bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Antecedents of international joint ventures’ past, present and future: a meta-analytical review
Authors: Batra Ishita , Gupta Megha , Dhir Sanjay
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The last two decades have witnessed a substantial increase in the body of research on the theoretical perspective of the performance of international joint ventures (IJVs). However, the evidence on the antecedents of IJVs performance is inconsistent. The purpose of this paper is to critically review the quantitative studies on the antecedents of the performance of IJVs to identify the research gaps in this area and to prepare a future research agenda using the theory, context, characteristics and methodology (TCCM) framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Meta-Analysis review is conducted on 97 papers from A*, A and B category journals from the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List.

Findings

The results reveal the homogeneity in antecedents such as administrative distance, BOD (board of directors) involvement, resource interdependency, flexibility, learning, competitive overlap, cultural distance, R&D (research and development) intensity, contract, relatedness, the existence of a local IJVs partner, trust, operational experience, partners capability, size asymmetry, goal congruency, capital adequacy, economic distance and heterogeneity in the antecedents such as equity ownership, commitment, control, cooperation and conflict are heterogeneous.

Originality/value

This review seeks to provide deeper insights, which help us to contribute toward the development of the research field of antecedents of the performance of IJVs. The authors have synthesized 97 independent samples with a total sample size of 52,268.
Adaptive IWD-based algorithm for deployment of business processes into cloud federations
Authors: Nasiriasayesh Hamidreza , Yari Alireza , Nazemi Eslam
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The concept of business process (BP) as a service is a new solution in enterprises for the purpose of using specific BPs. BPs represent combinations of software services that must be properly executed by the resources provided by a company’s information technology infrastructure. As the policy requirements are different in each enterprise, processes are constantly evolving and demanding new resources in terms of computation and storage. To support more agility and flexibility, it is common today for enterprises to outsource their processes to clouds and, more recently, to cloud federation environment. Ensuring the optimal allocation of cloud resources to process service during the execution of workflows in accordance with user policy requirements is a major concern. Given the diversity of resources available in a cloud federation environment and the ongoing process changes required based on policies, reallocating cloud resources for service processing may lead to high computational costs and increased overheads in communication costs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a new adaptive resource allocation approach that uses a novel algorithm extending the natural-based intelligent water drops (IWD) algorithm that optimizes the resource allocation of workflows on the cloud federation which can estimate and optimize final deployment costs. The proposed algorithm is implemented and embedded within the WokflowSim simulation toolkit and tested in different simulated cloud environments with different workflow models.

Findings

The algorithm showed noticeable enhancements over the classical workflow deployment algorithms taking into account the challenges of data transfer. This paper made a comparison between the proposed IWD-based workflow deployment (IWFD) algorithm with other proposed algorithms. IWFD presented considerable improvements in the makespan, cost and data transfer in most situations in the cloud federation environment.

Originality/value

An extension for WorkflowSim to support the implementation of BPs in a federation cloud space regarding BP policy. Optimize workflow execution performance in Federated clouds by means of IWFD algorithm.
Evaluating service quality and performance of higher education institutions: a systematic review and a post-COVID-19 outlook
Authors: Camilleri Mark Anthony
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to present a systematic review on service quality in higher education. It discusses about the latest opportunities and challenges facing higher educational institutions (HEIs) following the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The study relied on the grounded theory’s inductive reasoning to capture, analyze and synthesize the findings from academic and non-academic sources. The methodology involved a systematic review from Scopus-indexed journals, from intergovernmental and non-governmental policy documents, as well as from university ranking sites and league tables.

Findings

The comprehensive review suggests that HEIs can use different performance indicators and metrics to evaluate their service quality in terms of their resources, student-centered education, high-impact research and stakeholder engagement. Moreover, this paper sheds light about the impact of an unprecedented COVID-19 on higher education services.

Practical implications

During the first wave of COVID-19, the delivery of higher educational services migrated from traditional and blended learning approaches to fully virtual and remote course delivery. In the second wave, policy makers imposed a number of preventative measures, including social distancing and hygienic practices, among others, on HEIs.

