Comparing value orientations of German and Chinese managers: impacts of demographic and business-related factors

This article investigates the impact of demographic and business-related factors on universal values through surveying a large sample of German and Chinese managers. ANOVA analyses indicate that especially the factors age, job tenure and business sectors have substantially large and significant effects on basic human value orientations of German managers. For Chinese business leaders, the educational level and job tenure are the most relevant factors affecting their value priorities, while the factor age has lower impacts. Consistently with Schwartz (2006b), who postulates a pan-cultural consensus regarding value priorities, the findings of this study reveal a broad basis of similarities between both countries' managers. However, distinctions evolve; the factor company location has impacts on Chinese managers' but not on German managers' values. This indicates a distinctive Chinese intra-cultural variety which may have arisen from the heterogeneity of Chinese culture, whereas the relatively low degree of intra-cultural variety in Germany is likely to result from the homogeneity of German culture. Whether the diverse geographic sizes of both countries have impacts on the degree of intra-cultural diversity is an issue which may be debated.     

Age,order of entry,strategic orientation,and organizational performance

This paper proposes an empirical test of several hypotheses linking age, order of entry, and strategic orientations to a firm's performance. Three strategies are defined: cost-leadership strategy, innovative differentiation, and marketing differentiation. The aim is to show that the impact on performance of both age and each of the three strategic orientations may differ according to a firm's order of entry into an industry.Following Lieberman and Montgomery's (1998) evaluation of their major contribution on first mover advantage, we emphasize three points. First, we develop and test hypotheses related to early and late followers' strategic orientations, broadening the scope of traditional studies on pioneers. Second, the model combines the dimensions of a firm's age, order of entry, and strategic orientations, as well as industry conditions (stage of the industry, environmental unpredictability, and technology diffusion), to establish a contingent model of performance analysis. Finally, the empirical study deals chiefly with organizational performance and not market share, which is considered a typical advantage accruing to pioneers.In addition, the scope of the study (582 French manufacturing firms) provides the means to fill a void in empirical studies because it is a broad cross-sectional test on non-U.S. data. The firms are mainly private, small to medium-sized, and single or dominant business firms. Therefore, our assumptions must be understood as particularly applicable to this type of firm.The results reveal important lessons for practitioners. First, we did not find a first-mover advantage in terms of organizational performance. In addition, pioneers' organizational performance is enhanced by the cost leader strategy—contrary to our assumption emphasizing innovative differentiation for these firms. Second, early followers' performance benefits from innovative differentiation and marketing differentiation. Finally, late entrants developing a cost leader strategy have a significantly higher performance. All groups considered, late followers are the firms most sensitive to environmental uncertainty and age effects.Our study clarifies the impact of a firm's age and strategic orientations on its performance depending on the firm's order of entry. The implications of these results are particularly relevant for practitioners and entrepreneurs. First, a cost leadership strategy seems to be a guarantee for a pioneer to increase its organizational performance. New ventures should therefore take into consideration the fact that newness and innovative differentiation might not be the best strategic orientations for high performance in the long run. Second, as a second mover, however, developing a superior product and being able to market it efficiently appear to be the enhancing factors of firm performance. Third, for both pioneers and early followers, age does not significantly reduce their performance. However, the longer a firm waits before entering, the greater is the negative effect of age on its performance. This is due to the difficulty of resisting competitive erosion, because pioneers and early followers drive the changes in the industry. The identification of these effects should help managers and stakeholders to make more effective entry decisions to sustain a firm's advantage, leading to better performance and higher probability of survival.     

How Can We Better Understand Current and Future Workforce Values in the Global Business Environment?

Our study tested the predictive power of socioeconomic development theory and age differences theory to explain work values across cultures and across age groups. We compared the values orientations of future managers, business students under the age of 25, with those of current managers and professionals, who we split into three decade groups (30 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 to 59). Our respondents (n = 1,518) come from six diverse societies: Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Russia, the United States, and Vietnam. Our findings indicate that both theories contribute to our understanding of work values and behaviors. One implication is that while socioeconomic development theory makes an important contribution, it is clearly not sufficient by itself to explain work values/behavior differences in the global context. The study findings and the discussion of them will hopefully provide multinational managers with a clearer assessment of current and future workforce values/behavior. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Online shopping among Chinese consumers: an exploratory investigation of demographics and value orientation

