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1 – 10 of 375The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether communicating recent changes in the sales profession, shifting from a performance-focused model to a customer need-focused…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether communicating recent changes in the sales profession, shifting from a performance-focused model to a customer need-focused model, to job candidates by re-labeling job descriptions can increase job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments using job candidates (undergraduate business students) were conducted at two public US universities to examine: whether job candidates use job title or job description to determine their interest in pursuing jobs and whether terminology used in the job description affects job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs.
Findings
Results show that job candidates’ interest in pursuing jobs are affected by job titles more than the actual job responsibilities. Further, job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs is affected by terminology used in the job descriptions, where customer need-focused (selling-focused) terminology increases (decreases) interest in pursuing a sales job.
Practical implications
Sales jobs have been recognized as one of the hardest job positions to fill. Results from this paper can help recruiters develop effective strategies to improve job candidates’ interest in pursuing sales jobs, especially the emerging social selling jobs.
Originality/value
Contrary to most extant research that investigates resistance toward sales jobs by examining job candidates’ idiosyncratic characteristics, this paper adopts a branding and consumer learning perspective and examines how job candidates’ interest in pursuing a job is influenced by their ability or willingness to process job information.
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Edward Sweeney, David B. Grant and D. John Mangan
The purpose of this paper is to develop a thorough understanding of the adoption of logistics and supply chain management (SCM) in practice, particularly at a strategic level…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a thorough understanding of the adoption of logistics and supply chain management (SCM) in practice, particularly at a strategic level, through an investigation of the four perspectives taxonomy of the relationship between logistics and SCM.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a comprehensive literature review, three specific research questions are proposed. The empirical work addresses these questions and comprised three phases: focussed interviews, a questionnaire survey and focus groups.
Findings
The findings provide a usage profile of the four perspectives and indicate a divergence between the understanding and adoption of logistics and SCM principles and concepts at a strategic level in firms. The findings also identify the critical success factors (CSFs) and inhibitors to success in addressing this divergence.
Research limitations/implications
The insights generated using the authors’ methodologically pluralist research design could be built upon to include case studies, grounded theory and action research. Replicating the research in other geographical areas could facilitate international comparisons.
Practical implications
The findings allow practitioners to compare their perspectives on the relationship between logistics and SCM with those of their peers. The CSFs and inhibitors to success provide a rational basis for realising the strategic potential of logistics and SCM in practice.
Originality/value
New insights are generated into practitioner perspectives vis-à-vis logistics vs SCM. A fresh understanding of those factors which drive and hinder the adoption of strategic SCM is also developed and presented.
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Henriette Lundgren, Brigitte Kroon and Rob F. Poell
The purpose of this paper is to explore how and why personality tests are used in workplace training. This research paper is guided by three research questions that inquire about…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how and why personality tests are used in workplace training. This research paper is guided by three research questions that inquire about the role of external and internal stakeholders, the value of psychometric and practical considerations in test selection, and the purpose of personality test use in workplace training.
Design/methodology/approach
This research paper uses multiple-case study analysis. Interviews, test reports, product flyers and email correspondence were collected and analyzed from publishers, associations, psychologists and human resource development (HRD) practitioners in Germany, the UK and The Netherlands between 2012 and 2016.
Findings
Themes emerge around industry tensions among practitioners and professional associations, psychologists and non-psychologists. Ease of use is a more important factor than psychometrics in the decision-making process. Also, practitioners welcome publishers that offer free coaching support. In the process of using tests for development rather than assessment, re-labeling takes place when practitioners and publishers use positive terms for personality tests as tools for personal stocktaking and development.
Research limitations/implications
Despite extensive data collection and analysis efforts, this study is limited by its focus on a relatively small number of country cases and stakeholders per case.
Practical implications
By combining scientific evidence with practical application, stakeholders can take first steps toward more evidence-based HRD practice around personality testing in workplace training.
Originality/value
Little academic literature exists on the use of personality testing in workplace training. Without a clear understanding of the use of personality testing outside personnel selection, the current practice of personality tests for developmental purposes could raise ethical concerns about the rights and responsibilities of test takers.
