bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The diamond approach to the competitiveness of Korea's apparel industry
Authors: Jin Byoungho , Moon Hwy‐Chang 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe Korean textiles and apparel‐related industry has played a major role in the country's development; however, this sector's competitiveness is decreasing due mainly to labor costs. As with the country's economic development, the new sources of competitive factors need to be strategically developed and cultivated. The purpose of this study is to explore what constitutes a country's competitiveness in the global apparel market after losing its labor competitiveness and how a country effectively achieves it.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs two competitiveness models, Porter's diamond model and a generalized double diamond model, as a theoretical framework. Along with two theoretical models, this study employs extensive literature reviews, examples of successful firms, and four interviews with field practitioners in the Korean apparel industry.FindingsBeginning with Porter four determinants (factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and firm strategy, structure, and rivalry), new sources of competitive advantage factors are suggested for the evolving industry. The generalized double diamond model incorporates international activities, which may occur either within a country or outside a country. Utilizing generalized double diamond model, the future directions and solutions for the industry with the identified new competitive factors were suggested.Originality/valueBased on the models and the identification of new competitive factors, the Korean apparel industry is reviewed, and recommendations are made for its continued growth in the global marketplace. Implications pertaining to the creation of a dynamic self‐reinforcing diamond system were also suggested.
A proposed strategy for introducing moderately priced American brand merchandise in China
Authors: Frumkin Steven , Thapa Neera , Gencalioglu Ayca 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a path forward, for the marketing mix elements, to be adopted by a US retailer entering the moderate brand market in China.Design/methodology/approachA number of recent studies focusing on the Chinese retail market, especially the apparel market, are examined. In light of these, the best method of progress for US retailers operating and/or intending to operate in China is formulated.FindingsThe emergence of the Chinese market is coupled with demographic, economic, cultural and technological factors as well as consumers' highly positive perceptions of Western brands seen as status symbols that have attracted foreign investors. However, when entering the market consideration should be also given to structure of retail environment, brand image, distribution formats and positioning efforts recalling that the Chinese market is relatively brand‐uneducated and diverse. Based on the information obtained emphasizes that diversity is the key in defining the market and limited localization should be the main concern of product mix.Originality/valueThis paper serves as a comprehensive guideline as it provides an overview of the Chinese market in addition to detailed strategies for US investors entering into China. It combines carefully studied opinions and viewpoints of experienced observers of the marketplace. The author contributes over 30 years of experience in the textile, apparel and retail sectors. Recommendations are provided for US retailers aspiring to serve this market by differentiating their marketing mix.
Downsizing and the impact of job counseling and retraining on effective employee responses
Authors: Tzafrir Shay S. , Mano‐Negrin Rita , Harel Gedalihau H. , Rom‐Nagy Daphna 
Published: July 2006

PurposeDownsizing is a very pervasive organizational process. At these critical junctures many organizations do little to prepare their employees for a mass layoff. The main purpose of this study is to examine how the incorporation of job counseling and professional retraining programs during a period of downsizing affected the responses of both the employees who were dismissed and those who remained in the organization.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted in a large metalwork factory in Isreal that underwent significant downsizing as a result of a major crisis. Interview data were collected from a sample comprising employees selected randomly from a list which the human resource department prepared. The analysis is based on a data set that included 229 employees.FindingsResults indicate that that guidance and training programs have a two‐fold effect: first, dismissed employees who participated in these training programs had a more positive reaction to their dismissal than dismissed employees who did not participate in such training. Second, employability factors as well as personal and demographic attributes do not affect the participants' responses.Originality/valueIt is suggested that an appropriate downsizing process could produce effective responses on the part of the dismissed workers. Preparing individuals through participation in appropriate programs significantly promotes employee morale and reduces negative affective responses through consideration of the individual cost caused by the downsizing process. With appropriate downsizing plans, survivors' emotional reactions will not necessarily comprise only negative emotions but they may, under certain circumstances, also experience some positive emotions.
