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1 – 10 of over 230000Kristina Buhagiar and Amitabh Anand
The prevalence of instability and crises in organizational ecosystems seems to be on the increase, with an upward trend in the occurrence of, for example, natural disasters, such…
Abstract
Purpose
The prevalence of instability and crises in organizational ecosystems seems to be on the increase, with an upward trend in the occurrence of, for example, natural disasters, such as tornadoes in America, bushfires in Australia and the widespread outbreak of diseases, e.g., Covid-19. As contexts of crisis increase in frequency, the ability of organizations to adapt and effectively respond to crises has become a key necessity for organizational survival and continuity. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the repercussions of crises may be curtailed through a multidimensional crisis management approach.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies a narrative literature review and concept mapping to synthesize and establish relationships between the literature in the domains of leadership, knowledge management, learning and contexts of crisis. The output of this methodological orientation is the Integrated Crisis Management Framework, presenting a conceptualized overview of the symbiotic and intertwined manner through which leadership, knowledge management and learning contribute towards effective crisis management.
Findings
According to the analysis and the conceptual underpinnings of this paper, in contexts of crisis, leadership is generally responsible for aggregating crisis management strategies and establishing employee motivation. Knowledge management, on the other hand, provides the infrastructure necessary for calculated yet rapid decision-making. Similarly, in times of crisis, learning is a prerequisite for the development of a “learningful” organization, which contributes towards crisis management by serving as the organization's “memory” – where lessons learned from previous crises suffice to guide future crisis response.
Originality/value
The literature in crisis management reveals that existing crisis management models and frameworks generally consider crisis from a unidimensional perspective, neglecting to account for the multifaceted nature of crises, and the numerous attributes necessary to overcome contexts of crisis. To address this gap in the literature, this paper proposes a multidimensional conceptualization of crisis management through combining three core elements, including leadership, learning and knowledge management. The novelty of this paper is an Integrated Crisis Management Framework, and eight empirical propositions, which act as an impetus for future research.
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This chapter focuses on the diversity management concept which emerged in the United States at the end of the 1980s. As a strategic tool for effective use of the diverse…
Abstract
This chapter focuses on the diversity management concept which emerged in the United States at the end of the 1980s. As a strategic tool for effective use of the diverse workforce, the concept started to diffuse globally in recent years. However, there are concerns about the transferability of diversity management as a readymade practice. From this point of view, this chapter questions the universality of diversity management by providing evidence from the Turkish context. Findings reveal that due to cross-national differences and the local sensitivities, diversity management is subject to customization in the different contexts. In a sense, the local context reconstructs the content of the practice. On this basis, the chapter demonstrates the need for a context-specific diversity management approach.
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Maria Strimpakou, Ioanna Roussaki, Carsten Pils and Miltiades Anagnostou
Context awareness is one of the key aspects of pervasive computing systems. In such systems, a plethora of dynamic context information needs to be constantly retrieved, soundly…
Abstract
Context awareness is one of the key aspects of pervasive computing systems. In such systems, a plethora of dynamic context information needs to be constantly retrieved, soundly interpreted, rapidly processed, maintained in various repositories, and securely disseminated. Thus, a flexible, scalable and interoperable context representation scheme needs to be established and solid context management mechanisms need to be adopted, which will perform well in large‐scale distributed pervasive systems. This paper elaborates on the COMPACT context middleware that has been designed to cope with the issues above and saturate pervasive computing environments with context awareness functionality.
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Penghe Chen, Shubhabrata Sen, Hung Keng Pung, Wenwei Xue and Wai Choong Wong
The rapid proliferation of mobile context aware applications has resulted in an increased research interest towards developing specialized context data management strategies for…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid proliferation of mobile context aware applications has resulted in an increased research interest towards developing specialized context data management strategies for mobile entities. The purpose of this paper is to aim to develop a new way to model mobile entities and manage their contexts accordingly.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes the concept of “Mobile Space” to model mobile entities and presents strategies to manage the various contexts associated therein. To handle availability related issues, two system services are designed: the “Availability Updating Service” which is an identifier based mechanism and is designed to keep track of mobile objects and handle availability related issues, and the “Application Callback Service” which is a publish/subscribe based mechanism to handle application disruptions and interruptions arising due to mobility.
