bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New land use change scenarios for Brazil: refining global SSPs with a regional spatially-explicit allocation model
Authors: Silva Bezerra Francisco Gilney , Randow Celso Von , Assis Talita Oliveira , Bezerra Karine Rocha Aguiar , Tejada Graciela , Castro Aline Anderson , de Paula Gomes Diego Melo , Avancini Rodrigo , Aguiar Ana Paula
Published: August 2021

The future of land use and cover change in Brazil, in particular due to deforestation and forest restoration processes, is critical for the future of global climate and biodiversity, given the richness of its five biomes. These changes in Brazil depend on the interlink between global factors, due to its role as one of the main exporters of commodities in the world, and the national to local institutional, socioeconomic and biophysical contexts. Aiming to develop scenarios that consider the balance between global and local factors, a new set of land use change scenarios for Brazil were developed, aligned with the global structure Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathway (RCPs) developed by the global change research community. The narratives of the new scenarios align with SSP1/RCP 1.9, SSP2/RCP 4.5, and SSP3/RCP 7.0. The scenarios were developed combining the LuccME spatially explicit land change allocation modeling framework and the INLAND surface model to incorporate the climatic variables in water deficit. Based on detailed biophysical, socio-economic and institutional factors for each biome in Brazil, we have created spatially-explicit scenarios until 2050, considering the following classes: forest vegetation, grassland vegetation, planted pasture, agriculture, mosaic of small land uses, and forestry. The results aim at regionally detailing global models and could be used both regionally to support decision-making, but also to enrich global analysis.
Dynamics and impacts of transposable element proliferation during the Drosophila nasuta species group radiation
Authors: Wei Kevin H.-C. , Mai Dat , Chatla Kamalakar , Bachtrog Doris
Published: August 2021

Transposable element (TE) mobilization is a constant threat to genome integrity. Eukaryotic organisms have evolved robust defensive mechanisms to suppress their activity, yet TEs can escape suppression and proliferate, creating strong selective pressure for host defense to adapt. This genomic conflict fuels a never-ending arms race that drives the rapid evolution of TEs and recurrent positive selection of genes involved in host defense; the latter has been shown to contribute to postzygotic hybrid incompatibility. However, how TE proliferation impacts genome and regulatory divergence remains poorly understood. Here, we report the highly complete and contiguous (N50=33.8Mb - 38.0Mb) genome assemblies of seven closely-related Drosophila species that belong to the nasuta species group - a poorly studied group of flies that radiated in the last 2 million years. We constructed a high quality de novo TE library and gathered germline RNA-seq data, which allowed us to comprehensively annotate and compare insertion patterns between the species, and infer the evolutionary forces controlling their spread. We find a strong negative association between TE insertion frequency and expression of genes nearby; this likely reflects survivor-bias from reduced fitness impact of TE inserting near lowly expressed, non-essential genes, with limited TE-induced epigenetic silencing. Phylogenetic analyses of insertions of 147 TE families reveal that 53% of them show recent amplification in at least one species. The most highly amplified TE is an non-autonomous DNA element DINE which has gone through multiple bouts of expansions with thousands of full length copies littered throughout each genome. Across all TEs, we find that TEs expansions are significantly associated with high expression in the expanded species consistent with suppression escape. Altogether, our results shed light on the heterogenous and context-dependent nature in which TEs affect gene regulation and the dynamics of rampant TE proliferation amidst a recently radiated species group.
Single Tube qPCR detection and quantitation of hotspot mutations down to 0.01% VAF
Authors: Zhang Kerou , Rodriguez Luis , Cheng Lauren Yuxuan , Zhang David Yu
Published: August 2021

Clinically and biologically, rare DNA sequence variants are significant and informative. However, existing detection technologies are either complex in workflow, or restricted in the limit of detection (LoD), or do not allow for multiplexing. Blocker displacement amplification (BDA) method can stably and effectively detect and enrich multiple rare variants with LoD around 0.1% variant allele fraction (VAF). Nonetheless, the detailed mutation information has to be identified by additional sequencing technologies. Here, we present allele-specific BDA (As-BDA), a method combining BDA with allele-specific TaqMan (As-TaqMan) probes for effective variant enrichment and simultaneous SNV profiling. We demonstrated that As-BDA could detect mutations down to 0.01% VAF. Further, As-BDA could detect up to four mutations with low to 0.1% VAF per reaction using only 15 ng DNA input. The median error of As-BDA in VAF determination is approximately 9.1%. Comparison experiments using As-BDA and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) clinical samples showed 100% concordance for samples with mutations at ≥ 0.1% VAF. Hence, we have shown that As-BDA can achieve simultaneous enrichment and identification of multiple targeted mutations within the same reaction with high clinical sensitivity and specificity, thus helpful for clinical diagnosis.
ZCWPW1loss-of-function variants in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Küçükali Fahri , Nußbaumer Katrin , Van Dongen Jasper , Hens Elisabeth , Bellenguez Céline , Grenier-Boley Benjamin , Daian Delphine , Boland Anne , Deleuze Jean-François , Lambert Jean-Charles , Van Broeckhoven Christine , Sleegers Kristel
Published: August 2021

