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The purpose of this paper is to explain the issues and variables that influence the bureaucracy’s role and work in the transitional period, which is known with its complexity, uncertainty, instability, ambiguity and asymmetry. This paper highlights the transition from theoretical perspective, giving examples from the Polish experience in transition.

This paper describes the changing roles of public bureaucracies in transitional periods by highlighting their ecology with the transitional period and analyzing the determinants of bureaucracy’s role and functions in terms of participation in policy-making policies, providing consultations to executives and elected officials, working as a mediator in communication and acting as an active participant in the development process giving examples from Poland. Finally, it highlights the way the bureaucracy manages its functions and the internal and external variables that constitute various levels affecting this role in the transition.

Bureaucracy is supposed to function naturally and stably in an unstable environment (transition) as its success in doing these functions and helping the new regime to exceed the transition and achieve its goals depends on many variables (bureaucracy capabilities and skills, history, power, experience, the nature of politics and bureaucratic functions, political support, policy environment, knowledge, cohesion, etc.). Most of these variables were demonstrative in the case of Poland.

This paper will be useful for scholars and policymakers interested in public administration role in the time of transition, especially countries that recently have been experiencing the transition.

This study seeks to explore the powerful role(s) of institutionalised performance measurement systems or metrics in smart city governance in a politically and militarily sensitive developing country.

This study extends the application and contribution of a multi-level institutional framework to previous management accounting literature on the potential relationship between performance measurement and smart city governance. The value of utilising a multi-level framework is to broaden and deepen theoretical analyses about this relationship to include the effect of political pressure from the military regime at the macro level on the institutionalisation of a performance measurement system at the micro-organisational level. Taking the New Cairo city council smart electricity networks project (Egypt) as an interpretive qualitative single-case study, data collection methods included semi-structured interviews, direct observations and documentary readings.

Performance measurement systems or metrics, especially in politically and militarily sensitive smart cities, constitutes a process of cascading (macro-micro) institutionalisation that is closely linked to sustainable developments taking place in the wider arena of urban policies. Going a step further, accounting-based performance metrics, arising from political and military pressures towards public-private collaborations, contribute to smart city management and accountability (governance). Institutionalised measurement systems or performance metrics play a powerful accounting role(s) in shaping and reshaping political decisions and military actions in the city council.

Theoretically, this study goes beyond the cascading institutionalisation process by arguing for the powerful role(s) of institutionalised accounting and performance measurement systems in smart city decision-making and governance. Empirically, it enriches previous literature with a case study of a developing Arab Spring country, characterised by an emerging economy, political sensitivity and military engagement, rather than developed and more stable countries that have been thoroughly investigated. It is also among the first politically engaged accounting case studies to highlight public-private collaborations as a recent reform in public sector governance and accountability.

In the present study, we assessed how school improvement consultants, as part of a six-year model project conducted in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, were perceived by school leaders and how they defined their role(s), tasks and working methods as external consultants at the beginning of the project.

Our analyses are based on a mixed-methods approach, involving a standardized online survey of school leaders and 18 guideline-based interviews with school improvement consultants, which were conducted at the beginning of the model project. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and typifying structuring of the interview material.

Our results based on the quantitative survey data showed that the school administrators generally rated the collaboration with the external consultants as not very positive. Furthermore, our qualitative findings showed that the school improvement consultants in the model project faced resistance to their coaching efforts, which may be attributed to the obligatory nature of their work on the project. In general, the consulting process appeared to be little differentiated according to the school principals' perceptions of the school needs, with the consultants mainly proceeding as they also do in other coaching processes.

This study contributes to our understanding of coaching in improvement activities among schools serving disadvantaged communities by offering insights into the role(s) and working methods of external school improvement consultants.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of relational bonding on intention and loyalty and the mediating role of commitment foci in the service context.

The study used a cross-sectional and quantitative mail survey approach. Bank customers in New Zealand were surveyed, and multiple analytical techniques were used to measure the relationships between consumer bonding, commitment foci and loyalty behavioral intentions and the mediating role of commitment foci in service relationships.

