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1 – 10 of over 3000Sabrina Chong, Anil K. Narayan and Irshad Ali
The purpose of this study is to uncover the extent of utilisation of photographs depicting corporte social responsibility (CSR) information in corporate annual reports and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to uncover the extent of utilisation of photographs depicting corporte social responsibility (CSR) information in corporate annual reports and the possible motives for their use.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used visual content analysis, based on Banks’ (2001) strategy of “looking through”, “looking at” and “looking behind” photographic images, to examine and analyse 4,933 photographs contained in the 2005, 2010 and 2015 annual reports of 70 companies listed on New Zealand Stock Exchange. The findings were interpreted using the impression management theoretical construct.
Findings
The findings show a marked increase in the utilisation of photographs for CSR-associated disclosures by the sample companies. Surprisingly, the quantity of photographs depicting environmental performance has declined, whereas those featuring product responsibility have increased significantly. The “messages” encoded in the photographs create idealistic images of the companies being caring and responsible corporate citizens. This suggests that companies are systematically using symbolic presentations such as photographs of children and families for rhetorical impression management.
Practical implications
The study contributes to a greater understanding of the power of photographs in representing and constructing “reality” of CSR performance. The findings have the potential to inform and assist the promulgation of guidelines for CSR reporting, as well as make users aware that photographs could be exploited as a rhetoric and impression management tool in pursuit of symbolic legitimacy.
Originality/value
The study develops a structured approach for categorising and analysing CSR-related photographs and adds to the scant literature on the utilisation of photographs as a medium for CSR information dissemination.
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Sabrina Chong, Mahmood Momin and Anil Narayan
This paper aims to propose a theoretically informed and analytically rigorous research framework that sustainability researchers could use or further develop to examine visually…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to propose a theoretically informed and analytically rigorous research framework that sustainability researchers could use or further develop to examine visually persuasive messages in photographs.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the theoretical constructs of Peirce’s (1991) visual semiotic system of icon, index and symbol and Aristotle’s (1984) persuasive appeals of ethos, pathos and logos, the authors propose a research methodology that provides an explicit step-by-step guidance to examine visually persuasive messages in sustainability-related photographs. The sustainability-related photographs in The Coca-Cola Company’s 2018 Business and Sustainability Report are examined to illustrate the application of the framework.
Findings
This paper develops a research framework and provides empirical evidence of the use of the framework to enhance the understanding of visually persuasive messages depicted in photographs.
Practical implications
The proposed framework serves as a springboard for further research into visually persuasive messages.
Originality/value
The research framework of visual persuasion is novel and can be used by sustainability researchers to analyse photographs in corporate reports. It can be extended/modified to capture visual representations in different contexts and other disciplines as well.
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Liang Wang, Eric Ping Hung Li and Xiaoya (Sara) Ding
The process of building dynamic capabilities remains understudied, although deliberate learning is posited to be the key to developing and maintaining dynamic capabilities in…
Abstract
Purpose
The process of building dynamic capabilities remains understudied, although deliberate learning is posited to be the key to developing and maintaining dynamic capabilities in turbulent environments. Based on the case study of Kodak’s responses to the shift from traditional to digital technology in the imaging industry (1993-2011), the purpose of this paper is to examine the role of managerial cognition in building dynamic capabilities.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs case study and qualitative method approach.
Findings
The results reveal that, when facing environmental turbulence, deliberate learning is subject to routine disruptions through entrepreneurial activities, and these organizational routines and activities are determined by organizational schema. Organizational schema itself is updated as a result of managers’ ongoing interpretation of the organization’s fit with the environment. The study findings contribute to the organizational studies and management literature by highlighting the role of managerial cognition into the microfoundation of dynamic capabilities.
Originality/value
The results demonstrate managerial cognition, and organizational schema in particular, as a microfoundation of dynamic capability.
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Yuan Xing, David B. Grant, Alan C. McKinnon and John Fernie
Many traditional retailers use the internet as a complementary business channel while “pure player” retailers only sell products via the internet. The question of who is better at…
Abstract
Purpose
Many traditional retailers use the internet as a complementary business channel while “pure player” retailers only sell products via the internet. The question of who is better at offering electronic physical distribution service quality (e‐PDSQ) is open to debate. But, despite e‐PDSQ's importance there are few empirical studies and most have focused on general service quality of internet shopping or web site design. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and empirically test a conceptual framework for e‐PDSQ from the consumer's perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper follows a two‐stage paradigm for scale and construct development, which is presented in a framework based on the concept of order fulfilment as a key driver in e‐PDSQ. Consumer postal surveys were conducted in Edinburgh, UK.
Findings
The consumer survey confirmed the appropriateness of the adopted e‐PDSQ framework. The finding that price is the most important online purchasing criteria is in accordance with Verdict which suggests that price is the principle motivator in the home delivery market as the retailing market is getting more price‐transparent and consumers are becoming more price‐sensitive.
Originality/value
Earlier work has provided insight into how e‐PDSQ, represented by availability, timeliness and reliability. This paper extends this work and empirically tests and confirms an e‐PDSQ framework to investigate differences between multi‐channel and pure player retailers, and provides a parsimonious set of e‐PDSQ variables and constructs for retailers to use to design and operate their online offerings.