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 75 genetic risk loci for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), however for a substantial portion of these loci the genetic variants or genes directly involved in AD risk remain to be found. A GWAS locus defined by the index SNP rs1476679 inZCWPW1is one of the largest AD loci as the association signal spans 56 potential risk genes. The three most compelling candidate genes in this locus areZCWPW1, PILRAandPILRB, based on genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic evidence. We performed amplicon-based target enrichment and next-generation sequencing of the exons, exon-intron boundaries, and UTRs ofZCWPW1, PILRAandPILRBon an Illumina MiSeq platform in 1048 Flanders-Belgian late-onset AD patients and 1037 matched healthy controls. Along with the single-marker association testing, the combined effect of Sanger-validated rare variants was evaluated in SKAT-O. No common variants (n= 40) were associated with AD. We identified 20 validated deleterious rare variants (MAF < 1%, CADD score ≥ 20), 14 of which inZCWPW1. This included 4 predicted loss-of-function (LoF) mutations that were exclusively found in patients (P= 0.011). Haplotype sharing analysis revealed distant common ancestors for two LoF mutations. Single-molecule long-read Nanopore sequencing analysis unveiled that all LoF mutations are phased with the risk haplotype in the locus. Our results support the recent report for the role of ultra-rare LoFZCWPW1variants in AD and suggest a potential risk mechanism for AD throughZCWPW1haploinsufficiency.
Rapid antigen testing as a reactive response to surges in nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 outbreak risk
Authors: Smith David R. M. , Duval Audrey , Zahar Jean Ralph ,   the EMAE-MESuRS Working Group on Nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 Modelling, Opatowski Lulla , Temime Laura
Published: August 2021

Healthcare facilities are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 introductions and subsequent nosocomial outbreaks. Antigen rapid diagnostic testing (Ag-RDT) is widely used for population screening, but its health and economic benefits as a reactive response to local surges in outbreak risk are unclear. We simulate SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a long-term care hospital with varying COVID-19 containment measures in place (social distancing, face masks, vaccination). Across scenarios, nosocomial incidence is reduced by up to 40-47% (range of means) with routine symptomatic RT-PCR testing, 59-63% with the addition of a timely round of Ag-RDT screening, and 69-75% with well-timed two-round screening. For the latter, a delay of 4-5 days between the two screening rounds is optimal for transmission prevention. Screening efficacy varies depending on test sensitivity, test type, subpopulations targeted, and community incidence. Efficiency, however, varies primarily depending on underlying outbreak risk, with health-economic benefits scaling by orders of magnitude depending on the COVID-19 containment measures in place.
High gamma activity distinguishes frontal cognitive control regions from adjacent cortical networks
Authors: Assem Moataz , Hart Michael G. , Coelho Pedro , Romero-Garcia Rafael , McDonald Alexa , Woodberry Emma , Morris Robert C. , Price Stephen J. , Suckling John , Santarius Thomas , Duncan John , Erez Yaara
Published: August 2021

Though the lateral frontal cortex is broadly implicated in cognitive control, functional MRI (fMRI) studies suggest fine-grained distinctions within this region. To examine this question electrophysiologically, we placed electrodes on the lateral frontal cortex in patients undergoing awake craniotomy for tumor resection. Patients performed verbal tasks with a manipulation of attentional switching, a canonical control demand. Power in the high gamma range (70-250 Hz) distinguished electrodes based on their location within a high-resolution fMRI network parcellation of the frontal lobe. Electrodes within the canonical fronto-parietal control network showed increased power in the switching condition, a result absent in electrodes within default mode, language, cingulo-opercular and somato-motor networks. High gamma results contrasted with spatially distributed power decreases in the beta range (12-30 Hz). These results confirm the importance of fine-scale functional distinctions within the human frontal lobe, and pave the way for increased precision of functional mapping in tumor surgeries.
Masculinization of the X-chromosome in aphid soma and gonads
Authors: Jaquiéry Julie , Simon Jean-Christophe , Robin Stéphanie , Richard Gautier , Peccoud Jean , Boulain Hélène , Legeai Fabrice , Tanguy Sylvie , Prunier-Leterme Nathalie , Le Trionnaire Gaël
Published: August 2021

