bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Trust and the psychological contract
Authors: Atkinson Carol 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute empirical data to the under‐researched relationship between trust and the psychological contract.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach is used carrying out 41 interviews in three case study firms, adopting a critical incident technique (CIT).FindingsTrust is present in all psychological contracts and its different bases, cognitive and affective, underpin transactional and relational obligations respectively.Research limitations/implicationsA small‐scale study using CIT which identifies especially salient issues but is not necessarily exhaustive. Provides a base for more detailed study of the relationship.Practical implicationsDemonstrates the impact of the differing bases of trust on the employment relationship. This information could contribute to better managing the employment relationship.Originality/valueThere are few extant empirical data on this relationship and a contribution is made to debates on the role of trust within the psychological contract by providing detailed empirical data.
Workplace and employment characteristics of Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) clients
Authors: Abbott Brian 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThere is a paucity of information on the characteristics and reasons for workers contacting the CAB with employment problems. This paper seeks to fill this gap in people's knowledge by providing a detailed profile of the employment and personal characteristics of Citizens' Advice Bureau (CAB) clients.Design/methodology/approachA total of eight bureaux, from contrasting localities in Greater London, participated in the research. The data for this paper are derived predominantly from interviews with CAB clients and reinforced by quantitative data, which were also garnered.FindingsIt is argued that the use of the CAB, for employment advice, is rooted in a structural rather than an attitudinal explanation.Originality/valueThere is a growing recognition within the industrial relations literature of the increasing plurality of sources of representation available to workers. However, very little is known about those employees seeking advice and representation and the types of issues with which they approach bureaux.
“High commitment” strategies
Authors: Parkes Carole , Scully Judy , West Michael , Dawson Jeremy 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThis paper sets out to contribute to the advancement of knowledge, particularly with regard to the processes of implementation and the role of managers engaged in such high commitment strategies and work practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study is part of a research project investigating the extent to which employee involvement predicts job performance (as well as job satisfaction, wellbeing and organisational commitment) in the NHS, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The main focus of this paper is to present evidence from four of the 20 case studies to show the barriers to implementing employee involvement as well as highlighting the techniques and practices that have proven to be most successful.FindingsEmployee involvement is used successfully by management and has enabled frontline staff to contribute their knowledge to their work.Research limitations/implications– The ethical issues of confidentiality and anonymity permeated the research process throughout.Practical implicationsThe link between “high commitment” strategies and organisational performance is of great interest to academics and practitioners alike. One of these “high commitment” strategies, namely employee involvement, has been an important HR strategy for the NHS in the UK.Originality/valueOther organisations can learn from the findings by implementing the successful parts.
The impact of total quality service age on quality and operational performance: an empirical study
Authors: Saravanan R. , Rao K.S.P. 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show that a popular conception among the practitioners is that Total Quality Service (TQS) has a long‐range perspective and the organizations that have adopted TQS could be able to see the results of their quality improvement initiatives only after a long duration. Hence firms that have been practicing TQS are interested to know the time duration before which they can get back the returns on investments in quality improvement programmes.Design/methodology/approachThe present study attempts to empirically investigate the impact of TQS age on quality and operational performance. In order to examine the impact of TQS age on the different dimensions of TQS, out of the 12 critical dimensions of TQS, the two outcome constructs, namely Customer Focus and Satisfaction and Employee Satisfaction, have been considered for measuring quality performance while the other ten dimensions have been considered for measuring operational performance.FindingsThe results imply that the firms can get back their returns on investments in their quality management initiatives within three years of TQS implementation. The ways, commitment and the competence with which the TQS implementation is carried out are more important rather than the duration of TQS implementation. Further, among the successful firms, it has been observed that as TQS age increases, quality and operational performance also increases, since firms get more and more experienced in effective implementation of TQS in a continuously improving environment.Originality/valueThe impact of TQS age on quality and operational performance has been investigated in a developing economy with respect to the automobile service industry. Primarily this is a research paper and the results and findings will be of immense use to the business executives of service firms.
