bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Homogeneity, “glocalism” or somewhere in between?
Authors: Cecilia de Burgh-Woodman Helene
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to expand current theories of globalisation to a consideration of its impact on the individual. Much work has been done on the impact of globalisation on social, political and economic structures. In this paper, globalisation, for the individual, reflects a re-conceptualisation of the Self/Other encounter. In order to explore this Self/Other dimension, the paper analyses the literary work of nineteenth-century writer Pierre Loti since his work begins to problematise this important motif. His work also provides insight into the effect on the individual when encountering the Other in a globalised context.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing from literary criticism, the paper adopts an interpretive approach. Using the fiction and non-fiction work of Pierre Loti, an integrated psychoanalytical, postcolonial analysis is conducted to draw out possible insights into how Loti conceptualises the Other and is thus transformed himself.

Findings

– The paper finds that the Self/Other encounter shifts in the era of globalisation. The blurring of the Self/Other is part of the impact of globalisation on the individual. Further, the paper argues that Loti was the first to problematise Self/Other at a point in history where the distinction seemed clear. Loti's work is instructive for tracing the dissolution of the Self/Other encounter since the themes and issues raised in his early work foreshadow our contemporary experience of globalisation.

Research limitations/implications

– This paper takes a specific view of globalisation through an interpretive lens. It also uses one specific body of work to answer the research question of what impact globalisation has on the individual. A broader sampling and application of theoretical strains out of the literary criticism canon would expand the parameters of this study.

Originality/value

– This paper makes an original contribution to current theorisations of globalisation in that it re-conceptualises classical understandings of the Self/Other divide. The finding that the Self/Other divide is altered in the current era of globalisation has impact for cultural and marketing theory since it re-focuses attention on the shifting nature of identity and how we encounter the Other in our daily existence.
Establishing the scope of marketing practice: insights from practitioners
Authors: Dibb Sally , Simões Cláudia , Wensley Robin
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Describing marketing practices is fundamental to understanding both the scope of marketing practice and the actual value it adds to the organization. This paper aims to clarify the reach of marketing practice and the nature of activities that marketers carry out.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study uses mixed methods, involving qualitative document analysis, qualitative interviews and a quantitative managerial survey.

Findings

– The findings reveal consistency in the views of academics and practitioners across the following disaggregated elements of practice: stakeholder and relationship marketing, customer analysis, marketing-mix management/marketing planning, and the centrality of customers. However, when these themes are integrated into broader categories of practice, the activities are parceled and prioritized in different ways by the different data sources.

Practical implications

– The findings have implications for how marketing is practiced and taught and for the future research agenda.

Originality/value

– This study considers the functional practices within marketing and clarifies the scope of marketing practice.
Internal market orientation, market capabilities and learning orientation
Authors: Fang Shyh-Rong , Chang Enchi , Ou Chueh-Chu , Chou Chia-Hui
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purposes of this paper are to examine whether internal market orientation facilitates the development of external market capabilities, before influencing organizational performance, and to investigate whether learning orientation strengthens the aforementioned link.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study collected data through a survey and utilized moderated hierarchical regression analysis to examine the hypothesized relationships.

Findings

– Internal market orientation facilitates the development of both market capabilities and in turn enhances organizational performance. The result also shows that customer-linking capability is a stronger mediator between internal market orientation and organizational performance. Besides, learning orientation does not moderate the relationship between internal market orientation and external market capabilities.

Research limitations/implications

– This study only examines two market capabilities; considers only internal market orientation and does not include other antecedents; and used cross-sectional data, instead of longitudinal data, which consist of information only from 159 services companies in Taiwan.

Practical implications

– A company should have international market orientation mechanisms, such as internal market information system and reward systems to keep the internal communications open. For companies stressing external customer relationship, internal marketing is important.

Originality/value

– This study provides empirical evidence for the claim that internal marketing influences the formation of an organization's external market capabilities. It also considers two types of market capabilities instead of treating market capabilities as a holistic variable. This study also clarifies learning orientation's relationships with internal market orientation and market capabilities.
Consumer perceptions of trade show effectiveness
Authors: Gottlieb Udo , Brown Mark , Ferrier Liz
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to develop and estimate a model to measure consumer perceptions of trade show effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach

– Data were collected at three separate B2C trade shows. Study 1 (n=47) involved field interviews with data subjected to qualitative item generation and content analysis. Study 2 data (n=147) were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and item-total correlation to identify a preliminary factor structure for the effectiveness construct and to test for reliability. In Study 3 (n=592), confirmatory factor analysis was undertaken to more rigorously test the factor structure and generalise across industries. Validity testing was also performed.

