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1 – 10 of 86Charles J. Coate, James Mahar, Mark C. Mitschow and Zachary Rodriguez
In the past decade, the effectiveness and efficiency foreign aid (Aid Industry) has generated considerable debate in both of the academic and popular press. Despite spending…
Abstract
In the past decade, the effectiveness and efficiency foreign aid (Aid Industry) has generated considerable debate in both of the academic and popular press. Despite spending billions of dollars in foreign aid well over a billion people remain in extreme poverty. This paper did not intend to question the magnitude of the effort or the motives of donors or aid agencies, but rather why the aid programs have not been more effective.
Certain research in behavioral economics, pathological altruism, and emotional empathy may help provide answers. Common to these theories is the idea that well-intentioned actions or policies may cause unintended, harmful consequences to either the donors or the intended beneficiaries of these actions or policies. This paradoxical result is typically due to the altruist’s inability to properly analyze the situation for a variety of reasons. The Aid Industry may be particularly susceptible to these behavioral biases and thus is likely to suffer to some extent from unintended adverse consequences.
This paper focused on ethical considerations at the microlevel, that is, the paper considered the impact of aid on individual’s economic utility and human dignity as opposed to macromeasures such as gross domestic product. Our purpose was to examine how behavioral theories can improve foreign aid efficiency and effectiveness. Using specific examples and considering ethical arguments based on utility and rights theories, we illustrated how these behavioral theories help explain the Aid Industry’s suboptimal results.
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Fangli Su, Yin Zhang and Zachary Immel
The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure, patterns and themes of interdisciplinary collaborations in the digital humanities (DH) research through the application of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure, patterns and themes of interdisciplinary collaborations in the digital humanities (DH) research through the application of social network analysis and visualization tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample includes articles containing DH research in the Web of Science Core Collection as of December 2018. First, co-occurrence data representing collaborations among disciplinary were extracted from the subject category. Second, the descriptive statistics, network indicators and interdisciplinary communities were calculated. Third, the research topics of different interdisciplinary collaboration communities based on system keywords, author keywords, title and abstracts were detected.
Findings
The findings reveal that while the scope of disciplines involved in DH research is broad and evolving over time, most interdisciplinary collaborations are concentrated among several disciplines, including computer science, library and information science, linguistics and literature. The study further uncovers some communities based on closely collaborating disciplines and the evolving nature of such interdisciplinary collaboration communities over time. To better understand the close collaboration ties, the study traces and analyzes the research topics and themes of the interdisciplinary communities. Finally, the implications of the findings for DH research are discussed.
Originality/value
This study applied various informetric methods and tools to reveal the collaboration structure, patterns and themes among disciplinaries in DH research.
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Remedios Hernández-Linares, Vanessa Diaz-Moriana and Valeriano Sanchez-Famoso
It has long been known that family firms have a high mortality rate and that increasing these firms' survival rate is one of the most difficult challenges faced by both public…
Abstract
It has long been known that family firms have a high mortality rate and that increasing these firms' survival rate is one of the most difficult challenges faced by both public policies and scholars. While most policies and researchers have focused on the business side, in recent years, more attention has been paid to the family sphere. This chapter goes one step further by not focusing on one side or another of this binomial, but on the relationship between both. In particular, we analyze the paradoxes emerging between the different inter- and intragenerational dyads that coexist in family firms (mother-daughter, father-son, mother-son, father-daughter, brother-sister, wife-husband, etc.) to open new lines of debate and propose new basis for the establishment of family firms-targeted public politics. We propose policies that will help family decision-makers to manage unique paradoxes that characterize family businesses.
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Argentina Soto Maciel, Salvatore Tomaselli and María Rodríguez García
This chapter aims at contributing to the literature on education for business families shedding light on some current knowledge gaps, new research directions, and future…
Abstract
This chapter aims at contributing to the literature on education for business families shedding light on some current knowledge gaps, new research directions, and future contributions. We have focused on highlighting the elements that make family business education a promising field for developing lifelong, multigenerational pedagogical strategies, becoming a field of experimentation that could be beneficial for the innovation in multidisciplinary university education. We have also explored the characteristics of various teaching methods that are new for family business education at universities, and how they relate with the different types of learning categorized by Le Breton-Miller and Miller (2015). Since education to business families is an area that is on its nascent stage, a high research potential is placed ahead.
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G. Stephen Taylor, Michael S. Garver and Zachary Williams
Owner operators are an important group of truck drivers, yet have been the subject of very little academic research. Specifically, no research has explored retention issues among…
Abstract
Purpose
Owner operators are an important group of truck drivers, yet have been the subject of very little academic research. Specifically, no research has explored retention issues among owner operators. Thus, this paper aims to employ a segmentation approach to owner operator retention, examining important independent variables that include: pay and compensation, top management support, time at home, and safety.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from a large truckload (TL) carrier. The drivers surveyed were irregular route long‐haul drivers. A total of 239 responses were obtained, for a response rate of 74.6 per cent. Latent class regression (LCR), a technique new to logistics and supply chain management (SCM) research, was utilized for data analysis.
