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This paper aims to examine how, why and when incidental curiosity might have an influence on consumers’ unhealthy eating behaviors in a subsequent, irrelevant context.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine how, why and when incidental curiosity might have an influence on consumers’ unhealthy eating behaviors in a subsequent, irrelevant context.
Design/methodology/approach
Three experiments were conducted. Study 1 tested the basic main effect; Study 2 further tested the proposed process; Study 3 identified an important moderator and offered additional support for the mechanism.
Findings
Study 1 demonstrated the basic main effect that incidental curiosity increases consumers’ preference for unhealthy food. Study 2 replicated the effect in a simulated grocery-shopping task and further provided direct process evidence that a reward-approaching orientation underlies the effect of curiosity on unhealthy food choice. Finally, Study 3 identified information nature as an important moderator of the effect. That is, when people are curious about threatening information, they are likely to adopt an avoidance motivation, which prevents them from seeking any unhealthy food.
Practical implications
On the one hand, consumers could benefit from being educated that incidental exposure to curiosity cues might lead to unhealthy eating behaviors. On the other hand, public policymakers and responsible marketers should be mindful that, though widely used in marketing, the tactics that elicit consumers’ curiosity might sometimes backfire and undermine their healthy food choices.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the curiosity literature by demonstrating that incidental curiosity could have motivational impacts in the non-information domain, such as food choice. It also adds to the food decision literature by documenting incidental curiosity as an important situational factor of consumers’ food decisions.
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This study expanded previous studies on the relationship between POP (Perceptions of Organizational Politics) and OC (Organizational Commitment); and it examined the mediating…
Abstract
Purpose
This study expanded previous studies on the relationship between POP (Perceptions of Organizational Politics) and OC (Organizational Commitment); and it examined the mediating effect of OCM (Organizational Concern Motive) and the moderated mediating effect of PS (Political Skills). Based on the uncertainty management and expectancy theories, the mediating role of OCM was assumed; also, the moderated mediating effect of PS was assumed, because of the effect of the POP on members' motives would vary depending on each individual's ability to respond.
Design/methodology/approach
To collect the required data for analyzing the research model of this study, a questionnaire was conducted on employees of South Korean companies and institutions. To verify the hypothesis of this study, the measurement and hypothesized models were analyzed sequentially.
Findings
The results of this study indicated that the OCM mediates the relationship between POP and OC. Furthermore, the mediating effect of OCM is moderated by PS. Specifically the negative effect of the POP on the OCM was mitigated in the group with proficient PS.
Research limitations/implications
To mitigate the negative effects of POP, this study suggests that managers should provide fair evaluation and reward based on performance, and consider PS as an important factor in employee selection and education/training.
Originality/value
This study is original in that it presents the mechanisms of both variables in terms of an individual's motive towards the organization. Furthermore, this study is valuable in that it suggests ways to mitigate the negative effects of POP through PS.
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Yu Zhou, Yingying Zhang and Ángeles Montoro‐Sánchez
The aim of this paper is to empirically explore the relationship between human resource rewards management and innovative behaviours, particularly between the utilitarianism and…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to empirically explore the relationship between human resource rewards management and innovative behaviours, particularly between the utilitarianism and romanticism reward approaches and employee creativity in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a quantitative approach. After analysing construct validity and reliability, the study empirically tests its hypotheses by performing a multi‐regression analysis with a sample of 216 individuals.
Findings
The study reaches three main conclusions. First, tangible extrinsic rewards affect the innovative behaviour of employees in an “inverse‐U” shape. Second, intrinsic motivations have a substantially positive impact on the innovative behaviour of employees. And third, extrinsic rewards and intrinsic motivations have positive interaction effects on individual creativity at the workplace.
Originality/value
The paper focuses on the theoretical battle between the utilitarianism and the romanticism perspective of human resource reward approaches toward employees' creativity. Based on examination of the main effects of monetary incentives and intrinsic reward practices respectively, the study highlights a complementary view to explore a positive interaction between the two reward configurations, and to exploit a total reward system for facilitating individual innovative behaviours.
