bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Benchmarking the relationship between supply chain risk mitigation strategies and practices: an integrated approach
Authors: Tarei Pradeep Kumar , Thakkar Jitesh J. , Nag Barnali
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between various risk management strategies and risk management practices in order to design and hence enact a suitable supply chain risk mitigation (RM) plan. Additionally, this study proposes a hierarchical framework to explain the mutual relationship between supply chain risk management (SCRM) practices and strategies by considering the underlying dimensions between them.

Design/methodology/approach

An amalgamation of systematic literature analysis (SLA) and correspondence analysis (CA) has been performed to develop the conceptual framework. A real-life case of Indian petroleum supply chain has been considered to validate and explain the proposed model.

Findings

The results reveal three underlying dimensions, which associate the relationship between RM strategies. They are, riskadaptabilityof SC managers with a variance of34.71%, followed byresource capabilityof the firm and the degree ofsophisticationof RM practices, with variances of27.72and20.35%, respectively.Risk avoidancestrategy comprises of practices such assupplier evaluation, technology adaption, flexible processandinformation security. On the other extreme, therisk sharingstrategy includesrevenue sharing, insurance, collaboration, public–private partnership and so onas essential RM practices.

Research limitations/implications

The study not only focuses on the distinction between RM strategies and practices, which were used interchangeably in the prior literature, but also provides an association between the same by exploring the underlying dimensions. These underlying dimensions perform a crucial role while developing a risk management plan. This study explicitly focuses on the RM step of SCRM process. Pre and post risk mitigation phases of SCRM process, such as risk assessment and risk monitoring, are beyond the scope of the current research.

Originality/value

The paper develops a framework for mapping various RM strategies with their corresponding practices by considering the Indian petroleum supply chain as a viable case study. Various theoretical and business implications are derived in the context of the developing country.
“Ownership structure and firm performance: the mediating role of board characteristics”
Authors: Rashid Md Mamunur
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of corporate board characteristics in the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance in the listed public limited companies of Bangladesh.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyzed 527 annual reports of listed companies in Bangladesh for the years 2015-2017. The direct and indirect effect of ownership structure on firm performance was examined using AMOS 23. Baron and Kenny’s (1986) four steps procedure was used to establish the mediating role of board characteristics.

Findings

The results demonstrated that foreign ownership and director ownership have significant positive influence on both accounting and market based firm’s performance, while institutional ownership exhibits positive influence only on accounting-based performance (return on assets). With respect to mediating effect, the results show that board size and board independence partially mediate the relationship between ownership structure and firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation of the study is that it focuses only on three years data in examining the hypothesized relationship among the variables.

Practical implications

Investors, regulators and managers can get evocative insights, particularly who seek to improve their company’s performance in the capital market through restructuring their ownership structure and board composition.

Originality/value

The study focuses on both direct and indirect effect of ownership structure on firm performance in the context of an emerging and developing economy. In examining the indirect effect, the study uses board size and board independence as the mediating variables.
Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility interface: a case study of private equity
Authors: Süsi Virgo , Jaakson Krista
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore why private equity (PE) cares about corporate social responsibility (CSR) of its investees given their relatively short investment time-horizon and how it designs corporate governance (CG) bundle to achieve both financial and CSR goals of the private firms it invests in.

Design/methodology/approach

Case study design is applied to get deeper insights on the why and how questions posed. Analysis is based on triangulation of secondary data and in-depth interviews with both PE and their investee firms.

Findings

The authors find that long-term sustainability supported by CSR increases firm value. They also outline specific CG bundle that the PE uses to achieve both its financial and CSR goals. CG mechanisms appeared to reflect agency theory, but even more resource dependence theory.

Practical implications

The outlined CG bundle could be used as a template for all types of private firm owners to improve both financial and CSR performance of the firm.

