bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Angels on the head of a pin
Authors: Lane Michelle D. , Casile Maureen 
Published: October 2011

PurposeBy proposing a comprehensive measurement framework, this paper attempts to move the nascent body of theoretical and empirical work on performance measurement in social entrepreneurship ventures (SEVs) into reach for practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to help social entrepreneurs and academics put current knowledge to work to gain usable feedback about the success of operations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers a framework for measuring firm survival, social action, and social change in SEVs based on a review of theoretical and empirical work.FindingsEarly work in SEV performance measurement shows consensus that social impact is at least as important as organizational viability, albeit more difficult to measure. The SEV measurement framework developed herein creates the link between firm viability (Survival), direct social action (Action), and long‐term social impact on the technical, political, and cultural aspects of society (Change) leading to the SAC framework.Originality/valueThe framework proposed in the paper gives practitioners a guide for comprehensive performance measurement based on their unique organizational mission using the SAC model. Widespread use of a measurement tool that addresses viability, action, and impact, may ultimately improve the efficiency with which SEVs attack social problems.
Multi‐stakeholder co‐operatives in China: a resource mix structure approach
Authors: Zhao Li , Gijselinckx Caroline 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the emergence of new, multi‐stakeholder co‐operatives in China and identify their resource mix structure, as well as the influence of institutional environments. The empirical observations are related to a conceptual rationale of social enterprises as private businesses, and it is suggested that the new rural co‐operatives found in China are increasingly caught in a “co‐operative trilemma” and an emerging public–private “welfare partnership”.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is developed from a conceptual rationale of social enterprises as private businesses that are not primarily driven by financial profit but by a combination of economic and social objectives, whereby stakeholders from various institutional spheres (market, state and civil society) are increasingly involved. Based upon this, the paper analyses and synthesizes the main findings from 20 cases investigated during fieldwork conducted in China. Data were gathered through a combination of semi‐structured interviews with key figures in the field and documentary analysis.FindingsThe main findings show that new co‐operatives in China indeed combine multiple resources, including members’ contributions and institutional capital, public financial support and market sales, as well as private non‐market resources such as volunteering and donations. This empirical observation provides further evidence of the transformation process of Chinese rural co‐operatives from classic mutual aids to a new model with a more outward community orientation and a multi‐stakeholder character. Moreover, it was found that institutional environments facilitate or discourage co‐operatives’ multiple resources formation. Based upon this empirical evidence it is seen how new Chinese rural co‐operatives are caught in a “co‐operative trilemma”, finding themselves “at the crossroads of market, public policy and civil society” and involved in an emerging public‐private “welfare partnership”.Research limitations/implicationsThe research has implications for research on co‐operatives and social enterprises in China, as well as policy implications with regard to the development of more favourable institutional support for co‐operatives as rural third‐sector organizations.Originality/valueBy addressing three research questions the paper contributes to the literature on the emergence of multi‐stakeholder co‐operatives in China (and in developing countries more generally) and contributes to the literature on the capital structure of co‐operatives from practice and policy perspectives. Based upon evidence from China, the paper helps to explain how these newly emerging rural co‐operatives in China, which are struggling against capital constraints when facing a highly competitive environment and trying to catch up through a process of diversification, just like many contemporary co‐operatives in the West, are finding themselves caught in a new co‐operative trilemma.
The basis of valuations for secured commercial property lending in the UK
Authors: Crosby Neil , Hughes Cathy 
Published: October 2011

PurposeIn the context of the financial crash and the commercial property market downturn, the purpose of this paper is to examine the basis of valuation used in the UK commercial property lending process. Post‐crisis there is discussion of countercyclical measures, including the monitoring of asset prices; however there is no consideration of a different approach to property valuation. This paper questions this omission, given the role that valuations play in the bank regulatory process.Design/methodology/approachThe different bases of valuation available to lenders within international valuation standards are identified as market value (MV), mortgage lending value (MLV) and investment value (IV), with MV being the most used in the UK. Using the different bases in the period before the financial crisis, the UK property market is modelled at a national office, retail and industrial/warehouse sector level to determine the performance of each alternative valuation basis within the context of countercyclical pressures on lending.FindingsBoth MLV and IV would have produced lower valuations than MV, although there are some practical issues involved in adopting the different bases for the bank lending.Originality/valueThe use of a different valuation basis could provide lenders with tools for more informed and prudent lending.
