bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Customer heterogeneity in operational e‐service design attributes
Authors: Sousa Rui , Yeung Andy C.L. , Cheng T.C.E. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThis study aims to empirically examine whether heterogeneity in personal customer profiles translates to heterogeneity in the valued operational e‐service design attributes. It focuses on a key operational e‐service design attribute – service quality – by investigating whether customers with different profiles (demographics, pattern of use of the service, and pattern of channel use) attach different levels of importance to different dimensions of web site quality.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on path analysis of data collected from multiple sources in a commercial e‐service setting (e‐banking): data from an online survey of the customers of the e‐service; data stored in the transaction and log files generated by the operation of the e‐service over time; and data from the e‐service provider's customer database and back office IT systems.FindingsThe results suggest that: customer demographics, pattern of service use, and pattern of channel use have no influence on the importance attached by customers to web site quality dimensions; and customer demographics affect the pattern of use of an e‐service.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should examine this question in other types of e‐services and should examine other types of profile variables.Practical implicationsService providers may not need to employ customization at the level of web site quality dimensions. The findings support the existence of the concept of an “optimal” web site design for quality.Originality/valueThe paper answers calls for an increased understanding of the design of high quality e‐services and for multidisciplinary research in the field of services management, in particular, incorporating operations management perspectives.
Design creativity: static or dynamic capability?
Authors: Azadegan Arash , Bush David , Dooley Kevin J. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeViewing creativity through the theoretical lens of the resource‐based view, the paper attempts to answer a fundamental question: is design creativity a static or dynamic capability? If static, then firms need to acquire personnel who are already creative. If dynamic, then personnel's creative talents should be developed through training.Design/methodology/approachIn an exploratory controlled experiment of 74 design engineers from ten firms, two forms of training emphasizing design creativity as static or dynamic capability were applied. Creative designs developed by the participants were judged by professionals inside each organization. Results were analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe exploratory findings support the notion that design creativity is a static capability. In tandem, support for design creativity as a dynamic capability, contingent upon personality traits is apparent. Training may help develop some people's creative skills.Research limitations/implicationsSmall sample size limited the ability to distinguish the significance of some effects. Further incubation time for training and an added evaluation step by the judges could have resulted in more apparent effects of training.Practical implicationsFinest candidates for recruitment and development may not be identified based on a limited set of characteristics. Selection should be based on a combination of criteria. To gain the most, training programs should be subject to the individuals' learning styles.Originality/valueDesign creativity should be considered as a static characteristic determined upon recruitment (buy), and as a dynamic one developed post hire (make). The exploratory findings suggest a combined buy and modify approach to design creativity.
Researching performance measurement systems
Authors: Marchand Marie , Raymond Louis 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to clarify the notions that underlie performance measurement systems (PMS) and to propose an information systems (IS)‐based characterisation and definition of PMS, that is, as a performance management information system (PMIS).Design/methodology/approachResearch on PMS can be enhanced by a clear, precise and uniform characterisation of this research object in IS terms A classification scheme is developed and the contribution areas of an IS perspective to PMS research are presented and exemplified.FindingsThe knowledge developed in IS research in the form of IS theories, models and methods can be applied in research on PMS, particularly in empirical studies that analyse the individual and organisational behaviours associated with the PMS phenomenon.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptualisation and definition of PMS, as found in the literature, have not truly reflected their basic nature and characterisation as IS.Practical implicationsThe research benefits of an IS‐based approach are illustrated through a PMS usage model founded on IS theory. In so doing, a contribution is made to the PMS research field by reinforcing its theoretical and empirical foundations.Originality/valueThis study proposes a novel and demonstrably useful IS‐based perspective, including an improved conceptualization and definition of PMS.