Originality/value

This timely contribution has synthesized the findings on service quality and performance management in the higher education context. Furthermore, it investigated the effect of COVID-19 on higher education services. It deliberates on the challenges and responses in the short/medium term and provides a discussion on the way forward. In conclusion, it implies that HEI leaders ought to embrace online teaching models and virtual systems, as they are here to stay in a post-COVID-19 era.
Conceptions of quality as family resemblances
Authors: Francis Mark , Fisher Ron , Song Malin
Published: May 2021

Purpose

To consider how quality should be conceptualized to improve understanding for researchers and practitioners, some researchers have discussed quality in terms of an essence or necessary condition. Others have regarded quality as individual and experiential, based on differences in actors’ conceptions of quality. This paper aims to resolve the tension caused by these competing views and propose an appropriate method for future research in the area of quality.

Design/methodology/approach

In many studies, researchers have attempted to understand quality in terms of necessary conditions or through a dualistic ontology. At the same time, an increasing number of researchers have emphasized its experiential nature while discussing quality in conjunction with meeting customers’ expectations. This study investigates how quality can be understood using a conceptual framework based on family resemblances.

Findings

There is no necessary condition or essence by which quality may be conceptualized or defined. This finding resolves the tension that has arisen from the simultaneous search for a common feature and the assertion that quality is experientially created by individuals. The research also highlights that the nature of quality may differ between people, time and place, or some aspects of it may be the same. Regarding quality in terms of family resemblances accommodates actors’ different conceptions of quality. Phenomenography is proposed as an appropriate research approach with its focus on the qualitatively different ways in which actors make sense of phenomena in their lifeworld.

Research limitations/implications

Understanding quality as a family of attributes, and using phenomenography as method, provides methodological clarity to long-standing research issues. Using the approaches outlined in this study will enable empirical studies of quality, in any context, to be conducted soundly and relatively quickly. It will also provide a more inclusive and holistic set of meanings based on the experiences of individuals.

Practical implications

The research provides important insights for researchers and practitioners through clearer conceptions of quality. These include the ability to plan and deliver business outcomes that are more closely aligned with customers’ expectations. Understanding the conceptions of quality, as experienced and determined through family resemblances, has clear implications for researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

Understanding actors’ conceptions of quality through the lens of family resemblances resolves long-standing research issues. Using phenomenography as method is innovative, as it is an emerging research approach in the business domain.
Elements of additive manufacturing technology adoption in small- and medium-sized companies
Authors: Kulkarni Praveen , Kumar Arun , Chate Ganesh , Dandannavar Padma
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine factors that determine the adoption of additive manufacturing by small- and medium-sized industries. It provides insights with regard to benefits, challenges and business factors that influence small- and medium-sized industries when adopting this technology. The study also aims to expand the domain of additive manufacturing by including a broader range of challenges and benefits of additive manufacturing in literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data collected from 175 small- and medium-sized industries, the study has examined through Mann–Whitney test to understand the difference between owners and design engineers on additive manufacturing technology adoption in small- and medium-sized companies.

Findings

This study suggests contribution to academic discussion by providing associated factors that have significant impact on the adoption of additive manufacturing technology. Related advantages of additive manufacturing are reduction in inventory cost, lowering the wastage in production and customization of products. The study also indicates that factors such as cost of machinery, higher level of cost in integrating metal components have a negative impact on the adoption of this technology in small- and medium-sized industries.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further in the field of challenges and growth in other areas of application of additive manufacturing, for instance, medical sciences, fabric and aerospace.

Practical implications

The study provides important implications that are of interest for both research and practitioners, related to technology management in small- and medium-sized industries, e.g. foundry and machining industries.

Social implications

This work/study fulfills an identified need of the small- and medium-sized companies in adopting new technologies and contribute to their growth by understanding the need to accept and implement technology.

Originality/value

This paper fulfills an identified need to study how small- and medium-scale companies accept new technologies and factors associated with implementation in the manufacturing process of the organization.
Determinants of perceived employability in current career context: evidence from India
Authors: Nimmi P.M. Nimmi P.M. , Zakkariya K.A. Zakkariya K.A.
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how the indicators of perceived employability in the current career context impact employees well-being on the backdrop of conservation of resources theory. The study also examines whether the underlying mechanisms towards employee well-being vary as a function of gender.

