Stephanie P. Thomas, Sara Liao-Troth and Donnie F. Williams
Truck drivers keep supply chains moving, but driver shortages and high turnover levels plague the industry. The purpose of this research is to examine the three dimensions of…
Abstract
Purpose
Truck drivers keep supply chains moving, but driver shortages and high turnover levels plague the industry. The purpose of this research is to examine the three dimensions of Maslach's job burnout model: exhaustion, cynicism and professional inefficacy, as it relates to role stressors and turnover intention. Logistics boundary spanners such as truck drivers appear to be especially susceptible to job burnout. Role theory and organizational support theory were used to develop hypotheses.
Design/methodology/approach
Individual level survey data were collected from 190 truck driver respondents (not owner operators) at two large truck stops. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
Findings suggest that the relationship between role stressors and the dimensions of job burnout are not all the same. Role conflict significantly impacts exhaustion and cynicism. Role ambiguity significantly impacts cynicism and inefficacy. Results support a progression through burnout dimensions that begins with exhaustion and ends with inefficacy. Inefficacy was significantly related to intention to stay. Organizational support is a way to help drivers mitigate feelings of inefficacy.
Practical implications
Managers in trucking organizations can track burnout levels in their drivers using the Maslach Burnout Inventory with a specific focus on monitoring feelings of inefficacy, which may help lower turnover levels.
Originality/value
The findings support that the burnout dimension of inefficacy is the strongest indicator that a driver is considering leaving his current organization or the industry. This is contrary to other studies that have focused on the other two burnout dimensions.
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Stephanie P Thomas, Karl B. Manrodt and Jacqueline K. Eastman
– The purpose of this paper is to explore how the history of a supply chain relationship impacts expectations concerning negotiation strategy use.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how the history of a supply chain relationship impacts expectations concerning negotiation strategy use.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a grounded theory approach, experienced buyers and suppliers were interviewed to enhance understanding of the complexity of supply chain negotiations.
Findings
Qualitative analysis developed a theoretical framework emphasizing the impact of relationship history on negotiation strategy expectations in long-term buyer-supplier relationships. Data supports that previous negotiation interactions build a history between the involved organizations. This relationship history creates expectations. When negotiation strategy use is consistent with expectations, the relationship history will continue to develop in the same manner as it has previously. When negotiation strategy expectations are violated, the relationship impact will differ depending on evidence of an Extrarelational Factor that leads to the strategy change.
Research limitations/implications
Results of this study present a theoretical framework that future research can quantitatively test, which has the potential to open up new streams of research on relationship history and supply chain negotiations.
Practical implications
Results show that buyers and suppliers should consider the strategy expectations of their negotiation partner. When actions are inconsistent with expectations, the effects impact the relationship.
Originality/value
Negotiation research has largely focussed on negotiations as discrete events with economic outcomes. This ongoing buyer-supplier relationship research highlights the impact that previous negotiations (relationship history) have on negotiation expectations. It also explores the relational impact when those expectations are or are not met.
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Stephanie Thomas, Jacqueline Eastman, C. David Shepherd and Luther Trey Denton
The purpose of this paper is to study the relational impact of using win-win or win-lose negotiation strategies within different types of buyer-supplier relationships.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the relational impact of using win-win or win-lose negotiation strategies within different types of buyer-supplier relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
A multi-method approach is used. Qualitative interviews with supply chain managers reveal that relationship-specific assets and cooperation are important relational factors in buyer-supplier negotiations. Framing interview insights within the social exchange theory (SET), hypotheses are tested using a scenario-based behavioral experiment.
Findings
Experimental results suggest that win-lose negotiators decrease their negotiating partner’s commitment of relationship-specific assets and levels of cooperation. In addition, the use of a win-lose negotiation strategy reduces levels of relationship-specific assets and cooperation more in highly interdependent buyer-supplier relationships than relationships that are not as close.
Research limitations/implications
Buyer-supplier relationships are complex interactions. Negotiation strategy choice decisions can have long-term effects on the overall relationship. As demonstrated in this study, previous research focusing on one side “winning” a negotiation as a measure of success has oversimplified this complex phenomenon.
Practical implications
The use of a win-lose negotiation strategy can have a negative impact on relational outcomes like cooperation and relationship-specific assets. For companies interested in developing strong supply chain relationships, buyer and suppliers should choose their negotiation strategy carefully as the relational impact extends beyond the single negotiation encounter.
Originality/value
Previous research predominantly advocates for the use of a win-win negotiation strategy within interdependent relationships. This research offers evidence that the use of a win-lose strategy does have a long-term relational impact.
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Carolyn Casale and Stephanie Thomas
The purpose of this study is to understand how to develop closer partnership ties among university education faculty and local high school teachers. This study consisted of a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand how to develop closer partnership ties among university education faculty and local high school teachers. This study consisted of a university-based teacher education faculty and a high school social studies teacher co-teaching controversial topics using interactive student-centered approaches at a high school in the southeastern United States.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative design included data sources from lesson plans, student assignments and the co-teacher’s reflection process. The theoretical frame integrates reflective practice, culturally relevant teaching and Zeichner’s hybrid space.
Findings
The findings of this research identified best practices for an effective co-teaching partnership between university-based teacher education faculty and social studies high school teachers.
Originality/value
The significance and practical implications are to develop partnerships to promote effective teaching.
