bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Female directors and firm performance in Italian and Spanish listed firms
Authors: Martín-Ugedo Juan Francisco , Mínguez-Vera Antonio , Rossi Fabrizio
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between women on the board of directors and firm performance in a comparative analysis between Italy and Spain.

Design/methodology/approach

The generalized method of moment is employed to examine this relationship in a sample of 1,393 firm-year observations.

Findings

The results show that the presence of women on the board has a positive impact on the performance of Italian and Spanish firms. However, when the whole sample is divided into Italy and Spain, some results are remarkable. For Spain, the presence of women on the board has a positive influence on firm performance, whereas for Italy the authors find a negative and significant effect on firm performance. This study also finds that the “masculinity” dimension has a negative impact on firm performance.

Practical implications

The results of this study have several practical implications. First, masculinity differences within the countries can have a large impact on firm performance and can explain some differences between similar countries. Second, the legal system of countries might not explain adequately some differences in the decision-making process. Third, cultural values and thinking styles, in terms of masculinity, might better explain why the results on the relationship between female directors and firm performance are mixed. Fourth, the findings suggest that it is very important to promote gender equality, not only by passing laws but also taking action about the educational system.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the relationship between female directors and firm performance between Italy and Spain considering the cultural differences in term of “masculinity.”
Enhancement in mineral bioavailability of extruded pulses with reduced antinutrients
Authors: Yadav Neelam , Kaur Devinder , Malaviya Ritika , Saini Pinki , Anjum Saba
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Iron deficiency anaemia and zinc deficiency are major public health problems across the globe. Cereals and pulses are important vegetarian source of minerals like zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe), however, poor digestibility impairs proper availability of micro minerals in the body. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) were selected for study as they are important pulse crops consumed worldwide. Therefore, in order to remove antinutrients and enhance bioavailability of nutrients in chickpea and cowpea, extrusion cooking was selected as a technology and its impact was studied by an in vitro method. The paper aims to discuss this issue.

Design/methodology/approach

Four chickpea cultivars, two desi (K 850 and PUSA 362) and two kabuli (PUSA 1108 and PUSA 1053) and one cowpea (Gomati) cultivars were selected for the study. Pulses were processed in a laboratory using a single screw food extruder. Raw and extruded pulses were analysed for antinutrients content, micronutrients content (Fe, Zn) and their bioavailability.

Findings

Extrusion cooking significantly decreased phytate in all cultivars of chick pea and cowpea with highest reduction (72.92 per cent) in PUSA 362; similarly, tannin and trypsin inhibitor decreased by 87.5 and 71.54 per cent, respectively, in Gomati cultivar of cowpea. All cultivars showed significant increase in protein digestibility. Iron bioavailability in all samples enhanced significantly; however, only 50 per cent cultivars (K 850, PUSA 362 and PUSA 1108) showed improvement in Zn bioavailability.

Originality/value

The present research therefore brought the outcome as an enhanced in vitro protein digestibility and bioavailability of micro mineral and protein in certain pulses having minimized antinutrients. Therefore, it is concluded that extrusion cooking is an effective tool in enhancing protein and micro mineral bioavailability.
Influences of sensory and non-sensory factors on consumer perception of saffroned products
Authors: Sheibani Ershad , Matinfar Golshan , Jazaeri Sahar , Mohammadi Abdorreza
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of the interactions of taste, colour and labelling on sensory perception, liking and identification of saffroned products.

Design/methodology/approach

The consumer and discrimination tests (N=120, 18, 25, 78, for Experiments 1–4, respectively) were conducted. The analyses of discrimination tests were performed using the Thurstonian model and R-index. The results from consumer studies were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test, penalty analysis and correlation matrix.

Findings

The study revealed that saffron can interact with the perception of sour and bitter taste and has no significant effects on the sweetness. The colour and labelling generated expectations for quality and sweetness of the samples. When the disparity between the expectation and actual experience was occurred resulted in contrast/assimilation effects on the hedonic ratings and negatively impacted consumer acceptability of the product.

Practical implications

This study showed that the visual cues can modulate the expectation for particular sensory perceptions and also affect the hedonic experiences. Saffron adulteration can be identified by the consumers and can result in a significant decrease in the acceptability of the products. Hence, the practice of substituting saffron with ingredients with a similar colour in these products can be detrimental for business. Additionally, it was revealed that saffron colour is associated with the expected and actual sweet taste perception. Therefore, it is possible to manipulate yellow colour cues to reduce sweeteners in different food products that contain saffron.

