bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The use of performance information in strategic decision making in public organizations
Authors: Abdel-Maksoud Ahmed , Elbanna Said , Mahama Habib , Pollanen Raili 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the importance of different components of strategic performance measurement systems (SPMS) and their deployment influence the use of performance information from the SPMS in making strategic decisions.Design/methodology/approach– Data were collected through a survey of 143 managers of Canadian public organizations.Findings– The findings indicate that two SPMS components, namely, the importance of non-financial performance measures and the use of operational efficiency measures, have significant positive associations with performance information use for strategy implementation and strategy assessment decisions. The extent to which SPMS models were used is found to be positively associated with performance information use for strategy implementation, but not for strategy assessment, decisions. Furthermore, the relationships between SPMS variables and strategic decision making are moderated by information systems/data limitations and management’s commitment to attaining strategic goals. Managerial skills acquired through training or experience with SPMS also contribute positively to such relationships.Research limitations/implications– The results are affected by limitations associated with the survey method used.Practical implications– The findings could be useful for supporting public policy, strategic decision making, public service improvement, operational efficiency, and effectiveness.Originality/value– The study contributes to public management and performance measurement literature by investigating multiple determinants of performance information use in a cross-section of Canadian public organizations.
Public procurement and the BLS: operationalizing occupational duties
Authors: Steinfeld Joshua M. , Prier Eric , McCue Clifford 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– Procurement is a specific, yet dynamic area of work and study that is recognized as an occupation by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, there is growing literature that substantiates differences in theory and practice, between procurement practitioners in the private and public sectors. The purpose of this paper is to validate the procurement occupational duties identified by the BLS with actual job activities performed and managed by public sector practitioners.

Design/methodology/approach
– The paper is based on a survey of public sector practitioners to obtain information with regards to occupational duties and job activities in public procurement, as compared to a BLS proxy for procurement.

Findings
– Public procurement practitioners complete the occupational duties identified by BLS, yet there is one occupational duty in public procurement that is absent from the BLS description for procurement.

Practical implications
– Empirical data and analysis identifies the potential for public procurement to be considered its own occupation separate from private sector procurement, providing a foundation for development, management, and professionalization of the field.

Originality/value
– The public procurement practitioners who completed the survey have a high degree of professional orientation based on certifications held and professional association membership, a foundation for generating applicatory results for studying the actual occupational duties in procurement. The specialized job activities performed and managed in perhaps the fastest growing occupation within public sector management are catalogued in this study.
Governance of procurement relationships in the wine industry
Authors: Wilson Mark M.J. , MacDonald Ian A. , Monnane Monnane M. 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this study is to examine three governance structures (market, contract and vertical integration) that are commonly used to coordinate procurement relationships between grape growers and winemakers in the wine industry. This paper aims to adopt a multi-theoretical approach combining transaction cost and relational exchange theories to explore the influence that trust and a state’s legal system have on the choice of governance mechanism. The authors propose arguing that, in the absence of an efficient legal system, trust must exist between parties to facilitate the pervasive use of contracts.

Design/methodology/approach
– The empirical results are derived from mail survey responses of 111 South African and 116 New Zealand wineries. These two countries were selected because of the variances in the efficiencies of their legal systems. Multiple regression models were used to investigate the importance that parties place on trust and the legal system when considering the use of incomplete contracts to govern supply chain relationships that are characterised by high asset specificity and high uncertainty.

Findings
– It was found that contracts are frequently used to govern transactions in both countries, and that trust between parties is an effective substitute for an efficient legal system in governing contractual relations. Specifically, it was found that trust between parties is the major motivating factor for the use of contracts in South Africa, overcoming the weakness of the legal system, while reliance on the legal system to enforce contracts underpins the New Zealand industry.

