bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
From chaos of steel cycles to the promise of “Joy of Building”: Tata Tiscon eyeing the next big leap
Authors: Pratap Sankalp , Saha Biswatosh 
Published: May 2016

Subject area
Strategic Management.

Study level/applicability
The case is designed for a) MBA students b) Short-duration executive MBA courses.

Case overview
The case refers to India’s leading steel company Tata Steel. Tata Tiscon, the steel rebar brand, is the organization’s leading retail brand. The case chronicles the period between the birth of the retail brand in the year 2000, its dramatic rise and dominance, to the end of 2013 when some of its initiatives had failed. Tata Tiscon was established as a pan Indian brand on the dint of a distribution network comprising 33 distributors and over 2000 retailers, many of them exclusive to the brand. The brand spawned a series of innovation in the category like “selling by piece”, fixed price concept and “free” home delivery. Together with its channel partners, the company achieved dramatic success which was reflected in its leading market share coupled with significant price premium in a category where price had traditionally being the only selling pitch. After 2010, the company saw an emerging challenge in the form of a new business model, where some companies were gearing to provide the complete portfolio of construction material including cement, steel, etc., and a turnkey construction solution for house builders. Tata Tiscon responded by attempting to enter the service space by launching a building design solution and later a construction supervision solution. Both of these initiatives failed. The protagonist of the case is Mr Keshav Viswanath (Chief of Marketing for retail business at Tata Steel), who is concerned with the failures of these key initiatives and is wondering how to ensure the “leader” status of Tata Tiscon in coming years.

Expected earning outcomes
The students are expected to understand how a core strategy like differentiation is implemented successfully in “practice”; understand the exploitation–exploration dichotomy in an organization; appreciate difference between radical innovation (based on new organizational routines, new business partners and new relationships) and incremental innovation based on fine tuning of existing organizational routines and relationships.

Supplementary materials
Rebar production: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6n9sci8j-8; Tata TISCON AV: www.youtube.com/watch?v=89kOUsbnaYQ; TQM – The Toyota Way: www.youstube.com/watch?v=qf3gdrIMxRw; Disruptive vs. Incremental Innovation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOOL_GiaLTo; Approach to innovation is dead wrong: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pii8tTx1UYM

Subject code
CSS 11: Strategy.
Baker Street
Authors: Baig Farah Naz , Rashid Amber Gul 
Published: May 2016

Subject area
Entrepreneurship Small Business Management.

Study level/applicability
BBA first-year students. The case is positioned at the beginning of the course.

Case overview
Uzma, 25 years, enrolled in the MBA program of a prestigious university of Pakistan and owner of Baker Street, was accustomed to a hectic routine; preparing the orders, sometimes even dropping them at customers doorsteps, university classes, assignments and reports. The only thing which she felt missing from her busy life was good sleep and a great time with her family. Brand Baker Street was developed to provide baking solution to upper echelons for special occasions. The big, moist, chewy, gourmet cookies; rich and gooey brownies; the most decadent, indulgent cookie cakes/brownie cakes; and a lot more other things were developed to create unforgettable moments. Her aim after graduation was to convert her dream of opening a café into a reality. Uzma wondered whether the time was right and most importantly was she ready.

Expected learning outcomes
The case aims to teach the following concepts: female entrepreneurship, its potential and barriers; entrepreneurial marketing; and identify and analyze different variables involved in setting up a small baking business.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.
A-CAT’S health: operational parameters
Authors: Sharma Jitendra 
Published: May 2016

Subject area
Operations management.

Study level/applicability
This case can be used in a core course in production and operation management; process management and courses like design and planning of operations at the graduate level, preferably during or after the basic operations module of the course. The case focuses on the use of a process analysis that decomposes the problem into a number of easily solvable sub-problems, each of which could be distinctly analyzed and solved. The case can also be effectively utilized in elective courses on process reengineering, concurrent engineering/management, process management, capacity planning, etc. Ideally, this case can be discussed for 75 to 90 minutes.

