bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Complementary effects of relational bonds in information asymmetry contexts
Authors: Nath Prithwiraj , Mukherjee Avinandan 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe marketing literature theorizes the adoption of the relationship marketing paradigm to foster stronger customer relationships. However, empirical evidence is scarce on how consumers' ability to judge the service influences such relational exchange. This paper aims to examine how information asymmetry influences a service firm's initiative to build customer relationships. The relationship marketing literature proposes conceptually that relational bonds and their interaction influence relationship outcomes. However, there is no empirical study to verify such an interactive effect. This study aims to provide empirical evidence on how interaction effects between relational bonds can act as buffers in developing customer relationships.Design/methodology/approachIn the first stage, this study classifies financial services offered by retail banks into search, experience, and credence (SEC) categories. In the second stage, this paper uses survey data from 452 UK retail bank customers to understand the effect of relational bonds on consumer future intentions in information asymmetry context using hierarchical regressions.FindingsThe results show that relational bonds have differential impacts on firms' initiative to develop consumer relationship, and information asymmetry moderates this relationship. A positive synergistic association is present between relational bonds that strengthen their effectiveness in influencing relationships.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to demonstrate the moderation role of information asymmetry on relational bonds→relationship quality→relationship outcome framework. The findings provide directions to managers on how to have a balanced approach in their relationship building efforts.
Customer creation of service products: role of frustration in customer evaluations
Authors: Guchait Priyanko , Namasivayam Karthik 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe paper models psychological processes in consumers' evaluation of an exchange and proposes frustration as a mediating mechanism explaining the relationship between consumers' perceptions of control, fairness, and satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachData were collected in an experimental setting using video scenarios. Hypotheses were tested using repeated‐measures MANOVA and ANCOVA.FindingsThe results support hypotheses predicting that frustration mediates the influence of fairness on satisfaction and supporting a control‐fairness‐frustration‐satisfaction linkage.Research implications/limitationsThis paper extends research in the area of consumers' cognitive and affective service evaluation processes and suggests future theoretical and methodological research directions. Although sample is representative of the population, no claims are made to generalize the findings of the study to a broader population.Practical implicationsService industry managers should analyze their consumer interaction processes and evaluate whether consumers feel they are in control, or alternatively are being treated fairly, to reduce consumer frustration and dissatisfaction.Originality/valueConsidering consumers as actual creators of service product this study emphasizes the consumer's role in a service product focusing research and managerial attention on the cognitive and affective processes consumer adopt while producing and consuming their desired service.
International lessons on austerity strategy
Authors: Gordon Murray J. , Erridge Andrew , Rimmer Neil 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to report lessons learnt from six countries in addressing financial crises; what they have done and the impact. It is intended that these lessons are constructive in shaping responses to the current and future financial crises.Design/methodology/approachA multiple, mini case study approach is taken which makes use of social media.FindingsThe findings suggest that the strategy being pursued within the UK for addressing the financial crisis is generally untested and therefore high‐risk. The evidence cautions that local recovery can be expected to be significantly longer than one political cycle, that social impacts will be greater than expected, and there is over‐optimism in some of the strategic tools being adopted in the UK's deficit recovery.Research limitations/implicationsThose participating, while in senior roles, were being asked to answer big questions, and although there is no reason to believe they were not answering truthfully, there are limits to what they could have reasonably been expected to know.Practical implicationsThe research provides lessons for local government on how their international peers have responded to the financial crises. The intention is these international lessons will help central and local government shape timely, effective and appropriate responses, while minimising costly mistakes. It is also hoped the lessons will serve as a “reality check” for policy makers.Social implicationsThe research also suggests there is a high risk that existing policy may be ambitious and have unintended adverse social implications.Originality/valueThe research approach is innovative in its use of social media. The research probes the impact on councils of financial crises at a local level and reports unintended consequences which might not otherwise have been identified. Lessons from other countries' responses may also be of benefit in developing future responses.
Does patient‐centred care mean risk aversion and risk ignoring?