Originality/value

The paper adds to fragmented area of CG and CSR interface. The authors specifically focus on several under-researched contexts of this interface: private small and medium size firms (SMEs), emerging markets and PE investors.
Exploring the influence of project complexity on the mega construction project success: a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method
Authors: Ma Li , Fu Hongwei
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Understanding the impact of project complexity on the mega construction project success will help improve the efficiency of project management. However, the influencing mechanism of project complexity on project success has not been clearly depicted. This paper aims to divide project complexity and project success into five dimensions, trying to explore the impact of different complexity combinations on mega construction project success.

Design/methodology/approach

This study applies the qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) method to find out the impact of the combinations of different project complexities on the every dimension of mega construction project success. First, 21 cases were interviewed and scored in five categories of project complexities and five aspects of project success. Second, with the QCA program, the combinations of different project complexities influencing every aspect of mega construction project success was obtained.

Findings

This research found that high organizational complexity or a combination of high environmental complexity and goal complexity can lead to serious schedule delays of mega construction projects, high technological complexity and goal complexity are important reasons for cost overrun, high technological complexity or a combination of high environmental complexity and low organizational complexity usually lead to low quality of mega construction projects, high goal complexity and cultural complexity are important factors affecting the key stakeholders' satisfaction and high technological complexity and environmental complexity are the reasons for the poor sustainability of mega construction projects.

Originality/value

This study clearly reveals the influencing mechanism of project complexity on mega construction project success, which can help the project managers to understand and assess the complexity of mega construction projects and accurately predict their negative impacts on the mega construction projects.
Workplace diversity and job satisfaction
Authors: Hauret Laetitia , Williams Donald R.
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This article estimates the empirical relationship between workplace diversity in terms of nationality and individual worker job satisfaction in the context of a multicultural country. It also examines the role of the level of communication between coworkers in moderating this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

Using merged survey and administrative data, the paper estimates OLS and ordered Probit regression estimates of the correlations between two measures of workplace diversity and self-reported job satisfaction.

Findings

The relationship between nationality diversity and job satisfaction is negative. While there is some evidence of a nonlinear relationship, it depends on the specification and measure of diversity used. Contrary to expectations, the level of interaction between colleagues does not moderate this relationship.

Practical implications

The research highlights the need for employers to actively manage the diversity within their firms.

Originality/value

The paper adds to the diversity and job satisfaction literature by focusing on the nationalities of coworkers. It also is the first to measure the impact of the levels of interactions with coworkers on the diversity-satisfaction relationship.
Authenticity and exclusivity appeals in luxury advertising: the role of promotion and prevention pride
Authors: Septianto Felix , Seo Yuri , Sung Billy , Zhao Fang
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how the effectiveness of luxury advertising can be improved by matching the emotional (promotion pride vs prevention pride) and luxury value (authenticity vs exclusivity) appeals within advertising messages.

Design/methodology/approach

Three experiments were conducted. Studies 1A and 1B establish the influence of incidental emotions and regulatory focus on consumer preferences for divergent luxury value appeals (exclusivity vs authenticity) within advertisements. Study 2 shows the match-up effects of congruent emotional and luxury value appeals on advertising effectiveness.

Findings

The authors offer causal evidence that promotion pride increases the preference for exclusivity appeals, whereas prevention pride increases the preference for authenticity appeals in luxury advertising.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers a novel perspective into the ways consumers evaluate different value appeals in luxury advertising and establishes the important role played by emotions within such evaluations.

Practical implications

Marketers of luxury products can increase the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns by considering the fit between emotional and luxury value appeals. Specifically, the authors show that the congruent matching of promotion pride with exclusivity appeals and of prevention pride with authenticity appeals within advertising messages can elicit more favorable consumer responses.

Originality/value

The study is the first to illustrate novel “match-up” effects: it shows when and how different luxury value appeals (exclusivity vs authenticity) and emotions (promotion pride vs prevention pride) influence the effectiveness of luxury advertising.
Does perceived organizational support and employee development influence organizational citizenship behavior?
Authors: Jehanzeb Khawaja
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS), employee development and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) while considering the moderating effect of person–organization (P–O) on this association.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a stratified sampling technique, the data was collected from 331 employees working in different bank branches located in five metropolitan cities of Pakistan. To test the hypotheses, the structural equation modeling technique was applied using AMOS 21.0.

