Product Procurement: A Comparison of Taiwanese and US Retail Companies

The buying function of Taiwanese and US retailers differs in several areas. The consingment method of selling is very prevalent in Taiwan but rarely used in the US. Taiwanense retail buyers were found to have less buying and retail experience than their US counterparts. However, neither buying nor retail experience were found to be significantly retaled to taiwanese buyers' attitudes about product procurement. Significant differences were identified between Taiwanese and US retail buyers' attitudes about country of origin and perceived value of imported merchandise. Taiwanese buyers were found to be more likely to rely on country of origin as an information cue than their US counterparts. On the other hand, as compared to Taiwanese buyers, US buyers were found more likely to percieve foreign apparel as having value than domestically manufactured products.     

The California State University: a case on branding the largest public university system in the US

• Branding of universities is an area that is growing in importance as competition between universities increases and creates an imperative for strong brand positioning and visual identity as the basis for differentiation. In this context, this paper describes the process by which the California State University (CSU), a major, multi‐campus public university system developed a corporate visual identity system and analyzes the key issues in developing this system, as well as the key challenges ahead.

Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The New Unionism and the New Bargaining Agenda: UNISON–Employer Partnerships on Workplace Learning in Britain

A model of new unionism has been developed which is characterized by features such as the servicing of members as customers and a shift to co‐operative industrial relations. The UNISON–employer partnerships in workplace learning in the UK initially appear to fit such a model. This paper outlines the model of new unionism and cautions against interpreting these partnerships as evidence of its development. The paper concludes that this initiative is organized within a collective framework and may provide a basis for the development of workplace trade union activism rather than being indicative of its decline.     

Deconstructing organisational politics: a causal layered approach

This study raises some theoretical issues about research methodologies and questions at what level research methods normalise power relations or make unproblematic various respondent accounts of the real.The paper is directed toward the epistemic level of transformation - towards the way we come to know the world. It describes an academic research project designed to elucidate the manner in which a group of executive understand the real, and had as its ultimate goal, the purpose of tracking social change. At one level, that purpose may have been achieved. At a deeper level, however, it illustrates the inadequacy of accepted research methodologies in attempts to identify a single reality or to create alternative futures. It points to the value of causal layered analysis in overcoming some of the problems of methodology.     

Pharmaceutical Product Development and Liability With Chantix®: A Teaching Case

In 2006, Pfizer introduced Chantix® to the American medical marketplace. Touted as an effective tool for smoking cessation, the drug experienced first‐year sales of just under $900 million. With smokers costing employers thousands of dollars more each year than nonsmokers, and with public pressure to give up cigarettes, many embraced Chantix® as a miracle drug. What many did not understand was that the drug was rushed to market before extensive testing and clinical trials could be conducted to prove its safety for a wide variety of users, especially those with psychiatric conditions. This case tells the story of Chantix®: how it works, how it came to market, and the more than 2,700 lawsuits that were filed as a result of injuries claimed to be caused by the drug. Students are given the opportunity to consider the ramifications of risk management decisions made throughout the development and marketing of the drug, as well as how litigation involving the medication might have been handled.     

Estimating Investment Rigidity within a Threshold Regression Framework: The Case of U.S. Hog Production Sector

This article addresses the issues of investment/disinvestment asymmetry and a possible existence of a sluggish regime in the demand for a quasi-fixed input in the U.S. hog production sector. Adopting a new threshold estimation procedure, quarterly data from 1970 through 2002 are used to estimate a regime-dependent investment demand equation for a quasi-fixed input, taking sows as a proxy. The results support the existence of three regimes over alternative specifications precluding the sluggish regime, confirming the existence of asset fixity in hog production. The results also highlight the importance of accounting for investment rigidity when estimating hog supply and variable input demands.