Noncoercive Strategies Research Articles

Channel Power, Influence Strategy, Relationship Continuity, and Channel Performance: An Examination of Sanitary Equipment Manufacturers

Purpose: This study aims to examine the influence of channel power and influence strategy, in terms of non-coercive strategies, on sanitary equipment manufacturers' relationships with channel members and channel performance. Theoretical framework: The study is based on the literature on channel relationships, which suggests that using an influence strategy can contribute to managing the relationship with the channel members and benefit organization performance. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this study, we sampled from a sanitary equipment manufacturer's channel strategy. We used survey data to examine the effect of channel management strategies from sanitary equipment manufacturers on distributors. Findings: The finding indicates that a supplier using economic power tends to adopt non-coercive strategies. In addition, economic power and non-coercive strategies positively affect the continuity of the relationship with distributors. Relationship continuity between manufacturers and distributors positively impacts whole channel performance. Originality/Value: This study sampled the distributors in the sanitary equipment industry, a market in which the consumers are not knowledgeable about the products. Most consumers base their purchase decisions heavily on the channel member’s recommendations. Therefore, how to manage the relationship with the channel members is critical to understand. Research, Practical & Social implications: Distributors are regarded as an extension of the company's sales capabilities. Channels have always held an essential position in the industry. Maintaining relationships between distributors and improving channel performance is a critical question in distribution management.

Middle Powers and Soft-Power Rivalry: Egyptian–Israeli Competition in Africa

Abstract Scholars of international relations have long recognized the importance of soft power in great powers’ hegemonic designs. In contrast, we know little of middle powers’ employment of noncoercive strategies of attraction and, in particular, how soft power operates in the context of middle-power antagonism. We suggest that, first, soft power enhances coalition-building strategies for middle powers. Contrary to expectations that states join forces against a shared threat, the use of soft power via development aid produces an “Us” versus “Them” distinction in target states that unites them in the absence of a common enemy. Second, middle states’ soft-power strategies are likely to support coalition maintenance so long as it does not challenge target states’ national interests. Utilizing extensive archival and interview-based data, we examine how soft power featured in Egyptian–Israeli competition across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1957 to 1974. We demonstrate how soft power operates beyond the context of great power agenda setting, therefore providing novel evidence for the importance of soft power in the interplay between interstate antagonism and noncoercion in world politics.

State capacity and termination of terror campaigns: a qualitative evidence from PKK

ABSTRACT This study addresses the following puzzle: Why did the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) manage to sustain its terror campaign when Turkey increased its state capacity, yet ended its campaign of violence when Turkey’s state capacity significantly declined? The effect of counter-responses of violent groups to increases in state capacity and how those responses affect the chance of their survival, however, has not been adequately considered in studying the link between state capacity and intrastate conflict. We argue that increasing state capacity to penetrate the society and provide public services will threaten the survival of the terror group, thereby incentivizing the group to develop coercive and non-coercive strategies to secure its survival, such as coercive recruitment and fundraising, and providing public goods. We hypothesize that developing such strategies will increase the chances of survival of terror groups. Using the process tracing technique to analyse the history of the PKK’s terror campaign (1984–2013), we test these arguments and hypotheses. The qualitative evidence supports the theory, which opens avenues for future research to reconsider the role of state capacity, particularly in non-military measures, on terrorism and civil conflict by incorporating the role of counter-responses of violent groups to changes in state capacity.

Street-Level Meta-Strategies: Evidence on Restorative Justice and Responsive Regulation

Restorative justice may be effective because it is a street-level meta-strategy that is responsive and relational. Nonresponsive, nonrelational strategies that are enacted from desks are less likely to be effective; best-practice strategies may be less likely to be effective than wisely sequenced meta-strategies. Responsive regulation is conceived as a strategy of moving among strategies, as opposed to selection of any best strategy. Restorative justice is a way of selecting strategies to heal the hurts of injustice. Empathic empowerment of stakeholders who take turns to speak in a circle is at the heart of its strategy for strategy selection. Restorative justice can complement responsive regulation; at their best, they are mutually constitutive. Responsive regulation may work best when restorative justice is a first preference at the base of a pyramid of strategies. Responsive regulation involves listening and flexible deliberative choice among strategies arrayed in a pyramid. At the bottom of the pyramid are more frequently used, noncoercive strategies of first choice. Despite encouraging evidence that restorative and responsive regulation can work better than less dynamic top-down enforcement, the effectiveness of restorative justice and responsive regulation depends mainly on the efficacy of the interventions that are responsively chosen. It is time to redirect research and development to improving the quality of restorative-responsive strategy selection and the quality of the diverse strategies on offer.

