Priority For Companies Research Articles

Responsible Sourcing: The First Step Is the Hardest

Responsible sourcing is a priority for companies and consumers concerned with corporate social responsibility (CSR) in global supply chains. Most brands' product lines contain just a few products certified by third parties- which suggests that brands limit their efforts at ensuring that suppliers behave responsibly. In this paper, we examine a previously under-appreciated role of certifications: that certifications enable brands to learn about how to source responsibly. By successfully certifying even a single product, the certifying brand may enjoy positive, knowledge-based spillovers encouraging responsible sourcing throughout its product line. Using data on the responsible sourcing decisions of coffee brands in the $48B US consumer market, we find that certifying brands' rates of CSR violations (adjusted for disparities in production volume and detection) are similarly low regardless of whether the brand's portfolio is 3% certified or 100% certified- consistent with learning-based spillover effects. Certifying brands' violation rates are an estimated 61-78% lower than for comparable brands that make no CSR claims. While we find that brands making their own uncertified, on-packaging CSR claims also exhibit low CSR violation rates, their low violation rates are nearly entirely explained by the countries from which they source. In contrast, certifying brands appear uniquely able to source responsibly even from within countries. Our work novelly suggests that prevalent dual-sourcing may surprisingly amplify, rather than limit, responsible sourcing in supply chains, and that certified sourcing valuably develops the pool of responsible suppliers in high-risk countries.

Reflection on Personal Development, Facts and Rules to be Applied in the Management of Companies

Abstract The employees’ personal development is essential in the current management. The companies that perform have several competent managers and they manage to evolve and retain the talents, rewarding the services. By implementing a careful personal development strategy, they have a real competitive advantage, becoming a priority for companies. This helps their employees to establish a better relationship with themselves and others, a sign of personal and professional evolution. The personal development ensures the employees’ well-being, so that they increase their productivity. Personal development practices must integrate each branch of a company, from production to management, personal development now being part of managers’ tools, its purpose being to help managers get to know each other better and to control their interactions with others, pushing employees to respect the expected behavior of the organization. Thus, personal development becomes indispensable to the nowadays’ management, being advantageous for the company, because, not only does it improve communication within the company, but it also has an impact on its performance and productivity.

Amid Political Spin and Online Misinformation, Fact Checking Adapts

AbstractAfter more than a decade of rapid growth, the worldwide fact‐checking movement has surged since 2016, fuelled by rising concern about the political and social influence of online misinformation. This movement is also changing in ways that deserve close attention, as understanding and mitigating the spread of false information across digital networks has become an urgent priority for governments, charitable foundations, academic researchers, and technology companies. This research brief presents a snapshot of the field based on a mid‐2019 survey designed to reveal how fact‐checking organisations understood their mission, where they were directing their resources, and how their focus had shifted in the last several years. We found evidence of diverging missions in the fact‐checking world, as a focus on combatting online misinformation began to supersede one on checking rhetoric from public figures.

Bacterial Platforms Can Rival Mammalian Platforms

Bacterial Platforms Can Rival Mammalian Platforms

Returning land to country: Indigenous engagement in mined land closure and rehabilitation

This article uses stakeholder and CSR theories to intentionally and meaningfully include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in planning for mined land rehabilitation and closure (MR&C). In the mining space, attention has been paid to securing land access, fulfilling Indigenous Land Use Agreement and Mine Participation Agreement requirements, undertaking initial consultations with communities and Traditional Owners, and setting the terms of reference for entry and mine operation. MR&C, in contrast, has been a distant priority for both mining companies and the relevant state or territory governments. Guidelines for MR&C practice is articulated even less clearly in relation to Indigenous engagement. In response to growing public pressure, the mining industry is focusing more on addressing MR&C issues. This article suggests that companies and governments engage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in plans for MR&C as an upgraded standard for MR&C practice. JEL Classification: Q01, Q32

The The Effect of Employee Engagement on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (Ocb) In Employees Bpjs Ketenagakerjaan East Java

An effective way to retain employees is to maintain and foster a harmonious relationship between the organization and its employees. Good treatment of the company to its employees, will form a positive perception in the minds of its employees so that it arises in the name of engagement or employee engagement. Employees who have an attachment to the company will certainly have a sense of job satisfaction. Employee management must be directed to the ability to elevate Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) through the job satisfaction of its employees, this is mainly because of the employee engagement function that provides a set of values ​​for setting company priorities. The problem of employee engagement is essential for a company, because it will always be related to life in the company. The population of this research is all 557 permanent employees in East Java. The sample in this study was selected using the multistage sampling method. After mapping, eight offices were netted, namely Jember, Malang, Mojokerto, Pasuruan, Sidoarjo, Surabaya Karimunjawa, Surabaya Rungkut, and East Java Regional Office as many as 207. The research hypotheses proposed were 2 and were tested using the path analysis method. The conclusion is that employee engagement and job satisfaction partially affect the Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) of East Java BPJS employees and employee engagement has a significant effect on job satisfaction of East Java BPJS Employees.
 
