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1 – 10 of over 16000Dorothea Bowyer and Glenda Davis
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how a grounded theory method applied to a case study within a particular industrial context can be used to derive a substantive model of…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how a grounded theory method applied to a case study within a particular industrial context can be used to derive a substantive model of the practice of capital budgeting and contribute to an understanding of contextual elements that affect investment decisions. This study aims to examine how the investment decision to acquire aircraft, strategic core assets, is made by small players within an industry that is small by world standards, Australian regional aviation.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopts a grounded theory approach to the case study. Primary data were collected using questionnaires, semi‐structured and open‐ended interviews. Secondary data comprised pro‐forma aircraft lease contracts and information from a law firm. Consistent with grounded theory, qualitative research mining software (Leximancer) was used to facilitate initial analyses of data and understanding of decision factors and their relationships. The model was derived, refined and confirmed using data from follow‐up unstructured interviews.
Findings
This research within a specific industrial context finds that a substantive model derived through a grounded theory approach provides an understanding of the richness of the investment scenario and the decision factors considered in the capital budgeting decision. Reflection on such narrow industrial findings in terms of existing theories provides insight into the reasons for the gap between practice and theory.
Originality/value
This research is original in that it employs a grounded theory approach, which has received little attention within prior literature, to derive a substantive model based on industrial practice of managers who are instrumental in and responsible for a capital budgeting decision. Such an alternative approach to modelling is of value in bridging the gap between practice and theory. Substantive models produced for different industries or contexts can be compared and similarities refined into a theory that is grounded in practice. Dissimilarities may provide valuable insights into variables and processes that are unique to particular contexts.
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Gergely Nyilasy, Robin Canniford and Peggy J. Kreshel
– The purpose of this paper is to map advertising agency practitioners' mental models of creativity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to map advertising agency practitioners' mental models of creativity.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 30 in-depth interviews among top-level advertising agency executives (creative, account and planning directors) were conducted. Design and data analysis followed the grounded theory paradigm of qualitative research.
Findings
Complementing earlier studies in advertising creativity, a multi-dimensional system of practitioner mental models was discovered. Substantive models depict agency professionals' core understanding of advertising creativity and its dialectical structure. Developmental models conceptualise the intrapersonal acquisition of creative skill as well as the social context in which advertising creativity is generated. Effectiveness models introduce native explanations for the market effectiveness of creativity. Interrelationships between the identified models are presented in detail.
Research limitations/implications
Understanding the mental models of advertising executives enriches the literature on the production side of marketing culture.
Practical implications
Shared understandings of mental models between advertising agencies and client brand management teams have the promise of reducing agency-client conflict.
Originality/value
The study's contribution is threefold: it provides an integrated view on advertising practitioners' multifaceted mental models about creativity (an area that has received little prior research attention); it models these mental models in their dynamic interaction, going beyond previous accounts that looked at topical areas in creativity in relative isolation; it redresses an imbalance in marketing theory between the production and consumption contexts of marketplace culture formation.
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Constructing and evaluating behavioral science models is a complex process. Decisions must be made about which variables to include, which variables are related to each other, the…
Abstract
Constructing and evaluating behavioral science models is a complex process. Decisions must be made about which variables to include, which variables are related to each other, the functional forms of the relationships, and so on. The last 10 years have seen a substantial extension of the range of statistical tools available for use in the construction process. The progress in tool development has been accompanied by the publication of handbooks that introduce the methods in general terms (Arminger et al., 1995; Tinsley & Brown, 2000a). Each chapter in these handbooks cites a wide range of books and articles on specific analysis topics.
State environmental agencies have been organized independently with a variety of structural schemes, and are responsible for the bulk of administration of federal environmental…
Abstract
State environmental agencies have been organized independently with a variety of structural schemes, and are responsible for the bulk of administration of federal environmental policy, such as the Clean Air Act. Using statistical models of air quality outcomes, this research compares three competing typologies for capturing agency differences: Ringquist (1993b), Lester (1990), and Wilson (1989). The findings indicate the most commonly used measure of organization, Ringquist (1993b), may be the weakest in comparison. Additionally, both Lester (1990) and Wilson (1989) show interesting advantages in comparison to each other. The findings provide some interesting insights into the difficult task of measuring organization.