할인점과 공급업체간의 협력을 유도하기 위한 할인점의 비강압적, 직접적 영향전략과 공식화의 역할

온라인 쇼핑업체의 성장으로 인하여 최근 수년간 국내 할인점은 매출이 계속 하락하고 있는 상황이다. 이러한 상황에서 할인점은 공급업체와의 협력이 더욱 필요한 상황이라고 할 수 있다. 이에 본 연구는 공급업체의 협력을 유도하기 위한 비강압적, 직접적 영향전략과 관료적 구조화의 역할을 실증하였다. 본 연구의 가설들을 검증하기 위해, 국내 할인점과 거래하고 있는 200곳의 공급업체로부터 표본을 수집하였다. 공급업체의 표본 프레임을 상품군별로 구분한 할당표본추출법에 의해 조사대상을 선발하여 설문조사를 하였다. PLS 구조방정식 모형 분석을 통해 가설을 검증한 결과, 협력을 증가시키는 권고와 공식화의 영향력, 그리고 협력을 감소시키는 요청의 영향력이 나타났다. 한편, 권고와 협력간의 정(+)의 영향관계를 강화하는 공식화의 영향력은 나타나지 않은 반면, 요청과 협력간의 부(-)의 영향관계를 완화하는 공식화의 영향력은 나타났다. 마지막으로, 본 연구의 이론적 의의와 실무적 공헌점이 논의되었으며, 연구의 한계와 향후 연구방향이 제시되었다.

中国市场上供应商的影响战略对 供应商与买方之间关系的影响

This paper is designed to examine how the supplier’s influence strategies have an effect on the supplier-buyer relationship and the guanxi’s moderating role in the their business relationship. In principle, this research is founded on and seeks to validate diverse research constructs in Chinese channel environment, and those have been rigorously discussed by the researchers from the streams of transaction cost theory and relationship exchange theory. The research model in this study is made up of three causal logical nodes-independent variables, mediating variables, and a dependent variable. Importantly, this paper also pays attention to the role of one particular moderating variable, guanxi, which may play a crucial part in the relationship between the independent and mediating variables as well as in the relationship between the mediating variables and a dependent variable. The independent variables are the influence strategies exerted by suppliers and this paper divides six influence strategies into three different categories such as coercive, neutral and non-coercive strategies. Threats and legalistic pleas are categorized into coercive influence strategies, request and promises are classified into neutral influence strategies; further, recommendation and information exchanges are regarded as non-coercive strategies. The mediating variables in this study are opportunism and mutuality which are intrinsically rooted in the two different research streams; the one is originated from TCA(transaction cost analysis) theorists and the other is emerged from the relationship exchange scholars. The final node, the dependent variable, is a long-term orientation that almost all the suppliers and their buyers may pursue. The unit of analysis is a buying firm and respondents for this data collection are employees or owners who are actually involved in the business transaction process with their suppliers. 370 valid questionnaires were obtained and used to verify proposed research model and several hypotheses between the antecedents and mediating variables, and those with dependent variables. The structural equation model is employed to test the research model and a series of research hypotheses. We verify that supplier’s non-coercive influence strategies are beneficial to relationship between the supplier and the buyers. Coercive influence strategies are inefficient to the supplier-buyer relationship. Neutral influence strategies have ambivalent(positive and negative) consequences on the relationship. Further, we identify that guanxi has significant moderating effects on the supplier-buyer relationship. This paper discusses the research findings and proposes the future research directions.