Case overview
The case describes the situation facing the operations supervisor, Sunil Mehta, of A-CAT Corp. in Vidarbha Region, Maharashtra, India. A-CAT Corp. was a mid-sized manufacturer and distributor of domestic electrical appliances, largely catering to the price-sensitive rural population. The firm operated two medium-sized facilities in one of the remote districts in Vidarbha, and these manufacturing units had been in operation since 1986. A-CAT manufactured a relatively wide range of electrical appliances for household use. Typical products from its stable included TV signal boosters, transformers, FM radio kits, electronic ballasts, battery chargers, voltage regulators, etc. The voltage regulators manufactured by A-CAT were used for many different purposes, although the focus was on its flagship product, VR500. The issue at hand for Sunil Mehta, operations supervisor at A-CAT, was to get data and act right; more often than not, this boiled down to critical information which everyone in the firm kept collecting but were too busy to use and utilize. The challenge was to select the right kind of data needed from the data-deluge that the company had in their databases. The eluding objective was to use it for the betterment of the firm. The challenge was to utilize the data that the workers and other operators kept logging in and, in the process of doing so, came up with some solutions to the problems faced on the operational front.

Expected learning outcomes
The case teaching and learning objectives are as following: to grasp the basics of process and process parameters; to understand the interrelationship between capacity, utilization, efficiency and productivity of a process; and to carry out process capacity analysis in assessing the performance of the firm on different metric drivers. The case also provides a very good foundation for understanding process parameters in a simple and lucid manner. To make right computations and not to use the terms and terminology in “cook book” or “strait jacketed” manner, students need to realize the parameters and their understanding changes from situation to situation.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code
CSS 9: Operations and Logistics.
Islamic social business to alleviate poverty and social inequality
Authors: Aziz M. Nusrate , Mohamad Osman Bin 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to identify some well-set instruments in Islam that can efficiently alleviate poverty, solve social problems and reduce social inequality through a new operational framework called “Islamic social business (ISB)”.

Design/methodology/approach
– This is a conceptual research that is based on Al-Quranic principles as well as contemporary social welfare philosophies, such as, augmented stakeholder theory, social enterprise and social business. Al-Quran, Al-Hadith and existing traditional and Islamic literature are consulted for this study.

Findings
– The study proposes an efficient system of Islamic wealth sourcing and management to make the process of poverty alleviation sustainable. Other social problems for disadvantaged people, such as, health-, shelter-, literacy- and environmental-related issues are also addressed in the proposed system. The study identifies the inefficiency in the current practices and makes some propositions that are in conformance with Islamic principles and implementable by Islamic institutions all over the world. The authors propose a theoretical framework and operational propositions for ISB.

Practical implications
– In following this study, social policymakers, Islamic financial institutions, Islamic social enterprises and Islamic charity organizations will find organized guidelines to initiate “new entities” or “reshape existing entities”.

Social implications
– The study will be effective in solving social problems, alleviating poverty and reducing social inequality.

Originality/value
– This is the first study that identifies all the potential Islamic sources of funding and the efficient management thereof through ISB. The study also proposes an ISB model and makes several propositions for different types of ISB.
Explicating industrial brand equity
Authors: Syed Alwi Sharifah Faridah , Nguyen Bang , Melewar TC , Loh Yeat Hui , Liu Martin 
Published: May 2016

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore brand equity from multiple perspectives (tangible and intangible) and their joint consequences, namely, on industrial buyers’ brand loyalty and their long-term commitment. The aim is to provide a more comprehensive framework of the buyer’s behavioral response in the business-to-business context by integrating both trust elements and industrial brand attributes (brand performance and industrial brand image). In addition, the study explores the mediation effects of trust and brand attributes on industrial buyers’ responses such as loyalty and long-term commitment.Design/methodology/approach– Using a survey approach, the study includes respondents working in the heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry in Malaysia, and data are collected in the industrial air-conditioning segment. The research model was tested with SEM.Findings– Findings show that brand performance and industrial brand image directly affect brand trust but with different effects on buyers’ commitment and loyalty. Interestingly, industrial brand image only mediates the responses via brand trust, while brand performance has a direct effect. Thus, both brand performance and industrial brand image build buyer trust. But in this context, it is brand performance rather than industrial brand image that influences long-term commitment and loyalty. The study concludes that in the HVAC industry, brand performance, industrial brand image, buyer trust, industrial loyalty and commitment build brand equity.Originality/value– Significant research reveals that, in business-to-business contexts, brand equity depends on the supplier’s brand trust and attributes of the brand such as brand image and brand performance. While useful in guiding a supplier’s or industry’s brand strategy, the study of both brand trust and brand attributes has led to only a partial explanation of the supplier’s or industry’s brand equity. The present research explores industrial brand equity, focussing on tangible assets (performance) and intangible assets (brand image), and their joint consequences.
The state of risk management in business schools
Authors: Hommel Ulrich , Li Wenwei , Pastwa Anna M. 
Published: May 2016

