bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The awareness/attitude‐gap in sustainable tourism: a theoretical perspective
Authors: Antimova Ralitsa , Nawijn Jeroen , Peeters Paul 
Published: November 2014

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the widely recognized awareness/attitude‐gap in sustainable tourism and discuss a series of theoretical approaches on three levels: individual, interpersonal and community level theories.Design/methodology/approachThese theories are linked to existing studies on tourists' awareness/attitude and behavior in relation to climate change in order to assess which type of theory explains the gap best and which may be the most useful in bridging the gap.FindingsThe paper argues that, although individual level theories offer the best explanation of the awareness/attitude‐gap, community level theories may offer the best solution.Originality/valueThe paper has important relevance for academic researchers who intend to study the awareness/attitude gap in a tourist setting.
Buying decisions towards organic products: an analysis of customer value and brand drivers
Authors: Rajagopal  
Published: November 2014

PurposeMany multinational companies have entered the market of organic cosmetics and toiletries (OCT) in the global marketplace. This study attempts to analyze the impact of economic and relational variables on customer and brand values in reference to OCT products in Mexico through empirical investigation in selected department stores that attract high profile customers. The study proposes a framework for future research in measuring the customer value in specific reference to the non‐conventional products.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on the primary data using the information of 369 respondents, who were involved in shopping at chosen retail self‐service stores in Mexico City, administering a semi‐structured questionnaire. The study was conducted in 11 retail self‐service stores in Mexico City including four departmental stores spread over three locations in Mexico. The data has been fit to the model developed for the study using linear equations. One of the prominent features emerged during the study is that customer perception is largely governed by marketing communications.FindingsThe study reveals that strategic product positioning and effective retailing augment the customer perceptions and help building the long‐run customer values towards the non‐conventional products owning unfamiliar brands. Results of empirical data have also shown that advertising and promotional strategies of the OCT brands helped customers review their preferences against the synthetic cosmetics and toiletries which appreciated the brand value for the OCT products of the companies in Mexican market.Research limitations/implicationsLike many other empirical studies this research might also have some limitations in reference to sampling, data collection and generalization of the findings. Samples drawn for the study may not be enough to generalize the study results. Open ended questions were answered by the Mexican respondents in Spanish and sometimes transcription of the audio might have overlooked some issues. However, to ensure that the data cover a wider spatial and temporal dimensions in the study region, data should be cleansed and filtered with many variability factors affecting the consumer behavior and retailer performance.Originality/valueMarketing of organic cosmetics encouraged by the growing environmental consciousness among the customers, is a recent phenomenon in the business. However, there is paucity of literature on this subject particularly in reference to Latin America. Hence, this paper attempts to contribute to the existing studies.
The contribution of human capital and resource‐based view to small‐ and medium‐sized tourism venture performance in Ghana
Authors: Saffu Kojo , Obeng Apori Samuel , Elijah‐Mensah Angela , Ahumatah Jonathan 
Published: November 2014

PurposeGrounded in human capital theory and resource‐based view, this paper aims to examine the effect of the entrepreneur's human capital and the venture's resources on the performance of small‐ and medium‐sized tourism ventures (SMTVs) in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 247 SMTVs, defined as tourism establishments employing less than 100 employees in the Western and Central regions of Ghana. Hypotheses derived from human capital and resource‐based theories were tested to assess the relationship between the theories and SMTV performance.FindingsThe study found a significant positive relationship between education, experience and performance. However, the hypothesised positive relationship between entrepreneurial family background and SMTV performance was inconsistent with prior studies. The findings with respect to the hypothesised relationship between venture resources and SMTV performance were mixed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study suffers from industry‐specific, size‐specific and region‐specific limitations. Another limitation is the focus on human capital and venture resources as the determinants of tourism venture performance.Practical implicationsKnowing that education and experience per se impact on tourism venture performance, it behoves entrepreneurs in the tourism industry to endeavour to acquire the requisite education and experience. The finding has policy implications in the provision of tailor‐made training and incubation programs for SMTV entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe study adds to the understanding of the unique nature of entrepreneurship in tourism by identifying the significance of human capital factors and venture resources on the performance of tourism ventures.
Short run stabilization and long run competitiveness: the Latvian case
Authors: Vala Matas , Drąsutytė Kotryna , Mažulytė Eglė , Daunys Ignas 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Macroeconomics: fixed exchange rate regime, external and internal devaluation, international competitiveness, comparison to ongoing eurozone periphery problems.