Real estate employability
Authors: Hoxley Mike , Poon Joanna , Fuchs Willow 
Published: October 2011

PurposeEmployability is likely to be at the forefront of any degree applicant's mind in England and Wales due to an impending large increase in the cost of tuition. The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a Centre for Education in the Built Environment‐funded project which has investigated real estate graduate competencies and employability. The paper concentrates on significant differences in emphasis by graduates from undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses.Design/methodology/approachFollowing an extensive literature review, 72 competencies have been identified and the Confederation of British Industry classification of knowledge, skills and attributes has been adopted. An online survey of 639 graduates (half UG and half PG) asked respondents to complete five‐point Likert attitude scales to rate how their course enabled development of the 72 competencies. Themes developed from the results of the questionnaire study have been explored in greater detail with five real estate education providers and the human resource managers of four large London employers.FindingsRather surprisingly, UGs rated their gaining of the vast majority of the competencies more highly than PGs. This finding seems to be at odds with the impression given by the educators and employers, both of whom perceive a preference for the greater maturity and commercial awareness of graduates from PG courses.Originality/valueReal estate course providers can use the results of this study to ensure that their programmes of study adequately address what is likely to become the crucial factor in the choice of any future programme of study – employability.
A generic conceptualization of the cultural distance index
Authors: Yeganeh Hamid 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThis article aims at offering and validating a theory‐driven conceptualization of the cultural distance index.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the cultural distance index is conceptualized, its conceptual properties are discussed, and a generic formula is proposed. Subsequently, the generic formula is applied to Schwartz's and Hofstede's frameworks. Finally, using the new formula the cultural distance is calculated, its robustness is examined, and its advantages over the Kogut and Singh's measure are inspected.FindingsThrough this paper it is found that by considering issues such as cultural dimensions' alignment and their relative weight, it is possible to build a more accurate index of cultural distance. Moreover, based on the generic formula it is understood that collectivism/individualism and power distance in Hofstede's framework and conservatism, egalitarianism in Schwartz's model are important cultural dimensions and account for a considerable weight in the cultural distance index.Research limitations/implicationsThe index is based on cultural dimensions and naturally it carries all shortcomings attributed to dimensionalization such as symmetry, linearity, stability and causality. In addition, it can be recognized that while alignment is a legitimate method, it should be interpreted cautiously because cultural dimensions are essentially nebulous concepts.Practical implicationsResearchers may use the proposed index to test the implications of cultural differences for a wide range of cross‐national issues such as joint ventures, entry mode choices, mergers, negotiations, organizational behavior, and technology transfer.Originality/valueThis article offers a novel and theory‐driven approach to building the cultural distance index. Considering the popularity of the Kogut and Singh's index in international business, the paper is of major significance.
Firms' customer responsiveness: relationships with competition, market growth, and performance
Authors: Pehrsson Anders 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine important relationships pertaining to customer responsiveness of the industrial firm.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on strategy and competitive dynamics literature, a contingency model is developed. Hypotheses were tested on 432 Swedish industrial firms that market to business customers in growing or mature markets. Clean technology markets represented growing markets, while miscellaneous markets represented mature markets.FindingsThe relationship between the attention paid to customer responsiveness by the industrial firm and the attention paid to volume by the main competitor is negatively reinforced if the firm operates in a growing market. The relationship between the attention paid to customer responsiveness by the firm and competition‐based customer access obstacles in terms of supplier loyalty is positively reinforced if the firm operates in a growing market. The relationship between the firm's customer responsiveness attention and its financial performance is positively reinforced if the firm operates in a growing market.Practical implicationsThe industrial firm may find an efficient customer responsiveness strategy if the firm operates in a growing market. Because customer responsiveness does not improve firms' financial performance in mature markets, competition relationships are only important to examine in growing markets. Thus, customer responsiveness is more complicated than previously thought in the literature.Originality/valueThe paper presents a new model that integrates relationships among industrial firms' attention to customer responsiveness, competition, and performance. By including the market growth contingency, the model explains mixed findings in the literature regarding relationships between customer responsiveness and performance.
