bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of prior knowledge in international franchise partner recruitment
Authors: Altinay Levent , Wang Catherine L. 
Published: September 2006

PurposeTo investigate the role of prior knowledge in the international franchise partner recruitment process and to evaluate how cultural distance influences the role of prior knowledge in this process.Design/methodology/approachA single embedded case study of an international hotel firm was the focus of the enquiry. Interviews, observations and document analysis were used as the data collection techniques.FindingsFindings reveal that prior knowledge of the franchisor enables the franchisor to coordinate more efficiently with prospective partners. However, the case study firm experienced a great deal of cultural distance in different country markets. The greater the cultural distance, the more challenges the firm has to face in terms of upgrading and adapting its prior knowledge to local needs.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on a hotel franchise chain, and may not be generalisable to other firms or industry sectors, although the literature on international management does not indicate any substantial differences between hotel firms and other types of organisations. Despite this limitation, the findings shed light on the importance of critically evaluating a firm's prior knowledge in a complex, multinational context.Practical implicationsThis paper illuminates the challenges international franchisors face, and highlights the need to adapt their prior knowledge base to the local needs. The findings also reinforce the message that selecting prospective franchisees that are familiar to the franchise business format and willing to adopt the franchise system is crucial to the long‐term success of the franchise system.Originality/valueThis paper cross‐fertilises literature of organisational learning and franchising and evaluates the interplay of prior knowledge, cultural distance and international franchise recruitment. The findings provide further evidence on the mixed influences of prior knowledge on international franchise partner recruitment, and caution firms to critically evaluate their prior knowledge in international expansion. The findings also contribute to the understanding of franchise partner selection and recruitment, and bring in new addition to the body of existing franchising literature which largely examines the operations of the franchise system.
Does role clarity explain employee‐perceived service quality?
Authors: Mukherjee Avinandan , Malhotra Neeru 
Published: September 2006

PurposeRole clarity of frontline staff is critical to their perceptions of service quality in call centres. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of role clarity and its antecedents and consequences on employee‐perceived service quality.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model, based on the job characteristics model and cognitive theories, is proposed. Key antecedents of role clarity considered here are feedback, autonomy, participation, supervisory consideration, and team support; while key consequences are organizational commitment, job satisfaction and service quality. An internal marketing approach is adopted and all variables are measured from the frontline employee's perspective. A structural equation model is developed and tested on a sample of 342 call centre representatives of a major commercial bank in the UK.FindingsThe research reveals that role clarity plays a critical role in explaining employee perceptions of service quality. Further, the research findings indicate that feedback, participation and team support significantly influence role clarity, which in turn influences job satisfaction and organizational commitment.Research limitations/implicationsThe research suggests that boundary personnel in service firms should strive for more clarity in perceived role for delivering better service quality. The limitations are in sample availability from in‐house transaction call centres of a single bank.Originality/valueThe contributions of this study are untangling the confusing research evidence on the effect of role clarity on service quality, using service quality as a performance variable as opposed to productivity estimates, adopting an internal marketing approach to understanding the phenomenon, and introducing teamwork along with job‐design and supervisory factors as antecedent to role clarity.
An application‐based classification to understand buyer‐supplier interaction in business services
Authors: Wynstra Finn , Axelsson Björn , van der Valk Wendy 
Published: September 2006

PurposeMost existing classifications of business services have taken the perspective of the supplier as opposed to that of the buyer. To address this imbalance, the purpose of this paper is to propose a classification of business services based on how the buying company applies the service with respect to its own business processes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper considers some specific aspects of the process of buying and exchanging business services, focusing on the everyday production and consumption of services as opposed to the initial purchasing and negotiation phases.FindingsEarlier literature has developed similar, albeit less elaborate classifications, but does not provide detailed insight into how such classifications are related to differentiated buyer‐supplier interaction. This classification distinguishes between four business service applications; as a component, semi‐manufacture, instrument or consumable. For each of these four types of services, interaction has to achieve different objectives and consequently they differ with regards to required organizational resources in terms of required capabilities and buyer‐supplier interfaces.Research limitations/implicationsPrimarily conceptual and exploratory in nature, this paper is intended as a review of existing literature and possible starting point for further empirical validation and theoretical refinement. The paper contends that the differences in application have a significant impact on interaction patterns, but this is not to say that other variables have no impact on buyer‐supplier interaction patterns. Subsequent research should seek to control for those other possible sources of variation.Practical implicationsThe overall implication of this classification is that for different services, the buying company should assess how they are applied. Subsequently, it is relevant for firms to consider what functional aspects are crucial and who are likely to become, or who should be involved and to what extent, in the purchasing decision process and in the interactions that take place after the decision has been made.
Critical empirical research in IS: an example of gender and the IT workforce
Authors: Trauth Eileen M. , Howcroft Debra 
Published: September 2006