Study level/applicability
The main audience for this case is undergraduate students in economics and business or graduate students in business or political science related studies. More particularly, the case suits a class on applied macroeconomics or general economic policy.

Case overview
The case investigates economic development in Latvia since it gained independence, the key focus is overheating in 2004-2007 and consequential extraordinary economic crisis of 2008-2009. This case gives a great starting point to discuss ongoing problems in peripheral eurozone (PIGS) in terms of internal versus external devaluation.

Expected learning outcomes
Students are expected to learn the differences between external and internal devaluation as well as a country's international competitiveness factors. Also, class discussion of similarities and differences between Latvia and PIGS should make students more aware of two types of devaluation.

Supplementary learning materials
Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access.
Tin Mining, Inc.: the paradox of organizational capabilities
Authors: Dávila José Camilo 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Strategy.

Study level/applicability
The case study is intended for organization theory and strategic management courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate (MBA) levels.

Case overview
The case describes a company located in a fictitious developing country. The main activity of the company is the exploitation and production of tin, which it has developed over its 40-year history (1971-2011). During the first 33 years, it developed three capabilities: namely, technical, productive and the generation of trust among employees. The case illustrates three characteristics of capabilities: problem solving and complexity, practicing and succeeding, and reliability over time. The case also illustrates a paradox related to capabilities and shows three of its causes: path dependency and lock-in to a given course of action, structural inertia, and the absence of a capability dynamization function. In 2009, the company was faced with the need to reshape its capabilities and the arrival of a new President to the company provided the appropriate occasion to analyse this option.

Expected learning outcomes
These include: understanding what an organizational capability is and what its main characteristics are; understanding the process by which an organizational capability emerges and develops, and how it may be eroded in a given scenario; understanding a paradox an organization faces when capabilities are developed; and understanding why the concept of dynamic capabilities does not add power to the concept of capabilities.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available, please consult your librarian for access. Videos with interviews of employees of the case company are also available.
Partnering for business transformation: the Wipro Consulting Services story
Authors: Kaul Asha , Chaudhri Vidhi 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Business transformation processes, change management and business strategy.

Study level/applicability
The case can be used to study business transformation processes and would be relevant for courses on change management and business strategy. It shouldbe studied in the context of behavioral and organizational challenges in implementing an organization-wide change. The case is targeted at MBA students and/or executive participants with professional experience who would be able to link the learningto corporate experience. It can be used for courses on organizational change, business strategy, and change management.

Case overview
The case, set in India in the year 2011, is positioned in the business consulting domain, and provides insight into managing change from the perspective of a consulting partner. The case discusses challenges and presents processes followed by Wipro Consulting Services (WCS) in conducting an integrated business transformation exercise at Brigade Enterprises Ltd (BEL), a leading firm in India's real estate sector. The BEL engagement had busted the myth that an integrated business transformation could not be conducted in an unorganized sector, and resulted in savings of overUSD 2 million for BEL. The case traces the journey of WCS into business transformation consulting, outlines the solution framework proposed by WCS, and discusses the decisive nature of the Brigade project for WCS' growth trajectory.

Expected learning outcomes
The case has been written with the following objectives, to: familiarize students with the processes and phases of a business transformation project; examine transformation barriers and challenges from a consultant perspective; and providestudents an appreciation of the complexities and challenges, decisional criteria and parameters of a large-scale, integrated business transformation exercise.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available; please consult your librarian for access.
A “hotel within a hotel” in Bangkok
Authors: Alan Lewis Robert , Maria Mottier Ewa 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Human resources management, international human resources management.

Study level/applicability
The case is suitable for undergraduate or graduate/training programmes specialised in international dimensions of HRM.

