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1 – 10 of 174Patrick L. Townsend, Joan E. Gebhardt and Pat Townsend
Ethics in the way organizations go about their business is increasingly important to customers, who are becoming increasingly aware of ‐ and increasingly discriminating against …
Abstract
Ethics in the way organizations go about their business is increasingly important to customers, who are becoming increasingly aware of ‐ and increasingly discriminating against ‐ companies which fail to meet their criteria. But how to overcome the accusation that a policy, made at board level, is ignored in implementation? A written statement of policy can go a long way towards keeping an organization honest. But does the leader’s or organization’s philosophy actually need to be written down and published? In theory, if a leader is consistent, every subordinate should have a clear picture of what the leader’s philosophy is, and the organization will act accordingly. On the other hand, if a leader fails to make his or her philosophy explicit, i.e., what the work environment is to be, a philosophy will be assumed. Makes the case for a written policy on ethics, and offers examples from the US Marine Corps, and others.
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In 1983 the Paul Revere insurance company had fallen from itsposition as market leader, an occurrence which acted as catalyst for the“quality‐has‐value” programme. Describes the…
Abstract
In 1983 the Paul Revere insurance company had fallen from its position as market leader, an occurrence which acted as catalyst for the “quality‐has‐value” programme. Describes the company’s quality process, the phases through which staff go before attaining the “right attitude” and the whole process of implementation. Although the company has now regained its position of market leader, the “quality‐has‐value” programme continues.
Patrick Townsend and Joan Gebhardt
Looks at how the world has changed in terms of providing goods and services and what that means to the employees providing them
Abstract
Purpose
Looks at how the world has changed in terms of providing goods and services and what that means to the employees providing them
Design/methodology/approach
Examines how a complete quality process can encourage employee engagement.
Findings
A complete quality process takes concentration and times: surprisingly little time. The elapsed time between the decision to pursue this option and a fully implemented system with measurable, bottom‐line benefits was eight months in one instance and six months in the other. And the improvement in morale was equally striking
Originality/value
Employees generally refer to their place of work as “my company” when they are at home. Taking advantage of that natural feeling of ownership by extending trust and empowerment to all employees and giving them the means to be engaged in the continual improvement of everything the organization does is in the best interest of the employer, the employees, and their customers.
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Xiaohang (Flora) Feng, Shunyuan Zhang and Kannan Srinivasan
The growth of social media and the sharing economy is generating abundant unstructured image and video data. Computer vision techniques can derive rich insights from unstructured…
Abstract
The growth of social media and the sharing economy is generating abundant unstructured image and video data. Computer vision techniques can derive rich insights from unstructured data and can inform recommendations for increasing profits and consumer utility – if only the model outputs are interpretable enough to earn the trust of consumers and buy-in from companies. To build a foundation for understanding the importance of model interpretation in image analytics, the first section of this article reviews the existing work along three dimensions: the data type (image data vs. video data), model structure (feature-level vs. pixel-level), and primary application (to increase company profits vs. to maximize consumer utility). The second section discusses how the “black box” of pixel-level models leads to legal and ethical problems, but interpretability can be improved with eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) methods. We classify and review XAI methods based on transparency, the scope of interpretability (global vs. local), and model specificity (model-specific vs. model-agnostic); in marketing research, transparent, local, and model-agnostic methods are most common. The third section proposes three promising future research directions related to model interpretability: the economic value of augmented reality in 3D product tracking and visualization, field experiments to compare human judgments with the outputs of machine vision systems, and XAI methods to test strategies for mitigating algorithmic bias.
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The purpose of this viewpoint is to analyze and interpret the author’s career as a researcher in marketing.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this viewpoint is to analyze and interpret the author’s career as a researcher in marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
This viewpoint applies case theory (Gummesson, 2017a), in which the author is the case.
Findings
One should respect the difficulty of understanding the complex and dynamic world of marketing and not be fooled into premature generalizations and reverence to established theory.
Originality/value
The emphasis is on marketing as a revenue-generating activity through interaction in the network of complex relationships; the need for less ritualistic research methodology; and the orientation toward theory generation, decision-making, implementation and achievement of desired results.
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Bell Canada, the telecommunications provider for Ontario andQuebec, the two largest provinces in Canada, has embarked upon a changeprogramme for its 50,000 employees as it moves…
Abstract
Bell Canada, the telecommunications provider for Ontario and Quebec, the two largest provinces in Canada, has embarked upon a change programme for its 50,000 employees as it moves from the monopolistic environment that it has operated in for over 100 years, to one where competition and marketing are becoming the key success factors. The change programme involves many elements and interventions, including the development of mission statements, education and training on the team approach, and a focus on “your” customer and quality. A bias for action is a key factor with initiation of many pilot projects and trials, as well as the development of a networking system to ensure the distribution and sharing of experiences.