Growth in human population and consumption both need to be addressed to reach an ecologically sustainable future

Nowadays, human activities are causing an important collapse in global biodiversity while also affecting the global climate considerably. Despite historical agreements on both biodiversity conservation and climate change, humanity keeps changing the face of the planet at an increasing rate. An undisputed factor in global change is the excessive and growing human consumption. On the other hand, it seems that linking humanity’s environmental impact with population growth has been quite controversial in the international debate, as if, somehow, biodiversity loss and climate change were unconnected to it. To this purpose, this paper reviews (1) the impacts of continuing human population growth on global biodiversity and climate through the examples of food and energy production, (2) changing perceptions about population growth and (3) the potential solutions that could be used to address this issue. Despite not the only factor, the research reviewed in this paper highlights that continuing population growth plays a substantial global role in the destruction of biodiversity and in climate change, and this role urgently needs more attention in scientific, policy and public circles. Both unsustainable population levels and excessive consumption are part of the equation and must be addressed concurrently in developing and developed countries. Several non-coercive strategies are possible to address the population question, mostly through access to education and contraception, in order to empower women through the basic human right to have children by choice. In any case, although limiting population growth may not be the only solution required to fix current environmental problems, ignoring it is likely to hinder any ecologically sustainable future.

Securing reliable information in investigative interviews: coercive and noncoercive strategies preceding turning points

ABSTRACTInvestigative interviewers apply a range of physical, cognitive, social or legalistic strategies to secure information from suspects. The perceived effectiveness of coercive and noncoercive strategies on turning points was examined by interviewing 34 practitioners and 30 high value detainees in East Asian and Western jurisdictions. Each recounted an interview with an initially uncooperative detainee who became cooperative, or an initially cooperative detainee who became resistant or silent. Analyses of interview narratives identified perceived turning points in the practitioner-suspect relationship associated with clear outcomes. Independent of jurisdiction, 56% of the noncoercive strategies were associated with cooperation, yielding reliable information in 49.4% and true admissions in 20.0% of the cases. In contrast, coercive strategies were perceived as more ineffective (58.9%) than effective (14.6%) in securing information. Physical coercion, intimidation and deception were most frequently acknowledged to yield false information. These findings suggested prioritisation of noncoercive social and physical interview strategies and international consensus on best practices.

"Treat me with respect". A systematic review and thematic analysis of psychiatric patients' reported perceptions of the situations associated with the process of coercion.

Introduction There is a lack of research into psychiatric patients' perceptions of coercion that discriminates between different types of coercive measures, while also investigating patients' perceptions of undergoing coercion as a process. This knowledge is required to improve our understanding and provide a foundation for improving clinical practice. Aims To review existing research literature in order to investigate adult psychiatric patients' reported perceptions of situations before, during and after specific and defined types of coercive measures, and to investigate what patients perceive as moderating factors, in regard to the use of these coercive measures. Method A systematic review and thematic analysis of 26 peer-reviewed studies was undertaken. Results The analysis identified six themes and additional subthemes, where "interactions with professionals" and "communication" were predominant themes across the timeline of coercion. Altogether, themes were associated with either "positive or negative patient-perceived impact." Implications for practice Increased sensitivity to patients' views of the situation at each point in the process is desirable in order to respond to the patients' individual needs. Professionals also need to articulate concern and empathy towards the patient and to improve communication skills before, during and after a coercive incident. Use of de-escalation and noncoercive strategies is required. Relevance statement Coercion within psychiatric/mental health care remains controversial, and repeated international calls have recommended a reduction of their use. This review indicates that greater attention to how patients perceive the use of coercive measures (before, during, and after incidents) needs to be considered in order to improve the evidence-based and clinical practice.

Sex Offender Mobility: An Application of Crime Pattern Theory Among Child Sex Offenders.

Sex offenders are a heterogeneous group and exhibit various offense patterns. Often the location where the offender committed the offense is different from where the offender encountered their victim. Applying crime pattern theory, this study sought to understand if the type of location, victim, and situational characteristics could predict whether an offender would commit the sexual offense in a different and more secluded location than where he first encountered the victim. Among a sample of 114 incarcerated sex offenders, the results showed that offenders who contacted their victims in locations where children are known to congregate were more than 4 times more likely to travel to a more secluded location to complete the sexual offense. Those who used noncoercive strategies (e.g., bribes, seduction) during the offense process were approximately 7 times more likely to travel to a more secluded location that those who did not. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.

The Influence of Channel Environment on Use of Power

With data collected from Sinopec distributors, this study builds a SEM model to analyze the influence of channel institutional and task environment on channel members’ use of power. The empirical results suggest that, both task and institutional environments are influential to channel behavior. In a dynamic envioronment, suppliers tend to use coercive power; and in a munificent environment, suppliers would use non-coercive strategy. When the regulatory environment is influential, suppliers tend to use coercive power, and when the cognitive environment is influential, suppliers would employ non-coercive power. This paper provides new insights into research of channel environment, and also provides practical guidance and suggestions for channel member decision makers.

