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1 – 10 of 441
Article
Publication date: 31 January 2020

César Lenin Navarro-Chávez, Odette V. Delfín-Ortega and Atzimba Díaz-Pulido

The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of efficiency in the Mexico electricity industry during the 2008-2015 period.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the level of efficiency in the Mexico electricity industry during the 2008-2015 period.

Design/methodology/approach

A data envelopment analysis (DEA) network model is proposed, where technical efficiency is calculated. A factorial analysis using the principal components method was carried out first. Later, latent dimensions were calculated through the variance criterion and sedimentation graph, where four components were presented. After performing factor rotation, the nodes were grouped: generation, transmission, distribution and sales. It proceeded later to structure a DEA network model.

Findings

From the calculations made, the most efficient node was the transmission, while the North Gulf and East Center divisions were the only efficient.

Research limitations/implications

The limitations presented in this study were data collection.

Practical implications

The implications that were observed were that through the results obtained, proposals can be made to the Mexican electricity sector to improve each of the nodes, and have a better operation and reduce energy losses.

Social implications

The social impact of this type of study is that based on the results obtained, they present the basis for improving energy policy and users can have a better service that has better quality and coverage.

Originality/value

The originality of this study consists in the use of two methodologies, factor analysis methodology and DEA network model.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Jose-Serafin Clemente-Ricolfe

The purpose of this paper is to determine the current positioning of online banking in Spain.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the current positioning of online banking in Spain.

Design/methodology/approach

Netnography, a new technique for obtaining information.

Findings

The collection and analysis of 261 valid messages from two online consumer portals enables us to observe the existence of two competitor groups and two types of attributes. On the one hand, consumers perceive online banking as competitors depending on their size; and on the other hand, negative (or positive) aspects are compensated (or accepted) as a result of greater (or lesser) profitability. This means that different forms of value creation are offered with online banking clients.

Originality/value

The methodology used represents an innovative way to determine the positioning of online banking and could be extended to other digital products.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 35 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 March 2019

Emanuela Saita, Monica Accordini and Del Loewenthal

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of a phototherapeutic technique called “Talking Pictures” within the forensic setting. This approach involves the use of a set of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of a phototherapeutic technique called “Talking Pictures” within the forensic setting. This approach involves the use of a set of photographs to facilitate clients’ disclosure, self-growth and promote the development of positive self-narratives. The use of art therapies and the construction of adaptive identity narratives have been proven to support desistance and increase resocialization in the prison population.

Design/methodology/approach

A 42-year-old Italian male offender was met for six therapy sessions and invited to talk about his past, present and future through the use of photographs. Session transcripts were analysed using the software for linguistic analysis T-LAB.

Findings

Results show a progression in the language used during the sessions: in the beginning the client uses a denotative language with many concrete nouns and no emotional words, in subsequent sessions his speech begins to assume more symbolic connotations and emotional words are used to describe past traumas as well as to find new meanings to present events. Moreover, the fixity of the client’s self-image is contrasted with the emergence of new sides to his personality encompassing agency and self-worth.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on a single case, therefore results cannot be generalised to the prison population; moreover, the absence of any follow-up and standardized measurements of the client’s progression should be addressed by future research by both involving larger samples and including follow-up and quantitative measures of the study results.

Practical implications

The paper provides details on an innovative technique that might be used to explore the offenders’ goods and values and to develop truly redemptive rehabilitation programmes.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the scant literature on phototherapy in prisons and connects it with a reflection on desistance indicating that phototherapeutic interventions might be used to promote positive self-narratives, thus increasing desistance.

Details

International Journal of Prisoner Health, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1744-9200

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 October 2020

Gisele Mazon, João Marcelo Pereira Ribeiro, Carlos Rogerio Montenegro de Lima, Brenda Caroline Geraldo Castro and José Baltazar Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra

This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the sustainability approach within higher education institutions. Universities, as institutions of knowledge, play an important and strategic role in maximizing social and economic benefits in a hands-on way. However, some studies on sustainable development and HEIs reveal a distancing between students and the application of sustainable initiatives in universities. This fact differs from the premises of the Talloires Declaration, which points to students as a community and as global leaders and ambassadors for sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper mapped the approaches, present in the literature, used to develop sustainable campuses and in particular the apparent dichotomy between the changes indicated as top-down or bottom-up in HEIs. To that end, scientific articles focused on sustainable actions in HEIs were analyzed to identify implementation approaches for sustainable development and student involvement in the process.

