bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trends on the relationship between board size and financial and reputational corporate performance
Authors: Orozco Luis Antonio , Vargas Jose , Galindo-Dorado Raquel 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between board size (B-SIZE) and financial and reputational corporate performance in top companies ranked by the Business Monitor of Corporate Reputation – MERCO in Colombia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conducts correlations and cluster analysis in order to classify firms based on performance and control variables, using a sectional sample of 84 large companies in Colombia over the period 2008-2012.FindingsThis research founds that large boards are associated with high performance on corporate reputation, as stated by the resource dependence theory, and a low-financial performance, as predicted by the agency theory. However, the results indicate that there is no relation between financial and reputational performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis research considered only large companies listed by MERCO. Therefore, the results can only be generalized for top firms in Colombia according to this list. However, results add empirical evidence to theoretical debate between B-SIZE and firm performance considering financial and reputational indicators.Practical implicationsAccording to the OECD manual of good corporate governance practices, the optimal B-SIZE has between five to nine core members. The board structure has a direct impact over the firm’s financial and reputational performance and must be carefully analyzed by shareholders to balance the size according to expected results and firm’s features like family ownership, exportation activities and norms of stock markets.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between B-SIZE and corporate performance with the evaluation of financial and reputational results for the case of an emerging economy. In Latin America, this analysis must go beyond OECD recommendations, and shall consider the context of an emerging country based on empirical evidence.
Understanding consumer preferences on mosquito-bite protective clothing
Authors: Koo Sumin Helen 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand people’s preferred design and functional features for mosquito-bite protective clothing.

Design/methodology/approach
Total 348 participants were asked through an online survey about their perceptions and behaviors related to mosquito bite prevention, preferred design and functional features for clothing, preferred design and functional features for smart clothing, preferred types of transferred data, and their demographic backgrounds. A series of t-tests and analyses of variance were computed using IBM’s SPSS 24.0.

Findings
There were significant differences in functional and design preferences among participants (p<0.05~0.001). The results suggest developing mosquito protective clothing as long pants for married people and outerwear for younger groups (10-40s), long-sleeved tops for all, and using thick fabrics for younger people than those over the 50s. Designers can develop smart clothing that can repel mosquitos through scents and cover the body, or as smart watches or wristbands to protect against mosquito bites. The connected software can present data about the mosquito numbers around the user, distances between the user and mosquitos, and product status. Marketers can target parents who showed more willingness to use the mosquito-bite protective clothing than individuals without children.

