Adrian N. Carr and Cheryl A. Lapp
This paper introduces this special issue and initially provides some contextual background to the field of psychodynamics, its significance to organisational studies and the…
Abstract
This paper introduces this special issue and initially provides some contextual background to the field of psychodynamics, its significance to organisational studies and the understanding of behaviour in organizations. The internationally-based papers in this special issue are then introduced and summarised.
Without having a shared operationalization of what constitutes a direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) exposure, it is impossible to accurately generalize findings about their…
Abstract
Purpose
Without having a shared operationalization of what constitutes a direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) exposure, it is impossible to accurately generalize findings about their effects. First, it needs to be established how the variables involved in exposures impact outcomes. This will allow for more accurate operationalizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 216 participants were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and randomly assigned into one of four conditions to take an online survey. A 2 × 2 experiment (active/passive attention × low/high exposure) was conducted to determine if the level of attention, otherwise known as attentiveness, and the number of exposures impacted preferences for a fictitious prescription sleep aid.
Findings
Results indicated a significant difference among active and passive conditions such that active exposures resulted in stronger positive preferences.
Research limitations/implications
Studies using different operationalizations should not be aggregated for generalizations about the effects of DTCA of prescription drugs.
Originality/value
This paper urges researchers to clearly operationalize their definitions for “exposure” and to be hesitant about generalizing findings studies using different definitions.
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Gervaise Debucquet, Mélanie Dugué and Mireille Cardinal
Collective catering sector is increasingly offering alternative and more sustainable food propositions, but their success rests on their reception by guests and changes induced in…
Abstract
Purpose
Collective catering sector is increasingly offering alternative and more sustainable food propositions, but their success rests on their reception by guests and changes induced in individual behaviors. The authors investigate food-change determinants by examining the relationship between food behavior at staff restaurants and at home.
Design/methodology/approach
In an experiment over four days conducted in three staff restaurants, the authors monitored the behavioral changes and motivations of guests (n = 599) offered choices between standard and sustainable options for meat, fish, dairy products, fruit-based desserts and a vegetarian dish. The calculation of a “sustainable consumption score,” based on actual consumption at a restaurant by a subsample (n = 160) of guests gives an indication of interest for sustainable options.
Findings
Higher overall choices were observed for vegetarian dishes and for the sustainable meat options rather than for the sustainable fish and desserts options, thus suggesting contrasted perceptions of the sustainable alternatives. The results revealed two profiles of consumers with contrasting scores. The “lower receptive guests” had lower commitment to sustainable food at home and at staff restaurants, while the “higher receptive guests” found in the intervention meaningful propositions for pursuing their existing at-home commitment.
Research limitations/implications
Long-term research would be required to verify whether repeated sustainable offers can break down deep-rooted choices and instill durable changes among consumers with lower commitment to sustainable food. This research contributes to the identification of some types of food that are more suitable for sustainable-oriented interventions.
Practical implications
Some food triggers are identified to further norm activation among the lower receptive profile of consumers.
Originality/value
By addressing continuities/discontinuities between at-home and at-restaurant consumption and mobilizing the “norm-activation” concept, the authors question the efficiency of sustainable food offers at work.
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Melanie Florence Boninsegni, Abhijit Roy, Marat Bakpayev, Smriti Kumar, Jean-Paul Peronard and Thomas Reimer
Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) technologies have strong potential to affect consumer well-being, positively or negatively, so the current paper aims to review potential…
Abstract
Purpose
Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) technologies have strong potential to affect consumer well-being, positively or negatively, so the current paper aims to review potential opportunities and threats that these technologies represent for consumers in several core economic sectors: health care, education, financial services, manufacturing and retailing.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a conceptual framework for how IR 4.0 technologies affect consumer well-being in five representative sectors: health care, education, financial services, manufacturing and retailing. The authors argue that the potential transformations of these specific sectors, facilitated by these technologies, may have profound effects on consumer well-being, with urgent public policy implications.
Findings
Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, three-dimensional printing, machine learning and blockchain, provide customers with novel approaches toward decisions regarding health, education, finances and other fundamental parts of their lives. The organizations that provide these services, such as hospitals, universities and banks, actively adopt the innovations offered by IR 4.0. These evolving and disruptive technologies thus are changing reality for consumers and providers.
Originality/value
This paper proposes some novel public policy implications of IR 4.0 technologies for consumer well-being, and it outlines further research directions that can enhance understanding of relevant technologies and the consequences of their use for society.
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Melanie P. Lorenz, Jack Clampit and Jase R. Ramsey
A dilemma exists in that many view offshoring as a tradeoff between cost efficiency and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to reconcile this dilemma by showing how and why…
Abstract
Purpose
A dilemma exists in that many view offshoring as a tradeoff between cost efficiency and innovation. The purpose of this paper is to reconcile this dilemma by showing how and why offshoring to institutionally distant host countries may result in innovation. The authors introduce an institutional lens in order to understand how offshoring to institutionally distant locales affects innovation outcomes of multinational enterprises. This lens is aimed to provide an analytical tool that is less coarse and less overwhelmingly focused on institutional distance (ID) as a harsh and certain harbinger of reduced innovation performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use primary data from the Offshoring Research Network as well as secondary data from the Frasier Institute on Economic Freedom, and Hofstede’s cultural value survey to empirically assess the distinct effects of distance on innovation at the firm level.