Originality/value
– This study offers a direct cross-country comparison drawn from a population study of two major wine-producing countries that has not been attempted before. In the three models, measures were included to capture the effectiveness of a state’s legal system to extend the governance literature.
Consumer attitude towards sustainable-labelled wine: an exploratory approach
Authors: Sogari Giovanni , Corbo Chiara , Macconi Martina , Menozzi Davide , Mora Cristina 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– This paper aims to investigate, using an exploratory approach, how environmental values and beliefs about sustainable labelling shape consumer attitude towards sustainable wine.

Design/methodology/approach
– Data were collected with an online survey from 495 Italian wine drinkers in 2013. The survey was advertised through websites, blogs, social networks and emails. Based on background research and literature review, ten hypotheses were tested. Then a structural equation model was constructed using latent variables to test the causal links specified in the model.

Findings
– The results show that attitude towards sustainable-labelled wine is shaped by both environmental and quality beliefs about sustainable wine, while it is not affected by the economic dimension of sustainability. In addition, age appears to have a slight effect on attitude because young consumers seem to be more interested in sustainability aspects of food products than older people are.

Practical implications
– The paper suggests that company communication strategies should focus on sustainable issues to meet the requirements of environmentally conscious consumers. At the same time, sustainable certification on wine labels may help wineries to become more competitive using verifiable sustainable claims to differentiate their products.

