bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysing granulated brown sugar – panela – market in Western Honduras
Authors: Rodríguez-Entrena Macario , Salazar-Ordóñez Melania , Cordón-Pedregosa Rosa , Cardenas Jose L. 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– Starting from a territorial development project in Western Honduras (Copán and Ocotepeque), farmers aimed to increase and add value to agricultural production by producing and commercializing granulated brown sugar (panela). The Western Honduras sugar market was studied, from the supply and demand side, in order to particularly understand consumer preference which is considered a key to increase smallholder farmers’ income in rural areas.

Design/methodology/approach
– The research included a qualitative study by means of six visits for observation and data compilation to stores, four face-to-face open semi-structured interviews with store owners and a focus group with local producers to acquire a global picture of the main regional sugar market characteristics from the supply side. Moreover a quantitative analysis applying a Choice Experiment to study consumer preferences was performed acquiring higher knowledge from the demand side.

Findings
– First, it was found that Honduras sugar market could be experiencing monopolistic practices and white sugar to 9 lempiras per pound was the most popular product according to the qualitative study. Second, for consumers who knew dulce de panela, granulated brown sugar was preferred over refined white sugar. Consumers who had a high level of education, came from rural areas, considered brown sugar to be healthier and read nutritional information were more prone to consume granulated brown sugar. On the other hand, the estimated selling price was around 16 lempiras/pound, but consumers were willing to pay at the most 11.59 lempiras/pound. Nevertheless, market share simulation showed a market niche to comercialize granulated brown sugar – panela.

Originality/value
– This research is of academics, farmers and policy makers value. There are no studies analyzing consumer behavior regarding granulated brown sugar in Honduras. The results provide information about the previous steps which need to be given for smallholders in order to commercialize this novelty product; and it stressed the necessity of highlighting health claims on panela which would involve political actions.
Edible insects and young adults in a north-east Italian city an exploratory study
Authors: Balzan Stefania , Fasolato Luca , Maniero Serena , Novelli Enrico 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the readiness of young Italian people to consume insects and the psychosocial determinants associated with edible insect consumption, in order to evaluate whether insect-based food could be an alternative food source.

Design/methodology/approach
– An explorative study was conducted, using focus group interviews as the technique for data collection. In total, 32 consumers, aged 20-35 years took part in five focus group interviews.

Findings
– Significant determinants comprised appearance, farming and sustainability. Participants’ willingness to eat insect-based food is dependent on the form in which the products are presented to them. Crustaceans were frequently mentioned as a comparison in terms of distaste. Lack of practice in preparation was a major barrier to consumption. To expand consumption participants suggested an active role for public health institutions. Even though with some uncertainty, there are some people prepared to consume insects.

Research limitations/implications
– Due to the restricted size of the sample survey, the findings are considered as exploratory research. Further investigation is required among other young adults in order to delineate promotional strategies.

Originality/value
– There is a lack of information regarding the willingness to consume edible insects in Italy. Due to the restricted size of the sample survey, the findings are considered as exploratory research. Further investigation is required among other young adults in order to delineate promotional strategies.
Gaps and barriers along the North Carolina agri-food value chain
Authors: Kline Carol S. , Joyner Leah Elizabeth , Kirchoff Jon F , Crawford Alleah , Jilcott Pitts Stephanie , Wall-Bassett Elizabeth , Gurganus Christine , Dunning Rebecca 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to formulate an exhaustive list of the issues, gaps, and barriers at each level of the agri-food value chain in North Carolina (NC), and second, to identify the issues of greatest importance to its members.

Design/methodology/approach
– This research employed the Delphi technique in two stages of input. The first round of input was designed to create a comprehensive list of issues for each of nine “stages” of the agri-food value chain. In round two, the issues were prioritized.

Findings
– The top ten responses of each stage were aggregated into themes that represent the most critical issues identified by respondents: connectedness within the value chain, access to markets and marketing, affordability/availability of food and food distribution, farm profitability, societal awareness, and education about healthy, local food, and supporting institutions.

