bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tensile strength of GFRP and hybrid composites under various environmental conditions
Authors: Chelladhurai Praveen Shaju
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the mechanical behavior of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) and hybrid composites under various adverse environmental conditions. This mainly helps the researchers to overcome the obstacles that have been met when they use the materials individually and also to know the impacts of environment on them.

Design/methodology/approach

The GFRP and hybrid specimens are made according to the American Society for Testing and Materials standard. The specimens are then immersed in aviation turbine fuel, hydraulic fluid and concentrated sulfuric acid. The tensile strength of the specimens is then determined using the universal testing machine.

Findings

The tensile strengths of the normal specimens and the specimens subjected to various environmental conditions are determined. The results obtained for GFRP and hybrid specimens are then compared.

Research limitations/implications

The researchers can extend the time intervals further for a better understanding of the strength of the composites.

Practical implications

Once better combinations are found out with the highest strength to weight ratio and its resistance to various adverse environmental conditions, it can be used in real-time applications.

Social implications

The best hybrid combinations can be used in place of metals in future.

Originality/value

This is an original research and is clearly based on the experimental results, so it adds very much value to the aviation industry because strength to weight ratio is one of the major issues to be taken into consideration.
Bank earnings smoothing during mandatory IFRS adoption in Nigeria
Authors: Ozili Peterson K. , Outa Erick R.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent of bank earnings smoothing during mandatory International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adoption in Nigeria, to determine whether mandatory IFRS adoption increased or decreased income smoothing among Nigerian banks.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employ panel regression methodology to estimate the association between loan loss provisions (LLPs) and bank earnings.

Findings

The authorse find that the mandatory adoption of IFRS is associated with lower earnings smoothing among Nigerian banks, which implies that Nigerian banks do not use LLPs to smooth reported earnings during the mandatory IFRS adoption period. The authors find evidence for earnings smoothing via LLP during voluntary IFRS adoption. Earnings smoothing is not significantly associated with listed and non-listed Nigerian banks during voluntary and mandatory IFRS adoption. Overall, the findings indicate that mandatory IFRS adoption improves the informativeness and reliability of LLPs estimate by discouraging Nigerian banks from influencing LLPs for earnings smoothing purposes during the mandatory IFRS adoption. The findings of this paper are relevant to the debate on whether IFRS reporting improves the quality of financial reporting among firms in Nigeria.

Practical implications

Overall, the findings indicate that mandatory IFRS adoption improves the informativeness and reliability of LLPs estimate by discouraging Nigerian banks from influencing LLPs estimates to smooth earnings during the period of mandatory IFRS adoption.

Social implications

The implication of the study is that IFRS has higher accounting quality than local GAAP in Nigeria as it improves the quality and informativeness of accounting numbers (LLPs and earnings) reported by Nigerian banks during the period examined.

Originality/value

This study is the first attempt to focus on income smoothing during mandatory IFRS adoption in Nigeria.
The role of religious motivation in an international consumer boycott
Authors: Muhamad Nazlida , Khamarudin Munirah , Fauzi Waida Irani Mohd
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Religion as a cultural element has the potential to drive a strong boycott campaign. Previous studies acknowledge the role of religion in consumer boycotts yet did not investigate its role in influencing the very core of consumers’ motivation to participate in religion-based boycott. The purpose of this paper is to explore the fundamental nature of religious influence in an international religion-based consumer boycott. The research model tests the role of intrinsic religious motivation as the root of Muslim consumers’ motivational factors to participate and their intention to boycott US food brand.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted the Hoffman’s’ (2013) consumer boycott model to test the hypotheses. Survey method is used to collect primary data from Muslim millennials in a northern state of Malaysia. The study tested its five hypotheses on a data set of 325 cases using structural equation modelling (partial least squares regression).

Findings

The findings support the primary role of religion influences underlying boycott motivation factors. The intrinsic religious motivation is related to all the four boycott’s motivation factors (i.e. attitudes towards boycotting the brand, subjective norms, make a difference, self-enhancement), and indirectly contributing to intentions to boycott US food brand through the constructs of self-enhancement, subjective norms and attitudes towards the boycott.

