scholarly journals Development of ICT: conceptual comparative analysis of consumer behavior in Europe and Asia

Author(s):  
Khaled Al Majzoub ◽  
Vida Davidavičienė

Today’s society is becoming the information and communication technology societies, where ICT is responsible for the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information in every aspect of society (Xiang, Magnini, & Fesenmaier, 2015). The following article will present a comparative analysis of one aspect of consumer changes caused by ICT, which is e-commerce between Europe and Asia, using Hofstede’s culture dimensions (Power distance, individualism, masculinity and uncertainty avoidance). Purpose – to provide a comparative analysis of consumer behavior changes caused by ICT between Europe and Asia. Research methodology – a synthesis of review of the literature. Findings – provide insight into the difference in consumer behavior changes caused by ICT, between Europe and Asia and provide the basis for future researches. Research limitations – future research should include empirical research and study of other solution and other factors that affect consumer behavior. Practical implications – the practical implication of the article provide a framework for organizations to take into consideration, the difference in consumer behavior between countries when it is targeting their markets. Originality/Value – no comparative.

Psihologija ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelena Opsenica-Kostic ◽  
Tatjana Stefanovic-Stanojevic

The findings of the research into the perceived parental behavior provide contrasting data as to the existence and the nature of differences in the perception of parental behavior based on parents? gender and respondents? gender. The purpose of the present study is to examine the differences in the perceived parental behavior in adolescents with regard to parents? gender and respondents? age and gender. The study included 466 respondents (262 girls and 204 boys), in middle to late adolescence, divided into four sub-groups according to their age. The respondents were asked to fill in the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) questionnaire which measures the care and overprotection in mothers and fathers respectively. The obtained findings show the existence of significant difference based on the parents? gender for both subscales: both maternal care and maternal overprotection were estimated as higher. Observing the differences by respondents? gender on the whole sample, only one significant difference is found: paternal overprotection was estimated as higher by girls. The differences by age as observed within gender groups are completely disparate for girl and boy groups. The best insight into the differences is obtained through analysis by gender, for groups relatively homogenous in terms of their age (for the first three groups the only significant difference appears in the paternal overprotection subscale; the difference disappears in the subgroup of the oldest respondents?, while the differences between the perception of maternal and paternal care are of significance here). One particularly important finding for future research into rearing behavior is the fact that the perception of parental behavior changes over the period of adolescence differently for boys and girls; therefore, the analysis including perceived parental behavior should be performed for subgroups by gender, which are as homogenous as possible in terms of their age.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kapsali ◽  
Jens K. Roehrich ◽  
Pervaiz Akhtar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine combinations of contract clauses in order to ascertain which combinations correlate to high operational performance (OP). Design/methodology/approach Two hypotheses were formulated from contracting theory and tested on data collected from 45 projects. Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis was used and validated with multiple regression and simulation. Findings The hypotheses were tested to determine whether combinations of classical, relational, and/or associational contract clauses correlate to high OP. The results show that whereas high OP correlates to combinations of relational and associational contract clauses, classical and relational clauses should not be combined. Research limitations/implications Directions are proposed to guide future research in order to produce a more nuanced testing of contractual complementarity. Practical implications The managerial implications of the findings include a more thorough understanding of the use of contract clauses and of which clauses managers should combine to achieve high OP. Originality/value This study contributes to the theory of contractual incompleteness and complementarity, specifically in the context of project contracting. The analysis produced two theoretical implications: first, that better performing contracts are created when combining relational and associational contract clauses; and second, that in projects, relational and classical contract clauses are not complementary with regards to realizing high OP.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. Pouri ◽  
Lorenz M. Hilty

Human society is increasingly influencing the planet and its environmental systems. The existing environmental problems indicate that current production and consumption patterns are not sustainable. Despite the remarkable opportunities brought about by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve the resource efficiency of production and consumption processes, it seems that the overall trend is still not heading towards sustainability. By promoting the utilization of available and underused resources, the ICT-enabled sharing economy has transformed, and even in some cases disrupted, the prevailing patterns of production and consumption, raising questions about opportunities and risks of shared consumption modes for sustainability. The present article attempts to conceptualize the sustainability implications of today’s sharing economy. We begin with presenting a definition for the digital sharing economy that embraces the common features of its various forms. Based on our proposed definition, we discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the digital sharing economy as a use case of ICT. The analysis is deepened by applying the life-cycle/enabling/structural impacts model of ICT effects to this use case. As a result, we show the various positive and negative potentials of digital sharing for sustainability at different system levels. While it is too early to project well-founded scenarios to describe the sustainability status of digital sharing, the implications discussed in our work may help outlining future research and policies in this area.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sihem Dekhili ◽  
Mohamed Akli Achabou

