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The present study seeks to trace the unionization process of a global top 10 video game company (Company N) in which workers formed the first enterprise union in South Korea's game sector. Drawing upon the analytical framework of Kelly's (1998) mobilization theory, the authors investigated what motivated workers to form a union and what factors facilitated unionization.

This study used a qualitative research method on a single case study basis. The authors collected 41 in-depth interviews with game developers, full-time union staff from the case company and union leaders in their affiliated union, as well as game journalists, labour attorneys, and human resource professionals in the video game industry. The authors had their original data supplemented and triangulated by archival data including union letters and other documents and media reports. They analysed the data using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS).

There are three key findings. First, in the game sector, a high barrier against unionization exists, arising from industry characteristics such as a project-based work system, high mobility, reputation-based hiring, meritocracy, and a continuous influx of game-loving young developers. Hence, although the time was ripe for worker activism, latent grievances failed to be converted into real collective mobilization, resulting in non-organized workplaces for the past decades. Second, the mandatory labour-management negotiations arising from a legal change acted as a key catalyst for unionization at Company N. The newly elected three employee representatives came to identify and develop their own collective interests through the direct experience of negotiations, which greatly augmented their negative emotions and improved their legal consciousness. These three representatives could identify numerous deep-rooted problems, attribute these problems to their employer, and realize that they are ordinary salaried workers different from their employer. Going through the three-month negotiation and post-negotiation period, a set of ordinary game developers transformed themselves into natural union leaders who started a union in the game industry, which was traditionally non-organized. Third, various layers of external factors, such as a sister union, the upper umbrella union, the changed socio-political atmosphere following the candlelight protests for presidential impeachment, and the improved union image facilitated the unionization at Company N.

This study offers practical implications to governments, union activists, and employers in the game sector and more broadly in the tech industry, where labour-management conflicts are escalating across the globe.

Our study of a rare unionization event in the difficult game sector offers a nuanced understanding of mobilization and its process. Theoretically, by introducing the dynamic process of natural leader emergence and spontaneous union formation in a young industry where neither pre-existing leadership nor extant union influence exists, this study suggests that the mobilization process is more complex and variegated than suggested by Kelly's study and subsequent studies. Therefore, this study can advance the current discussion of mobilization mechanisms in the field of industrial relations. Our study also contributes to current research by introducing collective mobilization in a new context, i.e. the young, dynamic game industry in a non-Western country, which is a context that has been under-studied thus far.

The stages of effort undertaken by the National Epilepsy Library and Resource Center of the Epilepsy Foundation of America to dovetail an off‐the‐shelf database retrieval package with a custom correspondence response package are presented. In a Wang VS‐80 minicomputer environment, a concept for a package to streamline the process of answering 25,000 queries from the general public, using an in‐place resources database for referral requirements, was developed. A methodical and thorough system design phase emphasizing operator friendliness and top‐down design coupled with appropriate experience with the Wang operating system was essential for success. Involving staff who possessed different operational perspectives in the system testing stage is recommended. Suggestions on how to avoid oversights in all these critical stages are presented. The original flexibility designed into the software has produced a package that can be enhanced in order to remain responsive to the Foundation's needs in the years to come.

The purpose of this study is to examine what happens to human relationships when a family business is handed off to the next generation. The second generation, to succeed, must work to nurture and sustain current customer, supplier, and employee relationships so as not to damage existing goodwill. As power is transferred from the founder of the family business to the next generation, organizational issues and the leadership style of the successor take center stage.

This is strictly a conceptual paper designed for the practitioner. There is no empirical study therein, only theoretical frameworks to guide practitioners and family business owners. It is meant to be informational with many useful “tips” for family business succession.

Relationships with valuable human resources, such as current customers, suppliers, and employees must receive the attention they deserve to avoid negatively impacting organizational brand equity. Failure to nurture supplier relationships can increase costs and access. Neglected customer relationships may cause the loss of key members of these groups, contributing significantly to second-generation business failures. Damaged employee relationships cause expensive turnover, loss in customers, and negative word of mouth. Research suggests that only 30 per cent of businesses survive into the second generation and even less (about 13 per cent) into the third generation (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015).

The next step would be to test the propositions using both qualitative and quantitative research, beginning with interviews of second-generation family business owners. The interviews would test the successor-generations’ attitudes and behaviors toward established customers, suppliers, and employees. Attitudes would be measured on a Likert scale to explore the perceived importance of current customers, employees, and suppliers to the new owner. Issues of commitment, responsibility, loyalty, friendship, respect, and caring would also be measured to evaluate how relationship-friendly the new owner is. Levels of retention of key stakeholders would then be correlated with the firm’s financial success or failure to see if there is any statistically significant relationship.

Establishing and maintaining strong trust relationships will socially bond customers, employees, and suppliers to the organization. Introduction of a second generation changes the dynamics of these relationships, so care is critical, as customers, suppliers, and employees become anxious with change. Relationship management is about nurturing customer relationships, honoring supplier arrangements, and developing employees. Consistent care toward trusted human resources creates brand equity (or monetary value). Naturally, family businesses start small and understand the value of each relationship, but as the business passes from the founder to the second generation, these loyal, trusted relationships may be tested. It is up to the successor to assure customers, suppliers, and employees that they are a valued part of the operation. Inability to do this will likely lead to an erosion of the business’ loyal base and may precipitate in failure of the firm for the successor.

The social implications revolve around acceptable human interaction and proper treatment of individuals who are critical to the small family business’ success. As a family business passes from the founder to the second generation, loyal, trusted relationships may be tested. It is up to the successor to assure customers, suppliers, and employees that they are a valued part of the operation. Inability to do this will likely lead to an erosion of the business’ loyal base and may precipitate in failure of the firm for the successor.

