Dimensions Of Competition Research Articles

Managing the grumbles: The role of intra-party dissent and leader domination on salience strategies in Western Europe

Does intra-party dissent affect parties’ salience strategies? And if so, do leadership-dominated parties de-emphasize a divisive issue dimension more than activist-dominated ones? Scholars have long highlighted the role of intra-party dissent in informing parties’ salience strategies. However, the literature has overwhelmingly focused on EU issues while devoting less attention to the economic and socio-cultural dimensions of party competition. I argue that, driven by the imperative of projecting unity and ensure survival, parties facing internal dissent over an issue dimension reduce the emphasis attributed to it. Importantly, the effectiveness of this strategy hinges on the control party leaders wield over their parties’ platforms. Focusing on 15 Western European countries and 130 political parties, the findings confirm that higher levels of intra-party dissent are associated with lower emphasis awarded to the divisive issue dimension. The pooled results also suggest that markedly leadership-dominated parties are more effective in de-emphasizing a divisive dimension than activist-dominated ones. However, I find less robust evidence for the latter finding when testing the model separately for the two dimensions.

The relationship between business competition and welfare in Indonesia.

This research freshly investigates the effect of business competition on national welfare in Indonesia. This research uses business competition index data obtained from the Indonesia Competition Commission (KPPU) and welfare indicators data collected from the Indonesian Bureau of Central Statistics (BPS) at the economic sectoral and provincial levels for the period 2018-2020. The relationship between business competition and welfare is estimated using pooled regression model combining year, economic sector, and province. This research also uses business competition index applying both same weights for all dimensions of competition and the weights derived from principal component analysis. This research finds that business competition has a positive effect on welfare as represented by gross regional domestic product, regional productivity, productivity growth, wages, and human development index. Furthermore, the regions with high scores on the competition index mostly come from Java Island. Therefore, Indonesian government must encourage the mainstreaming of business competition in all provinces in Indonesia.

Beyond tokenism: The substantive impact of women directors on competitive dimensions

Beyond tokenism: The substantive impact of women directors on competitive dimensions

Accessibility Measures to Evaluate Public Transport Competitiveness: The Case of Rome and Turin

The transport sector worldwide relies heavily on oil products, and private cars account for the largest share of passenger mobility in several countries. Public transport could represent an interesting alternative under many perspectives, including a decrease in traffic, pollutants, and climate emissions. However, for public transport to succeed, it should be attractive for final users, representing a viable alternative to private mobility. In this work, we analyse the spatial distribution of public transport service provision within two metropolitan cities, considering the three key dimensions of mobility, competitiveness, and accessibility of public transport. The results show that private car performs better than public transport in all scopes considered, and that performance indicators are highly variable among city areas, indicating inequalities in social and environmental sustainability in urban systems. The outcomes of the analysis provide interesting insights for policy makers and researchers that deal with similar topics, and can also be extended to other cities and countries.

A Study on Measuring the Impact of Business Process Management on an Organization’s Business Performance Superiority

The study's overarching goal is to quantify the effect of BPM on the improved business performance of participating organisations. The research used the corporate process management life cycle methodology to identify the concept of superiority. Along with describing the operational and competitive dimensions of business performance superiority, the opinions and responses of the 89 managers who made up the sample were utilised to describe (process identification and design, process modelling and documentation, process monitoring and controlling, and process optimisation). To validate the study's hypothesised model and draw attention to BPM's role in explaining why some organisations outperform others, researchers performed multiple regression analysis. Organisational managers must provide moral and financial support for business process orientation within the business entrepreneurship window in order for their organisations to maintain a competitive advantage in an uncertain, risky, and potentially volatile environment.

A Quest for State Contracts: Public Procurement and the Shaping of Competitiveness in Development Consulting

What does it take to win a public contract in development consulting? I address this question based on interviews with 27 public buyers and private vendors of consulting services in Sweden, as well as an in-depth archival analysis of the consultancy procurements undertaken by the Swedish public aid agency, Sida, during 2018–2020. Results point to three dimensions of competitiveness in consulting: social, organizational and individual. These unravel a number of contradictions in contracting practices and discourses, tied to Sida’s evolving negotiation of new public management paradigms. Specifically, they illustrate how success in tendering depends not (only) on adhering to free-market ideals of cost-efficiency or public sector tenets of transparency and fairness. Importantly, it relies on relational labour and investments in the largely informal social fabric of contracting.

