Electronic mail (EMS) is a new and increasingly common mechanism for communication. How computer‐mediated communication affects human behavior has become the focus of research and…
Abstract
Electronic mail (EMS) is a new and increasingly common mechanism for communication. How computer‐mediated communication affects human behavior has become the focus of research and of commentary in the popular press. An etiquette or rules of conduct when using EMS appears to be needed. Suggestions are offered based on experience utilizing an electronic mail system for intra‐organizational communication in the Carnegie‐Mellon University Libraries.
Marilyn Porter and Kristi Poerwandari
Purpose – To explore certain aspects of women's experience of their reproductive lives, in different cultural contexts, especially their views on sexuality and sexual practices…
Abstract
Purpose – To explore certain aspects of women's experience of their reproductive lives, in different cultural contexts, especially their views on sexuality and sexual practices. It is based on transnational comparative research, and compares the experiences and meanings about motherhood and mother/daughter relationships, especially referring to sexuality and reproductive health. The two contexts we have chosen for this chapter are drawn from our data on Indonesian and Canadian women. While these women come from culturally diverse situations, we find continuities between their experiences as well as contrasts in the contexts in which they live their reproductive lives.
Methodology – Our study was based on collecting participant driven narratives focused on their experience of their reproductive lives. We interviewed women from three generations in the same families to secure a longitudinal perspective and to examine the relationships between generations in the same family. Our overall purpose was to examine the role of local culture in the social reproduction of women's lives in the family.
Findings – The findings we discuss in this chapter focus on the continuities and contrasts we found in women's experience as lived in very different cultural, religious, and political contexts. Indonesian and Canadian women are struggling to live healthy and meaningful lives in a world that is changing ideologically, culturally, politically, and economically. We identify some key problems faced by women, especially as they negotiate the difficult terrain of sexuality, and suggest some points of entry in solving them.
Originality/value – The originality of the article lies in the close examination of in-depth, qualitative data on family relationships, especially in contrasting cultural situations. We also think that our approach, which focuses on generations of women in the same families, provides us with a unique perspective on how relationships and especially women's experience of their reproductive and sexual lives are closely related to the way in which culture is mediated in families.
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Nikolaas Vande Keere, Bie Plevoets, Peggy Winkels and Livin Mosha
The paper aims to elaborate on the potential for regeneration of Bagamoyo (Tanzania) through adaptive reuse of its heritage sites. The town was the most important harbour for…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to elaborate on the potential for regeneration of Bagamoyo (Tanzania) through adaptive reuse of its heritage sites. The town was the most important harbour for ivory and slaves of the East-African mainland during the 19th and early 20th century and the colonial capital of German East-Africa between 1885 and 1890. Today, it has 85,000 inhabitants who mainly live in informal settlements while stone town closer to the coast is largely abandoned with its historical buildings in a poor state of conservation.
Design/methodology/approach
The first part of the paper describes the history and heritage of the old stone town Bagamoyo, and how it impacts its identity. Additionally, it summarises the critical reception of the town's role in the application to UNESCO World Heritage for “The Central Slave and Ivory Trade Route”. This, in order to consider the reuse of its heritage sites more as part of a layered regeneration process than of a singular narrative for preservation. The second part presents research-by-design proposals investigating the economic, social and cultural potentialities of three spatial layers: the main street, the coastal strip and the shoreline.
Findings
The identity and therefore also urban regeneration of post-colonial towns such as Bagamoyo is the result of a complex combination of different narratives rather than of a singular one.
Originality/value
Bagamoyo's heritage has been studied as a driver for international tourism linked to slavery but without successful implementation. This study proposes an alternative perspective by investigating its potential for urban regeneration in line with local needs. Developed in the context of a master studio of architectural design, it presents an innovative didactic approach. Moreover, the methodology of research-by-design can be inspirational for other historical towns.
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Lee Li, Gongming Qian and Peggy Ng
This study aims to identify and assess the strategies of township and village enterprises in China to capture competitive advantages.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to identify and assess the strategies of township and village enterprises in China to capture competitive advantages.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs a self‐administered questionnaire survey approach, involving a sample of managing directors of township and village enterprises in the Fujian Province, China.
Findings
The analysis identifies the causal linkages across time between firms' different capabilities. Labor‐intensive industries and rural locations offer township and village enterprises (TVEs) opportunities to create capabilities to minimize costs. The cost minimization and systematic learning capabilities, in turn, lead to low‐priced innovator positioning. It also suggests that the co‐evolution and co‐existence of different capabilities contribute to capability inimitability.
Research limitations/implications
Future studies on Chinese TVEs should expand the empirical database and include TVEs in underdeveloped areas and to investigate how firms survive within severe resource limitations.
Practical implications
The findings of this study indicate that dynamic capabilities are important not only for firms in rapidly changing environments, but also for those in relatively stable industries, such as labor‐intensive industries. Firms should develop different capabilities over time and combine these into complex capabilities bundles.
