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11 – 20 of 324Brian Handley, Tekle Shanka and Fazlul K. Rabbanee
The purpose of this paper is to explore Australasian students’ current perception towards a sales career.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore Australasian students’ current perception towards a sales career.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a self-administered survey from 431 students enrolled in a Sales Management unit in a large Australian university and its Asian campuses.
Findings
The study reveals a four-factor solution with factors labeled as “exciting,” “deceptive,” “taxing,” and “challenging,” with “exciting” being the only factor to significantly predict likelihood of pursuing a sales career. Although no differences of perception were found between males and females, Asian students were found to perceive sales career as more exciting, innovative and fun than Australian students.
Research limitations/implications
Although significant difference was noted between Australian and Asian students’ perceptions towards sales as an exciting career, it is prudent to interpret and generalize the finding with caution as Asia is the largest continent with different cultures, religions and races.
Practical implications
The four factors that were found to influence students’ perception towards a sales career are novel, psychometrically sound, and are pertinent for businesses conducting graduate recruitment. This study indicates how sales education at university level assist in changing students’ views towards a sales career from negative to positive.
Originality/value
While previous research has reported negative perceptions about sales as a career, this study reveals that students consider sales to be an “exciting” career.
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Khahan Na-Nan, Jamnean Joungtrakul, Ian David Smith and Ekkasit Sanamthong
To develop and validate an instrument to measure the problems associated with performance appraisal.
Abstract
Purpose
To develop and validate an instrument to measure the problems associated with performance appraisal.
Design/methodology/approach
The implementation was in two phases. Phase 1 involved the development and validation of an instrument to measure the problems with performance appraisal. Phase 2 involved the exploration and confirm the construct measurement. Data used in Phase 1 were collected from interviews with administrators and employees in the automotive parts manufacturing industry and five experts. In Phase 2, data were derived from questionnaires sent to 320 employees of automotive parts manufacturers in the Eastern Region of Thailand.
Findings
Problems concerning performance appraisals were classified into two components as problems with the appraisal process and problems with the appraising person. The concepts, theories and interview results that were used to develop the instrument and assess problems with performance appraisals were consistent with the empirical evidence.
Practical implications
The developed instrument may be used to measure problem levels of performance appraisals in organizations with high accuracy and reliability. Findings may be used as guidelines for management to effectively reduce problems with performance appraisals. The instrument may also be used for research measurement of organizational problems concerning performance appraisal.
Social implications
Fairness, transparency and testability are aspects of effective management. Ignorance of problems in performance appraisals may have negative effects on a conducive working atmosphere and behaviors at the personal, group and organizational levels. Therefore, the findings of this study have social implications for the capability to examine fairness in employees' performance appraisals.
Originality/value
The instrument for measuring problems with performance appraisal was developed based on the combination of concepts, theories and interview and questionnaire data. This instrument facilitates human resource officers, managers and organizations in measuring the levels of problems with performance appraisals.
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Sumohon Matilal and Heather Höpfl
The aim of this paper is to find the relationship between the purely representational aspects of the statements of account and the everyday lived experiences of those who were…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to find the relationship between the purely representational aspects of the statements of account and the everyday lived experiences of those who were directly affected by the Bhopal Gas Tragedy in India in 1984. The paper seeks to consider the rhetorical force of photography in capturing the tragic and to compare this with the position adopted by Union Carbide in accounting for the catastrophe.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reviews the Bhopal Gas Tragedy and draws on the works of Philippe Lacoue‐Labarthe and Julia Kristeva to examine the relationship between photographic representation and statements of account.
Findings
The rhetorical character of the ways in which the tragedy has been represented and the impact of the photographic image when set against the statement of account is considered. The photographic image is an attempt to restore the body to the text, to bear in mind that, in the face of inevitable abstract, it is important to remember the body, albeit with the caveat that the image too succumbs to the force of rhetoric. Nonetheless, the image reminds one that one is dealing not only with figures and statements but also with life and death.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to discussions about the need for a dialogic approach to accounting. Frequently, in disaster analysis, the co‐existence of multiple perspectives and fragmented stories i.e. a dialogic approach, is paramount to gaining an insight into the complexity of the system which has failed. The paper demonstrates how images can complement cosy, coherent, monologic statements of accounts and help to retain the human character of disaster.
