bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Physical violence during pregnancy in Peru: Proportion, geographical distribution, and associated factors
Authors: Nuñez-Ochoa Mercedes Joselyn , Moquillaza-Alcantara Victor Hugo , Tinoco Clara Margarita Diaz
Published: May 2020

Objective

Estimate the proportion, geographic distribution and sociodemographic factors associated with physical violence during pregnancy between 2016 and 2018.

Material and methods

Secondary analysis of the Demographic and Family Health Survey, which included respondents whether they presented physical violence during pregnancy in the last 12 months.

Results

The proportion of physical violence was 9,9% [95%CI:9,6–10,4%] during 2016, 9,2% [95%CI:8,8–9,6%] during 2017 and 8,6% [95%CI:8,3–8,9%] during 2018, The regions with the highest proportion were Puno, Arequipa and Apurímac during the 3 years. Among the associated factors, the residue in rural areas (RP:0,49; p=0,011) and be “very rich” (RP:0,63; p=0,029) was protective; while they were at risk of not presenting studies (RP:1,87; p=0,014), the cohabiting marital status (RP:1,51; p=0,001), separated (RP:3,56; p<0,001), showing an age between 40 a 49 years (RP:1,79; p=0,012) and that partner drinks alcohol (RP:1,61; p<0,001).

Conclusion

The proportion of violence in Peru has been decreasing. The factors that predispose this phenomenon are the wealth index, educational level, marital status, and the age of the pregnant woman.
COVID-19 Lockdown in a Kenyan Informal Settlement: Impacts on Household Energy and Food Security
Authors: Shupler Matthew , Mwitari James , Gohole Arthur , Cuevas Rachel Anderson de , Puzzolo Elisa , Čukić Iva , Nix Emily , Pope Dan
Published: May 2020

A COVID-19 lockdown may impact household fuel use and food security for ∼700 million sub-Saharan Africans who rely on polluting fuels (e.g. wood, kerosene) for household energy and typically work in the informal economy. In an informal settlement in Nairobi, surveys administered before (n=474) and after (n=194) a mandatory COVID-19-related community lockdown documented socioeconomic/household energy impacts. During lockdown, 95% of participants indicated income decline or cessation and 88% reported being food insecure. Three quarters of participants cooked less frequently and half altered their diet. One quarter (27%) of households primarily using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking before lockdown switched to kerosene (14%) or wood (13%). These results indicate the livelihoods of urban Kenyan families were deleteriously affected by COVID-19 lockdown, with a likely rise in household air pollution from community-level increases in polluting fuel use. To safeguard public health, policies should prioritize enhancing clean fuel and food access among the urban poor.
Causal Impact of Masks, Policies, Behavior on Early Covid-19 Pandemic in the U.S
Authors: Chernozhukov Victor , Kasahara Hiroyuki , Schrimpf Paul
Published: May 2020

The paper evaluates the dynamic impact of various policies adopted by US states on the growth rates of confirmed Covid-19 cases and deaths as well as social distancing behavior measured by Google Mobility Reports, where we take into consideration people’s voluntarily behavioral response to new information of transmission risks in a causal structural model framework. Our analysis finds that both policies and information on transmission risks are important determinants of Covid-19 cases and deaths and shows that a change in policies explains a large fraction of observed changes in social distancing behavior. Our main counterfactual experiments suggest that nationally mandating face masks for employees early in the pandemic could have reduced the weekly growth rate of cases and deaths by more than 10 percentage points in late April and could have led to as much as 19 to 47 percent less deaths nationally by the end of May, which roughly translates into 19 to 47 thousand saved lives. We also find that, without stay-at-home orders, cases would have been larger by 6 to 63 percent and without business closures, cases would have been larger by 17 to 78 percent. We find considerable uncertainty over the effects of school closures due to lack of cross-sectional variation; we could not robustly rule out either large or small effects. Overall, substantial declines in growth rates are attributable to private behavioral response, but policies played an important role as well. We also carry out sensitivity analyses to find neighborhoods of the models under which the results hold robustly: the results on mask policies appear to be much more robust than the results on business closures and stay-at-home orders. Finally, we stress that our study is observational and therefore should be interpreted with great caution. From a completely agnostic point of view, our findings uncover predictive effects (association) of observed policies and behavioral changes on future health outcomes, controlling for informational and other confounding variables.
Non-communicable diseases and inequalities increase risk of death among COVID-19 patients in Mexico
Authors: Gutierrez Juan Pablo , Bertozzi Stefano M.
Published: May 2020

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic compounds Mexico’s pre-existing challenges: very high levels of both non-communicable diseases (NCD) and social inequity.

