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1 – 10 of 295Merlin Stone and Paul Laughlin
This paper aims to explore the impact of the internet and related information and communications technology developments on how financial services (FS) are distributed and how…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the impact of the internet and related information and communications technology developments on how financial services (FS) are distributed and how customers are managed, in particular, not only how companies can differentiate between “good” and “bad” customers and manage them appropriately but also how customers can be “bad” and escape the consequences. It also explores how changes in information asymmetry between suppliers and customers affects who gains or loses from the relationship between them.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for the article are from the authors’ consulting and conference chairing experience. The article is in the form of a reflection on this, rather than a hypothesis-based research article.
Findings
One of its findings is that those responsible for controlling damage done to companies by fraudulent or negative value customers (typically those managing underwriting or risk) and those responsible for recruiting, retaining and developing customers (typically marketing, sales and customer service) do not work closely enough together, and this can lead to not only damage to shareholder value but also damage to the customer experience.
Research limitations/implications
The paper identifies the need for more research covering the processes, data, analysis, systems and strategies required to manage both good and bad customers and the practical problems of implementation.
Practical implications
The main practical implication is that in designing products and the customer service experience, FS marketers need to take into account much more systematically the “dark side” of customer activity.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first to explore its issues in detail.
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Merlin Stone, Eleni Aravopoulou, Gherardo Gerardi, Emanuela Todeva, Luisa Weinzierl, Paul Laughlin and Ryan Stott
The purpose of this paper is to explain how ecosystems and platforms have evolved to manage customer information and to identify the management, research and teaching implications…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explain how ecosystems and platforms have evolved to manage customer information and to identify the management, research and teaching implications of this evolution.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on research and industrial experience of two of the co-authors in customer relationship management, further developed with other co-authors in the field of business models, the research and teaching experience of the university authors and cross-functional literature reviews in the areas of strategy, marketing, economics, organizational behaviour and information management.
Findings
This paper shows that digitalization, cloud computing and new information-based platforms are beginning to change how customer information is being managed, creating new opportunities for improving marketing, customer relationship management and business strategy.
Research limitations/implications
The impact of platforms on the management of customer information needs to be confirmed by primary empirical research.
Practical implications
This paper identifies the need for senior marketing management to examine closely how internal and external/public customer information platforms may enhance their capability for managing customers and setting new strategic directions.
Social implications
The emergence of giant multi-sided platforms has clear implications for data protection and privacy, which need to be explored more in research.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the move to customer information platforms and identifies how senior managers should consider them as an option for better customer information management and as a basis for new business strategies.
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Merlin Stone, Eleni Aravopoulou, Yuksel Ekinci, Geraint Evans, Matt Hobbs, Ashraf Labib, Paul Laughlin, Jon Machtynger and Liz Machtynger
The purpose of this paper is to review literature about the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in strategic situations and identify the research that is needed in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review literature about the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in strategic situations and identify the research that is needed in the area of applying AI to strategic marketing decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach was to carry out a literature review and to consult with marketing experts who were invited to contribute to the paper.
Findings
There is little research into applying AI to strategic marketing decision-making. This research is needed, as the frontier of AI application to decision-making is moving in many management areas from operational to strategic. Given the competitive nature of such decisions and the insights from applying AI to defence and similar areas, it is time to focus on applying AI to strategic marketing decisions.
Research limitations/implications
The application of AI to strategic marketing decision-making is known to be taking place, but as it is commercially sensitive, data is not available to the authors.
Practical implications
There are strong implications for all businesses, particularly large businesses in competitive industries, where failure to deploy AI in the face of competition from firms, who have deployed AI to improve their decision-making could be dangerous.
Social implications
The public sector is a very important marketing decision maker. Although in most cases it does not operate competitively, it must make decisions about making different services available to different citizens and identify the risks of not providing services to certain citizens; so, this paper is relevant to the public sector.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first papers to probe deployment of AI in strategic marketing decision-making.
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This chapter examines organisational change processes that occur when accountability demands from powerful external stakeholders change. It investigates, firstly, whether these…
Abstract
This chapter examines organisational change processes that occur when accountability demands from powerful external stakeholders change. It investigates, firstly, whether these external accountability demands impact on the performance management systems of two different types of organisations. Secondly, it considers whether the goals for improved performance contained within the external accountability demands are realised. The chapter derives its primary insights from analysing in-depth interviews with managers working in a private sector company and in public sector organisations. The analyses reveal complex organisational responses. In the public sector case study, the organisations tended to reorient their performance management systems towards the external accountability demands; whilst in the private sector organisation, pressures from falling share prices forced managers to focus their decision making on the preferred performance measures contained in shareholders’ accountability demands. However, whilst there is some evidence of performance management system changes, the desires for improved performance subsumed by the external accountability demands are not necessarily realised through the performance management system changes.
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The purpose of this paper is to review research investigating the implications of public private partnership (PPP) schemes for public investment, focusing on the role and effects…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review research investigating the implications of public private partnership (PPP) schemes for public investment, focusing on the role and effects of accounting as it relates to the assessment, management, control, reporting, accountability and policy direction of these arrangements. Based on this review, it aims to offer reflections on future directions for this research agenda.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper derives five research themes adapted from the PPP research agenda outlined by Broadbent and Laughlin as a framework to guide a literature‐based analysis and critique of the relevant PPP literature published up to December 2010.
