Showing papers on "Empirical research published in 1997"
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a review of the development and challenges in this empirical research, and uses advances in models of information and incentive problems to motivate those developments and challenges, and discuss implications of this research program for analysis of investment on monetary policy and tax policy.
Abstract: Over the past decade, a number of researchers have extended conventional models of business fixed investment to incorporate a role for financial constraints' in determining investment. This paper reviews developments and challenges in this empirical research, and uses advances in models of information and incentive problems to motivate those developments and challenges. First, I describe analytical underpinnings of models of capital-market imperfections in the investment process, and illustrate the principal testable implications of those models. Second, I motivate tests and describe and critique existing empirical studies. Third, the review considers applications of the underlying models to a range of investment activities, including inventory investment, R&D, employment demand, pricing by imperfectly competitive firms, business formation and survival, and risk management. Fourth, I discuss implications of this research program for analysis of effects of investment on monetary policy and tax policy. Finally, I examine some potentially fruitful avenues for future research.
2,364 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the IT literature, developed an integrative, resource-based theoretical framework, and presented results from a new empirical study in the retail industry, and found that IT alone has not produced sustainable performance advantages in retail industry.
Abstract: This paper investigates linkages between information technology (IT) and firm performance. Although showing recent signs of advance, the existing IT literature still relies heavily on case studies, anecdotes, and consultants' frameworks, with little solid empirical work or synthesis of findings. This paper examines the IT literature, develops an integrative, resource-based theoretical framework, and presents results from a new empirical study in the retail industry. The findings show that ITs alone have not produced sustainable performance advantages in the retail industry, but that some firms have gained advantages by using ITs to leverage intangible, complementary human and business resources such as flexible culture, strategic planning-IT integration, and supplier relationships. The results support the resource-based approach, and help to explain why some firms outperform others using the same ITs, and why successful IT users often fail to sustain IT-based competitive advantages.
2,110 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a new comparative data set for 93 countries to analyze the robustness of the relationship between openness and TFP growth, and found that more open countries have indeed experienced faster productivity growth.
Abstract: For over a century social analysts have debated the connection between trade policy and economic performance. This controversy continues today, even as the world is experiencing an unprecedented period of trade liberalization, and in spite of numerous empirical studies that claim to have found a positive effect of openness on growth. Two issues have been at the core of these controversies: first, until recently theoretical models had been unable to link trade policy to faster equilibrium growth. And second, the empirical literature on the subject has been affected by serious data problems. In this paper I use a new comparative data set for 93 countries to analyze the robustness of the relationship between openness and TFP growth. I use nine alternative indexes of trade policy to investigate whether the evidence supports the view that, with other things given, TFP growth is faster in more open economies. The regressions reported here are robust to the use of openness indicator, estimation technique, time period and functional form, and suggest that more open countries have indeed experienced faster productivity growth. Although the use of instrumental variables goes a long way towards dealing with endogeneity, issues related to causality are still somewhat open, and will require time series analyses to be adequately addressed.
2,042 citations
TL;DR: This article reviewed developments and challenges in this empirical research, and used advances in models of information and incentive problems to motivate those developments and challenge, and discussed implications of this research program for analysis of effects of investment of monetary policy and tax policy.
Abstract: Over the past decade, a number of researchers have extended conventional models of business fixed investment to incorporate a role for "financial constraints" in determining investment. This paper reviews developments and challenges in this empirical research, and uses advances in models of information and incentive problems to motivate those developments and challenges. First, I describe analytical underpinnings of models of capital-market imperfections in the investment process, and illustrate the principal testable implications of those models. Second, I motivate tests and describe and critique existing empirical studies. Third, the review considers applications of the underlying models to a range of investment activities, including inventory investment, R&D, employment demand, pricing by imperfectly competitive firms, business formation and survival, and risk management. Fourth, I discuss implications of this research program for analysis of effects of investment of monetary policy and tax policy. Finally, I examine some potentially fruitful avenues for future research.
