational decision making, left‐brain/right‐brain dominance decision making, utilization of tacit knowledge in decision making, utilization of intuition in decision making, utilization of emotional intelligence in decision making, a systems approach to decision making, and spirit‐based decision making.

Design/methodology/approach

Studies on different modalities of decision making are reviewed, discussed, and compared.

Findings

The traditional assumption of the optimality of rational decision making may be improved by including other dimensions of decision making. It is posited that organizations that encourage and support multi‐dimensional decision making, which utilizes the rational, intuitional, emotional and spiritual aspects of the whole person, develop better management–employee relations, more creative problem solving, and better market place performance.

Research limitations/implications

Development and testing of instruments that measure multi‐dimensional decision making would extend the scope of this study.

Originality/value

This paper compares different styles of decision making to assist the manager in making optimal decisions. By expanding on the traditional rational decision making model to include other dimensions of decision‐making, managers are able to capture additional information in framing their decisions.
Pathfinders and trailblazers
Authors: Benefiel Margaret
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address a number of significant field‐shaping questions faced by scholars in the burgeoning new field of spirituality in organizations. How should spirituality in organizations be defined? What correlation can be established between an organization's spirituality and its financial performance? What research methods are most appropriate for this work – quantitative, qualitative, a combination of the two, or entirely new methods? The answers given to these questions will determine the shape of this new field and the direction research will take over the next several decades.

Design/methodology/approach

These questions are addressed by mapping the terrain of current spirituality in organizations scholarship, examining trails being blazed by pioneers venturing into this new territory, and then broadening the boundaries.

Findings

This article articulates academic challenges facing scholars who wish to continue to broaden the boundaries of research into spirituality in organizations, and suggests some ways forward.

Originality/value

The paper offers insights into the pioneers who are blazing trails in the spirituality and organizations terrain.
Towards effective poster presentations: an annotated bibliography
Authors: Brownlie Douglas
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to introduce the topic of poster presentation as legitimate area of academic study and practice within the marketing discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents the output of one part of a research project that reviewed the state of knowledge and practice within poster presentation as a dissemination medium for research information. The results of the literature search are presented as an annotated bibliography.

Findings

The literature search reveals a sizeable body of material on the use of poster presentation as a dissemination media, indicative of a set of key themes that guide good practice in poster design, construction and presentation. It also includes material that has studied the use of poster design and presentation exercises as pedagogical devices.

Research limitations/implications

The research on which the paper is based is limited by virtue of not offering a more complete survey of contemporary poster presentation practice across the sciences. It draws observations from the author's attendance at several marketing and management‐related conferences where poster presenters have been interviewed and examples of poster presentation have been collected. However, in the sciences, especially the medical sciences, poster practice is well‐established and in some cases moving towards digitisation.

Practical implications

The aesthetics of poster design remain unclear in the case of poster design for the dissemination of scientific information. However, a set of templates has been produced based on the close study of a database of over 600 poster designs and ten years' experience of using posters as teaching tools for research training. A methodology for poster design has also been developed known as “The Block Architecture Method of Poster Design”. It uses the software Powerpoint and Photoshop to develop poster design electronically.

Originality/value

The bibliography will help interested teachers and students explore the various issues surrounding poster design, construction and presentation. It will also help to understand some of the advantages of using poster‐design exercises as creative and critical devices in a pedagogical context.
New marketing, improved marketing, apocryphal marketing
Authors: Woodall Tony
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore marketing's ambiguous relationship with truth and, in so doing, to question the efficacy and value of the marketing concept and the very nature of marketing itself. Is marketing something that marketers do, or is it something much broader than this? If the latter, are marketers themselves either willing, or able to operate beyond traditional boundaries and, if not, should they focus – honourably – on what they do best, and encourage/support others who might market just as effectively, but in a different manner?

Design/methodology/approach

Starting with a summary of recent developments in marketing thought this paper argues that marketers find difficulty in implementing the marketing concept, and that market‐oriented compromise and pretence should consequently be abandoned. The thesis goes on to suggest that both “performance” and the “part‐time” marketer should be given greater respect and allocated substantially more credence by all marketing communities.

Findings

The argument concludes, ultimately, that marketing could find both greater respect and effectiveness by focusing its efforts more on the extremes of “marketing space”, and that the presently envisioned marketing concept offers scope only for a dispiriting and partially realised evocation of its stated aims.

Practical implications

Marketers should take marketing more seriously.

