bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Strategic posture, financial performance and environmental disclosure
Authors: Magness Vanessa 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to test Ullmann's hypothesis that strategy posture, modified by financial performance, must be considered in light of stakeholder power in order to understand a company's social responsibility disclosure policy.Design/methodology/approachThis study in this paper uses regression analysis to examine annual report disclosure of environmental information after a major accident in the mining industry. A multiple‐item disclosure score is tailored to the Canadian accounting environment, and used as a dependent variable.FindingsThis paper finds that companies that maintain themselves in the public eye through press release activity disclose more information than other companies. However there is no evidence to suggest that disclosure content is moderated by financial performance. Companies that obtained external financing one year after the accident made more disclosure than other companies. The significance of the external financing variable is evident when disclosure is restricted to discretionary or non‐financial items, but disappears if the dependent variable represents mandatory financial items.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper shoes that while Ullmann addressed the matter of actual social responsibility performance, in addition to disclosure, this paper does not examine performance. Furthermore, press release activity is only one type of strategic posture. Future work that employs some other measure may yield additional insight into the decision‐making process.Originality/valuePrior study of Ullmann's work has not considered the interactive impact of profit and strategic posture. Furthermore, the actual nature of the disclosure, voluntary versus mandatory, has not been specifically examined. This paper addresses both of these issues.
Private social, ethical and environmental disclosure
Authors: Solomon Jill Frances , Solomon Aris 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which social, ethical and environmental (SEE) disclosure is being integrated into institutional investment. The aim is also to investigate the interplay between private and public SEE disclosure.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a grounded theory methodology involving interviews with 21 members of the UK institutional adjustment community.FindingsThe paper found that institutional investors did not consider that public SEE disclosure was adequate for their portfolio investment decisions, suggesting that SEE disclosure was decision‐useful. Consequently, this perceived market failure in public SEE disclosure has been supplemented by the development of sophisticated private SEE disclosure channels. Further, the interviews indicated that this private SEE disclosure process was becoming dialogic in nature, since not only were institutional investors initiating the engagement process with companies but also companies were starting to request information on the SEE disclosure required by institutional investors. This finding contrasts with previous work which found that the private disclosure process in financial reporting was essentially user‐oriented and uni‐directional.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the importance of SEE disclosure to a crucial user group, institutional investors. The research contributes to the SEE disclosure literature by revealing details of the evolving private SEE disclosure process for the first time.
Learning from the migration to lead‐free solder
Authors: Ciocci Richard , Pecht Michael 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to characterize the motivations used into migrating to lead‐free solder by providing examples and directions for those making the material change.Design/methodology/approachThis work achieves its objective of identifying which electronic industry actions towards lead‐free soldering have been successful and why. The research reported the various motivating factors considered in adopting lead‐free electronics. To that end, the authors researched industry literature and discussed approaches with various companies and agencies. The scope of this paper is largely the board‐component level soldering process and companies involved in the international electronics industry.FindingsThe motivation to migrate to lead‐free solder has been and continues to be multi‐faceted. Issues include regulatory, commercial, and technical. Processing with lead‐free solder is successful, so the electronics industry's move towards environmentally compatible processes will meet regulated dates for change.Practical implicationsA company can learn how to incorporate environmental improvement principles resulting from the migration to lead‐free solder. Using that migration as a case study, the company can realize additional benefits by applying these principles to other product lines. Those interested in developing environmentally friendly products and processes can adopt the lessons that this paper identifies. Incorporation of lead‐free techniques, rather than resistance to change, is the result of adopting the lessons.Originality/valueThe paper presents a synopsis of the electronic industry's migration to lead‐free products and processes. It compares motivations for change that other studies have not compared. Manufacturers searching for direction and example to meet waste minimization goals will find the paper useful in providing such.