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Árni Halldórsson, Paul D. Larson and Richard F. Poist
The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of international differences in supply chain management (SCM) perspectives and practices, by comparing perceptions of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding of international differences in supply chain management (SCM) perspectives and practices, by comparing perceptions of Scandinavian and American supply chain managers.
Design/methodology/approach
The survey focused on the definition of SCM, along with facilitators of and barriers to SCM implementation. A four‐page questionnaire was designed and sent by mail. After follow‐ups, 23 Scandinavians and 104 Americans returned completed questionnaires.
Findings
While many similarities were found between Scandinavians and Americans, several differences were also identified. Both groups have adopted broad, multiple function perspectives on SCM; and both groups perceive SCM implementation to be slower and more difficult than expected. Two differences are the Americans' greater concern about incompatible systems and implementation costs as barriers to SCM, compared to the Scandinavians.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on relatively small samples, of limited functional (logistics) and geographic (Scandinavia and America) scope. Future research should expand the functional focus into purchasing, operations, and marketing; and the geographic coverage to other parts of the world.
Practical implications
Internal resistance is more of a barrier than external (customer or supplier) resistance to SCM. Thus, organizations should focus first on internal (functional) integration, and then move onto inter‐organizational integration. However, employees working with customers and suppliers should use these external relationships to inspire closer internal relationships. Further, people are more critical than technology in implementing SCM. Organizations should get the right people in place first, and then think about technology.
Originality/value
There is little empirical research on SCM implementation. Practitioners and researchers should find value in this unique comparative study.
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During the last decade the Corporate University (CU) idea as an important strategic development platform has taken a firm hold in the USA in particular and there are now more than…
Abstract
During the last decade the Corporate University (CU) idea as an important strategic development platform has taken a firm hold in the USA in particular and there are now more than 1,600 corporate universities listed. For many companies the move to a CU model is a direct reflection of the escalating intellectual challenge that they face in scientific innovation and technological development. For some, raising the CU flag is almost a cosmetic event with a simple re‐labeling of current training programmes; whilst others are much more radical in their approach, involving the introduction of more diverse dynamic management programmes and explicit intellectual cultures across broad areas of their organization.
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The literature suggests public procurement professionals have different perspectives on supply chain management (SCM) vis-à-vis their private sector counterparts. Based on a…
Abstract
The literature suggests public procurement professionals have different perspectives on supply chain management (SCM) vis-à-vis their private sector counterparts. Based on a recent survey of Canadian purchasers, this paper presents an empirical comparison of public vs. private views on SCM. The questionnaire is structured around a set of 54 topics, tools and techniques; along with four perspectives on the relationship between purchasing and SCM. Important findings from this survey of SCM professionals include: (1) public procurement professionals have narrow perspectives on SCM compared to their private sector counterparts; and (2) public sector professionals have different perceptions regarding the importance of topics, tools and techniques to support their performance on the job.
Alejandra Segura Navarrete, Claudia Martinez-Araneda, Christian Vidal-Castro and Clemente Rubio-Manzano
This paper aims to describe the process used to create an emotion lexicon enriched with the emotional intensity of words and focuses on improving the emotion analysis process in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe the process used to create an emotion lexicon enriched with the emotional intensity of words and focuses on improving the emotion analysis process in texts.
Design/methodology/approach
The process includes setting, preparation and labelling stages. In the first stage, a lexicon is selected. It must include a translation to the target language and labelling according to Plutchik’s eight emotions. The second stage starts with the validation of the translations. Then, it is expanded with the synonyms of the emotion synsets of each word. In the labelling stage, the similarity of words is calculated and displayed using WordNet similarity.
Findings
The authors’ approach shows better performance to identification of the predominant emotion for the selected corpus. The most relevant is the improvement obtained in the results of the emotion analysis in a hybrid approach compared to the results obtained in a purist approach.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed lexicon can still be enriched by incorporating elements such as emojis, idioms and colloquial expressions.
Practical implications
This work is part of a research project that aids in solving problems in a digital society, such as detecting cyberbullying, abusive language and gender violence in texts or exercising parental control. Detection of depressive states in young people and children is added.