Analysis of Supply Chain Management Practices in Stevedoring Business to Improve Operational Performance at PT Kutai Jaya Pundinusa

PT Kutai Jaya Pundinusa (KJP) operates in the dynamic and competitive stevedoring industry, leveraging on its established brand, skilled workforce, strong operational strategy, and certifications such as ISO. This research explores new competitive dimensions for KJP through thematic analysis, PESTLE, Porter’s Five Forces, and SWOT analysis. Using a qualitative research design, including in-depth interviews with internal and external stakeholders, the research identified opportunities and challenges facing KJP. The proposed vision is to become a leading and innovative stevedoring company by embracing digital transformation and sustainable practices. The key strategies proposed include improving operational efficiency, digital transformation, human resource development, expanding market reach, and strengthening customer relationships. The programmes formulated include process mapping, adoption of new technologies, employee training, market research, strategic partnerships, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems. The study also emphasised the importance of overcoming internal challenges such as reliance on manual processes, high dependence on key suppliers and customers, and resistance to change among senior employees. Recommendations include investment in advanced digital technologies, exploration of new markets, and promotion of sustainable practices to ensure long-term growth and competitiveness in the stevedoring industry. By aligning strategic objectives with the proposed vision, KJP aims to successfully navigate the competitive landscape and achieve sustainable growth.

Narratives, Knowledge Objects, and the Making of Great Power Competition

AbstractWhat makes great power relations more (or less) competitive? One key argument in International Relations (IR) is that interpretations matter and shape how competitive great power relations are. This article seeks to further develop this argument. Drawing on objectual IR and the sociology of expectations, it proposes a constructivist framework that unpacks two crucial, yet surprisingly little studied aspects of the making of great power competition: (i) the constitution and organization of great power relations as a contest over scarce goods and (ii) the interplay of narratives and knowledge objects that underpins it. To illustrate the framework and contribute to theory development, the article reconstructs the dynamics of two prominent dimensions of great power competition in the past decade: The tensions between NATO and Russia in Europe and the economic competition between the United States and China. It shows that the making of great power competition involves three interrelated elements: the framing of relations among powerful states as contests over some valued goods, the production of knowledge about the distribution of these goods, and governance arrangements stipulating rules for the contests. What underpins the three elements is an interplay of narratives and knowledge objects: General narratives of what the competition is about and what is at stake preconfigure which knowledge objects are regarded as pertinent. The pertinent knowledge objects, in turn, shape the specific narratives that are told about how the competition unfolds.

Submarine Capability Assessment Model Using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and System Dynamics

Regional dynamics marked by the increase in submarine operations by several countries need to be balanced with increasing Indonesia's capabilities in underwater warfare and contributing to increasing the deterrence of the country's defense system at sea. Therefore, the aim of this research is to consider the competitive dimensions of the development of submarine capabilities on the deterrence effect of a country and assess the extent of the discussion in the literature review. This research is a statement that there is no instrument for assessing the capability and sustainability of submarines in an effort to increase the deterrence effect in the ALKI II area which is linked to current dynamic developments so that this research is expected to contribute to obtaining an instrument for assessing submarine capability and the deterrence effect of submarines. in the ALKI II area.

The link between social comparison orientation and domain-specific risk-taking: exploring the mediating role of two dimensions of trait competitiveness.

Our recent research has demonstrated that social comparison orientation of ability (SCO-ability) is an antecedent of trait competitiveness (TC), and TC mediates the relation between SCO-ability and domain-specific risk-taking. TC is a multi-dimensional trait, therefore we sought to expand on prior research by examining whether SCO-ability predicted two distinct dimensions of TC: hypercompetitive orientation (HCO) and self-development competitive orientation (SDCO). We investigated how these different dimensions of TC mediated the relation between SCO-ability and both overall and domain-specific risk-taking in two correlational studies of 622 college students (313 males, mean age = 22.10, SD = 2.35) and 717 adult workers (368 males, mean age = 27.92, SD = 5.11). We found that SCO-ability positively predicted HCO. Together, SCO-ability and HCO predicted overall risk-taking and risk-taking in the recreational and ethical domains in both samples. HCO mediated the relation between SCO-ability and both overall risk-taking and risk-taking in the recreational and ethical domains. Additionally, SCO-ability positively predicted SDCO. SCO-ability and SDCO mainly predicted risk-taking in the recreational domain in both studies. SDCO mediated the relation between SCO-ability and risk-taking only in the recreational domain. Collectively, the findings above advance our understanding of the relation between competition and risk-taking by using differentiated measures of TC (HCO and SDCO). Our findings suggest that HCO is more strongly related to risk-taking than SDCO, thereby refining the possible role of SCO-ability and TC in predicting overall risk-taking and domain-specific risk-taking.

