Sebastián Villa and Jaime Andrés Castañeda
The paper aims to explore how power and gender influence decision making in an operational and risky context.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to explore how power and gender influence decision making in an operational and risky context.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors run a laboratory experiment. The experimental factors are power and operational profitability. Power is manipulated using an episodic priming task, while profitability, by changing a newsvendor-type product’s procurement cost. Participants’ risk attitude is captured using a risk lottery.
Findings
Participants deviate from the optimal order regardless of the power condition and their risk profile. Risk-seeking women order consistently more than risk-seeking men, which allow women to offer a higher service level. In the low-profit condition, men prefer to make more conservative decisions, which allow them to place orders that are closer to the economical benchmark, where both men’ induced power and the risk-seeking tendencies from both genders play a role. Behavioural models in the high-power condition explain the observed differences in ordering behaviours.
Originality/value
This paper provides behavioural research to explore how differences in power and gender, and their links with risky decision making, influence decision making in an uncertain operations management context, representing thus an important departure from mainstream studies.
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Sebastián Villa, Paulo Gonçalves and Tonny Villy Odong
The purpose of this paper is to employ concepts drawn from communication theory to develop a structural model that it is hoped will improve the understanding of the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to employ concepts drawn from communication theory to develop a structural model that it is hoped will improve the understanding of the impact of effective communication mechanisms on the performance of humanitarian organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on a case study of a single humanitarian organization. The authors designed a cross-sectional study, collecting data using structured questionnaires and interviews. Structural equation modeling was used to test and estimate the model.
Findings
Estimations show that the proper design of internal manuals and procedure guidelines, coupled with formal strategies to foster stakeholder dialogue in organizations and increase the perceived performance of humanitarian programs.
Practical implications
The paper discusses the importance of designing effective communication strategies that permit humanitarian organizations to use their communication channels properly and improve operations based on lessons learned and the concerns of stakeholders.
Originality/value
This paper builds on the foundations provided by communication theory to develop a model that explains how communication affects performance in humanitarian organizations. The study further builds on a case study to test the theoretical model.
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The purpose of this paper is to propose two performance-based capital budgeting (PBCB) approaches. The proposed approaches aim to assign limited capital within different firms…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose two performance-based capital budgeting (PBCB) approaches. The proposed approaches aim to assign limited capital within different firms based on their performance. These approaches have been applied to capital budgeting process of the technical and vocational training schools of Semnan Province, Iran for the fiscal year 2014–2016. Although the current capital of each decision-making unit (DMU) is secured in the first approach, the second approach provides possibility of sharing the capital between DMUs.
Design/methodology/approach
Data envelopment analysis which is a broadly used mathematical programming technique for assessing performance of DMUs is utilized for the first phase of both approaches. The proposed models are based on linear programming. Different scenarios are presented and their pros and cons for the capital budgeting process are discussed.
Findings
The proposed approaches are applied to capital budgeting process for a fiscal year of technical and vocational training schools of Semnan Province, Iran. The budget allocation of the previous year has been found to be non-optimal in terms of budget consuming. This emphasizes reconsideration of budget allotment within schools. The results show a high potential for producing more outputs. The second approach that provides the possibility of sharing and realloting of budget between schools based on their performance may be crucial for those schools that are not performing efficiently because there is possibility of losing budget in each given year in contrast with the previous years.
Originality/value
This paper proposes two linear programming-based approaches for the PBCB. The author not only deals with static framework but also proposes dynamic structured models. Using performance-based budgeting in organizations has been emphasized by authorities in Iran for many years. Using the proposed approaches, different suggestion and policy recommendation for decision makers in process of capital budgeting process within period of study are provided for technical and vocational training schools of Semnan Province, Iran.
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Consideration needs to be given to the difference [that] the diversity of cities makes to theory.Robinson (2002, p. 549)
Abstract
Consideration needs to be given to the difference [that] the diversity of cities makes to theory.Robinson (2002, p. 549)
Lida Esperanza Villa Castaño, Jesús Perdomo-Ortiz, William Fernando Durán León, Sebastián Dueñas Ocampo and Florina Guadalupe Arredondo Trapero
The purpose of this paper is to find evidence of construct validity in a Mexican population for a socially responsible consumption (SRC) measurement scale originally proposed for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to find evidence of construct validity in a Mexican population for a socially responsible consumption (SRC) measurement scale originally proposed for Colombia.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a quantitative approach and a correlational scope, factorial invariance and differential item functioning analyses were performed on the SRC measurement scale based on data from 323 Colombian graduate students and 456 Mexican students.
Findings
The empirical evidence confirms that the factor structure of the SRC measurement scale applied in Colombia remains valid in the Mexican context.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations pertain to the attitudinal measurement scale and the non-representativeness of the chosen samples.
Practical implications
When identifying a structure for SRC, particularly considering the formulation of marketing strategies and business reputation, companies should consider the new criteria of buying consumption.
Originality/value
For the first time in Latin America, an SRC measurement scale is constructed, and its construct validity is evaluated for two countries: Mexico and Colombia. The authors thus provide empirical evidence for the hypothesis that SRC measurement is contingent on the expression of measurement considering the socioeconomic and cultural context in which the study is conducted.
Propósito
Buscar evidencia de validez de constructo en una población mexicana para la escala de medida del Consumo Socialmente Responsable (CSR) propuesta para Colombia.