Originality/value

The sensory characteristics and consumer perception of saffron have been rarely studied. This study revealed that flavour perception and quality determination of saffroned foods involves the combinations of different sensory modalities and cognitive (expectancy) inputs.
Improving parent teacher meeting process through business process management life-cycle approach
Authors: Elahi Fazal , Bilal Ahmad Raza
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate the process of parent teacher meeting in private schools through applying BPM life-cycle approach and using quality tools to fill the gap of standardized practices for parent teacher meeting (PTM).

Design/methodology/approach

BPM life-cycle approach (Dumas et al., 2013) was used and two focus groups were conducted at first and second stage. The recommendations of previous studies for third, fourth and fifth stage of BPM and quality tools like SIPOC chart, responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) and CTQ trees were used for process management.

Findings

The previous studies reveal that, in developing countries, most of the private schools are not fully aware from the benefits of PTM. Beside, where the evidence of PTM is seen in few instances, no standardized process is available to conduct an effective PTM process. Owing to long-term sustainability and reciprocate economic benefits, school management is desired to have a standardized PTM process for an effective all-round performance. Likewise, the parents have a lot of expectations from schools and they want to be treated in a mannered way in which their complaints are formally addressed from the school management. The authors formulated all three phases from start to end process. The proposed process is validated in four private schools and got satisfactory results in terms of increased parents’ participation and decreased number of complaints.

Research limitations/implications

This process will facilitate school managers to deal with parents effectively, collect the data from PTM, analyze it and use for the continuous improvement. Implementation of this process will ensure better meeting environment for the parents as well as for the teachers. The study bridges between quality management tools and BPM approach to improve the state of art of BPM practices that will lead to generate a trend of application of quality tools and management theories in private schooling industry.

Originality/value

The authors first time used BPM life-cycle approach to manage the process of PTM in private schools. The authors design a process to match the working of schools and the application of desired quality tools.
The normative evolution of corporate governance in the UK: an empirical analysis (1995-2014)
Authors: Pletz Stefanie , Upson Joan
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse normative corporate governance evolution in the UK between 1995 and 2014 against the benchmark of Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) regulatory principles.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodologically, the authors conduct an empirical, longitudinal data set analysis of the formative years of UK normative corporate governance development between 1995 and 2014. We provide a qualitative discussion of the empirical evidence that links the type of UK regulatory corporate governance development to financial market growth thereby adopting a mixed approach based on quantitative and qualitative research methods.

Findings

The authors find that compared to the OECD model of corporate governance, the UK model is less rigid following a more self-regulatory approach based upon a “comply or explain” paradigm. Thus it is scored below corporate governance systems that follow a compulsory implementation model. However, even with such “low” tilt towards formal shareholder primacy norms, the UK has the best performing financial market. As a quasi-empirical study, the authors suggest that there are several historical and economic reasons for this, which together with a robust rule of law in the UK contribute to this performance – and the law especially the type or tilt is less relevant.

Originality/value

This is the first of its kind empirical, longitudinal data set analysis with qualitative elements that links empirical evidence to regulatory developments in the wider context of UK corporate governance evolution.
Framework for the implementation of lean construction strategies using the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique
Authors: Sarhan Jamil Ghazi , Xia Bo , Fawzia Sabrina , Karim Azharul , Olanipekun Ayokunle Olubunmi , Coffey Vaughan
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for implementing lean construction and consequently to improve performance levels in the construction industry in the context of Saudi Arabia. There is currently no framework for implementing lean construction specifically tailored to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) construction industry. Existing lean construction frameworks are focussed on other countries and are less applicable in the KSA due to differences in socio-cultural and operational contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique for data collection and analysis. First, following a survey of 282 construction professionals, 12 critical success factors (CSFs) for implementing lean construction in the KSA construction industry were identified by Sarhanet al.(2016). Second, 16 of these professionals who have 15 years or more experience were exclusively selected to examine the contextual relationship among the 12 CSFs. A row and column questionnaire was used for a pairwise comparison of the CSFs. A matrix of cross-impact multiplications (MICMAC) was applied to analyse the questionnaire data to develop an ISM model that can serve as a framework for implementing lean construction. Third, the framework was subjected to further validation by interviewing five experts to check for conceptual inconsistencies and to confirm the applicability of the framework in the context of the KSA construction industry.

