Maria Raciti, Foluké Abigail Badejo, Josephine Previte and Michael Schuetz
This commentary extends our 2020 11th SERVSIG Panel The moral limits of service markets: Just because we can, should we?, inspired by Michael J. Sandel’s book What Money Can’t Buy…
Abstract
Purpose
This commentary extends our 2020 11th SERVSIG Panel The moral limits of service markets: Just because we can, should we?, inspired by Michael J. Sandel’s book What Money Can’t Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets. In Sandel’s (2012) book, the pursuit of “the good life” is a common motivation for pushing the moral boundaries of markets and “the good life” is dominated by service consumption.
Design/methodology/approach
Like Sandel (2012), this commentary begins with a provocation regarding the need for moral development in services marketing. Next, we present three real-life case studies about a modern slavery survivor service, aged care services and health-care services as examples of moral limits, failings and tensions.
Findings
The commentary proposes four guidelines and a research agenda. As service marketers, we must reignite conversations about ethics and morality. Taking charge of our professional moral development, exercising moral reflexivity, promoting an ethics of care and taking a bird’s-eye perspective of moral ecologies are our recommended guidelines. Morality is an essential condition – a sine qua non – for service marketers. Hence, our proposed research agenda focuses first on the service marketer and embeds a moral gaze as a universal professional protocol to engender collective moral elevation.
Originality/value
This commentary highlights the need for a moral refresh in services marketing and proposes ways to achieve this end.
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Jamie Cleland and Connor MacDonald
This chapter outlines the extent to which the traditional characteristics of masculinity in sport – initially played out in sports stadia and the traditional media in the late…
Abstract
Purpose
This chapter outlines the extent to which the traditional characteristics of masculinity in sport – initially played out in sports stadia and the traditional media in the late nineteenth and throughout most of the twentieth century – are now also a feature of social media and digital technology platforms in the twenty-first century. At the outset, this chapter discusses the historical association between masculinity and sporting competition and how this has played an important role in presenting a normative heterosexual identity among players, fans, and the traditional media. The chapter then discusses the introduction of social media and digital technology platforms and the impact this history is having in these rapidly consumed spaces, with a particular focus on language, such as hate speech.
Design/methodology/approach
This chapter examines and discusses a myriad of literature from inside and outside of academia that explores masculinity, sport, and the internet. These discussions are backgrounded within a historical context and connected to contemporary examples.
Findings
Social media and digital technology platforms have provided opportunities for athletes, the media, and fans, to engage in more of an active debate on masculinity in sport than existed in the twentieth century. However, the chapter also addresses the traditional characteristics of masculinity that remain in the culture of sport and in online environments, especially surrounding hate speech.
Originality/value
This chapter, while engaging in an emerging topic of discussion, offers important recommendations for future research and the ways in which this can be methodologically carried out on the internet on a variety of topic areas surrounding masculinity in sport from a sociological perspective.
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Raphael Timothy Steffen, Michael Robert Tucker, Francesco Sillani, Denis Schütz and Markus Bambach
For additive manufacturing (AM) through laser-based powder bed fusion of polymers (PBF-LB/P), accurate characterization of powder flowability is vital for achieving high-quality…
Abstract
Purpose
For additive manufacturing (AM) through laser-based powder bed fusion of polymers (PBF-LB/P), accurate characterization of powder flowability is vital for achieving high-quality parts. However, accurately characterizing feedstock flowability presents challenges because of a lack of consensus on which tests to perform and the diverse forces and mechanisms involved. This study aims to undertake a thorough investigation into the flowability of eight feedstock materials for PBF-LB/P at different temperatures using various techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
For ambient temperature assessments, established metrics such as avalanche angle and Hausner ratio, along with the approximated flow function coefficient (FFCapp), are used. The study then focuses on the influence of elevated temperatures representative of in-process conditions. FFCapp and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are performed and analyzed, followed by a correlation analysis as a holistic approach to identify key aspects for flowability. Furthermore, two feedstock materials are compared with a previous study to connect the present findings to PBF-LB/P processing.
Findings
The study revealed intrinsic material properties such as mechanical softening near the melting point to become significant. This partially explains why certain powders with poor ambient temperature flowability are consistently demonstrated to produce high-quality parts. FFCapp and thermal characterization through DSC are identified as critical metrics for optimizing feedstock material characteristics across temperature ranges.
Originality/value
Previous studies emphasized specific characterizations of feedstock material at ambient temperature, presented a limited materials selection or focused on metrics such as shape factors. In contrast, this study addresses a partially understood aspect by examining the critical role of temperature in governing feedstock material flowability. It advocates for the inclusion of temperature variables in flowability analyses to closely resemble the PBF-LB/P process, which can be applied to material design, selection and process optimization.