Originality/value
– The work adds to the literature on wine marketing by evaluating which variables influence consumer attitude towards sustainable-labelled wine and, at the same time, to what extent sustainable aspects are important during wine purchase.
A maturity model for evaluating an organisation’s reflective practices
Authors: Pekkola Sanna , Hildén Sanna , Rämö Johanna 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– This study aims to examine how to measure and evaluate the level at which the management control system of the organisation supports reflective practices. Though the literature on management control has recently recognised the value of reflection as a tool for organisational learning, there are few practical means of analysing the management control system alongside reflective activity. To improve and develop reflective practices for more comprehensive and systematic utilisation, the management control system has to support these practices.Design/methodology/approach– The study is based on the current literature on reflection, reflective practices and management control and the pulling together of these three areas to determine how the evaluation and measurement of reflective practices should be organised. Based on that, the maturity model for measuring how the management control system supports reflective practices is elaborated. The empirical data testing the maturity model was collected from three case organisations.Findings– As its main contribution, the study composes a maturity model for evaluating the stage of reflective practices within organisations/an organisation. The existing literature does not present models or frameworks for evaluating the maturity of this kind of competence development activity. The presented model has many advantages that make it useful for pragmatic assessment and facilitation of competence development processes.Practical implications– As a practical tool, the maturity model helps to prioritise development actions when there is a need to enforce creative thinking (transformative learning) and sense-making within the organisation. Because an organisation cannot implement all the best practices in one phase, the maturity model can be used to introduce them in stages.Originality/value– The study advances one way of defining measures for reflective practices such that they are led from the literature on such practices. In addition, the study composes a maturity model for evaluating an organisation’s stage of reflective practice. Before an organisation can develop and manage its reflective practices or identify necessary changes, the current state of its reflective practices should be analysed.
Are exporting firms more productive in the Indian textile industry?
Authors: Gambhir Dhwani , Sharma Seema 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– This paper aims to study whether exporting enterprises are more productive in export-intensive industries. It also aims to identify the action area and policy direction for enhancing productivity in Indian textile manufacturing. Global integration has increased the volume of international trade. It is crucial for countries to have competitive enterprises to capture a larger share of the global economy. Improvement in productivity performance not only enhances competitiveness but also promotes growth in an economy.Design/methodology/approach– A productivity analysis for the Indian textile manufacturing industry using firm-level panel data is conducted. The data are collected for 160 firms relevant to the period from 2007-2008 to 2012-2013 from Ace Equity database. Using the technique of data envelopment analysis, the output oriented Malmquist productivity index is computed and the sources of productivity change are identified. Also, a comparison between the productivity performance of the exporting and non-exporting firms has been made.Findings– The results suggest that exporting firms are exhibiting better productivity performance and resource utilisation during the study period. Technology change and scale efficiency seem to be the major sources of productivity gain for exporting firms.Research limitations/implications– The research is limited to a single industry, reference database and methodology. There is scope for further in-depth, micro-level research to analyze the differences in drivers of productivity for exporting and non-exporting firms.Originality/value– This paper provides validation to export promotional policies in the Indian textile industry by establishing better productivity performance of exporting firms. It also provides direction for managerial action by identifying efficiency component as the factor pulling down productivity.
Decision-maker characteristics and international decisions for SMEs
Authors: Francioni Barbara , Musso Fabio , Cioppi Marco 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore how characteristics of decision-makers influence internationalization strategies within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with a particular focus on the strategic decision-making process (SDMP).Design/methodology/approach– This work is based on a sample of 165 decision-makers of SMEs, using hierarchical multiple regression to examine the relationship between the dimensions studied.Findings– The results of a regression analysis suggest that decision-makers tend to follow a more rational SDMP depending on their education level and risk attitude, and the firm’s past international performance. At the same time, the political behaviour of the decision-maker emerges as a character associated with their risk attitude and need for achievement, and it is negatively influenced by age.Originality/value– This research contributes to the growing literature on SMEs, combining the field of analysis of SDMP with that of international strategy. Moreover, unlike previous studies, which have focused on the top management team, managers, CEOs, or entrepreneurs, this study analyses the characteristics and behaviour of decision-makers.
Alliance management capability: the roles of alliance control and strength of ties
Authors: Mamavi Olivier , Meier Olivier , Zerbib Romain 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– Strategic alliances have a low success rate despite the profusion of literature on this topic in the last 20 years. To understand the factors that determine performance of partnership relations, the purpose of this paper is to study the roles of control and the strength of interorganizational ties in businesses ability to manage strategic alliances.Design/methodology/approach– The authors have examined 10,377 partnership relations formed as part of strategic alliances to analyze the capacity of a business to manage its alliances. The authors built a structural equations model (PLS) based on observation of 4,242 alliances.Findings– This research identifies two determinants of the success of alliance management. First, the impact of weak ties and strong ties is identical when the business does not control the alliance. Second, weak ties are a more effective means than strong ties when a business controls the alliance.Originality/value– The main contribution of this study thus lies in our analysis of interorganizational relations and of their tangible impact on strategic trade-offs. The field of public procurement is particularly well-suited to evaluating this phenomenon, given the subtlety of alliances at play.
Knowledge inflows effects on middle managers’ ambidexterity and performance
Authors: Torres Juan Pablo , Drago Camilo , Aqueveque Claudio 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to report on lab experiments conducted to determine what impact managerial top-down knowledge transfer has on a middle manager’s individual ambidexterity and decision performance.Design/methodology/approach– The authors designed an experimental approach using a business simulator to test the hypotheses with middle managers. The methodological approach provides the authors with a framework to enhance the middle manager’s understanding of how to attain superior short-term financial results by exploiting current resources, in addition to mastering new strategies to avoid a potential business bankruptcy.Findings– The results suggest that top-down managerial knowledge inflow benefits middle manager strategic decision making, as well as his/her short- and long-term performance. Nonetheless, the best short-term results were achieved by those middle managers that mastered both exploitation and exploration activities simultaneously.Originality/value– The contribution of this paper is to identify and test a control mechanism called top-down inflows that enhance middle manager’s ability to exploit current resources to increase financial performance, and exploring new strategies to avoid a business bankruptcy.
Values, feelings, job satisfaction and well-being: the Turkish case
Authors: Yahyagil Mehmet Yusuf 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships between universal individual value priorities, feelings and global job satisfaction as well as satisfaction with life in Turkish context. The sub-research question is to learn the moderation effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between values, experienced feelings and life satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach
– Analytical type of research design was used, and the data were obtained from 390 respondents who are the employees of different organizations in three cities in Turkey. Four measurement devices (Schwartz’s ten-item Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), Brayfield-Rothe’s overall job satisfaction (OJS), and Diener’s Scale of positive and negative experience (SPANE) and satisfaction with life scale (SWLS)) were employed.

