The relevance of geographic origin in sustainability challenge: the facets of country ecological image

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sihem Dekhili ◽  
Roberta Crouch ◽  
Omar El Moussawel
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Origin ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Product Features ◽  
Scale Measure ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
New Applications ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Whilst country-of-origin (COO) effects have been studied extensively since the 1960s, little research has explored these effects with respect to ecological considerations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the COO ecological image (CEI) construct by defining its facets across consumers and professionals from two different countries, namely, France and Australia. Design/methodology/approach Because of the exploratory nature of the research, the authors used two qualitative techniques, namely, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Findings Findings indicate the CEI construct is composed of eight dimensions, namely, policy, technological, economic, people characteristics, natural, climatic, historical and eco-product features. Research limitations/implications The research provides insights into the CEI construct and justifies future studies to develop a scale measure for it. However, the generalisability of the results must be considered limited due to the qualitative exploratory nature of the study. Practical implications The research offers implications for companies and policymakers by allowing them to understand how consumers form a CEI. It suggests new applications respective to how to leverage positive aspects of a CEI and how to mitigate negative ones. Originality/value The study extends the literature on COO by identifying the possible dimensions of the CEI construct, thus providing better insights into the little-explored link between COO and sustainable products.

Toward an understanding of brand sexual associations

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salim L. Azar
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Psychological Perspective ◽  
Projective Drawings ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Sexual Identities ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to explore brand sexual associations and to understand the antecedents of these associations by drawing from an anthropomorphic view of consumption and a socio-psychological perspective. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory qualitative analysis based on 18 semi-structured interviews was conducted. Following symbolic interactionism and inter-subjectively reflective approaches, three main methods were used: interviews, projective drawings and a pen-and-paper exercise. Findings – The results of this paper strongly confirm that a brand is perceived by consumers as having a sex, a gender and a sexual orientation. These findings point toward a crucial distinction between these three constructs. Construct conceptualizations are developed and definitions are suggested. Nine antecedents for brand sexual associations are studied. Research limitations/implications – French subjects constitute the sample. Future studies might investigate the transferability of our results to other cultures. The three constructs broadens the existing brand-as-a-person metaphor and brand gender literature. Practical implications – Managers need to consider the construction of their brands’ sexual identities, namely, the sexual associations that brand strategists desire to create and maintain. The study of the antecedents of brand sexual associations provides brand managers the opportunity to manage actively those specific types of associations. Originality/value – This research contributes to the brand-as-a-person metaphor and to the brand gender literature with new insights about the nature and structure of brand sexual associations. This paper moves the conceptualization of these constructs forward.

The fallacy of “trickle-down” product sustainability

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 1166-1190
Author(s):  
Sebastian Brockhaus ◽  
Moritz Petersen ◽  
A. Michael Knemeyer
Keyword(s):  
Product Development ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Niche Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Products ◽  
Big Picture ◽  
Tangible Product ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Trickle Down

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how big-picture sustainability strategies are translated into tangible product development efforts. The authors assert that most sustainable products currently remain confined to niche markets and do not permeate the mainstream. The authors propose that there is a missing link between strategic sustainability goals and operational product development initiatives. The authors establish a path to bridging this gap. Design/methodology/approach The manuscript is based on a qualitative research design with a sample of 32 companies. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with product developers as well as secondary data analysis. Findings The authors delineate three empirically derived approaches firms from the sample pursue to develop sustainable products. The authors identify a phenomenon that the authors’ call the fallacy of trickle-down product sustainability. The authors find that only one of the three approaches – codification – is equipped to successfully turn strategic sustainability targets into authentic sustainable products. Practical implications This study provides an actionable guide to executives and product developers with respect to bridging the gap between often elusive sustainability aspirations and tangible product improvements via the process of rigorous codification. Originality/value This study provides a novel and unique perspective into strategy, sustainability and product development. The authors synthesize the extant literature on sustainable product development, juxtapose the emergent structure with primary interview data, and elaborate the resource-based view (RBV) to provide theoretical and practical implications. The authors establish scalability as the missing RBV capability of many attempts toward mass–market compatibility of more sustainable products.

