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Article
Publication date: 25 July 2008

Danny I. Cho and Tomson Ogwang

The purpose of this paper is to provide academic researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the current Ivey Purchasing Managers Index (IPMI), with alternative…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide academic researchers and practitioners with a better understanding of the current Ivey Purchasing Managers Index (IPMI), with alternative IPMIs, and with their appropriateness as an indicator of the performance of the Canadian economy.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper makes use of principal component analysis to investigate the choice of principal variables for computing new IPMIs based on monthly data for five Ivey indexes for the period from December 2000 to May 2006. Statistical tests were made for the validity of the existing and new IPMIs using two major indicators of Canadian business and economic activities.

Findings

The results suggest that a new composite purchasing managers index for Canada similar to its US counterparts be computed based on four identified Ivey indexes. For constructing a simpler and parsimonious IPMI, the results support Ivey's current practice of using only one Ivey index, namely, the Purchases index.

Research limitations/implications

There was a limited amount of data used for the analysis (i.e. monthly data for less than six years). Also there are issues on data comparability between the Ivey data and the US data (i.e. the Ivey does not collect separate data for the manufacturing sector or the non‐manufacturing sector).

Practical implications

Using a composite index akin to the PMI, business organizations and policymakers will have an accurate sense of what is happening in the Canadian economy. Furthermore, enhancing the power and accuracy of such an index will benefit supply professionals, economic forecasters, and policy experts.

Originality/value

The present study offers additional insights to both practitioners and academics. It helps supply chain managers and practitioners come up with a more reliable business strategy by providing them with a weighted composite index for the Canadian economy. It also makes contributions to the academic community in the area of statistical theory applied to supply management as it has introduced the principal components variable selection analysis in the construction of a new IPMI.

Details

Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0398

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 November 2007

Danny I. Cho, Mikhail Permyakov and Tomson Ogwang

The purpose of this paper is to investigate structural changes in the elasticity of demand for wine in the Province of Ontario and in Canada as a whole. It will provide academic…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate structural changes in the elasticity of demand for wine in the Province of Ontario and in Canada as a whole. It will provide academic researchers and practitioners with a better understanding about structural changes in the levels of wine demand elasticities over time. It will also help the relevant governments and wine business establishments in developing taxation policy and business decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The Kalman filter method, in conjunction with the Chow test, is applied to investigate structural changes in the elasticity of demand for wine. The Chow test is used for primary investigations of structural changes in the elasticity of demand for wine over time, whereas the Kalman filter method provides information about the behavior of the elasticity coefficients over time.

Findings

The Chow test reveals that structural changes in wine demand for Ontario are more pronounced than those for Canada as a whole. The Kalman filter results indicate that increased (decreased) government taxation could be an effective tool for discouraging (encouraging) consumption of wine. The analysis of own‐price elasticity suggests that the effects of increased government taxation on wine consumption be totally unexpected. Cross‐price elasticity coefficients change their signs over time, suggesting that some of the goods that are considered to be complements may become substitutes. Income and unemployment levels have different effects on wine consumption in Ontario and in Canada as a whole.

Research limitations/implications

There may be variation in results by wine color (red or white), country of origin (imported or domestic), or price (premium or non‐premium).

Practical implications

Understanding changes in the elasticity of demand structure for wine over time would help policy makers at the provincial and federal levels come up with effective tools for controlling consumption of wine over time, including their taxation policies. For the wine business establishments, the information on consumer response is important for pricing purposes.

Originality/value

The Kalman filter has not previously been used to examine structural changes in the demand for wine in Canada.

Details

International Journal of Wine Business Research, vol. 19 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1062

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 March 2008

Shin‐Chan Ting and Danny I. Cho

The paper seeks to provide academic researchers and practitioners with a better understanding about purchasing strategies through an integrated approach to supplier selection and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper seeks to provide academic researchers and practitioners with a better understanding about purchasing strategies through an integrated approach to supplier selection and purchasing decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper views supplier selection as a multi‐criteria problem. Through the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), in consideration of both quantitative and qualitative criteria, a set of candidate suppliers is identified. A multi‐objective linear programming (MOLP) model, with multiple objectives and a set of system constraints, is then formulated and solved to allocate the optimum order quantities to the candidate suppliers.

Findings

The paper provides tradeoffs among different objectives, which are more consistent with the complexity and nature of the real‐world decision‐making environment. It also offers better information and solutions supporting effective purchasing decisions.

Research limitations/implications

The main concept of the proposed approach can be applicable to any organization with a purchasing function. However, its implementation will be very specific to a particular organization of interest, as each individual organization must define its own subjective criteria and constraints. The area of decision support system development, which automates (or computerizes) the input process of the proposed models and integrates with other databases in a company, will provide great opportunities for future research.