Effects of wage and promotion incentives on the motivation levels of Japanese employees
Authors: Takahashi Kiyoshi 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThis study aims to focus on the incentive effects in Japanese organizations where job security is valued. In particular, the study seeks to investigate the relative strengths of the effects of wage and promotion incentives on employees' motivation.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted involving 1,823 Japanese employees working at the group companies of Toyota Motors. Multiple regression analyses were performed to separately analyze the effects on white‐collar (n=928) and blue‐collar (n=818) workers.FindingsThe results showed that both promotion and wages positively influence employees' work motivation. A comparison of the relative strengths of the effects reveals that fair promotion was a more powerful motivator than wage level and wage increase.Originality/valueThe reason why fairness in promotion was more effective than wage to motivate employees was discussed in light of the unique career system existing in Japanese companies and the agency problems between companies and their supervisors.
Boundaryless career and adaptive HR practices in Japan's hotel industry
Authors: Yamashita Masaru , Uenoyama Tatsuya 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThis paper aims at analyzing the underlying factors that encourage an increasing number of Japanese workers to move across the corporate boundaries in the course of career development, and then understanding the nature and the consequences of the corporate human resource practices in response to it.Design/methodology/approachThe authors chose the Japanese hotel industry as the research object, since it is perceived as one of the industries in which the boundaryless career‐seeking behavior is more remarkable than others. A total of 18 hotel employees, including hotel managers, were approached as the samples of in‐depth interviews.FindingsA grounded theory‐based analysis of the data collected has led to a causal relation map, which describes the relationship between their orientation in career development and the corporate human resource practices in response to it. The adaptive human resource practices had an influence on the behaviors of workers and furthermore made the mobility in workforce higher. In such circumstances, companies need to clarify the boundary between the core and the periphery within an organization for the purpose of protecting organizational knowledge, while the usual corporate boundary fades out.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper researched Japan's hotel industry by in‐depth interviews and led to several findings. Future study should include more industries as a research site and quantitative analysis to generalize the findings.Originality/valuePast research in the business organization studies indicates that organizational knowledge is one of the salient factors that encompass a firm's competitive advantage, and its accumulation is created by the human resources in a given organization. If this holds true, the increasing fluidity of workers beyond the organizational boundaries might well affect a firm's generation and retention of its organizational knowledge. This paper describes the prospects and a way out of this phenomenon.
Rethinking relationship management
Authors: Welch Mary 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to respond to a call for academia to partner industry by offering new thinking on public relations research and practice.Design/methodology/approachThe paper rethinks relationship management by broadening previous views on the dimensions of relationships. Distrust is proposed as a 12th dimension, adding to Ledingham's 11. It suggests that trust and distrust exist simultaneously within business‐to‐business relationships and that trust and distrust are employed in a coaxial view of relationships within a zone of approval. The paper draws on the work of relationship management theorists and those who identify trust as a key component of relationships. Conceptual considerations are coupled with empirical data collected in a qualitative case study of relationships between the communications team of a blue chip UK utilities company and service provider (SP) organisations.FindingsAnalysis supports the broader understanding of trust and distrust operating simultaneously in a zone of approval and may help managers to analyse their business‐to‐business relationships.Research limitations/implicationsFindings of qualitative research case studies are not themselves generalisable. This paper uses those findings to develop relationship management theory which may be of interest to practitioners. The findings are also used to generate ideas for further research.Practical implicationsAn embryonic model is suggested that may provide managers with a tool to use when considering the elements of trust and distrust in relationship management.Originality/valueContributes to a broader understanding of relationships by suggesting distrust as a 12th dimension in the coaxial view of relationships. Proposes a zone of approval model to enable the exploration of trust and distrust in relationship management.
A development framework for government communicators
Authors: Gregory Anne 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a development framework for government communicators.Design/methodology/approachThis paper describes how a working group approached the project which involved examining extant training frameworks from communication professional bodies, academic literature and practitioner communities; undertaking extensive interviewing and data collection from departments and obtaining input from external organisations in order to devise an original, process‐driven model which embeds a strategic approach to communication. The paper also outlines the collaborative way in which the model was developed which included extensive input from government communicators at all levels of seniority, ongoing consultation and testing with potential users, private sector organisations and accrediting professional bodies.FindingsFollowing a review of government communications in 2004, the new permanent secretary for government communication has begun to implement a range of initiatives. Work had already begun in the cabinet office on developing a more strategic approach to training and development and a working group was set‐up originate and launch a development framework (now called evolve) for the whole civil service communication community.Originality/valueThe paper describes the development of evolve – an open, transparent and iterative approach which has elicited commendation and support from all the parties involved.
