bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modal shift for greener logistics – the shipper's perspective
Authors: Eng‐Larsson Fredrik , Kohn Christofer 
Published: January 2012

PurposeA commonly suggested measure to make logistics greener is a shift to intermodal road‐rail transportation. Most research addresses the issue from the carrier's perspective, arguing for ways to improve the service production to better fit the shippers' demand. In this article the issue is addressed from the shipper's perspective. The purpose is to understand what contextual factors and operations changes that are possible and/or necessary for the shipper to make a fit to the current production system.Design/methodology/approachSix case companies selling non‐bulk, fast moving goods are examined. These firms have gone against the mainstream and shifted modes of transport. They are investigated through a multiple case‐study design.FindingsThe findings indicate that contextual factors stressed in the carrier‐focused literature, or rule of thumb decisions made by shipping logistics management, do not always clearly predict the success of a modal shift. However, some common denominators emerge among successful cases: large transport purchasing resources, high general carrier performance, low demand volatility, and centralized system control. The study also poses some propositions regarding the success of a modal shift.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is qualitative in nature and thus limited to the companies and their respective logistics systems. However, the models could be further evaluated empirically through quantitative and qualitative methods alike.Practical implicationsThe paper poses a number of propositions of what constitutes a successful modal shift from a shipper's perspective, based on the identified factors and operational changes.Originality/valuePrevious research on the shift to intermodal road‐rail solutions are predominantly made from a carrier's perspective. This research addresses the issue from the shipper's perspective.
Supply risk management: model development and empirical analysis
Authors: Kern Daniel , Moser Roger , Hartmann Evi , Moder Marco 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a model for upstream supply chain risk management linking risk identification, risk assessment and risk mitigation to risk performance and validate the model empirically. The effect of a continuous improvement process on identification, assessment, and mitigation is also included in the model.Design/methodology/approachA literature review is undertaken to derive the hypotheses and operationalize the included constructs. The paper then tests the path analytical model using partial least squares analyses on survey data from 162 large and mid‐sized manufacturing companies located in Germany.FindingsAll items load high on their respective constructs and the data provides robust support to all hypothesized relationships. Superior risk identification supports the subsequent risk assessment and this in turn leads to better risk mitigation. The model explains 46 percent of the variance observed in risk performance.Research limitations/implicationsThis study empirically validates the sequential effect of the three risk management steps on risk performance as well as the influence of continuous improvement activities. Limitations of this study can be seen in the use of perceptional data from single informants and the focus on manufacturing firms in a single country.Practical implicationsThe detailed operationalization of the constructs sheds further light on the problem of measuring risk management efforts. Clear evidence of the performance effect of risk management provides managers with a business case to invest in such initiatives.Originality/valueThis is one of the first large‐scale, empirical studies on the process dimensions of upstream supply chain risk management.
The joint effects of compensation frames and price levels on service recovery of online pricing error
Authors: Lii Yuan‐shuh , Lee Monle 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore the joint effect of compensation frames and product‐price levels on consumer attitudinal reactions and behavioral intentions after a service failure involving online pricing error.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (compensation frames: dollar off versus percentage off) x 2 (product‐price levels: high‐price versus low‐price) between‐subjects factorial design was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that consumers perceive a price reduction for compensation framed in dollar terms as more (less) fair than the same price reduction framed in percentage terms for high‐price product (low‐price product). The higher consumer perceptions of compensation fairness are, the more likely consumers are to have positive post‐recovery satisfaction and trust. Consequently, consumers who are satisfied with the compensation effort are more likely to trust the service firm, engage in positive eWOM behavior, and purchase the item.Practical implicationsWhen online retailers decide to honor their erroneous pricing on their web sites by compensating consumers with price reduction, they must learn the product‐price conditions in which the effectiveness of compensation frames can reach a higher level.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous studies have examined the joint effect of compensation frames and product‐price levels on consumers' attitudinal reactions and behavioral intentions involving service recovery of online pricing errors.
