bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Celebrity‐spotting: a new dynamic in Italian tourism
Authors: Ricci Oscar 
Published: May 2011

PurposeCelebrity‐spotters actively pursue celebrities in order to take photographs of them. This often involves extensive travelling, sometimes to remote destinations. The purpose of this paper is to analyse this new type of tourism.Design/methodology/approachIn order to understand this new type of tourism, the authors used a textual analysis of Italian celebrity‐spotting web sites and 31 in‐depth interviews with celebrity‐spotters.FindingsThe main characteristics of the celebrity‐spotters can be outlined: they practise a sort of “precision tourism”, characterised by close attention to the news in order to know where to go, flexibility for changing locations at the last moment, and a natural predisposition for new technologies. Celebrity‐spotting is not just an observational tourism, but rather a performing one; they must take photographs, gain access to the right places and ambush their targets.Practical implicationsKnowing the characteristics of celebrity‐spotters can help to better understand this new type of tourism, which has yet to be exploited by the tourism industry.Originality/valueThe paper presents an in‐depth analysis of a rather unknown and unexplored type of tourist.
The impact of technology on evolving roles of salespeople
Authors: Christ Paul , Anderson Rolph 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to bridge the glaring gap in the sales literature due to the deficiency of historical research on the adoption of technology in personal selling and the resultant impacts on sales roles.Design/methodology/approachThis paper traces the early adoption of technology by the sales force through information obtained from an extensive review of published works covering a nearly 130‐year timeframe. Where possible, efforts are made to chronicle the early use of these technologies by citing examples from historical publications of applications in selling situations.FindingsIn the exciting internet era, it is often unrecognized that adopting the latest technology in selling is a long, ongoing process which can be traced back at least to the beginning of professional personal selling in the mid‐1800s when the industrial revolution enabled dramatic increases in manufactured products. A review of the literature suggests that sales forces were often early adopters of new technologies that laid the groundwork for taking on new or expanded sales roles. With each new invention and its creative adoption and adaption to selling, new sales roles have been created or ongoing ones expanded or significantly modified. Many of the roles still entrusted to today's sales force are arguably linked to a succession of technological adoptions that occurred between the 1850s and 1980s.Originality/valueFrom a historical perspective, this paper examines sales force technology development from the 1850s through the 1980s and the resultant impacts on sales force roles. To date, this historic technology‐sales force role relationship has not been adequately recognized or addressed in the sale literature. The analyses presented in the present study should prove useful for academics, students, and practitioners in the sales and marketing fields as well as researchers examining business history.
Marketing: is management all that there is?
Authors: Layton Roger A. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeDixon recently commented that 50 years ago “marketing management and planning was part of marketing theory, today it seems to be all there is.” There is now a growing fragmentation of marketing thought, and a lack of marketing relevance to critical social and economic questions, that is of increasing concern to both internal and external critics. The purpose of this paper is to explore briefly the evolution of marketing thought over the last 100 years and to suggest a better response to the critics.Design/methodology/approachThe paper comprises an historical review of the development of marketing as a discipline that could lead to a reconceptualization of the field.FindingsAdam Smith emphasised both scale and diversity in markets. However, it was the economics of scale that caught the attention of economists and then of marketing specialists. This incomplete view of Smith limited the scope of marketing thought to single or related products. However, Smith's emphasis on diversity leads, logically and inevitably, to the development of the concept of a marketing system. A set of propositions are then suggested that lead to a generalised theory of marketing based on the marketing system concept.Originality/valueThis approach holds promise of resolving the concerns of both the internal and external critics of marketing, opening the door to a fresh, relevant interpretation of marketing thought that might address the concerns expressed by Dixon.
A life course perspective of family meals via the life grid method
Authors: Harrison Robert L. , Veeck Ann , Gentry James W. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: to describe and evaluate the life grid as a methodology for historical research; and to provide an example application investigating the dynamics of family meals over a lifetime by pairing life course theory with the life grid method of obtaining oral histories.Design/methodology/approachTo explore how the meanings and processes of meals change, the authors conducted interviews with 15 respondents aged 80 years old and over, on the topic of family meals.FindingsThe paper discusses the merits of using the life grid method to analyze lifetime family consumption behavior. The findings of this example study provide insight as to how the roles, responsibilities, and loyalties of our participants had changed through births, deaths, marriages, wars, economic periods, illnesses, and the process of aging, leading to changes in dining.Originality/valueThe benefit of the life grid method described in this paper is its ability to minimize recall bias. In addition, the overt process of cross‐referencing events throughout the course of the interviews via the life grid method proved to be a helpful aid in identifying patterns and symmetries during the interpretation stage.
