bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EEG reveals brain network alterations in chronic aphasia during natural speech listening
Authors: Mehraram Ramtin , Kries Jill , Clercq Pieter De , Vandermosten Maaike , Francart Tom
Published: March 2023

Aphasia is a common consequence of a stroke which affects language processing. In search of an objective biomarker for aphasia, we used EEG to investigate how functional network patterns in the cortex are affected in persons with post-stroke chronic aphasia (PWA) compared to healthy controls (HC) while they are listening to a story.

EEG was recorded from 22 HC and 27 PWA while they listened to a 25-min-long story. Functional connectivity between scalp regions was measured with the weighted phase lag index. The Network- Based Statistics toolbox was used to detect altered network patterns and to investigate correlations with behavioural tests within the aphasia group. Differences in network geometry were assessed by means of graph theory and a targeted node-attack approach. Group-classification accuracy was obtained with a support vector machine classifier.

PWA showed stronger inter-hemispheric connectivity compared to HC in the theta-band (4.5-7 Hz), whilst a weaker subnetwork emerged in the low-gamma band (30.5-49 Hz). Two subnetworks correlated with semantic fluency in PWA respectively in delta- (1-4 Hz) and low-gamma-bands. In the theta-band network, graph alterations in PWA emerged at both local and global level, whilst only local changes were found in the low-gamma-band network. As assessed with the targeted node-attack, PWA exhibit a more scale-free network compared to HC. Network metrics effectively discriminated PWA and HC (AUC = 83%).

Overall, we showed for that EEG-network metrics are effective biomarkers to assess natural speech processing in chronic aphasia. We hypothesize that the detected alterations reflect compensatory mechanisms associated with recovery.
Connectomes for 40,000 UK Biobank participants: A multi-modal, multi-scale brain network resource
Authors: Sina Mansour L. , Di Biase Maria A. , Smith Robert E. , Zalesky Andrew , Seguin Caio
Published: March 2023

We mapped functional and structural brain networks for more than 40,000 UK Biobank participants. Structural connectivity was estimated with tractography and diffusion MRI. Resting-state functional MRI was used to infer regional functional connectivity. We provide high-quality structural and functional connectomes for multiple parcellation granularities, several alternative measures of interregional connectivity, and a variety of common data pre-processing techniques, yielding more than one million connectomes in total and requiring more than 200,000 hours of compute time. For a single subject, we provide 28 out-of-the-box versions of structural and functional brain networks, allowing users to select, e.g., the parcellation and connectivity measure that best suit their research goals. Furthermore, we provide code and intermediate data for the time-efficient reconstruction of more than 1,000 different versions of a subject’s connectome based on an array of methodological choices. All connectomes are available via the UK Biobank data sharing platform and our connectome mapping pipelines are openly available. In this report, we describe our connectome resource in detail for users, outline key considerations in developing an efficient pipeline to map an unprecedented number of connectomes, and report on the quality control procedures that were completed to ensure connectome reliability and accuracy. We demonstrate that our structural and functional connectivity matrices meet a number of quality control checks and replicate previously established findings in network neuroscience. We envisage that our resource will enable new studies of the human connectome in health, disease and aging at an unprecedented scale.
Reconstructing the regulatory programs underlying the phenotypic plasticity of neural cancers
Authors: Larsson Ida , Held Felix , Popova Gergana , Koc Alper , Jörnsten Rebecka , Nelander Sven
Published: March 2023

Nervous system cancers contain a large spectrum of transcriptional cell states, reflecting processes active during normal development, injury response and growth. However, we lack a good understanding of these states’ regulation and pharmacological importance. Here, we describe the integrated reconstruction of such cellular regulatory programs and their therapeutic targets from extensive collections of single-cell RNA sequencing data (scRNA-seq) from both tumors and developing tissues. Our method, termed single-cell Regulatory-driven Clustering (scRegClust), predicts essential kinases and transcription factors in little computational time thanks to a new efficient optimization strategy. Using this method, we analyze scRNA-seq data from both adult and childhood brain cancers to identify transcription factors and kinases that regulate distinct tumor cell states. In adult glioblastoma, our model predicts that blocking the activity ofPDGFRA,DDR1,ERBB3orSOX6, or increasingYBX1-activity, would potentiate temozolomide treatment. We further perform an integrative study of scRNA-seq data from both cancer and the developing brain to uncover the regulation of emerging meta-modules. We find a meta-module regulated by the transcription factorsSPI1andIRF8and link it to an immune-mediated mesenchymal-like state. Our algorithm is available as an easy-to-use R package and companion visualization tool that help uncover the regulatory programs underlying cell plasticity in cancer and other diseases.
Boosting sleep slow waves suppresses dreaming
Authors: Juan Elsa , Arslan Ceren , Regnath Franziska , Talamini Lucia M.
Published: March 2023

