bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Learning through fictional business: expertise for real life?
Authors: Kettula Kirsi , Clarkeburn Henriikka 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate whether educational drama can be used as a tool to facilitate expert knowledge development and to help students prepare themselves for working life.Design/methodology/approachThe target group consisted of 41 students of Forest Sciences who had participated in a course of professional ethics taught through educational drama. Qualitative research data were collected from learning journals and quantitative data from questionnaires.FindingsThe results indicate that educational drama has a potential to foster expert knowledge development, because it can bring a sense of real life to classrooms and thus give experiences that resemble working‐life experiences. The course that was taught through educational drama gave students a sense of putting theory into practice and of solving working‐life problems. The students also felt that this course had made them more prepared for unforeseen situations in working life. Further, teaching professional ethics through educational drama may be a worthwhile tool to help students encounter the working‐life challenges of ethics and sustainability in particular.Research limitations/implicationsFurther studies are needed to determine the quality of the students’ professional learning in educational drama and the long‐term impacts of teaching through drama.Practical implicationsThe findings have practical implications for higher education related to the enhancement of expert knowledge development and preparing students for working life.Originality/valueThis paper introduces educational drama as an encouraging tool in higher education to simulate real‐life situations in the classrooms, and thus providing students with opportunities to practise for working life and grow as experts.
The impact of leadership on workgroup climate and performance in a non‐profit organization
Authors: McMurray Adela J. , Islam Mazharul , Sarros James C. , Pirola‐Merlo Andrew 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the impact of leadership on workgroup climate and performance in a religious/church‐based non‐profit organization.Design/methodology/approachThe impact of leadership is investigated using a questionnaire comprised of established scales such as the transformational leadership scales (TLS), team climate inventory questionnaire (TCI), team effectiveness, workgroup cohesion, and interdependence scales. This is a context based study that considers the unique culture comprised of social, political, economic, technologic, personnel, and personal concerns. Descriptive, correlation, hierarchical regression, and SPSS macro developed by Preacher and Hayes were used as statistical techniques to assess the indirect effects (Sobel Tests) of variables.FindingsTransformational leadership was identified as a key variable for the functioning of workgroup performance whilst transactional leadership was identified as a key influencing factor of workgroup climate. In addition, the study found a significant and positive large effect of workgroup climate on workgroup performance whilst both transformational and transactional leadership did not influence workgroup performance through workgroup climate. This finding provides areas in need of further research.Research limitations/implicationsThere is likely to be posing risks of method variance or response biases as all data were drawn from employee surveys. There is also likely to be selection bias as the authors could not directly compare respondents with non‐respondents. The fact that there may be operational differences in other as well as smaller organizations, based on the limited size and the ability to allocate job functions, could limit the generalization of this result to other organizations.Originality/valueThis study makes a significant contribution to both scholarly theory and workplace practice in the non‐profit sector as the findings indicated that the influence of workgroup climate on workgroup performance provided an enabling context for the delivery of leadership in a religious/church‐based non‐profit organization.
Can some leaders have a good relationship with many followers?
Authors: Schyns Birgit , Maslyn John M. , van Veldhoven Marc P.M. 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report a study of the relationship between Leader‐Member Exchange (LMX) and span of control. The paper argues that depending on their extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness, some leaders will find it easier to establish and maintain LMX relationships with their followers in larger groups.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted among 52 leaders and 389 followers. As matched data were used, the final sample consisted of 244 individual employees who worked in 41 different groups.FindingsResults show that extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness moderate the relationship between span of control and various dimensions of LMX. The results for agreeableness, however, were in the opposite direction than expected.Research limitations/implicationsThe moderation effects that were found for leader personality indicate that organizations could foster LMX relationships by selecting leaders with certain personality patterns for larger groups or taking care to train leaders who do not show this pattern to overcome possible problems of low LMX relationships in large groups.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to address the relationship between span of control and LMX dimensions, and the first to examine the effects of leader personality on that relationship.
