The Synergy of Business Theory and Practice (eBook)

Contents 6
Notes on Contributors 12
List of Figures 22
List of Tables 23
1: Editorial Introduction: The Requisite Bridge from Theory to Practice 24
1.1 Book Context and Theoretical Foundations 25
1.1.1 The Imperative of Practicable Theory: A Strategic Perspective 25
1.1.2 Theoretical Foundations 26
1.2 Book Content and Structure 28
References 33
2: Theoretical Concepts and Practical Applications of Accounting-Related Shared Service Centres in Medium-Sized Firms 36
2.1 Introduction 36
2.2 Literature Review 37
2.2.1 Characteristics of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) 37
2.2.2 Shared Service Centre 38
Consolidation of Processes 39
Exclusively Engaged in Support Services 39
Reduction of Costs 40
Service-Oriented Focus on Internal Clients and Alignment to External Competitors 40
Independent Organisation and Operate Like a Normal Business 40
2.2.3 Findings of Previous Studies 41
2.3 Research Design 44
2.4 Findings: Conception of Shared Service Centres 45
2.4.1 Definition and Objectives 45
2.4.2 Implementation Process 46
2.4.3 Economic Efficiency Calculation 47
2.4.4 Design of the Shared Service Centre 47
Selection of the Processes to Be Migrated 48
Structure and Reporting Structure 48
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) 49
2.4.5 Infrastructure 50
2.5 Findings: Implementation of Shared Service Centres 52
2.5.1 Migration Strategies 52
2.5.2 Change Management 53
2.5.3 Further Important Key Components for the Implementation 54
2.5.4 Implementation Challenges 54
2.6 Findings: Controlling of Shared Service Centres 55
2.7 Conclusion and Industry Implications 56
References 58
3: From Theory to Practice of Formal and Informal Palestinian Small Businesses 62
3.1 Introduction 62
3.2 Context 63
3.3 Formal and Informal Businesses 67
3.4 Methodology 69
3.5 Results and Analysis 71
3.5.1 Characteristics of Formal and Informal Small Businesses 71
3.5.2 Challenges Facing Informal and Formal Small Businesses 73
3.5.3 Policy Recommendations 74
3.6 Practical Implications 76
3.7 Conclusion 77
References 78
4: A Practicable Implementation of Training and Development in Professional Services: The Case of Accountants in Cyprus 82
4.1 Introduction 82
4.2 Literature Review and Theory 84
4.2.1 Training and Development 85
4.2.2 Employee Retention 86
4.2.3 Theories That Seek to Explain the Effect of T& D on Employee Retention
Social Exchange Theory 89
Congruence Theory 91
Person-Environment Fit Theory 91
Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) Theory 92
4.2.4 Hypotheses Development and Initial Conceptual Framework 93
4.3 Methodology 95
4.4 Data Analysis and Results 96
4.4.1 Demographic Statistics 96
4.4.2 The Descriptive Statistics for Variables in the Proposed Framework 97
4.4.3 Correlation Analysis 99
4.4.4 Linear Regression 100
4.4.5 Adjusted Conceptual Model 103
4.5 Discussion and Conclusions 103
4.5.1 Theoretical Contributions 103
4.5.2 Bridging Theory and Practice 104
4.5.3 Conclusion 105
References 105
5: The Role of Organizational Identity in Post-Merger Integration 114
5.1 Introduction 114
5.2 Literature Review 115
5.2.1 Main M& A Motive: Exploitation of Synergy
5.2.2 M& A Integration and Conflicts: Mixed Findings
5.2.3 Culture and M& A Performance
5.2.4 The Relationship Between Cultural Differences and Integration 117
5.2.5 The Relationship Between National Cultural Difference and Post-Merger Integration 118
5.3 Propositions for Using the Identity Factor in M& A
5.3.1 Identity Before and After M& A
5.3.2 The Interrelationship of Identity and Organizational and International Cultures 121
5.4 Discussion and Conclusions 122
5.5 Future Research 124
5.6 Bridging Theory and Practice 126
References 127
6: Energy Business in Gambia: An Industry Review for Theoretical and Practical Implications 131
6.1 Introduction 131
6.1.1 Research Background 131
6.1.2 Significance of Industry Review for Theoretical Development 132
6.2 Energy Sector in Gambia: The Background of the Case Study 133
6.3 The Importance and Policy of the Gambian Energy Sector 135
6.3.1 Why Energy Is a Key Sector for Gambia? 135
6.3.2 The Energy Policy 136
6.4 Electricity, Renewable Energy and Petroleum Sub-Sectors 137
6.4.1 Electricity Sub-Sector 137
6.4.2 Renewable Energy Sub-Sector 138
6.4.3 Oil and Petroleum Sub-Sector 138
6.5 Liberalization and Competition and Regulation in the Gambian Energy Sector 139