Methods and findings

Using data from national reporting of SARS-CoV-2 tested individuals, we estimated odds of hospitalization, intubation and death based on pre-existing non-communicable diseases and socioeconomic indicators. We found that obesity, diabetes and hypertension are positively associated with the 3 outcomes in a synergistic manner. The municipal poverty level is also positively associated with hospitalization and death.

Conclusions

Mexico’s response to COVID-19 is complicated by a synergistic double challenge: raging NCDs and extreme social inequity. The response to the current pandemic must take both of them into account both to be effective and to ensure that the burden of COVID-19 not fall disproportionately on those who are already disadvantaged.
Plasmin cascade mediates thrombolytic events in SARS-CoV-2 infection via complement and platelet-activating systems
Authors: Mukund Kavitha , Mathee Kalai , Subramaniam Shankar
Published: May 2020

Recently emerged beta-coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in the current pandemic designated COVID-19. COVID-19 manifests as severe illness exhibiting systemic inflammatory response syndrome, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), thrombotic events, and shock, exacerbated further by co-morbidities and age1–3. Recent clinical reports suggested that the pulmonary failure seen in COVID-19 may not be solely driven by acute ARDS, but also microvascular thrombotic events, likely driven by complement activation4,5. However, it is not fully understood how the SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms mediate thrombotic events, and whether such mechanisms and responses are unique to SARS-CoV-2 infection, compared to other respiratory infections. We address these questions here, in the context of normal lung epithelia,in vitroandin vivo, using publicly available data. Our results indicate that plasmin is a crucial mediator which primes interactions between complement and platelet-activating systems in lung epithelia upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, with a potential for therapeutic intervention.
Assessment of Inactivation Procedures for SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Auerswald Heidi , Yann Sokhoun , Dul Sokha , In Saraden , Dussart Philippe , Martin Nicholas J. , Karlsson Erik A. , Garcia-Rivera Jose A.
Published: May 2020

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), presents a challenge to laboratorians and healthcare workers around the world. Handling of biological samples from individuals infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus requires strict biosafety and biosecurity measures. Within the laboratory, non-propagative work with samples containing the virus requires, at minimum, Biosafety Level-2 (BSL-2) techniques and facilities. Therefore, handling of SARS-CoV-2 samples remains a major concern in areas and conditions where biosafety and biosecurity for specimen handling is difficult to maintain, such as in rural laboratories or austere field testing sites. Inactivation through physical or chemical means can reduce the risk of handling live virus and increase testing ability worldwide. Herein we assess several chemical and physical inactivation techniques employed against SARS-CoV-2 isolates from Cambodian COVID-19 patients. This data demonstrates that all chemical (AVL, inactivating sample buffer and formaldehyde) and heat treatment (56°C and 98°C) methods tested completely inactivated viral loads of up to 5 log10.
Magnetospirillum magneticumas a living iron chelator induces TfR1 upregulation and decreases cell viability in cancer cells
Authors: Menghini Stefano , Shu Ho Ping , Gwisai Tinotenda , Schuerle Simone
Published: May 2020

Interest has grown in harnessing biological agents for cancer treatment as dynamic vectors with enhanced tumor targeting. While bacterial traits such as proliferation in tumors, modulation of an immune response and local secretion of toxins have been well studied, less is known about bacteria as competitors for nutrients. Here, we investigated the use of a bacterial strain as a living iron chelator, competing for this nutrient vital to tumor growth and progression. We established anin vitroco-culture system consisting of the magnetotactic strainMagnetospirillum magneticumAMB-1 incubated under hypoxic conditions with human melanoma cells. Siderophore production by 108AMB-1/mL in human transferrin (Tf)-supplemented media was quantified and found to be equivalent to a concentration of 3.78 μM ± 0.117 μM deferoxamine, a potent drug used in iron chelation therapy. Our experiments revealed an increased expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and a significant decrease of cancer cell viability, indicating the bacteria’s ability to alter iron homeostasis in human melanoma cells. Our results show the potential of a bacterial strain acting as a self-replicating iron-chelating agent, which could serve as an additional mechanism reinforcing current bacterial cancer therapies.
Study of the Sudanese perceptions of COVID-19: Applying the Health Belief Model
Authors: Nasir Elwalid F. , Yagoub Hatim Mohammed Almahdi , Alhag Ahmed Khalid
Published: May 2020

Background

COVID-19 a pandemic declared by WHO, is the first in recent history pose challenges on public health. Health Belief Model is a psychosocial model explains and predicts health-related behaviours. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of the Sudanese on COVID-19-related preventive measures.