Wal‐Mart and the historians: a review
Authors: Wellum Caleb 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically review the scholarly historical literature about Wal‐Mart and its relationship to the emergence of a retail service economy in the USA.Design/methodology/approachThe review examines book‐length studies or collections of essays on Wal‐Mart. It highlights the developments that historians have linked to Wal‐Mart, and seeks to demonstrate both the progression of this historiography and the value of studying Wal‐Mart.FindingsThis young and relatively small historiography has developed quickly in recent years. Work in the last five years suggests that when historians use Wal‐Mart as a case study or template corporation, they can learn much about the development, nature, and trajectory of the postindustrial service economy and American political culture.Originality/valueThis is the first review essay of historical writing about Wal‐Mart. It will be useful to scholars curious about what has been written and what remains to be written about America's largest private employer and retailer, and the potential of such analysis for further insight into post‐1945 American society, economy, and culture.
Dynamics of retail pricing: a case study of fluid milk
Authors: Zhu Xinkai , Liu Xiaoou 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a new model to empirically analyze retail pricing dynamics led by the competition between retailers, using fluid milk markets of three US metropolitan areas as a case study. The research is important for Chinese public policy makers to find the reasons of retail price fluctuations and provides policy makers with the direction and rationale to intervene in retailing markets.Design/methodology/approachThis paper empirically applies dynamic oligopolistic competition model using Markov switching regression. The dataset used in this study includes 58 four‐week‐ending observations covering the period from March 1996 to July 2000 for three cities, Boston, Dallas, and Seattle.FindingsThe empirical results illustrate the Markov switching regression not only successfully identifies the Markov perfect equilibrium in each market, but decomposes the retail price series into the corresponding equilibrium regimes. The forecasting power of the model is surprising so it can serve as a price monitor of the government. Additionally, the model reveals the different consumer welfare implications given different price regimes. The welfare analysis shows that consumers are most likely to be worse off through price fluctuations, while they are not always better off through a sticky (stable) price series in a market.Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation of the paper is the retail price data is four‐week ending. If a cycle evolves faster within four weeks, the model would overestimate the duration and underestimate the amplitude of cycles. So the study serves as an upper bound of the reality. The second limitation is the number of regimes. More than three regimes studied in a Markov switching regression may cause a series of empirical issues. However, if we integrate several regimes into one regime, we will lose rich information about the competitiveness of the markets.Practical implicationsThis paper is the first work to apply the dynamic pricing analysis to food industry by using fluid milk market as a case study. This paper empirically identifies four retail pricing regimes in fluid milk price series and evaluates the characteristics of the regimes.Social implicationsThis paper assesses the welfare implications of each pricing regime. The results show that the forecasting power of the model is strong in fluid milk retail market. Therefore, the study could serve as a price monitor to the public policymaker.Originality/valueThis paper presents the first study to apply dynamic oligopolistic competition model to food marketing research.
Specialty products, rural livelihoods and agricultural marketing reforms in China
Authors: Brown Colin , Waldron Scott , Longworth John 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply a market efficiency theoretical framework to analyse and postulate solutions to the challenges confronting China in engaging smallholders in higher value, specialty, agricultural product markets. A marketing experiment/trial to test these ideas is evaluated.Design/methodology/approachThe case of fine‐wool marketing is used to illustrate issues associated with specialty product marketing. The market efficiency approach highlights the difficulties involved in relaying accurate product prices and values (exchange efficiency) while aligning the logistical requirements of higher value market segments with the small, dispersed and locationally remote smallholders (operational efficiency). The marketing experiment/trial was conducted in three fine‐wool‐growing counties in Western China in 2008.FindingsThe fine‐wool case study highlights that modernization of the marketing system is required not only so that smallholders can access the premium prices potentially available but also to improve international competitiveness.Originality/valueEngaging smallholders in specialty agricultural product markets poses significant challenges for China. The market efficiency approach (exchange efficiency versus operational efficiency) provides a new perspective on these challenges and offers new insights about appropriate policy settings both at a macro‐ and micro‐level.