Findings
– It was understood that the participants are slightly to moderately satisfied both with their job tasks and with the evaluation of global satisfaction of their own lives. The values of self-direction, achievement, hedonism and conformity are positively and strongly linked to job satisfaction and overall satisfaction of life. The moderating effect of job satisfaction is partially confirmed. It was also understood that the priorities of Turkish citizens imply self-centered satisfaction and independency, but not risk taking. Positive affect does influence the magnitude of the association between job satisfaction and life satisfaction.

Originality/value
– This paper is able to demonstrate the nature of associations between value orientations, experienced feelings, job satisfaction and global life satisfaction in a collectivist culture. The contradictions between value priorities of Turkish citizens and the people of Western countries would be likely interesting for academicians and researchers.
Data envelopment analysis with interactive variables
Authors: Ji Aibing , Liu Hui , Qiu Hong-jie , Lin Haobo 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to build a novel data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to evaluate the efficiencies of decision making units (DMUs).

Design/methodology/approach
– Using the Choquet integrals as aggregating tool, the authors give a novel DEA model to evaluate the efficiencies of DMUs.

Findings
– It extends DEA model to evaluate the DMU with interactive variables (inputs or outputs), the classical DEA model is a special form. At last, the authors use the numerical examples to illustrate the performance of the proposed model.

Practical implications
– The proposed DEA model can be used to evaluate the efficiency of the DMUs with multiple interactive inputs and outputs.

Originality/value
– This paper introduce a new DEA model to evaluate the DMU with interactive variables (inputs or outputs), the classical DEA model is a special form.
The paradoxical image of consultant expertise: a rhetorical deconstruction
Authors: Bouwmeester Onno , Stiekema Jelmer 
Published: November 2015

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore the paradoxical image of consultants as “experts without expertise.” It examines the extent to which different stakeholders’ perceptions of consultants’ expertise are aligned, and why.Design/methodology/approach– This research applies a creative approach to survey methodology by asking different stakeholder groups to react to consultancy expertise cartoons. This is followed by a rhetorical interpretation of the perceptions of consultants’ expertise using pathos.Findings– This survey revealed that employees are the most critical of consultants, while clients and consultants retain positive impressions of consultants’ expertise. Unexpectedly, relative to other stakeholder groups, academics occupy a moderately critical position like outsiders. Given that consultants and clients value the same indicators of expertise, this explains the latter stakeholder group’s positive valuation.Research limitations/implications– Since this study focusses on the expert image of consultants more generally, the authors cannot differentiate the conclusions for perceptions related to different types of consultants based on discipline or the image of their specific role (e.g. expert vs coach or change agent).Practical implications– Consultants and academics need pathos that is stakeholder dependent, for getting their expertise better accepted.Originality/value– This paper helps explain why managers, despite the many criticisms of the services consultants provide, continue to hire consultants for their expertise. Furthermore, it sheds light into why managers prefer the services of consultants vs those provided by academics. It also nuances the assumption that academics are the main critics of consultants. Instead, this paper identifies that the majority of consultant critiques come from employees in client organizations.
The handicap of lists, QROM and the future
Authors: Lee Bill 
Published: November 2015

Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to consider the contribution that this journal has made to the development of qualitative research over the ten years of Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management’s (QROM’s) lifetime and its potential to contribute further in the future.

Design/methodology/approach
– Reflections are made from the author’s standpoint as a longstanding associate editor of QROM and a UK academic in the field of accounting.

Findings
– Concern is expressed about the way in which the use of a particular journal list in UK institutions – namely, the ABS list – has skewed development away from qualitative research during the hitherto lifetime of QROM but how, despite that handicap, QROM has made a notable contribution.

Originality/value
– A reflection informed by both the disciplinary and geographical context as well as ten years’ service as an Associate Editor of this journal.