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21 – 30 of over 103000Mershack Opoku Tetteh, Albert P.C. Chan, Amos Darko, Sitsofe Kwame Yevu, Emmanuel B. Boateng and Janet Mayowa Nwaogu
International construction joint ventures (ICJVs) are an effective strategy for construction companies worldwide for delivering large and complex projects. Despite numerous ICJVs…
Abstract
Purpose
International construction joint ventures (ICJVs) are an effective strategy for construction companies worldwide for delivering large and complex projects. Despite numerous ICJVs studies, there is a lack of comprehensive empirical examination of what drives ICJVs implementation. This study aims to investigate the key drivers for implementing ICJVs through an international survey.
Design/methodology/approach
Grounded on a comprehensive literature review and structured questionnaire survey, 123 ICJV experts' responses from 24 different countries/jurisdictions were analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics. Mann–Whitney U test was used to determine any divergence of ranking of the drivers by the experts. Factor analysis (FA) was used to identify the clusters underlying the key drivers. Rank agreement analysis was later used to investigate the consensus between experts from developing and developed countries/jurisdictions on their ranking of the clusters.
Findings
Out of 34 factors, 26 factors greatly drive the implementation of ICJVs. Mann–Whitney U test results prove the absence of significant disparity among the experts in the ranking of the drivers. Six clusters were obtained through factor analysis (FA), namely, market-penetration and innovation-driven drivers, legal and market-driven drivers, fiscal incentives and market expansion drivers, personal branding drivers, sustainable advantage/power drivers and industrial and organizational promotion drivers. Rank agreement analysis exhibited varied levels of concurrence between professionals from developed and developing countries/jurisdictions.
Practical implications
The appreciation of the factors motivating ICJVs is beneficial to the successful implementation of ICJV strategies. A clear understanding of the drivers can help practitioners and policymakers to customize their ICJVs to reap the expected benefits.
Originality/value
The study has generated valuable insights into the factors that are greatly driving the implementation of ICJVs worldwide. While the findings of this study provide a profound contribution to theory and practice, it contributes to sustainable growth in different perspectives.
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Habsah Muda, Zaharah Salwati Baba, Zainudin Awang, Natasha Shazleen Badrul, Nanthakumar Loganathan and Mass Hareeza Ali
The rationale for the postgraduate supervision measures for higher education by the call for universities to adopt a systematic practice in postgraduate supervision through new…
Abstract
Purpose
The rationale for the postgraduate supervision measures for higher education by the call for universities to adopt a systematic practice in postgraduate supervision through new supervisors' exposure to creative ways of monitoring. This paper aims at understanding, improving and validating the content of behavioral supervision measures using the expert review and pretesting analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors developed, modified and operationalized the items based on the developmental supervision theoretical concept by Glickman (1980) to measure the behavioral supervision of postgraduate in higher education. The authors obtain comments and verification from experts for content validity and criterion validity. Later, the authors do pretesting of face validity.
Findings
The result of the expert review and pretesting, analysis, provides measures (items) for the following seven stages (components) of postgraduate behavioral supervision: listening/clarifying; encouraging; presenting/demonstrating; negotiating/problem-solving; directing; standardizing and reinforcing.
Practical implications
The findings contribute to the rational development of supervision measures and functional transformation in the postgraduate supervision process in higher education at national and international contexts.
Social implications
These supervision measures, if practiced by the supervisors and postgraduates' students, will accelerate and achieve the aspiration initiative of the Ministry of Higher Education. In general, based on the needs identified, the positive impact of this study can improve national and international postgraduate program educational outcomes.
Originality/value
There is limited number of empirical research which resulted in postgraduate behavioral supervision measures in the context of higher education.
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Although brands have developed mobile applications (apps) to offer consumers new experiences, low app usage numbers indicate the need to develop a systematic, practical evaluation…
Abstract
Purpose
Although brands have developed mobile applications (apps) to offer consumers new experiences, low app usage numbers indicate the need to develop a systematic, practical evaluation framework for branded app design that specifies concrete design features.
Design/methodology/approach
An expert review provides an overview of the design of current branded apps. On the basis of an extensive literature review, this article classifies state-of-the-art design features for branded apps according to a proposed evaluation framework that includes human–computer interaction (HCI)–related and marketing-related evaluation criteria. In an application of these evaluation criteria, the authors evaluate 73 branded apps issued by 11 top fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands.
Findings
The expert review identifies strengths and weaknesses that are common to the design of current branded apps. These findings inform the set of design recommendations that this article offers, which includes 14 features common to all types of apps and 9 features specific to particular types of apps.
Practical implications
This research offers practical implications for app designers, who need to address design dimensions contained in the proposed framework including the HCI-related (mobile, social and user experience design features) and marketing-related (branding and customer relationship management design features) to create effective branded apps.
