Long term effects of an intervention in the outdoor environment—a comparison of older people’s perception in two residential areas,in one of which accessibility improvements were introduced

Walking and participating in activities outdoors in old age can be restricted both by the physical capacity of the individual and by the maintenance and/or the design of the outdoor environment. The purpose of this paper is to compare frequency of walking and frequency of activity outside the home, reported environmental barriers and valuation of the outdoor environment between two areas, in one of which there was an intervention in the outdoor environment 5–8 years prior to this study. The paper is based on a questionnaire sent out in 2011, to all residents 65 years and older in two different areas, the Study Area, an area with an intervention, and the Reference Area. The results show that reports on functional limitations, use of mobility devices and walking difficulties were similar in both areas. Despite that, respondents in the Study Area had a significantly higher frequency of walking and they also participated to a higher degree in activities than respondents in the Reference Area, even though they reported more environmental barriers. The valuation of the outdoor environment was, however, similar in both areas. The results indicate that older people benefit from interventions in the outdoor environment. However, the results also emphasize the importance of good maintenance of the environment.     

Build Coalitions to Fit: Autonomy Expectations,Competence Mobilization,and Job Crafting

Job crafting offers several beneficial organizational outcomes, yet little is known about what makes employees engage in it. In particular, the role of leaders in influencing their subordinates to engage in job crafting has been insufficiently studied. Drawing on role theory, we suggest that the congruence of leader‐subordinate autonomy expectations nurtures subordinates’ experiences of having their competences adequately utilized in their jobs. This experience, which involves the competence mobilization of their work roles, subsequently fosters subordinates’ engagement in job‐crafting behavior. A two‐stage field study of 145 leader‐subordinate dyads using cross‐level polynomial regression and response surface analysis supported the (in)congruence hypotheses. The results also demonstrated that subordinates’ perceived competence mobilization mediates the relationship between autonomy expectation (in)congruence and job crafting. In addition, leader coalition as a moderator strengthens the effect of perceived competence mobilization as a psychological condition for job crafting. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Antecedents of Purchase Intention in the Online Context

The understanding of the determinant factors of customer purchase intention is necessary, and it is equally important to study the online purchase context, since this context is disseminated among customers. A theoretical model has been elaborated on and tested, considering the constructs of information quality, distrust, and perceived risk as antecedents of purchase intention, and aiming to analyze the relationship among these constructs in the online purchase context. A quantitative research study has been performed by means of the application of a survey. Multivariate statistics techniques have been applied for data analyses, including structural equation modeling. This study contributes to the evolution of the empirically tested concepts by providing a greater individual understanding of each construct presented in the theoretical model, as well as the relationship among them as determinants of purchase intention; the indication is that meaningful relationships were found which may impact greater profitability and, consequently, greater competition for online retailers.     

Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Consumers' Intention to Engage in Cosmetic Surgery

This study examined the predictors of intention to engage in a cosmetic surgery. A convenience sampling approach utilizing a self-administered pen-and-paper and online survey was used to collect 214 responses in Australia. Favorable attitude had a significant positive effect on intention to engage in a cosmetic procedure for female respondents. On the other hand, subjective norms had a significant positive effect on intention to engage in a cosmetic procedure for male respondents. Managerially, findings will help practitioners in the cosmetic surgery industry to implement marketing strategies that target this growing consumer segment.     

Consumption of Movie Experience: Cognitive and Affective Approaches

This study examines the structural relationships among film quality, value, and satisfaction on the perspective of moviegoers. The experience economy concept is employed as the theoretical framework, where moviegoers’ cognitive and affective evaluations are projected in fulfilling their perceived value. Moviegoers’ perceived movie attributes and experiences are assessed to evaluate the moviegoers’ satisfactions through functional and emotional values. In particular, this article investigates how four dimensions of experience mediate the effect of movie attributes on perceived value and satisfaction. A total of 565 samples were analyzed with structural equation modeling to investigate the relationship of ‘quality—value—satisfaction.’ The findings show that two movie attributes (core and peripheral) affect three dimensions of experience (entertainment, educational, and escapist), which in turn influence functional and emotional values, and moviegoers’ satisfaction. The results also confirm that emotional value is a more powerful predictor of moviegoers’ satisfaction than functional value.     