Findings

Results have shown that sustainability promotion models in universities generally occur in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not sources of development for sustainable policies in universities. Thus, the authors highlight the importance of students becoming central players in sustainable initiatives.

Originality/value

The article becomes original when it identifies the dichotomy between top-down and bottom-up approaches. It does so through multidimensional scaling and exploratory factorial analysis in scientific articles on the topic Sustainability Funding in Higher Education. These findings show that, unlike what is discussed in the literature, sustainability promotion in universities generally occurs in a top-down manner, where students are receptors and not active agents in promoting sustainability. In response to this, the authors discussed the importance of the bottom-up approach, where they are key players.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 2001

Francisco JoséAcedo González, Carmen Barroso Castro, José Carlos Casillas Bueno and José Luis Galán González

This paper tries to find out the different research fronts that have recently defined the scientific area of organizational studies. These fronts represent the paradigms or…

Abstract

This paper tries to find out the different research fronts that have recently defined the scientific area of organizational studies. These fronts represent the paradigms or theories that the current research in the most relevant journals is based on. A study of how trends develop in those journals is also done. Quite different from other typologies, this work has used an empirical method of analyzing the literature references found in the articles published in some of the most relevant journals in this field in recent years.

Details

The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1055-3185

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2006

Ana R. Del Aguila‐Obra and Antonio Padilla‐Meléndez

To explore the factors that affect the implementation of Internet technologies and to what extent the size of the company, as an organizational factor, influences that process.

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Abstract

Purpose

To explore the factors that affect the implementation of Internet technologies and to what extent the size of the company, as an organizational factor, influences that process.

Design/methodology/approach

According to the innovation adoption theory, it was found that Internet adoption in firms is a process with different stages where a company is in one of a number of development stages depending on some variables related to organizational factors, such as the availability of technology resources, organizational structure, and managerial capabilities. The paper identified empirically different stages in the Internet adoption process and linked them with those factors. It analyzed questionnaire‐based data from 280 companies, applying factor and clustering analysis.

Findings

Four main groups of companies were found according to their stage in the adoption of Internet technologies. The paper established that, contrary to the literature suggestions, the size of the company does not have any effect on the availability of these Internet technologies but it does for managerial capabilities. The smaller the size of the firm, the greater the possibilities of using external advice in adopting Internet technologies, because small firms usually have fewer managerial capabilities. In the mean time, a more sophisticated technology development was identified in larger firms.

Research limitations/implications

As in all empirical research, the characteristics of this study limit the applicability of the findings. First, the study concentrated in businesses that already were using Internet technologies, because they have registered their domain name. Consequently, the study firms that did not have a Spanish domain name were omitted; however, firms could have a “.com” or “.org” domain name and still be Spanish firms. Also, other companies without any domain name on the Internet were not included in the study. Second, the study applied a classification analysis with exploratory purposes about the characteristics of the business according to the cluster of pertinence. Nevertheless, a longitudinal study could be more useful explaining whether or not these companies follow the process described. Third, a more detailed questionnaire with more specific questions could be more helpful to gain a better description of the phases of a more sophisticated technology adoption (i.e. the acceptance/routinization and infusion stages).

Practical implications

This paper has some relatively important managerial implications. First, the fact of having a domain name does not mean that the companies are in the acceptance/routinization phase and even less in the infusion phase. From this, the paper identified how the majority of firms were in the so‐called initial stages of the Internet technologies adoption process. Second, it is possible that managers who do not perceive the strategic value of these technologies are managing the majority of these firms. Third, as more businesses implement these technologies in their processes, presumably more competitive pressure will exist to adopt Internet technologies.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the research into the organizational factors that affect Internet adoption.

Details

Internet Research, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1066-2243

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 August 2021

Sourou Meatchi, Sandra Camus and Danielle Lecointre-Erickson

This paper aims to offer a multi-dimensional scale for measuring the concept of perceived unfairness of revenue management pricing (RMP) in the context of hospitality.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to offer a multi-dimensional scale for measuring the concept of perceived unfairness of revenue management pricing (RMP) in the context of hospitality.

Design/methodology/approach

To develop a measurement scale for the perceived unfairness of RMP, the authors conducted a qualitative study using the critical incident technique to identify the key components of our measurement tool. They then collected two samples of quantitative data enabling them to have compelling evidence of the scale’s reliability and validity.

Findings

This research identified three dimensions of perceived unfairness of RMP in the context of hospitality: perceived normative deviation, perceived opacity and negative effects. The new scale proposed here is an alternative measurement instrument that could be useful for detecting and correcting some negative aspects of RMP.