Originality/value
The outcomes of the study will help designers when developing mosquito-bite protective clothing and ultimately decrease the rate of diseases transmitted by mosquitos.
Innovative start-ups: challenges and development opportunities in Latvia
Authors: Bikse Veronika , Lusena – Ezera Inese , Rivza Baiba 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify the problems and possibilities for development of innovative start-ups in Latvia.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the aim of this study, a survey of Latvia’s high school students in 2015 (n= 5,910) was undertaken by an online questionnaire within a financial skill built-up contest “New Financial Expert 2016” held by the Financial Institute of Swedbank (Swedbank survey, 2016). Further, Latvia University of Agriculture master students (n= 97) were interviewed in the year 2016 to identify master students opinion about necessary support for entrepreneurship, future services or goods with potentially high added value and find out their readiness for innovative action.FindingsA comparative analysis of data of the master student interviews and the survey of Latvia’s high school students showed that most of the youth associated their entrepreneurship prospects with innovative ideas, new technologies and new skills. The results of the research indicated that the foundation of start-up enterprises in Latvia led to positive results and gave an impulse to increasing economic activities as there were the necessary preconditions for their development.Originality/valueThe studies are mostly dedicated to start-ups that are less likely to innovate and have linked the concept of the start-up with business incubation. Unlike other studies, this is a specific research that provides insights into the situation in Latvia and is directed toward building innovative start-up enterprises that should be linked with the growth-oriented new technology, globalization and global market with a focus on innovation. Thus, research findings contribute to extant research on the possibilities of development of innovative start-up enterprises in Latvia and advance the present understanding of the main problems in the creation of new innovative start-ups.
Political market performance and corporate political activity
Authors: Cavazos David E. , Patterson Karen D.W. , Rutherford Mathew A. 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThis study aims to examine conditions in which firm political market performance is associated with firm efforts to influence regulatory outcomes. Applying measures of political market performance based on firm performance in government enforcement actions and a firm’s ability to obtain favorable political outcomes, the authors make the case that political market performance is a key part of competitive political markets, which is associated with particular types of firm efforts to influence policy.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal examination of nine automobile manufacturers during National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration crash tests reveals that firm performance in government enforcement activities is associated with greater efforts to cooperate with political suppliers, while declining firm performance in efforts to influence political outcomes is associated with increased firm opposition to political supplier actions.FindingsFirm performance in government enforcement activities is associated with greater efforts to cooperate with political suppliers, while declining firm performance in efforts to influence political outcomes is associated with increased firm opposition to political supplier actions.Research limitations/implicationsPerformance in regulatory enforcement results in increased firm actions to engage regulators in the policy-making process, while performance in obtaining desired policy outcomes is associated with a greater focus on opposition to proposed standards. These results suggest that political demanders can take deliberate actions to either engage or oppose supplier actions based on political market performance.Originality/valueThe primary contribution of this research is to begin to examine the implications of performance dynamics within political markets. Adding the construct of political market performance to the political markets framework reveals that variations in political market performance can be associated with specific types of corporate political activity.
Secrecy in Teflon international financial centres
Authors: Yeoh Peter 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to examine tax leakages in secrecy financial centres.

Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study relies on primary data from relevant statutes and secondary data from the public domain and in particular academic sources. The study makes concurrent use of the case study approach.

Findings
The study reinforces existing suggestions that tax evasion is significantly widespread from advanced to emerging economies. It also suggests serious enforcement difficulties because of light-touch surveillance among competing tax havens and financial professionals. Further, while relevant laws are in place to deal with illicit activities, enhanced transparency is needed to quell the problem and, in this instance, public access to beneficial owner data such as exemplified by UK’s public registry approach. The US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act is proving to be effective, and similar expectations are raised for the equivalent the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development initiative from 2017 onwards.

Research limitations/implications
The paper is constrained with the general limitations associated with qualitative studies. These are, however, mitigated by triangulations of perspectives and so on.

Practical implications
The findings have implications for policymakers and the business community.

Social implications
The findings could help to narrow inequality gaps between and within economies.

Originality/value
The paper combines insights from high-profile cases with those from academic sources. The analysis is also undertaken from the combined perspectives of law, economics and accounting. It also focuses in secrecy issues in both offshore and onshore financial centres.
Legal considerations to international contracts in the recent Greece financial crisis
Authors: Jaradt Nashat Mahmoud , Rehman Ijaz Ur 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
This research aims to focus on what has happened in light of the Greece legal crisis in terms of international contracts and what legal situations have arisen.

Design/methodology/approach
This research focuses on what has happened in light of the Greek legal crisis in terms of international contracts and what legal situations have arisen. The overall situation in relation to international contracts and risk mitigation is discussed to analyze the efforts that have been made. The state of affairs in the country with regard to facilitating financial trade and enabling Greeks to send payments abroad or at the rate they need to is also explored.

Findings
The effects of financial crisis on international trade contracts as they relate to commercial businesses without taking into consideration the wider contractual obligations that Greece, as a country, have already defaulted on. The crux of the current crisis is the fact that Greece did not stick to the commitments it made to the European Union when it joined the eurozone and took on euro as their currency, replacing the drachma. It is important to understand that due to the scope of the economic crisis in the Greece, it is not simply the other contractual party’s creditworthiness and trustworthiness that are at issue, it is their ability to keep any promises in whatever climate arises in their country.

Research limitations/implications
The study is based on the financial crisis in Greek. Further research is needed to investigate the applicability of the findings in different contexts.

