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Although bankruptcies in the TMT sector are flowing thick and fast, the collapse of the media empire built up by Leo Kirch over a 42‐year period is arguably the most dramatic. Protected by its links with German business and financial institutions as well as politicians, the KirchGruppe appeared to be impervious to the periodic downturns in business conditions. However, not only did the “German” way of doing business behind closed doors come under increasing pressure by the end of the 1990s, but the KirchGruppe acquired enemies such as the Springer family as well as shareholders, such as Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi, who were intent upon expanding their own empires. Because he assumed that his empire was well‐protected via his associates, Leo Kirch took excessive risks, not least the issuance of put options which, if exercised, could bring down his empire – which in the event was what transpired earlier this year.

Discusses sandwich placements and their importance at Sheffield Hallam University. Outlines the Business Studies degree programme and the assessment procedure of work placements, mentioning its role in final degree assessment. Lists problems of assessment, and criticisms from the employers’ points of view. Finally, provides a framework for a new programme based on both the competence approach and a survey of placement companies.

The purpose of this paper is to identify cyclical patterns in the prices and production of UK pigmeat, 1989‐2008.

The approach takes the form of spectral analysis.

Results show evidence of both annual and seasonal cycles, but there is little evidence of a three‐to‐four‐year cycle. The likely cause of the latter's absence is increasing imports and a changing market structure.

Conventional wisdom is that the traditional pig cycle is of three‐to‐four years' duration and the UK's pig policy is based partly on its existence and that the design and implementation of UK pig policy are predicated on the basis of a traditional cycle is misplaced.

No previous or recent empirical investigation of the UK pig cycle exists, perhaps because its existence is considered to be axiomatic.

The purpose of this study is to review evidence on the nature of effective leadership in interprofessional health and social care teams.

A critical review and thematic synthesis of research literature conducted using systematic methods to identify and construct a framework to explain the available evidence about leadership in interprofessional health and social care teams.

Twenty-eight papers were reviewed and contributed to the framework for interprofessional leadership. Twelve themes emerged from the literature, the themes were: facilitate shared leadership; transformation and change; personal qualities; goal alignment; creativity and innovation; communication; team-building; leadership clarity; direction setting; external liaison; skill mix and diversity; clinical and contextual expertise. The discussion includes some comparative analysis with theories and themes in team management and team leadership.

This research identifies some of the characteristics of effective leadership of interprofessional health and social care teams. By capturing and synthesising the literature, it is clear that effective interprofessional health and social care team leadership requires a unique blend of knowledge and skills that support innovation and improvement. Further research is required to deepen the understanding of the degree to which team leadership results in better outcomes for both patients and teams.

Hospital mergers are common in the United Kingdom and internationally. However, mergers rarely achieve their intended benefits and are often damaging. This study builds on existing literature by presenting a case study evaluating a merger of two hospitals in Oxford, United Kingdom with three distinct characteristics: merger between two university hospitals, merger between a generalist and specialist hospital and merger between two hospitals of differing size. In doing so, the study draws practical lessons for other healthcare organisations.

Mixed-methods single-case evaluation. Qualitative data from 19 individual interviews and three focus groups were analysed thematically, using constant comparison to synthesise and interpret findings. Qualitative data were triangulated with quantitative clinical and financial data. To maximise research value, the study was co-created with practitioners.

The merger was a relative success with mixed improvement in clinical performance and strong improvement in financial and organisational performance. The merged organisation received an improved inspection rating, became debt-free and achieved Foundation Trust status. The study draws six lessons relating to the contingencies that can make mergers a success: (1) Develop a strong clinical rationale, (2) Communicate the change strategy widely and early, (3) Increase engagement and collaboration at all levels, (4) Be transparent and realistic about the costs and benefits, (5) Be sensitive to the feelings of the other organisation and (6) Integrate different organizational cultures effectively.

This case study provides empirical evidence on the outcome of merger in a university hospital setting. Despite the relatively positive outcome, there is no strong evidence that the benefits could not have been achieved without merger. Given that mergers remain prevalent worldwide, the practical lessons might be useful for other healthcare organisations considering merger.

Presents, from a systemic perspective, an examination and discussion of performance measurement, performance indicators and associated improvement initiatives, as typically applied in public sector organisations. Such mechanisms are usually implemented as a causal loop which is established between perceived performance and resulting actions, thereby constituting a form of feedback control. Within this context a two‐dimensional matrix model is postulated in which the independent dimensions are the source of control and the nature of the resultant control‐action. The paper examines the implications revealed by this model within the context of performance management and system dynamics. The potential role of influence diagrams and dynamic simulation models is thereby introduced as a potential means of unravelling the complex behaviour which can often arise in the presence of such interactive cause‐effect loops. A number of typical examples, drawn from within the public sector, are invoked to illustrate the discussion.

This study aims to examine the phenomenon of self-perceived age (SPA) identity for Generation X (GenX) women in the UK. Squeezed between the more ubiquitous “boomer” and “millennial” cohorts, and now with both gender and age stigma-related challenges, this study looks to provide insights for understanding this group for marketing.