Findings

The results of the study strongly supported the relationship between POS, employee development and organizational commitment. However, an insignificant relationship was found between POS, employee development and OCB. The results also reported a significant relationship between organizational commitment and OCB. Moreover, the relationship between organizational commitment and OCB was found to be moderated by P–O fit.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the study can be useful for banking organizations and policymakers responsible for employee and organizational productivity. The findings of the study can also assist the organizational leaders in working on long-term employee support programs to maximize their commitment to the organization. The study also provides the scope and space for potential scholars and researchers for carrying out further research.

Originality/value

While there is extensive literature is available on POS, employee development and its impact on OCB. However, it appears that very little work has been done to examine the moderating role of the P–O fit in the relationship between organizational commitment and OCB. Therefore, this study can be considered as original and of great value in understanding its relationships between various constructs in the scenario of Pakistan.
The effects of market economy type on the training practice differences in the Central Eastern European region
Authors: Berber Nemanja , Slavic Agnes , Strugar Jelača Maja , Bjekić Radmila
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The aim of this research is to investigate and detect determinants of the training practice and conspicuous differences in the sample of nine Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries (Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Serbia and Romania). The study was conducted with three distinct objectives: the investigation of the training and development (T&D) practices in the CEE region, the investigation of the determinants of T&D practices in the CEE region and the measurement of the differences between the economies in the sample of CEE countries regarding their T&D practices.

Design/methodology/approach

The research is based on the Cranet research network results from 2015 to 2016. The data for the CEE countries were selected in order to investigate the determinants of T&D practice, and the differences between these economies. The nine CEE countries were divided into two groups, on the basis on the variety of capitalism (VoC approach), in order to investigate its effects on the T&D practices.T-test, chi-square test, Spearman correlation tests and hierarchical moderated regression model were used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

There are statistically significant differences between the organizations from coordinated market economy (CME) countries and liberal market economy (LME) countries in the case of the percentage of GDP of the country spent on education, the percentage of annual payroll costs of the organizations spent on training, the percentage of annual staff turnover, the implementation of the systematic evaluation of training needs, the training effectiveness, the existence of T&D strategy and the primary responsibility for major policy decisions on T&D. The results of the regression model showed that the majority of national and organizational level factors have a statistically significant relationship with the percentage of the annual payroll costs of the organization spent on training. Variety of capitalism moderates the relationship between independent variables and the dependent variable, too.

Research limitations/implications

In the presented model, the authors excluded from their investigation the effects of MNCs. It must further be stated that only the data from the latest Cranet research round were used, thus it was not possible to investigate the development of the training practice in CEE over a longer time period. These limitations could be used as possible directions for further research in the relevant area of HRM in the CEE region.

Originality/value

Since there is relatively little empirical research in the relation between capitalism type and T&D practice, especially in the region of CEE, the present paper lends new insight into this issue as well as into comparative HRM. It is hoped that this work can be taken as a starting point for further research.
Short note: empirical findings for spatial and temporal discretization orders for the Taylor – Green vortex
Authors: Figueroa Alejandro , Löhner Rainald
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed some light into the equivalency of grid size and spatial and temporal orders of accuracy for turbulent flows.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper compared several finite difference schemes on various meshes and various orders of accuracy for the canonical Taylor–Green vortex testcase.

Findings

A remarkable empirical result observed is that the accuracy of eighth-order schemes on grids of size 2 h was equivalent to second-order schemes on grids of size h. This was the case when going from 1003 to 2003 as well as from 2003 to 4003. In all these cases, kinetic energy, vorticity and numerical dissipation were compared in detail.

Research limitations/implications

The results obtained were carried out using finite difference solvers. It remains to be seen if similar behaviors are also observed for other numerical schemes.

Originality/value

These (surprising) findings should be of interest to the larger community.
Impact of nonverbal customer-to-customer interactions on customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions
Authors: Lin Hongxia , Zhang Meng , Gursoy Dogan
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine the relationship among nonverbal customer-to-customer interactions (CCIs), positive and negative emotions, customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual model that was developed using the stimulus-organism-response theoretical framework was tested using a sample of 583 consumers.