PurposeThis article aims to add to the growing number of critical empirical studies and to reflect on the process of conducting this type of research, thereby addressing the lack of exemplars for those engaged with critical empirical information systems research.Design/methodology/approachApplies the critical lens to a multi‐year examination of variation in the career narratives of women in the American IT labor force. While an interpretive epistemology was initially chosen for this research project, over time, analysis of interview data took on an increasingly critical orientation. This, in turn, influenced subsequent fieldwork to become critical in nature.FindingsOne theoretical contribution is highlighting the role of power dynamics in understanding what sits beneath the surface of observations about these women's experiences in the IT workforce. The second theoretical contribution is helping to shift the focus away from predominantly essentialist theories that dichotomize men and women and toward a recognition of the diversity among women in the IT field.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research should include additional critical empirical studies of women in the IT field in other countries.Practical implicationsThis research project can serve as a useful example for other critical IS researchers about to embark on empirical fieldwork.Originality/valueThis paper provides a concrete illustration of the way in which empirical research is altered as the epistemological lens shifts from interpretivist to critical.
Mitigating stress and burnout by implementing transformational‐leadership
Authors: Gill Amarjit S. , Flaschner Alan B. , Shachar Mickey 
Published: September 2006

PurposeTo examine the impact of transformational‐leadership on job stress (JS) and the impact of (JS) on burnout.Design/methodology/approachHospitality industry employees were interviewed regarding the type of leadership used by their managers, the stress they felt due to their jobs, and the degree to which they felt they were “burned out.”FindingsDegree of perceived burnout is related to degree of perceived stress and degree of perceived stress is related to type of leadership employed by managers.Practical implicationsIf employees perceive that their managers are using transformational‐leadership, (JS) is perceived as less than if it is perceived as not being used. Given the costs associated with employee replacement, reduced burnout means a reduction in those costs. And, the social and economic cost to society of treating employees who are “burned out” is reduced.Originality/valueThis paper shows that the relationship between type of leadership, (JS) and burnout is not only the province of “white collar” employees but extends to lower levels in the organizational hierarchy as well. Customer‐contact workers in hotels/motels and restaurants are subject to the same feelings as nurses or other professionals. It may not be the degree of stress that causes burnout. Both higher paid and lower paid workers understand that there is stress associated with their jobs and understand that change, by definition, is stressful; but the methods their managers use to encourage acceptance of change play a large role in how stressful such changes are perceived. The paper also points out how hospitality managers can mitigate stress and burnout of their employees by implementing transformational leadership methods and techniques and the challenges that they might face through this implementation process.
Skills and work in the hospitality sector
Authors: Hai‐yan Kong , Baum Tom 
Published: September 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a picture of the skills profiles, work background, educational attainment, attitudes and plans of the employees in front office in hotels in China by means of a survey of employees in four and five star hotels.Design/methodology/approachData was collected by means of a questionnaire survey conducted in major tourist cities in China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jinan, Qingdao and Weihai. In each selected city, four and five star rated hotels were chosen as those properties most likely to be operating in the international market. The survey focused on staff working in front office in four and five star hotels and all questionnaires were collected onsite. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed and 276 of these returned were usable which form the basis of this analysis of hotel front office work in China.FindingsResults show that the main workforce strength of front office in Chinese hotels consists of graduates from tourism colleges and professional schools. Front office work is a challenging and demanding area of work and oral communication is identified as the most important skill.Practical implicationsGathering information about this important area of service and work in the hospitality industry provides first‐hand data for improving training and career development. The paper concludes that high‐quality human resources are lacking in the hospitality sector in China and it is essential for hotels to develop professional development and further training in order to improve the skills of staff in front office.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to look in detail at employees within the hospitality sector in China.
Dynamics of relationship governance in TPL arrangements – a dyadic perspective
Authors: Halldórsson Árni , Skjøtt‐Larsen Tage 
Published: September 2006

