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While remanufactured products represent an increasingly researched phenomenon in the literature, not much is known about consumers' understanding and acceptance of such products. This study explores this issue in the context of the theory of perceived risk (TPR), investigating return policy leniency and distribution channel choice as potential factors to foster remanufactured products' sales.

This research utilizes an experimental design composed of a pre-test and a scenario-based main experiment to explore how return policy leniency might mitigate consumers' perceived risk and how their related purchase intention differs across two types of retail distribution channel structures (i.e. brick-and-mortar vs. online).

The investigation into the efficacy of return policy leniency within two retail distribution channel settings (i.e. brick-and-mortar vs. online) illustrates that providing a lenient return policy is an effective “cue” in increasing consumer purchase intention for remanufactured products. While prior literature has established that consumers value return policy leniency for new products, the authors provide empirical evidence that this preference also applies to remanufactured products. Notably, that return policy preference holds true in both channel settings (i.e. brick-and-mortar vs. online) under consideration. Additionally, and contrary to the authors’ predictions, consumers perceived remanufactured products sold via both channel settings as equally risky, thus highlighting that both are appropriate distribution channels for remanufactured products. Finally, while research on new products provides some initial guidance on consumer perceptions of quality and risk, the study provides empirical evidence into the difference of perceived risk with regard to new versus remanufactured products.

By employing the TPR, this research explored the role played by two supply chain management related factors (returns policy and channel structure) in reducing consumer's perceived risk and increasing purchase intention. In doing so, this study answers the call for more consumer-based supply chain management research in a controlled experimental research setting.

MANAGING URBAN DISASTERS

Palladio's Children

A SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WORLD

FRAME & GENERIC SPACE

The purpose of this paper is to examine gender differences in job expectations among Chinese university students and how they may affect the activities of organizations in attracting and retaining talent.

Since 1972, a number of studies have utilized a job‐orientation survey instrument developed by Manhardt. This study asked Chinese university students to rate 25 job characteristics according to their importance to the rater on a five‐point scale (5 – very important, 1 – not important) in the same manner as had previously been done by Manhardt and others, subsequently. There were 101 Chinese university business students surveyed.

Results showed that the rank order of importance which male and female students placed on job characteristics was similar. In addition, there were no significant differences between male and female students on either the intrinsic or extrinsic subset of variables, indicating that both genders could be approached similarly with regard to the basic issues that comprise a human resource portfolio.

The consistency of job expectations of males and females could be viewed as a positive characteristic by firms, as it simplifies the human resource portfolio design and thus would be cost effective. Whether such consistency across genders would remain true over time (i.e. as Chinese society and culture evolves) or across all industry segments and geographic regions, or in a variety of economic conditions is an issue for future research exploration and analysis. In regard to certain extrinsic items, females seem to exhibit the philosophy that “life is more than just work” and that flexibility in regard to work design is important. Human resource portfolios would be advised to consider opportunities for cross‐training to better meet such expectations, especially for females.

As globalization intensifies, the need for tapping the capabilities of corporations’ human resources, gecome more paramount. To this end, businesses cannot afford to have their most important resource, their people, hampered by attitudes that detract from their abilities to perform at their best. This is especially relevant when there may be a misconception that being male is synonymous with management competency. The focus of this research was on exploring the attitudes towards women managers in the United States and Poland. Questionnaires were distributed to two groups of individuals within each nation, professionals and graduating business students or “future managers”. There were 157 and 295 usable responses from Poland and the United States, respectively. The results indicate that Polish women may have more negative attitudes to overcome in becoming managers in comparison to the US counterparts. Perhaps more disconcerting is the potential that “future managers” in Poland may have even more negative attitudes toward women as managers.

Establishing and maintaining successful alliances is an increasingly attractive, yet difficult strategic option for most firms in today's business environment. One component of the alliance process that has recently received considerable attention concerns the motivations of a firm and its potential partner to establish an alliance. This paper examines and compares alliance motives at three channel levels (manufacturer, distributor and logistical service supplier) and across three geographic trading regions (North America, Europe and the Pacific Basin). The managerial implications of the results are discussed with particular regard to developing and sustaining successful cooperative supply chain relationships.

