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1 – 10 of 39Kazuaki Miyamoto, Surya Raj Acharya, Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Jean-Michel Cusset, Tien Fang Fwa, Haluk Gerçek, Ali S. Huzayyin, Bruce James, Hirokazu Kato, Hanh Dam Le, Sungwon Lee, Francisco J. Martinez, Dominique Mignot, Kazuaki Miyamoto, Janos Monigl, Antonio N. Musso, Fumihiko Nakamura, Jean-Pierre Nicolas, Omar Osman, Antonio Páez, Rodrigo Quijada, Wolfgang Schade, Yordphol Tanaboriboon, Micheal A. P. Taylor, Karl N. Vergel, Zhongzhen Yang and Rocco Zito
Russell W. Clayton, Christopher H. Thomas, Bryan S. Schaffer, Micheal Stratton, Ellen Garrison and Leah Greden Mathews
Recent research along with anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise may play a role in mitigating perceptions of work-family conflict (WFC). However, the temporal effects related…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent research along with anecdotal evidence suggests that exercise may play a role in mitigating perceptions of work-family conflict (WFC). However, the temporal effects related to this relationship have been ignored. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue by testing for the effects of acute and long-term exercise on the work-family interface.
Design/methodology/approach
Employed females (N=46) were randomly assigned to a treatment (exercise) or control group (no exercise) and data were gathered at three points in time, over four weeks. Linear Mixed Model processes were conducted.
Findings
The authors found that there is a statistically significant long-term exercise effect on strain-based work interference with family and family interference with work.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was restricted to sedentary females, was predominantly white/Caucasian, and held white-collar jobs, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Practical implications
Results from the current study suggest that exercise assists individuals in managing the work-family interface. While this is not a broad-sweeping call for all employers to offer on-site exercise facilities, the authors suggest that employers consider offering accommodations to individuals seeking to utilize exercise as a way to reduce WFC and general stress.
Originality/value
This is the first empirical study that examines the temporal impact of exercise on the work-family interface.
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Ko de Ruyter, Martin Wetzels and Josée Bloemer
In the services marketing literature it has been argued that the concept of service loyalty needs further conceptual and empirical investigation. In this paper a theoretical…
Abstract
In the services marketing literature it has been argued that the concept of service loyalty needs further conceptual and empirical investigation. In this paper a theoretical framework for service loyalty consisting of three dimensions: preference loyalty; price indifference loyalty; and dissatisfaction response is developed. We subsequently focus on the role of service quality and switching costs as antecedents to these types of service loyalty. The results of an empirical study of a large sample of customers from five different service industries provide support for service loyalty as a three‐dimensional construct. Moreover, we find that the influence of service quality on service loyalty varies significantly per industry and that, hence, findings from one industry cannot be generalised to other industries. Furthermore, we establish that in industries characterised by relatively low switching costs, customers will be less loyal as compared to service industries with relatively high switching costs.
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This conceptual chapter introduces an interdisciplinary model of emotional ambivalence using an adapted framework based on the Affective Events Theory (AET). Given the…
Abstract
This conceptual chapter introduces an interdisciplinary model of emotional ambivalence using an adapted framework based on the Affective Events Theory (AET). Given the preoccupation in the current literature with studying affective disposition and discrete emotions, there is opportunity for researchers to explore the presence and influence of conflicting emotions. I use the organizational context of Personal Web Usage (PWU) monitoring to set the stage for a hypothetical discussion of the AET-based model of emotional ambivalence. The likelihood of conflict in the cultural norms and values associated with both monitoring activity and employee behavior presents an opportune setting to study emotional ambivalence. After an in-depth description of the model and its application to the PWU-based monitoring context, I conclude with a brief discussion of potential areas for future research.
Adewale Allen Sokan-Adeaga, Godson R.E.E. Ana, Abel Olajide Olorunnisola, Micheal Ayodeji Sokan-Adeaga, Hridoy Roy, Md Sumon Reza and Md. Shahinoor Islam
This study aims to assess the effect of water variation on bioethanol production from cassava peels (CP) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast as the ethanologenic agent.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess the effect of water variation on bioethanol production from cassava peels (CP) using Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast as the ethanologenic agent.
