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1 – 10 of 18Arthur Ingram and Stefan Fraenkel
This paper aims to explore managers' perceptions of labour productivity within a sample of de luxe hotels located in Switzerland.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore managers' perceptions of labour productivity within a sample of de luxe hotels located in Switzerland.
Design/methodology/approach
The exploratory, qualitative fieldwork outlines managers' perceptions of labour productivity. It describes the views of a sample of ten male, senior managers and human resources managers, of several 4‐ and 5‐star hotels.
Findings
The emerging findings highlight the fact that managers perceive productivity as a vague concept. Pessimistically, the harder managers try to understand it, the more nebulous such a notion appears to them.
Research limitations/implications
This is a small exploratory study of managers' perceptions of labour productivity based on interviews drawn from hotels near Geneva and Lausanne.
Practical implications
The fieldwork draws attention to this situation and suggests ways to make concepts of productivity more relevant to hospitality managers.
Originality/value
Essentially, the work examines the proposition that for hoteliers productivity enhancement in hospitality is, in practice, a vague concept. It is interesting that, apparently, the more effort individual units managers put into an understanding/perception of productivity management, the further the concept recedes. Arguably, Swiss hotel managers tend to confuse productivity with profitability: as such recognition of the management of people as a vital element in successful hotel management is low. What emerges from the interviews is that productivity seems to be essentially an attitude of mind, a question of perceptions, frames of reference, intangible properties: that the essence of productivity enhancement is how to do things better. Are productivity and profitability perhaps not so far apart, after all ?
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Anthony Larsson and Yamit Viitaoja
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions among representatives from various established major Swedish banks in how they experienced the digitalisation process…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the perceptions among representatives from various established major Swedish banks in how they experienced the digitalisation process and its impact on customer relations.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered through a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews with managers representing different banks with profound insight in the banks’ digitalisation process and its effects on customer relations/satisfaction and digitalisation.
Findings
The results showed that half of the respondents experienced the same area posing the greatest challenge. This was rooted in the perceived insecurity around what the bank assumed to know about its customers’ proficiency and experiences, and what the customers appeared to actually know.
Research limitations/implications
This study was conducted as an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study of various major Swedish banks, which may limit the external validity of its results. Other limitations are also discussed in the paper.
Practical implications
By identifying the aspects of a digital banking that bank managers perceive to be more advantageous or challenging towards cultivating the relationship with its customers, bank managers should garner an awareness of being able to more effectively develop appropriate strategies in addressing the bank’s customers.
Originality/value
The area is vastly under-researched. The study contributes to the literature of digital channels and its perceived effects on customer loyalty from a managerial perspective. The results show that some of the present customer loyalty theory needs to be revised in order to accommodate for the era of digitalisation.
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Milja Marčeta and Štefan Bojnec
This study aims to establish the position of the European Union (EU-28) countries in the dynamics of international trade openness linkages and the Global Competitiveness Index…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to establish the position of the European Union (EU-28) countries in the dynamics of international trade openness linkages and the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) in correlation with the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, research and development (R&D) expenditures, innovation capability and information and communication technology (ICT) adoption.
Design/methodology/approach
In the panel data set, comparative analyses were applied to scatter diagrams, correlation and regression analyses and structural equation models using Eurostat and World Economic Forum (WEF) data for the EU-28 countries in the period 2008–2019.
Findings
The empirical results did not confirm the hypotheses that a positive correlation exists between GCI and trade openness indicators and between GDP per capita and GCI. The ICT adoption and innovation capability increase GCI, which affects GDP per capita.
Practical implications
The empirical results provide a better understanding of the importance of trade policies, particularly in terms of trade openness and trade shares of the EU-28 countries, as it could contribute to increasing the GCI of the EU-28 countries. Furthermore, the results of this study underline the importance of ICT adoption and innovation capability and the need for appropriate government policies that improve global competitiveness.
Originality/value
This study, through empirical analysis, demonstrates the existence of correlations between trade openness (exports as % of GDP, imports as % of GDP and export market shares as % of world trade), R&D expenditures, innovation capability, ICT adoption, GDP per capita and the GCI in the EU-28 countries. In addition, this study contributes managerial and policy-based implications on driving forces of global competitiveness.
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In the German economy, in addition to typical small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Mittelstand plays a major role. The present chapter focuses on those Mittelstand…
Abstract
In the German economy, in addition to typical small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Mittelstand plays a major role. The present chapter focuses on those Mittelstand firms that are known as Hidden Champions. The contribution will show how the general characteristics of Mittelstand firms impact their internationalisation strategies and internationalisation processes. It outlines how the German Mittelstand solves the global–local dilemma in an unparalleled way, and it stresses some of the major challenges that Mittelstand firms face.
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This viewpoint adds context and variety to the “decolonizing international business” debate by engaging in a discussion of the decolonial thinking approach and proposing a broader…
Abstract
Purpose
This viewpoint adds context and variety to the “decolonizing international business” debate by engaging in a discussion of the decolonial thinking approach and proposing a broader framework for analysing the link between international business (IB) activities on the one hand and colonisation and decolonisation on the other. The purpose of this paper is to inspire a more intensive engagement of IB scholarship with issues related to colonisation and decolonisation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper involves taking a reflexive review on recent calls to decolonise IB, contextualising and extending the decolonisation debate in the academic field of IB.