Research limitations/implications

The study is a cross-sectional in nature, confined to one US food brand. The findings may be limited to Muslim millennials in the same region or similar cultural background of the country surveyed.

Practical implications

Businesses may want to consider working with social agencies involved in a religion-driven consumer boycott in mitigating negative influences of such boycott on brands.

Originality/value

The study shows the root of consumers’ motivation to participate in an international religion-based consumer boycott, i.e. intrinsic religious motivation, by illustrating the mechanisms of religious influences (i.e. intrinsic religious motivation) on consumers’ intention to participate in Islam-driven boycott.
How librarians make decisions: the interplay of subjective and quantitative factors in the cancellation of Big Deals
Authors: Johnson Catherine Anne , Cassady Samuel
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the decision-making process of librarians at the University of Western Ontario who attempted to cancel the Wiley Big Deal. The aim of the study is to reveal the underlying factors that affected their decision-making process. By understanding the decision-making process of librarians, it may be possible to devise a system that takes into consideration not only quantitative factors but also the subjective or qualitative factors that impact librarians’ decisions and thus make it easier to cancel these Big Deals.

Design/methodology/approach

The study involved administering an online survey to 25 librarians involved in the cancellation project. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 13 of these librarians to understand at a deeper and more nuanced level the factors that influenced their decisions.

Findings

The main finding was that the librarians who participated in the study could be divided into two groups – a data-driven criteria group and a subjective criteria group – based on their ranking of the factors used to make their cancellation decisions. Most librarians interviewed used a mixture of quantitative factors and qualitative factors when making their cancellation decisions. The authors found that those participants who had greater professional experience and a closer relationship with the faculties in their subject areas had more difficulty in cancelling journals. Very few librarians relied on quantitative data alone.

Originality/value

This study is one of few that have examined the subjective factors that influence librarians’ decisions regarding cancellation of Big Deals. It has implications regarding the movement towards centralized collection management and reliance on quantitative data alone when making collection decisions.
An extended Kalman particle filter for power system dynamic state estimation
Authors: Yu Yang , Wang Zhongjie , Lu Chengchao
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose an extended Kalman particle filter (EPF) approach for dynamic state estimation of synchronous machine using the phasor measurement unit’s measurements.

Design/methodology/approach

EPF combines the extended Kalman filter (EKF) with the particle filter (PF) to accurately estimate the dynamic states of synchronous machine. EKF is used to make particles of PF transfer to the likelihood distribution from the previous distribution. Therefore, the sample impoverishment in the implementation of PF is able to be avoided.

Findings

The proposed method is capable of estimating the dynamic states of synchronous machine with high accuracy. The real-time capability of this method is also acceptable.

Practical implications

The effectiveness of the proposed approach is tested on IEEE 30-bus system.

Originality/value

Introducing EKF into PF, EPF is proposed to estimate the dynamic states of synchronous machine. The accuracy of a dynamic state estimation is increased.
Gendering expert work and ideal candidacy in Finnish and Estonian job advertisements
Authors: Jännäri Jatta , Poutanen Seppo , Kovalainen Anne
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the ways the textual materials of job advertisements do the gendering for prospective expert positions and create a space for ambiquity/non-ambiquity in the gender labelling of this expertise. Expert positions are almost always openly announced and are important to organizations because they often lead to higher managerial positions. By gendering the prospective positions, the job advertisements bring forth repertoires strengthening the gendering of work and gendered expert employee positions.

Design/methodology/approach

This study draws on qualitative textual and visual data of open job advertisements for expert positions. The materials of the study are gathered from open job advertisements in two countries, i.e. Finland and Estonia with rather similar labour market structures in relation to gender positions but differing as regards their gender equality.

Findings

The analyses show that the gendering of expert work takes place in the job advertisements by rendering subtly gendered articulations, yet allowing for interpretative repertoires appear. The analysis reveals some differences in the formulations of the advertisements for expert jobs in the two countries. It also shows that in general the requirements for an ideal expert candidate are coated with superlatives that are gendered in rather stereotypical ways, and that the ideal candidates for highly expert jobs are extremely flexible and follows the ideal of an adaptable and plastic employee, willing to work their utmost. This paper contributes to the “doing gender” literature by adding an analysis of the textual gendering of ideal candidates for positions of expertise.