Beyond central-local relations: the introduction of a new perspective on China’s environmental governance model

In recent years, the Chinese government has initiated assertive centralization efforts in its approach to environmental governance. However, the efficacy of these initiatives demonstrates marked variability across different sectors. While the central-local relational framework has traditionally been employed to elucidate these disparities, its explanatory power is showing signs of strain. This paper, through policy analysis and field interviews, investigates regulatory conflicts in land use for ecological and agricultural purposes within China. The findings highlight instances of overlapping jurisdictions and discordant policy objectives among agencies responsible for delineating ecological spaces and agricultural zones. While these conflicts seem to stem from the dynamics between the central and local governments, they more accurately reflect the inherent characteristics of fragmented authoritarianism. This paper aims to expand the theory of fragmented authoritarianism by incorporating the dimension of inter-departmental competition into environmental governance, moving beyond the traditional binary analysis framework of central-local relations. It seeks to understand and critique its limitations from a broader perspective, emphasizing the role of departmental competition within fragmented authoritarianism. By analyzing this internal mechanism, the paper reveals a more nuanced governance landscape, essentially replacing the traditional central-local paradigm with a model that situates departmental competition within the overall context of fragmented authoritarianism. We propose two models for delineating competition among governmental institutions: the bureaucratic model and the charisma model, thereby advancing and deepening the application of fragmented authoritarianism theory in China’s environmental governance. This provides new theoretical insights for understanding the current challenges and developments in China’s environmental governance.

Designing a Constructive Leadership Implementation Model in the Higher Education System Using an Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM) Approach

The present study designed a model for the implementation of constructive leadership in the higher education system using an interpretive structural modeling approach. This study was applied in terms of aim and qualitative type of descriptive in terms of method of implementation. The statistical population of the study included experts in educational and constructive leadership in higher education at Urmia University. Based on the principle of random sampling, 7 of them were selected as a sample using convenience and snowball sampling methods. A semi-structured interview with experts whose questions were designed based on the theoretical foundations of constructive leadership in higher education with the help of professors was used as the study tool. The validity of the results was examined and confirmed by the triangulation method. Also, its face validity was confirmed by the opinions of experts who were not members of the study, and its reliability was calculated at 0.83 using the inter-coder coefficient of the agreement method. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews were analyzed with open, axial, and selective coding based on grounded theory in MAXQDA software. The results showed that the model of constructive leadership in higher education based on grounded theory included 12 components and 9 dimensions. The category of causal conditions included two dimensions of the necessity of constructive management (with two components of knowledge management and organizational innovation) and organizational culture (with two components of collaborative management and innovative atmosphere). The category of contextual conditions included two dimensions of management maturity (with the component of evaluating and applying policies for constructive management) and the system of fostering change and transformation (with the component of establishing relationships with aligned people and organizations). The category of intervening conditions included the dimension of competition with the surrounding environment and increasing progress (with the component of planning and paying attention to facilities). The category of strategies included two dimensions having facilities and requirements (with the component of financing and equipment) and responsibility and cooperation (with the components of empathy and public desire). Finally, the category of implications included two dimensions of academic development (with 2 components of individual competence development and university development) and social development (with the component of gaining public trust).

Determinants and indicators for destination competitiveness: the case of Shiraz city, Iran

PurposeNowadays, the tourism industry is considered the largest and most diverse industry in the world, which can play a significant role in the economic growth and development of a country as the main source of income and employment. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to focus on evaluating the competitiveness indicators of Shiraz city tourism destination based on a combined model.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, a questionnaire with 78 questions was used to evaluate the indicators, in which a total of 1,432 tourists participated, including 927 domestic tourists and 505 international tourists. The collected data were analyzed to determine the hierarchical relationship between the indicators using equation structural modeling.FindingsThe research findings indicate that the most effective and influential indicators in the field of tourism competitiveness are natural and handmade resources, and the most influential factors are demand conditions and cultural and natural resources. In this hierarchy, each factor affects its previous level and influences the next level.Originality/valueThis study offers significant potential for uncovering credible and robust approaches to further investigate the contextualization of tourism competitiveness on both national and international scales, thereby generating valuable new insights. By conceptualizing the diverse dimensions of tourism competitiveness and delving into the variations in its impacts across multiple levels, this research not only challenges existing notions but also aids destinations in maintaining and enhancing their market position and share over time. This study offers valuable insights and practical implications for both researchers and practitioners in the field of urban tourism. It enhances the understanding of destination competitiveness, informs policy decisions, facilitates benchmarking and best practices, guides strategic decision-making and promotes sustainable tourism development.