Findings

The findings reveal that the CSFs are divided into four clusters: autonomous, linkage, dependent and driving clusters. Additionally, the findings reveal seven hierarchies of inter-relationships among the CSFs. The order of practical application of the CSFs descends from the seventh hierarchy to the first hierarchy.

Originality/value

The new framework is a significant advancement over existing lean construction frameworks as it employs an ISM technique to specify the hierarchical relationships among the different factors that contribute to the successful implementation of lean construction. The primary value of this study is the development of a new framework that reflects the socio-cultural and operational contexts in the KSA construction industry and can guide the successful implementation of lean construction. Therefore, construction industry operators such as contractors, consultants, government departments and professionals can rely on the framework to implement lean construction more effectively and successfully.
Rolling drops: Nilkamal Wello Water Wheel
Authors: Elembilassery Varun , Bhaskar Kalyan , Aggarwal Divya
Published: September 2019

Learning outcomes

The case will enable students to understand and ponder on how an organization goes about identifying and launching social impact products, how social impact products should be promoted, what the opportunities and challenges in executing a social impact strategy of developing a new product line by a leading industry player are, what is the type of social investment that will generate both social and financial returns and how a sustainable social impact strategy should be aligned with the corporate strategy of the firm.

Case overview/synopsis

Listed in 1991 on the National Stock Exchange in India, Nilkamal Limited is the largest manufacturer of moulded plastic furniture in the world. In line with their tradition, Nilkamal has now introduced a new range of products, under “social impact products” category, to cater to some of the pressing needs of the society. For this purpose, they have entered into an agreement with a US-based organization, Wello, to manufacture and market their iconic product, the Water Wheel. The euphoria surrounding the new social impact product, Water Wheel, has been immense but its commercial viability is yet to materialize. The case provokes the students to analyse the decision of venturing into social impact products and the challenges associated with it. The case grapples with the issues faced by a business firm that looks to incorporate social impact products as part of regular commercial operations. The key question to be addressed is “How far can social impact products be a good strategy to bring corporate sustainability and what should be the approach in this case?”

Complexity academic level

Study level: MBA students’ applicability: corporate responsibility and corporate sustainability, social impact strategy

Supplementary materials

Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy
Grey relational decision making model of three-parameter interval grey number based on AHP and DEA
Authors: Li Bingjun , Zhu Xiaoxiao
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to put forward the grey relational decision-making model of three-parameter interval grey number based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), based on the previous study of grey relational decision-making model, and it considers the advantages of the decision-making schemes and the subjective preferences of decision makers.

Design/methodology/approach

First of all, through AHP, the preference of each index is analyzed and the index weight is determined. Second, the DEA model is adopted to obtain the index weight from the perspective of the most beneficial to each scheme and objectively reflect the advantages of different schemes. Then, assign the comprehensive weights to each index of the grey relational decision-making model of three-parameter interval grey number, and calculate the grey relation degree of each scheme to rank the schemes.

Findings

The effectiveness of the model is proved by an example of carrier aircraft selection.

Practical implications

The applicability of this model is analyzed by taking carrier aircraft selection as an example. In fact, this model can also be widely used in agriculture, industry, economy, society and other fields.

Originality/value

In this paper, the combination of AHP and DEA is used to determine the index weight. Based on which, the grey relation degree under the three-parameter interval grey number is calculated. It intended the application space of the grey relational decision-making model.
A novel GREY‒ASMAA model for reliability growth evaluation in the large civil aircraft test flight phase
Authors: Liu Sifeng , Tang Wei , Song Dejin , Fang Zhigeng , Yuan Wenfeng
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a novel GREY‒ASMAA model for reliability growth evaluation in the large civil aircraft test flight phase.

Design/methodology/approach

As limited data are collected during the large civil aircraft test flight phase, which are not enough to meet the requirements of the ASMAA model for reliability growth, four basic GM(1, 1) models, even grey model, original difference grey model, even difference grey model and discrete grey model, are presented. Then both forward and backward grey models GM(1,1) are built to forecast and obtain virtual test data on left and right sides. Then the ASMAA model for reliability growth evaluation can be built based on original and virtual test data.

