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Purpose>The purpose of this study is to investigate how managers' abilities to design and implement organizational change initiatives affects supply chain (SC) responsiveness. Extant research focuses on specific process and resource options to address responsiveness, with only limited reference to managers' capabilities in adapting to new organization designs that organize processes and resources. Consequently, organizational theory that characterizes the implications of developing and implementing various designs is ignored. The study directly leverages organization adaption, organization design and the dynamic managerial capabilities literature to address the question of how to improve SC responsiveness.Design/methodology/approach>Qualitative data are used to identify specific dynamic managerial capability constructs, as well as the expected relationships depicted in our conceptual model. The authors test these relationships using quantitative survey data collected from 199 SC leaders.Findings>The authors find that capabilities in organization design, functional leader negotiations and workforce communications foster SC responsiveness via improved structural adaptability (SA). The findings explain how and when organization design actions impact SA and responsiveness, and more importantly, why managers should invest in developing a workforce communication capability as the foundation for organizational adaptability.Originality/value>By applying organization adaption, organization design and dynamic managerial capabilities concepts, the research expands the existing study of responsiveness in the SC organizational context.

The growth of higher educational institutions much depends upon various factors among which interpersonal skills, communication capabilities and information system are prominent ones. The current study aimed to examine the impact of these factors viz., interpersonal skills, communication capabilities and information system, on the learning capabilities of higher educational institutions in China. The study also checks the mediating role of student satisfaction among these three constructs. The study gathered the data from final year students of higher educational institutions using surveys. The study also examines the data reliability along with association among variables using smart-PLS. The outcomes revealed that the interpersonal skills, communication capabilities and information system have a positive association with learning capabilities. The outcomes also exposed that student satisfaction significantly mediated among exogenous constructs of the study. The study findings would act as a guide to the policymakers regarding enhancing the learning capabilities by focusing on interpersonal skills, communication capabilities and information system.

Purpose: This study examines the influence of entrepreneurial capabilities on innovation and firm performance in software industries. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: Six entrepreneurial capabilities are investigated for their impact on software firms’ innovation and firm performance. The study utilizes empirical data collected from 102 software firm executives engaged in business domains. Results: Of the entrepreneurial capabilities, creative thinking, communication capability, strategic capability, and industry knowledge influence firm performance mediation of innovation. Additionally, market insight directly impacts firm performance while technological skills does not significantly affect firm innovation and performances. Conclusions: Although technological capabilities significantly influence the entrepreneurial intentions of prospective entrepreneurs, when it comes to the innovation and firm performances of existing companies, the critical factors shift toward creative thinking, communication capability, industry knowledge, strategic capabilities, and market insight.

Information and communications technologies (ICT)—and more precisely, their use from fulltime connected mobile gadgets—offer valuable opportunities to interact with tourists using their own devices. In order to exploit these benefits, destinations should have appropriate digital infrastructure to allow for bidirectional smart communication with their visitors. However, the spatial distribution of such coverage, and the geographical concurrence of tourism activities and ICT infrastructure, have been poorly examined. This paper contributes to this analysis by quantifying digital accessibility with both a broader regional approach and a narrower local perspective. First, we propose a digital immersion index, and apply it to the Balearic Islands, Spain. Second, alternative Moran’s indices are used to study the spatial distribution and correlation of tourism and technological infrastructure for a local destination. The results are presented through easily interpretable maps, which can inform tourism policies, such as identifying and prioritizing ITC investments.

One major task of our improvement of China's international communication capabilities is to tell China's stories well and make China's voice heard to communicate a comprehensive, multi-dimensional view of China in the international arena. International Chinese language education bears the dual responsibility of spreading the Chinese language and promoting the Chinese culture. How to shape global narratives for telling China's stories and improve China's international communication capabilities has become an important issue that concerns international Chinese language education. Chinese idioms, which are hidden treasures of the Chinese language, can play a unique role in this regard. It is therefore necessary to review the content and methods of including idioms in international Chinese language education. In this paper, instruction in idioms is approached by making a corpus-based comparative analysis from the theoretical perspectives of equivalence, cognitive metaphor, and second language acquisition. Qualitative and quantitative methods are combined to analyze idioms to be added to the vocabulary of international Chinese language education in three dimensions: word frequency, semantic transparency, and functional equivalence. This paper aims to explore a new approach to the dissemination of Chinese culture through instruction in idioms in international Chinese language education.

The aim of this article is to describe the identification and measurement of the determinants important for a communication maturity model leading to the development of a communication maturity model to measure the communication capabilities of the quantity surveyor. The survey has been conducted amongst practising quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, clients and contractors chosen from all 9 provinces in South Africa. The questionnaire which was distributed and returned by respondents by email in 2010, was aimed at measuring the importance of the determinants according to the quantity surveying standard. Views on the quantity surveying standard of maturity in communication based on the chosen determinants which forms the communication maturity model for the quantity surveyor in the construction industry were also collected. The results of the survey indicated that respondents identified the following determinants as important elements of the communication maturity model: verbal communication, written communication, contractual communication, information technology communication, leadership communication and instruments communication. The views of respondents regarding the quantity surveying standard in maturity from the chosen determinants which form the communication maturity model, showed that all determinants were positively experienced and that the determinant ‘Contractual communication’ showed the highest valuation result. The determinant ‘Verbal communication’ is in relation to other determinants identified as an area that should be developed.