PurposeTo improve the understanding of the inter‐organizational dynamics of the dyadic relationships between a buyer and provider of logistics services (TPL dyads).Design/methodology/approachAnalyzes the preparation, implementation, and operation of a particular case of third party logistics (TPL) arrangements. Based on a single case study of a dyadic relationship, the paper confronts the static view of the transaction cost approach and the agency theory on “governance structures” and “contracts” by showing how “relationship governance” emerges and develops over time.FindingsTPL dyads are subject to both controllable and non‐controllable forces of change, which may not always have a positive effect on the logistics performance or the relationship itself. Inter‐organizational dynamics not only relate to learning, competence development, or adaptation, as suggested by other studies, but also to how the dyadic relationships are governed. As the dyad accumulates experience over time, changes will occur in the balance between the two parties in terms of goal congruence and risk preferences, which has a strong influence on the nature of contracts and other safeguards governing the relationship. Similarly, explanatory power of theories applicable to inter‐organizational settings may vary as relationships emerge and develop over time. Focus on core competencies as the logic of outsourcing is followed by a period characterized by a principal‐agent relationship. To ensure further prosperity of the relationship, the two companies must direct their efforts towards the logic of the network approach.Originality/valueContributes to a cross‐disciplinary fertilization of the SCM field, in particular inter‐organizational relationships.
Reverse logistics in the publishing industry: China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan
Authors: Jim Wu Yen‐Chun , Cheng Wei‐Ping 
Published: September 2006

PurposeThis paper compares the characteristics of reverse logistics in the publishing industry among China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.Design/methodology/approachA multiple‐case approach in combination with EIQ (entry of order, items, and quantity) analysis is selected to allow analytical generalization of the findings.FindingsThe research findings show that the reverse logistics of Chinese publications is still in early stage and is not mature enough to be interconnected in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The reverse logistics cost in these areas is unlikely to be significantly reduced in the near future.Practical implicationsInstead of making effort to process returned goods, logistics firms or publishers may consider discarding the returned goods directly. The loss on material cost is far less than the manpower spent on processing. Also, publishers can sort returned goods in off‐peak season to save cost on reverse logistics.Originality/valueThis research provides the first empirical study by applying EIQ analysis to understand the challenges of reverse logistics in the publishing industry in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, which has been rarely discussed in the past.
Managing product returns for reverse logistics
Authors: Srivastava Samir K. , Srivastava Rajiv K. 
Published: September 2006

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present a framework to manage product returns for reverse logistics by focusing on estimation of returns for select categories of products in the Indian context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops a conceptual model and thereafter an integrated modeling framework borrowing from existing literature and industry practices. It utilizes product ownership data, average life cycle of products, past sales, forecasted demand and likely impact of environmental policy measures for estimating return flows. Informal interviews with 84 stakeholders are carried out to estimate significant parameters. Software packages, decomposition methods and heuristics are utilized for solution.FindingsThe integrated framework helps in estimating returns for select categories of products and thereafter taking simultaneous decisions on their disposition, location and capacity of facilities and flows of returned products for a given time horizon under various strategic, operational and customer service‐related constraints.Research limitations/implicationsA “push” system where the volumes of returns drive the decisions. Estimations and optimization have been carried out for select product categories and not brands or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). No free choice of facility locations.Practical implicationsThe insights and learning under different scenarios may be utilized as inputs for decision making by various stakeholders such as OEMs and their consortia, local remanufacturers and third party service providers.Originality/valueAt methodological level, our framework combines descriptive modeling with optimization technique, while at topological level; it provides detailed solutions for network configuration and design.
A conceptual model for quality of service in the supply chain
Authors: Seth Nitin , Deshmukh S.G. , Vrat Prem 
Published: September 2006