1,813 citations
TL;DR: This article examined the use of event studies in management research and found that there was inadequate attention paid to theoretical and research design issues, which may lead to false conclusions about event studies' performance.
Abstract: We examined the use of event studies in management research and found that there was inadequate attention paid to theoretical and research design issues. This lack of attention may lead to false in...
1,805 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors review the history of the social scientific study of leadership and the prevailing theories of leadership that enjoy empirical support and identify the contributions of the trait, behavioral, contingency and neocharismatic paradigms and the results of empirical research on prevailing theories.
1,789 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on individual's perceptions about the characteristics of the target technology as explanatory and predictive variables for acceptance behavior, and present an empirical study examining the effects of these perceptions on two frequently used outcomes in the context of the innovation represented by the World Wide Web.
Abstract: The often paradoxical relationship between investment in information technology and gains in productivity has recently been attributed to a lack of user acceptance of information technology innovations. Diverse streams of research have attempted to explain and predict user acceptance of new information technologies. A common theme underlying these various research streams is the inclusion of the perceived characteristics of an innovation as key independent variables. Furthermore, prior research has utilized different outcomes to represent user acceptance behavior. In this paper we focus on individual's perceptions about the characteristics of the target technology as explanatory and predictive variables for acceptance behavior, and present an empirical study examining the effects of these perceptions on two frequently used outcomes in the context of the innovation represented by the World Wide Web. The two outcomes examined are initial use of an innovation and intentions to continue such use in the future, that is, to routinize technology use. Two research questions motivated and guided the study. First, are the perceptions that predict initial use the same as those that predict future use intentions? Our results confirm, as hypothesized by prior research, that innovation characteristics do explain acceptance behavior. The results further reveal that the specific characteristics that are relevant for each acceptance outcome are different. The second research question asks if perceived voluntariness plays a role in technology acceptance. Results show that external pressure has an impact on adopters' acceptance behavior. Theoretical and practical implications that follow are presented.
1,694 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a broad conceptual framework for market-based organizational learning, and an empirical test of this model leads the authors to conclude that a more positive learning orientation (a value-based construct) will directly result in increased market information generation and dissemination (knowledge-based constructs), which directly affects the degree to which an organization makes changes in its marketing strategies (a behavioral construct).
Abstract: The authors review the concept of organizational learning and present a broad conceptual framework for its modeling. Within this framework, one specific process for market-based organizational learning is postulated. An empirical test of this model leads the authors to conclude that a more positive learning orientation (a value-based construct) will directly result in increased market information generation and dissemination (knowledge-based constructs), which, in turn, directly affects the degree to which an organization makes changes in its marketing strategies (a behavioral construct). Managerial implications are discussed.
1,638 citations
TL;DR: It is concluded that knowledge of the relationship between MCS and strategy is limited, providing considerable scope for further research.
Abstract: This paper reviews research that studies the relationship between management control systems (MCS) and business strategy. Empirical research studies that use contingency approaches and case study applications are examined focusing on specific aspects of MCS and their relationship with strategy. These aspects include cost control orientation, performance evaluation and reward systems, the effect of resource sharing, the role of MCS in influencing strategic change and the choice of interactive and diagnostic controls. More contemporary approaches to the relationship between performance measurement systems and strategy are also considered. It is concluded that our knowledge of the relationship between MCS and strategy is limited, providing considerable scope for further research. A series of future research questions is presented.
1,313 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the linguistic landscape refers to the visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs in agiven territory or region, and is used as a marker of the relative power and status of the linguistic communities inhabiting the territory.
Abstract: Linguistic landscape refers to the visibility and salience of languages on public and commercial signs in agiven territory or region. It is proposed that the linguistic landscape may serve important informational and symbolic functions as a marker of the relative power and status of the linguistic communities inhabiting the territory. Using the theoretical framework of ethnolinguistic vitality, it was hypothesized that the experience of the linguistic landscape by members of a language group may contribute to social psychological aspects of bilingual development. Factor analysis results show that the linguistic landscape emerges as a distinct factor separate from other measures of linguistic contacts. This factor was an important correlate of subjective ethnolinguistic vitality representing perceptions of the vitality of the in-group language in various domains. The study also found relations between the Linguistic Landscape factor and degree of in-group language use, especially in institutional settings,...