Findings
The paper presents a detailed study of the proposed framework and a description of the underlying services and the components therein to validate the framework. Experimental results carried out in WiFi and 3G environments indicate that the proposed techniques can support mobile applications and minimize application disruptions with minimal overhead.
Originality/value
The proposed context management framework is generic in nature and is not designed for a specific class of applications. Any mobile context aware application can leverage on the framework and utilize the provided functionalities to manage application disruptions. Also, the decoupling of mobile application layer and the underlying context data management layer renders context data management layer transparent to the application design.
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Carole Serhan, Nour Nasr, Georges Cheikh and Gerard Nachar
This research study investigates the relationship between management practices and young employee retention in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon. Besides, it…
Abstract
Purpose
This research study investigates the relationship between management practices and young employee retention in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon. Besides, it examines the moderating role of the workplace context in the relationship between management practices and employment retention in the industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Non-probability purposive sampling method was used to collect 421 questionnaires through a survey of young employees. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Cronbach's alpha test are conducted to test the construct validity, reliability, and internal consistency of collected data. Descriptive statistics are used to interpret the data. Zero-order correlations, multiple regression analysis and Fisher's Z-test are applied to assess the interrelations of the various groups of variables and the determinants of young employee retention.
Findings
The findings show that management practices tested in this study have significant relationships with young employee retention in the hospitality and tourism industry in Lebanon. Further, the findings reveal that the workplace context moderates the relationship between three management practices (participation in decision-making, training, and performance recognition) and young employee retention.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that managers in hospitality and tourism businesses must improve their management practices and promote a positive workplace context to retain young employees.
Originality/value
Finally, this study is the only one that tests the moderating role of the workplace context in the relationship between five selected management practices (participation in decision-making, training, performance recognition, remuneration and job continuity) and young employee retention. Previous studies used fewer variables.
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This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network…
Abstract
This study provides a comprehensive framework of adaptation in triadic business relationship settings in the service sector. The framework is based on the industrial network approach (see, e.g., Axelsson & Easton, 1992; Håkansson & Snehota, 1995a). The study describes how adaptations initiate, how they progress, and what the outcomes of these adaptations are. Furthermore, the framework takes into account how adaptations spread in triadic relationship settings. The empirical context is corporate travel management, which is a chain of activities where an industrial enterprise, and its preferred travel agency and service supplier partners combine their resources. The scientific philosophy, on which the knowledge creation is based, is realist ontology. Epistemologically, the study relies on constructionist processes and interpretation. Case studies with in-depth interviews are the main source of data.
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Dima Jamali, Hanin Abdallah and Soha Hmaidan
The purpose of this paper is to examine the understanding and practice of diversity management in a Middle Eastern context, based on interviews with two sets of stakeholders…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the understanding and practice of diversity management in a Middle Eastern context, based on interviews with two sets of stakeholders (Lebanese women managers and HR managers) directly concerned and involved with diversity management efforts in the Lebanese context.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts an integrative multi‐level research design and an interpretive research methodology, capitalizing on in‐depth interviews with eight HR managers and 18 women managers to explore their perceptions and interpretations of diversity management in the Lebanese context.
Findings
The findings presented in this paper clearly illustrate the relevance of micro, meso, and macro level factors in diversity management research and the need to accord attention to cultural differences and peculiarities of national contexts.
Originality/value
The paper offers a critical perspective on diversity management in an unusual context. It makes unequivocally clear that the goals for alleviating specific sources of discrimination need to be locally articulated/defined. Furthermore, the paper questions the laissez faire management approach to diversity and warns against a tendency to ignore serious gender related issues at work as more women enter the workforce in the Middle East.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interplay between risk management and uncertainty and the contextual variability of risk management practice. More precisely, the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interplay between risk management and uncertainty and the contextual variability of risk management practice. More precisely, the research empirically measures the relation between the extent of use of risk management and the level of project uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
The research defines risk management from an empirical perspective., i.e. from an empirically‐identified set of tools that is actually used to perform risk management. This toolset is derived from the results of an ongoing major worldwide survey on what experienced practitioners actually do to manage their projects. This paper directly relates uncertainty to the degree of project definition. It uses a sample of 1,296 responses for which the interplay between risk management and uncertainty could be measured.