scholarly journals How do the current auditing standards fit the emergent use of blockchain?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Pauline Gauthier ◽  
Nathalie Brender
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
External Auditors ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Original Contribution ◽  
Auditing Standards ◽  
Points Of View ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Blockchain is expected to impact reporting and auditing processes. Indeed, the increasing use of blockchain could affect the nature and extent of information available to auditors and how audits are performed. This paper aims to investigate how auditors are assessing the relevance of the current auditing standards in light of the emergent use of blockchain technology. Design/methodology/approach Based on qualitative content analysis, this paper analyzed semi-structured interviews with auditors to understand their shared perception of how the current auditing standards address blockchain’s emergence. Findings The findings reveal a growing demand for information technology (IT) auditing standards, as well as a mismatch in timing between the quickly changing IT environment and the regulators’ slowness in releasing new standards or updating standards. Research limitations/implications The findings reflect the external auditors’ points of view and cannot be generalized to all countries, but future studies should address the development of specific IT-related auditing standards to better fit the fast-evolving technology environment in ways that consider the other stakeholders’ points of view, including those of the standard setters. Practical implications The results of this study show that auditors consider the current auditing standards for IT to be too vague, and they need more guidance on both auditing blockchain and using technologies as audit tools. Originality/value The original contribution of this study lies in the in-depth understanding it provides of the adequacy of the current auditing standards to audit companies using blockchain, which is an under-researched topic.

scholarly journals Sinabung volcano: how culture shapes community resilience

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-303
Author(s):  
Marta Mori ◽  
Ronan McDermott ◽  
Saut Sagala ◽  
Yasmina Wulandari
Keyword(s):  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Relief Operations ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Cultural Experts ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how culture, including traditions and social structures, can influence resilience and how culturally sensitive relief operations can put affected people and their context at the core of any interventions. Design/methodology/approach A case study of the Mt Sinabung volcano area in Indonesia was undertaken. As part of the case study, an analysis of interventions was conducted, which was complemented by semi-structured interviews with Karo cultural experts and humanitarian organisations. Findings Culture influences the manner in which the Karo people react to volcano eruptions with varying implications for recovery. In addition, relief organisations which understand people’s actions through a cultural lens have better managed to tailor programs with long-term impact, thereby avoiding aid dependency. Practical implications Practical examples of disaster management activities that adequately account for the beneficiaries’ way of living prior to the eruptions are provided. Aid actors are provided with guidance concerning how to better tailor their activities in line with a cultural lens. Originality/value The study provides empirical grounding for claims concerning the role of culture in planning interventions in Indonesia and other similar contexts.

The deputy principal instructional leadership role and professional learning

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Leaf ◽  
George Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Leadership ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Instructional Leaders ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a study examining the perceptions of secondary principals, deputies and teachers, of deputy principal (DP) instructional leadership (IL), as well as deputies’ professional learning (PL) needs. Framed within an interpretivist approach, the specific objectives of this study were: to explore the extent to which DPs are perceived as leaders of learning, to examine the actual responsibilities of these DPs and to explore the PL that support DP roles. Design/methodology/approach The researchers used multiple perspective case studies which included semi-structured interviews and key school document analysis. A thematic content analysis facilitated qualitative descriptions and insights from the perspectives of the principals, DPs and teachers of four high-performing secondary schools in Sydney, Australia. Findings The data revealed that deputies performed a huge range of tasks; all the principals were distributing leadership to their deputies to build leadership capacity and supported their PL in a variety of ways. Across three of the case study schools, most deputies were frequently performing as instructional leaders, improving their school’s performance through distributing leadership, team building and goal setting. Deputy PL was largely dependent on principal mentoring and self-initiated but was often ad hoc. Findings add more validity to the importance of principals building the educational leadership of their deputies. Research limitations/implications This study relied upon responses from four case study schools. Further insight into the key issues discussed may require a longitudinal data that describe perceptions from a substantial number of schools in Australia over time. However, studying only four schools allowed for an in-depth investigation. Practical implications The findings from this study have practical implications for system leaders with responsibilities of framing the deputies’ role as emergent educational leaders rather than as administrators and the need for coherent, integrated, consequential and systematic approaches to DP professional development. Further research is required on the effect of deputy IL on school performance. Originality/value There is a dearth of research-based evidence exploring the range of responsibilities of deputies and perceptions of staff about deputies’ IL role and their PL needs. This is the first published New South Wales, Australian DP study and adds to the growing evidence around perceptions of DPs as instructional leaders by providing an Australian perspective on the phenomenon. The paper raises important concerns about the complexity of the DP’s role on the one hand, and on the other hand, the PL that is perceived to be most appropriate for dealing with this complexity.

