Fabian Sander, Janjaap Semeijn and Dominik Mahr
The purpose of this paper is to investigate meat traceability by outlining the different perspectives and opinions of meat supply chain stakeholders (SCSs); it also evaluates…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate meat traceability by outlining the different perspectives and opinions of meat supply chain stakeholders (SCSs); it also evaluates potential of acceptance of blockchain technology (BCT) as a viable transparency and traceability system (TTS).
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey of 141 consumers reveals their opinions about TTSs. In addition, semi-structured interviews with seven retail managers, four government officials and one blockchain service provider (Project Provenance Ltd) provide expert insights.
Findings
The results demonstrate that consumers are overwhelmed by the amount and complexity of certification labels. As a TTS, BCT implementation appears to have significant positive influences on consumers’ purchasing decisions, mediated by consumers’ quality perceptions. This study reveals the discordant perspectives of different stakeholders with regard to the importance of a BCT-based TTS.
Originality/value
This study investigates current TTSs and certification labels, and probes customer perception of a potential BCT-based solution for meat traceability. Changes to supply chains’ mentality and the active establishment of trust in BCT applications are needed. Firms should take both holistic and altruistic views to deal with the challenges of TTSs in the meat supply chain. The adoption of BCT, in combination with DNA coding, seems promising as a solution to many of the issues that currently plague TTSs.
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Joy Terentis, Fabian Sander, Maureen Madden, Merlin Stone and David Cox
This paper examines the regulatory requirements for the management of customer complaints in financial services. It describes the outcomes of new research, which show that most…
Abstract
This paper examines the regulatory requirements for the management of customer complaints in financial services. It describes the outcomes of new research, which show that most financial services companies are some way from being able to meet these new regulatory requirements. It identifies the processes that must be followed to fulfil these requirements and outlines the type of system that is likely to be able to support meeting these requirements. Finally, it identifies that the probable reason for the neglect of this area is the heavy involvement of most financial services companies’ customer service functions in meeting the needs of the sales process (before, during and after the sale) rather than the more traditional role of customer service ‐ listening to customers and solving their problems.
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Federico Ceschel, Valentina Bianchini, Fabian Homberg and Marzia Di Marcantonio
Our study investigates the role of the Human Resources Management (HRM) system strength in supporting Italian healthcare managers during times of uncertainty and change. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Our study investigates the role of the Human Resources Management (HRM) system strength in supporting Italian healthcare managers during times of uncertainty and change. The perceived HRM system strength and its relationship with managers’ taking charge behaviors, perceived procedural constraints, and work engagement were examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Two surveys were conducted to gather empirical data from a pooled sample of 121 healthcare managers located in hospitals across Italy. We use regression analysis to test our hypotheses.
Findings
The data show that strong HRM systems facilitate managers taking charge behaviors and work engagement. Additionally, the findings highlight the mitigating effect of a strong HRM system on procedural constraints, such as red tape, in public healthcare organizations.
Practical implications
Emphasizing the positive outcomes associated with strong HRM systems, the findings suggest that public health organizations should make efforts to put in place robust HR practices to bolster engagement and proactive behaviors among healthcare managers in times of uncertainty and change.
Originality/value
Analyzing a unique data set, the study extends the understanding of HRM system strength in the public sector, specifically in post-pandemic healthcare organizations. Overall, the study contributes to the growing literature on HRM system strength by offering novel insights into its nomological network.
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The aim of this chapter is to argue that charisma is a collective representation, and that charismatic authority is a social status that derives more from the “recognition” of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this chapter is to argue that charisma is a collective representation, and that charismatic authority is a social status that derives more from the “recognition” of the followers than from the “magnetism” of the leaders. I contend further that a close reading of Max Weber shows that he, too, saw charisma in this light.
Approach
I develop my argument by a close reading of many of the most relevant texts on the subject. This includes not only the renowned texts on this subject by Max Weber, but also many books and articles that interpret or criticize Weber’s views.
Findings
I pay exceptionally close attention to key arguments and texts, several of which have been overlooked in the past.
Implications
Writers for whom charisma is personal magnetism tend to assume that charismatic rule is natural and that the full realization of democratic norms is unlikely. Authority, in this view, emanates from rulers unbound by popular constraint. I argue that, in fact, authority draws both its mandate and its energy from the public, and that rulers depend on the loyalty of their subjects, which is never assured. So charismatic claimants are dependent on popular choice, not vice versa.
