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Governmental regulations aiming to protect environmental goals often require firms to increase sales prices with negative consequences on price fairness perception. Companies might therefore either justify the price increase by highlighting the good cause (environmental framing) or they could blame the government for the regulation (governmental framing). Firms might also communicate their investments in the relationship to motivate customers to stay. This paper aims to examine the impact of such communication content on price increase fairness perception and switching intention in a contractual service setting.

This paper first examines the content of 119 price increase letters from electricity suppliers in a qualitative pilot study. The main study then tests our research framework with 552 respondents using a 2 x 2 x 2 between-subjects experimental scenario design (manipulating framing, effort and regret communication).

Customers perceive governmental framing as fairer than environmental framing. Effort and regret communication by firms weaken or reverse this effect. They reduce customers’ fairness perception for the governmental framing, while regret communication increases it for the environmental framing. However, regret communication also increases switching intention in both framings through a strong direct effect.

Cost-induced price increases are perceived on a “locus continuum” on which reason-framing and relationship investments can shift the consumer perception. Future studies may apply our framework in different industries and contexts.

The results provide guidelines for communicating price increases. Firms should prefer a governmental framing and they should also hesitate to communicate relationship investments, which signal internal locus of the firm, such as effort or regret.

Our results question the naive assumption of general positive effects of environmental framings and relationship investments on customer responses. Based on a new view on attributions of cost-caused price increases, we suggest and find several counterintuitive results. We argue that the framing and relationship investments shift the cause perception of an external cost increase on the attributional locus continuum.

This study aims to present the conceptualization and measurement of knowledge generation competence (KGC) as the fundament for firm's internal knowledge generation. Furthermore, it seeks to assess different antecedents of a firm's KGC and its potential for improving a firm's innovativeness.

Data were collected by nationwide mail survey in the German automation and the consulting industry. The final sample consists of 110 respondents (response rate of 32.9 percent). The measurement model was tested by using structural equation modeling applying partial least squares (PLS) estimation. PLS was also used to investigate the relationships between KGC, its antecedents and innovativeness.

The findings support the conceptualization and measurement of knowledge generation competence (KGC). The included dimensions explained 47.6 percent of the variance of knowledge generation competence. Furthermore, most of the relationships included in the research model were supported by the empirical data.

The data suggest that firms which want to increase their innovativeness can develop their knowledge generation competence by providing learning orientation culture and investing in human resource practices.

The paper aids in uncovering the relationship between organizational learning, human resource practices, knowledge generation competence, and innovativeness of a firm.

When groups meet, people form assumptions about the roles of various participants within that group. Examines what these assumptions are using three different approaches: restructured non‐directed interaction; exploration of reasons for being there; self‐introduction of group and discussion of group roles. Discusses the role of facilitator in a group, and defines facilitation as opposed to leadership, finding facilitation is about empowering people to take control and responsibility for their own efforts. Illustrates how to become a good facilitator using fictional characters from a facilitation skills workshop. Ends by revealing how an individual′s potential can be released.

The purpose of this study is to extend the Blevins et al. (2020) study by empirically examining the benefits of using a customized study abroad host-country provider (hereafter referred to as “SAA”) of logistical and other services that support non-native host country (hereafter referred to as non-indigenous) college of business study abroad educators. This study also makes a significant contribution by extending Strange and Gibson’s (2017) call by examining transformative learning experiences (TLEs), a high-impact practice, from educators’ and students’ perspectives of two types of study abroad experiences (i.e. one with and one without an SAA).

A mixed methods and multiple perspectives triangulation of the three studies (i.e. student survey, student-produced artifacts data and faculty interviews conducted in Canada, Spain and the UK) was used for this study to increase confidence in the findings by providing a comprehensive picture of the results. A mixed methodology provides rich, in-depth data for analysis as to how study abroad experience [hereafter referred to as experience(s) abroad] benefits from contracting with an SAA to work with a non-indigenous business course educator.

This study's findings demonstrate the positive impact of transformative learning from a short-term study abroad experience from contracting with an SAA.

Benefits of contracting with a host-country SAA are increased time and a reduction in the emotional toll on educators. Educators are free to provide memorable international business educational experiences abroad, resulting in student satisfaction and transformative learning.

The originality of this study is the mixed methods and multiple perspectives approach to the topic.

In the public debate, companies are confronted with conflicting expectations regarding their responsibility. An inconsistent understanding of the responsibility of corporations may affect the acceptance of corporate actions. The purpose of this study is to take this observation as a starting point and to analyze corporate responsibility assessments of different actors.

In the course of two online surveys conducted by a polling institute at the end of January 2017, 1,003 German citizens were asked about their expectations concerning the responsibility of corporations. One survey was mainly focused on clothing manufacturers, the other one on banks. Moreover, a content analysis of nationwide German quality newspapers aims at showing the media perspective. By using an extensive combination of keywords, 1069 articles were analyzed for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2016. The coding revealed 345 relevant articles containing 717 responsibility-related judgments.

Overall, the systematic comparison of both perspectives show differences between societal perspectives and therefore presents an explanation for conflicting expectations concerning the responsibility of corporations.

The measurement of judgments on responsibility is a complex endeavor. Findings may be limited due to an extensive coding process and a restricted comparability of the two surveys and the content analysis. Moreover, findings are focused on clothing manufacturers and banks only.

