bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The impact of internet banking on business‐customer relationships (are you being self‐served?)
Authors: Johns Raechel , Perrott Bruce 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show how technology has dramatically altered the way businesses operate in a business‐to‐business (B2B) context and has had profound influences on services, altering the way services are delivered. It is believed that the increased use of self‐service technologies (SSTs) impacts on B2B relationships. The paper seeks to explore the impact of the use of internet banking on business relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the results and implications of recent exploratory research conducted with a small sample of Australian business bank customers.FindingsIt was expected that perceptions of technology would impact on the relationship. However, it was the perception of the relationship which led respondents to develop a perception of the technology. Further research is recommended.Practical implicationsBanks are encouraging internet banking to reduce service delivery costs and improve service quality for customers. However, a greater understanding of the impact of this on relationships is essential.Originality/valueThe importance of developing and fostering relationships with customers has long been regarded as important within services marketing and also within B2B relationships. However, there is little discussion of the impact of self‐service technologies on business relationships.
An empirical survey of individual consumer, business firm and financial institution attitudes towards Islamic methods of finance
Authors: Gait Alsadek , Worthington Andrew 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the attitudes, perceptions and knowledge of Islamic financial products and services.Design/methodology/approachA synoptic survey of empirical analyses about Islamic financial products and services and comparison with the literature on conventional financial services and products.FindingsIt was found that while religious conviction is a key factor in the use of Islamic finance, consumers also identify bank reputation, service quality and pricing as being of relevance. When selecting a financial institution's products and services, business firms usually employ criteria that are more conventional, such as the cost of finance, in their decision making. There is also interest among financial institutions in supplying Islamic financial products and services, but this is mitigated by complications with firm management and a lack of familiarity with business conditions. The concept of risk sharing with borrowers serves as a substantial barrier to most financial institutions engaging in Islamic methods of finance. Research limitations/implications – This survey is limited to work published in refereed journals, books and book chapters.Practical implicationsNeed for further theoretical and empirical research on how religious convictions affect consumers in their financial decision making. In addition, most work on Islamic finance is in a single national context, international comparisons are required.Originality/valueThis paper is the only known empirical survey of attitudes, perceptions and knowledge of Islamic financial products and services. It provides guidance for future research in Islamic finance and serves as an aid for decision making by policymakers, consumer interest groups, business firms and financial institutions.
Tournaments in the UK mutual fund industry
Authors: Jans Rob , Otten Rogér 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the tournament hypothesis in the UK mutual fund market. Based on a previous US study, fund managers were expected to alter risk‐taking behaviour in response to their performance relative to competing fund managers.Design/methodology/approachBased on an earlier methodology, contingency tables were used to examine the risk‐taking behaviour of fund managers after an interim performance period. The sample consists of 422 UK equity mutual funds with monthly data from 1989 to 2003. To avoid survivorship bias, funds that did not survive the entire sample period were also included. This leads to a total of 3,617 observations.FindingsThe main conclusions are two‐fold. First, using the entire 1989‐2003 sample period no consistent evidence for tournament behaviour is found. This is robust to the effects of survivorship bias and window dressing. Second, splitting the sample period into two sub‐periods reveals an interesting pattern. During the first part of the sample period, 1989‐1996, significant evidence for tournament behaviour is found. During the second part of the sample period, 1997‐2003, significant support for strategic behaviour, as described theoretically by Taylor has been documented.Research limitations/implicationsThe results suggest that after 1996, managers entered into a strategic game that takes the actions of competing managers into account instead of seeing them as exogenous benchmarks.Originality/valueBy studying the UK fund market, the US results can be tested to see if they are sample specific or can be carried over to other countries as well. Furthermore, the sample period includes data after 1996, the year of the first publication on the tournament hypothesis. This enabled investigation in to whether managers adapted their strategies.