Findings

The results show that kinesics and paralanguage positively affect customers’ positive emotions while proxemics, paralanguage and physical appearance negatively influence their negative emotions. Further, both positive and negative emotions are found to have significant impacts on customer satisfaction and loyalty intentions.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretically, this study not only contributes to the existing servicescape and customer experience literature but also expands nonverbal interaction research in the hospitality management field. However, results may have limited generalizability to other service settings and other cultural contexts.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to investigate the impact of nonverbal CCIs on service experiences.
Reducing food waste behavior among hospitality employees through communication: dual mediation paths
Authors: Luu Tuan Trong
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Food waste behavior in the workplace or work-related gatherings has been less researched compared to that in household context. This study aims to bridge this gap through unfolding how and when quality of food waste prevention communication mitigates food waste behavior among frontline employees in the hospitality workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants in this research comprised employees from four- and five-star hotels operating in Vietnam.

Findings

The results lent credence to the dual mediation channels of moral attitudes toward food wasting and meaningfulness of food waste reduction for the impact of quality of food waste prevention communication on employees’ food waste reduction intention and their reduced food waste behavior. The contingency role of employees’ green role identity was marginally confirmed for the nexus between employees’ food waste reduction intention and their food waste behavior.

Originality/value

This inquiry advances the understanding of mechanisms underlying work-related food waste behavior among hospitality employees.
Nacre-mimetic CH/MMT fabrication coating on PET fabric for improving anti-dripping performance
Authors: Fang Yinchun , Liu Xinhua , Fei Wenqing
Published: May 2020

Purpose

PET fiber is widely used in many fields, such as clothing and decorative materials. However, the high flammability and dripping problem restrict its applications. It is vital for PET fiber to overcome these two main drawbacks for practical applications.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper nacre-mimetic flame retardant coating of chitosan (CH) and Montmorillonite (MMT) was fabricated on PET fabrics through the layer-by-layer assembly method. The flame retardancy and anti-dripping performance of the treated PET fabric were investigated.

Findings

The results of limiting oxygen index (LOI) value and vertical burning test revealed the anti-dripping performance of PET fabrics which was greatly improved, while the flame retardancy has not been improved. The dripping phenomena was eliminated when the CH/MMT bilayers were over 5 BL. Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) results revealed that nacre-mimetic coated CH/MMT bilayers on PET fabrics would promote the char formation both under nitrogen atmosphere and under air atmosphere indicating the obviously condensed phase flame retardant action. scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the char residues revealed that coated PET fabrics would promote the formation of char.

Research limitations/implications

However, the char was an unstable char which would further combust to change the thermal degradation and combustion process of PET fabric. Though PET fabric coated by this CH/MMT nacre-mimetic system had no flame retardancy, the anti-dripping performance was greatly improved. This research would provide experimental basis for improving the anti-dripping performance for thermoplastic materials.

Originality/value

This research is the original research for the flame retardant treatment by fabrication nacre-mimetic CH/MMT coating on PET fabric, which has not been reported previously. This research would provide experimental basis for improving the anti-dripping performance for thermoplastic polymer fabrics.
Transfer pricing practices and specific anti-avoidance rules in Asian developing countries
Authors: Sari Dahlia , Utama Sidharta , Fitriany  , Rahayu Ning
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the existence of income shifting using the practice of transfer pricing (TP), not only in sales but also in purchase and management service transactions, in Asian developing countries. The paper also investigates the role of the specific anti-avoidance rules (SAAR) in preventing TP practices in various types of transaction.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs panel data from a sample of 200 subsidiaries in ten countries over the period 2010–2014.

Findings

Different results were obtained from previous research on developed countries, which found that TP practice was proven in sales transactions. This study finds no evidence for TP practices in sales transactions, but that they do take place in purchase, management service fee and management services revenue transactions. The study also finds evidence that SAAR reduces the practice of TP in sales transactions.

