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Business cycle theory is normally described as having evolved out of a previous tradition of writers focusing exclusively on crises. In this account, the turning point is seen as residing in Clément Juglar's contribution on commercial crises and their periodicity. It is well known that the champion of this view is Schumpeter, who propagated it on several occasions. The same author, however, pointed to a number of other writers who, before and at the same time as Juglar, stressed one or another of the aspects for which Juglar is credited primacy, including the recognition of periodicity and the identification of endogenous elements enabling the recognition of crises as a self-generating phenomenon. There is indeed a vast literature, both primary and secondary, relating to the debates on crises and fluctuations around the middle of the nineteenth century, from which it is apparent that Juglar's book Des Crises Commerciales et de leur Retour Périodique en France, en Angleterre et aux États-Unis (originally published in 1862 and very much revised and enlarged in 1889) did not come out of the blue but was one of the products of an intellectual climate inducing the thinking of crises not as unrelated events but as part of a more complex phenomenon consisting of recurring crises related to the development of the commercial world – an interpretation corroborated by the almost regular occurrence of crises at about 10-year intervals.

The application of lean and quality improvement methods is very common in process improvement projects at organisational levels. The purpose of this research is to assess the adoption of Lean Six Sigma™ approaches for addressing a complex process-related issue in the coal industry.

The sticky coal problem was investigated from the perspective of process-related issues. Issues were addressed using a blended Lean value stream of supply chain interfaces and waste minimisation through the Six Sigma™ DMAIC problem-solving approach, taking into consideration cross-organisational processes.

It was found that the tendency to “solve the problem” at the receiving location without communication to the upstream was, and is still, a common practice that led to the main problem of downstream issues. The application of DMAIC Six Sigma™ helped to address the broader problem. The overall operations were improved significantly, showing the reduction of sticky coal/wagon hang-up in the downstream coal handling terminal.

The Lean Six Sigma approaches were adopted using DMAIC across cross-organisational supply chain processes. However, blending Lean and Six Sigma methods needs to be empirically tested across other sectors.

The proposed methodology, using a framework of Lean Six Sigma approaches, could be used to guide practitioners in addressing similar complex and recurring issues in the manufacturing sector.

This research introduces a novel approach to process analysis, selection and contextualised improvement using a combination of Lean Six Sigma™ tools, techniques and methodologies sustained within a supply chain with certified ISO 9001 quality management systems.

Taking both an event-centered and a process approach to cause lawyering, the chapter asks: (1) if, when, and how working with movements can lead to one being functionally seen as a cause lawyer and (2) whether researchers should include “hired gun” and state attorneys in the cause lawyering conversation. These questions are addressed by seeing how various cause lawyer qualities are exhibited by a range of attorneys involved in anti-abortion protest regulation cases. The research suggests that reasons exist to view previously excluded attorneys through the cause lawyering lens, and to continue pursuing the cause lawyer qualities discussed here.

Many studies conducted on cause-related marketing (CaRM) are concentrated in advanced economies. However, there is very little work reported pertaining to CaRM in emerging economies like India. Hence, the aim of this study is to analyze the effect of CaRM on the customers' purchase intention (PI) in the Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) sector, which is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. Further, this study tests the mediating effect of attitude and the moderating effect of cause involvement.

This paper employs a quantitative methodology. Primary data were collected from 1220 respondents from North India. PLS-SEM is employed to examine the data.

The findings reveal that CaRM strongly impacts FMCG customers' purchasing intentions. Further, a positive attitude toward cause-related marketing triggers the customer purchase intention. Third, the results show that cause involvement moderates purchase intentions, so those who feel passionately dedicated to the cause are more inclined to buy while being involved in the cause-related marketing program.

The results would aid marketers in developing effective CaRM campaigns for their FMCG brands by understanding the different combinations of factors influencing CaRM.

FMCG is one of the major pillars of the Indian economy. This research proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework for the current study that is supported by literature. This study provides evidence of the increasingly important role of CaRM in establishing a win-win association with customers, aiming to solve specific societal causes and creating a favorable image of the brand in the FMCG sector.

The purpose of this paper is to validate a proposed framework of library value as the relationships between diverse stakeholders’ perceptions of valued effect of a library and of causes for the effect. It does so through adaptation of the “five whys” inquiry, a tool for uncovering root causes used extensively for process improvement. A “library value wheel” graphically illustrates a diverse set of stakeholders (i.e. faculty, students, university administrators, librarians, donors, and library employees) and their perceptions of the most valued effects of the library. To begin this exploration the researchers have selected faculty as the initial stakeholder to study because of their important influence in the academy. The following research questions guide the study: What effects of the library do faculty most value? What are perceived causes of these valued effects? What effects of the library do faculty perceive other stakeholders [e.g. students and administrators] most value? What variations among the causes faculty identify for valued effects emerge from use of the five why inquiry?

This qualitative study consists of a series of individual and group interviews with faculty members representing different academic disciplines and rank at one US university. Adapting the “five whys” inquiry, the researchers conducted sufficient individual interviews to reach data saturation (typically 15 to 30 interviews) to identify root causes that address perceptions about value the academic library provides to faculty. The interviews were audio taped and transcribed for data analysis; the results were sent to the interviewees for a member check. In addition, the results of the analysis were validated in a focus group session with faculty members of the library advisory group. Lastly, the identified valued library effects and their causes were compared to elements of value identified in the literature.