Findings

– A three-dimensional factor structure for assessing consumer visitors' perceptions of trade show effectiveness was produced incorporating research, operational, and entertainment components.

Research limitations/implications

– Data were collected in Australia and results may not generalise across cultural boundaries.

Practical implications

– The resulting measurement model may be used as a reliable post-hoc diagnostic tool to identify areas of trade show effectiveness where specific performance improvements are needed. Results indicate that exhibitors and organisers of B2C trade shows should consider effectiveness as a multidimensional phenomenon with entertainment, product/industry research, and the facilitation of purchase decision-making processes and problem resolution being key objectives for consumer attendees. These elements of effectiveness should each be addressed by exhibitors and organisers in planning their displays and events.

Originality/value

– This is the first study to provide an empirically valid model for assessing trade show effectiveness from the consumer visitor's perspective.
Research trend on higher education in China for the past ten years
Authors: Kang Cuiping , Wang Gang , Shi Min , Sun Fei
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the developing trend of higher pedagogy, to promote the research of higher pedagogy to be more canonical and scientific and to improve the higher education theory.

Design/methodology/approach

– The utility research uses a method of quantitative study, namely “content analysis”, to estimate and analyze the higher education theory literature on ten dimensionalities which include theme, author, abstract, keywords, subject, proposing of the issue, definition of key terms, research methods, conclusion, reference and annotations from 1996 to 2006 in China.

Findings

– The analysis of the selected 250 academic theses and reports in the field of higher education shows that academic research and theoretical standard have been improved, meanwhile academic criterion have been formed by degrees in higher pedagogy within ten years. At the same time, there are still some problems in the papers and reports the authors have selected such as title, key words, proposing of the issue, researching method and conclusion.

Originality/value

– This paper sums up the trend of research on higher education in China for the past ten years, and points out the problems in this trend and then proposes ways to improve the research of higher education in China.
The nature, characteristics and ten strategies of learning organization
Authors: Wen Hengfu
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to grasp the nature, characteristics and strategies of learning organization so as to construct a learning CCP organization, a learning team and a learning society.

Design/methodology/approach

– Based on the nature and characteristics of learning organization, this paper proposes ten effective strategies to construct learning organization in China.

Findings

– This paper proposed ten strategies to construct a learning organization: to construct learning group of leaders; to deliver mission, stimulate aspirations and overcome self-transcendence; to learn comprehensively and change mental models; to promote deep dialogue and expand organizational capacity; to learn at work and work in learning and put learning into practice through solving problems; to eliminate the obstacles of learning and improve the effectiveness; to establish a dynamic model of learning – research – innovation; to make a long-term plan, move forwards step by step and promote sustainable development; to implement evaluation during the whole process of construction; to conduct trial implementation.

Practical implications

– As well, there are some effective strategies and methods of constructing a learning organization, such as the enhancement of learning leaders, the establishment of a pilot group, the improvement of the mental models in learning, the promotion of the dialogue to expand the organizational capacity, learning at work and the work in learning, the establishment of “three in one” work model of learning – research – innovation, the promotion of the construction through evaluations and a long-term stage to promote sustainable development.

Originality/value

– Learning organization is not only a new form of the organization, but it is also a leadership strategy that advances the healthy and sustainable development of the organization. Moreover, it is a culture of the organization that enhances organizational learning, improves mental models, increases organizational intelligence quotient and emotional quotient, and the ability of creating the future.
Principals’ transformational leadership in school improvement
Authors: Yang Yingxiu
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute experience of and ideas for transformational leadership, not only for the principal who wants to improve leadership himself or herself, but also for the school at critical periods of improvement, through summarizing the forming process and problems during the course, and key factors that affect the course.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the case study method, the paper draws some conclusions from the improvement of principal leadership skills, by choosing two typical cases that show transformational leadership of principals in primary schools, and rethinking the practice of school improvement profoundly.

Findings

– There were three periods: embryonic stage, basically forming stage and mature stage. Discovering problems, understanding the relationship between the problems and finding solutions are the major considerations in the process. The transformational leadership skills of a principal can be seen in forming ideas, building a shared vision, power sharing, gaining credence and experiencing success.

