bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perception of street vendors and their effect on urban settings in Portobello Road, London
Authors: Torky Esraa , Heath Tim
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Street vendors create a vital urban street and a significant and important part of our urban areas are streets, they cater to our leisure, social and functional needs. There are many debates concerning street vendors; on one hand, there are those who argue against them because they believe they create problems and should be abolished, and on the other hand, there are arguments that defend them and believe that they are vital to the street life.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to identify people's perception and acceptance of street vending and its effect on experience of the street. Observations and user interviews were undertaken in Portobello and Golborne Road to explore the influence of street vendors on urban settings and analyze their vending patterns and their relationship with urban users.

Findings

Findings state that street vending takes up a large part in the liveliness and attractiveness of the market in London. People tend to accept street vendors because they have many benefits for vitality and liveliness of the urban environment; however, they sometimes cause problems with ease of mobility in the area for pedestrians and the public in general.

Originality/value

Street vendors create a vital urban street and provide affordable goods. There are many debates concerning street vendors; on the one hand, there are those who argue against them because they believe they create problems and should be abolished, and on the other hand, there are arguments that defend them and believe that they are vital to the street life. It was important to study street vending in detail in order to explore this unique and important activity that takes place in almost all cities of the world. The case study chosen was quite unique and street vending taking place in Portobello Road and London in general is mostly formal street vending, which wasn't studied in detail previously.
When leaders forgive: encouraging radical innovation in more altruistic organizations
Authors: Mallén-Broch Francisco Fermín , Domínguez-Escrig Emilio
Published: July 2021

Purpose

There is general agreement on the importance of innovation to improve business performance and competitiveness. In recent years, many studies have sought to unravel what conditions are conducive to innovation. Following this trend, the present study seeks to broaden the understanding of the antecedents of radical innovation. To this end, and drawing on positive organizational psychology, the study focuses on the role of leaders and the importance of improving working conditions within companies, favoring innovation in more respectful and prosocial organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

The study provides, through structural equations, empirical evidence of the relationship between leader's forgiveness and radical innovation, using altruism as an explanatory variable. The study was conducted in a population of 11,594 Spanish companies. A sample frame of 554 questionnaires from 277 different firms was obtained.

Findings

Results confirm the hypotheses proposed in the model. Forgiveness, analyzed as a leader behavior, promotes altruism within companies and, in turn, radical innovation.

Originality/value

This is one of the few empirical studies that analyzes the consequences of leader's forgiveness in the organizational context.
Political embeddedness and multi-layered interaction effects on the performance of private enterprises: lessons from China
Authors: Gimmon Eli , Teng Ying , He Xiaobin
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to present multi-layered embeddedness and explore the main and interaction effects of political embeddedness on the performance of private enterprises in China. This study tests multi-layered embeddedness through interaction effects between three layers, namely, political, territorial and inter-firm embeddedness. Political embeddedness is related at the personal and the firm levels.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used secondary data of four non-panel waves (2002, 2008, 2010 and 2016) of large samples having identical questions based on the Chinese private enterprises’ survey. The accumulated number of business owners’ responses is a total of 10,686.

Findings

The main effects of each of the layers of embeddedness showed a positive influence on enterprise performance consistently and unchanged over time which fits the Chinese Guanxi regardless of the immense macro-economic transition. However, unexpectedly some interactions showed negative significant effects on performance.

Practical implications

First, business owners should be aware of the specific contribution to the performance of political embeddedness at both the firm level and the personal level. Second, the pursuit of exercising simultaneously several layers of embeddedness may be detrimental to company performance. This study provides generalizable lessons regarding different embeddedness layers beyond the context of China’s transition economy.

Originality/value

First, the authors extend political embeddedness to the firm level whilst in previous research this construct had been mostly related to the personal level. Second, building on the resource-based view and redundant resources the authors present the disadvantage of “over-embeddedness” as related to multi-layered embeddedness which has been understudied.
Striving for inclusion: evidence from China using a latent profile approach
Authors: Qu Jiaojiao , Zhao Shuming , Zhao Yixuan
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to identify profiles of inclusion in the workplace to provide evidence-based guidance to build an inclusive organization.

Design/methodology/approach

Latent profile analysis (LPA), a person-centred classification analytical tool, was applied to determine the subtypes of inclusion with Mplus 7.4, using two-wave data collected from 368 employees in 8 Chinese companies.

Findings

Three subgroups were identified: identity inclusion group (the highest level of inclusion, 34.0%), value inclusion group (the moderate level of inclusion, 47.5%) and low inclusion group (the lowest level of inclusion, 18.5%). The findings indicate that groups with male, aged and highly educated members, as well as members from developed areas generally tend to feel more included and greater inclusion relates to more favourable outcomes and fewer detrimental consequences.

