bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A comparison of strategic planning practices in companies from the UK and Turkey
Authors: Glaister Keith W. , Dincer Omer , Tatoglu Ekrem , Demirbag Mehmet 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the nature and practice of strategic planning in two different environmental contexts, the UK and Turkey.Design/methodology/approachEmploying a structured mail questionnaire, the study collected data from a sample of UK and Turkish firms. Using a sampling frame of 500 firms from the EXTEL database of UK listed companies, 113 usable responses were received for the UK firms. In total, 135 responses were obtained from the Turkish firms based on a sampling frame of 638 firms derived from the database of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry's 500 largest Turkish manufacturing companies and the database of companies quoted on the Istanbul Stock Exchange.FindingsThere are a number of significant differences between the strategic planning practices of Turkish firms and UK firms. Contrary to expectations, it appears that Turkish firms rather than UK firms are more favourably disposed to strategic planning. The exception to this is the adoption and use of a range of tools/techniques of strategic analysis, which are more regularly employed by UK firms than by Turkish firms.Practical implicationsOrganisations should be aware that strategy formulation is futile without appropriate strategy implementation and should seek a coherent interface between those responsible for the strategic planning process and those responsible for implementation to ensure that each group is working to the same set of objectives. With the development of the market economy in Turkey, and the increased competition from foreign firms as globalisation proceeds, it may be necessary for the Turkish firms to increasingly adopt the techniques and tools of strategic planning.Originality/valueThis paper provides some important insights to the applicability of Western strategic management thinking to the business environment in emerging countries.
Estimating buildings' energy consumption and energy costs in early project phases
Authors: Stoy Christian , Pollalis Spiro , Fiala Dusan 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that building stock is currently one of the largest energy consumers. It is thus imperative that buildings are optimally planned, constructed, and used from both the environmental and the economic point of view. Cost models are relevant tools for achieving this objective as they can be used to estimate the occupancy costs in early project phases including energy costs.Design/methodology/approachIn the paper a regression model for predicting the energy consumption and energy costs of office buildings is developed based on the results of a survey conducted in 80 Swiss office properties.FindingsThe proposed energy cost model shows good agreement with the observed field data. The mean absolute percentage error resulted in 12 per cent. Validation tests using five properties not used for the model development revealed percentage errors ranging between −17 per cent and 7 per cent. The proposed concept and the presented cost model can be used as a basis for future studies.Research limitations/implicationsThe energy consumption and energy cost model can be improved as the database for developing them is further extended (including properties from different owners with different strategies, for example energy contracting, outsourcing, and maintenance strategies).Originality/valueThe objective of the study was to develop and validate a predictive model to facilitate the estimation of occupancy costs in early project phases. A procedure is presented on how quantitative energy consumption and cost models can be developed. Provided that sufficient empirical data are available, this proecdure can be used in further studies as a suitable and practicable concept to advance occupancy cost models.
A planning solution for virtual business relationships
Authors: Sommer Rainer A. 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to show that the planning‐oriented reference model is a conceptual approach that may provide a more complete alignment of strategic information, governance constructs, as well as process and information flows in the development of virtual partnerships.Design/methodology/approachThe research consists of a literature review along with interviews and observations recorded from previous public/private sector engagements in virtual planning and process change initiatives.FindingsThere are very few references that directly address the alignment of strategic plans, governance, and processes within the context of a reusable reference model library. Hence, such an approach may have merit in enhancing the body of knowledge associated with virtual business planning efforts.Practical implicationsIf narrative strategic planning and policy information can be aligned and subsequently formally documented within a process‐oriented reference model structure, the resultant blueprint may be helpful in facilitating the rapid formation of virtual business partnership.Originality/valueIn a global economy competitive advantage will increasingly depend on how quickly organizations are able to reorganize in response to changing demand and market condition. Hence, virtual relationships will play an important role in the competitive challenges of the twenty‐first century. The framework proposes the use of reusable, process‐based planning libraries that could reduce the time and complexity associated with the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of virtual partnerships.