Practical implications

– This paper provides references for the principal to recognize the importance of transformational leadership during the school improvement so as to force the principal to improve their transformational leadership in practice.

Originality/value

– At first, the paper puts forward that transformational leadership is the core of leadership; proves that the principal's transformational leadership is very important in school development through the fact of a home-school cooperation study and emphasizes that the principal's transformational leadership should play a key role during the critical period of school improvement. Principal transformational leadership work should be based on different school members’ actual situations and the fact of different school periods, and then find different solutions.
Consumer co-creation and the impact on intermediaries
Authors: Siguaw Judy A. , Gassenheimer Jule B. , Hunter Gary L.
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– While prior studies have examined how loyal customers create value for preferred manufacturers, this study aims to focus on the supply chain and captures the indirect economic and relational benefits and costs of customer value creation on channel intermediaries.

Design/methodology/approach

– Service-dominant logic is used to explain the rationale behind consumer contributions and supply chain connectedness in an interactive online world. Drawing from the relevant literature, a conceptual model supported by propositions is presented.

Findings

– As manufacturers utilize consumer contributions, affiliated intermediaries will report having less informational power, providing less value to the channel, greater benefit-based and cost-based dependence, heightened efforts to create channel value, an enhanced reputation and greater sales, and greater collaboration with customers.

Research limitations/implications

– This conceptual paper is the beginning of an investigation into the pragmatic function of a service-dominant view as it pertains to a marketing channel. As this avenue for research is further developed, it is important that the propositions included in this study first be examined.

Practical implications

– Awareness of the underlying logic and the resulting impacts should aid channel intermediaries in realizing their own contributions throughout the manufacturer
'
s value chain and recognizing changes to their positions of power. As a result, channel intermediaries should be better positioned to assess the health and future prospects of the relationship.

Originality/value

– This work is the first study to examine potential impacts on the intermediary operating in a channel in which the manufacturer is significantly influenced by consumer contributions.
Value attenuation and retail out-of-stocks
Authors: Ehrenthal Joachim C.F. , Gruen Thomas W. , Hofstetter Joerg S
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address the effects of retail out-of-stocks from a service-dominant (S-D) logic view.

Design/methodology/approach

– Conceptual, combining classic S-D logic research with recent research of S-D logic in supply chains, and applying this to out-of-stocks in a retail setting of fast-moving consumer goods.

Findings

– The paper unveils out-of-stocks as emergent operant resources that alter and attenuate value creation across manufacturers, retailers, shoppers, users and their networks. The paper develops a model of value co-creation where manufacturer supply and shopper/user demand meet in the retailer ' s realm. Differentiating between shopper and user in a sequential model of value creation, it identifies the shopper as an active entity whose response to out-of-stocks redistributes value within the retail service ecosystem. An additional model is developed that illustrates the novel costs of an out-of-stock as uncovered by the S-D logic perspective, allowing retailers and manufacturers to align their interests in improving on-shelf availability.

Research limitations/implications

– Moving distribution thought and management towards a goal of service provision, this article suggests three logistics research possibilities: retailer-manufacturer misalignment, spatio-temporal supply-demand mismatch, and shopper-user interaction.

Practical implications

– This article shows how the S-D perspective can bring previously misaligned incentives of supply chain actors into alignment. Previous goods-dominant research showed little common ground for manufacturers and retailers to jointly improve on-shelf availability. The S-D logic view demonstrates compelling rationale for both parties ' involvement.

Originality/value

– The paper extends S-D logic literature by considering value attenuation through failures in physical distribution and logistics management, adding that non-availability causes operand resources to become operant and attenuate/redistribute value. The paper extends the out-of-stock literature by providing a theoretical foundation, and by showing the ecosystem effects of out-of-stocks.
Constructing a sustainable service business model
Authors: Liu Chun Hsien , Chen Ming-Chao , Tu Yi-Hsien , Wang Chu-Ching
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose is to conceptually construct a service-dominant (S-D) logic-based integrated product service system (IPSS) business model.

Design/methodology/approach

– The model is constructed through literature reviews and inferences.

Findings

– IPSS model is in compliance with the ten fundamental premises of S-D logic as well as conforming to triple bottom lines of sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

– To convert a firm from goods-centric model to service-centric IPSS model is not easy. There are quite a few challenges to be overcome.