Originality/value
Design elements identified in prior literature remain abstract and do not prescribe a systematic or pragmatic approach to using them in practice. This study takes a multidisciplinary perspective (HCI, marketing and design science) to establish a practical evaluation framework for branded app designs.
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Sharing information security best practices between experts via knowledge management systems is valuable for improving information security practices, exchanging expertise…
Abstract
Purpose
Sharing information security best practices between experts via knowledge management systems is valuable for improving information security practices, exchanging expertise, mitigating security risks, spreading knowledge, reducing costs and saving efforts. The purpose of this paper is developing a conceptual model to enhance the transfer of information security best practices between professionals in virtual communities through a Web-based knowledge management system to exchange their successful experience in handling different information security situations.
Design/methodology/approach
The model is validated by surveying 17 experts’ reviews on the correctness of the model’s structure and its related components through applying deep rich peer debriefing to test suitability. Quantitative data has been collected to achieve confirmatory results.
Findings
The resulting model incorporates five main components that support the formal mechanism for the acquisition and dissemination of knowledge: identification, classification, storage, validation and sharing. The success of knowledge sharing is highly dependent on the active collaboration of community members and highly influenced by motivation. Validating transferred knowledge is vital for ensuring the credibility of the system.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is one of the first to highlight the role of integrating knowledge management to enhance the effective share and reuse of information security best practices knowledge. The research results can support researchers investigating the topic and generate trustworthy literature to guide information security virtual community developers.
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Julie McLeod, Sue Childs and Susan Heaford
This article seeks to present the results of a project that critically evaluated a series of toolkits for assessing records management capacity and/or compliance. These toolkits…
Abstract
Purpose
This article seeks to present the results of a project that critically evaluated a series of toolkits for assessing records management capacity and/or compliance. These toolkits have been developed in different countries and sectors within the context of the e‐environment and provide evidence of good corporate and information governance.
Design/methodology/approach
A desk‐based investigation of the tools was followed by an electronic Delphi with toolkit developers and performance measurement experts to develop a set of evaluation criteria. Different stakeholders then evaluated the toolkits against the criteria using cognitive walkthroughs and expert heuristic reviews. The results and the research process were reviewed via electronic discussion.
Findings
Developed by recognised and highly respected organisations, three of the toolkits are software tools, whilst the fourth is a methodology. They are all underpinned by relevant national/international records management legislation, standards and good practice including, either implicitly or explicitly, ISO 15489. They all have strengths, complementing rather than competing with one another. They enable the involvement of other staff, thereby providing an opportunity for raising awareness of the importance of effective records management.
Practical implications
These toolkits are potentially very powerful, flexible and of real value to organisations in managing their records. They can be used for a “quick and dirty” assessment of records management capacity or compliance as well as in‐depth analysis. The most important criterion for selecting the appropriate one is to match the toolkit with the scenario.
Originality/value
This paper aims to raise awareness of the range and nature of records management toolkits and their potential for varied use in practice to support more effective management of records.
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Pradeep Kumar Ponnamma Divakaran and Sladjana Nørskov
The purpose of this paper is to investigate two questions. First, are movie-based online community evaluations (CE) on par with film expert evaluations of new movies? Second…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate two questions. First, are movie-based online community evaluations (CE) on par with film expert evaluations of new movies? Second, which group makes more reliable and accurate predictions of movie box office revenues: film reviewers or an online community?
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a movie-based online community Fandango for a 16-month period and included all movies released during this time (373 movies). The authors compared film reviewers’ evaluations with the online CE during the first eight weeks of the movie’s release.
Findings
The study finds that community members evaluate movies differently than film reviewers. The results also reveal that CE have more predictive power than film reviewers’ evaluations, especially during the opening week of a movie.
Research limitations/implications
The investigated online community is based in the USA, hence the findings are limited to this geographic context.
Practical implications
The main implication is that film studios and movie-goers can rely more on CE than film reviewers’ evaluation for decision making. Online CE can help film studios in negotiating with distributors, theatre owners for the number of screens. Also, community reviews rather than film reviewers’ reviews are looked upon by future movie-goers for movie choice decisions.
Originality/value
The study makes an original contribution to the motion picture performance research as well as to the growing research on online consumer communities by demonstrating the predictive potential of online communities with regards to evaluations of new movies.
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The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of reviewer qualification and credibility (RQC) and hotel classification involving online hotel reviews (OHRs). The study…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of reviewer qualification and credibility (RQC) and hotel classification involving online hotel reviews (OHRs). The study examines the effects of the reviewer level as a proxy of RQC on review helpfulness and reviewing behavior (review rating, review length). The study also included hotel classification as a moderating variable.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 1,968 reviews were collected from TripAdvisor.com using a web data-harvesting technique. Hypothesized relations in the model were tested with t-test and MANOVA analysis.