Trustpolitik: The Failure to Build Trust in Inter-Korean Relations

South Korean President Park Geun-hye introduced the political vision and philosophy of trustpolitik in 2011. The policy aimed at building trust through promise keeping and ultimately establishing inter-Korean institutions to facilitate cooperation and peace. Proponents claim that it is a non-coercive strategy that nevertheless stands firm in its mission to uphold security on the peninsula. While a number of commentators have applauded the policy`s success in containing the North`s provocations, others have criticized it as a mere show of words. This paper contends that in practice, trustpolitik lacks the operational means to achieve its goals as it fails to move away from traditional security measures. The paper further suggests operationable strategies for the transformation of the conflictual interstate relationships.

Beyond sticks and stones: Human capital enhancement efforts in response to violent crime in Latin America

Violent crime has been commonplace in Latin America over the past decades. While existing research has made progress in explaining the rationale and outcomes of government coercive strategies against crime, it has overlooked the non-coercive strategies implemented to improve public security. It is argued in this article that political authorities make human capital enhancement efforts to shape actors’ incentives about criminal activity and mitigate crime. Accordingly, it is hypothesised that violent crime increases human capital enhancement efforts, and that the effect of violent crime on human capital enhancement efforts is larger when left-oriented governments are in power because they stress actors’ motivations over windows of opportunities as the main drivers of crime. Support for these hypotheses is found in a sample of Latin American democracies in the period 1990–2007.

Interviewing High Value Detainees: Securing Cooperation and Disclosures

SummaryFour types of coercive and noncoercive interview strategies (legalistic, physical, cognitive and social) used to facilitate disclosure by high value detainees were examined in an international sample of practitioners and detainees (N = 64). Predictive analyses confirmed that the accusatorial approach was positively correlated with physically coercive strategies (rs = .58) and negatively with forms of social persuasion (rs = −.31). In response to social strategies, detainees were more likely to disclose meaningful information [odds ratio (OR) = 4.2] and earlier in the interview when rapport‐building techniques were used (OR = 14.17). They were less likely to cooperate when confronted with evidence (OR = 4.8). Disclosures were more complete in response to noncoercive strategies, especially rapport‐building and procedural fairness elements of respect and voice. These findings augmented past theory on interactional processes and the evidence‐base of international best practices in suspect interviews. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Potential Impact of Financial Incentives On Participation of Directed Compatible Living Donors in Kidney Paired Donation.

Introduction: The use of financial incentives to encourage medically suitable compatible donors already approved for directed donation, to participate in kidney paired donation (KPD) may be a non-coercive strategy to increase KPD transplants. To inform this strategy we surveyed previous directed living donors and their recipients regarding their willingness to participate in KPD with and without the provision of financial incentives to the donor. Methods: An anonymous survey was mailed to previous directed donors and their recipients in our program between 2001-2009, with the exclusion of cases where the recipient was deceased. Results: Eighty-six of the 207 (42%) donors responded to our mail survey, while 38 recipients responded. Ninety-three percent (78/86) donors and 95% (35/38) of recipients indicated that they would have participated in KPD had it been offered at the time of their transplant. The table shows the proportion of donors and recipients who would be more willing to participate in KPD with the provision of different types of financial incentives.Table: No Caption available.The survey also identified non-financial considerations that would discourage participation in KPD: Delays in transplantation >3 months, loss of an opportunity for preemptive transplantation, or requirement to travel outside the city of residence. The potential to obtain a better donor kidney (i.e. younger donor, higher HLA match) was rated important by 87% of donors, while helping multiple recipients was important to 80% of donors. Irrespective of the amount offered, a direct cash rewards did not substantially increase willingness to participate in KPD, (willingness increased in < 25% of donors and recipients). We conclude that >90% of previous directed donors and their recipients reported a willingness to participate in KPD if they had been provided the opportunity. Reimbursements for travel and lost wages, but not direct cash rewards may increase participation, while delays in transplantation > 3 months may decrease participation of directed compatible donors in KPD. 1. AJKD 2014 63(1): 133-40.