Authors: Andersson Thomas , Liff Roy 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis article aims to describe and analyze the results of efforts to improve patient‐centered care (PCC) in psychiatric healthcare.Design/methodology/approachUsing the methodology of a qualitative case study, the authors studied three Swedish child and adolescent psychiatric care (CAP) units in order to describe how patient‐centered actions are performed. They conducted 62 interviews, made 11 half‐day observations, and shadowed employees for two days.FindingsThe article shows that the increased focus on accountability for unit performance and medical risks results in unintended consequences. The patient's medical risk is transformed to a personal risk for the psychiatrist and the resource risk is transformed to a personal risk for the unit manager. Patients become risk objects for both psychiatrists and unit managers, which creates an alignment between them to try to send patients elsewhere. New public management (NPM) reforms may consequently lead to the institutionalization of unintended healthcare practices.Practical implicationsThe article shows that accountability pressure to reduce patient risk may create new risks for patients.Originality/valueThe study uses theoretical concepts of risk tradeoffs (risk substitution and risk transformation), which were developed for the macro level, to explain the unintended consequences of NPM reforms at the micro level.
Failed culture change aimed at more service provision: a test of three agentic factors
Authors: Yolanda Jorritsma Petra , Wilderom Celeste 
Published: May 2012

PurposeHeadquarters managers of a medium‐sized manufacturing company initiated a culture change in five of their dispersed wholesale units. The aim was for more external service quality. This paper aims to report the results of a test of three hypotheses, shedding light on the behavior of the involved agents. The hypotheses are rooted in the change management literature.Design/methodology/approachThe present study rests both on quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews) field data collected in two discrete phases over 3.5 years and obtained from the operational employees. The authors use their quantitative survey data to examine agentic explanations for the failed change; their qualitative data corroborated the findings.FindingsNo culture change or service improvement was detected. Despite the fact that local change agents were not the initiators or owners of the intended change, employee satisfaction with the local change agents (situated in the service units) was found to explain variance in the culture and climate scores. The results underscore, furthermore, the critical importance of training employees, or lack thereof, in instituting the required new behavior.Originality/valueMost change‐management research collects data from the managers' point of view. There are relatively few studies like this one that have been conducted from the perspective of those employees working in frontline service units. Meeting the challenge to improve external and internal service through culture change is crucial in many firms, for their survival and growth; accomplishing such organisational change (in which both culture and climate are positively affected) does indeed require experienced change‐management skills. Results of this study recommend the honing of the change‐management skill “coaching” for experienced managers, even though they themselves may not feel such a need.
Existentialism and organizational behaviour
Authors: Blomme Robert J. , Bornebroek‐Te Lintelo Kirsten 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis article aims to develop a conception consisting of insights from complexity theory and additional notions from Weick's sense‐making theory and existentialism for examining organization behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThis paper carries out a literature review of Karl Weick's theory of sense‐making and some notions from existentialism to discuss the possible contributions to complexity theory and with this a further comprehension of organizational behaviour.FindingsFour existential conditions, namely death, freedom, existentialism and meaninglessness, give a further comprehension of Weick's concept of equivocality. Equivocality is an important input for organizing processes. The complexity of organizing processes is an object for examining organizational behaviour from a complexity scientific standpoint. The authors argue that the concept of equivocality and with this the states of equilibrium in an organization can be approached with examining the states of the mentioned four existential conditions.Practical implicationsAn important point of application for change managers in an organization is equivocality. The increase of equivocality will lead to a shift in the state of equilibrium in which new themes will emerge and corresponding organisational behaviour. The level of equivocality is due to the presence of existential fears. Hence, change managers should focus on existential themes and anxieties in an organization to advance emergent change.Originality/valueNew in this paper is the usage of notions from existentialism to elaborate Weick's conception of sense‐making. Also this paper discusses the possible contribution of this elaboration to research of organisational behaviour from the perspective of complexity theory.
Offshore outsourcing of IT services as new service development
Authors: Gul Rashid Amber 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis paper is based on a portion of the research undertaken as part of the author's doctorate study and aims to look at change and its management in the context of the offshore outsourcing of IT services.Design/methodology/approachTwo longitudinal case studies were conducted in a large multinational. The study looks at the scenario mainly from the viewpoint of the onshore IT front‐line staff; some high level managers were also included. Offshore staff did not form part of the research.FindingsChange and its management form an important aspect of the process of offshore outsourcing of IT services; observing this aspect from the new service development point of view gives an in‐depth picture of the issues involved. A pictorial representation of this process has been presented in this research.Originality/valueThis paper looks at change and its management from the perspective of the offshore outsourcing of IT services in terms of new service development – previous studies have not focused on this area in this context.
