bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tipping points on the horizon
Authors: Murray Arthur J. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the previously published conceptual framework of the enterprise of the future (EOF) in light of new trends and predicted changes in global socio‐economic conditions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines socio‐economic data which indicate the emergence of major trends; analyzes the emerging trends and looks for convergences that will likely result in “tipping points”, i.e. paradigmatic shifts which render current business models obsolete, and demand the development of new, more agile models.FindingsThe very near future (10‐20 years) will likely see a convergence of several emerging trends which will demand dramatically new knowledge‐intensive enterprise models. Some of the trends cited in the paper include; diminishing fossil fuel supplies in the face of increasing demand; aging public infrastructure; stresses on the health care system and emerging workforce created by an aging population; economic disequilibrium caused by unsustainable levels of government deficit spending and monetary expansion. Three specific applications of the EOF were selected for their relevance in addressing the challenges presented; developing the capacity for sustained innovation and problem‐solving; transitioning toward a knowledge‐based paradigm for medical research; promoting social knowledge entrepreneurship.Originality/valueApplying the EOF conceptual framework will aid in an organization's ability to recognize, respond to, and even anticipate, major trends and tipping points in a complex, rapidly changing market. Expected overall benefits include; dissolution of old organizational barriers, and the improved flow of knowledge; more rapid response to changing conditions; greater clarity of vision, and improved execution of strategy; increased overall organizational performance.
Determinants of behavioral intentions in the mobile internet services market
Authors: Vlachos Pavlos A. , Vrechopoulos Adam P. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the theoretical and empirical meaningfulness of a composite model of behavioral intentions in a pure mobile internet services context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper starts by investigating the influence of seven service quality determinants on overall service quality perceptions, employing a qualitative research design. Next, these determinants are embedded in a holistic nomological framework depicting the complex interrelationships between prominent service evaluation constructs and behavioral intentions. The model is tested employing partial‐least squares structural equation modeling in the context of a field experiment involving the delivery of music content over real‐world mobile networks and devices.FindingsThe study finds that content quality, contextual quality, device quality, connection quality and privacy concerns have a strong positive influence on service quality perceptions. Overall, service quality, value and satisfaction have a simultaneous direct effect on behavioral intentions.Research limitations/implicationsConsumer decision making is complex, and, for gaining favorable consumer behavior, it does not suffice to manage and measure service quality, satisfaction and value in an isolated manner but rather in a collective way.Practical implicationsSo as to adopt mobile e‐commerce services consumers require to be rewarded with high levels of outcome quality (e.g., wide selection of music songs, sonic and video quality), anytime and most importantly at any place.Originality/valueStudy results imply that when it comes to specifying service evaluation frameworks employing service quality, satisfaction and value‐operationalized at a cumulative level traditional exchange contexts are not different from electronic commerce exchanges.
Affect and the role of corporate customer expertise within legal services
Authors: Garry Tony 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore the role of affect evoked among customers of differing expertise within a business‐to‐business credence service context and examine how this affects overall satisfaction judgements.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the affect and satisfaction literature, the paper examines affective reactions to service delivery within multi‐national and regional corporate legal services markets. A two‐stage methodology is adopted incorporating explorative interviews and a survey comprising 252 users of corporate legal services.FindingsFindings suggest the customer's ability to form expectation and performance assessments about the core service may have a moderating influence on affective reactions within a business‐to‐business credence service context. Customers of differing expertise will vary in the way they set service expectations and evaluate service delivery in relation to the technical, functional and affective components.Practical implicationsOrganisations should devote effort to devising appropriate service delivery processes that are pertinent to the individual customer. This in turn has implications for the recruitment, training and empowerment of employees in credence services that have traditionally focused on technical qualifications and experiential knowledge as the key drivers of human resource management strategies such as recruitment and reward systems.Originality/valueThis paper contributes towards an understanding of the role of customer expertise on affect evoked within business‐to‐business credence services.