Originality/value

This paper seeks to add to current debates on marketing theory and will, hopefully, help inform ongoing exploration into the nature and role of marketing practice.
Developing a scale for stakeholder orientation
Authors: Yau Oliver H.M. , Chow Raymond P.M. , Sin Leo Y.M. , Tse Alan C.B. , Luk C.L. , Lee Jenny S.Y.
Published: October 2007

Purpose

Business practitioners are increasingly concerned about stakeholder issues. Although stakeholder orientation (StkO) has important bearings on a company's performance, to date no systematic attempt has been made to develop a valid scale of StkO, or to assess its influence on business performance. The present paper aims to look into ecological validity by attempting to construct and validate the StkO scale developed in China.

Design/methodology/approach

Given the literature reviewed, a model is proposed of company performance based on StkOs, which is identified as a one‐dimensional construct consisting of four components. Using a survey design, data were collected from 400 firms in three most important commercial cities of Mainland China with a response rate of 25 percent. Both item analysis and split‐half method were used to purify the measurement scale and to assess its stability. An exploratory factory was used to assess the dimensionality. Its result was subject to a confirmatory factory analysis using AMOS 4.01, which examined the construct, convergent and discriminant validities of StkO. The nomological validity of the scale was assessed by constructing a structural equation model with encouraging indices of goodness of fit.

Findings

The findings support the assertion that StkO is a multi‐facet construct consisting of four dimensions. The data indicate that these components are convergent on a common construct and that the relationship of the scale developed in this paper has acceptable discriminant validity and nomological validity.

Originality/value

For practicing managers, the findings reconfirm the long‐held belief that StkO is a crucial factor for business performance. First, the proposed scale could be used as a diagnostic tool to identify areas where the specific improvements are needed and to pinpoint aspects of a firm's StkO that require work. Second, the four components in the StkO model may serve to identify training needs by helping human resources managers so as to better develop a relationship with various stakeholders. Finally, firms may use this framework to develop relevant and effective business strategies and tactics and to set clear policies that balance the relationships and benefits among customers, shareholders, and employees.
A review of the foundation, international marketing strategies, and performance of international new ventures
Authors: Aspelund Arild , Koed Madsen Tage , Moen Øystein
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This review aims to focus on the phenomenon of infant firms that operate internationally right from or close to inception, so‐called international new ventures (INVs) or born global firms. It also aims to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on INVs from the time when such firms emerged in the literature in the early 1990s up until today.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is a systematic review of top journals within entrepreneurship, marketing and management over the years 1992‐2004. The focus is primarily on studies with empirical evidence and the review is narrative in nature. The study presents and discusses findings related to the founding of the firm, organizational features, environmental factors, and their influence on market strategy and firm performance.

Findings

The study finds great heterogeneity on the factors examined within this relatively narrow defined group of firms. This leads the study to conclude that normative linear models of international expansion render little explanatory and predictive value to the study of these firms.

Research limitations/implications

The study concludes that recent empirical findings on INVs offer insight beyond traditional models of internationalization, and that more theory driven research in the area is required. The paper suggests application of general theories of organizations on the INV phenomenon in an attempt to understand international expansion and market strategies of new firms.

Practical implications

The study represents a comprehensive review of the literature on INVs and serves well as an introduction to the field for students, managers and scholars.

Originality/value

The study offers a much needed recapitulation of the empirical evidence in a relatively new field of research. It offers guidance for future research in a field of research that is still in its infancy.
The importance of packaging attributes: a conjoint analysis approach
Authors: Silayoi Pinya , Speece Mark
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The importance of packaging design and the role of packaging as a vehicle for consumer communication and branding are necessarily growing. To achieve communication goals effectively, knowledge about consumer psychology is important so that manufacturers understand consumer response to their packages. this paper aims to investigate this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines these issues using a conjoint study among consumers for packaged food products in Thailand, which is a very competitive packaged food products market.

Findings

The conjoint results indicate that perceptions about packaging technology (portraying convenience) play the most important role overall in consumer likelihood to buy.

Research limitations/implications

There is strong segmentation in which packaging elements consumers consider most important. Some consumers are mostly oriented toward the visual aesthetics, while a small segment focuses on product detail on the label.