Design methodology approach

Research data are gathered from a sample of 421 software engineers in private information technology companies in India. Structural equation modelling (SEM) using IBM-AMOS was conducted to examine the impact of protean attitude and employability culture on employee well-being and the mediating mechanism.

Findings

Empirical analysis using SEM unravelled that perceived employability played a vital role as a mediator of employability culture, protean attitude – well-being relationships, confirming the underlying mechanisms of this association.

Originality value

The study specifically examined the modern age indicators of employability perception amongst Indian software engineers and their impact on employee well-being.
The innovation pyramid: five approaches to strategic decision-making
Authors: Hensmans Manuel
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The innovation pyramid presented in this paper ranks innovation types in terms of their capacity to provide organizations with a long-term commercialization advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

It is based on ten years of studying different types of innovation and helping hundreds of groups of MBA and Master students apply these insights to hundreds of organizations in different industries.

Findings

The innovation pyramid provides organizational leaders with a powerful heuristic to organize their strategic innovation priorities, in terms of aligning and committing organizational innovation efforts.

Practical implications

To help organizational leaders, this paper illustrates each innovation type with clarifying examples of a variety of well-known firms.

Originality/value

The pyramid provides an antidote to the technological determinism and confusing use of innovation jargon, both of which over-promise disruptive and radical performance effects. Instead, it offers clarity and succinctness of purpose both in terms of aligning and committing to innovation efforts and priorities.
The economic costs of protests and policy recommendations for preventing them: the case of Hong Kong
Authors: Au Anson Cheuk-Ho
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the economic costs of protests at micro-to-firm, market sector and aggregate levels. This paper then develops institutional policy recommendations for allaying these costs.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper conducts a case study of the anti-extradition bill protests in Hong Kong by examining news articles, online discussions and economic indices from the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department. This paper further develops policy insights from an analysis of the Hong Kong Basic Law (the city’s mini-constitution) and insights from economic research.

Findings

This paper discovers that the protests may have caused overall volatility in firms, market sectors and the overall economy, measured in production disruptions, revenue losses and declines in employment. Among Hong Kong’s four major industries, the most severely stunted market sectors were tourism and retail, as well as trading and logistics, whereas financial services and professional and producer services experienced mixed effects. This paper develops two institutional policy recommendations for government and corporate policymaking for reducing volatility and ultimately safeguarding economic growth: the separation of political ideology and economics; the systematic use of public opinion analytics to pre-test the reception of policies.

Practical implications

Corporate strategists and policymakers would benefit from and advance the economy by better insulating business decision-making from political biases and by investing in public opinion analytics.

Originality/value

Much of economic theory treats social transformations as externalities. This paper adopts a different approach by foregrounding the role that social transformations play in shaping the economy. To this end, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is among the first to examine the anti-extradition bill protests of Hong Kong, arguably the most significant and widespread protests in the city’s and the region’s history.
Grading of architectural heritage using AHP and TOPSIS methods: a case of Odishan Temple, India
Authors: Mishra Partha Sarathi , Muhuri Soumi
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Ranking and grading of architectural heritage (AH) are common for the conservation process. Decision-makers are often intuitively made decisions for the selection of the AH. However, on many occasions, these decisions are not transparent and sometimes focused only on a few aspects of the AH.

Design/methodology/approach

A transparent and robust methodology must be adopted to select and manage AH for the present and future generations. Selecting the list of parameters that are affecting the AH, and assessing their significance can strengthen the holistic assessment. From the literature, parameters and dimensions are identified for the evaluation of AH and its application for Odishan temple architecture (OTA). For minimizing biasedness associated with assessment, the research considered the opinion of experts, researchers and various stakeholders. For objective decision-making, the Delphi, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solutions (TOPSIS) methods were adopted.