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The purpose of the paper is to propose and demonstrate a novel approach for addressing the challenges of path planning and obstacle avoidance in the context of mobile robots (MR)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to propose and demonstrate a novel approach for addressing the challenges of path planning and obstacle avoidance in the context of mobile robots (MR). The specific objectives and purposes outlined in the paper include: introducing a new methodology that combines Q-learning with dynamic reward to improve the efficiency of path planning and obstacle avoidance. Enhancing the navigation of MR through unfamiliar environments by reducing blind exploration and accelerating the convergence to optimal solutions and demonstrating through simulation results that the proposed method, dynamic reward-enhanced Q-learning (DRQL), outperforms existing approaches in terms of achieving convergence to an optimal action strategy more efficiently, requiring less time and improving path exploration with fewer steps and higher average rewards.
Design/methodology/approach
The design adopted in this paper to achieve its purposes involves the following key components: (1) Combination of Q-learning and dynamic reward: the paper’s design integrates Q-learning, a popular reinforcement learning technique, with dynamic reward mechanisms. This combination forms the foundation of the approach. Q-learning is used to learn and update the robot’s action-value function, while dynamic rewards are introduced to guide the robot’s actions effectively. (2) Data accumulation during navigation: when a MR navigates through an unfamiliar environment, it accumulates experience data. This data collection is a crucial part of the design, as it enables the robot to learn from its interactions with the environment. (3) Dynamic reward integration: dynamic reward mechanisms are integrated into the Q-learning process. These mechanisms provide feedback to the robot based on its actions, guiding it to make decisions that lead to better outcomes. Dynamic rewards help reduce blind exploration, which can be time-consuming and inefficient and promote faster convergence to optimal solutions. (4) Simulation-based evaluation: to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach, the design includes a simulation-based evaluation. This evaluation uses simulated environments and scenarios to test the performance of the DRQL method. (5) Performance metrics: the design incorporates performance metrics to measure the success of the approach. These metrics likely include measures of convergence speed, exploration efficiency, the number of steps taken and the average rewards obtained during the robot’s navigation.
Findings
The findings of the paper can be summarized as follows: (1) Efficient path planning and obstacle avoidance: the paper’s proposed approach, DRQL, leads to more efficient path planning and obstacle avoidance for MR. This is achieved through the combination of Q-learning and dynamic reward mechanisms, which guide the robot’s actions effectively. (2) Faster convergence to optimal solutions: DRQL accelerates the convergence of the MR to optimal action strategies. Dynamic rewards help reduce the need for blind exploration, which typically consumes time and this results in a quicker attainment of optimal solutions. (3) Reduced exploration time: the integration of dynamic reward mechanisms significantly reduces the time required for exploration during navigation. This reduction in exploration time contributes to more efficient and quicker path planning. (4) Improved path exploration: the results from the simulations indicate that the DRQL method leads to improved path exploration in unknown environments. The robot takes fewer steps to reach its destination, which is a crucial indicator of efficiency. (5) Higher average rewards: the paper’s findings reveal that MR using DRQL receive higher average rewards during their navigation. This suggests that the proposed approach results in better decision-making and more successful navigation.
Originality/value
The paper’s originality stems from its unique combination of Q-learning and dynamic rewards, its focus on efficiency and speed in MR navigation and its ability to enhance path exploration and average rewards. These original contributions have the potential to advance the field of mobile robotics by addressing critical challenges in path planning and obstacle avoidance.
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Joan Marques, Svetlana Holt and Virginia Green
The purpose of the paper is to share practices with other scholars who are on the outlook for different, more rewarding ways of facilitating formal management education, and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to share practices with other scholars who are on the outlook for different, more rewarding ways of facilitating formal management education, and to invite feedback and additional suggestions from colleagues in formal and informal educational settings about additional approaches that make a positive difference.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is structured in a sequential format, presenting the three contributors’ practices in separate sections, yet unifying them through a coherent structure of a brief course description, a description of the creative infusion, and some sample implementations.