Practical implications

– There are many successful cases adopting service-centric business model. The key success factors are to be identified in the future studies.

Originality/value

– It is the first paper discussing the sustainability of IPSS model and its relationship with S-D logic.
Service-dominant logic and supply chain management: are we there yet?
Authors: Wittmann C. Michael , Nowicki David R , Pohlen Terry L , Randall Wesley S
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Research suggests that service-dominant logic (SDL) is well suited to support supply chain management (SCM) research and practice. Qualitative research has shown that SDL is particularly consistent with an outcome-based supply chain strategy known as performance-based logistics (PBL). The purpose of this paper is to extend theory and practice by exploring the degree to which SDL is utilized in practice. Specifically, PBL is examined for consistency with the underlying fundamental premises (FPs) of SDL. In doing so, this paper answers the positive question, “what exists”, at the intersection of SDL and SCM.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study employs a mixed methodological approach. First, the FPs of SDL are operationalized using the language of PBL. The PBL FPs are tested quantitatively through an online survey of 52 supply chain PBL experts. A qualitative analysis is conducted using comments associated with each premise.

Findings

– The survey results suggest that PBL is consistent with SDL. These results indicate that PBL is a supply chain context of SDL.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first works to examine the degree to which SDL concepts are being utilized in practice.
Supply chain services from a service-dominant perspective: a content analysis
Authors: Maas Steffen , Hartmann Evi , Herb Stefan
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to apply service-dominant logic thinking to the field of supply chain management (SCM) in order to classify, structure, and analyze different types of supply chain services (SCS) collected from interdisciplinary literature. The authors investigate how value is co-created between supply chain actors and develop research propositions regarding the influence of service type on value co-creation.

Design/methodology/approach

– Content analysis is employed to research SCS across 218 articles from 28 journals of logistics and SCM, service, finance and accounting, and information systems research.

Findings

– The occurrence of SCS within the literature is rising, and most SCS mentioned have a relieving as opposed to an enabling function. Also, SCS related to material and information flows dominate the field, whereas finances-flow-related services receive less attention. Finally, the paper provides evidence that different types of SCS require different management approaches.

Research limitations/implications

– Analyzing the literature and integrating different streams of research are only a first step towards building new theory. To test the developed propositions, further empirical research is encouraged.

Practical implications

– The paper offers implications for the management of different types of SCS from both the service provider
'
s and service customer
'
s perspective.

Originality/value

– The paper provides an interdisciplinary overview of the value proposed by different types of SCS. Furthermore, six service-dominant logic-based research propositions regarding the impact of service type on value co-creation are developed.
It is a scandal!
Authors: Lloyd Liz , Banerjee Albert , Harrington Charlene , F. Jacobsen Frode , Szebehely Marta
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This study aims to explore the causes and consequences of media scandals involving nursing homes for older persons in Canada, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses a descriptive case-study methodology which provides an in-depth, focused, qualitative analysis of one selected nursing home scandal in each jurisdiction. Scandals were selected on the basis of being substantive enough to potentially affect policy. An international comparative perspective was adopted to consider whether and how different social, political and economic contexts might shape scandals and their consequences.

Findings

– This study found that for-profit residential care provision as well as international trends in the ownership and financing of nursing homes were factors in the emergence of all media scandals, as was investigative reporting and a lack of consensus around the role of the state in the delivery of residential care. All scandals resulted in government action but such action generally avoided addressing underlying structural conditions.

Research limitations/implications

– This study examines only the short-term effects of five media scandals.

Originality/value

– While there has been longstanding recognition of the importance of scandals to the development of residential care policy, there have been few studies that have systematically examined the causes and consequences of such scandals. This paper contributes to a research agenda that more fully considers the media's role in the development of residential care policy, attending to both its promises and shortcomings.
Does food subsidy affect household nutrition?
Authors: Shankar Shaw Tara , Telidevara Sridhar
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Indian households having the below poverty line (BPL) ration card receive rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene from the Indian Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) at subsidized rates. The paper uses the National Sample Survey Organization's consumption expenditure survey for the 61st round to study the causal effect of the BPL ration card on BPL households' calorie consumption. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This causal effect is estimated by comparing per-capita-per-day calorie consumption of the BPL households having BPL card with that of a matched counterfactual BPL household from the same state not having BPL card, using stratified propensity score matching.