Originality/value

Segmentation variables based on packaging response can provide very useful information to help marketers maximize the package's impact.
Ethnocentric beliefs and country‐of‐origin (COO) effect
Authors: Chryssochoidis George , Krystallis Athanassios , Perreas Panagiotis
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The present study using the Consumer Ethnocentric Tendencies Scale (CET‐SCALE) aims to evaluate the level of consumer ethnocentrism (CE) and its implications on their evaluation of food products. Furthermore, it seeks to examine the level at which country of origin (COO) effect is activated (country, product or attribute) per consumer cluster of different level of CE in a food evaluation context.

Design/methodology/approach

For attaining the above aims, a questionnaire was developed and completed by 274 respondents. The set of countries of origin and products under consideration encompasses Greece, Italy and Holland and yellow cheese, ham and beer.

Findings

The use of the CET‐SCALE pinpointed that the sample can be characterised as marginally ethnocentric. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses justified the uni‐dimensionality of CE. Cluster analysis allocated the sample into two clusters, the ethnocentric and the non‐ethnocentric. The results showed that ethnocentrism affects not only consumer beliefs, but also the way perceived quality of domestic and foreign products are evaluated, culminating in the appearance of COO‐effect. In ethnocentric consumers, the COO effect is activated at the initiatory level of the country a food product originates in (country‐specific), except when the foreign country of origin is given, where the COO effect is activated at the level of the product type (product‐specific). In the non‐ethnocentric cluster, COO does not lead to an overall acceptance or rejection, but instead it affects the evaluation of specific product attributes (attribute‐specific).

Research limitations/implications

The survey suffers the limitation of focusing on the influence of ethnocentric beliefs in food products evaluation and not on their real impact on final purchasing behaviour. Consumer ethnocentrism and COO effect are linked together, but the stimulus that activates their link differs according to the strength of ethnocentric beliefs held by consumers; that given, different marketing strategies should be applied depending on the level of CE of the target‐group selected.

Originality/value

Internationally, the issue of COO‐effect is comprehensively examined, yet the literature has focused almost explicitly on hi‐tech or fashion products and services. This fact attaches particular importance to the present study, which is concerned exclusively with food products.
Customer involvement and interaction in retail banking: an examination of risk and confidence in the purchase of financial products
Authors: Howcroft Barry , Hamilton Robert , Hewer Paul
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of the paper is to examine bank customer involvement and the importance of risk when contemplating the purchase of financial products.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a discussion of the literature on customer involvement, risk and interaction forms the basis for a series of focus discussion groups and facilitates the design of a questionnaire. The questionnaire is used to collect information on bank customer involvement and confidence when purchasing a comprehensive range of financial products. The data is analysed using cluster analysis.

Findings

The paper finds that the clusters provide evidence to suggest that the market consist of a number of distinctive customer segments. Although the research suggests that the market might be changing and becoming more “active”, the majority of bank customers are still essentially “passive”.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size means that it is not fully representative of the UK banking population. The findings also raise a number of issues, which require further research, such as, the possibility that customer involvement could be used as the basis for segmenting the customer base.

Practical implications

There appears to be an overwhelming customer need for more product information and more involvement with banks. This has major implications for the banks in formulating and implementing relationship management strategies.

Originality/value

The paper provides new insights into the importance of customer involvement when purchasing a range of financial products.
Personality traits and the process of store loyalty in a transactional prone context
Authors: Bove Liliana , Mitzifiris Betty
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This study sets out to replicate Garbarino and Johnson's paper, where the effects of trust, commitment and satisfaction towards service provider loyalty were examined. However, whereby Garbarino and Johnson tested their model in a relationship prone environment, i.e. a theatre company, this study was set in a retail context where transactional customers are more likely. Personality traits as a means to identify customers who are prone to forming relationships with their service providers were also investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, customers of two fast food independent stores in Melbourne, Australia completed 202 questionnaires.

Findings

The findings in the paper showed that in this transactional context, only trust and commitment had a significant direct effect on store behavioral loyalty. Satisfaction did not offer any unique explanatory power but was a significant predictor of both trust and commitment. Further, trust, commitment and satisfaction all had significant direct effects on store attitudinal loyalty, with satisfaction displaying the strongest effect. There was little evidence to support the claim that certain consumer personality traits are more conducive to relationship formation in this low involvement retail context.