Design/methodology/approach
The milled CP was divided into three treatment groups in a small-scale flask experiment where each 20 g CP was subjected to two-stage hydrolysis. Different amount of water was added to the fermentation process of CP. The fermented samples were collected every 24 h for various analyses.
Findings
The results of the fermentation revealed that the highest ethanol productivity and fermentation efficiency was obtained at 17.38 ± 0.30% and 0.139 ± 0.003 gL−1 h−1. The study affirmed that ethanol production was increased for the addition of water up to 35% for the CP hydrolysate process.
Practical implications
The finding of this study demonstrates that S. cerevisiae is the key player in industrial ethanol production among a variety of yeasts that produce ethanol through sugar fermentation. In order to design truly sustainable processes, it should be expanded to include a thorough analysis and the gradual scaling-up of this process to an industrial level.
Originality/value
This paper is an original research work dealing with bioethanol production from CP using S. cerevisiae microbe.
Highlights
Hydrolysis of cassava peels using 13.1 M H2SO4 at 100 oC for 110 min gave high Glucose productivity
Highest ethanol production was obtained at 72 h of fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Optimal bioethanol concentration and yield were obtained at a hydration level of 35% agitation
Highest ethanol productivity and fermentation efficiency were 17.3%, 0.139 g.L−1.h−1
Hydrolysis of cassava peels using 13.1 M H2SO4 at 100 oC for 110 min gave high Glucose productivity
Highest ethanol production was obtained at 72 h of fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Optimal bioethanol concentration and yield were obtained at a hydration level of 35% agitation
Highest ethanol productivity and fermentation efficiency were 17.3%, 0.139 g.L−1.h−1
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Today, organisations around the globe are operating in an unprecedented, highly competitive seller’s market. The global workforce is now more mobile than ever before, meaning that…
Abstract
Today, organisations around the globe are operating in an unprecedented, highly competitive seller’s market. The global workforce is now more mobile than ever before, meaning that companies are no longer simply competing for talent nationally, but rather on an international level. The Canadian Federal Government, like most Government organisations, simply cannot compete with private industry in the area of salaries, stock options or perks. In addition, the impending wave of retirements that threatens to devastate the Federal employment ranks has caused us to look to the work environment as a means of attracting and retaining the top talent we need. This paper examines the characteristics of the different generations that currently make up our workforce and discusses what they, as well as new recruits, expect from their employers and from their work environments. It also delves into the role the workplace plays in recruitment and retention and the way in which it can be used to improve an organisation’s corporate identity. It then looks at what types of perks are actually valued most by employees, and explores how the physical environment can be aligned to help shape a company’s organisational culture and facilitate the communication, teamwork and creativity that are necessary to sustain a culture of continual innovation.
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Avinandan Mukherjee and Neeru Malhotra
Role clarity of frontline staff is critical to their perceptions of service quality in call centres. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of role clarity and its…
Abstract
Purpose
Role clarity of frontline staff is critical to their perceptions of service quality in call centres. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of role clarity and its antecedents and consequences on employee‐perceived service quality.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model, based on the job characteristics model and cognitive theories, is proposed. Key antecedents of role clarity considered here are feedback, autonomy, participation, supervisory consideration, and team support; while key consequences are organizational commitment, job satisfaction and service quality. An internal marketing approach is adopted and all variables are measured from the frontline employee's perspective. A structural equation model is developed and tested on a sample of 342 call centre representatives of a major commercial bank in the UK.
Findings
The research reveals that role clarity plays a critical role in explaining employee perceptions of service quality. Further, the research findings indicate that feedback, participation and team support significantly influence role clarity, which in turn influences job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
Research limitations/implications
The research suggests that boundary personnel in service firms should strive for more clarity in perceived role for delivering better service quality. The limitations are in sample availability from in‐house transaction call centres of a single bank.