Previous findings suggest a negative correlation between slow oscillations (SO) in posterior brain regions and dreaming. Here we use a precise closed-loop auditory stimulation (CLAS) procedure to causally test whether slow oscillations suppress dreaming. Our results show that boosting posterior SO during NREM sleep decreases the likelihood of dreaming as compared to no SO boosting. This study provides the first causal evidence for the neural correlates of dreaming.
What happens to the inhibitory control functions of the right inferior frontal cortex when this area is dominant for language?
Authors: Villar-Rodríguez Esteban , Cano-Melle Cristina , Marin-Marin Lidón , Parcet Maria Antònia , Avila César
Published: March 2023

A low number of individuals show an atypical brain control of language functions that differs from the typical lateralization in the left cerebral hemisphere. In these cases, the neural distribution of other cognitive functions is not fully understood. Although there is a bias towards a mirrored brain organization consistent with the Causal hypothesis, some individuals are found to be exceptions to this rule. However, no study has focused on what happens to the homologous language areas in the right frontal inferior cortex. Using an fMRI-adapted stop-signal task in a healthy non right-handed sample (50 typically lateralized and 36 atypically lateralized for language production), our results show that atypical lateralization is associated with a mirrored brain organization of the inhibitory control network in the left hemisphere: inferior frontal cortex, presupplementary motor area, and subthalamic nucleus. However, the individual analyses revealed a large number of cases with a noteworthy overlap in the inferior frontal gyrus, which shared both inhibitory and language functions. Further analyses showed that atypical lateralization was associated with stronger functional interhemispheric connectivity and larger corpus callosum. Importantly, we did not find task performance differences as a function of lateralization, but there was an association between atypical dominance in the inferior frontal cortex and higher scores on schizotypy and autistic spectrum traits, as well as worse performance on a reading accuracy test. Together, these results partially support the Causal hypothesis of hemispheric specialization and provide further evidence of the link between atypical hemispheric lateralization and increased interhemispheric transfer through the corpus callosum.
Virtual brain simulations reveal network-specific parameters in neurodegenerative dementias
Authors: Monteverdi Anita , Palesi Fulvia , Schirner Michael , Argentino Francesca , Merante Mariateresa , Redolfi Alberto , Conca Francesca , Mazzocchi Laura , Cappa Stefano F. , Cotta Ramusino Matteo , Costa Alfredo , Pichiecchio Anna , Farina Lisa M. , Jirsa Viktor , Ritter Petra , Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott Claudia A.M. , D’Angelo Egidio
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Neural circuit alterations lay at the core of brain physiopathology, and yet are hard to unveil in living subjects. Virtual brain modelling (TVB), by exploiting structural and functional MRI, yields mesoscopic parameters of connectivity and synaptic transmission.

Methods

We used TVB to simulate brain networks, which are key for human brain function, in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) patients, whose connectivity and synaptic parameters remain largely unknown; we then compared them to healthy controls, to reveal novel in vivo pathological hallmarks.

Results

The pattern of simulated parameter differed between AD and FTD, shedding light on disease-specific alterations in brain networks. Individual subjects displayed subtle differences in network parameter patterns that significantly correlated with their individual neuropsychological, clinical, and pharmacological profiles.

Discussion

These TVB simulations, by informing about a new personalized set of networks parameters, open new perspectives for understanding dementias mechanisms and design personalized therapeutic approaches.
ADrosophilascreen identifies a role for histone methylation in ER stress preconditioning
Authors: Owings Katie G. , Chow Clement Y.
Published: March 2023

Stress preconditioning occurs when transient, sublethal stress events impact an organism’s ability to counter future stresses. Although preconditioning effects are often noted in the literature, very little is known about the underlying mechanisms. To model preconditioning, we exposed a panel of genetically diverseDrosophila melanogasterto a sublethal heat shock and measured how well the flies survived subsequent exposure to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. The impact of preconditioning varied with genetic background, ranging from dying half as fast to four and a half times faster with preconditioning compared to no preconditioning. Subsequent association and transcriptional analyses revealed that histone methylation, transcriptional regulation, and immune status are all candidate preconditioning modifier pathways. Strikingly, almost all subunits (7/8) in the Set1/COMPASS complex were identified as candidate modifiers of preconditioning. Functional analysis ofSet1knockdown flies demonstrated that loss ofSet1led to the transcriptional dysregulation of canonical ER stress genes during preconditioning. Based on these analyses, we propose a model of preconditioning in which Set1 helps to establish an interim transcriptional ‘memory’ of previous stress events, resulting in a preconditioned response to subsequent stress.

