bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of an integrated perspective of perceived service quality for retail banking services in India
Authors: Mittal Sanjiv , Gera Rajat , Batra Dharminder Kumar 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to extract and validate the dimensions of service quality in retail banking services in India by adopting an integrated and hierarchical perspective of service quality determinants.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper empirically validates a parsimonious (multi-dimensional and multi-level) model of service quality in retail banking services in India. The analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling. A hypothesized second-order model was tested and compared with a first-order model of service quality. The dimensions were extracted through exploratory factor analysis and validated through confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings
– The second-order service quality model was accepted based on parsimony as it consisted of five primary dimensions: Service delivery (describing the efficiency with which the service is provided), tangibles (the quality of physical service environment), reliability (the promise of right service being provided), core service (the attributes and features of the service product) and competence (the capability of employees and systems for providing the service). The second-order model enhances the understanding of the structure of service quality for retail banking services in India. The most important dimension was tangibles, especially the physical environment which facilitates efficient delivery of service.

Research limitations/implications
– The research provides support for a multi-dimensional second-order model of service quality in retail banking service in India. The results show that customers form perceptions of overall service quality which are reflected by five primary dimensions. The primary dimension of tangibles is the most influential.

Practical implications
– Organizations need to measure and manage overall service quality perceptions to build trust and reinforce loyalty intentions among their customers. Banks need to adopt a multi-level approach to managing service quality perceptions, i.e. both at the dimensional level and organizational level.

Social implications
– This study would contribute to the enhancement of service quality outcomes in retail banking services in India which has a crucial role in the economic development.

Originality/value
– The study proposes and validates a parsimonious and hierarchical model of service quality in the context of retail banking in Indian cultural context. Thus this research provides support to existing knowledge of service quality measurement and management and extends the understanding of its structure by validating the multi-level model in an emerging market context.
Selection of appropriate electronic banking channel alternative
Authors: Mishra Vaibhav , Singh Vrijendra 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the important criteria responsible for the adoption of different electronic banking channel (EBC) alternatives in Indian perspective. It also evaluates the intensity of the various criteria, namely demographics, technological factors, service components and intention to use in determining the overall priorities of EBC.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data were collected from 110 respondents using pairwise comparison-based survey instrument. The collective data was analyzed using analytical hierarchy process and priorities of different EBC were computed.

Findings
– ATM was found out to be the most preferred EBC alternative, followed by internet banking (IB) and mobile banking. Awareness, self-efficacy, ease of use, usefulness and security were the criteria responsible for making ATM, the most preferred channel.

Practical implications
– This paper imparts a better understanding of customers’ preferences among different EBC alternatives. It also explores the relationship between different criteria and sub-criteria based on the data collected from both the parties involved in electronic banking, i.e. customers and bankers. This research would be helpful to guide the strategy maker of electronic banking, so that penetration rate may improve in India. This would also give an idea which factor should be given more emphases, while offering new electronic banking services. Considering same method, further detailed research on specific EBC is required. Similarly, studies of different demographic area may consider for robustness of concept.

Originality/value
– In the past research work, many researchers talked about the specific EBC and now it is needed to find the gap between all channels selection attitude, considering same parameters. Through pairwise comparison, priorities of different criteria and sub-criteria have been evaluated. This also leads to the selection of most preferred EBC. The results would also be useful in enhancing the customer base, thus reducing the barriers in the adoption of IB and mobile banking.
Spatial analysis of the distribution and determinants of bank branch presence in Ghana
Authors: Ansong David , Chowa Gina , Adjabeng Bernice Korkor 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– Expanding access to financial services for the 70 percent of Ghanaians who are unbanked is critical. Bank branches have been the primary channel for financial service delivery, but this may be changing because of technological innovations. Analysts believe branch-based banking still has a role in promoting financial inclusion. The purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern of bank branch presence across rural and urban Ghana; the disparities in the spatial distribution of domestic, foreign, and rural and community bank branches; and the district level characteristics associated with the pattern of spatial distribution of bank branches.