Innovative advanced systems have been proposed for improving the safety and efficiency in the mobility of road users in Europe. Particularly for road transport, new ITS-based Cooperative Services for preventing accidents in critical points and situations are emerging where road users, vehicles and a sensorised integrative infrastructure are the main actors. With this motivation, and taking into account the road infrastructure's capability to incorporate new Cooperative Systems technology, this study aims to provide a first set of guidelines for speeding up the convergence process among a broad set of multi-heterogeneous sensor data fusion, high level situation understanding and assessment, and communications capabilities, all of them necessary for the development of advanced ITS safety-related services previously mentioned. Analysis is focused on vulnerable road users (VRUs) and on how this kind of services will contribute to provide more intelligent and safer urban traffic environments. A typical scenario involving VRU is studied as a preliminary analysis of the impact that these systems have on the safety of a specific group of road users. Some of the underlying principles of the proposed architecture will be validated in a field operational test FP7 European project.

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to establish the differences between the food and beverages (F&B) and technology-based industries with regards to the relation between previously identified success factors and innovation project performance. Design/methodology/approach – These differences are established on the basis of logistic regression analysis, using 38 innovation projects (18 F&B and 20 technology-based). Findings – Newness of the innovation project to the company, communication capabilities and market potential have a more negative impact on innovation project performance in the F&B than the tech-based industry. Especially functional upstream capabilities increase the likelihood of success in F&B, when compared to tech-based innovation projects. Practical implications – While functional upstream capabilities are important for success of F&B innovation projects, there is still room for improvement in order to deal effectively with newness of the innovation project to the company. Internalization of resources from the network and a balanced radical/incremental innovation project portfolio contribute to additional enhancement of functional capabilities of the F&B companies, improving their capacity to deal with newness. Through a larger focus on co-innovation with retail, F&B companies can improve their intra- and inter-firm communication capabilities to attain more consumer-oriented integration of R&D and marketing activities, improving the market potential of their innovations. Originality/value – This paper demonstrates that the previously identified critical success factors for innovation projects differ in impact and importance for F&B innovation project performance when compared to innovation projects in the technology-based industry.

The possible lack of scientific analyses with reference to the maturity of the quantity surveyor and engineering professions’ communication capabilities and communication instruments in the construction industry initiated the study. The reason for the survey on both professions is due to the fact that they perform almost similar functions. This article aims to measure the determinants of a communication maturity model in respect of the communication capabilities of these professions. Research undertaken by the University of the Free State in collaboration with the Wirtschafts University in Vienna, Austria in 2005/6 revealed the proposed most important determinants used. The results of the survey show that respondents were positive in respect of the professions’ communication in general. This can therefore influence the construction industry with continuous advantages for the property development environment. The survey results show that the determinant ‘instruments communication (supportive)’ of the quantity surveyor is experienced as the most positive. The determinants ‘verbal communication‘ and ‘written communication’ of the quantity surveyor are experienced as the least positive. In addition, the survey results show that the determinant ‘knowledge’ capabilities of the engineer is experienced as the most positive. The determinants ‘contractual communication’, ‘written communication’ and ‘instruments communication (clearness)’ of the engineer are experienced as the least positive. A communication maturity model, developed in previous research and consisting of the identified determinants for effective communication, has been used to measure the maturity of the two professions’ communication capabilities in the construction industry. The implementation of the communication maturity model in practice can have a positive influence to improve the communication capabilities of the profession in the construction industry.

Die doel van hierdie artikel is om die beginsels wat die bourekenaar ondersteun om kontraktueel effektief te kommunikeer, te identifiseer en te meet om die standaard van die volwassenheid van die bourekenaar se bourekenkundige kontraktuele kommunikasie te bepaal. Hierdie artikel vorm deel van 'n volledige studie oor bourekenkundige kommunikasie in die konstruksiebedryf en word aspekte soos mondelinge, skriftelike, elektroniese en leierskapkommunikasie elders aangespreek. Die ondersoek is gedoen onder praktiserende bourekenaars, argitekte, ingenieurs, kliënte en aannemers, gekies uit al 9 provinsies van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika. Die vraelys is in 2010 uitgestuur en is ook in dieselfde jaar terug ontvang. Die vraelys is per e-pos gesirkuleer met die doel om die beginsels wat die bourekenaar ondersteun om kontraktueel effektief te kommunikeer, te meet volgens die volwassenheidsnorm wat vir die bourekenaarstandaard teenoor die norm wat vir die wêreldklasstandaard geld. Die resultate van die respondente het die volgende aangewys as beginsels in kontraktuele kommunikasievolwassenheid gemeet aan die bou-rekenaarstandaard: kontraktueelbindend, billikheid, effektiwiteit/afdwing-baarheid en ondubbelsinnigheid waar kontraktueelbindend die mees positiewe en ondubbelsinnigheid die mins positiewe waarderingsuitslag gelewer het. The aim of this article is to identify principles that support the quantity surveyor to communicate effectively in contractual communication and measure these principles to determine the maturity standard of the quantity surveyor's quantity surveying contractual communication. This article forms part of a more comprehensive study on quantity surveying communication in the construction industry, and aspects such as oral, written, electronic and leadership communication have been addressed elsewhere. The survey was conducted among practising quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, clients and contractors chosen from all 9 provinces of South Africa. The questionnaire was distributed to, and returned by respondents in 2010. The questionnaire was circulated by means of e-mail for the purpose of measuring the principles that support the quantity surveyor to communicate effectively in contractual communication according to the quantity surveying standard vs the worldclass standard. The results of the survey indicated that respondents identified the following principles as important in contractual communication maturity measured against quantity surveying standard: contractual binding, reasonableness, effectiveness/enforceability and unambiguousness, where contractual binding showed the most positive and unambiguousness the least positive valuation result.