 Keywords: employee engagement, job satisfaction, Organizational Citizenship Behavior

How companies evaluate the ROI of social media marketing programmes: insights from B2B and B2C

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand and compare how business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies evaluate the return on investment (ROI) on their social media marketing (SMM) programmes and how the investment is handled in these type of marketing programmes. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach involving multiple cases and a survey was used. Data were collected from personal interviews with eight professionals responsible for SMM management, from four B2B and four B2C companies, complemented with responses to a web-based survey by the other 28 companies’ marketing managers. Findings The results show that there are some differences between B2B and B2C companies regarding SMM evaluation and investment but in general marketing managers for both types of firms use simple metrics to evaluate their SMM programmes. The main measures used relate to awareness, engagement and reach and most of the metrics identified are interaction-related. Research limitations/implications Given the complex and sensitive nature of the subject, more research is needed focussed on providing additional evidence from a larger sample of B2B and B2C organizations to allow the extension of the finding to the population as the non-probabilistic nature and size of the current sample impose that the findings should be interpreted carefully. Future research should focus on understanding what the firm’s characteristics predict the importance and level of effort placed in SMM and the barriers to ROI measurement in SMM programmes, especially in B2B firms. Practical implications The current findings confirm that the topic of SMM ROI evaluation is not a priority for B2C or B2B companies. There is a need for an update of their online marketing strategy, namely, on budget definition and allocation. Furthermore, companies should increase the autonomy of SM managers, as they are dependent from marketing managers and hire specialized professionals devoted to SMM in both B2C and B2B companies. Originality/value The findings of this study contribute to improve the understanding of the evaluation of SMM and to extend the literature on the subject. It also provides a relevant advance into the assessment and understanding on the measures used to evaluate the effectiveness of SMM programmes by offering a comparison on how B2B and B2C use metrics and allocate resources to the SMM management.

An Integrated Delphi-DEMATEL-ELECTRE Method on Gray Numbers to Rank Technology Providers

Misunderstanding of technology transfer and lack of a scientific viewpoint in this area are among the fundamental problems of some industries. A novel Delphi-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL)-elimination and choice expressing reality (ELECTRE) decision-making method, which benefited from both qualitative and quantitative methods, is introduced on gray numbers to solve the selection problem of technology providers systematically. The technology provider evaluation criteria are developed according to a literature review and experts’ opinions. Next, the Delphi method is used to evaluate the criteria. Gray DEMATEL is used to investigate the cause and effect relationship between the selected criteria, based on which the criteria were ranked. Finally, using the gray ELECTRE method, the priority of companies is determined. Based on the results of the illustrative case study, the two most robust causal criteria are management/executive capability and cost. Moreover, cost and support through organization policies played a leading role in the system. Also, out of nine technology providers, company 4 is superior to other companies, whereas most companies were of greater advantage to company 5. According to the comparison of weights by Spearman's correlation coefficients, the proposed method is as efficient as the available methods. This novel method can be used in uncertain conditions to select the most reliable company.

GOVERNANÇA, RISCOS E CONFORMIDADE: MODELO INTEGRADO UTILIZANDO A MODELAGEM DE PROCESSOS DE NEGÓCIOS

Devido as novas regulações, Governança, Riscos e Conformidade (GRC) tornou-se pauta prioritária nas empresas. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar um modelo de GRC integrado utilizando a modelagem de processos de negócio. Foi utilizada a Design Science Research (DSR) como método. Para este fim, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica para obter modelos correlatos que serviram como base para a fundamentação deste trabalho. Como resultado, conceberam-se modelos em cada um dos domínios da GRC, os quais, em seguida, foram validados por meio de comparações com modelos encontrados na literatura. Finalmente, os modelos foram integrados, permitindo uma visão holística do processo.

Comparative Analysis of Oil Production in Russia and Abroad

The modern oil complex of the Russian Federation makes a significant contribution to the formation of a positive trade balance and tax revenues to budgets of all levels. This resource makes up more than 16 % of Russian GDP, a quarter of tax and customs revenues to budgets of all levels, and more than a third of the incoming foreign exchange revenue. The article presents the analysis of Russian companies which currently produce much less oil than west companies, except “Lukoil” company. The main reasons for the decline in production are considered to be the lack of financial resources for investment, the underdevelopment of the Russian export infrastructure, and low domestic demand for the products of the industry. At the same time, lower rates of developing existing reserves in Russia in comparison with the west can provide a much longer duration of their operation. One of the priorities for Russian companies is the availability of large oil reserves. At the same time, this advantage is largely lost due to high taxes and low prices for final products. The main disadvantages of Russian companies are considered to be a high degree of financial vulnerability and low efficiency of production activities in comparison with the leading companies of the west. However, the Russian Federation remains an undisputed world leader in oil production and export. The analytical review characterizes the Russian oil complex as a sector of fuel and energy potential and the contribution of oil production to the country’s economic development, the existing resource potential of both oil fields and their number, and recently discovered oil fields. The paper estimates the cost of oil from leading oil producers and the technological capabilities of extracting oil from hard-to-reach fields and describes the resource potential of OPEC countries, Russia, and the United States. The resulting analytical conclusion is the given options for improving the innovative sphere of Russia to increase the efficiency of oil production and development of hard-to-reach oil fields.