Due to the increasingly competitive global business environment supply chain compression (reducing or eliminating the number of unnecessary logistical activities in a given supply chain) will be imperative for carriers, shippers and customers. Consequently, a premium will be paid for those carriers that are convergent. That is, convergent carriers performance must exceed expectations regarding achievement of established logistics cost and service objectives by performing whatever functions are required to satisfy supply chain participants. Such carriers will proactively work with both shippers and their customers to compress the supply chain by limiting unwanted actions while accomplishing mutually beneficial goals. In so doing, service to their customers is being elevated to the next level.

Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) is an industry‐wide initiative that is commonly believed to have fallen far short of its promised efficiencies and value. Many believe that unrealistic expectations among grocery industry participants are primarily at fault for this shortcoming. The level of internal and external change required to make desired outcomes a reality have been underestimated and poorly understood by prospective participants. While change has been slower than desired, many firms have collaborated effectively and achieved significant results through coordinated supply chain activities. This research uses case studies to illustrate successful collaboration in the grocery supply chain and explores the success factors inherent in such efforts.

This survey‐based study examines gender‐based perspectives of job orientation, expectations, and motivations in the country of Poland.

Polish professionals were asked to rate 25 job characteristics according to their importance to the rater on a five‐point scale (5 = very important, 1 = not important). Mean scores were calculated and rank ordered for males and females separately. Two‐tailed t‐tests between male and female scores for each item tested for significant differences. A principle components factor analysis with rotation by the varimax method was performed on the correlation matrix of the 25 job characteristics.

Results show that males and females differ on 15 of the 25 job characteristics. Standard deviations of the importance ratings were examined. They were higher for males on 21 of 25 items, with a mean standard deviation of 0.96 for males and 0.87 for females. A paired t‐test ((1−(2 = 0)) resulted in rejecting the null hypothesis (p ≤ 0.001). Thus, for the respondents in this study, females as a group are significantly more homogeneous than are the males. Results of factor analysis with orthogonal rotation by the varimax method produced three factors of eigenvalues greater than 1.5, accounting for 37.3 per cent of the total variance. Factor I accounted for 17.9 per cent of the total variance and includes six job characteristics related to long term career objectives. Factor II deals with characteristics which can be classified as intellectual activity and explained 12.7 per cent of the total variance. Factor III included four characteristics related to structure and accounted for 6.7 per cent of the variance.

It would be worthwhile to extend the survey in the future to address three key issues: 1 – group respondents by years of service, for example, less than 5 years, more than 10 years, and so forth; 2 – control for salary levels; 3 – adjust for changes in the unemployment rate.

This research indicates that even though money is an important motivator (number 1 for males and number 5 for females), there are certainly other methods of motivation beyond financial ones. This is particularly significant for foreign corporations investing in Poland. Such knowledge should provide organizations that use it as a competitive advantage not tied exclusively to monetary outlays.

Poland is a developing economy which many observers believe is the most attractive emerging market in the expanding European Union. As such, the findings here should help organizations, both endogenous and exogenous, attract and retain employees.

Observes that strategic alliances continue to be an important research and business focus. Many firms struggle with how to link alliance theory with actual practice. In particular, managers question how long‐term commitment between alliance partners is developed and achieved. Traditional business practice has relied primarily on formal written contracts, but informal social contracts or verbal agreements are also utilized. Examines the role of formal and informal contracts in positioning alliances for long‐term success. Findings indicate that extremely successful alliances exhibited informal social contracts regardless of whether or not formal written contracts were included in the relationship. In other words, while a written contract may initially serve as an agreement to collaborate, the partners’ actions signify long‐term commitment to the alliance. This has important managerial implications for how key contacts in the alliance develop co‐operation, trust and loyalty which illustrates the strength of the informal contract.

The paper seeks to examine the changing landscape of supply chain management, marketing channels of distribution, logistics and purchasing.

The authors examine and take stock of the changing nature and landscape surrounding the related disciplines of supply chain management, marketing channels of distribution, logistics and purchasing. This examination highlights the considerable evolution and significant advances occurring within and between these disciplines.

The authors find that this new landscape provides both opportunities and challenges for future scholarship and practice in these related disciplines.

The examination and findings should be of value to those attempting to understand the evolving nature and interrelationship of these fields, and those who currently practise within them.