Balancing nutrition, luxury, and time constraints in food preparation choices
Authors: Tashiro Sanae , Lo Chu‐Ping 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how nutritional concerns, luxurious tastes, and the value of time affect time allocation decisions for food preparation.Design/methodology/approachA time allocation model is developed and tested with Tobit and Heckman's sample selection models using the 2003‐2007 American Time Use Survey data.FindingsIndividuals concerned more with nutrition or price than luxury devote more time to preparing food‐cooked‐at‐home. High family income and long hours worked increase time allocated to food‐away‐from‐home, indicating that a preference for luxury and the opportunity cost of time outweigh nutritional concerns. High education reduces time spent preparing food‐cooked‐at‐home, yet increases both participation in this activity and time spent obtaining food‐away‐from‐home, suggesting that a preference for luxury and the opportunity cost of time dominate nutritional preference. Time allocation decisions on food preparation vary greatly by race and ethnicity.Originality/valueThe results of this study confirm that the time allocation decisions regarding food preparation are largely affected by an individual's luxury preference, nutritional consciousness, and the value of time, all of which are influenced by education. The findings from this study indicate factors that influence consumers' time allocation decisions regarding food choice and their current food preparation behavior, and thus provide useful insights to nutritionists, dietitians, health practitioners, and policy makers for finding better ways to improve nutritional education, food choices and dietary habits that promote healthier diets and eating habits.
Agriculture and the Wealth of Nations: 2010 CAER‐IFPRI annual conference summary
Authors: Guo Pei , Liu Xiangqi , Ma Ling 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to summarize the China Agricultural Economic Review (CAER)'s second annual conference, which was organized by the CAER editorial office and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).Design/methodology/approachThe conference theme was “Agriculture and the Wealth of Nations”, aiming to explore the importance of agriculture as well as the relationship and interaction between agriculture and the whole economy. The attendees from 14 countries discussed the related issues, and a number of distinguished scholars and policy makers were also invited to present at the conference. This summary presents the topics covered at the conference and highlights discussion points.FindingsAction items were identified which could be appropriately organized into the following sections: agricultural trade and rural labor issues; rural governance and public policy; climate change and food security; rural land and rural finance issues.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates how the academic platform established by the CAER‐IFPRI conference, enables scholars from varied cultures and fields to get together to share their researches and ideas.
ADR for a built environment interdiscipline: curriculum and practical applications
Authors: Howieson Jill 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis paper's central purpose is to demonstrate that facilitative alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes can assist in the development of a built environment interdiscipline, and that a built environment interdiscipline should include an ADR course in its curriculum.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a brief summary of two empirical studies conducted at the University of Western Australia Law School which investigated the relationship between the teaching of ADR and student engagement.FindingsThe research findings show that teaching ADR in an interactive and experiential manner can increase the students' sense of belonging to the school in which it is taught, and simultaneously can contribute to the students acquiring constructive conflict resolution skills.Research limitations/implicationsThe quantitative data derives from only one school in a university and subsequently, there was a lack of a control group. Yet, the sample size was sufficient for a reasonable analysis of the data and provides a base from which further studies in this field can occur.Practical implicationsThe paper provides ideas on how to structure an ADR course within a built environment curriculum and to present ADR material in a manner that enhances student learning and engagement. In addition, the paper provides evidence of how ADR processes offer a mechanism for facilitating engagement with a common axiomatic for the built environment field and also provide a link to that axiomatic.Originality/valueThe paper provides an original analysis of the role of ADR in the built environment curriculum and strengthens the analysis by providing original research on the links between ADR education and student engagement.
A GIS‐based climate change adaptation strategy tool
Authors: Li Liu De , Timbal Bertrand , Mo Jianhua , Fairweather Helen 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a geographic information system (GIS)‐based risk assessment tool for visualising climate change impacts in agricultural industries and evaluating eventual adaptation strategies.Design/methodology/approachA climate change adaptation strategy tool (CCAST) with built‐in GIS capability has been developed for agricultural industries. Development of the GIS functionality within CCAST includes the implementation of map projection, boundary allocation, interpolation and a graphical display of spatial data. In total, 20 climatic and crop indices are computed alongside basic climate variables (rainfall and temperature) from downscaled global climate models at 1,062 sites across the state of New South Wales (NSW) located in eastern Australia.FindingsA case study in Australia is used to demonstrate use of this tool. This shows selecting suitable genotypes of wheat is a key adaptation strategy to mitigate the impacts of climate change on wheat cropping. It shows that spring wheat genotypes will become predominate, while the winter genotypes will only be viable in clearly defined areas where sufficient days of cool temperature exist for completion of vernalisation in a future warmer climate.Originality/valueCCAST integrates knowledge relevant to climate impact management in a stand‐alone environment. It benefits from statistical analysis and GIS functionalities and provides many user‐friendly GIS features to make it suitable for practitioners on the ground.