Males and females share essentially the same genome but differ in their optimal values for many phenotypic traits, which can result in intra-locus conflict between the sexes. Aphids display XX/X0 sex chromosomes and combine unusual X chromosome inheritance with cyclical parthenogenesis. Theoretical and empirical works support the hypothesis that the large excess of male-biased genes observed on the aphid X chromosome compared to autosomes evolved in response to sexual conflicts, by restricting the products of sexually antagonistic alleles to the sex they benefits. However, whether such masculinization of the X affects all tissues (as expected if it evolved in response to sexual conflicts) or is limited to specific tissues remains an open question. Here, we measured gene expression in three different somatic and gonadic tissues of males, sexual females and parthenogenetic females of the pea aphid. We observed a masculinization of the X in each of the studied tissues, with male-biased genes being 2.5 to 3.5 more frequent on the X than expected. We also tested the hypothesis that gene duplication can facilitate the attenuation of conflicts by allowing gene copies to neo- or sub-functionalize and reach sex-specific optima. As predicted, X-linked copies of duplicated genes having their other copies on autosomes were more frequently male-biased (40.5% of the genes) than duplicated autosomal genes (6.6%) or X-linked single-copy genes (32.5%). These results highlight a peculiar pattern of expression of X-linked genes in aphids at the tissue level and provide further support for sex-biased expression as a mechanism to attenuate intra-locus sexual conflicts.
Mistargeting of hydrophobic mitochondrial proteins activates a nucleus-mediated posttranscriptional quality control pathway in trypanosomes
Authors: Dewar Caroline E. , Oeljeklaus Silke , Mani Jan , Mühlhäuser Wignand W. D. , Warscheid Bettina , Schneider André
Published: August 2021

Mitochondrial protein import in the parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei is mediated by the atypical outer membrane translocase, ATOM. It consists of seven subunits including ATOM69, the import receptor for hydrophobic proteins. Ablation of ATOM69, but not of any other subunit, triggers a unique quality control pathway resulting in the proteasomal degradation of non-imported mitochondrial proteins. The process requires a protein of unknown function, an E3 ubiquitin ligase and the ubiquitin-like protein (TbUbL1), which all are recruited to the mitochondrion upon ATOM69 depletion. TbUbL1 is a nuclear protein, a fraction of which is released to the cytosol upon triggering of the pathway. Nuclear release is essential as cytosolic TbUbL1 can bind mislocalised mitochondrial proteins and likely transfers them to the proteasome. Mitochondrial quality control has previously been studied in yeast and metazoans. Finding such a pathway in the highly diverged trypanosomes suggests such pathways are an obligate feature of all mitochondria.
On the centennials of the discoveries of the hydrogen bond and the structure of the water molecule: the short life and work of Eustace Jean Cuy (1897–1925)
Authors: Derewenda Zygmunt S.
Published: August 2021

The bent structure of the water molecule, and its hydrogen-bonding properties, arguably rank among the most impactful discoveries in the history of chemistry. Although the fact that the H—O—H angle must deviate from linearity was inferred early in the 20th century, notably from the existence of the electric dipole moment, it was not clear what that angle should be and why. One hundred years ago, a young PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley, Eustace J. Cuy, rationalized the V-shape structure of a water molecule using the Lewis theory of a chemical bond, i.e. a shared electron pair, and its tetrahedral stereochemistry. He was inspired, in part, by the proposal of a weak (hydrogen) bond in water by two colleagues at Berkeley, Wendell Latimer and Worth Rodebush, who published their classic paper a year earlier. Cuy went on to suggest that other molecules, notably H2S and NH3, have similar structures, and presciently predicted that this architecture has broader consequences for the structure of water as a liquid. This short, but brilliant paper has been completely forgotten, perhaps due to the tragic death of the author at the age of 28; the hydrogen-bond study is also rarely recognized. One of the most impactful publications on the structure of liquid water, a classic treatise published in 1933 by John Bernal and Ralph Fowler, does not mention either of the two pioneering papers. In this essay, the background for the two discoveries is described, including the brief history of Lewis's research on the nature of the chemical bond, and the history of the discovery of the hydrogen bond, which inspired Cuy to look at the structure of the water molecule. This is – to the best of the author's knowledge – the first biographical sketch of Eustace J. Cuy.
(Chlorido/bromido)[(1,2,5,6-η)-cycloocta-1,5-diene](4-isopropyl-1-methyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene)rhodium(I)
Authors: Rushlow Joshua , Astashkin Andrei V. , Albert Daniel R. , Rajaseelan Edward
Published: August 2021