Joint service development – the creations of the prerequisite for the service development
Authors: Gottfridsson Patrik 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to describe how parted or divided service development is carried out, where interactions and cooperation need to take place with other actors in order to create the foundations for the service, in the form of a coherent specification of the extended service concept.Design/methodology/approachThis study builds empirically on an in‐depth longitudinal case‐study approach using data from a development project within the public transport sector. By the time this study is published, the phase that deals with the development of the system requirements and specifications will be in its final stages, while the next phase – the actual creation of the technology‐based systems and the test launch – will have been initiated.FindingsIn this study, three important groups of actors were identified. The first group, the information carriers, are the actors from the different organisations participating in the project who possess the important knowledge that should be tapped out and translated. The second group is the translators who are the ones that gather the knowledge from the other actors and interpret and translate this knowledge. In order to make this possible and to facilitate the process, the third group, the supporting actors or facilitators, plays an important role.Originality/valueThis study provides an alternative view of new service development from a knowledge transfer perspective, which is in contrast to the highly structured and sequenced models that have characterised most of the existing research on service development.
Satisfaction and zone of tolerance: the moderating roles of elaboration and loyalty programs
Authors: Wu Li‐Wei , Wang Chung‐Yu 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThis study seeks to understand how elaboration and loyalty programs affect the relative importance of satisfaction and the zone of tolerance (ZOT) in determining customer loyalty to an airline service provider.Design/methodology/approachHierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsCustomers with high elaboration rely more heavily on satisfaction than the ZOT to maintain customer loyalty. In addition, loyalty programs can decrease the effect of satisfaction on customer loyalty, but cannot increase the strength of the relationship between the ZOT and customer loyalty.Originality/valueThis study is a preliminary attempt to integrate the ZOT and satisfaction in determining customer loyalty in a simultaneous model. The findings suggest that there is a trade‐off between the effects of satisfaction and the ZOT on customer loyalty. Most importantly, the results provide new insights into the loyalty response with regard to dissatisfaction.
Customer loyalty and the role of relationship length
Authors: Wang Chung‐Yu , Wu Li‐Wei 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe objective of this study is to examine the effect of corporate image, perceived value, and switching costs on customer loyalty in customer/provider relationships of different length.Design/methodology/approachFive key constructs, namely: corporate image, perceived value, switching costs, customer loyalty, and length of relationship, were employed. Using a systematic sampling technique, student interviewers randomly approached customers exiting hair salons. The final survey sample consisted of 279 respondents.FindingsThis paper supports a contingency model with regard to customer loyalty and its antecedents. The results suggest that corporate image impacts customer loyalty in both newer and older relationships. Whereas in newer relationships, corporate image has a cardinal influence on switching costs, in more‐established relationships switching costs are influenced primarily by perceived value. In both cases, switching costs influence customer loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsAs extant research claims that relationship quality, and not length, moderates the relationship between loyalty/repurchase behavior and their antecedents, future research could adopt relationship quality as a moderator to test the model of the present study.Practical implicationsThe results support the importance of enhancing corporate image to retain newer customers. In longer‐established relationships, corporate image remains a determinant of repurchase decisions. However, customer value also has a significant influence on switching costs and loyalty.Originality/valueThe current study moves beyond customer‐perceived value, switching costs, and corporate image to demonstrate that relationship length has a significant influence on customer loyalty.