Research limitations/implications

The research materials do not expose all the issues pertinent to questions of the ideal gendered candidate. For instance, questions of ethnicity in relation to the definition of the ideal candidate cannot be studied with the data used for this study. Being an exploratory study, the results do not aim for generalizable results concerning job advertisements for expert positions.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the “doing gender” and “gendering” literature by addressing the question of how and in what ways gender is defined and done for an expert positions prior the candidates are chosen to those jobs. It also offers new insights into the global construction of gendered expert jobs advertisements by addressing the topic with data from two countries. It further contributes to understanding the gendered shaping of expertise in the management literature.
Keyworkers’ experiences and perceptions of using psychological approaches with people experiencing homelessness
Authors: Benson Josephine , Brennan Michael
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore keyworkers’ experience and perceptions working with people experiencing homelessness and the use of psychologically informed approaches in an Irish context.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper a qualitative descriptive methodology was employed and face-to-face in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data collected were analysed using a thematic framework and transcribed by the researcher.

Findings

It was the view of the keyworkers psychological approaches allowed them greater understanding of psychological trauma and its effects promotes safe physical and emotional environments builds rapport between staff and clients and enables keyworkers to work more effectively with people with complex needs. There was also convincing evidence staff are quite receptive to training.

Originality/value

Given there is no research exploring the use of psychologically informed approaches in homelessness service settings, this study researched an area that has not yet been explored in Ireland. This qualitative descriptive research provides a platform from which further research can be conducted. It is hoped that highlighting the psychological issues of homeless people, the data obtained will help improve Irish homeless services, and the findings extracted beneficial in terms of future service developments, professional training and education.
“The system of compulsory education is failing”
Authors: Marsden Beth
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which the mobility of indigenous people in Victoria during the 1960s enabled them to resist the policy of assimilation as evident in the structures of schooling. It argues that the ideology of assimilation was pervasive in the Education Department’s approach to Aboriginal education and inherent in the curriculum it produced for use in state schools. This is central to the construction of the state of Victoria as being devoid of Aboriginal people, which contributes to a particularly Victorian perspective of Australia’s national identity in relation to indigenous people and culture.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper utilises the state school records of the Victorian Department of Education, as well as the curriculum documentation and resources the department produced. It also examines the records of the Aborigines Welfare Board.

Findings

The Victorian Education Department’s curriculum constructed a narrative of learning and schools which denied the presence of Aboriginal children in classrooms, and in the state of Victoria itself. These representations reflect the Department and the Victorian Government’s determination to deny the presence of Aboriginal children, a view more salient in Victoria than elsewhere in the nation due to the particularities of how Aboriginality was understood. Yet the mobility of Aboriginal students – illustrated in this paper through a case study – challenged both the representations of Aboriginal Victorians, and the school system itself.

Originality/value

This paper is inspired by the growing scholarship on Indigenous mobility in settler-colonial studies and offers a new perspective on assimilation in Victoria. It interrogates how curriculum intersected with the position of Aboriginal students in Victorian state schools, and how their position – which was often highly mobile – was influenced by the practices of assimilation, and by Aboriginal resistance and responses to assimilationist practices in their lives. This paper contributes to histories of assimilation, Aboriginal history and education in Victoria.
Understanding metacognition: concepts supporting employee learning and growth
Authors: Lyons Paul R. , Bandura Randall P.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to express metacognitive functioning in general terms and to explain how it influences employee learning/knowledge acquisition, self-regulation, engagement and growth mind-set.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors provide a viewpoint grounded on a review of recent research regarding the regulation of learning on-the-job. Concepts are expressed in a direct manner for the use of human resource practitioners and managers.

Findings

Metacognition is mental work that helps one to regulate and improve his/her learning. The authors find that there are ways for human resource practitioners and/or managers to assist employees improve their learning practices that ultimately influence work activities and outcomes.

