Business Commons^™

Social Networks, Social Learning And Service Systems Improvement, Andrew Sense, Matthew Pepper

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This article illustrates and qualitatively explores the value of understanding the social networks present in a service operation through a case study of a local government service network that manages regional development applications. It also examines how social learning underpins service systems performance improvement and how it is instrumental in creating a richer environment for ongoing service network innovation and development. It is argued that gaining a better understanding of these social networks and the social learning potential in a system offers substantial and highly practitioner-friendly avenues to progress service systems capability development. These fi ndings clearly place an emphasis …

Organization-Based Social Marketing: An Alternative Approach For Organizations Adopting Sustainable Business Practices, Mary Franks Papakosmas, Gary Noble, John Glynn

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This article conceptualizes a new area for social marketing practitioners by focusing on individual behavior change that might occur within organizations. Organization-Based Social Marketing (OBSM) draws from organization change theory and internal marketing theory, while maintaining social marketing’s focus on beneficial behavior modification. The article argues that as such, OBSM represents a viable approach for organizations seeking to address the increasing demand for change strategies that promote proenvironmental behavior among their employees

Why Do Some Business Relationships Persist Despite Dissatisfaction? A Social Exchange Review, Venkata K. Yanamandram, Lesley White

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reviews the relevant theories and marketing literature to develop a theoretical foundation for understanding the process and outcome of struggling business-to-business (B2B) customer relationships. Specifically, the paper provides a social exchange perspective of the factors that influence the likelihood of dissatisfied customers remaining in a present relationship by serving as deterrents to discontinuing the relationship. In doing so, the paper identifies the common features of, noteworthy differences among, and gaps in these theories. The paper also connects determinant factors to an outcome variable in order to explain what drives a customer in managing an unsatisfying business relationship, and …

Public Sector Commercial Orientation And The Social Contract: A Study Of Performance Management In A Non-Competitive Environment, Ali Rkein, Brian H. Andrew

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to study the workings of commercial orientation, with a focus on performance management, in an environment that is characterised by limited competition between the public and the private sectors and a high level of government social responsibility. Design/methodology/approach - An interpretive case study approach is adopted for this study. It draws on primary data from interviews with key personnel in public sector organisations, and on secondary data from government publications such as annual reports and budget papers. Findings - This study shows that the market-based performance management system has failed to achieve …

Professionalism And Social Networking: Can Patients, Physicians, Nurses, And Supervisors All Be `Friends'?, Joy V. Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse, Phil Rutsohn, Dennis Emmett

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This study examines the use of Facebook by certified nurse anesthetist students. Our results showed that, contrary to expectations, most were neutral about faculty, physicians, and supervisors viewing their Facebook profiles but expressed concerns about patients seeing such information. Many (30%) of our respondents had observed unprofessional content posted on the social network sites of their classmates including: intoxication or substance abuse, profanity, sexually suggestive photos or comments, and negative work-related comments. A vast majority indicated they would accept a ‘friend’ request from their supervisor and a physician but not a patient. Surprisingly, about 40% had initiated a ‘friend’ request …

Value Creation In Social Marketing For The Continued Use Of Wellness Services, Nadia Zainuddin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In social marketing, in order to incentivise individuals into performing desired social behaviours, a value proposition is required (Dann, 2008; Kotler and Lee, 2008) as consumers often act out of self-interest (Rothschild, 1999). Value propositions offer relevant and timely incentives to encourage individuals to not only voluntarily perform these behaviours, but maintain these behaviours long-term. Much of the current research in value is focussed on a goods-oriented commercial marketing context, using an economic approach, which has resulted in a lack of investigation of value in a social marketing context from an experiential perspective (Holbrook, 1994), which this paper seeks to …

The Social Cost Of Blackmail, Oleg Yerokhin

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Despite the fact that blackmail constitutes a voluntary transaction between two parties, it is deemed to bea criminal offense in most legal systems. The traditional economic approach to this so-called "paradox of blackmail" emphasizes welfare loss generated by the costly rent-seeking activities of potential blackmailersas the primary justification for its criminalization. This argument, however, does not extend to cases inwhich potentially damaging information about the victim was acquired by the blackmailer at no cost. Italso does not seem to shed light on a related puzzle: why is it legal for a potential victim to bribe theother party with the purpose …

Determinants Of Social And Environmental Disclosures By Spanish Companies, Jon Otegui Echave, Shyam S. Bhati