Findings
This paper argues that the current discussion of decolonisation should be extended beyond the decolonial thinking approach and its focus on knowledge and the cultural dimension towards a broader framework that covers both colonisation and decolonisation as well as the respective economic, political, social and cultural dimensions. It introduces the varieties of colonisation and decolonisation approach, which considers the complexities of the phenomenon and covers the economic, social, political and cultural dimensions.
Research limitations/implications
Through its focus on foreign market expansion, international trade, global value chains and formal and informal institutions in the business environment, the academic field of IB provides several starting points for research on the link between IB activities and colonisation and decolonisation. The decolonisation debate can be used to inspire future research in IB, for example, with respect to the role of multinational corporations in colonisation and neo-colonisation processes and the implications of the emerging multipolar world order for IB.
Practical implications
IB scholars will be better informed when engaging in discussions on decolonisation and the decolonise IB project. This paper suggests considering both colonisation and decolonisation processes as well as the respective economic, political, social and cultural dimensions in research and teaching. The varieties of colonisation and decolonisation approach provides a comprehensive and flexible alternative framework to analyse issues related to colonisation and decolonisation.
Social implications
A balanced view of the implications of colonisation and decolonisation with respect to economic, political, social and cultural dimensions may suitably be incorporated in the field of IB and contribute to tackling grand societal challenges. This applies likewise to past, current and future processes of colonisation and decolonisation.
Originality/value
This paper contextualises and adds a new perspective and variety to the current debate on decolonising IB. This is valuable for engaging in discussions on decolonisation and future conceptual and empirical research on the topic.
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Nickolas D. Polychronopoulos and John Vlachopoulos
This study aims to develop mathematical models for the determination of the effects of heating or cooling on neck growth in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Fused Filament…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop mathematical models for the determination of the effects of heating or cooling on neck growth in Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Two particle shapes are studied: spherical and cylindrical.
Design/methodology/approach
The time required for the coalescence (sintering) process is determined by balancing the work of surface tension forces and viscous dissipation. Heating and cooling effects are studied by incorporating temperature dependence of viscosity in an exponential form. Heating by a laser, convective and/or radiative heat transfer is assumed. It is also assumed that there are no temperature gradients within the coalescing molten polymers (lumped parameter heat transfer analysis).
Findings
The models predict faster sintering with heating and slower with cooling, as expected because of the effect of temperature on viscosity. For the isothermal case of pairs of cylinders, the present model predicts significantly longer time for completion of sintering than a previously developed and frequently cited model by Hopper.
Originality/value
An isothermal sintering model for two spheres was reworked for two long cylinders, and for the first time it has been compared to other models available in the literature. The mathematical models are capable of predicting neck growth under non-isothermal conditions for both spheres and cylinders. They are useful in assessment of bonding in selective laser sintering and fused deposition fabrication.
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For the Frankfurt School, what most decisively distinguished critical from traditional theory was that critical theorists refused to celebrate the working class uncritically. The…
Abstract
For the Frankfurt School, what most decisively distinguished critical from traditional theory was that critical theorists refused to celebrate the working class uncritically. The early critical theorists accepted the premise that the working class is the most likely agent of social transformation, but unlike orthodox Marxists (and even such mavericks as their forerunner Georg Lukács) they did not assume that workers are progressive by nature. In other words, they disputed the metaphysic of the charismatic proletariat, a class “destined” for transcendence and glory. This essay sketches the emergence of this perspective in the early writings of Herbert Marcuse. Initially a partisan of the Lukáscian view, which he spiced with Heideggerian accents, Marcuse broke with transcendentalism when he repudiated existentialism and political theology. He concluded that relying on any kind of charismatic savior, whether a class or a leader, is an abdication of sociological realism and political responsibility. Reaching this conclusion placed Marcuse in agreement with Max Horkheimer, and enabled him to assist Horkheimer in the elaboration of the founding principles of critical theory. The ultimate results of this collaboration included the formulation of a new critical research agenda, which placed inquiry into the roots of authority on a new foundation. By means of critical inquiry into personal “authoritarianism,” the Frankfurt theorists were able to shed new light on political authority. This remains a seminal contribution and continues to animate a major contemporary research tradition.
Swarna D. Dutt and Dipak Ghosh
The purchasing power parity hypothesis is investigated within a highly economically integrated set of nations, namely the European Monetary System. We use the Phillips‐Hansen…
Abstract
The purchasing power parity hypothesis is investigated within a highly economically integrated set of nations, namely the European Monetary System. We use the Phillips‐Hansen Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares procedure, which for the first time allows for an unrestricted cointegration test of the PPP doctrine. We sequentially test for the weak and strong form of PPP.
This chapter treats the luxury hotel concept and practice and its recent trends in the tourism industry. This niche market is expanding rapidly with changing global income…
Abstract
This chapter treats the luxury hotel concept and practice and its recent trends in the tourism industry. This niche market is expanding rapidly with changing global income structures and increasing complexity of the hospitality sector. Its clientele comprises quality-seeking, prestige-striving, and high-spending customers. The chapter first explores the concept of luxury in relation to hotels. It further groups various associated assets into tangibles and intangibles to discuss their recent trends across the world. It is suggested that companies and destinations active in the luxury hotel market or contemplating entry take these trends into account to gain and/or maintain competitiveness.
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