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It seems that one of the major buzzwords of the late 1990s is “virtual”we have heard of virtual bookshops, virtual universities, virtual shopping malls, virtual offices and, of…
Abstract
It seems that one of the major buzzwords of the late 1990s is “virtual”we have heard of virtual bookshops, virtual universities, virtual shopping malls, virtual offices and, of course, virtual reality. So is the virtual world simply a passing fad or is it something which is truly changing the way we live our lives and the way we work and communicate? Despite the proliferation of virtuality it is difficult to find a common definition of “virtual” which is applicable in all of its uses. We do believe, however, that the concept has real value when addressing the subject of organizational development; and as a concept it is not so much about managing in the sense of planning, controlling, directing and organizing, but more concerned with the notion of continuous or institutionalized change. This implies not management but a process which is both self‐regulatory and selfperpetuating.
The literature on product design/development (PD) has attempted to understand the consumer but has not provided a comprehensive framework for product marketers and designers…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature on product design/development (PD) has attempted to understand the consumer but has not provided a comprehensive framework for product marketers and designers. Thus, this paper aims to compile and link the main topics in the literature on PD to create a foundation for strategic development in this field.
Design/methodology/approach
This research adopted a “fit-for-purpose” methodology, a cross-referencing method and a meta-narrative approach that are appropriate for reviewing studies in a field involving complex topics and areas in which the literature is still developing.
Findings
To enhance the quality of product development, there is a need for PD strategy based on a clear understanding of many factors: the consumer; the complex interrelations among a product’s values, dimensions and personalities; PD theories; and other related variables.
Practical implications
This study found that PD studies should concentrate more on codifying strategies to enhance product development success. This is particularly important in view of consumers’ varied and changeable tastes in the global market and the differing insights of product marketers and designers.
Originality/value
This comprehensive systematic review is a unique study that contributes to future business-to-consumer and business-to-business research by compiling scattered and hidden strategies, theories and variables in the PD/development literature.
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Patrick Joseph Hynes and Alia Harb
Work is good for one’s health and well-being. Work for people with disabilities should be encouraged because it is therapeutic and improves participation in the society, leading…
Abstract
Purpose
Work is good for one’s health and well-being. Work for people with disabilities should be encouraged because it is therapeutic and improves participation in the society, leading to better health outcomes. It develops interpersonal relationships and enhances life quality. Work is an aspiration for many people with intellectual disability. Within research literature, there appears to be a lack of research into the experience of occupational therapists in Ireland who refer adults with intellectual disabilities to supported employment services. The purpose of this paper was to explore the experience of Irish occupational therapists who refer adults with intellectual disabilities to supported employment services.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with four occupational therapists recruited through the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland (AOTI). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
Themes that emerged were as follows: occupational therapy participants did not directly refer adults to supported employment but received referrals; occupational therapy roles included assessments, task analysis and development of client’s skills are major components of current practice; pragmatics involved factors that facilitate and challenge; and future roles.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to occupational therapy practice knowledge by providing a perspective on supported employment in Ireland. Occupational therapists should continue to work in the area of supported employment to support social inclusion and enable participation. Further research with occupational therapists working in this field is required to inform practice.
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Vicki Holmes, Wilma Clark, Paul Burt and Bart Rienties
Information and Communication Technology offers powerful Web 2.0 tools that can benefit learners with different learning preferences. The rise of video streaming, the increased…
Abstract
Information and Communication Technology offers powerful Web 2.0 tools that can benefit learners with different learning preferences. The rise of video streaming, the increased proliferation of ‘on demand’ televisual media and new smartphone streaming opportunities have generated a range of web-based media that may usefully support teachers and learners in accommodating these varied learning styles. At the same time, media streaming technologies such as YouTube have distinct drawbacks for students, teachers and their institutions, particularly in relation to appropriate content and the ethical issues around the uploading of student materials to a public repository.
Two studies are reported. In Study 1, two case studies of how teachers engaged students with a media-streaming system called Box of Broadcasts (BoB) are discussed using principles of design-based research. The result from the first case study indicated that BoB provided an improved efficiency for teachers who filmed students’ presentations in a second language. The second case study illustrated how the integration of BoB into their classroom teaching led a psychology teacher to think differently about students and the design and delivery of teaching and learning resources. In Study 2, the use of a qualitative semi-structured interview approach with eight teachers indicated that staff felt that BoB was beneficial in supporting pedagogic practice. Furthermore, staff highlighted the opportunities for dialogue about theory, reality and practice that video materials offered to students as added value. Key limitations for some staff in their use of BoB as a support for video-enriched pedagogic practice were the restricted level of available content on BoB, some difficulties relating to the skills required for creating and using clips and technical stability when using clips.