Originality/value
The study findings are believed to be valuable for international commercial contracts with regard to the Greek debt crisis in discussing the financial legal situation, facilitating trade and enabling Greeks to send payments abroad or at the rate they need. The study contributes to a better understanding of international commercial contract system.
Developing a strategy map for environmental consulting firms
Authors: Sayed Naqi , Lento Camillo 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for environmental consulting firms, explore their causal linkages and develop a strategy map around the balanced scorecard (BSC) perspectives.

Design/methodology/approach
Relevant KPIs are identified through interviews and secondary data. Causal relationships between KPIs are explored by using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method to analyze survey responses from senior partners and industry experts.

Findings
The results suggest that the learning and growth perspective plays a pivotal role for consulting firms. In addition, and contrary to views held by some, internal process perspective can play a significant cause factor role for service businesses. Among the KPIs which were identified as important, acquiring new skills/techniques, increased customer value proposition, personnel utilization, new product solutions and start to end solutions as KPIs exhibited both cause and effect characteristics.

Practical implications
The results isolate core KPIs which self-reinforce, complement each other and form a feedback loop. Active management and monitoring of these KPIs is likely to result aid a consulting firm in achieving strategic objectives. The strategy map developed in this study can also serve as a reference point for similar businesses.

Originality/value
This is the first known study to develop a strategy map for a consulting business by adopting a structured approach and identify causal link among BSC perspectives and their respective KPIs. The study provides further empirical evidence for usefulness of a structured approach such as the DEMATEL.
Quality management capabilities of manufacturing industries in the Western Sydney region
Authors: Lobo Stanislaus Roque , Samaranayake Premaratne , Laosirihongthong Tritos 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to, using a quality management assessment framework (QMAF), provide a comparative analysis of quality management capabilities of organisations categorised by size and groups, based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) code.

Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire-based survey was used for data collection. Statistical data analysis, including descriptive statistics, multivariate and univariate analysis of variance and Hsu’s multiple comparisons with/to the best post-hoc test results, was carried out to identify significant differences and similarities in total quality management capabilities between organisations based on the QMAF model.

Findings
Significant differences in quality management capabilities were identified between large organisations and SMEs while no significant differences were found to exist between medium- and small-size organisations. Most of the QMAF-based capabilities do not seem to show significant differences between the four groups of ANZSIC code of firms, except for partnering focus and business outcomes.

Research limitations/implications
The research was limited by the number of returned responses of survey questionnaire from manufacturing organisations in the Greater Western Sydney region. This research provides practitioners with practical guidelines for improving quality management capabilities and can become the basis for comparative analysis in other regions of Australia, and globally. In addition, the research findings can be used by government and quality associations to develop appropriate strategies and policies for supporting the development of quality enhancing programmes in SMEs.

Originality/value
The comparative analysis of quality management capabilities by organisational size and industry type advances the previous work on optimum pathways of achieving business outcomes using the QMAF model. In addition, the research has mapped out differences in quality management capabilities, based on a combined scope of size and industry type, especially in the Greater Western Sydney region where a large number of SMEs are located.
Examining attraction loyalty formation in creative tourism
Authors: Suhartanto Dwi , Brien Anthony , Sumarjan Norzuwana , Wibisono Nono 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThis study aims to examine a creative attraction loyalty model which includes experience quality, satisfaction and motivation and to assess the model’s applicability in terms of customer attraction, namely, tourists and residents.Design/methodology/approachThe data collection was conducted at four culture-based attractions in Bandung, Indonesia. Self-administrated questionnaires were distributed to visitors after they experienced the attraction. In total, 415 useful questionnaires were collected. The hypotheses developed were examined using partial least square structural equation modelling.FindingsThis study reveals a significant effect of experience quality on both satisfaction and attraction loyalty. Moreover, the effect of motivations on satisfaction and loyalty is partially supported, as only the pull motivation factor has a significant effect on satisfaction. Finally, this study reveals that the proposed attraction loyalty model is insignificant in terms of difference between tourists and residents.Originality/valuePast studies have examined many of the drivers of loyalty both independently and separately. This study examines simultaneously three important loyalty drivers: experience quality, satisfaction and motivation in the context of a creative tourism attraction. To create visitor loyalty, this study suggests that attraction managers need to deliver high experience quality and develop customer pulling strategies through promotion efforts.
Quality improvement initiatives based on customer and service provider perspectives in shopping malls
Authors: Pakdil Fatma , Kurtulmuşoğlu Feride Bahar 
Published: April 2018