Findings
The review highlights the range of interesting contributions that extant accounting‐related research has made to current knowledge about PPP policy and procedure. From this, concentrations of research effort are identified (its largely technical, critical, procurement‐oriented and Anglo‐centric focus), and opportunities for future research are proposed. With regard to the latter, the opportunities proffered have in common a need to question the nature and functioning of PPPs, consider the complexities of PPPs in action, and explore connections between research and practice.
Originality/value
The main contributions this paper makes relate to understanding the “state of the art” of accounting‐related PPP research, the progress this research agenda has made in line with Broadbent and Laughlin's agenda, as well as insights into fruitful directions future research could take.
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Jane Broadbent and Richard Laughlin
There has been considerable interest in the theory and practice of organisation change. Similarly there has been a great deal of attention given to the processes that lead to and…
Abstract
There has been considerable interest in the theory and practice of organisation change. Similarly there has been a great deal of attention given to the processes that lead to and result from accounting change within organisations. There has also been a more limited interest in the interaction and interrelationship between these two literatures. In this paper we explore these different literatures and provide a perspective on this extensive research. The contents are not intended to be a systematic summary of this voluminous literature but rather a recounting of our own views on how we have engaged with this material, as a precursor to thoughts on a future research agenda for these important issues. The paper starts by posing four questions related to organisational and accounting change, the answers to which circumscribe how these themes can be approached theoretically and empirically. Based on our answers to these questions we then move into perspectives on understanding organisations, understanding organisational change and understanding accounting change within an organisational change context. From this analysis the paper concludes with some suggestions on a possible future research agenda on these important organisational issues.
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This article argues that accounting practice is complex. The determination to implement a particular type of accounting practice is not a simple task. It is a decision that…
Abstract
This article argues that accounting practice is complex. The determination to implement a particular type of accounting practice is not a simple task. It is a decision that necessitates thorough considerations involving knowledge, human needs and interests, and situations surrounding the decision maker. The decision process itself thus represents complex activities. To ease understanding of this complexity, this study suggests to use metaphor, Javanese Language Speech Level metaphor. Metaphor, many have argued, helps to highlight and explain the core idea of a study, and to understand the nature, the significance, and the social dimensions of the phenomena being investigated. In sustaining its arguments, this study provides an illustration of some accounting practices that satisfy the appropriateness of Javanese language as metaphor.
Md. Golam Kibria and Paul Hong
This paper aims to examine the factors contributing to e-government development as a means to foster sustainable development, highlighting the need for robust e-government…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the factors contributing to e-government development as a means to foster sustainable development, highlighting the need for robust e-government frameworks to navigate economic, social and environmental challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature-based conceptual framework is presented, grounded in the comparative analysis of e-government in five diverse Asian countries. The paper introduces a research model with testable propositions and synthesizes lessons for future research, emphasizing the integration of e-government with sustainable development goals.
Findings
The key findings identify three critical factors for e-government development: policy priorities and strategic initiatives, ICT infrastructure and public–private partnerships investment. The research underscores e-government’s role in providing electronic services that support transparency and democracy, which are essential for sustainable development.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations arise from focusing on select Asian countries, potentially affecting the generalizability of results, as well as the dynamic nature of technology and policy landscapes.
Practical implications
This paper underscores the essential role of governmental action in advancing sustainable development via e-government strategies, providing a framework for success in both developing and developed contexts. It demonstrates how e-government can drive sustainability by comparing the progress of five Asian countries to highlight best practices and challenges in implementing such systems effectively.
Originality/value
The paper uniquely bridges e-government and sustainable development research, showing e-government’s role as a sustainable development instrument. This novel integration is supported by extensive literature and a strategic selection of countries representing varying stages of e-government maturity, providing a well-rounded view of e-government’s impact on sustainable outcomes.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the paper entitled “Towards a paradigmatic foundation for accounting practice” by Nørreklit, Nørreklit and Mitchell as a way…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the paper entitled “Towards a paradigmatic foundation for accounting practice” by Nørreklit, Nørreklit and Mitchell as a way to open a debate about whether a “paradigm of accounting practice” exists and, if so, the nature of the methodological approach that would be needed to discover its nature.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs a critical, reflective discursive analysis.
Findings
The main finding is that there is a confusion in the paper by Nørreklit et al. about the nature of a “paradigm of accounting practice”, which, if it exists, should be a “skeletal theory” (Laughlin), rather than a methodology. The conclusion of the commentary is that a “paradigm of accounting practice”, using this understanding, might exist, but that Nørreklit et al.'s argument for the use of “pragmatic constructivism”, as a methodology for its discovery, is open to question.
Research limitations/implications
The implication of the argument of this commentary is that the search for “paradigm of accounting practice” is important and should be pursued but the choice of an appropriate methodology for this discovery still needs further consideration.
Originality/value
Nørreklit et al., and this commentary, re‐energise an important debate and concern about paradigms in accounting that was present in the literature in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The search for a “paradigm of accounting practice” and how best it can be discovered is an important consideration for the future development of accounting thought.
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