Strategic Priorities of Green Companies in Indonesia

This study aims to find out what strategic priorities that green companies need in Indonesia. This type of research is exploratory research. The research method utilized in this research is qualitative clustering through 'idea networking' to obtain the strategic priorities of the company predicated on the green industry in Indonesia. The results of the study show that strategic priorities of green companies in Indonesia have several important points, namely: Excellence, Sustainability, Eco-friendly, CSR, Value Creation, Customer Focus, Efficient. It is expected to provide important information for the green industries to face the challenges. Moreover, the results of this research can be used to conduct further research on the strategic priorities of green companies in Indonesia.

Risk mitigation strategy to eliminate risks associated with claim management in operational procurement through automation

Proper claim management has always been a challenging task for any organisation. Digital technologies and automation are influencing every sector of business. The digital revolution is having a great impact on the supply chain and procurement industry and is making it more complex and prone to risks. The terms ‘Procurement 4.0’ and ‘Industry 4.0’ are top priorities for companies today. The purpose of this research paper is to describe the operational procurement process in detail and identify the risks associated with manual claim management processes. The focus is further narrowed down to show how these risks of claim management can be mitigated and the benefits this could bring to any organisation in terms of cost savings, supplier management, spend transparency and supplier performance improvements. Emerging literature, practical experiences, interviews, case studies, blogs, expert opinions and citations are used to fulfil this task. This research opens up further avenues of research for improvements of supplier management processes.

Corporate Governance and Financial Performance of Quoted Companies in Nigeria

This study investigates the impact of corporate governance on the financial performance of selected companies quoted on the Nigerian stock exchange over the period 2014 – 2018. The study uses a survey research design. The sample of the study covers fifteen companies from different sectors of the Nigerian stock exchange. Financial performance was captured by using return on investment, while the independent variable corporate governance was denominated by the percentage of attendance of board meeting and board size. All data were collected from the companies’ annual reports. The companies’ ages, firm and debt to equity ratio were used as control measures. The model was estimated using the Pooled Ordinary Least Squares estimation technique (POLS). Results from this study generally indicate that Board Activity and Board size have a significant positive impact on financial performance. The correlation matrix also shows that there is a positive significant linear relationship between the proxies of corporate governance and ROI. The study recommends that corporate governance should be given more priority in companies given its capacity to contribute to financial performance, as such all four null hypotheses are therefore rejected. Based on these results, shareholders are encouraged to request for access to adequate director’s report at Annual General Meetings. Likewise, since Board activity and size have been shown to be strong predictors of firm performance, shareholders can make informed investment decisions by comparing attendance at board meetings and size of the boards. Further studies should consider other measures of the strength of the board such as board diversity and Number or frequency of meetings. Similarly, future research works can utilize larger sample. Keywords : Corporate governance, Board Activity, Board Size, ROI DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-6-04 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

A 2020 research commentary on the trust repair life cycle for “How to use apology and compensation to repair competence- versus integrity-based trust violations in e-commerce.”

Abstract Trust is the stepping-stone for successful e-commerce relationships while trust violations in e-commerce are common phenomena. Recovering consumer trust as quickly and effectively as possible is a top priority for e-commerce companies. However, what the underlying mechanism for trust violation repair is remains unclear so far. In order to address this gap, more studies should be conducted for trust repair in the e-commerce context. According to the prior literature, approaches for repairing trust in the short term have begun to be addressed, whereas the long-term approaches have received little attention. Accordingly, a comprehensive model that combines both short-term and long-term repairing approaches is necessary and should be explored.

Electronic word-of-mouth marketing on Amazon: Exploring how and to what extent Amazon reviews affect sales

Consumers today base many of their decisions on peer referrals and online reviews. With the omnipresence of social media and online reviews, electronic word-of-mouth marketing (eWOM) has become a priority for many companies for both business growth and reputational management. The objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of eWOM and its impact on sales. This study also seeks to help organizational leaders understand the significance of eWOM and its role in effective consumer and stakeholder relations, and in overall brand management. The researchers of this project explored eWOM by examining Amazon reviews from two different Kickstarter companies to determine which elements of online reviews impact product sales. By overlaying Amazon review data and sales figures from each Kickstarter company, researchers were able to determine the review factors that companies should focus on to increase their sales and grow their brands. The results of this study show that products with a high volume of positive reviews made by verified purchasers positively correlate to product sales.
 
