Abstract Purpose – The objective of this paper is to determine the feasibility of binding, politically, economically and culturally, the Mediterranean Sea’s southern and northern coasts. Design/methodology/approach – The paper evokes the gains and limitations of such an undertaking. Findings – The paper finds that the initiative may be premature, but a formal relationship should stren…
Abstract This article evaluates 63 Turkish firms’ per-ceptions of different factors leading to success in doing business with the FSU. It discusses in detail several important factors such as uncer-tainty handling, and the cultural and geo-graphic proximity from the Turkish firms’ point of view. It suggests to In ternational companies interested in the FSU, that Turkey can be an excellent…
Abstract Purpose – Guided by voice and leadership theory, this paper aims to articulate the underpinnings of upward defiance (competence deficiency; ignorance of concerns; structural gaps between echelons) and to describe the managerial actions that help depose those underpinnings. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyzes 30 historic narrative accounts of actual mutinies. The journ…
Abstract Purpose – The aim of this paper is to discuss the apparent paradox that multinational firms may and sometimes do pursue social benefits as their main objective. Design/methodology/approach – This paper explores the grey area that lays between some consolidated analytical concepts, namely: spillovers, corporate responsibility, social cooperation and non-governmental organizations.…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a stakeholder approach based on a case-study research was used to define a method to be applied across the Portuguese seaport administrations (SA) in order to justify the tariffs to be charged for a variety of services provided by these entities. Design/methodology/approach – The study involved both the Portuguese maritime t…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what types of shipping knowledge are crucial in order for shipping companies to survive in dynamic business environment, and to investigate how the shipping knowledge affects the company’s performance (i.e. organizational innovation and logistics value). This paper also diagnoses the moderating effect of absorptive capacity on the …
Here in the quiet hours of my life, I write this short story for which I give much credit to my wife Ying-Lun for this opportunity and for her advice, interpretations and giving me the understanding, time, patience, love and “quiet time” needed to accomplish this writing that I have longed to do for so many years. I dedicate this book to my wife Ying-Lun Ng Fletcher. and To Dr. David C. Wyl…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this research is to empirically develop a service-driven market orientation construct and test its relationships with service quality. Design/methodology/approach – The researcher employs Critical Incident Technique to generate items for the survey instrument. Then, the quantitative-based descriptive research uses structured questionnaires to capture the …
Abstract Purpose – When deploying a frigate to the Gulf of Aden as a part of the Operation Atalanta, the Norwegian Defence outsourced logistics to a TPL provider. The purpose of this paper is to explore the cooperation between the Defence and the TPL provider during the operation. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative design was chosen. Semi-structured interviews were combined with r…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need for an entity to manage airborne relief when a nation’s civil aviation authorities are overwhelmed or incapacitated due to a major rapid-onset disaster. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines why relief airflow management was so vital during the 2010 Haiti earthquake and how this management was accomplished. …
Liberia is at the crossroads. Still recovering from a protracted civil war, there is inadequate education, high illiteracy rates particularly for women and where the population is 90 percent food insecure. Libraries are non-existent outside of universities at which libraries are woefully inadequate. Through various initiatives Rutgers University and others are working to help develop a twenty-f…
Abstract Purpose – To carry out a practical experiment into the feasibility of service orientation to achieve a dynamic, late-binding service architecture. Design/methodology/approach – Literature view to provide a foundation in standards and measure anecdotal opinion regarding service orientation. The review informed an architectural design based on real world requirements from a multinat…
abstract Energy use in the production of desirable output often results in the generation of undesirable emission with detrimental impact on the environment, and whose disposal is frequently monitored by public authorities. Previous studies, however, paid little attention to undesirable output and environmental regulation related to its disposal while estimating energy use efficiency. Analysis…
Kee-Hung Lai is an Associate Professor with research interest in logistics management in the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He has co-authored three books and his research papers have been accepted or published by various journals such as Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Logistics, Omega and others. T.C. Edwin Cheng is Cha…
Abstrack The transition from direct service to management in human service organizations requires newly promoted managers to engage in significant role transformation that calls into question their self-concept and identity. This analysis draws upon the for-profit and nonprofit literature to construct a conceptual model of managerial identity formation. The model is then applied to a case vign…
Abstrack There has been a proliferation of studies on product perceptions based on the country of origin. Most of these studies were conducted in western or developed countries. Studies in the less developed nations are still scarce, especially research conducted in the former Soviet Union. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the former Soviet republics offer vast new market opportu…
The Advanced Management Development Programme (AMDP) was introduced by West Sussex County Council, UK, in 1999. The programme runs in partnership with the University of Chichester, which offer a Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Management on completion of the programme. Since the commencement of the programme, 134 West Sussex County Council Managers have taken part with a further 14 managers …
Abstract In this paper we use directional technology distance functions to evaluate the impact of environmental regulations on firms’ performance. Following Fa¨re et al. [Fa¨re, R., Grosskopf, S., Lovell, C.A.K., Pasurka, C., 1989. Multilateral productivity comparisons when some outputs are undesirable: a nonparametric approach. The Review of Economics and Statistics 71, 90–98.], we cons…
Abstract It is well known that within an economic region, shippers' practice of logistics is shaped significantly by various factors, such as transportation regulation. The precise purpose of this paper is to describe these factors and their influence on logistics practice in the New Zealand context. Discusses the various modes of domestic freight transport, as well as the deregulation and pr…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe in detail how “process knowledge worker” based task forces can enable effective business process improvement (BPI). This successful methodology involves innovation (I), action learning (AL), and extends throughout the organisation (O). The authors show that the resultant IALO is a repeatable and transferable approach to sustaina…
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore effective dynamic capabilities for new product development project in complex product systems (CoPS) industries. This paper focuses on developing an exploratory framework for understanding dimensions of dynamic capabilities in CoPS distinguished from mass-produced goods.
Abstract Purpose – The arrival of global manufacturers has brought about new challenges such as environmental concerns and sustainability of supply chains. The purpose of this paper is to identify implementation level, major drivers, various practices and performance of environmentally and socially-conscious supply chain management (SCM) in the context of the automobile industry in India.
Abstract Purpose – This paper presents a method for estimating the macro-economic cost of a firm-level information system disruption within a supply chain. Design/methodology/approach – The authors combine field study estimates with a Leontief-based input-output model to estimate the macro-economic costs of a targeted internet outage that disrupts the supply chain.
Abstract Purpose – Many service providers feel confident about their service quality and thus offer service guarantees to their customers. Yet service failures are inevitable. As guarantees can only be invoked when customers report service failures, firms are given the opportunity to redress the original failure potentially influencing customer outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to prov…
Abstract The decision on which countries will participate in European Monetary Union (EMU) is to take place as early as possible in 1998, with the final run-in, regarding the technicalities of introducing a single currency, starting on 1 January 1999. With this timetable in mind, examines some of the major issues which will have to be confronted by UK retailers. Even if the UK Government decid…
Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to examine the impact of oil prices on trade’s sensitivity to distance. Furthermore, it seeks to investigate if the nature of trade and the type of goods have a mediating role on the oil prices’ impact on trade. Design/methodology/approach – A set of gravity models are estimated on a unique panel dataset from China Customs Statistics that reports tra…
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 – 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 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 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 Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the production processes utilized by the Malaysian construction industry (MCI). Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows an earlier work published in this journal in which the authors analyze the global construction industry focusing on the evolution of lean production systems. Findings – The future of construction is …