Critical contractual issues of outsourced operation and maintenance service for commercial buildings
Authors: Lai Joseph H.K. , Yik Francis W.H. , Jones Phil 
Published: July 2006

PurposeBuilding operation and maintenance (O&M) service, which embraces a wide range of specialist trades, has been increasingly outsourced through discrete contracts. This paper aims to study the issues critical to outsourced O&M contracts for commercial buildings.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes a transaction cost approach to analyse the findings from face‐to‐face interviews with 22 O&M practitioners in Hong Kong.FindingsThe analysis revealed that they practitioners generally had limited understanding about the concepts of contract. Lacking a standard form for O&M contracts, some contracts were formed rather loosely and irregularities in contract conditions are common. Disputes frequently arise from the scope of work although the practitioners considered well defined work scope is paramount to a successful contract.Research limitations/implicationsBesides the need to study how to improve practitioners' knowledge about O&M service contracts, further studies are required to investigate which or which combination of the contract concepts would be suitable for particular types of O&M contracts where their scale and complexity are dependent on the trade of work required to serve the building.Originality/valueThis paper uncovers a number of contractual issues that are critical to the performance of outsourced O&M service for commercial buildings.
Moving towards, into and through principalship: developing a framework for researching the career trajectories of school leaders
Authors: Stevenson Howard 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe paper seeks to develop a conceptual framework capable of informing future research into beginning principalship in diverse cultural contexts.Design/methodology/approachBased on recent literature, and specifically drawing on contributions to this Special Issue, the paper explores the relationship between externally generated pressures and tensions facing beginning principals and their influence on principal socialisation and development.FindingsThe paper identifies tensions between increasing pressure on schools to meet a diverse range of social objectives and a context of high‐pressure accountability, limited resources and increasing institutional and systemic complexity uncertainty. Beginning principals face the difficult task of having to reconcile these tensions and in some contexts there is emerging evidence of this impacting on a crisis in principal supply. The paper argues that if systemic problems of supply are to be addressed educational researchers need to develop more sophisticated ways of understanding what factors shape individuals' career paths as they move towards, into and through principalship. One such approach is discussed that integrates the concepts of personal socialisation, professional identity and career trajectory and links these to wider contextual issues.Originality/valueThe paper presents a conceptual framework to underpin future research into the early years of principalship.
Student satisfaction and quality of service in Italian universities
Authors: Petruzzellis Luca , D'Uggento Angela Maria , Romanazzi Salvatore 
Published: July 2006

PurposeIn order to face the new competitive scenario, Italian universities are involved in a change process and are trying to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to better serve their customers/students. The paper aims to assess university performance by testing student satisfaction. It tries to provide universities with some solutions to improve its performance.Design/methodology/approachThe case of the University of Bari has been analysed by interviewing a random (but well stratified) sample of students in order to test their satisfaction concerning services provided and quality perceived. Reasons why students decide to enrol at the University of Bari are also investigated.FindingsUniversities have to concentrate their efforts on the improvement of quality of teaching and non‐teaching services, in order to promptly respond to the target, and foster a stronger relationship with surrounding economic and productive systems.Research implications/limitationsUniversities need to adopt a customer centric approach. Future research should analyse the reform period experienced by the Italian University system, in order to investigate student satisfaction concerning recent changes. Moreover, a cross‐country analysis of student satisfaction, through the servqual questionnaire, would be interesting.Practical implicationsStudent satisfaction at the University of Bari is higher for working students that are not interested in “additional” services. On the contrary, several improvements are perceived as urgent concerning non‐core services provided, in which regular students are very interested.Originality/valueThis paper provides a wide analysis of the services perception tested and viewed through student eyes.
Bank service quality: evidence from five Balkan countries
Authors: Glaveli Niki , Petridou Eugenia , Liassides Chris , Spathis Charalambos 
Published: July 2006

PurposeDespite the rapid growth and internationalisation of services and financial services in particular, managers realise that to successfully leverage service quality as a global competitive tool, they first need to correctly identify the antecedents of what the international consumer perceives as service quality. This paper aims to examine the differences: in perceptions of service quality; and in the ranking of quality dimension between the bank customers of five Balkan countries: Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, FYROM and Serbia.Design/methodology/approachBahia and Nantel proposed a specific scale for measuring perceived service quality in retail banking consisting of six dimensions of service quality: effectiveness and assurance; access; price; tangibles; service portfolio; and reliability. This instrument was used for collecting data in the context of banking services from the five Balkan countries. T‐test and factor analysis were employed to answer the research questions.FindingsThe results suggest that Greek customers perceived receiving the highest level of service quality. Differences and similarities between the countries were also reported related to the degree of importance attached to the BSQ dimensions of service quality.Practical implicationsThe results have significant implications for banks in developing operational, marketing and human resource strategies in the Balkan context.Originality/valueThe international bank managers need to understand the value of environmental differences between countries in terms of economic development, political situation, socio‐cultural system and the level of sector maturity. Accordingly they can emphasise the various dimensions of service quality differently and in addition focus on commonalities to introduce quality initiatives in the Balkans.
