bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Ethical evaluation by consumers: the role of product harm and disclosure
Authors: Sun Pi‐Chuan , Chen Hsu‐Ping , Wang Kuang‐cheng 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of product harm, consumers' product knowledge and firms' negative information disclosure on ethical evaluation of a firm, especially, the moderating effects of product knowledge and negative information disclosure.Design/methodology/approachA 3×2×2 between‐subject design with three levels of product harm, two levels of product knowledge, and two treatments of negative information was used in this study. The experimental product is diet food.FindingsThe findings reveal that the level of product harm affects consumers' ethical evaluation. Furthermore, the individual's ethical evaluation will influence his or her purchase intention. The main effect of subjective knowledge is significant while its moderating effect is not significant. It is also found that the negative information disclosure will lower consumer's ethical evaluation of a firm, and the effect of product harm on ethical evaluation will be stronger for harmful products than for harmless products when the negative information is disclosed.Practical implicationsMarketers might need to be especially responsive if their practices result in a diminished reputation for their firms and lost sales. Exploiting the vulnerability of consumers or worsening their situation by marketing harmful products might be evaluated as unethical under principles of justice. It is suggested that marketers include increased disclosures of actual product harm levels relative to industry norms.Originality/valueConsumers' product knowledge and firms' negative information disclosure are integrated into the model, exploring the effect of product harm on consumer's ethical evaluation of a firm and their moderating effects are discussed.
Segmentation of Taiwanese consumers based on trust in the food supply system
Authors: Chen Mei‐Fang 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to segment Taiwanese consumers based on their trust in the food supply system and to demographically characterize each segment so as to aid the actors and institutions involved in the food supply system in formulating more effective communication strategies for different segments and to assist the consumers in increasing their trust in food safety.Design/methodology/approachA total of 592 useful responses were elicited as the data input for cluster analysis, repeated measures ANOVA tests, and chi‐square tests.FindingsCluster analysis reveals that the 592 respondents in Taiwan can be segmented into three clusters: consumers who are pessimistic, neutral, or optimistic about food safety. Moreover, the repeated measures ANOVA tests for each segment disclose that among the food supply system the foods imported from abroad are perceived by the three clusters to be the least, while the government responsible for food safety inspection and checking the most, trustworthy. The chi‐square test results reveal that the pessimistic consumers seem to be composed of a higher percentage of respondents whose level of education and amount of monthly income are below average.Practical implicationsFor food safety a government agency, TFDA, has been set up to be in charge of the task of monitoring conscientiously all of the players in the food supply chain, including the importation system.Originality/valueThis is the first study to segment Taiwanese consumers based on their trust in the food supply system. Based on the findings, suggestions are provided to benefit the actors and institutions involved in the food supply system in Taiwan.
Consumers' perceptions of HPP and PEF food products
Authors: Sonne Anne‐Mette , Grunert Klaus G. , Veflen Olsen Nina , Granli Britt‐Signe , Szabó Erzsébet , Banati Diana 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine consumer attitudes towards apple juice produced by means of two new processing technologies, high‐pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric field processing (PEF).Design/methodology/approachMeans‐end chain approach is used. Laddering interviews are conducted with consumers in Norway, Denmark, Hungary and Slovakia.FindingsConsumers in this study did recognize and appreciate the benefits that HPP and PEF apple juice have to offer over a juice produced by pasteurization. The respondents in all four countries associated positive consequences with product attributes related to the nutritional value and the taste of the products produced by means of these novel technologies. Also the environmental benefits from processing foods by applying these technologies were seen as highly positive characteristics of the technologies. However, many respondents also expressed some scepticism, especially towards the PEF treated juice and were unsure about if there were risks associated with consuming products processed by this technology.Practical implicationsWhen new processing technologies are introduced, consumer acceptance is one of the key issues for their future success. It is up to food producers and food scientists to provide the evidence that will convince consumers that these new technologies are safe to use.Originality/valueThis research contributes to the limited knowledge on consumer attitudes towards food products produced by HPP and PEF. From a general perspective, the research expands the body of knowledge on consumer perception of food technologies.
Consumer knowledge about dietary fats: another French paradox?
