bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How cultural differences in uncertainty avoidance affect product perceptions
Authors: Anne Lee Julie , Garbarino Ellen , Lerman Dawn 
Published: June 2007

PurposeTo examine how people from countries that vary in uncertainty avoidance (UA) use information about product uncertainty when evaluating products.Design/methodology/approachTwo studies were conducted that vary in methodology, sampling and analysis. First, an experiment was designed to manipulate product uncertainty through the use of country of origin (COO) quality‐stereotypes. It was administered to university students from a diverse range of countries, all studying in the USA. Next, data from a large‐scale survey of consumers from ten countries was submitted to hierarchical binary regression analyses to include variables at the country and individual level.FindingsThe studies support an interaction between product uncertainty (PU) and cultural UA on quality perceptions and behavioural intentions. Consumers from high UA countries evaluated high PU offerings less positively and held weaker behavioural intentions than those from low UA countries, but for low PU offerings, no difference was found. The effect of UA was reduced for people with more experience and those who were younger.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough we isolated the effects of UA from other cultural and individual level variables, it would be useful to directly cross individualism with UA in an experimental design, as these two variables are highly correlated.Practical implicationsThis study suggests products with higher levels of PU will have more opportunity to prove themselves in low uncertainty cultures.Originality/valueThis study should be valuable for marketing managers devising rollout strategies for products with higher levels of PU or weaker quality stereotypes.
An exploratory study of negative option marketing: good, bad or ugly?
Authors: Licata Jane W. , Von Bergen C.W. 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory research is to determine the consumer's perceptions of negative option marketing (NOM) offers regarding the value and equity of the offer and perceived opportunistic behavior inherent in the offer. In addition, the paper seeks to examine how a negative option offer versus a positive option offer influences consumer intentions to acquire a financial service.Design/methodology/approachUsing the customer database of a full‐service American bank, a survey was sent to demand deposit account holders. A survey then determined perceptions of the offer, perceptions of the bank making the offer, and intentions to purchase.FindingsBetween the negative and positive option scenario sub‐samples, there were no differences in perceptions of value or equity, except in perceptions of opportunistic behavior – the negative option offers yielded significantly higher perceptions of opportunistic behavior. Perceptions of value, equity, and satisfaction with the offer were the same across all offers. Satisfaction with the offer significantly influenced satisfaction with the firm making the offer.Research limitations/implicationsA negative option operates in a contractual situation. The current research examined only one contractual situation. For findings to be generalized, the research needs to be replicated in other contractual contexts.Practical implicationsEven though the negative option offers were perceived as more opportunistic than the positive option offer, one of the negative option offers yielded a higher intention to purchase than the positive option. Care must be exercised in using NOM to minimize perceptions of opportunistic behavior.Originality/valueThere is limited literature on negative option marketing. No one has studied the customer perceptions of the strategy, in spite of its popularity.
Music, scent and time preferences for waiting lines
Authors: McDonnell John 
Published: June 2007

PurposeWaiting for service by customers is an important problem for many financial services marketers. The purpose of this paper is to present a new approach proposing that customer evaluation of the service can be increased with an ambient scent. The paper also aims to identify a cognitive variable which differentiates customers by the way they value time.Design/methodology/approachPre‐tests included focus groups which highlighted financial services and a pilot test of 105 subjects. These were followed by a main sample of 607 subjects. Structural equation modelling and multivariate analysis of covariance were used for analysis.FindingsTwo environmental interventions, music and scent, can increase customer satisfaction among customers kept waiting in a line and reduce queue rage.Practical implicationsService contact points can reduce incidence of “queue rage” and enhance customer satisfaction by either or both of two simple modifications to the service environment or a preventive strategy of offering targeted customers an alternative.Originality/valueA new environmental intervention for customers waiting in line and a potential new method of segmentation are proposed.