Research limitations/implications

As this study was conducted only in China, the results may not be generalizable to non-Chinese contexts.

Practical implications

The results may help organizational leaders develop a deeper understanding of the significance and the crux of inclusion. To address the duality of workforce diversity, managers can take initiatives to create an inclusive organization. To achieve inclusion, managers should pay attention to ways of improving the perceptions of inclusion among all employees.

Originality/value

This is among the first studies to identify the variants in inclusion in China using LPA. It reveals the subtypes and characteristics of inclusion and can serve as a starting point to explore how to realize organizational inclusion in theory and practice.
The route problem of multimodal transportation with timetable: stochastic multi-objective optimization model and data-driven simheuristic approach
Authors: Peng Yong , Luo Yi Juan , Jiang Pei , Yong Peng Cheng
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Distribution of long-haul goods could be managed via multimodal transportation networks where decision-maker has to consider these factors including the uncertainty of transportation time and cost, the timetable limitation of selected modes and the storage cost incurred in advance or delay arriving of the goods. Considering the above factors comprehensively, this paper establishes a multimodal multi-objective route optimization model which aims to minimize total transportation duration and cost. This study could be used as a reference for decision-maker to transportation plans.

Design/methodology/approach

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is introduced to deal with transportation uncertainty and the NSGA-II algorithm with an external archival elite retention strategy is designed. An efficient transformation method based on data-drive to overcome the high time-consuming problem brought by MC simulation. Other contribution of this study is developed a scheme risk assessment method for the non-absolutely optimal Pareto frontier solution set obtained by the NSGA-II algorithm.

Findings

Numerical examples verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm as it is able to find a high-quality solution and the risk assessment method proposed in this paper can provide support for the route decision.

Originality/value

The impact of timetable on transportation duration is analyzed and making a detailed description in the mathematical model. The uncertain transportation duration and cost are represented by random number that obeys a certain distribution and designed NSGA-II with MC simulation to solve the proposed problem. The data-driven strategy is adopted to reduce the computational time caused by the combination of evolutionary algorithm and MC simulation. The elite retention strategy with external archiving is created to improve the quality of solutions. A risk assessment approach is proposed for the solution scheme and in the numerical simulation experiment.
Prospect of lean practices towards construction supply chain management trends
Authors: Le Phuoc Luong , Nguyen Nguyen Thi Duc
Published: July 2021

Purpose

To deal with the present situation and recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, construction firms are required to recognise the trends in construction supply chain management (CSCM) for the upcoming years and determine the appropriate practices towards the trends for the improvement of construction activities in terms of strategy, tactic and operations. This paper aims to recognise key trends in CSCM and uses these trends as strategic criteria for the evaluation and prioritisation of lean construction (LC) tools at different project phases including design and architectural engineering, planning and control, on-site construction and safety management.

Design/methodology/approach

The integrated analytic hierarchy process–Delphi method is used to collect and analyse the data from construction experts to evaluate the importance levels of the CSCM trends and recommend the appropriate tools for LC practices to improve project performances.

Findings

Seven key CSCM trends are identified: lean supply chain management (SCM), supply chain (SC) integration, SC standardisation, SC problem-solving, SC information-sharing, SC flexibility and SC sustainability. Based on these trends, a set of prioritised lean tools are suggested for LC practices, in which “virtual design construction” (VDC) and “last planner system” are considered as the central tools. These two LC practices can be integrated with other effective tools to support the strategic, tactical and operational targets in construction supply chain (CSC) projects.

Research limitations/implications

This study gives the managerial implications by developing an application framework of LC practices for CSC projects. The framework promotes “VDC” as a strategic tool for the phase of design and architectural engineering and considers “last planner system” as the central LC practice for the phase of project planning and control. The framework also focuses on the improvement of efficiency in construction operations by taking into account the aspects of on-site collaboration, problem-solving, improvement and safety.

Originality/value

Up to date, there is still a lack of researches in classifying and prioritising the significant LC tools for each project phase to deal with CSC issues in both breadth and depth. Thus, this study is performed to provide construction managers with the awareness of CSCM trends on which they can focus to have strategic criteria for selecting LC practices to improve CSC performances.
A cloud-edge-terminal-based robotic system for airport runway inspection
Authors: Gui Zhongcheng , Zhong Xinran , Wang Yuchen , Xiao Tangjie , Deng Yongjun , Yang Hui , Yang Rui
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to present a novel robotic system for airport pavement inspection tasks.