Originality/value

The paper shows that retailers need to be aware that even in a transaction prone retail environment, trust and commitment and not just satisfaction, play a significant role in both store behavioral and attitudinal customer loyalty.
Strategic management: a tool for public management?
Authors: Drumaux Anne , Goethals Christophe
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The aim of this contribution is to propose a first overview of the strategic plans in the Belgian Federal Administration and to analyse the process of strategic planning itself.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first part, the strategic plans are analysed in order to understand the intentions regarding various public policies. A content analysis will be provided in order to propose a typology or at least a comprehensive framework of the intentions. In the second part, the strategic process itself is investigated more into details on the basis of interviews of the presidents of the Federal Public Services. The contribution tries to formalise several behavioural hypotheses in accordance with a model of strategic action in a public context. Finally, the article concludes on the relation between intention and action.

Findings

Three models characterize the management plans in Belgian federal administration: external polarization, internal polarization and balanced polarisation. Furthermore, the survey carried out confirms the existence of some effective behaviours of public top managers related to the nature of the public sector and to specific constraints. This result is fully coherent with behavioural assumptions formulated by a contextual model of strategic management. All these elements assess the possible divergence between the intentional strategy and the emergent strategies that would result from a more flexible behaviour.

Research limitations/implications

This result is based on the strategic intentions and should be confronted with the later versions of the plans and even better with their achievements in order to distinguish intention and opportunity. Only this longitudinal study will allow final conclusions about the nature of the strategy really implemented in the federal administration to br drawn.

Practical implications

The result of this research implies that “ideal” competences of public managers might differ from those requested for a private manager, especially regarding decision making (more incremental) and authority (more influential).

Originality/value

This contribution allows an evaluation of strategic process in the public sector as it is formulated by real actors, rather than by a mythical decision maker.
Lost in translation
Authors: Norton Simon
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This paper aims to consider the suitability of Anglo‐American new public management (NPM) practices in the context of public sector reform in Japan.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper examines the two principal alternative approaches that have been taken to public sector reform in the UK and the USA. These comprise in the case of the UK the setting of targets by politicians and the monitoring by quasi‐autonomous non‐governmental organisations of the extent to which these are delivered upon. This is in contrast to the USA, where reform has been founded upon “market‐oriented populism”. Reforms implemented by successive Japanese administrations since the end of the Second World War are considered and the extent to which these manifested a philosophical preference for either approach.

Findings

The research finds that the Anglo‐American (occidental) versions of NPM may not be appropriate in the context of public sector reform in Japan. Attempts to achieve a decentralised and deregulated form of NPM, philosophically rooted in the 1945 Constitution as written by the post‐Second World War Occupying Power, the United States, and mimicked from its Anglo‐American contexts by Japan's political elite may, paradoxically, delay achievement of more culturally accommodating reform of the bureaucracy acceptable to all the country's principal democratic stakeholders.

Practical implications

The need for Japan's public sector reformers to evolve a unique form of NPM which accommodates the cultural and historical traditions of the country instead of mimicking occidental approaches is identified. Specifically, the paper provides policy proposals as to how this alternative to the UK and US models may be developed.

Originality/value

The paper suggests an alternative approach to public sector reform in Japan, which may be suitable for other countries looking to implement NPM but finding the USA and UK policies unsuitable in the context of their own traditions. Accordingly, the paper should be of value to public sector managers and policy makers generally who are looking to innovate upon traditional models of NPM.
The research imperative and the responsible recordkeeping professional
Authors: Williams Caroline
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to provide an opinion on the responsible recordkeeping professional.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a useful discussion on the responsible recordkeeping professional.

Findings

It is argued that anyone who does not strive to add to that discrete body of knowledge by undertaking research and disseminating its outputs for the benefit of others is not a true professional.

Originality/value

The paper provides a useful discussion on the responsible recordkeeping professional.
Documentation in pre‐trial investigation
Authors: Valtonen Marjo Rita
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore the documentation work in pre‐trial investigation performed by the police from the records management perspective. The study, undertaken as doctoral research, is meant to give answers to the questions: what kind of information is recorded in the pre‐trial investigation process, how are recordings made, and what are the regulatory and statutory requirements for the recording processes? The aim is to produce new knowledge of the Finnish recordkeeping field and of the relationships between work processes, record management and information systems.

Design/methodology/approach

This study presents findings from a qualitative explorative case study. Data collection methods were based on triangulation of data sources. Data were collected for the period 1999‐2004.

Findings

Documentation of activities proved to be a coherent part of pre‐trial investigation. Various activities in the investigation process are reported exactly, with information on criminal cases captured as a record or recorded in registers. Diverse information systems are used in the pre‐trial investigation process. The relationships between tasks, information systems and information management proved to be slight. Information systems do not serve the pre‐trial investigation process in the desired way. Several different legal and statutory requirements concern operations in pre‐trial investigation and their documentation. There are divergences in compliance with legal norms and guidelines depending on types of norms, actors, tasks and cases. The records management norms are not very well‐known, and compliance with them is poor.