Methods

A Cross-sectional study using online-questionnaire was conducted between 1st-16th April 2020 among Sudanese adults (aged ≥18 years). We used a snowball sampling technique, starting from known professional and social media groups, and individuals and then was distributed on various internet platforms. The survey instrument was based on HBM constructs.

Results

Some 877 individuals participated in the survey with a mean age 37.8 (SD±11.94) more males, mostly having a university education, employed and residing in Khartoum. More than half of the participants scored high in almost all Health Belief Model constructs, except for benefits of hand hygiene. The findings show that the HBM constructs are correlated to each other’s as well as to other socio-demographic factors. Self-efficacy correlated negatively with susceptibility (r −0.084), while positively with severity, benefits of and barriers to hand hygiene, benefits and barriers to social distancing (r 0.117, r 0.347, r 0.202, r 0.396, r 0.276), respectively.

Conclusion

The findings show that the HBM constructs are correlated to each other’s as well as to other socio-demographic factors. Self-efficacy must be taken into account as a strong changing factor to susceptibility and severity perceptions. Correlations found in this study might help drive behaviour-changing efforts.
Information gain from isotopic contrast variation in neutron reflectometry on protein–membrane complex structures
Authors: Heinrich Frank , Kienzle Paul A. , Hoogerheide David P. , Lösche Mathias
Published: May 2020

A framework is applied to quantify information gain from neutron or X-ray reflectometry experiments [Treece, Kienzle, Hoogerheide, Majkrzak, Lösche & Heinrich (2019). J. Appl. Cryst. 52, 47–59], in an in-depth investigation into the design of scattering contrast in biological and soft-matter surface architectures. To focus the experimental design on regions of interest, the marginalization of the information gain with respect to a subset of model parameters describing the structure is implemented. Surface architectures of increasing complexity from a simple model system to a protein–lipid membrane complex are simulated. The information gain from virtual surface scattering experiments is quantified as a function of the scattering length density of molecular components of the architecture and the surrounding aqueous bulk solvent. It is concluded that the information gain is mostly determined by the local scattering contrast of a feature of interest with its immediate molecular environment, and experimental design should primarily focus on this region. The overall signal-to-noise ratio of the measured reflectivity modulates the information gain globally and is a second factor to be taken into consideration.
Ammonium bis(salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazonato)ferrate(III), a supramolecular material containing low-spin FeIII
Authors: Powell Robyn E. , Stöger Berthold , Knoll Christian , Müller Danny , Weinberger Peter , Koningsbruggen Petra J. van
Published: May 2020

The synthesis and crystal structure (100 K) of the title compound, ammonium bis[salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazonato(2−)-κ3O,N1,S]iron(III), NH4[Fe(C8H7N3OS)2], is reported. The asymmetric unit consists of an octahedral [FeIII(thsa)2]−fragment, where thsa2−is salicylaldehyde thiosemicarbazonate(2−), and an NH4+cation. Each thsa2−ligand bindsviathe thiolate S, the imine N and the phenolate O donor atoms, resulting in an FeIIIS2N2O2chromophore. The ligands are orientated in two perpendicular planes, with the O and S atoms incisand the N atoms intranspositions. The FeIIIion is in the low-spin state at 100 K. The crystal structure belongs to a category I order–disorder (OD) family. It is a polytype of a maximum degree of order (MDO). Fragments of the second MDO polytype lead to systematic twinning by pseudomerohedry.
Crystal structures of the GH18 domain of the bifunctional peroxiredoxin–chitinase CotE from Clostridium difficile
Authors: Whittingham Jean L. , Hanai Shumpei , Brannigan James A. , Ferreira William T. , Dodson Eleanor J. , Turkenburg Johan P. , Cartwright Jared , Cutting Simon M. , Wilkinson Anthony J.
Published: May 2020

CotE is a coat protein that is present in the spores of Clostridium difficile, an obligate anaerobic bacterium and a pathogen that is a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in hospital patients. Spores serve as the agents of disease transmission, and CotE has been implicated in their attachment to the gut epithelium and subsequent colonization of the host. CotE consists of an N-terminal peroxiredoxin domain and a C-terminal chitinase domain. Here, a C-terminal fragment of CotE comprising residues 349–712 has been crystallized and its structure has been determined to reveal a core eight-stranded β-barrel fold with a neighbouring subdomain containing a five-stranded β-sheet. A prominent groove running across the top of the barrel is lined by residues that are conserved in family 18 glycosyl hydrolases and which participate in catalysis. Electron density identified in the groove defines the pentapeptide Gly-Pro-Ala-Met-Lys derived from the N-terminus of the protein following proteolytic cleavage to remove an affinity-purification tag. These observations suggest the possibility of designing peptidomimetics to block C. difficile transmission.
Advances in the smart materials applications in the aerospace industries
Authors: Basheer Al Arsh
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Smart materials also called intelligent materials are gaining importance continuously in many industries including aerospace one. It is because of the unique features of these materials such as self-sensing, self-adaptability, memory capabilities and manifold functions. For a long time, there is no review of smart materials. Therefore, it is considered worthwhile to write a review on this subject.

