Steven E. Abraham, Lanny A. Karns, Kenneth Shaw and Manuel A. Mena
Uses survey research to investigate two general questions concerning managerial competencies and performance appraisal: whether a set of managerial competencies currently being…
Abstract
Uses survey research to investigate two general questions concerning managerial competencies and performance appraisal: whether a set of managerial competencies currently being used by organizations to describe successful managers can be identified; and whether organizations are appraising these same competencies as part of their managerial performance appraisal processes. The six competencies most often identified as critical to managerial success appear to be proper choices, given the discussion of the attributes needed for a competency to be effective. The results also show, however, that many of these same organizations are not appraising these competencies in their managerial‐performance appraisal processes. Concludes that failure to appraise the competencies reduces the effectiveness of the competencies and the managerial performance appraisal programs.
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Hector Montes, Lisbeth Mena, Roemi Fernández and Manuel Armada
The aim of this paper is to introduce a hexapod walking robot specifically designed for applications in humanitarian demining, intended to operate autonomously for several hours…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to introduce a hexapod walking robot specifically designed for applications in humanitarian demining, intended to operate autonomously for several hours. To this end, the paper presents an experimental study for the evaluation of its energy efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach
First, the interest of using a walking robot for detection and localization of anti-personnel landmines is described, followed by the description of the mechanical system and the control architecture of the hexapod robot. Second, the energy efficiency of the hexapod robot is assessed to demonstrate its autonomy for performing humanitarian demining tasks. To achieve this, the power consumed by the robot is measured and logged, with a number of different payloads placed on-board (always including the scanning manipulator arm assembled on the robot front end), during the execution of a discontinuous gait on flat terrain.
Findings
The hexapod walking robot has demonstrated low energy consumption when it is carrying out several locomotion cycles with different loads on it, which is fundamental to have a desired autonomy. It should be considered that the robot has a mass of about 250 kg and that it has been loaded with additional masses of up to 170 kg during the experiments, with a consumption of mean power of 72 W, approximately.
Originality/value
This work provides insight on the use of a walking robot for humanitarian demining tasks, which has high stability and an autonomy of about 3 hours for a robot with high mass and high payload. In addition, the robot can be supervised and controlled remotely, which is an added value when it is working in the field.
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Zohra Ghali, Khadija Saidi and Arfia Aman
Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effect of culture on innovation within the workplace. Special attention has been paid to Middle East and North Africa (MENA) culture…
Abstract
Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effect of culture on innovation within the workplace. Special attention has been paid to Middle East and North Africa (MENA) culture features and their impact on employees’ adaptation to the innovation within their organizations.
Approach/methodology: To achieve this objective, a theoretical study has been carried out. Given its popularity in culture-related research, the Hofstede model has been used to understand the specificities of MENA region culture. An extensive literature review has been employed to investigate the relationship between culture and innovation in the workplace.
Findings: Based on the relevant literature, it can be said that the country’s culture has a considerable impact on how the employees adapt to the changes within the workplace. Some issues of Arab culture that managers should be aware of and suitable solutions have been underlined to improve the adoption of innovation within the organizations in Arab countries.
Research implications: This study contributes to knowledge regarding the association between innovation and culture within the workplace in the MENA region. Findings provide straightforward ways for managers to improve the adaptation of their employees to the growing innovation required by the global market.
Originality/value: This study is among the earliest to focus on the association between innovation and culture within the MENA region. In addition, it is among the rare studies, which explore the main issues of Arab culture that make the adaptation to innovation a complex phenomenon that requires further efforts from managers for successful innovation performance. The limitations, as well as the future research pathways, have been mentioned at the end of this study.
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Marta Fernández-Barcala, Manuel González-Díaz and Emmanuel Raynaud
The aim of this paper is to explain the organizational changes along supply chains when a geographical brand, i.e. a place name that has value for commercial purposes, becomes a…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to explain the organizational changes along supply chains when a geographical brand, i.e. a place name that has value for commercial purposes, becomes a geographical indication (GI).
Design/methodology/approach
Using a case study research design, this paper compares GI vs non-GI supply chains in the European Union and describes the organizational changes that occur in supply chains when a GI is adopted.
