Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between efficiency and profitability in the US specialty retailers and food consumer stores using cross-sectional data for the year 2007. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to measure the relative efficiency of 45 retailers in the USA. The study also qu…
Abstract Purpose – Among emerging countries’ foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe, the Chinese and the Indian ones are the more relevant. Therefore, the paper focuses on Chinese and Indian affiliates in Europe, with a twofold purpose: to shed light on their characteristics and behaviour and to analyse some policy issues in the EU stemming from their arrival to Europe. Design/methodol…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the antecedents and consequences of consumer satisfaction with the use of self-service technology (SST) in a retail setting. Design/methodology/approach – In cooperation with a survey firm, a total of 424 respondents were collected from among consumers who had experience of using multimedia kiosks at convenience stores in Tai…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reveal how the prices, costs, and logistics develop in the case mill and how these variables correlate with profits, and finally to give suggestions for improvements. Design/methodology/approach – A typical Finnish paper mill is selected for the basis of the case study. The complete data for the mill for the years 2001 to 2007 at a monthly…
Abstract Purpose – A program of shipment consolidation (SCL) is the purposeful intervention by management to regularly combine several small shipments so that a larger load may be dispatched on the same vehicle. SCL decisions traditionally have been based upon minimization of total logistics costs (inventory plus transportation). The paper aims to answer the following research question: give…
Abstract Purpose – China and India are pursuing cooperative arrangements while simultaneously maintaining their own independence, especially with respect to foreign policy. Today, decisions about cooperation are made on a case-by-case basis, opting for cooperation when necessary and competition where this strategy is justified. Maintaining a balance in a contradiction-ridden relationship i…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of a key logistics and distribution variable, case pack quantity, on a consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturing firm’s performance. The paper builds theory with respect to case pack quantity’s dichotomous impact on the retail shelf replenishment process and subsequent impact on market share depending on product …
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this manuscript is to quantify exactly how much information and/or predictive content is contained in business sentiment surveys. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses techniques drawn from information theory econometrics, and more specifically the theory of information entropy, to characterize the predictive content of business sentiment surveys. …
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illuminate light on the assessment of operating efficiency of specialty coffee retailers from the perspective of socially responsible global sourcing. This paper evaluates the impact of socially responsible sourcing on the operating efficiencies of specialty coffee retailers before and after implementing fair-trade practices and compares th…
Abstract Purpose – The reader of Alfred Marshall writings confronts a variety of businessmen portraits that coexist along his epoch. The purpose of this paper is to describe Marshall’s understanding of the capitalist-owner concept, the way in which access to capital determined the emerging role played by entrepreneurs, the differences between entrepreneurs and managers in order to expose …
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief and partial overview of some of the issues and authors that have dominated British industrial relations research since 1965. It is cast in terms of that year being the astronomical Big Bang from which all else was created. It traces a spectacular growth in academic interest and departments throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and then comme…
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the relationship between board process attributes and company performance of family-owned companies within an emerging country context. Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire was developed and conducted on a sample of privately-held Turkish companies where a total of 386 usable questionnaires were returned. From the original …
ABSTRAK Melakukan analisa deteksi kecelakaan pada kapal bisa disebabkan oleh beberapa faktor, seperti kerusakan ada sistem kapal, mesin, cuaca, alam/lingkungan serta manusia itu sendiri dan lain – lain sebagainya. Untuk melakukan analisa deteksi kecelakaan pada kapal dalam hal ini tabrakan antar kapal secara dini maka diperlukannya informasi seperti panjang kapal, jarak antar kapal, radius …
ABSTRACT. In recent years, interest in the economic potential of the Arctic has been mounting, facilitated by environmental developments caused by climate change. In this context, the viability of shipping in Arctic waters is pivotal. This article explores the interplay of market considerations and the non-market drivers (climatic, navigational and political components) regarding the viability …
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relative impact of workplace bullying and risk perception on the mental health among employees in safety critical organisations. The paper also aims to examine whether self-esteem moderates the relationship between bullying and risk perception as stressors and mental health as an outcome variable.
