bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Marketing perceptions and business performance
Authors: Helgesen Øyvind , Nesset Erik , Voldsund Terje 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze associations between practitioners' perception of marketing and business performance, and discuss possible implications for marketing education.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted in Norwegian companies in the furniture and fishery sectors. The relationship between practitioners' perceptions of marketing and business performance is analysed by combining ordinal regression with cluster analysis. The latter is used to categorize practitioners' views of marketing.FindingsThe results indicate that the cluster to which a firm belongs makes a difference in business performance. Firms that share a common view of marketing, strongly focused on both core marketing and sales, perform better than firms that share a more narrow view of marketing. Thus, both “intrinsic” and “instrumental” aims may be important to any core curriculum for marketing education.Research limitations/implicationsEven though the data set accounts for a large percentage of the two selected sectors in terms of total turnover, the sample itself is small.Practical implicationsVocational skills such as sales management should be an integrated part of marketing education. Financial accountability and customer profitability analyses should preferably also be included.Originality/valueThis study of the relationships between practitioners' perceptions of marketing and business performance, by combining cluster analysis and ordinal regression, is a new and valuable approach in this context. The findings have also important practical implications for marketing education.
A cross‐cultural comparison of individualism's moderating effect on bonding and commitment in banking relationships
Authors: Dash Satyabhusan , Bruning Ed , Ku Guin Kalyan 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe a cross‐cultural study which examined individualism's moderating effect on the relationship between bonding and commitment between banks and their corporate clients.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through surveys completed by corporate customers from 126 Canadian companies and 156 Indian companies. Multiple regression analysis was used to calculate relative effects of structural and social bond on commitment across the two samples. Hierarchical moderated regression analysis was used to examine individualism's moderating effect on the bonding‐commitment relationship.FindingsThe paper's findings indicate that social and structural bonding are both antecedent to commitment, but that social bonding is given higher importance in the low individualism Indian society, while structural bonding is more important in the high individualism Canadian society. Individualism moderates the relationship between both social and structural bonding and commitment.Practical implicationsBank relationships are dependent upon specific cultural contexts in which buyers and sellers interact. The type of bonding relationship (e.g. social or structural) determines the strength of commitment. Bank managers must understand the proper emphasis to place on developing social connections versus business transactional relationships with clients in individualistic versus collective cultures.Originality/valueThis paper dramatizes the importance of understanding ways in which bonding relates to commitment, particularly when societal values vary and thus alter the relative importance of forms of bonding that generate commitment. Through empirical analyses, the paper demonstrates the moderating effect of individualism on the social bonding‐commitment and structural bonding‐commitment linkages in the context of an important service sector. To date, these relationships have not been explored in either the Indian or Canadian context.
Charities: how important is performance to donors?
Authors: van Iwaarden Jos , van der Wiele Ton , Williams Roger , Moxham Claire 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThis paper seeks to develop insights into the charity selection criteria used by individual donors, and the information that charities provide to individual donors.Design/methodology/approachCharities are defined as organizations involved in health, international aid, wellbeing, and nature and environment. In this paper the main focus is on one type of charity stakeholder; the individual donor. The research is undertaken through an internet survey among Dutch donors and through interviews at eight case studies of Dutch charities.FindingsBased on the internet survey it can be concluded that effectiveness is seen as important, but not as the major criterion in the selection of a charity. The case studies show that charities do not have standardized reporting systems in order to inform their donors on their performancesPractical implicationsBased on this research it can be concluded that there is a need for management of charities to develop both measures of internal efficiency and of external effectiveness.Originality/valueThe literature review identified a lack of empirical data available on the charity sector; this paper tries to fill that gap.