Findings
When a GI is adopted, an additional “public” level of governance is added along the supply chain that forces it to reallocate and specialize quality controls between the public and private levels of governance to avoid redundancies and to adopt more market-oriented mechanisms of governance in dyadic relationships. The paper argues that these changes occur because the private and public levels of governance complement one another.
Research limitations/implications
More aspects of supply chain management (the power balance or relationship stability) and a more systematic longitudinal analysis using supply chains in various agrifood industries should be considered to generalize the conclusions. An econometric analysis formally testing the main conclusions (propositions) is also required.
Practical implications
The changes needed to successfully adopt a GI are identified, and an explanatory map of these changes is offered.
Originality/value
The structural governance tensions created by the use of common-pool resources within supply chains are explored. It is hypothesized, first, that when a “common-pool resource”, namely, a geographical name, is used in a supply chain, some type of public level of governance that promotes cooperation is required to preserve its value. Second, this public level of governance complements the dyadic mechanisms of governance, requiring the specialization and reallocation of quality controls and the move toward more market-oriented transactions.
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Tobias Winkler, Manuel Ostermeier and Alexander Hübner
Regarding the retail internal supply chain (SC), both retailers and research are currently focused on reactive food waste reduction options in stores (e.g. discounting or…
Abstract
Purpose
Regarding the retail internal supply chain (SC), both retailers and research are currently focused on reactive food waste reduction options in stores (e.g. discounting or donations). These options reduce waste after a surplus has emerged but do not prevent an emerging surplus in the first place. This paper aims to reveal how retailers can proactively prevent waste along the SC and why the options identified are impactful but, at the same time, often complex to implement.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors follow an exploratory approach for a nascent topic to obtain insights into measures taken in practice. Interviews with experts from retail build the main data source.
Findings
The authors identify and analyze 21 inbound, warehousing, distribution and store-related options applied in grocery retail. Despite the expected high overall impact on waste, prevention measures in inbound logistics and distribution and warehousing have not been intensively applied to date.
Practical implications
The authors provide a structured approach to mitigate waste within retailers' operations and categorize the types of barriers that need to be addressed.
Originality/value
This research provides a better understanding of prevention options in retail operations, which has not yet been empirically explored. Furthermore, this study conceptualizes prevention and reduction options and reveals implementation patterns.
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Manuel E. Rademaker, Florian Schuberth and Theo K. Dijkstra
The purpose of this paper is to enhance consistent partial least squares (PLSc) to yield consistent parameter estimates for population models whose indicator blocks contain a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to enhance consistent partial least squares (PLSc) to yield consistent parameter estimates for population models whose indicator blocks contain a subset of correlated measurement errors.
Design/methodology/approach
Correction for attenuation as originally applied by PLSc is modified to include a priori assumptions on the structure of the measurement error correlations within blocks of indicators. To assess the efficacy of the modification, a Monte Carlo simulation is conducted.
Findings
In the presence of population measurement error correlation, estimated parameter bias is generally small for original and modified PLSc, with the latter outperforming the former for large sample sizes. In terms of the root mean squared error, the results are virtually identical for both original and modified PLSc. Only for relatively large sample sizes, high population measurement error correlation, and low population composite reliability are the increased standard errors associated with the modification outweighed by a smaller bias. These findings are regarded as initial evidence that original PLSc is comparatively robust with respect to misspecification of the structure of measurement error correlations within blocks of indicators.
Originality/value
Introducing and investigating a new approach to address measurement error correlation within blocks of indicators in PLSc, this paper contributes to the ongoing development and assessment of recent advancements in partial least squares path modeling.
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José Manuel García-Gallego and Antonio Chamorro Mera
The purpose of this paper is to study how variables such as the region’s overall image, the perceived quality of its financial entities, and consumer ethnocentrism affect the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study how variables such as the region’s overall image, the perceived quality of its financial entities, and consumer ethnocentrism affect the intention to choose regional banks. Special attention is paid to the moderating role played by familiarity.
Design/methodology/approach
A structural equation model was used with a survey of 427 bank customers.