Abstract Purpose – Organizations in India are multicultural in nature. In this context, cultural intelligence is a tool, which can increase an individual’s ability to interact with people outside his/her culture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of cultural intelligence on task performance as well as to investigate the mediating role of cultural adjustment between the two.
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to establish an integrated model of Analytic Network Process (ANP) and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), to assist enterprises to process supplier quality performance rating and comparison and find the core improvement direction to create the value of all supply chain members.
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the effectiveness of market discipline on banks’ risk-taking behavior based on how swiftly banks respond to market information. Design/methodology/approach – A simplified incentive model provides the necessary justification for two types of market disciplines: first, monitoring by uninsured market participants, and second, risk p…
a b s t r a c t The International Maritime Exchange (IMAREX) is the leading regulated marketplace for trading and clearing shipping freight derivatives. We investigate for the first time whether the IMAREX freight futures market is efficient over the daily and weekly horizons. To this end, we address the question in both a statistical setting and an economic setting by employing an extensive d…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through metaphor analysis, the complex nature of the work undertaken by waiters and pursers on-board cruise ships. This is an under-researched field and empirical research has produced some interesting perceptions that these groups of workers have of themselves, of others, and of the world in which they work and live. Design/met…
abstract There has been a worldwide trend for financial institutions to become larger in scale and more diversified in scope, with Taiwan being no exception. Fourteen financial holding companies (FHCs) have each begun to function as a management umbrella in Taiwan by investing in different types of financial services such as banking, insurance, and securities. This paper focuses on this local…
abstract This article takes 117 branches of a certain bank in Taiwan in 2006 as the research subject and introduces ata envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the operating performances of business units of this bank to provide the reference for a bank’s managers in determining operation strategies. The result indicates that, in overall technical efficiency, the case bank has many inefficien…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of sustainability efforts within the field of supply chain management, more specifically supply chain logistics operations, and to identify opportunities and provide recommendations for firms to follow sustainable operations. This study also aims to stimulate further research within the area of sustainable logistics…
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to focus on the expectations and predicaments of Cameroonian civil servants two years after the country reached its completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on both the sales effects of free wine tastings and the effects on attitudes towards future purchases four weeks after the tastings. Design/methodology/approach – Store scanner data for the four weeks before and after each of ten wine tastings are used to measure the effect tastings had on sales. A total of 170 consumers, who attende…
Abstract Purpose – The aim of this paper is to investigate the differential effect of customer orientation and future market focus on organization inertia and firm innovativeness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the business-to-business service industry. It is motivated by the observation that small and medium-sized service firms’ proxy to customers may lead to incremental s…
Abstract This paper shows consistency of a two step estimation of the factors in a dynamic approximate factor model when the panel of time series is large (n large). In the first step, the parameters of the model are estimated from an OLS on principal components. In the second step, the factors are estimated via the Kalman smoother. The analysis develops the theory for the estimator considered…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on research in which a fuzzy quality function deployment (QFD) approach has been used for enhancing agility improvement of a traditional manufacturing organization. Design/methodology/approach – QFD approach incorporated with fuzzy logic was used for scientific prioritization of agile decision domains, agile attributes and agile en…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how to achieve business improvement using clear organisational goals and well-communicated vision, together with a powerful process modelling technique and an analysis of the adopted e-business development stages
Abstract Takes a strategic journey into the future of the airline industry and air travel. The strategic trends and profound changes that are sweeping through the world airline industry and air travel currently, as well as into the next millennium, are analysed. So too are the responses of the lead airlines that are leading the charge in shaping as well as responding to these changes, which wi…
The UK’s largest electricity supplier is using the Royal Navy’s spare capacity to help to train nuclear power-station workers of the future. With the UK Government recently inviting applications to build the country’s first new nuclear-power stations for a generation, British Energy has signed a £10 million partnership contract with the Royal Navy’s training partner, Flagship, to deliv…
Abstract Purpose – The organisation-wide drive towards total quality management (TQM) and the call forsound corporate governance require that Maltese internal audit (IA) units benchmark their operations as a first step towards the critical evaluation of their processes and the management of change. The purpose of this paper is to determine the awareness of this process in Maltese IA units, …