Diseño/metodología/enfoque
Con un enfoque cuantitativo y alcance correlacional se realiza un análisis de invarianza factorial y de funcionamiento diferencial del ítem (DIF), de la escala de medida del CSR en 323 estudiantes de posgrado colombianos y 456 mexicanos.
Hallazgos
La evidencia empírica confirma que la estructura factorial de la escala de medida del CSR aplicado en Colombia se mantiene en el contexto mexicano.
Limitaciones de la investigación/implicaciones
Las propias de las escalas de medida actitudinal y de la no representatividad de las muestras elegidas.
Implicaciones prácticas
Cuando se identifica una estructura de un CSR, las empresas en la formulación de estrategias de mercadeo y reputación empresarial, deben considerar los nuevos criterios de compra de consumo.
Originalidad/valor
Por primera vez en Latinoamérica se construye una escala de medida del CSR y se realiza una validez de constructo considerando dos países como lo son México y Colombia. En este sentido, se aporta evidencia empírica a la hipótesis según la cual la medición del CSR es contingente en su expresión de medida al contexto socioeconómico y cultural donde se realice el estudio.
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Asunción Ibáñez-Romero and Jon Mikel Zabala-Iturriagagoitia
iNNoVaNDiS started in 2005 at the University of Deusto (Spain) as a program that aimed to train students to perform as entrepreneurs. The aim of the chapter is to share the story…
Abstract
Purpose
iNNoVaNDiS started in 2005 at the University of Deusto (Spain) as a program that aimed to train students to perform as entrepreneurs. The aim of the chapter is to share the story of this 10-year old experience.
Methodology/approach
The chapter follows a case study approach, describing in a narrative form the evolution had by the program, from the perspective of the people that have been involved in it. It draws on the analysis of the different stages the program has gone through, over these 10 years, until the current structure of the program has been defined. Primary data are used to explain this evolution.
Findings
The chapter illustrates how the approach followed in iNNoVaNDiS has always been action-oriented. The rationale is that being entrepreneurial and innovative is a way of thinking, a mindset, and a personal identity. To achieve this different contexts are built during various workshops, working with real challenges faced by local organizations.
Practical implications
The program is run by a team with very different profiles, including consultants, researchers, academics, coaches, artists, engineers, entrepreneurs, actors, etc. This diversity allows the program to be in constant renewal. The program demystifies prejudices about the entrepreneur, the business idea and failure.
Originality/value
The philosophy behind the program is that entrepreneurship and innovation are not goals or disciplines to learn, and their purposes go far beyond starting a business. The scope of the initiative has not been the development of a business but rather to foster ethical entrepreneurship and innovative behavior in everyday life.
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Santiago Arango, Erik R. Larsen and Ann van Ackere
The purpose of this paper is to consider queuing systems where captive repeat customers select a service facility each period. Are people in such a distributed system, with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider queuing systems where captive repeat customers select a service facility each period. Are people in such a distributed system, with limited information diffusion, able to approach optimal system performance? How are queues formed? How do people decide which queue to join based on past experience? The authors explore these questions, investigating the effect of information availability, as well as the effect of heterogeneous facility sizes, at the macro (system) and micro (individual performance) levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Experimental economics, using a queuing experiment.
Findings
The authors find little behavioural difference at the aggregate level, but observe significant variations at the individual level. This leads the authors to the conclusion that it is not sufficient to evaluate system performance by observing average customer allocation and sojourn times at the different facilities; one also needs to consider the individuals’ performance to understand how well the chosen design works. The authors also observe that better information diffusion does not necessarily improve system performance.
Practical/implications
Evaluating system performance based on aggregate behaviour can be misleading; however, this is how many systems are evaluated in practice, when only aggregate performance measures are available. This can lead to suboptimal system designs.
Originality/value
There has been little theoretical or empirical work on queuing systems with captive repeat customers. This study contributes to the understanding of decision making in such systems, using laboratory experiments based on the cellular automata approach, but with all agents replaced by humans.
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Annelies van der Ham, Arno van Raak, Dirk Ruwaard and Frits van Merode
Integration, that is, the coordination and alignment of tasks, is widely promoted as a means to improve hospital performance. A previous study examined integration and…
Abstract
Purpose
Integration, that is, the coordination and alignment of tasks, is widely promoted as a means to improve hospital performance. A previous study examined integration and differentiation, that is, the extent to which tasks are segmented into subsystems, in a hospital's social network. The current study carries this research further, aiming to explain integration and differentiation by studying the rules and coordination mechanisms that agents in a hospital network use.
Design/methodology/approach
The current case study deepens the analysis of the social network in a hospital. All planning tasks and tasks for surgery performance were studied, using a naturalistic inquiry approach and a mixed method.
Findings
Of the 314 rules found, 85% predominantly exist in people's minds, 31% are in documents and 7% are in the information system. In the early planning stages for a surgery procedure, mutual adjustment based on hospital-wide rules is dominant. Closer to the day of surgery, local rules are used and open loops are closed through mutual adjustment, thus achieving integration. On the day of surgery, there is mainly standardization of work and output, based on hospital-wide rules. The authors propose topics for future research, focusing on increasing the hospital's robustness and stability.
Originality/value
This exploratory case study provides an overview of the rules and coordination mechanisms that are used for organizing hospital-wide logistics for surgery patients. The findings are important for future research on how integration and differentiation are effectively achieved in hospitals.