Several root causes of perceived value were identified, with caution to generalize; among these are: increase my productivity; expand student ability; do my job; save money; indulge intellectual curiosity; not feel frustrated; meet accreditation criteria; and change the University.

The study emphasizes that value involves the stakeholders in the identification of the valued effect of the library. The “five whys” inquiry delves deeply and arrives at a root cause of value that will allow librarians to take steps to maximize an institutional perception that of the value the library provides its community. It is often difficult for stakeholders to articulate why the library is or is not of value and this approach will help them do so. In addition to eliciting the perceived value of the library to the faculty, the study also gathered faculty perceptions of causes of valued library effect on students and administrators. The study also introduced the “library value wheel” which broadly defines the causes of valued effects on stakeholders of libraries. The study's empirical data will be integrated into this framework in subsequent studies. Since value is a political tool, involving the faculty and focusing on their perceptions will be important for advocating library support. This study will communicate to librarians reasons faculty perceive the library to be of value. In essence, this approach partners influential stakeholders with librarians to develop strategies for maximizing the value of the library.

If marketers are to devise campaigns and marketing mixes which are intended to influence those consumers who espouse social, political and environmental causes, they need an understanding of the evolutionary life‐cycle pattern of such causes. The five life‐cycle stages of causes are set out, with descriptions of the likely extent of influence of cause‐related marketing strategies, the level of controversy surrounding the cause and the strategic trade‐off at each stage. It is concluded that whilst the support of causes appears to provide marketing opportunities, the marketer must make two crucial decisions. First, a market niche which is likely to embrace the cause must be selected. Second, the strategy employed must be forged to deal significantly with the cause at that specific stage in its life cycle.

Traditional statistical tools are subject to certain constraints when they are applied to quality control in industries where the number of faults per working day is limited. An effective quality monitoring and analyzing tool is therefore needed to meet the specific requirements of these industrial sectors. Proposes a so‐called “Cause‐classified Control Chart”, based on fieldwork in the Nanchang Telecommunications Office of China. Trial results from several posts and telecommunications offices in China in recent years have positively shown that the Cause‐Classified Control Chart is an effective tool for quality enhancement in these specific industrial sectors.

Variations due to errors and mistakes have caused cost overruns in building projects. Therefore, it is undeniable that the gravity of such variations will be a critical factor in deciding the success of any building project. In addition, the design stage of a building project is considered the most suitable stage to identify and mitigate the causes of potential variations. However, there are no proper mechanisms to minimise the frequency or gravity of variations. Many researchers experienced the promising essence of Poka-Yoke, a mistake-proofing method aimed at increasing efficiency by early detection and eradication of the causes of potential errors. However, less attention has been paid so far to implement Poka-Yoke principles to minimise variations in the building project. Therefore, this study aims to develop a framework to minimise variations in building projects through the integration of the Poka-Yoke principles.

An interpretivism stance is adopted, and a qualitative research approach is used. The data collection technique adopted is semi-structured interviews with ten experts, and the data is analysed using code-based content analysis through NVivo12.

Research findings revealed 23 causes of variations, categorised under client-originated, consultant-originated, contractor-originated and other variations. The identified causes were then mapped with the Poka-Yoke principles to develop the framework. The research findings could prove useful to researchers, academics, government agencies and construction professionals in developing nations that have demographic/cultural and socioeconomic characteristics such as Sri Lanka.

The findings benefitted the Sri Lankan construction sector by minimising the causes of variations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study will be the first of its kind in the Sri Lankan construction industry, leading to a better understanding of the “Poka-Yoke” principle within the building construction context.

Cause-related B2B marketing programs involve sponsoring organisations working with B2B suppliers with the help of non-profit organisations (NPOs) on practises relating to environmental friendliness, workforce diversity, human rights, safety, philanthropy and business ethics. The study aims to identify the combinatory factors driving the adoption of Digital B2B platforms for managing cause-related B2B marketing programs.

The study adopts an innovative approach of fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) on data collated from top corporations in India supporting cause-related B2B marketing programs. Sponsoring organisations and NPO dyads (i.e. survey both) filled out an email survey on 264 cause-related B2B marketing programs.

The study establishes that the combination of technological, organisational and environmental factors would lead to the adoption of Digital B2B platforms in managing cause-related B2B marketing programs. The study identifies six combinations of these factors for adopting Digital B2B platforms within and across sponsoring organisations and NPOs.

The study findings would aid cause-related B2B marketers in developing Digital B2B platforms’ capabilities by understanding the different combinations of factors driving adoption. Digital B2B platforms’ capabilities can improve market performance if developed as core competencies.

The study findings would enable improvements in the implementation and performance of cause-related B2B marketing programs. Better management of cause-related B2B marketing programs would help increase beneficiary coverage and the realisation of societal goals.

To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to apply the TOE framework in conjunction with complexity theory to explain the diffusion of adoption of Digital B2B platforms for managing cause-related B2B marketing programs.