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to deepen our understanding on circumpolar current dynamics relating to oil and gas exploitation and the role of nations in the polar development process. Additionally, it is fundamental to raise the debate about the energy development in the Arctic and the fact that the exploration of oil and gas resources in the Arctic cannot be performed with the current…
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to examine the antecedent of purchase intention: online seller reputation, product category and surcharge. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses five experimental designs to explore the seller reputation, product category and surcharge effects in Internet shopping. The authors chose one seller of low reputation and one seller of high reputation fr…
Introduction In addition to the outstanding success of the Japanese industry, a number of other Asian countries are emerging as the new power-houses of manufacturing. Over the past ten years the South Korean industry has developed as a major exporter of manufactured goods and has become the second most productive manufacturing nation in Asia after Japan. In a number of markets the South Korea…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the process, network, skills and practices of service parts logistics organizations in the Asia Pacific region. Specifically, it attempts to propose a new framework for service parts logistics management based on interview inputs from several leading automotive and aerospace companies. This paper also seeks to identify the trends and …
Abstract: This study aims to empirically develop a reference for terminal operators to evaluate their operational performance. This paper starts with a discussion on container terminal operations and the development of global container terminal operators. In this study, we applied data envelopment analysis (DEA) as a quantitative analytical tool to measure and evaluate the efficiency of globa…
Abstract Purpose – Benefits of modularity are being limited by the lack of agreement over terminology. Neither researchers nor managers use the same typology, complicating comparisons of modular strategies. Design/methodology/approach – Presents existing problem, then develops comprehensive and necessary typology. Examples illustrate practical use of the typology, and help reader understa…
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to revisit the preventive maintenance scheduling literature. The problem to be solved is the simultaneous scheduling of resource-constrained preventive maintenance and operations. In particular, the expression that defines the period-dependent cost function for a preventive maintenance scheduling activity is redefined. A case study is presented from the sh…
Abstract Formative measurement models were first introduced in the literature more than forty years ago and the discussion about their methodological contribution has been increasing since the 1990s. However, the use of formative indicators for construct measurement in empirical studies is still scarce. This paper seeks to encourage the thoughtful application of formative models by (a) highli…
ABSTRACT: In this paper, some peculiarities of a Southern European country are made explicit, namely, how the attraction of new, “global,” management practices combines with deeply persistent, thus traditional, ways of imagining organization. The dominant Anglo-Saxon and Protestant models of management may not be fully adequate to characterize management and organization in the Latin Cathol…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to set out the process by which a smart specialisation strategy was developed for a small, peripheral economy in the European Union, the Republic of Malta. It assesses the applicability of the approach in the context of a micro-economy with an industrial structure based on a small number of foreign direct investments and a predominance of mic…
Abstract Data envelopment analysis has gained great popularity in energy and environmental (E&E) modeling in recent years. In this paper, we present a literature survey on the application of data envelopment analysis (DEA) to E&E studies. We begin with an introduction to the most widely used DEA techniques, which is followed by a classification of 100 publications in this field. The main featu…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical and informative exploration of the emerging roles and rising influence of the Global South in shaping the future of global governance. Specifically, it inquires into the following questions: How is the Global South impacting the way we govern globally? What are the pushers, pulls and weights to the futures of global govern…
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to present an account of the history and recent cultural revival of the Acadians, one people flourishing in two geographically distinct regions of North America. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is a comparison and contrast structure utilizing secondary historical research sources. Findings – Two different environments have given rise to a…
Introduction Control charts are important tools of statistical quality control. These charts are used to decide whether a process has achieved a state of statistical control and to maintain current control of a process. To use any of these charts, three design parameters must be specified: the sample size n, the sampling period h, and the width of control chart k (the number of standard deviat…
Abstract Purpose – This paper presents the design, development and trialling of the mobile execution environment (MEE), a secure portable execution environment designed to support secure teleworking. Teleworking is an established work practice, yet often the information security controls in the teleworking location are weaker than those in a corporate office. Security concerns also prevent …
There are numerous possible advantages to be gained from the accurate prediction of future movements in the Baltic Freight Index (BFI). Because of the difficulties inherent in long-range forecasting, however, the potential for such predictions to provide insight into the future state of the physical dry bulk market is perhaps limited. The greater accuracy of short-term forecasts, on the other h…