Findings

Aiming at the background of poor information data during the large civil aircraft test flight phase, first, a novel GREY‒ASMAA model, which was combined by the grey model GM(1,1) with the ASMAA model, has been put forward in this paper.

Practical implications

The GREY‒ASMAA model for reliability growth evaluation can be used to solve the problem of reliability growth evaluation with poor information data during the large civil aircraft test flight phase, and it has been used in reliability evaluation of C919 at the test flight stage.

Originality/value

This paper presents two new definitions of forward grey model GM(1,1) and backward grey model GM(1,1), as well as a novel GREY‒ASMAA model for reliability growth evaluation of large civil aircraft during test flight phase.
QSR customer sustainable behaviors and brand practice perceptions on willingness to pay a premium
Authors: Ottenbacher Michael C. , Kuechle Graciela , Harrington Robert James , Kim Woo-Hyuk
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of consumer sustainability attitudes and quick service restaurants (QSRs) practices along with the willingness of consumers to pay a premium for sustainability efforts.

Design/methodology/approach

A random sample of QSR customers in Germany resulted in 428 completed surveys. First, common factor analysis was conducted to assess the summated scales related to the sustainable behavior of customers, the importance attached by them to the different dimensions of sustainability and the extent to which customers perceive that QSR implement such practices. Second, the effect of these summated scales on the willingness to pay a premium (WTPP) for sustainability practices were assessed by means of a logistic regression.

Findings

The findings indicated that WTPP for sustainability efforts is primarily driven by internal beliefs and behaviors of consumers themselves rather than actions by QSR firms. Furthermore, when comparing five major QSRs, QSR brands did not appear to create a strong point of differentiation in their sustainability practices in the minds of frequent QSR consumers in the context of this study.

Practical implications

Implications of these results suggest that a growing number of consumers place high importance on sustainability and engage in personal sustainability practices that impact behaviors such as QSR selection and a WTPP for QSR brands and products that are perceived as implementing sustainable practices.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a gap by assessing drivers of willingness of QSR customers to pay a premium for sustainable practices and if QSR brands sustainability practices differ in the minds of consumers.
Timing the market with own stock: an extensive analysis with buying and selling evidence
Authors: Santos Dinis Daniel , Gama Paulo
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Are firms able to time the market? The purpose of this paper is to focus on the study of own stock trading, emphasizing both repurchase and resell operations on the open market as well as over the counter.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors use data on 37,997 own stock transactions from 2005 to 2015 of Euronext Lisbon listed firms. Following Dittmar and Field (2015), this paper uses relative transaction prices to ascertain the relative performance of own stock transactions, in the open market and over the counter.

Findings

Results show that firms can time both repurchases as well as resales. Firms repurchase (resell) at lower (higher) prices than those prevailing in the market. Moreover, market-timing ability proves to be higher after the bailout period and to be influenced by the own stock trading frequency. Trading on the open market allows for increased timing ability for own stock repurchasing and reselling activity. Finally, results show seasonal effects both in repurchase and resale performance. Also, more efficient but less valuable firms are more likely to be successful in timing the market.

Originality/value

The authors study both the repurchasing and the reselling activity of the same set of firms, of already issued stock, using high-frequency (daily) data. In addition, the authors study own stock trading both in the open market and OTC, and also study the impact of a major economic shift on the firms’ ability to time the market.
Factors influencing the community behavioral intention for adoption of Islamic banking
Authors: Maryam Sayeda Zeenat , Mehmood Mian Saqib , Khaliq Chaudhry Abdul
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Islamic banking (IB) is growing rapidly not only in Islamic countries but also in all over the world. The purpose of this paper is to stumble on the features that have an impact on Islamic banking adoption (IBA) in case of Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The identification of the factors that affect IBA has made by extending the theory of reasoned action (TRA). However, the conceptual model for this study includes knowledge (K), business support (BS), government support (GS), reputation (Rep), religious obligation (RO), cost-benefit (CB) and social influence (SI) as the independent variables. To test the conceptual framework data were collected through a survey by distributing the 400 questionnaires among users- and non-users of Islamic banks. Multiple regression analysis was applied to test the hypothesis of this study.