An empirical test of the drivers of overall customer satisfaction: evidence from multivariate Granger causality
Authors: Omachonu Vincent , Johnson William C. , Onyeaso Godwin 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether customer‐perceived service quality and expectation of service quality have causal impacts on overall customer satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachData on all the variables were elicited from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), and these were analyzed using the Granger causality method.FindingsSatisfaction and perceived quality were positively related. Even though perceived quality did not Granger‐cause satisfaction in the short term, it did so in the long term. Likewise, even though satisfaction did not Granger‐cause perceived quality in the short term, it did so in the long term. But customer expectations Granger‐caused both satisfaction and expectation in the short‐term and the long term.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on only one company. Extrapolation to other companies demands caution and the data may not satisfy asymptotic assumptions.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the literature by advising managers to extend their customer satisfaction tracking to overall customer satisfaction with its strategic implications.
The role of store environmental stimulation and social factors on impulse purchasing
Authors: Mattila Anna S. , Wirtz Jochen 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of environmentally induced stimulation in influencing impulse buying. In addition, the authors seek to investigate the impact of two social factors (perceived crowding and employee friendliness) on unplanned purchases.Design/methodology/approachA wide variety of retail outlets in Singapore were selected as the context for this field study, ranging from small cosmetics shops (e.g. Body Shop) to mega furniture outlets (i.e. IKEA).FindingsThe results of this study indicate that perceived over‐stimulation (higher than desired) has a positive impact on impulse buying. Moreover, the two social factors jointly influence consumers' unplanned purchases.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size was relatively small (n=138) and data collection took place in Singapore. Thus, future research with a bigger sample and tested in other cultures is needed to enhance the generalizability of the findings.Practical implicationsThe study findings suggest that over‐stimulation has a positive impact on impulse purchases. Store managers can look at a number of environmental design variables to increase stimulation in their shops. The findings further indicate that perceived crowding and employee friendliness jointly influence impulse buying, and hence these two factors need to be considered together in store design.Originality/valueRetailers are fully aware of the power of impulse buying in enhancing their revenues, yet little is known about how the store environment influences unplanned purchases. This study addresses that gap in the services literature.
Age differences in mobile service perceptions: comparison of Generation Y and baby boomers
Authors: Kumar Archana , Lim Heejin 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of age on mobile service quality perceptions and its impact on perceived value, satisfaction and loyalty between two significant mobile service user segments – Generation Y and baby boomers.Design/methodology/approachA multiple group structural equation modeling approach is utilized to assess the proposed model.FindingsThe results identify the mobile service quality attributes that are important to Generation Y‐ers and baby boomers. The study also finds significant differences between the two groups in terms of the effect of perceived economic and emotional value on satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation lies in the measurement of service quality. Another limitation is different methods of data collection between two age groups. Future research is recommended to examine differences between other generations, between different ethnic groups, and other demographic variables.Practical implicationsThis study strongly suggest the effect of age on mobile service perceptions and loyalty decisions. It is suggested that marketers appeal to the emotional value for Gen Y‐ers while placing an emphasis on economic value for baby boomers.Originality/valueThe proposed role of gender in loyalty decisions provides insights to marketers on how to promote their services for diverse consumer segments.
Challenges of a successful first‐year principal in Mexico
Authors: Slater Charles L. , Garcia Jose Maria , Lopez Gorosave Gema 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis case study is an attempt to understand the experience of a school principal, Arnulfo. The research question is: what are the challenges of one first‐year school director in Baja California, Mexico?Design/methodology/approachArnulfo participated in an interview and five focus groups at the Ensenada State Normal School. He kept a journal of incidents completed during April‐July 2006. A team of three researchers helped to write the case study. One researcher collected the data and wrote a summary in Spanish. A second researcher organized the material and translated it into English. The third researcher criticized and reviewed the write‐up.FindingsArnulfo faced a variety of challenges, but the burden of paperwork was the most serious. It can be understood on a number of levels. Bolman and Deal's four frames to understand organizations and leadership help to explain the complexity in terms of structural, human resource, symbolic, and political. The political frame was Arnulfo's greatest strength. He advocated for the school, formed alliances with parents, and took action to get the support of others.Practical implicationsThe analysis, if confirmed by broader studies with larger samples, would lead to several recommendations for educational administration preparation. Principals need to know about the structural tasks of paperwork; maintain relationships with supervisors to assure adequate support; understand the symbolic culture in which they work, and become savvy in the ways of politics.Originality/valueThe International Study of Principal Preparation will compare findings and offer perspective on the extent to which these issues are representative of challenges that directors face in eight other countries.