1,292 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: The authors presented a parsimonious model of investor sentiment that is, of how investors form beliefs that is consistent with the empirical findings of underreaction and overreaction of stock prices to news.
Abstract: Recent empirical research in finance has uncovered two families of pervasive regularities: underreaction of stock prices to news such as earnings announcements; and overreaction of stock prices to a series of good or bad news. In this paper, we present a parsimonious model of investor sentiment that is, of how investors form beliefs that is consistent with the empirical findings. The model is based on psychological evidence and produces both underreaction and overreaction for a wide range of parameter values.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed and tested a model of how firms learn from their strategic alliances based on a survey of 151 firms, and the results suggest that experience alone is insufficient for the achievement of the greatest benefits from collaboration.
Abstract: In this research, I proposed and tested a model of how firms learn from their strategic alliances. Based on a survey of 151 firms, the results suggest that experience alone is insufficient for the achievement of the greatest benefits from collaboration. Experience must be internalized first, and collaborative know-how must be developed for this experience to contribute to future collaborative benefits.
TL;DR: The authors synthesize findings from a wide range of empirical research into how neighborhoods affect families and children and lay out a conceptual framework for understanding how neighborhoods may affect people at different life stages.
Abstract: This article synthesizes findings from a wide range of empirical research into how neighborhoods affect families and children. It lays out a conceptual framework for understanding how neighborhoods may affect people at different life stages. It then identifies methodological challenges, summarizes past research findings, and suggests priorities for future work. Despite a growing body of evidence that neighborhood conditions play a role in shaping individual outcomes, serious methodological challenges remain that suggest some caution in interpreting this evidence. Moreover, no consensus emerges about which neighborhood characteristics affect which outcomes, or about what types of families may be most influenced by neighborhood conditions. Finally, existing studies provide little empirical evidence about the causal mechanisms through which neighborhood environment influences individual outcomes. To be useful to policy makers, future empirical research should tackle the critical question of how and ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assess inter-rater reliability, whereby data are independently coded and the codings compared for agreements, is a recognised process in quantitative research, however, its applicability to qual...
Abstract: Assessing inter-rater reliability, whereby data are independently coded and the codings compared for agreements, is a recognised process in quantitative research. However, its applicability to qual...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined teaching effectiveness in distance learning in business curricula and found that technology-mediated distance learning is becoming increasingly important to business curriculum, however, little theoretical development or empirical research has examined the teaching effectiveness of distance learning.
Abstract: Technology-mediated distance learning is becoming increasingly important to business curricula. However, little theoretical development or empirical research has examined teaching effectiveness in ...
TL;DR: A new perspective to the study of communication richness in computer mediated communication, critical social theory (CST), is introduced and an intensive investigation of an episode of the managerial use of electronic mail in a company is used to illustrate how research on communication richness can be conducted from the CST perspective.
Abstract: Information Richness Theory (IRT) has enjoyed acceptance by information systems researchers throughout the last decade, but recent unfavorable empirical evidence has precipitated a shift away from it and a search for a new theory. Because of this shift, a new definition of communication richness is needed to succeed the IRT definition. Since its inception, IS research on communication richness has been limited to the perspective of positivism and, more recently, interpretivism. In this study, a new perspective to the study of communication richness in computer mediated communication, critical social theory (CST), is introduced. This paper outlines (1) a CST-based definition of communication richness and compares it with positivist and interpretivist definitions of communication richness and (2) a CST-based social action framework for empirical study of organizational communication in any media use situation. The CST definition and framework are used in an intensive investigation of an episode of the managerial use of electronic mail in a company to illustrate how research on communication richness can be conducted from the CST perspective. This illustration also points out the usefulness of the CST perspective in recognizing instances of communication richness in electronic mail communications that would escape detection in not just the IRT perspective in particular, but also positivist and interpretive perspectives in general. Finally, the paper concludes by outlining the potential for future IS research on organizational communication and information technology from the CST perspective. In addition to the specific contribution to the development of a new theory of communication richness in electronic media, this study also contributes an example of CST research on IS and extends the domain of the CST-IS research program.