Evolutionary instability of zero-determinant strategies demonstrates that winning is not everything

Zero-determinant strategies are a new class of probabilistic and conditional strategies that are able to unilaterally set the expected payoff of an opponent in iterated plays of the Prisoner’s Dilemma irrespective of the opponent’s strategy (coercive strategies), or else to set the ratio between the player’s and their opponent’s expected payoff (extortionate strategies). Here we show that zero-determinant strategies are at most weakly dominant, are not evolutionarily stable, and will instead evolve into less coercive strategies. We show that zero-determinant strategies with an informational advantage over other players that allows them to recognize each other can be evolutionarily stable (and able to exploit other players). However, such an advantage is bound to be short-lived as opposing strategies evolve to counteract the recognition.

Laws, outlaws, and terrorists: lessons from the war on terrorism

In an age of can the pursuit of security be reconciled with liberal democratic values and legal principles? During its global war on terrorism, the Bush administration argued that the United States was in a new kind of conflict, one in which peacetime domestic law was irrelevant and international law inapplicable. From 2001 to 2009, the United States thus waged war on terrorism in a no-law zone. In Laws, Outlaws, and Terrorists, Gabriella Blum and Philip Heymann reject the argument that traditional American values embodied in domestic and international law can be ignored in any sustainable effort to keep the United States safe from terrorism. They demonstrate that the costs are great and the benefits slight from separating security and the rule of law. They call for reasoned judgment instead of a wholesale abandonment of American values. They also argue that being open to negotiations and seeking to win the moral support of the communities from which the terrorists emerge are noncoercive strategies that must be included in any future efforts to reduce terrorism.

Opportunism in Brand Partnerships

Brand partner opportunism—deceptive or guileful behavior to gain an advantage—is a threat to a successful brand partnership. In this study, the authors examined the effects of coercive and noncoercive tactics for preventing opportunism as those tactics are influenced by relational norms—mutually held standards of behavior that support close relationships. In a survey of 367 hotel general managers from two large hotel brands, the authors found that, in partnerships characterized by strong relational norms, coercive influence strategies, such as threats, promises, or legalistic pleas, are less effective at limiting opportunism than are noncoercive strategies, such as information exchange, recommendations, or requests, which are more effective. In contrast, when relational norms are weak, the authors found that coercive strategies are more effective than are noncoercive strategies. However, regardless of the nature of the relationship, the GMs reported that coercive techniques work only briefly and are ineffective over the long term. Thus, considering the nature of the hotel industry, noncoercive strategies are more likely to benefit brand headquarters’ efforts to limit brand partner opportunism.

Errorless Compliance Training to Reduce Extreme Conduct Problems and Intrusive Control Strategies in Home and School Settings

The present case study involved intervention for a 7-year-old boy with a history of extreme aggression and noncompliance. Given the severity of his behavioral difficulties, his parents used highly coercive consequences, including physical restraint, which significantly compromised the parent—child relationship. The authors used errorless compliance training, a success-based, noncoercive intervention strategy to assist the mother in obtaining child cooperation without need for physical intervention. Although initial intervention attempts were ineffective because of the poor quality of the mother—child bond, systematic adjustments to the intervention eventually produced substantial improvements in child compliance in the home. Concurrent use of the intervention in the child’s classroom led to meaningful gains in classroom compliance. Anecdotal reports from the mother after intervention suggested widespread improvements in prosocial behavior and the parent—child relationship. The study findings provided support for use of errorless compliance training as a home and school-based alternative to interventions that require punitive or coercive consequences to suppress severe antisocial behavior.

The use of influence strategies in interdependent relationship: The moderating role of shared norms and values

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of interdependence on the influence strategies and investigate the moderating role that “shared norms and values” play in the relationships between interdependence and influence strategies. The results reveal that when the degree of total dependence between suppliers and retailers gets higher, the suppliers adopt fewer hard coercive strategies and more promise and noncoercive strategies. When retailers dependent much more on suppliers, suppliers adopt more hard coercive strategies and fewer noncoercive strategies, but there is no significant effect on promise strategies. Under a higher degree of shared norms and values, the negative relationship between total interdependence and hard coercive strategies, and the positive relationship between total interdependence and (1) promise strategies and (2) noncoercive strategies increase. Moreover, the relationship between interdependence asymmetry and influence strategies is also moderated by shared norms and values. It implies that under a higher degree of shared norms and values and a higher extent to which retailers depend on suppliers, suppliers adopt fewer hard coercive strategies and more promise and noncoercive strategies.