Design/methodology/approach

The cloud-edge-terminal-based distributed architecture is designed for the proposed robotic system. Then, the following three major parts are designed and deployed, respectively: Terminal: the wheeled-robot-based data collection system. Edge: remote monitoring and data analysis system. Cloud: shared database center of the inspection data and knowledge.

Findings

Validation and application results show that the proposed system satisfies the demands of automated airport pavement inspection tasks and saves the cost of manpower and time.

Originality/value

The proposed system provides a novel solution for the full process of airport pavement inspection. Compared with the traditional manual method, the robotic system can guarantee complete coverage and provide high-precision pavement inspection results with less time and labor costs.
Psychopathic Processing and Personality Assessment (PAPA): exploring factor structure
Authors: Lewis Michael , Ireland Jane , Ireland Carol , Derefaka Gail , McNeill Kimberley , Birch Philip
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to assess whether the factor structure of the Psychopathic Processing and Personality Assessment (PAPA) could be confirmed in a large community sample (n = 1,850), comprising three subsamples of adult men (n = 189, 248 and 198) and women (n = 499, 469 and 247). It was predicted that the four-factor solution originally proposed in earlier studies (i.e. dissocial tendencies, emotional detachment, disregard for others, lack of sensitivity to emotion) would be replicated and produce a multi-dimensional structure consistent across sex.

Design/methodology/approach

This study explored the structure of the newly developed PAPA among a non-forensic sample.

Findings

Although exploratory analysis indicated a four-factor solution, the structure was different with “lack of sensitivity to emotion” being replaced by “responsiveness to perceived aggression.” Confirmatory analyses supported this structure among women, yet a three-factor structure was preferred for men that excluded emotional detachment.

Research limitations/implications

This study highlights the importance of attending to sex differences when assessing for psychopathy.

Originality/value

This is the first confirmatory factor analysis completed on the PAPA, with the findings conveying its value when assessing for psychopathic traits among a community sample.
A two-phase decision-making model for product development based on a product-oriented knowledge inventory model
Authors: Sadeghi Dastaki Mohsen , Afrazeh Abbas , Mahootchi Masoud
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Over the past years, many studies have explored the role of knowledge management (KM) in companies. KM is concerned with the measurement of knowledge to manage knowledge efficiently. On the other hand, the intangible nature of knowledge makes its measurement challenging. Furthermore, there is no standardized method to measure knowledge, and it is chiefly measured based on the subjective judgment of researchers. Moreover, New Product Development (NPD) departments in many companies strive to assess their knowledge in terms of company products and knowledge workers. Hence, this study aims to propose a product-based two-phase technique that measures the company knowledge inventory.

Design/methodology/approach

In the first phase, the value of knowledge is quantified relative to products, knowledge workers and the entire company using two concepts of knowledge width and depth. Then, a three-dimensional knowledge asset map (knowledge, products and knowledge worker dimensions) is designed to assess and audit knowledge workers. Finally, this technique recruits an integer linear programming model with a cost minimization objective function to optimize the supply of NPD knowledge requirements in the second phase.

Findings

This model enables managers to determine what type of knowledge can be supplied by existing knowledge workers, whether within the company or by other external sources.

Originality/value

Among existing knowledge measurement methods, only a few use a product-based measuring technique. However, they fail to offer suitable scenarios for managers' decision-making process and consider cost structures in measurement techniques. Hence, this paper attempts to overcome these drawbacks.
Ambidextrous leadership and organizational innovation: the importance of knowledge search and strategic flexibility
Authors: Jia Ruiqian , Hu Wenan , LI Shuwen
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential process through which leadership exerts impacts on organizational innovation. A thorough analysis was conducted by highlighting the contribution of ambidextrous leadership to organizational innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from companies located in mainland China. A total of 200 cases were included in the final sample. Hierarchical regression analysis was adopted to test the hypotheses in this study.

Findings

The results showed that exploitation knowledge search and exploration knowledge search partly mediated the relationship between ambidextrous leadership and organizational innovation, respectively. Strategic flexibility could positively moderate the relationship between exploitation knowledge search and organizational innovation and had no significant impacts on moderating the relationship between exploration knowledge search and organizational innovation.

Research limitations/implications

In this study, not only were managers provided with a sophisticated understanding of how and when ambidextrous leadership could influence organizational innovation but also concrete strategies were given for enhancing organizational innovation.