Authors: Saulais Laure , Doyon Maurice , Ruffieux Bernard , Kaiser Harry 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare knowledge about dietary fats in some dairy products and other foods across consumers from France, (French‐speaking) Canada and the USA. A relation is explored between the types of information, knowledge levels and obesity predominance.Design/methodology/approachA nine‐question nutritional test was developed and administered to three samples of consumers, respectively in Grenoble (France), Quebec, Canada and Ithaca, New York. In France, Canada and the USA the number of participants was respectively 100, 107 and 120. Participants were recruited randomly outside groceries stores and the test was administered directly through one‐on‐one interviews.FindingsResults indicate a significant gap in knowledge between consumers from the three countries studied. The level and quality of knowledge seems to be correlated with the nature of the informational background: a wider availability of information such as nutrition facts and public health recommendations on fat consumption seems to have a positive effect on the general level of knowledge. However, “technical” knowledge seems to be inversely correlated to the level of obesity.Research limitations/implicationsThis work is of an exploratory nature and the sample might not be representative of the countries' population. Further works that link food knowledge and food consumption patterns would be needed.Practical implicationsThis study gives weight to the hypothesis that a “science” or nutrient approach to food might not result in appropriate food choices; consumers losing sight of the big picture. To confirm this hypothesis, further work would be needed.Originality/valueThis is, to the authors' knowledge, the first cross‐country study that attempts to link the type of knowledge on fat in food and predominance of obesity. This should encourage nutritionist to further investigate this link. It should also concern the dairy industry, given most often consumers' perception of dairy products' fat content is overestimated, especially for fluid milk in France.
Milk prices in a deregulated market
Authors: Franks Jeremy , Hauser Sarah 
Published: January 2012

PurposeWhen the UK's Milk Marketing Boards (MMB) were disbanded in 1994 the formal link between the farm gate milk price with the milk's end‐use was broken. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether milk prices fell to their “marginal value in the least remunerative use” or whether “the market had put in place some other mechanism for raising the price upwards”.Design/methodology/approachAn on‐line survey of UK milk producers, open to all, conducted in the summer of 2008, explored farmers' knowledge of their milk contract, the use of their milk, and the reasons for choosing their current milk buyer.FindingsA liquid milk price premium (of 1.06ppl.) was earned by farmers who: sold on liquid milk contracts to processors, rather than to one of the three large farmer‐owned co‐operatives; and who recently switched milk buyer. Switching incurred high transaction costs, additional uncertainty, and went against commitments to the co‐operative ideal.Practical implicationsPublication of differences between a buyer's milk price and a benchmark related to how the milk is processed, (a D‐score), cumulative difference values (D_C), 12 and 24 monthly moving average difference measures (D_MA12 and D_MA24 respectively) alongside milk buyers' milk price would improved supply chain transparency, and lower farmers' switching costs. It would also help farmers to treat their milk's final markets, rather than their milk buyer, as their customers.Originality/valueThe paper puts forward practical suggestions that have never been discussed by the UK supply chain, even though they would have direct and indirect benefits to the actors involved.
Museum object as document
Authors: Latham Kiersten F. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to understand the meaning of museum objects from an information perspective. Links are made from Buckland's conceptual information framework as a semiotic to museum object as “document” and finally to user experience of these museum “documents”. The aim is to provide a new lens through which museum studies researchers can understand museum objects and for LIS researchers to accept museum objects as another form of document to be studied.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual and comparative analysis of Buckland's information typology as a semiotic. Outcome of analysis forms a model of understanding the museum object as a “document” that is accessed by users on a continuum of experience.FindingsMichael Buckland's information typology is insightful and useful for a broad understanding of what all heritage institutions have in common: the physical object. Buckland helps us see the museum as an information system, the museum object as a document, and the multidimensional use of the concept information and its semiotic ramifications.Originality/valueBuckland's typology is important to an understanding of the museum system and museum object in both LIS and museum studies. The concept of “document” opens up a broader perspective, which creates, rather than limits understandings of the human relationship with information. This expanded concept of “document” as sign/semiotic helps us understand user experience in ways not previously explored in the convergence of museums and information studies, from the practical to the theoretical. In this inclusive sense, Buckland's concept of document is a unifying theoretical concept for museums, libraries, and archives.
