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The purpose of this exploratory study is to look at how the Internet was used by political parties and candidates during the Indian parliamentary elections of 2009.

A total of 31 web sites belonging to political parties and their candidates in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat were examined for how they were used to mobilize volunteers and voters. An online questionnaire and in‐depth interviews were administered to the web site coordinators/designers and politicians.

The study found that sites were not used to their maximum potential but instead, merely for publicity, online presence, and to explore the new medium. There was greater reliance by most candidates on traditional media such as rallies and face‐to‐face interaction. The reason may be due to the limited Internet penetration in India, which also means the Internet may have less influence on voters. Some candidates have shown the way to the potential use of the medium for fund raising and recruiting volunteers. But Indian politicians will likely continue to be cautious in using the Internet.

This study was limited to the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and did not consider the impact or the effectiveness of the Internet.

This is the first such study of the use of web sites for electioneering in India. It also documents the development in the use of the new medium for campaigning in 2009 as compared with the elections of 2004.

A conference report of the first Asia‐Pacific Conference on Library & Information Education and Practice conference hosted by the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Library and Information Science education was the focus and preparing librarians for the twenty‐first century. The purpose is to educate practicing librarians and information scientists about directions in the profession and how to incorporate this message into the practice of librarianship.

Different presentations highlighted new approaches and methods to approach new ways of thinking about service and expectations in the library community.

Gaining insight into current trends in library education. As library environments experience great change, with more emphasis on technology, it is imperative to train librarians with new competencies.

Combining library education and practice is key to being relevant to developments in library science education and retaining the science and technology as key components in the training of librarians.

Of interest to regional librarians as well as librarians worldwide interested in how this region is preparing the next generation of librarians to practice with new skills, technology applications and to meet expectations.

Previous studies on the Malaysian securitised real estate market have largely emphasised on performance analysis, whereas the importance of securitised real estate in asset allocation is largely ignored. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the role of Malaysian property shares and real estate investment trusts (REITs) in a mixed‐asset portfolio from 1991 to 2006.

The mean‐variance and downside risk optimisations were utilised to assess the role of REITs and property shares in a mixed‐asset portfolio allocation. More specifically, the portfolio diversification potential and return enhancement benefits for both assets were examined.

The results showed that property shares offer little diversification benefits or portfolio return enhancement, whereas the equally weighted REITs portfolio does provide some diversification benefits and return enhancements under the mean‐variance and downside risk frameworks. However, the benefits have diminished in recent years. Besides, the results also revealed that the equally‐ and value‐weighted REIT portfolios do behave differently.

This study has several important implications for investors. Importantly, investors should consider the inclusion of REITs rather than property shares in their portfolios.

This paper is one of few studies in emerging markets, although Malaysia was the first country to introduce REITs in Asia. Additionally, it could be the first attempt to assess the downside risk of Malaysian securitised real estate.

Anchored in a social control theory framework, this study aims to investigate the mediating effect of defensive silence in the relationship between employees' perception of supervisor ostracism and their creative performance, as well as the buffering role of proactivity in this process.

The hypotheses were tested using three-wave survey data collected from employees in North American organizations.

The authors found that an important reason for supervisor ostracism adversely affecting employee creativity is their observance of defensive silence. This mechanism, in turn, is less prominent among employees who show agency and change-oriented behavior (i.e. proactivity).

For practitioners, this study identifies defensive silence as a key mechanism through which supervisor ostracism hinders employee creativity. Further, this process is less likely to escalate when their proactivity makes them less vulnerable to experience such social exclusion.

This study establishes a more complete understanding of the connection between supervisor ostracism and employee creativity, with particular attention to mediating mechanism of defensive silence and the moderating role of proactivity in this relationship.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of soft and hard quality management (QM) practices on innovation performance, considering innovation practices as a contextual variable mediating this relationship.

Using data from 132 Brazilian manufacturing companies, partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS–SEM) is employed to test if soft and hard QM practices, directly, affect innovation practices and, indirectly, innovation performance. This investigation also aims to identify whether the relationships are maintained regardless of the size of the company.

The results suggest that soft QM has a positive effect on hard QM. However, only soft QM, not hard QM, has a significant effect on innovation practices. Additionally, soft QM has a significant positive effect on innovation performance through innovation practices. Company size does not influence the relationships.

The findings can help managers to adjust their managerial practices to enhance the effective impact of QM on innovation performance.

The previous literature presents conflicting results on the relationship between QM and innovation performance. Most studies have proposed a direct relationship between both constructs. This study considers innovation practices as a mediator in this relationship. Furthermore, this paper adds to the scarce literature reporting related studies conducted in developing countries.

This study aims, first, to understand consumers’ perception of chefs as human brands (i.e. study one). Second, tests were run to assess the validity of a new conceptual model of the relationships between the factors of chef image, luxury restaurant image, both images’ congruity and consumers’ hedonic and novelty experiences and happiness and well-being (i.e. study two).

The first qualitative study involved using Leximancer software to analyse the data drawn from 43 interviews with luxury restaurant clients. In the second quantitative study, 993 valid survey questionnaires were collected, and the proposed model was tested using structural equation modelling.

The results reveal that consumers perceive chefs as human brands and the associated narratives include both performance- and popularity-based characteristics. The findings support the conclusion that individuals give great importance to chefs’ image and the congruence between chefs and their restaurant’s image. In addition, luxury restaurant image only affects novelty experiences, and both hedonic and novelty experiences have a positive effect on customers’ happiness and well-being.

This research focused on Portuguese luxury restaurants. The consumers’ happiness and well-being needs to be replaced by other outcomes to confirm if the model produces consistent results.

The results should help luxury restaurant managers understand more fully which pull factors are valued by their clients and which aspects contribute the most to their pleasure and welfare.

This study adds to the extant literature by exploring consumers’ perceptions of chefs as human brands and the role these chefs’ image play in customers’ luxury restaurant experiences and perceived happiness and well-being.