Impact of TQM on company's performance
Authors: Kumar Vinod , Choisne Franck , de Grosbois Danuta , Kumar Uma 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of total quality management (TQM) implementation on different dimensions of company performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates Canadian finalists (winners and certificates of merit) in the Total Quality category of the Canada Awards for Business Excellence. The data were collected either through in‐depth personal interviews or by mail/telephone using the questionnaire and then analyzed.FindingsThe data analysis confirmed the hypothesized positive impact of TQM on all investigated dimensions of company performance, i.e. employee relations (improved employee participation and morale), operating procedures (improved products and services quality, process and productivity, and reduced errors/defects), customer satisfaction (reduced number of customer complaints), and financial results (increased profitability).Research limitations/implicationsSmall sample size limited the scope of statistical analysis. Also, the results of this study are only valid for TQM adopters and give an indication of what performance can be achieved by companies that undertake a successful TQM program.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful insights into the performance improvement that can be achieved through TQM.Originality/valueThe study provides evidence on how different dimensions of performance are affected by TQM and gives insights into how long does it take to obtain these benefits.
Optimal economic solution for a normal sampling intervals method in quality control
Authors: Rodrigues Dias J. 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to present an optimal economic solution for a different adaptive sampling method that is highly intuitive in its nature: the normal sampling intervals (NSI) method.Design/methodology/approachConsidering costs associated with sampling, false alarms and imperfect operation per unit of time, the paper presents a new optimal simple solution that minimizes the expected total cost per cycle. This NSI method involves the density function of the standard normal variable, assuming that the distribution of averages is normal or approximately normal (on the basis of the central limit theorem). It depends on a single scale parameter while other methods depend on various parameters.FindingsWhen this expected total cost associated with the new NSI method is compared with the fixed (FSI) and variable sampling intervals (VSI) methods, in identical situations, it may be seen that, in general, it is lower (and may be much lower) and, also, that it is lower for a wider range of changes in terms of quality. This feature is particularly important because, in practice, the degree of change that occurs is not known, so this greater robustness in terms of performance is relevant.Practical implicationsIn the practice, the minimization of total expected costs is an important point of view in the life of companies, concerning quality and statistical process control (SPC). The paper holds that this NSI method has a great degree of potential, in particular considering that in industrial processes there is growing recourse to automated systems for the collection and analysis of samples, and thus there are no special additional costs associated with labour, management or administration.Originality/valueThe great advantages of this NSI method are its highly intuitive nature and the fact that it enables generally much better results to be achieved as compared with the use of FSI and VSI methods. An optimal economic solution for this NSI method is presented in this paper.
Dependability modeling and analysis of hybrid redundancy systems
Authors: Chellappan C. , Vijayalakshmi G. 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe aim of this study is to demonstrate that hybrid redundancy systems are superior to the conventionalN‐modular redundancy (NMR) systems.Design/methodology/approachThe hybrid redundancy system is a synthesis of the NMR system and the standby redundancy. Each module of the NMR has access tokcold spares (k<N) and a repair facility. A semi‐Markov model for the hybrid redundancy system is developed and transient analysis is performed.FindingsSome dependability measures such as availability, reliability, mean time to failure and steady‐state availability are obtained.Originality/valueThis paper presents the transient analysis of the hybrid redundancy systems. The results obtained will be useful to reliability engineers and reliability practitioners.
Extending zone rules to detect process drift
Authors: Divoky James J. , Anne Rothermel Mary 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the effectiveness of long period supplementary zone rules that can simultaneously increase chart sensitivity to small process drift and not significantly increase the false alarm rate.Design/methodology/approachA stable, on‐target process was simulated and drift induced into the process. The rates of drift varied from 0.03σ to .0003σ per subgroup measurement. A total of 613 different supplementary zone rules were implemented in conjunction with the three‐sigma limiting rule. For each combination, 100,000 observations were simulated and the effect on the false alarm rate and increase in chart sensitivity estimated. An effectiveness measure was developed to relate false alarm rate to chart sensitivity.FindingsA total of 87 rules were uncovered which effectively detected a wide range of process drifts. When the increase in chart sensitivity is discounted by the false alarm rate, 13 rules increased chart sensitivity by over 10 percent. These rules were based on longer rather than shorter rule length.Research limitations/implicationsThe effective rules discovered form a nonlinear pattern in the space the examined rules define. This indicates a direction for future research outside the scope of this study. These rules are also easy to implement in existing Shewhart chart applications where the process drifts at an unknown rate.Originality/valueWhile supplementary trend rules have been studied in the past, the extension to zone rules has not been made. This study begins to fill that void and indicates the direction for future efforts in the area.