Design/methodology/approach
– The study uses spatial analyst tools, geographically weighted Poisson regression, and data from Ghana’s banking sector to show the inequality in availability of branch-based services and to highlight the district and regional level differences in the determinants of branch allocation.

Findings
– The study finds evidence of inequality in access to financial services. Physical bank branches are disproportionately more accessible in the urban south compared to the rural north. The study also finds that population size, percentage of urban residents, workforce size, and literacy level are associated with bank allocation but the results vary by district.

Practical implications
– Branch banking needs modernization to continue to bring financial services in closer proximity. Development of physical and electronic infrastructure could attract financial institutions to serve deprived areas with significant concentration of unbanked populations.

Originality/value
– Findings of the study point to the need for banks to re-envision branch banking technology to make branch banking more interactive. Banks need to find ways to fuse transferable elements of mobile phone banking into branch-based banking, not just to attract younger technology-savvy customers but also to help make operations more attractive, efficient, and cost effective.
What are the best HRM practices for retaining experts? A longitudinal study in the Canadian information technology sector
Authors: Renaud Stéphane , Morin Lucie , Saulquin Jean-Yves , Abraham Jocelyne 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to answer the following two questions: What are the HRM practices that have a significant impact on employees’ functional retention?, and Does the impact of these HRM practices on functional retention differ based on the employee’s status as an expert or a non-expert? Our theoretical foundation rests on human capital theory and social exchange theory.Design/methodology/approach– This study uses longitudinal data that come from multiple surveys conducted on new employees within a Canadian subsidiary of an international information technology (IT) firm.Findings– Results show that four out of five HRM practices under study have a significant and positive impact on functional retention of employees regardless of their expert status: satisfaction with a respectful and stimulating work environment, satisfaction with training and development, satisfaction with innovative benefits and satisfaction with incentive compensation significantly increase functional retention of employees. Functional retention was found to be higher for experts than for their non-expert counterparts. Last, results show that expert/non-expert status play a moderating role between HRM practices and functional retention.Originality/value– In short, this study offers five main contributions to the literature: first, it focuses on retention rather than turnover; second, it goes further by examining functional retention as the dependant variable; third, it distinguishes between two categories of employees: experts and non-experts; fourth, it extends the limited literature on IT workers, HRM practices and retention; and fifth, it is based on longitudinal data whereas the overwhelming majority of published studies have been based on cross-sectional data.
Gender-based differences in employment conditions of local and expatriate workers in the GCC context
Authors: Al-Waqfi Mohammed A. , Abdalla Al-faki Ibrahim 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The labor force participation rates of females have been increasing steadily over the past few decades in the UAE and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and are expected to continue to increase due to increasing levels of education and social change. While, there is a substantive amount of literature on the issues of gender gap in wages and employment conditions in Western developed economies, the evidence from developing economies – especially in the Middle East – remains very scant. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to bridging this gap by examining gender-based differences in employment conditions for local and expatriate workers in the context of the GCC region.Design/methodology/approach– The authors utilize a data set from the 2007 cross-section Dubai Labor Market Survey which covers a stratified random sample of employees in the UAE labor market. In addition to descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations of the data by workers’ gender, nationality, and various characteristics of their employment conditions, two empirical models intended to investigate factors that influence access to employment and wage determination of male and female workers in the UAE labor market were estimated.Findings– The findings of the study reveal that there are gender-based differences and inequity in employment in the UAE labor market. The authors highlight specific impacts of contextual factors on the employment conditions of women compared to men. The gender gap in the UAE context is compounded by nationality effects; whereby gender-based differences become less apparent in the case of foreign workers compared to UAE nationals.Originality/value– This paper is one of very few studies that addressed the gender gap in employment conditions in the Arab Middle Eastern or GCC context. The paper uses quantitative data from a large random sample of workers in the UAE.
Antecedents of environmentally conscious operations in transitioning economies
Authors: Hartmann Julia , Germain Richard , Grobecker Anna 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to identify and empirically examine antecedents to environmentally conscious operations (ECOs) and to investigate the effect of ECOs on performance in the transitioning economy Russia. The authors examine organizational antecedents such as innovativeness, proximity to major urban centers of gravity, and interaction with international customers because there is evidence that external antecedents such as stakeholder pressure may not be as effective in transitioning economies as they are in developed countries.Design/methodology/approach– The authors develop a structural equation model to test the hypothesized relationships on a sample of 769 private sector manufacturing companies located in Russia having used the survey method for data collection.Findings– The authors find that the proximity to major urban centers of gravity, interaction with international customers and a firm-internal culture of innovativeness are positively related to ECOs. The authors also find evidence that ECOs are positively related to performance. ECOs partially mediate the relationship between international trade and firm performance.Originality/value– This is one of the first studies to investigate antecedents to ECOs in Russia and one of the few that uses diffusion of innovations theory to unpack potential ECO antecedents.
How important is the “social” in social networking? A perceived value empirical investigation
Authors: Cocosila Mihail , Igonor Andy 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to report on a value-based empirical investigation of the adoption of Twitter social networking application. The unprecedented popularity of social networking applications in a short time period warrants exploring theory-based reasons of their success.