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this paper is to examine the corporate social disclosures practices of Spanish firms. Annual reports of 41 Spanish firms for the year 2007 were analysed to determine the level of corporate social disclosures (CSD), industry differences in CSD and the effect of financial performance on the quality of disclosures. Results show that Spanish firms disclose most information on governance followed by products and services. Differences in disclosures made by various industry groups were observed suggesting that each industry group has certain preferences in disclosing information to their stakeholders. No significant relationship between financial performance and corporate social …

Corporate Social Responsibility In Public Sector Supply Chains: An Insight, Michael D. Clements, Graham D. Bowrey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose- To provide an insight into the level of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting in the Australian Commonwealth public sector supply chain. The view is taken that supply chain CSR reports are based solely on the performance and management of individual segments of a supply chain rather than the supply chain in its entirety.

Design/methodology/approach- This paper is a conceptual paper based on an examination of CSR reporting and the practices in public sector supply chains, using a generic Australian Commonwealth public sector supply chain. The direction of this examination is guided by the new public management paradigm …

Drinking Water From Alternative Water Sources: Differences In Beliefs, Social Norms And Factors Of Perceived Behavioural Control Across Eight Australian Locations, Sara Dolnicar, Anna Hurlimann

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Australia is facing serious challenges in the management of water in various urban and regional locations. Two popular responses to these challenges are increasing supply through alternative water sources such as recycled and desalinated water. However, significant gaps exist in our knowledge of community attitudes to these alternative sources of water, particularly for potable use. This paper reports results from an Australian study of community attitudes to alternative water sources. Sixty six qualitative interviews were held at eight locations with distinctly different water situations. This paper explores all three antecedents to the behaviour of drinking recycled water and desalinated water …

Social Innovation: Buzz Word Or Enduring Term?, Eduardo Pol, Simon Ville

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The term 'social innovation' has come into common parlance in recent years. Some analysts consider social innovation no more than a buzz word or passing fad that is too vague to be usefully applied to academic scholarship. Some social scientists, however, see significant value in the concept of social innovation because it identifies a critical type of innovation. In this paper, we suggest one possible definition of social innovation and show that when its empirical meaning is distilled, the term is of great importance. We distinguish social innovation from business innovation, and identify a subset of social innovations that requires …

Innovative Workplace Change: Social Well-Being And Health, Patrick M. Dawson, Michael Zanko

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Since the industrial revolution a chief concern of business organizations has been how best to organise work to maximise productivity and minimise costs. Securing and maintaining competitive advantage through new methods of work organization and systems of operation have largely centred around commercial and financial concerns rather than on the well-being of employees. Issues of occupational health and safety (OHS) have arisen in a range of working environments and legislative change has sought to ensure that safe and secure working conditions are a mandatory requirement of modern business. However, implementation of these mandates generally rests with management and whilst procedural …

Message Variables For Effective Advertising Of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives: Results Of An Experimental Design, Alan Pomering, Lester W. Johnson, Gary Noble

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Stakeholders increasingly expect firms to consider their social and environmental impacts as well as their economic impacts, and address their corporate social responsibility (CSR). One stakeholder group, consumers, report they want to be informed of how firms do this, and use this information when purchasing. This paper reports on an investigation of two message variables believed necessary for effective advertising about CSR initiatives, social topic information and social impact specificity. We manipulated each of these variables at three levels for an unfamiliar retail bank brand engaging with the social issue of the arms trade. While social topic information was found …

Motivating Corporate Social Responsibility In The Supply Chain, Shaun M. Powell, Mark Davies, Helen-Jane Shearer

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

There is a relative paucity of studies in relation to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focused upon the ‘upstream’ components of the supply chain (business-to-business) hence our research investigates upstream CSR activities and their underlying motives using case studies from 5 UK industries. Findings indicate that whilst companies recognise the need to cover a range of CSR issues in their supply chain, motives vary plus only those aspects seen to have strategic implications will be allocated resources in any significant manner.

