Why pay? An empirical study of paid-for SQA sites in China

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1302-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faming Zhang ◽  
Qifan Hu ◽  
Xupeng Fang
Keyword(s):  
Primary Source ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Profit Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Source Data ◽  
New Business ◽  
Online Information Services ◽  
Fierce Competition ◽  
Full Swing

Purpose The once failed paid-for social question and answer (SQA) service is in full swing in China. The traditional profit model, which typically relies on advertising, is abandoned in this case. Instead, users have to pay for content and service. The purpose of this paper is to explore why users are willing to pay in paid-for SQA sites. Design/methodology/approach This study carried out 14 valid semi-structured interviews to investigate “why did they pay.” The interviewees are users of three popular paid-for SQA sites. The qualitative data were obtained from valid interviews and processed through thematic analysis. Findings The analysis revealed five overarching themes: paying for the answerer’s heterogeneous resource, paying for more credible answer, the cognition of the question, the price is affordable and expecting potential revenue. The five themes and their sub-themes constitute the motivation for why users would pay in paid-for SQA. Practical implications As a new business model for online information services, paid-for SQA sites are facing fierce competition from traditional ones. The findings not only indicate the importance of establishing a reciprocal network relationship among users, but also provide a better understanding of users’ needs and demands for paid-for SQA services. The results are helpful for paid-for SQA sites to conduct a differential competitive strategy according to the user’s paying motivation. Originality/value To authors’ knowledge, this is the first study, which provides primary-source data and valuable insights into users’ paying motivation in the context of new paid-for SQA sites in China.

Remote monitoring in industrial services: need-to-have instead of nice-to-have

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 792-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadijeh Momeni ◽  
Miia Martinsuo
Keyword(s):  
Remote Monitoring ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Industrial Services ◽  
Customer Information ◽  
New Business

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand the efficient use of remote monitoring systems (RMS) to create business value for industrial services in manufacturing firms. A business view to RMS is a key prerequisite for the successful application of the Internet of Things (IoT) in industrial services. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted in six engineering companies. The main source of data was semi-structured interviews with 16 managers. Findings The findings highlight the role of RMS in enabling manufacturing firms to collect data from customers to complement their limited knowledge about their customers. The study demonstrates the business value of using RMS in industrial services and the necessity of capturing the business value through advanced IT technologies. Research limitations/implications The qualitative research design and choice of six target companies limit the findings to business-to-business manufacturing firms. Further, the focus is on the manager’s viewpoint. The findings imply new business value through an efficient use of RMS to complement direct customer contact. Practical implications The study draws attention to the skilled use of advanced RMS and information and communication technology as a prerequisite for the successful application of the IoT in manufacturing firms that provide services for complex solutions and customers dispersed globally. Originality/value The research shows that using information collected through RMS is an important factor in creating business value in a manufacturing firm’s customer relationships. The study contributes by integrating RMS into the customer information collection process to increase the amount, validity and quality of data.

Classy Styles Ltd., Inc.: shifting production overseas

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-344
Author(s):  
George C. Gonzalez ◽  
Qin Han
Keyword(s):  
Primary Source ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Management ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Women's Apparel ◽  
The Family ◽  
Source Data ◽  
Business Course ◽  
And Control

Theoretical basis The main theoretical models used in the instructor manual analysis are SWOT and institution-based view. Founder’s syndrome is also used as a foundation for analysis and discussion. Research methodology Primary source data acquired by the authors through one of the author’s actual experience working in the family business that is the subject of the case. Case overview/synopsis Classy Styles Ltd., Inc. is a small wholesaler of women’s apparel. It outsources production and sells to small retail stores. Classy Styles has grown steadily during its short existence, but is not on track to reach the CEO and majority shareholder’s profitability goal. The COO has determined that the only realistic way to achieve the goal is to shift manufacturing from North America to Asia. The decision creates tension between profitability and the CEO’s desire for tight supervision and control of the outsourced production shops. Complexity academic level Introductory undergraduate courses in general management would be sufficient, while a basic strategy course and/or entrepreneurial business course would be of benefit.