Design/methodology/approach

A thorough search of the literature was carried out through SciFinder, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library and reputed and peer-reviewed journals. The literature was critically analyzed and a review was written.

Findings

This study describes the advances in smart materials concerning their applications in aerospace industries. The classification, working principle and recent developments (nano-smart materials) of smart materials are discussed. Besides, the future perspectives of these materials are also highlighted. Much research has not been done in this area, which needs more extensive study.

Originality/value

Certainly, this study will be highly useful for academicians, researchers and technocrats working in aerospace industries.
Skills required to deliver energy efficient school retrofit buildings
Authors: Bevan Whitney , Lu Shu-Ling , Sexton Martin
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The prevailing literature argues the need for “new” skills to deliver energy-efficient buildings. The concept of new skills, however, has not been subject to empirical investigation. This paper aims to provide insight on the required new skills, and their development and application, for the successful delivery of energy-efficient school retrofit buildings.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employed a case study approach of a school retrofit building project in the early stages of the adoption of energy-efficient measures. Through the application of the socio-technical network approach (STNA) as the data collection and analysis framework, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations and a review of relevant organisational documentation and were analysed using thematic coding.

Findings

The findings reveal key actors (i.e. the local authority, energy contractors and school end-users), their principal interests and the required communication, project management, energy management, technical and research skills during their interactions in the successful delivery of the school retrofit building project. The results further reinforce the crucial role of the local authority in driving energy performance improvement of school buildings.

Originality/value

This study demonstrates empirical evidence of the principal actors and skills required for the delivery of energy-efficient school retrofit buildings, contributes to new theoretical insights at the identification of key micro-level development of construction skills through the project network and evidences on how the STNA can be mobilised in construction skills research.
ANN-based prediction intervals to forecast labour productivity
Authors: Nasirzadeh Farnad , Kabir H.M. Dipu , Akbari Mahmood , Khosravi Abbas , Nahavandi Saeid , Carmichael David G.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aims to propose the adoption of artificial neural network (ANN)-based prediction intervals (PIs) to give more reliable prediction of labour productivity using historical data.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the proposed PI method, various sources of uncertainty affecting predictions can be accounted for, and a PI is proposed instead of a less reliable single-point estimate. The proposed PI consists of a lower and upper bound in which the realization of the predicted variable, namely, labour productivity, is anticipated to fall with a defined probability and represented in terms of a confidence level (CL).

Findings

The proposed PI method is implemented on a case study project to predict labour productivity. The quality of the generated PIs for the labour productivity is investigated at three confidence levels. The results show that the proposed method can predict the value of labour productivity efficiently.

Practical implications

This study is the first attempt in construction management to undertake a shift from deterministic point predictions to interval forecasts to improve the reliability of predictions. The proposed PI method will help project managers obtain accurate and credible predictions of labour productivity using historical data. With a better understanding of future outcomes, project managers can adopt appropriate improvement strategies to enhance labour productivity before commencing a project.

Originality/value

Point predictions provided by traditional deterministic ANN-based forecasting methodologies may be unreliable due to the different sources of uncertainty affecting predictions. The current study proposes ANN-based PIs as an alternative and robust tool to give a more reliable prediction of labour productivity using historical data. Using the proposed method, various sources of uncertainty affecting the predictions are accounted for, and a PI is proposed instead of a less reliable single point estimate.
Proposing a strategy map for coastal urban project success using the balanced scorecard method
Authors: Huynh Truc Thi-Minh , Dang Chau Ngoc , Le-Hoai Long , Pham Anh-Duc , Nguyen Truong Duy
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aims to develop a strategic framework for the success of coastal urban projects in Vietnam, which is one of the Asia Pacific countries significantly affected by climate change.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was used to collect data from practitioners in Vietnam. Principal component analysis (PCA) technique was used to identify critical success factors (CSFs) of coastal urban projects. A strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects was also proposed using the balanced scorecard (BSC) method.

Findings

This study identified 41 project success factors that could contribute to project success, and thence, extracted 11 CSFs for coastal urban projects using the PCA technique. In addition, 11 key performance indicators (KPIs) for coastal urban projects were listed and their linking with project success factors and CSFs was explored. Furthermore, a strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects was proposed using the BSC method. The strategy map included five perspectives: learning and growth, internal processes, social and environmental performance, financial performance, and stakeholders' satisfaction.

