bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Building an integrated B2B e‐commerce hub architecture based on SOA and semantic ontology
Authors: Abdulazim Mohamed Usama , Galal‐Edeen Galal H. , El‐Zoghbi Adel A. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe previous generations of implemented B2B e‐commerce hub solutions (e‐Marketplaces) did not successfully fulfil the requirements of buyers and suppliers (“Participants”) in different business domains to carry out their daily business and online commercial transactions with one another because of their inappropriateness, and lack of flexibility. The limitations of these provided solutions came from a lot of architectural and technological challenges in the provided technical architectures that were used to build these solutions. This research aims to provide a proposed architecture to build integrated B2B e‐Commerce hub solutions. It also aims to make use of bottom‐up/top‐down approaches to building an integrated solution and to resolve the reasons for the failure of previous generations of B2B e‐commerce hubs.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses the EDI reference model, which is provided by the ISO organization to survey and analyze the challenges of previous generations of B2B e‐Commerce hubs solutions and their architectures. The study develops a proposed solution architecture based on the recent approaches to building IOSs to build a B2B e‐commerce hub solution architecture that can be used to implement vertical B2B e‐commerce hubs (vertical e‐Marketplaces). The paper assesses the capabilities of the proposed solution architecture for building vertical B2B e‐Marketplaces by applying the proposed architecture to the building of a vertical B2B e‐Marketplace for the oil and gas sector in Egypt.FindingsPrevious B2B e‐Commerce hub initiatives failed to extend their products and services to their “Participants”, and required substantial investment and effort from each “Participant” to join such a B2B e‐Commerce hub. The failure of these IOS projects lies in their inability to integrate B2B e‐Commerce networks based on IOS and consequently, they supported very few partners and “Participants”. These IOS approaches did not resolve the existing challenges of B2B e‐Commerce hubs, especially in the realm of interoperability.Originality/valueThe main contribution of the proposed architecture comes from the creation of a clear automatic path between a business requirements layer and a technology layer by combining both Service Oriented Architecture and management requirements in a single framework to provide dynamic products and flexible services. It provides a complete Multi Channel Framework to resolve the interoperability challenges.
Informal networks as “global microstructures”: the case of German expatriates in Russia
Authors: Wagner Gabriele , Vormbusch Uwe 
Published: October 2010

PurposeMultinational companies are considered “driving forces” of globalization and “prime movers” of global sociation. Yet the problems, conflicts, and contradictions in the implementation of global strategies at the micro level – as well as the real possibility that such implementation will fail – are virtually ignored in macro‐sociological studies. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to address this neglect by focusing on a micro level examination of the contribution of expatriates in their interactive role as facilitators and managers, and, their informal social networks.Design/methodology/approachThe interpretation of how global structures are concretely organized and sustained is based on case studies and interviews with German expatriates in Russia. The article examines two particular aspects: the contribution of expatriates in their interactive roles, on the one hand, and their informal social circles, on the other. The analytical framework draws on the concept of “global microstructures”.FindingsExpatriates must maneuver between the conflicts and contradictions that surface from the three‐way relationship between head office, branch office, and the market, and their respective local institutionalized pressures. It is argued that such conflicts and contradictions cannot be resolved within the formal structure of organizations and that, as a result, they are shifted to the level of interpersonal interaction or to informal networks. Global reach as well as microsocial foundations therefore characterize the expatriate's action system.Research limitations/implicationsSince the study is restricted to German expatriates in Russia, further comparative research is needed to sustain the findings for other institutional and cultural settings.Practical implicationsThe findings raise awareness both of the contradictory demands expatriates are confronted with in their everyday work as well as their unique resources. They could contribute to better management training and preparation for expatriates prior to their move abroad.Originality/valueThe paper presents a micro‐sociological view on how systemic integration is actually achieved through a globally stretched as well as locally specified network of interaction. It could be valuable for international strategy definition as well as for personnel managers, and future expatriates themselves.