It is original in that it is practitioner-oriented and full of useful tips for the family business owner. None of the information contained therein is novel. It is a consensus or compilation of useful information packaged for a practitioner.

Examines the efficiency and effectiveness of a prescriptive systems development methodology in practice. The UK Government’s mandatory structured systems analysis and design method (SSADM) was examined to determine its value to software projects. The evidence was collected from interviews with 17 project managers, discussions with participants on three large SSADM projects and from observing 90 end users in training. The conclusions are that prescriptive information systems methodologies are unlikely to cope well with strategic uncertainty, user communication or staff development. The recommendations are to focus more on soft organisational issues and to use approaches tailored to each project.

Public entrepreneurship is increasingly being propounded as a key means of ‘doing more with less’ during the tough times associated with successive rounds of neoliberal restructuring and austerity. The primary aim of this chapter is to provide a critical-exploratory review of sponsorship – a disruptive interjection or particular form of public entrepreneurship.

Public entrepreneurship provides a useful theoretical frame for exploring some emergent ways of delivering public services in a post-Credit Crunch global operating environment. Empirical insights are derived from a single local authority in the United Kingdom.

There is a widespread concern that straitened economic conditions can engender the prevalence of short-term financial considerations at the expense of other objectives. Sponsorship, as a discrete form of public entrepreneurship in some circumstances has the potential to achieve multiple objectives, enriching public value. However, this is contingent of specific contextual factors.

By identifying some risks associated with disruptive interjections intended to open new paths for the sponsorship of public services as well as indicating some opportunities for risk reduction, it is hoped that our analysis may benefit public authorities when they are exploring or evaluating sponsorship ‘opportunities’.

Examining sponsorship through a public entrepreneurship conceptual frame has received limited research attention. Whether sponsorship is a ‘winning solution’ is contingent on the particular form of sponsorship as well as the specific time and place.

Much of the work in business studies and responsibility has focused on the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). For a time, this was very much about the relationship of business to the community. This has developed further into the so-called triple bottom-line approach stressing the importance of giving an account of the firm's relation to the social and physical environment as well as the financial state of the firm. Alongside this has been a stress on both the complexity of the external environment and the need to include the internal environment in any view of responsibility, not least in terms of health, safety, and well-being of the staff (Robinson, 2010). The concept of responsibility, however, goes beyond even these concerns.

Small and specialist inter‐disciplinary conferences, particularly those relating to technology enhanced learning such as International Conference on Information and Communications Technology in Education, provide valuable opportunities for academics and academic‐related/professional staff to report upon their research and development activities, including their insights into teaching practice. However, the existence of such conferences is now under threat due to a global shift towards quantitative research assessment exercises, which favour bibliometrics, such as citation counts and impact factors, over peer review. The purpose of this paper is to contextualise the discussion by describing the nascent qualitative research assessment in Australia and its implications for small conferences. It also aims to present heuristic strategies to ensure that publications are recognised by quantitative research assessment exercises.

The authors draw on a wide literature base as well as their experience as academics, conference organizers, professional developers, and researchers to describe the changes to the culture of research assessment and research management and their observed implications for small and specialist inter‐disciplinary conferences.

Conference organizers and scientific committees should consider several strategies to maximise bibliometric impact of conference papers. These strategies include: transparency in reviewing processes; building alliances with peer‐reviewed journals; considering boutique “by invitation” conference formats; and publishing papers which are indexed and standards based. The authors also point out that small and specialist conferences should leverage their communities of practice to facilitate publication and research opportunities and thereby increase the tangible benefits of participation.

This paper is valuable to conference organizers and participants who are adjusting to a culture of bibliometrics. This paper highlights key issues as well as suggests strategies to improve impact values.

Since 1973–74, the beginning of the so‐called resources crunch, there has been an increased emphasis upon the role of the procurement function in strategic corporate planning and management. The role of procurement has begun significant change in a number of companies, yet remains in basically an operational mode in others. However, strategic management has often been “borne” out of situational crises imposed by changing environmental factors, rather than as a result of recognition of the strategic potential which management has. In essence, changes often come through reaction to problems, rather than through positive recognition and implementation of strategic management as an initiative itself. This has been particularly true of procurement.

Briefly reviews previous literature by the author before presenting an original 12 step system integration protocol designed to ensure the success of companies or countries in their efforts to develop and market new products. Looks at the issues from different strategic levels such as corporate, international, military and economic. Presents 31 case studies, including the success of Japan in microchips to the failure of Xerox to sell its invention of the Alto personal computer 3 years before Apple: from the success in DNA and Superconductor research to the success of Sunbeam in inventing and marketing food processors: and from the daring invention and production of atomic energy for survival to the successes of sewing machine inventor Howe in co‐operating on patents to compete in markets. Includes 306 questions and answers in order to qualify concepts introduced.

Focusing on the global trade collapse and the subsequent recovery period, the purpose of this paper is to examine the export performance of firms that are involved in complex internationalization strategies.

The authors use a random-effects probit model with panel data and a dynamic panel data model (GMM system) for Spanish manufacturing firms from 2006 to 2013 period.

It is found that, once firm characteristics are controlled for, complex internationalization plays an important role in continuing to export and, additionally, positively influences the level of exports. Firms active in a complex mix of internationalization strategies have an added advantage, which enables them to confront the uncertainty of foreign markets in better conditions and translates to a lower likelihood of ceasing exporting and to higher export values.

The present paper throws light on this question by showing that the negative impact of trade collapse in 2009 on the export level was lower for firms inserted in complex internationalization strategies and the subsequent recovery was more intense.

The analysis goes one step further and investigates whether the impact is different during the trade collapse in 2009 and the following recovery. Here, previous empirical research at firm level on the role of complex internationalization strategies in trade is contradictory.