Practical implications

The paper provides practitioners with flexibility and effectiveness in their supplier selection and purchasing decision process and with a better understanding about their future purchasing strategies. The results from the application of the proposed models to the supplier selection problem at a high‐technology firm in Taiwan show that the models are effective and applicable.

Originality/value

This paper takes an integrated approach to problem analysis (i.e. multi‐objectives with both quantitative and qualitative information), uses a sound scientific methodology in model development (i.e. integrating AHP with MOLP), and provides practical use of the models. It offers additional knowledge and value to both academics and practitioners.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Brian A. Burt

In some fields, research group experiences gained in laboratories are more influential than the classroom in shaping graduate students’ research abilities, understandings of…

Abstract

Purpose

In some fields, research group experiences gained in laboratories are more influential than the classroom in shaping graduate students’ research abilities, understandings of post-graduate careers and professional identities. However, little is known about what and how students learn from their research group experiences. This paper aims to explore the learning experiences of engineering graduate students in one chemical engineering research group to determine what students learned and to identify the practices and activities that facilitated their learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Ethnography was used to observe the experiences of one research group in chemical engineering. Fieldwork included 13 months of observations, 31 formal interviews (16 first-round and 15 second-round interviews) and informal interviews. Fieldnotes and transcriptions were analyzed using grounded theory techniques.

Findings

Research group members developed four dominant competencies: presenting research, receiving and responding to feedback, solving problems and troubleshooting problems. Students’ learning was facilitated by the practices and activities of the research group (e.g. weekly full group and subgroup meetings) and mediated through the interactions of others (i.e. peers, faculty supervisor and lab manager).

Originality/value

This study adds to the engineering education literature and contributes to the larger discourse on identifying promising practices and activities that improve student learning in graduate education.

Details

Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, vol. 8 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4686

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1999

David A. Brenders, Peter Hope and Abraham Ninnan

Presents the findings of a qualitative study of university science, the Student Focus Project, as it relates to the concept of service culture as defined by McCormack, Neil and…

Abstract

Presents the findings of a qualitative study of university science, the Student Focus Project, as it relates to the concept of service culture as defined by McCormack, Neil and Triplett. Assessed 24 focus groups of undergraduate students to find out opinions on positive and negative aspects of student life. Concludes that the approach highlighted reliable themes regarding successes and failure of the university service culture.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2014

Lin Yang and Danni Wang

The paper aims to empirically examine the questions of how top management team (TMT) characteristics, including TMT heterogeneity and vertical dyads differences between TMT and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to empirically examine the questions of how top management team (TMT) characteristics, including TMT heterogeneity and vertical dyads differences between TMT and Board Director, influence entrepreneurial strategic orientation, as well as how industry environment and corporate ownership moderate those relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper designs the panel data on the listed companies of China's Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Board for the period 2006-2010, and uses hierarchical regression analysis and grouping regression analysis when examining the relationships among variables involved.

Findings

The paper provides empirical insights about how top management team (TMT) characteristics, including TMT heterogeneity and vertical dyads differences between TMT and Board Director, influence entrepreneurial strategic orientation, as well as how industry environment and corporate ownership moderate those relationships. It suggests that, except for TMT educational background, the heterogeneity of TMT age, gender, functional experience, and the vertical dyad differences between TMT and board chairperson significantly and positively impact ESO. Furthermore, industry environment and corporate ownership will moderate the relationship between TMT characteristics and ESO.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills an identified need to study how top management team characteristics influence entrepreneurial strategic orientation, as well as how industry environment and corporate ownership moderate those relationships.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 52 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 April 2011

Sung‐on Hwang, Carolyn L. Piazza, Michael J. Pierce and Sara M. Bryce

The purpose of this paper is to report on one high school English‐language‐learner's (ELL) breadth and depth of vocabulary as he communicated with his teacher through e‐mail…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report on one high school English‐language‐learner's (ELL) breadth and depth of vocabulary as he communicated with his teacher through e‐mail across geographic boundaries for over 18 months.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors began by separating 358 e‐mails into three time periods (first beginning, second middle, and third end) to calculate breadth using lexical density (type‐token ratios). Then, we sampled e‐mails based on personal and impersonal topics within these time periods and linguistically analyzed them for lexical cohesion, semantic usage, and derivational morphology. Interviews with participants before and after the analysis served as member checks.

Findings

The quantitative results showed a steady improvement in the breadth of the student's vocabulary over time. Qualitative analyses revealed four major uses of vocabulary within the context of e‐mail and the teacher‐student relationship.

Practical implications

Given our findings, we offer educators insights into ELL strategies and vocabulary assessment, not only with e‐mail but in all written communication.

Social implications

A social writing tool like e‐mail can be useful for learning English in a safe, non‐threatening environment. Moreover, a trusting social relationship between communicators that develops over time can expedite the language learning process.

Originality/value

Very few studies have looked at the strategic ways ELL students use vocabulary to learn English through e‐mailing.