Originality/value

In this study, the interaction among ambidextrous leadership, knowledge search and organizational innovation were elucidated and the moderating impacts of strategic flexibility on the relationship between knowledge search and organizational innovation were explored. The findings of this study enriched the literature on leadership, knowledge management and innovation.
COVID-19 and the daily rate of return of three major industry sector stock price indices related to real estate
Authors: Min Hyesook , Shin Seungwoo , Taltavull de La Paz Paloma
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper analyzes how three major industrial stock indices related to South Korean real estate industries are affected by the exogenous shock of the measures taken to control COVID-19, coupled with investor sentiment, which has global impacts.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses daily stock market indices on three major stock price indices: construction industry sector index, real estate operating company (REOC) industry index and the real estate investment trust (REIT) industry index of the Korea Stock Exchange (KRX), from January 8, 2020, when the World Health Organization (WHO) began to issue official indicators regarding COVID-19, to March 27, 2020, the last trading day of the week during which the South Korean government's stock market stabilisation fund was launched.

Findings

Results indicate the REIT sector's stock rate of return to be relatively less sensitive to impacts of COVID-19 compared to those of the two other indices. Impulse response analysis also shows similar results. Impulse response estimations indicate that earlier information of REITs has prominent significance in explaining changes in the time series process itself. Similar to findings of prior studies that have been conducted with long-term perspectives, results of our short-term study indicate that the medium-risk, medium-return characteristic of the real estate industry has significance even in short-term perspectives.

Practical implications

REITs can be an investment vehicle that provides strong benefits of diversified investment for mutual fund investment managers even in the case of short-term exogenous market disruptions.

Originality/value

The analysis run in the empirical exercise is the first to consider the sensibility between international stock exchanges to the effects of measures taken to control COVID-19 impact.
AI-enabled digital identity – inputs for stakeholders and policymakers
Authors: Mir Umar , Kar Arpan Kumar , Gupta Manmohan Prasad
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This conceptual article’s primary aim is to identify the significant stakeholders of the digital identity system (DIS) and then highlight the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on each of the identified stakeholders. It also recommends vital points that could be considered by policymakers while developing technology-related policies for effective DIS.

Design/methodology/approach

This article uses stakeholder methodology and design theory (DT) as a primary theoretical lens along with the innovation diffusion theory (IDT) as a sub-theory. This article is based on the analysis of existing literature that mainly comprises academic literature, official reports, white papers and publicly available domain experts’ interviews.

Findings

The study identified six significant stakeholders, i.e. government, citizens, infrastructure providers, identity providers (IdP), judiciary and relying parties (RPs) of the DIS from the secondary data. Also, the role of IdP becomes insignificant in the context of AI-enabled digital identity systems (AIeDIS). The findings depict that AIeDIS can positively impact the DIS stakeholders by solving a range of problems such as identity theft, unauthorised access and credential misuse, and will also open a possibility of new ways to empower all the stakeholders.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on secondary data and has considered DIS stakeholders from a generic perspective. Incorporating expert opinion and empirical validation of the hypothesis could derive more specific and context-aware insights.

Practical implications

The study could facilitate stakeholders to enrich further their understanding and significance of developing sustainable and future-ready DIS by highlighting the impact of AI on the digital identity ecosystem.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this article is the first of its kind that has used stakeholder theory, DT and IDT to explain the design and developmental phenomenon of AIeDIS. A list of six significant stakeholders of DIS, i.e. government, citizens, infrastructure providers, IdP, judiciary and RP, is identified through comprehensive literature analysis.
Destination governance in times of change: a complex adaptive systems perspective to improve tourism destination development
Authors: Hartman Stefan
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This paper brings together the literature on theories of complexity adaptive systems (CAS), develops an analytical framework, applies this framework to the development of tourism destinations and critically reflects on the use of this perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper elaborates on a CAS perspective on destination development, to further develop complexity thinking in tourism studies. This approach enables to identify policy avenues geared towards improving destination governance and contributing to sustainable tourism development.

Findings

Theories of CAS offer an analytical lens to better understand destination development, drawing explicit attention to (1) the levels of the individual, (emergent) structures, the structure-agency interface and the system level, (2) the steps related to the process of adaptation that is critical for systems to survive and thrive in times of change and (3) the undervalued importance of considering the factor of time.

Originality/value

Applying CAS theories help to address a range of (policy) avenues to improve destination governance, contributing to a shift in focus from reactively fixing problems to proactively addressing the structural issue of adaptive capacity building. It shows that managing tourism destination as complex systems involves a set of conditions that are critical as well as difficult to meet in tourism practice.
An averaging approach to individual time series employing econometric models: a case study on NN5 ATM transactions data
Authors: Cedolin Michele , Erol Genevois Mujde
Published: July 2021

Purpose

The research objective is to increase the computational efficiency of the automated teller machine (ATM) cash demand forecasting problem. It proposes a practical decision-making process that uses aggregated time series of a bank's ATM network. The purpose is to decrease ATM numbers that will be forecasted by individual models, by finding the machines’ cluster where the forecasting results of the aggregated series are appropriate to use.