Findings

Later, by observing the dimension-wise ranks and comparing the obtained grading of OTA with the existing state of protection, it was found that some temples, though having higher values with distinct dimension, lack significantly in other dimensions. However, for unbiased evaluation, all the possible dimensions should be considered. This methodology will also be useful for other decision-making processes concerning the same.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited to the OTA. However, this methodology can be adopted by changing the definitions of the parameters according to the contextual needs.

Practical implications

This methodology may be helpful for the further policy-making process for the conservation and management of such AH.

Originality/value

To date, OTA is not graded through such a methodology. Also, limited studies are found in similar line worldwide.
Non-synchronism in theoretical research of information science
Authors: Wang Fang , Yang Jing , Wu Yejun
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to reveal the global non-synchronism that exists in the theoretical research of information science (IS) by analyzing and comparing the distribution of theory use, creation and borrowing in four representative journals from the USA, the UK and China.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative content analysis is adopted as the research method. First, an analytical framework for non-synchronism in theoretical research of IS is constructed. Second, theories mentioned in the full texts of the research papers of four journals are extracted according to a theory dictionary made before. Third, the non-synchronism in the theoretical research of IS is analyzed.

Findings

Non-synchronism exists in many aspects of the theoretical research of IS between journals, subject areas and countries/regions. The theoretical underdevelopment still exists in some subject areas of IS. IS presents obvious interdisciplinary characteristics. The theoretical distance from IS to social sciences is shorter than that to natural sciences.

Research limitations/implications

This study investigates the theoretical research of IS from the perspective of non-synchronism theory, reveals the theoretical distance from IS to other sciences, deepens the communication between different subject and regional sub-communities of IS and provides new evidences for the necessity of developing domestic theories and theorists of IS.

Originality/value

This study introduces the theory of non-synchronism to IS research for the first time, investigates the new advances in theoretical research of IS and provides new quantitative evidences for the understanding of the interdisciplinary characteristics of IS and the necessity of better communication between sub-communities of IS.
Innovation and patents as a business success factor
Authors: Garavito Hernández Youseline , Rueda Galvis Javier Francisco
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to expose the impact of innovation and patent registration, as a strategy that contributes to business success in the current competitive and globalized market conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a study on the innovation and contribution of the patent registry in the growth of economic sales of 1,746 companies in the Colombian manufacturing sector, whose applied methodology was a statistical correlation analysis and a binary logistic regression.

Findings

The results reveal a positive relationship among incremental product innovations with the achievement of sales success, although it is evident that patent registration negatively influences business success as a factor in innovation.

Originality/value

This study allows organizations to understand the importance of developing innovation processes and patent registration as a competitive factor that drives sales growth and success.
Understand corporate social responsibility from an agenda setting perspective: a cross-national analysis of newspaper using computer-assisted content analysis
Authors: Zhang Yafei , Dong Chuqing
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to explore multifaceted corporate social responsibility (CSR) covered in popular English newspapers in the UK, USA, mainland China and Hong Kong from 2000 to 2016 via a computer-assisted analytical approach. This study moves the understanding of CSR away from corporate self-reporting to the mass media and raises interesting questions about the role of the news media in presenting CSR as a multifaceted, socially constructed concept.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were retrieved from CSR-related news articles from 2000 to 2016 that were archived in the LexisNexis database. Guided by the theoretical framework of agenda setting, a computer-assisted content analysis (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) was used to analyze 4,487 CSR-related articles from both business and non-business news sources. Analysis of variance was used to compare salient CSR topics in each country/region.

Findings

This study identifies newspapers as an alternate to corporations’ attempts to distribute CSR information and construct CSR meaning. The findings revealed that the news communicates a variety of CSR issues that are aligned or beyond what CSR was defined in corporate CSR reporting, as suggested in previous studies. In addition, CSR news coverages differ between the business and nonbusiness news sources. Furthermore, the media tone of CSR coverage significantly differed across the regions and between the business and nonbusiness newspapers.

Social implications

Emerging topics in CSR news coverage, such as business education, could help companies identify untapped CSR realms in the market.