Findings
The results show there are four different need‐based driver segments, which means that specific driver retention programs must be developed for each segment.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of this paper is that an attitudinal measure (intent to stay) was used to assess turnover instead of actual behavior. Additionally, only one demographic variable was collected. Implications of this paper include demonstrating the existence of unique segments within the same sample; the specification of the major attitudinal drivers for each segment; and the need to further study a largely neglected but very important group in the supply chain.
Practical implications
From a practitioner viewpoint, knowing that different groups of owner operators exist will help in developing programs to improve driver retention. Specific recommended actions for each segment are presented. These results will help managers with the retention of owner operators.
Originality/value
Owner operators are an important group when it comes to making the global supply chain function smoothly and efficiently. Yet, little research in logistics and SCM address this group. Driver turnover continues to plague the TL industry and understanding owner operators, and their segments, is critical to improve driver retention, cost structure, and profitability. Also, to determine if segments of this under‐researched group exist, LCR was deployed.
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José Luis Santos, Kenneth R. Roth, Adrian H. Huerta and Zachary S. Ritter
As demand for access to colleges and universities prompts higher education systems for creative and efficient solutions, we examine technology-centric approaches to education…
Abstract
As demand for access to colleges and universities prompts higher education systems for creative and efficient solutions, we examine technology-centric approaches to education delivery and their implications for policy, student outcomes, and resource allocation. Our work is framed by Kingdon’s adapted multiple streams theory of national policymaking. However, the real elephant in the room may be the skyrocketing costs of administration that may need wrangling before resources can be directed to the future potential savings obtained through developing infrastructure for, and delivery of, tech-centric teaching approaches. We provide examples and strategies, policy implications, and recommendations for research and practice.
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Josefa D. Martín-Santana, M. Katiuska Cabrera-Suárez and M. de la Cruz Déniz-Déniz
This paper aims to analyse if the family influence on the firm and the relational dynamics inside the family and the firm could create specific familiness resources, which lead to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse if the family influence on the firm and the relational dynamics inside the family and the firm could create specific familiness resources, which lead to a stronger market orientation (MO) of the family firms (FFs).
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a cross-industry sample of 374 managers in 174 Spanish FFs. Structural equation modelling is used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
The climate of family relationships is going to affect the firm’s MO through the influence that this climate has on two relational social capital variables, one in the family area (the identification of the family managers with the FF) and the other in the business area (the level of trust between the members [family and non-family] of the top management teams [TMTs]).
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to the literature on the under-researched topic of MO in the FFs by going beyond earlier studies focusing on FFs’ explicit attributes, such as their names, as potential explanatory variables of their marketing behaviour. This study also proposes and analyses new internal antecedents of MO based on the social capital of the firm.
Practical implications
Business families should promote the adequate governance mechanisms to enhance the quality of family social capital to promote the firms’ social capital and ultimately their MO. With the same aim, family managers should try to orientate their leadership behaviour to transmit their own organizational identification to the rest of the firm’s employees. Also, open communication and shared values should be promoted within TMTs to reinforce firms’ social capital that leads to MO.
Originality/value
This paper integrates social capital literature with MO literature. It also contributes to the literature on FFs, and specifically to the issue of familiness, by analyzing the effect of specific FF characteristics on MO.
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Somtochukwu Emmanuel Dike, Zachary Davis, Alan Abrahams, Ali Anjomshoae and Peter Ractham
Variations in customer expectations pose a challenge to service quality improvement in the airline industry. Understanding airline customers' expectations and satisfaction help…
Abstract
Purpose
Variations in customer expectations pose a challenge to service quality improvement in the airline industry. Understanding airline customers' expectations and satisfaction help service providers improve their offerings. The extant literature examines airline passengers' expectations in isolation, neglecting the overall impact of online reviews on service quality improvement. This paper systematically evaluates the airline industry's passengers' expectations and satisfaction using expectation confirmation theory (ECT) and the SERVQUAL framework. The paper analyzes online reviews to examine the relationship between airline service quality attributes and passengers' satisfaction.
Design/methodology/approach
The SERVQUAL framework was employed to examine the effects of customer culture, the reason for traveling, and seat type on customer's expectations and satisfaction across a large sample of airline customers.
Findings
A total of 17,726 observations were gathered from the Skytrax review website. The lowest satisfaction ratings were from passengers from the USA, Canada and India. Factors that affect perceived service performance include customer service, delays and baggage management. Empathy and reliability have the biggest impact on the perceived satisfaction of passengers.
Research limitations/implications
This research increases understanding of the consumer expectations through analysis of passengers' online reviews. Results are limited to a small sample of airline industries.
Practical implications
This study provides airlines with valuable information to improve customer service by analyzing online reviews.
Social implications
This study provides the opportunity for airline customers to gain better services when airline companies utilize the findings.
Originality/value
This paper offers insights into passengers' expectations and their perceived value for money in relation to seat types. Previous studies have not investigated value for money as a construct for passengers' expectations and satisfaction relative to service quality dimensions. This paper addresses this need.
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