scholarly journals Expanding the boundaries of brand communities: the case of Fairtrade Towns

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 758-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Samuel ◽  
Ken Peattie ◽  
Bob Doherty
Keyword(s):  
Primary Source ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Atypical Form ◽  
Brand Knowledge ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Steering Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Real Places ◽  
Active Citizen

Purpose This paper aims to further the authors’ understanding of brand communities, and their role in brand co-creation, through empirical and theoretical contributions derived from researching the marketing dynamics operating within a successful but atypical form of brand community, Fairtrade Towns (FTT). Design/methodology/approach The paper reflects a pragmatic application of Grounded Theory, which captured qualitative data from key “insiders”, with a particular emphasis on FTT steering group members and their role as “prosumers”. Data were gathered via ethnographic involvement within one town and semi-structured interviews with participants in others. Findings FTTs, as brand communities, demonstrate elements of co-creation that go beyond the dominant theories and models within the marketing literature. They operate in, and relate to, real places rather than the online environments that dominate the literature on this subject. Unusually, the interactions between brand marketers and consumers are not the primary source of co-creation in FTTs. Instead, factors usually identified as merely secondary providers of additional brand knowledge become key initiators and sources of co-creation and active “citizen marketer” engagement. Originality/value This study demonstrates how brand co-creation can operate in physical geographical communities in ways that are formal without being managed by conventional brand managers. It conceptualises FTTs as a nested and “glocalised” brand and demonstrates how steering group members facilitate the process of co-creation as prosumers. It empirically demonstrates how FTTs have evolved to become unusually complex brand communities in terms of the variety of stakeholders and the multiplicity of brands involved, and the governance of the localised brand co-creation process.

Evolving talent management patterns and challenges in Russia and Kazakhstan

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-426
Author(s):  
Violetta Khoreva ◽  
Edyta Kostanek
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employer Perspective ◽  
Fierce Competition

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the evolving patterns and challenges of talent management (TM) in the emerging markets of Russia and Kazakhstan from the employer perspective. Increasing the understanding of how TM is recognized from the employer perspective may better equip us to address how to effectively manage and lead the available talents in these and other emerging markets. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a qualitative study comprising 50 semi-structured interviews, with 37 business leaders from Russian subsidiaries, and 13 from Kazakh subsidiaries, in all cases of Nordic Multinational enterprises (MNEs). Findings The study supports the object approach to TM in the emerging markets of Russia and Kazakhstan. The authors reveal that the exclusive and developable talent philosophy is predominant in these emerging markets, where TM faces the challenges of fierce competition for talents and an insufficient supply, so business leaders tend to be reluctant to inform employees of their talent pool membership. The results demonstrate that MNEs do not act independently of context, thus supporting calls for consideration of the local institutional context. Originality/value TM is still a somewhat novel idea in many emerging economies, and challenges related to managing talents are believed to be far more complex in such settings. Furthermore, to the best of authors’ knowledge, no studies have investigated the notion of talent and TM conceptualization in the emerging markets from an employer perspective.

scholarly journals How entrepreneurs think: financial decisions for the long or short term

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Debrulle ◽  
Johan Maes ◽  
Elliroma Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Motivation ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Extrinsic Motivation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Decisions ◽  
Start Up ◽  
New Business

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to suggest that different start-up motivations make entrepreneurs pursue different kinds of new business performance, which in this study are expressed in financial terms (i.e. return on assets). The authors posit that so-called extrinsic motivation urges entrepreneurs to be more short-term oriented, while their intrinsic motivation encourages a longer-term business vision. Additionally, this paper explores how intrinsic and extrinsic entrepreneurship motivations combine and produce financial dilemmas for entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach The analyses are based on 300 entrepreneurs across diverse industries in Belgium. Data was collected for this study through structured interviews with entrepreneurs combined with a company questionnaire. Financial data was obtained through a government database. Findings Results confirm that extrinsic entrepreneurship motivation boosts new business short-term financial performance, whereas intrinsic motivation contributes to the firm’s longer-term financial returns. This paper also shows that a mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations directs entrepreneurs toward different profitability levels during the organization’s survival and early-establishment phase. Originality/value Research on entrepreneurship has not yet corroborated that motivations can be personally conflicting, thereby saddling the entrepreneur with dilemmas that may manifest into different levels of business performance.