Originality/value

This study identified 11 CSFs for coastal urban projects and proposed a strategy map for the success of coastal urban projects.
Yaqoob biscuit manufacturers – missing contingency plan
Authors: Shaikh Abdul Rehman , Qazi Asad Ali
Published: May 2020

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are as follows: to describe the possible problems in cross hierarchical and cross-functional coordination; to illustrate the month/year-end closing operations related issues at logistics and warehousing end; to analyze the importance of supply chain resilience/ contingency plan; and to compare the role of the tradeoff in decision-making: ethics (policies) vs operations.

Case overview/synopsis

Mr Azhar Ali working as a regional distribution manager was waiting for the finalization of sales orders, it was the last working day of the financial year. He had to fulfill all the orders to achieve his personal and organizational goals. He was excited as he was supposed to be promoted and transferred to Head Office on a national role, after a successful annual closing. It was not too late when his excitement turned into anxiety when he received a never expected direct call from Director Sales. Around 7:00 p.m., he was informed of some new orders for an important institutional customer, which was out of his own region. The orders were placed in Ali’s region because of stocks’ availability. Ali had no time to plan this huge order and there were no dispatch trucks available at that time. Should Ali take risk of organizational goals and his promotion and cancel those orders? Should Ali generate sales invoices to record sales and dispatch the stocks on next day compromising the organizational core values and policies?

Complexity academic level

BBA.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only.

Subject code

CSS 9: Operations and logistics.
Diffusion of IFRS using innovation diffusion models
Authors: Dayyala Niharika , Zaidi Syed Kashif Raza , Bagchi Kallol
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine the diffusion pattern of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) into the countries and identifies the channels of diffusion.

Design/methodology/approach

Data includes 98 countries that made a public commitment to IFRS adoption from 2000 to 2016. Adoptee countries are categorized based on Rogers’ adopter categorizations to understand country characteristics. Innovation diffusion models such as internal influence, external influence and bass diffusion that explain diffusion patterns are applied to the cumulative adoption of IFRS. Coefficients of internal and external diffusion are obtained using the models to explain the mode of diffusion pattern of IFRS. Further tests are done to identify the best model that explains IFRS diffusion.

Findings

Findings show that IFRS diffusion is a result of external influence through vertical communication from a centralized body (IASB) and internal influence due to imitation and interpersonal communication between countries. Imitation effect among the countries has a stronger effect on the IFRS adoption compared to the communication obtained from IASB.

Practical implications

Findings obtained can help standards-setting bodies, organizations and countries to understand the potential future of adopters and non-adopters. It facilitates the standard-setting bodies to manage IFRS diffusion by implementing measures to spread the word on the benefits of IFRS.

Originality/value

The study generates value by modeling a successive increase in the number of IFRS adoptee countries using empirical methods and identifies the reasons for the diffusion life cycle of IFRS.
Whistleblowing: still not an issue of social policy, but an issue for social policy
Authors: Powell Martin
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper revisits the claim of Vinten (1993) in this journal that whistleblowing is achieving prominence as a question of social policy.

Design/methodology/approach

It examines literature from social and health policy to focus on the importance of whistleblowing and the policies that may encourage whistleblowing. However, it finds little extant academic literature in social policy, and so it turns to examine documents on whistleblowing in the British National Health Service such as NHS Inquiries, Parliamentary Debates, Parliamentary Committee Reports and government documents.

Findings

It is found that whistleblowing has not achieved prominence as a question of social policy in nearly 30 years since Vinten's argument. However, it argues that whistleblowing should be an issue for social policy as it is clear that whistleblowing can save lives.

Practical implications

It supports the growing Parliamentary agenda for legislative change for whistleblowers.

Originality/value

This is one of the first articles on whistleblowing in a Social Policy journal for nearly 30 years and provides an argument that the discipline should pay more attention to a topic that can save lives.
COVID-19 in Africa: socio-economic impact, policy response and opportunities
Authors: Ozili Peterson
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper examines the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and the policy response in African countries.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses discourse analysis to analyse the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

Findings

The findings reveal that African countries have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, and the effect was more severe for African regions compared to other regions. The rising pandemic affected social interaction and economic activities through the imposed social distancing policies that have different levels of strictness in several African countries

