Cristina Villar and José Pla-Barber
The aim of this chapter is to examine the profile of high-performing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Traditional Manufacturing Sectors (TMSs). The authors main…
Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to examine the profile of high-performing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Traditional Manufacturing Sectors (TMSs). The authors main contribution is to provide recommendations and benchmarks for prescribing a more robust model of internationalisation in these industries by specifying the types of internationalisation and innovation that better reinforce competitiveness. Our results, based on a sample of 132 SMEs, show that high-performing SMEs make more intense use of advanced operation modes that imply a closer interaction with the host country to access knowledge diversity, skills and work available in those markets. Moreover, compared to low-performing SMEs, and independently of their size and experience, these firms use a wide set of networking and marketing capabilities and develop innovations based on organisational changes that help to create new business models. After a number of years of forced adjustment and adaptation to a globalised context, the new model of high-performing SME in TMS could help to improve the global positioning of these firms in the long term.
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This paper aims to discuss how the influence of consumer and investor opinions for green corporate accountability and the creation of new government regulations in favor of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss how the influence of consumer and investor opinions for green corporate accountability and the creation of new government regulations in favor of protecting the environment have pushed green issues onto the boardroom agenda and onto outsourcing vendors' growing plate of priorities.
Design/methodology/approach
The data presented and the opinions discussed in this paper are based on the on‐going research behind The Black Book of Outsourcing, by Douglas Brown and Scott Wilson.
Findings
The paper presents a wealth of data that clearly highlight how environmental issues and the ability to display an environmental‐friendly culture are becoming vital to all outsourcing stakeholders. Also, using the data analysis, it delivers a 13 steps process to develop a green outsourcing initiative.
Originality/value
This paper discusses one of the latest trends in outsourcing, and it does so by providing numerous relevant data. As such, it contributes to setting a relevant research agenda. At the same time, it provides an in‐depth analysis of various industry first‐movers, and based on that it delivers a process that can be used by practitioners to develop green outsourcing offerings.
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Scott Comber, Lisette Wilson and Kyle C. Crawford
The purpose of this study is to discern the physicians’ perception of leadership effectiveness in their clinical and non-clinical roles (leadership) by identifying their political…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to discern the physicians’ perception of leadership effectiveness in their clinical and non-clinical roles (leadership) by identifying their political skill levels.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 209 Canadian physicians was surveyed using the Political Skills Inventory (PSI) during the period 2012-2014. The PSI was chosen because it assesses leadership effectiveness on four dimensions: social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking ability and apparent authenticity.
Findings
Physicians in clinical roles’ PSI scores were significantly lower in all four PSI dimensions when compared to all other physicians in non-clinical roles, with the principal difference being in their networking abilities.
Practical implications
More emphasis is needed on educating and training physicians, specifically in the areas of political skills, in current clinical roles if they are to assume leadership roles and be effective.
Originality/value
Although this study is located in Canada, the study design and associated findings may have implications to other areas and countries wanting to increase physician leadership effectiveness. Further, replication of this study in other settings may provide insight into the future design of physician leadership training curriculum.
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Fabian Davis, Naomi Hankinson, Stafford Scott, Rosemary Wilson and David Morris
This article describes the National Social Inclusion Programme's Communities of Influence workstream, the premises on which it was founded, the innovative social inclusion…
Abstract
This article describes the National Social Inclusion Programme's Communities of Influence workstream, the premises on which it was founded, the innovative social inclusion practice it proposed, what was learned and how the work will be taken forwards in the future.
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This contribution is an investigation into the palpable connection of extreme metal music and concepts of death, dying and mortality. Like other dark subcultures, metal has an…
Abstract
This contribution is an investigation into the palpable connection of extreme metal music and concepts of death, dying and mortality. Like other dark subcultures, metal has an intense infatuation with the macabre; many of its subcultures seek to uncover meaning through musical exploration into varying dark themes that emerge when thinking about death and what lies beyond the bounds of existence. From the abrasive and animalistic blood lust of death metal to the melancholic textures of black metal and the sonic void evoked in doom metal, extreme metal is a catalyst through which fans of the macabre can explore many perceptions and conceptions of corporeal fragility; the consuming pain of life, of death, and of knowing; and the existential notion of the ungraspable abyss. This chapter explores these varying conceptualisations of death in extreme metal culture, their sonic representations and their cathartic consolation: delving into the psychoanalytic reasoning and embodied sound of death.