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to optimize and improve service delivery configurations by integrating both customers’ and service providers’ perspectives into service delivery design processes using quality function deployment (QFD) methodology at shopping malls.Design/methodology/approachQFD is used to determine and close the gap between the most important customer needs and expectations and the opinions of service providers using a unique platform.FindingsOn customer side, the highest relative weight was given to “prompt response to customer concerns”, “not being crowded and loud”, “providing services for disabled customers” and “security of mall” customer expectations. On engineering side, “employees’ attributes, the size of parking area, reliable service, the time to find a product, the size of mall, disabled friendly infrastructure and the number of elevators and escalators” were determined to be the most important technical requirements.Originality/valueIntegrating the voice of customer into the voice of engineering, this study is the first attempt to describe how QFD methodology could be used to holistically optimize service delivery configurations in the mall industry. Unlike conventional QFD that ignores the cost perspective, this study has implications for operations managers with regard to solving resource allocation problems.
Factors influencing employer branding
Authors: Brusch Ines , Brusch Michael , Kozlowski Therese 
Published: April 2018

PurposeCompanies have to consider people as one of the most important resources. Especially, the combination of demanding work and academic workers requires activities with regard to employer branding. An employer brand is an intangible asset that allows companies to look for motivated and capable employees (Hillebrandt, 2013). Consequently, the concept of employer branding can be used (Brickson, 2005; Heilmann et al., 2013). The purpose of this paper is to supplement the first empirical investigations with students as new employees (e.g. Daniel et al., 2015) by the perceptions of potential employees in less powerful, i.e. more rural, regions.Design/methodology/approachThis paper summarizes existing findings and enhances two empirical investigations of 431 students of a technical university in a medium-sized city and 211 students of a university of applied sciences in a rural region in Germany. The data collection and analysis will focus on different methodical alternatives of identifying important drivers and dimensions of employer branding, as well as identifying different groups of potential employees and gender differences.FindingsThe paper highlights the need of the underrepresented but successful consideration of group specific analyses and following strategies in case of employer branding. The existing approaches of the establishment of an employer branding concepts can be improved through more suitable strategy elements when the addressees are better known.Originality/valueThe findings allow new insights, especially to smaller regions and companies and the awareness of group-specific analyses in general and in case of the development of an employer branding concept.
Customer roles from a self-service system perspective
Authors: Åkesson Maria , Edvardsson Bo 
Published: April 2018

Purpose
This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework of archetypical customer roles in a self-service-based system by applying role theory to understand customers’ resource integration and value co-creation efforts in practice.

Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a three-phase explorative case study of customers’ experiences of using self-service technologies at a furniture retailer. A total of 90 interviews were conducted.

Findings
Four archetypical enacted customer roles during value co-creation in a self-service-based system are identified: passive non-bothered, passive hesitant, active realist and active independent. Furthermore, it is shown that these roles shape how resources become.

Research limitations/implications
The challenges facing our retail practice bear similarities with those in other contexts, e.g. financial and travel industries, government or public sector service settings, in which self-service technologies are becoming more common. Therefore, this study setting enables some tentative generalizations. The case study approach, however, limits the statistical generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications
The importance of understanding is that not all customers are well-equipped for co-creating value through self-service. By engaging customers and offering them guidance when they encounter difficulties in managing the value co-creation process, as well as viewing them as resource integrators and value co-creators, firms can help them enact more active roles.

Originality/value
The archetypical customer roles contribute theoretically to detailing how resource integration and value co-creation can be shaped by enacted roles, an influence that has not been explicitly proposed in empirical service research.