The current study examined the relationship between Chinese consumers' personal value orientations and their Internet usage and online shopping behaviour. The study was based on responses from a sample of 1620 respondents in five cities in China. Based on Schwartz's value structure, four value orientations were identified and named as ‘openness to change orientation’, ‘self‐enhancement orientation’, ‘conservation orientation’ and ‘self‐transcendence orientation.’ Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between respondents' demographics, socio‐economic characteristics, value orientations and their Internet usage and online shopping behaviour. Also, a structural equation modelling analysis was employed. ‘Openness to change orientation’ and ‘self‐enhancement orientation’ were found to have direct or indirect positive effect on respondents' online shopping behaviour; whereas ‘conservation orientation’ and ‘self‐transcendence orientation’ were not significant in the equation estimation.     

深化水价改革:全面推进与重点深入

我国水价改革已经取得一定成绩.但迄今为止,水价改革尚缺少一个系统性强的整体规划,基本处于各自为战、分散进行的状态:城市水价改革快于农村水价改革,城市供水价格改革快于水利工程价格改革,缺水地区水价改革快于丰水地区水价改革.在改革措施方面,则着重于提高水价,普遍存在以调代改甚至只调不改的情况.基于此,本报告提出"深化水价改革,既要全面推进,又要重点深入"的思路,并在完善水价形成机制、水利工程供水价格改革、城市供水价格改革、农业用水价格改革、完善污水处理费征收制度、完善水价管理体制以及建立水权制度和水权交易市场等方面提出对策建议.     

Implementing Marketing Strategy Through a Market Orientation

The adoption of specific marketing strategies is related to several factors in an organization including the organization's mission, objectives, resources, and market orientation. We report an exploratory study in which we define relationships between market orientation and marketing strategy in a high technology environment - the telecommunications industry in the United States. Market orientation is defined as a culture that influences how employees think and act. Our results indicate that a market orientation provides a context for the implementation of specific marketing strategies by serving as a moderator of operational marketing strategy. For example, those organizations who possess a strong market-oriented culture (high-spirited cultures) engage in value creation strategies such as market segmentation, developing new products/services for new markets, and product or service customisation. Those organizations possessing low market orientations (ineffectual cultures) generally practice less aggressive and internally focused strategies such as charging lower prices, providing limited customer service, product/service standardization, and undertake limited market research.     

Cultural Differences Between U.S. and Russian Students

Abstract

The study explores differences in U.S. and Russian national work-related values. Comparing the results obtained using Hofstede's 1994 instrument with earlier, but very limited U.S. and Russian studies, differences in value orientation of U.S. and Russian cultures were found. A comparative examination of value orientations of U.S. (n = 73) and Russian (n = 75) students found differences that may affect international alliances. Despite exposure of Russian students to Western values, their cultural values remained almost totally unchanged. The study upheld cultural divergence. Implications for practice and future research are offered.     

Cultural orientations and environmental sustainability in households: A comparative analysis of Hispanics and non‐Hispanic Whites in the United States

This article explores the effect of cultural orientations on the sustainable household behaviours of Hispanic immigrants and non‐Hispanic Whites in the United States. A model is tested in which the personal‐level cultural orientations of interdependence‐independence determine consumers' environmental value and concern, which in turn, affect sustainable behaviours (recycling, water, electricity and energy conservation). Results from a sample of 338 Hispanic immigrants and 249 non‐Hispanic Whites indicate that interdependence predicts environmental values among non‐Hispanic Whites. For the Hispanic sample, neither interdependence nor independence predict environmental value. In both samples, environmental value is positively associated with environmental concern, which is positively related to sustainable behaviours. The relationships between environmental concern and all four behaviours are relatively weaker among Hispanics compared to non‐Hispanic Whites, suggesting that immigrants have not yet fully embraced mainstream American pro‐environmental ideals and practices. Our study sheds light on cultural differences regarding environmental values and concerns, and implies theoretical and practical recommendations for marketers in the United States.     

Having less: A personal project taxonomy of consumers' decluttering orientations,motives and emotions

This study examines consumers' orientations toward decluttering and what differentiates consumers' engagement with decluttering as a routine social practice. An internet survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 172 adult consumers who recently engaged in home decluttering projects. Cluster analysis used appraisals of personal project dimensions to create a taxonomy in which we identified three orientations toward decluttering: disengaged, enthusiastic, and challenged. Subsequent analyses compared appraisals of success and affective and motivational differences across the three orientations. Findings reveal that decluttering is enjoyable, easy, and most successful for consumers with an enthusiastic orientation who intrinsically value decluttering and link it to self-identify. Those who lack time or adequate control experience more stress and less success. Circumstances, and especially normative pressures, seemed to drive these orientations. All orientations experienced relatively high positive emotions after decluttering, which substantiates the positive influence of decluttering on emotional well-being.     

