Modelling inter-firm competitive rivalry in a port logistics cluster: a case study of Melbourne, Australia

PurposeThe paper models the effect of spatial clustering on various dimensions of inter-firm competitive rivalry among port logistics firms using Porter's five forces model.Design/methodology/approachA survey-based quantitative approach is adopted to collect data from logistics firms, which are directly or indirectly dependent on the Port of Melbourne in Australia. A structural equation modelling (SEM) technique is used to examine the theorised relationships between various dimensions of inter-firm competitive rivalry and the tendency of spatial clustering of logistics firms in the vicinity of Port of Melbourne.FindingsThe results indicate that the inter-firm competitive rivalry increases significantly when logistics firms are spatially clustered. This effect is further augmented when they cluster around the port. Co-location of firms near the port tends to increase “bargaining power of buyers”, whilst indirectly affecting “competitive rivalry” via “threats of substitutes”. This indicates that co-location enhances the bargaining power of buyers through the greater availability of substitute services that in turn promotes competitive rivalry among firms. However, co-location has an insignificant effect on “barriers to entry” and “bargaining power of suppliers”. Low entry barrier thus favours high competitive rivalry among firms. Hence, this paper validates the Porter's cluster and five forces models that confirm the positive effect of port logistics clusters (PLCs) on bargaining power of buyers and indirect effect on competitive rivalry partially mediated through threats of substitutes.Practical implicationsThis study provides empirically grounded evidence for firms to evaluate co-location decision choices and help buyers and sellers to devise business strategies to enhance inter-firm competitive rivalry and bargaining power.Originality/valueThis is the first systematic attempt to empirically validate Porter's five forces model in the context of PLC. Furthermore, the conceptualisation of PLC concept both as spatial and functional constructs (i.e. dependency on port) is novel. This study thus has broadened the meaning of cluster from a geographic entity to a more useful functional construct to reflect inter-firm dependencies.

Thou Shalt not Kill, Unless it is not a Human: Target Dehumanization May Influence Decision Difficulty and Response Patterns for Moral Dilemmas

Past research on moral dilemmas has thoroughly investigated the roles of personality and situational variables, but the role of targets in moral dilemmas has been relatively neglected. This article presents findings from four experiments that manipulated the perceived dehumanization of targets in moral dilemmas. Findings from Studies 1, 2, and 4 suggest that dehumanized targets may render the decision easier, and with less emotion. Findings from Studies 1 and 3, though not Studies 2 and 4, showed that dehumanization of targets in dilemmas may lead participants to make less deontological judgments. Findings from Study 3, but not Study 4, suggest that the effects of dehumanization manipulation on decision choices are potentially due to reduced deontological, but not utilitarian judgments. Though the patterns are somewhat inconsistent across the studies, overall, results suggest that targets' dehumanization can play a role in how people make their decisions in moral dilemmas.

Sleeping over moral dilemmas modulates utilitarian decision-making

Moral decision-making depends on the interaction between emotional and cognitive control processes, which are also affected by sleep. Here we aimed to assess the potential role of sleep in the modulation of moral decisions over time by testing the change in behavioral responses to moral dilemmas over time (1 week). Thirty-five young adults were tested twice, with one week between the sessions. In each session, participants were presented with 24 sacrificial (12 Footbridge- and 12 Trolley-type) and 6 everyday-type moral dilemmas. In sacrificial dilemmas, participants had to choose whether or not to kill one person to save more people (utilitarian choice), to judge how morally acceptable the proposed solution was, and how they felt in terms of valence and arousal during the decision. In everyday-type dilemmas, they had to decide whether to pursuit moral violations involving dishonest behavior. Between the sessions, the participants’ sleep pattern was assessed via actigraphy. We observed that participants reduced the utilitarian choices in the second session, and this effect was more pronounced for the Trolley-type dilemmas. We also showed that after a week participants judged the utilitarian choices as less morally acceptable, but there was no change in self-reported emotional reactivity (i.e., valence, and arousal). Moreover, sleep efficiency was mildly negatively associated with the changes in decision choices and moral acceptability for the Footbridge-type dilemmas. Taken together, our data suggest that dealing with a moral situation engages several interacting factors that seem to go beyond the competing roles of cognitive and emotional processes.

