SME’s disinclination towards subcontracting in the public sector markets: an attributional perspective

Purpose This study aims to examine the causes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) disinclination towards subcontracting in public sector markets. Previous studies have revealed that UK SMEs are reluctant to do business with the public sector through the subcontracting route, but the reasons for this lack of enthusiasm have not been widely researched. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on semi-structured interviews with SMEs competing for public contracts in North West England, a qualitative study was performed, from which several themes emerged. Findings The findings were synthesised into a framework underpinned by attribution theory, to portray situationally and dispositionally caused factors that were used to interpret SMEs’ behaviour. Social implications The findings can guide policy development and government interventions in developed and developing countries, aimed at using public procurement as a policy tool to develop the small business sector. Originality/value This paper contributes in a unique way to an emerging discourse on how subcontracting can facilitate the access of SMEs to government procurement spending. It adds to knowledge regarding the explanatory power of attribution theory – from its base in social psychology.

The Fundamental Attribution Error in Human-Robot Interaction: An Experimental Investigation on Attributing Responsibility to a Social Robot for Its Pre-Programmed Behavior

Since social robots are rapidly advancing and thus increasingly entering people’s everyday environments, interactions with robots also progress. For these interactions to be designed and executed successfully, this study considers insights of attribution theory to explore the circumstances under which people attribute responsibility for the robot’s actions to the robot. In an experimental online study with a 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects design (N = 394), people read a vignette describing the social robot Pepper either as an assistant or a competitor and its feedback, which was either positive or negative during a subsequently executed quiz, to be generated autonomously by the robot or to be pre-programmed by programmers. Results showed that feedback believed to be autonomous leads to more attributed agency, responsibility, and competence to the robot than feedback believed to be pre-programmed. Moreover, the more agency is ascribed to the robot, the better the evaluation of its sociability and the interaction with it. However, only the valence of the feedback affects the evaluation of the robot’s sociability and the interaction with it directly, which points to the occurrence of a fundamental attribution error.

Consumers' Complaints: Causal attribution and moral emotions in service failures

Purpose: This research investigated consumers’ reactions to service failures, based on Weiner’s attribution theory, by simulating two situations: a teacher that is late to class and a delay in a course registration service.Method: Students at an educational service (n = 388) responded to four versions of scenarios, combining external and internal causes with teacher delay and enrollment problems.Findings: Factor analyzes inductively reflected the theoretical organization of the model: Negative Behavior, Positive Reactions, Internal Attributions, and Negative Emotions. Internal causes led to internal attributions, negative emotions and negative behaviors. Originality: The central role of moral emotions on the attitude towards complaining behavior is discussed, as well as the importance of implementing simple and low-cost managerial measures to improve the quality of care service.

Strategic crisis response: managerial implications and direction for recovery and survival

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide managers with insights to help survive a crisis, create advantage during slow-growth recoveries and thrive when the crisis is over. Given the environment at the time of this paper, this paper focuses on widespread crises, such as a public health crisis like COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach The authors offer a conceptual framework, grounded in the attribution theory and situation crisis communication theory (SCCT), for managers to use when determining which crisis response strategy is most appropriate to use during a crisis. Propositions based on this framework are provided. This paper focuses on widespread crises, such as a public health crisis, particularly on the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the framework proposed for organizational crisis response strategy and recovery, several insights for managers across a variety of industries emerge. Consideration of the best strategic approach to a crisis is essential, and time is critical. This framework provides a starting point for creating a proper response strategy when a crisis arises that is not within the organization’s crisis management planning. Managerial implications for several industries, such as restaurant, hotel, airline, education, retail, medical and other professional services, and theoretical implications to further the advancement of understanding are provided. Findings The findings of this paper demonstrate that organizations that apply an accommodative strategy during unintentional crises will survive, while during intentional crises, they will thrive in the marketplace. Similarly, organizations that apply an offensive strategy during unintentional crises will thrive, while during intentional crises, they will survive in the marketplace. Practical implications This paper provides a framework highlighting strategies that best protect an organization during both internally and externally caused crises. The response strategy and crisis framework are based on the attribution theory and SCCT. Building on this framework, six propositions are postulated. In keeping with this strategy and crisis framework, this study provides several crisis response insights for managers across a variety of industries. These suggestions act as a guide for managers when assessing how to respond in the early days of a crisis and what to do to recover from it. Originality/value This paper provides a crisis-strategy matrix, grounded in the attribution theory and SCCT, to provide decision-making guidance to help managers survive a crisis, create advantage during slow-growth recoveries and thrive when the crisis is over. The authors provide multiple industry insights related to the “how to” and the “what to” in the recovery from and survival through internally and externally caused crises.

