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1 – 10 of 96Caroline Cheng and Malena Ingemansson Havenvid
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the strategic management concept of “strategy tools” (STs) can be reinterpreted from an industrial network perspective. It…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the strategic management concept of “strategy tools” (STs) can be reinterpreted from an industrial network perspective. It considers how STs are used to influence the substance of relationships and how firms engage in strategic action by using such tools.
Design/methodology/approach
Using case study research involving three focal firms, the paper scrutinizes use of selected STs to examine how they are used to systematically relate to others and create benefits and affect development paths in business relationships.
Findings
STs can be viewed as an integrated part of a networking pattern of mobilizing resources, linking activities and relating actors. Seen in this manner, use of STs can be interaction-facilitating or interaction-creating.
Research limitations/implications
In an interactive approach, STs must be seen in relation to others as they are used in strategic (co-)action to engage and involve others. In this view, tools are strategic when used to affect the long-term development of important business relationships.
Practical implications
Practitioners should acknowledge that the use of a ST to handle counterparts is emerging, and valuable only in relation to specific others. Because the value of STs is unknowable until it is revealed how they can affect the substance of a specific relationship, there is no best-practice or one-size-fits-all approach.
Originality/value
This paper illuminates the phenomenon of “strategy tools” by considering it from both sides of the business exchange interface.
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Caroline Cheng and Elsebeth Holmen
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the relationship and networking strategy tools in the IMP literature. It proposes six dimensions for characterizing such…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the relationship and networking strategy tools in the IMP literature. It proposes six dimensions for characterizing such tools: approach to tool development, level (and layer) of analysis, perspective of interaction, activities of network strategizing, external or internal orientation and use for “strategizing on” vs “strategizing in” relationships and networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a manual qualitative content analysis approach and an inductive approach, well suited for extracting relationship and networking strategy tools due to their implicit and dispersed nature.
Findings
The paper presents an IMP toolbox comprising a wide variety of relationship and networking strategy tools emphasizing interconnectedness, interdependence and limited managerial autonomy, as well as an analysis of how identified tools are positioned along each of the six proposed dimensions.
Research limitations/implications
This paper contributes a conceptual framework with a vocabulary to content analyze and discuss relationship and networking strategy tools in IMP research.
Practical implications
The IMP toolbox may be a useful point of departure for managers who feel a need for developing and using a mix of tools for strategizing in business relationships and networks.
Originality/value
The paper instills a strategy tool lens in the IMP literature and foregrounds strategizing concepts and techniques that were previously difficult to attend to for both researchers and practitioners.
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Jei-Zheng Wu, Caroline Himadewi Santoso and Jinshyang Roan
The purpose of this paper is to explore key factors or criteria of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) influencing Indonesian coal companies, using “adoption…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore key factors or criteria of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) influencing Indonesian coal companies, using “adoption, implementation, and performance” (A-I-P) of SSCM, thru three means: first, to investigate which criteria have higher weight to achieve SSCM in Indonesia; second, to see whether there are any differences between the Indonesia case and existing literature of SSCM; third, to highlight any causal relationships between the Indonesia case and the SSCM theory.
Design/methodology/approach
DEMATEL-based analytic network process (DANP) questionnaire survey with a theoretical SSCM model is applied to conduct an empirical test for the coal production and supply chain companies in Indonesia.
Findings
The “performance” dimension out of the A-I-P of the SSCM is the most important one, while the “adoption” dimension is the least. Out of the 12 criteria under the three dimensions, the “operational, economic, environmental, and social” factors under the category of the performance dimension and the “ISO 14001 certification” criteria belonging to the dimension of “implementation” are the top five key factors in the SSCM.
Research limitations/implications
There are some limitations in this study. First and foremost is the relatively small sample size with a limited geographic area, although they are unavoidable owing to one country case study.
Practical implications
The test results are helpful to draw guidance for sustainable supply chain managers in implementing efficient SSCM in the wave of tough competition and changing marketplace.
Originality/value
This study contributes first to developing a theoretical framework for SSCM under the A-I-P model and second, to applying DANP to an empirical case of SSCM of the coal industry in Indonesia. As a result, the authors draw helpful guidelines and policy implications for SSCM of the coal industry, referring to the A-I-P dimension as drivers and enablers for the SSCM performances of the industry.
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Ines Branco-Illodo, Teresa Heath and Caroline Tynan
This research paper aims to understand how givers characterise and manage their gift giving networks by drawing on attachment theory (AT). This responds to the need to illuminate…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper aims to understand how givers characterise and manage their gift giving networks by drawing on attachment theory (AT). This responds to the need to illuminate the givers–receivers’ networks beyond traditional role-based taxonomies and explore their changing dynamics.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-method, qualitative approach was used involving 158 gift experiences captured in online diaries and 27 follow-up interviews.
Findings
Results show that givers organise receivers into gifting networks that are grounded in a contextual understanding of their relationships. The identification of direct, surrogate and mediated bonds reflects three different dimensions that inform gift-giving networks of support, care or belongingness rooted in AT. The relative position of gift receivers in this network influences the nature of support, the type of social influences and relationship stability in the network.
Research limitations/implications
This study illustrates the complexity of relationships based on the data collected over two specific periods of time; thus, there might be further types of receivers within a giver’s network that the data did not capture. This limitation was minimised by asking about other possible receivers in interviews.
Practical implications
The findings set a foundation for gift retailers to assist gift givers in finding gifts that match their perceived relations to the receivers by adapting communication messages and offering advice aligned with specific relationship contexts.