Originality/value

This study contributes to CSR communication research by adding a non-corporate perspective regarding what CSR means and should be focused on. The news media presents CSR using a heterogeneous approach as they not only provide surface reports on corporations’ CSR activities but also offer in-depth discussions.
Transtheoretical model on the self-care behavior of hypertension patients: a systematic review
Authors: Hasriani  , Sjattar Elly Lilianty , Arafat Rosyidah
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This review aims to describe the effectiveness of education with the transtheoretical model (TTM)-based on the self-care behavior of hypertension patients.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature search was carried out on four databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Cochrane and Grey literature to identify studies reported in English which were published in the last ten years. The literature search was conducted from November 13 to December 10, 2020.

Findings

Based on the six studies that have been analyzed, TTM is effective in changing the stage of change and behavior of hypertension patients. These behavioral changes have an impact on the patient's controlled blood pressure. Various types of TTM-based educational interventions can be used, but the tailored behavior intervention is the most appropriate one with a minimum intervention duration of six months. Educational intervention is carried out through combine counseling and education using electronic media.

Originality/value

This review presents the effectiveness of transtheoretical-based health education in changing the self-care behavior of hypertension patients accompanied by evidence-based on its implementation. There is a high and unclear risk of bias on several items influence this systematic outcome. Nevertheless, this review can still provide an overview of the effectiveness of education based on the TTM in hypertension patients about the quality results of the reviewed studies.
Halal industry’s response to a current and post-COVID-19 landscape and lessons from the past
Authors: Hidayat Sutan Emir , Rafiki Ahmad , Nasution Muhammad Dharma Tuah Putra
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the Halal industry before, during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative content analysis derived from a narrative-type literature review – supported by expert opinions elicited from semi-structured interviews and transcripts from the keynotes of five prominent speakers at a Halal industry conference during the pandemic. The conference theme covered the Halal industry’s development and strategies before, during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

Findings

There are opinions, concerns and actionable suggestions from the five prominent guests on how the Halal industry is faced with challenges but also new opportunities, with the potential to lead an agenda toward community and transparency.

Originality/value

The halal industry could survive the ravaging COVID-19 and still has the potential to be explored. Expectedly, it makes this occasion an assessment or benchmark to improve the Halal industry and lifestyle in the future and contributes to the betterment of the ummah and Muslim countries.
Relationship between team learning and team effectiveness
Authors: Puente-Palacios Katia Elizabeth , Barouh Raquel Trinchão de Jesus
Published: May 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to demonstrate that learning occurs as a collective process in addition to traditional individual learning and second, to identify its antecedents and consequences at the team level.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were gathered using questionnaires answered by 356 participants organized in 90 teams. Quantitative analytic strategies were applied to verify if individual answers of team members were similar enough to compound team scores and to measure the predictive power of the proposed model.

Findings

Results showed that team learning is a collective phenomenon: intra-team differences were small and differences between teams were significant. Additional results demonstrated that team learning is predicted by team potency (34%) and, at the group level, explains 5% of the team’s satisfaction.

Practical implications

The findings of the present research suggest that organizational managers can improve the results of teams by supporting the development of social processes such as potency and learning.

Originality/value

Learning in organizations has received close attention in recent years. However, publications are focusing mostly on the individual learning that occurs in teams and organizations. The main contribution of this paper is to demonstrate what characterizes team learning as a collective process and which relations it maintains with other team processes.
Climate change mitigation readiness in the transport sector: a psychological science perspective
Authors: Namagembe Sheila
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impact of social norms on climate change mitigation readiness, the mediating role of environmental purchasing intentions and attitudes on the relationship between social norms and climate change mitigation readiness.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from transport facility operators and managers of shipping firms and bus transport firms. The SPSS software and covariance-based software (CB-SEM) were used to obtain results on the impact of social norms on climate change mitigation readiness, the mediating role of environmental purchasing intentions on the relationship between social norms and climate change mitigation readiness, and the mediating role of attitudes on the relationship between social norms and climate change mitigation readiness.

Findings

The findings indicated that social norms influenced climate change mitigation readiness, while both attitudes and environmental purchasing intentions partially mediated the relationship between social norms and climate change mitigation readiness.