Originality/value
– The findings could be used by practitioners to inspire innovation in food-related products, programs, processes, organization, and marketing. The findings can help farmers, institutions, food distributors, policy makers, and other members of the agri-food value chain to make decisions about food distribution and access in NC and in other states facing similar issues and circumstances. The findings of this research also have further reaching implications, such as the connectivity of members along the agri-food value chain, the impact of a strong agri-food value chain on agritourism and the potential value of state marketing initiatives.
Postharvest losses of cabbages from retail to consumer and the socio-economic and environmental impacts
Authors: Munhuweyi Karen , Opara Umezuruike Linus , Sigge Gunnar 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to quantify the incidence of postharvest losses of cabbage at retail purchase and during consumer simulated storage.

Design/methodology/approach
– Physical losses, changes in quality and nutritional value were determined using produce from three different retail outlets in South Africa. Economic losses and the environment impact associated with postharvest losses of cabbage were estimated.

Findings
– After seven days in storage, high incidence of postharvest losses occurred, ranging from 12 per cent under cold storage to 46 per cent under ambient conditions. These losses were equivalent to over R10 million (∼US$1 million) per annum, while the equivalent wasted fresh water was estimated to be sufficient to meet the needs of over 217,000 per annum.

Research limitations/implications
– Study was only conducted in one town and to get the real impact of the losses the research should cover a wider coverage area.

Originality/value
– Cabbage is one of the most widely consumed vegetables globally and this is the first research effort to quantify the magnitude of postharvest losses. A multi-parameter approach was applied to estimate the socio-economic and environmental impacts of losses.
The impact of communication channels on mobile banking adoption
Authors: Tran Huong Thi Thanh , Corner James 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the distinct effects of different communication channels, particularly interpersonal networks, social media, and mass media on customer beliefs and usage intention in a mobile banking (MB) context.

Design/methodology/approach
– This study employed a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches with an exploratory sequential research design in two major phases: focus groups; and a large-scale survey among 183 New Zealand young adults.

Findings
– The most significant influential factor of usage intention was perceived usefulness, followed by perceived credibility and perceived costs. Face-to-face communication with bank staff and close acquaintances was perceived as the most reliable and persuasive sources of banking-related information. Moreover, mass channels were considered to be more important and trustworthy than social media in the MB sector. The research results revealed that the current status of MB diffusion in New Zealand is in the latter stages (Late Majority and Laggards) of the innovation diffusion cycle.

Practical implications
– In light of the research findings, bank marketers can make the right decisions on marketing actions to promote MB effectively as well as develop appropriate communication policies to speed up the consumer decision process. Researchers and allied industries (e.g. mobile commercial services) could also gain benefits from applying these results to understand the impact of communication channels on consumer perceptions and behaviours towards new technology acceptance.

Originality/value
– The research outcomes have served to broaden the knowledge into the distinguishing influences of major communication channels on customers’ beliefs and intention to adopt new banking services.
Students reach beyond expectations with cafeteria style grading
Authors: Arendt Anne , Trego Angela , Allred Jonathan 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to show that cafeteria style grading actually provides a course structure which encourages students to go beyond expectations.

Design/methodology/approach
– Three instructors offered a total of 13 sections of a general education science class called “Fundamentals of Technology” from January 2012 to December 2013 using a cafeteria-style grading method. This means students get to choose to do those assignments, quizzes or tests that appeal to their own learning interests or styles and do not need to complete all the assignments to get an A grade. Rather, they complete those assignments desired in order to earn the applicable points. This paper researches the combined results of over 400 students to assess the success of cafeteria style grading.

Findings
– These instructors found that half the students overall obtain an A grade and 9 percent of all students actually go above and beyond the requirements of an A grade by at least 5 percent. Actually, about 4 percent of students complete more than is required by an additional 10 percent or more.

Originality/value
– Cafeteria style grading is a little researched methodology for student assessment. The research shows that cafeteria style grading actually provides a course structure which encourages students to go beyond expectations.
Exploring gender harassment among university teachers and researchers
Authors: Muhonen Tuija 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the prevalence of gender harassment and how it is related to different organisational factors, ill-health and job satisfaction among women and men working as university teachers and researchers.

Design/methodology/approach
– A web questionnaire was conducted in a university college in South Sweden. The final sample consisted of 322 participants, 186 women and 136 men.

Findings
– The results showed that gender harassment was more prevalent among women than men, and among senior lecturers and professors than lecturers. Gender harassment was associated with high job demands, less fair leadership style of the immediate manager and job dissatisfaction for both women and men. For women, there was also an association between gender harassment, ill-health and gender of the immediate manager. For men, poorer social organisational climate was related to gender harassment, but contrary to women, gender harassment was not related to the gender of the immediate manager.