Design/methodology/approach

A comparative statistical forecasting approach is proposed in order to reduce the calculation complexity of an ATM network by using the NN5 competition data set. Integrated autoregressive moving average (ARIMA) and its seasonal version SARIMA are fitted to each time series. Then, averaged time series are introduced to simplify the forecasting process carried out for each ATM. The ATMs that are forecastable with the averaged series are identified by calculating the forecasting accuracy change in each machine.

Findings

The proposed approach is evaluated by different error metrics and is compared to the literature findings. The results show that the ATMs that have tolerable accuracy loss may be considered as a cluster and can be forecasted with a single model based on the aggregated series.

Research limitations/implications

The research is based on the public data set. Financial institutions do not prefer to share their ATM transactions data, therefore accessible data are limited.

Practical implications

The proposed practical approach will be beneficial for financial institutions to use, that hold an excessive number of ATMs because it reduces the computational time and resources allocated for the forecasting process.

Originality/value

This study offers an effective simplified methodology to the challenging cash demand forecasting process by introducing an aggregated time series approach.
Accountability by design? Exploring design characteristics of corporate social responsibility standards
Authors: Schönherr Norma , Vogel-Pöschl Heike , Findler Florian , Martinuzzi André
Published: July 2021

Purpose

While corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards are amongst the most widely adopted instruments for supporting firms in becoming more accountable, firms who adopt them frequently fail to comply. In this context, the purpose of this study is to explore to what extent CSR standards are designed for accountability. In the analysis, this paper investigates design characteristics related to accountability across different standard types, namely, principle-based, reporting, certification and process standards.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reviews the design characteristics of 50 CSR standards in a systematic and comparative fashion. This paper combines qualitative deductive coding with exploratory quantitative analyses methods to elucidate structural variance and patterns of accountability-related design characteristics across the sample.

Findings

This study finds that the prevalence of design characteristics aimed at fostering accountability varies significantly between different types of standards. This paper identifies three factors related to the specific purpose of any given standard that explain this structural variation in design characteristics, namely, implementability, comparability and measurability.

Practical implications

Non-compliance limits the effectiveness and legitimacy of CSR standards. The systematic exploration of patterns and structural variation in design characteristics that promote accountability may provide valuable clues for the design of more effective CSR standards in the future.

Social implications

Better understanding the role of design characteristics of CSR standards is critical to ensure they contribute to greater corporate accountability.

Originality/value

This study strives to expand the current understanding of the design characteristics of CSR standards beyond individual cases through a systematic exploration of accountability-related design characteristics across a larger sample.
Analyzing the mediating role of organizational ambidexterity and digital business transformation on industry 4.0 capabilities and sustainable supply chain performance
Authors: Belhadi Amine , Kamble Sachin , Gunasekaran Angappa , Mani Venkatesh
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Despite the growing awareness of supply chains on industry 4.0 (I4.0) capabilities as the enabler of sustainable performance, little is known about what accelerates this interaction. Prior studies have focused on the ambidexterity dilemma and the need to adopt sustainable inter-organizational governance to drive I4.0 capabilities while achieving sustainable performance. To address these issues, this paper aims to explore the distinct and combined effects of several approaches such as digital business transformation (DBT), organizational ambidexterity (OA) and circular business models (CBMs) on the relationship between I4.0 capabilities and sustainable performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon a hybrid methodology including structural equation modeling and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis, this paper develops and tests a hypothetical model using data collected from 306 organizations in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Findings

The study findings lead to several important implications concerning the potential paths linking I4.0 and sustainable performance. Notably, the DBT was found to mediate this relationship by integrating circular principles to devise business models. Moreover, OA was found to substitute the CBMs in developing new sustainable business models and reconcile sustainability.

Originality/value

The study is among the first to analyze the combined effects of OA, DBT and CBMs on the relationship between I4.0 capabilities and sustainable performance at the supply chain level. Moreover, the findings propose several solutions to resolve the sustainability dilemma through I4.0 capabilities, DBT, OA and CBMs.
Adoption and compliance with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research recommended maize production practices in Ashanti region, Ghana
Authors: Wongnaa Camillus Abawiera , Bakang John-Eudes Andivi , Asiamah Maxwell , Appiah Patrick , Asibey Joshua Kani
Published: July 2021

Purpose

There is a huge gap between actual and achievable yields of maize which threatens household food security in Ghana. Low adoption of improved maize production technologies coupled with poor compliance with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) recommended maize production practices is identified as the cause of low yields. This study assessed farmers' compliance with CSIR recommended production practices and its effects on yield.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a structured questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey of 150 respondents were interviewed for the study. Descriptive statistics, awareness and compliance indices, probit model and Garret ranking technique were the methods of analysis employed in the study.

Findings

The results showed that farmers are highly aware, have adopted and hardly comply with standards of applications of CSIR recommended production practices. Farm size, age, educational level and female gender significantly influenced compliance with recommended production practices. Also, compliance with recommended production practices increase maize yield.

Originality/value

Policies aim at addressing yield gap in maize production should be targeted at improving farmers' level of compliance with production practices by addressing some constraints through farmer credit and subsidy programmes to help farmers increase their level of compliance. The fact that farmers have adopted recommended production practices does not necessarily mean they will have higher yields. The study generates important insights about how well farmers have been adhering to standards of adoption of recommended production practices.
Market valuation and corporate investment in India
Authors: Dhananjaya K.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of stock market valuation on corporate investment. Specifically, it attempts to understand the influence of both the fundamental and non-fundamental components of stock price on firms’ investment decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study decomposes the market-to-book (MB) ratio into three components, namely, firm-level mispricing, industry mispricing and growth component to examine the effect of each of these components on corporate investment decisions. Based on the literature review, four testable hypotheses concerning the relationship between market valuation and corporate investment have been generated. These hypotheses have been tested on the panel data of 1,311 Indian Public Limited Manufacturing Firms using a pooled data regression model.

Findings

The study finds that both the fundamental and non-fundamental components of stock price influence the investment decisions along with the cash flow variable. The market valuation–investment nexus is more pronounced in the case of equity-dependent firms, which shows that stock valuation affects corporate investment predominantly through the equity transaction channel. Further, the positive relationship between industry mispricing and corporate investment demonstrates that the market sentiment also affects firms’ investment decisions.

Originality/value

The relationship between the different components of market value and corporate investment decisions has not been explored in India. Hence, the present study is unique because it breaks the MB ratio down into growth and mispricing components and examines the impact of each of these components on corporate investment.
Reconstructing lost ecosystems: A risk analysis framework for planning multispecies reintroductions under severe uncertainty
Authors: Peterson Katie A. , Barnes Megan D. , Jeynes‐Smith Cailan , Cowen Saul , Gibson Lesley , Sims Colleen , Baker Christopher M. , Bode Michael
Published: July 2021

Reintroduction projects, which are an important tool in threatened species conservation, are becoming more complex, often involving the translocation of multiple species. Ecological theory predicts that the sequence and timing of reintroductions will play an important role in their success or failure. Following the removal of sheep, goats and feral cats, the Western Australian government is sequentially reintroducing 13 native fauna species to restore the globally important natural and cultural values of Dirk Hartog Island (DHI).

We use ensembles of ecosystem models to compare 23 alternative reintroduction strategies on DHI, in Western Australia. The reintroduction strategies differ in the order, timing and location of releases on the island. Expert elicitation informed the model structure, allowing for use of different presumed species interaction networks which explicitly incorporated uncertainty in ecosystem dynamics.

Our model ensembles predict that almost all of the species (~12.5 of 13, on average) will successfully establish in the ecosystem studied, regardless of which reintroduction strategy is undertaken. The project can therefore proceed with greater confidence and flexibility regarding the reintroduction strategy. However, the identity of the at‐risk species varies between strategies, and depends on the structure of the species interaction network, which is quite uncertain. The model ensembles also offer insights into why some species fail to establish on DHI, predicting that most unsuccessful reintroductions will be the result of competitive interactions with extant species.

Synthesis and applications. Our model ensembles allow for the comparison of outcomes between reintroduction strategies and between different species interaction networks. This framework allows for inclusion of high uncertainty in dynamics. Finally, an ensemble modelling approach also creates a foundation for formal adaptive management as reintroduction projects proceed.
The Diaristic Mode in Contemporary Art after Barthes
Authors: Iversen Margaret
Published: July 2021

The rise of the diaristic mode in contemporary art might seem like the return of the dead author in a particularly self‐absorbed frame of mind. Yet the diary is a form of writing that relinquishes authorial control to the passing moods and contingencies of the day. The diarist writes hastily, automatically, involuntarily, thereby giving access to insights unavailable to deliberation. An account of Roland Barthes's Mourning Diary, 2009, and his reflections on the diary as a form of writing serve to introduce the diaristic work of two contemporary artists, Moyra Davey and Susan Morris. Their work is directly informed by Barthes's and others' experiments with a mode of address that is intimate, but also de‐centred and fragmentary.
La Transición: parent perspectives on transition for Latino youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Authors: Skillern Sean , Carter Erik W.
Published: July 2021

The transition to adulthood can be a challenging time for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its complexity, however, may be magnified for families who have immigrated to the United States. This study examined the transition expectations and experiences of six first‐generation, Latino parents and their transition‐aged (14–22) children with intellectual disability, autism, and/or multiple disabilities. Through individual interviews held in Spanish or English, parents offered insights into (1) their visions of success for their child, (2) the distinct barriers they face as immigrant families, and (3) their suggestions for schools and adult agencies related to supporting strong transitions. Their portraits of desired outcomes were quite individualized and reflected high expectations. Factors identified as inhibiting successful transitions included persistent language barriers, the views of certain professionals and community members, and exclusion from typical school experiences. Parents encouraged schools to support family advocacy, foster greater student independence, expand adult programming, and reduce segregated educational placements. We present implications for educators on working with Latino families, as well as offer recommendations for future research.
Male MPs, electoral vulnerability and the substantive representation of women's interests
Authors: HÖHMANN DANIEL , NUGENT MARY
Published: July 2021

What are the political conditions affecting male MPs’ willingness to represent women's interests in parliament? This paper explores the role of electoral vulnerability in this regard and analyzes whether male MPs’ re‐election prospects affect their likelihood of paying attention to women's concerns. Theoretically, we expect that male MPs are not blamed if they do not represent women's interests but can gain additional credit for doing so. Thus, male MPs should be more likely to speak on behalf of women if their electoral vulnerability is high and if they need to win additional votes to be re‐elected. Empirically, the paper analyzes the representation of women's issues in the British House of Commons, by using Early Day Motions tabled preceding the General Elections in 2001, 2005, 2010 and 2015. The results show that male MPs are more likely to represent women's interests when their re‐election is at risk.
Functional analysis of zona pellucida domain protein Dusky in Tribolium castaneum
Authors: Li Chengjun , Yang Liu , Wang Youwei , Du Huanyu , Zhang Jiangyan , Lu Yaoyao , Li Bin , Chen Keping
Published: July 2021

The zona pellucida domain protein Dusky (Dy) plays a vital role in wing morphogenesis in insects, but little information on its function has been reported. In this study, we found that dy regulated wing cell size, larval and pupal duration, and the metabolism of amino acid and 20‐hydroxyecdysone in Tribolium castaneum. Using RNA‐seq, 413 differentially expressed genes were identified between physiological buffer‐injected and dy‐double‐stranded RNA‐treated larvae, including 88 downregulated genes and 325 upregulated genes. Among these genes, dy knockdown increased CYP18A1 expression to elevate the 26‐hydroxylation of 20‐hydroxyecdysone, which ultimately led to growth defects in wing cells. Silencing of dy upregulated the transcription of genes encoding tyrosine aminotransferase, 4‐hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase, homogentisate 1, 2‐dioxygenase, and Pale to promote the catabolism of tyrosine and phenylalanine, which eventually reduced amino acid content. Furthermore, dy knockdown upregulated 4E‐BP expression, and 4E‐BP silencing partially phenocopied dy RNA interference‐mediated wing morphogenesis. These results suggest that Dy controls 20‐hydroxyecdysone and amino acid metabolism to regulate wing morphogenesis in the insect.
Internal Information Quality and State Tax Planning*
Authors: Laplante Stacie Kelley , Lynch Daniel P. , Vernon Mary E.
Published: July 2021

This study examines the association between internal information quality and state tax planning. Prior literature documents a positive association between internal information quality and summary measures of tax avoidance. However, we know little about specific forms of tax planning and internal information quality. State tax planning is difficult because of the number of jurisdictions, variety of tax rules, variation of enforcement, and apportionment requirements. We find that internal information quality facilitates state tax planning and is most important when firms face more restrictive state tax laws and when domestic firms relative to multinational firms have international income shifting opportunities. Our results provide a baseline of the economic effects of internal information quality on different forms of tax planning. Understanding internal information quality's role in state tax planning is especially relevant as countries propose to modify international tax rules to mirror the state taxation format of a single‐entity system with apportionment.
Move more and bribe more? The impact of residential mobility on bribe‐giving
Authors: Chen Yong‐yuan , Liu Xiao‐xiao , Lan Tian , Hong Ying‐yi
Published: July 2021