The results confirm that commitment foci or targets of commitment are important mediators in the relationships between bonding and loyalty-related behavioral intentions. The findings provide new theoretical knowledge about the mediating effect of the commitment foci in service relationships and significantly enhance knowledge about consumers’ intention and loyalty.

The research provides several noteworthy insights into the role of social and structural bonding in consumers’ commitment and loyalty in the service context, as well as provides an important implication for segmentation.

The study contributes to the service research on consumers’ intention and loyalty behavior toward the commitment foci. Introducing the role of commitment foci as a mediating mechanism within the context of a service encounter is new in the services marketing literature. This study provides a better understanding of consumers’ perceptions of and behaviors toward the commitment foci, as well as their intention and loyalty.

Service levels between public organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) differ and fluctuate. Service levels were found to increase with the level of employee creative behavior (ECB), which is currently a focal point in organizational policies by the federal UAE government. While the literature presents an ample array of determinants of ECB, local context typically influences which determinants provide more leverage than others. Therefore, this research aims to present a customized ranking of determinants that enables managers in the UAE public sector to successfully stimulate ECB.

Through a systematic literature review, this study identified 21 determinants at four different levels and subsequently utilized the analytic hierarchical process (AHP) to map their relative importance. Data were attained from 33 experts: managers and senior employees from different organizations.

Findings indicate that, overall, the individual level is seen as the most important leverage point to stimulate ECB, followed by the team level. Comparing the determinants under each level, management support (organizational level) is perceived as the most impactful, followed by coworker support (team level), and enhancing creative self-efficacy (individual level).

This study compares obtained levels from other studies with new levels in building the AHP model. These insights guide managers in the UAE public sector who aim to enhance ECB, which will contribute to increased service quality. The study introduced a comprehensive ECB framework of 21 determinants. Even though many ECB studies applied in different countries and industries, but to researchers' knowledge, this is the first ECB study that applied at the UAE's public sector using the AHP model.

The purpose of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of the role of social media in negotiating and managing identity for transient migrants relating to the home and host culture during the acculturation process.

Focussing on international students in the UK, this paper reports on findings from a qualitative study involving interviews with 27 transient migrants about their social media use and the negotiation of their identity online.

This paper highlights the multifaceted role that social media plays in the identity negotiations of transient migrants and it offers three theoretical contributions. First, the authors show that social media serves as a medium, consequence and determinant of identity. Second, provide four strategies for identity management are provided: boundary management, access management, online content management and offline content management. Third, contextualised support is provided for a reciprocal relationship between the different identity-related roles played by social media.

The paper highlights the complex role of social media for identity within the acculturation process for transient migrants. Identity contestation may be salient for young student migrants, especially where there is a large cultural distance between the home and host culture. Identity negotiations and struggles may not be salient with older migrants or migrants who have migrated for different reasons or where there is a small cultural distance between the home and host culture.

This paper offers recommendations for social media site designers for enhancing the users experience during acculturation by guiding the navigation with identity management strategies as well as to highlight the possible predicaments of not managing their identity online.

Based on qualitative research with transient migrants using social media during acculturation, the paper provides a theoretical model of the role and reciprocal relationship of social media for identity, serving the role as a medium, consequence and determinant. The paper incorporates four identity management strategies that migrants can use on social media.

This paper aims to better understand a firm’s market research function’s (MRF) roles and influences on the different uses of market research information (MRI) (instrumental, conceptual and symbolic) in the firm.

This study uses a mixed-methods design: In a qualitative study among marketing managers (n = 9) and market researchers (n = 10); different roles of a firm’s MRF are scrutinized. The quantitative study among corporate users of MRI (n = 235) tests a conceptual model on the MRF-related determinants of MRI uses, using structural equation modeling.

When the MRF exhibits methodological, market and business expertise and interacts with market research users, these features indirectly influence instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic uses, through MRI quality perceived by the users. The users’ knowledge of market research methods, the function’s integrity, top management support, and decentralized decision-making have various beneficial influences on the three uses of MRI.

Broadly speaking, this research expands the theoretical understanding of marketing-related organizational learning processes. It considers message, source, recipient, and context variables to explain changes in attitude and behavior, related to MRI uses.