Relational quality and uncertainty in common pool water management: an exploratory lab experiment

If there is one certainty for the sustainable management of water resources is that facing uncertainty is an unavoidable matter. A concern that, in addition to the best available scientific knowledge and models, requires deep insights about the socio relational processes that underlie decision-making. Our objective here is to better understand if and how the socio relational environment in which decisions are made shapes decision-making under uncertainty in common pool water resource management. Our goal is twofold: methodological and analytical. It consists in designing experiments for carrying out uncertainty analysis to explore the influence that the relationships established among decision actors have in making decision choices under uncertainty in management processes. To this end, we developed one experimental game protocol, representing a typical water management scenario: irrigation, which we use to test two different conjectures about the combined effects of uncertainty and relationships. In doing so, we play close attention to the quality of relationships developed among players (acting as water managers), and how these relationships are structured and organized. Initial tests confirmed the importance that the relationships established among players have for coping with uncertainty in managing water resources.

Leadership competencies for the 21st century: a review from the Western world literature

Purpose The proliferation of studies on leadership competencies have not yet provided a consistent set to guide the work of researchers and practitioners. This paper aims to generate a clear, literature-based overview of the relevant leadership competencies for the twenty-first century. Design/methodology/approach The paper is an integrative literature review and identifies four strands of literature on leadership, reaching back to traditional works. It reviews each strand to establish which leadership competencies remain relevant for the twenty-first century. Findings This paper shows it is essential to clarify and harmonize terminology used in leadership literature. It identifies 18 groups of leadership competencies required for the twenty-first century. The research reveals that leaders of the twenty-first century must be able to combine a strong concern for people, customer experience, digitalization, financialization and the general good. Research limitations/implications This paper is based on a non-exhaustive list of literature derived from studies published in Western journals, written in English. Future research should include papers beyond the confines of Western academia and entail fieldwork to test the comprehensive framework derived here. Practical implications This paper will help practitioners develop leadership training curricula and transform the leadership culture in their organizations. The competency list can be useful in recruitment and selection processes for leadership positions. Professionals will find it helpful as an index in self-diagnosis and personal development for their career decision choices. Originality/value The paper addresses the growing need for clarity on the required leadership competencies for the twenty-first century.

Meningkatkan Motivasi dan Minat Diri Siswa SMA terhadap Dunia Perkuliahan melalui Webinar KKN