Practical implications

This measurement scale will help hotel managers to detect potential feelings of unfairness in relation to the RMP policies. It might also be used within the framework of market analyses and pricing strategy plans. Finally, the results of this research show that transparency, fairness and ethics based pricing could help hotel managers increase their revenue-per-available-room during and post COVID-19 pandemic.

Originality/value

This research develops a complete measurement scale for perceived unfairness of RMP, including cognitive and affective dimensions. The richness of this scale will help hospitality companies effectively identify the indicators that denote perceived unfairness of RMP, making them better equipped to handle customer dissatisfaction.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 33 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 September 2018

Charlotte Massa and Sébastien Bédé

The present study is part of a joint effort to gain a holistic understanding of the consumption experience. This paper aims to understand the essence of the winery experience…

Abstract

Purpose

The present study is part of a joint effort to gain a holistic understanding of the consumption experience. This paper aims to understand the essence of the winery experience through a better characterisation of the latter because of the consumer value approach and to define the main cultural differences between the Old World and the New World in this respect.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors felt that netnography offered the most suitable qualitative method to capture the meaning of a winery experience in an international context. To this end, we collected 3,065 original tourist reviews for 35 wineries, written from January 2015 to June 2016.

Findings

The findings suggest that a winery experience is made up of the following values: “hedonic”, “economic”, “social” and “legacy”. In addition, the results indicate that social and legacy values are more important for the Old World, while the New World tends to put more emphasis on economic and hedonic values.

Practical implications

Wineries need to deliver experiences that encourage tourists to explore what their enterprise has to offer. Given the importance of the customer experience to trigger wine purchases and positive word-of-mouth to promote brand loyalty, the findings can help winery managers to adapt their services in consequence.

Originality/value

Few studies have applied a consumer value approach or used netnography to examine tourists’ experiences from a cross-cultural perspective.

Details

Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1352-2752

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2008

Mehran Ebrahimi, Anne‐Laure Saives and W. David Holford

The purpose of this paper is to aim to characterise the knowledge management process of the ageing human capital, within the sectors of aeronautics and bio‐technologies in Canada.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to aim to characterise the knowledge management process of the ageing human capital, within the sectors of aeronautics and bio‐technologies in Canada.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology consists of: cross‐search of literature towards the elaboration of a theoretical map; and collection of data involving semi‐directed interviews followed by a thematic and statistical analysis of the textual data.

Findings

Management's knowledge of social and relational knowledge, especially those of ageing workers, appears to be scarce, thus resulting in ageing workers being perceived as surpassed by technological and scientific progress. This conception deprives the company of an important source of knowledge capitalisation. A model relevant to the evaluation of company practices related to inter‐generational aspects of knowledge management should include six basic dimensions, namely: management philosophy (a managerial style favouring projections and proximities), strategic analysis (knowledge, memory and learning strategy), organisational analysis (information management system and knowledge creation process), operational analysis (places of socialisation), competencies (relational and communicational know‐how, individual memory and capacity of judgement), and the role of ageing personnel (activation of organisational and human resource networks).

Research limitations/implications

Further validation is required across an enlarged population, with the aim of operationalising the observed concepts within a practical evaluation guide of company practices related to inter‐generational aspects of knowledge management.

Originality/value

By centering the analysis on highly qualified ageing individuals, the authors discerned a phenomenon showing that even within highly technological contexts knowledge management is far from systematically integrating those recognised a priori as carriers of knowledge.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 12 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2003

José A.D. Machuca and Rafaela Alfalla Luque

Production and operations management (POM) is a key factor for the competitiveness of any business and university training in POM is a critical element in the preparation of…

Abstract

Production and operations management (POM) is a key factor for the competitiveness of any business and university training in POM is a critical element in the preparation of future managers. The course contents, the teaching staff and the teaching methodology used are three of the most important aspects of successful training. These aspects have been explored in an empirical study of the current status of the teaching of POM in Spanish universities, based on a survey of the total population of instructors of this discipline. This is the first study to reveal an in‐depth and comprehensive picture of this topic in a country of the European Union, and it is hoped that this will encourage analogous studies of other countries in Europe and beyond. In the present paper, we shall discuss the more relevant results in respect of the content of POM programs being taught; we illustrate the type of instruction available in Spanish universities, indicate the differences between the main academic degrees in which the discipline figures, and undertake a constructive critical analysis. The teaching staff and methodologies used are analyzed in another article in this journal.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

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