Assessing Value Co-Creation and New Product Success from Cultural Orientations and Relationship Marketing Perspectives

This study's main objective was to assess value co-creation and new product success among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia by incorporating cultural orientations and relationship marketing perspectives. The samples were purposely selected in two sectors: handcraft and food and drink. They were approached through a door-to-door distribution of the questionnaires. The findings indicated that relationship quality can enhance value co-creation and new product success when SMEs have a favorable combination of learning, market, and entrepreneurial orientations. However, this study suggests that SMEs do not utilize their relationships as arenas for learning and learning orientation can affect relationship quality only when it is supported by the other orientations.     

Changes in an Urban Public Service System in Response to Population Dynamics

This article analyses the relationship between urban population dynamics and changes in public services. The first section is conceptual, presenting the effects of changes in the size, structure and composition of a city's population, and in the housing market, upon changes in consumption patterns of public services, in terms of their location and type. Two levels of analysis are discussed: the macro, city-wide level, and the micro level - the individual neighbourhoods which make up the urban whole. In the second section of the article the spatial dynamics of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish population in Jerusalem serves as the background for a discussion of changes in the city's educational system, over a period of 15 years (1970/1 -1985/6). The data point to a massive increase in ultra-Orthodox education in the city. While the ultra-Orthodox population comprises about 27 per cent of Jerusalem's population, nearly half of the elementary schools in the city are included in the ultra-Orthodox educational network, and over 35 per cent of the city's elementary school pupils attend these schools. The spatial and social implications of these dynamic processes are presented and discussed.     

Two Independent Value Orientations: Ideal and Counter-Ideal Leader Values and Their Impact on Followers’ Respect for and Identification with Their Leaders

Traditionally, conceptualizations of human values are based on the assumption that individuals possess a single integrated value system comprising those values that people are attracted by and strive for. Recently, however, van Quaquebeke et al. (in J Bus Ethics 93:293–305, 2010) proposed that a value system might consist of two largely independent value orientations—an orientation of ideal values and an orientation of counter-ideal values (values that individuals are repelled by), and that both orientations exhibit antithetic effects on people’s responses to the social world. Following a call for further research on this distinction, we conducted two studies to assess the independent effects of ideal and counter-ideal values in leadership settings. Study 1 (N = 131) finds both value orientations to explain unique variance in followers’ vertical respect for their leaders. Study 2 (N = 136) confirms these results and additionally shows an analogous effect for followers’ identification with their leaders. Most importantly, we find that both value orientations exhibit their effects only independently when the content of the two orientations pertain to different value types in Schwartz’s (in J Soc Issues 50:19–46, 1994) circumplex model. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

Boundary Spanners' Satisfaction with Organizational Support Services

SUMMARY

Internal services (i.e., support services) are an important form of organizational support for external boundary spanners (e.g., salespeople, customer service representatives). Internal services such as information systems, market research, training, accounting, and facilities support are intended to allow boundary spanners to better serve the firm's customer. Little research, however, has addressed factors that influence a boundary spanner's satisfaction with such services. The research presented here offers insight into how internal communication by both managers and service providers impacts a boundary spanner's satisfaction with support services. Results indicate that service provider and manager communications are largely complementary and that satisfaction with service outcomes, rather than service quality, appears to have an enduring impact upon a boundary spanner's overall job satisfaction. Implications for future research are addressed.     

Impact of wife's employment on service expenditures

Data from the 1986 Consumer Expenditure Survey were used to examine the relationship between wife's employment and spending on services that are expected to be sensitive to the value of time. Tobit regression analysis indicated that wife's employment status was influential in explaining expenditure on food away from home, child care and total services only. Other independent variables, such as income, education and age. were more influential in explaining expenditure than was wife's employment status.     

