bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Exploring auditor independence: an interpretive approach
Authors: Hudaib Mohammad , Haniffa Roszaini 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the construction of the meanings of auditor independence (AI) in an oil‐rich autocratic state with an ideology straddling liberal market capitalism and Shari'ah (Islamic teachings).Design/methodology/approachThe concept of AI was explored using Blumer's interactionist approach or the Chicago School of Symbolic Interactionism (CSSI). Multiple methods were adopted in collecting and interpreting data: document analysis, personal professional experience, observation and interviews with auditors in two audit firms in Saudi Arabia.FindingsUsing discourse analysis, the paper demonstrates that auditors construct the meanings of independence in appearance and in fact through their social interactions at three levels: micro (personal self‐reflexivity through ethical reasoning and reputation of individual auditor); meso (organisational culture through range of commercial activities and image management) and macro (through political, de jure, and socio‐economic structure).Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the auditing literature by providing insights into the construction of the meaning of AI in a context different from the dominant Anglo‐American discourse, as well as transition and emerging economies discourse. The paper also contributes to the CSSI research methodology by extending it to consider interactions not only within an organisational context, but also within the context of a country.
Development and empirical exploration of an extended model of intra‐group conflict
Authors: Hjertø Kjell B. , Kuvaas Bård 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop and empirically explore a model of four intra‐group conflict types (the 4IC model), consisting of an emotional person, a cognitive task, an emotional task, and a cognitive person conflict. The first two conflict types are similar to existing conceptualizations, whereas the latter two represent new dimensions of group conflict.Design/methodology/approachBased on a heuristic distinction between cognition and emotion, the four conflict types are defined, and scales for measuring them are developed. The psychometric and statistical properties of the scales were analyzed by data collected from four company samples and two student samples (n=208). The validity of the constructs was evaluated by comparing them with similar constructs, in particular, the Intra‐group Conflict Scale (ICS), developed.FindingsA theory‐driven exploratory factor analysis elicited a 19‐item structure of four reliable factors, representing the four conflict types. A confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated satisfactory properties of the data matrix compared with the proposed model. Furthermore, a refined 12‐item scale was developed to consider the validity of the 4IC, with reasonably satisfactory findings.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations concerning sample size, wording of items, the demarcation between conflict types and conflict approaches, and the robustness of the constructs are discussed. It is suggested that researchers may find the model useful for future studies of conflict in groups.Practical implicationsThe model may be of assistance in handling conflicts in organizations. In particular, managers and employees may become aware that emotional conflicts are not always associated with relational or person‐oriented issues; they may as well concern task‐oriented issues. Furthermore, cognitive conflicts do not always have to be task‐oriented; they may also concern relational or person‐oriented issues. The introduction of the emotional task‐oriented and the cognitive person‐oriented conflict types may thus extend the conflict management toolbox for managers and employees.Originality/valueThe results of the study challenge common use of emotional and relationship/person conflicts as interchangeable conflict types, and cognitive and task conflict as interchangeable conflict types. Accordingly, the study suggests new ways to understand conflicts in groups.
Making governance work in academia
Authors: Hogler Raymond , Gross Michael A. , Byrne Zinta S. 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the importance of dispute systems for academic employees and to propose a procedure of voluntary binding arbitration, which would improve governance, promote organizational justice, and reduce litigation.Design/methodology/approachIt is argued that the rationale for arbitration in the educational sphere is even more compelling than in the nonunion industrial workplace because higher education is premised on the concept of shared governance between faculty and administrators. Colleges and universities confront an environment of declining resources, escalating costs, and a consumerist view of education where relations between members of the educational community increasingly resemble market transactions rather than cooperative endeavors.FindingsGiven those trends, faculty would benefit from a system of conflict resolution that serves to safeguard professional standards, ensure organizational justice, and provide an effective workplace voice.Research limitations/implicationsAs a research agenda, future studies could examine these assumptions by empirically testing and evaluating the contribution and benefit of arbitration in higher education.Practical implicationsBinding arbitration offers a viable means of protecting the interests of faculty and institutions.Originality/valueThis paper offers a case for implementing organizational justice principles in higher education and will be of interest to those in that field.