TL;DR: It is proposed here that organizations will innovate in the presence of knowledge barriers when the burden of organizational learning is effectively lower, either because much of the required know-how already exists within the organization, or because such knowledge can be acquired more easily or more economically.
Abstract: The burden of organizational learning surrounding software process innovations SPIs-and complex organizational technologies in general-creates a "knowledge barrier" that inhibits diffusion. Attewell Attewell, P. 1992. Technology diffusion and organizational learning the case of business computing. Organ. Sci.31 1-19. has suggested that many organizations will defer adoption until knowledge barriers have been sufficiently lowered; however, this leaves open the question of which organizations should be more likely to innovate, even in face of high knowledge barriers. It is proposed here that organizations will innovate in the presence of knowledge barriers when the burden of organizational learning is effectively lower, either because much of the required know-how already exists within the organization, or because such knowledge can be acquired more easily or more economically. Specifically, it is hypothesized that organizations will have a greater propensity to initiate and sustain the assimilation of SPIs when they have a greater scale of activities over which learning costs can be spread learning-related scale, more extensive existing knowledge related to the focal innovation related knowledge, and a greater diversity of technical knowledge and activities diversity. An empirical study using data on the assimilation of object-oriented programming languages OOPLs by 608 information technology organizations strongly confirmed the importance of the three hypothesized factors in explaining the assimilation of OOPLs.
TL;DR: This essay reviews the literature on the social psychological impact of infertility, paying special attention to the relationship between gender and the infertility experience, and concludes that infertility is a more stressful experience for women than it is for men.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed 25 years of social and environmental accounting literature in an attempt to evaluate the position and answer the question posed in the title, as well as provide a structure or classification for others to use.
Abstract: Reviews 25 years of social and environmental accounting literature in an attempt to evaluate the position and answer the question posed in the title, as well as to provide a structure or classification for others to use. In order to structure the task, uses three time periods: 1971‐1980; 1981‐1990; and 1991‐1995, and classifies the literature into several sub‐groups including empirical studies, normative statements, philosophical discussion, non‐accounting literature, teaching programmes and textbooks, regulatory frameworks, and other reviews. Attempts, after the classification, to synthesize an overall chronological position. Concludes that there is something to celebrate after 25 years. However, the continued success of this field is dependent on a relatively small number of researchers, writers, and specialized journals without which there would be the danger of a collapse of interest and a loss of what has been gained so far. Consequently, the provision of a place in the advanced undergraduate and graduate curriculum is a major task for the next decade. Argues that appropriately qualified and motivated professionals are needed to contribute to environmental policy and management in both the public and private sectors. However, appropriate educational programmes have not been evident to date.
TL;DR: This chapter critically examines the hypothesis that women's rising employment levels have increased their economic independence and hence have greatly reduced the desirability of marriage, and little firm empirical support is found.
Abstract: This chapter critically examines the hypothesis that women's rising employment levels have increased their economic independence and hence have greatly reduced the desirability of marriage. Little firm empirical support for this hypothesis is found. The apparent congruence in time-series data of women's rising employment with declining marriage rates and increasing marital instability is partly a result of using the historically atypical early postwar behavior of the baby boom era as the benchmark for comparisons and partly due to confounding trends in delayed marriage with those of nonmarriage. Support for the hypothesis in multivariate analyses is found only in cross-sectional aggregate-level studies, which are poor tests of an individual-level behavioral hypothesis and which also present difficulty in establishing the appropriate causal direction. Individual-level analyses of marriage formation using longitudinal data and hazard modeling uniformly fail to support the hypothesis, while analyses of marit...
TL;DR: In this article, the extent of strategic change initiated in a successful turnaround varies systematically with a declining firm's need and capacity to reorient its strategy, and the adaptive role that strategic reorientations have in the turnaround attempts of declining firms with weak strategic positions.