Vulnerability, “innocent” disasters and the imperative of cultural understanding
Authors: Cannon Terry 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to make an argument that there are different types of social construction of disasters.Design/methodology/approachThe focus is on disasters triggered by natural hazards.FindingsIt is now widely accepted that disasters are a product of a natural hazard having an impact on a vulnerable population. But the value of the concept of vulnerability is in danger of becoming less meaningful because it is removed from the political and economic processes that generate some vulnerabilities. On the other hand, there are some types of disasters that are relatively “innocent”, in the sense that people live in places that are exposed to risk for purposes of access to their livelihood, and not because social forces or power relations have forced them to live there, or made some groups more vulnerable than others.Practical implicationsIf it is the case that some vulnerability is “innocent”, then forms of explanation are needed of people's willingness to expose themselves to risk that go beyond the “strong” forms of social construction (where power relations are a key factor in generating the social construction of disasters). Instead, it is essential to examine “cultural” and psychological explanations of people's behaviour, including an understanding of group behaviour, religious beliefs and other aspects that often distinguish the perspective on risk taken by “insiders” compared with the supposedly rational and policy‐oriented approach of “outsiders” who see it as their role to help reduce disaster risks.Originality/valueThe discussion of different types of social construction of disasters is original. Debate on the need to include analysis of cultural and psychological aspects in disaster risk reduction is not very well developed and, according to this paper, is of absolutely crucial importance in reducing the impact of natural hazards.
Survival strategies to overcome inaagosto and nordeste in two coastal communities in Batangas and Mindoro, the Philippines
Authors: Natalia M. Dalisay Soledad 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to describe how the people in two coastal communities in Batangas and Mindoro respond to the effects of these seasonal changes on their lives and livelihood.Design/methodology/approachThe study makes use of findings from a previous study conducted by the author in Batangas and from primary data gathered in Mindoro through interviews with key informants.FindingsThe study shows that people in the two communities visited viewed the monsoon rains and typhoons brought about by seasonal changes as being part of the daily life challenges they had to face. The rainy season was also the lean food season which they called inaagosto in Batangas and nordeste in Mindoro. Hence, their responses were mostly at the individual or household level, rarely taking advantage of community programs and projects that could help them survive the lean food season. Although divided by a body of water, the people in Batangas and Mindoro employed very similar strategies. These strategies included negotiating for entitlements, engaging in extra‐income‐earning activities, and reallocating scarce food resources in the home. They differed, however, in ways in which they had “reinvented” food during the lean season. In both communities, coping was seen to be gendered.Practical implicationsThe paper provides an understanding of how people respond to hazards that accompany the lean season and how best to approach these responses to achieve optimum results that would truly address the challenges faced by affected communities.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the development of more appropriate programmes and projects that would alleviate the effects of inaagosto and nordeste.
From emergency relief to livelihood recovery
Authors: Régnier Philippe , Neri Bruno , Scuteri Stefania , Miniati Stefano 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the issue of post‐disaster livelihood recovery through economic rehabilitation, with the illustration of post‐tsunami promotion of microentrepreneurship activities generating employment and income among the affected populations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper examines two field case studies in Aceh (Indonesia) and Tamil Nadu (India), where a well‐established European NGO carried out economic relief and microentrepreneurship rehabilitation in 2005‐2007.FindingsDespite unlimited trust in rapid reconstruction capacity, post‐tsunami livelihood recovery has been chaotic and uncoordinated. Contrary to humanitarian agencies in charge of emergency relief, only a few development agencies and NGOs were able to deliver a rapid rehabilitation of microeconomic activities existing locally before the disaster.Research limitations/implicationsThere are values but also obvious limits to comparing the micro‐level experiences of a major European NGO in two different locations such as Aceh and Tamil Nadu, and to deducing macro‐ and meso‐level lessons to be learned.Practical implicationsThere are difficulties in benchmarking the divison of labour but necessary coordination among development agencies and their humanitarian counterparts in the field of post‐disaster sustainable economic rehabilitation.Originality/valuePost‐disaster economic security and livelihood recovery are at the forefront of current international policy research in humanitarian and development cooperation circles. Documented case studies and lessons to be learned are still scarce for feeding possible best practices.
