bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effect of globalization on commitment to ethical corporate governance and corporate social responsibility in Lebanon
Authors: Charbaji Abdulrazzak 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the effect of globalization on a commitment to the principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical corporate governance in Lebanon.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 278 university educated employees of public and private firms in Lebanon were asked to complete a self‐administered questionnaire on various issues related to corporate governance. The data were then subjected to multiple regression analyses to establish the nature of relationships among constructs.FindingsThe study finds that commitment to ethical corporate governance among public‐sector organizations in Lebanon is mainly influenced by globalization and a desire to practice CSR, whereas such commitment among private‐sector organizations is mainly influenced by vision, a code of ethics, and a desire to practice CSR.Research limitations/implicationsBecause the concept of corporate governance is a relatively new notion in Lebanon, the selection of a relevant population from which to draw information was difficult. The use of a university‐educated sample has some advantages in terms of the respondents' relative familiarity with the subject under study, but can also have disadvantages in terms of possible sample bias.Practical implicationsEffective corporate governance can be achieved in Lebanon by building new corporate values within organizations and acknowledging the links that exist among environmental, economic, social, technological, and cultural values. Employees in both the public and private sectors in Lebanon should be educated about the importance of globalization, gender equality, and environmental protection, without any feelings of guilt that some of these ideas might contradict their traditional socio‐cultural values.Originality/valueGiven the general paucity of research on Lebanon, this study makes a significant contribution to knowledge about the emerging concepts of corporate governance and CSR in this country.
Spatial visualization and the gender gap in videogame interest among young adults
Authors: Dean Dwane H. 
Published: October 2009

PurposeVideogame play is more popular among young males compared with young females. The present study aims to investigate spatial visualization ability as an explanation for this gender gap. The premise is based on a well‐documented gender difference in spatial ability favoring males and assumes that spatial ability would be an advantage in playing videogames. Also, reports in the literature indicate improvement in spatial ability following videogame play, suggesting that play may specifically task spatial ability.Design/methodology/approachA convenience sample of 114 university students aged 18 to 24 answered questions on attitudes and videogame behavior and completed a psychometric test of spatial visualization ability.FindingsRegression analysis indicated that interest in videogame play is significantly predicted by gender, interest in science fiction, and number of semesters of foreign language completed (with the latter having a negative influence). Mediation analysis suggested that neither of the latter two variables mediates the gender effect. Although spatial visualization ability was significantly correlated with videogame interest, this was found to be a spurious (non‐causal) association, due to both variables being influenced by gender.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include the narrow age range of subjects (18‐24) and the focus of the study on spatial visualization ability and a limited number of other variables.Originality/valueThe finding that semesters of foreign language completed and interest in science fiction significantly predict videogame interest is apparently novel. The former variable may be a proxy for preference for verbal (semantic) information processing over visual information processing, and this may explain the significant negative correlation between semesters of foreign language completed and videogame interest.
How do children develop their aesthetic sensibility?
Authors: Ezan Pascale , Lagier Joëlle 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe objective of this research is to understand how children develop their aesthetic sensibility. This question will be examined using modern art pictures and logos.Design/methodology/approachThe study refers to a qualitative method based on interviews with children aged 7 to 12. A total of 24 children were questioned. In order to reinforce the corpus, the authors tried to even out the proportion of girls and boys and to vary their social origins. The study was conducted during the summer of 2007 in three activity centers situated in the west of France.FindingsThe paper indicates clearly a strong aesthetic sensibility in children. Visual beauty is the first criterion used for ranking in the scale of preference. The research also brings to light three individual characteristics that can be taken into account to understand how children develop their aesthetic judgment: involvement, age, and gender.Research limitations/implicationsThe study confirms the need to combine the methods of gathering data when dealing with children. The interviews raised a number of interesting points. However, an obstacle presented itself in the shape of the silence of a few children who were apparently troubled by the difficulty of the questions they were asked or by their lack of verbal skills to formulate their preferences clearly.Practical implicationsConcerning the managerial aspect, the three individual characteristics of a child aesthetic sensibility (involvement, age, and sex) could bring important indications to manufacturers who trade on the markets for children.Originality/valueRegarding the academic aspect, it is the first research that deals with the influence of aesthetic judgment of a child on the choice of products.
