Search results

The purpose of this paper is to create optimally located Facilitation Centers on this tourist circuit, evaluated through network analysis, thus creating an effective linkage between tourism and economic activities of the craftsmen who are the custodians of the cultural heritage of Puri.

The craft villages lying in and around this tourist circuit are surveyed to establish socio-economic condition of artisans, significance of the craft and spatial distribution of craft villages and the willingness of artisans to travel closer to the transport spine. Network analysis is used to assess the suitability of Facilitation Center location using travel time and distance as parameters. Finally, the sustainability of the Facilitation Centers is evaluated using a cost-benefit analysis (CBA).

The Facilitation Centers can be spatially developed at the strategic locations to expand tourist market. This will help in leveraging the economic benefits of tourism to a marginalized rural artisan community by creating a sustainable model.

The focus on festival can help to protect local cultural traditions, develop tourism and promote the economic, social and cultural developments of the destination. Dispersal strategies adopted aim to increase visitors' satisfaction with the product and thus entice them to stay longer in the destination.

The paper provides a holistic overview of already available academic literature of mobile banking, business model innovation and ecosystem and activity system perspective of business model concepts. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to initiate a debate for future research in the agenda highlighted in this paper.

In this paper, mobile banking business ecosystem of Easypaisa is used as an illustrative case to understand mobile banking business model innovation in the context of business ecosystem and activity system perspective.

Based on Porter’s view of mobile financial service (MFS) industry, it is suggested that patterns of business model innovation can be explained through business ecosystem and activity system. The notion of business model innovation can also be explained through integrated value chain of mobile network operator and its partners in the supply chain of MFS.

This paper provides preliminary overview of the exiting academic literature on business model innovations, business ecosystem and activity system in the in the context of value network. Since this is only a literature review paper, therefore, no primary data have been collected for this case study through interviewing from the relevant people.

So far, no research has been conducted in Pakistan to address business model innovation in mobile banking sector in the context of business ecosystem and activity system perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate on the role of a group facilitator when taking a dialogical stance. A special interest is facilitator’s processual responsiveness and its potential for supporting a dialogic approach to process facilitation.

Theoretically, the article is based on dialogue and dialectic relationship theory. Empirically, it is based on pragmatic analysis of excerpts from audio recordings of a two-day process facilitation with an organizational group called KUDIAS.

The analysis highlights the importance of processual responsiveness of the facilitator in terms of focused attention to the process as well as to the interpersonal relations between the participants in the process. Being processually responsive, the facilitator supports the process in becoming dialogic toward all participants’ perspectives and in creating a climate characterized by curiosity, wondering, exploration and recognition. However, facilitator’s processual responsiveness also requires the ability to balance the process between support and confrontation.

Processual responsiveness is developed and discussed theoretically as well as empirically.

Describes a 15‐year learning journey, working with clients to develop skills facilitation. Set against the backdrop of the changing role of facilitation in UK business – from the domain of the training room, via use of designated facilitators working with quality groups, to a central place in leadership and management practice. Case studies and details of competence research illustrate different approaches to skills development. Suggests that the influence of context on the facilitation role is crucial, and needs to inform the type of development process suited to a particular situation. Anticipates that facilitation will be acknowledged increasingly as a central process of organization change rather than limited to designated positions. Facilitating in “unknown territory” will require people to discard pre‐prepared scripts, dispense with the safety of “facilitator neutrality” and be open to profound processes of change.

Trade and transport facilitation is a challenging area for international logistics and supply chains. A major problem in the area is the lack of a specific framework to support measurement and analyses of performance aspects concerning border‐crossing operations. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for the area comprising strategic performance objectives of operations.

The framework derived from a theoretical and empirical basis. The empirical method involved a Delphi study with 11 experts with recognised knowledge in the area of international logistics and supply chain. The framework was validated through a substantive validity test conducted in a pilot study with 20 managers from organisations operating in a major international seaport overseas.

The study developed a framework structured by critical operations performance factors operationalised in terms of trade and transport facilitation aspects.

The framework was pre‐tested in a specific context in Brazil. Its construct validity and reliability require further testing and refinement.

The framework provides reference for the definition of priorities and targeted initiatives in specific areas of trade and transport operations at border‐crossing levels. The initiatives can be aligned with relevant strategic performance objectives of operations in general.

The theoretical, empirical, and practical issues addressed in the research provide an insightful basis for future research and managerial initiatives. The framework defined in the study offers robust measures that allow academics and practitioners to understand and address critical aspects inherent in the operational dimension of trade and transport facilitation.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate key critical factors for developing transit trade corridors (TTCs) in optimizing trade and logistics performance, taking into account economic, geographic and political concerns among countries in the Northeast Asia region, which have been dynamically developing TTCs to optimize trade and logistics performance in association with development of transport infrastructure in the Greater Tumen Region located in the Northeast Asia.