Findings

– The BPL ration card was found to increase calorie consumption from cereals and decrease calorie consumption from non-cereal food items without affecting the overall calorie consumption of household. Thus, TPDS induces households to consume more cereals and less non-cereal without significantly changing the overall calorie consumption.

Research limitations/implications

– The research methodology controls for selection bias due to observable variables. Further, research needed to devise experimental set up to control for the selection bias due to unobserved variables.

Originality/value

– The paper uses the targeting error in identifying BPL households in TPDS as a quasi-experiment set up to study the causal effect of the BPL ration card.
ACTIVE ethics: an information systems ethics for the internet age
Authors: Kenneth McBride Neil
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present a novel mnemonic, ACTIVE, inspired by Mason's 1985 PAPA mnemonic, which will help researchers and IT professionals develop an understanding of the major issues in information ethics.

Design/methodology/approach

– Theoretical foundations are developed for each element of the mnemonic by reference to philosophical definitions of the terms used and to virtue ethics, particularly MacIntyrean virtue ethics. The paper starts with a critique of the elements of the PAPA mnemonic and then proceeds to develop an understanding of each of the elements of ACTIVE ethics, via a discussion of the underpinning virtue ethics.

Findings

– This paper identifies six issues, described by the mnemonic, ACTIVE. ACTIVE stands for: autonomy, the ability of the individual to manage their own information and make choice; community, the ethical effect of an information systems on the community which it supports; transparency, the extent to which the derivation of content and process in an information system is made clear; identity, the social and ethical effect of an information system on the definition and maintenance of the distinctive characteristics of a person; value, the value or moral worth placed on information associated with an individual and hence on the relationship with the individual; and empathy, the ability of the information systems professional to emotionally connect with the user and the extent to which the information system distances or connects.

Originality/value

– The paper applies virtue ethics to developing a tool to help information professionals reflect on their ethical practice in developing and supporting information systems.
Identity as convention: biometric passports and the promise of security
Authors: Behrensen Maren
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The paper is a conceptual investigation of the metaphysics of personal identity and the ethics of biometric passports. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– Philosophical argument, discussing both the metaphysical and the social ethics/computer ethics literature on personal identity and biometry.

Findings

– The author argues for three central claims in this paper: passport are not simply representations of personal identity, they help constitute personal identity. Personal identity is not a metaphysical fact, but a set of practices, among them identity management practices (e.g. population registries) employed by governments. The use of biometry as part of these identity management practices is not an ethical problem as such, nor is it something fundamentally new and different compared to older ways of establishing personal identity. It is worrisome, however, since in the current political climate, it is systematically used to deny persons access to specific territories, rights, and benefits.

Originality/value

– The paper ties together strands of philosophical inquiry that do not usually converse with one another, namely the metaphysics of personal identity, and the topic of identity in social philosophy and computer ethics.
Jointly grasping the possible in design
Authors: Huff Chuck
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to evaluate the contribution of Christiansen attempting to reintegrate ethics into the process of design.

Design/methodology/approach

– It situates her attempt in the context of the history of the participatory design movement, and the way ethical concern has been jettisoned leaving only a pragmatic toolbox of techniques.

Findings

– Christiansen is successful in finding ethical encounter residing of necessity at the heart of design. Design imposes a vision or narrative on the world and participatory design makes that narrative negotiable.

Practical implications

– All design is of necessity ethical endeavor, and Christiansen helps us to understand why.

Originality/value

– This response situates Christiansen's approach within the Heideggerian understanding of the “ready to hand” assumptions that lie in the ways we approach objects in our world. This language may help provide a structured way to talk about the encounter.
Revitalisation of the Old Township of Ipoh, Malaysia
Authors: Wee Lim Hew William , Yoon Kin Tong David , Guan Gan Goh Gerald
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to propose a direction for rejuvenating the declining Ipoh Old Town through a conservation-based approach.

Design/methodology/approach

– Recommendations for revitalisation are based on comparison between the local government's development proposals and historical study of revitalisation initiatives undertaken in neighbouring countries.

Findings

– The review has found that the revitalisation of Ipoh should be more towards servicing the needs of its residents than to gain from tourism development.

Practical implications

– Findings of the review have blurred the distinction between purist and ameliorist stances of conservation and suggest that the policy development should be a partnership of all stakeholders, vested with powers to implement.

