What about sustainability? Understanding consumers' conceptual representations through free word association

The United Nations (UN) conceptualizes sustainability as development that meets the current needs of the planet's populations, but without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Although the concept of sustainability has been widely discussed in the international political agendas, inconsistent interpretation and ambiguity of the concept by consumers is observed. In this paper, the understanding of the term sustainability amongst Brazilian consumers is reported. Using the word association projective technique, the participants were asked to write down all the words that came to their mind when thinking about “sustainability.” Thematic content analysis was performed by grouping words by similarity of meaning in categories, which were further submitted to correspondence analysis (CA) to create a perceptual map. Brazilian consumers made different associations reflecting the complexity and multidimensionality of the concept amongst different groups of consumers. The most frequently cited categories are related to environment, health and nutrition, behaviour, production and economy and sustenance. CA accounted for 76.7% of the data variance and the perceptual map evidenced that younger individuals with higher education made associations with categories related to the current concept of sustainable development, similar to that proposed by UN. Moreover, consumers with basic education were associated with categories related to food and sustenance. The findings of this study can contribute to the formulation of education strategies directed towards different social groups, besides directing further research on consumer behaviour.     

Do career satisfaction and support mediate the effects of justice on organizational citizenship behaviour and counterproductive work behaviour?

Following Lavelle, Rupp, and Brockner's ( 2007 ) target similarity framework, we propose that perceptions of support and career satisfaction mediate the influence of justice perceptions on citizenship and counterproductive performance. Structural equation modelling results from 356 employees supporting partial mediation. Collectively, the model explained 19% of the variance in perceptions of organizational support, 44% in perceived supervisor support, 33% in career satisfaction, 35% in citizenship performance directed toward the supervisor, 42% in citizenship performance directed toward the organization, 49% in job/task conscientiousness citizenship performance, 9% in counterproductive performance toward the supervisor, and 20% of the variance in counterproductive performance directed toward the organization. We argue that distributive, procedural, informational, and interpersonal dimensions of organizational justice follow different pathways and variously influence organizational outcomes. We discuss the implications of the results for the target similarity framework and more generally for human resources management. Copyright © 2015 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Does ethical leadership enhance group learning behavior? Examining the mediating influence of group ethical conduct,justice climate,and peer justice

The link between ethical leadership and employees' ethical behaviors is well established, but are ethical leadership's benefits confined to ethical behaviors? This study aimed to address this question by examining the extent to which ethical leaders create an environment conducive to cultivating a broader set of desirable behaviors such as group learning behavior. We drew upon and integrated insights from social learning theory and the social marketplace model to develop and test a model that illuminates how ethical leadership enhances group learning behavior. We propose that group ethical conduct, justice climate, and peer justice are three contextual mechanisms through which ethical leadership improves group learning. Using data collected over two time periods from 95 supervisors and 323 work group members from a large financial institution in the United States, we found that ethical leadership significantly relates to group learning behavior, and that this relationship is partially explained by group ethical conduct and peer justice, but not justice climate. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Who Is the Student Entrepreneur? Understanding the Emergent Adult through the Pedagogy and Andragogy Interplay

Although entrepreneurship education is promoted through an active learning approach, critical concerns regarding how to educate potential entrepreneurs has increased. To remedy this, we pose the question: “Who is the student entrepreneur?” Building on conceptual work from developmental psychology, expertise research, pedagogy, and andragogy, we problematize based on the key characteristics of the emerging adult; a construct originating from developmental psychology. We illustrate an educational process moving from a pedagogical phase into an andragogical phase where the learner becomes in control of the learning process. As a result, we propose a continuum model of entrepreneurship education for emerging adults.     

What characterizes Chinese consumer behavior? A cross-industry analysis of the Chinese diaspora in Japan

In order to profit from China??s enormous business opportunities, international firms need to know Chinese consumer preferences. To learn more about intrinsic Chinese consumer preferences and their distinction from other Asian consumer preferences, this study analyzes differences in the formation of customer satisfaction, repurchase intent, and word-of-mouth intent between Chinese-born and locally born consumers in Japan. Verifying culture-based hypotheses, cross-industry analyses show that Chinese-born consumers pay less attention to the public brand image and risk-related switching costs, but more attention to quality expectations, perceived value, experienced usefulness, and financial switching costs than Japanese consumers. Marketing strategies should account for these preference structures.     