Small Business Owners' Success Criteria,a Values Approach to Personal Differences

This study of 150 Dutch small business owners, identified through business/network directories, investigated relationships between owners' understanding of success and their personal values. Business owners ranked 10 success criteria. Personal satisfaction, profitability, and satisfied stakeholders ranked highest. Multidimensional scaling techniques revealed two dimensions underlying the rank order of success criteria: person‐oriented (personal satisfaction versus business growth) and business‐oriented (profitability versus contributing back to society). Furthermore, business growth, profitability, and innovativeness were guided by self‐enhancing value orientations (power and achievement). Softer success criteria, such as having satisfied stakeholders and a good work–life balance, were guided by self‐transcendent value orientations (benevolence and universalism).     

Image transfer from malls to stores and its influence on shopping values and mall patronage: The role of self-congruity

Little research attention has been paid to the image transference from a shopping mall to its stores. The study reported in this article proposes an integrative model dealing with the image transference phenomenon from malls to stores and its implications in terms of creating value for shoppers and enticing mall patronage. Structural equation modeling is applied to data collected from shoppers in two urban North-Amercian shopping malls. The findings are broadly supportive of the proposed model. Mall image spills over the image of the stores located in the mall, and this occurs through a shopper's self-congruity mechanism. Furthermore, the mall's image dimensions influence hedonic shopping value through self-congruity. The stores’ image dimensions differentially influence utilitarian and hedonic shopping values assessments. Both types of shopping values are strong drivers of mall patronage. The study also discusses the implications of the findings as well as its limitations and directions for future research.     

新冠疫情管控期间西安市人口分布演变及影响因素探测——基于多源时空大数据视角

新冠疫情的"超常规"管控举措影响了城市人口分布,研究其演变规律有助于疫情管控期间城市人口活动规律认知、聚集趋势判断,以及指导精准化管控分区划分和场所差异化管控。基于百度热力和POI数据,采用人口密度指数、ESDA及地理探测器,分析了西安市在2020年2-4月疫情管控期间的人口分布变化及其影响因素。结果表明:(1)西安市人口密度值及人口密度波动幅度由一环向郊外递减,且人口数量及人口流动性逐渐恢复。与非疫情阶段相比,居民的日常活动周期未发生较大变化,但受复工后企业错峰午休以及居民减少外出影响,活动特征在局部表现不同。(2)西安市高、较高密度区逐渐增加,较低、低密度区持续减少,而随着疫情管控放开及复工复产推进,城市人口分布逐渐由"中心—外围"转变为"中心—外围、开发区延伸"的空间结构。同时,西安市人口分布呈现明显的高、低值聚集以及内热外冷圈层式特征,且随着人口活力的恢复,这种特征越来越显著。在此基础上,进一步总结出防控导向型、防控—就业需求导向型、就业—消费需求导向型、购物—休闲需求导向型四种人口活动模式的特征。(3)西安市7类设施对人口分布的影响强度为:住宅小区>餐饮设施>生活服务>医疗机构>购物服务>办公场所>公园广场,且住宅小区、餐饮设施、生活服务、医疗机构的影响强度逐渐减弱,购物服务、办公场所、公园广场的影响强度逐渐增强,指出疫情管控影响下城市配套设施与人口分布的耦合关系变化是影响西安市人口分布由相对分散变为更加聚集的重要原因。     

Dubai e-Government: An Evaluation of G2B Websites

ABSTRACT

This paper evaluates the Government-to-Business (G2B) aspect of Dubai e-government. The research revealed that while businesses are generally aware of Dubai e-government services, they do not often use them for transactions. Another finding was that responses to businesses' queries made online or via e-mail are not rapid enough. A single e-business portal for the business community is recommended, which would shift the service approach from department-centric to customer-centric. It is further suggested that in order to stay current, Dubai should use CiRM principles in providing an improved level of service for businesses. This will enhance its position among the world's city and municipal websites. Since Dubai is considered a leader in e-government implementation in the Arab world, it is hoped that the findings will guide regional decision makers as they improve their G2B e-government initiatives.     

Leisure and Tourism Services and the Older Innovator

In the light of changing demographics this article seeks to identify whether 'older' consumers are innovative in their consumption behaviour. A domain specific scale is used among up-market consumers for leisure and tourism services. This scale has been extensively applied to consumers to identify predisposition towards innovative behaviour for specific products and services. A postal survey identified 'older' consumers as having a relatively high level of domain specific innovativeness. The authors suggest that as people age they do not necessarily become less interested in consumption and it is a mistake to ignore or alienate such a potentially lucrative market.