The process of constructing performance measurement
Authors: Elg Mattias 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how the present article illuminates the process of how information is constructed in performance measurement systems.Design/methodology/approachThe main argument for using performance measurement is that it creates possibilities for managers to gain knowledge about what is going on within the organization and direct future behaviour. The effectiveness of such a knowledge creation process is partly dependent on local circumstances of how information is being created.FindingsIn large scale performance measurement systems we can expect that several people are involved in constructing information. These people are either directly involved or have indirect influence over the construction process. Different motives and cognition play an important role as information is shaped and reshaped from the collection of raw data until its final usage in management settings.Research limitations/implicationsThe research field is provided with an alternative view of what it means to work with performance measurement. This includes decomposition of the traditional mechanistic view of performance measurement.Practical implicationsPractitioners are urged to be reflective and careful in their usage of performance measurement as they cannot be viewed as objective facts of reality.Originality/valueThe paper contributes with knowledge in an underdeveloped field of research, namely quality of information. It may provide a basis for further research and scholarly analysis.
Comparison between DP and MBNQA: convergence and divergence over time
Authors: Ranjan Kumar Madhu 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the commonalities and differences between the Deming Prize (DP) and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA).Design/methodology/approachA qualitative comparison is made of the changes in the Deming Prize and the MBNQA from 1992 to 2005. In the process, the paper arrives at their current commonalities and differences.FindingsConcludes that during the last 13 years the emphasis of both the Deming Prize and the MBNQA has shifted from technical quality to excellence of all organizational processes. They have moved towards a common understanding of “good leadership” and an appreciation of systems thinking. However, they have maintained their basic difference in the sense that, while inherent in the DP are consulting and guidance by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE) over a longer timeframe, MBNQA begins with a more self‐ assessment approach and is more competitive in spirit. Further, since its inception, while the MBNQA has been very public with its entire award process, the DP has made its award process public only since 2003.Practical implicationsPrior experience in TQM is considered desirable if an organization is to reap full benefit from the Deming Prize.Originality/valueCompares the changes in the understanding of quality by two major awards in a common time period. It shows that, in spite of all its mutations, the DP maintains its basic congruence with the Deming's philosophy. It also brings out the differences in the assessment methods of the Deming Prize and the MBNQA.
Top management commitment and overall engineering education excellence
Authors: Sakthivel P.B. 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThere has been an exponential proliferation of higher engineering educational institutions in India. The purpose of this paper is to seek to investigate students' perceptions of the level of Commitment of Top Management and Leadership (CTML) and Education Service Design and Delivery (ESDD) in Government Run Engineering Colleges (GREC), Privately Funded Engineering Colleges (PFEC) and Privately Funded Deemed Universities (PFDU) in India. The paper also strives to find out the significant predictors of Overall Engineering Education Excellence (OEEE).Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model has been developed linking Total Quality Management (TQM) elements and OEEE. The data were obtained from a survey of 992 students of higher engineering institutions in South India and analyzed using SPSS.FindingsSignificant differences among GREC, PFEC and PFDU were noticed in several TQM dimensions under study, and also in OEEE. The findings show correlation between the seven TQM variables and OEEE. CTML made a significant contribution toward attaining OEEE. Campus Facilities and Congenial Learning Environment also contributed greatly to OEEE.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample is limited to engineering institutions in a particular geographical area of India. Related study with a global perspective can be taken up in the future.Practical implicationsThe comparative analysis of higher engineering institutions as well as the results of the investigative study of the impact of TQM on overall engineering educational excellence will prove useful to academic leadership.Originality/valueThe research framework presented in this paper is valuable to the top managements of higher engineering institutions.
