Work-home interface in a cross-cultural context: a framework for future research and practice

Abstract

With dual-income families on the increase, combining work and family obligations is a daily reality for many individuals. Unsatisfactory combinations of work and home duties can result in various unfavourable individual and organisational outcomes. Therefore, its proper understanding is essential in order to create adequate recommendations for interventions and prevention. There is a need for the development of theoretical frameworks that take cultural context into account in relation to work-home interface (WHI). In this paper a new framework is proposed; ‘the pyramid of intersecting domains of WHI’ that incorporates cultural context and other important work-life interface aspects. It builds on empirical findings of the intersectionality and work/family border theories. The pyramid consists of the following domains: the domain of work and home characteristics, the roles domain and the cultural domain, which intersect to determine the fourth side of the pyramid, that is, the observed WHI. Based on the pyramid several research propositions can be formulated. Implications for researchers and HR professionals are provided.     

Analysis of the adoption of customer facing InStore technologies in retail SMEs

Brick and mortar stores are suffering the dramatic revolution of the retail sector. Customer facing in-store technologies (CFIST) are a key component of the inevitable transformation of retail stores; yet the reasons to adopt such technologies by business owners may be little known. Based on a TOE and TAM inspired framework, this study analyses the drivers of such decision by small and medium size enterprises using a survey methodology. The results show that the attitude towards technology is the strongest predictor of the intention to adopt CFIST, highlighting the role of the top management in technology decisions. This conclusion has important implications for practitioners. This research is the first to address the adoption of CFIST by SMEs and therefore set the path for further studies about the impact and adoption of in-store technology in SMEs.     

Linking sustainable business models and supply chains — Toward an integrated value creation framework

Extant literature on sustainable business models highlights that value creation stems from resources exchanged in relationships between a focal firm and its stakeholders. In this context, the literature has, so far, focused on direct relationships. However, despite the acknowledged relevance of sustainability issues in supply chains, this relational view of the focal company and its direct stakeholders has not been extended toward value creation for and with indirect stakeholders, such as stakeholders of suppliers. Addressing this gap, this conceptual article integrates a relational view of sustainable supply chain management into the management of sustainable business models. It extends the scope of sustainable business models from relationships between the focal firm and its direct stakeholders to indirect relationships with stakeholders of suppliers. A framework is developed that supports analysis and management of value-creating relationships between the focal firm, suppliers, and stakeholders of suppliers. By extending the conceptualization of sustainable business models to consider relationship chains beyond direct relationships, this article proposes that a focal firm has to actively manage interactions both with suppliers and with suppliers' stakeholders.     

电子审计体系研究

国家十二五规划纲要提出建设和完善电子审计体系。本文通过对电子审计体系的研究,提出了电子审计体系的顶层设计、总体规划和效能目标三个特性,以及电子审计体系在国家电子政务体系中的地位和作用;提出了审计业务信息化、审计管理数字化、电子审计标准化和审计队伍信息化的电子审计体系框架;提出了电子审计体系的功能演进,包括从重点查处违纪违规问题到重点促进公共财政管理规范的转变、从重点关注财政财务收支审计到重点关注国家经济安全审计评价的转变,从传统审计方式到现代审计方式的转变。     

New development: The conceptual underpinnings of international public sector accounting

The conceptual underpinnings of accounting standards are potentially very important for the future of public sector accounting internationally. The authors explain why and comment on the implications for public sector accounting.     

Mapping the antecedents of telework diffusion: firm‐level evidence from Italy

Previous literature has studied telework practices predominantly from the employees' perspective rather than exploring its use at the firm level. With the objective of contributing to reducing this research gap, the relationship between firms' adoption of telework and the firms' technological, organisational and environmental contexts is explored. Data were obtained from a survey conducted between 2005 and 2009 on a sample of 1,134 Italian firms in the Piedmont region. The results show an overall increase in the diffusion of telework primarily attributable to a rise in the adoption of ‘mobile’ work rather than home‐based forms of telework. The results also show that firms that had previously adopted information systems supporting core business processes and knowledge management were more inclined to adopt telework. Telework arrangements were more widely diffused among firms facing a growing and geographically dispersed market demand, and also in the contexts of higher levels of human capital and lower capital intensity.     

A net stable funding ratio for Islamic banks and its impact on financial stability: An international investigation

The Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) is the standard setting body for the Islamic banking industry. The IFSB, while endorsing the Basel III accord, modified the criteria to calculate the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) to cater for the unique aspects of the Islamic banking industry. In this paper, we calculated the modified NSFR of 136 Islamic banks from 30 jurisdictions between 2000 and 2013 and explored the potential impact the requirements of this ratio has on the financial stability of Islamic banks after controlling for bank, country, and market-specific variables. The empirical findings suggest that the modified NSFR has a positive impact on the financial stability of Islamic banks during the sample period. However, the marginal impact of the NSFR on stability diminishes as the size of the bank increases. The results remained robust after applying an alternative measure of stability and using an alternative estimation model based on an instrumental variable approach. These results validate the use of the IFSB’s modified NSFR for Islamic banks as a regulatory measure.     

Fisher Ideal Indexes in the National Income and Product Accounts

The mastery of the spreadsheet technique has become almost universal in economics departments. The authors explain, step-by-step, how the spreadsheet can be used as an instructional aid to teach basic microeconomic concepts.     

Does retail type matter? Consumer responses to channel integration in omni-channel retailing

A critical issue faced by marketing practitioners today is orchestrating strategies that provide a smooth consumer experience in an omni-channel environment. The extant literature offers limited guidance on managing the consumer journey in an omni-channel environment across different retail types. Using the S–O-R framework as its basis, this study generates novel insights by examining how different types of retailers influence consumer perceptions of channel integration (CPCI) as well as consumer empowerment, trust, satisfaction, and patronage intention. Data from 736 consumers was collected using purposive sampling to target those who interact with retailers from high-end specialty stores, department stores, and hypermarkets. The data was then analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). We find that consumers from high-end specialty stores, hypermarkets, and department stores have different perceptions when patronising the omni-channel retail business. The implications of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research are presented.     

我国农作物秸秆资源化利用的经济分析:一个理论框架

农作物秸秆是生物质资源的主要来源之一,与之相关的技术开发目前已成为生态农业和可持续发展的一个重大课题。农作物秸秆资源化利用有肥料、燃料、饲料、工业原料和食用菌基料等多种途径和技术路径,这些利用方式和技术的经济可行性如何,引起了研究者越来越多的关注。文章提供了一个对我国农作物秸秆资源化利用行为进行经济分析的理论框架。在该框架中,农作物秸秆资源化利用的总收益包括秸秆产品的市场价值、秸秆资源使用节约的相关资源性产品价值以及秸秆产品使用产生的环境收益;农作物秸秆资源化利用的总成本则由秸秆的收集、运输、储藏、加工以及机会成本构成。最后,文章对农作物秸秆资源化利用的公共政策等问题进行讨论。