Mass customisation implementation models and customer value in mobile phones services
Authors: Sigala Marianna 
Published: July 2006

PurposeTo analyse the mass customisation strategies (MC) developed by mobile phone operators and to identify the types of customer value perceived by mobile phone users that customise services to their profiles.Design/methodology/approachA customer‐centre approach was adopted for analyzing MC strategies that enhance both extrinsic and intrinsic customer value. A convenience sample was surveyed for gathering data regarding the customer value dimensions perceived by users of customised mobile phone services in Greece.FindingsFindings revealed that MC strategies that are customer centred are vital as, users of customised mobile phone services perceive both “give” and “get” customer value dimensions. As MC does not come for free, to persuade customers to get involved and invest time and effort in value chain operations for designing customised services, companies need to identify and provide enhanced customer values.Research limitations/implicationsResearch findings have great implications in the new service development processes and marketing – communication strategies of mass customisers. Due to the small sample size, future research should test the wider and global generalisability of findings.Practical implicationsFindings help practitioners increase the adoption and use of mass customised mobile phone services by providing insight on how to: develop MC strategies from a customer‐centric perspective; and conduct a customer value‐based market segmentation for enhancing marketing effectiveness and MC customer adoption.Originality/valueThe MC literature is dominated by operation‐supplier approaches to MC strategies in the manufacturing sector. In services, customer involvement in value chain operations is also significant. The study contributes by suggesting a customer‐centric approach for developing MC in services that enhances customer value. The study also extends and adapts a multi‐dimensional construct for measuring customer value in customisable mobile phone services environments.
Raising school attendance: a case study of good practice in monitoring and raising standards
Authors: Reid Ken 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to discuss the issue of managing and reducing school absenteeism and truancy.Design/methodology/approachThe article proposes the development and implementation of some long‐term strategic approaches to tackling truancy and other forms of non‐attendance from school. This article focuses on the innovative School‐Based Scheme (SBS).FindingsThe article proposes methods which are relatively easy to organise, implement, monitor and evaluate. It can be used in both primary and secondary schools and/or throughout all schools within a local education authority.Research limitations/implicationsPreliminary evaluations suggest that it has improved attendance rates by over 4 per cent throughout all schools in one local education authority (LEA).Practical implicationsA high proportion of schools throughout England and Wales are below the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) targets either for overall levels of attendance, or for levels of authorised or unauthorised absence within both the primary and secondary sectors. The approaches proposed would address such issues.Originality/valueIt is hoped that the article will be of particular interest and help to head teachers, senior and middle management in schools, learning mentors, classroom assistants, home‐school liaison officers, principal and senior education welfare officers and appropriate local education authority staff, especially those pastoral and management staff who have day‐to‐day dealings with pupils like absentees and truants.
Designing a system for observation of teaching
Authors: Washer Peter 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the literature on observation of teaching in a Higher Education (HE) context with a view to proposing some guidelines for the design and practice of institutional systems to observe teaching.Design/methodology/approachA literature review and a proposed model for a system of observation of teaching with practical suggestions for managing the process and the information that results from implementation.FindingsPractice in this area across the HE sector remains patchy and frequently cursory, despite the benefits that may follow from implementation of such systems, namely improved teaching and thus student learning.Originality/valueThis article synthesises best practice guidelines and proposes a three‐stage process to be adopted to help ensure that lecturers (and their students) gain the maximum benefit from being observed.