Tsunami‐resilient communities' development in Indonesia through educative actions
Authors: Morin Julie , De Coster Benjamin , Paris Raphaël , Flohic François , Le Floch Damien , Lavigne Franck 
Published: June 2008

PurposeFollowing the 26 December 2004 tsunami, Planet Risk NGO took part in the international research program TSUNARISK and ATIP‐CNRS Jeune Chercheur. The aim of this paper is to encourage the development of tsunami‐resilient communities essentially through educative actions.Design/methodology/approachThe tsunami risk in Indonesia was assessed by researchers. Planet Risk then used scientific findings and advice for building adapted prevention actions among Javanese populations.FindingsMany people could have survived if they had received a basic knowledge of tsunamis. The Indonesian public as well as local authorities must be educated to face tsunami risk. To be efficient, this education must be adapted to local cultural and geographical characteristics. Collaboration between researchers and practitioners is a good means of reaching such an objective.Originality/valueThe paper is the result of a two‐year successful collaboration between interdisciplinary scientific teams and an NGO team. It demonstrates that an efficient prevention scheme can be implemented through this kind of collaboration. To the authors' knowledge it is the first time that such tsunami education programmes have been led in Indonesia.
The effectiveness of revenue‐sharing contract to coordinate the price‐setting newsvendor products' supply chain
Authors: Yao Zhong , Leung Stephen C.H. , Lai K.K. 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to numerically analyze the coordinating mechanism of the revenue‐sharing contract in newsvendor products' supply chain. The contract considers stochastic and price‐dependent demand.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an analytical model for supply chain contracts and then uses numerical methods with the Stackelberg game to identify the contracts' properties.FindingsComparing the revenue‐sharing contract with the price‐only contract, the paper finds that a revenue‐sharing contract does improve supply chain performance. However, the benefits earned by the revenue‐sharing contract differ among the supply chain partners under the impact of demand variability and price‐sensitivity factors. Specifically, the manufacturer will earn a greater share in channel profit in the revenue‐sharing contract than in case of a price‐only contract. Also, the incentive by revenue‐sharing contract could not lead to Pareto improvement. In other words, the retailer's profit in revenue‐sharing contract might be lower than that in price‐only contract.Research limitations/implicationsManagement should note that there are additional administrative costs needed to monitor the revenue‐sharing contract. Incorporating these costs into models will yield more insight into the problems. Also, the retailer has more accurate market information due to the proximity to the customers that will lead to a different game mode.Practical implicationsManagement such as airlines, hotel, video rental, etc. can adopt this kind of contracts to manage their retailers to obtain the higher channel performance. But they should be careful selecting the revenue sharing proportion. The research limitations also give some suggestion for practical reference.Originality/valueMany studies have shown that the revenue‐sharing contract can obtain a higher channel performance. However, little attention has been noted that the fraction of shared revenue has a significant impact on the channel performance. To apply this form of incentive in practice, managements should consider the impact of the fraction of shared revenue in the revenue‐sharing contract on supply chain performance. This paper considers these issues.
Are the temptations of online reverse auctions appropriate for your business?
Authors: Kumar Sameer , Maher Megan 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to explore the benefits of online reverse auctions for both buyers and suppliers in contrast to the negative implications for procurement process. This paper also aims to provide a framework for managers determining if participation in online reverse auctions is appropriate for their business.Design/methodology/approachInformation was gathered from numerous sources including surveys from both buyers and suppliers in a multitude of industries in order to create a comprehensive analysis of benefits and shortcomings of online reverse auctions. Additional research could be pursued by conducting a detailed cost analysis of buyers who have adopted online reverse auctions. A thorough analysis of unit cost and total cost changes amongst various industries could provide benchmark data for companies contemplating entering the reverse auction arena.FindingsThe research analysis finds a strong temptation for buyers to participate in online reverse auctions: price reductions. However, buyers should approach online reverse auctions with caution as total cost savings can be misleading and participation may result in damaged relationships with suppliers. This can be seen in the results portrayed in the buyer and supplier industry survey which shows that buyers are more keen to participate in online reverse auctions in order to gain advantage of the lower prices and global potential of suppliers, whereas some buyers are keen on making a strong relationship with existing suppliers through direct contact.Research limitations/implicationsBuyers' determination to use online reverse auctions relies on product specifications, supplier relationships, the current supply and demand environment, indirect costs, and several other factors which will vary for each product and for each buyer. Therefore, an all‐encompassing decision model cannot be presented to accommodate each scenario. However it can be seen that the industrial survey to the buyers and the suppliers has been an effective tool in bridging the gap between the decision model and the factors that vary between each buyer.Practical implicationsThis paper provides managers a framework for determining if online reverse auctions are appropriate for their business. In practice, additional company specific information can be applied to the decision making model.Originality/valueThis paper includes a comprehensive decision framework specifically for buyers as well as an abbreviated decision model for suppliers.