A new triazole-based neutral RhI complex, [Rh(Cl0.846Br0.154)(C6H11N3)(C8H12)], has been synthesized and structurally characterized. The RhI atom has a distorted square-planar coordination environment, formed by a bidentate cycloocta-1,5-diene (COD) ligand, an N-heterocyclic carbene and a halide ligand that shows substitutional disorder (Cl:Br = 0.846:0.154). No significant intermolecular interactions other than van der Waals forces are found in the crystal structure. Diffraction data indicated a two-component inversion twin with a ratio of 0.95 (5):0.05 (5).
Disclosure, Shariah governance and financial performance in Islamic banks
Authors: Ben Abdallah Mariem , Bahloul Slah
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims at investigating the impact of the disclosure and the Shariah governance on the financial performance in MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia) Islamic banks.

Design/methodology/approach

We use the Generalized Least Squares (GLS) regression models to check the interdependence relationship between the disclosure, the Shariah governance and the financial performance of 47 Islamic banks (IBs) from ten countries operating in MENASA region. The sample period is from 2012 to 2019. In these regressions models, Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) are the dependent variables. The disclosure and the Shariah governance indicators are the independent factors. To measure the Shariah governance, we use the three sub-indices, which are the Board of Directors (BOD), the Audit Committee (AC) and the Shariah Supervisory Board (SSB). Size, Leverage and Age of the bank are used as control variables. We also used The Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and the three-stage least squares (3SLS) estimations for robustness check.

Findings

Result shows a negative relationship between the disclosure and the two performance measures in IBs. Furthermore, as far as the governance indicators are concerned, we found that the BOD and AC, as well as the BOD and SSB, have a positive and significant impact on the ROA and ROE, respectively. This reveals that good governance had a significant association with higher performance in MENASA IBs.

Originality/value

The paper considers both IBs that adopt mandatory as well as voluntary AAOIFI standards and the GLS method to investigate the impact of the AAOIFI disclosure and the Shariah governance on ROA and ROE. Also, it uses the GMM and the 3SLS estimations for robustness check. It is relevant for researchers, policymakers and stakeholders concerned with IBs' performance.
Emerging trends in digital transformation: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Chawla Raghu Nandan , Goyal Praveen
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Ubiquitous digital technologies are driving organisations to embrace non-traditional digitally transformed business models incessantly. Heterogeneous literature contributions have resulted in a spur in the research related to business transformation driven by digital technologies in recent years; consequently, the research under the digital transformation (DT), even though becoming a hotspot, remains very fragmented. The authors endeavour to holistically present the literature's intellectual structure under DT as a concept, its evolving journey and the emerging research streams in the business and management domains using the techniques of bibliometric analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

By performing bibliometric analysis on 234 research articles published over the last 20 years in the DT domain, retrieved from Thompson Reuters Web of Science TM, this study culls out thorough insights from the citation, co-citation and keyword analysis. Further emerging research streams were evaluated using VOSviewer software.

Findings

The study depicts an overall incremental trend of year-on-year publications, authors' performance, publication journals, associated institutions and research driving countries, along with key insights from co-citation network analysis. Furthermore, the study evaluates four research areas – organisational impacts, applied applications and insights, operational processes and social aspects, comprising eighteen research streams that comprehensively cover-up research under the DT domain.

Research limitations/implications

The study contributes to the literature of DT by amalgamating the status of the present research, but more importantly, by deriving the research areas and research streams, which can be further expanded by researchers as future research streams.

Practical implications

For the practitioners, the study aims to act as a ready reckoner repository with practice-oriented literature references to facilitate them building knowledge and taking effective strategic decisions to harness the benefits of DT more proficiently.

Originality/value

This study illustrates the bibliometric structure of the DT literature and presents insights from the growth of the literature year-on-year.
Maria’s Ristorante
Authors: Maiden Stephen E. , Weiss Elliott N.
Published: August 2021

In an effort to save his business, Paul Marciano, the owner of Italian family restaurant Maria’s Ristorante, runs a number of experiments focused on improving the customer experience around his target customer segment. These experiments lead to a better understanding about his business and cause him to make specific changes to his business model that ultimately improve things across the board. The experiments are based on research from the academic literature on the use of behavioral variables to manage customer perceptions.
Matching words with actions: understanding the effects of CSA stance-action consistency on negative consumer responses
Authors: Zhou Ziyuan , Dong Chuqing
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Despite corporate social advocacy (CSA) has become a popular phenomenon, less is known about the potential negative public responses to corporations' CSA involvement and promotion. This paper aims to investigate the main and conditional effects of a new concept, CSA stance-action consistency, on consumers' negative responses to CSA communication.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed a 4 (four types of CSA stance-action consistency) × 2 (CSA record: long vs short) between-subject experimental design. Social issue activism was measured as a continuous variable and treated as a moderator. An online experiment was conducted with participants recruited from MTurk (n = 224).