Purpose– The spread of entrepreneurial rent seeking (or entrepreneurialism for short) and market-based performance measurement (accreditation, rankings) have transformed many business schools into risk-taking organizations. The establishment of formal risk management activities would represent the fitting counterpart to this development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the state of risk management activities in business schools and evaluates the presence of discrepancies from first-best practices found in the corporate sector.Design/methodology/approach– The data for this study were collected through a structured questionnaire addressed to heads of internationally active business schools in cooperation with a major international accreditation provider. Non-parametric and parametric methods (logistic regression) were used to analyze the formalization of risk management in business schools, in particular the differentiating role of entrepreneurial rent seeking and international accreditation.Findings– Risk management is still in the early stages of formalization compared to the corporate sector. The results indicate that entrepreneurial rent seeking does not encourage the institutional establishment of risk management in business schools, while holding international accreditation has the opposite effect.Practical implications– Risk management has become a focus area of regulators and accreditation agencies. The rising number of business schools struggling financially also serves as evidence that risk taking is frequently not matched by formal risk management policies (further supported by descriptive statistics of the survey published separately). The largely uncontested statement of the R. Lyons, Dean of the Haas School/Berkeley, that 50 per cent of business schools will disappear within the next five to ten years can only be rationalized in the context of risk not being appropriately addressed by business schools.Originality/value– The paper represents the first empirical study analyzing risk management practices in business schools. The study design follows the approach commonly employed in the corporate risk management literature to capture the design of the risk management process covering governance aspects as well as approaches to risk identification, risk assessment, risk mitigation and performance controlling.
Temperature effects in the analysis of electromechanical impedance by using spectral element method
Authors: Xu Guidong , Xu Baiqiang , Xu Chenguang , Luo Ying 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to develop a spectral element modeling to predict electromechanical admittance in the surface-bonded piezoelectric wafer and beam structure considering temperature effects.

Design/methodology/approach
– For modeling the beam, the axial and transverse vibrations of the beam have been considered, and temperature-dependent mechanical and electromechanical properties of piezoelectric wafer active sensor and aluminum have been analyzed. The influences of temperature effects on electromechanical admittance are investigated.

Findings
– The results show that a frequency left shift and a decrease in amplitude of admittance in any natural frequencies with increasing temperature have been observed. The mechanism of these changes is discussed.

Originality/value
– The numerical results may be considered helpful for structural health monitoring using electromechanical impedance technique.
Group attachment through art practice: a phenomenological analysis of being seen and showing
Authors: Sagan Olivia , Sochos Antigonos 
Published: May 2016

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of a social art practice and group attachment in the life of a mental health service user with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder.

Design/methodology/approach
– Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used as a means by which to explore interview data and bring to bear theories of attachment and psychosocial theories of the creative process.

Findings
– The study found that the process of coming to be seen and showing, relating and narrating, was part of a process enabled by experiences of group attachment within specific groups. These groups appeared to share the core principles of a TC. The artist’s improving reflective capacity and art practice informed and strengthened each other within a context of attachment, containment, communication, inclusion and agency (Haigh, 2013).

Research limitations/implications
– Whilst phenomenological work of this kind is small scale, the nature of the involvement with the participant facilitates a first person narrative which allows unique insight into human meaning making.

Practical implications
– The study offers pointers regarding the role of social art practice and emphasises the importance of developing attachments as part of mental well-being, as well as the potential role and challenge of this for individuals with severe relational problems. The study stresses the importance of groups that nurture particular experiences such as belongingness and sense of agency, and suggests why these experiences may be more effective for some individuals than one-to-one therapy.

Social implications
– The research adds to the debate regarding the benefits of engaging with the arts and the means by which the value of publicly funded community arts projects can be assessed. It also puts forward the case for TCs as potentially offering a substantial springboard not only to recovery but to higher creative functioning.

Originality/value
– The paper attempts to offer a deeper understanding of the combined and interlaced therapeutic power of creative endeavour; narrative identity; group attachment and the role of the fundamental principles of TCs.
The logo change at Gap North America
Authors: Pollach Irene 
Published: May 2016

Synopsis
The case study outlines the strategic, marketing, and branding challenges faced by Gap, a brand within the Gap Inc. house of brands. The case contains a summary of Gap's history, which illustrates the driving forces behind Gap's previous growth, its status as an American iconic brand, and its struggle to stay relevant. This sets the stage for Gap's rebranding exercise, which included an attempt at changing their iconic logo. This case provides students with the opportunity to learn about brand life cycles and the implications of a logo change for brand equity, brand associations, and brand positioning.