Transformational and social processes of leadership as predictors of organisational outcomes
Authors: Muchiri Michael K. , Cooksey Ray W. , Walumbwa Fred O. 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the separate and combined effects of transformational leadership behaviour and social processes of leadership on key organisational outcomes within Australian local councils.Design/methodology/approachA survey research methodology was used to gather quantitative data from employees from nine local councils. Data were analysed using Item clustering analysis for scale construction. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was employed to test the proposed conceptual framework.FindingsIt was found that transformational leadership predicted performance outcomes, collective efficacy/outcomes expectancies and organisational commitment. Social processes of leadership predicted performance outcomes, collective efficacy/outcomes expectancies and organisational citizenship behaviours.Practical implicationsResults indicate that by practising aspects of transformational leadership such as articulating clear standards and expectations for performance and showing recognition to work unit members for specific task or goal achievements, work unit leaders may establish a foundation that later leads to higher performance outcomes. Furthermore, promoting aspects of social processes of leadership such as communication, enhancing adaptability and resolving uncertainties may lead to greater clarification and subsequent higher performance outcomes.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first to examine the separate and combined effects of transformational leadership behaviour and social processes of leadership on key organisational outcomes in Australian local councils.
Executive attention patterns, environmental dynamism and corporate turnaround performance
Authors: Abebe Michael A. 
Published: March 2013

PurposeDespite an improved understanding of the role of top executives in declining firms, research is still needed to explore the role of environmental scanning and strategy formulation processes in an organizational decline context. Drawing from the attention‐based view and the literature on environmental scanning, the purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship among executive attention patterns, industry dynamism and corporate turnaround performance in declining firms.Design/methodology/approachIn order to test theoretically‐driven hypotheses, data were collected from 70 US manufacturing firms that experienced serious performance decline and subsequent performance turnaround between 1990‐2000. The hypothesized relationships among market‐related, input‐related environmental scanning, industry dynamism and corporate turnaround performance were tested using a moderated regression analysis.FindingsThe findings indicate that declining firms operating in dynamic industry environments tend to improve their turnaround performance when executives focus their attention more on market‐related sectors (i.e. customer, competitor and technological sectors). Conversely, the findings also indicated that corporate turnaround performance of declining firms seems to be adversely affected by a disproportionate focus on input‐related sectors of the task environment (i.e. suppliers and creditors).Research limitations/implicationsThe paper's findings contribute to the ongoing corporate turnaround research by highlighting the important role executive attention patterns and selective perceptions play in improving the extent of corporate turnaround in declining firms. More importantly, the findings also indicate that environmental context (in this case dynamism) is a critical part of successful corporate turnaround since it dictates the impact of relevant external actors on the organization.Practical implicationsExecutives of declining firms attempting turnaround may find it particularly useful, based on the paper's findings, to focus their attention and information search on specific aspects of the task environment in order to facilitate corporate turnaround. Such focus becomes especially necessary if the declining firm is operating in dynamic industries.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the corporate turnaround literature by highlighting the importance of both executive attention patterns and environmental context in any successful turnaround attempt.
Attitude toward knowledge sharing in construction teams
Authors: Zhang Peihua , Fai Ng Fung 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to employ the theory of reasoned action (TRA) as a theoretical framework to investigate factors affecting individuals' attitudes toward knowledge sharing in construction teams in Hong Kong. Specifically, the factors are analyzed from a cost and benefit perspective grounded in social exchange theory.Design/methodology/approachAn exploratory study using semi‐structured interviews is conducted first to explore context‐specific cost and benefit factors. Based on the exploratory study results and TRA, a research model and hypotheses are developed. A questionnaire survey is then conducted among professionals working in contractors in Hong Kong. The quantitative data are analyzed using structural equation modelling.FindingsThe research results indicate that individuals' attitudes toward knowledge sharing are positively affected by knowledge self‐efficacy and knowledge feedback, while negatively affected by losing face. Further, it is revealed that attitude toward knowledge sharing significantly determines intention to share knowledge, which then determines knowledge sharing behavior.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first to employ existing theories in social psychology to examine knowledge sharing behavior in the construction sector. The research results provide important implications for construction companies to promote knowledge sharing in project teams.