Findings

The findings of the study suggest that Rep, CB, RO and SI has a highly significant and positive influence on IBA. On the other hand, K, GS and BS have insignificant influence on IBA. The bottom line of this study suggests that more the ROs will be adopted by Islamic banks, more will be the tendency to adopt it by a bank customer in case of Pakistan.

Research limitations/implications

The generalizability of the findings of this research is limited to IB.

Practical implications

Findings of the study present worthy insight especially for the practitioners to develop significant strategies to bridge the gap between industry and academia in case of IB.

Originality/value

This study is an extension of TRA.
An ethnographic justification for establishment of a contextual engineering discipline
Authors: Witmer Ann-Perry
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an ethnographic analysis of the infrastructure intervention process in rural, non-industrialized countries, providing justification for a new approach to technical design. The new approach, Contextual Engineering, merges engineering with sociology to identify place-based conditions that may influence adoption of technological interventions.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey of international engineering practitioners, combined with the author's personal journals from 18 international project experiences are qualitatively analyzed using nVivo software to develop a stronger understanding of what motivates stakeholders to undertake humanitarian engineering work, how they incorporate place-based conditions and how their decision-making affects intervention outcomes.

Findings

Critical findings include the need for practitioner self-reflection to recognize motivations and beliefs; recognition that industrialized-world technology may not function effectively if it doesn’t acknowledge the client’s societal standards; identification of local context to determine practices, knowledge and beliefs that reside uniquely within the client community; resistance to application of practitioner standards that may not correspond with client conditions, understandings and needs; analysis of power dynamics within the client community, between client and neighboring communities, and among project stakeholders; and incorporation of innovative self-sufficiency in technical infrastructure design.

Originality/value

This paper follows upon previous published research by the author regarding the origin and application of her new approach to rural international infrastructure design, Contextual Engineering, and uses ethnographic qualitative analysis to identify key conditions that justify the Contextual Engineering discipline to more effectively serve rural clients from alternately developed societies.
Competition in multichannel expert services in duopoly
Authors: Xiao Hanyu
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This study aims to describe the general picture of the competition in multichannel expert services in duopoly market and discuss how the quality difference may affects the competition between service providers with different quality levels, where both providers offer face-to-face channel and one of providers offers online channel additionally and service quality that consumers have heterogeneous preferences for is vertically differentiated. These results can be used to determine which service providers should offer online expert services and understand the competition in multichannel expert services in duopoly.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the stylized vertical differentiation model to investigate the role of quality in expert services market, assuming that two services providers offer the same services with different quality levels and one of them having additional online services. Taking into account the differences of services from products and the particularity of online service, this paper extends the vertical differentiation model to expert services market.

Findings

The quality difference is the key factor in the competition of expert services. Service prices and the profits of providers, independent of the quality levels, are positively related to the quality difference, whereas the demand of online services is in the opposite direction regardless of which provider offers online channel. It demonstrates that provider with low-quality level should open online channel from the point of view of social welfare if it is closely related to the expert services, even though any provider can make more profits by opening online channel.

Research limitations/implications

This extended vertical differentiation model, taking into account the importance of vertical differentiation in expert service, ignores the horizontal differentiation. More accurate strategies for multichannel expert services providers with what level of the quality a provider should offer is needed in future work. Moreover, this paper does not consider the different waiting costs of consumers in face-to-face channel and assumes that their problem will be solved eventually.

Originality/value

To the best of the author’s knowledge, no study has focused on the quality difference in multichannel expert services market or discussed how to offer online expert services in the duopoly market. This study extends the vertical differentiation model to the multichannel expert service market. Therefore, it fills this research gap and extends research to expert services market in the new network environment, aiming to help understand the competition in multichannel expert services.
A joint replenishment supply model for multi-products grouped by several variables with random and time dependence demand
Authors: Rojas Fernando
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a supply model of periodic review with joint replenishment for multi-products grouped by several variables with random and time dependence demand.

Design/methodology/approach

The products are grouped by multivariate cluster analysis. The stochastic inventory model describes the random demand of each product, considering the temporal dependency through a generalized autoregressive moving average model. Stochastic programming for the total cost of inventory is obtained considering the expected value of the demand per unit of time.

Findings

The total costs for the products grouped with the proposed model are 6% lower than for the individual inventory policy. The expected shortage units decrease significantly in the proposed grouped model with temporary dependence. In addition, the proposal with temporary dependency has lower costs than when the independent and identically distributed demand is considered.