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Lee C. Jarvis, Rebekah Eden, April L. Wright and Andrew Burton-Jones
Digital transformations represent an increasingly salient empirical phenomena for institutionalists studying the processes by which institutions evolve, erode, or otherwise…
Abstract
Digital transformations represent an increasingly salient empirical phenomena for institutionalists studying the processes by which institutions evolve, erode, or otherwise change. Yet, there have been few meaningful attempts to engage with insights from the information systems (IS) literature, despite digital innovation and diffusion falling squarely within its domain. This essay makes an initial attempt at integration by offering a two-by-two framework which crosses salient theoretical categories within the IS and institutional literatures. From the former, we draw on concepts of system acceptance and resistance, and from the latter, we draw on concepts of institutional maintenance and change. Each quadrant in our framework represents user responses happening because of, in reaction to, or toward various institutional dynamics. We illustrate each quadrant with data collected as part of a study of digital transformation in the field of public healthcare in Australia. We use our illustrative case to open up research questions which researchers might use to frame their own studies of digital transformations as a form of institutional change. We conclude with a discussion of what other theoretical advances or insights might be yielded from greater collaboration between institutionalists and IS scholars. This essay contributes to the nascent study of digital transformations as a form of institutional change through examining how complementary concepts of the IS and institutional literatures might be used simultaneously to understand the intersection of digital innovation and diffusion and the institutional arrangements governing the fields which they change.
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While it is widely acknowledged that economic growth is now dependent on the realization of a knowledge based economy, there remains much confusion as to how this is actualized…
Abstract
While it is widely acknowledged that economic growth is now dependent on the realization of a knowledge based economy, there remains much confusion as to how this is actualized. Effective management of knowledge is endorsed as an essential element for organizational survival and competitive advantage, yet again, the ways in which knowledge moves through knowledge networks remains poorly understood. This paper is the result of a three‐year qualitative investigation of the dynamic relationships among knowledge creation, diffusion, and utilization occurring in situ in a collaborative knowledge network. In an attempt to better understand how knowledge unfolds in such a system, this paper explores emergent patterns, not only within individual, group, organizational and inter‐organizational levels of learning, but also among them. Two theoretical models acknowledging the multi‐level complexity of knowledge management in organizations while simultaneously identifying the common influences among them, are presented. In combination, it is then possible develop a theoretical framework through which to better understand the relationships among knowledge creation, diffusion, and utilization in collaborative knowledge networks, and thereby, optimize the utility of knowledge designed for organizational application.
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Kenneth W. Green, Ron McGaughey and K. Michael Casey
The purpose of this research was to examine the link between supply chain management (SCM), market orientation, and organizational success, and to develop a model that describes…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to examine the link between supply chain management (SCM), market orientation, and organizational success, and to develop a model that describes the relationship among the three.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of sales managers within large US manufacturers was used to collect data about market orientation, SCM strategy, and organizational performance. Five hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The resulting model suggests that a manufacturing firm's SCM strategy mediates the relationship between its market orientation and organizational success.
Research limitations/implications
Perhaps the most serious limitation of this study was its narrow focus on US manufacturing companies, thus precluding the generalization of findings to other sectors such as service and government sectors that may benefit from a market orientation and sound SCM strategy.
Practical implications
The study findings reinforce the importance of a market orientation for firms in the manufacturing sector, and likewise the importance of a sound SCM strategy. The success of firms depends on their ability to satisfy customers. Since market orientation is positively related to organizational success, and SCM strategy helps facilitate market orientation, top managers should view effective SCM as key in meeting customer needs to achieve long run success.
Originality/value
This paper examines the relationships among SCM strategy, market orientation and organizational success and is the first empirical research to propose a model of those relationships. Researchers can use the findings herein to generate ideas for future studies, and top managers can glean important knowledge about how effective SCM impacts organizational performance.
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Arvind Upadhyay, Julius Oluwasunkanmi Ayodele, Anil Kumar and Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes
This paper aims to explore the challenges and opportunities of blockchain technology adoption from the lens of the technological–organisational–environmental (TOE) framework for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the challenges and opportunities of blockchain technology adoption from the lens of the technological–organisational–environmental (TOE) framework for operational excellence in the UK automotive industry context.
Design/methodology/approach
The research methodology of this study follows a systematic review approach, which analyses existing academic published research papers in the top 35 academic journals. There was no specific timeframe established for this study and shortlisting the articles through a set of used keywords. A sample of 71 articles was shortlisted and analysed to provide a discussion on technological and management challenges and opportunities of blockchain adoption from the lens of the TOE framework for operational excellence.
Findings
The findings of this study present significant theoretical and managerial implications and deep understanding for firms seeking to understand the challenges and opportunities of blockchain adoption for their operational excellence.