This study adopts an existential phenomenological approach using a hybrid structured/hermeneutic research design. Data is collected using solicited diary research (SDR) that elicits autoethnographic insights into the lived experiences of GenX women, these in the context of SPA.

For this group, the authors find age a gendered phenomenon represented via seven “age frames”, collectively an “organisation of experience”. Age identity appears not to have unified meaning but is contingent upon individuals and their experiences. These frames then provide further insights into how diarists react to the stigma of gendered ageism.

SDR appeals to participants who like completing diaries and are motivated by the research topic. This limits both diversity of response and sample size, but coincidentally enhances elicitation potential – outweighing, the authors believe, these constraints. The sample comprises UK women only.

This study acknowledges GenX women as socially real, but from an SPA perspective they are heterogeneous, and consequently distributed across many segments. Here, age is a psychographic, not demographic, variable – a subjective rather than chronological condition requiring a nuanced response from marketers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first formal study into how SPA identity is manifested for GenX women. Methodologically, this study uses e-journals/diaries, an approach not yet fully exploited in marketing research.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of product price image (PPI) on perceived value (PV) and repurchase intention (RI) of Brazilian customers' craft beer. Moreover, this research also verifies the moderating effect of customer experience (CE) and price sensitivity.

The survey data analysis was performed using Smart-PLS 3.3.9 and Process 4.1 software with 329 customers.

The results show that PV is a full mediation variable in the relationship between PPI and RI. As a mediated moderation, lower CE and price sensitivity better explain the indirect effect of PPI on RI via PV.

Thus, managers may reinforce the PV of low price sensitivity and low CE. These customers learn about companies' prices compared with higher price-sensitive customers and higher CE that already PV.

The article discusses the implications of PV as a mediator, low price sensitivity and low CE as moderators for craft beer.

1. The world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, following water and tea, the third-most-popular drink on earth is beer;

2. Managers should create strategies to reinforce the PV and consequently the RI by offering PPI and benefits (PV) for customers with low experience and low-price sensitivity about craft beer;

3. Low customer experience and low-price sensitive's customers are learning about companies' prices compared to higher price sensitive, and higher customer experience that already PV, PL, PF, and PEs and NEs;

4. Small producers craft beer that connotated the product's high quality and benefits; the higher may be the level of RI and consumption from customers.

The world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, following water and tea, the third-most-popular drink on earth is beer;

Managers should create strategies to reinforce the PV and consequently the RI by offering PPI and benefits (PV) for customers with low experience and low-price sensitivity about craft beer;

Low customer experience and low-price sensitive's customers are learning about companies' prices compared to higher price sensitive, and higher customer experience that already PV, PL, PF, and PEs and NEs;

Small producers craft beer that connotated the product's high quality and benefits; the higher may be the level of RI and consumption from customers.

This study draws on behavioral finance and signaling theory to investigate market reactions to Chinese acquirers when they made premium payments in large cross-border acquisitions. Paying high premiums has been considered an inferior acquisition decision that engenders negative market reactions in previous studies examining Western acquirers. Moving beyond previous work, this paper aims to propose that the premiums paid by Chinese firms in large international acquisitions will yield positive market reactions.

This paper applies an event study method and tests hypotheses on a sample that comprises large international acquisitions made by Chinese acquirers between 2007 and 2012.

The acquisition premium paid by a Chinese acquirer in a large cross-border acquisition positively affects its stock market return to the acquisition announcement. That is, investors rely on the managers’ judgment about the synergistic and value-creating potential of the acquisitions, as inferred from the premiums paid. Moreover, it was found that the relationship between acquisition premiums and stock market returns is moderated by whether the transactions are tender offers, in that the positive relationship is weaker when acquisitions are tender offers.

Different from previous research focusing on Western companies and proposing a negative linkage between premiums paid and investor reactions to the acquisitions, this study sheds light on Chinese acquirers who paid premiums in large international acquisitions and, based on the logic of behavioral finance and signaling theory, posits a positive association in the context of Chinese acquirers.

In the context of the general funding scarcity in the nonprofit sector, this paper aims to inquire into the governance challenges facing nonprofit aid organizations in a donor–recipient partner relationship. In particular, the authors focus on the challenges of commercial diversification as the espoused alternative to aid-funding.

A qualitative design was deployed to collect and analyze data collected from interviews conducted in three case organizations in an aid development partnership.

The various responses at the organizational level are presented as well as analyses of the inter-organizational aspects. All organizations have responded strategically to reductions in funding from state/government and other aid sources by attempting to diversify commercially yet at the same time maintain dependency on aid-funding. This entailed tensions between the logics of the market and mission. These tensions are manifest not only within the organizations but also in the relations between them.

Analyses of the twin-track strategies have highlighted that maintaining aid dependency and resource diversification have different and conflicting relational prerequisites and require diverse and conflicting internal capabilities. The paper develops a conceptual framework for capturing the governance challenges of this strategic dilemma and concludes that the choices of pursuing continued aid-funding and seeking new commercial opportunities are invariably mutually exclusive.