Originality/value
This semi-automatic process can be applied to any language to generate an emotion lexicon. This resource will be available in a software tool that implements a crowdsourcing strategy allowing the intensity to be re-labelled and new words to be automatically incorporated into the lexicon.
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The year 2020 is an epochal moment for governance and public administration. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has upset social and economic life, including the delivery of…
Abstract
The year 2020 is an epochal moment for governance and public administration. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has upset social and economic life, including the delivery of public services, and eroded domestic and international politics. It comes in an era of uncertainty resulting from the end of the New Public Management boom and a looming breakdown of the contemporary US-defined international order. Against such a sea change, we can hardly take business as usual. Change breeds indeterminacy but also induces reimagining. Any renewal and renaissance of public management has to address the ‘what’ and ‘how’ questions of governance in a low-trust and high-risk society. Both the capacity and legitimacy of the state need to be re-empowered, but no longer through the market. The dual failure of democratic politics and bureaucratic excellence in many countries has rendered the Wilsonian politics-administration dichotomy redundant. Amid the rise of East Asia, there are growing contentions over the conceptualization of meritocracy as alternative systems of governance and public service models seem to be delivering effective rivals. Governance performance may not be predetermined by regime types within a poly-polar world. We need to search for new reconnections, new leadership, a new basis for trust and consensus, and a new public service bargain to avoid getting bogged down in old wine in re-labelled bottle, or another singular universalist paradigm.
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Anita Whiting, David L. Williams and Joe Hair
The purpose of this study is to investigate motives for engaging in electronic word of mouth (eWOM) about organizations on social media sites. This study explores motives for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate motives for engaging in electronic word of mouth (eWOM) about organizations on social media sites. This study explores motives for posting positive eWOM and motives for posting negative eWOM. It also investigates whether existing WOM frameworks adequately capture consumers’ motives for spreading eWOM within the context of social media. This study seeks to confirm established motives in literature while also identifying new motives specific to social media.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted using the critical incident technique. In all, 64 positive incidents and 60 negative incidents were analyzed.
Findings
This study provides a typology for understanding consumers’ motivations for engaging in positive and negative WOM within the context of social media. Four new motives for sharing eWOM are identified; eight established WOM motives are re-confirmed; and new subcategories for eWOM motives are proposed. The study also finds that further refinement of WOM motives and scales within a social media context is needed.
Research limitations/implications
An integrated conceptual framework of both positive and negative motives is developed to illustrate a more comprehensive model of motives of eWOM within social media. Managerial implications for managing negative eWOM and amplifying positive eWOM are discussed. A limitation is that the study is exploratory in nature.
Originality/value
This study identifies new motives for sharing eWOM, re-labels existing WOM and eWOM motives with more descriptive and comprehensive titles and confirms established WOM and eWOM motives within the context of social media. This study is conducted across multiple firms and industries, leading to more generalizable results.
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Peter Holland and Amanda Pyman
The purpose of this paper is to consider the extent to which the concept of the corporate university is emerging as a simple re‐labelling of the functional training area or a key…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider the extent to which the concept of the corporate university is emerging as a simple re‐labelling of the functional training area or a key strategic platform in developing organisational competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach was taken to provide an in‐depth understanding of the development of a corporate university. Interviews with key informants and background/archival information was used to explore the focus of the corporate university. A typology developed by Taylor and Paton in 2001, was used to analyse the role and integration of the corporate university within the case study organisation.
Findings
The research indicates that the development of the corporate university within the case study organisation has focused resources to strategically develop their human capital and is clearly linked to the strategic objectives of the organisation to enhance competitive advantage.
Research limitations/implications
The research was exploratory and whilst indicating a link between the corporate university and the organisation's objectives, this was a single case study. The limitations of single case study analysis prohibit generalisability. More research is needed to identify trends developing across industry sectors. From this a more detailed review of the impact of corporate universities can be made.
Originality/value
This is the first research into the strategic development of corporate universities in Australia. As such, it provides insight into the development of the phenomena in an advanced market economy. The initial findings indicate strategic development of the corporate university to support and enhance the organisations focus and competitive advantage.
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