Zexin Ma, Xiaoli Nan, Irina A. Iles, James Butler, Robert Feldman and Min Qi Wang
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of self-affirmation on African American smokers' intentions to quit smoking sooner and desire to stop smoking altogether in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of self-affirmation on African American smokers' intentions to quit smoking sooner and desire to stop smoking altogether in response to viewing graphic cigarette warning labels. It also tested the mediating role of perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy in explaining the impact of self-affirmation.
Design/methodology/approach
African American smokers (N = 158) were recruited to participate in a controlled experiment. Participants first completed a short questionnaire about their demographic background and smoking-related attitudes and behavior. They were then randomly assigned to engage in either a self-affirmation task or a control task and viewed two graphic cigarette warning labels subsequently. Participants then responded to a questionnaire about their perceived susceptibility to smoking-related diseases, perceived self-efficacy to quit smoking, intentions to quit smoking and desire to stop smoking altogether.
Findings
Results showed that engaging in self-affirmation prior to exposure to graphic cigarette warning labels increased African American smokers' perceived susceptibility to smoking-related diseases, but decreased their perceived self-efficacy to quit smoking. Furthermore, self-affirmation indirectly enhanced smokers' intentions to quit smoking sooner and desire to stop smoking altogether through increased perceived susceptibility. It also had an unexpected negative indirect effect on intentions to quit smoking sooner through decreased self-efficacy.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies that investigates the effect of self-affirmation on African American smokers' responses toward graphic cigarette warning labels.
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Rico Baldegger, Pascal Wild and Patrick Schueffel
Today, newly founded businesses are inevitably driven to start in a digital form from day 1. Moreover, most existing businesses conceive digitalization as an important part of…
Abstract
Today, newly founded businesses are inevitably driven to start in a digital form from day 1. Moreover, most existing businesses conceive digitalization as an important part of their strategic orientation by developing and improving their digital assets and digitalizing their processes. By taking account of this development, this chapter investigates how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) affects a small firm’s proclivity to both digitization and internationalization and their performance that comes from it. Internationalization has been a key topic for many small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) over the past decades. As digitization is currently taking over the helm from internationalization as the most pressing topic affecting business, we carried out research among SMEs to understand the interplay of these factors influencing business performance. The focus of the research was on the precursory factors inducing firm performance as well as on their interrelationships. Using a sample of 357 SMEs, EO is found to be significantly closely associated with an SME’s degree of digitization as well as with its overall performance. In contrast, EO does not affect the SME’s level of internationalization. This result is surprising considering that proactive and risk-taking firms tend to be more inclined to enter foreign and distant markets.
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This paper examines the potential relationship between the history of American generations and the development of American management thought. The paper reviews the recently…
Abstract
This paper examines the potential relationship between the history of American generations and the development of American management thought. The paper reviews the recently developed generational theory of American history, along with the generational concept itself. Then, the leading thinkers in the history of the management discipline are classified according to their generational membership. The potential theoretical and research implications of the interplay of managerial and historical generations are then discussed.
With the increasing instances of malfeasance and frauds coming to light in the financial services industry, trust has become a key concern for customers. Fortunately, in the case…
Abstract
Purpose
With the increasing instances of malfeasance and frauds coming to light in the financial services industry, trust has become a key concern for customers. Fortunately, in the case of Islamic Finance, trust is a central tenet, and its importance can be seen through the emphasis of Amanah or trustworthiness that should be present in every financial transaction. However, it has been argued that the principle of trust has not been truly realized in Islamic Finance, or that there are still issues of distrust regarding anything which is obtrusively branded as “Islamic”. In this paper, the author will analyze the reasons for gaps between the expectations and reality of the finance industry today by looking at the main factors contributing to distrust among the different stakeholders and the perceived impact of the distrust on the industry and the general public. It then focuses on the past and ongoing efforts by academia to bridge these gaps between the different stake holder groups with the help of illustrative case studies as well as recommends future steps to be taken to ensure a stronger foundation of trust within the Islamic Finance community.
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To provide a concise briefing on the most topical issues and relevant implications from the top 400 management publications in the world.
Abstract
Purpose
To provide a concise briefing on the most topical issues and relevant implications from the top 400 management publications in the world.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the argument in context.
Findings
Feldman's detailed study reviews the decision‐making processes – and the influences which were brought to bear on those processes – in the years before the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986. He demonstrates – with a carefully‐constructed view of the culture of objectivity, of how decisions are made and what knowledge is brought to bear on those decisions – how misunderstandings of flight risk resulted. Robert F. Gratton analyses President Kennedy's style of leadership and decision making during the crucial days of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. He reveals that Kennedy adopted a questioning, Socratic approach and concludes that the collective strategy process can not truly begin until a collective aim has been decided. In addition, the strategy process is best led by a facilitator than an authoritarian, and strategy formulation is an art, guided by whatever science can be brought to bear. Howard Hills demonstrates the benefits of collaborative decision making. He identifies symptoms of teams that fail to make collaborative decisions, and offers actions a team leader may take to enable effective collaborative decisions to be made. He asserts the value of mutual respect, learning from mistakes and welcoming feedback.