Adoption model of mobile‐enabled systems in supply chain
Authors: Pan Youqin , Nam Ted , Ogara Solomon , Lee SeungSin 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop an adoption model to identify the critical factors that affect firms' intention to adopt mobile enabled supply chain systems (mSCM) in retail industry. This study focuses on inter‐organizational dimension since mSCM is an inter‐organizational system that provides both inter‐ and intra‐organizational linkages for firms across the supply chain.Design/methodology/approachA survey method was used to test the proposed model. Data from this study were obtained from South Korean firms.FindingsSupply chain awareness was shown to be a strong predictor of both inter‐organizational dependence and inter‐organizational trust which positively affects firms' long‐term relationship with their trading partners. Institutional pressures, long‐term relationship, and top management support also had a significant influence firms' mSCM adoption intention.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, only executives and managers in retail industry of South Korea were surveyed, thus, the results may not be generalized to retail industry in other countries. Second, the current study focuses on a firm's mSCM adoption intention rather than actual adoption.Practical implicationsThis study provides useful insights for practitioners to better manage institutional pressures and nurture long‐term relationship in order to promote co‐adoption of mSCM.Originality/valueThis study provides useful insights for supply chain members on how to overcome barriers to adopting an innovation and to increase the chance of successfully adopting mSCM in the retail supply chain.
Master data quality barriers: an empirical investigation
Authors: Haug Anders , Stentoft Arlbjørn Jan , Zachariassen Frederik , Schlichter Jakob 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe development of IT has enabled organizations to collect and store many times more data than they were able to just decades ago. This means that companies are now faced with managing huge amounts of data, which represents new challenges in ensuring high data quality. The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers to obtaining high master data quality.Design/methodology/approachThis paper defines relevant master data quality barriers and investigates their mutual importance through organizing data quality barriers identified in literature into a framework for analysis of data quality. The importance of the different classes of data quality barriers is investigated by a large questionnaire study, including answers from 787 Danish manufacturing companies.FindingsBased on a literature review, the paper identifies 12 master data quality barriers. The relevance and completeness of this classification is investigated by a large questionnaire study, which also clarifies the mutual importance of the defined barriers and the differences in importance in small, medium, and large companies.Research limitations/implicationsThe defined classification of data quality barriers provides a point of departure for future research by pointing to relevant areas for investigation of data quality problems. The limitations of the study are that it focuses only on manufacturing companies and master data (i.e. not transaction data).Practical implicationsThe classification of data quality barriers can give companies increased awareness of why they experience data quality problems. In addition, the paper suggests giving primary focus to organizational issues rather than perceiving poor data quality as an IT problem.Originality/valueCompared to extant classifications of data quality barriers, the contribution of this paper represents a more detailed and complete picture of what the barriers are in relation to data quality. Furthermore, the presented classification has been investigated by a large questionnaire study, for which reason it is founded on a more solid empirical basis than existing classifications.
Critical success factors for configuration management implementation
Authors: Ali Usman , Kidd Callum 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify, prioritize and categorize the critical success factors (CSFs) for configuration management (CM) and devise a CM activity model to help practitioners in the effective implementation and continuous improvement of the process.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method research with in‐depth interviews is used, followed by questionnaire survey.FindingsIn total, 21 CSFs organized in seven groups have been identified and prioritized on the basis of criticality in the implementation of the CM process. A significant difference is observed in the perception of CM professionals from the level of their experience and CM certification/training on the criticality of these factors.Research limitations/implicationsThis research only focuses on the aerospace and defence industry because of their common contextual understanding of CM. Further research could be done in commercial sectors to determine if the factors are common, or if there is a particular sector bias.Practical implicationsExtensive scope exists for industries to enhance product development methodologies by concentrating on factors responsible for the maturity of the CM process. The importance of CM is seen through its inclusion in multiple standards which require companies to implement a high level of robustness in the design and through life focus.Originality/valueA detailed search of the peer reviewed journals and practitioner literature highlights no formal study on CSFs in the field of CM. This study will help CM practitioners to develop plans to achieve their goals and improve the CM process on the basis of these outlined concepts.
