bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Shaken and stirred: New Zealand's interlending scene
Authors: Reid David 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a review of the interlending environment in New Zealand. It aims to consider a number of changes that have occurred since research was published in 2004 and the significance of these for interlending operations.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted in this paper is one of description and interpretation.FindingsIncluded is a statistical analysis based on 20 years' worth of data and comparative analysis of key service indicators. The scene is best described as one of continual change and in a state of flux.Practical implicationsAs the operational model of interlending changes consideration is given to various operational issues and the impact of these for ongoing support and service provision. Also included is an initial analysis of how natural events can also impact on patterns of use and delivery.Originality/valueJust as there have been personnel changes, so has occurred a loss of corporate knowledge. This leads into a discussion of a model for “better practice” and how this could be delivered.
Impala 1991‐2011: 20 years of ILL in Belgium
Authors: Corthouts Jan , Van Borm Julien , Van den Eynde Michèle 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the development of interlending and document supply in Belgium – particularly in relation to Impala, a system for facilitating the service.Design/methodology/approachThe history of Belgium, its libraries and interlending and document supply is described.FindingsThe paper finds that Impala has been an outstanding success in facilitating a fast and cost‐effective service with a high satisfaction rate.Originality/valueThe paper is of importance to all librarians who are interested in nationwide resource‐sharing schemes.
The role of the national library as a catalyst for an open access agenda: the experience in Sweden
Authors: Hagerlid Jan 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of national libraries in developing national open access infrastructure and policy on the basis of the experiences of the National Library (NL) of Sweden.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is descriptive based on the knowledge of a key player in the development of open access in Sweden. The priorities and outcome of the programme are described.FindingsThe paper reveals that the NL Sweden since around 1990 has combined the mission of a “traditional” national library with that of a national, research library authority. It has coordinated its support for development of repositories and open access in the OpenAccess.se programme that ran from 2006 to 2009. The conclusion is that a national library can successfully act as a catalyst for closer cooperation between the main bodies of research and research libraries in advancing an Open Access agenda and developing a digital research information infrastructure. This is because it is usually placed directly under the government and thus closer to national policy making. It is often perceived as unbiased in relation to the different interests of the various parties involved. It is also able to advance development projects into sustainable services.Originality/valueThe role of national libraries in relation to open access has not been discussed widely. The experience of the NL Sweden in this respect has a general interest.
The role of context in assessing international marketing opportunities
Authors: Douglas Susan P. , Samuel Craig C. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe choice of which country or countries to enter is a critical decision and needs to be made with considerable care and deliberation. Initial market entry decisions have typically focused on country evaluations based on macro‐economic data. While appropriate in providing an initial screening of countries, other factors, notably contextual factors, can provide important insights in assessing international market opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of context at four distinct levels.Design/methodology/approachThe literature on the influence of context on consumption and purchase behavior is reviewed to provide a framework to understand contextual factors as a means to refine entry strategy and develop effective segmentation strategies.FindingsA wide range of contextual factors exert influence on consumption choices and contribute to within‐country heterogeneity. These are typically examined at the macro‐level, but also need to be examined at the meso‐level, micro‐level and situational level to fully assess market opportunities and establish viable market segments.Practical implicationsExamination of contextual factors provides a richer and deeper understanding of which international markets to enter and which segments to target. Within‐country cultural diversity, dramatic economic and regional disparities and marked differences in the infrastructure need to be assessed. In particular, examination of contextual factors helps to shed light on heterogeneity within countries not only in customer behavior, but also in the nature of the market infrastructure. This is a key element, not only in formulating entry and segmentation strategies, but also in implementing those strategies.Originality/valueThe effect of context has received little attention to date. The current paper highlights the importance of considering contextual factors and their impact on consumption behavior – an issue which has largely been ignored in previous research.