Overall, corporations should use MRI more thoroughly. Treating the MRF as a strategic asset rather than just another internal service provider increases its value to the firm. Firms should thus bolster the MRF’s different roles, namely, internal colleague, service provider, customer representative, quality assurance, and knowledge broker.

This paper is the first to comprehensively analyze the MRF’s role in MRI generation and various uses. It identifies three expertise dimensions of the MRF to fully leverage the MRF’s value to the organization and empirically underscores theoretical writings on the MRF’s roles in the firm.

The purpose of this paper is to identify factors affecting word-of-mouth (WOM) towards Islamic Banking (IB) in Jordan through understanding the roles of service quality and perceived value.

A self-administered survey was hand-delivered to the targeted sample of Islamic banks customers in Jordan. The authors delivered 400 questionnaires to customers from which 352 were deemed valid for the analysis. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess the research constructs validity and composite reliability. Structural path analysis was also used to test the research model and hypothesised relationships between the variables.

Service quality has a positive and significant effect on perceived value and WOM towards IB. Convenience has a positive and significant effect on perceived value. Finally, perceived value has a positive and significant effect on WOM towards IB. Service quality exerted the strongest effect on perceived value and WOM. Also, 38 per cent of variation in perceived value was caused by religious motives, service quality and convenience path, whereas 34 per cent of variation in WOM towards IB was caused by perceived value, service quality and convenience path.

Future research needs to investigate other factors that may affect customers’ WOM concerning IB such as perceived bank image, trust and subjective norms. Future research should investigate other dimensions of perceived value such as social, psychological, emotional, sacrifice value and product values and how they affect WOM. From an international marketing standpoint, comparative studies between Jordanian and non-Jordanian Islamic customers are potential areas of future research for international marketing strategies and cross-cultural consumer behaviour analysis.

The paper identifies the determinants of WOM towards IB. Managers should focus on executing service quality strategies customised towards IB. Convenience is a major driver of perceived value and, then, WOM towards IB. Managers need to focus on key marketing messages that enhance religious motives in customers’ minds and hearts; however, attracting new customers and retaining the current ones depend on the perceived benefits in the areas of service quality, convenience and several value aspects.

This study is the first of its kind to test a model of WOM determinants in IB in Jordan. The study is thought to have made a reasonable contribution to consumer behaviour literature and, specifically, for decision-making process through developing and testing a model of WOM determinants towards IB. The study offers CEOs and marketing managers of Islamic banks new insights into the determinants of WOM and how they contribute to consumers’ decision-making process and attitudes to achieve the intended behavioural outcomes towards IB, which were not available at their hands before. These empirical findings are crucial inputs for marketing strategy formulation and implementation.

The purpose of this paper is to examine traditional, current and emerging roles played by ports in the context of logistics and supply chain management practice and strategy. The paper also seeks to elaborate the emerging concept of port‐centric logistics.

The paper draws its insights and conclusions from a review of the literature, and an analysis of current trends and data concerning the ports and maritime transport sector.

The paper shows that ports can play a variety of different roles within supply chains and that they are not restricted to their traditional role of simple transhipment point for freight.

While the paper reviews the roles played by ports in logistics and supply chain management generally, a useful next step would be to analyse specific flows and activities at/through ports within selected supply chains, thus allowing validation of a framework of roles for ports in the context of various supply chain strategies.

The paper highlights the potential, which in many cases is still latent, for ports to engage in port‐centric logistics activities.

The paper both highlights (given the fact that the vast majority of freight at some point transits ports) and extends the understanding of the role(s) of ports within supply chains.

The marketing environment is constantly changing due to political, economic, social and technological issues. Therefore, this chapter explains how practitioners in destination marketing can improve their internal capabilities, competences and resources whilst responding to the ongoing changes in the external environment. The strategic management of destination marketing organisations involves continuous decision-making processes due to the nature of the tourism product. Hence, the author underlines the importance of stakeholder management, organisational culture, employee satisfaction, leadership and corporate governance/political environment, as these variables may contribute to the effective strategic management of these organisations.