Consumer action in response to ethical violations by service operations firms

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max Chipulu ◽  
Udechukwu Ojiako ◽  
Alasdair Marshall

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine whether individual demographic and socio-cultural factors affect actions taken by consumers in relation to ethical violations and failure (or perceived ethical violations and failure) by service operations firms. Design/methodology/approach – Data collection was undertaken over a two-year period, from 2011 to 2013, and involved sampling 3,155 respondents from 19 countries. Data analysis was undertaken utilizing hierarchical linear modelling (HLM). Findings – Findings suggest that although both individual demographic factors (age and gender) and societal differences do affect ethical actions taken by service consumers, inter-societal cluster variations have a more significant effect on the ethical action than individual demographic differences do. Originality/value – For service operations firms, the study findings offer evidence on the need for constant readjustment of service attributes in line with the ethical dispositions of the different demographic and socio-cultural clusters within the consumer base.

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen-Cheng Chen ◽  
Pei-ling Tsui ◽  
Ching-Sung Lee ◽  
Guan-lin Chen

Purpose This study used the colours of plates as atmospheric stimulus factors in the Mehrabian–Russell model of environmental influence, which served as the study’s basic background theory, to explore how plate colour affects consumer appetite preference and dining emotions in Chinese fine dining restaurants. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The study used quantitative surveys and employed purposeful sampling and rolling snowball surveys of consumers in Chinese fine dining restaurants in Taipei; 581 effective surveys were collected from the test subjects. The research tools included a plate colour appetite preference scale and a dining emotion scale. Findings There were significant differences in age and gender in terms of appetite preference and plate colour. The plate colours with the highest appetite preference were gold, white and black. There were significant differences in plate colour appetite preference in terms of dining mood, with white and gold plates eliciting positive dining moods. Originality/value Most academic papers have focused on studying plates in Western dining, while very few studies have focused on the colour of Chinese dining plates. The greatest contribution and value of this study is its discovery of the colour combination of dining plates that can elicit appetite preferences and positive dining emotions among diners in Chinese fine dining restaurants. This information can be used to stimulate positive dining emotions among consumers and help restaurateurs improve the level of dining aesthetics.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. Lambert ◽  
Koon Leai Larry Tan ◽  
Kenneth Prandy ◽  
Vernon Gayle ◽  
Manfred Max Bergman

PurposeThis paper aims to present reasons why social classifications which use occupations should seek to adopt “specific” approaches which are tailored to the country, time period and gender of the subjects under study.Design/methodology/approachThe relative motivations for adopting a specific approach to social classifications are discussed and theoretical perspectives on specificity and empirical evidence on the contribution of specific approaches are reviewed. Also the practical costs of implementing specific social classifications are evaluated, and the authors' development of the “GEODE” data service (grid‐enabled occupational data environment), which seeks to assist this process, is discussed.FindingsSpecific approaches make a non‐trivial difference to the conclusions drawn from analyses of occupation‐based social classifications. It is argued that the GEODE service has reduced the practical challenges of implementing specific measures.Research limitations/implicationsThere remain conceptual and pragmatic challenges in working with specific occupation‐based social classifications. Non‐specific (“universal”) measures are adequate for many purposes.Practical implicationsThe paper argues that there are few excuses for ignoring specific occupation‐based social classifications.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that recent technological developments have shifted the balance in the long‐standing debate between universal and specific approaches to occupation‐based social classifications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Paul Louis Veissière

Purpose This paper aims to take the “toxic masculinity” (TM) trope as a starting point to examine recent cultural shifts in common assumptions about gender, morality and relations between the sexes. TM is a transculturally widespread archetype or moral trope about the kind of man one should not be. Design/methodology/approach The author revisits his earlier fieldwork on transnational sexualities against a broader analysis of the historical, ethnographic and evolutionary record. The author describes the broad cross-cultural recurrence of similar ideal types of men and women (good and bad) and the rituals through which they are culturally encouraged and avoided. Findings The author argues that the TM trope is normatively useful if and only if it is presented alongside a nuanced spectrum of other gender archetypes (positive and negative) and discussed in the context of human universality and evolved complementariness between the sexes. Social implications The author concludes by discussing stoic virtue models for the initiation of boys and argues that they are compatible with the normative commitments of inclusive societies that recognize gender fluidity along the biological sex spectrum. Originality/value The author makes a case for the importance of strong gender roles and the rites and rituals through which they are cultivated as an antidote to current moral panics about oppression and victimhood.