Has Lean improved organizational decision making?

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Simons ◽  
Jos Benders ◽  
Jochen Bergs ◽  
Wim Marneffe ◽  
Dominique Vandijck
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Sustainable Improvement ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Sustainable improvement is likely to be hampered by ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in care processes (the organization’s decision-making context). Lean management can improve implementation results because it decreases ambiguity and uncertainties. But does it succeed? Many quality improvement (QI) initiatives are appropriate improvement strategies in organizational contexts characterized by low ambiguity and uncertainty. However, most care settings do not fit this context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a Lean-inspired change program changed the organization’s decision-making context, making it more amenable for QI initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – In 2014, 12 professionals from a Dutch radiotherapy institute were interviewed regarding their perceptions of a Lean program in their organization and the perceived ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in their clinical processes. A survey (25 questions), addressing the same concepts, was conducted among the interviewees in 2011 and 2014. The structured interviews were analyzed using a deductive approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using appropriate statistics. Findings – Interviewees experienced improved shared visions and the number of uncertain cause-effect relations decreased. Overall, more positive (99) than negative Lean effects (18) were expressed. The surveys revealed enhanced process predictability and standardization, and improved shared visions. Practical implications – Lean implementation has shown to lead to greater transparency and increased shared visions. Originality/value – Lean management decreased ambiguous objectives and reduced uncertainties in clinical process cause-effect relations. Therefore, decision making benefitted from Lean increasing QI’s sustainability.

Using media to promote artisan food and beverages: insights from the television industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 588-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Phillipov
Keyword(s):  
Media Production ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Television Industry ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Cooking Shows ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Food Media ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The increasing frequency with which food and beverage producers feature in mainstream media, including television cooking shows, provide opportunities and pitfalls for using media to promote artisan food and beverage businesses. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate these, as experienced by a group of food and beverage producers who appeared on the popular Australian television show, Gourmet Farmer. Design/methodology/approach – Findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 14 of the producers featured on the show, plus textual analysis of relevant segments of the show. Findings – While all of the producers felt that food television offered a good promotional tool, those who were most familiar with the practices of media production and whose businesses offered experiences through which viewers could access (or imagine) a “taste” of the Gourmet Farmer life tended to be more satisfied than those who were less familiar with the practices of media production and who expected a greater focus on their products and production practices. Practical implications – The development of media skills is essential for artisan producers to get the best outcomes when using media to promote their businesses. Originality/value – The experiences of food and beverage producers using food television to promote their businesses have not previously been the subject of thoroughgoing research. This paper offers new insights into how artisan producers can best capitalize on the opportunities offered by food media.