Successful strategy making in Bupa not‐for‐profit provident
Authors: Ghobadian Abby , O'Regan Nicholas 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe focus of extant strategy literature is on for‐profit organisations and within these group public organisations. There are other forms of organisations and following the deep recession of 2008 there is greater interest in other forms of organisation. In this case study and interview the aim is to examine strategy, strategic decisions and strategic management of a not‐for‐profit provident.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on documentary evidence and a semi‐structured interview with Ray King, chief executive of Bupa. The perspective of CEO is key in strategy and such perspectives are relatively rarer.FindingsBupa invests its surplus to provide better healthcare. Free from the pressures of quarterly reporting and shareholders it can pursue long‐term value creation for members rather than short‐term surpluses.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study and interview offers a unique insight into strategy‐making within a successful mutual provident that has grown organically and externally becoming an international leader in health insurance.Originality/valueThis case study sheds light on strategy‐making within a not‐for‐profit provident that has diversified and grown significantly over the past six decades. Furthermore, very few case studies offer insight into the thinking of a chief executive who has successfully managed a business in a turbulent environment.
Healthcare matching: conditions for developing a new service system
Authors: Nordgren Lars 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to outline the conditions for a new service system in healthcare, which will be able to match the available capacity in and between healthcare units, in order to match the need of care for the patients.Design/methodology/approachBy drawing on statements from patients, experiences from similar services (a literature review), empirical research into the effects of the reforms on free choice and the care guarantee and a theoretically informed discussion drawing on value‐creation and service productivity, it is claimed that a matching system is needed to be developed.FindingsAs healthcare lacks incentives and structures of matching capacity between various care providers, and for coordinating episodes of care for the patient, the result is management of capacity that is difficult and uncertain for patients. Continuity and coordination during all the healthcare process are seen as important values by patients. It is valuable for patients to be matched in the coordination of contacts with providers and specialists.Practical implicationsHealthcare matching generates the supportive data for innovative service research. For management, it could be applicable in different organisational areas, for patients in their choices of provider and for the providers, when matching the needs for patients. In further research, it would be of value to discuss the barriers of matching.Originality/valueOutlining the conditions for a service system, healthcare matching, has not been done before.
Happy people manage better in adverse services
Authors: Hellén Katarina , Sääksjärvi Maria 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the formation of service perceptions in services that are stressful and unpleasant for customers, e.g. healthcare services. The authors set out to show that customers' happiness, here conceptualized as a stable perception of happiness one has towards one's life, predicts how customers manage adverse services.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey in a healthcare setting and analyzed the data with partial least square modeling.FindingsThe results show that happiness is indirectly linked, through mood, to perceived service quality, trust and service outcome. Thus, the results suggest that happy consumers are less vulnerable to distress in adverse services.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that, to enable service providers to offer adequate support in adverse service situations, service management would benefit from taking into account different customers' different levels of happiness. It is recommended that providers of adverse services segment their customer base according to the level of happiness and allocate resources to foster trust and expectations to less happy customers that would benefit from more support.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the service literature by providing an understanding of how service perceptions are formed in adverse service situations. As happiness is relatively stable across time and situations, this study also contributes to understanding the role of personality traits on evaluation.
Continuous improvement put into practice
Authors: Swartling Dag , Olausson Daniel 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge about what distinguishes effective continuous improvement (CI) approaches and to explain some of the mechanisms which create a successful quality program.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical data were collected from interviews with employees at several levels in seven companies. The companies were deliberately selected to represent different types of resource consumption and outcome from a quality program.FindingsThe implementation approaches of the studied companies were classified according to four different categories: parallel, integrated, coordinated and project approaches. Companies that adopt a project approach tend to fail to achieve anything more than minor improvements, while companies that take parallel and coordinated approaches realise significant improvements but use more resources than companies that utilise an integrated approach.Practical implicationsThis paper illustrates and explains why the project approach ought to be avoided. The paper also highlights the benefits of an integrated approach that is focused on learning.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to theory and practice by providing an empirically‐based explanation for the outcome of alternative implementations of CI in practice.