Originality/value

The proposed policy is exemplified with real-world data from a Chilean hospital, where the products (drugs) are segmented by grouping variables, forming clusters of drugs with homogeneous behavior within the groups and heterogeneous behavior between groups.
Presenting sustainable supply chain fuzzy rotation matrix framework to manage business challenges in the context of sustainable supply chain management
Authors: Jalilian Negar , Mirghafoori Seyed Habibollah
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper seeks to provide a hybrid framework of sustainable supply chain fuzzy rotation matrix regarding the challenges in today’s business environment and the goals pursued by sustainable supply chain, to prioritize effective infrastructure to manage the challenges in ceramic tile industry in Yazd.

Design/methodology/approach

The research offers a hybrid framework of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and quality function deployment (QFD) model to determine, which one of the goals of a sustainable supply chain can have a greater share in the management of business challenges.

Findings

The results indicated government regulations that encourage the implementation of sustainable supply chain and management of the consumption of non-renewable resources are among the most important infrastructures that can be effective to manage the challenges of today’s business.

Practical implications

Given the importance of managing the challenges in today’s business environment and sustainable supply chain management capabilities to enable managers to deal with these challenges, the present research makes effort to offer a hybrid framework of AHP and QFD model, to determine, which one of the goals of a sustainable supply chain can have a greater share in the management of business challenges.

Originality/value

By reviewing the existing research studies in the sustainable supply chain area, it can be found that despite of vast studies, there is no focus on establishing a comprehensive interaction between business challenges management and the fulfillment of sustainable supply chain management goals. So according to this research gap, a new framework was presented in this study to enable tile and ceramic industry managers, to focus on mentioned interaction and manage the businesses challenges in the desired way to achieve sustainable supply chain goals.
An effective teaching-learning-based optimization algorithm for the multi-skill resource-constrained project scheduling problem
Authors: Joshi Dheeraj , Mittal M.L. , Sharma Milind Kumar , Kumar Manish
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider one of the recent and practical extensions of the resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) termed as the multi-skill resource-constrained project scheduling problem (MSRCPSP) for investigation. The objective is the minimization of the makespan or total project duration.

Design/methodology/approach

To solve this complex problem, the authors propose a teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm in which self-study and examination have been used as additional features to enhance its exploration and exploitation capabilities. An activity list-based encoding scheme has been modified to include the resource assignment information because of the multi-skill nature of the algorithm. In addition, a genetic algorithm (GA) is also developed in this work for the purpose of comparisons. The computational experiments are performed on 216 test instances with varying complexity and characteristics generated for the purpose.

Findings

The results obtained after computations show that the TLBO has performed significantly better than GA in terms of average percentage deviation from the critical path-based lower bound for different combinations of three parameters, namely, skill factor, network complexity and modified resource strength.

Research limitations/implications

The modified TLBO proposed in this paper can be conveniently applied to any product or service organization wherein human resources are involved in executing project activities.

Practical implications

The developed model can suitably handle resource allocation problems faced in real-life large-sized projects usually administered in software development companies, consultancy firms, R&D-based organizations, maintenance firms, big construction houses, etc. wherein human resources are involved.

Originality/value

The current work aims to propose an effective metaheuristic for a more realistic version of MSRCPSP, in which resource requirements of activities may be more than one. Moreover, to enhance the exploration and exploitation capabilities of the original TLBO, the authors use two additional concepts, namely, self-study and examination in the search process.
An integrated DEA-based approach for evaluating and sizing health care supply chains
Authors: Chorfi Zoubida , Berrado Abdelaziz , Benabbou Loubna
Published: September 2019

Purpose

Evaluating the performance of supply chains is a convoluted task because of the complexity that is inextricably linked to the structure of the aforesaid chains. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to present an integrated approach for evaluating and sizing real-life health-care supply chains in the presence of interval data.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the objective, this paper illustrates an approach called Latin hypercube sampling by replacement (LHSR) to identify a set of precise data from the interval data; then the standard data envelopment analysis (DEA) models can be used to assess the relative efficiencies of the supply chains under evaluation. A certain level of data aggregation is suggested to improve the discriminatory power of the DEA models and an experimental design is conducted to size the supply chains under assessment.