How do we approach accountability with our constituency?
Authors: Medina Francisco J. , Povedano Amapola , Martinez Ines , Munduate Lourdes 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe main aim of this study is to analyze the perception of influence tactics used by male and female representatives in order to gain the commitment of their constituencies when accounting for the outcomes reached in a collective bargaining round.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental design was used to manipulate agreement – favorable vs unfavorable – using collective bargaining scenarios, and measurements were made of subjects' perceptions of the use of hard and soft influence tactics and constituency commitment. Participants stated which influence tactics they would use to inform their constituents about a positive or negative agreement, and the level of commitment they would expect from their constituency.FindingsResults show that hard tactics are perceived as being more effective than soft tactics for enhancing constituency commitment to unfavorable results. Women perceive that they use more soft tactics than men to announce unfavorable agreements, while men perceive that they use more soft tactics than women to announce favorable agreements between parties. Overall, the perception of influence exercised over the constituency is strongly affected by gender, along the lines that men tend to explain and justify their successes and not their failures, while women tend to justify their failures and not their successes.Research limitations/implicationsAs the evidence in this study came from self‐report measures, future studies should corroborate findings by observing representative behavior.Practical implicationsThe findings have important implications for training programs of representatives in collective bargaining, particularly in the exercise of influence at the second negotiation round.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that gender is an important moderator in representative‐constituency negotiation.
Open access and institutional repositories in Greece: progress so far
Authors: Chantavaridou Elisavet 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present the current situation regarding open access and institutional repositories (IRs) in Greece.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reports on the development of IRs in Greece and discusses their content and the various access restrictions that apply to content. A questionnaire survey was used to identify current and future steps regarding open access from the IR managers' and library directors' perspective.FindingsThe paper finds that Greek IRs using DSpace and CDS Invenio software have been developed by libraries of academic institutions. The Berlin Declaration on open access has been signed by two academic institutions and one research institution, while another university will bring the matter to the Senate. Metadata harvesting is one point that all respondents agreed on, although it seems that a national harvesting service will not be established in the near future. Furthermore, content availability at the moment seems to be hindered by fear of copyright infringement rather than financial charges, at least for ETDs.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research should be conducted in order to identify the rate of deposited published peer‐reviewed research in IRs. Furthermore, a broader survey could show the thoughts and future plans of the total of Greek IRs, not just those using OAI‐PMH or those with mixed content (gray literature and published research). Possible research topics could be the interoperability of IRs in order to build a national harvesting service and the access restrictions that are available for authors in each IR.Originality/valueThis paper is addressed to those wishing to be informed of the latest developments regarding IRs and open access in Greece. It also provides a brief insight into the views of leading IR managers and library directors.
Scholarly communication initiatives at Georgetown University: lessons learned
Authors: Bakker Theodora A. , Banks Marcus A. 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe paper aims to describe the launching of Georgetown University's Scholarly Communication Symposium Series in 2003, and ongoing efforts to raise faculty and librarian awareness of changes in the scholarly communication landscape.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes the form of a case study.FindingsRaising awareness about the effects of the “serials crisis” on academic libraries is challenging, because faculty members do not pay subscription costs directly. It remains difficult to encourage researchers to publish in open access journals, which often do not have the prestige of more established, subscription‐based journals. In the face of these challenges, Georgetown's Scholarly Communication Symposium Series has proven to be an enduring vehicle for informing faculty members of the changing landscape in scholarly communications. Targeted marketing (contextualized with reference to high profile developments and projects) and the engaging nature of the events have been critical to success. The broad, high level campus representation among the planning group has also been essential.Originality/valueThe paper allows readers wishing to develop or revise their scholarly communications initiatives to draw on Georgetown's experience.
Japan: the banks are back! Or are they?