Challenging experiences: gender differences in task choice
Authors: De Pater Irene E. , Van Vianen Annelies E.M. , Fischer Agneta H. , Van Ginkel Wendy P. 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine: gender differences in the choice to perform challenging tasks, gender differences in the actual performance of challenging tasks, and the impact of challenging experiences on supervisors' evaluations of individuals' potential for career advancement.Design/methodology/approachIn study 1, a sample of 158 students participated in a laboratory study that examined gender differences in choosing to perform challenging tasks in a situation that stressed individual performance. In study 2, a sample of 93 interns completed questionnaires in which the authors measured their challenging job experiences. Interns' supervisors evaluated interns' potential for career advancement.FindingsIn an achievement situation, women chose to perform fewer challenging tasks than men (study 1). During their internships, females had fewer challenging job experiences than males (study 2). Having challenging experiences was positively related to supervisors' evaluations of interns' potential for career advancement (study 2).Research limitations/implicationsThe use of student samples may be considered a limitation of these studies. However, the nature of the research questions justifies an initial examination among students. Moreover, small gender differences in experiences at the start of individuals' careers may ultimately lead to increasing discrepancies between men's and women's careers.Originality/valueThe study is the first to examine individuals' own impact on the extent to which they experience job challenge. Moreover, it is the first that empirically examines the relationship between job challenge and evaluations of career potential.
Organizational justice and managerial commitment in corporate mergers
Authors: Klendauer Ruth , Deller Jürgen 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether perceptions of distributive, procedural and interactional justice can explain the frequently reported low organizational commitment of managers in corporate mergers. Specifically, it aims to examine whether each of the justice dimensions is significantly and uniquely related to affective commitment, which of the justice dimensions has the strongest relationship with the criterion, and whether instrumental evaluations or trust might function as a mediator.Design/methodology/approachA total of 128 managers from 37 companies completed a questionnaire. They had been involved in domestic or European mergers or acquisitions, which varied in the application of fairness rules.FindingsAlthough each fairness dimension correlated positively with affective commitment, only interactional justice showed a unique relationship with it. Results indicate that both instrumental evaluations and trust can function as a mediator.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the cross‐sectional design, conclusions about the causal order of the variables cannot be drawn.Practical implicationsThe authors recommend that top managers should pay extra attention to timely, candid and specific internal communication with thorough and reasonable explanation of decisions, as well as the respectful treatment of managers. Moreover, the results indicate that managers reacted positively to fairness because it conveys positive relational signals, and because one can gain personal advantages through fair outcomes and processes.Originality/valueThe organizational justice approach has not yet been applied, to the authors' knowledge, in quantitative field studies of mergers. Furthermore, this paper offers a contribution to the literature on fairness heuristic theory.
Revisiting the social construction of family in the context of work
Authors: Alexandra Beauregard T. , Ozbilgin Mustafa , Bell Myrtle P. 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how traditional definitions of family, in the context of employment, have not kept pace with actual family formation in the USA and much of the rest of the world, and how this disadvantages individuals from atypical (i.e. non‐nuclear), but increasingly common, families.Design/methodology/approachA wide range of literature from disciplines spanning industrial relations, gerontology, management, and family studies is invoked to illustrate how employers' definitions of “family” are often incompatible with actual contemporary family structures, and how this poses difficulties for employed individuals in non‐traditional families.FindingsMany family structures are not accounted for by employment legislation and thus organizational work‐family policies. These include same‐sex couples, multi‐generational and extended families (e.g. including parents or other elders; members from outside the bloodline or with grandparents providing primary care for grandchildren) and virtual families.Practical implicationsThe authors discuss a number of problems associated with current provision of work‐family policy and practice among organizations, and recommend that governments and organizations expand upon the traditional definition of “family” to better enable employees in a variety of familial configurations to successfully balance their work and family demands.Originality/valueThis paper identifies current failings in employment legislation and suggests improvements so that both governments and organizations can better facilitate employees' work‐life balance. As such, it will be of use researchers, practitioners, and policy makers interested in the interface between work and family.
The relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing
Authors: Carmeli Abraham , Yitzhak‐Halevy Meyrav , Weisberg Jacob 
Published: January 2009

PurposeTheory suggests that highly emotionally intelligent individuals are likely to experience psychological wellbeing at a higher level than individuals who are low in emotional intelligence. This study aims to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and four aspects of psychological wellbeing (self‐acceptance, life satisfaction, somatic complaints and self‐esteem).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from employees through two different structured surveys administered at two points in time.FindingsThe results of four hierarchical regression models provide, in general, support for the positive association between emotional intelligence and psychological wellbeing components – self‐esteem, life satisfaction, and self‐acceptance. Only marginal significant support was found for the negative relationship between emotional intelligence and somatic complaints.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to a growing body of literature seeking to determine the role of emotional intelligence in explaining individuals' wellbeing at work. In addition, the study indicates that employees who experience a psychological state of wellbeing may function better than employees who experience emotional deficit.
An attention‐based view on service orientation in the business strategy of manufacturing companies
Authors: Gebauer Heiko 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThis article seeks to answer the following research question: How does the focus of attention and situated attention contribute to the formulation and implementation of the service orientation in the business strategy?Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modelling is used as a research methodology.FindingsThe paper suggests that the formation and implementation of service orientation in the business strategy is influenced strongly by managerial attention.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that a survey is suitable for investigating managerial cognition and attention, but future research should benefit from obtaining data on managerial attention through interviews or secondary data such as company documents.Practical implicationsThe main effect on strategy implementation and the moderating role of situated attention suggest that managers should be aware of the potential inertia by implementing a service‐oriented business strategy. The main effects for strategy formulation suggest that the formulation of a service‐oriented business strategy is triggered through decreasing product margins in the case of product‐oriented companies, whereas it is triggered by increasing customer expectations for service‐oriented companies.Originality/valueThe study examines the moderating effects of focus of managerial attention and situated management attention on the service orientation of business strategy.
The future of the external audit function
Authors: Fraser Ian , Pong Chris 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities currently facing external auditors at a time of economic and financial crisis.Design/methodology/approachThe paper has a particular focus on the other contributions to this special issue of Managerial Auditing Journal and provides a reflective synthesis of these while making reference to other relevant literature as appropriate.FindingsThe paper puts forward various suggestions for future academic research that might improve auditing practice. Also, the principal aim of this special issue has been to spotlight differing perspectives on some of the perennial problems which have plagued auditing for generations and to suggest possible ways forward.Practical implicationsVarious suggestions for future academic research that might improve auditing practice are put forward in the paper.Originality/valueMajor contemporary issues facing the auditing profession (or industry) are summarized. The paper highlights the diversity of value stances that exists in the audit academy and may (together with the other papers forming part of this special issue) be useful for introducing university students studying auditing at intermediate or advanced levels to a variety of current auditing issues and debates.
Crunch time for bank audits? Questions of practice and the scope for dialogue
Authors: Woods Margaret , Humphrey Christopher , Dowd Kevin , Liu Yu‐Lin 
Published: January 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the way in which auditing issues have been raised and addressed during the credit crunch and developing global financial crisis.Design/methodology/approachAnalysis is based on a review of the academic auditing literature, regulatory and audit reports, together with papers from the financial press.FindingsAfter highlighting the relative lack of media attention devoted to the external auditing function in the light of major corporate collapses, the paper considers what, contrastingly, is an active and ongoing series of responses to the current crisis on the part of auditing firms and the profession more generally. Through such analysis the paper explores a number of implications of the credit crunch for both auditing practice and research.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is constrained in part by the rapidly unfolding nature of events, with important policy developments arising almost on a daily basis. The paper draws primarily on events up to the beginning of October 2008.Practical implicationsThe paper has important messages for audit practice and research, including the technical capacities of external audits in the banking sector, the contributions of standard setting bodies and regulatory oversight, and the scope for enhanced dialogue between such parties and audit researchers.Originality/valueThe paper serves both to focus and stimulate analysis of the credit crunch on the audit profession. It demonstrates the complexity of contemporary practice and highlights the importance, especially from an educational perspective, of developing understanding of banking audit practice and associated regulatory interactions – including the presented possibilities both for research and enhanced academic‐practitioner dialogue.