Findings

CSA stance-action consistency significantly predicted negative word-of-mouth and boycott intention. Participants' social issue activism moderated the effects. However, CSA record was not a significant predictor of consumers' negative responses to CSA communication.

Originality/value

This study advances CSA and corporate communication literature by proposing a new concept, CSA stance-action consistency and providing empirical evidence on its effects on consumer responses. Practical implications to CSA promotion were discussed.
Does time perspective influence knowledge hiding? Empirical evidence from Indian employees
Authors: Ruparel Namita , Choubisa Rajneesh , Seth Himanshu , Nagpal Gaurav
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The current study aims to explore the relationship between time perspective and knowledge hiding at the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

The research adopts a cross-sectional design. Data were collected using purposive sampling technique from (n = 425) employees representing five sectors of companies.

Findings

Holding onto negative experiences of the past (past negative TP) and perceiving that one cannot control the outcomes of a circumstance (fatalistic TP) predict all three types of knowledge hiding. Staying in a perspective of working towards achieving a goal (futuristic TP) was negatively (although insignificantly) associated with knowledge hiding.

Practical implications

If organizations focus on shifting the time perspective of employees towards the future, KH can be curtailed. Consequently, knowledge management can be enhanced.

Originality/value

A decade of research has focused upon identifying dynamics of knowledge hiding at multiple levels, yet, the influence of TP on knowledge hiding is a novel empirical contribution to literature.
Impact of brand anthropomorphism on ethical judgment: the roles of failure type and loneliness
Authors: Dalman M. Deniz , Agarwal Manoj K. , Min Junhong
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate whether anthropomorphized (i.e. humanized) brands are judged less negatively for competence failures than for moral lapses and how these ethical judgments impact negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) intentions of less-lonely and more-lonely consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

Two scenario-based experiments were conducted, involving a total of 1,375 US mechanical turk (Amazon consumer panel) participants.

Findings

Findings show that brand humanization has an impact on ethical judgments only for less-lonely consumers. More specifically, for less-lonely consumers, a humanizing strategy backfires when the failure is moral but helps the brand when the failure is competence-related. On the other hand, more-lonely consumers judge the situation less negatively overall, and this effect is not impacted by the anthropomorphization strategy. Process tests indicate that these judgments indirectly affect consumers’ intention to spread NWOM following negative events.

Research limitations/implications

Future research could examine the specific process for lonely consumers (i.e. the role of empathy) and manipulate the size of the negative events (i.e. consumer perceptions of moderate vs extreme failures).

Practical implications

Brand managers need to consider their specific situations, as anthropomorphization can have both positive and negative effects depending on the consumers and the failure type (moral vs competence).

Originality/value

Extant research indicates that a humanizing strategy backfires when the market has negative information about the brand. This research introduces types of negative information, as well as consumers’ loneliness as moderators and contributes to the literature in branding, business ethics and word-of-mouth.
Measuring the effectiveness of intermediary loyalty programmes in the motor insurance industry: loyal versus non-loyal customers
Authors: Leiria Manuel , Rebelo Efigénio , deMatos Nelson
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The insurance industry has not been able to effectively retain its customers and struggles to establish and maintain long-lasting relationships with them. The purpose of this paper is thus to identify the main factors that explain the cancellation of motor insurance policies by individual customers, considering the influence of intermediaries on their decisions.

Design/methodology/approach

The data used in this research is based on a sample of 3,500 insurance policies that lapsed during the period of analysis between January and July 2017, against another sample of 3,500 policies that did not lapse, from a major insurance company in Portugal. Binary logistic regression was used for data analysis, using IBM SPSS software.

Findings

Aggressive tactics by insurance companies for customer acquisition may induce the cancellation of insurance policies. More valuable customers, the policies with higher premiums and recent claims, as well as the ancillary intermediaries and agents, are determinants of insurance cancellation. Conversely, the payment of policies by direct debit and without instalments reduces the probability of cancellations.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of this study is the restriction on data access. Insurance companies are significantly resistant to sharing their customer data – including with academic researchers – even in an anonymised form.

Practical implications

The paper highlights internal and external practices of insurance companies that should be reformulated to significantly improve their performance regarding product cancellation, related to customer information management, mistrust behaviours related to stakeholders and new value propositions that deepen the relationships with intermediaries.