Research limitations/implications

The study mainly focused on transport facility operators and managers of shipping firms and bus firms eliminating other participants in the transport sector. Further, the research focused on majorly three psychological factors that included social norms, intentions and attitudes leaving out other psychological factors.

Originality/value

Climate change mitigation is a major issue of concern to policy makers and researchers. Much of the focus is placed on mitigation strategies with the passengers and private vehicle owners as the major target. Other research focuses on reducing the impact of climate change outcomes through introduction of cleaner technologies. However, issues concerning the role of psychological factors in enhancing climate change mitigation readiness have not been given significant attention.
The missing link: sustainability innovation practices, non-financial performance outcomes and economic performance
Authors: Maletič Matjaž , Gomišček Boštjan , Maletič Damjan
Published: May 2021

Purpose

Innovation is the backbone of sustainability. Although many efforts have been made to conceptualize sustainability-oriented innovations, the impact of these organizational practices on performance has not been adequately explored. This paper, therefore, aims to fill an important gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between sustainability innovation practices and performance outcomes. Specifically, this study examines the relationship between sustainability innovation practices, non-financial performance and economic performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) to estimate both the direct and indirect effects of sustainability practices on economic performance. The data were collected on the basis of a large-scale survey of 266 European organizations.

Findings

The results show that sustainability innovation practices directly and indirectly influence economic performance through non-financial performance outcomes (i.e. innovation performance, environmental performance and social performance).

Originality/value

The scientific value of this paper is provided by showing that sustainability innovation practices lead to certain performance improvements and by providing a model to better understand the links between non-financial performance outcomes and economic performance.
Effect of black garlic on visceral fat, oxidative stress and insulin resistance in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease rats
Authors: Fajrani Alifia Mukti , Sulchan Mohamad , Muis Siti Fatimah , Purnomo Hery Djagat , Djamiatun Kis , Karlowee Vega , Ardiaria Martha
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to determine the effect of black garlic (BG) on visceral fat, oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) compared with metformin and vitamin E in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) rats.

Design/methodology/approach

A randomized post-test only design with control group was used in this study. Rats were given high-fat fructose diet enriched with 1.25% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid for eight weeks to induce NALFD condition. The administration of BG dose of 450 mg/200 gBW, 900 mg/200 gBW and 1350 mg/200 gBW with a comparative control of 45 mg/200 gBW of metformin and vitamin E of 9 IU/200 gBW were given for four weeks via oral gavage to reduce visceral fat, oxidative stress and improve IR. Statistical analyses were performed to examine differences between groups with one-way analysis of variance and nonparametrics test.

Findings

Rats given with three different doses of BG for four weeks did not reduce body weight from 244 ± 4.4 to 284 ± 4.6 g, 242 ± 2.5 to 272 ± 3.1 g and 240 ± 2.4 to 270 ± 3.6 g, respectively, but significantly reduced visceral fat (p = 0.001) on BG groups with 3.7 ± 1.3, 2.7 ± 0.7 and 1.8 ± 0.6 g, respectively. BG improved oxidative stress (p = 0.001) with malondialdehyde level 5.1 ± 0.2, 3.0 ± 0.06 and 2.3 ± 0.06 ng/mL, respectively, but did not better than vitamin E group 1 ± 0.03 ng/mL. Significant (p = 0.001) improvement on insulin resistance with homeostatic model assessment IR in BG groups were 5.3 ± 0.1, 4.4 ± 0.1 and 4 ± 0.1, respectively, but not as good as metformin group 3.7 ± 0.1.

Research limitations/implications

Based on the experiment, there are several limitations including small sample size, performed on animal models in a relatively short time, did not examine organosulfurs compound (OSC) content of BG specifically and OSC affects metabolism in NAFLD remains unclear and will require further investigation.

Practical implications

BG is a functional food made from heated fresh garlic owing to the Maillard reaction and the organosulfur compounds as antioxidants. The higher the dose of BG, the greater the improvement in visceral fat, oxidative stress and IR in model NAFLD rats.