Media coverage of police misconduct and attitudes toward police
Authors: Chermak Steven , McGarrell Edmund , Gruenewald Jeff 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how celebrated cases affect attitudes toward police, controlling for key demographic, police contact, and neighborhood contextual variables.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents two waves of public opinion data measuring attitudes toward police, police services, police harassment, and officer guilt before and after a celebrated police misconduct trial. Data were collected by telephone from residents living in three areas.FindingsThe findings in the paper suggest that news consumption of this celebrated case had no significant effects on general attitudes toward police, police services, and concerns about police harassment. Media coverage, however, did effect citizen evaluation of the guilt of the officers involved in the case. The more a citizen read a newspaper or read about the case, the more likely she was to think that the officers were guilty. Concern about crime in the neighborhood was an important predictor of attitudes toward the police, and race effects were much more pronounced after media coverage of the case.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper highlights the need to examine more closely media coverage of celebrated cases and the effects of such high profile cases. In addition, it illustrates that public opinion research must be careful of contextual variables when conducting a study at a single point in time.Practical implicationsThese findings also have critical implications for law enforcement agencies. The findings highlight the importance of police departments being prepared to respond to crisis events.Originality/valueThis paper is valuable to scholars and police practitioners because of its close examination of the effects of a celebrated case on various measures of public opinion of the police. Although there have many studies examining this general topic, research has ignored the impact of media coverage generally and coverage of high profile incidents.
Connecting the dots: assessing the accuracy of geographic profiling software
Authors: Paulsen Derek J. 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to conduct an independent analysis of all existing geographic profiling software packages to determine if any one is more accurate than the others or if any of the software systems are any more accurate than simple spatial distribution strategies at locating the home base of serial offenders.Design/methodology/approachAn analysis was conducted of all existing geographic profiling software as well as three spatial distribution methods of profiling. Differences in accuracy were assessed using four different methods; dichotomous profile accuracy, simple error measurement, profile error distance, and average top profile area.FindingsResults indicate that not only are the different profiling software systems no more accurate than the spatial distribution control methods, but that accuracy in general was marginal at best. In addition results indicated that certain crimes, such as commercial robbery, were particularly difficult to profile and that the number of crimes in a series was not by itself a good indicator of success of a profile.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper shows that future research needs to focus more on determining how various factors such as city type, crime type, road network and spatial aspects of a crime series (dispersion and search area) impact profiling accuracy. In addition future research should also endeavor to determine whether these advanced strategies are substantially more accurate than other simple profiling strategies such as human prediction. Finally, future research should also seek to examine geographic profiling in a real world setting and how geographic profiling impacts the success of open investigations.Practical implicationsPractically, this study casts doubt not only on the overall accuracy of profiling strategies in predicting the likely home location of an offender, but also on whether probability strategies are substantially better than spatial distribution strategies.Originality/valueThis research was the first to independently analyze all of the existing geographic profiling systems against control methods for the purpose of determining the accuracy of these different methods.
Police effectiveness and democracy: shape and direction of the relationship
Authors: Sung Hung‐En 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to show that four plausible hypotheses can be formulated (positive linear, negative linear, convex curvilinear, and concave curvilinear) to explain the impact of democratization on the ability of police to produce security.Design/methodology/approachMultiple regression analyzing measures of police effectiveness from the Executive Opinion Survey (World Economic Forum) and indicators of democratization (Freedom House) for 59 countries was performed to evaluate the four hypotheses.FindingsResults strongly supported the convex curvilinear hypothesis that democracy and police effectiveness maintained a U‐shape association. Undemocratic countries and the advanced democracies experienced the highest levels of police effectiveness, whereas middle‐range countries showed lower ratings of police performance.Research limitations/implicationsDespite initial discontents with the police, emerging democracies could expect improved police effectiveness should they persist in the path of democratic consolidation, which strengthens law enforcement institutions in the long run. The use of cross‐sectional data on business analysts' perceptions precluded causal inferences and restricted the generalizability of the findings. Hypotheses should be tested with longitudinal data from more representative samples in future research.Originality/valueMost comparative studies of police are qualitative and most quantitative police research focuses on single societies. This cross‐national quantitative comparison of policing analyzed the complex issue of police effectiveness and concluded that sustained global democratization portends transnational convergence in more effective policing.