Originality/value

This research developed a framework with which to identify the factors that are mainly associated with motor insurance cancellation and to predict its likelihood.
The development and practice of authentic leadership: a cultural lens
Authors: Williams Elizabeth Nutt , Grande Steven , Nakamura Yoshie Tomozumi , Pyle Lori , Shaw Gary
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Despite increasing interest and scholarship on authentic leadership, definitions of the construct remain contested. In addition, limited research exists on its enactment in practice and its sustainability in a global context. The purpose of this study was to explore the practice of authentic leadership and understand more about how it is cultivated and sustained.

Design/methodology/approach

To address these issues, an international sample of leaders nominated by peers as exemplifying authenticity in their leadership was interviewed. This study used consensual qualitative research (CQR; Hill, 2012; Hill et al., 1997), a team-based, exploratory methodology, to conduct data analysis.

Findings

This study describes the results of the analysis, highlighting leaders’ beliefs, values and behaviors; their leadership development and the barriers and supportive factors they experienced as leaders. The findings from this exploratory analysis across all cases, including subgroups, may help contextualize the complexity of authentic and sustainable leadership and provide better understanding of authentic leadership development.

Research limitations/implications

Additional research on social identities and training in leadership are critical. The results of this study suggest new directions in studying the development of authentic leaders as well as in researching the experiences of organizations and team members.

Practical implications

This study provides insight and direction for individuals and organizations seeking to better understand the practice of authentic leadership, its development and how it can be sustained over time and across contexts and social identities.

Originality/value

This exploratory approach involving interviews with leaders around the globe provides information about the direct lived experiences of leaders identified as authentic by their peers. This study further highlights the leaders’ critical leadership beliefs and practices, as well as ways in which they cultivated and learned to sustain their leadership practices. This study also sheds light on ways in which experiences might differ across gendered and cultural contexts.
Culture and annual report readability
Authors: Noh Minyoung
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the effect of state culture on the readability of narrative disclosures in annual reports based on firms located in all 50 states of the USA.

Design/methodology/approach

The author uses the cultural tightness and looseness (Harrington and Gelfand 2014) index at the state level and the BOG index (Bonsall and Miller, 2017) as the primary measures of annual report readability.

Findings

Using US data from 1994 to 2019, this study finds that the state level of cultural tightness in which firms are located positively affects firms’ annual report readability. In addition, the study finds that the positive effect of cultural tightness on annual report readability is pronounced in subgroups with high litigation risk while the result does not hold with subgroups that have low litigation risk. The results are robust when alternative proxies for annual report readability are used and historical location and the states in which firms are incorporated are considered.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the growing literature on the determinants of readability in annual report because firms’ narrative disclosure in annual report varies depending on the information environment, litigation risk, embedded in each state culture where firms are located.
Fire in the belly: the impact of despotic leadership on employees work-related outcomes in the hospitality setting
Authors: Albashiti Belal , Hamid Zeeshan , Aboramadan Mohammed
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Building on conservation of resources theory and unfolding theory of turnover, this paper aims to propose a model of the effects of despotic leadership on employees’ job satisfaction and turnover intention in the hospitality industry. In this model, the authors theorize psychological distress to play an intervening role among the aforesaid linkages.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected in three-waves from 212 employees working in Palestinian restaurants. A covariance-based matrix in structural equation modeling was used to verify the proposed linkages in the study. A marker variable was used to control the common method bias.

Findings

The results showed that despotic leadership has a direct negative effect on job satisfaction and a positive indirect effect on turnover intentions. Besides, psychological distress showed to play significant mediating effects among the aforementioned relationships.

Practical implications

This study gives insights to the hospitality industry on how despotic leadership can be destructive and lead to negative consequences.

Originality/value

This study is unique, as it is the first study conducted on despotic leadership in a hospitality setting. The study responded to scholarly calls made to enrich the literature pertaining to despotic leadership and its outcomes.
Factors affecting commercial housing prices in Vietnam
Authors: Nam Pham Phuong , Phuong Tran Trong
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The study aims to identify the affecting factors and their impact rates on the commercial housing prices. The study also aims to suggest implications related to commercial housing prices to develop the commercial housing market.

Design/methodology/approach

The study investigates housing investors, real estate agents and buyers to identify factors that might affect commercial housing prices. The proposed research model has 7 latent factors and is tested by Cronbach' alpha and exploratory factor analysis by SPSS20.0 software.

Findings

There are 7 groups with 24 factors affecting commercial housing prices. The neighboring factor group has the greatest impact rate (18.54%); the housing service group has the lowest impact rate (11.48%).

Research limitations/implications

The study has only determined the affecting factors and their impact rates on commercial housing prices in Bac Ninh city. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research on factors affecting commercial housing prices in other provinces and cities of Vietnam in the coming time. In addition, the proposed research method can also be consulted when it is necessary to determine the factors affecting commercial housing prices in other countries around the world.

Practical implications

The study proposes some implications related to commercial housing prices such as commercial housing valuation; housing selection with suitable prices for people intending to buy houses; state support policies for commercial housing investors to develop commercial housing with reasonable prices.

Social implications

The implementing the implications proposed in the study will facilitate people's easier access to commercial housing; real estate investors do business more efficiently.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper presents for the first time a method to determine the affecting factors and their impact rates on commercial housing prices in Vietnam. The paper also points out a number of specific factors affecting commercial housing prices that are different from those shown in previous studies.
A systematic survey on deep learning and machine learning approaches of fake news detection in the pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Varma Rajshree , Verma Yugandhara , Vijayvargiya Priya , Churi Prathamesh P.
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The rapid advancement of technology in online communication and fingertip access to the Internet has resulted in the expedited dissemination of fake news to engage a global audience at a low cost by news channels, freelance reporters and websites. Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, individuals are inflicted with these false and potentially harmful claims and stories, which may harm the vaccination process. Psychological studies reveal that the human ability to detect deception is only slightly better than chance; therefore, there is a growing need for serious consideration for developing automated strategies to combat fake news that traverses these platforms at an alarming rate. This paper systematically reviews the existing fake news detection technologies by exploring various machine learning and deep learning techniques pre- and post-pandemic, which has never been done before to the best of the authors’ knowledge.

Design/methodology/approach

The detailed literature review on fake news detection is divided into three major parts. The authors searched papers no later than 2017 on fake news detection approaches on deep learning and machine learning. The papers were initially searched through the Google scholar platform, and they have been scrutinized for quality. The authors kept “Scopus” and “Web of Science” as quality indexing parameters. All research gaps and available databases, data pre-processing, feature extraction techniques and evaluation methods for current fake news detection technologies have been explored, illustrating them using tables, charts and trees.

Findings

The paper is dissected into two approaches, namely machine learning and deep learning, to present a better understanding and a clear objective. Next, the authors present a viewpoint on which approach is better and future research trends, issues and challenges for researchers, given the relevance and urgency of a detailed and thorough analysis of existing models. This paper also delves into fake new detection during COVID-19, and it can be inferred that research and modeling are shifting toward the use of ensemble approaches.

Originality/value

The study also identifies several novel automated web-based approaches used by researchers to assess the validity of pandemic news that have proven to be successful, although currently reported accuracy has not yet reached consistent levels in the real world.
Literature on technological capability: past, present and future
Authors: Tello-Gamarra Jorge , Fitz-Oliveira Mônica
Published: August 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main theoretical bases from the past and the present, as well as to determine the future perspectives for technological capability research.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve this, the study used the bibliometric method, which is based on two research strategies, co-citation analysis and bibliographical coupling analysis with database Scopus and software VOS viewer.

Findings

The main result was the identification of the theoretical bases from the past: absorptive capacity, innovation and core competence; as well as the current bases: innovation capability, firm performance and knowledge transfer. The future perspectives of technological capability are guided by keyword coupling, generating three theoretical perspectives: business development, sustainability and future technologies.

Originality/value

There are no studies in the literature that analyze the theoretical bases of technological capability, identifying common aspects and different approaches. Thus, this study is of original nature and the research method, composed of bibliometric analyzes and the coupling of emerging keywords, which are a part of the future perspectives, which permitted the authors to achieve the proposed goal.
Robot coalition formation against time-extended multi-robot tasks
Authors: Arif Muhammad Usman
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Multi-robot coalition formation (MRCF) refers to the formation of robot coalitions against complex tasks requiring multiple robots for execution. Situations, where the robots have to participate in multiple coalitions over time due to a large number of tasks, are called Time-extended MRCF. While being NP-hard, time-extended MRCF also holds the possibility of resource deadlocks due to any cyclic hold-and-wait conditions among the coalitions. Existing schemes compromise on solution quality to form workable, deadlock-free coalitions through instantaneous or incremental allocations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an evolutionary algorithm (EA)-based task allocation framework for improved, deadlock-free solutions against time-extended MRCF. The framework simultaneously allocates multiple tasks, allowing the robots to participate in multiple coalitions within their schedule. A directed acyclic graph–based representation of robot plans is used for deadlock detection and avoidance.