Originality/value

– This paper provides an insight into urban regeneration for smaller, more local-dependent historic towns.
Part-out-based spares provisioning management
Authors: Block Jan , Ahmadi Alireza , Tyrberg Tommy , Söderholm Peter
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present the prerequisites for a part-out-based spares provisioning (PBSP) programme during the phase-out of an aircraft fleet. Furthermore, associated key decision criteria are identified and a framework for the phase-out management process is presented.

Design/methodology/approach

– Once a decision has been taken to phase-out an aircraft fleet, a number of routines for operations, maintenance and storage are affected and new tasks and functions must be introduced before initiating the actual parting-out process. A decision-making system and a management framework is needed to manage spares planning during the end-of-life phase to ensure availability at minimum cost and to ensure a manageable risk of backorders.

Findings

– For PBSP programme during the phase-out of an aircraft fleet to succeed and be cost-effective, a number of linked processes, tasks and decisions are required, e.g., those included in the framework proposed in this paper (see Figure 3). A successful implementation of PBSP also requires that these processes and tasks are carried out in a timely manner and that the communications between the concerned parties are prompt, clear and direct. One experience from the studied case is that close and trustful contacts and cooperation between the operator and maintenance provider(s) will greatly facilitate the process.

Originality/value

– Although the PBSP method is fairly commonly applied within both the military and the civilian sector, somewhat surprisingly very literature has been published on the subject. Indeed, remarkably little has been published on any aspects of maintenance during the end-of-life period.
Optimal replacement policy for condition-based maintenance with non-decreasing failure cost and costly inspection
Authors: Reza Golmakani Hamid , Pouresmaeeli Morteza
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to determine optimal replacement threshold and optimal inspection interval for an item subjected to condition-based maintenance (CBM). The primarily assumption is that the item's failure replacement cost depends on the item's degradation state at which failure occurs and/or the time the item fails. The cost of inspection is also taken into account.

Design/methodology/approach

– The control limit replacement policy framework, already reported by some research referred to in this paper, is first extended to include the non-decreasing failure replacement cost assumption. Then, for alternative inspection intervals, replacement thresholds together with their associated total cost including the inspection cost are computed. By comparing the total costs, the optimal inspection interval and its corresponding optimal replacement threshold are simultaneously identified.

Findings

– The mathematical formulation required for the determination of optimal replacement threshold and optimal inspection interval for an item subjected to CBM under the assumption of non-decreasing failure cost is provided.

Practical implications

– In some practical situations where CBM is implemented, the failure replacement cost may depend on the time the failure happens and/or may depend on the system's degradation state. In addition, inspections often incur cost. Under such circumstances, findings of this paper can be utilized for the determination of optimal replacement threshold and optimal inspection interval for the underlying system.

Originality/value

– Using the approach proposed in this paper, one could obtain the optimal replacement threshold and the optimal inspection interval for a system subjected to CBM.
The adoption of ISO 14001 environmental management systems in Macao SAR, China
Authors: To W.M. , N.F. Tang Margaret
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the adoption of ISO 14001 environmental management systems in Macao SAR, China.

Design/methodology/approach

– Using the data from the latest ISO Survey of Certifications, the study identified the growth pattern of ISO 14001 certifications in Macao SAR by nonlinear regression. The study also examined the motivations for Macao's organizations to adopt ISO 14001 and the perceived benefits of implementing ISO 14001 using a quantitative survey instrument, and follow-up interviews with environmental management representatives.

Findings

– The trend analysis revealed that the adoption of ISO 14001 follows a logistic function. The survey results showed that the top motivating factors included promoting environmental awareness among employees, better managing environmental regulatory compliance, and improving efficiency while the greatest perceived benefit of implementing ISO 14001 was in enhancing employees’ awareness on pertinent environmental regulations, followed by enhancing employees’ environmental awareness, enhancing organizational image, and assisting management to deal with environmental issues.

Research limitations/implications

– Macao is a special administration region and is the only China's city with legalized casino gaming. Hence, the findings of the study cannot be generalized to other parts of China.

Practical implications

– Understanding what motivate organizations to adopt ISO 14001 and how organizations perceive the benefits of implementing ISO 14001 are crucial to the promotion of environmental management and sustainable development. The findings of the study revealed the key motivating factors and perceived benefits.