Findings
Management courses that focus on creativity, involvement, interaction, and a trans‐disciplinary approach, ensure greater cohesion between left‐ and right‐brain thinking.
Practical implications
Management in an increasingly diversifying yet intertwining work environment brings along challenges that have not been encountered before. Some teaching scholars in higher education consider this challenge problematic, but others perceive it as a wonderful opportunity toward more effective and rewarding approaches to learning and communicating.
Originality/value
This paper presents a valuable piece of evidence, albeit on a minute scale, that scholars who engage in practice‐based management education and include elements from the real world in their courses, experience enhanced gratification within themselves and from their students.
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Derek L. Bosworth and Peter J. Dawkins
The post‐war period has been characterised by a persistent and substantial expansion in the employment of women. At the same time, women have become increasingly protected in…
Abstract
The post‐war period has been characterised by a persistent and substantial expansion in the employment of women. At the same time, women have become increasingly protected in employment by a legislative framework that includes the Equal Pay Act (1970), the Social Security and Pensions Act (1975) and the Sex Discrimination Act (1975). Nevertheless, a number of vestiges of discrimination under the law still remain, such as the special treatment of women with regard to the length and timing of their paid employment. Despite the attempts to remove discrimination by legislation, there remains a considerable groundswell of opinion that there are still substantial differences in the treatment of women vis‐a‐vis men in employment. One continuing concern is the tendency of the organisation of tasks to polarise into men‐only and women‐only jobs. As a result, it has been argued that the situation approximates to a dual labour market, with women being funnelled into the secondary labour market. Complex, interacting forces are at play that make the estimation of statistical models of the existing distribution of employment by sex (from which evidence of sex discrimination might be sought) extremely difficult. A potentially more rewarding approach is to examine those jobs that employers believe to be of the men‐only or women‐only types. Questions of this type were included in a recent survey of employers across all sectors of employment in British industry. While the formulation of such questions and the interpretation of the results are associated with important problems, nevertheless, the survey provides a useful impression of the size and nature of the barriers faced by women in their search for employment opportunities and the manner in which these barriers may be broken down.
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether organizations can encourage the loyalty of their international employees through the composition of their expatriate packages.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether organizations can encourage the loyalty of their international employees through the composition of their expatriate packages.
Design/methodology/approach
Two separate but complementary theoretical perspectives – the total reward approach, and the exchange‐based construct of state of the psychological contract (SPC) – are used to explain the affective commitment of expatriates. Hypotheses are developed and tested on a sample of 263 assigned and self‐initiated expatriates from Finland.
Findings
A positive SPC relating to tangible universal rewards (i.e. the compensation package traditionally considered in previous expatriate research) is not linked to an increase in the overall affective commitment of expatriates. In contrast, a very strong positive relationship was found between the expatriates' SPC relating to total rewards (which include intangible particularistic rewards (IPR)) and affective commitment.
Research limitations/implications
The sample only includes highly educated Finnish expatriates, which limits the external validity of the results. Moreover, the cross‐sectional nature of this study does not allow for confirmation of the cause‐effect relationship between the SPC and affective commitment.
Practical implications
The results suggest that, as a rule, organizations could improve the retention of their valuable international employees via the exchange of IPR usually found in socio‐emotional and trusting employment relationships.
Originality/value
First, this paper focuses on expatriate perceptions regarding their compensation. Second, it applies the “concreteness” and “particularism” dimensions developed by Foa and Foa to distinguish between the constituting components of the bundle of total rewards and provide an evaluation‐oriented measure of the SPC relating to this bundle. Third, this approach enables explaining expatriates' affective commitment.
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Winston Chee Chiu Kwok and David Sharp
This study provides significant empirical data and analysis on the international standard‐setting process as conducted by the forerunner of the International Accounting Standards…
Abstract
Purpose
This study provides significant empirical data and analysis on the international standard‐setting process as conducted by the forerunner of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). It reveals the influences from four key stakeholder groups (users, preparers, accountants, and regulators) in order to ascertain why International Accounting Standards (IAS) turn out the way they do.