Is local competition effective in improving quality and efficiency of hospitals? Insights from an asymmetric spatial competition model

A critical aspect of healthcare reforms in various countries revolves around the relationship between efficiency, quality, and competition. Exploring the spatial dimension of competition is essential to understand this connection thoroughly. In this study, we develop a theoretical model that examines hospitals' choices regarding quality and cost-containment efforts across different competitive environments characterized by varying spatial distributions of hospitals. We derive and fully characterize hospitals' reaction functions and Nash equilibria concerning quality and cost-containment efforts. Our findings reveal that while localized competition tends to reduce hospitals' efforts in cost containment, its impact on treatment quality can vary. This variation depends on factors such as the cost of delivering quality care, its benefits to patients, and hospitals' objectives, including their level of altruism. Our findings contribute to the ongoing debate on the role of local competition in healthcare. They offer insights into the conditions that could yield divergent outcomes, often advocated by conflicting perspectives. These conditions serve as a foundation for refining competition policy models in healthcare.

The Political-Administrative Nexus in Sub-National Governance: Exploring the Lack of Independent Administration in Poland

The main problem addressed in the paper is the relation between politics and administration. The authors try to answer if independent administration exists at the sub-national level in Poland. In a more detailed manner, the question is whether an acceptance of independent administration has been fostered by the dispersion of political power and the experience of participation in important decision-making processes. The data used in the article come from a survey of councillors and in-depth interviews with councillors and clerks. The analysis proved that the councillors’ opinions as to the independence of administration are influenced by their participation in the ruling majority. Opposition members support stricter, more stringent legislative oversight. Majority members, on the contrary, accept greater independence of administration. The result of the study leads also to a conclusion about the importance of monopolization and the influence on administration by the executive and the majority councillors. Administration becomes perceived as a functional part of the majority. A more fundamental conclusion is when there is no programmatic competition between political groupings of councillors, there are no conditions for establishing an administration independent of politics. This outcome completes the relationship noted by Miller and Whitford with the programmatic dimension of political competition.

Fostering the “Performativity” of Performance Information Use by Decision-Makers through Dynamic Performance Management: Evidence from Action Research in a Local Area

A local area configures a socio-economic system in which several institutions interact. As stakeholders hold different values and perhaps conflicting interests, managing local area performance is a dynamic and complex issue. In these inter-institutional settings, performance management may help address such complexity. Traditional performance management approaches, mostly based on static and linear analysis, fail to capture the dynamic complexity of local-area performance, bounding decision-makers’ mindsets to an organizational view of performance. Overcoming such limitations requires methods oriented to grasp a better understanding of the social reality in which their institutions operate. This contribution aims to illustrate how the Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) approach may foster a “performative” use of performance information by decision-makers in inter-institutional settings. To this end, the article highlights the importance of designing conducive learning settings (i.e., action research enhanced by a system dynamics-based interactive learning environment) to support decision-makers make such a cognitive leap. Drawing from empirical evidence on destination governance studies, the article shows that enriching performance management with system dynamics modeling may help decision-makers to reflect on key issues impacting local area development, sparking a discussion on potential actions to balance economic, social, and competitive dimensions of performance. Findings reveal that DPM insight modeling holds explanatory and communicative potential in real forums by providing decision-makers with an understanding of the means-end relationships linking strategic resources to outcomes through value drivers. The use of such performance information can help local area stakeholders to (re)conceptualize the social reality in which their institutions operate. By acting as a “maieutic machine”, DPM fosters a shift from an organizational and static to an inter-organizational and dynamic view of local area performance. Implications of the study include the opportunity to provide training to strengthen the active use of performance information by decision-makers in inter-institutional settings.