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore consumers’ preference for responsible labels in the specific case of well-known brands. The research examines the propensity of consumers to consider self-declarations carried out by the company itself in comparison with independent certifications organised by an external third party. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study involving 134 French consumers by means of a conjoint analysis method was conducted, and the case of Nespresso coffee was tested. Findings – The results show that self-declaration (Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality) positively influences consumer preference. Moreover, this positive effect is equivalent to that of independent certification (Fair Trade Max Havelaar). Research limitations/implications – This study’s contribution gives a better insight into the consumers’ response to eco-labelling. It suggests the existence of an interaction effect between the brand and the responsible label. But, a future research needs to be conducted to gain better understanding of this interaction effect. Practical implications – The results suggest that a strategy of promoting a well-known branded product based on self-declaration would be effective. They offer additional insights to managers on the eco-labels’ efficiency. Originality/value – Contrary to the literature which suggests the superiority of the effect of certifications organised by a third party, this research shows that this finding is not valuable in the case of a well-known brand. Self-declaration may be preferred by consumers in the same way as independent certification. This research is one of the rare research to stress the need to consider brand when exploring eco-labelling issue.


2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriella Engström ◽  
Kristina Sollander ◽  
Per Hilletofth ◽  
David Eriksson

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore reshoring drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is a case study, including four Swedish manufacturing companies, with focus on drivers and barriers from the context of the Swedish manufacturing industry. A literature review of previously established drivers and barriers is used to map out the empirical findings and thereby identify potential gaps between the current body of literature and drivers and barriers from a Swedish manufacturing context.FindingsThe findings of the study suggest that quality issues continue to be one of the strongest reshoring drivers. Except for product quality, quality is also connected to host country’s infrastructure, communication and service. The supply chain perspective is a source of several drivers and is identified as a perspective often overlooked in offshoring decisions. Barriers related to firm specifics were more elaborately discussed by the companies, especially concerning calculation of location decision and the need to invest in resources, which allows for a higher level of capacity at the home country facility.Research limitations/implicationsThe study develops a structured table of reshoring drivers and barriers which can serve as a base for future research. Future research on the calculation of location decisions is deemed as a crucial step to further understand reshoring and aid companies in the decision-making process.Practical implicationsThe drivers and barriers identified in the study can give practitioners insight into reshoring from the perspective of the Swedish manufacturing industry and thus aid in future manufacturing location decisions. The table of drivers and barriers can also be important to understand how Sweden can strengthen its competitive advantage and motivate more companies to reshore manufacturing.Originality/valueThis is one of only few papers from the Nordic countries and also one of few case studies examining reshoring in manufacturing companies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-26
Author(s):  
Stephanie Hunter ◽  
Eleanor Craig ◽  
Jake Shaw

Purpose Within the current offender personality disorder (OPD) pathway in the UK, black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) populations are underrepresented. Fewer BAME offenders are engaging with services despite being proportionately identified for inclusion and referred on to the pathway. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study explored the experiences of 11 BAME men engaged in a prison-based OPD service for young offenders to identify the highlights and challenges of engagement within the service and to what extent they experienced a sense of inclusion/belonging. Findings Thematic analysis was used to identify three overarching themes and sub-themes. Why am I going to be an Outcast? describes the barriers to engagement encountered by the participants; and Give it a Try and Nothing but Respect describe the process of overcoming these barriers. Barriers revolved around the experiences of judgement, alienation and hopelessness. These were overcome through peer encouragement, developing relationships with staff and freedom to regulate levels of engagement. Practical implications Practice and policy implications are considered to support similar services in addressing the barriers to engagement faced by BAME individuals. Areas for future research are also recommended. Originality/value Currently, no research has directly explored the under-representation of young BAME offenders with emerging personality disorder in the OPD pathway. The findings provided an insight into some of the difficulties these young BAME offenders faced when accessing this service, alongside aspects which maintained their engagement.