Originality/value
The contributions of this study are untangling the confusing research evidence on the effect of role clarity on service quality, using service quality as a performance variable as opposed to productivity estimates, adopting an internal marketing approach to understanding the phenomenon, and introducing teamwork along with job‐design and supervisory factors as antecedent to role clarity.
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These substances, resulting from the constant building‐up and breaking‐down of living tissues, have most friendly relations with their host, although…
Abstract
These substances, resulting from the constant building‐up and breaking‐down of living tissues, have most friendly relations with their host, although antagonists—antimetabolites—appear now and then and disrupt their functions. In some of the inborn errors of metabolism, the antagonism is permanent and unless replacement therapy occurs at a very early stage, it interferes with physical and/or mental development. That metabolites from other sources introduced into a host could be extremely toxic was amply illustrated when a metabolite of certain strains of Aspergillus flavus, a fungus commonly found in peanuts and other vegetable seeds, caused severe losses to turkey breeders a few years ago. In 1960, it was discovered that the toxic principle was aflatoxin, which had a number of components and that all farm and laboratory animals, with the exception of sheep, were sensitive to it. Now, it has been confirmed that pure aflatoxin added to a normal laboratory diet is carcinogenic. (J. H. Butler and J. M. Barnes, 1963, Brit. J. Cancer, 17, 699.) Cows fed on highly toxic meal secreted a milk factor which proved to be toxic to ducklings. (H. de Iongh, R. O. Vles, and J. G. van Pelt, 1964, Nature, 202, 466.)
Godfrey Moses Owot, Kenneth Olido, Daniel Micheal Okello and Walter Odongo
The purpose of this study is to analyze trust perceptions between farmers and traders from a dyadic context in developing countries using mixed-method with a specific focus on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze trust perceptions between farmers and traders from a dyadic context in developing countries using mixed-method with a specific focus on fresh and dry commodities under contracted and non-contracted markets.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed approach was employed. Cross-sectional data were collected from 202 farmers and 188 traders using questionnaires and an interview guide. The Mann–Whitney test was used to assess differences in trust perception. Differences in the excerpts were assessed through content analysis.
Findings
Results show differences in perception of trust between farmers and traders on integrity, benevolence and competence in marketing fresh and dry commodities. No detectable differences in trust perception between contract and non-contract markets were observed.
Research limitations/implications
Data are limited to Northern Uganda and were collected on trust perception. Besides, there is a scarcity of formal contracts and difficulty in having a matched dyad which could affect generalization.
Originality/value
This is the first study to analyze differences in trust perceptions using a mixed approach in a dyadic context between fresh and dry chains in different markets typologies in developing countries.
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Dawna L. Rhoades and Blaise Waguespack
The purpose of this paper is to explore the changing face of airline quality by analyzing the reported service and safety data for the traditional and low cost carriers.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the changing face of airline quality by analyzing the reported service and safety data for the traditional and low cost carriers.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from Department of Transportation records on service and safety quality from 1996‐2004. A safety rate was calculated for each carrier by adding accidents, incidents, near mid‐air collisions, and pilot deviations and dividing the total number by yearly departures. The service rate was calculated by adding all complaint categories and dividing by yearly departures. Averages and confidence intervals were calculated. Analysis of variance was performed on group means.
Findings
The findings of this study indicate that the low cost carrier group examined here has closed the gap on its traditional rivals in the area of safety quality, posting safety rates that are not statistically different from the traditional carriers over the period of this study. On the other hand, it has not as a group yet addressed the problem of basic service quality, posting a statistically lower level of quality (as measured by consumer complaints).
Research limitations/implications
The study did not specifically examine airline amenities such as seat pitch, schedule, meals, or in‐flight entertainment.
Practical implications
Low cost airlines appear well placed to continue taking market share away from their traditional rivals who continue to struggle with high costs.
Originality
This paper is the first to examine the changing dynamics between traditional and low cost carriers following September 11.
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