The customer consequences of returns in online retailing: An empirical analysis

Pressure continues to build on the operations management function to facilitate system and firm level benefits. In the online marketplace, one area of growing interest is that of product returns. Though commonly viewed as a cost center from an operations perspective, operations’ actions have the potential to strongly influence future customer buying behavior in several ways. Using an archival database of actual purchase and returns history provided by a moderately sized online retailer, this study examines the relationship between a customer's experience of product returns, and subsequent shopping behavior. Employing transaction cost, consumer risk, and procedural justice theories, we demonstrate that the returns management process, rather than being regarded as an afterthought to the production and deployment of goods, can significantly and positively influence repurchase behavior. Additionally, we provide evidence that certain customers should be considered for prioritization in the returns process. We suggest ways through which operations managers can take care in discharging their responsibilities in this area – to make returns processing more than simply a “necessary cost of doing business” rather, using it to their advantage in engendering repeat and increased purchase behavior.     

The True Meaning of ‘Social Justice’: A Catholic View of Hayek

Hayek's well‐known dismissal of the concept of ‘social justice’ is examined and questioned. While basically agreeing with Hayek's critique, the author argues that we should not entirely reject this concept, although it is often used in a vague and emotional way – ‘social justice talk’. Drawing on the tradition of classical liberalism and Catholic social teaching, he makes the case for the true meaning of social justice, which applies to the basic legal and institutional framework of a society rather than the distributional outcomes of market processes.     

负面事件修复策略对品牌资产的影响

近年来,类似于三聚氰胺毒奶粉的负面事件频发。负面事件发生后,如何修复它所造成的不利影响,成为企业关注的热点问题。本文将修复策略划分为情感性修复、信息性修复、纠正性修复三大类,基于公平理论,以品牌资产为因变量,构建概念模型,展开实证研究。研究结果发现情感性修复和信息性修复正向影响感知交互公平,信息性修复正向影响感知过程公平和感知交互公平,纠正性修复正向影响感知分配公平,交互公平和分配公平正向影响修复满意度,修复满意度正向影响品牌资产。     

西方规划理论新思潮与社会公平

对西方规划理论新思潮中可能促进资源公平配置的相关方面进行评述,对比其各自特点,理清相互间的逻辑联系,明确权力制衡下公众参与的基础作用以及联络性规划、新城市主义理论在规划方法层面上的创新,并在分析我国特定规划背景的前提下,探索这些理论对于中国城市规划促进社会公平的启示和可能的实践指导。     

Ethnic homophily perceptions as an emergent IHRM challenge: evidence from firms operating in Sri Lanka during the ethnic conflict

Ethnic conflict is a defining characteristic of the post-Cold War era and is prevalent particularly in emerging economies, areas of increasing interest to multinational enterprises. Yet little is known about the international human resource management challenges arising from such societal context. Utilizing social identity theory, we propose that ethnic homophily perceptions in the workplace – an employee's assessment that colleagues prefer working with ethnically similar others – is a reflection of the societal context and can be detrimental to the organization if not managed appropriately. We investigate whether contact theory offers insights to manage such perceptions. Drawing on a sample of 550 managers in Sri Lanka during a period of protracted ethnic conflict, we found that employee sensitivity to ethnic conflict in the societal context is positively related to ethnic homophily perceptions in the workplace, and that both ethnic diversity in workgroups and quality of work relationships serve to reduce perceptions of ethnic homophily.     

An empirical study of the dimensionality of organizational justice and its relationship with organizational citizenship behaviour in the Indian context

Cross-cultural research shows that while the concerns about organizational justice may be universal, operationalization of justice standards is highly particularistic (Greenberg 2001). The present study explores the dimensionality of organizational justice in the Indian context. Apart from procedural justice, interpersonal justice and informational justice, another justice dimension, labelled as empowerment justice, emerged during the study. Next, the study tests the relationships between justice dimensions and Organ's (1988) 5-factor conceptualization of organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), namely helping, compliance, sportsmanship, courtesy and civic virtue behaviours. The perception of empowerment justice influences helping, compliance, sportsmanship, and civic virtue dimensions of OCB. Interpersonal justice significantly predicts courtesy behaviour. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

电气化铁路接触网硬点产生原因及改进措施

电气化铁路接触网硬点一旦形成,很容易造成破坏机车稳定受流,影响电力机车弓网关系,造成严重后果。本文就电气化铁路接触网硬点产生的原因,提出了防范与整治接触网"硬点"的几项措施。     

转让定价、公平性感知和子公司业绩

基于组织公平理论的研究成果和转让定价现状,首先用组织公平理论的三维模式从分配公平、程序公平和互动公平三个维度分析了影响转让定价公平性感知的因素,如利润分配、发言权、信任、尊重等,然后探讨了转让定价公平性感知对子公司经理的行为和态度及子公司业绩的影响:公平性感知通过影响子公司经理的态度,如信任及满意度等影响子公司的业绩。最后提出了提升转让定价公平性感知的策略,如建立双向交流的机制、协商式的市场定价方法等,这些对集团转让定价政策机制的制定以及达成其战略目标有一定的指导意义。     

A useful tool for forecasting the Euro-area business cycle phases

Based on a novel extension of existing multivariate Markov-switching models, we provide the reader with a useful tool for analyzing current business conditions and making predictions about the future state of the Euro-area economy in real time. Apart from the Industrial Production Index, we find that the European Commission Industrial Confidence Indicator, which is issued with no delay, is very useful for constructing the real-time predictions.     

Employment Decisions in Self-Directed Work Teams: A Regulatory Compliance Perspective

Organizations are increasingly relying on self-directed work teams (SDWTs) to accomplish organizational tasks. The introduction of SDWTs into the workplace poses a number of managerial challenges. This paper will focus on one such challenge, the continuing need to comply with labor and equal employment regulations. We discuss several factors that potentially affect the legal compliance process. These include: (1) the impact of an increasingly diverse workforce on individual behavior and team processes, and (2) the role of procedural justice perceptions in effective HR compliance management. We conclude with some practical solutions to the challenge of managing compliance in SDWT settings.