How logistics‐service providers can develop value‐added services for SMEs: a dyadic perspective
Authors: Soinio Juho , Tanskanen Kari , Finne Max 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis work aims to combine the perspectives of logistics‐service providers (LSPs) and small and medium‐sized enterprises (SME) in the development of value‐added logistics services. The purpose was to create a theory‐based and initially tested framework that could help both service providers and SMEs identify new opportunities for developing their logistics.Design/methodology/approachThe research followed design‐science methodology and was carried out via semi‐structured interviews within the case company (a large Finnish LSP), its customers, and experts from the area of logistics services. Data on companies offering value‐added logistics services were also used in the research. The focus of the research was on advanced value‐added logistics services.FindingsThe paper presents a framework for categorizing logistics services for SMEs and proposes new logistics‐service models for SME customers. Altogether, three service models are proposed to bridge the gap between LSP and SME customers. In particular, the consulting‐oriented approach seemed to be appropriate for the SMEs. The other two models, 3PL with planning and Outsourced Chief Logistics Officer, require more effort from both parties.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper presents a theoretical framework for categorizing logistics services and discusses the strategic options for an LSP to expand its service portfolio. However, further empirical research related to logistics‐service design is needed to develop the framework further and to improve its external validity.Practical implicationsThis work offers insights that support LSPs to develop their service offerings to better match the needs of SMEs, and also allow managers of SMEs to better utilize the available LSP competence and services.Originality/valueThe existing research in the area of value‐added logistics services has mainly focused on either the customer perspective or the service‐provider perspective. The dyad combining these perspectives has been largely neglected. Furthermore, studies in this area have been on large enterprises as opposed to SMEs. This work fills this gap by designing value‐added logistics‐service models that combine SME needs with LSP capabilities.
Logistics evolution: a comparison of military and commercial logistics thought
Authors: Rutner Stephen M. , Aviles Maria , Cox Scott 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThis paper aims to look at the relative position of thought leadership between the areas of military and civilian logisticians.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a theoretical framework in an exploratory study using the literature to evaluate the constraints on the military side of logistics thought.FindingsThe discussion identifies challenges that may preclude military logistics thought from becoming the leaders for the foreseeable future.Originality/valueThe paper provides an examination of the changing role between military and civilian logistics that has not been carefully examined since just after the Gulf War in 1991.
The future of management as design: a thought experiment
Authors: Bouchard Véronique , del Forno Léon 
Published: May 2012

PurposeManagement practices and education are presently in a stage of reappraisal and a growing number of scholars and experts are suggesting that managers should be taught and adopt the approach and methodologies of designers. The purpose of this paper is to imagine the impact of this move and to try and foresee whether “management as design” is an inescapable evolution or just another management fad.Design/methodology/approachOnce the notion of management as design is defined, a thought experiment is proposed to the reader under the guise of a forged business case whose various implications are progressively exposed and discussed.FindingsThe adoption of a design approach holds profound transformative potential for the positioning, offer, value chain and processes of firms but it also implies a substantial re‐arranging of the relations between co‐workers, and between managers and subordinates. Beyond the initial shock that the introduction of a radically different approach inevitably entails, management as design is exposed to three perils: the reduction of design approaches and methods to a mere set of tools in the hands of self‐appointed experts; the rejection of its open‐ended and inclusive methods on account of their lengthy and time‐consuming nature; the inherently hard‐to‐manage relations between traditional managers, on the one hand, and managers as designers, on the other.Originality/valueThe article uses the power of a fictional narrative to explore and draw some of the firm‐level and individual‐level implications of the adoption of “management as design” approaches and methodologies by a hypothetical company.