The optimism-pessimism ratio as predictor of employee creativity: the promise of duality

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arménio Rego ◽  
Miguel Pina e Cunha ◽  
Dálcio Reis Júnior ◽  
Cátia Anastácio ◽  
Moriel Savagnago
Keyword(s):  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Status ◽  
Single Moment ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Creativity And Innovation ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study if the employees’ optimism-pessimism ratio predicts their creativity. Design/methodology/approach In total, 134 employees reported their optimism and pessimism, and the respective supervisors described the employees’ creativity. Findings The relationship between the optimism-pessimism ratio and creativity is curvilinear (inverted U-shaped); beyond a certain level of the optimism-pessimism ratio, the positive relationship between the ratio and creativity weakens, suggesting that the possible positive effects of (high) optimism may be weakened by a very low level of pessimism. Research limitations/implications Being cross-sectional, the study examines neither the causal links between the optimism-pessimism ratio and creativity nor other plausible causal links. The study was carried out at a single moment and did not capture the dynamics that occur over the course of time involving changes in optimism/pessimism and creativity. Future studies may adopt longitudinal or quasi-experimental designs. Practical implications Managers and organizations must consider that, even though positivity promotes creativity, some level of negativity may help positivity to produce creativity. Originality/value This study suggests that scholars who want to study the antecedents of creativity (and innovation) must be cautious in focusing only on the positive or the negative sides of individuals’ characteristics, and rather they must explore the interplay between both poles. Individuals may experience both positive and negative states/traits (Smith et al., 2016), and this both/and approach may impel them to think divergently, to challenge the status quo and to propose “out the box” and useful ideas.

Value co-creation in the B2B context: a diagnosis of knowledge management based on multiple case studies

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Bonamigo ◽  
Camila Guimarães Frech ◽  
Ana Carolina Custódio Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Multiple Case Studies ◽  
Knowledge Asymmetry ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to empirically investigate how organizations delivering services in business-to-business relations deal with the boundary paradox and knowledge asymmetry in value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative multiple case study strategy. Datas were gathered through 13 semi-structured interviews that were then analyzed through the content analysis. Findings The authors identified three mechanisms that organizations use to deal with the boundary paradox and two strategies to handle the knowledge asymmetry. Research limitations/implications First, no opportunities were afforded to involve more participants. Second, owning to confidentiality reasons, not all organizations provided us documents to be analyzed. Practical implications The findings guide managers in balancing the use of contracts and trust in inter-firm collaborations and fostering the learning of customers. Also, insights to protect knowledge based on the paradox of openness in value co-creation. Originality/value This study’s findings address the gap in value co-creation literature concerning the lack of empirical studies.

Opportunities and constraints of women entrepreneurs in Jordan: an update of the 5Ms framework

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tala Abuhussein ◽  
Tamer Koburtay
Keyword(s):  
Women Entrepreneurs ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Market Management ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Extended View ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeDrawing on the “5Ms” gender cognizant framework, this study seeks to investigate how money, motherhood, management, the market and the macro/meso environment dimensions of the 5Ms may influence women's entrepreneurship in Jordan. A related aim is to offer in-depth insights and a fresh understanding of potential factors not included in the original 5Ms model.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes a qualitative-inductive approach, using semi-structured interviews with 14 women entrepreneurs from various industries in Jordan.FindingsThe paper highlights the positive (or adverse) impact of the 5Ms factors (motherhood, macro/meso environment, the market, management and money) on women entrepreneurs in Jordan and introduces new emerging factors. The paper concludes with an extended view of the 5Ms model.Practical implicationsThis study may help develop greater sensitivity and understanding about some of the adverse gender practices faced by women entrepreneurs. Policymakers in Jordan and other Arab countries may consider empowering women entrepreneurs in terms of offering more financial funds and facilities, social support, and managerial empowerment.Originality/valueThe study creates more sensitivity and awareness about the current dynamics, opportunities and impediments that affect women entrepreneurs; thus, it contributes to the extant literature by suggesting new propositions and a novel framework. This study extends Brush et al.'s (2009) 5Ms gendered framework by adding three important factors (Mental health, Maturity and Maintainability). The empirical update and contextual extension of Brush et al.'s (2009) 5Ms model highlight a theoretical contribution.

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