Author Summary

Stress preconditioning occurs when a history of previous stresses impacts an organism’s response to subsequent stresses. There are many documented cases of stress preconditioning, but the specific genes and pathways involved in the process are not well understood. Here, we take advantage of the natural genetic variation in theDrosophilaGenetic Reference Panel to examine the role genetic variants play in modifying preconditioning outcomes. Our goal is to identify genes that contribute to the underlying mechanisms of preconditioning. Specifically, we measured preconditioning outcomes as the change in death rates ofDrosophilaon constant endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress with and without heat stress preconditioning for each strain. We demonstrate that preconditioning outcomes are highly dependent on genetic background. Through association and transcriptional analyses, we found that histone methylation, transcriptional regulation, and immune status are all candidate pathways impacting preconditioning. Functional studies utilizingSet1knockdown flies demonstrated that Set1, a histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methyltransferase enzyme, is critical for the proper expression of a subset of ER stress genes during preconditioning. Our data indicate that Set1 likely aids in creating a transient transcriptional ‘memory’ following initial stress that impacts the response to subsequent stress.
Synaptic deregulation of cholinergic projection neurons causes olfactory dysfunction across 5 fly Parkinsonism models
Authors: Pech Ulrike , Janssens Jasper , Schoovaerts Nils , Kuenen Sabine , Aristoy Carles Calatayud , Gallego Sandra F. , Makhzami Samira , Hulselmans Gert , Poovathingal Suresh , Davie Kristofer , Bademosi Adekunle T. , Swerts Jef , Vilain Sven , Aerts Stein , Verstreken Patrik
Published: March 2023

The classical diagnosis of Parkinsonism is based on motor symptoms that are the consequence of nigrostriatal pathway dysfunction and reduced dopaminergic output. However, a decade prior to the emergence of motor issues, patients frequently experience non-motor symptoms, such as a reduced sense of smell (hyposmia). The cellular and molecular bases for these early defects remain enigmatic. To explore this, we developed a new collection of five fruit fly models of familial Parkinsonism and conducted single-cell RNA sequencing on young brains of these models. Interestingly, cholinergic projection neurons are the most vulnerable cells and genes associated with presynaptic function are the most deregulated. Additional single nucleus sequencing of three specific brain regions of Parkinson’s disease patients confirms these findings. Indeed, the disturbances lead to early synaptic dysfunction, notably affecting cholinergic olfactory projection neurons crucial for olfactory function in flies. Correcting these defects specifically in olfactory cholinergic interneurons in flies or inducing cholinergic signaling in Parkinson mutant human induced dopaminergic neuronsin vitrousing nicotine, both rescue age-dependent dopaminergic neuron decline. Hence, our research uncovers that one of the earliest indicators of disease in 5 different models of familial Parkinsonism is synaptic dysfunction in higher-order cholinergic projection neurons and this contributes to the development of hyposmia. Furthermore, the shared pathways of synaptic failure in these cholinergic neurons ultimately contribute to dopaminergic dysfunction later in life.
The role of the professional association in the translation of accrual accounting in the Sri Lankan public sector
Authors: Dissanayake Thusitha , Dellaportas Steven
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study examines accounting reform in the Sri Lankan public sector using an actor–network perspective. The study is particularly concerned with the role of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Sri Lanka (ICASL) in building networks of organisational actors in the diffusion of Sri Lankan Public Sector Accounting Standards (SLPSAS).

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data draws on interviews with key actors to understand the role of ICASL in the diffusion of SLPSAS. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of ICASL and senior public sector officers. The data were analysed based on the four stages underlying the translation process: problematisation, interessement, enrolment and mobilisation.

Findings

The data suggest that ICASL became a lead player in the diffusion of public sector accounting standards because of its superior technical capability. ICASL cultivated a way of thinking about accrual accounting by executing relational influence generated through professional knowledge, and connections with the government and public sector accountants.

