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1 – 10 of 106Paul Grainge and Catherine Johnson
The purpose of this paper is to examine the professional culture of television marketing in the UK, the sector of arts marketing responsible for the vast majority of programme…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the professional culture of television marketing in the UK, the sector of arts marketing responsible for the vast majority of programme trailers and channel promos seen on British television screens.
Design/methodology/approach
In research approach, it draws on participant observation at Promax UK, the main trade conference and award ceremony of the television marketing community. Developing John Caldwell’s analysis of the cultural practices of worker groups, it uses Promax as a site of study itself, exploring how a key trade gathering forges, legitimates and ritualizes the identity and practice of those involved in television marketing.
Findings
Its findings show how Promax transmits industrial lore, not only about “how to do” the job of television marketing but also “how to be” in the professional field. If trade gatherings enable professional communities to express their own values to themselves, Promax members are constructed as “TV people” rather than just “marketing people”; the creative work of television marketing is seen as akin to the creative work of television production and positioned as part of the television industry.
Originality/value
The value of the paper is the exploration of television marketing as a professional and creative discipline. This is especially relevant to marketing and media academics who have tended to overlook, or dismiss, the sector and skills of television promotion.
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Indika Fernando, Jiangang Fei, Roger Stanley, Hossein Enshaei and Alieta Eyles
Quality deterioration in bananas along the supply chain (SC) due to cosmetic damage has been a persistent challenge in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality deterioration in bananas along the supply chain (SC) due to cosmetic damage has been a persistent challenge in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incidence of cosmetic defects in bananas across the post-harvest SC and determining the causes of the diminished fruit quality at the retail stores.
Design/methodology/approach
The study quantified the level of cosmetic damage in 243 cartons of Cavendish bananas across three post-harvest SCs in Australia from pack houses to retail stores and identified the risk factors for cosmetic defects.
Findings
The level of cosmetic damage progressively increased from pack house (1.3 per cent) to distribution centre (DC) (9.0 per cent) and retail (13.3 per cent) and was significantly influenced by package height and pallet positioning during transit. Abrasion damage in ripened bananas was influenced by the travel distance between DC and retail store. The study also revealed a range of risk factors contributing to the observed damage including weakened paperboard cartons due to high moisture absorption during the ripening process.
Research limitations/implications
This study only investigated damage incidence in three post-harvest banana SCs in Australia and the damage assessments were confined to packaged bananas.
Originality/value
This study assessed the quality of bananas along the entire post-harvest SC from farm gate to retail store. The study provided knowledge of the extent of the quality defects, when and where the damage occurred and demonstrated the underlying factors for damage along the SC. This will enable the development of practical interventions to improve the quality and minimize wastage of bananas in the retail markets.
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Jingcheng Wen, Yihao Qin, Ye Bai and Xiaoqing Dong
Express freight transportation is in rapid development currently. Owing to the higher speed of express freight train, the deformation of the bridge deck worsens the railway line…
Abstract
Purpose
Express freight transportation is in rapid development currently. Owing to the higher speed of express freight train, the deformation of the bridge deck worsens the railway line condition under the action of wind and train moving load when the train runs over a long-span bridge. Besides, the blunt car body of vehicle has poor aerodynamic characteristics, bringing a greater challenge on the running stability in the crosswind.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the aerodynamic force coefficients of express freight vehicles on the bridge are measured by scale model wind tunnel test. The dynamic model of the train-long-span steel truss bridge coupling system is established, and the dynamic response as well as the running safety of vehicle are evaluated.
Findings
The results show that wind speed has a significant influence on running safety, which is mainly reflected in the over-limitation of wheel unloading rate. The wind speed limit decreases with train speed, and it reduces to 18.83 m/s when the train speed is 160 km/h.
Originality/value
This study deepens the theoretical understanding of the interaction between vehicles and bridges and proposes new methods for analyzing similar engineering problems. It also provides a new theoretical basis for the safety assessment of express freight trains.
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Raju Varghese Vazhapilly and Leena B. Dam
The protagonist of the case is Mr. Prasad Dhumal. Prasad is technically gifted and is considered a subject expert in his line. Prasad exhibits all entrepreneurial traits like high…
Abstract
Purpose
The protagonist of the case is Mr. Prasad Dhumal. Prasad is technically gifted and is considered a subject expert in his line. Prasad exhibits all entrepreneurial traits like high energy, positive and a never say die attitude, technical expertise, etc. In a short career span, Prasad has already been instrumental in opening at least 7 different ventures and is now planning the 8th one and hence the name of the case. None of the ventures have survived. This is a classic case of differences between entrepreneurial qualities and managerial qualities, required for the success of a small business.