Women entrepreneurs, opportunity recognition and government‐sponsored business networks
Authors: Farr‐Wharton Rod , Brunetto Yvonne 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThis paper uses a social capital theoretical framework to examine how the relational dimension of business networks affects the networking activities of female entrepreneurs. In particular, the study examines the role of trust on women's networking behaviour and the part played by government business development officers in supporting women entrepreneur's opportunity recognition behaviour.Design/methodology/approachThe research used mixed methods to gather and analyse data. A survey instrument was used to gather quantitative data and qualitative data was gathered from interviews and written responses to open‐ended questions included in the survey.FindingsThe quantitative findings suggest firstly that approximately 20 per cent of the reason why women entrepreneurs belong to formal business networks is to search for business opportunities; however, their experience of trusting significantly affects their perception of the potential benefits of networking activities. Moreover, government development officers appear not to positively affect women entrepreneur's trusting behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe sampling process could have caused bias in the data collection and therefore the generalisability of the findings may be compromised. This is because the sample came from a state with the most start‐ups and therefore it is likely that these women are more entrepreneurial than normal. In addition, there may be bias in the type of women entrepreneur likely to have responded to the survey. It seems likely that the women entrepreneurs that would respond to this questionnaire are apt to be more entrepreneurial in their behaviour of recognising new opportunities, thereby biasing the sample used. Finally, another limitation of this study is common methods bias in relation to the data collected using self‐report questionnaire.Practical implicationsThe findings have implications for government because these findings suggest that they have wrongly assumed that entrepreneurs will behave in “politically constructed business network” the same way as they behave in social networks where trust levels develop over time. This may be the reason why trust was such an important variable in affecting these women entrepreneurs' networking behaviour. The findings suggest that if women entrepreneurs are to be supported to grow, the government should focus its scarce resources on building trust within these formal business networks, so that women can build the relational trust context needed to share information likely to lead to good business opportunities.Originality/valueThe paper provides information on the role of trust on women's networking behaviour.
Gender differences in CEO compensation: evidence from the USA
Authors: Adams Susan M. , Gupta Atul , Haughton Dominique M. , Leeth John D. 
Published: April 2007

PurposeTo provide insights into the experience of women aspiring to the CEO position, particularly regarding qualifications and compensation expectations.Design/methodology/approachThe ExecuComp database of executives at 1,500 large US corporations from 1992 to 2004 was used to identify women CEOs and to examine gender differences in compensation of executives over that period. Additional information about the backgrounds of female CEOs was collected from company press releases and regulatory filings.FindingsWomen are not as highly compensated as men before becoming CEO but the few who reach the CEO position receive similar compensation as men. While women CEOs are younger on average than men, they have impressive work experience and education.Research limitations/implicationsThe study covers relatively large US companies that are publicly traded; thus, smaller firms and privately‐held firms are not included.Practical implicationsImpressive work experience, usually from within the company, and a strong education seem to be associated with promotion to the CEO position. Female executives should be more aware of the existence of gender differences in compensation at positions other than the CEO.Originality/valueMuch is written about the gender‐based duality of the leadership career and the overall gender gap in compensation. This study adds an in‐depth analysis of compensation at the top of the executive ladder to better understand who makes it to the top and whether they are equitably rewarded.
Educators' professional characteristics
Authors: Krishnaveni R. , Anitha J. 
Published: April 2007

PurposeTo develop a comprehensive model of professional characteristics of an educator that will prepare them for high standards of professional achievements, as all professions demand standardization and formulation of guidelines in today's competitive environment.Design/methodology/approachLiterature on essentials of an educator was sourced to collect the various characteristics for diverse academic oriented goals. A set of ten vital characteristics was identified which were sorted under three spheres of the educators work life. These characteristics were then defined appropriately for the teaching discipline.FindingsA wide range of literature has resulted in ten characteristics and a comprehensive model was developed that would encompass the different characteristics that an educator ought to possess to develop his/her self, institution and with those he/she connects in professional life.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper limits itself in identifying the characteristics of the educator. Further study is possible focusing at the impact of these characteristics on students, institution and the community as a whole.Practical implicationsAdapting the model and practice of these characteristics will bring about standard and desired outputs that would help the teaching profession establish its high standards. It would also provide a deep impact on students who will be trained and dealt with using a more proficient approach.Originality/valueThe model presents the various characteristics that were developed out of a number of attributes identified in the literature survey in a comprehensive and simple manner. It extends a wide scope for professional standards in teaching.