What is a document institution? A case study from the South Sámi community
Authors: Grenersen Geir 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe Sámis are the indigenous population of Northern Scandinavia. When the oppressive policy against the Sámi population in Norway was lightened during the 1960s, many Sámi communities established language and cultural centers for documentation and development of their language and cultural heritage as the oral tradition lost its ground in the modernization process. This paper aims to discuss how Sámi cultural centers use documentation both as a way of remembering the past and as a political strategy in order to produce evidence for land and water claims.Design/methodology/approachThe Sámi centers are many‐faceted institutions and document theory is suggested as a theoretical perspective in order to analyze why these institutions were established and how they are functioning today.FindingsTwo cases are presented. The first shows how the centers use documentation as a technique for restoring the past. The second is a ruling in the Norwegian High Court that shows a new turn in what can be accepted as documents proving indigenous land and water claims.Originality/valueThis article is an attempt to introduce document theory as an analytical tool for analyzing the documentation processes in indigenous cultural centers.
Examining thematic elements in strategic business risk
Authors: Ojiako Udechukwu 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is exploratory. The author seeks to put forward propositions on how firms may best conceive business risks in an environment characterised by constant change and uncertainty. To construct such a reality, the author examines how the military manages its engagement with strategic risk and uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents a summated examination of literature published over the last four decades covering three major areas of management literature; risk management, competitive strategy and military tactics are conducted.FindingsThe propositions which are put forward provide the foundation for the empirical development of an appropriate framework for strategic risk management.Originality/valueThe major contribution of the study is that it has focused readers on not only strategic risk and competition, but on how lessons can be drawn from the military's experience of dealing with irregular forms of competition.
Capital structure theory and new technology firms: is there a match?
Authors: Coleman Susan , Robb Alicia 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which various theories of capital structure “fit” in the case of new technology‐based firms.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses data from the Kauffman Firm Survey, a longitudinal data set of over 4,000 firms in the USA. Descriptive statistics and multivariate results are provided.FindingsThe authors' findings reveal that new technology‐based firms demonstrate different financing patterns than firms that are not technology‐based.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough some support was found for both the Pecking Order and Life Cycle theories, the results also indicate that technology‐based entrepreneurs are both willing and able to raise substantial amounts of capital from external sources.Practical implicationsTechnology‐based entrepreneurs need external sources of equity, in particular, in order to launch and grow their firms.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, this is the first article to test specific theories of capital structure using a large sample of new technology‐based firms in the USA.
Encouraging CRM systems usage: a study among bank managers
Authors: Vella Joseph , Caruana Albert 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to seek to understand service providers and their intentions to use their organization's customer relationship management (CRM) technology. The paper identifies perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use as key elements that are critical in encouraging service providers' intention to use CRM systems.Design/methodology/approachThe research is grounded in the theory of reasoned action and the technology acceptance model. These are used as a basis for developing hypotheses of the relationships between the variables pertaining to the intention to use CRM systems, among a sample of service providers. Data are collected from a sample of managers in a community bank.FindingsResults indicate that the higher the perceived ease of use, the greater the perceived usefulness and the higher the intention to use CRM. Moreover, perceived usefulness is also found to act as a partial mediator between perceived ease of use and intention to use CRM.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to a single entity and consequently the results should be generalized with caution. Replication studies, that could possibly include additional variables, across other countries and contexts are desirable.Practical implicationsThe effect of Perceived Ease of Use on employees' intention to use CRM is supported, highlighting the need for management to devote adequate resources toward developing this aspect. This study is also helpful because it highlights the need for senior management to create the right environment to enhance systems adoption.Originality/valueThis paper investigates the interaction among these key elements and their effect on CRM systems adoption within a banking context, thereby contributing to better understanding of the underlying links.