What Drives the Responsiveness of the Budget Balance to the Business Cycle in EU Countries?

Intereconomics - The European Commission methodology for computing the cyclically adjusted government budget balance provides a robust measurement of the fiscal position of the Member States. The...     

What to Learn from the Japanese? The Process of Japanese-Style Management Transfer to China

Many Chinese and Japanese believe that Japanese-style management methods are a vital factor in establishing the international competitiveness of ‘Japanese-Funded Enterprises’ in China, and both sides thus favour the transfer of such methods to China. This contribution considers three basic questions about the process of this transfer: what kind of Japanese-style management methods have been transferred to China, how has this transfer been effected, and what problems have hindered the transfer? It is argued that many ideas in Japanese-style management draw upon material from ancient China. A detailed case study is presented of a Sino–Japanese joint venture in the fashion industry in Beijing, outlining in some depth the venture's management skills training programme, both to show the kinds of methods which are being introduced and how this introduction is being handled. Finally, there is a brief discussion of the dificulties of assimilating Japanese-style management methods in China, which highlights the importance (for the Chinese) of learning the ‘essence’ of Japanese management.     

Estimating the impact of Denison's (1996), “What is the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate? A native's point of view on a decade of paradigm wars”

Denison [Denison, D.R. (1996), What is the difference between organizational culture and organizational climate? A native's point of view on a decade of paradigm wars, The Academy of Management Review, 21 (3), 619-654] offers a paradigm to comprehend the difference between studying organizational culture and organizational climate from a methodological perspective. The present study uses a Scopus analysis to understand the contributions of Denison's work in contemporary research of organization studies, and to recognize benefits of his discussion on organizational culture and organizational climate. The Scopus analysis shows that Denison's article is seminal across academic disciplines from its appearance.     

Does transparency influence the ethical behavior of salespeople?

This study introduces the concept of perceived salesperson transparency to the sales literature. It addresses how recent technological developments impact traditional agency theory concerns, while simultaneously creating a conceptual definition of perceived transparency for application on an individual level. Salesperson perceptions regarding managerial use of behavioral information obtained through technological means are empirically found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between managerial access to such information and the likelihood of unethical salesperson behavior. It concludes that salesperson ethical behavior is not influenced by management's ability to obtain behaviorally relevant information, but rather by the use of this information. Further, it is found that the mediating influence of use of information accessed via technology is itself moderated by the salesperson's job performance.     

In the mood to buy? Understanding the interplay of mood regulation and congruence in an international context

Literature reports different effects of mood on measures of consumer behavior. Either mood congruence or mood regulation theories serve to explain these effects, though the latter theory is perhaps more sophisticated. This research goes a step further: in a sequence of four studies, the authors consider different products (with and without mood-lifting capabilities) and consumers?? beliefs in the transience of their mood to illuminate the interplay between the two theoretical approaches. Culture (individualism vs. collectivism) emerges as an important driver of mood transience. Mood transience drives the likelihood of mood regulation through the consumption of products with mood-lifting capabilities. Willingness to pay serves as the dependent variable, in contrast with mood research that has focused almost entirely on nonmonetary forms of consumer behavior. Greater willingness to pay variance in bad moods, compared with good moods, offers evidence of the opposing effects of mood congruence and regulation.     

A good way to boost sales? Effects of the proportion of sold-out options on purchase behavior

The present research explores how the proportion of sold-out options in the choice set affects consumer purchase choices. Across five experiments, we find an inverted U-shaped relationship between the proportion of sold-out options in a choice set and consumer purchase choices. Fueling this effect are two competing processes: presence of sold-out options signals the overall quality of products in the choice set, which prompts consumers to purchase available options; while it also evokes psychological reactance, which impedes purchases. The quality signaling effect features a concave shape, whereas the psychological reactance force takes on a convex shape, so in combination, these two forces form an inverted U-shaped relationship. In addition, two boundary conditions were identified: (1) this effect is obtained only when psychological reactance is not induced by other situational factors; and (2) this effect disappears when consumers make purchases for others, not when they make purchases for themselves.     