Salesperson preference among Hispanic and Asian immigrants
Authors: Eunjung Kwak Lynn , Sojka Jane Z. 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine differences between Hispanic and Asian immigrants and their preferences in the appearance of and interaction with salespeople.Design/methodology/approachA total of 171 female Hispanic and 153 Asian female retail consumers in a midwestern city, who immigrated to the USA, were surveyed. Salesperson‐customer interaction and preference for salespeople with a similar ethnic appearance were assessed.FindingsFindings from F‐tests indicated that in this study Asians have a significantly greater preference for a salesperson similar in appearance to themselves and Hispanics have significantly greater preference for salespeople who offer attentive service.Practical implicationsRetailers will benefit by understanding and capitalizing on differences which will encourage customer loyalty to their retail stores.Originality/valueExtending the observable characteristics facet of the buyer‐seller similarity model, the research results suggest that buyers from different ethnic groups will assess salesperson characteristics differently.
The role of shopping sophistication in creating satisfying purchase outcomes
Authors: Newell Stephen J. , Wu Bob T. , Titus Philip A. , Petroshius Susan M. 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the following questions: are sophisticated consumers more likely to be satisfied with their purchases? Are consumers who are more knowledgeable more apt to feel in control of their purchase decisions? Are they more likely to believe the transaction was fair? Are they less likely to have cognitive dissonance post‐purchase?Design/methodology/approachAn empirical study examining the role of consumer sophistication on consumers' purchase satisfaction was conducted with a national sample of approximately 700 home purchasers.FindingsThe results revealed that shopping sophistication is a key determinant of whether consumers are satisfied with their purchase experience. Sophistication not only seems to affect satisfaction but also customer perceptions of control, fairness and dissonance.Practical implicationsImplications for marketing strategy and suggestions for future research are discussed.Originality/valueThis paper suggests that perception of sophistication plays a much more important role in affecting consumer purchase satisfaction than previously understood. Consequently, businesses need to be much more active in educating consumers so that they are better able to make more informed purchase decisions. Ultimately, by helping to facilitate this information flow, consumers will be more satisfied with the products and services they purchase, develop a greater loyalty to the company providing the data and be more likely to purchase similar products and services in the future.
Creative managers and managing creativity: a hermeneutic exploration
Authors: Granot Elad 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how executives assimilate creativity in business‐to‐business (B2B) services.Design/methodology/approachThe author employed an inductive, qualitative research approach to elicit and explore the definition and interpretation and individual meaning of the creative process by top‐level advertising agency executives.FindingsThe findings show that an understanding of creative cultures and processes can enable their application in other business functions.Research limitations/implicationsIn‐depth interviews may involve interview effects that influence the information elicited, despite adequate measures to conduct interviews in situ at the workplace and in a detached, impartial manner.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that creativity in B2B services incorporates a complex set of results‐driven interactive components. These components simultaneously affect and are affected by the interaction of artistic and aesthetic elements, as well as business strategy.Originality/valueCreativity is critical to developing and implementing business strategies. However, creativity in advertising as a B2B service has scarcely been examined.
A look into accessible public transportation for people in Toronto who have acquired brain injuries
Authors: Elsayed Nadia 
Published: October 2011

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the transportation needs of adults in Toronto who have acquired brain injuries (ABIs).Design/methodology/approachA survey was completed by staff working with clients in a community brain injury organization.FindingsThe survey showed that that some people with ABIs who do not use mobility devices and/or do not have obvious physical disabilities, could benefit from the city's door‐to‐door accessible public transit service (Wheel‐Trans). They are currently excluded from Wheel‐Trans based on the eligibility criteria for this service.Research limitations/implicationsThis survey only looks at people with ABIs who are accessing services from an ABI community agency, thus it overlooks those who are not and may not be doing so due to lack of transportation. Also the survey is completed by staff rather than ABI clients, which may lead to different answers/perspectives.Practical implicationsA change to the eligibility criteria of Wheel‐Trans could increase the independence of some people with ABIs and could also increase their participation in society.Originality/valueBased on a literature review by the author, there is no existing research that examines transportation and ABIs in Canada.