Mapping principal preparation in Kenya and Tanzania
Authors: Onguko Brown , Abdalla Mohammed , Webber Charles F. 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an overview of the principal preparation programming available to school leaders in Kenya and Tanzania.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyzed information about the educational leadership programmes offered by a range of public and private institutions in East Africa. Data were gathered primarily through document analyses based on publicly available information describing certificate, diploma, and degree programs related to principal preparation in Kenya and Tanzania.FindingsA description is offered of the intended client group for leadership preparation programmes along with an overview of programme content, structure, delivery modes, and credentialing. Gaps were noted in the areas of instructional leadership, educational technology, and visioning. Further, the authors noted the insufficient capacity of educational institutions in East Africa to prepare new principals or to offer ongoing professional development.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to publicly available documents. There is a marked need for more detailed empirical reports of principal preparation in sub‐Saharan Africa.Practical implicationsThe suitability of the content of existing principal preparation programs warrants closer examination.Originality/valueThis report contributes to the understanding of principal preparation in sub‐Saharan Africa in terms of its capacity, content, and delivery modes.
Principals on L‐plates: rear view mirror reflections
Authors: Wildy Helen , Clarke Simon 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute to the literature on beginning the principalship by identifying and illustrating key challenges that novice principals encounter in their first year for which they would benefit from improved preparation.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is a synthesis of a decade of research focusing on the principal with the general aim of analysing ways in which principals can work more effectively within the realities of schools as highly complex organizations. Throughout this work, the narrative account has been used as the main approach for depicting principals' understandings of the contexts in which they find themselves and their interpretations of the experiences that confront them in their roles.FindingsA range of findings generated from the research as a whole has been refined into the conceptualisation of four distinct but interrelated challenges facing novice principals in exercising their roles.Originality/valueThe paper proposes a conceptual framework that can be used as a heuristic tool for informing the preparation of principals, especially in the Australian context.
Programs for school principal preparation in East Europe
Authors: Karstanje Peter , Webber Charles F. 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper is intended to provide an overview of trends in European education and to offer a framework for considering the elements of school management.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports elements of the planning and implementation of a graduate‐level leadership development initiative in Bulgaria.FindingsSeveral lessons learned were garnered from this project. First, models of leadership development must be adaptable to local organizational and system cultures. Second, international leadership development programs should expose participants to different approaches to learning and promote reflective analysis of the various approaches. Expansion of train‐the‐trainer models should be planned from the beginning of projects and consider status differences between trainers‐of‐trainers and trainees who become trainers. Finally, sustainability must be included in planning.Research limitations/implicationsThe international leadership development program is reported from the perceptions of those who participated in the delivery and in the accreditation process. Others may perceive the program differently.Practical implicationsManagement training needs to be practiced so program participants should have opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and dialogue. Experiential learning is essential. New educational ideas may need long incubation periods in the settings where they are introduced.Originality/valueLeadership development program in East Europe are a relatively recent phenomenon and lessons learned will resonate with providers of leadership preparation programs in other settings.
Constant disloyalty and the keys to community
Authors: Hall Kevan 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper aims to argue that trust and a sense of community are important in any organization, but increasingly complex structures and different cultures in large companies make it difficult to achieve a community. This, in turn, can harm trust, which is potentially damaging to business success.Design/methodology/approachThe paper demonstrates that different groups in an organization – the global group, matrixed middle and locally loyal – have different community needs. The costs and benefits of community for the three groups are also different. Each group faces its own challenges, but those in the middle group often have the greatest challenges as they constantly find themselves torn between central directives and local realities.FindingsThe paper contends that, while community and trust correlate with lower costs, faster change, profitability and retention, in more extensive, distributed complex organizations the cost of building community is much higher and organizations therefore need to be more selective about where the deeper forms of co‐operation add value. Prefers the simplest form of co‐operation and the smallest number of people involved.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the need to be much more selective about teams.Originality/valueThe paper shows that, by focusing on critical communities, organizations can get the key benefits of community while avoiding some of the costs.