Originality/value

The research investigates TP practices, not only those related to sales, but also to purchases, management service fees and management service revenue to related parties. The sample comprises multinational subsidiaries located in Asian developing countries that have rarely been investigated in previous studies. This research examines the effect of SAAR in preventing TP practices in various types of transaction and develops scoring based on an instrument that integrates each SAAR rule/requirement.
Segmenting logistics service users based on their provider selection criteria to succeed in outsourcing
Authors: Oeser Gerald
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Logistics service providers (LSPs) may invest a lot of time in tenders unsuccessfully, as they do not meet the expectations of logistics service users (LSUs). In order to help them classify and target their customers more efficiently and effectively and make logistics outsourcing more successful for both LSUs and LSPs, this paper analyzes underlying dimensions of criteria German manufacturing and trading companies actually use in selecting an LSP and clusters of LSUs based on these dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey with 110 manufacturing and 135 trading companies was conducted in Germany. Principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were performed on the sample data.

Findings

PCA revealed eight dimensions of LSU criteria in selecting LSPs and that cost alone seems not decisive. Based on these dimensions, cluster analysis produced nine LSU groups. These groups differ the most in the selection criteria dimensions cost-performance ratio, operational collaboration, quality and locations. Recommendations for servicing these groups are given. The two largest groups, which make up 43.5%, seem not that demanding and price sensitive. The selection criteria dimensions and LSU groups enable LSPs to classify and target their customers more efficiently and effectively, to evaluate and develop their core competencies, and contribute to successful logistics-outsourcing relationships.

Originality/value

This research is the first to examine selection criteria dimensions and resulting clusters of German manufacturing and trading companies in order to make logistics outsourcing more successful.
Safety management module to create social sustainability skills
Authors: Liwång Hans
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This study has a scope limited to a specific course and changes integrated to the core of the KTH naval architecture master program. The students in the program have earlier experience from engineering applications in a general sustainability perspective and understand the basic concepts within sustainability. Therefore, to introduce further steps a new course module was introduced in 2018 focusing on safety management and social sustainability. The purpose of this study is to identify and document the pedagogic lessons for a course module where sustainable development (SD) is discipline-specific.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is a case study that qualitatively investigates the stainability effects of the implementation of the new course module. The course and program activities are compared to the results of a previous study in 2017 on the sustainable development learning elements (SDLEs) in the program and discussed in relation to more general SD initiatives.

Findings

From the analysis, it is identified that the perspectives presented were new to a substantial part of the students. This study also shows that the effects of the specific module here studied, with a focus on the skill of maritime social sustainability development, differ from more general sustainability literacy. The new perspective affected the thinking about the core of the students’ studies, ship design, in a way that general knowledge on sustainability has not. This was achieved with a combination of suitable tools and perspectives in combination with contextual knowledge and a frame of reference. The contextual knowledge and a frame of reference are here present in education as a result of relating the sustainability case to the core of the program.

Originality/value

The result relates the pedagogical change described to SDLEs and to the ambition of conceive, design, implement and operate approaches. This paper contributes to the literature by providing a discussion on how social sustainability can be implemented in engineering education and the role of integrated discipline-specific sustainability modules.
The experience of project training on classes for foreign language by students of nonlinguistic specialties
Authors: Shcherbakova Irina , Ilina Marina
Published: May 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the essence of project education in the classroom in the foreign (English) language of students of nonlinguistic specialties of the university.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of the study consisted of 20 first-year students of profile “Lawyer.” The study took place in three stages. The implementation of the training project was carried out based on the university in a group of students studying for the specialty “Lawyer.” At the organizational stage, primary diagnostics of the level of development of communicative competence through testing and communicative cases were carried out. In the second stage, the project was carried out for one semester under four topics by the thematic plan of the English language program. In the third stage, rediagnostics was carried out using testing and communicative cases following the completion of projects.

Findings

Based on the results of repeated diagnostics, a positive dynamic was revealed in the level of development of communicative skills, the development of the independent communicative activity of students at both a productive and a creative level.