Shedding light on causation between ISO 9001 and improved business performance
Authors: Dick Gavin P.M. , Heras Iñaki , Casadesús Martí 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe adoption of the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems Standard has proven to be a persistent and growing phenomenon in services and manufacturing, yet to date little research has been done that can indicate how far improved business performance can be attributed to it rather than counter‐intuitive causes. The paper aims to examine the evidence for the causal links between quality management system certification and improved performance in the empirical literature.Design/methodology/approachA method is proposed for testing how far performance improvement can be attributed to quality management system certification and how far attribution to other causes applies. This method is illustrated on a longitudinal study and then utilised to interpret the findings of other longitudinal studies.FindingsIt is concluded that although there is some evidence to indicate that quality management system certification has some causal influence on business performance, there is also evidence for the existence of a substantial mechanism whereby better performing firms self‐select to adopt certification. Possible causes for this mechanism are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsThe existence of a self‐select mechanism has profound implications for interpreting business performance achievements associated with quality management system certification because the benefits found may well be inflated by its presence. The authors suggest that richer theory is needed that can incorporate bi‐directional influences and new research is needed to explore the underlying causes of adoption selection effects.Originality/valueThe paper provides researchers with a method for testing and discussing causation influences on results. It provides evidence that a substantial part of the association found in the research on quality management system certification and business benefits may be due to counterintuitive causes.
Barriers to organizational creativity
Authors: Asad Sadi Muhammad , Al‐Dubaisi Ali H. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of some barriers in Saudi organizations from the perspectives of marketing executives.Design/methodology/approachA range of contemporary literature is presented to help define the term “organizational creativity,” and describe “barriers to creativity” from the marketing executives' perspective within the organizational culture of Saudi Arabia.FindingsSelf‐confidence and task achievement are the most significant barriers to the creativity of marketing executives in Saudi Arabia.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is primarily based on a survey questionnaire, the contents of which were derived from previous studies on this subject or related themes. The barriers to creativity surveyed in this study were identified by Osborn. They were grouped into six constructs: self‐confidence; need for conformity and risk taking; use of the abstract; use of systematic analysis; task achievement and physic1al environment.Practical implicationsThroughout this paper the concept of “barriers to creativity” was explored. The results indicated that self‐confidence is considered a slightly higher barrier to creativity among Saudi executives compared to non‐Saudis who rate task achievement higher. To improve self‐confidence among executives, both Saudi and non‐Saudi organizations must improve positive behavioral elements such as optimism, passion, and self‐image and minimize negative behavior elements such as sarcasms, destructive criticism, status consciousness and fear of evaluation.Originality/valueThe celebrated Osborn model is used to identify the creativity barriers among organizations from the perspective of marketing executives. This paper concludes that creativity is an important issue for any organization to survive and excel, and knowing the barriers that diminish creativity is an essential step towards the objective of creating a culture of creativity within an organization in the Saudi Arabian context.
Management development and the unconscious from an analytical psychology framework
Authors: Figler Robert , Hanlon Susan 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore and explicate the role of the unconscious, from an analytical psychology framework, in the development of managers.Design/methodology/approachDeveloping effective managers is an enormous task requiring views from many different perspectives. The lifeblood of all types of managerial work and activity involves relating, understanding, cooperating, and depending on others at both a conscious and unconscious level. In this paper, management development and the unconscious is viewed from an analytical psychology (Jungian) perspective.FindingsInsights are provided from this framework describing how managers might become more receptive and effective in relational skills necessary for the effective management of the workplace.Originality/valueThe paper develops a conceptual framework, which may help managers, through a dialogue with the unconscious, become more receptive to emotion, feeling and subjectivity in workers and themselves. This, in turn, may make them more effective in relating and being related to others.
The broken trailer fallacy
Authors: Stringham Edward P. , Snow Nicholas A. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze some of the unseen negative effects of the post‐Katrina government policies dealing with housing in New Orleans.Design/methodology/approachSince Hurricane Katrina, the government, along with private for profit and not‐for‐profit organizations, has worked to rebuild the city of New Orleans. This effort is most evident in the response to the housing crisis that followed the storm. The government has spent billions of dollars and brought thousands of people in to rebuild homes and other infrastructure in the long run and to provide stopgap measures in the short run. The approximately 120,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) trailers in the region are one of the most visible examples of government efforts.FindingsThe paper finds that while the trailers did provide benefits to those who received them, it could be argued that the government's policies aimed toward solving the housing crisis suffer from Frédéric Bastiat's broken window fallacy. FEMA trailers and the multitude of workers brought in are examples of what is seen, and, as Bastiat showed, we must also look at what is unseen.Originality/valueThe paper is of value in showing that the trailer problem, among many others, has weakened the relief effort.