Case overview
The study aims to evaluate the experiences of hotel employees at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok's new employee centre. This centre, called the “O-Zone”, is an example of the hotel's commitment to the well-being of its staff. On a larger scale, it is an illustration of a method to maintain employee motivation and commitment in the luxury hotel industry. The case is particularly useful to investigate as the hotel has created a unique approach to employee well-being in a large urban setting where employees experience a stressful living environment, including long commutes. This is supported by studies in the literature which reveal that burnout and stress are important factors to consider for hotel employees.

Expected learning outcomes
The case study allows students to discover the following key learning points: an example of a well-being initiative for employees of a luxury hotel in the Thai context; an investigation of the need for employers in luxury hotels in Thailand to attract and retain talent; and an understanding of the use of incentives at work for employee motivation in the Thai luxury hotel industry.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available; please consult your librarian for access.
Satya Bharti School Program: the kaizen way
Authors: Kainth Jyoti 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Strategic management.

Study level/applicability
The case is suitable for undergraduates, MBA, and executive MBA courses.

Case overview
This case on Satya Bharti School Program, an initiative of the Bharti Foundation, highlights the journey, achievements and challenges faced during the implementation of a noble vision. The case maps the strategy implemented from multiple vantage points and aims to show how the compelling need of providing quality education in rural India transformed the way people look at corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.

Expected learning outcomes
The case analysis aims to help students comprehend and understand: the concept of corporate social responsibility; the strategic decision-making process amidst constraints in the context of not-for-profit organizations; how organizational excellence models are embedded to improvise practices and processes; the concept of the multi-stakeholder framework; and how external and internal issues can affect the success of a CSR program.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available; links to videos are provided.
Kopy Luwak: a conservation strategy for global market
Authors: Pratono Aluisius Hery , Radjamin Irzameingindra Putri 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Niche products and environmental ethics.

Study level/applicability
The case is suitable for undergraduate students who have some understanding of competitive advantage in emerging economies, of niche products, the resource-based perspective and environmental ethics.

Case overview
The case concerns the Indonesian coffee industry, specifically the production of Kopi Luwak, a coffee that involves a type of local wild animal as an essential part of the process. The case outlines a typical problem for a new leader who has to start his tenure with a creditable performance. The company is a resource-based one that has to manage a potential risk of violating environmental ethics.

Expected learning outcomes
The case reveals the value of the international value chain for a cup of coffee. Through investigating the intersection between business feasibility and conservation issues, students should be able to understand what are appropriate business opportunities with environmental ethics considerations.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available; consult the librarian for access.
Tax me not: Vodafone's plea to India
Authors: Prashar Sanjeev , Haridoss Lokesh , Kumar V. Jagadeesh , Aggarwal Rashmi Kumar 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Business environment, international business management.

Study level/applicability
The case is suitable for students of the business environment, and of international business management.

Case overview
The case revolves around the reaction of the Finance Ministry of India on Vodafone's tax case and its implications on FDI and the foreign investors who are investing in India. The core issue is the political risk(s) faced by Vodafone even after having won the tax case in the Supreme Court, the highest judiciary body in India. The Government of India has amended the law to bring the tax into retrospective mode and it signifies the impact of political decisions on business organizations.

Expected learning outcomes
The case can aid in understanding the effects of changes in a political system and legal framework on the efficacy of business entities; and the importance of, and intricacies involved in, the formulation of political risk mitigating strategies while entering into new markets. The key learning outcomes are: understanding various types of political risks faced by multinationals; assessing the political risks involved in foreign investments; and appreciating the possible mitigating strategies to handle such risks.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available, please consult your librarian for access.
Phanindra Sama: founding redBus
Authors: Dastidar Surajit Ghosh 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
The case is suitable for a course on entrepreneurship.

Study level/applicability
The case is suitable for analysis in a MBA level course on entrepreneurship where the theories of opportunity recognition and exploitation can be introduced.