Charles Chi Cui and Edward I. Adams
The national identity scale (NATID) was recently reported in the literature for identifying the core elements that define the uniqueness of a given culture or nation in so far as…
Abstract
The national identity scale (NATID) was recently reported in the literature for identifying the core elements that define the uniqueness of a given culture or nation in so far as their association with marketing is concerned. This study examined the conceptual strengths and empirical limitations of NATID, and assessed the relevance of the national identity construct in Yemen. Confirmatory factor analysis of the data from a sample of 208 Yemeni respondents revealed that the NATID scale did not fit the Yemeni data. Modification of the scale was made through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which resulted in four dimensions in two alternative models similar to NATID. Results from the second‐order confirmatory factor analysis of the two alternative models supported NATID’s multi‐dimensionality of the national identity construct in the Yemeni context. Implications for future research are discussed and limitations noted.
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Monique Arkesteijn, Ruud Binnekamp and Hans De Jonge
One of the long-standing issues in the field of corporate real estate management is the alignment of an organisation’s real estate to its corporate strategy. To date, 14 models…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the long-standing issues in the field of corporate real estate management is the alignment of an organisation’s real estate to its corporate strategy. To date, 14 models for corporate real estate (CRE) alignment have been made, as well as four comparative studies about CRE alignment. Some of the CRE alignment models indicate that they strive for maximum or optimum added value. However, because most models take a so-called procedural rationality approach, where the focus is not on the content of the decision but on the way that the decision is made, “how a CRE manager can select an (optimum) alternative” stays a black box. The purpose of this paper is to open the black box and offer a Preference-based Accommodation Strategy (PAS) design procedure that enables CRE managers to design a real estate portfolio, makes use of scales for direct measurement of added value/preference, and allows the aggregation of individual ratings into an overall performance rating. This procedure can be used as add-on to existing alignment models.
Design/methodology/approach
The objective of this paper is to test if participants are able to successfully perform the PAS procedure in practice. The PAS procedure is in essence a design methodology that aims to solve strategic portfolio design/decision-making problems. In accordance with problem-solving methodology, mathematical models are made for two pilot studies at the Delft University of Technology. This paper describes a second test of the proposed procedure for designing a real estate strategy. The application of real estate strategy design methods in practice is very context-dependent. Applying the PAS procedure to multiple context-dependent cases yields more valuable results than just applying it to one case.
Findings
The PAS design procedure enables CRE managers to select the (optimal) solution and thereby enhances CRE decision-making. The pilot study results reveal that, by completing the steps in the PAS procedure, the participants are able to express their preferences accordingly. They designed an alternative portfolio with substantially more added value, i.e. a higher overall preference score, than their current real estate portfolio. In addition, they evaluated the design method positively.
Research limitations/implications
The positive results suggest that designing a strategy by using the PAS design procedure is a suitable approach to alignment.
Practical implications
The PAS design procedure enables CRE managers to determine the added value of a real estate strategy and quickly and iteratively design many alternatives. Moreover, the PAS design method is generic, it can be used for a wide range of real estate portfolio types.
Originality/value
The PAS procedure is original because it considers CRE alignment as a combined design and decision problem. The use of operational design and problem-solving methodologies along with an iterative procedure, instead of empirical/statistical methods and procedures, is a novel approach to CRE alignment. The PAS procedure is tested in a second pilot study to provide an assessment of the methodology through the study by testing it under different conditions to the first study. The novelty of this pilot is also that it allowed testing the procedure in its purest form, as the problem structure did not require the additional use of linear programming.