Institutions, incentives, and disaster relief
Authors: Westley Christopher , Murphy Robert P. , Anderson William L. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of property rights institutions to disaster relief efforts, with a focus on the US Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana.Design/methodology/approachThe paper utilizes public choice, Austrian, and new institutional analyses of bureaucracy. It discusses private and public sector responses to the situation in New Orleans following Katrina and to disasters in general, and compares the institutional frameworks that develop over time in both sectors.FindingsThe paper finds that a large and bureaucratized response to disasters hinders economic calculation, incentive structure, and property rights institutions, all of which are crucial for rapid disaster response, the relief of human suffering, the minimization of knowledge problems, and the promotion of an efficient allocation of resources.Practical implicationsThis research suggests that the role of the price system in allocating resources is especially important following disasters and that in order to ensure relief efforts are as efficient as possible, public‐sector actors should do nothing to impede them. It also suggests that the incentives to prepare an efficient emergency preparedness program are greater when those most affected by potential disasters are held responsible for their implementation.Originality/valueThe paper provides a critical evaluation of the role of highly centralized approaches to disaster relief.
Market‐based “disaster relief”: Katrina and the casino industry
Authors: Walker Douglas M. , Jackson John D. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect the rebuilding of the casino industry has had on the recovery efforts from Katrina.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses quarterly data from four states affected by Katrina, and a simple OLS model to test the effect the casino industry has had on personal income in the states.FindingsThe paper finds that the casino industry has had a statistically significant positive impact on the economic recovery in casino states relative to non‐casino states.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper examines a relatively short term. Other research has suggested that the long‐run effects of casinos are less certain. As more data become available, the model could be re‐tested.Practical implicationsThese results support previous evidence on a short‐run economic stimulus effect from casinos.Originality/valueThe paper extends previous work on the Katrina recovery by including more data, including a control sample of states without casinos, and weighting the income and revenue data.
Beliefs, bias, and regime uncertainty after Hurricane Katrina
Authors: Carden Art 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between beliefs and economic policy in the context of gasoline prices following Hurricane Katrina.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applies three contributions – by North, Caplan and Higgs – to the question of gasoline pricing policy; and surveys public opinion regarding interference with prices.FindingsThe paper identifies evidence of “anti‐market bias” in polling data, press releases, and legislation, and argues that the uncertainty emanating from statutes restricting “price gouging” may reduce investment in the provision of “necessary goods and services” after natural disasters.Originality/valueThe paper is of value in offering evidence of anti‐market and anti‐foreign bias among what might be called political first responders to Hurricane Katrina, and posits the view that interference with prices compounded the shortages facing the Gulf coast or any other disaster‐stricken area.
An economic and ethical analysis of the Katrina disaster
Authors: McGee Robert W. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to apply economic and ethical analysis to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina to determine which approaches to disaster relief work best and which should be abandoned.Design/methodology/approachThis paper provides a combination of narrative with argument and analysis.FindingsGovernment involvement in disaster relief has proven to be economically inefficient and also rights‐violating. Private sector initiatives and economic and political freedom provide better solutions.Practical implicationsThe findings point to ways that can improve the economic efficiency of providing disaster relief while also safeguarding property and contract rights.Originality/valueThis paper combines economic and ethical analysis and includes discussions from the perspectives of both utilitarian ethics and rights‐based ethics, which is not usually done in the economics literature.