A gravitational model of international retail market selection
Authors: Alexander Nicholas , Rhodes Mark , Myers Hayley 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe increasingly important role of international retail companies in the distribution and marketing of goods highlights important gaps in the literature. One of these gaps concerns a scientifically based understanding of the key, underlying drivers in the market selection process of such companies. The purpose of this paper is to establish a more robust understanding of international retailers' market selection process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper econometrically tests hypotheses derived from recent literature and models the international actions of retailers based in 13 home and ten host markets.FindingsThe results highlight the importance of host market characteristics and the importance of understanding host market selections in the context of home market retail structural development and, by implication, the relative lack of importance of secondary managerial input factors.Research limitations/implicationsThe model presented here fundamentally challenges assumptions concerning the role of managers in market selection decisions in the light of sustainable patterns of international activity.Practical implicationsThese findings suggest that managers responsible for international market selection decisions do not have the freedom of action implied in the marketing literature and that their actions are constrained by structural market conditions.Originality/valueThe relationships identified explain six‐ to seven‐tenths of the pattern of expansion in the markets considered. This would suggest that managerial input is important in the process of marketing activity but that it is important within a broader framework.
A critical evaluation of the EFQM model
Authors: Gómez Gómez Joaquín , Martínez Costa Micaela , Martínez Lorente Ángel R. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeAs with the ISO 9000 standard, some doubts arise from the scientific literature about the impact of the EFQM model in companies' success. This paper aims to present an analysis of the relationships in the 2003 version of the EFQM model using data from the actual self‐evaluations of 68 organizations. It also analyzes if there are possible differences in the EFQM implementation between public and private organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe Partial Least Squares (PLS) method is used to test hypotheses.FindingsResults show that the model does not behave in the way that the designers of the EFQM expected. Two of the results variables are not sufficiently correlated with the others to be part of the complete model. When the model is tested without these two variables, the connection between enablers fails, since policy and strategy, people, and partnership and resources do not have statistically significant effects on the process. There is a slightly higher achievement in the group of manufacturing/private companies compared with the group of public/educational institutions.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is an exploratory study. A deeper analysis of the agency criteria might produce improved results. It would also be possible to examine sub‐criterion levels. Each enabler in the model is composed of different sub‐criteria and the relationships among them have not been explored in the literature. The question that needs to be addressed is whether the inclusion of enablers in the EFQM Excellence Model can be justified on empirical grounds.Originality/valuePrevious research has been conducted using secondary data. The study has been made using the real self‐evaluations of organizations, evaluations that have been validated by official staff of the EFQM organization. In addition, whereas much of the previous research analysed the 1999 version of the model, this paper focuses on the latest version of 2003.
Reconstructing Six Sigma barriers in manufacturing and service organizations
Authors: Gamal Aboelmaged Mohamed 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically validate how the effectiveness of the most influential barriers to Six Sigma implementation may vary in relation to dimensions of organizational factors in a developing country.Design/methodology/approachAn empirical survey, using 500 self‐administered questionnaires, was conducted. Data about 47 Six Sigma barriers and specific organizational parameters from 132 usable questionnaires, with a response rate of 26.4 per cent, were collected and analyzed by means of statistical data analysis package.FindingsThe results highlight the key role of soft impediments, i.e. knowledge and support, and hard impediments, i.e. professionals and finance, as the most influential barriers to Six Sigma implementation. The analysis clearly shows that only specific barriers are significantly influencing Six Sigma implementation in relation to dimensions of organizational factors.Practical implicationsDecision makers and quality managers should not waste their resources on overcoming all Six Sigma barriers. High attention should be given to the most obstructing barriers in relation to organizational context. Before implementing Six Sigma projects, managers are advised to activate and boost the level of Six Sigma knowledge and support by means of knowledge management functions such as Six Sigma knowledge acquisition, sharing, storing, revealing, etc. among organizational members.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first studies which examines a large number of Six Sigma barriers and their effectiveness in relation to dimensions of organizational factors in a developing country.