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Anastasia Luise Gramatakos and Stephanie Lavau
Many higher education institutions are committed to developing students as skilled professionals and responsible citizens for a more sustainable future. In addition to the formal…
Abstract
Purpose
Many higher education institutions are committed to developing students as skilled professionals and responsible citizens for a more sustainable future. In addition to the formal curriculum for sustainability education, there is an increasing interest in informal learning within universities. This paper aims to extend the current understanding of the diversity and significance of informal learning experiences in supporting students’ learning for sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Six focus groups were formed with 30 undergraduate and postgraduate students from an Australian higher education institution committed to supporting graduate competencies for sustainability. An inductive and qualitative inquiry was designed to enable participants to reflect on the ways in which their university experiences support meaningful and significant learning for sustainability.
Findings
The paper presents a typology of the diverse communities of informal learning that students create and engage with. These range from ongoing to transient groups, from environmentally to more socially oriented groups and from incidental to intended learning, from local to national in scale, with varying types and degrees of connection to the formal curriculum and the university campus. The paper demonstrates that these student-led experiences support three domains of learning: cognitive, practical and affective.
Originality/value
Deepening the understanding of the forms and significance of student-led learning within their university experience contributes to the identification of the roles that informal learning may play alongside formal education in developing graduates as agents of change for a more sustainable future.
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Stephanie E. Perrett and Thomas D. Waite
Prison populations are considered at elevated risk of blood borne virus (BBV) transmission. Between December 2015 and February 2016, four new cases of HIV infection were diagnosed…
Abstract
Purpose
Prison populations are considered at elevated risk of blood borne virus (BBV) transmission. Between December 2015 and February 2016, four new cases of HIV infection were diagnosed across two male vulnerable prisoner (VP) custodial units in Wales, UK. Cases were identified through routine BBV testing. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
As a result of identifying four new HIV cases, targeted BBV testing across the VP units using dried blood spot testing for HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV) and Hepatitis B was undertaken.
Findings
A total of 617 men were offered testing, 256 (41 per cent) were tested. No further cases of HIV were identified. Eight men were identified as HCV antibody positive. There was no evidence to suggest the four original cases of HIV were linked.
Practical implications
Embedding universal BBV screening within prison health provision will ensure timely identification of cases. Further research is needed to better understand BBV transmission risks within subsets of the prison population such as the VP and sex offending groups.
Originality/value
Little is known about the prevalence of BBVs in vulnerable prison populations. The findings add to the knowledge available for practitioners in the field.
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Stephanie Moura, Christian Daniel Falaster and Thomas C. Lawton
This study aims to explore how the absorptive capacity of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) facilitates increased acquirer performance in industry exploration and technology…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how the absorptive capacity of emerging market multinationals (EMNEs) facilitates increased acquirer performance in industry exploration and technology exploration cross-border acquisitions (CBAs).
Design/methodology/approach
The research context for this study is Brazilian EMNEs and their CBAs. The final database contains 101 CBAs.
Findings
The authors find that industry exploration strategies negatively affect financial performance, but technology exploration strategies have a positive effect. The acquirer’s absorptive capacity can exacerbate the negative effects, except in instances of technology exploration strategies, where there is a demonstrable benefit from the acquirer’s absorptive capacity.
Originality/value
The study contributes first by providing a more nuanced understanding of the effects of absorptive capacity on postacquisition performance, depending on the type of knowledge explored. Second, by drawing on EMNE learning perspectives, the authors demonstrate the versatility of absorptive capacity in emerging markets.
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Sascha Kraus, Thomas Niemand, Stephanie Scott, Kaisu Puumalainen and Raphael Oberreiner
This article addresses the need for further conceptual development of the factors that influence the development of the entrepreneurial mindset. It focuses on finding a link…
Abstract
Purpose
This article addresses the need for further conceptual development of the factors that influence the development of the entrepreneurial mindset. It focuses on finding a link between the classic mental models of entrepreneurship and those that are employed during video game play to explore if similarities exist.
Design/methodology/approach
Using theories of entrepreneurship and opportunity recognition, the study examines a sample of 217 video gamers.
Findings
The results of this study suggest that an individual who exhibits a high level of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has an enhanced opportunity recognition capability when the intensity of playing video games is also high. Various genres of games were controlled for; however, it was found that shooting games have the highest effect on the emergence of opportunity recognition.
Originality/value
Thus, the study reveals that some game activities can be linked to entrepreneurial cognitions. This has implications for the entrepreneurial intent literature as it reveals certain actions can be linked with entrepreneurial information processing. These findings are useful for game designers and managers as well.
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Stephanie Walton and Michael Killey
This study examines the impact of expanded geographical disclosures on nonprofessional investor judgments. Public country-by-country reporting (CBCR) is a way to increase…
Abstract
This study examines the impact of expanded geographical disclosures on nonprofessional investor judgments. Public country-by-country reporting (CBCR) is a way to increase corporate transparency, enhancing tax fairness and accountability (European Commission, 2016). Public disclosure would make large multinational companies share information about profits, taxes paid, and number of employees on a per-country basis. However, it is unclear whether nonprofessional investors would even use CBCR and how they would interpret the information. Adding to the policy debate on whether publicly available country-by-country information will be properly used, this study employs an experimental design to investigate the effect of disclosure availability and content on nonprofessional investor judgments. We find that participants receiving an expanded disclosure are able to more accurately assess the state of the social contract between the organization and society, imposing sanctions if necessary. Exploring CBCR provides timely evidence to regulators, standard setters, and tax fairness campaigners on the impact of expanded geographical disclosures as a means of increasing transparency and improving competitiveness.