2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farinaz Fassa

Purpose – Discussing the Swiss case, the purpose of this paper is to examine how gender equality policies deal with the present requirements for scholars to be considered “excellent”. It aims to pinpoint the lines of tension or coherence between excellence, meritocracy and gender politics. Design/methodology/approach – In order to specify the norms of academic careers and their different renditions, the author draws on two studies (at local and national levels) to illustrate where the changes and resistances are taking place. Findings – The translations of a number of demands of feminist movements into the policies set up to favour equality between the sexes may combine to challenge the norms of academia as a gendered realm. Nevertheless, without strong pressure from feminists at local level and the conduct of research pursuing the enterprise of deconstructing norms, top-down policies may prove less “corrective” than affirmative action. This pressure is not only useful to build gender equality in science but also to broaden the spectrum of knowledge that can become a common good. Research limitations/implications – As neither the names nor the positions of the experts who select the candidates at national level are made public, we had to opt for other, less satisfactory means. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in the link made between the enhancements brought by Equalities policies and the changes they bring. It attempts to bring to light the extent to which gender equality policies conform to the neo-managerial order or challenge its norms to build a world that is more just.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 809-833 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Breidbach ◽  
Sunmee Choi ◽  
Benjamin Ellway ◽  
Byron W. Keating ◽  
Katerina Kormusheva ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the history and future of service operations, with the goal to identify key theoretical and technological advances, as well as fundamental themes that can help to imagine the future of service operations in 2050. Design/methodology/approach A review of the service operations literature was undertaken to inform a discussion regarding the role that technology will play in the future of service operations. Findings The future of service operations is framed in terms of three key themes – complexity, orchestration, and elasticity. The paper makes three contributions to the service science literature by: reviewing key themes underpinning extant service operations research to frame future trajectories of service operations research; elaborating a vision of service operations in 2050 based on history and technology; and outlining a research agenda for future service operations. Practical implications The case of service automation is used to provide an illustration of how the three themes converge to define future service operations, and in particular, to show how technology is recasting the role of the firm. Originality/value Service operations in the next 30 years will be very different from what it was in the past 30 years. This paper differs from other review papers by identifying three key themes that will characterize and instill new insights into the future of service operations research.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Murat Ocak

Purpose This study aims to contribute to the literature by offering a different sector and emphasising the importance of females in audit firm (AF) governance on audit firm performance (AFP). Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares (OLS) and instrument variables regression (IVREG) with two-stage least squares are used to test the paper’s hypotheses. Findings Both OLS and IVREG estimation results show that both the proportion of females and gender diversity at board and owner levels and the total number of shares of female owners seem to enhance the performance of AFs. Practical implications These results may be important for policymakers and regulators to set a quota for women’s representation on AF governance or decide arrangements for women in AFs as in the regulations for the high hierarchical levels of other corporate firms. Originality/value This paper extends the current literature in the context of AFs in Turkey, positing that females in AF governance might enhance performance to a great extent.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuwen Li ◽  
Ruiqian Jia ◽  
Juergen H. Seufert ◽  
Huijie Tang ◽  
Jinlian Luo

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how and when ethical leadership enhances bootlegging. To achieve this purpose, the authors proposed a moderated dual-path model in this study. Design/methodology/approach The model was tested on two related studies. Study 1 was based on three-wave, collected data from a sample of 511 employees of Chinese companies. Data used in Study 2 was collected by survey from employees and their direct leaders of multiple departments of companies in China. Findings In Study 1, the authors found that moral efficacy and moral identity mediate between ethical leadership and bootlegging. Findings from Study 2 provide convergent support of moral efficacy’s and moral identity’s impact on the mediation relationship between ethical leadership and bootlegging. Moreover, the results of Study 2 further reveal that the relationship between ethical leadership and moral efficacy (or moral identity) was more significant among leader–follower with different genders. Originality/value This study not only enriches the literature on ethical leadership and gender (dis)similarity, but also helps managers to better understand the function of bootlegging.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-491
Author(s):  
Martin Kunc