Bank Service Quality (BSQ) Index
Authors: Abdullah Firdaus , Suhaimi Rosita , Saban Gluma , Hamali Jamil 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis study aims to design and validate a new measuring instrument of service quality, and ultimately to establish a national service quality index for the banking sector. The primary contribution is the insight offered regarding what factors affect service quality and the BSQ Index, a national indicator reflecting the level of service quality within the banking sector.Design/methodology/approachA total of 3380 questionnaires were distributed to the customers of 21 commercial and Islamic banks, of which only 1,519 were deemed usable, yielding a response rate of 44.9 per cent. The proposed 29‐item instrument has been empirically tested for unidimensionality, reliability and validity using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsA factorial analysis suggests that service quality has three dimensions namely “Systemization”, “Reliable Communication” and “Responsiveness”, and subsequent multiple regression analysis revealed that “Systemization” is the most important service quality dimension within the banking sector. The overall weighted BSQ Index of 4.00 implies that banking customers are generally pleased with the quality of services rendered by banking institutions.Practical implicationsThe new Bank Service Quality Index (BSQ Index) is expected to be an important complement to traditional measures of economic performance, providing useful information to the banking institutions, shareholders, investors, government regulators, and customers. This composite index shall become an indicator reflecting the level of service quality in the banking institutions.Originality/valueThe results from the current study are crucial because previous studies have produced scales that bear a resemblance to SERVQUAL, a generic measure of service quality, which may not be totally adequate to assess the perceived quality in the banking sector. Thus, the present study captured customers' evaluation of service quality in a 29‐item questionnaire exclusively adapted to the unique nature of the banking sector.
A comparative examination of traditional and skill‐based pay plans
Authors: Mitra Atul , Gupta Nina , Shaw Jason D. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to make a comparative assessment of the relationship between types of pay plans and several workforce‐level outcomes in 214 organizations. The plans include pay that is skill‐based, job‐based, and market‐based. The types of workforce‐level outcomes include workforce flexibility, attitudes, membership behaviors, and productivity. The paper also assesses the relationship between the success of pay plans and workforce productivity/membership behaviors.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data from 214 organizations are used to test the hypothesized relationships using hierarchical regression analysis and partial least square techniques.FindingsResults support a significant and positive relationship between skill‐based pay plans, workforce flexibility, and workforce attitudes. Skill‐based pay plans, when compared with market‐based pay plans, are found to positively relate to workforce membership behaviors, and workforce attitudes mediate this relationship. Similarly, workforce flexibility mediates the positive relationship between skill‐based plans and workforce productivity. The success of skill‐based plans depends on significant improvements in workforce productivity and membership behaviors. The fit between the pay plan and the facility's climate/culture moderates the relationship between workforce productivity and the pay plan's success.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that skill‐based pay plans are superior for achieving several organizational and employee outcomes. The authors discuss the implications of these results for research and practice.Originality/valueLimited comparative empirical evidence exists on the effects of different types of pay systems on organizational outcomes. The paper seeks to address this gap.
Antecedents of trust in supervisors, subordinates, and peers
Authors: Knoll Dana L. , Gill Harjinder 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is first, to assess the generalizability of the Integrative Model of organizational trust to the development of workplace trust in upward, downward, and lateral relationships. Second, it examines the relative importance of ability, benevolence, and integrity in predicting trust in supervisor, subordinate, and peer. Design/methodology/approach – Human resource professionals (n=187) from two sources (a human resource professionals’ organization and a large Canadian corporation) responded to an online survey.FindingsThe results indicate that the integrative model of organizational trust was applicable to trust in supervisor, subordinate, and peer. The results also suggest that the relative importance of ability, benevolence, and integrity in predicting trust differed according to the trustor‐trustee dyad.Research limitations/implicationsA potential limitation of this study is that data regarding trust in each of the three referents (supervisor, subordinate, and peer) were obtained from the same raters. These findings need to be replicated with multi‐source data.Social implicationsGiven the necessity of trust for positive cooperative relationships, a better understanding of how to foster trustworthiness among individuals would be a benefit to society.Practical implicationsThe findings provide valuable information for the development of effective and efficient trust‐building strategies for upward, downward, and lateral workplace relationships.Originality/valueThe paper describes a study which simultaneously examined trust in supervisor, trust in subordinate, and trust in peer. It also assessed the relative importance of the antecedents of trustworthiness across referent dyads using the relative weight analysis procedure strategy.
Service innovation: why is it so difficult to accomplish?
