Katarina L. Matthes, Christine A. Zuberbuehler, Sabine Rohrmann, Christina Hartmann, Michael Siegrist, Michel Burnier, Murielle Bochud, Marcel Zwahlen, Nicole Bender and Kaspar Staub
Cross-cultural studies on differences in eating and consumer behavior have several limitations due to differences between countries, for example, in national health policies…
Abstract
Purpose
Cross-cultural studies on differences in eating and consumer behavior have several limitations due to differences between countries, for example, in national health policies. Switzerland combines cultural diversity between the language regions, but with a common national health policy. Therefore, Switzerland provides an ideal framework to investigate cross-cultural eating and consumer behavior. The aim of this study was to combine food consumption, purchase data and sales data to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of cultural dietary differences.
Design/methodology/approach
Six national Swiss studies on food consumption, one study of food sales from the largest supermarket chain in Switzerland and one national study of food purchasing were included. The estimated marginal mean of each food category in each language region was calculated using linear regression and respective linear random effect models.
Findings
In the French- and Italian-speaking regions more fish was sold, bought and consumed than in the German-speaking region of Switzerland. In contrast, in the German-speaking region, more milk and dairy products were sold, bought and consumed. Language regions explained sales, purchase and consumption of foods, but the findings were only consistent for fish and milk and dairy products.
Originality/value
If possible limitations of cross-culture studies between countries are eliminated, cultural eating and consumer differences are still visible, even in a small country like Switzerland. For the first time, the complexity of studying food consumption, purchasing and sales is shown in one study. This indicates the importance of further studies which consider these three perspectives to better understand cultural differences in eating and consumption behavior.
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The purpose of this chapter is to introduce critical issues of power, social reproduction, and agency in the practice and institutionalization of sport-for-development and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce critical issues of power, social reproduction, and agency in the practice and institutionalization of sport-for-development and the burgeoning “Sport for Development and Peace” (SDP) sector. To this end, the chapter draws on a host of recent academic contributions to the critical study of sport-for-development.
Findings
Key findings of several research projects are organized and presented in four thematic categories: terms of development, voice and agency, social reproduction, and privilege and dominance. In turn, the conclusion examines recent theoretical applications of participatory methods and critical pedagogy to the research and practice of sport-for-development.
Originality/value
The chapter provides a succinct introduction to critical issues in sport-for-development work and will be of value to researchers, students, and practitioners interested in progressive approaches to international development and the role of sport therein.
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IMP researchers have shown interest in how innovations result from interaction among companies, while, and in parallel, there has been an increased focus on open innovation (OI…
Abstract
Purpose
IMP researchers have shown interest in how innovations result from interaction among companies, while, and in parallel, there has been an increased focus on open innovation (OI) during the past decade. OI depicts how companies source, spin-out, and collaborate on innovation. This paper describes and discusses whether and how IMP and OI researchers acknowledge and build on each other’s work; and whether and how ideas provided by IMP and OI, respectively, create a fit to expand the exchange of knowledge between IMP and OI.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a citation analysis focussing on whether the OI literature refers to IMP research, and whether or not the IMP literature refers to OI research. The paper also compares OI and IMP to discover potentials for knowledge exchange between them through discussing similarities, complementarities, and contradictions.
Findings
The paper points out that while IMP researchers have started to show interest in OI, OI research does not refer to IMP. As such, OI research remains more company-centric in its discussions. IMP provides tools and models to capture the OI phenomenon specifically related to collaborative OI, while OI offers interesting thought for the capture of transaction-based innovation processes and their management.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to previous research through linking together OI and IMP research. This is important for several reasons, including the ability to enhance knowledge in each domain, critically discuss and relate various research domains and their underpinnings, and expand ideas developed in one research domain to another.
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Huub J. M. Ruël and Christina Lake
Talent is a critical factor for organizational success. Multinational corporations (MNCs) face the challenge of fierce competition for talent worldwide by increasing their efforts…
Abstract
Purpose
Talent is a critical factor for organizational success. Multinational corporations (MNCs) face the challenge of fierce competition for talent worldwide by increasing their efforts in global talent management (GTM). To improve the strategic alignment of GTM, organizations increasingly incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) applications to support their GTM system. However, not every organization is successful at applying these new opportunities (e-GTM) and aligning them successfully with their organizational strategy. This chapter aims at conceptualizing the relationship between strategic GTM and strategic ICT in an aligned effort. It presents a conceptual framework that identifies four types of MNC approaches to e-GTM.
Design/Methodology/Approach
By means of a review of, both the GTM literature as well as the ICT literature, we connect the two concepts, GTM and ICT into e-GTM, into a framework along two axes: the extent to which MNCs apply GTM (ad hoc vs. strategic) and the scope of ICT in MNCs (operational vs. strategic).
