Rita M. Choy and Lawson K. Savery
Organizations are under pressure to cope with factors such as resource scarcity, increased competition, slow economic growth, increased utilization of technology and an increase…
Abstract
Organizations are under pressure to cope with factors such as resource scarcity, increased competition, slow economic growth, increased utilization of technology and an increase in acquisitions and/or mergers. All these can lead to downsizing of the workforce. Many organizations believe downsizing can reduce costs and increase competitiveness. However, flattening structures reduces the number of people needed in organizations and such practices escalate the plateauing phenomenon. The present study explores the relationship between job satisfaction, organizational commitment and the plateauing phenomenon. Non‐plateaued workers seem to have a better relationship with their organization and find coaching new staff more rewarding than plateauing workers. This finding is important because trainers must hold positive attitudes toward the company and this seems more likely when the person is not plateaued. Non‐plateaued employees are also more likely to view the organization as encouraging job performance ‐ another issue of importance to managers of organizations.
Details
Keywords
Sérgio Moro, Ricardo F. Ramos and Paulo Rita
Strategic goal achievement in every sector of a company relies fundamentally on the firm's employees. This study aims to disclose the factors that spur employees of major…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategic goal achievement in every sector of a company relies fundamentally on the firm's employees. This study aims to disclose the factors that spur employees of major Information Technology (IT) companies in the United States (US).
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, 15,000 reviews from the top 15 United States IT companies were collected from the social media platform Glassdoor to uncover the factors that satisfy IT employees. To learn the most meaningful features that influence the scores, positive and negative remarks, as well as advice to the management team, were analyzed through a support vector machine.
Findings
Results highlight a positive attitude of coworkers, contributing to a positive environment and job satisfaction. However, unsatisfied IT employees reveal that work exhaustion is the main reason for their job dissatisfaction.
Practical implications
IT human resource departments can use these valuable insights to align their strategies in accordance with their employees' desires and expectations in order to thrive.
Originality/value
The study highlights the relevance of IT companies to understand the reasons behind their employees' satisfaction. Up until now, little is known concerning the variants of job satisfaction among IT employees, enriching the understanding in this particular professional area.
Details
Keywords
Rita M. Walczuch, Sanjay K. Singh and Todd S. Palmer
Transborder data flow legislation (TDFL) has recently emerged as animportant issue for IS professionals. Transborder data flow (TDF) is themovement of computer readable data…
Abstract
Transborder data flow legislation (TDFL) has recently emerged as an important issue for IS professionals. Transborder data flow (TDF) is the movement of computer readable data across national boundaries. Many countries have enacted legislation barring this free flow of information, citing a concern for the privacy of citizens as the primary motivation. The need for privacy is the reflection of a society′s cultural attributes. A framework is developed for exploratory analysis of the cultural motivations for data protection legislation. Based on Hofstede′s research, establishes a relationship between certain attributes of culture and nations that have adopted/proposed TDFL. Using this relationship, discusses the reasons for which other nations have not adopted/ proposed TDFL.
Details
Keywords
Anna Marie Johnson, Sarah Jent and Latisha Reynolds
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 exhibition catalogues 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.
Details
Keywords
Annamma Joy, Michael Hui, Tsong-Sung Chan and Geng Cui
This study examines subject and self-metaphors in Cantonese in order to understand the impact of self-conceptualization on self-giving in Hong Kong. The bifurcation of the…
Abstract
This study examines subject and self-metaphors in Cantonese in order to understand the impact of self-conceptualization on self-giving in Hong Kong. The bifurcation of the individual in Hong Kong signals the importance of the subject and the relational self in Chinese culture. The word for person (rén) is written as two individuals interacting with each other, so communication between the subject and the relational self has a significant impact on self-giving as evidenced by the most prevalent type of gift – the puritanical one. The mental accounting in this instance reflects the importance given to the consideration of others prior to or simultaneously with rewarding oneself for the successful achievement of a personal goal. Both whimsical and therapeutic gifts are fairly rare and justified in a more elaborate fashion. Indulging oneself by purchasing consumer goods or services for special occasions is acceptable when they are not provided by relevant others, such as close friends or family. Purchasing clothes and shoes for Chinese New Year is not necessarily viewed as a self-gift because this occasion is an auspicious one, requiring the wearer to attire herself in new outfits in order to attract good fortune. Finally, the presence of self-gifts in Hong Kong justifies its inclusion in the gift continuum.
Mohd Nishat Faisal, D.K. Banwet and Ravi Shankar
This paper aims to identify various information risks that could impact a supply chain, and develops a conceptual framework to quantify and mitigate them.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify various information risks that could impact a supply chain, and develops a conceptual framework to quantify and mitigate them.
Design/methodology/approach
Graph theory has been used to quantify information risks while interpretive structural modelling (ISM) is employed to understand the interrelationships among the enablers of information risks mitigation.
Findings
The research presents a classification of the enablers of information risks mitigation according to their driving power and dependence. It also presents a risk index to quantify information risks. The research suggests that management should focus on improving the high driving power enabler variables.