Corporate Social Responsibility Website Representations: A Longitudinal Study Of Internal And External Self-Presentations, Debra Z. Basil, Jill Erlandson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This research undertakes a longitudinal study to assess the representation of CSR activities on Canadian companies' websites. A systematic sample of the websites of 159 companies from Canada's top 1000 was assessed in 2003 and 2006. Results reveal that only 27% expressed some form of CSR activity in 2003, compared to 67% in 2006. Based on a frame from Weaver, Trevino, and Cochran (1999a), CSR activities are categorized as external or internal. A strong increase in internal CSR activities is evident. Companies that are more successful indicate more CSR activity on their websites; this effect is driven primarily by internal …

Social Capital Renewal And The Academic Performance Of International Students In Australia, Frank V. Neri, Simon Ville

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Many believe that social capital fosters the accumulation of human capital. Yet international university students arrive in their host country generally denuded of social capital and confronted by unfamiliar cultural and educational institutions. This study investigates how, and to what extent, international students renew their social networks, and whether such investments are positively associated with academic performance. We adopt a social capital framework and conduct a survey of international students at a typical Australian university in order to categorise and measure investments in social capital renewal, and test a multivariate model of academic performance that includes social capital variables, amongst …

Industry Associations As Facilitators Of Social Capital: The Establishment And Early Operations Of The Melbourne Woolbrokers Association, David Merrett, Stephen Morgan, Simon Ville

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Relocation of the selling of Australia's wool clip from London to cities in Australia in the late nineteenth century led to the creation of wool selling industry associations, such as the Melbourne Woolbrokers Association (MWA). Highly successful in fostering competitive collaboration that improved market efficiency, the Association rested on the social capital brought to it and further developed by the participants, individuals with extensive connections in the pastoral, banking and transport industries. The collective social capital vested in the Association enabled the earning of economic rents, firstly from the high trust created through internal cohesion reinforced by formalised sanctions, and …

Implications Of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting Practices In The Australasian Region, Gary Noble, Alan Pomering

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Companys reporting of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities is being increasingly valued and demanded by key stakeholder groups such as consumers as it allows them to evaluate a firms commitment to CSR and to respond to that level of commitment accordingly. This paper examines the CSR web-based reporting practices of Australias top fifty corporations. It reflects on these practices in the context of the literatures call for CSR to be viewed as a holistic approach to management rather than a short-term promotional tool.

Enhancing Occupational Health And Safety In Young Workers: The Role Of Social Marketing, Anne M. Lavack, Sherry Magnuson, Sameer Deshpande, Debra Z. Basil, Michael D. Basil, James H. Mintz

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

• Young workers (age 15-24) suffer work-related injury at a much higher rate than older workers, yet research on the role and effectiveness of social marketing to influence and improve workplace safety is limited.
• A review of the relevant literature reveals that significant gaps exist in terms of effectively using social marketing to reduce young worker injury rates.
• A comprehensive, multi-faceted social marketing approach is required to address young worker safety.
• Directing more attention toward the practice of social marketing can enhance the effectiveness of campaigns to reduce workplace injurie.

Maintaining Social Marketing's Relevance: A Dualistic Approach, Gary I. Noble

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

There have been calls amongst academics and practitioners to move social marketing 'upstream'. This paper attempts to clarify what upstream social marketing is, its appropriate relationship with ‘downstream’ social marketing and how both approaches can be combined into a suitable theoretical framework. The paper argues that neither up or downstream social marketing is superior and suggests that a dual, synergistic approach is needed. This argument is supported through reference to current social marketing interventions in the areas of road safety and childhood obesity. The paper concludes by suggesting that Polonsky, Carlson and Fry’s (2003) ‘harm chain’ concept may be a …

Corporate Social Responsibility In The Wake Of The Asian Tsunami: An Empirical Study, Mario Fernando

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper provides input on how the leaders of two leading Sri Lankan private sector organisations engaged in CSR initiatives during the first 11-months after the Asian tsunami. Amidst stakeholders’ overwhelming outpouring of spontaneity to engage in CSR activities, the paper reports on the decision-making and leadership challenges of business leaders after a high magnitude human tragedy. The paper specifically examines as to what extent the CSR initiatives following the tsunami disaster were a reflection of leaders’ authentic moral conduct. Due to the magnitude of the devastation from the tsunami, one would assume that the CSR initiatives that follow such …

A Theory-Based Model For The Study Of Executive Information Systems Adoption By The Top-Level Managers, Emmanuel M. Ikart

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In recent years, a number of organisations have invested heavily in executive information systems (EIS) in order to improve the performance gains of their executives’ roles. Although executives presided over and authorised investment in EIS projects to support their roles, the majority of executives are unenthusiastic about using EIS because of the design flaws and failures of these systems. Studies by Nandhakumar and Jones (1997), McBride (1997) and recently Ditsa (2003) have suggested that the root of the success or failure of EIS can be attributed to social, cultural and organisational factors rather than technical factors alone. To address the …