The impact of primary and secondary education on higher education quality
Authors: Michaelowa Katharina 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the relationship among different levels of education.Design/methodology/approachInternational cross‐country comparisons, bi‐ and multivariate analyses, with many graphical illustrations. These methods are used to compare educational outcomes at the primary, secondary and tertiary level in terms of quantity (enrolment) and quality (measured in terms of student achievement, university rankings, patents and researchers), and to analyse the impact of heterogeneity between secondary schools on tertiary outcomes.FindingsThe results suggest that certain minimum levels of enrolment at primary and secondary level represent a necessary condition for the development of functioning higher education. Another relevant result of our analysis is that strong differences between educational institutions at secondary level may be detrimental for tertiary education quality.Research limitations/implicationsThis research only represents an initial explorative analysis.Practical implicationsIn order to improve tertiary education outcomes, education policy should not concentrate on tertiary education alone, but also consider insufficiencies at lower levels of education.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to fill a gap in the present educational literature in that it tries to provide some empirical evidence for the theoretical argument that quality tertiary education requires a sound basis of students to draw from; i.e. a basis of students which should be restricted as little as possible by lack of access to secondary or even primary education, and/or by lack of access to sufficiently quality oriented schools.
British grocers' brand extension in financial services
Authors: Laforet Sylvie 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThis study aims to examine consumer fit perception, risks and brand trust in retail brand extension in financial services.Design/methodology/approachA total of 324 respondents living in Sheffield, UK were involved in the survey. The survey was conducted on three major British supermarkets. Mean scores for each supermarket were compared between four groups of respondents: store loyal vs non‐loyal, users vs non‐users of the store's financial services, aware vs non‐aware and intend‐to‐buy vs no‐intention‐to‐buy groups on fit, risks, trust dimensions. A factor analysis was performed on the dimensions' items. Discriminant analysis was used to determine the dimension(s) distinguishing the retailers.FindingsThe study found that retailers A and B were perceived as trusted brands with respect to financial services. Retailer A was perceived as a trusted brand regardless of the product category. Retailer B was seen as a trusted brand when product performance and financial risks were low. In contrast, retailer C was perceived unfit and risky by the non‐users and no‐intention‐to‐buy groups. Age, gender, income influenced fit, risks and trust perception. Existing customers, including those aware and intending to buy the store's financial services, tended to trust the store; whereas those new to the store and its products perceived no fit and lacked confidence in the store's expertise in their brand extensions.Practical implicationsThe article assists retailers and the like in their brand extension decision making and implementations.Originality/valueThe article contributes to retail/brand extension/corporate branding literature, brand extension in high/low‐involvement product, perceived fit, risks and trust relationship in brand extension.
Branding strategy and consumer high‐technology product
Authors: Hamann Danilo , Williams Robert L. , Omar Maktoba 
Published: April 2007

PurposeThe paper aims to propose a model to investigate the relationships between price, use, quality, and culture regarding the adoption of high‐technology branding strategy.Design/methodology/approachBased on the identified areas of influence – price, use, quality and culture – a questionnaire was designed and randomly sent out to 70 respondents via e‐mail. At the same time, those respondents were asked to pass on the e‐mail, resulting in a total number of 94 people from 21 different countries responding to the request. The findings were evaluated and analysed by using the computer‐aided data analysis programme SPSS.FindingsThe study concluded that people purchase high technology products primarily for prestige (usage) rather than to satisfy particular needs, and perception of change (culture) affected the adoption process of high‐technology.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the focus of this survey to discover the incentives behind the adaptation process, the possibilities of using the findings for more general purposes were narrowed down. In addition, the small amount of already existing knowledge in this area made the collection and the evaluation of data very difficult, which again influenced the way the research was designed.Practical implicationsIn a globally competitive business environment the value of a strong brand in high‐technology marketplace is well documented. The difficulty in maintaining a basis for differentiation, and heightened consumer price consciousness reveals the necessity to understand consumer evaluation and purchase decision processes. Therefore, this study discovered and revealed the reasons behind individual buying decisions of high‐technology products.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, no previous research has been done on this particular area, which makes the outcome of this survey very valuable. Furthermore, the practical implications of the findings show a high relevance regarding the design of present‐day business strategies while providing suggestions of improvement.