Manuel Armenteros, Anto J. Benítez, Marta Fernández, Ricardo De la Vega, Manuel Sillero-Quintana and Manuel Sánchez Cid
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the new collaborative learning methods and tools used by elite FIFA referee technical instructors, referees and assistant referees to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the new collaborative learning methods and tools used by elite FIFA referee technical instructors, referees and assistant referees to master the Laws of the Game. These tools allow instructors to learn through practical exercises off the field of play, while they carry out activities in a participative context in which they can share and improve their knowledge regarding the Laws of the Game and consequently the interpretations and the considerations soccer referees throughout the world use to make decisions on the field of play.
Design/methodology/approach
In this work, we assess a collaborative learning experience that took place during the annual FIFA FUTURO III courses that FIFA provided to FIFA referee technical instructors from its six confederations between 2013 and 2015, where 48 referee technical instructors selected from 211 national associations participated. These instructors constitute the elite of FIFA’s professional training and development chain. They teach other referee technical instructors who will then instruct international referees and assistant referees all over the world with the aim of achieving uniformity when applying the Laws of the Game.
Findings
The course participants showed a high degree of satisfaction with respect to these materials and methods, especially regarding the possibilities they offer for organizing group discussions and for “learning by doing,” and a lack of skills in ICT management has been detected for some participants, who have shown a willingness and interest to improve their skills in this field.
Research limitations/implications
The training and education of soccer referees is one of the most heterogeneous training processes in the world. This complex task is even more difficult because of the growing demand for video technology in referee decision making where successful teamwork requires a high level of communication and agreement among its members.
Practical implications
With 211 associations, FIFA is one of the largest organizations in the world. In international competitions such as the FIFA World Cup, the referees’ decisions are analyzed by media, thousands of fans and millions of viewers. Preparing new professionals for match analysis, interpretation of Laws of the Game and working in a team is a priority for FIFA and the world of soccer.
Originality/value
It is the first time that collaborative learning methods are used with interactive multimedia tools that facilitate collaborative work in the training environment of soccer referee instructors, international soccer referees and assistant referees. This paper establishes a basis and a reference for future research on the effectiveness of the new collaborative technologies used by FIFA for the training of international referees and assistant referees in general.
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Juan-José Nájera-Sánchez, Ricardo Martinez-Cañas, María-Ángeles García-Haro and María Pilar Martínez-Ruiz
Given the growing importance of the relationship between customer value co-creation and customer satisfaction, it is essential to assess the implications of this connection from…
Abstract
Purpose
Given the growing importance of the relationship between customer value co-creation and customer satisfaction, it is essential to assess the implications of this connection from both a managerial and an academic perspective. The literature on this link has grown enormously in recent years. However, there lacks an integrative framework to improve its understanding. Based on the use of bibliometric techniques, the purpose of this article is threefold: firstly, to shed light on the relationship's knowledge structure by identifying the main clusters of topics; secondly, to propose an integrative conceptual framework and finally, to identify future avenues of research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyze a database of 133 recent documents dealing with this pairing to address this gap. A bibliometric coupling methodology was used. Additionally, an in-depth analysis of centrality, density and citations for the different clusters identified in the last years was performed. The authors characterize each group in the knowledge map of the relationship.
Findings
This bibliometric analysis identified seven thematic clusters. Three of these, with a more transversal nature, have fostered the growth of this literature. The subsequent clusters used theoretical frameworks present in the first three clusters, adapting them to the specific circumstances analyzed, following different patterns of evolution. The authors present the behavior of the citations in each cluster over recent years, analyzing their intellectual base, trends and development potential.
Originality/value
Derived from their findings, an integrative conceptual framework for explaining the knowledge structure of research in value co-creation and the customer satisfaction literature is proposed. The authors identify main topics by clusters and then detect research gaps and propose new research avenues for the future.
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Mónica Ramos-Mejía, Sebastián Dueñas-Ocampo and Isabella Gomati de la Vega
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the ways in which companies either reproduce or challenge the growth-based roots of the social imaginary, in order to inform the degrowth…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the ways in which companies either reproduce or challenge the growth-based roots of the social imaginary, in order to inform the degrowth debate at the firm level.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper offers an epistemic analysis of the ways companies organise, revealing underlying conceptions of organisations' identities and their corresponding ways of organising.
Findings
The epistemic analysis derives four conceptual findings allowing the authors to suggest ways of organising in a socio-environmental future not driven by economic growth. The paper suggests new research avenues to study alternative worldviews in organisations.