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The aim of this article is to present the influence of exchange rate changes on the price dynamics in Poland. The knowledge concerning exchange rate pass-through to prices allows…
Abstract
The aim of this article is to present the influence of exchange rate changes on the price dynamics in Poland. The knowledge concerning exchange rate pass-through to prices allows assessing how exchange rates affect inflation and monetary policy in the country. The article consists of two parts. The first part deals with theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of incomplete exchange rate pass-through to prices, including reasons and factors determining this phenomenon. In the next part the range of exchange rate pass-through to prices in Poland is analyzed by using the vector autoregression (VAR) model.
Although fewer than 150 years have passed since Jacques Daguerre perfected the first photographic image in 1839, the flood of evolving equipment and applications has already…
Abstract
Although fewer than 150 years have passed since Jacques Daguerre perfected the first photographic image in 1839, the flood of evolving equipment and applications has already generated a broad and richly varied field. Simultaneously one of the youngest arts and one of the newest technologies, photography is now used in medical research, space exploration, criminal investigations, agricultural production, design of industrial machinery, ad infinitum. At one extreme, it records family life and supplies the surest method of identification on drivers' licenses. At the other end of the spectrum, photography (once denounced in haute couture) has within the past five years not only become an “acceptable” art form, but has assumed centerstage in museums and exhibits throughout the United States and Europe.
Hartmut Berghoff and Berti Kolbow
The purpose of this paper is to understand how Agfa, a division of IG Farben and Germany's leading producer of photographic equipment, adapted its marketing strategy to the new…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how Agfa, a division of IG Farben and Germany's leading producer of photographic equipment, adapted its marketing strategy to the new political environment created by the Nazi regime. This was a time when many consumer goods manufacturers suffered from the state‐driven reallocation of resources favoring the armament industry. Agfa, however, expanded its production well into the war.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study is based on archival records of Agfa's sales department.
Findings
This paper shows that Hitler's armament drive left room for non‐essential consumer goods such as cameras, film, and photographic paper as they fitted the regime's consumption policy, as well as its import and foreign exchange policy. A pioneer in marketing, Agfa was able to secure its growth strategy and its room to maneuver by focusing its product and promotion program on the socioeconomic needs of the “Volksgemeinschaft” and the “Four Year Plan”.
Originality/value
This paper sheds new light on the often‐underestimated role of consumption during the “Third Reich.” Furthermore, it supports the evolutionary – rather than revolutionary – nature of the history of marketing practice in Germany, as Agfa's interwar marketing policy features many sophisticated modern elements prior to the “Marketing Revolution” of the 1960s.
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Jane Emma Machin, Emily Moscato and Charlene Dadzie
This paper examines the potential of photography as a design thinking method to develop innovative food experiences that improve food well-being.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the potential of photography as a design thinking method to develop innovative food experiences that improve food well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a critical review of research using photography to examine the complex physical, emotional, psychological and social relationships individuals have with food at personal and societal levels.
Findings
The conceptual legitimacy of photography is well-established in the social sciences but has been missing from design thinking practices. Photography is particularly well suited to understand the highly visual practice of food and to design innovative food experiences.
Research limitations/implications
Practical and ethical issues in the use of photography are considered as a research tool. Future research should examine photography as an integrated tool in the entire design thinking process.
Practical implications
A table of photographic research methods for all stages of design thinking, from empathy to prototyping, is presented. Best practices for the successful implementation and interpretation of photography in food design thinking are discussed.
Social implications
Photography is a uniquely inclusive and accessible research method for understanding the social problem of food well-being and designing innovative food experiences.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors knowledge, this paper provides the first conceptual foundation for the use of photography in design thinking. The paper identifies novel photographic methods that can be used to understand problems and generate solutions. It provides guidelines to successfully integrate photography in the design of innovative food experiences that improve food well-being.
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A. Buroff, P. Simidchieva, R. Stoycheva and J. Malinowski
Recently a number of new photographic systems have been investigated with the object of replacing the conventional silver halide emulsions and as such could possibly represent the…
Abstract
Recently a number of new photographic systems have been investigated with the object of replacing the conventional silver halide emulsions and as such could possibly represent the basis for further development of new methods of production for printed circuits. By using prepared combinations of metal and a light sensitive substance, e.g., arsenous sulphide/silver and cadmium iodide/tin, one can obtain directly a positive metal image. This approach by the authors was used for the development of a new direct positive photographic material for printed circuits which is easily processed and can be safely stored.
This article is one of two concentrating on the conservation of audio‐visual materials. This first one focuses on the conservation of one particular form of A‐V material…
Abstract
This article is one of two concentrating on the conservation of audio‐visual materials. This first one focuses on the conservation of one particular form of A‐V material, motion‐picture and film media. An outline of the main landmarks in the historical development of film conservation is given, followed by an examination of both the composition and the most common pathologies of film. Finally the environmental and other conditions for effective preservation are described. The companion piece to this article focuses on the conservation of magnetic materials, and should be read subsequent to this first paper (see Library Review, Vol. 53 No. 7).
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