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1 – 10 of 28Karin Seger, Hans Englund and Malin Härström
The purpose of this paper is to describe and theorize the type of hate-love relationship to performance measurement systems (PMSs) that individual researchers tend to develop in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and theorize the type of hate-love relationship to performance measurement systems (PMSs) that individual researchers tend to develop in academia. To this end, the paper draws upon Foucault’s writings on neoliberalism to analyse PMSs as neoliberal technologies holding certain qualities that can be expected to elicit such ambivalent views.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a qualitative interview study of researchers from three Swedish universities, who were asked to reflect upon questions related to three overall themes, namely, what it means to be a researcher in contemporary academia, the existence and use of PMSs at their universities and if/how such PMSs affected them and their work as researchers.
Findings
The empirical findings show that the hate-love relationship can be understood in terms of how PMSs are involved in three central moments of governmentality, where each such moment of governmentality tends to elicit feelings of ambivalence among researchers due to how PMSs rely on: a restricted centrifugal mechanism, normalization rather than normation and a view of individual academics as entrepreneurs of themselves.
Originality/value
Existing literature has provided several important insights into how the introduction and use of PMSs in academia tend to result in both negative and positive experiences and reactions. The current paper adds to this literature through theorizing how and why PMSs may be expected to elicit such ambivalent experiences and reactions among individual researchers.
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Jitpisut Bubphapant and Amélia Brandão
Given the importance of the growing segmentation of ageing consumers and their increasing interaction with the Internet, digital marketing scholars are becoming more interested in…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the importance of the growing segmentation of ageing consumers and their increasing interaction with the Internet, digital marketing scholars are becoming more interested in this market. Prior research needs to pay more attention to this market in many contexts of digital marketing. This study aims to provide insights into ageing consumers’ content usage, content typology choices, and online brand advocacy (OBA).
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were applied, and 16 consumers from Southern Europe aged 55+ were included. The interviews were transcribed and examined following the principles of content analysis.
Findings
According to the research, older consumers display their usage and concerns regarding online content. They have different decision-making processes depending on whether they are purchasing products or services. Likewise, their choices of content typology vary based on the utilitarian or hedonic product category.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by providing insights into this growing segmentation and proposing an OBA framework for older consumers related to content marketing. Finally, the study suggests that older consumers are passive online and active offline brand advocates.
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Paulina Ines Rytkönen, Pejvak Oghazi and Rana Mostaghel
The aim is to advance the conceptualisation of island entrepreneurship by investigating how the island context, for example, industry characteristics, social context and formal…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim is to advance the conceptualisation of island entrepreneurship by investigating how the island context, for example, industry characteristics, social context and formal and informal institutions, influences the development of artisan food businesses in that context.
Design/methodology/approach
An applied, qualitative and participatory research approach was implemented. Data were collected during a business development process focusing on food artisans in the Åland Islands. In total, 19 business owners participated in the process. Key informants and public officers were interviewed, and the literature was reviewed. Interviews were analysed using phenomenography to identify representative categories, and the literature was analysed using content analysis.
Findings
Island characteristics and context, local institutions, the quality of social capital and gendered institutions influence business activities positively and negatively. Island entrepreneurship entails mobilising agencies to find innovative solutions that enable businesses to overcome obstacles. Most previous research treats business activities as entrepreneurship; however, as self-employment is essential in the island context, it should be highlighted in future studies.
Research limitations/implications
This study illustrates how the island context influences the business development of small firms. Results indicate that local policies (1) benefitting female entrepreneurs, (2) supporting local businesses and (3) promoting locally produced artisan food could generate benefits for the entire artisan food businesses.
Practical implications
Local policies that (1) benefit female entrepreneurs, (2) support local businesses and (3) promote locally produced artisan food have the potential to generate benefits for the entire trade. Policies can benefit from an understanding of the role played by different ecosystem actors. Promoting self-employment can generate benefits for the local entrepreneurial ecosystem by providing agglomeration and helping to solve some challenges caused by the characteristics of islands.
Originality/value
Empirically, this research enhances the knowledge of post-productive responses in the island context. Theoretically, the study advances the conceptualisation of research on the island entrepreneurship context and the local food debate.
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Ewald Aschauer and Reiner Quick
This study aims to investigate why and how shared service centres (SSCs) are implemented as well as how they affect audit firm practice and audit quality.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate why and how shared service centres (SSCs) are implemented as well as how they affect audit firm practice and audit quality.
Design/methodology/approach
In this qualitative study guided by the theoretical framework of institutional theory, the authors conducted 25 semi-structured interviews in seven European countries, including 16 interviews with audit partners from Big 4 firms, 6 with audit team members, 2 with interviewees from second-tier audit firms and 1 with a member of an oversight body.