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Stuart Lewis, Leonie Hayes, Vanessa Newton‐Wade, Antony Corfield, Richard Davis, Tim Donohue and Scott Wilson
The purpose of this paper is to describe the repository deposit protocol, Simple Web‐service Offering Repository Deposit (SWORD), its development iteration, and some of its…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the repository deposit protocol, Simple Web‐service Offering Repository Deposit (SWORD), its development iteration, and some of its potential use cases. In addition, seven case studies of institutional use of SWORD are provided.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes the recent development cycle of the SWORD standard, with issues being identified and overcome with a subsequent version. Use cases and case studies of the new standard in action are included to demonstrate the wide range of practical uses of the SWORD standard.
Findings
SWORD has many potential use cases and has quickly become the de facto standard for depositing items into repositories. By making use of a widely‐supported interoperable standard, tools can be created that start to overcome some of the problems of gathering content for deposit into institutional repositories. They can do this by changing the submission process from a “one‐size‐fits‐all” solution, as provided by the repository's own user interface, to customised solutions for different users.
Originality/value
Many of the case studies described in this paper are new and unpublished, and describe methods of creating novel interoperable tools for depositing items into repositories. The description of SWORD version 1.3 and its development give an insight into the processes involved with the development of a new standard.
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This paper aims to introduce an enterprise‐wide Web 2.0 learning support platform – SNAP, developed at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce an enterprise‐wide Web 2.0 learning support platform – SNAP, developed at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia.
Design/methodology/approach
Pointing to the evolution of the social web, the paper discusses the potential for the development of e‐learning platforms that employ constructivist, connectivist, and participatory pedagogies and actively engage the student population. Social networking behaviours and peer‐learning strategies, along with knowledge management through guided folksonomies, provide the back‐bone of a social systems approach to learning support.
Findings
The development of a cloud‐based read‐write enterprise platform can extend the responsiveness of the learning institution to its students and to future e‐learning innovations.
Originality/value
The full potential of e‐learning platforms for the development of learning communities of practice can now be increasingly realised. The SNAP Platform is a step in this direction.
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Ying‐Tzu Lu and Brian H. Kleiner
Looks at drug use (and testing for it) in the workplace, and how it affects businesses. States, although drug users affect fellow workers through accidents at work, the non‐users…
Abstract
Looks at drug use (and testing for it) in the workplace, and how it affects businesses. States, although drug users affect fellow workers through accidents at work, the non‐users may also experience lowered morale. Directs employers how to introduce and operate drug testing programmes, listing six considerations. Concludes that once employers are aware of the legality of their actions they can perform drug testing programmes and provide both a drug‐free workplace and a safe working environment.
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Sarah N. Mitchell, Antoinette M. Landor and Katharine H. Zeiders
Research has shown that for young adults, marital attitudes (e.g., desire, importance, and expectation) are associated with relationship quality. However, how this association…
Abstract
Research has shown that for young adults, marital attitudes (e.g., desire, importance, and expectation) are associated with relationship quality. However, how this association plays out for young adults of color is less known. Additionally, the influence of skin tone perception on the relationship between marital attitudes and relationship quality remains understudied. To explore these associations, the authors examined African American and Latinx young adults (N = 57, Mage = 20.71 years, SD = 1.28; 75.4% female) attending a Midwestern university. Exploratory results indicated that marital expectations were positively associated with relationship quality in that young adults who expected to marry one day, reported greater relationship satisfaction, commitment, and intimacy in their current relationships. Additionally, skin tone perception moderated the association between marital attitudes and relationship quality in two ways (i.e., between expectations and satisfaction and between importance and intimacy). Collectively, findings suggest that differing levels of marital attitudes and skin tone perception contributes to young adults’ perceptions of relationship quality. Considering these psychological factors of attitudes, skin tone perception, and relationship quality, together with systemic racial/ethnic discrimination, the authors discuss future research and practice considerations.