Findings
The results show direct and indirect effects of regional image, perceived quality of regional banks and consumer ethnocentrism on the intention to choose regional banks. The moderating effect of familiarity is not confirmed.
Practical implications
The financial crisis experienced in southern European countries has forced them to carry out a restructuring of the banking sector based on mergers that provide greater solvency and stability. In Spain, this has meant small regional banks merging with each other to form larger national banks. This involves a loss of their regional identity and a change in their positioning to date. It is interesting to understand the value to customers of the regional attribute when choosing a bank and the possible consequences of merging with other banks.
Originality/value
Globalisation has made origin an attractive attribute that can be used to differentiate products. However, there are still gaps in this field, especially in relation to region-of-origin (ROO) and the influence of certain moderating variables on this effect. This paper sheds some light on the study of the ROO effect in the financial sector, a field that is still relatively unexplored in this context.
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Manuel Jesus Ramirez, Ivonne Eliany Roman, Edgar Ramos and Andrea Stefano Patrucco
This paper aims to explore the antecedents and performance outcomes of supply chain integration in the agri-food industry in Latin America, a context that the literature on supply…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the antecedents and performance outcomes of supply chain integration in the agri-food industry in Latin America, a context that the literature on supply chain management has not extensively addressed. The quinoa supply chain, an industry that has encountered a boost in market demand in the past year, is selected as the unit of analysis. Supply chain integration dynamics are analyzed to provide recommendations about integration strategies and benefits in the agricultural sector.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model was designed in this study, which includes the drivers (i.e. trust and commitment) and outcomes (i.e. operational and economic performance) of supply chain integration. The relationships were verified through a unique survey, the data of which were collected from 79 respondents operating at different levels of the Peruvian quinoa supply chain (i.e. suppliers, producers and customers). The proposed hypotheses were tested through the partial least squares (PLS) regression.
Findings
The results underscore the relevance of trust and commitment as enablers of supply chain integration initiatives in the agri-food industry. These factors are particularly essential for involving the farmers who are the most upstream actors in the supply chain and characterized by unstructured organizations. A high level of integration in these types of supply chain enhances the capacity to improve operational performance, which in turns positively affects the main economic indicators.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the discussion of supply chain integration in the agri-food industry, which remains unexplored thus far. It relies on a multitier collection of responses, which is extended to all the levels of the quinoa supply chain, thereby providing the study with a unique depth of analysis. Furthermore, this work contributes to the ongoing discourse on the performance impact of supply chain integration, which several SCM scholars have recently questioned.
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While Mexico State is just one of four states scheduled to go to the polls on June 4, the result of its election will be the most important by far, influencing projections for…
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB217958
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Revenio C. Jalagat, Edwin C. Du, Neilson D. Bation and Perfecto Gatbonton Aquino
Moving into digital transformation, the development and implementation of smart cities have gained global attention, including in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The aim…
Abstract
Moving into digital transformation, the development and implementation of smart cities have gained global attention, including in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The aim of this chapter primarily rests on the innovation and sustainability of the implemented smart cities, considering the advantages and benefits gained from the utilization of the latest technologies. It also tackles the challenges faced by these countries in managing smart cities and the processes involved in addressing these challenges toward their resolution. The main contribution of this chapter is to highlight the innovative platforms initiated by Gulf nations on smart cities by modeling transformation and development toward Vision 2040. In the form of a narrative account, the contribution extends to assessing the present status of innovativeness and development through smart cities as a baseline for future development directions in the Gulf region. Documentary evidence was solicited from government reports, private agency documents and files, journals, and newspapers to address the chapter’s objectives. Findings revealed that sustainability issues are prevalent and may impact future management and control of its operations. Key recommendations include the intensification of policies and regulations toward smart cities through information and communication technology maximization in the areas of transportation, education, healthcare, government services, infrastructure, and urban planning. Heightened laws and policies to address privacy and security, water, energy, technological infrastructure, overcrowding and traffic congestion, and funding. More collaborative efforts should be made by the different stakeholders, such as the government, private companies, non-government organizations, and individual experts, to ensure the smart city’s sustainable operations.