Social implications

NAFLD is a liver disorder caused by excessive fat and energy intake, the treatment strategies among others through diet modification.

Originality/value

In model NAFLD rats, BG administration improved NALFD markers but did not better rather than the metformin and vitamin E result.
Supply chain resilience during pandemic disruption: evidence from healthcare
Authors: Scala Barbara , Lindsay Claire Frances
Published: May 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how resilience is evident in healthcare supply chains in the public sector when faced with pandemic disruption and to identify any learnings to inform recovery and future-readiness phases.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory case study was conducted, consisting of seven semi-structured interviews with public sector supply chain actors in the healthcare personal protective equipment supply chain. The data included document analysis.

Findings

Key findings show how specific resilience strategies such as agility, collaboration, flexibility and redundancy, contributed to supply chain resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic response. Collaboration is identified as a key mechanism for resilience with public sector networks viewed as facilitating this. Established collaborative relationships with suppliers pre-pandemic did not support increased visibility of tiers within the supply chain.

Originality/value

This is one of the first papers to provide in-depth resilience insights through an example of healthcare supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Episodic occurrence of favourable weather constrains recovery of a cold desert shrubland after fire
Authors: Urza Alexandra K. , Weisberg Peter J. , Board David , Chambers Jeanne C. , Kitchen Stanley G. , Roundy Bruce A.
Published: May 2021

Key to the long‐term resilience of dryland ecosystems is the recovery of foundation plant species following disturbance. In ecosystems with high interannual weather variability, understanding the influence of short‐term environmental conditions on establishment of foundation species is essential for identifying vulnerable landscapes and developing restoration strategies. We asked how annual environmental conditions affect post‐fire establishment of Artemisia tridentata, a shrub species that dominates landscapes across much of the western United States, and evaluated the influence of episodic establishment on population recovery.

We collected A. tridentata stem samples from 33 plots in 12 prescribed fire sites that burned 8–11 years before sampling. We determined individual establishment years using annual growth rings. We measured seasonal soil environmental conditions at the study sites and asked if these conditions predicted annual establishment density. We then evaluated whether establishment patterns could be predicted by site‐level climate or dominant subspecies. Finally, we tested the effect of the magnitude and frequency of post‐fire establishment episodes on long‐term population recovery.

Annual post‐fire recruitment of A. tridentata was driven by the episodic availability of spring soil moisture. Annual establishment was highest with wetter spring soils (relative influence [RI] = 19.4%) and later seasonal dry‐down (RI = 11.8%) in the year of establishment. Establishment density declined greatly 4 to 5 years after fire (RI = 17.1%). Post‐fire establishment patterns were poorly predicted by site‐level mean climate (marginal R2 ≤ 0.18) and dominant subspecies (marginal R2 ≤ 0.43).

Population recovery reflected the magnitude, but not the frequency, of early post‐fire establishment pulses. Post‐fire A. tridentata density and cover (measured 8–11 years after fire) were more strongly related to the magnitude of the largest establishment pulse than to establishment frequency, suggesting that population recovery may occur with a single favourable establishment year.

Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates the importance of episodic periods of favourable weather for long‐term plant population recovery following disturbance. Management strategies that increase opportunities for seed availability to coincide with favourable weather conditions, such as retaining unburned patches or repeated seeding treatments, can improve restoration outcomes in high‐priority areas.
Worlds apart: Location above‐ or below‐ground determines plant litter decomposition in a semi‐arid Patagonian steppe
Authors: Berenstecher Paula , Araujo Patricia I. , Austin Amy T.
Published: May 2021

While considerable attention has been devoted to how precipitation modulates net primary productivity in arid and semi‐arid ecosystems, the emergence of multi‐faceted controls on carbon (C) turnover suggests that there is much to be understood with respect to the mechanistic controls on plant litter decomposition.

In the Patagonian steppe, we conducted a long‐term factorial experiment, evaluating the importance of position, litter quality, tissue origin and soil resources on rates of C turnover under natural field conditions. Leaf and root litter of dominant grass species were placed in litterbags in different positions, on the soil surface and buried at 5‐cm depth, with soil treatments of labile C, nitrogen (N) and their combination (C + N) over a 3‐year period.