Effects of customer expertise on spillovers between products and services
Authors: Ding Yi , Chai Kai‐Hin 
Published: January 2012

PurposeBased on associative network theory and a service systems perspective, this study aims to investigate the spillover effects of quality and customer satisfaction between products and services and, in particular, the role of customer expertise in this process.Design/methodology/approachOverall, 457 valid responses were collected through a questionnaire survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.FindingsEmpirical support was found for spillover effects. For tech‐savvy users, spillover from network service quality has a positive impact on the formation of satisfaction with handsets; however, for non‐tech‐savvy users, spillovers only occur between satisfaction and loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has extended understanding of the relationships between quality, satisfaction, and loyalty in a multi‐context setting. Future research could study spillovers longitudinally and examine such effects in other emerging mobile contexts.Practical implicationsManaging quality and satisfaction is increasingly complex given that customers are seeking for a holistic experience. Measurement based on pure‐product or pure‐service should be improved by taking a more systematic approach. Mobile phones render people unprecedented connections with the world, thus transforming every aspect of the society. A reorientation to the user and their use contexts can contribute to better mobile communication experiences.Originality/valueThis study views the product and service as part of a service system that holistically delivers value‐in‐use. Furthermore, the role of customers as resource integrators is recognized by including their knowledge as an input for need fulfilment.
HR strategy delivers industry‐leading performance at Mitchells & Butlers
Authors: Phillips Liz 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe how a coherent HR strategy focused on delivering the company's key strategic goals has helped Mitchells & Butlers, a UK operator of restaurants and pubs, to post industry‐leading sales and profit growth over the past three years.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explains the reasons behind the reforms, the form they took and the results they have achieved.FindingsReports, among other things, increased employee engagement, higher job satisfaction, lower staff turnover, a 500 percent return on investment in a multi‐unit leadership program and a 5.2 percent rise in productivity.Practical implicationsReveals, for the company as a whole, an increased operating margin, growth in market share, higher customer satisfaction, lower departmental costs, a rise in like‐for‐like food sales and average profits per pub the highest in the industry.Originality/valueThe paper gives an inside view of strategic transformation at a key UK company.
Training and coaching boost performance of sales staff at B&Q
Authors: Drake‐Knight Nick 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a Model of Excellence™ that has helped to improve the performance of sales staff at retailing giant B&Q, among other organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explains the background to the Model of Excellence™ and some of the results it has achieved.FindingsThere are three levels of influence of the Model of Excellence™ – explicit standards, consistency and sustainability. The paper reveals how the Continue & Begin™ fast‐coaching model for on‐the‐spot coaching of sales employees and their colleagues is being used by many of the world's leading automotive and retail operators to reinforce sales training.Practical implicationsThe paper shows that the fast‐coaching approach is ideal for use when observing sales behaviors in situ as well as being a proven method for making the most of mystery‐shop video footage or telephone‐call recordings.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the importance of creating an explicit set of standards (the sales process) that people can relate to, that they believe could be achievable, that they can incorporate into their daily lives, and training sales staff to deliver them.
Work‐life balance at Shanghai Shuozhi Management Consulting
Authors: Han Yong , Zhao Hongdan 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe family‐friendly policies at Shanghai Shuozhi Management Consulting Co. Ltd.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the background to the policies, the form they take and some of the results they achieve.FindingsThe paper reports the role of stable monthly pay and perks; family‐supportive supervisors; family‐friendly colleagues; professional‐development programs; child‐related support programs; and physical health and psychological well being programs at Shanghai Shuozhi Management Consulting.Practical implicationsThe view is advanced that organizations and employees in China who want to have a work‐family benefits workplace should adopt the strategies mentioned in this paper. The paper situates family‐friendly policies at Shanghai Shuozhi Management Consulting in the context of Chinese society as a whole.Originality/valueThe paper considers some of the similarities and differences between work‐life balance policies at Shanghai Shuozhi Management Consulting and those in the west.
When Fintel fails to connect
Authors: Khan Anas , Khan Riad 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline the importance of having a close and integrated human resources (HR) relationship for good customer service. The paper focuses on the examples of Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL), Fiji International Telecommunications Limited (Fintel) and Connect Internet Service Fiji Limited.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on data collected from various company and government publications, plus the HR literature.FindingsIt is argued that everyone in an organization needs to work in collaboration to deliver optimal customer service. The paper reveals, through examples, that if an organization does not have a climate conducive to close and integrated relationships, customer service and organizational performance will be impaired.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the importance of HR executives imposing the right environment to ensure close and integrated relationships among employees for optimal performance, and emphasizes the effects of close relationships in the organization on customer contentment.Originality/valueThe paper presents the arguments in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
Supporting the underperforming manager
Authors: Garwood Rosie 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to lament the poor quality of many managers and highlight four key skills that can help to improve their performance.Design/methodology/approachThe paper emphasizes the importance of self‐awareness, delegation, communication and organizational skills.FindingsDetails the key role of training in helping to impart these skills.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the role of a supportive organizational culture in management development and draws attention to the cost to the economy as a whole of poorly performing managers.Originality/valueThe paper examines how middle managers' potential can be developed and maximized to benefit individual organizations and the economy as a whole.