Understanding what Christmas gifts mean to children
Authors: Halkoaho Jenniina , Laaksonen Pirjo 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand what Christmas gifts mean to children by examining the features and styles of the letters that children write to Santa Claus.Design/methodology/approachContents and style of 314 authentic letters sent by UK children to Santa Claus were analyzed using an underlying interpretive consumer research approach.FindingsLetters to Santa contain expressions of needs, wants, desires, hopes and dreams related to Christmas. The majority of letters were identified as expressions of wants and desires, while only a few letters contained features of needs or dreaming. This implies that for children Christmas seems to be a rather unspiritual festival concerning having things rather than dreams coming true.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalization of findings is limited to Western welfare societies. Letters are not originally written for research purposes, and therefore lack background information about the writers and their writing situations.Practical implicationsAnalysis of letters to Santa offers an opportunity to identify the spirit of postmodern consumption with its contradictory aspects, and understand children as consumers. It is essential to recognize and understand the nature of the desires of today's children as they are an influential set of consumers.Originality/valueThe paper offers insights about the contemporary Christmas gift giving from the point of view of children. Contrary to previous studies, the central focus of the analysis is on gift request styles and letters as meaningful entities, not just on product categories or brands as such.
Consumers' perceptions: an analytical study of influence of consumer emotions and response
Authors: Kapoor Avinash , Kulshrestha Chinmaya 
Published: October 2009

PurposeCompanies are increasingly attempting to offer customers an experience of availability range, affordable cost, shopping convenience, and ambience. The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact of salesperson behavior on motivation, cognition, emotions, and responses of the consumers and to identify different responses to sales interaction according to their different perceptions. The purpose of this paper is to address the role of salesperson behavior and motivation mind‐set during the interactive sales encounter experience and whether they affect a consumer cognitions, emotions, and outcome behaviors.Design/methodology/approachBased on a literature review, a conceptual model is developed for this paper.FindingsThis paper has significant implications in terms of not only understanding the mechanisms that underlie selling effectiveness but also the role of consumer psychographics, sales encounter experience, and salespersons behavior influencing purchase decision making.Originality/valueFrom a managerial perspective, the paper contributes from a prescriptive stand point in terms of enabling sales people to select effective selling behaviors based on more than overt demographic characteristics. Theoretical contributions include examining the relationship among motivation, emotion, and cognition in an interpersonal sales interaction experience.
Wealth effects of the pharmaceutical industry‐physician interaction compliance guidelines on large pharmaceutical companies
Authors: Jambulingam Thani , Sharma Rajneesh , Ghani WaQar 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the wealth effects of the issuance of guidelines by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to encourage pharmaceutical manufacturers to use internal controls or self‐regulation “to efficiently monitor adherence to applicable statutes, regulations, and program requirements” in their marketing to the physicians.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ a standard event‐study methodology to examine the impact on shareholders of 12 large pharmaceutical firms around four events leading up to the final guidance issued by the OIG.FindingsThe overall results indicate a net wealth loss for the sample firms.Research limitations/implicationsInterpretation of results warrants caution since the sample is biased toward large multinational pharmaceutical firms that are listed on the USA stock exchanges. The issuance of high‐level government policy initiative triggers a pharmaceutical industry response that in turn mitigated firms' questionable marketing practices. The government accomplishes this without instituting regulation but by taking the dialogue to a wide‐ranging and highly public forum.Originality/valueThe empirical results suggest that a public policy initiative that impacts shareholder wealth could alter firm (industry) behavior thereby sparing government from enacting regulation and potentially saving exorbitant regulatory enactment, enforcement, and policing costs. The results also provide credence to the argument that the hybrid systems, ones that combine industry rule making with government oversight, provide the greatest potential for overall benefits to society.