Design/methodology/approach
In‐depth interviews with board representatives and content analysis of documents were used to provide triangulating perspectives. The concept of power from the sociological and political science literature provides the theoretical lens. The standard setting projects on segment reporting and intangible assets were studied in detail.
Findings
The results show that the process can be best characterized as a mixed power system where no party is accorded the absolute power potential to dictate IAS. Nonetheless, while the user group is the target beneficiaries of IAS, the preparer group has significant influence, as inferred from the changes made to the IAS in line with the preparers' preferences.
Research limitations/implications
There is always the possibility of researchers missing out on “secret” exercise of power, given that the focus of this study was on “public” paths of influence. After this study, the IASB's meetings became open to public, providing new opportunities for future research.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to understanding accounting standard setting for international harmonization.
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This Masterclass considers the lessons of two recent important books have contrasting but complementary insights to offer to company leaders and strategists on how to improve the…
Abstract
Purpose
This Masterclass considers the lessons of two recent important books have contrasting but complementary insights to offer to company leaders and strategists on how to improve the odds for developing successful innovations in response to game changes in markets.”
Design/methodology/approach
In Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future (2017), disruptive innovation experts, Scott Anthony, Clark Gilbert and Mark Johnson offer corporate leaders a “dual transformation” template for simultaneously repositioning the traditional core business in the face of disruptive change, while also creating new businesses to harness the growth potential typically unlocked by such disruption. In The Power of Little Ideas: A Low-Risk, High-Reward Approach to Innovation (2017), innovation guru, David Robertson, and his collaborator, Kent Lineback, offer companies a “third way” for coping with historic market inflections by innovating around a core product to make it more compelling, rather than having to choose between attempting the radical or incremental innovation of the product itself.
Findings
The most powerful message that both books featured in this masterclass have to offer is that while it may be true, as they go on to observe, that large companies can’t innovate faster than the market, they can learn “to innovate better than the market,” through more imaginative use of legacy products, platforms and assets.
Practical implications
A “third way” to cope with market disruption is based on innovating around the core product, by surrounding it with a set of complementary innovations, rather than re-featuring the product itself. All of the complementary innovations operate together with the product “as a system or family to satisfy a compelling promise to the customer.”
Originality/value
Both Dual Transformation and The Power of Little Ideas, present different, but far from mutually exclusive, innovation strategies that can help many more great companies to survive disruptive competition.
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Michael Dickmann and Ashley Helen Watson
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors which influence individuals to take up international assignments in hostile environments (HEs). Using an intelligent careers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors which influence individuals to take up international assignments in hostile environments (HEs). Using an intelligent careers (IC) perspective, an expanded framework of expatriation drivers to work in hostile contexts is developed that comprises individual, organizational and location-specific factors. In addition, the understanding of career capital acquisition and transfer is refined.
Design/methodology/approach
A “deviant” case study method to challenge the underlying assumptions of career capital maximization and transfer in global careers is used. To investigate the case, 25 individuals in an international development organization who had to decide whether to work in HEs were interviewed.
Findings
Five insights into decision drivers and career capital effects associated with postings to HEs are presented. These span all three levels of individual, organizational and location-specific decision factors.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the case study approach, the usual limitations of qualitative case-based research with respect to generalizability apply. In the conclusions three theoretical implications for the IC framework with respect to career capital acquisition, utilization and temporal effects are outlined.
Practical implications
A range of practical implications in relation to the selection, talent management, performance and reward approaches as well as repatriation and family considerations in global mobility are explored.
Social implications
The insights help organizations to design global mobility policies for HEs. In addition, individuals and their families benefit from greater clarity of global mobility drivers in the context of high risks.
Originality/value
The drivers of individuals to accept assignments to HEs are under-researched. This paper operationalizes and applies a holistic decision to work abroad framework, expands the literature on of the motivations of individuals and develops valuable insights to nuance the IC framework.
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