Originality/value

– The study contributes to the environmental management literature by exploring the growth pattern of ISO 14001 in Macao SAR, and the motivations for, perceived benefits, and difficulties of implementing ISO 14001 in organizational settings.
Challenges for integrated water resources governance in Brasilia metropolitan area
Authors: Fernando Macedo Bessa Luiz , Facchina Marcelo
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to discuss the reasons behind the difficulties in implementing proper participatory environmental and water governance systems in the metropolitan region of Brasilia, Brazil.

Design/methodology/approach

– This work is a result of a the qualitative analysis of documents and reports of local participatory arenas in Brasilia, and is complemented by a set of 13 interviews held between November 2009 and March 2010 with a variety of actors involved in the promotion of sustainability in the region.

Findings

– The findings reveal that impediments to the good performance of environmental governance in the Federal District are a consequence to two main factors: institutional framework poorly transferred from the national level and incompatibility between the set of regulations and local electoral power dynamics.

Research limitations/implications

– As a consequence of the deliberate choice of one specific case, the conclusions of this paper may erroneously overemphasize the perils of participatory local governance rather than its potentials.

Practical implications

– By identifying a series of mechanisms that threaten positive partnerships between governments and civil society at the local level, this work serves as an important tool for public managers and civil society to engage in more fruitful partnerships.

Originality/value

– The paper provides a power-based analysis of a case of ineffectiveness of participatory mechanisms. In doing so, it also demonstrates that policy planning must be analysed from a variety of perspectives, and often involve coalitions that cut across the traditional state-society divide. The identification of the mechanisms behind the creation of these obstacles constitutes the originality and value of this paper.
Stakeholders’ involvements in the implementation of proactive environmental practices
Authors: Zuraidah Raja Mohd Rasi Raja , Abdekhodaee Amir , Nagarajah Romesh
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate key causal linkages of proactive environmental practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, this paper studies the ways that the interactions between different stakeholders such as suppliers and customers could intensify the widespread diffusion and implementation of green technologies. Understanding these linkages provide an opportunity to develop a framework that integrates stakeholders’ involvement, environmental practices and environmental/operational performances.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper adopts the quantitative methodology. It uses the survey data collected from 232 Malaysian SMEs. The structural equation modelling (SEM) via AMOS 19 was employed to test the hypotheses.

Findings

– The empirical results suggest that decisions on environmental practices are influenced significantly by interactions between stakeholders but notably in different ways. While customers and employees involvements are targeted at process based changes, senior managers are interested in internal management improvements. Suppliers’ interactions, on the other hand, influence SMEs to improve on operations for product and process based changes at the same time. Interestingly, we did not observe any significant achievement on government partnership programmes aimed at improving SMEs’ environmental practices.

Originality/value

– The finding in this paper adds to the literature on corporate environmental practices (CEPs), by applying two stages SEM analysis to a survey data for a single industry (electronic and electric industry). The gap of the mainstream CEP literature is bridged by focusing on different types of CEP, namely, internal management systems, process-based changes and product-based changes.
Challenges of waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Authors: Shah Khan Safdar , Aziz Lodhi Suleman , Akhtar Faiza , Khokar Irshad
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the recent global situation on waste of electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) management and recommend policy directions for designing environmental strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative research approach is adopted to review studies on WEEE management in developed and developing countries. The focus is to critically consider the available options for its safe management.

Findings

– Approximately 40-50 million tons of WEEE is generated worldwide annually and most of it is dumped in the developing countries. WEEE is not a challenge to be faced by a single country as it has trans-boundary effects and ultimately the contamination reaches back to the developed countries with a lapse of time.

Research limitations/implications

– Data availability on WEEE generation and disposal is in initial stages.

Practical implications

– Developing countries in Asia and Africa do not have resources to handle WEEE. The unregulated and unsafe WEEE management practices in these countries let hazardous materials to disseminate into the marine life and global ecosystem.