Originality
I advocate a “culturalist” interpretation of Weber, which runs counter to the dominant “personalist” account. Conventional interpreters, under the sway of theology or mass psychology, misread Weber as a romantic, for whom charisma is primal and undemocratic rule is destiny. This essay offers a counter-reading.
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John E. Elliott and Barry S. Clark
The relationship between capitalism and democracy has beenquestioned recently by economists and political scientists. In view ofthis debate, a reappraisal is made of the writings…
Abstract
The relationship between capitalism and democracy has been questioned recently by economists and political scientists. In view of this debate, a reappraisal is made of the writings of Richard Henry Tawney, the English economist and social philosopher. Central to his personal, intellectual and socio‐political project was the ideal of the creation of a genuinely democratic community. Capitalism; the principles of a democratic economy; institutions and processes; and the alternative perspectives on political economy are discussed.
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Maik Fabian, Kathrin Fischer and John Micha Rüpke
When facing capacity bottlenecks, manufacturers of configurable, multi-variant products may adjust the product mix to uphold the scheduled output. However, maintaining market…
Abstract
Purpose
When facing capacity bottlenecks, manufacturers of configurable, multi-variant products may adjust the product mix to uphold the scheduled output. However, maintaining market attractiveness by choosing the right product configurations as substitutes is a non-trivial task as it involves anticipating the substitution behaviour of customers. Substitution behaviour models currently used in quantitative production planning models for configurable products are either based on domain knowledge of experts, which makes them bias-prone, or they require extensive market research. The purpose of this study is to present a data-driven approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on data science concepts, distance measures are applied to derive distances between different product configurations from historical order data. Different design options for such a distance measure are discussed regarding configurable products and tested with automotive industry data. Furthermore, the study shows ways to validate the distance results.
Findings
The experiments show that the presented distance measure represents the expected customer substitution behaviour quite well. A context-sensitive distance measure including rank information of ordinal product features is most suitable for the automotive data sets.
Originality/value
This study presents a new approach to model the substitution behaviour of customers. The attractiveness of a potential substitute is represented by a distance from the customer’s first-choice configuration. The presented distance measure provides an inexpensive tool using existing data instead of expensive market research. Thus, it supports the integration of substitution into quantitative production planning models that deal with a large variety of configurable products.
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Richard L. Gruner, Damien Power and Paul K. Bergey
This chapter explores the role that social media can play to support entrepreneurs in managing complex interfirm communities. As companies increasingly operate in highly connected…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter explores the role that social media can play to support entrepreneurs in managing complex interfirm communities. As companies increasingly operate in highly connected environments, it is important to move beyond corporate networks, and understand and build corporate social communities (CSCs) that underpin organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted 14 case studies at member firms of GS1 Australia — a not-for-profit association dedicated to the development, implementation, and promotion of information technology standards to improve supply chain management.
Finding
The gathered data illustrate a number of common challenges managers typically encounter in their supply chain operations. In response to these challenges, the authors propose distinct ways in which CSCs can leverage and transform interfirm relationships and support operational goals.
Research limitations/implications
The empirical investigations were limited to the supply chain context, and Australian companies. The benefits pertinent to CSCs were only explored conceptually. Further studies should address these limitations.
Practical implications
We provide empirical evidence supported by theoretical insights that CSCs are powerful tools that community designers and managers can leverage to transform business-to-business (B2B) relationships.
Originality/value
The originality of this study resides in advancing theoretical understanding and providing practical managerial guidance on how to best deploy CSCs in a supply chain context. Additionally, we consider the role CSCs play in different stages of B2B relationships, and the reasons why most managers are hesitant to adopt CSCs.
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The question has been recently raised as to how far the operation of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts of 1875, 1879, and 1899, and the Margarine Act, 1887, is affected by the Act…
Abstract
The question has been recently raised as to how far the operation of the Sale of Food and Drugs Acts of 1875, 1879, and 1899, and the Margarine Act, 1887, is affected by the Act 29 Charles II., cap. 7, “for the better observation of the Lord's Day, commonly called Sunday.” At first sight it would seem a palpable absurdity to suppose that a man could escape the penalties of one offence because he has committed another breach of the law at the same time, and in this respect law and common‐sense are, broadly speaking, in agreement; yet there are one or two cases in which at least some show of argument can be brought forward in favour of the opposite contention.