Implementing social software in public libraries
Authors: Rutherford Louise L. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the results of a research project designed to identify the kinds of social software that public libraries are using and to explore the issues confronting public library adopters of social software.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a qualitative methodology and takes the form of open‐ended interview questions using an e‐mail format. The research uses Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory as a framework.FindingsThe research found that blogs were the most popular social software tool being used in public libraries and that people‐related issues were the most important issue for librarians to take into account when implementing social software. Library staff acceptance of social software was the most crucial success factor for social software. Other important issues included staff training, the steep learning curve involved in becoming a social software user, and human resource constraints.Originality/valueThis paper provides public librarians with a basis on which to assess potential adoption decisions for social software and to learn from the experiences of others.
Adding value to digitizing with GIS
Authors: Stowell Bracke Marianne , Miller C.C. , Kim Jae 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a project that digitized the 1906 Soil Survey of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, extracted its contents into full‐text and geospatial datasets, and then built them into a web application designed to approximate but improve upon the way soil surveys are typically used by soil scientists in their research and field work.Design/methodology/approachThe components of a 1906 soil survey document were scanned and their contents were extracted using several different methods, chief among them imagery segmentation and classification. The resulting datasets included a full‐text version of the original narrative and two georeferenced versions of the soil survey map.FindingsGoing several steps beyond just scanning, including the application of geographic information system (GIS) capabilities, adds significant value to geospatial materials whose contents are still relevant but whose formats are cumbersome. In addition, this allows for a GIS platform to which other maps and content can be added.Originality/valueThis is a unique approach to enhancing content through GIS.
Managing subject guides with SQL Server and ASP.Net
Authors: Greene Araby 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on the content management solution for 50 subject guides maintained by librarian subject specialists at the University of Nevada, Reno Libraries.Design/methodology/approachThe Web Development Librarian designed an SQL Server database to store subject guide content and wrote ASP.Net scripts to generate dynamic web pages. Subject specialists provided input throughout the process. Hands‐on workshops were held the summer before the new guides were launched.FindingsThe new method has successfully produced consistent but individually customized subject guides while greatly reducing maintenance time. Simple reports reveal the association between guides and licensed resources. Using the system to create course‐specific guides would be a useful follow‐up project. Skills learned in training workshops should be refreshed at regular intervals to boost confidence and introduce changes in the system.Practical implicationsThe advantages of centralizing content and separating it from presentation cannot be overstated. More consistency and less maintenance is just the beginning. Once accomplished, a library can incorporate Web 2.0 features into the application by repurposing the data or modifying the ASP.Net template. The now‐organized data is clean and ready to migrate to web services or next‐generation research guides when the time is right.Originality/valueThis paper uniquely reports on an SQL Server, ASP.Net solution for managing subject guides. SQL Server includes data management features that increase application security and ASP.Net offers built‐in functionality for manipulating and presenting data. Utmost attention was given to creating simple user interfaces that enable subject specialists to create complex web pages without coding HTML.
Examining student outcomes in university computer laboratory environments
Authors: Newby Michael , Marcoulides Laura D. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to model the relationship between student performance, student attitudes, and computer laboratory environments.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 234 college students enrolled in courses that involved the use of a computer to solve problems and provided the laboratory experience by means of formal closed laboratory classes. The a priori proposed model that student performance can be explained by perceptions of the computer laboratory environment and attitudes towards computer was tested using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe proposed model was determined to fit the data reasonably well. These results indicate that student performance scores can be explained by perceptions of the computer laboratory environment and attitudes toward computers.Originality/valueThe theoretical and practical implications of the model concerning student performance within the framework of educational management are discussed.
Caught in the net: the network‐entrepreneurship connection in public schools
Authors: Eyal Ori 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the association between public schools' networks and strategies of entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe Public School Entrepreneurship Inventory (PSEI) and a questionnaire on schools' networks were administered to a stratified, random sample of teachers and principals from 140 Israeli elementary schools.FindingsIt was found that although the network is associated with school entrepreneurship, it is limited to non‐radical entrepreneurship. Thus, extensive connections in the school's network may be considered an advantage for some entrepreneurial purposes and a burden for others. It may therefore be concluded that extensive connections create pressure to conform with network norms, thus restricting radical endeavors.Orginality/valueThe study bridges the gap between the general literature on networks and the literature on educational networks, reflecting how a school's entrepreneurship is contingent on the qualities of its network ties.