On the meanings of structure in the international business discourse
Authors: Griffin Ray , O'Toole Thomas 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the meaning and nature of the structure metaphor in the social sciences, and the consequent implications for the academic activity of describing and substantiating new structural forms of multinational corporations (MNCs) in the international business discourse.Design/methodology/approachThe paper's approach is primarily conceptual, but also introduces some fieldwork. The paper contrasts generalist work in the social sciences on structure with a close reading of the foundational texts on structure in MNCs along with a broader reading on the considerable attempts to describe new structures for MNCs. By interrelating these literatures with fieldwork that deconstructs stories from actors within MNCs, it opens a broader criticism on the discourse on structuring the MNC.FindingsThe paper suggests that the phalanx of new MNC structures could, perhaps, be better understood as a criticism of using the structure metaphor to describe the MNC. On safer ground, it suggests the point of difference between older forms of MNC and the variously described new forms arise from the contrasting definitions of structure used by Giddens.Originality/valueThe paper's originality and value arise from its unique consideration of the structure metaphor in social sciences and the discourse on structure in the international business discourse. It responds to calls for new research methods, and more critical approaches by those hoping to assist managers, in this functionally‐oriented discourse.
Global responsibility through consumption?
Authors: Arruda Fontenelle Isleide 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to question the possible reach of anti‐brand movements and, by extension, those movements that criticize capitalism via consumption, in order to reflect on the impasse in critique, given the new formats that capitalism has assumed.Design/methodology/approachThis paper takes as the object of its analysis the bookNo Logoand it is supported by qualitative research into the production of the discourse about the responsible consumer in the business media, as well as in books and articles published about the assimilation of resistance, and especially about anti‐consumption and anti‐brand movements.FindingsThe relationship between the empirical findings of the research − the production of the responsible consumption discourse, in the period before, and after the anti‐brand movements – and theoretical articles about empowerment and consumer accountability in the modern day shows how the assimilation of resistance occurred, via the responsible consumption discourse and also draws attention to its limits. Although the qualitative research used in the article was not initially planned for use in it, its findings were incorporated because they are widely applicable to what was being proposed.Originality/valueThe papers originality lies in the fact that it shows the point that a criticism movement has reached after ten years. Although this was already clear to the author in 1999 whenNo Logowas written, a decade later it is possible to state that the movement has been assimilated by the market, especially since the appearance of the discourse of “responsible consumption”. What is completely novel in this article is this co‐relation. At the end, the article also points to the social risks of attributing a large degree of accountability to individuals for consumption.
TNCs as embedded social communities: transdisciplinary perspectives
Authors: Faulconbridge James R. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the value of transdisciplinary dialogues for advancing critical perspectives on international business. Specifically, it seeks to consider how conceptualisations of transnational corporations as embedded social communities can be advanced through dialogues and collaborations between two broadly defined scholarly communities, economic geographers and organizational sociologists.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is conceptual and reviews existing work by economic geographers and organizational sociologists useful for studying transnational corporations. Specifically the paper considers how economic geographers' work on the affects of institutions on firms can be brought together with organizational sociologists' work on identity regulation to generate new lines of enquiry about the role of transnational identity regulation in firms.FindingsIt is shown that pragmatic rather than adversarial dialogues can overcome the limitations of disciplinary approaches and develop new questions about, and more sophisticated studies of, international business and transnational corporations, as long as the inherent dangers of transdisciplinary working are recognised and avoided.Originality/valueThe paper takes a different approach to existing discussions of the value of transdisciplinary collaboration for studying international business, explicitly advocating a pragmatic approach that involves collaboration between researchers from related paradigms so as to generate new questions for research rather than an approach that involves critique and counter‐critique of work from starkly contrasting research paradigms.
The perceptual fluency effect on pleasurable online shopping experience
Authors: Im Hyunjoo , Lennon Sharron J. , Stoel Leslie 
Published: October 2010

PurposeVisual information quality is one of the most important elements that determines online shoppers' experience on a web site. Yet, currently many e‐tailers use poor quality visual information such as small and blurry images. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of visual information quality on online shoppers' affective responses and behavioral intent toward the web site. The theoretical framework of perceptual fluency, the ease with which perceptual forms (i.e. objects) are processed, guided the research.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical model was developed based on the literature and tested using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). The model proposed a mediating effect of pleasure in creating positive aesthetic evaluations and behavioral outcomes of the perceptual fluency effect. An online experiment (n=1,999) was employed with two levels of perceptual fluency.FindingsMANOVA results confirmed the perceptual fluency effect on aesthetic evaluation and pleasure. SEM analysis supported the proposed model. Pleasure had a stronger impact on behavioral intent than aesthetic evaluation. Theoretical and managerial implications of the perceptual fluency effect on online consumer behavior are discussed.Originality/valuePrevious research has not addressed perceptual fluency from a strong theoretical framework. The paper empirically tested and extended the perceptual fluency hypothesis. Although previous researchers observed the fluency effect on preference choices without testing the mediating effect of affect, this paper examined the mediating role of affect and confirmed the importance of pleasure in aesthetic evaluation. Also, this paper extends the scope of the perceptual fluency effect beyond aesthetic preference/evaluations to behavioral intent.