Originality/value

Metacognition is not a scientific mumbo-jumbo; it represents how one learns to learn. In organizations, it is important to understand how a typical employee may improve her/his learning processing and learning outputs. Authors suggest that practitioners and managers attain some understanding of metacognition and how one may stimulate improved learning processing in employees.
Participatory action research: tools for disaster resilience education
Authors: Meyer Michelle Annette , Hendricks Marccus , Newman Galen D. , Masterson Jaimie Hicks , Cooper John T. , Sansom Garett , Gharaibeh Nasir , Horney Jennifer , Berke Philip , van Zandt Shannon , Cousins Tiffany
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Participatory action research can improve scientific knowledge and community capacity to address disaster resilience and environmental justice. Evidence from the literature suggests that resident participation enhances assessment of environmental risks, raises awareness and empowers residents to fight for equitable distribution of hazard and climate risk adaptations. Yet, risk assessment and urban planning processes still frequently operate within expertise-driven groups without significant community engagement. Such fragmentation results in part from a lack of appreciation for community expertise in built environment adaptations and educational tools to support resident involvement in the often technical built environment planning processes.

Design/methodology/approach

A participatory research and place-based education project was developed that enhanced co-learning between residents and researchers while collecting and analyzing local data on flood resilience in the built environment. Five research activities constitute the curriculum of resilience education on stormwater infrastructure: establishment of partnership agreement/memorandum of understanding, participatory GIS to identify flooding issues, water quality testing and health survey, stormwater infrastructure assessment and urban/landscape design. Partners included high school and college students, residents and environmental justice organizations.

Findings

Outcomes include a stakeholder-approved infrastructure assessment smartphone application, neighborhood maps of drainage issues, a report of water containments and neighborhood-scaled green infrastructure provisions and growth plans. Findings indicate that participatory research positively contributed to resilience knowledge of participants.

Originality/value

This paper outlines an interdisciplinary pedagogical strategy for resilience planning that engages residents to assess and monitor the performance of stormwater infrastructure and create resilience plans. The paper also discusses challenges and opportunities for similar participatory projects.
What kind of (digital) citizen?
Authors: Heath Marie K.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Public schools in a democracy should educate young people to develop the knowledge and dispositions of citizenship in order to foster a more inclusive society and ensure the continuation of the democratic republic. Conceptualizations of citizenship must be clearly framed in order to support civic engagement, in particular, civic engagement for social justice. Rarely do educational technology scholars or educators interrogate the International Society for Technology in Education definition of digital citizenship. Educational technologists should connect notions of civic engagement and conceptions of digital citizenship. Instead, the field continues to engage in research, policy and practice which disconnects these ideas. This suggests that a gap exists between educational technologists’ conceptualizations of citizenship and the larger implications of citizenship within a democracy. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a between-study analysis of the literature to answer: How does the field of educational technology discuss and research digital citizenship? The data were coded using constant comparative analysis. The study adopted a theoretical framework grounded in Westheimer and Kahne’s (2004) What Kind of Citizen, and Krutka and Carpenter’s (2016) digital approach to citizenship.

Findings

The findings suggest that educational technologists’ uncritical usage of the term digital citizenship limits the authors’ field’s ability to contribute to a fundamental purpose of public schooling in a democracy – to develop citizens. Further, it hampers imagining opportunities to use educational technology to develop pedagogies of engaged citizenship for social justice.

Originality/value

Reframing the conception of digital citizenship as active civic engagement for social justice pushes scholarship, and its attendant implications for practice, in a proactive direction aimed at dismantling oppression.
Scratching the coding surface: tackling algorithms for inclusion and learning
Authors: Gandolfi Enrico , Ferdig Richard E.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present computational algorithms as potential bearers of biases and also tools for reflection, and to advance strategies for engaging with them in education.

Design/methodology/approach

Three example games (Dwarf Fortress, RimWorld, FreeCiv) are provided for introducing algorithms as meaningful and critical processes. Therefore, a three-step instructional strategy is advanced for introducing students to the topic.