Integration of financial and management accounting systems: The mediating influence of a consistent financial language on controllership effectiveness

Two fundamental options exist for management accounting system (MAS) design: Either financial records can be used as a database for management accounting (integrated accounting system design), or the MAS can be based upon a separate system, i.e., a third set of books beside financial and tax accounting records. Since the 1990s, many German-speaking firms have changed from the second to the first option, which has instigated a highly controversial debate.Our paper contributes to this debate by empirically analyzing (1) whether the integration of financial and management accounting has a positive impact on controllership effectiveness, and (2) what causal inferences relate both variables. We use structural equation modelling for a sample of 149 dyads surveyed from German top 1500 firms. We identify no significant effect of the technical aspects of MAS integration, but a fully mediating influence of a consistent financial language on controllership effectiveness. Our results thus imply that consistency with financial reporting is an important property of MAS design from management's point of view.     

Do customer participation and cognitive ability influence satisfaction?

Under some circumstances, increased customer participation can enhance customer satisfaction. However, the precise mechanism by which participation might increase satisfaction has not been explored in the literature. This paper considers whether a customer’s cognitive ability might affect the relationship between participation and satisfaction. A causal model has been developed to examine the potential interactive effects of participation and cognitive ability on satisfaction, and a simple quantitative model has been proposed to simulate these effects. The results of both a numerical simulation analysis and a quantitative analysis of case study data indicate a significant main effect of cognitive ability on satisfaction. Additionally, an interactive effect has been observed, whereby higher cognitive ability results in higher satisfaction, given a minimum degree of customer participation in the service. Among this study’s implications is that customers with different cognitive abilities should have different degrees of participation that act to maximize their satisfaction.     

Shipping route choice across geographies: Coastal vs. landlocked countries

This paper investigates how geography and transportation costs influence the decisions by shippers of which port of export to use. Using a large sample of disaggregated shipments originating from several countries in Europe, we show that European logistics networks exhibit a low level of international integration that affects shipping route choice. Furthermore, we find significant differences in shipping behaviors across landlocked and coastal countries, with shippers in landlocked countries avoiding long land transportation, crossing borders readily, and placing more value on transportation infrastructure. These findings have implications in designing port competitiveness strategies and economic development policies in landlocked countries.     

Influence of perceived risk on entrepreneurial desirability and feasibility: multidimensional approach for nascent entrepreneurs

This study examines the influence of perceived risk on entrepreneurial desirability and feasibility as determining factors in the intention to start a self-owned business. Specifically, a multidimensional approach is taken to examine the different types of risks associated with entrepreneurship: economic, social, time, health and personal risks. The results obtained from a sample of 376 new entrepreneurs in Mexico confirm the fact that the perceived desirability and feasibility have a significant and positive effect on the intentions to start their own company. On one hand, the empirical evidence obtained shows a heterogenic effect of the risk dimensions associated with entrepreneurship on the perceived desirability and feasibility in their behaviour. Therefore, it was found that the economic risk associated with entrepreneurship has a negative effect on the feasibility to start a business, but does not significantly influence the desirability of that behaviour. On the other hand, a significant effect from the risk related to health is not seen on desirability and feasibility, but the negative influence of personal risk is empirically supported for both variables. Finally, the results obtained related to social and time risk are contradictory. Social risk negatively influences entrepreneurship desirability, but a positive effect is observed on the feasibility to create a business. For its part, the empirical evidence obtained does not support any effect of the time risk on the perceived feasibility of starting a business, but there is a positive on entrepreneurship desirability. These results, which are contrary to the traditional concept of risk as a barrier to entrepreneurship, are justified by the vocational nature of this behaviour and by the social sacrifices that are sometimes necessary to be able to make a business work.