Practical implications

The implication of the findings is that social policies can affect the social and economic well-being of citizens. Secondly, the coronavirus outbreak has revealed how a biological crisis can be transformed to a sociological subject. The most important sociological consequence of the coronavirus outbreak for African citizens is the creation of social anxiety among families and households in the region. The outbreak has also shown how vulnerable African societies are in facing health hazards. Policymakers should enforce social policies that unite communities in bad times, to reduce social anxiety.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that explore the socio-economic impact of coronavirus and the policy response in African countries.
Geographical indications in the wine industry: does it matter for South Africa?
Authors: Lubinga Moses Herbert , Ngqangweni Simphiwe , Van der Walt Stephanie , Potelwa Yolanda , Nyhodo Bonani , Phaleng Lucius , Ntshangase Thandeka
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the impact of protected geographical indications (GIs) on the trade performance of South Africa’s wine industry within the European Union (EU). This is critical in enhancing informed policy decisions towards securing more GIs for wines and other products. The unearthed evidence may provide a basis for more government interventions in support of the initiative while protecting the good reputation in communities where production occurs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the gravity flow model framework. The Rand value of wine exports was used as a trade performance measure whereas GIs data was extracted from the E-Bacchus database, and three proxies are used to capture the GIs variable.

Findings

GIs foster South Africa’s wine exports into the EU. When GIs were proxied as a dummy variable, results suggest that GIs led to about 170% increase in wine exports. However, when the actual number of GIs was used, the estimate also indicates 0.7% rise in exports, whereas using the difference between South Africa’s and the EU’s number of GIs, results suggest that GIs are associated with 87% increase in wine exports.

Research limitations/implications

This paper did not take into consideration protected designation of origins (PDOs) on the side of the Europe given that South Africa has no registered PDOs. Further research at industry level should be undertaken to ascertain whether some of South Africa’s wine meets the specifications required to register as a PDO.

Originality/value

This paper adds empirical evidence to the existing literature on the competitiveness of South Africa’s wine industry. The role of GIs in international markets remains a silent feature in the literature yet the industry exhibits an outstanding footprint in GIs. This paper, in part, responds to Biénabe and Marie-Vivien’s (2017) recognition for the need for interdisciplinary empirical analyses to better understand the GI concept. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to analyse the impact of GIs on the industry’s trade performance.
Why online medical teams disband? The role of team diversity and leadership type
Authors: Li Jiaying , Wu Hong , Deng Zhaohua , Evans Richard David , Hong Ziying , Liu Shan
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Online medical teams (MTs), involving collaboration between remote healthcare workers, can provide comprehensive and rapid healthcare to patients. The growth in MTs is continuing, with popularity growing among doctors and patients, but some MTs disband, which could break the continuity of healthcare services provided. We aim to address this pressing issue by exploring the effects of team diversity and leadership types on team status (i.e. team disbandment (TD)). This paper systematically investigates the influences of team diversity, including separation, variety and disparity diversity and the effects of leadership types, including strong, equal and weak types.

Design/methodology/approach

A data set consisting 1,071 online MTs was collected from the Good Doctor website, a leading Chinese online health community (OHC), on January 10, 2018. The data captured included 206 teams which disbanded after 3 months collaboration. Logistic regression and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) were used to examine their effects.

Findings

The results show that variety diversity, related to departments, positively affects TD, but disparity diversity, referring to clinician titles, negatively affects TD. Separation diversity, in terms of team member attitudes, exerts a negligible influence on disbandment. Although strong and equal leadership types negatively influence TD, they are seen to strengthen the positive effect of variety diversity, suggesting stable structure combinations of strong or equal-type leadership and low department diversity, as well as the match of weak-type leadership and high department diversity.

Originality/value

This paper extends the current understanding of virtual teams and OHCs by examining the role of leadership types and team diversity, and their influencing role on team status. The pairwise combinations are obtained to effectively reduce the disbandment probability of medical teams operating in OHCs, which could help platform managers, team founders and those connected with MTs deal with the team-disbandment crisis, providing both theoretical and practical implications to healthcare providers and researchers alike.
Inventory management, managerial competence and financial performance of small businesses
Authors: Orobia Laura A. , Nakibuuka Joweria , Bananuka Juma , Akisimire Richard
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is twofold (1) to establish the relationship between inventory management, managerial competence and financial performance and (2) to test whether inventory management mediates the relationship between managerial competence and financial performance.

Design/methodology/approach

We employed cross-sectional and correlational research designs. A questionnaire survey of 304 small businesses in Uganda was utilized. Hypotheses were tested using a bootstrap analysis technique with the aid of Analysis of Moments Structures (AMOS) software.

Findings

Results indicate that inventory management and managerial competence are significantly associated with financial performance of small businesses. Further, inventory management partially mediates the relationship between managerial competence and financial performance.

Originality/value

Rather than focusing on only the direct effects of managerial competence and inventory management, moreover independently, the indirect effect of inventory management is tested. Further, the behavioral perspective of inventory management, as opposed to financial ratios, is utilized.
Review of empirical research on leadership and organizational learning
Authors: Do Thanh Tung , Mai Ngoc Khuong
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how the relationships between different leadership approaches and organizational learning have been examined in the literature, from which future research areas can be recommended.