Abstract: Early corporate turnaround theorists argued that strategic reorientations are central to the recovery process at many declining firms. However, subsequent large-sample empirical studies have reported that performance turnarounds for declining firms are primarily associated with cutback actions that increase efficiency, thus creating a gap between theory and empirical findings. We close this gap by presenting and empirically supporting a model proposing that the extent of strategic change initiated in a successful turnaround varies systematically with a declining firm’s need and capacity to reorient its strategy. Based on our model, we offer explanations for why past large-sample researchers were not able to verify the role of strategic change in the turnaround process and we reassert the adaptive role that strategic reorientations have in the turnaround attempts of declining firms with weak strategic positions. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Book•
01 Oct 1997
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a survey of the methods used in psychological research, including interviews, surveys, and meta-analysis, with a focus on the design of research designs and their internal validity.
Abstract: Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction. The Methods Used in Psychological Research. 2. Choice of Topic, Measures and Research Design. The Preliminary Stages of Research. Variables and the Validity of Research Designs. Designs and Their Internal Validity. 3. Methods. Asking Questions I: Interviews and Surveys. Asking Questions II: Measuring Attitudes and Meaning. Observation and Content Analysis. 4. Data Analysis. Scales of Measurement. Summarising and Describing Data. Going beyond Description. Samples and Populations. Analysis of Differences between a Single Sample and a Population. Effect Size and Power. Parametric and Non-parametric Tests. Differences between Two Levels of an Independent Variable with More than Two Levels. Analysis of Designs with more Than One Independent Variable. Subsequent Analysis after ANOVA or x2. Analysis of Relationships I: Correlation. Analysis of Relationships II: Regression. Multivariate Analysis. Meta-analysis. Sharing the Results. Reporting Research. Appendixes. Glossary. References. Author Index. Subject Index.
TL;DR: The authors found that models of consumer decision-making which include service value explain significantly more variance in purchase intentions than models which include only service quality or cost factors, and the means by which consumers form service value perceptions is best depicted as a cognitive addition process.
Abstract: Focusses attention on service value as a construct which may help explain consumer decision making; however, to date this attention has been largely conceptual. Finds from the results of two empirical studies that models of consumer decision‐making which include service value explain significantly more variance in purchase intentions than models which include only service quality or cost factors, and the means by which consumers form service value perceptions is best depicted as a cognitive addition process.
TL;DR: Among the contingency variables, the business competence of the IS executive appeared to be a key factor in influencing the extent of integration, and the existence of an evolutionary pattern that can be defined in terms of movement through four types of BP-ISP integration.
Abstract: One of the key elements of strategic planning for information systems (IS) is the integration of information systems planning (ISP) with business planning (BP). This integration enables IS to support business strategies more effectively. Although this issue has received significant attention in recent years, empirical research focusing specifically on BP-ISP integration is still relatively sparse. This research extends existing results by examining the evolution of BP-ISP integration and the contingency variables that may influence BP-ISP integration.The results confirmed the existence of an evolutionary pattern that can be defined in terms of movement through four types of BP-ISP integration: administrative integration to sequential integration to reciprocal integration to full integration. Only a few firms indicated that they had reached full integration. Bypassed phases and reverse evolution, though observed, were uncommon. Among the contingency variables, the business competence of the IS executive appeared to be a key factor in influencing the extent of integration.
TL;DR: In this paper, the influence of cultural values on executive open-mindedness toward change was examined using data from a survey of top managers in 20 countries, finding that values of individualism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and long-term orientation are significantly related to executives' adherence to existing strategy and leadership profiles.