Minat siswa Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA) dalam melanjutkan pendidikan ke perguruan tinggi cukup beragam. Sebagian memilih untuk tidak melanjutkan studi dengan bekerja atau bahkan menganggur. Banyak faktor yang menjadi penyebab siswa memutuskan untuk tidak melanjutkan pendidikan ke perguruan tinggi di antaranya yaitu adanya faktor ekstrinsik dan intrinsik. Salah satunya karena faktor ekonomi yang menonjol di masa pandemi Covid-19 ini. Tujuan dari kegiatan ini adalah meningkatkan motivasi untuk menuntut ilmu, sebagaimana firman Allah SWT dalam Al-Qur�an surat Al Mujadilah: 11. Karenanya KKN XI UNISSULA Kelompok KKN 187 melaksanakan salah satu program pilihan yaitu webinar sebagai bentuk kegiatan aktif dan kreatif meningkatkan kualitas hidup masyarakat melalui pendidikan terutama dalam hal ini dengan sasaran siswa siswi SMA/sederajat sebagai luaran implementasi pengabdian masyarakat. Webinar bertemakan, �Serba-serbi Dunia Perkuliahan dan Motivasi Belajar di Masa Pandemi.� dengan media room online yaitu google meeting. Peserta yang terdiri dari puluhan pelajar�SMA�di Kabupaten Rembang dan sekitarnya. Bahkan siswa SMA dari Cikarang, Tangerang, Salatiga dan Demak turut aktif dalam kegiatan ini. Webinar dilaksanakan sebagai wujud edukasi dan meningkatkan motivasi, minat, serta pandangan diri siswa terhadap dunia perkuliahan. Webinar ini bertujuan untuk memberikan gambaran tentang bagaimana berjalannya kegiatan pendidikan dan berbagai pilihan keputusan yang dapat diambil oleh mahasiswa ketika menjalankan studi kepada siswa SMA/sederajat. Hasil penilaian feedback (umpan balik) menunjukkan bahwa animo peserta terhadap webinar didapatkan bahwa 93,8% partisipan mengungkapkan bahwa mereka termotivasi dan meningkatkan minat melanjutkan pendidikan ke perguruan tinggi dengan adanya acara webinar ini. Faktor motivasi yang diungkap oleh para pembicara adalah dorongan ukhrowi keyakinan bahwa Allah SWT akan mengangkat derajat mereka yang beriman dan berilmu. Oleh karena itu mereka tertarik untuk menentukan lembaga pendidikan yang lebih mendekatkan kecintaan dan ketakwaan mereka kepada Tuhan Yang Maha Kuasa. Motivasi selanjutnya adalah banyaknya tawaran beasiswa baik dari pemerintah maupun swasta bahkan lembaga amil zakat baik karena memiliki prestasi akademik maupun karena dilatarbelakangi keterbatasan ekonomi.�The interest of high school students (SMA) in continuing their education to higher education is quite diverse. Some choose not to continue their studies by working or even unemployed. Many factors cause students to decide not to continue their education to higher education, including extrinsic and intrinsic factors. One of them is due to economic factors that stand out during the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this activity is to increase motivation to study, as the word of Allah SWT in the Qur'an Surah Al Mujadilah: 11. Therefore, KKN XI UNISSULA Group KKN 187 carries out one of the selected programs, namely webinars as a form of active and creative activity to improve the quality of life. community through education, especially in this case with the target of high school students/equivalent as the output of community service implementation. The theme of the webinar is, �The World of Lectures and Motivation for Learning in a Pandemic Period.� with an online media room, namely Google Meeting. The participants consisted of dozens of high school students in Rembang Regency and its surroundings. Even high school students from Cikarang, Tangerang, Salatiga and Demak were actively involved in this activity. Webinars are held as a form of education and to increase students' motivation, interest, and self-view towards the world of lectures. This webinar aims to provide an overview of how educational activities work and the various decision choices that can be made by students when carrying out studies for high school students/equivalent. The results of the feedback assessment showed that the participants' interest in the webinar was found that 93.8% of the participants revealed that they were motivated and increased their interest in continuing their education to higher education with this webinar event. The motivational factor revealed by the speakers was the encouragement of ukhrawi belief that Allah SWT will elevate the degree of those who have faith and knowledge. Therefore, they are interested in choosing an educational institution that brings their love and piety closer to God Almighty. The next motivation is the number of scholarship offers from both the government and the private sector and even amil zakat institutions, both because they have academic achievements and because of economic limitations.

On the measurement and estimation of cognitive processes with electrophysiological recordings and reaction time modeling

A primary goal in cognitive psychology is to describe the latent information processingunits that operate between the onset of a stimulus and a measured behavior. Mathe-matical models of cognition aim at decomposing behavior into such processing unitsby formalizing an assumed generative model. Unfortunately, a generative model mayexplain the behavioral data while not necessarily reflecting the underlying processes.Obtaining measurements between the stimulus and the responses could provideadditional information that fruitfully constrains the processing assumptions.The present thesis explores this issue by focusing on models of perceptual deci-sion making, a field with a long tradition of cognitive modeling. These models areconstructed to account for decision choices and their durations (reaction time inthe range of a second) on the basis of a decomposition into encoding, decision andresponse execution stages. We used electrophysiological measures (electromyographyand electroencephalography) to decompose each reaction time into different intervals,presumed to contain these stages. Simultaneously, we manipulated time-honoredexperimental factors to compare the cognitive locus of experimental effects inferredfrom both electrophysiological recordings and from model fitting procedures.Throughout four empirical chapters, we show that the inferences drawn from cogni-tive models conflict with the electrophysiological decomposition when: 1) the model’score assumption of independence between decision and non-decision processes isproven to be false; 2) standard modeling strategies are inadequate to capture thelocus of an experimental effect revealed by the electrophysiological decomposition;3) opposite experimental effects are revealed in decision vs. encoding and responseexecution processes.This thorough assessment of a generative model of decision making delineates itsvalidity, merits and limitations to account for the latent cognitive processes. Newinsights are thus provided on the information processes that allow humans to decidebetween alternatives.