Research limitations/implications

Findings should be interpreted with caution; data are limited by the subjective interpretation of data. By concentrating on the role of ICASL, the role and influence of other key actors may be overlooked.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on how innovations transform accounting practice through the lens of the ICASL. The result builds on evidence explaining why provincial governments and public sector governments were hesitant to adopt SLPSAS despite central government directives.
The mixed blessing of coworker support: understanding family-work conflict, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction
Authors: Han Youjin , Lee Sang-Hoon , Hur Won-Moo , Le Hoanh-Su
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Drawing from a resource-based perspective in the work–family interface literature, the current study examines how emotional exhaustion, as a resource depletion mechanism, mediates the relationship between family–work conflict and job satisfaction. The authors also considered the content and nature of coworker support to investigate whether there were differential moderating effects of the two distinct types of coworker support: emotional and instrumental support.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed 321 kindergarten employees across multiple sites located in South Korea. Using this sample, the authors performed random coefficient modeling to test the proposed research model.

Findings

The results showed a significant negative indirect relationship between family–work conflict and job satisfaction through emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, the findings suggested differential effects of the two coworker support types, such that the positive relationship between family–work conflict and emotional exhaustion was stronger when coworker emotional support was low than when it was high; the positive relationship was stronger when coworker instrumental support was high than when it was low. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that the two types of coworker support moderated the indirect relationship.

Originality/value

These results highlight the mixed blessing of distinct types of coworker support for researchers and practitioners. A lack of emotional support and greater instrumental support from coworkers each, respectively, exacerbate the negative impact of family–work conflict on employees' well-being and, subsequently, job satisfaction.
Service inhibited knowledge hiding: exploring how and when servant leadership inhibits knowledge hiding
Authors: Khan Muhammad Mumtaz , Mubarik Muhammad Shujaat , Ahmed Syed Saad , Islam Tahir
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aims to ascertain the role of servant leadership in affecting the knowledge hiding behavior of employees. This study also unfurled the mediating role of prosocial motivation and moderating role of cynicism.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from 324 employees working in the IT sector, a subsector of the service sector of Pakistan in two phases. The data was analyzed through hierarchal regression.

Findings

This study found servant leadership to be negatively related to knowledge hiding behavior. This study also confirmed the mediating role of prosocial motivation linking servant leadership to knowledge hiding. Finally, cynicism was found to moderate the relationship between servant leadership and knowledge hiding behavior.

Originality/value

This academic endeavor has confirmed the previously unexplored relationship between servant leadership and knowledge hiding behavior. Additionally, the study has explicated the mediating role of prosocial motivation in the said relationship. This study has also found that the relationship between servant leadership and knowledge hiding is moderated by organizational cynicism.
Experimental design studies in hospitality and tourism research: constructive recommendations
Authors: Kim Jungkeun , Kim Seongseop (Sam) , Jhang Jihoon , Kwon Yeil , Baah Nancy Grace
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aims to systematically review a total of 513 papers using experimental methods in hospitality and tourism research and then proposed new recommendations to address approaches that have been confusingly adopted or ignored in the current literature.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive literature review was conducted. Together with critiques on previous studies, four recommendations were proposed to help carry out future experimental studies using more rigorous and exact approaches.

Findings

Multiple experimental studies can provide stronger evidence for theoretical arguments. Demonstration of the theoretical underlying mechanism using evidence based on mediation and moderating methods is required. The adoption of complementary methods can mitigate the generic weaknesses of experimental methods. In addition, enhancement of the realism of experiments is required to obtain stronger empirical evidence with internal and external validity.

Research limitations/implications

This study proposes four constructive recommendations which help researchers to conduct future experimental design studies correctly. Valid and exact research outcomes can help practitioners to carry out new useful marketing strategies.

Originality/value

After reviewing 513 previous papers that used experimental design in the hospitality and tourism fields, this study proposes four new recommendations to facilitate a better understanding of experimental design. The original and innovative nature of this study will help future investigations to adopt more accurate statistical approaches.
Where is the student who was here? Gamification as a strategy to engage students
Authors: Pardim Vanessa Itacaramby , Contreras Pinochet Luis Hernan , Viana Adriana Backx Noronha , Souza Cesar Alexandre de
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Education is undergoing digital transformation intensified by COVID-19. In this context, gamification is an attractive alternative based on the use of elements of the games with educational purposes. However, it keeps the educational content to be learned as a central element without neglecting the “fun,” which contributing to engaging students. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the factors that affect students' engagement in an undergraduate course of Business Administration with gamified activities in remote education.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collected data through a survey available to students of the administration course at a private university in São Paulo (n = 671). This study used a quantitative approach, using SEM with PLS estimation and with the support of other analytical techniques.