The adoption and usage of credit cards by urban‐affluent consumers in China
Authors: Worthington Steve , Stewart David , Lu Xiongwen 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present exploratory research into the holding and usage of credit cards by a distinct segment of the Chinese population, who are “early adopters” of this product.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data collection using survey methodology. A sample of the urban‐affluent population in China was utilized to gauge preferences and attitudes towards the use of credit cards.FindingsThe respondents were comfortable with the holding and use of credit cards and particularly recognised their value for spending on travel and entertainment. The research also identified purchase trigger points, which indicated that the use of credit cards for purchases above certain value was already prevalent with this sample of urban‐affluent Chinese consumers.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample was drawn from a narrower base than the actual target population of urban‐affluent market, but an available and valid respondent set, which offers insights into the “early‐adopters” of the credit card product in China.Practical implicationsHitherto there has been a very limited amount of research into payment cards in China and yet with the market for financial services opening up in China from 2007, this research is timely both for domestic Chinese banks wishing to issue credit cards and for foreign entrants, seeking to enter the Chinese market via their expertise in credit cards.Originality/valueThe paper presents focused research on the attitudes towards credit cards, with the urban‐affluent consumers, who are the most likely early‐adopters of this product.
Assessing international tourists' perceptions of service quality at Air Mauritius
Authors: Prayag Girish 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to assess the service quality of a small airline, Air Mauritius, using the SERVQUAL model and to determine the relative importance attributed to service quality dimensions by international tourists.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 140 international airline passengers travelling essentially for a leisure trip was administered the SERVQUAL instrument to determine their expectations and perceptions of service. A combination of in‐flight and mail surveys was used for data collection leading to an overall response rate of 20.2 per cent.FindingsThe paper finds that service quality structural dimensions are context‐ and culture‐specific. Four factors are perceived as influencing perceptions of service, service efficiency and affect being the most important, service personalisation, reliability and tangibles the least important. Empathy as a service dimension is valued more than assurance. Customer satisfaction and willingness to recommend the airline is primarily dependent on service efficiency and affect.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample size is relatively small and biased towards South African passengers, but the study is exploratory in nature. The starting‐point for service improvements at Air Mauritius is better management of service reliability. The company is able to create high perceptions of service using tangible cues.Practical implicationsThe generation of a vision of excellence supported by contact employees' empowerment should improve perceptions of service. There is potentially a link between expectations of service levels at destination and tourists' expectations from the flag carrier.Originality/valueOften smaller airline companies have to resort to strategic alliances and service differentiation to survive in this globally integrated industry. The paper fulfils the gap in the existing literature on service quality management in small airlines.
Bank service quality: empirical evidence from Greek and Bulgarian retail customers
Authors: Petridou Eugenia , Spathis Charalambos , Glaveli Niki , Liassides Chris 
Published: June 2007

PurposeDespite the rapid growth and internationalisation of the services sector, particularly financial services, managers today realize 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 assess and compare the level of bank service quality provided in Greece and Bulgaria and to identify the dimensions of quality service in the two countries.Design/methodology/approachIn 2000 Bahia and Nantel proposed a specific scale, the BSQ, (Bank Service Quality) for measuring perceived service quality in retail banking consisting of six dimensions: effectiveness and assurance; access; price; tangibles; service portfolio; and reliability. This tool was used for the collection of data related to the banking services provided in the two countries (Greece and Bulgaria). Statistical methods, such as the t‐test, chi‐square, Cronbach's‐alpha and factor analysis, were then employed to answer the research questions.FindingsThe results suggest that the Greek customers' perception was that they received higher quality services compared to the perception of the Bulgarian clients. Differences between the countries were also reported regarding the dimensionality of quality service.Practical implicationsThe results have significant implications for banks in developing operational, marketing and human resource strategies in the two countries.Originality/valueGreece and Bulgaria – two countries with different economic, political and socio‐cultural backgrounds – give the opportunity for cross‐country research in the area of service quality, an area where research is not very mature.