The impact of logistics performance on organizational performance in a supply chain context
Authors: Green Kenneth W. , Whitten Dwayne , Inman R. Anthony 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe paper's aim is to theorize and assess a logistics performance model incorporating logistics performance as the focal construct with supply chain management strategy as antecedent and organizational performance, both marketing and financial, as consequences.Design/methodology/approachData from a national sample of 142 plant and operations managers are analyzed using a structural equation modeling methodology.FindingsThe results indicate that logistics performance is positively impacted by supply chain management strategy and that both logistics performance and supply chain management strategy positively impact marketing performance, which in turn positively impacts financial performance. Neither supply chain management strategy nor logistics performance was found to directly impact financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsTo compete at the supply chain level, manufacturers must adopt a supply chain management strategy. Such a strategy requires integration and coordination of key external processes such as purchasing, selling, and logistics with supply chain partners. In this study the focus is limited to the impact of logistics performance on organizational performance within a supply chain context.Practical implicationsAs manufacturers work to improve the logistics processes, they support their organization's supply chain strategy, resulting in improved performance for the overall supply chain and ultimately their manufacturing organizations.Originality/valueOrganizational managers are being asked to focus directly on supply chain functions such as logistics to bolster the competitiveness of the supply chains in which their organizations are integral partners. Does such a supply chain focus ultimately result in improved organizational performance? This study provides evidence that a supply chain focus will enhance logistics performance, which will ultimately result in improved organizational performance.
Political risk perception in Indonesian power projects
Authors: Voelker Conrad , Permana Andre , Sachs Tillmann , Tiong Robert 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify and to assess specific political risks associated with Indonesia's public private partnership (PPP) power projects and their generally available mitigating measures, based on the perception of the main stakeholders (government, investors, lenders and insurers).Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken is: a comprehensive literature review to identify an initial list of specific political risks associated with Indonesia's PPP power projects and generally available mitigating measures for these risks; unstructured interviews and discussions to gather recent issues related to the study and to filter the risks and project measures identified at previous step; and finally a survey conducted with questionnaires in order to evaluate the risks and their allocation, to suggest corresponding mitigating measures.FindingsThe study identified that the political risk perception for Indonesian power projects is still relatively high, due to its legal and regulatory risk and breach of contract risk. Viable government support is also desired by most of the players instead of having political risk insurance as the risk mitigation strategy.Originality/valueThe study has identified a political risk mitigation strategy for infrastructure investment in the Indonesian power sector. Based on that, this study contributes as a scientific exercise in measuring the political risks perception of all stakeholders, which can be useful for all involved parties to mitigate this type of risk successfully.
A comparative analysis of tender sums and final costs of public construction and supply projects in Nigeria
Authors: Olatunji Oluwole Alfred 
Published: June 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between tender figures, consultants' figures and final construction costs of construction projects under competitive bidding in the Nigerian construction industry, as guided by the due process policy, a national public procurement reform program.Design/methodology/approachA total of 13 construction professionals and public contract administrators were interviewed. Their views were reported intermittently as the secondary data collected on 137 projects; 95 of these were construction and 42 supply projects. The findings are then analyzed and discussed.FindingsThe study presents a number of regression models which can be used to predict the final cost and actual duration of construction and supply projects under the due process regime in Nigeria as functions of lowest bids, consultant estimates, successful bid, gross floor area, average bid, contractor's proposed contract duration and the consultant's proposed contract duration.Practical implicationsThe models used, apart from being worthy benchmarks for future study, can be of immense use to developing countries with the intention of implementing the due process policy of Nigeria in their countries as the limitations of the reform are succinctly discussed. Moreover, with the growing prospect for heavy engineering projects, the study will be of use to intending international contractors willing to explore the Nigerian construction market, either by holistic participation or by forming partnerships or alliances with Nigerian domestic firms.Originality/valueThe paper presents one of the pioneering stochastic studies based on empirical data on construction and supply projects under the due process reform in Nigeria.