Are supplier selection criteria going green? Case studies of companies in Brazil
Authors: Jabbour Ana Beatriz L.S. , Jabbour Charbel J.C. 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to verify if Brazilian companies are adopting environmental requirements in the supplier selection process. Further, this paper intends to analyze whether there is a relation between the level of environmental management maturity and the inclusion of environmental criteria in the companies' selection of suppliers.Design/methodology/approachA review of mainstream literature on environmental management, traditional criteria in the supplier selection process and the incorporation of environmental requirements in this context. The empirical study's strategy is based on five Brazilian case studies with industrial companies. Face‐to‐face interviews and informal conversations are to be held, explanations made by e‐mail with representatives from the purchasing, environmental management, logistics and other areas, and observation and the collection of company documents are also employed.FindingsBased on the cases, it is concluded that companies still use traditional criteria to select suppliers, such as quality and cost, and do not adopt environmental requirements in the supplier selection process in a uniform manner. Evidence found shows that the level of environmental management maturity influences the depth with which companies adopt environmental criteria when selecting suppliers. Thus, a company with more advanced environmental management adopts more formal procedures for selecting environmentally appropriate suppliers than others.Originality/valueThis is the first known study to verify if Brazilian companies are adopting environmental requirements in the supplier selection process.
Land price changes in the evolving land market in Beijing
Authors: Li Ling‐Hin 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine land price changes in Beijing 1993‐2004. Examination of attributes of land price changes seeks to illustrate whether this market is overshadowed by government regulations and controls leading to immature development and uncertainties.Design/methodology/approachLand price changes in Beijing within the study period are examined by statistical analyses as well as spatial observations using a GIS platform.FindingsLand prices in Beijing are influenced by common market indicators such as GDP growth and investment, although market transactions of land in this city are not entirely open and the so‐called market prices are largely price levels agreed between the private developer and the authority under private treaty grant, instead of open auction or tender.Research limitations/implicationsThe analyses of market land prices in Beijing in this paper show, however, that land prices do follow generally market principles and the highest and best use principle is more or less observed.Originality/valueThe paper shows that it is possible for a market mechanism to be established as long as the authority is resolved to achieve a steady reform progress in the urban land use system; however the basic conditions of a market mechanism may not be completely ready.
Capabilities and propensity for cooperative internationalization
Authors: Camisón César , Villar Ana 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an in‐depth appraisal of the internal drivers motivating firms to select cooperative internationalization processes.Design/methodology/approachBuilding on the resource‐based view, and using a sample of 401 Spanish firms, the authors examine the direct and indirect effects of ability to internationalize on propensity for cooperative internationalization.FindingsCapabilities are a positive predictor of propensity for cooperative internationalization, though this relationship is mediated by the adoption of a differentiating competitive strategy. In contrast, the propensity for international growth through alliances decreases as the firm's degree of involvement abroad increases.Practical implicationsFirms that aim for international expansion should accumulate internationally transferable capabilities. Managers should reflect on the best ways to grow in foreign markets considering the maturity of the firm's internationalization process. Managers must assess whether the costs of searching for cooperative internationalization opportunities are worth paying.Originality/valueThe accumulation of internationally transferable capabilities does not alone determine a firm's international growth through cooperative internationalization; a strategy of competitive differentiation also plays a role. Moreover, the learning process of international growth reduces firms' need to cooperate.
Union duopoly with heterogeneous labor: the effect of minimum wage regulation
Authors: Martins Ana Paula 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the labor market outcome when there are two unions in the industry, representing heterogeneous workers – substitutes or complements in production – and using wage strategies, in the presence of minimum wage regulation.Design/methodology/approachThree strategic environments are considered: symmetric Bertrand‐Nash duopoly, Stackelberg duopoly, and efficient cooperation between the two unions.FindingsUsually, minimum wage legislation (floor) would decrease employment; it is shown that in Stackelberg environment, minimum wage legislation may induce an increase in total employment. Wage‐pushing strategies by a leader may also arise; and if workers are substitutes, entry deterrence strategies by the leader may be observed.Originality/valueThis paper analyses the impact of minimum wages in duopoly scenarios in an extensive way.