Findings

The examples reported point to hidden values embedded in the computational algorithms and opportunities for reflecting about their role, setting the stage for critical thinking and participative design sections.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper relies on framing algorithms beyond their functional orientation (the current emphasis in literature), targeting critical connotations and biases that they may imply. Such an attention can make a difference in fostering awareness toward the topic in young learners, and entail novel possibilities for creativity and inclusiveness with and through coding.
Towards culturally inclusive mental health: learning from focus groups with those with refugee and asylum seeker status in Plymouth
Authors: Fish Matthew , Fakoussa Olivia
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Pre- and post-immigration trauma and stress make refugees a particularly vulnerable group in terms of mental health and well-being. The purpose of this paper is to describe a listening project undertaken in Plymouth, UK, which sought the views of 17 service users (n=12) and staff (n=5) from four local support organisations, for people with refugee and asylum seeker status and those with diverse cultural backgrounds. Aims of the project were to expand Western-centric understandings regarding beneficial support and the promotion of good mental health and well-being in this population.

Design/methodology/approach

Responses were subjected to thematic analysis, co-conducted with a service user. Participants were asked about their personal understandings of mental health and well-being and what supports or hinders well-being.

Findings

The findings enabled the development of a model incorporating 10 threads which support and 9 holes that can hinder well-being.

Research limitations/implications

The relatively small numbers of participants compared with the numbers of asylum seekers and refugees in Plymouth may not be fully representative of the general population in Plymouth and the UK.

Originality/value

Despite increasing cultural diversity within the UK population, available mental health services exist mainly as developed from a Western psychological model of mental distress and treatment. This research provides services with a more informed understanding of mental health for asylum seekers and refugees. As such it is of value towards future service design in Plymouth and the UK. Findings also contributed to a successful funding bid to set up a peer-led support project in the city.
The relative importance of improvement routines for implementing lean practices
Authors: Knol Wilfred H. , Slomp Jannes , Schouteten Roel L.J. , Lauche Kristina
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper examines whether and when improvement routines are critical for implementing lean practices in small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises (SMEs). Improvement routines such as “employees initiate and carry through improvement activities” are generally seen as an important means to achieve the full benefit of structural lean interventions. Womack and Jones (2003) suggest that these improvement routines should be developed as the company becomes more experienced in lean. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relative importance of individual improvement routines at various degrees of lean practice implementation.

Design/methodology/approach

A Between-Case Comparison Analysis (Dul and Hak, 2012) and a Necessary Condition Analysis (Dul, 2016) were performed on self-assessment data from 241 respondents at 38 Dutch manufacturing SMEs.

Findings

The importance of improvement routines depended on the degree of lean practice implementation. Lean practices could be implemented to some extend without developing specific improvement routines, yet certain routines were necessary for more advanced implementations of lean. These routines relate to employees conducting shared improvement activities and in the most advanced cases to aligning different improvement activities.

Originality/value

These findings question existing lean implementation models that neglect improvement routines and indicate the need to integrate improvement routines into every lean transformation for it to be sustainable.
Examining customer engagement and brand loyalty in retail banking
Authors: Kosiba John Paul Basewe , Boateng Henry , Okoe Amartey Abednego Feehi , Boakye Robert Owusu , Hinson Robert
Published: October 2018

Purpose

In recent times, there has been a growing research interest in customer engagement; however, there is a paucity of empirical evidence on the drivers and outcomes of customer engagement such as brand loyalty. Furthermore, the customer engagement and brand loyalty literature have paid little attention to trustworthiness, even though it has the potential of explaining customer engagement, brand loyalty and their relationships. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to ascertain the drivers of customer engagement and its relationship with brand loyalty in the context of retail banking in Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors employed the survey research design. The authors collected data from retail banking customers in Ghana using the intercept approach. There were 385 respondents. The authors analysed the data using the structural equation modelling approach.

Findings

The results show that trustworthiness drives customer engagement which results in brand loyalty. The findings reveal that trustworthiness is defined through integrity, benevolence and ability while customer engagement is defined via emotional engagement, cognitive engagement and behavioural engagement.

Originality/value

This study examines the impact of trustworthiness on customer engagement and brand loyalty. It shows the mediating role of customer engagement in the relationship between trustworthiness and brand loyalty.
Factors influencing savings among land reform beneficiaries in South Africa
Authors: Antwi Michael , Chagwiza Clarietta
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of socio-economic factors of land redistribution for agricultural development project beneficiaries on savings in the North West Province, South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

A binary logistic regression model was employed to determine the effects of socio-economic factors of project beneficiaries on their savings.

Findings

The results show that the average number of trainings attended by the beneficiaries, the proportion of youth per project and the average net farm income of the project positively and significantly influence the level of savings by the beneficiaries. About 62 percent of the beneficiaries did not have savings; thus, only 38 percent of beneficiaries had savings. Of the 38 percent who had savings, the majority (77 percent) had an annual net farm income of less than R1,000. Only 2 percent of the projects had an annual net farm income of more than R10,000.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study are valuable to policymakers dealing with the issue of land reform and could shed some light on how land redistribution can achieve its intended purposes. These findings should be granted serious consideration when formulating policies aimed at improving savings within collective groups.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have revealed the importance of training and participation of youth in influencing savings. As well, the findings imply that an organization or household with a health income have a higher propensity of saving.

Social implications

The research findings point out to the importance of saving. With savings, a household is in a better position to deal with situations that arises in case of emergency.

Originality/value

This paper is among the few studies to analyze the determinants of savings at a group or project level. Most studies are done at household or individual level.
Effect of the micro-structure evolution of friction layer on the sliding tribology behavior of TiAl-10 Wt.% Ag at 16 N-0.5 m/s
Authors: Yang Kang , Ma Hongru , Liu Xiyao , Zhang Yangming
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to study the micro-structure evolution of friction layers to optimize the friction and wear behaviors of TiAl-based material. It further enlarges the scope of using TiAl alloys and increase in the service life of TiAl alloy-made mechanical components, especially under some extreme conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

To study the structure evolution of friction layers, the HT-1000 tribometer is used to study the friction and wear properties of as-prepared samples. With the assistance of field emission scanning electron microscopy and an electron probe micro-analyzer, the stratified structures in cross-sections and a surface morphology of the wear scars are well characterized. A ST400 surface profiler helps in better understanding of the three-dimensional texture profiles of wear scars. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) is also used to analyze phases in the as-prepared samples.

Findings

An analysis method on the micro-structure evolution can provide better views to understand the influence of friction layers on the tribological behavior, at different wear stages. It finds that the micro-structure evolution of friction layers has an immediate effect on the friction coefficients and wear rates of TiAl-based material. It also proves to be a useful tool for evaluating the behaviors in friction and wear of TiAl-based material.

Originality/value

The findings of this paper provide better assistance to explore the effect of friction layers on the friction and wear behaviors of TiAl-based materials. The results help in deep understanding of the micro-structure evolution of friction layers. It also increases the service life of TiAl-based mechanical components.
From fragile to agile: marketing as a key driver of entrepreneurial internationalization
Authors: Hagen Birgit , Zucchella Antonella , Ghauri Pervez Nasim
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize strategic agility in entrepreneurial internationalization and highlight the role of marketing “under particular conditions” – those of early and fast internationalizers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on in-depth case studies of four entrepreneurial internationalizers using an inductive approach. The role of marketing is studied along a set of four key business processes, i.e. sensing through selective customer/partner intimacy; business development through selective experimentation and testing; coordination and harmonization of multiple stakeholders; and creative extension of resources.

Findings

Strategic agility is a composite of flexibility and selective responsiveness. Marketing thought, mainly through customer and partner interaction, plays a prominent role in achieving strategic agility. Customer- and market-centric thinking needs to be built in a key set of business processes. Marketing’s contribution to strategic agility means an ability to cope with time, relationship and functional dependencies. Strategic agility helps improve the risk profile of the entrepreneurial internationalizer. Entrepreneurial internationalizers are particularly suited to compete on and benefit from strategic agility.

Practical implications

The findings show managers and entrepreneurs in early and fast internationalizing ventures a path to strategic agility which helps to overcome the many parallel challenges that come with firm foundation and internationalization.

Originality/value

Strategic agility is a novel explanation for entrepreneurial internationalization. The study explains the prominent role played by marketing in achieving strategic agility and growth. Strategic agility is reconceptualized in the context of the young and small internationalizing firm.
Financial integration and macroeconomic volatility: evidence from Asia
Authors: Yadav Inder Sekhar , Goyari Phanindra , Mishra Ram Kumar
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of financial integration on macroeconomic volatility for developing and emerging economies of Asia.