Research limitations/implications
– Even though the research was conducted only in one university, the results imply that gender harassment can have negative consequences for teachers and researchers. As the immediate manager’s leadership style seems to be associated with the occurrence of gender harassment, universities should take this into consideration in their leadership programs.

Originality/value
– The paper highlights gender harassment, a subtle form of sexual harassment, among university teachers and researchers.
How brand orientation impacts B2B service brand equity? An empirical study among Chinese firms
Authors: Zhang Jing , Jiang Yanxin , Shabbir Rizwan , Zhu Miao 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The paper aims to explore how brand orientation impacts brand equity via internal branding, presented brand, word-of-mouth and customer experience from stakeholder interaction perspective in industrial services context. Brand orientation has emerged as an attractive business philosophy for industrial service companies who believe that brand plays an influential role in delivering customer value and improving firm’s performance. However, the impact of brand orientation upon brand equity is not clear yet, and the active roles of multiple stakeholders in co-creating brand equity are largely neglected in business-to-business (B2B) branding literature.

Design/methodology/approach
– A questionnaire survey was conducted among 258 pairs of firms located in mainland China. A total of nine research hypotheses related to how brand orientation impacts B2B service brand equity were examined by structural equation modeling technique.

Findings
– The research findings indicate: a company with high level of brand orientation will both actively communicate its brand to customers and implement internal branding among employees; internal branding enhances willingness and skills of service employees so that they can provide customers with excellent service experience, which will lead to positive word-of-mouth; effective brand communication, pleasant customer experience and favorable word-of-mouth can result in positive brand association in the mind of customers and finally build up corporate brand equity.

Research limitations/implications
– The major limitation of this paper is that some other potential stakeholders and additional interactive processes among organization, employees and customers, which have potential to impact brand equity, are not included in the model.

Originality/value
– This study makes theoretical contribution by addressing the gaps in the branding literature with respect to industrial services context and stakeholder interaction perspective. It also provides practical implications for B2B service firms as to how to develop a strong brand by implementing brand orientation within the network of core stakeholders.
A framework of satisfaction for continually delivered business services
Authors: Briggs Elten , Landry Timothy D. , Daugherty Patricia J. 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The aim of this paper is to present a new framework for the evaluation of satisfaction in continually delivered business services (CDBS) contexts based on applicable theoretical perspectives and extant empirical research.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper first describes and justifies the importance of the CDBS context. Then, a literature review of CDBS satisfaction research over the past ten years is presented and utilized in conjunction with theoretical insights from expectancy disconfirmation theory and social exchange theory to develop conceptual definitions, a general conceptual framework, and research propositions.

Findings
– The resulting conceptual framework focuses on global CDBS provider satisfaction as the outcome of three more specific satisfaction assessments: service satisfaction (driven by the actual performance of the service), economic satisfaction (driven by the customers’ economic outcomes from the exchange relationship) and social satisfaction (driven by the customers’ social outcomes and interactions in the exchange relationship).