Author(s):  
Lillian T. Eby ◽  
Melissa M. Robertson

Workplace mentoring relationships have been advanced as critical to employee development. However, mentoring research has tended to find small to moderate effects of mentoring on protégé and mentor outcomes and considerable heterogeneity in effect sizes. These findings underscore the need to better understand the psychology of mentoring relationships in order to maximize the benefits of mentoring for mentors, protégés, and organizations. In this article, after briefly reviewing established research on workplace mentoring relationships, we introduce five relationship science theories from outside organizational psychology and organizational behavior that provide new insight into the psychology of workplace mentoring: attachment theory, interdependence theory, self-expansion theory, Rhodes’ model of formal youth mentoring, and the working alliance. We then discuss several unique features of workplace mentoring that should be considered when applying these relationship science theories and introduce provocative ideas for future research. We conclude by discussing practical implications for mentors, protégés, and organizations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (9/10) ◽  
pp. 893-907
Author(s):  
Elena Anastasiadou ◽  
Michael Chrissos Anestis ◽  
Ioanna Karantza ◽  
Sotirios Vlachakis

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the changes that have taken place in consumer behavior due to the fear, caused by the spread of the coronavirus, in parallel to studying how supermarket activities have changed during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachUsing qualitative methods (email interviews and document analysis) and utilizing the few statistics available for the case, the authors performed a comparison between Greece, a country that imposed an early lockdown, and Sweden, which, for its own political reasons, did not lock down, but took other measures instead.FindingsDifferences in consumer behavior and supermarket activities in both countries based on different mentalities and different experiences were identified. Similarities in consumer behavior, but with different motives, were also discovered.Research limitations/implicationsRetailing practitioners and communication executives can apply the findings to manage sales in a time of sharp, unpredictable crisis. The paper aims at integrating existing literature for the academic community and contributes with implications for practitioners and policymakers to reduce crisis risks.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first to explore changes in consumer behavior caused by the spread of the coronavirus. It provides a coherent and comprehensive understanding of how consumer behavior changes under fear-crisis conditions along with future research directions.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Le Truong ◽  
Chung Yim Yiu

PurposeThis study hypothesises that sale and leaseback (SLB) cap rate is lower than the market cap rate in emerging economies, and the difference is due to institutional cost and vacancy risk. This study aims to provide a novel SLB-Cap-Rate Model to assess the performance of SLB transaction (SLBT).Design/methodology/approachSLBT data are generally not publicly available in developing countries. This study collected data from 31 SLBTs by conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in Vietnam in 2019. The market cap rates were collected from consultants' reports. The hypotheses are tested by three regression models.FindingsThe results show that the SLBT cap rate is significantly less than the market cap rate in Vietnam, and most of the cap rate discount can be explained by institutional and risk factors. This suggests that SLBT helps to reduce search costs for tenants and vacancy risks. It explains why SLBTs are becoming more common in emerging countries.Practical implicationsThe study has a strong practical implication for assessing the performance of SLBT for both buyers and sellers. It introduces a novel model for analysing the cap rates and potential risks of SLBT to facilitate property investment decisions.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the studies that contains new knowledge on SLBs in a developing country specifically Vietnam.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ane Bast ◽  
Maria Taivalsaari Røhnebæk ◽  
Marit Engen

PurposeThis study aims to theorise and empirically investigate how vulnerable users suffering from cognitive impairments can be involved in service design.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected through an ongoing field study following the processes of designing new forms of dementia care. The data consist of document studies, observations and interviews with actors involved in the service design process.FindingsThe findings demonstrate how the involvement of vulnerable users with cognitive impairment in service design requires the ability to manoeuvre users' “fractured reflexivity”. The design process was found to be constrained and enabled by three interrelated features: cognitive aspects, social aspects and representativeness.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insight into concrete ways of involving vulnerable user groups in service design. The introduced concept – fractured reflexivity – may create awareness of how the involvement of users with cognitive impairment can be difficult but is also valuable, providing a means to rethink what may enable involvement and how to manage the constraints.Originality/valueAlthough design processes rely on reflexivity, there is limited research addressing how reflexivity capacity differs among actors. The authors contribute by exploring how fractured reflexivity may aid the analysis and understandings of intertwined issues related to the involvement of users with cognitive impairment. Therefore, this study initiates research on how service design entails enactments of different modes of reflexivity. The paper concludes with directions for future research avenues on service design and reflexivity modes.


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