PurposeThe objective of this paper is to propose a model for assessing the quality of service at various interfaces of supply chain using third party logistics.Design/methodology/approachBased on a rich combination of extensive literature review and insights gained through exploratory interviews, gap analysis methodology is used in developing the model. This was followed by an in‐depth analysis of gaps at various interfaces in supply chain. Further, both qualitative and quantitative techniques are suggested for data collection and analysis.FindingsThe key gaps in both the directions (forward and reverse) that are likely to affect the service quality at different levels are extensively defined. These gaps may exist between a 3PL service provider and the manufacturer, the marketing function and the 3PL service provider, etc. The paper also proposes frameworks such as data envelopment analysis for measurement of these gaps. A set of possible performance indicators is also proposed at various interfaces in supply chain.Practical implicationsThis proposed model is an attempt to explore the relatively less explored area. It is expected that this research will further motivate researchers to work in this area. This supply chain service quality tool will be beneficial to practising managers in identification of opportunities for improvements in service quality.Originality/valueThis paper explores some critical issues in the less explored area and offers practical help to researchers and practitioners in providing a direction for supply chain service quality improvement.
Advancing women and leadership in this post feminist, post EEO era
Authors: Noble Carolyn , Moore Sharon 
Published: September 2006

PurposeThis discussion asks why women leaders are, at the beginning of the twenty‐first century, as scarce in the corporate boardrooms and university corridors as they were 30 years ago. After nearly three decades of legislative and organisational support for more gender equity and inclusive management practices, the illusive glass ceiling still remains an issue for management policy debate.Design/methodology/approachIn this discussion the culture of work in the new economy is discussed.FindingsIt seems that the feminist approach calling for equity in public life has lost its currency as new management restructures and workplace changes are again “gender inflicted”.Originality/valueIn the final analysis more research is required where successful women leaders are positioned centre stage so that they stay in the mainstream of paid work and public life, not in the margins.
Preparing for bushfires: understanding intentions
Authors: Paton Douglas , Kelly Gail , Burgelt Petra T. , Doherty Michael 
Published: September 2006

PurposeTo examine the relationship between behavioural intentions and preparing for bushfire hazards and to test the hypothesis that intentions can inform how people reason about their relationship with environmental hazards.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected from 280 residents in high bushfire risk areas and analysed using multiple regression analysis. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a theoretical sample drawn from those who completed the survey. Data were analysed using grounded theory analysis strategies using the ATLAS.ti data analysis programme following the procedures for open, axial, and selective coding.FindingsThe analyses demonstrated that preparedness intentions reflect the outcomes of different ways of reasoning about their relationship with bushfire hazards and that “preparing” and “not preparing” represent discrete processes. Each outcome was supported by different attitudes towards preparing and by different predictor variables.Research limitations/implicationsPreparing and not preparing for natural hazards should be conceptualised as separate processes and additional research into their origins and precursors is required.Practical implicationsSeparate risk communication strategies are needed to counter reasons for “not preparing” and facilitate “preparing”. Strategies should accommodate the attitudes and beliefs that underpin these outcomes. To facilitate sustained preparedness, strategies should assist people to negotiate issues required to arrive at a decision to adopt protective measures.Originality/valueProvides novel insights into the relationship between people and natural hazards. It identifies a need to re‐think how risk communication strategies are developed and delivered.
Himalayan population at earthquake risk
Authors: Gupta Ila , Sinvhal Amita , Shankar R. 
Published: September 2006

PurposeSeeks to examine risk assessment of human settlements due to seismo‐tectonic setting of a populated area in the Himalayas, so that mitigation measures may be taken before the next earthquake takes its toll.Design/methodology/approachKeeping in view the seismic vulnerability of the Himalayan ranges, an earthquake scenario is considered for the Narendranagar block of Tehri Garhwal District which lies in Seismic Zone IV of the seismic zoning map of India (BIS, 1893‐2002). Damage of MSK Intensity VIII and peak accelerations of 0.25 g are expected here at any time. The hypothetical epicenter is placed near Tapowan at 30°08′10″N and 78° 20′30″E on the crest of the meandering River Ganga, where three large thrusts, viz. Garhwal, Tons Nayar and Krol, congregate. Iso‐acceleration contours plotted for the entire Narendranagar block for earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 and 7.5 are elongated along the main boundary fault.FindingsAlmost 59 percent population of the Narendranagar block was found to be vulnerable to damage associated with higher accelerations of 0.41 g.Research limitations/implicationsThe topographic effects influencing the risk of settlements have not been taken into account.Practical implicationsImplications of such an earthquake on housing stock; roads; infrastructure; awareness and time of occurrence are discussed. Strategies are suggested for long‐term earthquake preparedness and short‐term action plan for emergency management.Originality/valueThe methodology evolved can be extended for other Himalayan regions.