Abstract: While top executives are argued to play a central role in strategic adaptation, evidence suggests that they are not equally open to organizational change. This study extends earlier investigation of the determinants of top executive commitment to the status quo (CSQ) to the international arena, examining the influence of cultural values on executive open-mindedness toward change. Using data from a survey of top managers in 20 countries, analyses reveal that values of individualism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, and long-term orientation are significantly related to executives’ adherence to existing strategy and leadership profiles. Further, while confirming earlier findings that industry tenure is positively related to strategy CSQ, results show that tenure does not significantly affect leadership CSQ once cultural values are controlled. In summary, the findings reveal that culture has an important impact on executive mindsets, as demonstrated by the fact that executives of differing cultural background are not equally open to change in organizational strategy and leadership profiles. Second, the findings suggest that executives’ views of appropriate leadership profiles reflect the imprint of cultural socialization moreso than professional experience. Finally, and more broadly, the study offers empirical support for the view that values figure prominently in shaping executives’ strategic and leadership orientations. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
TL;DR: The results of the study demonstrated some important issues to consider when using translation in qualitative research, in particular the complexity of managing data when no equivalent word exists in the target language and the influence of the grammatical style on the analysis.
Abstract: Although the complexity of undertaking qualitative research with non-English speaking informants has become increasingly recognized, few empirical studies exist which explore the influence of translation on the findings of the study. The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to examine the influence of translation on the reliability and validity of the findings of a qualitative research study. In-depth interviews were undertaken in Cantonese with a convenience sample of six women to explore their perceptions of factors influencing their uptake of Pap smears. Data analysis involved three stages. The first stage involved the translation and transcription of all the interviews into English independently by two translators as well as transcription into Chinese by a third researcher. The second stage involved content analysis of the three data sets to develop categories and themes and the third stage involved a comparison of the categories and themes generated from the Chinese and English data sets. Despite no significant differences in the major categories generated from the Chinese and English data, some minor differences were identified in the themes generated from the data. More significantly the results of the study demonstrated some important issues to consider when using translation in qualitative research, in particular the complexity of managing data when no equivalent word exists in the target language and the influence of the grammatical style on the analysis. In addition the findings raise questions about the significance of the conceptual framework of the research design and sampling to the validity of the study. The importance of using only one translator to maximize the reliability of the study was also demonstrated. In addition the author suggests the findings demonstrate particular problems in using translation in phenomenological research designs.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The understanding of CALL would benefit from addressing questions similar to those posed about other L2 classroom learning and from applying the methods used to study L2 learning in other types of classroom activities.
Abstract: Advancements in the design and use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) activities require that key questions about CALL be identified and effective research methods be used to answer them. In this paper, I suggest looking to research on other types of second language (L2) classroom learning activities for guidance in framing CALL research questions and in discovering relevant research methods. I begin with examples from the CALL literature demonstrating the diverse perspectives (e.g., cognitive psychology, constructivism, psycholinguistics) which have been suggested as ways of approaching CALL research. I then summarize the research questions and methods of L2 classroom research with emphasis on the "interactionist" approach and discourse analysis. Using three examples --computermediated communication, a microworld, and vocabulary in reading-I will illustrate how similar discourse analysis methods can address essential descriptive and evaluative questions about CALL activities. Finally, I will outline some implications of this perspective for design and investigation of CALL activities. A glance through the computer-assisted language learning (CALL) literature of the 1990s reveals the profession's quest for principled means of designing and evaluating CALL. Like researchers in other facets of applied linguistics, CALL researchers look to cross-disciplinary sources for perspectives and research methods. A recent example of the breadth of this quest is an article entitled "A theoretical foundation for the development of pedagogical tasks in computer mediated communication," in which the author seeks to "address the pedagogical merits [for second language teaching] of this new medium of communication in relation to current research in Anthropology, Cognitive Psychology, Communication Theory, Linguistics, and Second Language Acquisition (SLA)" (Salaberry, 1996, p. 6). Similarly, in the commentary on a recent collection of