Comparative Analysis of Attributions From Customer Experiences and Journeys

This study developed a Comparative Analysis of Attributions method to explore sensemaking after customer experiences and journeys. Its foundation rests on the constructs of attribution theory by which actors make sense of the causes of events. Customer experiences and journeys involve both consumers and the firm’s employees interacting at touchpoints in a value co-creation attempt; each actor then makes attributions about the exchange experience. The qualitative inquiry compared attributions across actors after value co-creation (co-destruction) in a banking services context during the financial crisis. This showed how misunderstandings of one’s own and others’ sensemaking attributions can affect value co-creation during the customer experience and journey. The analysis thus offered managerially actionable information. Marketers may then improve internal and external messaging, touchpoints, and operations for better customer journeys. Academic researchers may use this method to map the continuum of attributional biases, errors, and styles across actors, industries, and contexts.

The Effects of Unfulfilled Preferential Treatment and Review Dispersion on Airbnb Guests’ Attitudes and Behavior

In sharing accommodation business such as Airbnb, while the provision of personalized amenities and services may seem like good business, hosts should be aware of the potential unintended consequences when they are not able to deliver what they promise. The present research examines how expectation gaps created by guest reviews interact with different types of preferential services to subsequently affect consumer behavior in the peer-to-peer accommodation economy. Grounded in attribution theory, this study offers new insights on customer responses to unfulfilled preferential treatment. The results suggest that in the condition of utilitarian services (e.g., airport transportation), participants in the low dispersion condition exhibited more negative attitudes, a lower level of repurchase intention, and a decreased willingness to write an online review. Conversely, in the condition of hedonic services (e.g., perform a talent show), expectation discrepancy did not result in different consumer evaluations across the dispersion conditions.

“It's Not You, It's Me”: Examining the Roles of Romantic Self-Blame and Social Support in Pathways From Peer Victimization to Emerging Adult Depressive Symptoms

Although experiences of adolescent peer victimization elevate risk for depressive symptoms during emerging adulthood, the mechanisms underlying this pathway are not well-understood. Drawing from attribution theory and models of relational schemas, the current study introduces romantic self-blame as a putative novel mechanism linking adolescent peer victimization to emerging adult depressive symptoms and evaluates perceived social support as a protective factor. A diverse sample of 350 emerging adults completed self-report measures of retrospective peer victimization, romantic characterological and behavioral self-blaming attributions, social support, and depressive symptoms. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized two-factor structure of romantic self-blame. Additionally, conditional process models demonstrated that elevated romantic characterological—but not behavioral—self-blame partially explained the association between retrospective peer victimization and current depressive symptoms, particularly among those perceiving low social support. Results suggest that earlier peer victimization may alter emerging adults’ romantic appraisals in ways that increase distress, particularly in the absence of supportive interpersonal relationships.

What do You Know About Audit Quality in Malaysian Small and Medium Audit Firms?

Audit quality has been addressed and is being discussed globally, throughout the years. The Enron Corporation and WorldCom cases have affected the reputation of the audit profession. The credibility of auditors also has become more questionable as the auditors' function in identifying mistakes and fraud is being debated by the public. However, the issue of audit quality has only focused on big firms only. There is shortage of studies that focussed on audit quality in small and medium audit firms. In line with this issue, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between top management support, auditor’s experience and auditor’s accountability on audit quality amongst small-medium audit firms in Malaysia. By employing the Attribution Theory, the study utilised purposive sampling. The data used in this study was primary data obtained through questionnaires from external auditors in small and medium sized audit firms around Klang Valley. A total of 100 questionnaires were distributed and the number of usable questionnaires was 81. Findings indicate that auditor’s experience and auditor’s accountability have a significant effect on audit quality. This research thus contributes to standard setters, regulators, policymakers and other audit firms by providing evidence with regard to the determinants of audit quality judgment in Malaysian small and medium audit firms. Keywords: audit quality, small and medium audit firms, audit judgments, accountability, audit experience