Findings
The empirical results show that the effect of reviewer level on review helpfulness is not significant. In addition, a high-level reviewer tends to leave a lower rating and a lengthier review than a low-level reviewer. Regarding the moderating effects, for the high-level reviewer, three-star independent hotels have a greater effect on review helpfulness.
Research limitations/implications
The study has several useful implications for researchers, hotel industry when managing OHR and disseminating information to their potential consumers.
Practical implications
The findings help online review website organizers manage the operation of RQC and hotel classification in a proper manner. Marketing managers, especially those of three-star independent hotels, can effectively utilize review management to the desired effect.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies, this study explores the effect of RQC on review helpfulness and reviewing behaviors across the hotel classification. In addition, this study contributes to the hotel industry developing more effective online reviews from the reviewer level and diverse hotel types (three-star independent, four-star chain, five-star luxury hotels).
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Weidong Zhu, Quan Ku, Yong Wu, HongTao Zhang, Yibo Sun and Chao Zhang
With the advancement of social economy, science and technology, nowadays, people face increasingly complex decision-making problems and ever-growing decision-associated…
Abstract
Purpose
With the advancement of social economy, science and technology, nowadays, people face increasingly complex decision-making problems and ever-growing decision-associated information contents. Owing to the unique advantages of the evidence theory, evidence decision flow fits in well with the cognitive process of human beings, which provides us with an effective decision method. However, traditional evidence theories are built upon the one-dimensional evidence recognition framework, which merely reflects the reliability of information determined by evidence source and as such may fail to present the characteristic information of evidence source itself or the information required for the process of determining reliability. This greatly influences processes in decision-making, such as evidence processing and combination. This essay aims to propose a two-dimensional evidence-reasoning theory to address specific decision problems.
Design/methodology/approach
This article uses a two-dimensional evidence framework to reflect the process and characteristic information of evidence source based on the traditional evidence framework. As a result, evidence is processed and combined by two-dimensional modified information.
Findings
This research is of theoretical and practical significance by extending theoretical connotation, fully utilizing precise evidence information and therefore meeting the requirements of efficient and accurate decision-making performances.
Originality/value
The theory adds a two-dimension to modify and capture evidence on the basis of the traditional evidence framework. This proposal has significant theoretical and practical value to expand evidence theory and provides more accurate use of evidence information, higher efficiency and quality requirements and more precise decision-making.
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Terrance Green and Melissa Rodgers
The purpose of this paper is to describe the ongoing, iterative and empirical work to develop, test and revise the Community Equity Literacy Leadership Assessment (CELLA) for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the ongoing, iterative and empirical work to develop, test and revise the Community Equity Literacy Leadership Assessment (CELLA) for principals through several studies: a sorting study and expert panel survey review.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs several survey development methods, including a sorting study and expert panel survey review.
Findings
The findings suggest that each study improved the CELLA’s items and provided useful learning for future testing cycles of inquiry.
Originality/value
Research suggests that principal leadership is a significant aspect of equitable and authentic school–family–community engagement. However, there is a paucity of theoretically grounded and psychometrically sound instruments to assess principals’ knowledge and skills in this area. To address this gap, the authors developed the CELLA for school leaders and their leadership teams.
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Millicent Asah-Kissiedu, Patrick Manu, Colin Anthony Booth, Abdul-Majeed Mahamadu and Kofi Agyekum
For construction organisations to be effective at implementing an integrated safety, health and environmental (SHE) management system, they require the right level of…
Abstract
Purpose
For construction organisations to be effective at implementing an integrated safety, health and environmental (SHE) management system, they require the right level of organisational capability. This capability includes the policies, systems and resources of the organisation. However, within the academic literature, it is unclear which organisational attributes of construction companies are important for implementing integrated SHE management. This study aims to explore the organisational attributes that determine integrated SHE management capability and their relative priorities.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a literature review supported by expert verification and a subsequent three-round expert Delphi technique accompanied by applying the voting analytical hierarchy process.
Findings
The study identified 20 attributes grouped under five main thematic categories. These are strategy (the organisation’s vision and top management commitment); process (the organisation’s procedures and processes for SHE management); people (organisation’s human resources, their competence, roles, responsibilities and involvement in SHE management); resources (organisation’s physical and financial resources for SHE management) and information (SHE related documents, data, records and their communication across an organisation). While these thematic categories and the attributes within carry different weights of importance, the strategy-related attributes are the most important, followed by the people-related attributes.
Originality/value
The results of this study should enable construction companies and key industry stakeholders to understand construction companies’ capability to successfully implement an integrated SHE management system. Furthermore, construction companies should be able to prioritise efforts or investments to enhance their SHE management capability.
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