Case overview
Phanindra Sama, was the founder and CEO of redBus.in, the largest bus ticketing company in India selling around 220 million tickets per year and serving over 10,000 bus routes. The case describes the progressive journey of Phanindra as an entrepreneur in discovering and exploiting opportunities in India's fragmented bus industry. He had won many accolades in this process that included Global Shaper 2011 of the World Economic Forum and Entrepreneur of the year award under IT/ITES category by ETNow in 2011. In February 2012 redBus was listed in the world's top 50 most innovative companies by US business magazine Fast Company along with companies like Apple, Facebook, Google and Starbucks. While Phanindra was happy with the fact that there were 700 bus operators currently on the redBus network, several questions ran across his mind about the future of redBus. Is the current business model scalable? What might be the challenges that emerge in managing growth and scalability of such a business proposition? Is there a potential for a new business opportunity in scaling up?

Expected learning outcomes

To understand the factors that constitutes entrepreneur's alertness such as personality traits, social networks, prior knowledge.
To understand the importance of entrepreneur's alertness for identifying business opportunities.
To understand types of entrepreneurial opportunities.
To understand the opportunity identification triad: recognition, development and evaluation.
To understand how to develop a business idea into a viable business proposition.

Social implications
The case will provide sufficient insights for a budding entrepreneur to identify and exploit opportunities and become a successful entrepreneur.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available, please consult your librarian to access.
ProdVal – production challenges!
Authors: Kulkarni Vikrant Apoorva , Chopra Komal , Roy Krishnakant , Vamadevan Raji , Hamsa Sajeesh 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Operations management.

Study level/applicability
Management post graduate and corporate executives.

Case overview
ProdVal Flow Controls Pvt Ltd was company in the SME sector in India. The company focused on quality products and timely delivery. The major challenge for ProdVal was increasing their production capacity. They had no control over their existing suppliers resulting in delay in raw materials delivery. Retention of vendors had an effect on inventory carrying cost. The company had limited production facilities and the workers were outsourced. The company operated with unskilled workers. The case presents the various issues faced by the company based on which strategies to practice and plan the company's future plans could be designed. This is a disguised case and all excerpts from interviews have been anonymized.

Expected learning outcomes
This case study will give an insight to students to understand how inventory management; impacts production. It even gives an idea about how ProdVal has used the strategy of outsourcing of technology and labour and maintained a good growth rate.

Social implications -

Production-related outsourcing.
Production management in small scale industry.
Organization structure of a manufacturing unit.
Concept of outsourcing HR and technology in an SME.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available, please consult your librarian to access.
Taj: I will prevail. Exemplifying customer service in times of crisis
Authors: Paul Rik 
Published: November 2014

Subject area
Marketing

Study level/applicability
The case is suitable for MBA/MS students.

Case overview
The famous Taj Mahal Palace and Towers became the centre of one of the most deadly terrorist attacks in the Indian sub continent on the night of 26 November 2008, which became famous as “26/11”. Terrorists created havoc shooting guests on sight and throwing grenades. The attacks lasted for three days but all of the four terrorists who entered Taj were killed. The terrorists had killed 160 people across Mumbai. Of these, 36 died at the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, Mumbai. The dead included 14 guests, most of whom were foreign nationals. However, due to the selfless and extraordinary behavior of the employees and the staff of Taj, many guests were saved. They put forth an extraordinary example justifying the Indian code of conduct towards guests, “Atithi Devo Bhav” meaning “Guest is God”. In spite of knowing back exits and hiding spots, the employees did not flee, instead helping guests. The employees' behavior during the crisis saved the lives of nearly300 guests. This gesture of Taj employees was much talked about, but it was amusing even for the management to explain why they behaved in that manner. The condition of Taj after the attacks was so disastrous that it would have been profitable to leave the hotel as it was rather than reopening it. This, however, would have dented the Taj brand as a whole, as well as the spirit of all employees and staff who had behaved bravely. Taj started its restoration and reopened a part of the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers on 21 December 2008. It became operational by August 2010. The case provides an opportunity to closely examine employee behavior in an extreme crisis situation, and the possible reasons and motivation behind such exceptional behavior which ultimately helped to sustain the Taj brand. However, the scope of the case can also be extended to illustrate recovery efforts typical to service industries.

Expected learning outcomes
The case is designed to enable students to understand: the employees role in service delivery; the service profit chain; the relationship between profitability, customer loyalty, employee satisfaction and loyalty, and productivity; service failure; service recovery; and the service recovery paradox.

Supplementary materials
Teaching notes are available. Please consult your librarian for access.