Findings

The results support all the hypotheses formulated. Those with the associated construct “competition” obtained the most robust relationships, which denotes that competition is an essential element in gamification. Despite being supported by the results, “network exposure” influencing engagement is one point of attention to improving teaching strategies.

Research limitations/implications

Graduate schools could implement this type of gamified activity, evaluating whether students enrolled in higher degrees would willingly engage in a learning activity considered “less serious.”

Practical implications

Higher education institutions can benefit from this study by understanding that gamification is presented as an active methodology that increases students' engagement in teaching.

Originality/value

This research addressed gaps in the factors that affect students' engagement with gamified activities, proposing an alternative theoretical model to those present in the literature.
Antecedents of internationalization of Taiwanese SMEs: a resource-based view
Authors: Chen Yi-An , Guo Shiau-Ling , Huang Kuo-Feng
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to explore the antecedents of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) internationalization and to compare the different resources required to enter different geographical regions. This study adds to the discussion on internationalization from a resource-based view (RBV) and a focus on dynamic capability, especially the linkage with resources such as digital capability, domestic industrial networks and the business-to-business (B2B) model.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used secondary data collected by an SME association in 2020, using a logistic regression model to examine the hypotheses. The respondents were selected according to stratified random sampling.

Findings

Digital capability and the B2B model significantly and positively affect the likelihood of internationalization by SMEs, while domestic industrial networks were negatively correlated with this process. In addition, Taiwanese SMEs with high digital capability tend to expand to North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Oceania and the Middle East. Smaller firms tend to develop in Southeast Asia, whereas larger firms opt to establish business in Oceania.

Research limitations/implications

A research limitation is the generalizability of the sample. Findings could be enhanced if future studies include more industries and draw comparisons among different industries or countries. Future studies could explore digital entrepreneurship from a global perspective.

Practical implications

Managers need to emphasize better the development of digital capabilities and skills for SMEs. With limited financial resources and workforce, SMEs can strengthen the competence in international markets by adopting a suitable business model. When SMEs join an association to expand SMEs foreign networks, the study suggests that SMEs carefully evaluate the characteristics of each industrial association first, given that some associations are domestic-oriented. As for public policymakers, a project grant can be used to provide digital capability training for SME employees and owners or promote building a B2B model when internationalizing.

Originality/value

The authors' findings fill the research gaps in RBVs of internationalization, especially in linking resources such as digital capability, domestic industrial networks and the B2B model. The outcomes of this research serve as a reference not only to policymakers for improving the current SME ecosystem, but also to business practitioners positioning themselves in this system.
The impact of e-retail usage on relative retail patronage formation
Authors: Yokoyama Narimasa , Azuma Nobukazu , Kim Woonho
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Despite retail digitisation and research efforts focussed on online and omnichannel shopping, there is insufficient knowledge regarding retail patronage formation in the grocery category, where in-store sales dominate. This study analyses the retail patronage formation in grocery in-store fill-in shopping.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors designed a questionnaire to measure retail patronage behaviour, consumer satisfaction (CS), store attributes evaluation and e-retail usage. Then, the authors analysed the path structure for retail patronage behaviour formation using structural equation modelling. Additionally, they performed a mediation analysis using the bootstrap method and a moderation analysis based on a chi-square difference test.

Findings

This study provides three main findings. First, the authors' model has two ways to increase Share-of-Wallet (SOW). One is to increase Share-of-Visits (SOV) and another is to increase CS amongst non-users of e-retailing. Second, the results of the moderation analysis suggest the influence of customers' use or non-use of e-retailing on SOW formation. Third, service evaluation plays an interesting role in the overall model: the lower the assessment of service, the higher the SOV; the higher the evaluation of service, the greater the CS; the greater the CS, the higher the SOV.

Originality/value

The authors proposed the framework for the relative retail patronage formation in grocery fill-in shopping to examine the relationship between two relative patronage indicators (SOW and SOV) in the path structure and the mediating effect of CS and the moderating effect of e-retailing usage on retail patronage formation.
Political risk and portfolio performance: implications for Shariah-compliant investors
Authors: Raza Muhammad Wajid , Suleman Muhammad Tahir , Zaremba Adam
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Political risk is an important determinant of portfolio returns. The basic purpose of this study is to revisit the importance of political risk in a constrained portfolio, namely, a Shariah-compliant equity portfolio (SCEP). Furthermore, the performance of such a constrained portfolio is also compared with a conventional portfolio that invests in all stocks.

Design/methodology/approach

The portfolios are constructed from stock-level data and invested in 61 international markets. The set of Shariah-compliant stocks is obtained with screening guidelines of Dow Jones Islamic Market indices. The weights of each constituent in both Shariah-compliant and conventional portfolios are driven by its relative exposure to political risk for the period 1996–2018.