 Keywords: electronic word-of-mouth marketing, Amazon, online reviews, Kickstarter, sales, reputational management, brand reputation, online reputation management

Identifying innovative practices of management control among start-ups

Management control in start-ups is regarded by practitioners as a critical issue with significant potential of development. On the other hand, researchers in this field recognise a lack of a systematic approach for applying management control models to help start-ups to succeed. This article aims to identify how start-ups use management control practices under an innovative approach. For the data collection, six workshops were held involving 91 entrepreneurs. The research suggests that start-ups use a great number of controls in relation to customer management, performance, employees, information systems, and risks. Furthermore, evidence was also found that the use of management control tools has become a priority for companies wishing to overcome challenges raised by the huge number of uncertainties faced by start-ups. The theoretical contributions of the model presented in this paper have mainly to do with the fact that management controls are implemented and used in different scopes of start-ups analysis. The practical implications put in evidence that control mechanisms can be formal or informal, adapting to a company's needs.

Identifying innovative practices of management control among start-ups

Management control in start-ups is regarded by practitioners as a critical issue with significant potential of development. On the other hand, researchers in this field recognise a lack of a systematic approach for applying management control models to help start-ups to succeed. This article aims to identify how start-ups use management control practices under an innovative approach. For the data collection, six workshops were held involving 91 entrepreneurs. The research suggests that start-ups use a great number of controls in relation to customer management, performance, employees, information systems, and risks. Furthermore, evidence was also found that the use of management control tools has become a priority for companies wishing to overcome challenges raised by the huge number of uncertainties faced by start-ups. The theoretical contributions of the model presented in this paper have mainly to do with the fact that management controls are implemented and used in different scopes of start-ups analysis. The practical implications put in evidence that control mechanisms can be formal or informal, adapting to a company's needs.

Current status and perspectives in the development of therapeutic agents targeting post-ischemic inflammation in the acute stage of stroke

We have developed a partial peptide of RANKL (receptor activator of NF-κB ligand) that suppresses TLR (toll-like receptor)-related inflammation via RANKL/RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB) signals in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. This peptide has been found to be a therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke that can be used in combination with tPA in a mouse model. Based on the findings, we are working on translational research to aim for clinical application of this peptide through collaboration with pharmacy companies. However, the problem is that the need for development of medication in the acute stage of ischemic stroke is currently low in pharmaceutical companies due to the failure of many investigational drugs in the past. To overcome the problem, we are examining the effects of this peptide in other diseases included in the company's priority areas and explaining the environmental changes in the clinical trials due to the development of endovascular treatment in the acute stage of ischemic stroke.

Analysis of Supply Chain Management Performance using SCOR and AHP Methods In Green Avenue Apartments of East Bekasi

This study analyzes the performance of a company's supply chain as measured by an approach using the SCOR method or the Supply Chain Operations Reference. SCOR is divided into 5 basic supply chain management processes, namely plan, source, make, deliver and return. Due to schedule delays of 3%, it is affected by the late delivery of raw materials ordered from suppliers and the quality of raw materials is below standard. Performing a performance measurement approach is also supported by the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to determine the weight of each performance indicator and is calculated using the Expert Choice v11 program in this study. The purpose of this study was to determine how much value the PT Adhi Commuter Properti supply chain performance and what performance indicators should be improved. The results of the study resulted in a 75.444 overall supply chain performance achievement score of the GOOD category in achieving total company performance appraisal and priority improvement recommendations of 4 performance indicators that are expected to help improve the company's supply chain performance, namely the fulfillment of raw materials, structures, defective products and demand that the company can fulfill.

Diterpenes and their derivatives as promising agents against dengue virus and dengue vectors: A literature-based review.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, causes about 100 million cases of infection annually. It is a major public concern, and if left untreated or improperly diagnosed, may cause serious health problems or even death. Historically, dengue has not considered priorities for pharmaceutical companies made the available treatment options. Therefore, medicinal scientists are revealing new insights and enabling novel interventions and approaches to dengue prevention and control. Diterpenes, a class of terpenes have gained much attention due to their diverse biological effects. This review aimed at summarizing available evidences of diterpenes and their derivatives acting against dengue virus and their vectors. For this, an updated search was made in the databases: PubMed and ScienceDirect by using specific keywords. Among the 117 published reports, a total of 30 articles was included in this review. Findings suggest that a number of diterpenes and/or their derivatives act against dengue virus and their two potential vectors namely Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus. In conclusion, diterpenes and their derivatives may have the potential alternative therapeutic tools for the management of dengue virus and some associated diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquito.