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Devotes the entire journal issue to managing human behaviour in US industries, with examples drawn from the airline industry, trading industry, publishing industry, metal products industry, motor vehicle and parts industry, information technology industry, food industry, the airline industry in a turbulent environment, the automotive sales industry, and specialist retailing industry. Outlines the main features of each industry and the environment in which it is operating. Provides examples, insights and quotes from Chief Executive Officers, managers and employees on their organization’s recipe for success. Mentions the effect technology has had in some industries. Talks about skilled and semi‐skilled workers, worker empowerment and the formation of teams. Addresses also the issue of change and the training that is required to deal with it in different industry sectors. Discusses remuneration packages and incentives offered to motivate employees. Notes the importance of customers in the face of increased competition. Extracts from each industry sector the various human resource practices that companies employ to manage their employees effectively ‐ revealing that there is a wide diversity in approach and what is right for one industry sector would not work in another. Offers some advice for managers, but, overall, fails to summarize what constitutes effective means of managing human behaviour.

The product‐mix decision has received considerable attention in management accounting and economics literatures. However, many studies in these literatures are contradicting, inconclusive and lack rigorous analysis of this complex decision. They seek to develop weights for the products in the product mix based on one objective, to maximize the firm’s profit ability. But before developing these weights, the studies must first rank these products, Ranking is a complex endeavor since it is often driven by a multitude of hierarchical financial and non‐financial goals and objectives. Ranking is also difficult due to the use of complex concepts such as time, uncertainty, cost and interdependencies between accounting systems and manufacturing systems and among the products of the product mix. These concepts are inherently fuzzy and coextensively applied often with a confluence of variables operating simultaneously. This paper applies an advanced mathematical model to account for the product mix decision. The model combines the powers of fuzzy‐set theory (Zadeh, 1965) and the analytic hierarchy process (Saaty, 1978). The fuzzy‐analytic‐hierarchical process (FAHP), developed by de Korvin and Kleyle (1999), is sufficiently powerful to account for the ambiguous variables and the web of prioritized strategies and goals of cost leadership, product differentiation, financial objectives of earnings, cash flows and market share and non financial goals such as tradition and owners’ convictions and philosophies underlying the ranking of the products in the product mix. By way of example, the paper applies the FAHP model to rank order four products subject to these strategies and goals.

In this special issue, we present a research forum on current issues in cross cultural management in New Zealand, Australia and the Asian‐Pacific Region. Our theme is new horizons in cross cultural management, which is reflected in both topic and approach. Our topics are related to the Asia Pacific Region and its relations with the rest of the world, such as with Africa (South‐Africa), America (US) and Europe (The Netherlands). They are interdisciplinary in nature; our approach focuses on promoting culture‐specific perspectives. Moreover, the research forum intends to push forward knowledge toward new boundaries by means of developing new models and paradigms for comparing cultures and management practices.

This study examines the relationship between food experience, emotion, place attachment, and tourists' revisit behavioral intention. A survey questionnaire is conducted on-site in Lukang and distributed to 408 tourists. The dimensions of food experience are established through factor analysis, and a hypothesized model of the relationships between the constructs is tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that tourists' food experiences included local flavor, media recommendation, local learning, life transfer, and interpersonal sharing. In addition, food experience has a significant impact on emotion and place attachment, and emotion has a substantial effect on place attachment. Finally, place attachment significantly impacts tourists' revisit behavioral intention. The study makes a significant theoretical contribution by identifying food experience, emotion, and place attachment as the salient predictors of heritage tourists' revisit intention. Furthermore, the study suggests that food experiences enhance effective bonding at tourism destinations.

Procurement is an increasingly important activity within most firms, and severe financial and operational consequences can result from the failure to optimize the procurement function. The multiple criteria, including the financial significance, involved in the selection of a sole‐source vendor are addressed here. Two multicriteria approaches to decision support for vendor selection are presented and are demonstrated through an example. One approach, the simple multiattribute rating technique, is relatively widely used in selection problems. The other approach, data envelopment analysis, is rarely used in such problems but serves as a very acceptable alternative for supporting the vendor selection decision. The results from these two approaches are compared to those based upon a pure aggregation and averaging procedure. For the example being considered, both multicriteria approaches provide similar results, which differ considerably from those for pure aggregation. In addition, the short‐term financial implications are examined so as to underscore the commitment needed by management if non‐cost criteria are to be incorporated into vendor selection.