Findings

Results show that, compared to conventional investors, Shariah-compliant investors gain substantial benefits when the allocation decision is based on political risk. A Shariah-compliant portfolio outperforms its conventional counterpart by 7.98% annually when tilted toward politically stable countries. The economic benefits further increase to 804 basis points when the portfolio allocates more funds to politically unstable countries. The tilted SCEP successfully reduces the downside risk, resulting in improved financial performance stability.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first effort of its nature to highlight the importance of political risk in the context of SCEPs.
Gamification as an innovation: a tool to improve organizational marketing performance and sustainability of international firms
Authors: Behl Abhishek , Pereira Vijay , Jayawardena Nirma , Nigam Achint , Mangla Sachin
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aims to investigate an under-researched area, an international marketing perspective, based on international dynamic capability, environmental sustainability and organizational marketing performance in gamification and non-gamification-based organizational culture (OC). This paper deepens the understanding of gamification-based and non-gamification-based OC influence on innovation capability and environmental and organizational marketing performance through the theory of organizational creativity and the theory of administrative behavior (AB).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors collect data from firms that abide by the ISO 14091 certifications to ensure the proper quality standards. Primary data from 384 firms are used to test the hypotheses. The results would help firms invest in technological solutions by practicing creativity over time. Additionally, the study helps explore how AB is critical in steering technological creativity for making firms climate-conscious.

Findings

The study's findings identified that OC has a positive influence on technological innovation capabilities and environmental innovation capabilities. Technological innovation capabilities have a beneficial impact on environmental sustainability. Environmental sustainability appears to have a substantial correlation with technological innovation skills. Environmental innovation capabilities positively impact environmental sustainability and organizational marketing performance. A moderating effect of gamification on the international dynamic capabilities within a relationship between organizational culture and environmental innovation capabilities exists.

Originality/value

The investigation is confined to understanding how gamification-based and non-gamification-based organizational marketing culture affects innovation capability, environmental sustainability and organizational performance through the lens of theory of organizational creativity and theory of AB.
International servitization of SMEs in emerging markets: antecedents and boundary conditions
Authors: Zahoor Nadia , Christofi Michael , Nwoba Arinze Christian
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Product-service innovation (i.e. servitization) is providing opportunities to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to offer services that are directly coupled to their products. Despite scholarly efforts on servitization in domestic markets, the determinants of international product-service innovation remain unclear. Therefore, this study draws insights from dynamic capability (DC) view and aims to examine the international human capital and international product-service innovation relationship. Specifically, the authors argue that the effect of international human capital on international product-service innovation is mediated by international inter-organizational marketing capability (IIMC) and moderated by international market complexity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors test the conceptual model using structural equation modeling on a sample of 211 SMEs operating in United Arab Emirates (UAE) – an emerging market economy.

Findings

The results show that IIMC mediates the relationship between international human capital and international product-service innovation. The authors further found that the indirect relationship between international human capital and international product-service innovation is strengthened when international market complexity increases in magnitude.

Originality/value

This study advances the knowledge on international servitization by examining international human capital and IIMC as the determinants and international market complexity as a moderator. Data collection in the UAE contributes to empirical research on international servitization from emerging markets.
Consumption of fruits and vegetables by types and sources across urban and rural Senegal
Authors: Faye Ndeye Fatou , Fall Talla , Reardon Thomas , Theriault Veronique , Ngom Yacine , Barry Mamadou Bobo , Sy Mouhamed Rassoul
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper analyzes the consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) in Senegal by: (1) urban and rural areas; (2) FV types (African-indigenous vs non-indigenous); (3) sources of FV (imports, purchases and own-production).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors undertake descriptive and regression analyses on consumption of FV sourced from purchases, own-production and gifts. The data come from primary surveys in 2017/2018 of 6,328 rural and urban households in Senegal.

Findings

The analysis showed that FV are important in urban and rural food consumption. A stunning 76% of rural FV consumption is from purchases, showing the importance of FV supply chains even into and among rural areas. Only 12% of national FV consumption is from imports. Most FV consumption in rural and urban areas is now of non-indigenous FV; African-indigenous FV have a minor share.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation of this paper is that it uses a cross-sectional dataset.