Originality/value

The research shows that the inclusion of project activities in the educational process of students of the university contributes to the formation and development of information skills. These skills quite effectively fit into the educational process, carried out in the form of a workshop. And the workshop is effective at all the stages of the project activities.
Analysing the causes of corruption in the Malaysian construction industry
Authors: Yap Jeffrey Boon Hui , Lee Kai Yee , Skitmore Martin
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Corruption continues to be a pervasive stain on the construction industry in developing countries worldwide, jeopardising project performance and with wide-ranging negative implications for all facets of society. As such, this study aims to identify and analyse the causes of corruption in the construction sector of an emerging economy such as Malaysia, as it is crucial to uncover the specific facilitating factors involved to devise effective counter strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a detailed literature review, 18 causes of corruption are identified. The results of an opinion survey within the Malaysian construction industry are further reported to rank and analyse the causes. The factor analysis technique is then applied to uncover the principal factors involved.

Findings

The results indicate that all the considered causes are perceived to be significant, with the most critical causes being avarice, relationships between parties, lack of ethical standards, an intense competitive nature and the involvement of a large amount of money. A factor analysis reveals four major causal dimensions of these causes, comprising the unique nature of the construction industry and the extensive competition involved; unscrupulous leadership, culture and corruption perception; a flawed legal system and lack of accountability; and ineffective enforcement and an inefficient official bureaucracy.

Research limitations/implications

The study presents the Malaysian construction industry’s view of the causes of corruption. Therefore, the arguments made in the study are influenced by the social, economic and cultural settings of Malaysia, which may limit generalisation of the findings.

Practical implications

This paper helps stakeholders understand the root causes and underlying dimensions of corruption in the construction industry, especially in Malaysia. Recommendations for changing cultures that may be conducive to corrupt practices, and anti-corruption measures, are suggested based on the findings of the research.

Originality/value

These findings can guide practitioners and researchers in addressing the impediments that give rise to the vulnerability of the construction industry to corrupt practices and understanding the “red flags” in project delivery.
Micro-entrepreneurship, sustainable development goal one and cultural expectations of Ghanaian women
Authors: Quagrainie Fanny Adams , Adams Samuel , Kabalan Alan Anis Mirhage , Dankwa Afia Dentaa
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Using functional contextualism, this study aims to explore how Ghanaian micro-entrepreneurship of women (MEW) impacts on the achievement of four targets of sustainable development goal 1 (SDG) (income, social protection, economic resources and resilience) with the cultural factors of women as a mediator.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a mixed methods approach, semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 171 micro women entrepreneurs in Tema. The data collected was analyzed using thematic and multiple regression techniques.

Findings

The study reveals that micro women entrepreneurship relates significantly to earning incomes and procuring economic resources. These targets cannot be achieved without the significant effects of cultural factors.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature on micro women entrepreneurship and sustainable development goals by indicating that a better appreciation of the relationship of micro women entrepreneurship and achievement of SDG 1 targets will have to be examined within the cultural setting of women. The theoretical contribution is in showing that MEW to be an enabler for achieving the earning of income and procuring economic resource targets of SDG 1. Micro women entrepreneurship is both a process (earning income) and outcome (procuring economic resources) for achieving SDG 1 targets.
Stream processing data decision model for higher environmental performance and resilience in sustainable logistics infrastructure
Authors: Kayikci Yasanur
Published: May 2020

Purpose

As the global freight transport network has experienced high vulnerability and threats from both natural and man-made disasters, as a result, a huge amount of data is generated in freight transport system in form of continuous streams; it is becoming increasingly important to develop sustainable and resilient transport system to recover from any unforeseen circumstances quickly and efficiently. The aim of this paper is to develop a stream processing data driven decision-making model for higher environmental performance and resilience in sustainable logistics infrastructure by using fifteen dimensions with three interrelated domains.

Design/methodology/approach

A causal and hierarchical stream processing data driven decision-making model to evaluate the impact of different attributes and their interrelationships and to measure the level of environmental performance and resilience capacity of sustainable logistics infrastructure are proposed. This work uses fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) techniques. A real-life case under a disruptive event scenario is further conducted.

Findings

The result shows which attributes have a greater impact on the level of environmental performance and resilience capacity in sustainable logistics infrastructure.