The effect of the supply chain social capital
Authors: Yim Byungjin , Leem Byunghak 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to demonstrate that supply chain social capital has an effect on supply chain integration, which in turn has a significant on firm performance, and then supply chain integration mediates the relationship between supply chain social capital and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors validated their model and tested the hypotheses using the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation model (SEM).FindingsEmpirical results reveal that the three dimensions of supply chain social capital – structural, relational, and cognitive – had significant effects, directly or indirectly, on supply chain integration and performance, and supply chain integration played a mediating role in the relationships between structural capital and firm performance, between relational capital and firm performance, and between cognitive capital and firm performance.Research limitations/implicationsSince the survey data were collected at various industries in Korea, it is difficult to gain social network benefits for a specific industry through worldwide. Therefore, to obtain more meaningful results, the authors would collect the data for special product family in the special industry. But the study suggests that supply chain integration among supply chain partners can be improved by building up social capital, firm performance can be enhanced by improving supply chain integration, and consequently, supply chain integration should serve to enhance firm's profitability.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper investigates whether supply chain integration mediates the relationship between supply chain social capital and firm performance in the supply chain using the PLS and Baron and Kenny's approach.
Examining the role of system quality in ERP projects
Authors: Ram Jiwat , Corkindale David , Wu Ming‐Lu 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine the role of perceived system quality (PSQ) as an antecedent to the implementation success (IMP) of ERP projects, and its interrelationships with other antecedents that influence the outcome of organizational adoption process.Design/methodology/approachThe authors derive a model containing the relationships between PSQ and IMP and between PSQ and some antecedents of organizational adoption. The relationships were analysed with data from a survey of 217 Australian companies, using structural equation modelling.FindingsPSQ is an important antecedent to implementation success of ERP projects. It also has a positive influence on other antecedents of organizational adoption, namely: perceived information quality, organizational readiness and perceived strategic value of adoption.Research limitations/implicationsPrior findings have shown that PSQ is a significant antecedent to the adoption of ERP by individuals and organizations and the paper extends this by providing evidence that PSQ is also a significant antecedent to implementation success. The authors have empirically established the role of interrelationships among antecedent factors at the adoption stage of ERP systems.Practical implicationsEstablishing a proposed ERP system's system quality, when considering whether to adopt a particular system is important, as it influences the other important antecedents and beliefs on the potential benefits from an ERP project. Understanding of system quality attributes can help managers put in place strategies to avoid potential pitfalls at the project implementation stage.Originality/valueEmpirical evidence of the importance of PSQ for success in ERP adoption, implementation and explanation of how and why this has positive effects on other antecedents.
Nurturing business ecosystems to deal with industry uncertainties
Authors: Rong Ke , Shi Yongjiang , Yu Jiang 
Published: March 2013

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the ways in which firms nurture the business ecosystem for the development of emerging industries.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses a qualitative research methodology with multiple case studies, namely two groups of companies in the PC and mobile business ecosystems.FindingsThis paper argues that industry renewal or emergence relies on the convergence and evolutionary process of the relevant business ecosystems. It analyzes the challenges faced by emerging industries, especially uncertainty issues concerning technology, application, and market. To deal with these uncertainty issues, firms within business ecosystems have developed two kinds of strategies: the core‐firm platform strategy and the niche‐firm supplementary strategy with an integrated supply chain. By using such strategies, firms together follow a three‐step process, including adjustment, adoption, and convergence, to help nurture the emerging industry.Research limitations/implicationsThis study only conducts interviews with industrial practitioners in the mobile computing business ecosystem, without covering other stakeholders.Practical implicationsFirst, the study describes the platform and supplementary strategies to deal with industry uncertainties; second, the analysis also identifies a three‐step collective behavior to achieve industry convergence.Originality/valueThe paper extends the study of business ecosystem theory into supply chain management by embedding different roles and strategies as well as collective behavior into a dynamic business environment.