Developing (authentic?) academic writers
Authors: Badley Graham 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to consider whether the notion of authenticity is useful or meaningful in the context of developing academics as writers.Design/methodology/approachThe approach taken is that of a reflective essay. Recent texts on authenticity in higher education are examined whilst a transactional theory of writing is also considered as a potentially valuable way of helping develop academic writers.FindingsThe tentative conclusions reached include the desirability of moving away from the concept of authenticity as an ideal in academic writing and towards the notion of developing academics as mature or even expert writers.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this paper is that it is merely an essay. It is one researcher's attempt to analyse a difficult conceptual issue and, as such, only provides a provisional analysis, not a final analysis. Other scholars using different sources may well come to different conclusions. But, at least, this essay is a contribution to the conversation about how academics might be helped to develop as writers.Practical implicationsThere are at least two: a move away from a somewhat metaphysical conception of academic writing towards a more practical approach; and the potential usefulness of adopting a transactional theory which directly links reading and writing.Originality/valueThe main value of the paper is that it offers a critique of some current views of authenticity in higher education and it suggests and outlines the usefulness of a Deweyan or transactional theory of writing for higher education.
Publishing, ranking, and the future of heterodox economics
Authors: Lee Frederic S. , Elsner Wolfram 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of the “Introduction” is to provide the motivation and context for the articles of this special issue and an overview and summary of the contributions that follow.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides an overview and summary of the contributions in the special issue.FindingsIt is argued that heterodoxies had gained a considerable and growing influence on research orientations, methodologies, and critical reflections, also on the mainstream publishing practices, even in the mainstream. This has been widely acknowledged as “hip heterodoxy” recently. Thus, many heterodox economists have developed optimistic expectations for the future of the profession. However, that influence has left the main mechanisms of reproduction of the mainstream untouched. These are mass teaching, public advising, journal policies, and faculty recruitment. Above that, the last decade has seen something like a “counterattack” to safeguard these mainstream reproduction mechanisms. The means used for this seem to be journal (and publisher) rankings based on purely quantitative citation measures and “impact factors”. These have an obvious cumulative “economies‐of‐scale” effect which triggers a tendency towards reinforcement and collective monopolization of the dominating orientation. Department rankings and individual faculty evaluations are then based on journals rankings. As a result, there are observable tendencies towards the cleansing of economics departments in a number of countries.Originality/valueThe paper also discusses potential reasons and methods for alternative approaches to measure citation interrelations, networks, cooperation, and rankings among heterodoxies (journals and departments), and for alternatives of publishing and the future of heterodoxies in general. Finally, it draws the picture of the present situation and the foreseeable future of heterodoxies as it emerges from the 11 contributions of the special issue.
Heterodox economics and dissemination of research through the internet: the experience of RePEc and NEP
Authors: Novarese Marco , Zimmermann Christian 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThis paper seeks to study how the democratization of the diffusion of research through the internet could have helped non‐traditional fields of research.Design/methodology/approachThe specific case the authors approach is heterodox economics as its pre‐prints are disseminated through NEP, the e‐mail alert service of RePEc.FindingsComparing heterodox and mainstream papers, the authors find that the heterodox are quite systematically more downloaded, and particularly so when considering downloads per subscriber.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors conclude that the internet definitely helps heterodox research, also because other researchers get exposed to it. But there is still room for more participation by heterodox researchers.Originality/valueThe paper shows how RePEc and NEP try to pursue democracy and help in the dissemination of research. It also shows how heterodox communities can benefit and have benefited from this system, because they need new ways for disseminating research.
A case for ranking heterodox journals and departments
Authors: Lee Frederic S. 
Published: October 2008

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present, for the first time, a case for ranking heterodox journals and departments.Design/methodology/approachThe first section of the article briefly delineates the intellectual and social organization of heterodox economics as a social system of scientific activity. This background is then used to argue the case for ranking heterodox journals (section two) and heterodox departments (section three). An example of ranking journals that promote the development of heterodox theory, is not a zero‐sum game, and does not invite invidious comparisons is delineated in the fourth section. The final section summarizes the case for rankings.FindingsThere are two central issues facing heterodox economics: one is the development of a coherent, integrated economic theory that explains the social provisioning process; and the second is the making of economic departments that contribute to the development of heterodox theory and policy, and the training of heterodox economists. A case can be made for ranking journals and departments that deal with the two issues.Originality/valueAn example of ranking journals that promote the development of heterodox theory, is not a zero‐sum game, and does not invite invidious comparisons is delineated.