Findings

Allowing the robots to participate in multiple coalitions within their schedule, significantly improves the allocation quality. The improved allocation quality of the EA is validated against two auction schemes inspired by the literature.

Originality/value

To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first framework which simultaneously considers multiple MR tasks for deadlock-free allocation while allowing the robots to participate in multiple coalitions within their plans.
Process improvement project failure: a systematic literature review and future research agenda
Authors: Lameijer Bart A. , Antony Jiju , Borgman Hans P. , Linderman Kevin
Published: August 2021

Purpose

Although scholars have considered the success factors of process improvement (PI) projects, limited research has considered the factors that influence failure. The purpose of this paper is to extend the understanding of PI project failure by systematically reviewing the research on generic project failure, and developing research propositions and future research directions specifically for PI projects.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review protocol resulted in a total of 97 research papers that are reviewed for contributions on project failure.

Findings

An inductive category formation process resulted in three categories of findings. The first category are the causes for project failure, the second category is about relatedness between failure factors and the third category is on failure mitigation strategies. For each category, propositions for future research on PI projects specifically are developed. Additional future research directions proposed lay in better understanding PI project failure as it unfolds (i.e. process studies vs cross-sectional), understanding PI project failure from a theoretical perspective and better understanding of PI project failure antecedents.

Originality/value

This paper takes a multi-disciplinary and project type approach, synthesizes the existing knowledge and reflects upon the developments in the field of research. Propositions and a framework for future research on PI project failure are presented.
Transforming people practices by re-structuring job engagement practices for generation z: an empirical study
Authors: Pandita Deepika , Kumar Amresh
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to develop the readers’ understanding of the transforming role of job engagement (JOB) drivers, specifically for Gen Z in information technology (IT) Companies across India. It measures the association of JOB and perceived organizational support (POS), perceived supervisor support (PSS) and co-worker relationship (COP) with a very special reference to Gen Z.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 302 survey-based responses were collected. To test the conceptualized model of JOB, structural equation modeling was used. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using the AMOS platform toward determining the reliability and validity of the individual constructs and the overall model.

Findings

All three dimensions, namely, POS, PSS and COP, are positively related to JOB. Out of the three, the most contributing extent in engaging Gen Z is PSS.

Research limitations/implications

A conceptual framework of Gen Z engagement drivers could help human resource (HR) researchers fine-tune Gen Z employees’ retention strategy. The paper shows that it is not about pandering to them but about eliminating blocks so that Gen Z can deliver the future business.

Practical implications

The outcomes may aid establishments and policymakers in advancing and improving HRs policies in engaging Gen Z, who have started entering the organizations.

Originality/value

JOB practices can add to the determinations of the HRs processes in the IT start-ups organizations in dealing with Gen Z. This research reconnoiters the drivers of engagement strategies directly impacting JOB Gen Z.
How does Buddhism affect corporate cash holdings?
Authors: Li Yaoqin , Chen Xichan , Li Wanli , Xu Xixiong
Published: August 2021

Purpose

This study explores whether and how Buddhism impacts corporate cash holdings. Buddhist culture affects investors' perception of how cash is deployed and then influences corporate cash holdings. This study first examines the impact of Buddhism on corporate cash holdings and then investigates whether formal governance mechanisms such as legal institutions and institutional ownership influence the relationship between Buddhism and corporate cash holdings.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conduct empirical tests with data on Chinese listed companies between 2006 and 2019. Buddhism is measured with the natural logarithm of the number of Buddhist temples within a radius of a certain distance around a firm's headquarters. The authors adopt the OLS method to regress and take the 2SLS method, Heckman selection model and FEVD approach to address the endogeneity issue.

Findings

The results show a positive relationship between Buddhism and corporate cash holdings. This positive relation is more prominent for firms located in regions with weak legal institutions and for firms with low institutional ownership. Further analysis shows that Buddhism works through the channel of alleviating agency problems and finally improves the value of cash to investors.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ findings have important implications. First, this study provides inspiration for incorporating the ethical values of traditional cultures, such as Buddhism, into the corporate governance system. Second, the findings imply that informal institutions can influence corporate financial decisions beyond the effect of formal institutions, suggesting that informal systems should be emphasized when dealing with business affairs in countries where legal institutions are relatively weak. Third, the results suggest the significance of encouraging research on religious culture to explore its active role in corporate governance.

Originality/value

This study illustrates the positive value of religious culture in advancing corporate governance by relating Buddhism to corporate cash holdings based on the explanation of investors' perception. It makes a marginal contribution to the literature that investigates the determinants of cash policies and explores the firm-level consequences of religious culture, adding to the research area of culture and corporate finance.