Investigating reverse causality between human resource management policies and organizational performance in small firms
Authors: Katou Anastasia A. 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test reverse causality between human resource management (HRM) policies and organizational performance, through the intervening steps of employee attitudes (satisfaction, commitment, motivation) and employee behaviors (absences, turnover, disputes), which are still relatively untested in small firms and in a non‐US/UK context such as Greece.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was used to survey data from 197 small Greek private companies (manufacturing, services, trade) to examine causal inferences.FindingsThe study finds that HRM policies, being contingent on business strategies (cost, innovation, quality), have a positive effect on organizational performance through employee attitudes and employee behaviors. Furthermore, the study supports the view that although HRM policies do not directly lead to high organizational performance, it is high‐performing firms that can directly afford HRM policies.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough time‐lags are not present in the study in order to test time‐dependent reverse causality, the concept of instant changes is used to empirically demonstrate, through a simultaneous equation system, the causal order of the variables involved in the relationship under consideration.Practical implicationsBased on the business strategies of improvement of goods, quality enhancement and improvement of service, rather than on trying to cut costs and prices, the findings have implications for practitioners seeking to design HRM policies that will improve organizational performance.Originality/valueThe paper examines reverse causality within a simultaneous equations system expressing the relationship between HRM policies and organizational performance.
Nuclear snake‐arm robots
Authors: Buckingham Rob , Graham Andrew 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the use of snake‐arm robots to conduct inspection and repair operations within nuclear power plants. The systems that have been developed and deployed are described. Operational experience and results are provided. Inspection and repair of aging plant is increasingly important to continue to generate electricity safely from high value assets.Design/methodology/approachSnake‐arm robots are hyper‐redundant, multi‐jointed, wire rope drive manipulators that are able to snake between obstructions and gain access to areas that are inaccessible to people.FindingsThe benefits to nuclear operators arising from the deployment of snake arm robots include significant dose saving, increased quality and quantity of acquired data and the ability to enable repairs in highly confined spaces.Originality/valueThe two case studies are first‐of‐kind applications and indicate a direction of travel for the coming decades, both in the nuclear sector and far beyond.
Telepresence and delta style robots come of age at latest combined Automate and Promat Shows
Authors: Bloss Richard 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the Automate Show (robots and vision) and the Promat Show (material handling) that ran jointly in Chicago, with emphasis on the new robot innovations and applications on display.Design/methodology/approachIn‐depth interviews with exhibitors of robots, as well as system integrators who apply robots to specific categories of applications.FindingsTelepresence robots have come of age with multiple vendors offering units. Delta robots have found a niche in quick handling of packing and order assembly tasks.Practical implicationsCustomers will have to begin thinking of robots as much more that automated workers and start to envision them as tools for making it possible for people to be in more than one place at the same time. Logistics customers need to examine the abilities of the delta style robot to do more and faster order assembly than ever before.Originality/valueA fresh look at innovations in robotic technology for users. Robots are not limited to just “heavy” lifting any more.
A new bug‐type navigation algorithm for mobile robots in unknown environments containing moving obstacles
Authors: Zhu Yi , Zhang Tao , Song Jingyan , Li Xiaqin 
Published: January 2012

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to improve the traditional bug algorithms for the navigation of mobile robots in unknown environments by considering the limitations in previous works such as generating long path, limited to static environments as well as ignoring implementation issues. With this purpose, a new bug‐type algorithm termed Distance Histogram Bug (DH‐Bug) is proposed for overcoming these limitations.Design/methodology/approachDH‐Bug redefines the traditional motion modes and switching criteria to shorten the path length. In order to extend the framework of the traditional bug algorithms to tackle the navigation problem in dynamic environments, a new mode and the related switching conditions are designed for dealing with moving obstacles. Moreover, a realization method termed the Distance Histogram (DH) method which takes many implementation issues into full account is proposed for implementing DH‐Bug on real robots.FindingsDH‐Bug is convergent in static environments and it also guarantees “approximate” convergence based on several reasonable assumptions when there are moving obstacles. Simulations results show that DH‐Bug generates shorter average path length than some classical Bug algorithms in static environments and it also performs well in most simulations that contain moving obstacles except for some extremely adverse scenarios which have been discussed in the paper. Experiments on real robots further verify its applicability in both static environments and dynamic environments containing moving obstacles.Originality/valueCompared with previous works, DH‐Bug has three main contributions. First, in static environments, it can shorten the average path length than many classical bug algorithms in the premise of guaranteeing convergence. Second, it can be applied in dynamic environments containing moving obstacles. Third, unlike the previous bug algorithms that always ignore the practical implementation issues, DH‐Bug presents not only an abstract concept, but also a realization approach for realizing this concept on real robots.