Outsourcing: is the social exchange theory still relevant in developing countries?
Authors: Wai Chow Lee Jason , Mohamad Osman , Ramayah T. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe paper offers a viewpoint on the relevance of the underpinnings of the social exchange theory (SET) in understanding inter‐firm relationships, specifically with respect to outsourcing relationships in a Southeast Asian context.Design/methodology/approachThe viewpoint is based on literature review on outsourcing trends, characteristics and underlying theories including the underpinnings of SET in combination with anecdotal accounts from practitioners in the electrical and electronics (E&E) sector as well as personal emic observations of management styles embedded within the socio‐cultural context of a developing country.FindingsManagement and outsourcing of contracts in a Southeast Asian context are usually done on a personal level with some leeway provided by top management. The reverse is true for developed countries where all processes and contracts need to be seen as just and transparent to stakeholders. Dominant theories identified with outsourcing generations seem to be embedded in management culture of developed countries which are largely influenced by the transaction cost economics theory and its extensions, the resource‐based view and the resource‐dependence view. By placing a caveat on generalizability, the paper opines that SET is still relevant in the Southeast Asian context.Originality/valueAs outsourcing characteristics have changed and evolved over the years, relationship models need to be reviewed and redefined to be in congruence with the changes that are occurring. The Southeast Asian socio‐cultural context can be a reference point for conceptualization of relationship models to understand E&E outsourcing relationships along global supply chains.
Internet vs mobile services: comparisons of gender and ethnicity
Authors: Lee Hyun‐Hwa , Lee Seung‐Eun 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate US consumers' adoption of mobile services from the perspectives of channel extension (mobile vs internet) as well as with considerations of ethnic and gender difference. Specifically, this paper examines the effects of gender and ethnicity in consumers' current usages in different types of mobile services, the relationships between consumers' current internet and mobile service usages, and how current usages of internet and mobile services predict future intentions to use mobile services.Design/methodology/approachOnline survey method was employed to collect the data. A total of 492 responses were obtained from current mobile users.FindingsThe mobile services most (e.g. sending and receiving text and picture messages, checking e‐mail) and least used (e.g. gambling, educational services) were similar between both male and female respondents, yet male respondents showed a higher use of mobile services. Among ethnic groups, African Americans were the most engaged users of all mobile services, and European Americans were the least engaged. In certain service categories (e.g. informational services related to business/finance), both gender and ethnicity were shown to have significant effects on consumers' current usages of both the internet and mobile services and intentions to use mobile services.Practical implicationsGender‐ and ethnic‐specific marketing strategies should be based on the types of mobile services. Special attention should be paid to African Americans that have expressed great interests in using the services that are offered through mobile devices (e.g. informational services related to health and business/finance, payment/billing services, and purchasing products). Understanding current internet use of each mobile service is a key to the success of the potential use of mobile services.Originality/valueThere is a lack of previous research addressing consumer issues relevant to specific types of mobile services. This paper provides a meaningful insight into consumer adoption of various types of mobile services from the perspectives of channel extension (mobile vs internet) as well as ethnic and gender difference.
The quality of word‐of‐mouth in the online shopping mall
Authors: Kim HyeKyoung , Song Jihoon 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among the quality of word‐of‐mouth (WOM), online trust, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and online shopping intention in the online shopping mall. This study presented participation and response of others on bulletin boards or product review sections as the factors that affect the quality of WOM through literature review.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical review and an empirical study were conducted and the hypotheses were tested through the empirical analysis.FindingsThe paper finds that participation and response of others on bulletin board or product review section have positive effects on the quality of WOM. It was revealed that the quality of WOM has positive effects on online trust, and online trust has positive effects on perceived usefulness, shopping intension and perceived ease of use. In addition, the results demonstrated that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have positive effects on shopping intention.Originality/valueMany studies on online shopping malls are mostly focused on the effects of following the action by positive or negative WOM. This study examines the factors that determine the quality of online WOM, and it seeks to examine the effects of such WOM on the following actions such as online trust and purchase intention.