This study aims to evaluate the complex behaviour of tourists in terms of the formulation of destination image related to its gastronomy. Through the examination of gastronomic image, memorability of experiences and food personality traits such as neophobia and neophilia, this research investigates the chaordic (chaos versus order) systems and provides specific pathways that formulate the gastronomic destination image.

Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this study examines the chaordic relations amongst memorable tourism experiences (MTEs), gastronomic neophobia and neophilia and gastronomic image upon the formulation of destination image. This study also includes two grouping variables (nationality [stratified], age).

Three sufficient configurations were revealed that can lead to the formulation of destination image, explaining the attributional gastronomic decision-making of holidaymakers. These solutions concern: food personality traits, generated experience and gastronomic image.

In spite of the need for examining the complexity and the chaordic systems in the gastronomic domain, the lack of a sufficient number of studies using fsQCA hinders its full potential. The complete lack of gastronomic studies using this method highlights the necessity of its use for research in the respective field.

This study explores the complexity of how food-related personality traits influence the attainment of MTEs and the formulation of gastronomic image and how the chaordic systems influence the overall image of a destination.

Cosmology is of essence for the life of traditional man not only to live in a meaningful universe, but to bound himself with the universe to achieve well-being as well. Architecture is a way of creating spaces through generic forms and symbols to attain this unity of man and the universe. This article interprets the courtyard house which is a well known archetype of spiritual and celestial qualities and has symbolic generic forms through the perspective of theory and practice of feng shui which is an ancient Chinese philosophy, based on the understanding of physical configuration of geographical settings and application of its principles to the built environment. The courtyard houses represented for this article are chosen on a linear axis starting from Cyprus, passing through Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and ending at China. In this article, principles of feng shui are selected and formulated to create an evaluation model showing entrance-courtyard relation, building shape, water element, room arrangement, and door alignment and circulation. Based on this evaluation model, the essential aspects of well-being have been revealed through the elements of architecture. In that sense, this article presents the opportunities and possibilies of an ideal plan layout by bringing an awareness to the cosmology and feng shui to achieve well-being.

Talks about the cultural aspects of negotiating in China and compares this with Western approaches. Focuses on cultural factors (and the dominant role of Confucianism), followed by steps in the negotiating process. Explains Confucian ethics and how that translates into everyday behaviour of how to treat and address other people. Points out that the Chinese will only do business with people they know and trust, so the importance of first building good personal relationships cannot be overstated. Suggests ways to make a good first impression, including attending banquets and other social occasions, although that opens up a further behavioural minefield. Recommends viewing doing business with the Chinese as a marriage contract based on old‐fashioned courting, rather than in the West, where entering a business relationship could be deemed the equivalent of a marriage of convenience.

Studies the characteristics, control and performance of joint ventures producing a model based on four cases. Explains the theory of complementary strategic objectives, and the need for delineating specific transaction costs and management controls under differing cultures. Interviews managers of four Sino‐American Joint Ventures in manufacturing for several years. Finds that the US partner controlled the technology, the Chinese partner wanted to reduce imports and import management and product skills. Focuses on raw material sourcing as a cause of conflict, as well as slow learning and high transaction costs from a poorly controlled system. Points out the keenness for incentive payments among Chinese workers and the reluctance by Chinese managers to have their performance evaluated.

Reports on a survey of 980 Chinese, 964 Venezuelan and 1,878 US managers, professionals and business students, to examine cross‐national differences in individualism‐collectivism, masculinity‐femininity, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and paternalism. Provides a brief overview of each country’s national characteristics. Describes the methodology used and analyses the data using multivariate analysis of variance. Records the findings for each of the categories measured – cultural values differ across the three nations but nothing startling or new is revealed. Advises that multinationals need to understand cross‐cultural values if they are to succeed in a global business environment.