Dynamic robust design with missing data
Authors: Chang Hsu‐Hwa 
Published: June 2007

PurposeRobust parameter design is conventionally analyzed by means of statistical techniques. However, the statistical‐based approach is inefficient when optimizing a dynamic system in regards to quantitative control factors and missing observations. The aim of this paper is to propose an alternative approach based on data mining tools to model and optimize dynamic robust design with missing data.Design/methodology/approachA three‐phase approach based on data mining techniques is proposed. First, a back‐propagation network is trained to construct the response model of a dynamic system. Second, three formulas of performance measures are developed to evaluate the predicted responses of the response model. Finally, a genetic algorithm is then performed to obtain the optimal parameter combination via the response model.FindingsThe proposed approach is capable of dealing with both qualitative and quantitative control factors for dynamic systems as well as static systems. In addition, the proposed approach can efficiently treat parameter experiments with missing data. The proposed approach is demonstrated with a numerical example. Results show that this three‐phase data mining approach outperforms the conventional statistic‐based approaches.Originality/valueThis work provides a relatively effective approach to optimize the three types of dynamic robust parameter design. Performing the approach, practitioners do not require much background in statistics but instead rely on their knowledge of engineering.
Simulation based reliability evaluation of AC power supply system of Indian Nuclear Power Plant
Authors: Durga Rao K. , Kushwaha H.S. , Verma A.K. , Srividya A. 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of simulation approach for performance evaluation in a complex environment with a case of application from Indian Nuclear Power Plant.Design/methodology/approachIn this work, stochastic simulation approach is applied to availability evaluation of AC Power supply system of Indian Nuclear Power Plant (INPP). In the presently followed test, maintenance policies on diesel generators and circuit breakers are considered to exactly model the practical scenario. System success logic incorporates the functional dependencies and dynamics in the sequence of operations and maintenance policies. In each iteration (random experiment), from simulated random behaviour of the system, uptime and down time are calculated based on system success logic. After sufficient number of iterations, unavailability and other required reliability measures are estimated from the results.FindingsThe subsystems of AC Power Supply System of NPP are having multi‐states due to surveillance tests and scheduled maintenance activities. In addition, the operation of DG involves starting and running (till its mission time) which is a sequential (or conditional) event. Furthermore, the redundancies and dependencies are adding to the complexity.Originality/valueThis paper emphasizes the importance of realistic reliability modelling in complex operational scenario with Monte‐Carlo simulation approach. Simulation procedure for evaluating the availability/reliability of repairable complex engineering systems having stand‐by tested components is presented. The same simulation model finds application in importance measures calculation, technical specification optimization and uncertainty quantification.
Conscientiousness and contextual performance
Authors: Jawahar I.M. , Carr Dean 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to understand when and why employees engage in contextual performance directed toward one's organization and immediate supervisor.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to measure study variables. Data collected from 158 professional employees were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis and moderated hierarchical analysis was used to test hitherto untested hypotheses.FindingsResults indicate strong support for the hypothesized moderating effects, such that high levels of support compensated for low levels of conscientiousness in influencing contextual performance.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough contextual performance is unlikely to influence one's level of conscientiousness, the cross‐sectional design of the study does not permit firm conclusions regarding causality for the influence of support on contextual performance.Practical implicationsResults indicate that, by providing organizational and supervisory support, organizations will be able to elicit contextual performance from those individuals who lack the personality predisposition to engage in contextual performance. Given the importance of contextual performance, the practical implications of study results are of immense value.Originality/valueThis study makes several contributions. For instance, it extends Motowidloet al.'s theory to include subjective measures of situational conditions as factors that interact with personality to influence contextual performance. The study responds to LePineet al.'s call for theory‐based attempts to identify variables that have differential relationships across dimensions of contextual performance. Drawing on individual difference and social exchange perspectives, this study theorized and found that perceived organizational support moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and organization‐directed contextual performance, and that the quality of the leader‐member exchange experience moderates the relationship between conscientiousness and supervisor‐directed contextual performance.
Middle managers in a state‐controlled economy: how they implement their decisions
Authors: Ivanova Yuliya V. 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to study how two different managerial environments of the state‐controlled economy in Belarus – “private small business management” and “state or privatized large enterprise management” – influence middle managers' implementation of decisions. Two kinds of data are analyzed: “should” option or presented data, and “would” option or managers' preferred in reality option of activity.Design/methodology/approachThe research was completed in two stages: survey research based on open‐ended questions and face‐to‐face structured interviews based on the principle of controllable projection. A total of 193 decisions are analyzed.FindingsManagers of large and state enterprises should present an appearance of active tactics, but in reality they would prefer tactics of delay or no‐action. Managers of small private businesses should present all varieties of tactics except a tactic of inaction. In reality, they would prefer to act directly, or less often, to wait or not act at all.Research limitations/implicationsThe effect of other organizational factors than the size and form of ownership should be subjects of future research. The comparison of decision implementation tactics of mid‐level managers in large and small organizations, in state‐owned and private companies in countries with different economies should also be studied.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper have managerial implications for companies willing to open subsidiaries or establish partnership with enterprises from countries with a state‐controlled economy.Originality/valueThe paper is original research that proves the influence of the business environment and characteristics of a company on a middle manager's behavior.
