Understanding the Change–Cynicism Cycle: The Role of HR

Employee change cynicism is an unintended consequence of organizational change, which can undermine the effectiveness of change initiatives. Based on social information processing theory, we examine the impact of two human resource roles (administrative expert and strategic change agent) on the relationship between the quantity of organizational change and employee change cynicism. Using multilevel data from 1,831 employees in 70 organizations, we find employees who are exposed to more organizational change report higher levels of change cynicism. However, the strength of the organizational change–cynicism relationship is affected by the role of HR in the employees’ organizations. When HR undertakes an administrative expert role, change is more likely to generate change cynicism. When HR undertakes a strategic change agent role, change is less likely to generate change cynicism. Our results suggest that organizations need to think carefully about the role of HR during organizational change and encourage HR to adopt a strategic change agent role. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Implications of the Value Chain and Financial Institutions for Work and Employment: Insights from the Video Game Industry in Poland,Sweden and Germany

What are the reasons for national differences of international market access in high‐risk software development and what is the role of employment regulation? This analysis elucidates this question based on national sector studies of the video games industry with particular focus on financial systems, skill formation as well as work and employment systems in Sweden, Germany and Poland. National financial architectures and education are a decisive factor. However, the results also suggest that the ‘varieties‐of‐capitalism’ (VoC) approach underestimates industry divergence within and across supposedly homogeneous national models, especially in the field of labour regulation. The author proposes to link VoC theory to a transnational perspective, which complementarily takes into account firm embeddedness in industry‐specific value chains.     

Large established firms entry into franchising: an exploratory investigation of strategic and operational issues

Although franchising is traditionally associated with newly emerging businesses which need to finance growth, this marketing technique is being increasingly utilized by large established firms as a method of business development. This article analyses the business objectives which led a sample of such firms in the UK to introduce franchising as a means of channel management. The modes of franchising-including the master franchise-selected by these firms as well as their operational and organizational experiences are investigated. In particular, there is an examination of the major managerial/cultural issues which these firms encountered in trying to reconcile the decentralized organization and operating methods implicit in the franchising concept with the centralized decision making and organization of a corporate concern. The implications for management of this dichotomy are explored.     

Information technology and rural development: unique opportunity or potential threat? *

The less deterministic view of the potential contribution of information technology to rural development suggests a range of possible outcomes including centralization and decentralization. Evidence from the Republic of Ireland indicates a weak trend towards rural areas benefiting from the new technologies, and an expansion of the information economy in the urban core.     

Monetary Policy Reaction Functions of the TICKs: A Quantile Regression Approach

This study investigates how Taiwan, India, China, and Korea (TICKs) set interest rates in the context of policy reaction functions using a quantile-based approach. Our results indicate the tendency of a milder response to inflation at low interest rates and greater response at higher quantiles of interest rates, where inflation is presumably higher than desired for China and South Korea. While the response to inflation over the quantiles is significant for India, yet the Taylor principle is less likely to hold. For Taiwan, the results imply that another instrument is employed to deal with its official managed floating currency.     

Investigating the Structural Relationships Between Food Image,Food Satisfaction,Culinary Quality,and Behavioral Intentions: The Case of Malaysia

This study was designed to test a theoretical model determining the relationships among tourists' perceived food image, food satisfaction, culinary quality, and behavioral intentions. The structural relationships between the variables were examined by adopting a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, and the empirical data was collected in Malaysia. Analysis of findings revealed that (a) tourists' perceived food image played a role in directly influencing food satisfaction and quality of culinary experience (culinary quality); (b) food image influenced tourists' behavioral intentions through culinary quality; (c) tourist satisfaction with their food experience directly affected perceived quality of their culinary experience and behavioral intentions; and (d) tourists' behavioral intentions were directly affected by their evaluation of culinary quality. This study concluded that food was an imperative contributor in destination tourism due to its capability in influencing tourists' perceived image, food satisfaction, culinary quality, and consequently impacting tourists' behaviors in the selection of a travel destination.     

Romancing the past: Heritage visiting and the nostalgic consumer

Over the past decade, there has been growing interest in nostalgia and consumption experiences on the part of a small group of consumer researchers. This article offers an insight into the nostalgic experiences gained through consuming history at a contemporary British “living” museum. The findings of the research focus on two types of nostalgic behavior, which are identified as existential and aesthetic. Differences in the nostalgic reaction are conceptualized in relation to such factors as the quantity and quality of the individual's role repertoire, the experience of alienation in the present, and the extent and quality of social contact. The article aims to offer a perspective that draws upon both existing work in related fields and the findings of the research in order to contextualize nostalgia as an experiential factor behind the consumption of recreated history in the living interactive museum. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The role of ICTs in everyday mobile lives

Information and communications technologies (ICTs) are permeating modern lifestyles, shaping and colouring the undertaking of activities and travel. This article reports on a qualitative diary and interview study that explored the ways in which ICTs are being used by students aged 18-28 and part-time working mums. Study participants were selected on the basis of being ‘informal experts’ - reflecting their affinity for engagement with ICTs. Through an exploration of the interview findings, it becomes clear that relatively new technological devices and applications have quickly become embedded into the participants’ everyday travel and communications. Changes in social practice at the level of the individuals are not visibly dramatic, but at the same time, there is evidence of a cumulative influence of ICTs on their daily lives. Technologies are enabling the participants to better accommodate the uncertainties in activity and travel scheduling and yet also contributing to a ‘fluidity’ in time-space co-ordination of activities. They are also allowing the juggling of life roles in time and space leading to apparent fragmenting of activities. The article reflects upon the travel behaviour consequences of ICTs in their influence on everyday life.     

Demand chain management in the container shipping service industry

The growing service sector in the global economy signifies the need for applying service science to study the interdisciplinary nature of services. In particular, container shipping service is considered a key enabler of international trade and global economic development. To strengthen the role of shipping in supporting global seaborne trade, it is highly desirable to identify the determinants that influence the total capacity of the shipping industry, explain how the related business activities (e.g., demand for shipping service, vessel price, fleet size, etc.) are linked to the demand for container shipping service, and empirically verify the findings. This study builds on the demand chain management paradigm to analyze the service capacity of the container shipping industry. We establish a path-analytic model to explain how shipping demand affects such shipping-related variables as vessel price and to evaluate their effects on the service capacity of the industry. The empirically-tested model provides managers and researchers with insights on how to enhance the coordination and integration of a series of shipping-related variables from shipping demand to capacity management in the container shipping service industry.