Research limitations/implications
The systematic literature approach was considered for the present study to explore existing academic papers on technological and management challenges and opportunities from the lens of TOE framework for operational excellence, whereas a more specified method meta-analysis can be considered for future research. The study has been explored in the UK automotive industry context, which has been considered as the limitation of generalisation across countries and industries.
Originality/value
This paper represents the most comprehensive literature study related to the technological and management challenges and opportunities of blockchain from the TOE framework angle for operational excellence.
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Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles and Robert Detmering
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a selected bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper introduces and annotates periodical articles, monographs, and audiovisual material examining library instruction and information literacy.
Findings
The paper provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship, and describes sources that contain unique scholarly contributions and quality reproductions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Pracha Peter Eamranond, Arti Bhukhen, Donna DiPalma, Schawan Kunuakaphun, Thomas Burke, John Rodis and Michael Grey
The purpose of this explanatory case study is to explain the implementation of interprofessional, multitiered lean daily management (LDM) and to quantitatively report its impact…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this explanatory case study is to explain the implementation of interprofessional, multitiered lean daily management (LDM) and to quantitatively report its impact on hospital safety.
Design/methodology/approach
This case study explained the framework for LDM implementation and changes in quality metrics associated with the interprofessional, multitiered LDM, implemented at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center (SFHMC) at the end of 2018. Concepts from lean, Total Quality Management (TQM) and high reliability science were applied to develop the four tiers and gemba rounding components of LDM. A two-tailed t-test analysis was utilized to determine statistical significance for serious safety events (SSEs) comparing the intervention period (January 2019–December 2019) to the baseline period (calendar years 2017 and 2018). Other quality and efficiency metrics were also tracked.
Findings
LDM was associated with decreased SSEs in 2019 compared to 2017 and 2018 (p ≤ 0.01). There were no reportable central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) or catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) for first full calendar quarter in the hospital's history. Hospital-acquired pressure injuries were at 0.2 per 1,000 patient days, meeting the annual target of <0.5 per 1,000 patient days. Outcomes for falls with injury, hand hygiene and patient experience also trended toward target. These improvements occurred while also observing a lower observed to expected length of stay (O/E LOS), which is the organizational marker for hospital’s efficiency.
Research limitations/implications
LDM may contribute greatly to improve safety outcomes. This observational study was performed in an urban, high-acuity, low cost hospital which may not be representative of other hospitals. Further study is warranted to determine whether this model can be applied more broadly to other settings.
Practical implications
LDM can be implemented quickly to achieve an improvement in hospital safety and other health-care quality outcomes. This required a redistribution of time for hospital staff but did not require any significant capital or other investment.
Social implications
As hospital systems move from a volume-based to value-based health-care delivery model, dynamic interventions using LDM can play a pivotal role in helping all patients, particularly in underserved settings where lower cost care is required for sustainability, given limited available resources.
Originality/value
While many hospital systems promote organizational rounding as a routine quality improvement process, this study shows that a dynamic, intense LDM model can dramatically improve safety within months. This was done in a challenging urban environment for a high-acuity population with limited resources.
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Michael Rogerson, Andrew Crane, Vivek Soundararajan, Johanne Grosvold and Charles H. Cho
This paper investigates how organisations are responding to mandatory modern slavery disclosure legislation. Experimentalist governance suggests that organisations faced with…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper investigates how organisations are responding to mandatory modern slavery disclosure legislation. Experimentalist governance suggests that organisations faced with disclosure requirements such as those contained in the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 will compete with one another, and in doing so, improve compliance. The authors seek to understand whether this is the case.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is set in the UK public sector. The authors conduct interviews with over 25% of UK universities that are within the scope of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and examine their reporting and disclosure under that legislation.
Findings
The authors find that, contrary to the logic of experimentalist governance, universities' disclosures as reflected in their modern slavery statements are persistently poor on detail, lack variation and have led to little meaningful action to tackle modern slavery. They show that this is due to a herding effect that results in universities responding as a sector rather than independently; a built-in incapacity to effectively manage supply chains; and insufficient attention to the issue at the board level. The authors also identity important boundary conditions of experimentalist governance.
Research limitations/implications
The generalisability of the authors’ findings is restricted to the public sector.
Practical implications
In contexts where disclosure under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 is not a core offering of the sector, and where competition is limited, there is little incentive to engage in a “race to the top” in terms of disclosure. As such, pro-forma compliance prevails and the effectiveness of disclosure as a tool to drive change in supply chains to safeguard workers is relatively ineffective. Instead, organisations must develop better knowledge of their supply chains and executives and a more critical eye for modern slavery to be combatted effectively. Accountants and their systems and skills can facilitate this development.
Originality/value
This is the first investigation of the organisational processes and activities which underpin disclosures related to modern slavery disclosure legislation. This paper contributes to the accounting and disclosure modern slavery literature by investigating public sector organisations' processes, activities and responses to mandatory reporting legislation on modern slavery.