What drives Gen Y loyalty? Understanding the mediated moderating roles of switching costs and alternative attractiveness in the value-satisfaction-loyalty chain

Generational theory presumes that generational cohorts develop similar attitudes and beliefs with regard to their market behaviors. This study examined the attitudes and beliefs of the Gen Y members towards mobile Internet service providers (MISPs). Gen Yers have the highest adoption of mobile Internet. They are also the most value-conscious, least satisfied and loyal customers compared with all other generations. This study therefore proposed a research model to elucidate the relationship between perceived value, satisfaction, switching costs (SC), alternative attractiveness (AA) and loyalty, and tested it using empirical data collected from 417 Gen Y mobile Internet subscribers. The results indicated that perceived value significantly influenced the satisfaction of Gen Y customers and, in turn, their loyalty towards MISPs. The results also confirmed the existence of mediators and moderators in the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Both SC and AA proved to be partial mediators, whereas AA was a moderator. Further, it was found that the moderating effect of AA on the association between customer satisfaction and loyalty was contingent upon the mediating effect of SC. Finally, the implications of these findings are delineated.     

Food Safety:What to Eat in the Future?

Over the past few months, China has repeatedly been hit by food safety scandals, including tainted steamed buns, contaminated pork, and beef extract.It has been two years since China's government declared food safety a national priority, just when the melamine-contaminat -ed baby milk scandal sickened 300,000 infants and killed at least 6.Since then, China's government has threatened, punished and arrested a great many illegal food processors.     

What are the functions of corporate home pages?

Researchers have identified a number of functions performed by corporate home pages on the World Wide Web. Although commerce and marketing functions are growing, they may be of minor importance in the evolving Internet strategies of corporations. The research presented here examined the functions of corporate home pages in the United States, Germany, and Japan, guided by theories in management studies and communications technology research. Results suggest that image creation rather than marketing, cost control, stakeholder relations, or disclosure is the major function of corporate home pages in each of the countries studied. This raises the question of why image creation is so important.     

What is in the Mind of State-owned Enterprises?

foe World Top 500 and the Development ofChina's Large State--owned Enterprises wasa seminar sponsored by the China EnterpriseAssessment Association, which was participatedby more than one hundred leading figures fromthe Development Research Center of the StateCouncil, Peking University, the State Economicand Trade Commission, Economic RestructuringOtllce of the State Council, the State StatisticsBureau and the China Petro-Chemical Corp,Baoshan iron and Steel Company, Capital iron…     

Understanding the flow of health policy in the United States: self-interest or ignorance?

Health policy decisions are made in an uneven manner, eluding attempts to explain developments with a coherent theory. Numerous explanations have been suggested to explain individual policy actions, but recently Feldstein has attempted a broader formulation. This Self-Interest Model of Health Policy, however, assumes full knowledge of a policy's benefits and costs. This is an unrealistic assumption, and the model is unable to explain important decisions that have been made in three areas: insurance for long-term care, universal access, and efficiency incentives. This article presents a broader, more powerful formulation of the Feldstein model, specifically incorporating public ignorance as a policy determinant. The vital role of education and health policy research is underscored.     

What happens to gazelles? The importance of dynamic management strategy

The starting point of this study is Gibrat’s Law, which is contrasted with strategic management. This logic is subsequently applied to a group of remarkably dynamic, high-growth firms: gazelles. Strategic management theory emphasises the importance of firms adjusting strategies in response to changes in the external environment. In our study, it is used to explain several key empirical findings using a novel British data set containing information on more than 100 gazelles. These findings help explain: (1) why Gibrat’s Law of random firm growth processes does not generally hold, (2) which strategy and environmental variables have a predictable influence on firm performance and (3) why routine application of ‘best practice’ strategies is unlikely to foster firm growth in a changing economic environment. In so doing, this paper contributes to the large body of literature on small-firm growth.