Design/methodology/approach

The effects of financial integration and dynamics of macroeconomic volatility over time and across different groups of Asian economies vis-à-vis advanced economies are investigated using four different variables such as consumption, output, income and the ratio of consumption to income. Further, an empirical link between the degree of international financial integration and macroeconomic volatility for Asian economies is econometrically investigated using generalized method of moments (GMM) system one-step estimator.

Findings

Macroeconomic volatilities of per capita output and consumption growth tend to be lower for advanced economies compared to Asian economies. The computed cross-sectional median of the volatility of consumption, output, income and the ratio of consumption volatility to income suggested that the volatility of advanced economies is lower compared to all the regions of Asia. GMM results suggested that the financial openness, trade openness and broad money are negatively and significantly associated with macroeconomic volatility whereas inflation is positively and significantly associated with macroeconomic volatility but the magnitude of trade openness is found to be negligible.

Research limitations/implications

The present study has not included the effects of other country-specific variables (such as fiscal policy volatility) and other external factors to understand macroeconomic volatility.

Practical implications

High integration of economies promote economic growth, reduce macroeconomic volatility and reduce vulnerability to external shocks. This implies that policy makers should thrive to reform and create institutional infrastructure to deepen the integration.

Originality/value

The paper is an important empirical contribution toward examining the effects of financial integration on dynamics of macroeconomic volatility for a large number of Asian developing and emerging economics over time and across different groups using recent data and latest analytical framework and techniques.
Application of cloud computing in financial services: an agent-oriented modelling approach
Authors: Misra Subhas C. , Doneria Kriti
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Cloud computing is rapidly becoming the new norm of doing business. Lately, the extent of virtualization has enabled full-fledged cloud solution to become affordable, quantitatively and/or qualitatively. The purpose of this study is to explore the former in detail. In this paper, implementation of cloud-based services in the financial services, intermediaries and banking industry where security has always been the greatest concern are studied through actor-based stakeholder modelling. Drivers for adoption, benefits and trade-offs and challenges have been discussed in detail through a hypothetical comprehensive case study of a bank.

Design/methodology/approach

An actor-dependency-based technique for analyzing and modelling requirements prior to changes and charting out roadmap and rationale behind it all has been used. Through the use of i* modelling, dependencies and relationships between various stakeholders have been studied. Further, how decision makers in the financial services industry evaluate, consolidate and finally migrate to a new architecture is also explored.

Findings

Two hypothetical use cases on a hypothetical bank referred to as “The Bank” illustrate the technique and possible roadmap for implementation.

Originality/value

To the best of knowledge in the public domain, no similar work has been carried out with the perspective of modelling stakeholders and change management configuration in the financial services using cloud. This approach is valuable for augmenting technological advancements with business insights and spotting value in synergies of the sectors whenever and wherever apparent.
Understanding backers’ interactions with crowdfunding campaigns
Authors: Ahsan Mujtaba , Cornelis Erlinde F.I. , Baker Andrew
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Crowdfunding has become a popular method to acquire capital for entrepreneurial ventures. To successfully achieve funding goals, it is critical for crowdfunding campaigns to attain support of individuals (backers). This paper aims to presents a conceptual model that links a reward-based crowdfunding campaign’s product, pitch and promoter characteristics to expert and casual backers’ evaluation and behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws from literature from consumer behavior, network, signaling and informational social influence theories to design a conceptual framework that highlights factors that influence potential backers’ participation in crowdfunding campaigns.

Findings

It is demonstrated that the conceptual framework presented in the manuscript usefully organizes the real-world tactical marketing decisions of a crowdfunding backer while also being readily amendable to integrating theoretical accounts of human behavior from a diverse body of social science literature. Empirically testable propositions are derived from this social science literature and recast into a manner that could be investigated in the crowdfunding context to expand the body of knowledge on this topic.

Practical implications

This manuscript provides a framework that can be useful to crowdfunders who wish to strategically plan how their marketing communication plan features may be tailored to attract both early- and late-stage crowdfunding backers.

Originality/value

This paper is novel in the crowdfunding literature because it integrates a diverse body of literature to explicitly identify how the strategic and tactical marketing communication characteristics of a crowdfunding campaign are likely to differently influence different types of potential crowdfunding backers.
HHI-based evaluation of the European banking sector using an integrated fuzzy approach
Authors: Dincer Hasan
Published: October 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the market concentration and competition in the European Banking Sector using an integrated multi-criteria decision-making approach under the fuzzy environment.