Design/methodology/approach

This systematic literature review applies matrix method to examine major literature in leadership and organizational learning. A total of 57 peer-reviewed English publications from 45 journals were selected and analyzed.

Findings

The synthesis of these empirical studies revealed as follows: the relationship between leadership and organizational learning has been mostly quantitatively investigated in many countries and sectors; multiple leadership styles have been identified to ameliorate processes, levels and capabilities of organizational learning and transformational leadership still remains the most commonly used style; there are mediating mechanism and boundary conditions in the relationship between leadership and organizational learning.

Research limitations/implications

The literature search in this study was mainly focused on English articles only; therefore, some papers in other languages may have not been included.

Practical implications

This review offers an overall picture of the existing knowledge of organizational learning and leadership that will be fruitful for practitioners to understand and replicate these concepts.

Originality/value

There are little systematic literature reviews on the relationship between leadership and organizational learning. This paper is among the first systematic reviews to analyze how leadership has been associated with organizational learning and provide potential research directions.
Knowledge-sharing efforts and employee creative behavior: the invigorating roles of passion for work, time sufficiency and procedural justice
Authors: De Clercq Dirk , Pereira Renato
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Drawing from the conservation of resources theory, this study aims to investigate the relationship between employees’ knowledge-sharing efforts and creative behaviors; particularly, it addresses how this relationship may be invigorated by three resources that operate at individual (passion for work), job (time sufficiency) and organizational (procedural justice) levels.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative data were collected through a survey administered to employees in a banking organization in Mozambique.

Findings

The usefulness of knowledge-sharing efforts for stimulating creative behavior is greater when employees feel passionate about work, have sufficient time to complete their job tasks and perceive that organizational decision-making is fair.

Practical implications

The results inform organizations about the circumstances in which the application of employees’ collective knowledge bases, derived from their peer interactions, to the generation of novel solutions for problem situations is more likely to materialize.

Originality/value

By detailing the interactive routes by which knowledge-sharing efforts and distinct resources (passion for work, time sufficiency and procedural justice) promote employee creative behavior, this study extends prior research that has focused on the direct influences of these resources on knowledge sharing and creative work outcomes. It pinpoints the circumstances in which intra-organizational knowledge exchange can generate the greatest value, in terms of enhancing creativity.
Coverage of G4-indicators in GRI-sustainability reports by electric utilities
Authors: Slacik Johannes , Greiling Dorothea
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Electric utility companies (EUC) are expected to play a key role toward implementing ambitious climate change aims being under critical scrutiny by regulators and stakeholders. However, EUC provide an under-researched field regarding sustainability reporting with the focus on economic, social and ecological concerns. This paper aims to gain insights of the sustainability reporting practice of EUC and the coverage of indicators based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)-Guidelines.

Design/methodology/approach

A twofold documentary analysis of 186 GRI-G4 sustainability reports by EUC globally is conducted to investigate the coverage rates of G4-indicators. Neo-institutionalism and strategic stakeholder theory serve as theoretical lenses. A regression analysis is used to examine ownership, stock-exchange listing, area of activity and region as potential drivers of sustainability reporting.

Findings

Results show that the coverage of indicators based on triple-bottom-line dimensions is moderate in EUC leaving room for improvement. The coverage of sector-specific indicators lacks behind the coverage of standard disclosure indicators. Results show that private and listed EUC show better coverage rates than public and not-listed EUC.

Research limitations/implications

Neo-institutionalism shows limited homogenization in the sector. Strategic stakeholder theory demonstrates insufficient stakeholder compliance of public and not-listed EUC.

Originality/value

This study contributes to sustainability reporting research by focusing on the under-researched electricity sector. It provides practical reporting insights for EUC, the GRI and regulators.
The importance of customer trust for social marketing interventions: a case of energy-efficiency consumption
Authors: Issock Issock Paul Blaise , Roberts-Lombard Mornay , Mpinganjira Mercy
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of relationship marketing and particularly customer trust in energy-efficiency labels in social marketing interventions geared towards energy-efficient consumption.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual model was empirically tested on a sample of 517 users of electronic appliances living in South Africa. The study involved a cross-sectional design, and data were collected via a self-administered survey. Structural equation modelling and mediation analysis were used to test the hypothesised relationships.

Findings

The results indicated that customer trust is influenced by customers’ perception of the price and quality of energy-efficiency products, their attitude towards such products and their level of satisfaction with the environmental performance of the products. Customer trust, in turn, showed a positive influence on the customers’ intention to purchase energy-efficiency products and their loyalty to such products. As a central variable, customer trust was found to be an important mediator in the conceptual model.