This research explores key factors affecting the TTC through a comprehensive literature review in tandem with expert survey. Factor analysis, both exploratory and confirmatory, is employed to further investigate the underlying factors affecting more efficient development of a TTC.

This research has drawn eight underlying factors affecting the design of a TTC: development and policy implications; safety, security and political concerns; environmental protection; financing and investment; soft infrastructure; hard infrastructure; geography and landscape; and corridor performance.

This paper has a limited geographical scope of the Northeast Asia. Therefore, more primary data collection would be useful in future work. Development of International trade corridor and TTC is critical in northeast Asia for moving goods through designated geographical paths. The key factors drawn in this paper contributes not only to promoting its related services and information (across borders) with the provision of policy support and related facilities for TTC but also to lowering logistics costs and improving trades in the northeast Asian region. As a result, the countries in the region will accelerate their regional economies in collaboration with international bodies and framework, such as UNDP, Greater Tumen Initiative and One Belt One Road Initiative.

The eight underlying factors the authors identified in this research will be valuable for policy-makers to design TTCs and consequently the research will contribute to regional economies in northeast Asia by establishing efficient trade and transport routes among the countries in the region.

Developing TTCs is a kind of platform and infrastructure to accelerate cargo movements and people movements in the northeast Asia. Users of TTCs will benefit their businesses thanks to an efficient logistics system and lower logistics costs, which result in promoting international and regional trade in the region.

There has not been any research done on factors to consider in developing TTCs in the world, whose consequence is no readily available reference that can support a systematic assessment and decision-making in development of TTCs. The findings of this research provide a helpful reference for policy-makers, potential users and developers of TTCs to refer in planning and developing them.

The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the potential of available event formats for facilitating the initiation of organizational change processes. It presents unconferencing, a relatively new event format, which seems to provide unique opportunities for this purpose. It reports and analyzes the case of a large Swiss university which initiated its pro‐sustainability transformation by organizing an unconference.

Researchers studied the effects of unconferencing and the mechanisms, which brought them about in a case study. In the empirical setting of a large Swiss university, a qualitative study triangulating participatory observation, narrative and problem‐centered interviews, participant survey and documentary analysis was carried out. Data were collected and analyzed at different points in time.

Empirical findings suggest that unconferencing is an appropriate event format for facilitating the initiation of the pro‐sustainability organizational change process of a university. In our case, unconferencing achieved systems connectivity, enabled mutual learning and generated excellent outputs in form of project proposals.

The paper raises the awareness of other universities and organizations of an event format they might wish to apply in their organizational change processes.

So far, research has not provided satisfactory answers to the question, how to best initiate organizational change. This paper provides a systematic investigation of available methodological approaches. It furthermore explains unconferencing, which is increasingly applied by practitioners but so far has stimulated only little discourse in the scientific community.

The purpose of this paper is to describe lessons learned from integrating student-managed investment funds (SMIFs) in finance education systems based on the case of the Raymond Rebsamen Investment Fund at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas.

The paper has three main parts. First, it describes how the Rebsamen Fund operates as an integral part of undergraduate and graduate finance education at the Walton College. Second, it explains how the Fund spawned creation of sister funds, an institute, a 62-seat trading center, and coordinates with other agencies and stakeholders. Third, it lists strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats facing future SMIF integration into finance education.

The use of innovative experiential learning solutions like SMIFs bridging theory and practice can be enhanced by integrating them into effective systems of finance education.

Lessons learned include benefits of SMIF management by class, licensing and professional certification, trading centers, use of SMIF finances to support other components of education, proliferation of SMIFs, SMIF stimulation of academic units like centers/institutes, SMIF facilitation of collaboration, importance of tying SMIFs to student finance clubs, coordination of industry speaker visits between SMIF classes and clubs, and use of SMIFs in addressing cutting-edge challenges.

This paper discusses how SMIFs can be integrated in finance education.

This paper aims to attempt to investigate if the now-existing upstream Sost Dry Port in Gilgit-Baltistan and the prospective midstream Havelian Dry Port in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, both part of One Belt One Road (OBOR), are expected to compete against or complement each other in terms of port efficiency and location, and which of the two ports should first be developed in the wake of uninterrupted logistics flow of cargo on the Economic Corridor.

Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used for multi-criteria decision making by the stakeholders. Five main criteria for transhipment port selection, ranging from port location, port efficiency, intermodal connectivity, port costs and cargo volume were used with three sub-criteria each.

This study demonstrates the results that favour physical infrastructural development initiatives prioritized for the Sost Dry Port in view of its strategic location as the upstream supply chain node on the Economic Corridor, imparting efficiency to the logistics flow.

Results of this study may assist policymakers in achieving goals like enhancing trade facilitation, reducing congestion and increasing cargo security on OBOR.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind that analyzes priority for immediate development intervention for either Sost or Havelian Dry Port, both located on CPEC – OBOR supply chain.