Chunyan Xie, Lúcia de Fátima Martins Guilhoto, Kjell Grønhaug and Jens Østli
In Brazil, bacalhau dishes represent strong cultural, religious and traditional values. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical perspective integrating theories on…
Abstract
Purpose
In Brazil, bacalhau dishes represent strong cultural, religious and traditional values. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical perspective integrating theories on social identity, role‐based identity, and cultural capital to explore multi‐phase bacalhau prosumption. The aim is to understand how consumers maintain their social identity and role‐based identity in this process.
Design/methodology/approach
Data gathering is based on focus‐group discussions. A total of 13 focus‐group discussions were developed with 104 consumers from five different cities in Brazil. Discussions of all five phases of bacalhau prosumption reveal how people maintain and reinforce their social identity and role‐based identity.
Findings
It was found that consumers achieve their social identity through comparison with both in‐group and out‐group members in what they prosume and how they prosume. Consumers also try to maintain their role‐based identity through continuously comparing their actual behaviour with the behaviour standards associated with the role of being a good host/hostess. While economic capital is expressed by the prosumption objects, cultural capital is reflected in consumer prosumption practices.
Originality/value
This study has developed a new theoretical perspective, integrating theories on social identity, role‐based identity, and cultural capital. This novel perspective is applied to a complex food prosumption context including strong cultural, religious and social elements, and allows us to capture both the “being” and “doing” aspects of bacalhau prosumption.
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Chunyan Xie, Richard P. Bagozzi and Kjersti V. Meland
The purpose of this paper is to extend research on employer branding in the recruitment context. The authors develop a model that integrates research from employer branding…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to extend research on employer branding in the recruitment context. The authors develop a model that integrates research from employer branding, social identity theory, and person-organization fit in order to investigate the impact of company reputation and identity congruency between organizations and their job applicants on the attractiveness of an employer brand.
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was conducted to test the theoretical model in a recruitment context in the Norwegian offshore industry. Structural equation modelling is employed in the data analysis.
Findings
A key finding is that a company’s reputation and identity congruence between applicants’ self-identities and their perceived organization identity affect job applicants’ job pursuit intentions through mediation of cognitive social identity. Moreover, identity congruence predicts applicants’ cognitive identification with the company.
Practical implications
The study suggests that managers should try to map and understand central characteristics that describe job applicants’ identities and strive to provide applicants with access to necessary information about the company to form cognitive identification with the company.
Originality/value
The authors extend research on employer branding by incorporating social identity and attitude as mediators between symbolic and instrumental attributes of an employer brand and its attractiveness. This study also deepens research on social identity by including explicitly a comparison process between applicants’ self-identities and their perceived organizational identity, which leads to applicants’ identification with the company.
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Tore Hillestad, Chunyan Xie and Sven A. Haugland
The purpose of this study is to develop new knowledge on corporate branding from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective. The paper is particularly concerned with how…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop new knowledge on corporate branding from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective. The paper is particularly concerned with how environmental awareness can function as a specific CSR activity, and how environmental awareness can impact corporate brand. The paper also investigates the role of personal leadership, both within the company and externally, in developing an environmentally responsible company.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses an explorative research method and studies one company within the Norwegian offshore oil and gas industry. The analysis is based on qualitative interview data.
Findings
The study shows how the founder's role as “cultural architect” has a positive impact on how external constituents assess the image of the company, especially with regard to the company's innovations and its awareness of environmental issues, in two ways: first, it shapes, coordinates, energizes and leverages employees' attitudes and behaviors in relation to environmental issues; second, it thereby enforces a positive external reputation for the company, especially as a “green innovator”.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are induced from a case study of one company in a particular industry. The results may therefore not be applicable or generalizable to other companies or other industries.
Practical implications
The study suggests that companies may gain reputational advantages and differentiation in integrating corporate social responsibility and environmental awareness as a core element of their business strategy.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the corporate branding literature by exploring the role of CSR, and in particular concern for environmental issues and personal leadership, in building corporate reputation and developing a strong corporate brand.
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I present a framework for thinking about personal happiness. Ideas from philosophy are combined with research on happiness from various scientific traditions. But treatments in…
Abstract
I present a framework for thinking about personal happiness. Ideas from philosophy are combined with research on happiness from various scientific traditions. But treatments in philosophy tend to be atomistic, focusing on one narrow approach at the exclusion of others; treatments in psychology tend also to be circumscribed, emphasizing specific hypotheses but at the neglect of overarching theory. My approach posits a far-reaching theoretical model, rooted in goal-directed action, yet mindful of nonpurposive sources of happiness as well. The heart of the theory is self-regulation of desires and decisions, which rests on self-conscious examination and application of self-evaluative standards for leading a moral life in the broadest sense of guiding how we act in relation to others. Seven elements of happiness are then developed and related to the conceptual framework. These encompass love and caring; work as a calling; brain systems underpinning wanting, liking, and pleasure; the need to deal with very bad and very good things happening to us; the role of moral concerns and emotions; the examined life and its distractions; and finally spirituality and transcendental concerns. The final section of the chapter sketches everyday challenges and choices academics face.