Originality/value

– The paper recommends policy directions to deal with the emerging issue that may have globally far reaching consequences.
Does uncertainty boost overconfidence? The case of financial analysts' forecasts
Authors: Bessière Véronique , Elkemali Taoufik
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This article aims to examine the link between uncertainty and analysts' reaction to earnings announcements for a sample of European firms during the period 1997-2007. In the same way as Daniel et al., the authors posit that overconfidence leads to an overreaction to private information followed by an underreaction when the information becomes public.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this study, the authors test analysts' overconfidence through the overreaction preceding a public announcement followed by an underreaction after the announcement. If overconfidence occurs, over- and underreactions should be, respectively, observed before and after the public announcement. If uncertainty boosts overconfidence, the authors predict that these two combined misreactions should be stronger when uncertainty is higher. Uncertainty is defined according to technology intensity, and separate two types of firms: high-tech or low-tech. The authors use a sample of European firms during the period 1997-2007.

Findings

– The results support the overconfidence hypothesis. The authors jointly observe the two phenomena of under- and overreaction. Overreaction occurs when the information has not yet been made public and disappears just after public release. The results also show that both effects are more important for the high-tech subsample. For robustness, the authors sort the sample using analyst forecast dispersion as a proxy for uncertainty and obtain similar results. The authors also document that the high-tech stocks crash in 2000-2001 moderated the overconfidence of analysts, which then strongly declined during the post-crash period.

Originality/value

– This study offers interesting insights in two ways. First, in the area of financial markets, it provides a test of a major over- and underreaction model and implements it to analysts' reactions through their revisions (versus investors' reactions through stock returns). Second, in a broader way, it deals with the link between uncertainty and biases. The results are consistent with the experimental evidence and extend it to a cross-sectional analysis that reinforces it as pointed out by Kumar.
The capital structure choices of family firms
Authors: Gottardo Pietro , Maria Moisello Anna
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– This paper aims to examine the determinants of capital structure of unlisted firms and how family governance-related factors impact on them.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors analyze the relation between a set of capital structure determinants and leverage in a unique dataset of 3,006 family and non-family Italian medium-large firms (26,210 obs.), and a control sample of 2,730 small firms (14,780 obs.), using cross-section and panel procedures during 2001-2010.

Findings

– Capital structure choices of medium-large family firms are linked to balance-sheet variables not used in previous studies, i.e. net working capital and capital turnover, and are significantly affected by the need to maintain control and influence, a relevant dimension of family socioemotional wealth. Family firms are more levered than non-family firms, but the difference is economically and statistically significant only for medium-large companies. The presence of the family in active management increases leverage, as the family endowment in the firm is higher.

Research limitations/implications

– This research could be developed through an international comparison to check the influence of country-related regulatory issues and of national cultural aspects on family control and influence.

Practical implications

– The results can give public authorities important insights in order to facilitate firms funding specially in the current critical economic scenario and provide managers useful suggestions to support financial decisions.

Originality/value

– To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to explore the financial choices of a large dataset of medium-large private firms in a bank-based economy.
Financial intermediation spread and stability of the banking system in the Southern Africa Customs Union
Authors: I. Motelle Sephooko , Biekpe Nicholas
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– Asymmetric information impedes the efficiency of financial intermediation by widening the gap between lending and deposit rates. The cost of information gathering is high and often translates into high borrowing costs. Consequently, high borrowing costs may make it hard for borrowers to repay loans and increase the volume of non-performing loans – a recipe for financial instability. This study first compares the application of the simple GARCH (1,1) and BGARCH (1,1,1) models in the estimation of macroeconomic volatility and finds that the latter is more suitable for this purpose. Moreover, the choice of BGARCH (1,1,1) over the simple GARCH (1,1) implies different outcomes for Granger causality tests. This finding implies that the BGARCH (1,1,1) model minimises loss of important information when estimating macroeconomic volatility in developing countries. Second, the study uses bootstrap panel Granger causality to test the hypothesis that there is a causal relationship between financial instability and the financial intermediation spread in Southern African Customs Union (SACU). The findings support this hypothesis and underscore the importance of implementing sound macroeconomic policies for high and stable growth as well as effective monetary policy to attain and maintain low and stable prices in order to narrow the financial intermediation spread in SACU. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– This study uses bootstrap panel Granger causality to test the hypothesis that there is a causal relationship between financial instability and the financial intermediation spread in SACU.

Findings

– The findings support this hypothesis and underscore the importance of implementing sound macroeconomic policies for high and stable growth as well as effective monetary policy to attain and maintain low and stable prices in order to narrow the financial intermediation spread in SACU.

Originality/value

– Application of panel bootstrap Granger causality test to test for a casual relationship between financial intermediation spread and financial stability in the context of SACU.