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Grace Ann Rosile and Robert F. Dennehy
This chapter covers the history of the Standing Conference for Management and Organizational Inquiry (sc’MOI). It develops insights into embodiment conference practices, how…
Abstract
This chapter covers the history of the Standing Conference for Management and Organizational Inquiry (sc’MOI). It develops insights into embodiment conference practices, how critical storytelling was part of our conference work from the beginning, and how the conference community used “ensemble leadership” rather than a hierarchical solo leader, or board-led approach. Sc’MOI existed for 25 years, and disbanded, while still solvent.
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This paper seeks to examine the activities and consequential effects of a transnational corporation in a developing country. Via an examination of the industrial accident in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to examine the activities and consequential effects of a transnational corporation in a developing country. Via an examination of the industrial accident in Bhopal and a discursive examination of the firm's strategies, the paper seeks to contest the firm's claims that it has been acting responsibly. The paper further suggests that the contexts and development of the relationships, and claims by Union Carbide and its supporters, and its place within the global economy, must be critically examined and subjected to a systemic analysis if corporate social responsibility is to have any significant resonance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper seeks to integrate a wide range of epidemiological and social science literature relating to Bhopal. It seeks to examine Bhopal within the context of power discourse and the relationships engendered via its manifestations and practices. This discursive approach enables the researcher to disentangle various strands of practice within the context of the transnational firm and local communities
Findings
The paper finds that a more systemic approach to corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) is necessary, if developing countries and local communities are to be treated as critical in the development process and as stakeholders in the debate on CSR.
Originality/value
By its examination if this case, the paper emphasises the need for a more systemic approach to corporate governance and CSR.
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Katalin Illes and Laszlo Zsolnai
This paper aims to argue that there is a strong imbalance in business education between providing abstract, rational concepts and opportunities for personal growth. Introducing…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to argue that there is a strong imbalance in business education between providing abstract, rational concepts and opportunities for personal growth. Introducing spirituality in business education seems to be desirable if we want to prepare students for the complexities and challenges of the workplace today.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper gives an example of how techniques from voice and drama therapy can be used for enabling students to look beyond the rational and the material.
Findings
By engaging with their “true self”, students may discover dormant qualities in themselves and start to find their purpose, meaning and spirituality.
Originality/value
The paper shows that by introducing some new approaches in business education, we can provide opportunities for students to connect their rational thoughts with conscience and the “true self”. When students make an integrated use of our mental, emotional and spiritual resources, they are better equipped to make complex decisions and behave ethically in the workplace and in their personal lives.
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A pioneer of the “videocase” describes the contents, development and impact of his module on the space shuttle Challenger disaster, highlighting key dimensions which have…
Abstract
A pioneer of the “videocase” describes the contents, development and impact of his module on the space shuttle Challenger disaster, highlighting key dimensions which have contributed to its effectiveness as a tool for managerial education and development. Critical lessons from the development of the videocase are identified in order to provide insights and guidelines for scholars and others interested in creating similar resources.
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Laszlo Zsolnai, Sven Junghagen and Antonio Tencati
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the crisis of the business profession and the role that management education can play in renewing business management. It is argued that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the crisis of the business profession and the role that management education can play in renewing business management. It is argued that unless future managers demonstrate that they serve the common good in their daily practice, the legitimacy and moral standing of the business profession remain questionable.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the Masters in International Management Program of CEMS – Global Alliance in Management Education as a pioneering example of developing reflective and responsible managers.
Findings
The future manager is defined as a reflexive practitioner who is committed to environmental sustainability, exercises social responsibility, works with sensitivity toward gender and diversity issues, harmonizes information and communications technologies with processes and organizational culture, applies holistic perspective in problem solving, cooperates with social and political actors, and is engaged in progressive entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
The paper shows that responsibility can be successfully integrated into a global management education curriculum.
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Can market-based regulation based on consumer pressure and ‘independent monitoring’ serve as the basis for transnational corporation regulation? In an increasingly integrated…
Abstract
Can market-based regulation based on consumer pressure and ‘independent monitoring’ serve as the basis for transnational corporation regulation? In an increasingly integrated global economy, many scholars and policy makers fear that mobile capital may force a ‘race to the bottom’; can independent non-governmental organizations and ethical consumers provide a counterweight to cost-cutting pressures? This paper compares three of the best known examples of transnational monitoring – the Sullivan Principles in South Africa, the Rugmark social labeling program in India, and the Commission for the Verification of Codes of Conduct's monitoring experiences in the apparel industry of Guatemala – to consider some common features of transnational monitoring.