Details

Multicultural Education & Technology Journal, vol. 5 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-497X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2022

John Umit Palabiyik, Brendan Cronin, Suzanne D. Markham Bagnera and Mark P. Legg

This study investigates restaurant patrons' comfort level with the sudden shift in the dining-in climate within the state of Massachusetts during the onset of the COVID-19…

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates restaurant patrons' comfort level with the sudden shift in the dining-in climate within the state of Massachusetts during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory study utilized learning algorithms via gradient boosting techniques on surveyed restaurant patrons to identify which restaurant operational attributes and patron demographics predict in-dining comfort levels.

Findings

Past consumers' eating habits determine how much their behavior will change during a pandemic. However, their dining-in frequency is not a predictor of their post-pandemic dining-in outlook. The individuals who were more comfortable dining in prior to the pandemic dined in more often during the COVID pandemic. However, they had a poorer outlook on when dining in would return to normal. Although there are no clear indicators of when and how customers will embrace the new norm (a combination of pre-, peri-, and post-pandemic), the results show that some innovative approaches, such as limiting service offerings, are not well accepted by customers.

Practical implications

The study offers several managerial implications for foodservice providers (i.e. restaurants, delivery services, pick-up) and investors. In particular, the study provides insights into the cognitive factors that determine diners' behavioral change in response to a pandemic and their comfort level. Operators must pay attention to these factors and consider different offering strategies when preparing to operate their business amid a pandemic.

Originality/value

This is a study of a specific location and period. It was conducted in Massachusetts before a vaccine was available. The restaurant industry was beset with uncertainty. It fills a gap in the current literature focused on the COVID-19 pandemic in customers' transition from pre-COVID-19 dining-in behaviors to customers' refreshed COVID-19 outlook and industry compliance with newly established hygiene and safety standards.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 6 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 August 2017

Asad Ahmad, Obaidur Rahman and Mohammed Naved Khan

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that help in building e-loyalty towards online retailers. Internet has brought the world market into a single platform…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that help in building e-loyalty towards online retailers. Internet has brought the world market into a single platform. Marketers have started using Internet as a new and innovative way to interact and reach people all around the world. With the increase in the number of Internet users, the number of e-marketers has also increased. In the context of online retailing, the service quality being offered is increasingly being used as a tool for competitive advantage. E-tailers are embracing superior e-services to attract, retain and convert patrons into loyal customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers in the present study have used a research instrument that consists of constructs of the modified eTailQ scale, hedonism and e-satisfaction that together result in the formation of e-loyalty. Researcher-controlled sampling was employed to collect data from 159 student respondents.

Findings

Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were applied for analysing the collected data. The results of the study demonstrate that major factors which help in the formation of e-loyalty are e-satisfaction, customer service, privacy and hedonism.

Originality/value

This study extends the understanding of the role of e-satisfaction, customer service, privacy and hedonism in the formation of loyal consumers. The researchers proposed a model to study the factors impacting the e-loyalty of the Internet shoppers in India. The findings of the study are expected to help both researchers and marketers.

Details

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7122

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2022

IpKin Anthony Wong, Mengwei Vivienne Lu, Shuyi Lin and Zhiwei (CJ) Lin

This research paper aims to explore Airbnb’s online experience initiative, which has sparked a new wave of virtual tourism to improvise a large assortment of experiential…

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Abstract

Purpose

This research paper aims to explore Airbnb’s online experience initiative, which has sparked a new wave of virtual tourism to improvise a large assortment of experiential activities through cyberspace. It works to answer questions pertinent to the type of virtual experiences tourists seek and how these experiences could fulfill tourist needs, thereby rendering favorable socio-mental outcomes through experiences encountered.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on travel experience and transformative tourism theoretical tenets, this qualitative inquiry used data collected from social media posts from virtual tourists.

Findings

Results reveal four major themes of online experiences – hedonism, attention restoration, social relatedness and self-exaltation – that encompass 12 experiential categories. They further underscore four types of transformative mechanisms pinpointing hedonic well-being, environmental-mastery well-being, social well-being and eudaimonic well-being.

Research limitations/implications

Research findings demonstrate how Airbnb exercised marketing agility during severe environmental plight; while expediting strategic initiatives that offer tourists and residents alike a means to reengage in leisure and travel activities at home. They also salvage the peer-to-peer community by turning accommodation hosts into online experience ambassadors.

Originality/value

The contribution of this inquiry lies in assessing virtual experiences and reconnecting how different cyber experiences can meet an array of tourist needs. This study further highlights the transformative virtual experience paradigm to lay the necessary theoretical foundation for future research on virtual transformative tourism. This research goes beyond the common understanding of transformative tourism that relies merely on corporeal encounters. From a practical point of view, this study brings light to a novel concept – sharing experience economy – that incorporates the nuances between sharing economy and experience economy.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 35 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

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