Originality/value
The findings from this study indicate that firms in developing countries can achieve cost leadership and differentiation, but the route to the destination has a path‐dependent history.
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Daniel I. Prajogo, Peggy McDermott and Mark Goh
This paper aims to explore the extent to which four elements of the value chain – marketing, research and development, procurement, and operations – are associated with product…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the extent to which four elements of the value chain – marketing, research and development, procurement, and operations – are associated with product quality and product innovation.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of 194 managers of Australian firms, and multivariate analysis using structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The elements of the value chain differ in their association with product outcomes. Marketing and production are related to product quality, but surprisingly while research and development is related to product innovation, marketing is not. Procurement is related to both product quality and product innovation.
Research limitations/implications
The paper shows that individual elements of the value chain are related to specific competitive strategies and how these elements are related to each other, suggesting the need to direct effort within the firm for better, targeted performance. The results are limited by the sample size and geography of the survey.
Practical implications
Specific value chain functions tend to be associated with specific performance outcomes. This suggests that managers might gain by targeting specific elements of the value chain as their organizations strive for specific competitive goals.
Originality/value
This paper seeks to help managers and decision makers to assess the relationship between the different attributes of the value chain and product quality and innovation. It is often not feasible for managers to emphasize all the elements of the value chain simultaneously, and this paper provides an important step in looking at these individual linkages.
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Peggy A. Golden, Denise Johnson and Jerald R. Smith
This paper attempts to apply an organizational adaptation model to Russian firms in order to assess whether Western strategic models can be used to understand the behavior of…
Abstract
This paper attempts to apply an organizational adaptation model to Russian firms in order to assess whether Western strategic models can be used to understand the behavior of firms in transition economies. A modification of Miles and Snow strategic postures was used to assess the relationship between environmental uncertainty and strategic adaptation. Support was found for the environment‐strategy relationship; the direction of the relationship was similar to that found in Western free‐market economies. In this application, the Reactor appeared to be a viable strategy. The linkage to performance, however, was not confirmed.
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some…
Abstract
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.
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The primary purpose of this chapter is to provide insight as to why some privately held small-to-medium sized firms (SMEs) have been able to outperform their peers in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
The primary purpose of this chapter is to provide insight as to why some privately held small-to-medium sized firms (SMEs) have been able to outperform their peers in terms of their performance defined as revenue growth, profit growth, growth in number of employees and markets. Little is known about privately held firms and what drives their performance. The second purpose is to synthesize and provide clarity to the extant literature on rapid-growth SMEs (gazelles). The third purpose is to bring a unifying theoretical lens to the literature.
Methodology
The research was conducted using elite interviews with 47 informants drawn from 21 rapid-growth, private companies. Qualitative methods were used to identify themes related to the strategies used by these firms to outperform their peers over a five-year period.
Findings
The study organizes and summarizes the extant literature on rapid-growth companies, provides support for some findings, and clarifies equivocal findings. It also suggests that early strategic choices made by the owners of private firms along with their attitudes and capabilities positioned the private firms for rapid growth. The Morgan and Hunt (1994) trust–commitment theory of relationship marketing emerged from the data as the model used most often by rapid-growth private firms and the one that best integrates the factors driving private firm performance. A modified, two-stage model appears to be warranted. The first stage focuses on respect for the value employees bring, and building their trust and commitment is an essential first step that subsequently drives the second stage of the model – building customer trust and commitment. While some of the outcomes are similar to those suggested by Morgan and Hunt, new outcomes (collaborative innovation, citizenship behaviors, sustained growth, and premium prices) also emerged as important outcomes in this study.
Practical implications
This study provides owners of private firms with insight on how to build and grow their firms in a rapid and sustainable fashion.
Originality/value
Little research has been undertaken on private firms. This study addresses this knowledge gap. The modified trust–commitment relationship marketing model that emerged from the data had not been utilized to date in the field of rapid-growth firms and it provides an integrating theory that explains the performance of rapid-growth private firms.
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The three‐star Grosvenor House Hotel in Stratford‐upon‐Avon will be hosts in a unique training exercise for students from South Warwickshire College of Further Education from…
Abstract
The three‐star Grosvenor House Hotel in Stratford‐upon‐Avon will be hosts in a unique training exercise for students from South Warwickshire College of Further Education from 23–29 March. The hotel staff will receive a bonus week's holiday, and be replaced by 75 City & Guilds catering students aged 17 upwards. They will be under the control of a senior college tutor, who will act as resident General Manager and staff all departments, with the exception of Night Porter. The project will give students real practical training in housekeeping, reception and administration, fresh food purchasing, and in maintaining a high standard of à la carte cuisine and silver service. If the operation is a success the Grosvenor will offer the facility again; and one hopes that such schemes can grow throughout the country, so that the hotel staff of the future have the best possible training — the real thing.