Originality/value

There are few national survey-based studies of FV consumption in Africa. This is the first to disaggregate FV consumption between primary versus secondary cities and rural towns, and rural areas close to and far from cities, in such detail regarding types and sources of FV as outlined in the findings. The regressions contribute by including determinants beyond income, including gender, employment, spatiality and education.
Culture, entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial ecosystems: evidence from Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa
Authors: Boucher Sasha , Cullen Margaret , Calitz André Paul
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Contemporary entrepreneurial ecosystem models and frameworks advocate that culture is a criterion for entrepreneurial intention and central to entrepreneurship discourse. However, there is limited research from resource-constrained economies, such as sub-Saharan Africa and at a sub-national level. Responding to calls for bottom-up perspectives hinged on local context and heterogeneous nature, this paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding from multiple perspectives about the effect that culture and entrepreneurial intention have on the entrepreneurship process and performance in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed-method research design followed a sequential independent process consisting of two phases. Phase 1 included the dissemination of questionnaires to economically active participants, and 300 responses were statistically analysed. In Phase 2, 15 semi-structured interviews with influential economic development agents were conducted.

Findings

The results indicated that social legitimacy towards entrepreneurship existed and self-employment was viewed positively. However, self-employment endeavours were mainly necessity driven, and the systemic low levels of innovation, poor business competitiveness and the inability to scale were highlighted. The findings indicated that individuals venturing into business had a culture of being dependant on the government, lacking a risk appetite, fearing failure, with disparate groups suffering from a poor legacy of entrepreneurship.

Originality/value

Despite research done on the role of culture and entrepreneurial intention on entrepreneurial ecosystems, there are few case studies showing their influence at a sub-national level. This study responds to calls for studies on a sub-national level by exploring the influence that culture and entrepreneurial intention have on entrepreneurship in a resource-constrained metropole.
Environmental reporting quality in Japan: discussing normativity, quasi-mandatory approach and norm entrepreneurship
Authors: Madein Afdal
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Japan applies a quasi-mandatory approach to corporate environmental reporting by defining the desired norm through formal law and guidelines and pushing large companies to be role models regardless of their sensitivity to environmental impacts. This study aims to analyze the change in Japanese companies reporting quality to justify this approach’s capability to produce normativity of environmental reporting.

Design/methodology/approach

This study examines the change in corporate environmental reporting quality and the effect of company characteristics on it. The analysis focuses on 88 companies for 2008, 2013 and 2018, resulting in 264 company-year observations.

Findings

The result shows a continuous upward trend, although it is unsatisfactory regarding the comparability and free from error characteristics. Then, company size positively affects the quality, and sensitivity to environmental impacts does not. Overall, the findings indicate that Japan is moving toward normativity through the quasi-mandatory approach and the norm entrepreneurship of its large companies, regardless of their sensitivity to environmental impacts.

Research limitations/implications

This study could relieve the belief that it is necessary to apply a mandatory approach to improve reporting quality and enrich views on the effect of company characteristics which mainly used only the legitimacy perspective.

Originality/value

This study proposes a more comprehensive measure of environmental reporting quality. The measure is based on the qualitative characteristics of useful information from the most influential accounting standard-setting bodies. In addition, the effect of company characteristics on the quality is explained based on the norm entrepreneurship view instead of the legitimacy perspective.
Product attributes and benefits: integrated framework and research agenda
Authors: Kalro Hitesh , Joshipura Mayank
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study aims to examine current dynamics, consolidates knowledge, elicits trends, identifies and analyses primary research streams and suggests future research on product attributes and benefits and consumer behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

Sequential bibliometric (447 documents) and content analysis (34 documents) methods are used to analyze Scopus bibliographic data. Content analysis helps identify research streams and future research directions, while bibliometric analysis aids descriptive analysis and science mapping.

Findings

The study shows publication trends, top authors, documents, institutions and field knowledge structures. The thematic map and bibliographic coupling reveal six main themes and three major clusters. Consumer motivation, external factors and internal factors are the main clusters. The study concludes with research directions and an integrated framework showing major cluster interactions.

Practical implications

The study summarizes key primary streams and identifies literature gaps to help scholars and marketers understand how product benefits and attributes influence consumer behavior. Online decision aids (ODA), neuroscience data collection and consumer behavior models in developing countries may be studied in the future.

Originality/value

The first hybrid review of quality articles published over two decades on product attributes and benefits synthesizes the field's research. The study is unique because it identifies and analyses research streams, develops an integrative framework to reveal interlinkages across streams and suggests future research directions.
Political ideology and differences in seeking COVID-19 information on the internet: examining the comprehensive model of information seeking
Authors: Jin Xianlin
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Guided by the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS), this article identifies significant predictors that impact individuals seeking COVID-19 information. People with different political ideologies read contradictory information about the COVID-19 pandemic. However, how political ideology may affect COVID-19 information seeking remains unclear. This study explores the major information channels for individuals with different political ideologies to seek COVID-19 information. It further examines how political ideologies influence CMIS's effectiveness in predicting online health information-seeking.

