Observing Chief Executives: Analysing Behaviour to Explore Cross-Sectoral Differences

This article is an exploration of the role of the chief executive and its relation to the political and environmental context. It draws on case studies of chief executives from the public, private and voluntary sectors, which looked at what chief executives do and how their role relates to the context in which they work. The author uses a comparative theoretical framework, which includes position, organization, environment and decision-making to highlight cross-sectoral differences. Comparative concepts are used to explain difference and variability in the chief executives' work. The article develops propositions about the nature of chief executives' work that could be tested in further studies.     

Market testing of a major cassava flour product in the Accra metropolitan area*

The current study analyses consumer judgements about some existing as well as newly introduced brands of a processed cassava food product (fufu flour) by means of market testing. Except for colour, the respondents’ evaluation of the sensory attributes of the various fufu flours that they have consumed did not have much significant differences. Also, no significant differences in sensory attributes were identified when the fufu flour brands were compared with traditional fufu, except for hand‐feel, smoothness and elasticity. In addition, no significant differences were observed in the prices of the various fufu flour brands in comparison with the equivalent price of traditional fufu. The study finds diversification of the marketing outlet for fufu flour as a major factor that could contribute to improving the awareness of the product.     

Chiari I malformation

As MRI's are becoming more popular for evaluating the brain and cranial vault, we are beginning to see the diagnosis of Chiari I malformation being made rather frequently. This case study describes Chiari I malformation of the brainstem and its implications for mortality.     

Quality of working life in the automobile industry: A Canada-UK comparative study

The paper examines the impact of lean production on indicators of the quality of life at work in the automotive industry and finds that it varies across companies and to a lesser extent between countries. The paper explains this by arguing that lean production seeks to impose new employment standards. This is a contested process where management's capacity to shift to new standards and labour's ability to protect its interests vary across workplaces.     

Disentangling the performance effects of efficiency and bargaining power in horizontal growth strategies: An empirical investigation in the global retail industry

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and organic growth are two common strategies to achieve horizontal growth. In this study, we disentangle two distinct sources of firm performance corresponding to different theoretical perspectives on firm size: firms' bargaining power with respect to suppliers and customers, and operating efficiency arising from scale economies. We conceptually argue and empirically show that relatively, M&A enhance bargaining power in the short term while organic growth enhances operating efficiency over the long term. In order to disaggregate these effects, we use accounting rather than financial or managerial data and test our predictions in the global retail industry over a 20‐year period. We examine implications of these results for sustainability of size‐based competitive advantages. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Something Free or Something Off? A Comparative Study of the Purchase Effects of Premiums and Price Cuts

As an alternative to promotional price cuts, retailers and manufacturers often rely on non-price promotion techniques, such as premium promotions, where consumers receive a free gift with the purchase of a product. We compare the effectiveness of premiums to that of price cuts, and study moderators of this comparative premium effectiveness. We use data from a large online shopping simulation study with more than 2,000 participants to model consumers’ purchase decisions in response to premiums and price cuts. Results indicate that the impact of premiums on purchase behavior is systematically lower than that of equivalent price cuts. However, a premium’s smaller sales impact may be offset by a cost advantage. This is especially true for private label brands where the premium’s purchase effects do not differ too much from those of a price cut. We calculate how large the cost advantage has to be for a premium to be more profitable than a price cut, and show that premiums entail risks as well as opportunities, for both manufacturers and retailers.     

The content of Third World tourism marketing: a 4A approach

Tourism to the Third World continues to grow and, correspondingly, the promotion of these regions is increasingly popular and important. Although some concerns have been voiced about the images contained in Third World tourism marketing, there has been no extensive examination of its content to date. Accordingly, in this study, the verbal and visual components of 115 brochures for 12 Third World countries are analysed. To facilitate a detailed content analysis of these brochures, a ‘4A’ approach is introduced, focusing on attractions (natural and man‐made), actors (hosts and tourists), actions and atmosphere. This comprehensive inventory reveals that Third World countries are clustered into three groups, namely Oriental, sea–sand and frontier. It is shown that by emphasising and stereotyping certain attractions, actors, actions and atmospheres, certain overarching tourism myths are created around Third World destinations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How is the European Union progressing towards its Europe 2020 targets? A benefit-of-the-doubt window analysis

Empirica - This paper quantifies and compares the EU Member States' performance evolutions from 2006 to 2018 towards their Europe 2020 target by a Window Analysis of the Benefit-of-the-Doubt...