Grouping Nationalities Based on Students’ Estimation of Stereotype Contents in Switzerland

AbstractSocial stereotypes influence people’s perceptions of nationalities. To categorize the stereotypes about existing nationalities in Switzerland, the stereotype content model can be used. People with nationalities that are associated with low warmth and competence are at risk of being perceived as outgroup members and of being discriminated against, whereas people with nationalities that are rated as high in warmth and competence are more likely to be perceived as ingroup members and are therefore better accepted. Warmth is negatively associated with competition while competence is positively associated with status. Students (N = 101) from various universities in the German-speaking part of Switzerland rated 70 nationalities along the dimensions of warmth, competence, competition, and status. The cluster analyses revealed four groups of nationalities along the dimensions warmth and competence. Levels in status and competition differed between those four clusters. In line with prior research, a negative relationship was found between competition and warmth and a positive relationship between status and competence. These findings allow to understand social stereotypes of nationalities based on empirical evidence. More importantly, the clusters can be used in future studies to compare groups of people with different nationalities who have specific stereotyping experiences.

The Effect of Innovation on Competitiveness in the Food Processing Industry of Cameroon: A Mediating Effect of Quality Management

With the intensification of national and global competition, the focus of companies is now on how to achieve competitive advantage. With globalisation, Cameroon’s industry is facing specific difficulties such as unchecked competition from imports, internal weaknesses in output, low technology acquisition as well as poor links between industry and the institutional sector, making competition a problem for them. This led to the foundation of studies on innovation and competitiveness, but at this point, there are still inconclusive results. This paper focuses on examining the effect of innovation on competitiveness in the food processing industry of Cameroon, with a specific emphasis on the mediating effect of quality management. This study adopted the cross-sectional research design for its investigation. The primary source of data was used for this study, as it was current. This primary data was collected through the distribution of questionnaires to the respondents. Innovation in this study was captured in terms product, process, market, and organisational innovations. Quality management on the other hand was captured in terms of commitment to quality, employee involvement, customer focus, process monitoring, incentives, and recognition. In relation to competitiveness, the study focused on productivity, output growth, and market share. Data was collected from 335 managers of food processing companies drawn randomly after stratification from a population of 2564 food processing companies operating in Cameroon. This includes Douala, Yaounde, Ngaoundere, Buea, Bafoussam, Maroua, and Bertoua with 201, 40, 34, 3, 30, 17, and 10 as corresponding sample proportions respectively. Inferential statistics was used during the analysis of the data, specifically using Baron and Kenny’s approach of testing the mediation hypothesis. Based on the results, there were traces of positive and significant direct effects of product, process, and organisational innovations on competitiveness. On the other hand, market innovation was insignificant. In terms of the indirect effect, the study revealed a partial mediation of quality management in the effect of product innovation on competitiveness. Quality management, however, had no mediating role on other dimensions of innovation (process, market, and organisational) and competitiveness.

Patterns of Competitiveness in Russian Gubernatorial Elections

AbstractCompetitiveness in electoral authoritarian regimes is compromised by management of the electoral arena through various kinds of manipulation. This study links two dimensions of competitiveness, namely fairness and contestation. We analyze the regional heterogeneity of both dimensions for Russian gubernatorial elections held between 2012 and 2019. To assess competitiveness, we use crowd-sourced electoral observation reports and data from the Central Election Commission. Our analysis reveals significant regional variation in both dimensions. Nevertheless, opposition victories are rare and only occur in exceptional cases. Low levels of electoral malpractices seem to be a necessary but not sufficient condition for close election results. Windows of opportunity for the opposition arise only if the regime misperceives the closeness of the race and if the opposition nominates prominent candidates. Overall, these findings shed light on the complex factors influencing the competitiveness of elections in electoral authoritarian regimes like Russia.

Availability of Ethical Competition Dimensions

The study aimed to determine the availability of the dimensions of ethical competition represented by (reference to the ethical code, use of free hotlines regarding ethical problems, ethical training, and ethical intelligence) in the Nineveh Agriculture Directorate, based on the answers of the respondents about these dimensions and the descriptive analytical approach was adopted in processing the data. It was collected through a questionnaire form that was distributed to a random sample of (50) respondents from the functional staff in the organization under study. Several statistical methods were used in analyzing this data according to ready-made programming (SPSS v26), including (percentages, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, coefficient of difference, t-test results, relative significance) The research reached several conclusions, most notably the availability of dimensions of moral competition with a clear discrepancy between the answers of the respondents about those dimensions at the level of the organization under study. In addition, a number of proposals were presented emphasizing legitimacy and an effective amount of interest in the dimensions of moral competition so that the features of this interest become clear and what It leads us to adopt dimensions that go beyond the familiar contexts so that the researched organization has the opportunity to add new dimensions that are in line with contemporary developments.