Originality/value

In this paper, causal and hierarchical stream processing data decision and control system model was proposed by identified three domains and fifteen dimensions to assess the level of environmental performance and resilience in sustainable logistics infrastructure. The proposed model gives researchers and practitioners insights about sustainability trade-offs for a resilient and sustainable global transport supply chain system by enabling to model interdependencies among the decision attributes under a fuzzy environment and streaming data.
Active cyber defence strategies and techniques for banks and financial institutions
Authors: Creado Yorrick , Ramteke Vidyavati
Published: May 2020

Purpose

With the growing penetration of financial technology, financial firms and banking institutions have seen a rise in the volume of cyber-attacks in recent years. Cyber criminals are using more sophisticated techniques to beat traditional passive defences. The purpose of this paper is to explore, analyse and recommend various active cyber defence strategies and techniques that can be implemented by organizations in financial sector to secure and safeguard their assets and cyber space.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts a secondary research approach on the various techniques that can be used effectively to adopt active cyber defence strategy.

Findings

Based on the existing strategies and techniques available and those being currently developed, this paper proposes a holistic approach that can be adopted by banks and financial institutions to secure their cyber space. This involves a combination of active and passive cyber defence techniques and effective threat intelligence.

Originality/value

The following paper has been checked for plagiarism and is within the acceptable standards for publishing in this journal. Appropriate references have been duly cited, and the formulation of the final recommendation is the original work of the authors.
Identity theft: a small step towards big financial crimes
Authors: Gupta Chander Mohan , Kumar Devesh
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to study the concept of identity fraud and how these identity thefts can actually lead to financial crime. These crimes which usually were done in the traditional way now have taken leaps with the increase in the use of cyber world.

Design/methodology/approach

Several research papers, articles and newsfeeds were referred to study the concept, growth, scope, effect and impact of identity theft. It was also found that identity theft is the most common type of cybercrimes.

Findings

Identity theft though a simple crime but if not taken care of can lead to multiple crimes which can affect not only individuals but also companies. And when these crimes impact companies, they can actually hamper the economy as a whole.

Practical implications

Information for the same is not available very easily, so the study is solely based on secondary data.

Social implications

Identity theft effects an individual not only financially but also mentally and socially; thus, these effect each and every one in the said economy.

Originality/value

This paper is an original work of the authors, and it is for the use of students, educators and academicians.
Interest rate liberalization and economic growth nexus: does corruption matter?
Authors: Haruna Abdulhadi Aliyara , Abu Bakar Abu Sufian
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the impact of interest rate liberalization on economic growth and the relevance of corruption in the five selected sub-Saharan African countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used the modified version of Driscoll and Kraay’s model by Hoechle, which solved the effects of cross-sectional dependence and heteroscedasticity.

Findings

The findings reveal a positive impact of the index on economic growth, and it was found that foreign direct investment (FDI) and credit to private sector by banks (CPSB) all stimulate economic growth. The interaction terms of corruption with FDI and CPSB indicate negative effects that show how corruption erodes the benefits of liberalization. Finally, the paper recommends the pursuit of appropriate policies with the sole aim of eradicating corruption and providing a conducive environment for business.

Originality/value

The paper developed a composite domestic financial liberalization index to capture the timing and essential dimensions of the reform process. The study investigates the effect of interest rate liberalization on economic growth and the relevance of corruption. Most of the recent and past studies only examined the impact of interest rate reforms on growth without investigating the relevance of corruption.
Emotional intelligence and transformational leadership in virtual teams: lessons from MMOGs
Authors: Mysirlaki Sofia , Paraskeva Fotini
Published: May 2020

Purpose

As business is becoming more global, virtual teams are getting increasingly prevalent. The purpose of this paper is to examine virtual team effectiveness by taking a deeper look at the Virtual World Teams (VWTs) of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates the effects of leaders’ emotional intelligence and transformational leadership on virtual team effectiveness, including three sub-factors of team effectiveness: team performance, viability and team member satisfaction. In addition, the indirect effect of emotional intelligence on team effectiveness via transformational leadership was examined. In total, 500 MMOG players that belonged in virtual world teams participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested through a series of multiple linear regression analyses, and one-way ANOVA tests were used to explore the impact of gender on the key factors of team effectiveness.