An analysis of e‐Participation research: moving from theoretical to pragmatic viewpoint
Authors: Mustafa Kamal Muhammad 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the research conducted in the area of electronic participation (e‐Participation).Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates and assesses both theoretical and pragmatic findings published in the normative literature.FindingsThe synthesis of the research findings exemplifies that the foremost dominant research studies to e‐Participation advocated and conducted by several researchers are: theoretical perspective on e‐Participation; e‐Participation technological solutions; governance models in public administration; policy making lifecycle models; and location‐based e‐Participation services. Analysis of these research studies has identified a literature void requiring a new stream of research mainly focusing on developing a ubiquitous platform that allows citizens to be involved in government policy‐making processes (PMPs).Research limitations/implicationsThe combination of theoretical conceptions, analysis of the normative literature and empirical findings presented in this paper illustrates the start of research on e‐Participation. However, the theoretical and empirical findings accumulated accentuate that one of the reasons that make citizens de‐motivated in participating in the policy making, is the ignorance of relevant policies and PMPs in government sector. Therefore, it is suggested that the more the citizens find connections between their anticipated activities and relevant policies, the more they become pro‐active to be involved in government PMPs.Originality/valueThe prime significance and uniqueness of the research presented in this paper lies in proposing a platform that allows citizens to participate in government PMPs regardless of their current locations and time. This has been achieved by analysing and synthesising existing research studies theorised in the normative literature. The proposed platform aims to provide context aware knowledge provision with regards to policy making. That is citizens using this platform will be alerted to relevant policies and PMPs when they are moving around physical places according to their as‐usual life pattern at the work, commerce, education, etc.
Impact of PPPs to broadband diffusion in Europe
Authors: Lattemann Christoph , Stieglitz Stefan , Kupke Sören , Schneider Anna‐Maria 
Published: October 2009

PurposeBroadband access plays a major role for economic growth and for social and cultural development of urban and rural areas. A provision of broadband infrastructure and services in these areas is not attractive for private investments because of a low or even negative expected rate on return. The purpose of this paper is to identify different modes of public private partnership (PPP) funding and organizational models of collaborations among public and private partners to establish broadband infrastructures. Decision makers get insights about innovative financial and structural models to bring broadband into rural areas.Design/methodology/approachOrganizational and financial structures of PPP projects will be analyzed by six PPP case studies from the broadband sector in Sweden, Great Britain, and France. This research adopts a data triangulation approach.FindingsA comparative case study analysis about “broadband‐PPPs” from different countries depicts that the organizational and financial funding models differ from project to project. PPPs represent a good alternative to build a broadband infrastructure through mutual collaboration between public and private partners. The examined case studies verify that a PPP is an appropriate instrument to implement broadband infrastructures, especially in case of market failure.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is mainly based on case studies. Thus, the significance of the derived results is limited.Practical implicationsCompanies in the sector of telecommunication as well as decision makers learn about different financing models to implement broadband in rural areas and to increase broadband penetration.Originality/valueThis contribution shows that there are relationships among three key factors of PPPs: environmental conditions (risk, social structures, density of population, etc.), organizational model, and funding modes. This knowledge helps researchers and decision makers to measure different scenarios to bring broadband access into rural areas.
Observations on the UK transformational government strategy relative to citizen data sharing and privacy
Authors: Combe Colin 
Published: October 2009

PurposeOne of the key aims of the UK's Transformational Government strategy is to create a “joined‐up” government where communications within and between public organisations is improved by the use of information technology. Data sharing is a key enabler of “joined‐up” government but the implementation of the strategy presents a series of risks. The purpose of this paper is to articulate and assess the nature of those risks in relation to violations of existing laws using the National Pupil Database (NPD) in England as a case study.Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates examples of violations of EU law relating to rights to privacy of data sharing practices within the UK public sector using an interpretive approach to existing published information. The case of the NPD illustrates how certain identified data sharing practices contravene existing laws and exposes this aspect of the Transformational Government strategy to heightened risk of a legal challenge.FindingsFour examples of violations of existing EU laws on privacy are identified from an investigation into the NPD for schools in England. The analysis exposes the imbalance between the data sharing practices underpinning the Transformational Government strategy in the UK and the requirements for fulfilling privacy protection rights to citizens enshrined in EU law. The findings reveal that data sharing practices as a key enabler of the Transformational Government strategy risks violating existing laws designed to protect privacy. The UK government risks a legal challenge, the outcome of which may seriously undermine the prospects for achieving the stated aim of improving efficiency and effectiveness across the public sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is largely restricted to the NPD for schools in England. The findings would be strengthened by expanding the research into other areas of the public sector where data sharing practices have been implemented.Originality/valueThe findings are a significant and timely contribution to understanding the data sharing/privacy tension that ministers and legislators need to address. The work provides an insight into where weaknesses exist within current arrangements that is of value to policymakers, legislators, human rights advocates and government authorities at both central and local levels.