papers about intelligent tutoring systems for foreign language learning, the authors draw their comments from perspectives in learning theory, psycholinguistics, human-computer interaction, psychology (MacWhinney, 1995), "a computationally oriented theory of language use" (Bailin, 1995), psycholinguistic theory (Garrett, 1995), theory of novice vs. expert learning, constructivism, and individual differences theory (Oxford, 1995). These diverse perspectives are directed at general questions of how CALL research can increase our understanding of CALL activities. At the same time, there is a need to specify the particularly relevant questions about CALL and to identify ways that they can be investigated through empirical research. In this paper, I suggest that our understanding of CALL would benefit from addressing questions similar to those posed about other L2 classroom learning and from applying the methods used to study L2 learning in other types of classroom activities. I will CALL in the Year 2000: Still in Search of Research Paradigms? http://llt.msu.edu/vol1num1/chapelle/default.html 1 of 13 10/30/2015 11:09 AM begin with some examples from the CALL literature which demonstrate the need to look to empirical research methods for investigating instructed SLA. I will then turn to a brief explanation of the research questions and methods of L2 classroom research with emphasis on discourse analysis methods for investigating learners use of L2 tasks. Illustrations are provided of how analogous research questions can be posed for CALL activities and how similar discourse analysis methods can help to investigate CALL use. Finally, I note examples of how classroom research perspectives might inform CALL design. THE NEED FOR EMPIRAL RESEARCH METHODS FOR CALL Because CALL practice draws on cross-disciplinary work, CALL researchers and developers find themselves at the crossroads among disciplines that appear to offer insights for work in CALL. For example, it is evident from the following report of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) project that some CALL developers see computational linguistics as a foundation for CALL:
TL;DR: By analyzing network forms as mixes of coordination mechanisms, the framework offers a typology of inter-firm organization forms that is much more fine-grained and conducive to network organization design than those previously available.
Abstract: Inter-firm relationships are coordinated to a large extent by non-market mecha nisms. The objective of this paper is to identify which of these mechanisms are the most relevant, and how they can be theoretically and empirically combined into discrete alternative modes of organizational coordination between firms. A frame work is developed for evaluating the comparative effectiveness and efficiency of these combinations of coordination mechanisms in the regulation of different types of inter-firm interdependence, drawing on both organization theory and organiza tion economics. By analyzing network forms as mixes of coordination mechanisms, the framework offers a typology of inter-firm organization forms that is much more fine-grained and conducive to network organization design than those previously available. The predictive power of the framework is demonstrated by using the vast empirical research available on various types of networks, showing its capacity to explain the main findings on the use of diff...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors suggest that developments in personality theory, transformational leadership theory, and visionary leadership theory can contribute to a more realistic view of top managers, and identify future research directions for scholars interested in studying strategic leadership.
TL;DR: A model which takes the form of a hierarchical structure based on three main levels of attributes ‐ pivotal, core, and peripheral (P‐C‐P) is proposed, which has the ability to span any service sector since what is proposed is a skeletal framework within which to consider respective services.
Abstract: Focuses on one of the most widely used service quality measurement scales, SERVQUAL, and looks at some of the areas of concern which have recently been raised regarding its viability as a comprehensive measurement tool for the service industry as a whole. While acknowledging the significant contribution that this model has made, it is suggested that it does not go far enough ‐ the dimensions of SERVQUAL do not adequately address some of the more critical issues associated with the assessment of individual services. Having carried out citation analyses of both the 1985 and 1988 versions of SERVQUAL, it can be shown that although there is a plethora of published work in the marketing and retail sectors about its applicability, relatively little empirical work has been carried out in other service sectors. Indeed, more than one‐quarter of all published papers where SERVQUAL was a major theme, appear to have severe reservations about this scale. In place of the SERVQUAL scale, a model which takes the form of a hierarchical structure ‐ based on three main levels of attributes ‐ pivotal, core, and peripheral (P‐C‐P) is proposed. This P‐C‐P model has the ability to span any service sector since what is proposed is a skeletal framework within which to consider respective services. The authors are currently in the process of using this model for the empirical analysis of the quality of information which is provided by government bodies to the business community. The results of their empirical study will form the subject matter of the next paper in this series. This is, therefore, largely theoretical in nature with the emphasis on a critical appraisal of the existing models in the service quality arena and it also describes the authors’ own model to encourage discussion and debate among researchers, perhaps allowing them to make further refinements to their proposed model.