Findings

The newly developed integrated methodology assists the decision-makers (DMs) in comparing their real-life supply chains against peers and sizing their resources to achieve a certain level of production.

Practical implications

The proposed integrated DEA-based approach has been successfully implemented to suggest an appropriate structure to the actual public pharmaceutical supply chain in Morocco.

Originality/value

The originality of the proposed approach comes from the development of an integrated methodology to evaluate and size real-life health-care supply chains while taking into account interval data. This developed integrated technique certainly adds value to the health-care DMs for modelling their supply chains in today's world.
Investigating relationships among polychronicity, work-family conflict, job satisfaction, and work engagement
Authors: Conte Jeffrey M. , Aasen Bryan , Jacobson Caitie , O’Loughlin Casey , Toroslu Lukas
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine whether polychronicity, an individual difference variable that involves a preference for multitasking, moderates the relationships between work-family conflict (WFC) and two work criteria, job satisfaction and work engagement; second, to examine two measures of polychronicity (the multitasking preference inventory (MPI) and the inventory of polychronic values (IPV)) and investigate whether polychronicity moderates the relationships between WFC and work criteria differently when measured by the MPI or the IPV.

Design/methodology/approach

The study’s sample included 257 respondents from the Amazon Mechanical Turk service who completed an online survey. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to test whether polychronicity moderated the relationships between WFC and two work criteria, job satisfaction and work engagement.

Findings

Polychronicity was found to significantly moderate the relationship between the work engagement and WFC. Follow-up analyses indicated that those who were lower in polychronicity had a significant decrease in work engagement as WFC increased, whereas those who were higher in polychronicity had relatively the same work engagement level regardless of changes in WFC. The results suggest that individuals higher in polychronicity have more personal resources and may be more resilient than those lower in polychronicity when it comes to not letting conflicts between their work and family lives affect how engaged they feel in their work.

Originality/value

This study extends the application of polychronicity to new domains of WFC and work engagement. The current study also contributed to the literature by investigating two measures of polychronicity (MPI and IPV) and finding that the MPI significantly moderated the relationship between WFC and work engagement, but the IPV did not. These findings indicate that there are important differences between the MPI and the IPV, and additional research is needed in comparing these two polychronicity measures.
Procedural justice and voice: a group engagement model
Authors: Xiang Changchun , Li Chenwei , Wu Keke , Long Lirong
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact on employee voice from formal vs informal sources of procedural justice: group responsiveness and interactional justice, and to test how this impact may vary according to employees’ traditionality.

Design/methodology/approach

Dyadic data were collected from 261 employees and their supervisors. Results of the analyses offered support for the hypothesized moderated mediation model where group responsiveness and interactional justice would influence employee voice through enhanced organization-based self-esteem, and where such influence would be moderated by traditionality.

Findings

The findings showed that when there was a high level of group responsiveness, low traditionalists spoke up more, but when there was a high level of interactional justice, high traditionalists spoke up more.

Originality/value

By adopting the group engagement model, this study presented an alternative to the conventional perspective from uncertainty management theory about justice and voice, and tended to the neglect of fairness as an antecedent of voice by investigating how employees’ engagement in voice can be affected by their experience with different sources of procedural fairness information.
CFTC enters the market for anti-corruption enforcement
Authors: Fisher Alice S. , Yatter Douglas K. , Greenburg Douglas N. , Baker III William R. , Dozier Benjamin A. , Greenberg Robyn J.
Published: September 2019

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the March 6, 2019 enforcement advisory in which the Division of Enforcement (Division) of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) announced that it will work alongside the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and other agencies to investigate foreign bribery and corruption relating to commodities markets.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper explains the enforcement advisory and outlines key considerations for industry participants and their compliance teams, including the CFTC’s plan to investigate in parallel with other enforcement authorities, an expansion of the CFTC’s existing self-reporting, cooperation and remediation policy to address foreign corruption and the CFTC’s focus on market and economic integrity, and provides guidelines for commodities companies concerning anti-corruption compliance and training programs, investigating potential incidents of bribery and corruption, reporting obligations under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and CFTC regulations, voluntary reporting of incidents of foreign corruption and whistleblowing.

Findings

The CFTC announcement adds a new dimension to an already crowded and complex landscape for anti-corruption enforcement. A range of industries, including energy, agriculture, metals, financial services, cryptocurrencies and beyond, must now consider the CFTC and the CEA when assessing global compliance and enforcement risks relating to bribery and corruption.