Authors: Dörner Nadin , Gassmann Oliver , Gebauer Heiko 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThis article discusses the common factors and hindrances of service innovation. Our purpose is to add a managerial perspective on service innovation.Design/methodology/approachMultiple case studies on international firms that create competitive advantage through service innovation leadership are the main tool of theory development.FindingsThis study answers following two strategic questions: What typical deficiencies exist that prevent firms from using service innovation as a source for competitive advantages?, What are the appropriate recommendations for succeeding with service innovation?Research limitations/implicationsThe study focuses only on companies in mature markets. The findings are limited to this sector.Practical implicationsThe paper assists managers in concentrating on the right triggers for succeeding with service innovation.Originality/valueBoth scholars and managers still tend to be somewhat vague in suggesting detailed recommendations for service innovation. This study identifies five management deficiencies: failure to protect services, lack of clear organizational anchoring, unsystematic innovation process, inadequate customer involvement, and insufficient elimination of bad service ideas. Additionally, the paper offers recommendations for defining, developing, and launching new services.
Realising the strategic impact of business intelligence tools
Authors: Sharma Ravi S. , Djiaw Vironica 
Published: May 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the effectiveness of business intelligence (BI) tools as enablers of knowledge sharing used by employees in the organisation. This practice‐oriented article on the deployment and impact of BI tools in industry suggests a balanced scorecard (BSC) approach to performance management. More specifically, a suite of web 2.0 tools is used in the practice of BI and their impact measured with a BSC.Design/methodology/approachThe research proposition is that the effectiveness of BI is indeed strategic and relates to its corporate performance. This claim is validated using a global information technology consultancy firm's BI unit as the lead case of an immersive field study. Research engagements with four other firms provide corroborative support.FindingsThe BSC approach to deriving targets and ascertaining outcomes was shown to be applicable to good practice. The converse is equally valid. That is, strategic performance management requires the use of BI in order to be sound. Therefore, tools such as web 2.0 and data analytics, must be outcome driven with planned targets identified.Practical implicationsBI is a necessary activity for deriving improved performance. It aids in the identification of a firm's knowledge strengths, as well as gaps with respect to its environment. The key message to executives is that Peter Drucker was right – we cannot manage what we do not measure!Originality/valueThe use of BI as a strategic knowledge management technique is a composite of a host of web 2.0 tools. It does not stand in isolation from other initiatives for exploiting knowledge in order to drive performance.
Complex knowledge modelling with functional entity relationship diagrams
Authors: Pigott Diarmuid J. , Hobbs Valerie J. 
Published: May 2011

PurposeModelling complex knowledge resources can be problematical as there is currently no formalism that can represent the nature of the data‐seeking process at a conceptual level. The purpose of this paper is to develop a knowledge representation formalism, the functional entity relationship diagram (FERD), which comprises a set of extensions to the industry standard entity relationship diagram established by Chen.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses a design science approach to extend the existing ER formalism using the question‐answering (QA) paradigm. It is an extension of standard data modelling theory and is consistent with category theory.FindingsThe authors defined the functional entity, an encapsulated data resource that acts as a QA system and enumerated a typology of nine functional entities generated from two established principles to produce a modelling framework that can depict all existentially quantifiable relations, and demonstrated a satisficing extension to that framework (non‐Aristotelian functional entities) for those situations that do not permit such relations. Further, the authors discussed the system of knowledge mixins for qualifying the relations, and presented an adjunct to the framework, cartographic functional entities, to permit formally verifiable documentation.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research will address the pragmatic/sociological dimensions of FERD modelling, and test its utility in field case studies.Practical implicationsThe FERD conceptualisation incorporates traditional IS modelling as one aspect of a richer modelling system, and thereby includes all of traditional IS repositories as first class, unmediated sources of knowledge. The establishment of standard types of functional entities can provide a framework for the methodical conversion of the declarative design level to the imperative implementation level. It thus has significant practical implications for the management and use of knowledge in organisations.Originality/valueThe research is original and provides a valuable contribution to conceptual modelling and representation of complex knowledge systems.