Findings
The authors show that the central rationale for audit firms to implement SSCs is economic rather than external legitimacy. The authors find that SSC implementation has substantial effects on audit practices, particularly those related to standardisation, coordination and monitoring activities. The authors also highlight the potential impacts on audit quality.
Originality/value
By exploring the motivation for and effects of SSC implementation amongst audit firms, the authors offer insights into the best practices related to subsequent change processes and audit quality.
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Hyung Do Ahn and Hong Shik Lee
The real costs of trade, the transport and other costs of doing business internationally, are very important determinants of a country's ability to participate fully in the world…
Abstract
The real costs of trade, the transport and other costs of doing business internationally, are very important determinants of a country's ability to participate fully in the world economy. Remoteness and poor transport and communications infrastructure isolate countries, inhibiting their participation in global production networks. This paper investigates the dependence of transport costs on geography and infrastructure It shows that infrastructure is quantitatively important in determining transport costs, and improvements in infrastructure can dramatically increase trade flows. It also finds that the low level of Northeast Asian countries' trade flows is largely due to poor infrastructure. Competition among countries in East Asia to maintain or become a logistic hub in the region is severe. This is reflected in the competition to build or expand airports and seaports in the region. Competing countries need to find ways of cooperating to achieve an efficient resource allocation in the region as a whole.
Mohammad Azizi, Hamid Hosseinloo, Jane F. Maley and Marina Dabić
Coaching is a widespread form of human development that has grown considerably in recent years. However, it is not well understood in entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized…
Abstract
Purpose
Coaching is a widespread form of human development that has grown considerably in recent years. However, it is not well understood in entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and little is known about the success factors for coaching in SMEs. Thus, this article presents a theoretical framework for coaching SMEs. The paper reports on a study carried out to develop and validate a coaching model for entrepreneurship in SMEs.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods approach was undertaken in SMEs in the Iranian pharmaceutical industry. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the samples and the model's dimensions.
Findings
The results show five chief constructs of the entrepreneurial coaching model. In particular, the authors determine the importance of early goal setting and identify the essential characteristics of an effective entrepreneurial coach.
Research limitations/implications
Firstly, the data relied solely on the pharmacy industry in Iran, indicating a need for future studies to explore coaching programs across various industries and countries. Additionally, a quantitative aspect of the research involved participants answering questionnaires based on their perceptions. This subjective nature introduces a potential for inaccuracies in participants' perceptions and expectations. Furthermore, the inherent bias of program stakeholders may have led to exaggerated responses. To mitigate these issues, it would be beneficial to conduct experimental and longitudinal research, which could address these concerns more effectively.
Practical implications
By utilizing a theoretical framework, the authors goal is to define the essential features of coaching in SMEs and compare it to other developmental interventions to highlight both commonalities and distinctions. This approach addresses the recent suggestions in coaching literature to distinguish coaching practices tailored for particular groups, specifically entrepreneurs involved in SMEs.
Originality/value
This study contributes to understanding the essential features for successful entrepreneurial coaching in SMEs.
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This paper examines the relationship between marketing automation emergence and the marketers' use of heuristics in their decision-making processes. Heuristics play a role for the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the relationship between marketing automation emergence and the marketers' use of heuristics in their decision-making processes. Heuristics play a role for the integration of human decision-making models and automation in augmentation processes, particularly in marketing where automation is widespread.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzes qualitative data about the impact of marketing automation on the scope of heuristics in decision-making models, and it is based on evidence collected from interviews with twenty-two experienced marketers.
Findings
Marketers make extensive use of heuristics to manage their tasks. While the adoption of new automatic marketing tools modify the task environment and field of use of traditional decision-making models, the adoption of heuristics rules with a different scope is essential to defining inputs, interpreting/evaluating outputs and control the marketing automation system.
Originality/value
The paper makes a contribution to research on the relationship between marketing automation and decision-making models. In particular, it proposes the results of in-depth interviews with senior decision makers to assess the impact of marketing automation on the scope of heuristics as decision-making models adopted by marketers.
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Juan Dempere and Kennedy Modugu
This article intends to analyse the explanatory power of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) and some of its constituent factors on national success metrics in…
Abstract
Purpose
This article intends to analyse the explanatory power of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) and some of its constituent factors on national success metrics in managing the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors study the outbreak control effectiveness of 132 countries during the first semester of 2020. The authors apply generalized linear regression models and weighted least squares models using 6 COVID-19-related dependent variables, 9 TTCI-related independent variables and 12 control variables.
Findings
The results suggest that countries with superior TTCI values and selected constituent factors have the highest daily averages of coronavirus infections and fatalities per million and the highest speed rates of COVID-19 spread. The authors also find that these countries have the shortest government response time, the lowest daily average of the social restrictions index and the shortest time from the first case reported in China to the first case reported nationally.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors' awareness, no previous study exists analysing the statistical relationship between the TTCIB and some of its constituent factors with the selected metrics of national success at managing the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact represents the primary evidence of this article's unique contribution.
