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Considers the factors which influence Taiwanese decisions to buy Japanese or US refrigerators, basing the conclusions on the results of a survey of 586 respondents drawn from Taiwan’s four largest cities – Taipei, Kaoshiung, Taichung and Tainan. Describes how the questionnaires were constructed and pretested, and explains how the data was recorded (using a 5‐point Likert‐type scale) and analysed (using factor analysis and t‐tests). Tests particularly for cultural values of the Chinese, consumer ethnocentrism, openness to foreign culture, country image, and consumer sophistication. Finds that, despite the longer presence of Japanese goods in Taiwan, Japan’s proximity to Taiwan, and more cultural similarities between the Japanese and Taiwanese, Taiwanese consumers rate the USA’s country image factor higher than Japan’s, with consequent implications regarding intention to buy US goods. Recommends that US marketers build on their advantageous country image when they promote US appliances in foreign markets. Cautions against making too much of this snapshot data but concedes that further research into different foreign markets, different appliances, and with a longitudinal approach, would ascertain if findings are consistent with this survey, which has obvious benefits as new markets, such as China and India, open up to western goods and appliances.

The purpose of this paper is to study the role of slack (both moderating and mediating) to stimulate the relationship between total quality management (TQM) factors and innovation outcomes relative to gaining competitive industry advantages.

The research methodology includes a multi-item scale questionnaire completed in three waves between 2016 and 2017, and later analysed in 2018. A final response rate of 29.5 per cent was obtained, representing 190 organisations from both manufacturing and service industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to test the multi-collinearity, moderation and mediation analysis.

Analysis confirmed that factors such as continuous improvement (CI), human resource management (HRM) and information measurement (IM) were positively linked to innovation. However, when slack was introduced as a moderator, innovation outcomes were stimulated through HRM and IM. The results indicate that slack acts as a full mediator for management leadership but only partially mediates supplier quality, IM, CI, HRM and process management.

In terms of geographical coverage, research was limited to the UAE. Organisations striving for excellence through innovation may benefit from the outcomes, as they help in understanding the relationship between TQM and innovation moderated and/or mediated by slack. This could also lead businesses to develop new strategies that harmonise TQM policies with “rationale” slack policies, thus, promoting innovation.

This study is the first to examine the use of slack to stimulate the relationship between TQM factors and innovation outcomes. Using slack as a mediator can help in understanding when TQM might influence innovation, while slack as a moderator could invert the relationship between the two.

Covers the meaning of mediation, the role of the mediator, and the mediation process. Outlines the framework for discussion with reference to the mediator’s role. Concludes that it is necessary to focus on common ground and not the differences.

Customers' continuous value creation (e.g. voice) is an important research issue for the success of brand virtual community (BVC) and new product development, while it is rarely studied from a firm perspective. The purpose of the present study is to investigate how firm attributes exert influences on continuous voice intention in brand virtual communities.

The data were collected through a survey in mobile brand virtual communities in China, and 291 valid responses for data analysis were included to test the research model by using partial least squares (PLSs).

The results show that intrinsic motivation to voice is positively associated with continuous voice intention. Furthermore, the impact of brand identification on intrinsic motivation is found to be fully mediated by community identification. Customer orientation has a positive effect on perceived openness, and both customer orientation and perceived openness positively affect customers' brand identification and community identification.

Although prior studies have examined some variables relevant to voice behavior, few studies have recognized the influence of firm attributes toward the BVC on sustained voice intention. To fill this research gap, the authors propose a research model to shed light on the role of firm attributes by classifying them into brand- vs community-based firm attributes, which affect intrinsic motivation through two types of social identification, namely brand identification and community identification.

The main purpose of this research is to empirically test the impacts of emotional intelligence score and emotional intelligence processing on the performance of investor’s portfolio.

A mail questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 983 international investors. The total number of usable responses received was 197 giving a response rate of 20.4 per cent. From 197 investors, 46 accepted to complete the experiment study during two trading hours for each investor from January first until February 19, 2015.

The results reveal a positive impact of emotional intelligence on portfolio performance. Additional analysis shows that the emotional intelligence process has a significant impact on the portfolio performance. The higher impact is revealed when the investors understand the markets tendency, manage their own emotions, take their financial decisions and finally control their personnel emotions during market fluctuations. The lower impact is detected when investors take reactive decisions after perceiving the markets tendency. This research also reveals that the investors have high capacity to manage and control their emotions during market fluctuations especially who are characterized by high emotional intelligence level.

The first limit of this research is the exploration of limited number of investors and financial operations during limited period. Therefore, the results could not be generalized, and further studies should include larger samples during larger period. The second limitation concerns the used variables to measure the portfolio performance and the emotional intelligence level. For future studies, it will be preferred to use other quantitative and qualitative variables lead to measure the different analytical dimensions of portfolio performance and emotional intelligence.

The results hold implications for investors that seek to enhance efficiently and effectively the portfolio performance. It also prompts investors to focus on effort that can improve the management and the control of personnel emotions.

This paper presents one of the first empirical studies that attempt to explore how emotional intelligence and, particularly, emotional process serve to sustain the performance of portfolio during market fluctuations.

The study develops a structure for procurement digitalisation by identifying its context drivers, technology interventions and performance-inducing mechanisms and exploring the linkages between these variables.

The study draws on rich interview and workshop data on 48 digital intervention projects, as reflected by mental models of managers from 12 case organisations in manufacturing, retail and service sectors. Supported by an a priori structure, the study employs an abductive cross-case analysis approach.

Results suggest several categories within the elements of context, intervention and mechanism to structure procurement digitalisation and the linkages between them. Seven propositions that reflect digitalisation strategy options in procurement are developed regarding the linkages. Internal complexity dominantly drives procurement digitalisation, motivating communication support and process structuring interventions, which in turn aim at procurement coordination and control as well as process improvement. External coercive pressure and external dynamism also drive interventions for information processing and decision aiding, which appear to be linked with supply market knowledge, strategic alignment and supplier capability assessment. Therefore, an internal–external dichotomy is observed as the main thrust of procurement digitalisation.

The study supports decision makers in developing digitalisation strategy options for different procurement contexts. The results also raise awareness of a possible bias in existing strategies for procurement digitalisation.

A novel forward-looking approach is employed to enable the design and construction of systems that do not yet exist by focusing on the mental models of managers in a systematic way.

Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.

Gives an in depth view of the strategies pursued by the world’s leading chief executive officers in an attempt to provide guidance to new chief executives of today. Considers the marketing strategies employed, together with the organizational structures used and looks at the universal concepts that can be applied to any product. Uses anecdotal evidence to formulate a number of theories which can be used to compare your company with the best in the world. Presents initial survival strategies and then looks at ways companies can broaden their boundaries through manipulation and choice. Covers a huge variety of case studies and examples together with a substantial question and answer section.