Exploring citizens' perception of government to citizen services
Authors: Emrah Kanat İrfan , Özkan Sevgi 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of undertaking a systemic view of evaluating the success of government to citizen (G2C) services and identifying the salient factors related with citizens' low adoption of G2C services.Design/methodology/approachThe paper adopts a quantitative case perspective and derives a conceptual research model that encompasses various dimensions of e‐government that relate to citizen adoption behaviour within the framework of theory of planned behaviour (TPB). The model is empirically tested for validity and reliability.FindingsQuantitative findings have been presented, which will be valuable for academics and practitioners doing research in identifying factors for e‐government adoption.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research efforts should explore new dimensions or test the causal relationships among proposed factors within the boundary of e‐government. In that, the paper is limited contextually where attention should be made not to generalise the findings beyond the empirical findings within the case analysis.Practical implicationsThe paper supports a practitioner perspective through a consideration of a holistic approach to e‐government adoption that relate to citizen adoption behaviour. e‐Government system developers may find the findings useful when designing and implementing an e‐government system.Originality/valueThe paper is original and is the first phase of a research study. It provides an innovative approach to e‐government adoption based on TPB.
Atmospherics and consumers' symbolic interpretations of hedonic services
Authors: Joseph‐Mathews Sacha , Bonn Mark A. , Snepenger David 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the impact of atmospherics on consumer symbolic interpretations, and various psychological outcomes in a purely hedonic service environment.Design/methodology/approachField data were collected from 500 respondents in Florida across four hedonic service attraction sites and then analyzed using MANOVA in SPSS. A mediation method proposed by Baron and Kenny is utilized to determine the mediating role of consumer symbolic interpretations in the nomological network.FindingsThere were four major findings. First, similar to other service sectors, environmental factors do play a critical role in determining behavioral intentions in hedonic services. Second, patrons conceptualize hedonic attractions/services in terms of both utilitarian and hedonic components. Third, consumer symbolic perceptions (meanings) do affect behavioral intentions. Finally, consumers do evaluate their service environments (ambient, design and layout and social factors) differently depending on the meanings they attach to a service environment.Research limitations/implicationsManagers can tailor service environments to match the symbolic interpretations and behavioral outcomes they would like to foster in order to maximize monies spent on physical upgrades. Additional work is needed in the area of consumer meanings and symbolic interpretations.Originality/valueThe study indicates that the service environment can be used as a differentiating tool to perpetuate brand meaning and uniqueness in the minds of the consumer, thereby creating a competitive advantage for the hedonic facilities and by extension ensuring repeat patronage.
Independent theatres and the creation of a fringe atmosphere
Authors: Frew Elspeth , Ali‐Knight Jane 
Published: October 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish the image and associated impression of atmosphere created by independent theatres at two fringe festivals namely, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Melbourne Festival Fringe.Design/methodology/approachThe paper contains a content analysis of promotional materials produced by the independent theatres for their involvement in their respective fringe festival.FindingsThe atmosphere created is of fringe festivals replete with serious experimental theatrical productions, with independent theatres being the home of alternative ideas and the performers being skilled in the production of the art form.Research limitations/implicationsThe atmosphere created by the independent theatres is similar to that projected by the fringe festival overall.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the importance of the fringe festival organisers establishing a strong working relationship with the managers of independent theatres to ensure the most appropriate promotional material is used to attract the desired target audience to the fringe festival.Originality/valueThis paper is of value as most festival‐related literature provides only a passing mention to atmosphere whereas this paper investigates atmosphere in more depth. The paper adds to the limited research on fringe festivals.