Design/methodology/approach

This study collected 394 completed survey responses from adults living in the United States after the 2020 lockdown. ANOVA analyses revealed the differences in salience, beliefs, information carrier characteristics, utilities and information-seeking actions between Liberals and Conservatives. Regression analyses discovered variables that predict Liberals' and Conservatives' online health information seeking.

Findings

Results suggest that the internet is the top channel for COVID-19 information seeking. Compared to Conservatives, Liberals report more COVID-19 information-seeking actions. Liberals also express stronger salience, perceive higher trustworthiness of online COVID-19 information, are more likely to think of seeking online COVID-19 information as useful and helpful and report more substantial efficacy to mitigate the risk. Most CMIS variables predict Liberals' information seeking; however, only salience significantly predicts Conservatives' information seeking.

Originality/value

This article indicates that CMIS should include political ideology to refine its prediction of information seeking. These findings offer practical implications for designing health messages, enhancing information distribution and reducing the public's uncertainty.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-08-2022-0436.
Chevron Australia and Tax Justice Network: a case of rhetoric
Authors: El Hamad Walid , Moerman Lee , Pupovac Sanja
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to use rhetorical theory to understand how actors mobilise persuasive communication to justify the arguments for and against transfer pricing and tax management schemes in an international context. The strategic adoption of transfer pricing by transnational corporations is controversial since it affects wealth transfers.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a micro-rhetorical analysis of submissions to a recent government Inquiry in Australia based on Aristotle's appeals of logos, ethos and pathos. The arguments used by Chevron Australia, and its protagonist civil society organisation, the Tax Justice Network highlight the vexed nature of tax management schemes.

Findings

Transfer pricing (TP) is more than a mere technical practice, as it involves wealth transfers initiated by powerful economic players. From a neoliberal justification of fair markets and shareholder wealth maximisation, the moral ambiguity is attenuated because it is accepted as a normative social ideal.

Originality/value

Prior studies on TP and tax schemes are primarily theoretical and conceptual. This paper adopts a rhetorical approach which provides important insights into the communication devices used to legitimate taken-for-granted ideas about corporate actions.
The information content of mandatory and discretionary non-GAAP earnings
Authors: Badenhorst Wessel M. , von Well Rieka
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the pricing of discretionary earnings in South Africa. This is a unique setting, as South African listed firms also report mandatory non-GAAP earnings (“headline earnings”).

Design/methodology/approach

Results are based on multivariate regression analyses for South African firms that report from 2010 to 2019.

Findings

Findings show that the value-relevance of discretionary earnings exceeds that of both GAAP earnings and headline earnings. In addition, placement of discretionary earnings reconciliations communicates information about the decision-usefulness of earnings.

Originality/value

Discretionary earnings remain the most value-relevant earnings measure, despite the divergent decision-useful characteristics offered by headline earnings and GAAP earnings. Therefore, the most decision-useful earnings reflect unique industry or firm characteristics rather than the assurance arising from regulation.
Exploring children's out-of-school lifeworlds: video re-enactments with children in three global cities
Authors: Yelland Nicola , Bartholomaeus Clare , Chan Anita Kit-wa
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This article reflects on the adaption of Sarah Pink's video re-enactment methodology for exploring children's out-of-school lifeworlds.

Design/methodology/approach

Video re-enactments originate in the work of Sarah Pink who developed the methodology to study everyday routines, including activities associated with people's energy consumption at home. This article discusses the adaption of this methodology for exploring 9–10-year-old children's out-of-school lifeworlds in their homes in the global cities of Hong Kong, Melbourne and Singapore.

Findings

The article reflects on the practical ways in which the video re-enactment methodology was adapted to explore children's out-of-school activities in the three different locations. In terms of activities, the findings highlight that children's out-of-school lifeworlds included regular routines across a week that contribute to and constitute their everyday activities, with varying time spent on leisure, homework and scheduled activities.

Originality/value

The authors discuss and reflect on the implications of adapting a methodology in order to make it relevant and innovative in a new research context. The use of video re-enactments with children to explore their out-of-school activities gives greater insights into their lifeworlds and their engagement in various activities and the opportunity for children to reflect on their everyday lives.