Design/methodology/approach
– A cross-sectional survey-based study to elicit user views on Twitter was conducted with participants recruited through the web site of a North-American university.

Findings
– All facets of perceived value considered in the study (utilitarian, hedonic and social) had a significant and relatively strong influence on consumer intent to use Twitter. Quite surprisingly for a social networking application, though, the social value facet had comparatively the weakest contribution in the use equation.

Research limitations/implications
– User value perception might have been influenced by the features of the actual social networking application under scrutiny (i.e. Twitter in this case).

Practical implications
– To maximize the chances of success of new social networking applications, developers and marketers of these media should focus on the hedonic and utilitarian sides of their perceived value.

Social implications
– Additional efforts are necessary to better understand the reasons and factors leading to a comparatively lower social value perception of a social networking application, compared to its hedonic and utilitarian values.

Originality/value
– Overall, the study opens the door for investigating user perceptions on popular social networking applications in an effort to understand the unparalleled success of these services in a short time period.
“Through the looking glass: envisioning new library technologies” mobile libraries, beyond the Web site
Authors: Fernandez Peter 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to highlight recent and near-future innovations relating to mobile access that can facilitate new interactions between patrons and libraries.

Design/methodology/approach
– This paper explores mobile hotspots that allow library patrons to “check out” the Internet to access a world of information, as well as the related technologies on the horizon that are poised to transform Internet access worldwide. Innovative libraries and vendors are catching up to the implications of “mobile” beyond the Web interface and are making their collections and technological offerings available using re-envisioned bookmobiles, servers and library circulation modules.

Findings
– This paper finds that, by using new and cleverly reconfigured technology, libraries can continue to play a central role in the sharing of information in an increasingly mobile world.

Originality/value
– This paper demonstrates that the technological infrastructure that supports mobile libraries will continue to develop and expand access to information around the globe.
Hangout at the library: video conferencing and more with Google+
Authors: Youngkin C. Andrew 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to review the features of Google+ Hangouts and to discuss how it would be useful for libraries. Google+ Hangouts is a free, easy-to-use video conferencing Web application that allows users to host, record and broadcast online meetings.

Design/methodology/approach
– This is an observational paper.

Findings
– This paper discusses the implications of Google+ Hangouts for libraries and reviews the main features for getting started and using Google+ Hangouts and Hangouts On Air.