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Based on a sample of 101 teachers from 14 aided secondary schools in Hong Kong, a survey was conducted in March‐April 1994 to collect data about organizational values in schools…
Abstract
Based on a sample of 101 teachers from 14 aided secondary schools in Hong Kong, a survey was conducted in March‐April 1994 to collect data about organizational values in schools and teachers’ feelings. Two new instruments, the “School values inventory” and the “Teachers’ feelings questionnaire”, were developed for this study. Using LISREL computer program to analyse the data, builds a linear structural equation model of school values and teachers’ feelings. The result is a LISREL model of school values and teachers’ feelings which indicates that cultural linkage in schools promotes teachers’ feelings of commitment, job satisfaction, sense of community and order and discipline, whereas bureaucratic linkage undermines such feelings. Implies that school principals should resort more to cultural linkages as the strategies to bind people together and to give people meaning in their work.
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Scott L. Boyar, Charles M. Carson, Donald C. Mosley, Carl P. Maertz and Allison W. Pearson
The purpose of the current paper is to continue assessment of the construct and predictive validity of the Netemeyer et al. Work Family Conflict (WFC) and Family Work Conflict…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current paper is to continue assessment of the construct and predictive validity of the Netemeyer et al. Work Family Conflict (WFC) and Family Work Conflict (FWC) scales while reassessing the scales for possible improvements.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from workers in a poultry processing plant to reassess Netemeyer et al.'s WFC and FWC scales. Carlson et al. were unable to include Netemeyer et al.'s items in constructing and validating their new measures of WFC and FWC. This paper assesses and extends the validation of the Netemeyer et al. scales.
Findings
This study supports the notion that a reduced model of both scales (four items for WFC and three items for FWC) fit the data in the sample better than the original five‐item measures presented by Netemeyer et al. By deleting items from each scale more variation in the constructs was accounted for and reduced unexplained error. By clarifying the measurement of WFC and FWC, the substantive predictive model in the paper was supported. In addition, both WFC and FWC predicted individuals' intention to quit, indicating potential predictive validity for these modified scales.
Originality/value
While this is a reassessment of a previously used scale, the improvements in functionality (decreased items needed for assessment) and potential for predictive validity of the modified scales result in an exciting new avenue for WFC and FWC research.
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As part of a major study, an attempt was made to examine the organizational values of secondary schools in Hong Kong with a self‐constructed, standardised instrument, the School…
Abstract
As part of a major study, an attempt was made to examine the organizational values of secondary schools in Hong Kong with a self‐constructed, standardised instrument, the School Values Inventory. Values are chosen, because organizations are not only theory‐laden, but are also value‐laden and the sharing of organizational values are the binding forces that hold an organization together. Using LISREL confirmatory factor analytic modelling techniques and based on a sample of 554 teachers from 44 secondary schools in Hong Kong, a four‐factor model of organizational values was developed. The model which, precisely and concisely, concludes binding forces in Hong Kong schools as bureaucratic linkage, cultural linkage, tight coupling, and loose coupling provides an insight to understand school administration and organizational cultures.
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Tomás Vargas-Halabi and Rosa Maria Yagüe-Perales
This research aimed to conceptualize organizations as open and purposeful systems to study how organizational culture (OC) influences firms' Innovative Performance (IP). The…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to conceptualize organizations as open and purposeful systems to study how organizational culture (OC) influences firms' Innovative Performance (IP). The authors proposed goal setting and internal integration/external adaptation paradox as central to explaining OC's mediating and suppressing effects on IP.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors collected data from 372 Costa Rican organizations and analyzed them with structural equations. This research used the Denison Model instead of the usual typology-based approaches.
Findings
The mission had a direct and high impact on IP. The mediated effect via adaptability was also elevated, as well as the suppressor effect through consistency. There was no effect on IP of involvement. According to these results, the Open and Rational Systems Framework emerge as the main theoretical explanatory concepts.
Originality/value
Disaggregating the OC through a performance-oriented dimensional model makes it possible to study the dynamics between the elements that compound it and facilitate integrating these findings with other research streams.
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