Design/methodology/approach
The case is ideal for students of management. The focus areas are Career Management and Entrepreneurship. It also discusses the failure of a business unit from a societal and family perspective rather than simply a financial one. The case is also good to impress upon the audience the distinction between entrepreneurial skills and managerial skills. The focus that the protagonist shows in starting multiple ventures is also a good indicator of objective-driven and clear Career Management, but the lack of the identified skill set to run a business.
Findings
The case brings about the clear distinctions between entrepreneurial qualities and managerial qualities. Career Management has three objectives, expression of the self as a person through the activities one does (job/entrepreneurship) and personal fulfilment, to have an effective work-life balance so that the workplace does not become simply a chore and finally financial security which is also expressed as a reward for something one does or contributes. Even a well-defined career management plan may at times, not yield the desired results.
Research limitations/implications
This is an attempt at a case-based approach highlighting how entrepreneurial zeal and drive may not result in a success of a business venture. Further, the case highlights the serious financial and social isolation that the protagonists faced due to his business failures. The basic learnings from the case are as follows: (1) Start-ups go through phase after establishment; (2) The skill set used to start a venture and sustain it are different and (3) The venture has to survive in a business environment on its merits.
Practical implications
It is a good source material for students of entrepreneurship to understand that sound entrepreneurial qualities may not ensure business success. Businesses may require a blend of managerial, strategic and entrepreneurial qualities to help them navigate through the business environment.
Social implications
Although a lot has been written about entrepreneurship, the social implications of a business failure and the impact on the entrepreneurs, his family and his loved ones forms the crux of the case. Financial losses result in social isolation for the protagonist. The humiliation and isolation associated with a business loss and its serious impact on friends and family also is highlighted in the case.
Originality/value
The case is factual and describes the exact entrepreneurial journey of Prasad.
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This paper examines the network dynamics of the cross-border trades utilizing Social Network Analysis (SNA) based on data obtained from the WTO-OECD Trade in Value Added database…
Abstract
This paper examines the network dynamics of the cross-border trades utilizing Social Network Analysis (SNA) based on data obtained from the WTO-OECD Trade in Value Added database from 2000-2011. The main results of this paper are as follows: regarding the top 10 in-degree centrality industries, industries in China, Germany, and the U.S. have emerged as the largest importers of foreign value added, implying that the global production network is dominated by two different types of industries. The first type includes processing and assembling functions in China and Germany. The other type of industry involves foreign value added largely for domestic final demand in the U.S. Secondly, there are also two types of brokerage roles. U.S. industries are operating in a liaison role, while Chinese and German industries are mostly operating as coordinator or gatekeeper. Thirdly, manufacturing industries in China and Germany which have emerged as higher in-degree centrality incur a large portion of their value added from the logistics industry. This suggests that those leading industries with the highest characteristics of hubness in the global production network cannot sustain their network status without efficient utilization of the logistics industry.
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Tao Peng, Xingliang Liu, Rui Fang, Ronghui Zhang, Yanwei Pang, Tao Wang and Yike Tong
This study aims to develop an automatic lane-change mechanism on highways for self-driving articulated trucks to improve traffic safety.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop an automatic lane-change mechanism on highways for self-driving articulated trucks to improve traffic safety.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors proposed a novel safety lane-change path planning and tracking control method for articulated vehicles. A double-Gaussian distribution was introduced to deduce the lane-change trajectories of tractor and trailer coupling characteristics of intelligent vehicles and roads. With different steering and braking maneuvers, minimum safe distances were modeled and calculated. Considering safety and ergonomics, the authors invested multilevel self-driving modes that serve as the basis of decision-making for vehicle lane-change. Furthermore, a combined controller was designed by feedback linearization and single-point preview optimization to ensure the path tracking and robust stability. Specialized hardware in the loop simulation platform was built to verify the effectiveness of the designed method.
Findings
The numerical simulation results demonstrated the path-planning model feasibility and controller-combined decision mechanism effectiveness to self-driving trucks. The proposed trajectory model could provide safety lane-change path planning, and the designed controller could ensure good tracking and robust stability for the closed-loop nonlinear system.
Originality/value
This is a fundamental research of intelligent local path planning and automatic control for articulated vehicles. There are two main contributions: the first is a more quantifiable trajectory model for self-driving articulated vehicles, which provides the opportunity to adapt vehicle and scene changes. The second involves designing a feedback linearization controller, combined with a multi-objective decision-making mode, to improve the comprehensive performance of intelligent vehicles. This study provides a valuable reference to develop advanced driving assistant system and intelligent control systems for self-driving articulated vehicles.