Do perceptions of climate change influence precautionary measures?
Authors: Kreibich Heidi 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe need to adapt to the effects of climate change requires the sharing of responsibility between the authorities and the public. It has been shown before that private building precautionary measures are able to significantly mitigate flood losses. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which factors are motivating people to undertake mitigation measures, with a particular focus on the perceptions of climate change.Design/methodology/approachA total of 605 households in Dresden have been interviewed and their answers statistically analysed.FindingsCorrelation and principal component analysis show a slight influence of the perception about consequences of climate change on the motivation to undertake flood emergency measures. However, other socio‐economic factors such as the ownership of the residential building and the size of the household are much more important.Practical implicationsIn order to improve the uptake of flood mitigation and climate change adaptation measures, public awareness raising campaigns and schemes utilizing financial and non‐financial incentives should be undertaken. Such campaigns should particularly focus on specific social‐groups, like tenants or singles. Awareness raising campaigns focusing on the causes and consequences of climate change are expected to have little effect on peoples' motivation to act.Originality/valueThis study has discovered very weak links between perceptions of climate change and the motivation of households to undertake precautionary measures, which is important for the design of awareness raising campaigns.
Market orientation, service quality and organizational performance in service organizations in Malaysia
Authors: Ramayah T. , Samat Nusrah , Lo May‐Chiun 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis study seeks to examine the relationship between market orientation, service quality, and their impact towards organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachA total of 175 sets of structured questionnaires were distributed to managers of 175 service organizations in the northern region of Malaysia, and only 57.71 percent of it, which is 101, was returned.FindingsThe results show that market orientation has a significant effect on organizational performance and service quality. Also, service quality has a significant effect on organizational performance. Interestingly, this study found that service quality partially mediates the relationship between market orientation and organizational performance.Research limitations/implicationsIn order to be more generalized to the service industry, a wider sample with multiple responses from different individuals and management levels can be used for any future study. The same study can also be done by including other mediating or even moderating variables.Practical implicationsThere is still a shortage of research studying the impact of service quality as a mediator on the relationship between market orientation and organizational performance. Thus, this study contributes a significant knowledge to the service industry.Originality/valueThis study adds to the literature by bridging the gap and showing the importance of market orientation in service organizations. It also provides some theoretical contributions to the development of market orientation in relation to service quality and organizational performance.
Core constructs of corporate social responsibility: a path analysis
Authors: Hung Chen Chih , Wongsurawat Winai 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the causal relationships among four components in corporate social responsibility (CSR) domain. This study posits that CSR is mainly influenced by: accountability, responsibility, transparency, and competitiveness.Design/methodology/approachA path analysis is employed to determine the relationships, while confirmatory factor analysis is applied to assess the construct validity of the model. The data presented in this study were collected from Taiwanese companies in the year 2009 using questionnaires. A total of 170 companies were analyzed.FindingsThe results show that both accountability and transparency provide statistically significant contributions to the prediction of competitiveness, which in turn has a significant effect on responsibility.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the paper encompasses four core factors influencing the measurement of CSR. Second, the sample size used to analyze the diversity of concepts may appear small and therefore the result may not be considered precise since the total number of companies in Taiwan is over one million. Large sample size may lead to different results and therefore needs to be further explored. Third, while the proposed model was only tested in Taiwan, a country with 97.8 percent SMEs, the outcome of the research may only be applicable to Taiwan rather than to other countries with different national systems of business‐society relations. Finally, this study only investigated the relationships among core components of CSR.Practical implicationsWhile developing business strategies, companies taking accountability and transparency as priority will strengthen their competitiveness and in turn generate responsibility and lead to CSR, a way to reach corporate sustainability.Social implicationsThe results provide business leaders with practical advice that implementing CSR is not only the smart and right thing to do from a business perspective, but also the right thing to do from a society perspective.Originality/valueApplying for international standards could be a feasible and optimal way to show commitments to CSR implementation.