Accountants' attitudes toward advertising: a longitudinal study
Authors: Clow Kenneth E. , Stevens Robert E. , McConkey C. William , Loudon David L. 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the attitude of accountants towards advertising and to investigate changes in attitude that may have occurred between 1993 and 2004.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from accountants using a mail survey approach in 1993 and using an e‐mail survey approach in 2004. Questions on the two surveys were identical and a random sample of accountants was selected for each study. Statistical tests were used to compare responses from 1993 with responses in 2004.FindingsAnalysis of the results revealed significant positive shifts in the attitudes accountants have toward advertising of accounting services. Negative attitudes toward various aspects of advertising shifted to either a neutral or a positive position. This dramatic, positive shift in advertising attitudes by accountants occurred while skepticism towards advertising remained relatively high, overall, among the general public. Between the two time periods, changes in the use of various marketing tools (such as web sites to attract new clients) were also found to have occurred. In addition, the use of marketing professionals by accounting service providers increased substantially over the 11‐year time period of the longitudinal study.Research limitations/implicationsSample selection and size create some concern about generalizability of the study. With any random sample selection process, the view of the non‐respondents is not known nor whether those who responded tended to have a higher level of acceptance of advertising.Originality/valueFor marketing professionals, this shift to a more positive attitude by accountants provides opportunities to offer greater marketing and advertising services. This shift also signals an increasing awareness on the part of accountants to market their services.
Regionalisation in the Gdańsk area
Authors: Czepczyński Mariusz 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to present some of the key obstacles and general conditions which shape regional cooperation between municipalities of Poland's third largest agglomeration of Gdańsk, also called Tri‐City.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines the role of leadership in organizations representing business interests, and the competing and conflicting perspectives on the “right” scale to do so – local and/or regional, drawing on participatory insights into the relevant processes.FindingsIt is found that economic competition and post‐1990 neo‐liberal governance practices enhance the isolationism and rivalry between localities within the agglomeration. Any public claims to “cooperation” are mainly limited to the practicalities of public transportation. Individual actors and their personalities and policy‐making abilities play a key part in any collaborative agenda, often pushed by EU funding conditions that require institutional collaboration.Originality/valueThe obstacles to, and mechanisms of, city‐regional governance are very topical. The contribution of this paper is timely and offers a rare insight into the competing ambitions and “visions” in local public administration after the end of communist‐era top‐down government.
Using data mining to segment healthcare markets from patients' preference perspectives
Authors: Liu Sandra S. , Chen Jie 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThis paper aims to provide an example of how to use data mining techniques to identify patient segments regarding preferences for healthcare attributes and their demographic characteristics.Design/methodology/approachData were derived from a number of individuals who received in‐patient care at a health network in 2006. Data mining and conventional hierarchical clustering with average linkage and Pearson correlation procedures are employed and compared to show how each procedure best determines segmentation variables.FindingsData mining tools identified three differentiable segments by means of cluster analysis. These three clusters have significantly different demographic profiles.Practical implicationsThe study reveals, when compared with traditional statistical methods, that data mining provides an efficient and effective tool for market segmentation. When there are numerous cluster variables involved, researchers and practitioners need to incorporate factor analysis for reducing variables to clearly and meaningfully understand clusters.Originality/valueInterests and applications in data mining are increasing in many businesses. However, this technology is seldom applied to healthcare customer experience management. The paper shows that efficient and effective application of data mining methods can aid the understanding of patient healthcare preferences.
A study of thermo‐mechanical reliability of lead‐free PTH solder joints
Authors: Nguyen Jennifer , Geiger David , Rooney Dan , Shangguan Dongkai 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider PTH solder joint reliability, particularly on the PTH solder joints with partial hole‐fill and without pin protrusion. Also, the impact of voiding on the solder joint reliability is discussed.Design/methodology/approachThermal cycling tests for samples of different hole‐fill percentages and voiding were conducted, and cross‐sections of the PTH solder joints were performed to evaluate the solder microstructure, intermetallic formation, via hole‐fill, and the condition of the PTH metallization and PCB dielectric prior to thermal cycling and at different times during thermal cycling.FindingsDifferent failure mechanisms were observed for solder joints with and without pin protrusion. PTH components with pin protrusion had better through hole‐fill and less voids than PTH components without pin protrusion.Originality/valueThe paper discusses in detail the effect of hole‐fill percentage and voiding on PTH solder joint reliability.