Quality and assessment in context: a brief review
Authors: Koslowski Fred A. 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a general review for USA and international academic faculty and administrators of the dominant themes and history of quality and assessment in both industry and Higher Education, and how they relate to each other in order to stimulate and encourage debate as well as influence policy.Design/methodology/approachA range of published works (1976‐2005) in both the fields of industrial quality and quality and assessment in higher education are reviewed and arranged contextually so as to tell a collective “story” about their origins, similarities, and differences. This general review provides the reader with a structured historical examination of these concepts with practical emphasis on potential lessons learned.FindingsProvides information on the major quality theorists and relates the types of quality (as defined in industrial terms) to the enterprise of higher education. Even more important, quality and assessment are defined within the context of US higher education. Though the terms are debatable, what is certain is that increased competitive pressure, finite individual and institutional resources, and increased demand for universal access, have made assessing the quality of higher education a major public, private, and international concern.Originality/valueThe value of this paper lies in its simple, yet comprehensive treatment of the subject‐matter. There is an information gap between industry and higher education and, as such, many lessons are lost. With an increasingly turbulent higher education environment, academic leaders and faculty, regardless of nationality, should consider the collective context of quality and assessment as more than an account of things past or present, but as a guide to planning, leading, and ultimately assessing future calls for reform.
Measuring organizational learning capability in Indian managers and establishing firm performance linkage
Authors: Bhatnagar Jyotsna 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to measure Organizational Learning Capability (OLC) perception in the managers of public, private and multinational organizations and establish the link between OLC and firm performance. Design/methodology/approach – The data were collected from a sample of 612 managers randomly drawn from Indian industry, using a questionnaire survey. Findings – Organizational capability perception for the managers of the IT sector and of multinational firms was the highest, while it was lowest for the engineering sector. Mixed results were found for the market indicators of firm performance, i.e. firm's financial turnover and firm's profit as predictors of OLC in Indian organizations, where financial turnover was predicting organizational learning capability. Research limitations/implications – The research paper does not test the possibility of firm performance affecting OLC, which may be true, and the author acknowledges it as a limitation of the research study. Future studies may investigate this further. Originality/value – The managers felt that the processes for encouragement of experimentation and environmental scanning needed more attention in Indian industry. The variable of sensitivity to people and their potential provides implications for a rigorous talent management strategy. If adequate attention is paid to this dimension, then it can lead to gaining of competitive advantage, through retention and development of key talent.
Assessment of development of the learning organization concept in Jordanian industrial companies
Authors: Abu Khadra Marah F. , Rawabdeh Ibrahim A. 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the impact on organizational performance of the application of management and human resource practices, and to attempt to outline key elements and assess development of the learning organization (LO) concept in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachThe tool described in this article assesses relationships between LO practices and financial and operational performance measures. The empirical research aims at deconstructing the LO formation through the development and validation of a conceptual model. A total of 41 companies belonging to large industrial sectors in Jordan participated in a survey by responding to a research questionnaire.FindingsThe outcomes of the study indicate that the LO concept can be explored in Jordanian industry using eight constructs. These constructs were found to be strongly correlated. In general, this study identifies basic steps in the process of transformation into a learning organization in Jordan.Originality/valueThe study identifies the sequence of stages in the process of transformation into a learning organization in Jordan, which might be regarded as a developing country. The study culminated in a novel measurement instrument to evaluate learning organizations. Application of the tool facilitated LO constructs to be analyzed.
Towards a learning organization? Employee perceptions
Authors: Dymock Darryl , McCarthy Carmel 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to explore employee perceptions of the development of a learning culture in a medium‐sized manufacturing company that was aspiring to become a learning organization.Design/methodology/approachThe research comprised an extended interview with the company's Organizational Development Manager, a validated questionnaire on the learning organization with a cross‐section of 80 staff, and semi‐structured interviews with a stratified sample of 20 employees.FindingsThe company was using learning to develop its competitive edge, and employees were at various stages of understanding and acceptance of the need for learning and competence development on the job to sustain and develop the company. A tension was detected between the company's objectives and the aspirations of some employees, but the majority appeared to accept the overt learning policy as good for them and the company.Research limitations/implicationsThrough circumstances, the sample of employees included a fairly high proportion already involved in training, so there was potential for some positive bias towards training and a learning culture. Nevertheless, the study provides some pointers for involving employees in the development of an organization that values learning and for resolving possible tensions between institutional objectives and individual aspirations.Originality/valueAs well as adding empirical data to the theory‐dominated literature on learning organizations, this study contributes towards a better understanding of the perceptions of employees in the development of a learning organization, rather than from the organizational or management perspectives that tend to dominate the literature.