Findings
The results are very coherent. They verify and empirically validate many of the propositions drawn from a review of the literature. But results challenge some of the propositions found in the conventional project management literature and some commonly held views. The research shows that the use of risk management practices and tools is negatively related to the degree of project uncertainty. This somewhat counter‐intuitive result is consistent with a general tendency for all project management tools and techniques to be used more intensively in better defined contexts.
Practical implications
The empirical investigation of actual risk practices and their contextual variability can help better understand risk management practice and manage risks better. The research also clarifies the concepts of uncertainty, risk and risk management.
Originality/value
The results confirm some well‐known assumptions about practices, but at the same time produced unexpected results that can stimulate the development of new practices adapted to highly uncertain contexts. The project management field needs to develop new responses for specific contexts for which it was not primarily developed. The results of this research point in the direction of such a need for ill‐defined projects and highly uncertain contexts.
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PohLean Chuah, Wai Peng Wong, T. Ramayah and M. Jantan
This paper aims to examine the relationships among supplier management practices, organizational context and supplier performance. The contexts selected for supplier management…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the relationships among supplier management practices, organizational context and supplier performance. The contexts selected for supplier management practices are economics transactional practices and high involvement work practices (HIWP); while power asymmetry and competition intensity are considered within the organizational context.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted on a multinational semiconductor company. A two‐phase statistical analysis, which comprised phase one (reliability and factor analysis), and phase two (hierarchical multiple regression analysis), was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The study provides empirical evidence to support the conceptual and prescriptive statements in the literature regarding the impact of supplier management practices and the dynamics between organizational context and supplier management towards supplier performance. The results show that high involvement work practices (HIWP) mediate the impact of competition intensity on suppliers' quality performance and partially mediate the effect of competition intensity on suppliers' flexibility. The limitation of this study is that it does not use longitudinal data, which would be more useful to examine changes in variables that affect performance; nevertheless, as this study was conducted in‐house, it was able to control the extraneous factors.
Originality/value
The study provides important insights for managers to understand the disposition of the firm to better leverage organizational context by exploiting relationships with suppliers. The paper has extended organizational theory and marketing theory into a supply chain context. Moreover, it is among the first empirical work that specifically investigates the relationship between organizational context and supplier management practices; thus the paper fills an important gap in the supply chain literature.
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John R. Darling and Victor L. Heller
This paper aims to present The Key as a very valuable interactive foundation for effective conflict management in international trade negotiations. The Key, as used in this…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present The Key as a very valuable interactive foundation for effective conflict management in international trade negotiations. The Key, as used in this analysis, is reflected in the nature of the thoughts and feelings (commensurate with attitudes) generated by a marketing manager, and influenced by that individual's sense of cultural responsibility. The authors have researched, and have used this concept of The Key and its effectiveness in conflict management in both academic and international business arenas, and in low context, as well as high‐context cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
An analysis of conflict management is presented within a case situation that involves business in the high‐context culture of China. A high‐context culture places a great deal of emphasis on a person's values and position or place in society, and interactions with others, rather than on the words and formal legalistic constructs used for negotiations in low‐context cultures. The case focuses on the relationship between the Vice President for International Marketing of Innovative Technologies, Inc. (ITI) headquartered in Chicago, IL, with offices also located in Frankfurt, Germany, and the Managing Director of the Shanghai Technology Manufacturing Center (STC) in China. The steps and skills used in providing a structure for the responsive process of managing a conflict were: the preliminary steps (involving power‐base development, relational acceptance and meaningful communication skills); the resolution steps (involving assumption analysis, objective identification and alternative selection skills); and the maintenance steps (involving action agreement, feedback review and continuing oversight skills). Each of these steps and skills were used to resolve, in a positive manner, the conflict between the ITI and STC.
Findings
Use of The Key, as reflected in a manager's positive thoughts and feelings, is of major importance for effective application of the steps and skills in the paradigm for effective conflict management introduced in this treatise.
Originality/value
The case focuses on conflict challenges that are encountered and successfully resolved, thereby facilitating the marketing of a new cell (mobile) telephone introduced into the high‐context culture of China by Innovative Technologies, Inc.
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