6.5.1 Liberalization and Competition 139
6.5.2 Energy Business Regulation in Gambia 140
6.6 Investment Opportunities and Challenges of the Gambian Energy Sector 141
6.6.1 Investment Opportunities 141
6.6.2 Major Challenges of the Gambian Energy Sector 141
6.7 Mitigation Scope for the Gambian Energy Sector: Managerial Implications 143
6.8 Theoretical Implications, Future Trends and Conclusion 147
References 148
7: Sustainable Customer Experience: Bridging Theory and Practice 152
7.1 Introduction 152
7.2 Towards a New Definition of Sustainable Customer Experience 154
7.3 Sustainable Customer Experience in Practice 161
7.4 Sustainable Consumer Experience from the Customer Point of View 173
7.5 Conclusions 181
7.5.1 General Surmises 181
7.5.2 Study 1: From Diverse Literature to a New Concept 182
7.5.3 Study 2: From Practice to Theory 183
7.5.4 Study 3: From Theoretical Tests to Practice 184
7.5.5 Future Research and Limitations 184
References 185
8: Industry Application of Assessment and Forecasting Theories Through Comparative Financial Analysis: The Case of Greek Pharmaceutical Industries Under Crisis Conditions 196
8.1 Introduction 196
8.2 Literature Review 197
8.3 Data and Research Methodology 202
8.4 Research Results 209
8.4.1 Objectives 210
8.5 Conclusions, Implications and Limitations 213
References 216
9: Industry and Managerial Applications of Internet Marketing Research 220
9.1 Introduction 220
9.2 Significance of Industry Review for Theorisation 222
9.3 The Trend in Online Marketing Management and the Future Direction 224
9.3.1 The Impact of Internet on Marketing As a Business Management Practice 224
9.3.2 The Future Direction of Online Marketing Management Practice 226
9.3.3 The Future Direction for Research, Focusing on Online Marketing Management 227
9.3.4 The Impact of Internet on Marketing Management Education As Pedagogical Management 228
9.3.5 The Future of Online-Based Marketing Education, As Pedagogical Management 229
9.4 Concluding Notes 230
References 232
10: CSR Reporting Practices of Lithuanian and Italian Academic Institutions 236
10.1 Introduction and Research Background 236
10.2 CSR Reporting and UN Global Compact 239
10.3 Research Methods Used 245
10.4 Research Ethics and Sample Description 246
10.5 Findings 248
10.6 How to Write a Good Quality Report on Social Responsibility 251
10.7 Conclusions and Implications for Practice 253
References 254
11: The Practicable Aspect of the Omni-Channel Retailing Strategy and Its Impact on Customer Loyalty 259
11.1 Introduction 259
11.2 Theoretical Foundation 260
11.2.1 Omni-Channel Retailing 260
11.2.2 Omni-Consumers and Customer Loyalty 261
11.3 Theoretical Elaboration: The Omni-Channel Retailing Challenges 263
11.3.1 Challenge 1: Information and Communication Technologies 264
11.3.2 Challenge 2: Business Intelligence Systems 265
11.3.3 Challenge 3: Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 266
11.3.4 Challenge 4: Re-Designing the Supply Chain 266
11.3.5 Challenge 5: Marketing 267
11.3.6 Challenge 6: The Silo Effect 268
11.4 Research Methodology 269
11.5 Findings and Discussion 270
11.5.1 Omni-Channel Retailing Framework 272
11.6 Industry Application, Research Limitations, Future Research, and Conclusion 274
11.6.1 Industry Application 274
11.6.2 Research Limitations and Future Research 275
11.7 Conclusion 276
References 276
12: Curative International Marketing, Corporate and Business Diplomacy: A Triple Application for Migration 281
12.1 Introduction 282
12.2 Migration and Globalization 283
12.3 The Concepts of Diplomacy, Corporate and Business Diplomacy 285
12.4 The Relationship Between Corporate/Business Diplomacy and Curative International Marketing 291
12.5 Practical Suggestions Applying the Framework 294
12.6 Conclusion 298
References 299
13: Sustainability in Project Management: Advancing the Synergy of Practice and Theory 304
13.1 Introduction: Background and Context 304
13.2 Strategic Leadership and Sustainability 308
13.3 Leadership-of-Self Capacity: Engine of Sustained Development 311
13.4 Leadership: Responsible Performance 315
13.4.1 Transactional–Transformational Leadership Theories: Evolutionary Trend 315
13.4.2 Leadership Breakdown Structure: Development of LOS Capacities 316
13.5 Learning/Experiencing and Education for Leadership Sustainability 318
13.6 SPML Leaders: A Sustainable Performance Model 321
13.7 Conclusions and Implications 323
References 323
Index 330