Originality/value
– Google+ Hangouts has been specifically reviewed very rarely in prior library and/or technology literature. This paper addresses some features and uses for Google Hangouts as an audio-visual communication tool within libraries – observations not found elsewhere in the reviewed literature.
Institutional theory and international market selection for direct selling
Authors: Ragland Charles B. , Brouthers Lance Eliot , Widmier Scott M. 
Published: May 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to use a theoretical framework (institutional theory) to predict international market selection (IMS) for the direct selling industry.Design/methodology/approach– The authors use independent variables taken from institutional theory to predict IMS for the direct selling industry, allowing the authors to show the relationship between institutional theory – defined independent variables and the relative attractiveness of international markets. The model is applied to a broad sample of 51 developed and emerging nations that comprise 91 percent of worldwide GDP.Findings– The authors found that the hypotheses were confirmed. Institutional theory – defined independent variables did a good job of predicting the relative attractiveness of international markets.Research limitations/implications– The authors used cross sectional country level data to validate their model. One major implication: institutional theory appears to do an excellent job of predicting IMS in contrast to geographic proximity or cultural similarity for the direct selling industry.Practical implications– Managers should consider formal and informal aspects of the institutional environment, when selecting new international markets.Originality/Value– In contrast to most IMS papers, the authors apply a theory to predict IMS outcomes, helping to provide greater potential generalizability. The authors show that selected dimensions of institutional theory do a good job of predicting IMS for the direct selling industry. Future efforts may wish to apply institutional theory to new IMS contexts. The authors conclude with managerial implications.
Using spotlight effect to curb counterfeit consumption – an experimental investigation
Authors: Zhan Lingjing , Sharma Piyush , Chan Ricky Y. K. 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how counterfeit users estimate the probability of being detected and how this probability affects their counterfeit consumption behaviour. Specifically, it addresses three questions: do perceived social consequences influence counterfeit users’ probability estimate of being detected? What is the psychological mechanism underlying the estimation of this probability? And how does this probability estimate affect counterfeit purchase and usage intentions?

Design/methodology/approach
– The authors used three scenario-based experimental studies with university students in Hong Kong, a place where counterfeit products are widely available. First study used a factitious brand of jeans as the stimulus and the other two studies used a Ralph Lauren polo shirt. In each study, the authors measured participants’ responses towards counterfeit purchase and the probability of being detected after they read the relevant brand information and had a close-up view of the attributes in the genuine and counterfeit versions.

Findings
– The authors found that counterfeit users are susceptible to a pessimism bias such that they estimate a higher probability of being detected when they judge the outcome of being detected as more severe and this bias is driven by the spotlight effect in that counterfeit users judging the outcome as more severe tend to perceive that others pay more attention to their counterfeit usage. Moreover, this pessimism bias is mitigated when the target user is another person instead of oneself, thus suggesting the egocentric nature of the bias.

Research limitations/implications
– The authors used undergraduate students and scenario-based experimental approach in all the studies that may limit the generalisability of the findings.

Practical implications
– The results suggest that brand managers should emphasise the importance of negative social consequences and highlight the role of outcome severity and egocentric bias in their advertising and communication programmes in order to curb counterfeit consumption.

Originality/value
– The research contributes to the growing literature on counterfeit consumption by studying the process underlying estimation of the probability of being detected by others, an important but often neglected factor that influences counterfeit purchase decision. The authors also highlight the role of outcome severity and egocentric bias in this process.
How customer novelty seeking influences customer CSR perceptions
Authors: Pérez Andrea , Rodríguez del Bosque Ignacio 
Published: May 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to first, propose a causal model to understand the process of corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception formation among customers; and second, identify differences among innovative and conservative customers in that process.

Design/methodology/approach
– A structural equation model is tested in a sample of 1,124 banking services customers in Spain. Also, a multisampling analysis is implemented in order to determine how novelty seeking moderates the process of CSR perception formation among customers.

Findings
– Results confirm that customer CSR perceptions are directly and positively influenced by: the congruence between CSR initiatives and corporate profile; customer attributions of corporate motivations to engage in CSR; and corporate credibility in developing CSR initiatives. Nonetheless, while innovative customers pay greater attention to corporate credibility than conservative customers when evaluating CSR initiatives, conservative customers evaluate the congruence of CSR initiatives and their attribution of altruistic motivations to a larger extent than innovative customers.

Practical implications
– These findings suggest that companies should take into account customer novelty seeking when planning their CSR and communication strategies because highlighting different qualities of their CSR initiatives can have diverse effects for the success of corporate investments.

Originality/value
– The greatest contribution of the paper is the study of the moderating role of novelty seeking in the process of customer CSR perception formation; previous scholars had long ignored this variable when evaluating customer perceptions.