Achieving wait time reduction in the emergency department
Authors: Willoughby Keith A. , Chan Benjamin T.B. , Strenger Marlene 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide details on a study to determine the wait time and service time for various emergency department (ED) patient care processes and to apply the science of plan‐do‐study‐act (PDSA) cycles to improve patient flow.Design/methodology/approachThe paper used direct observation to collect patient flow data on 1,728 patients at multiple ED sites in Saskatchewan, Canada. It calculated wait times and services associated with important care processes and then tested, measured and implemented ideas to reduce wait time.FindingsOn an average, patients spend nearly five hours in the ED with about one‐half of the visit devoted to waiting for the next required service to take place. Waiting for an inpatient bed, specialist consultation or physician reassessment comprised relatively long wait times. Through the use of visual reminders and standard process worksheets, quality improvement teams were able to achieve large reductions in physician reassessment waiting time. These improvements required minimal materials cost and no additional staff.Research limitations/implicationsThe case study featured EDs within a particular Canadian province, so may not be generalizeable to other settings. We only sampled a fraction of ED patients at each facility.Practical implicationsAdmitted patients waiting for a hospital bed represent a key contributor to ED congestion. PDSA cycles are a valuable approach to achieving quality improvement in health care.Originality/valueThe paper fulfils an identified need by breaking down an ED patient's waiting time into several high‐level processes. It also applies improvement science to ED patient flow.
Building a framework for a geriatric acute care model
Authors: Boltz Marie , Capezuti Elizabeth , Shabbat Nina 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this mixed methods study is to define the core components of a system‐wide, acute care program designed to meet the needs of older adults.Design/methodology/approachConcept mapping methodology (multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis) was used to obtain data describing the core components of a geriatric acute care model. The input of 306 “stakeholders” (clinicians, administrators, consumers, educators, and researchers) was obtained through a world wide web interface, supplemented with consumer interviews.FindingsThe findings yielded eight clusters describing components of a geriatric acute care program: guiding principles, leadership, organizational structures, physical environment, patient‐ and family‐centered approaches, aging‐sensitive practices, geriatric staff competence, and interdisciplinary resources and processes. A total of 113 items that describe dimensions of quality were identified with these clusters.Practical implicationsThe clusters and dimensions provide a framework for a hospital to use to plan, implement, and evaluate an acute care model for older adults.Originality/valueThere is not a common understanding of what constitutes a comprehensive set of resources, programs, and activities to address the needs of hospitalized older adults and their families and the staff who serve them. Concept mapping was an effective method of engaging the perspectives of various stakeholders in creating a framework to address these needs, as well as useful in illuminating areas for future research.
A novel organizational structure to provide medical care in specialized hospital departments
Authors: Schroeter Michael , Savitsky Igor , Rueger Maria A. , Kuntz Ludwig , Pick Verena , Fink Gereon R. 
Published: October 2010

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the implementation of a novel organizational structure in a specialized hospital department. The key issue was to optimize the efficacy of the process “hospital treatment” in a patient‐oriented approach.Design/methodology/approachA new organizational concept, i.e. the Cologne Consultant Concept (CCC), was developed by and implemented at the Department of Neurology, Cologne University Hospital in August 2007. The outcome of this reorganization was evaluated via a number of critical performance parameters (effects on daily routines and performance data, feedback from quality control and house officers). Furthermore, the strengths and weaknesses of this novel system were compared to the traditional ward‐based system in Germany, the Anglo‐American consultant model and care provided by sub‐specialized teams.FindingsThe reorganization of the healthcare services by the CCC provided flexible medical care for inpatients. The independent assignment of patients to a ward, and to a team of physicians offered incentives for case‐oriented and efficient medical treatment. Importantly, the time‐consuming admission process could be distributed evenly between physicians in chronological order. Furthermore, beneficial effects on the department's overall performance compared to the traditional ward‐based system were observed.Originality/valueThe CCC constitutes a valuable new organizational structure that can provide medical care in any specialized hospital department.