Originality/value
Provides implementable strategies and practical thinking that has influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
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Robert F. Bruner, Robert Hengelbrok and Sean Carr
In early 2002, an analyst, Tom Baumann, must propose terms for leasing one of his company's advanced factory-automation systems to a major customer. From the lessor's standpoint…
Abstract
In early 2002, an analyst, Tom Baumann, must propose terms for leasing one of his company's advanced factory-automation systems to a major customer. From the lessor's standpoint, the challenge is simply to design an annuity stream that yields a present value equal to, or greater than, the value of the asset being leased. Certain factors, however, serve to complicate the analysis. The tax exposure and debt rating of the customer are uncertain, leaving the analyst to estimate the impact of alternative lease terms under different tax and interest-rate assumptions. Also, the customer is considering leasing competing systems from companies in Germany and Japan; these competing proposals limit Primus's flexibility in tailoring its proposal. In short, the student's task is to design lease terms that exploit the lessee's tax and interest-rate exposure within constraints set by competitive terms.
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Florian Ritter, Anja Danner-Schröder and Gordon Müller-Seitz
In this study, the authors applied a routine dynamics perspective to examine how agile routines enhance efficiency while allowing flexibility in a world of flux. Hence, the…
Abstract
In this study, the authors applied a routine dynamics perspective to examine how agile routines enhance efficiency while allowing flexibility in a world of flux. Hence, the authors conducted an ethnographic case study in the IT sector, following a scrum team. The findings indicate that agile routines create affordances for addressing temporal orientations toward the past, present, and future. Within the scrum framework, each routine has a designed temporal orientation, such that the planning meeting is oriented toward the future. Actors enacted this single, temporal orientation through temporal demarcating patterns. However, in some instances, other temporal orientations conflicted with the dominant one. In those cases, actors enacted temporal integrating patterns that embraced multiple temporal orientations. The authors contribute to research on routine dynamics by demonstrating how (1) temporal demarcating enables organizational benefits, (2) temporal integrating enables learning from and anticipating problems, and (3) temporal spaces emerge within routine enactments to solve problems at hand.
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Khalid Rasheed Memon and Bilqees Ghani
The purpose of this study is to investigate and articulate the performance appraisal process as a tool, used for the development of voice behavior through the fostering of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate and articulate the performance appraisal process as a tool, used for the development of voice behavior through the fostering of trustworthiness and empowering culture in the organization.
Design/methodology/approach
Data has been collected through survey instruments, filled by employees and their coworkers. The study proposes and tests a new model based on the relationship between performance appraisal and voice behavior through the moderation-mediation mechanism. Data analysis has been performed using SEM through SMART PLS 3.
Findings
Results show that a strong and positive relationship exists between performance appraisal and voice behavior through the mediating variable of psychological empowerment. The moderators, empowering leadership and perceived fairness have played vital role in boosting psychological empowerment and strengthening the relationship with performance appraisal.
Research limitations/implications
The study presents the performance appraisal system as one of the antecedents of employees' voice behavior generated through psychological empowerment (mediator) and perceived fairness and empowering leadership (moderators) since the appraisal system is to be implemented through the leader.
Originality/value
The study presents a unique and innovative idea while it tries to explore and measure the different effects/impacts of the relationship between performance appraisal and voice behavior.
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This study aims to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected telework initiatives in Japanese companies and investigate the factors that affect telework based on the technology…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected telework initiatives in Japanese companies and investigate the factors that affect telework based on the technology, organization and environment (TOE) model, through the analysis of published documents.
Design/methodology/approach
Document analysis was adopted. Documents were collected from English news articles in the Nikkei Asian Review and Nikkei Asia which cover Japan's economy, industries and markets. The results of surveys by the Persol Research Institute and Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry were also provided to discuss factors promoting and hindering telework. Content analysis was adopted to analyse the documents.
Findings
COVID-19 had an unavoidable impact on the implementation of telework that the government had previously failed to instigate. Japanese listed companies tend to implement telework, whereas small- and medium-sized companies are struggling. The ratio of telework has been low even after the declaration of the state of emergency because there exist organizational, technological and environmental barriers to telework in Japan.
Originality/value
This study contributes to discussions on work style reform by focusing on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on telework. This research also gives new insight into operationalization of telework in organizations not only in Japan but also in other countries known for low rates of telework and inflexible work styles such as Korea.