Maayan Zhitomirsky-Geffet and Eden Shalom Erez
Ontologies are defined as consensual formal conceptualisation of shared knowledge. However, the explicit overlap between diverse ontologies is usually very low since they are…
Abstract
Purpose
Ontologies are defined as consensual formal conceptualisation of shared knowledge. However, the explicit overlap between diverse ontologies is usually very low since they are typically constructed by different experts. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to suggest to exploit “wisdom of crowds” to assess the maximal potential for inter-ontology agreement on controversial domains.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a scheme where independent ontology users can explicitly express their opinions on the specified set of ontologies. The collected user opinions are further employed as features for machine classification algorithm to distinguish between the consensual ontological relations and the controversial ones. In addition, the authors devised new evaluation methods to measure the reliability and accuracy of the presented scheme.
Findings
The accuracy of the relation classification (90 per cent) and the reliability of user agreement annotations were quite high (over 90 per cent). These results indicate a fair ability of the scheme to learn the maximal set of consensual relations out of the specified set of diverse ontologies.
Research limitations/implications
The data sets and the group of participants in our experiments were of limited size and thus the presented results are promising but cannot be generalised at this stage of research.
Practical implications
A diversity of opinions expressed by different ontologies has to be resolved in order to digitise many domains of knowledge (e.g. cultural heritage, folklore, medicine, economy, religion, history, art). This work presents a methodology to formally represent this diverse knowledge in a rich semantic scheme where there is a need to distinguish between the commonly shared and the controversial relations.
Originality/value
To the best of the knowledge this is a first proposal to consider crowd-based evaluation and classification of ontological relations to maximise the inter-ontology agreement.
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Zachary Sheaffer, Shalom Levy and Edo Navot
Past research about workplace promotion has focussed on factors that shape employees’ perceptions for promotion. Yet, we still know little about how such undesirable factors as…
Abstract
Purpose
Past research about workplace promotion has focussed on factors that shape employees’ perceptions for promotion. Yet, we still know little about how such undesirable factors as the fear of success (henceforth FoS) syndrome and perceived workplace discrimination affect perceived promotion and even less so how this relationship is mediated by self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework integrating these factors.
Design/methodology/approach
A structural equation modelling procedure was employed to empirically test the model using data collected from employees in wide-ranging Israeli industries (n=553).
Findings
The path model indicates that initially, FoS and perceived discrimination negatively affect perceived chances of promotion. When however, self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation mediate this relationship, subjects perceive their promotion chances positively.
Practical implications
Self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation may be employed to attenuate the potentially adverse effects of FoS and discrimination effects.
Originality/value
FoS and perceived workplace discrimination are common phenomena, yet the authors show that they may be mitigated by heightened self-efficacy and amplified intrinsic motivation that help in sustaining perceived workplace promotion.
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Ron Berger, Ram Herstein, Daniel McCarthy and Sheila Puffer
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of Wasta, a culturally based system of social networks of exchange among in-group members in the Arab world, as exemplified by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of Wasta, a culturally based system of social networks of exchange among in-group members in the Arab world, as exemplified by three groups of Arabs in the Palestinian Authority, and then compares it to Guanxi (China), Sviazi (Russia) and Jaan–Pechaan (India). The use of social networks is a common business model around the world to accomplish business objectives and is especially relied upon in emerging economies where formal institutions are weak. It is important to understand the commonalities and differences in the use of reciprocity in various cultural contexts in order to conduct business effectively. The aim of the paper is to illustrate the structure of Wasta and how it is perceived and constructed among three Arab social groups, and then compare and contrast it with social business models in three other high context cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative approach based on interviews to better understand the relationships involved.
Findings
The findings provide the foundation for a number of critical insights for non-Arab managers seeking to do business in the Arab world. For international managers to conduct business successfully, it is essential to understand how Wasta works, and establish relationships with members of influential social networks by building trust over time such that they create Wasta for themselves and indirectly for their firms. Using Wasta in the Arab world, as noted above, is similar to doing business successfully in other emerging economies such as using Sviazi in Russia (McCarthy and Puffer, 2008; Berger et al., 2017), Guanxi in China (Yen et al., 2011) and Jaan–Pechaan in India (Bhattacharjee and Zhang, 2011). The authors feel more confident in stating this view after comparing Wasta with these other three concepts, and noting that all four are built upon the same fundamental constructs.
Research limitations/implications
The authors recognize that the study is limited in terms of the geographical sample since it does not include any non-Palestinians, although the managers the authors sampled came from various regions in the Palestinian authority. Additionally, Palestinian managers are highly educated and mobile, and can be found in many other Arab countries working in managerial positions (Zineldin, 2002), thus potentially broadening the generalizability of the findings. Nonetheless, the samples would be called ones of convenience rather than randomly drawn from the three groups, since the latter would be extremely difficult to execute not only in the Palestinian Authority but in most of the Arab world due to the culturally based reluctance to provide sensitive information to those outside one’s network. Despite the difficulties that might be involved in exploring such culturally sensitive issues as the authors did in this study, the benefits in knowledge gained can be of significant importance to the study of international business in emerging and transition economies.
Originality/value
Little research has focused on the use of Wasta in the Arab world, a gap which this paper addresses. The authors do so by analyzing the views of Wasta held by three important groups – leaders, business people and students. While each type of reciprocity has its own unique characteristics, the authors focus on three interrelated constructs that have been found to underlie the use of reciprocity in various cultures. In the Arab world, these are Hamola, which incorporates reciprocity; Somah, that incorporates trust; and Mojamala, which incorporates empathy through social business networks.