Attitude formation towards Islamic banks

This study aims to determine client’s attitude explanatory factors for the selection of an Islamic bank at Jordan. Mainly, the study identifies factors shaping client’s attitude toward Islamic banks that are considered in clients' decision choices related to different behavioral theories. Data were randomly collected from Islamic banks clients in Jordan. A questionnaire was developed, distributed, and analyzed via the model of t-test on 138 clients. The results show that clients consider several factors in their choices between religious and non-religious. Essentially, religious factors are principles, absence of interest, religious edict or justification, profit-sharing, and Islamic price basis of banking services. The non-religious related factors were sufficient branches, caring and comfortable, appearance and internal decoration design, fast services, response to their clients’ needs, sufficient number of staff, giving clients the top priorities, clients' needs to include disclosing information as a part of accounting system adequacy. Adequate attention is needed to every client, competitive service prices, and the influence of friends and family. The study concludes that it is not possible to say that religious factors are enough, but the interest-free banking greatly represents the non-religious or the economic factors, and the profit-sharing principle is important; Policymakers must consider this to buildup a positive attitude toward Islamic banks. The findings recommend that religious and non-religious values significantly influence clients’ intentions and choices. It suggests that religious ethics is the most important factor, and the availability of information systems disclosing clients' needs.

Informing Agility in the Context of Organizational Changes

Aim/Purpose. This paper, although conceived earlier than the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic, addresses the problem of informing agility as part of organizational agility that has become a rather important issue for business survival. Background. While the general issues of business informing, and business intelligence (BI) in particular, have been widely researched, the dynamics of informing, their ability to act in accord with changes in business and preserve the key competencies has not been widely researched. In particular, the research on BI agility is rather scattered, and many issues need to be clarified. Methodology. A series of in-depth interviews with BI professionals to determine relations between organizational agility and BI agility, and to round up a set of key factors of BI agility. Contribution. The paper clarifies a candidate set of key factors of BI agility and gives ground for future research in relations with areas like corporate and BI resilience and culture. Findings. The interview results show the relations between organizational changes, and changes in BI activities. BI has limited potential in recognizing important external changes but can be rather helpful in making decision choices and detecting internal problems. Lack of communication between business and IT people, existence of data silos and shadow BI, and general inadequacy of organizational and BI culture are the key factors impairing BI agility. Recommendations for Practitioners. There are practical issues around BI agility that need solving, like the reason-able coverage of standards or creation of a dedicated unit to care about BI potential. Recommendations for Researchers. The research is still in its starting phase, but additional interesting directions start to emerge, like relations between BI agility, resilience and corporate agility, or the role of informing culture and BI culture for BI agility issues. Impact on Society. Agile business, especially in times of global shocks like COVID-19, loses less value and has more chances to survive. Future Research. Most likely this will be focused on the relations between BI agility, resilience, and corporate agility, and the role of informing culture and BI culture for BI agility issues.

Toward a complete interdisciplinary treatment of scale

The pathways taken throughout any model-based process are undoubtedly influenced by the modeling team involved and the decision choices they make. For interconnected socioenvironmental systems (SES), such teams are increasingly interdisciplinary to enable a more expansive and holistic treatment that captures the purpose, the relevant disciplines and sectors, and other contextual settings. In practice, such interdisciplinarity increases the scope of what is considered, thereby increasing choices around model complexity and their effects on uncertainty. Nonetheless, the consideration of scale issues is one critical lens through which to view and question decision choices in the modeling cycle. But separation between team members, both geographically and by discipline, can make the scales involved more arduous to conceptualize, discuss, and treat. In this article, the practices, decisions, and workflow that influence the consideration of scale in SESs modeling are explored through reflexive accounts of two case studies. Through this process and an appreciation of past literature, we draw out several lessons under the following themes: (1) the fostering of collaborative learning and reflection, (2) documenting and justifying the rationale for modeling scale choices, some of which can be equally plausible (a perfect model is not possible), (3) acknowledging that causality is defined subjectively, (4) embracing change and reflection throughout the iterative modeling cycle, and (5) regularly testing the model integration to draw out issues that would otherwise be unnoticeable.