Findings
Although the framework identifies four approaches to e-GTM in MNCs, the framework is less black and white than as presented. Companies can display e-GTM characteristics which place them in the gray areas in between each of the profiles. Additionally, we assume that achieving the alignment of strategic GTM and strategic ICT is an iterative process.
Research Limitations/Implications
Since strategic alignment is not static but continuously changing, it requires companies to reevaluate their current GTM practices and ICT applications constantly while scanning the external market for new developments in the field of GTM and ICT to ensure the innovative state of their system. Furthermore, we assume that MNCs from high-tech sectors are more successful in supporting their strategic GTM applications with suitable ICT applications than MNCs from low-tech sectors. The study presents a first step toward researching the relationship between strategic GTM and strategic ICT in MNCs. The proposed framework might be used as a foundation for further research studies.
Practical Implications
The framework presented in this chapter can help MNCs to address the issue of connecting GTM and ICT.
Originality/Value
The relationship between GTM and ICT have not been conceptualized before. Furthermore, the typology presented in this chapter, with four approaches to ICT-enabled GTM, is a new way of looking at the GTM–ICT relationship.
Christina Juliana, Lindawati Gani and Johnny Jermias
The purpose of this study is to examine the performance consequences of misalignment among business strategy, organizational configurations and management accounting systems (MAS).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the performance consequences of misalignment among business strategy, organizational configurations and management accounting systems (MAS).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a questionnaire survey to collect data and test the hypotheses developed in this study. The authors sent the questionnaires to the accounting and finance managers of the manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The authors received 259 responses from a total of 579 questionnaires sent or a 44.73% response rate. This study excludes 36 responses for further analyzes due to incomplete responses (five responses) and responses from lower-level employees (31 responses). The remaining 223 responses are used for statistical analyzes.
Findings
This study hypothesizes and finds that misalignments among business strategy, leadership style, organizational culture and MAS are negatively associated with both financial and non-financial performance.
Research limitations/implications
The study has three limitations. First, the authors intentionally collect data from the manufacturing industry to minimize the effect of data heterogeneity. To improve the generalizability of the study, future research might consider using data from other industries. Second, the study measures business strategy based on respondents’ perception of their companies’ strategy using indicators representing either product differentiation or cost leadership strategy. Future studies might use different ways of measuring business strategy using more objective empirical proxies such as research and development expenditures or premium price capability. Finally, this study conducts a survey and measures all the variables in a single period. Future studies might use a longitudinal approach to investigate the evolution of companies’ strategies and their impact on leadership styles, organizational commitment and MAS.
Practical implications
The results of the study will help companies in their search for senior executives, in building their organizational culture and in implementing their MAS. The study suggests that product differentiation companies should search for transformational leaders that empower their subordinates to take initiative and encourage innovative ideas in performing their tasks. In regard to MAS, the results suggest that product differentiation companies should implement broad focus MAS that emphasize the balance between financial and non-financial factors. By contrast, cost leadership companies should search for transactional leaders who emphasize on completing tasks on hand effectively and efficiently. In regard to MAS, the findings suggest that cost leadership companies will benefit more from using narrow focus MAS such as formal planning and budgeting, variance analyzes and cost-volume-profit analyzes.
Social implications
The findings of the study suggest that product differentiation companies should build a flexible culture that encourages subordinates to take the risk and effectively manage opportunities and challenges through changes and innovation. Furthermore, cost leadership companies should build a controlled culture that promotes adherence to policies and procedures to minimize costs and increase efficiency.
Originality/value
This paper introduces to the management and accounting literature the concept of fit among competitive strategy, leadership style, organizational culture and MAS and uses the two-stage method proposed by Ittner and Larcker (2001) to measure the degree of misalignment among business strategy and its contextual variables and, in turn, examines the impacts of the misalignment on financial and non-financial performance.
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Thomas Leathem, Christina Hillesheim, Aressa Coley and Shane McGregor
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a unique pedagogical approach intended to address a need of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professions for graduates…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a unique pedagogical approach intended to address a need of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professions for graduates to work in cross-disciplinary collaborative teams. Addressing this industry need has been challenging for higher education programs in the past. The pedagogy evaluated in this study takes a unique approach to addressing the issue and the aim of the study is to capture the effectiveness of the approach.
Design/Methodology/Approach
This paper presents a qualitative research study evaluating perceptions of students and faculty participating in the cross-disciplinary course experience between architecture and construction. The study evaluated perceived vs received learning outcomes and perceived challenges of the cross-disciplinary course approach. Data were collected from open-ended interviews and observations of students and faculty participating in the course, as well as course artifacts.