Authors: Hall Maximilian J.B. 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how Japanese bank “performance” has improved markedly since fiscal 2003 but to caution against over‐optimism.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological approach adopted involves using aggregate balance sheet data dating from around 1990 to identify the trends in industry performance with respect to profitability, asset quality and capital adequacy.FindingsThe bursting of the asset price bubble in the early 1990s clearly had a major adverse impact on “performance”, as measured by the above‐mentioned indicators, but, after fiscal 1992, the industry's fortunes began to improve. Problems on each front, however, remain to be resolved.Practical implicationsBy identifying the main problems still besetting the Japanese banks, both the industry and their supervisors are given advice as to which areas they need to focus on to improve future bank performance.Originality/valueThe paper clearly explains the nature of, and reasons for, the recent improvement in Japanese bank performance whilst highlighting the areas on which they still have to focus if they are to regain their former glory within the international banking community. It should be of interest to all serious scholars of the Japanese banking system and interested commentators alike.
A case study of functional benchmarking as a source of knowledge for car parking strategies
Authors: Straker Ian , Ison Stephen , Humphreys Ian , Francis Graham 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the process benefits and findings of a functional benchmarking exercise. It explores the issues surrounding the potential introduction of a direct employee car parking financial incentive or disincentive measure at an airport, drawing on best practice from specific non‐airport organisations.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach is taken in which three different organisations are considered from a functional benchmarking perspective.FindingsThere are direct findings in terms of how to develop employee parking strategies/policies.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper adds to the practical literature on functional benchmarking by presenting evidence from a benchmarking exercise of three case study organisations.Practical implicationsThere are practical findings in terms of the potential benefits and limitations from a functional benchmarking exercise. There are also practical recommendations in terms of organisations seeking to develop and implement staff car parking strategies.Originality/valueThe paper provides an illustration of functional benchmarking in practice.
Improving of the efficiency through benchmarking: a case of Ukrainian breweries
Authors: Goncharuk Anatoliy G. 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of competitive and international performance benchmarking in order to estimate efficiency, determine key factors, find the internal and foreign benchmarks, and reveal the full reserves of inputs reduction and potential growth efficiency for brewing companies.Design/methodology/approachData envelopment analysis (DEA) and other tools of performance benchmarking are used to analyse the efficiency of brewing companies. Some key factors are examined for their impact on efficiency: the scale, regional location, proprietors and other endogenous and exogenous factors. The results are based on the samples of 34 Ukrainian brewing companies and 20 foreign brewing companies.FindingsOnly one domestic company can be recognized as a world‐class efficient company. The proprietors, location and the scale factors exert sufficient influence on efficiency of the brewing companies. The international benchmarking allows to widen essentially the capability of reduced consumption of various inputs and provides considerable benefit to Ukrainian breweries and industry efficiency. Some variants for improving of the efficiency of Ukrainian breweries and industry, including cooperation, mergers or friendly acquisitions, are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by single industry that is explained by requirement of technology (product) homogeneity while using DEA tools.Practical implicationsThe results of the study contain data and recommendations that can be practicable for brewing companies' management, present and potential investors and proprietors. The foreign and domestic benchmarks most suitable for benchmarking implementation are established for each of the Ukrainian brewing companies.Originality/valueThis is the first study that adopts the various DEA models for measuring of efficiency in the brewing industry with the tools of competitive and international benchmarking.
Benchmarking performance measures in traditional and just‐in‐time companies
Authors: Meybodi Mohammad Z. 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to show if there are differences between traditional and just‐in‐time ( JIT) companies in choosing benchmarking performance measures at various levels of organization.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire‐based mailed survey was used to examine five questions on the differences between traditional and JIT companies. The target population for the study was manufacturing firms in midwestern USA. The sample covers organizations in a variety of industries ranging from fabricated metal, communication, electronics, automotive, toots, chemicals, rubber, and paper products. In addition to general organization and managerial profile items, the survey contained series of questions regarding organizational goals and objectives, competitive priorities, manufacturing performance objectives, and manufacturing action plans. Out of 91 completed surveys received, 84 surveys were usable resulting in a response rate of 17 percent. Out of 84 usable surveys, 33 respondents declared their organizations to be JIT organizations.FindingsThe paper finds that JIT companies are more consistent in choosing benchmarking performance measures that are aligned with organizational strategy.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is general and not industry specific. Future research needs to focus on specific industries.Practical implicationsSuccessful implementation of JIT principles requires a thorough understanding of organizational strategy and deployment of the strategy into consistent sub strategies and action plans.Originality/valueThe paper shows that the benefits of JIT principles go much beyond inventory reduction and frequent deliveries. These principles could be applied to other areas of business.