Determinants and consequences of non‐audit service fees
Authors: Habib Ahsan , Islam Ainul 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThis paper aims to provide preliminary evidence on the determinants of non‐audit service provision and whether the provision of such services impairs auditors' independence in the context of Bangladesh.Design/methodology/approachBoth univariate and multivariate regression methodologies are used to test the hypotheses. Signaling theory is used to test whether auditors from a non‐litigious environment are concerned about signaling their quality to the market by constraining clients' earnings management behavior.FindingsResults show that larger firms, firms with more liquidity, firms having an audit firm with an international link as their auditor and multinational subsidiaries purchase more non‐audit services, while highly‐leveraged firms purchase less. With respect to non‐audit fees (NAF) causing auditors to sacrifice their independence, this study fails to find any relationship between NAF and discretionary accruals (DACCR) after controlling for factors that are expected to drive DACCR behavior.Research limitations/implicationsUse of DACCR as an earnings management device has been criticized on the ground that managers could use DACCR to signal their own private information. Hence, future research should look at alternative proxies of earnings management to investigate the relationship between non‐audit services and earnings management.Practical implicationsThe findings of this paper will be of use to financial reporting regulatory authorities in Bangladesh, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission of Bangladesh as well as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh, regarding the corporate governance role played by the auditors.Originality/valueUse of DACCR to detect earnings management behavior in the context of Bangladesh is a novel idea. The findings that the purchase of non‐audit services does not lead to increased earnings management behavior in a developing country context further strengthens the notion that there is a spill‐over effect of providing non‐audit services.
Internal audit effectiveness: an Ethiopian public sector case study
Authors: Getie Mihret Dessalegn , Wondim Yismaw Aderajew 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to identify factors impacting the effectiveness of internal audit services.Design/methodology/approachBased upon a case study of a large public sector higher educational institution in Ethiopia, the paper examines how internal audit quality, management support, organizational setting, auditee attributes, and the interplay among these factors, influence internal audit effectiveness.FindingsThe findings of the study highlight that internal audit effectiveness is strongly influenced by internal audit quality and management support, whereas organizational setting and auditee attributes do not have a strong impact on audit effectiveness.Research limitation/implicationsAs in all case studies, the generalisability of the conclusions is limited.Originality/valueInternal audit services have apparently hitherto been the subject of limited examination. However, this study, in arguably the most thorough treatment so far, highlights the areas requiring improvement.
Performance evaluation measures in the private sector: Egyptian practice
Authors: Ismail Tariq H. 
Published: June 2007

PurposeThis study aims to examine performance evaluation measures across private sector companies in an Egyptian context and pinpoints obstacles that may limit the adoption of the balanced scorecard (BSC).Design/methodology/approachUses a questionnaire that was mailed to a sample of 150 companies listed in the Egyptian stock exchange market. The analysis is directed at determining managers' perceptions of performance evaluation measures within the Egyptian private sector. Descriptive statistics, frequency of use of companies' practices and possible relationships between variables provide the basis for discussion.FindingsCompanies rely on both financial and non‐financial measures of performance evaluation. The profit margin, as a financial measure, is also the most commonly used performance measure. Customer satisfaction is the most commonly used non‐financial measure of performance evaluation. The BSC has wide spread use in the Egyptian companies surveyed, but the level of use of multi‐dimensional indicators is significantly low. The survey provides considerable insight into obstacles inhibiting the adoption of the BSC. The most significant obstacle is the inadequacy of implemented information systems.Research limitations/implicationSurvey results restrict generalization, as the sampling design cannot be claimed to represent all Egyptian companies. Also a relatively low response rates must be taken into account.Originality/valueProvides an insight into performance evaluation practices in the private sector in a developing country.