Accelerating collaboration to find a cure: a nonprofit's evolving business model

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-75
Author(s):  
Colette Dumas ◽  
Susan Foley ◽  
Pat Hunt ◽  
Miriam Weismann ◽  
Aimee Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Change Leadership ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Development Environment ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Content Type

Synopsis This is a field-researched case about a nonprofit organization, the Accelerated Cure Project (ACP), dedicated to accelerating advances toward a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS). Inspired by the successful open source software development platform, ACP brings the strengths of that platform into the medical research and development environment. At the opening of the case, Robert McBurney, an Australian scientist with extensive experience in the biotech world, has been named CEO. McBurney and his team want to use ACP's bio-sample and data Repository to drive innovation in the search for the cure for MS by fostering collaborative research and development across research institutions, pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies. To encourage such collaboration ACP waives its rights to potentially lucrative Intellectual Property. This decision to foster collaboration at the expense of revenue sources appears problematic, since ACP does not have the staff or resources to undertake fundraising at the scale needed to fund current projects. ACP chooses to serve instead as an open access research accelerator making an impact on the field by functioning as an innovation driver rather than a profit maker. Is this an innovative recipe for success in finding a cure for MS or a recipe for financial disaster for ACP? Research methodology Interviews provided the primary source of data for this case. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with the CEO of ACP, the Vice President of Scientific Operations, and a member of the organization's Board of Trustees, a collaborating university researcher, and the President of a bio-tech company working with ACP. Interview data was supplemented with additional information from ACP's web site, news reports, McBurney's comments at Suffolk University's Global Leadership in Innovation and Collaboration Award event, and follow-up conversations. Relevant courses and levels This case is intended for use in an undergraduate course examining strategic management issues midway through the term. The case discussion can center on issues relating to: first, the development of the business model; second, revenue resources and fundraising. Students are expected to spend two to three hours of outside preparation reviewing concepts of change leadership and the collaborative enterprise business model. They should read the case materials and brainstorm options for improved change leadership. The case can be taught in one two-hour class period. Theoretical basis The purpose of this case is to introduce students to the strategic management and funding challenges faced by an organization that is using a non-traditional business model in an increasingly complex environment. As a result of discussing this case, students should be able to: first, examine strategic organizational strengths, analyze opportunities created by business, market and environmental factors, and strategize to minimize weaknesses and to address threats identify an organization's strategic focus; recognize and recommend options at crucial decision making junctures in a business situation; second, assess an organization's revenue model; analyze how this model can be improved; third, analyze the functionality and sustainability of an organization's business model.

Factors affecting successful transition between post-disaster recovery phases: a case study of 2010 floods in Sindh, Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rizwan Akbar Ali ◽  
Sandeeka Mannakkara ◽  
Suzanne Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Recovery ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Recovery Phase ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Successful Transition ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Post Disaster

Purpose This paper aims to describe an in-depth study conducted on transition of recovery into subsequent recovery phases after the 2010 super floods in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The objectives of this research were to examine the post-disaster activities after the floods and highlight the critical areas hindering the transition into an effective recovery phase. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach based on literature reviews with semi-structured interviews with disaster management stakeholders were applied as the primary source of data. Findings The study found that long-term recovery was the most neglected phase of post-disaster recovery (PDR). The factors hindering successful transition following short-term recovery activities are lack of following: community-level involvement, local administration and community capacity, disaster governance, different stakeholders and coordination, information and knowledge management. Research limitations/implications This paper examines the long-term disaster recovery after the 2010 super floods in three districts of Sindh. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to investigate the factors in other areas for different types of disasters. Practical implications These findings are critical to planning future post-disaster recoveries in the region. It also provides a basis to investigate other types of disasters. Originality/value The transition of recovery into long-term phase has never been investigated before. The recovery phase is an opportune time to incorporate strategies for building back better, resilience, mitigation and preparedness. A PDR that does not incorporate these strategies in the long-term leaves affected communities in more vulnerable conditions for future disasters.