Practical implications

The findings provide social marketers with important insights on the critical role that customer trust plays in achieving a long-term behavioural shift towards energy-efficient consumption.

Originality/value

Focusing on customer trust in energy-efficiency labels, this study provides empirical evidence of the mediating role of trust in influencing the intention to purchase and the decision to remain loyal to eco-friendly products. Moreover, this paper provides greater clarity on various levers to be activated to enhance the trust that customers have in energy-efficiency labels.
Salary perception and career prospects in audit firms
Authors: Hammami Ahmad , Moldovan Rucsandra , Peltier Elisabeth
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the role that auditor’s salary perception has on audit quality and delay. The findings contribute to a greater understanding of the audit employee-level factors that influence audit work outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use Big 6 employee reviews, salary data and audit and financial data from 2007 to 2017 to measure how to audit employees’ pay satisfaction affects audit quality (small profits and going concern opinions) and audit delay. The authors use a regression approach to analyze this relationship. In subsequent tests, the authors split the sample on high career opportunities to investigate how this moderates the relationship between salary perception and audit quality.

Findings

The authors document a discrepancy between pay perception and reality. It is explained, though not completely, by salary level, comparisons to peers and superiors, firm-wide attitudes, cost of living and human capital in the area, work–life balance and perceived career prospects. Surprisingly, the unexplained pay dissatisfaction relates positively to audit quality and audit efficiency (audit delay), after controlling for salary level. Further tests show that an audit employee’s expectation of career opportunities moderates this result.

Originality/value

This is the first paper that empirically tests the relationship between pay satisfaction and job performance in the context of audit employees in public accounting. The authors contribute to an emerging literature that investigates audit employee-level characteristics and attitudes in relation to audit quality.
Quality characteristics of composite biodegradable films for food packaging
Authors: Chatli Manish Kumar , Wagh Rajesh V. , Mehta Nitin , Kumar Pavan , Malav Om Prakash
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The physical, biomechanical and chemical properties of the composite biodegradable films are examined by their chemical composition, structure, processing conditions and economics. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to develop standard composite biodegradable films by optimizing the process (drying time and temperature) and composition (whey protein concentrate; WPC and sodium alginate; SA).

Design/methodology/approach

Composite WPC–SA films were developed using the Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM), with individual and interactive effects of process variables on the response variables (quality characteristics). Three independent factors at three different levels (WPC: 5–7 g, SA: 0.1–0.5 g and drying temperature: 35°C–45°C) were evaluated for their effects on physical and biomechanical properties, namely, thickness, penetrability, moisture content, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), density, solubility, transmittance and color variables. The results were analyzed using ANOVA. For each response, second-order polynomial regression models and resulting equations were developed.

Findings

The response surface plots were constructed for representing a relationship between process parameters and responses. All responses were optimized as the best and desired, namely, thickness (180 µm), penetrability (7.63 N), moisture (28.05%), WVTR (1.87 mg/m2t), solubility (36.12%), density (1.33 g/ml), transmittance (40.55%),L* value (52.50),a* value (0.35) andb* value (13.70). The regression models exhibited “good fit” of experimental data with a high coefficient of determination. A close agreement was found between experimental and predicted values.

Practical implications

These biodegradable films can be promisingly used in the food packaging system without the problem of disposability.

Originality/value

The composite films with proteins and polysaccharides can be developed, which have improved physical and biomechanical properties.
How communication noise erodes quality and undermines learning
Authors: Ifeduba Emmanuel Chukwunonye
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Communication, which is the cornerstone of knowledge creation and transmission, is sometimes undermined by noise often described simply as errors but hardly interrogated as communication noise. Therefore, this paper aims to explain noise from the perspective of communication (content creation, decoding and transmission) with a view to drawing attention to the broad consequences for effective learning.

Design/methodology/approach

One aspect of communication noise (errors in textbooks) was purposively selected and an exploration of the Web through the Google and Yahoo search engines generated a purposive sample of 456 valid documents. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the documents was undertaken using content analysis method.

Findings

Findings indicate that communication noise is common in textbooks used in many countries, that semantic and factual errors are more frequently experienced, and that the adverse effects touch on teaching, learning and other aspects of life.

Originality/value

Scholarly conversation on noise relating to knowledge creation and transmission has revolved mainly around environmental noise in and around libraries and classrooms notwithstanding that communication noise may be more harmful to quality learning than environmental noise. This study, therefore, successfully draws attention to this under-researched phenomenon which is currently adversely affecting effective knowledge delivery all over the world.