Benchmarking organizational commitment across nonprofit human services organizations in Pennsylvania
Authors: Rutowski Kara D. , Guiler Jeffery K. , Schimmel Kurt E. 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine organizational commitment within nonprofit organizations and demonstrate the effectiveness of benchmarking attitudinal constructs.Design/methodology/approachA web based 21 question survey was conducted utilizing a professional organization's membership list. The survey was then analyzed to determine if differences could be found in a local market compared to the larger (geographic) sample. Manova was used to examine mean differences across the variables.FindingsThe results revealed six constructs where attitudinal differences occurred. The differences allow management to determine if they are even with, above or below the average for the larger region and adjust management practices accordingly to increase organizational commitment.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further with a larger national sample.Practical implicationsBenchmarking organizational commitment allows management to adjust practices to improve and retain employees. Retaining employees saves the cost of training and ensures continued delivery of services.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to demonstrate the utility of benchmarking against a sample of peer organizations in the realm of organizational behavior and human resources constructs. This also extends the literature in the area of nonprofit management.
Adapting Australian health facilities to cope with climate‐related extreme weather events
Authors: Carthey Jane , Chandra Venny , Loosemore Martin 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of FM preparedness required to deal with the risks to healthcare delivery posed by climate change‐related extreme weather events.Design/methodology/approachSelected stakeholders were invited to participate in targeted focus groups that, using the ROMS methodology, explored the status of current knowledge and preparedness of the NSW health system to deal with the expected demands imposed by increasing incidences of extreme weather events. Findings are summarised and discussed in terms of the key stakeholder objectives identified. Further areas of required research are then discussed.FindingsThe key objectives of the stakeholders were readily agreed, however a lack of information regarding the quantifiable impacts forecast to be associated with climate change constrained the development of other than generic strategies for dealing with these impacts. Further areas of research included assessment of changing demand for health services, likely physical impacts on facilities and their adequacy in coping with these, implementation strategies for augmenting coping capacity and associated costs, plus the need for integrating disaster planning and management strategies to ensure the continuity of operation of health facilities during extreme weather events.Originality/valueThe paper outlines the status of current knowledge regarding the likely impact of climate change‐related extreme weather events on healthcare infrastructure. It explores key issues and determines where future work should be undertaken to ensure that rigorous FM responses are available to cope with a clear and identified threat to the health of the Australian, and similar communities.
Leading teams to effective decisions: the vital role of framing
Authors: Gray Wilson Daniel 
Published: February 2009

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to illuminate in practical terms research‐based approaches that enable organizational leaders to support effective decision‐making in teams.Design/methodology/approachA literature review of emerging group decision‐making research was conducted and thematically summarized. The themes were discussed and revised with input from twenty global leaders and a dozen university researchers at a two‐day conference held at Harvard University's Learning Innovation Laboratory.FindingsWhat leaders do early on has lasting impact on a team's ability to make effective decisions. Research shows that leaders have the most impact on group decisions at the beginning when they frame the team's goal (purpose), member roles and skills they bring to the group (people), and initial strategies (process). The earlier teams establish these frames the more likely they have put in place the conditions for effective decision‐making.Practical ImplicationsThe themes illustrate a model that leaders can use when making choices of when to use teams for decisions, how to design decision making teams, and how to launch them.Originality/valueThis article aims to present a unique synthesis of research‐based findings on group decision‐making and offers a simple model for action.