Design/methodology/approach

The hybrid model combining fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), fuzzy analytic network process (ANP) and fuzzy VIKOR methods is applied to measure the market competition and concentration in the European Banking Sector. For this purpose, two academicians and one expert from banking sector with at least five-year experiences are selected to evaluate the dimensions, criteria and alternatives. The academicians are also appointed to define the decision-making problem and determine the dimensions and the criteria on the basis of related literature. The implementation of the model has been constructed in three main phases. The first phase consists of the fuzzy DEMATEL technique for understanding the impact-relation map among the dimensions. The second phase includes the fuzzy ANP method for measuring the relative importance of the criteria. The last phase comprises the fuzzy VIKOR approach to rank the alternatives with the values of the Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI).

Findings

Turkey, France, England and Germany are placed in the competitive market structure of the European Banking Sector respectively. Additionally, the comparative results of the study confirm the market shares and the competitive policies of the European and Turkish Banking Sector.

Originality/value

The novelty of the paper is to construct a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making model with the proposed HHI scales under the fuzzy environment and defined competition dimensions and criteria based on the literature for the European Banking Industry.
Beyond the law: processes underlying religious accommodation decisions
Authors: Tabesh Pooya , Jolly Phillip M.
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Currently, the academic understanding of religious accommodation in the workplace is skewed toward a consideration of legal decision making. The purpose of this paper is to move beyond these legal considerations and provide a fresh perspective on antecedents of religious accommodation decisions when managerial discretion is high. To this end, the authors present a model that incorporates psychological and relational processes.

Design/methodology/approach

This research draws on a variety of theoretical perspectives from psychology, organizational behavior and human resource management to theorize a descriptive model of managerial decision-making regarding religious accommodation requests.

Findings

The authors develop a conceptual framework and research agenda for examining front-line decision-makers’ responses to employees’ religious accommodation requests. The focus is on characteristics of the decision maker, the requester and the request that can influence the perceived sincerity of a request and the perceived accommodation cost.

Research limitations/implications

The proposed model moves beyond US-based legal perspectives of religious accommodation and facilitates the identification of novel theoretical perspectives for better understanding accommodation decisions.

Practical implications

Twenty-first century managers are faced with a wide variety of religious accommodation requests. Identification of underlying mechanisms through which these decisions are made facilitates effective interventions to build and sustain an inclusive culture.

Originality/value

This work is among the first efforts in the management literature to theorize about the process of religious accommodation decision making. The authors address the paucity of academic research in this area by introducing perceptual drivers of religious accommodation decisions.
Urbanization, economic growth, and environmental pollution
Authors: Sun Jing , Wang Jing , Wang Tao , Zhang Tao
Published: October 2018

Purpose

Given the recent rapid economic development, the processes of industrialization and urbanization are accelerating. At the same time, the contradiction between environmental quality and economic development has become increasingly prominent and is likely to restrict the normal pace of China’s economic development and environmental protection. As such, the purpose of this paper is to incorporate the urbanization factor into an analytic framework to discuss the relationship among urbanization, economic development, and environmental pollution.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel data of 31 Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2015 is selected for this research. A spatial correlation test is first conducted on the environmental pollution status, then the spatial Durbin model is used to carry out spatial econometric testing of the relationship among the above three factors.

Findings

Interprovincial environmental pollution in China has significant positive spatial correlation, environmental pollution discharge in most provinces is significantly stable, discharge of environmental pollutants is transitioning from coastal to inland provinces, and urbanization and economic growth can both aggravate environmental pollution, but economic growth can relieve environmental pollution in neighboring provinces.

Originality/value

The relationship between economic growth, urbanization, and environmental quality has always been an important issue for sustainable development. As such, China’s urbanization leads to economic development, while rapid economic growth and environmental pollution are coordinated. This paper focuses on the specific relationship between them. To this end, local governments make concerted efforts to formulate sound environmental regulation policies based on local environmental conditions, where economic development is an effective means of alleviating the contradictory relationship between economic development and environmental protection.