scholarly journals Open innovation in the semiconductor industry: analysis of Brazilian design houses

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-156
Author(s):  
Xênia L'amour Campos Oliveira ◽  
Maria Elena Leon Olave ◽  
Edward David Moreno ◽  
Glessia Silva
Keyword(s):  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Open Innovation ◽  
Semiconductor Industry ◽  
Innovation Process ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Business ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose This study aims to understand how Brazilian design houses (DHs) use open innovation in joint development projects for integrated circuits. Design/methodology/approach As a research strategy, qualitative research using multiple case studies was made. As sources of evidence, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three DHs of Programa integrated circuit [circuito integrado(CI)]-Brasil and with four specialists in the field, as well as analysis of documents. The data were analyzed through content analysis. Findings The results showed the DHs use sources of external knowledge in their innovation process, to assist the development of new products, to access new knowledge and skills, to attract financial resources and to be competitive in the market of high technology. Originality/value The study has important implications on the semiconductor industry in Brazil, as the industry is considered strategic for the competitiveness of final goods sector. The importance of encouraging the development of partnerships in the sector, the possibility of using informal agreements to mediate the collaboration between DHs and external agents, and the improvement and long-term continuity of public policies to support the industry are among the implications. In addition to suggestions for new business approaches to assist the strengthening of this segment.

scholarly journals Evaluation of practical accounting education in Jordan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amer Morshed
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
University Graduates ◽  
Business Managers ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethical Skills

PurposeThe objective of the paper is to explore and evaluate practical accounting education to find its weaknesses and suggest avenues to build strengths which will provide the market with effective accountants from the universities (the primary source of accountants).Design/methodology/approachThe study uses semi-structured interviews to understand and extract the study problem and build the questionnaire; the final step is to analyse and interpret the questionnaire results based on structured interviews, dividing the research community into professors and market elements, business managers and university graduates.FindingsThe market has provided a negative evaluation of practical education. Reasons include a shortage of instructors with professional experience; curriculums that lack the topic of professional and ethical skills; and internships if provided, with unsatisfactory results. The study suggests accounting simulation labs as a reasonable substitution for the placement year (internship) if the labs are qualified and the internship results unsatisfactory.Originality/valueThis article is based on a multiregional research community, making results transferable to any country that faces a lack of professional accounting education. The applied evaluation method is capable of use by any other field in the business industry since accounting is part of this industry.

Survival and competitiveness of traditional travel agencies in Malaysia: a qualitative enquiry

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Uma Thevi Munikrishnan ◽  
Abdullah Al Mamun
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Continuous Growth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Travel Agencies ◽  
Ict Adoption ◽  
The Government ◽  
Fierce Competition ◽  
External Forces

Purpose Empirical evidence is insufficient to explain which factors contribute to the survival and competitiveness of traditional travel agencies (TTAs). Malaysian TTAs are rather slow in information communication technology (ICT). However, several initiatives by the government were directed to enhance ICT adoption. Furthermore, the non-ICT factors to remain competitive by the TTAs were not sufficiently studied. The purpose of this study is to close the gap by examining the perceived factors that influence the survival and competitiveness of Malaysian TTAs. Design/methodology/approach This study used qualitative multiple case studies method to ensure that the issues were explored through multiple lenses. Semi-structured interviews and direct observation are used to collect data from 15 TTAs and industry experts in Malaysia. Findings This study found that the key to remain competitive and relevant is to co-exist with technology and embrace proactive strategies (i.e., competitive aggression, public relation, dependence development, smoothing, cooperative, and manoeuvring strategies). Originality/value Travel and tourism industries have long been acknowledged to provide an impetus for the economic growth of developing and developed economies. TTA is the key component in the global tourism activities in promoting tourism products and services. However, they are threatened by the continuous growth in ICT. Past literature reviewed TTAs that operate in the highly competitive and volatile environment due to various external forces such as technological advancement, fierce competition from the virtual travel agencies and global economic condition. This study provided empirical evidence contributed to the survival and competitiveness of TTAs in Malaysia.

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