Development of industrial service offerings: a process framework
Authors: Kindström Daniel , Kowalkowski Christian 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose a service development process that is adapted to manufacturing companies and to discuss its implications for companies with a traditional focus on product development and product sales.Design/methodology/approachThe paper looks at new service development (NSD) literature and argues for a rationale to study NSD processes in a manufacturing context. Next, a generic NSD framework for manufacturing companies is presented. Examples are given based on an explorative multiple case study (ten companies) with in‐depth interviews and focus groups. The analysis reveals organizational requirements and other critical factors related to each stage of the NSD process.FindingsA four‐stage service offering development framework is presented. Critical aspects of NSD in a manufacturing context are highlighted. The importance of considering both NSD and new product development (NPD) together is also emphasized.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations are based primarily on methodology; the case studies focused only on the service organizations of the manufacturing companies studied.Practical implicationsManagers need to be aware of the inter‐relationship that exists between NSD and NPD and on the specificities of service development in companies where an industrial logic dominates. A number of managerial implications are proposed and discussed.Originality/valueThe paper emphasizes the importance of latter stages in NSD, something that has not previously been extensively studied or addressed. In addition, to explicitly discuss NSD in a manufacturing context is novel.
Use of scent in a naturally odourless store
Authors: Parsons Andrew G. 
Published: April 2009

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to introduce the concept of associated scents for retail stores that are normally odourless, and provide an understanding of how associated scent can be used by these non‐scented retailers to influence shopper behaviour and the appeal of the store.Design/methodology/approachThe study involves both an experiment and a field study. The experiment is design to see if scents that have been identify as associated with different store types differed in their influence on behaviour and affect from scents that are not associated with the store. The field study involves an actual store where scent is manipulated, with an associated scent during one period, and a non‐associated yet pleasant scent present during another period. Customer perceptions of the store are measured, their purchase behaviour is measured, and actual year‐on‐year weekly sales are compared.FindingsPrevious studies have suggested that simply having a pleasant scent present can enhance liking for the store and encourage positive sales behaviour, however, this study shows that for a store that is normally odourless, the scent needs to have a perceived association with the store‐type to gain positive responses. Presence of a pleasant but non‐associated scent can actually lead to negative affective or behavioural responses.Research limitations/implicationsAn important research implication is that the association of a non product‐specific scent with a particular (normally odourless) store might mean that encountering that scent elsewhere may trigger in the person thoughts of the store, which further research could show to be a motivator for visiting the store. Another implication is the need to identify best performing associated scents, and whether a retailer through a marketing campaign can create an artificial association, thus gaining a unique, sustainable competitive advantage.Practical/implicationsBecause it is expected, the naturally scented store (e.g. the florist or bakery) gains no competitive advantage through the use of scent, but this study shows managers of normally odourless stores that they can gain a competitive advantage in their category through the identification and use of scent customers would associate with the store‐type. Furthermore, because the store is not stuck with the scent, unlike the naturally scented stores, and because there may even be multiple associated scents, managers can vary the use of scent so that desensitisation can be mitigated.Originality/valueThe paper introduces for the first time to the literature the concept of associated scents for stores, and demonstrates the managerial value that use of an associated scent in a normally odourless store can have with regard to enhanced shopper behaviour and liking for the store.
How to help your graduates secure better jobs? An industry perspective
Authors: Chi Christina G. , Gursoy Dogan 
Published: April 2009

PurposeMany hospitality programs have developed their own career and placement services to assist students in job searching efforts. The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that are important for the success of career and placement services offered by hospitality programs, from the industry's perspectives.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through an online survey from hospitality recruiters and human resources managers. Descriptive statistics were applied for the data analysis.FindingsInternship requirement was found to be the most important factor for the success of career services, followed by faculty industry experience and quality of student preparation for job/internship interviews. These were followed by reputation of the program and quality of educational curriculum and courses taught.Originality/valueThe important implications drawn in this paper could assist hospitality schools to allocate limited resources to help create excellent career and placement services.