Practical implications
The proposed risk index and the hierarchy‐based model would help to develop suitable strategies to manage information risks in supply chains.
Originality/value
The major contribution of this paper lies in the development of a framework to quantify information risks and a hierarchy based model for their mitigation in context of supply chains.
Details
Keywords
Tat-Huei Cham, Boon Liat Cheng and Caryn Kar Yan Ng
The clothing industry is one of the earmarked industries in many countries following the rising demand and consumption of clothing products among millennials. Malaysia and…
Abstract
Purpose
The clothing industry is one of the earmarked industries in many countries following the rising demand and consumption of clothing products among millennials. Malaysia and Thailand are known to be promising markets for this industry in the South East Asia region. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of psychological and marketing factors on clothing interest among Generation Y consumers, as well as the interrelationships between self-confidence, product attitude and purchase intention. The impact of nationality was also examined as a moderator on the investigated relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
The data was collected among Generation Y consumers using a survey questionnaire, which had successfully gathered a total of 388 usable cases from the capital cities of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Thailand (Bangkok). These cities were selected for being the largest cities in its country which contain the highest number of shopping malls, offices and Generation Y population. Data analysis was then performed using both the SPSS and AMOS software.
Findings
Findings obtained acknowledged the importance of both psychological (i.e. fashion innovativeness, self-concept, fashion consciousness and need for uniqueness) and marketing (i.e. social media marketing and fashion advertisement) factors towards the clothing interest among Generation Y consumers. Consequently, clothing interest would influence their product attitude, self-confidence and purchase intention, with product attitude and self-confidence as the mediators between clothing interest and purchase intention. Multigroup analysis confirmed that there are differences between Generation Y consumers in both Malaysia and Thailand, where Thai consumers hold a stricter emphasis concerning the influence of social media marketing on clothing interest and self-confidence on purchase intention.
Originality/value
This study is one of the very few studies that explored the minimally investigated territory on the consequential importance of clothing interest within the clothing industry, specifically, through extending the literature on the influence of psychological and marketing factors towards the individuals’ clothing interest. Moreover, this study also successfully highlighted the mediation role of product attitude and self-confidence in the relationship between clothing interest and purchase intention.
Details
Keywords
Fabrizio Errico, Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli, Umberto Panniello and Angelo Scialpi
This paper aims to explore the effects of two drivers, namely, the received fundings and its interaction with the specialized competences owned by the managerial board, on the R&D…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the effects of two drivers, namely, the received fundings and its interaction with the specialized competences owned by the managerial board, on the R&D activities performed by start-ups.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper tests hypotheses on a sample of 405 innovative start-ups established in Italy and registered into the Chamber of Commerce official database. This study uses the R&D expenses as a measure of the innovative performance of start-up, and the authors also collected the number and total amount of grants received by them and the presence of high qualified team in their management board.
Findings
The analysis reveals that both the number and total amount of grants received by start-ups positively impact the innovative performance. The same is for the integration of the total amount of grants with the presence of high qualified team in the management board.
Research limitations/implications
This study did not distinguish between different types of grants adopted by start-ups, while it would be interesting to study whether any difference does exist among them in terms of their influence on innovative performance. Also, this paper considers the total number of specialized people in the team while it would certainly be interesting to analyze people’s background and competences in relation to the innovative performances.
Practical implications
This paper allows us to offer some provisional conclusions such as having funds in the preliminary phase of start-up life cycle, and investments mainly for R&D expenses. The start-up must also leverage its skills and therefore it is necessary to invest in human capital.
Social implications
Findings suggest that policymakers should introduce integrated measures to support start-ups throughout the entire life cycle, from the creation of the idea to incubation up to industrial consolidation.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on the determinants of start-up innovative performance because both external (such as political, economic, social and technological) and internal (such as organizational) influencing factors have to be considered as crucial for start-ups innovation and growth. Finally, this study is one of the few attempts exploring the phenomenon by using an empirical methodology based on real and certificated data.
Details
Keywords
Godfrey Moses Owot, Kenneth Olido, Daniel Micheal Okello and Walter Odongo
The purpose of this study is to analyze trust perceptions between farmers and traders from a dyadic context in developing countries using mixed-method with a specific focus on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze trust perceptions between farmers and traders from a dyadic context in developing countries using mixed-method with a specific focus on fresh and dry commodities under contracted and non-contracted markets.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed approach was employed. Cross-sectional data were collected from 202 farmers and 188 traders using questionnaires and an interview guide. The Mann–Whitney test was used to assess differences in trust perception. Differences in the excerpts were assessed through content analysis.
Findings
Results show differences in perception of trust between farmers and traders on integrity, benevolence and competence in marketing fresh and dry commodities. No detectable differences in trust perception between contract and non-contract markets were observed.
Research limitations/implications
Data are limited to Northern Uganda and were collected on trust perception. Besides, there is a scarcity of formal contracts and difficulty in having a matched dyad which could affect generalization.
Originality/value
This is the first study to analyze differences in trust perceptions using a mixed approach in a dyadic context between fresh and dry chains in different markets typologies in developing countries.