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Stephen L. Vargo, Robert F. Lusch, Melissa Archpru Akaka and Yi He
Chunyan Nie and Tao Wang
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the interpretation strategy of cultural mixing on consumers’ evaluations of global brands that incorporate local cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the interpretation strategy of cultural mixing on consumers’ evaluations of global brands that incorporate local cultural elements. Specifically, this paper examines whether a property interpretation and a relational interpretation have different influences on consumers’ evaluations of global brands that incorporate local cultural elements.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments were conducted as part of this research. Experiment 1 adopted a two (interpretation strategy: property interpretation vs relational interpretation) single-factor between-subjects design. Experiment 2 adopted a 2 (interpretation strategy: property interpretation vs relational interpretation) × 2 (polyculturalist beliefs: high vs low) between-subjects design. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and PROCESS 213.
Findings
A property interpretation (emphasizing that some features of a global brand transfer to local cultural elements) leads to a less favorable evaluation of global brands that incorporate local cultural elements than a relational interpretation (emphasizing a relation between global brands and local cultural elements). This effect is fully mediated by perceived cultural intrusion, and it exists only when consumers have a low level of polyculturalist beliefs.
Originality/value
This paper reveals that the phenomenon of cultural mixing occurs when global brands incorporate local cultural elements. In addition, the way that consumers perceive the relationship between global brands and local cultural elements will determine their reactions to global brands that incorporate local cultural elements.
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Kangjie Cheng, Yunfeng Liu, Chunyan Yao, Wenquan Zhao and Xu Xu
The purpose of this study is to obtain a titanium mandibular implant that possesses a personalized external shape for appearance recovery, a supporting structure for physiological…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to obtain a titanium mandibular implant that possesses a personalized external shape for appearance recovery, a supporting structure for physiological loading and numerous micro-pores for accelerating osseointegration.
Design/methodology/approach
A three-dimensional intact mandibular model of a beagle dog was created from cone-beam computerized tomography scans. A segment of the lower jaw bone was resected and replaced by a personalized implant with comprehensive structures including a customized external shape, supporting structures and micro-pores, which were designed by topology optimization. Then with FEM analysis, the stress, displacement distribution and compliance of the designed implant were compared with the non-optimized model. The weight of the optimized implant that was fabricated by SLM with titanium alloy powder was measured and contrasted with the predicted non-optimized model for evaluating the viability of the design.
Findings
The FEM results showed the peaks of von Mises stress and displacement on the optimized implant were much lower than those of the implant without optimization. With topology optimization, the compliance of the implant decreased significantly by 53.3 per cent, and a weight reduction of 37.2 per cent could be noticed.
Originality/value
A design strategy for personalized implant, with comprehensive structures and SLM as the fabrication method, has been developed and validated by taking a canine mandible as the case study. With comprehensive structures, the implant presented good biomechanical behaviors thanks to the most appropriate supporting structures obtained by optimal design. The topological optimal design combined with SLM printing proved to be an effective method for the design and fabrication of personalized implant with complex structures.
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Xuemei Liu, Zhiwei Zhu, Zheng Liu and Chunyan Fu
This study, based on construal level theory, aims to examine the influential mechanism of leader empowerment behaviour on employee creativity. Specifically, it examines the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study, based on construal level theory, aims to examine the influential mechanism of leader empowerment behaviour on employee creativity. Specifically, it examines the mediating role of cognitive flexibility between leader empowerment behaviour and employee creativity, along with the moderating effect of consideration of future consequences (CFC) on this linkage.
Design/methodology/approach
A two time-point survey study (n = 214) was conducted to collect information from leaders and employees in terms of mutual evaluation in several Chinese industries. To effectively avoid common source bias, this survey was conducted through pairing leaders and employees. During the survey, the supervisors and subordinates were double-blinded. Correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis were used to test the research hypotheses.
Findings
Firstly, leader empowerment behaviour can significantly predict employee creativity. Second, cognitive flexibility plays a partial mediating role in the linkage between leader empowerment behaviour and employee creativity. Thirdly, CFC moderates the relationship between leadership empowerment behaviour and cognitive flexibility. The mediating role of cognitive flexibility underlies the overall moderating effect of CFC on the relationship between leader empowerment behaviour and employee creativity.
Research limitations/implications
We used construal level theory to explain the influence of the mechanism of leader empowerment behaviour on employee creativity. In this manner, this study bridges the gap between theory and practice, as well as enriching the research on leader empowerment behaviour and employee creativity, especially in the Chinese context. Moreover, our study has several practical managerial implications, based on the importance of employee creativity. It inspires the implementation of leader empowerment behaviour, cultivation of employee creativity and introduction of several procedures.
Originality/value
This paper discusses the influential mechanism of leader empowerment behaviour on employee creativity from a new perspective and explains the process of encouraging employee creativity through information-processing methods. It mainly highlights the application of construal level theory to discuss employee creativity and develops a new research frame for employee creativity. Leaders can raise employee creativity through leader empowerment behaviour.