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse consumer buying behaviour in the Japanese rice wine, also known as sake market. Design/methodology/approach The study applies a novel qualitative and quantitative analytical methodology to an off-license channel in Japan. The methodology involves the use of anchoring-and-adjustment theory and simulation to a large set of point of sale data. The selection of the brands used for the study are more than 230 brands and more than 150 sake breweries. Findings Age and gender are important factors determining recurrent patterns of purchasing behaviour. Small size packaging, e.g. one cup, has the highest volume in sales, for example, convenience shopping, but it depends on exogenous factors, e.g. summer season or festive events. Research limitations/implications Limitations are related with the lack of specific personal data from consumers that impedes to test behavioural attitudes driving loyalty to brands. Anchoring-and-adjustment theory can be a valid approach to evaluate large longitudinal data sets of purchasing behaviour. Practical implications Results indicate that fragmented markets tend to over-expand the assortment affecting volume stability. However, this dynamics is difficult to avoid when all participants are engaged in this behaviour and the market is strongly segmented by age and gender. Originality/value The paper contributes to the body of knowledge of buyer behaviour in relation to purchasing and consumption for other types of wine. It is the first application in alcoholic beverages of anchor-and-adjustment theory.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giridhar B. Kamath ◽  
Shirshendu Ganguli ◽  
Simon George

PurposeThis paper tests and validates a conceptual model linking the attachment points, team identification, attitude towards the team sponsors and the behavioural intentions in the context of Indian Premier League (IPL), while testing for the moderating effects of age and gender.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 1,053 participants through both online and offline survey and then analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM).FindingsAttachment points influence the formation of team identification, which, in turn, affect the attitude towards the team sponsors. Attitude towards the team sponsors influence the behavioural intentions. Player attachment influences team identification the most. Age and gender have a moderating effect on the constructs of the study. Team identification in females is stronger because of attachment to sports, whereas males have stronger team identification based on player attachment. Males have a stronger intention to spread positive word of mouth (WOM) about sponsor products as compared to the female respondents. The younger age group of less than 21 years has more intention to spread positive WOM compared to the other age groups considered in the study.Practical implicationsThis study contributes towards sports sponsorship research and the paradigms of social identity and attachment theories. Moreover, it will also help the marketers (sponsors) in IPL to strategically market their brands.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate the impact of attachment points on sponsorship outcomes in the context of IPL. Further, it is also the first to investigate the purchase intentions and WOM for the team sponsors in IPL. The multi-group analysis results will provide insights into marketers to better understand IPL viewers' segments and their behaviour.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 541-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Lundsgaard Ottsen

Purpose As organizations aim to become increasingly diverse, it is important to understand how perspectives of potential future leaders vary across culture and gender. This study aims to advance the understanding of the persistent gender gap in management. Design/methodology/approach Samples from the gender-segregated Qatar and the co-ed Denmark present a unique opportunity to investigate the potential effects of gender. Here, 115 Middle Easterners and 121 Scandinavians rated perceived importance of job-related skills, networking upward and serendipity in leadership acquisition. Findings Effects of gender showed that compared to men, women across cultures expected that serendipity has less to do with leadership acquisition. Middle Eastern women also showed low expectations regarding networking with people in powerful positions. Nevertheless, both genders showed conviction of meritocracy by rating job-related skills as the most important factor in leadership acquisition. Cross-culturally, Scandinavians presumed job-related skills to be more important than Middle Easterners. Research limitations/implications Despite meritocracy beliefs, it appears that gender differences in perceived possibility of leadership acquisition contribute to the gender gap in management. Scandinavian women relied more on networking than Middle Eastern women, but still lacked faith in serendipitous opportunities compared to male peers. Perceived luck enhances achievement motivation. If men rely more on luck than women, then they are more confident in succeeding and more ambitious about pursuit of leadership. Women’s lack of faith in serendipity might affect their career ambitions negatively even in societies emphasizing equality. Originality/value This is the first study that directly focuses on gender differences in perception of opportunities for leadership acquisition through serendipity.


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