Changing local policy and practice towards the policing of domestic violence in England and Wales
Authors: Applegate R.J. 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThis paper considers the influences that have shaped local domestic violence policy and how this has affected police practice in one English police force.Design/methodology/approachThe research in this paper is based upon theoretical concepts of central government and local accountability over policing; policy making and implementation; and pressure group influence. Documents issued to local police forces from Central Government were examined and compared to local policy documents to assess their affect over local police policy. Using a structured format, senior managers were interviewed to gain their impressions of these influences. Views of ground level staff were obtained through postal questionnaires.FindingsThis paper finds public opinion and pressure from academic research upon Central Government has resulted in a very strong central influence over local police policy and practice. Police officers believe that these influences have had a major affect upon the way that they respond to domestic violence issues at a local level, to the point where both managers and front line police officers believe that their discretion in dealing with these issues has been curtailed, and that top down control over police practice has increased. Police attitudes towards policing domestic violence are more enlightened than they once were.Originality/valueThis paper examines the opinions of both senior local police policy makers and front line policy implementers and will be of value to those interested in the policing of domestic violence issues.
Comparing public and private hospital care service quality in Turkey
Authors: Taner Tolga , Antony Jiju 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe aim of this article is to examine the differences in service quality between public and private hospitals in Turkey.Design/methodology/approachThis study applies the principles behind the SERVQUAL model and compares Turkey's public and private hospital care service quality. The study sample contains a total of 200 outpatients. Through the identification of 40 service quality indicators and the use of a Likert‐type scale, two questionnaires containing 80‐items was developed. The former measured patients' expectations prior to admission to public and private hospital service quality. The latter measured patient perceptions of provided service quality.FindingsThe results indicate that inpatients in the private hospitals were more satisfied with service quality than those in the public hospitals. The results also suggest that inpatients in the private hospitals were more satisfied with doctors, nurses and supportive services than their counterparts in the public hospitals. Finally, the results show that satisfaction with doctors and reasonable costs is the biggest determinants of service quality in the public hospitals.Originality/valueConsequently, SERVQUAL, as a standard instrument for measuring functional service quality, is reliable and valid in a hospital environment.
A study of relationship between managers' leadership style and employees' job satisfaction
Authors: Mohammad Mosadegh Rad Ali , Hossein Yarmohammadian Mohammad 
Published: July 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this descriptive and cross‐sectional study is to explore the relationships between managers' leadership styles and employees' job satisfaction in Isfahan University Hospitals, Isfahan, Iran, 2004.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through the distribution of two questionnaires among the 814 employees, first line, middle and senior managers of these hospitals through a stratified random sampling.FindingsThe dominant leadership style of managers was participative. The mean score of employee‐oriented dimension of leadership style in first line, middle and senior managers were 52, 54, and 54 (from 75 credit) respectively. The mean score of task‐oriented dimension of leadership style in first line, middle and senior managers were 68, 69, and 70 (from 100 credit) respectively. The mean score of employee's job satisfaction was 3.26±0.56 on a 6 scale (moderate satisfaction), 1.9, 26.1, 64.7, and 7.3 percent of hospital employees had respectively very low, low, moderate, and high satisfaction with their job. Employees demonstrated less satisfaction with salaries, benefits, work conditions, promotion and communication as satisfier factors and more satisfaction with factors such as the nature of the job, co‐workers and supervision type factors. There was significant correlation (p<0.001) between the use of leadership behaviors and employees and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsEmployee job satisfaction depends upon the leadership style of managers. Nevertheless, participative management is not always a good management style. Managers should select the best leadership style according to the organizational culture and employees' organizational maturity.Originality/valueAlthough this study conducted in Iran, it is anticipated that the findings may have relevance on a broader scale. By replicating this study in different countries and contexts the results of could be very helpful for developing a new model of leadership with new implementation techniques that can be implemented easily and successfully in a cross cultural context.