A focus on responsibility assessments delivers a deeper understanding of different perspectives concerning the responsibility of corporations in the public debate.

This study creates new knowledge that addresses issues significant enough to warrant intellectual engagement. It fills a gap in the academic and practitioner literature by examining a profitable yet understudied cottage industry (artisan vendors). It examines marketing concepts that influence dedication to authentic craftsmanship and artisans' willingness to continue in the industry.

This study examines historical evidence and connects it with subjective and interpretive analyses from 29 in-depth interviews of today's US artisan vendors to identify sustainable marketing best practices for the industry.

Researchers uncovered factors behind artisan vendors' willingness to stay committed to their craft and remain in the industry. From the findings of this study, marketing best practices (branding, brand communities and product adaptation while remaining authentic to their craft) were identified as tools for resilience and remaining a viable competitor in the marketplace.

Historically, artisan vendors have been engaging in marketing practices before terms defined their activities. Thus, this study is original in that it contributes to the academic literature by first conducting an analysis of the history of an understudied cottage industry (artisan vendors) starting in the Mesopotamian Era. The key marketing factors discovered in the historical study contributing to the resilience of this industry were then used to conceptualize a qualitative study of the highly profitable US artisan vendor industry.

This paper aims to describe how a sustainability-focused program in higher education can provide training and key experiences for implementing transdisciplinary approaches. The case is a fieldwork-based training course called the Global Field Exercise (GFE) at the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science, The University of Tokyo. The GFE is a methodological training course that emphasizes generating locally relevant research questions on sustainability.

This research is a case study regarding how a sustainability science program can offer a fieldwork-based training course that focuses on a transdisciplinary approach. Five students from diverse academic disciplines and cultural backgrounds participated in the GFE in QwaQwa where they conducted semi-structured interviews with six local entrepreneurs to identify the challenges and opportunities of entrepreneurship. The authors investigated the learning process and outcomes of the students through participatory observation in preparatory meetings, daily reflection sessions during fieldwork and a content analysis of feedback reports.

Four learning outcomes of the students were suggested: the reexamination of assumptions, managing misunderstanding and miscommunication, mutual learning and being empathic toward the local people.

This paper suggests three key opportunistic experiences for the transdisciplinary approach: discuss the normative dimension of sustainability; build intersubjectivity among team members and adopt methodological pluralism; and become empathetic to diverse stakeholder groups to facilitate the cogeneration of knowledge.

How to design training on a transdisciplinary approach in educational programs remains an area for further exploration. This study addresses this knowledge gap by establishing a link between sustainability education and sustainability in practice.

To provide an overview of the reference services provided through the use of Tablet PCs at the Salem‐South Lyon District Library.

A detailed description of what Tablet PCs are and how they work, including information about the benefits Tablet PCs present to reference transactions and tips for librarians to successfully integrate Tablet PCs into their reference service.

Tablet PCs allow reference librarians to provide quality customer service to their patrons by saving them time. Librarians who use Tablet PCs during reference transactions have access to online resources from any point in a library’s wireless network.

There are new models of Tablet PCs available on the market that may not have been tested by librarians. New, improved features of Tablet PCs may enhance their usefulness to librarians.

This paper provides useful information and advice for librarians who are considering using Tablet PCs, or who are searching for a way to enhance their current reference service.

This paper provides insight from librarians who are currently using Tablet PCs in their reference service. This will inspire other librarians to consider using Tablet PCs in their libraries and help them be successful in the integration of Tablets into their reference routines.

IN their schemes of after‐the‐war library work those who prepare them would do well to confine themselves to a few cardinal principles. A London scheme that we have seen appears to concern itself with areas to be covered, actually picking out certain cross‐roads as centres to which traffic runs as suitable centres from which area activity might radiate. All this, as the scheme‐makers themselves rather suggest, seems to be premature and much of it, ingenious as it is, is extremely debatable local topography. We would not discourage such scheme‐making so long as its speculative character is recognized. Yet it might be better if the factors of an adequate library service were first determined. They may not be new; they may indeed be mere affirmations of approved good practice. These considerations, we are sure, have not been overlooked by those who plan, nor by Mr. McColvin in drafting his report on our needs.

This study takes an interdisciplinary research orientation in an attempt to comprehensively investigate the effects of police stress internal to the organization (i.e. role ambiguity, role conflict, supervisor support, group cohesiveness, and promotion opportunities) on organizational commitment, after controlling for the effects of job satisfaction. Existing empirical models have mainly been limited to analyses of the effects of role conflict and role ambiguity on job strain and rely on samples of salespeople, customer satisfaction employees, and retail managers working at private organizations to the neglect of not‐for‐profit organizations.

Therefore, the underlying research hypotheses were tested using responses to 150 surveys from police officers of six law enforcement agencies.

Results indicate that in addition to job satisfaction, supervisor's support, group cohesiveness, and promotion opportunities are the best predictors of organizational commitment of law enforcement officers. The results also indicate a significant relationship between organizational commitment and intention to leave.

Study findings are based on responses of officers from six police agencies in Florida. Results may not be representative of all US police.

Research findings may help senior police officers in charge of managing the police force design strategies that both enhance police officers', organizational commitment and diminish turnover intentions.

This study empirically tested a model that examines the effects of stressors on commitment and turnover intentions in police settings.