Research methodology
This research is based on published sources.

Relevant courses and levels
The case can be used in courses in strategic brand management, retailing, fashion marketing, marketing communication, or corporate communication at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. The case will be particularly useful for those who already understand branding and consumer behavior, but who may not have learned anything about rebranding or strategic brand management. It is not suitable for undergraduates who have not studied branding at all.
Area size mediates the role of arthropods on ecosystem functioning
Authors: Paolucci Lucas N. , Sobrinho Tathiana G. , Schoereder José H. 
Published: May 2016

AbstractSeveral impacts arising from anthropogenic activities hinder ecosystem properties, but the effects of habitat area size on ecosystem functioning remain little known. We aimed to evaluate the effects of area size, and the associated abundance and species richness of collembola, oribatid mites and other arthropods on litter decomposition, phosphorus and nitrogen release within tropical forests. We designed a natural mesocosm experiment with plots varying in area size (0.16 – 3.24 m2), with both a control and a faunal limitation treatment (naphthalene addition). After 240 days we found lower litter decomposition and higher phosphorus release (both about 30%) in litterbags from the faunal limitation treatment. However, variations on these ecosystem properties were not related to area size, arthropod richness or abundance in this treatment, likely because of the loss of key species. Conversely, plots without faunal limitation showed a positive linear effect of area size on decomposition, and interactive effects among area size and collembolan richness, abundance and other arthropod richness. The larger the area, the smaller the positive role of collembola and other arthropod richness on decomposition, while the opposite pattern occurred for collembolan abundance. The indirect effects of arthropods on decomposition have a more significant role within smaller areas, which have a restricted microbial community with a lower array of fungal enzymes and foraging strategies available. As far as we know, this is the first evidence that the role of arthropods in decomposition may be mediated by area size, but only when arthropod biodiversity has not been reduced. We highlight the need for further assessments of these relationships in larger scales, while also measuring microbial communities, as the impact of biodiversity loss on ecosystem functioning may be even greater when coupled with habitat loss.
Empirical evidence for large‐scale human impact on intertidal aggregations, larval supply and recruitment of Pyura praeputialis around the Bay of Antofagasta, Chile
Authors: Manríquez Patricio H. , Castilla Juan Carlos , Ortiz Verónica , Jara María Elisa 
Published: May 2016

AbstractIn northern Chile, Pyura praeputialis is an invasive species inhabiting rocky intertidal and subtidal habitats restricted exclusively to the Bay of Antofagasta where it forms extensive aggregations. The negative impact of Pyura gathering on mid‐intertidal abundances of this species has recently been reported at the south‐eastern end of this bay. In the present study we have increased sampling sites to cover the entire bay toward the north‐western end and the northern section, where a coastal marine reserve for the scallop fishery partially restricts shellfish gathering. Therefore, the sampling sites were chosen to represent different levels of shellfish gathering access along the northern shore of the bay. Long‐term monitoring (1999–2014) of changes in tunicate cover and the abundances of larvae and recruits at seven sites are reported. The opening of a remodelled artificial and recreational beach in 2012, on the central‐eastern shore of the bay, has increased accessibility to rocky intertidal platforms that started to be massively visited by Pyura gatherers from the summer of 2013. This allowed for the implementation of an intensive short‐term monitoring program of changes in tunicate cover and the abundances of their larvae and recruits. When gathering access was present the reduction in intertidal cover was generalized to the entire bay and followed by reductions in larvae and recruits. However, these reductions were not found in sites with more restricted gathering access. We conclude that continuous extraction by Pyura gatherers followed by reductions of conspecific larvae and recruits are the main drivers behind the reduced abundance of P. praeputialis in the entire bay of Antofagasta. Thus, if gathering is not stopped important ecosystem services provided by this tunicate in the bay may be threatened. Similar consequences may be expected if other massive and irreversible reductions in other species of the Pyura complex, that inhabit other coasts in the southern hemisphere, occur. The controversy concerning the impacts of invasive species and whether they cause negative, positive or neutral impacts to original ecosystems and fisheries is discussed.