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Arkadiusz Kawa and Justyna Światowiec-Szczepańska
The purpose of this paper is to identify the components of logistics value and examine their influence on customer satisfaction in e-commerce. This study investigates the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the components of logistics value and examine their influence on customer satisfaction in e-commerce. This study investigates the moderation effect between those two variables using the overall service level in the different industries of e-commerce.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 592 correctly filled questionnaires from telephone and web interviews (computer-assisted telephone interviews and computer-assisted web interviews) were scrutinized. Hierarchical linear modeling (as a part of a wider group of multilevel modeling studies) was used to verify the dependencies between variables from an organization and industry levels.
Findings
The logistics factors indicated and described in the paper differently affect the value for the customer. This value is subjective and dynamic. For this reason, the online seller should develop a system to create a sustainable value proposition. It is plausible due to the possibility of choosing the type of delivery, date of collection and change thereof, as well as that of returning the product. Because of all this, the customer decides on the way of the order execution and creates the value chain.
Research limitations/implications
The developed model is aimed at identifying universal relationships that create the customer satisfaction mechanism for the logistics value. However, this may result in other aspects of customer satisfaction being neglected. The authors are aware that the creation of value by a company in e-commerce must be approached in a systematic manner.
Practical implications
The results obtained and the representativeness of the surveyed sample of companies lead to the formulation of implications for business practice. The conclusions of the research definitely indicate a need to build awareness of logistics value and its influence on customer satisfaction through the service level in the industry. Because of the identified components of the logistics value and industry characteristics, managers of online retailers can better run their businesses, increase customer satisfaction, and thus improve their performance.
Originality/value
It is the first study that concerns e-commerce in individual industries, with particular emphasis on logistics and its impact on customer satisfaction.
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Victor Eriksson, Anna Dubois and Kajsa Hulthén
The purpose of the paper is to analyse how transport activities are embedded in supply chains and networks.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to analyse how transport activities are embedded in supply chains and networks.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is empirically grounded in a single case study that describes and analyses a supply chain of a particular product, Geocloth, focussing on how transport activities are organised in the supply network.
Findings
The paper concludes that transport activities are embedded in two related settings – the supply chain setting and the transport network setting – with implications for how adjustments can be made to increase transport performance. Furthermore, the paper shows how transport performance can be analysed as a function of how business relationships are connected vertically (i.e. how transport activities are sequentially connected within supply chains) and horizontally (i.e. how transport activities are connected across supply chains with regard to joint resource use).
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the understanding of how transport is integrated in supply networks by focussing on the connections between business relationships in supply chains and by pointing to how transport activities are embedded both in supply chain settings and in transport network settings.
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This study aims to examine the share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in creating the value added (VA) of innovative and other industries in Poland in 2004–2020.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in creating the value added (VA) of innovative and other industries in Poland in 2004–2020.
Design/methodology/approach
In terms of the empirical analysis of FDI stocks, their locations were divided into innovative and other industries. The differences in the creation of VA are presented by domestic and foreign enterprises. The impact of FDI stocks in individual industries on gross domestic product (GDP) changes was assessed using the vector error correction model (VECM).
Findings
FDI from innovative industries generated approx. 7% VA of the Polish economy in the years 2004–2020. In 2009–2018, the share of VA of foreign enterprises in innovative industries in Poland showed a faster growth (by 5 pp) than in other industries. The results of decomposition confirm that the level of explanation of GDP by FDI in innovative industries is higher than in other industries.
Research limitations/implications
Changes in the classification of activities reduce the time series period available.
Practical implications
This study explains the participation of foreign and domestic enterprises in creating VA. The results are useful to pursuing the national investment policy.
Social implications
The economic results of domestic and foreign enterprises in the host country affect the economic growth and development and ultimately the socio-economic conditions of life.
Originality/value
This work provides some additional explanations for the inconclusive results of international research into the impact of FDI on GDP or the spillovers effects. Its usefulness concerns the detailed impact of FDI by industrial structures on GDP.
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One of the distinctive features in Korea and the U.S. trucking industries is the huge difference in the share of owner-operators. While it is around 10~15 percent in the U.S.…
Abstract
One of the distinctive features in Korea and the U.S. trucking industries is the huge difference in the share of owner-operators. While it is around 10~15 percent in the U.S., 80~90% of drivers operate their own truck in Korea. Different from historical explanations of previous researches, this paper deals with this feature theoretically. We examine what brings the difference in asset ownership structures between the Korean and the U.S. trucking industries. Using an analytic framework, we investigate the determinants of truck ownership and the changes in ownership patterns. The model introduces several parameters related to productivities of drivers’ efforts and contractibility to affect drivers’ decision, and values of these parameters in both countries are discussed qualitatively and found to be consistent with the aforementioned characteristics.
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