Interview with Maggie Craddock, author of Power Genes: Understanding Your Power Persona – and How to Wield it at Work
Authors: by William Strange Interview 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide an interview with Maggie Craddock, author of Power Genes: Understanding Your Power Persona – and How to Wield It at Work.Design/methodology/approachThe interview is conducted by an independent interviewer.FindingsMaggie Craddock is an Executive Coach and author of The Authentic Career: Following the Path of Self‐discovery to Professional Fulfillment. Prior to coaching, she received two Lipper Awards for managing the top mutual fund in its class nationwide. She is an Ackerman‐certified family therapist.Practical implicationsMaggie Craddock discusses the professional implications of her Power Personas model and how this can be used to draw on existing strengths and resolve conflict.Originality/valueSelf‐awareness of individual power styles is an invaluable tool for mastering your professional and personal skills.
The indeterminacy of a flexible exchange rate system when financial markets are dormant
Authors: McPherson Sandra , Suliman Osman , Sweidan Osama 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which a flexible exchange rate system is able to function given a least developed economy where financial markets are inactive and economic growth is low.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical general equilibrium model is developed to examine the determinacy of a flexible exchange rate system on a small open market economy on the verge of subsistence. Using data from Sudan, an empirical analysis is conducted to find support for the theoretical results.FindingsThe theoretical analysis finds that in economies on the verge of subsistence with inactive financial markets, a flexible exchange rate system is indeterminate and thus will not work. In support of the theoretical results, the empirical analysis indicates that the financial deepening of an economy has a significant positive impact on the determinacy of the exchange rate.Research limitations/implicationsThe robustness of the empirical results would be strengthened by examining the significance of financial deepening on exchange rates for additional economies with a large subsistence sector beyond Sudan.Practical implicationsA policy recommendation for economies on the verge of subsistence such as Sudan is to develop their financial institutions in order to increase their competitiveness in the exchange rate market. Moreover, future empirical studies on the impact of exchange rate changes should include monetary variables in order to reflect the degree of an economy's financial market advancement.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that under conditions of subsistence, general equilibrium models of devaluation are determinant only when supply functions are based on absolute prices and not relative prices.
Toward a learning‐based view of innovation
Authors: Dai Zong 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify learning‐based management innovation that is essential to the firm's competitive advantage, and to develop a conceptual model of learning‐enabled innovation and research propositions for future research.Design/methodology/approachThis paper examines how four business firms develop their enterprise learning‐based innovation as a solution for a business crisis they face. The research methodology employs a fact‐based principle that combines quantitative and qualitative methods. Data were collected and analyzed at the corporate level of the subject organizations.FindingsThe cases in this study exemplify that in business crises a firm can be successful by developing a learning‐based innovation that is different from the classical paradigm of technology‐enabled innovation.Research limitations/implicationsThe cases in this study are successful stories from the best practice in organizational learning. Even if learning‐enabled innovation successes were repeated in large numbers of cases, they would still be tentative research propositions for scientific exploration in the future.Practical implicationsThe conceptual model of learning‐enabled innovation developed by this study would be practical and useful for business firms that seek a competitive solution for succeeding in a business crisis. A business or organizational transformation through learning‐based innovation would be much less painful than an ordinary organizational changing process and would more likely be successful.Originality/valueThis paper has tentatively developed a conceptual framework and a research proposition for future research in the learning‐based view of innovation.