Findings

The analysis revealed a significant predictive relationship between perceived leader emotional intelligence and virtual team effectiveness sub-factors, mediated by transformational leadership behavior. Further analysis revealed gender differences in players’ perceptions of their leader emotional intelligence, transformational leadership and virtual team effectiveness.

Practical implications

This paper adds to the literature by revealing important predictors of virtual team effectiveness. These findings suggest implications for research and practice in the fields of Human Resources (HR), Human Resource Development (HRD) and training programs for e-leaders. The results of the analysis based on gender differences also have theoretical and managerial implications.

Originality/value

The study provides evidence that transformational leadership mediates the relationship between leaders’ emotional intelligence and team effectiveness in a virtual team.
Uncovering the role of social motivational factors as a tool for enhancing brand-related content
Authors: Naeem Muhammad
Published: May 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to identify the social motivational factors that can enhance brand-related content across social networking platforms (SNPs). It examines how brands can enhance motivation to create and exchange brand stories for existing and target customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study followed an interpretivist approach and collected data from 40 customers of 5 top apparel brands based in the UK using non-directive and semi-structured interviews. The respondents were chosen using purposive sampling and thematic analysis was undertaken using the NVivo 11 Plus software.

Findings

The findings highlight various social motivational factors that can inspire the creation, sharing and exchange of brand-related content using SNPs. These include social responsibility, staying connected, inspiration from others, opinion leaders and recognition, optimal decision-making, inspiring or disheartening experience of the brand and emotional connection with the brand. People’s purchase decisions are strongly influenced by close friends, local online community groups, opinion leaders and other credible sources. Moreover, the respondents reported having more trust in shared consumer experiences than company advertisements and other marketing tactics.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this research will be beneficial for organizations, brand managers and marketing teams, offering insights into how stakeholders can enhance brand-related content on SNPs. The findings also show that online local communities on Facebook and expert opinions are the most significant factors in enhancing brand-related content, social engagement and purchase decisions.

Originality/value

There is limited literature on why people are motivated to create and exchange brand-related content, especially in the context of the apparel industry. The study offers insights into how brands can create motivation for enhancing brand-related content in ways that are recognized as a cheap and highly effective way of advertising, influencing pre-purchase information, purchase decisions and social engagement on the part of SNP users.
What enables doctoral degree holders to get a job? A journey through doctoral students' satisfaction with educational services
Authors: Cavallone Mauro , Manna Rosalba , Palumbo Rocco
Published: May 2020

Purpose

Doctoral degrees are generally the highest level of education provided by educational institutions in Western countries. Nevertheless, doctoral degree holders – i.e. Philosophiae Doctors (PhDs) – struggle to find a job that matches their knowledge and expertise. This article investigates the effects that PhDs' satisfaction with different attributes of educational services has on their ability to obtain employment either in academia or outside it.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary data were accessed from a nationwide survey performed in Italy between February and July 2014. More than 16,000 people who achieved a doctoral degree between January 2008 and December 2010 were involved in the analysis. The four-years' time-span was justified by the need to avoid potential biases produced by a short time lapse between data collection and the awarding of the respondents' doctoral degree. A logistic regression model was designed to shed light on the relationship between doctoral degree holders' satisfaction and their ability to find employment.

Findings

This study results suggested that the attributes of educational services had varying effects on the doctoral degree holders' ability to obtain work. More specifically, the perceived quality of research and methodological courses delivered by educational institutions and the quality of the technologies and digital resources available at the host university were found to positively affect the ability of doctoral degree holders to get a job in academia. Conversely, the satisfaction with the quality of the teaching activities was positively related to the doctoral degree holders' employability outside academia.

Practical implications

The quality of educational services provided to students attending a doctoral degree course affects their ability to find work. Enhancing the quality of educational services may reduce the risk of unemployment amongst doctoral degree holders.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors' knowledge, few attempts have been made to investigate the interplay between the quality of educational services and doctoral degree holders' employability.