Originality/value

There is an obvious need for studies aimed at examining the relations between task performance, information systems and documentation.
Records management capacity and compliance toolkits: a critical assessment
Authors: McLeod Julie , Childs Sue , Heaford Susan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

This article seeks to present the results of a project that critically evaluated a series of toolkits for assessing records management capacity and/or compliance. These toolkits have been developed in different countries and sectors within the context of the e‐environment and provide evidence of good corporate and information governance.

Design/methodology/approach

A desk‐based investigation of the tools was followed by an electronic Delphi with toolkit developers and performance measurement experts to develop a set of evaluation criteria. Different stakeholders then evaluated the toolkits against the criteria using cognitive walkthroughs and expert heuristic reviews. The results and the research process were reviewed via electronic discussion.

Findings

Developed by recognised and highly respected organisations, three of the toolkits are software tools, whilst the fourth is a methodology. They are all underpinned by relevant national/international records management legislation, standards and good practice including, either implicitly or explicitly, ISO 15489. They all have strengths, complementing rather than competing with one another. They enable the involvement of other staff, thereby providing an opportunity for raising awareness of the importance of effective records management.

Practical implications

These toolkits are potentially very powerful, flexible and of real value to organisations in managing their records. They can be used for a “quick and dirty” assessment of records management capacity or compliance as well as in‐depth analysis. The most important criterion for selecting the appropriate one is to match the toolkit with the scenario.

Originality/value

This paper aims to raise awareness of the range and nature of records management toolkits and their potential for varied use in practice to support more effective management of records.
Thinking positive
Authors: Stewart Don , McWhirter Jenny
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue and outline the essential features of the resilient school approach, and the child‐focused approach of Noreen Wetton in her work in health education on understanding children and young people.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper shows distillation of the key principles used in the two complementary approaches.

Findings

The paper finds that resilience is a life event phenomenon that buffers against circumstances that normally overwhelm a person's coping capacity. It is linked with “coherence”, or the ability to handle stress‐related problems, “connectedness” and the ecological model encompassing a lifespan approach, within key settings that influence the individual's psychosocial development. Preventive population health practices that address the strengthening of human, social and organisational capital may well promise greater success in fostering population health, and particularly resilience, than traditional psycho‐educational strategies. These become increasingly effective as the whole school approach is implemented as young people engage and participate fully in research and decision making – key principles of Noreen Wetton's approach to health promotion.

Practical implications

The paper shows the need to focus on seeking the positive in any educational opportunity, to listen to young people and find out what they believe and feel, and to address health problems through attempting to strengthen people's capacity to cope rather than just shielding them from adversity.

Originality/value

The paper, in showing this is the first time these two strands have been brought together in this way, has a wide value widely across health education and health promotion.
Health‐promoting school indicators: schematic models from students
Authors: Nic Gabhainn Saoirse , Sixsmith Jane , Delaney Ellen‐Nora , Moore Miriam , Inchley Jo , O'Higgins Siobhan
Published: October 2007

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to outline a three‐stage process for engaging with students to develop school level indicators of health; in sequential class groups students first generated, then categorised indicators and finally developed schematic representations of their analyses. There is a political and practical need to develop appropriate indicators for health‐promoting schools. As key stakeholders in education, students have the right to be fully engaged in this process.

Design/methodology/approach

The sample in this paper comprised 164 students aged 16‐17 years in three medium‐sized Dublin schools. In the first classroom, students answered the question “If you moved to a new school, what would it need to have to be a healthy place?” on individual flashcards. In the second classroom students classified the flashcards into groups using a variation of the card game “snap”. In the third classroom, students discussed the relationships between the developed categories and determined how the categories should be presented. These procedures were repeated twice in three schools, resulting in six developed schemata.

Findings

The paper finds that the six sets of categories showed remarkable similarity – physical aspects of the school predominated but emotional and social health issues also emerged as potential indicators. The schema demonstrated the holistic perspectives of students. They illustrate the importance of relationships and the physical and psycho‐social environment within schools.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates that students can productively engage in the process of indicator development and have the potential to act as full stakeholders in health‐promoting schools. The methods enabled student control over the data generation, analysis and presentation phases of the research, and provided a positive, fun experience for both students and researchers.