Originality/value
– The study is the first to develop a framework of satisfaction for the CDBS context and presents propositions to guide future satisfaction research. The conceptual framework leverages insights from two existing models of satisfaction formation: expectancy disconfirmation (which provides deeper insight on service satisfaction) and social exchange theory (which provides deeper insights on social and economic satisfaction). The integration of these two models results in a more comprehensive view of satisfaction formation in the CDBS context than by using either model separately.
Factors influencing job performance of nursing staff
Authors: Sharma Jyoti , Dhar Rajib Lochan 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that influence the affective commitment of nursing staff and its subsequent impact on their job performance.Design/methodology/approach– A survey-based study was performed among 349 nursing staff working in Uttarakhand, randomly selected from six public healthcare institutes, using a well-established questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was applied to study the mediating effect of affective commitment and its correlation with the constructs used in research.Findings– The findings of the study revealed that the level of burnout is significantly higher among the nursing staff and had an inverse relation with affective commitment. Further, perceived organizational support and procedural justice showed a positive relation with affective commitment in contrast to burnout. Moreover, affective commitment had a strong impact on job performance of the nursing staff, indicated by direct relation with a value of 0.70.Research limitations/implications– The findings contribute by recognizing the various factors affecting the performance of nursing staff specifically in developing country like India. Limited in geographical area, industry and a self-rated questionnaire are some of the limitations of the present study.Practical implications– To conclude, this study revealed the vital significance of factors affecting the job performance of nursing staff through affective commitment. Based on the findings, healthcare institutions need to reduce the level of burnout, create and enhance a supportive and fair working environment to enhance the level of affective commitment and consequently the job performance of the nursing staff.Originality/value– This study has extended the existing literature by identifying the mediating role of affective commitment on factors affecting job performance of nursing staff specifically in the Indian context.
Job satisfaction: how crucial is participative decision making?
Authors: Pacheco Gail , Webber Don 
Published: January 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the role of perceived ability to participate in decision making in the workplace, with respect to job satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach– Data from the fourth wave of the European Value Survey, is utilised, and a bivariate probit model is employed to account for unobserved heterogeneity.Findings– Empirical analysis comparing univariate and bivariate probit models reveals that the results from the former are negatively biased; potentially indicating that prior research may have underestimated the impact of participative decision making (PDM) on job satisfaction. Additionally, it appears clear that the magnitude of the marginal effects for both socio-demographic and work characteristics do not differ when comparing workers with above and below average participation. More importantly, the authors find a substantial negative marginal effect of below average participation on job satisfaction (close to three times the magnitude of the next largest marginal effect estimated in the model), indicating how crucial it is for employers to actively pursue programmes that enhance PDM.Originality/value– This study contributes to the growing literature aimed at understanding drivers of satisfaction in the workplace. Adding to the scant empirical investigation of the influence of PDM on job satisfaction, the authors find strong evidence of a direct and positive impact, which is further amplified after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity.
The effect of management and employee perspectives of high-performance work systems on employees’ discretionary behaviour
Authors: Elorza Unai , Harris Christopher , Aritzeta Aitor , Balluerka Nekane 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to understand how management and employee perspectives of high-performance work systems (HPWS) relate to employee discretionary behaviour. In addition, the paper examines to what extent the relationship between employees’ perception of the HPWS and discretionary behaviour varies among different organizations/groups.

Design/methodology/approach
– Two samples were used in the study. The first sample included data from 51 managers and 1,023 employees from 26 manufacturing companies. The second sample included 52 managers and 6,382 employees from 42 manufacturing companies.

Findings
– The study shows that employee rated HPWS mediates the relationship between management rated HPWS and individual-level discretionary behaviour. Moreover, results showed that the effect of employee rated HPWS on discretionary behaviour varies among different organizations/groups.

Practical implications
– Results show that employee perceptions of the HPWS more strongly predict employees’ discretionary behaviour than management rated HPWS. Moreover, it shows that employees’ perceptions of the same HPWS, but operating in different organizational contexts exhibit different levels of discretionary behaviour.

Originality/value
– The study differentiates between management and employee perspectives of the HPWS. It also examines the variability of the relationship between HPWS and discretionary behaviour. Multilevel structural equation modelling is used to test the hypotheses.
Dissemination of talent management in Germany: myth, facade or economic necessity?
Authors: Ewerlin Denise , Süß Stefan 
Published: January 2016

Purpose
– Although talent management is increasingly being discussed by academics and practitioners, there are very few empirical studies to date concerning its dissemination and configuration in German companies. The purpose of this paper is to reduce this research deficit.

Design/methodology/approach
– In order to analyze the (causes of) the dissemination, configuration and influence factors of talent management in Germany, the authors collected data in two survey waves via an online survey. The sample consists of 313 completed questionnaires. The average size of the companies is 25,619 employees (median: 2,000 employees; spread 1-609,000). The authors analyze the data in different steps using a factor analysis, a regression analysis and a cluster analysis.

Findings
– The paper provides evidence of the dissemination and configuration of talent management in Germany, as well as the reasons for its introduction in Germany. It also contributes to the (empirical) analysis of talent management and to the study of the dissemination of (human resource) management concepts. The authors find evidence that some companies in Germany have implemented talent management as a facade, while others have done so out of economic necessity.

Originality/value
– The analysis represents one of the first scientific studies in German-speaking countries that focusses on talent management configuration, the causes of its dissemination and the characteristics of companies using it. In combination with the current study of Festing et al. (2013) it draws an extensive picture of talent management in Germany.