Interorganizational Dynamics In Collaboration In University-Industry Research Projects: Context, Politics And Social Construction, Michael Zanko, Richard Badham, Karin H. Garrety

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

University-industry partnerships (UIPs) are widely viewed as essential in leveraging research capability and economic performance in organizations and the nation as a whole. In Australia, as in many other countries, the national government commits significant funds to such ‘strategic’ collaborations. Despite this interest, there is still a relatively poor understanding of the interorganizational dynamics of these industry and university partnerships and their projects. This paper examines such dynamics by focusing on a management-related research project we were involved in negotiating and undertaking with industry partner managers over a four-year period. Of particular relevance was the complex interplay between UIP politics, …

Will The Social Housing Profession Be Politically And Socially Influential Or Irrelevant? Lessons From Other Professions, Mary A. Kaidonis

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The emerging social housing profession in Australasia is poised to be an empowered base for influence or to it can be irrelevant. The information of the Australasian Housing Instutute (AHI) represents a new phase in social housing, offering a unique opportunity to re-define the notion of professionalism.

Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr): An Examination Of Consumer Awareness, Evaluation And Purchase Action, Alan A. Pomering

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Despite marketplace polls reporting heightened consumer interest in and support for companies acting in socially-responsible ways, there remains to date little evidence of such consumer support translating into general purchase behaviour. There is a gap in our knowledge regarding which particular socially-responsible behaviours are likely to prove most influential with consumers and be rewarded with supportive purchase behaviour, and how awareness of firms’ commitments to these behaviours is to be brought to consumers’ attention. It appears from the marketplace success of some socially-responsible, or ‘ethical’ brands, such as The Body Shop and recently launched clothing brands such as American Apparel …

Towards Executive Information Systems Adoptions By Knowledge Workers: An Extension Of The Technology Acceptance Model To Account For Social-Cultural Factors, Emmanuel Ikart

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In recent years a number of organisations have implemented executive information systems (EIS) in order to improve the performance gains on their executives’ job. Although the use of EIS is important to executives, majority of executives are unwilling to use EIS because of their design failures. By using social factors, habits and facilitation conditions variables from Triandis’ framework, this paper extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to derive useful variables to address the problem of the low usage of EIS by executives. This paper reports on the research in progress in Australia on the adoption and usage of EIS by …

Social Marketing Communication In A Multicultural Environment: Practical Issues And Theoretical Contributions From Cross-Cultural Marketing, Gary I. Noble, Michael Camit

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Social marketing communication (social marcom) campaign production can be more challenging when the audience includes individuals from ‘culturally and linguistically diverse’ (CALD) communities. Additional issues such as culturally related values, practices, and attitudes need consideration. Normally, social marcoms campaigns for CALD audiences involve directly translating mainstream campaign material into various ethnic groups’ languages. However, little is understood about the issues beyond translation that confront practitioners adapting mainstream campaigns.

This article presents a case study analysis of work undertaken by the New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS). The Service’s core activity is adaptation of social marcoms campaigns for use …

Web-Mediated Communication (Wmc) And Social Interaction: A Social Psychological Approach, Koo Won Suh, Helen Hasan, Paul K. Couchman

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

It can be argued that social interaction is a critical factor in understanding Web-mediated communication. While the concept and domain of social interaction has been studied in several disciplines they are underdeveloped in the current Web-enabled environment. This paper adopts a social psychological point of view of conceptual and operational issues in relation to social interaction. Through a review of the literature, two domains of social interaction are identified: task and socio-emotional interaction. The literature review also addresses some problems in defmition related to socio-emotional interaction. In an attempt to fill the gap between conceptual and operational defmitions of social …

Social Reporting By The Tobacco Industry: All Smoke And Mirrors?, Lee C. Moerman, Sandra Van Der Laan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In July 2002 British American Tobacco, one of the largest private multinational corporations involved in tobacco production and marketing, launched their first social report. Using a process of stakeholder engagement, global reporting initiatives and process auditing the report was delivered just before the release of the World Health Organisation initiative, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Within the corporate social reporting literature there is a belief that to give account serves as a legitimising device for organisational activity thus bridging the divide between the social and economic realm. The tobacco industry has been heavily criticised, particularly in Western society, for …