Originality/value
This paper creatively contributes to the discussion about alternatives to the current unsustainable economy with a special focus on the micro level, where businesses act as a vital driving force for economic growth.
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Pedro Álvarez-Suárez, Pedro Vega-Marcote and Ricardo Garcia Mira
The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse a teaching strategy designed to increase the awareness of trainee teachers and educate them with regard to sustainable…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse a teaching strategy designed to increase the awareness of trainee teachers and educate them with regard to sustainable consumption.
Design/methodology/approach
Ninety-four subjects (trainee teachers) were assessed on their knowledge of the environmental impacts of consumerism, their attitudes to sustainable consumption and their behavioural intentions before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the teaching intervention took place.
Findings
Statistical analysis of the results obtained revealed that subjects increased their knowledge of the social and environmental impacts of consumerism, became more aware of the need to take action in this regard, and developed behaviours oriented towards a sustainable model of consumption.
Research limitations/implications
The proper application of an educational strategy of this nature requires more time than that actually assigned to the teaching intervention itself. This obstacle was overcome by using the time envisaged by the European Space for Higher Education, but the outcome could not be monitored.
Practical implications
A reduction of individual and collective consumption in universities.
Originality/value
The study demonstrates the possibilities of an educational strategy that when applied to trainee teachers in higher education promotes sustainable consumption.
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The purpose of this paper is to compare different approaches to the evaluation of the economic performance of wineries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare different approaches to the evaluation of the economic performance of wineries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper simultaneously applies traditional profitability and productivity measures and a non‐parametric technique to estimate efficiency, and compares the results obtained. A cluster analysis has been applied to identify different groups of firms. The empirical application is carried out on a sample of 1,222 Spanish wineries in 2007.
Findings
The results reveal important differences depending on the methodology employed. Overall, none of the methodologies can be said to be better than the rest.
Research limitations/implications
This paper has only considered the economic performance of wineries and its findings are not substitutes for other subjective measures directed at the assessment of aspects such as the quality of the wines produced.
Practical implications
Managers should be aware of their own performance in order to guarantee the competitiveness and future investments of their wineries.
Originality/value
For the first time, this paper analyses the economic performance of Spanish wineries, simultaneously using different approaches widely employed in the management literature.
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MEXICO: Killings of influential figures will continue
In previous efforts the author has examined the various“men” of economics or human‐nature assumptions of“economic thinkers” as a way of treating the history andphilosophy of the…
Abstract
In previous efforts the author has examined the various “men” of economics or human‐nature assumptions of “economic thinkers” as a way of treating the history and philosophy of the discipline. Here, under the thematic penumbra of “Man as the Centre of the Social Economy”, and hoping to incorporate the fruits of further inquiry into the matter, those “creatures” and their fashioners are critically reconsidered with a view towards arriving at a more adequate conception of a truly human “economiser” and – accordingly – science of human economy. In Part II, having presented homo oeconomicus in both his/her “impudent” and “honourable” versions, we shall attempt to transcend homo socioeconomicus and even our own (former) homo oeconomicus humanus as well.
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Héctor Yair Fernández-Sánchez, Angélica Espinoza-Ortega, Laura Patricia Sánchez-Vega, Sergio Moctezuma Pérez and Fernando Cervantes-Escoto
The study aims to identify the perceived authenticity of cheeses by consumers of different sociological generations in Mexico.
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to identify the perceived authenticity of cheeses by consumers of different sociological generations in Mexico.
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire was applied to 1,204 consumers. A Free Word Association (FWA) tool was used to determine the perceived authenticity of cheeses creating categories and dimensions. The sample was segmented into sociological generations. A chi-square test and a correspondence analysis were used to identify differences in the perception between generations. The information was complemented with word clouds of the cheeses mentioned and consumer testimonials about cheese consumption.
Findings
A total of 29 categories and ten dimensions revealed consumers' perception of cheese authenticity, most important of which were hedonic, rurality and new consumption. Authenticity is a mix of the pleasure of consuming the product, the link to rural life and new consumer values. Perceived authenticity is different in each sociological generation according to the dimensions of raw material, identity, market, new consumption and distrust, since it is related to the experiences of each generation. The results made it possible to contextualise another vision of the reality of the cheeses in the search for a quality seal.
Practical implications
The information contributes to the typification and promotion of cheeses in the process of patrimonialisation, by creating differentiated marketing tools that allow their valorisation.
Originality/value
This work contributes to the knowledge of the perceived authenticity of cheeses in the sociological generations, due to their differentiation by age, sociocultural, ethical, political and consumer aspects. It enables the knowledge of the consumer's perspective on these products.