Although bribery has unethical connotations, it can be considered as an instrumental behavioural strategy to achieve goals. Because individuals with high residential mobility often focus more on self‐interest to adapt to the changing environment, we hypothesise that residential mobility will increase intention to bribe to achieve one’s goals. We measured actual residential mobility in a self‐reported survey (pilot study) and manipulated it using experiments (Experiments 1–3). We measured intention to bribe using hypothetical scenarios (pilot study, Experiments 1 & 2) and captured actual bribe‐giving using a behavioural game (Experiment 3). We consistently found that residential mobility was positively associated with bribe‐giving intention and actual bribery. This effect was mediated by concern for self‐interest when bribe‐giving was perceived as means to influence the outcome. Implications for research on bribery, residential mobility, and moral behaviours are discussed.
Spermatozoa retrieval in azoospermia and expression profile of JMJD1A, TNP2, and PRM2 in a subset of the Karachi population
Authors: Amjad Sofia , Mushtaq Shamim , Rehman Rehana , Zahid Nida , Munir Adnan , Siddiqui Pirzada Qasim Raza
Published: July 2021

Background

The difficulties encountered in surgical spermatozoa retrieval for intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure in azoospermic men have stressed the dire need for a robust biomarker for the prediction of spermatozoa retrieval. Data have highlighted the role of JMJD1A (Jumonji domain‐containing 1A), a histone H3K9 demethylase, and other nuclear proteins, protamines (PRM) and transition nuclear proteins (TNP), as biomarkers in male infertility.

Objective

To access successful spermatozoa retrieval at the time of intracytoplasmic sperm injection by evaluating the mRNA expression profile of JMJD1A, TNP, and PRM in testicular tissue.

Materials/Methods

About 100 azoospermic patients, who visited the Australian Concept Infertility Medical Center, Karachi for spermatozoa retrieval by testicular sperm extraction or microsurgical testicular sperm extraction participated in the study. mRNA expression of the JMJD1A, TNP1, TNP2, PRM1, and PRM2 genes was determined. Patients were categorized into successful spermatozoa retrieval (n = 42) group and unsuccessful spermatozoa retrieval (n = 58) group.

Results

Azoospermic men in successful spermatozoa retrieval had significantly increased expression of JMJD1A, TNP2, and PRM2. The hormonal parameters – follicle‐stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and thyroid‐stimulating hormone were significantly higher in unsuccessful spermatozoa retrieval. Multivariate analysis showed a significant association between JMJD1A, TNP2, PRM2, and successful spermatozoa retrieval. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve showed a significant discriminatory ability to predict the spermatozoa retrieval outcome in azoospermic patients for mRNA expression of JMJD1A, TNP2, and PRM2 was 71, 72, and 73%, respectively. The area under the curve for follicle‐stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and thyroid‐stimulating hormone was 0.67, 0.81, and 0.65, respectively.

Discussion

Our study demonstrates that the mRNA expression profile of JMJD1A, TNP2, and PRM2 along with hormonal parameters, is a useful marker to assess the probability of spermatozoa retrieval before intracytoplasmic sperm injection intervention.

Conclusion

The probability of spermatozoa retrieval in azoospermic patients is increased when the mRNA expression profile of JMJD1A, TNP2, and PRM2 in testicular tissue is increased.
The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on colorectal cancer diagnosis and management: a Binational Colorectal Cancer Audit study
Authors: Williams Evan , Kong Joseph C. , Singh Parry , Prabhakaran Swetha , Warrier Satish K. , Bell Stephen
Published: July 2021

Background

The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in global disruptions to the delivery of healthcare. The national responses of Australia and New Zealand has resulted in unprecedented changes to the care of colorectal cancer patients, amongst others. This paper aims to determine the impact of COVID‐19 on colorectal cancer diagnosis and management in Australia and New Zealand.

Methods

This is a multicentre retrospective cohort study using the prospectively maintained Binational Colorectal Cancer Audit (BCCA) registry. Data is contributed by over 200 surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. Patients receiving colorectal cancer surgery during the pandemic were compared to averages from the same period over the preceding 3 years.

Results

There were fewer operations in 2020 than the historical average. During April to June, patients were younger, more likely to have operations in public hospitals and more likely to have urgent or emergency operations. By October to December, proportionally less patients had Stage I disease, proportionally more had Stage II or III disease and there was no difference in Stage IV disease. Patients were less likely to have rectal cancer, were increasingly likely to have urgent or emergency surgery and more likely to have a stoma created.

Conclusion

This study shows that the response to COVID‐19 has had measurably negative effects on the diagnosis and management of colorectal cancer in two countries that have had significantly fewer COVID‐19 cases than many other countries. The long‐term effects on survival and recurrence are yet to be known, but could be significant.