Organizational design drivers to enable emergent creativity in web‐based communities
Authors: De Toni Alberto F. , Biotto Gianluca , Battistella Cinzia 
Published: May 2012

PurposeIn the stream of works studying complexity from an organizational viewpoint, literature is focused mainly on describing new organizational forms (holonic organization, circular organization, virtual corporation, …) and on conceptual works identifying new managerial principles to manage emergence (job enrichment, de‐regulation, …). But literature still lacks “actionable knowledge” on management of emergent processes. Therefore, the authors seek to propose an empirical analysis with the aim of finding the organizational design drivers that enable self‐organization. As creativity could be understood as an important precondition for both adaptation and innovation in an age of complexity, the authors focus on creativity emergence process.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is based on a framework of self‐organization principles. The authors derived it from the literature and used it to empirically analyse open innovation web‐based platforms for creativity. They are deemed particularly important because their open and collaborative innovation process is often self‐organized and their collaboration relationships seem to be loosely coupled. Therefore, they are a good ground to investigate the alternatives to managerial hierarchy and the knowledge‐based organizations associated with emergence and self‐organization.FindingsThe results highlight important organizational design choices to enable self‐organization process: organic structure composed by activity systems to enable reconfiguration; roles enlargement and enrichment and cognitive diversity to enable redundancy; collaboration and participatory decision‐making and social capital and networking to enable interconnection; values adaptation, motivations and rules to enable sharing principle.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the empirical knowledge on emergence process, translating the principles of self‐organization in managerial actions.
Gender differences in brand commitment, impulse buying, and hedonic consumption
Authors: Tifferet Sigal , Herstein Ram 
Published: May 2012

PurposeGender is one of the most common forms of segmentation used by marketers. However, not enough data on gender differences has been collected in the field of consumer behavior. Based on tenets from evolutionary psychology, the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize that in comparison to men, women will report higher levels of brand commitment, hedonic consumption, and impulse buying.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 257 students (153 males and 104 females; M age=29.9, SD=6.7) completed questionnaires.FindingsAs hypothesized, women had higher levels of brand commitment (t(254)=2.32, p < 0.05, Cohen's d=0.31), hedonic consumption (t(254)=4.19, p < 0.01, Cohen's d=0.53), and impulse buying in comparison to men.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted on shopping in general, while gender differences may be product‐dependent.Practical implicationsSince women have higher levels of brand commitment than men, retailers should promote high quality brands for their female customers. Since women have higher levels of impulse buying in comparison to men, and since impulse buying is triggered by sensual cues, retailers can accentuate sensory cues in stores whose products tend to appeal to women. For example, sale assistants might encourage women to touch products, so they can experience the product tactilely as well as visually. On‐site ads and pop displays should have a stronger impact in women's departments, due to increased impulse buying.Originality/valueGender differences in consumer behavior, though recognized as an important topic, have attracted only limited research attention. This paper helps fill that gap while incorporating an evolutionary viewpoint, which is emerging as a valuable theoretical perspective in the field of marketing.
Comparison approach on strain behavior of PBGA assembly by considering different thermal‐mechanical compound loading modes
Authors: Tan Guangbin , Yang Ping , Li Tianbo , Xi Tao , Yuan Xiaoming , Yang Jianming 
Published: May 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic method to perform analysis and test for vibration‐thermal strain behavior of plastic ball grid array (PBGA) assembly by considering thermal and vibration loading mode. Also to investigate the dynamic behavior of PBGA assembly by considering loading modes for design and reliability evaluation of PBGA packaging.Design/methodology/approachA PBGA assembly prototype with different structure and material parameters is designed and manufactured. Based on investigation of the structural and physical parameters of PBGA sample, the vibration‐thermal strain test is developed to measure the strain distribution at the surface of the BT (bismaleimide triazine) substrates and PCB (printed circuit board) surface under vibration‐thermal cycling loading such as random vibration and the temperature is changed from 0°C to 100°C.FindingsThe test results show that the loading modes have different impact on PCB, EMC and substrate, respectively. In the meantime, it is shown that the characteristics of the compound mode is not the linear accumulative result by single vibration mode and single thermal loading mode as forecasted. The nonlinear mechanism for these modes application is the future work for progress.Research limitations/implicationsIt is very difficult to set up a numerical approach to illustrate the validity of the testing approach because the complex loading modes and the complex structure of PBGA assembly. The research on an accurate mathematical model of the PBGA assembly prototype is a future work.Practical implicationsIt implies a potential design characteristic for future application of PBGA assembly. It also builds a basis for future work for design and reliability evaluation of BGA package.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils useful information about the thermal‐vibration coupling dynamic behavior of PBGA assembly with different structure characteristics, materials parameters.