Originality/value
This study illuminates gift-giving networks by proposing a taxonomy of gifting networks underpinned by AT that can be applied to study different relationship contexts from the perspective of the giver. This conceptualisation captures different levels of emotional support, social influences and relationship stability, which have an impact on the receivers’ roles within the giver’s network. Importantly, results reveal that the gift receiver is not always the target of gift-giving. The target can be someone whom the giver wants to please or an acquaintance they share with the receiver with whom they wish to reinforce bonds.
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Wolfram Verlaan and Sue Verlaan
To describe how combining a working definition of reflection with a framework for applying this definition can lead to a greater consistency in the manner with which reflection…
Abstract
Purpose
To describe how combining a working definition of reflection with a framework for applying this definition can lead to a greater consistency in the manner with which reflection instruction is implemented in educator preparation programs.
Methodology/approach
Cultivating the habit and practice of reflection has been a long-standing goal of educator preparation programs. However, much of the research literature indicates a lack of consistency in the way that reflection is defined and taught in these programs, particularly in the context of video-reflection. This chapter examines how a workable definition of reflection based on Dewey’s phases of reflection can be used to make reflection instruction more consistent and meaningful for pre-service teachers.
Findings
The authors discuss the video-reflections of four different pre-service teachers, providing examples from their reflections to demonstrate how a workable reflection definition can assist teacher educators in developing the reflective capabilities of pre-service teachers.
Practical implications
By instituting a workable definition of reflection consistently across an educator preparation program, teacher educators can increase the likelihood that pre-service teachers will be prepared to engage in meaningful reflection when they begin to lead a classroom on an extended basis.
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Gavin David Brown, Ann Largey, Caroline McMullan, Gráinne O'Shea and Niamh Reilly
This study explored the experiences of Irish emergency medical services (EMS) first responders during the first nationwide restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Abstract
Purpose
This study explored the experiences of Irish emergency medical services (EMS) first responders during the first nationwide restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) of research into healthcare workers' and first responders' experiences during the COVID-19 and 2003 SARS pandemics was performed. The SLR informed the content of an online questionnaire distributed via the Irish Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council to 2,092 first responders on its live register. Data analysis used both descriptive and content analysis.
Findings
EMS first responders faced many challenges including PPE quality, training on its use, issues with decontamination facilities, and organisational effectiveness. Emotional challenges included the anxiety experienced, the impact on families, and ethical dilemmas confronted related to patient care. Positive findings also emerged, such as first responders' dedication to working through the pandemic, collegiality, and the community goodwill displayed.
Originality/value
While investigations of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers have been undertaken globally, studies focussing exclusively on the experiences of EMS first responders have been rare. This study addressed this knowledge gap, providing an insight into the challenges and successes experienced by first responders and identifying opportunities for learning that can be applied to future public health emergencies.
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Bruna Caroline Campos, Felício Bruzzi Barros and Samuel Silva Penna
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate some numerical integration strategies used in generalized (G)/extended finite element method (XFEM) to solve linear elastic fracture…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate some numerical integration strategies used in generalized (G)/extended finite element method (XFEM) to solve linear elastic fracture mechanics problems. A range of parameters are here analyzed, evidencing how the numerical integration error and the computational efficiency are improved when particularities from these examples are properly considered.
Design/methodology/approach
Numerical integration strategies were implemented in an existing computational environment that provides a finite element method and G/XFEM tools. The main parameters of the analysis are considered and the performance using such strategies is compared with standard integration results.
Findings
Known numerical integration strategies suitable for fracture mechanics analysis are studied and implemented. Results from different crack configurations are presented and discussed, highlighting the necessity of alternative integration techniques for problems with singularities and/or discontinuities.
Originality/value
This study presents a variety of fracture mechanics examples solved by G/XFEM in which the use of standard numerical integration with Gauss quadratures results in loss of precision. It is discussed the behaviour of subdivision of elements and mapping of integration points strategies for a range of meshes and cracks geometries, also featuring distorted elements and how they affect strain energy and stress intensity factors evaluation for both strategies.
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Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, Shams Rahman, Tamgid Ahmed Chowdhury, Caroline Chan, Xiaoyan Yang and Qingxin Su
A major transformation in retail logistics over the few years is backed by enormous improvements in internet technologies. It is now easy for e-retailers to entertain delivery…
Abstract
Purpose
A major transformation in retail logistics over the few years is backed by enormous improvements in internet technologies. It is now easy for e-retailers to entertain delivery progression, or consumers can share use-experience with future customers and thereby reducing information asymmetry. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of different signals on consumer behavior in the presence of information asymmetry, in the context of online group buying (OGB) markets in China.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the lemon market theory (LMT) and signaling theory, the study develops a research model of the OGB consumers’ context in China, which is validated using data from an online survey. A total of 528 responses are used for data analysis applying structural equation modeling technique.
Findings
The findings of the study show that perceived vendor quality (PVQ) and perceived product quality (PPQ) have significantly positive effects on intention to purchase from OGB websites. PVQ is associated with perceived reputation and perceived trustworthiness (PT) of vendor, and the determinants of PPQ are quality assurance information of products, and information about mer-chants. Further, PT has a mediating effect, while asymmetry of information has a moderating effect.
Research limitations/implications
The research model is valid as a generic OGB model that can be investigated in other contexts to understand the generalizability of the findings. Future research is needed to incorporate additional relevant factors (e.g. price, advertising activity/investments) that may help increase the acceptability of the model to a wide range of e-commerce contexts. Two of the control variables (gender and prior internet experience) were found to be significant; this could be further examined in future studies to determine the relative impact on each causal relationship.
Originality/value
Whereas prior studies in the domain of consumer service proposed different signaling mechanisms that were believed to eliminate information asymmetry from a market, the study sheds light on the effectiveness of the signals in the OGB context. This is a unique effort that applies and extends LMT and signaling theory in OGB context by theorizing the associated dimensions and their causal effects.
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