Findings
Results of the study indicate alignment between perceived and received outcomes. Identified perceptions of challenges to the approach reflect many identified in previous studies. Areas for future study, and practice in collaborative education within the AEC disciplines are also suggested.
Research Limitations/Implications
This research used a qualitative approach to evaluate perspectives of six students and two teachers in a specific pedagogical approach at one university. Given the small sample size and delimitation of one-course approach, findings from this study are not generalizable to a broader population. In addition to providing valuable data for future quantitative studies on a larger population, the study also provides pedagogical options for other schools to consider implementing and studying. The findings support previous research suggestions that collaborative approaches done early and often for longer durations are needed to address collaborative learning challenges.
Originality/Value
The pedagogical approach evaluated in this study takes a unique approach to addressing a well-documented need in the AEC industry. Information included in this paper demonstrates an approach not yet documented in AEC higher education. Further, it provides a glimpse into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges that contribute a body of knowledge for others in the discipline to build from. The findings suggest a more in-depth approach may help cross the negative student impressions developed in shorter in-frequent approaches, and begin to develop student understanding of the value and necessity of multi-disciplinary collaboration.
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Sebastian Berger, Fabian Christandl, Christina Schmidt and Christian Baertsch
Entomophagy (i.e. human insect consumption) is seen as one promising route to substantially reduce food-related carbon footprints as insects can be produced at a fraction of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Entomophagy (i.e. human insect consumption) is seen as one promising route to substantially reduce food-related carbon footprints as insects can be produced at a fraction of the carbon emitted by traditional Western meat production (e.g. beef, pork, poultry). In this light, the purpose of this paper is to address how prices may affect preferences for insects as food.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on consumer research on “positive” functions of prices (e.g. the widely held belief that price and quality are positively correlated), the authors present two behavioural experiments that manipulated price cues to estimate the effect on expectations, eating behaviour and willingness-to-pay as central preference indicators.
Findings
Consistent with the predictions, high prices as initial anchors positively affect food preferences. Furthermore, they incur a positive spill-over effect to subsequent consumption of insects that are unprocessed (i.e. truffles in which mealworms are visible in their entity) and for which no price information is available. Additionally, the authors show that the positive effects of high prices on preferences are muted if prices are artificially lowered (e.g. by means of government subsidies, Experiment 2).
Practical implications
Taken together, the authors show that preferences for novel foods such as insects can be promoted by systematically taking into account behavioural economic theories. This suggests that behavioural theory can be used to reap environmental benefits of entomophagy.
Originality/value
This research links behavioural economics with the actual consumption of insects and therefore complements survey research on behavioural intentions.
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Researchers have shown increased interest in open innovation – that is, the inflow and outflow of ideas, or the collaborative efforts of innovating – while previous research on…
Abstract
Researchers have shown increased interest in open innovation – that is, the inflow and outflow of ideas, or the collaborative efforts of innovating – while previous research on acquisitions of innovative firms has foremost focused on the inflow only. Open innovation, however, introduces several new challenges related to acquisitions of such firms, not the least related to intellectual property rights and innovative skills that may be distributed among several parties. This paper explores what issues the literature on open innovation and acquisitions deals with related to acquisitions in open innovation environments.
A systematic literature review is conducted to achieve the purpose of the paper. Two main questions are addressed. First, how can acquisitions be understood in relation to open innovation? Second, what does the open innovation literature say on matters of distributed innovations in relation to acquisitions?
The paper concludes that there is a quite limited amount of research concerning itself with open innovation and acquisitions combined. Furthermore, acquisitions are for the most part seen as a means to reach innovation in transaction-based transfers between parties.
With acquisitions of innovative firms, in general, being seen as an important means to reach new ideas, while open innovation is on the rise, the juxtaposing of these phenomena would be of high practical and theoretical relevance to study further.
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Olga Zlatkin-Troitschanskaia and Miriam Toepper
This chapter outlines the challenges that research and practice in higher education have faced in measuring students' competences and learning outcomes. Particular attention is…
Abstract
This chapter outlines the challenges that research and practice in higher education have faced in measuring students' competences and learning outcomes. Particular attention is given to the systematic and institutional contexts in Germany. Based on the outlined national and international contextual framework, the Germany-wide program “Modeling and Measuring Competences in Higher Education (KoKoHs)” is discussed in terms of its two central working stages, key outcomes and lessons learned. In particular, the central results of the second phase are presented for the first time and integrated into the current state of international research. Based on this analysis, perspectives for further research on student learning in higher education and implications for practice and policy are derived.