An assessment of equivalence between Internet and paper-based surveys: evidence from collectivistic cultures

Little research exists that addresses the equivalence in collectivistic cultures of paper- versus Internet-based surveys. This study addressed this gap and examined the measurement equivalence of individual innovativeness scales between Internet surveys and paper-based surveys within a collectivistic culture (with China serving as our example). The study analyzed and compared survey data from both paper and web-based surveys using confirmatory factor analysis. The assessment of invariance included the levels of configural, metric, scalar, and covariance invariance. The means and variance of latent variables were also compared. The results show that measurements are invariant at the two levels (configural and metric), and the covariances between latent variables are also equivalent, but the mean and variance differences of latent variables are apparent. The results indicate that when conducting research in collectivistic cultures and collecting data from distinct survey modes, researchers should concern themselves with the potential of extreme response patterns and the inclination of social desirability responding, as well as considering the measurement invariance across survey modes.     

Trust me,I'm your boss: Trust and power in supervisor–supervisee communication

This study examined employees' perceptions of trust, power and mentoring in manager–employee relationships in a variety of sectors, including health care, education, hospitality and retail. The main theoretical frameworks used were communication accommodation theory and social identity theory, in examining the manager–employee relationships from an in-group/out-group perspective. Computer-aided content analyses revealed a number of emergent communication and relationship themes that impact upon the level of ‘in-groupness’ and therefore trust in supervisor–supervisee relationships. While it may be illusory to believe that any organization can enjoy complete trust among its workforce, it is clear that certain communication characteristics can result in greater trust in manager–employee relationships, even within the context of organizational constraints. It is argued that the results of the study could be used to inform human resource management academics of key aspects of managerial communication that should be further researched, and also provide insights into the main communication skills that managers should focus upon to improve trust in the workplace.     

Benchmarking Australian fixed interest fund performance: finding the optimal factors

In this paper, we analyse the performance of Australian fixed interest managed funds and assess multiple benchmarks through which such performance can be reliably measured. We examine the effectiveness of seven indices of bond performance, as well as factors impacting on fixed interest asset values and, hence, returns, including interest rate fluctuations, economic fundamentals, maturity risk, default risk and cross‐market influences. We test all combinations of factors in cross‐section and time series to find the optimum benchmark. The results, consistent across time, show that a correct combination of a fund‐based market variable, a mixture of interest rate factors and economic factors as well as a proxy for movements in the equity markets yield the optimal benchmark.     

Consumer values among restaurant customers

The research presented in this article focuses on consumer values in restaurant meal experiences from the restaurant customers’ points of view. Based on a set of data, the purpose is to evaluate the customers’ perceived consumer values in restaurant meal experiences and to compare the results with other studies on consumer values and service quality and with studies of meal experiences. A modified grounded theory approach has been followed. The empirical data are based on seven semi-structured interviews of experienced restaurant customers in two cities in Norway. A conceptual model illustrates the coding process that shows the connection between the different categories. The data analysis produces different categories of consumer-specific values on three levels of integration. The lowest level includes 29 consumer values that are integrated into 13 specified values. On the highest level, five value categories of consumer-oriented values are specified. These are excellence, harmony, emotional stimulation, acknowledgement, and circumstance value, of which harmony is the most emphasised value among the restaurant customers.     

Editorial

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Editorial

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Analyzing a quantitative coordination relationship

Coordination is a crucial behavior in cooperative distributed problem solving (CDPS). Analyzing coordination requires an understanding of the interplay between the agents, their problem, and their environment. The core behaviors ofdistributed coordination in CDPS systems are the coherent specification and scheduling of tasks over the set of distributed agents working on sets of interrelated problems. The complexity of, and uncertainty about, the problem interrelationships make distributed task coordination difficult. This article describes a causal model of this process that links the interrelationships, calledcoordination relationships, to the local scheduling constraints of distributed agents. Besides coordination relationships, environmental uncertainty and the lack of infinite computational resources also make distributed coordination difficult.It is not only the presence or absence of a coordination relationship that is important, but its quantitative properties: how likely is it to appear, how significant is its effect, and so on. These aspects determine the usefulness of a particular coordination relationship in the context defined by an environment, a problem to be solved, and an agent architecture. This article discusses the analysis of coordination relationships, using as an example our abstract model for thefacilitates relationship. We detail the derivation and assumptions of this model and apply it to the design of a generalized coordination module that is separate from, and interfaces cleanly with, the local scheduler of a CDPS agent. A set of simulation experiments is described that test our assumptions and design process in the coordination of a group of real-time problem-solving agents.     

Cannibalization and option value effects of secondary markets: Evidence from the US concert industry

We examine how reducing search frictions in secondary markets affects the value appropriated by firms in primary markets. We characterize two effects on primary‐market firms caused by intermediaries entering secondary markets: the “cannibalization” and “option value” effects. Separation between primary and secondary markets can drive which of the two effects dominates. Firms selling valuable and scarce products are more likely to have separate primary and secondary markets, and will therefore appropriate more value when secondary markets thicken. Firms selling products that are not valuable and scarce will be hurt. Further, we hypothesize that firms have incentives to engineer scarcity by limiting supply when secondary markets thicken to separate primary and secondary markets. We find support for these hypotheses in the U.S. concert ticket industry. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reducing the carbon footprint in a vehicle routing problem by pooling resources from different companies

In this study, we propose that pooling resources would reduce both the carbon footprint and economic costsin the vehicle routing problem with time windows. A mathematical formulation for the vehicle routing problem considering the carbon footprint as a constraint is proposed. The model is approached with the scatter search metaheuristic and analyzed from the perspective of game theory to evaluate the stability of the coalition after pooling. We define a theoretical case for four suppliers on an instance partition from Solomon’s library using several scenarios from individual participation to a full coalition. For each of these scenarios, we realize a sweep of the objective space. The results show that the more resources are shared, the greater the benefit. The best savings and contributions are achieved by operating in complete cooperation. These savings were distributed as fairly as possible to maintain a stable coalition using the Shapley value.