Findings
The authors have developed a model of distance and innovation which goes beyond the traditional assumption of distance as overwhelmingly negative. Whereas in some cases, the positive effect of formal and informal distances outweigh the negative effects stimulating innovation; in other cases, the negative effects of distance hamper innovation. Finally, some elements of distance may not have an impact on innovation outcomes at all.
Research limitations/implications
While previous research stresses the negative effects of distance in general, the authors provide an ID model which, in the context of offshoring, takes into account potential positive, negative, or no effects.
Practical implications
The study presents global supply chain managers with a reference framework for making strategic offshoring relationships decisions.
Originality/value
By unbundling the inherently confounding formative construction of distance measures, eschewing the reflexive assumption that distance is always negative, and mapping theories specific to the application of distinct institutional logics to specific value-enhancing business activities (i.e. innovation), this study offers a more accurate and complete institutional picture that helps reconcile institutional theory with an empirical record that often fails to find what it predicts.
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Amitabh Anand, Melanie Bowen and Deva Rangarajan
Despite the prominence of ethics in mainstream marketing and sales literature, studies on the role of unethical sales practices remain sparse. As a result, we sought to fill this…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the prominence of ethics in mainstream marketing and sales literature, studies on the role of unethical sales practices remain sparse. As a result, we sought to fill this void by reviewing and integrating the available research on unethical sales practices.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic methodology is used to review the literature. The data study covered peer-reviewed journal publications from 2008 through 2020.
Findings
Our investigation uncovered patterns (situational ethical behavior, ethical sales organizational culture, ethical leadership of salespeople, and unethical behavior). We suggest promising avenues for further research by concluding our methodological and theoretical contribution.
Originality/value
Today’s sales profession is continually evolving, putting increased demand on salespeople to adapt to new norms. Salespeople may be enticed to engage in unethical sales tactics in these situations, endangering not just themselves, but also their organizations and clients. This research contributes to the unique nature of ethics among sales people.
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Lloyd M. Jansen and Lloyd M. Jansen
Imagine you are working at the reference desk of a major university library on a busy weekday afternoon. As you say, “How may I help you?” to your next client, you notice that he…
Abstract
Imagine you are working at the reference desk of a major university library on a busy weekday afternoon. As you say, “How may I help you?” to your next client, you notice that he is wearing a high school letterman's jacket and is sporting fuzz on his upper lip that he would proudly call a mustache.
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how, if at all, organizational dynamics changed at US airlines after an industry wide modification to mandatory retirement age…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how, if at all, organizational dynamics changed at US airlines after an industry wide modification to mandatory retirement age regulations in 2007. Findings challenge assumptions that society, organizations, and employees will all unequivocally benefit from abolishing mandatory retirement by investigating the impact of age-related policy changes on US airline pilots.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 43 semi-structured interviews were conducted with captains and copilots from US airlines between September 2010 and July 2011. From this data set, two informant subgroups emerged: first, senior captains averaging 59 years of age; and second, junior pilots averaging 43.5 years of age.
Findings
Findings revealed that both senior and junior pilots reported retirement age policy changes created an antagonistic environment, pitting employees against each other in competition over scarce resources.
Research limitations/implications
Paper findings are based on empirical materials collected during an 11 month snapshot-in-time between September 2010 and July 2011 and interview data are based on a small subgroup of US airline pilots who self-selected to participate in the study. Therefore, findings are not unbiased and may not be generalizable across all airlines’ pilot workgroups.
Practical implications
Considerable research has been conducted identifying the policy and practice changes that employers need to adopt to retain older workers. However, few studies consider the psychological impact of these age-related workplace changes on employees or the organizational psychodynamics they might trigger.
Originality/value
This paper makes two main contributions. First, through use of the psychoanalytic construct of the Oedipus complex, the paper sheds light on some of the psychodynamic consequences of age-related policy changes. Second, it challenges assumptions about workforce aging and the underlying causes of intergenerational conflict, highlighting ways that policy changes intended to eradicate discrimination against older workers can result in age discrimination against younger employees.
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Adrian Carr and Yiannis Gabriel
The notion of the unconscious is introduced and contextualised as part of the larger psychodynamics relevant to the process of managing change. The other papers in this special…
Abstract
The notion of the unconscious is introduced and contextualised as part of the larger psychodynamics relevant to the process of managing change. The other papers in this special issue are introduced.
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This paper aims to focus on why some practitioners in learning disability services resist implementing evidence-based approaches, such as positive behaviour support, despite its…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on why some practitioners in learning disability services resist implementing evidence-based approaches, such as positive behaviour support, despite its benefits.
Design/methodology/approach
Status quo bias theory was used to explain why practitioners choose existing practices over evidence-based approaches despite the negative consequences to their well-being.
Findings
Staff members’ decision to maintain the status quo should not be based solely on a cost–benefit analysis, as is commonly believed, as several factors influence it.
Originality/value
This lies on the development of leadership action based on the factors that influence staff's decision making in favour of the status quo.