Originality/value

Expert guidance from lawyers with broad experience in white collar defense, investigations, financial services, securities, commodities, energy and derivatives.
How to scale up contact-intensive services: ICT-enabled service innovation
Authors: Kleinschmidt Stefan , Peters Christoph , Leimeister Jan Marco
Published: September 2019

Purpose

While scaling is a viable approach to respond to growing demand, service providers in contact-intensive services (CIS) – such as education, healthcare and social services – struggle to innovate their offerings. The reason is that the scaling of CIS – unlike purely digital settings – has resource limitations. To help ease the situation, the purpose of this paper is to identify and describe the practices used in scaling CIS to support ICT-enabled service innovation.

Design/methodology/approach

The research draws on an in-depth analysis of three CIS to examine service innovation practices. The analysis informs model development for service scaling.

Findings

The analysis uncovers three practices for service scaling – service interaction analysis, service pivoting and service validation – and their related activities that are applied in a cyclic and iterative logic.

Research limitations/implications

While the findings reveal that the scalability of CIS is limited and determined by the formative characteristic of personal interaction, this study and its findings describe how to leverage scalability in CIS.

Practical implications

The insights into the practices enable service providers of CIS to iteratively revise their service offerings and the logic of creating value with the service.

Originality/value

This research identifies and describes for the first time the practices for the scaling of CIS as an operationalisation of ICT-enabled service innovation.
You can’t govern if you don’t measure
Authors: Florek Magdalena , Herezniak Marta , Augustyn Anna
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to verify the theoretical assumptions based on literature review regarding the issue of brand effectiveness evaluation and the potential measurement framework, as well as to provide insights into the nature of effectiveness measurement of city brand strategies. The findings are considered important foundations for designing a place branding measurement system, which is the next step and final purpose of the author’s research project.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 12 international academic experts from eight countries (in four continents) were individually interviewed. A semi-structured individual interview was applied as a research method. Sampling was purposive and the respondents represented the fields of marketing, place branding and public management. The standardized set of 19 open-ended questions was categorized into four themes (city brand effectiveness, methodology, measurement process and indicators).

Findings

The measurement of effectiveness of city branding should be treated as a strategic endeavor; however, it is a complex issue where political, social and methodological challenges overlap. Barriers to the development of a well-functioning measurement system include: too narrow understanding of what brand is, lack of knowledge or culture of measurement, conflicting political interests, reluctance to involve internal stakeholders, insufficient funding and complexity of the brand itself. The reliable measurement system should be characterized by attributes such as simplicity and durability, stakeholder inclusion, political rationale, adjustment to the specificity of the city and the independence of the measuring body/institution.

Originality/value

Up-to-date, common standards or universal measurement frames of the place branding measurement system do not exist. No discussion can be found in the literature on how such a system should be designed and implemented. Opinions of the experts interviewed provide important insights into the components and conditions of the reliable measurement system that would meet both methodological standards and practical needs. Further studies and analyses are however necessary to eventually compose the optimal city brand measurement system.
Does client industry importance affect auditor independence?
Authors: Cao Qiang , Hu Nanwei , Hao Lizhong
Published: September 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether client industry importance affects auditor independence.

Design/methodology/approach

This study analyzes audit firm merger data from China Stock Market and Accounting Research and uses a difference-in-difference model to find whether client industry importance is associated with auditor independence. This study uses discretionary accruals and propensity to issue modified audit opinions as proxies for auditor independence.

Findings

Results show that the greater the decline in client industry importance, the more significant the increase in auditor independence. In addition, the magnitude of decline in client overall importance is also positively associated with the extent of increase in auditor independence; however, this result disappears after controlling for client industry importance.

Research limitations/implications

The authors acknowledge that this study has limitations. First, audit firm mergers provide a unique research setting. However, the findings of this study in such setting may not be generalizable to other situations. Second, this study has a limited sample size because of data availability, which could impact the robustness of the results.

Originality/value

Results from this study are important because investors and regulators have increasing concerns over auditor independence since the Enron scandal. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the impact of client industry importance on auditor independence and in a unique setting of audit firm merger to separate auditor independence from auditor competence, and hence controlling for self-selection bias. Results of this study provide evidence that client industry importance has significant influence over auditor independence.