研究目的
本文擬分析旅行及觀光競爭力指數、以及其部份構成因素,如何影響有關國家在新型冠狀病毒肺炎大爆發初期控制病毒傳播方面的成功指標。
研究設計/方法/理念
我們就132個國家於2020年上半年控制肺炎爆發方面的表現進行研究。我們以廣義線性回歸模型和加權最小平方法進行分析研究,當中使用了六個與新型冠狀病毒肺炎有關的因變數、九個與旅行及觀光競爭力指數有關的自變數、和12個控制變量。
研究結果
研究結果暗示、在擁有優越的旅行及觀光競爭力指數值和選定的構成因素的國家,以百萬人來計算,每日冠狀病毒感染及死亡的平均數字是最高的; 而且,新型冠狀病毒肺炎的傳播速度也是最高的。研究結果亦顯示、在這些國家,政府反應所需的時間是最短的,社會限制指數的日均值是最低的,以及首宗在中國被報導的個案與首宗在有關的國家被全國性地報導的個案之間的時間距是最短的。
研究的原創性/價值
盡作者們所知,從前似沒有相關的研究、以國家在新型冠狀病毒肺炎大爆發初期成功控制病毒傳播的選定指數、來分析旅行及觀光競爭力指數與其部分構成因素之間的統計關係; 這正是本文所作獨特貢獻的基本證據。
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Vahid Mohamad Taghvaee, Abbas Assari Arani, Mehrab Nodehi, Jalil Khodaparast Shirazi, Lotfali Agheli, Haji Mohammad Neshat Ghojogh, Nafiseh Salehnia, Amir Mirzaee, Saeed Taheri, Raziyeh Mohammadi Saber, Hady Faramarzi, Reza Alvandi and Hosein Ahmadi Rahbarian
This study aims to assess and decompose the sustainable development using the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Iran in 2018, for proposing agenda-setting of public…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess and decompose the sustainable development using the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) in Iran in 2018, for proposing agenda-setting of public policy.
Design/methodology/approach
It ranks the SDGs not only in Iran but also in the region and the world to reveal the synergetic effects.
Findings
Based on the results, subaltern-populace generally suffers from the hegemonic domination of ruling elite-bourgeois, lack of strong institutions, heterogeneous policy networks and lack of advocacy role of non-governmental organizations, due to no transparency, issues in law or no rule of law, no stringent regulation, rent, suppression and Mafia, all leading to corruption and injustice.
Practical implications
To stop the loop of corruption-injustice, Iran should homogenize the structure of the policy network. Furthermore, the failed SDGs of the three-geographic analysis are the same in a character; all of them propose SDG 3, good health and well-being as a serious failed goal.
Social implications
In this regard, strong evidence is the pandemic Coronavirus, COVID 19 since 2019, due to its highly-disastrous consequences in early 2020 where the public policymakers could not adopt policies promptly in the glob, particularly in Iran.
Originality/value
In Iran, in addition to this, the malfunction of health is rooted in “subjective well-being” and “traffic deaths,” respectively. Concerning the transportations system in Iran, it is underscored that it is damaging the sustainable development from all the three pillars of sustainable development including, economic, social and environmental.
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Betty Steenkamer, Caroline Baan, Kim Putters, Hans van Oers and Hanneke Drewes
A range of strategies to improve pharmaceutical care has been implemented by population health management (PHM) initiatives. However, which strategies generate the desired…
Abstract
Purpose
A range of strategies to improve pharmaceutical care has been implemented by population health management (PHM) initiatives. However, which strategies generate the desired outcomes is largely unknown. The purpose of this paper is to identify guiding principles underlying collaborative strategies to improve pharmaceutical care and the contextual factors and mechanisms through which these principles operate.
Design/methodology/approach
The evaluation was informed by a realist methodology examining the links between PHM strategies, their outcomes and the contexts and mechanisms by which these strategies operate. Guiding principles were identified by grouping context-specific strategies with specific outcomes.
Findings
In total, ten guiding principles were identified: create agreement and commitment based on a long-term vision; foster cooperation and representation at the board level; use layered governance structures; create awareness at all levels; enable interpersonal links at all levels; create learning environments; organize shared responsibility; adjust financial strategies to market contexts; organize mutual gains; and align regional agreements with national policies and regulations. Contextual factors such as shared savings influenced the effectiveness of the guiding principles. Mechanisms by which these guiding principles operate were, for instance, fostering trust and creating a shared sense of the problem.
Practical implications
The guiding principles highlight how collaboration can be stimulated to improve pharmaceutical care while taking into account local constraints and possibilities. The interdependency of these principles necessitates effectuating them together in order to realize the best possible improvements and outcomes.
Originality/value
This is the first study using a realist approach to understand the guiding principles underlying collaboration to improve pharmaceutical care.
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