As predicted, leaf litter decomposed significantly (nearly sixfold) faster above‐ground than did root litter below‐ground (p < 0.001). Surprisingly, root litter decomposed significantly faster than leaf litter above‐ground (p < 0.001), and above‐ground decomposition was not strongly affected by soil resource additions. Below‐ground decomposition was largely determined by the interaction of litter quality and soil resource availability. Determining a C balance by integrating biomass allocation and primary productivity from this field site, combined with the data from this study, suggests large differences between the contribution of the above‐ and below‐ground biomass to soil organic matter (SOM) pools and a long residence time of undecomposed root litter.

Synthesis. Litter position clearly emerged as the predominant variable determining C turnover in this semi‐arid steppe ecosystem, with litter quality and soil resources having significant, but more modest, effects. The near complete independence of above‐ground litter decomposition from soil resources and rapid decomposition of surface litter, coupled with the counterintuitive relationships with litter quality, suggests that, in the long term, C loss from photodegradation may result in a minimal contribution of above‐ground litter to SOM formation. These results have mechanistic implications for the distinct functionality of litter decomposition above‐ and below‐ground in semi‐arid ecosystems, and how these differential controls may alter the C balance due to future changes in climate and land use.
Primary succession in an Atlantic salt marsh: From intertidal flats to mid‐marsh platform in 35 years
Authors: Castillo Jesús M. , Gallego‐Tévar Blanca , Castellanos Eloy M. , Figueroa Manuel Enrique , Davy Anthony J.
Published: May 2021

Although salt marsh is a classic example of primary succession, the underlying mechanisms and their time‐scales are poorly understood. As salt marsh succession depends on sediment accretion, the amelioration of abiotic conditions associated with increasing elevation suggests potential explanatory roles for facilitation, competition and the stress‐gradient hypothesis.

We present a 35‐year longitudinal study of salt marsh development from intertidal flat to a mid‐marsh platform at Odiel Marshes in south‐western Iberia. Using permanent plots, this work chronicles changes in elevation and marsh morphology, their evolving effects on sediment redox potential and salinity and the colonisation and changing patterns of dominance of halophytic species.

Sporadically colonising clumps of the low‐marsh species Spartina maritima trapped sediment to form raised tussocks, which increased in elevation and area. Reduced tidal inundation and locally improved drainage promoted higher redox potentials and allowed colonisation by a sequence of species less tolerant of reducing conditions: Sarcocornia perennis, its hybrid with high‐marsh S. fruticosa, and Atriplex portulacoides. Unlike its centrifugally colonising predecessors, A. portulacoides invaded from the tussock edges. Transplant experiments designed to investigate its late establishment on tussocks showed that seedling survival depended on elevational differences as small as 4 cm.

After increasing in elevation by c. 1 m (c. 29 mm/year), coalescence of the tussocks formed a marsh platform at a level corresponding to mean high tides. This supports a theoretical punctuated transition from ‘submergence marsh’ to ‘emergence marsh’, previously postulated for this tidal elevation.

Synthesis. The unexpected rapidity of this primary succession highlights the central role of facilitation. Vertical sediment accretion, locally engineered by colonising species, progressively alleviates abiotic stress and allows colonisation by species that are less tolerant of chemically reducing conditions but are ultimately better competitors.
Are Academics Willing to Forgo Citations to Publish in High‐Status Journals? Examining Preferences for 4* and 4‐Rated Journal Publication Among UK Business and Management Academics
Authors: Salandra Rossella , Salter Ammon , Walker James T.
Published: May 2021

Academics often judge themselves and are judged by others according to the status of the journals in which they publish. Little is known about whether individual scholars would choose to publish a paper in a high‐status journal if it would garner similar or lower levels of scholarly impact than a paper published in a lower‐status journal. Drawing upon status theory, we explore whether and how much business school academics are willing to ‘pay’, as captured by a hypothetical level of ‘forfeited’ citations, to publish in high‐status 4* journals rather than leading specialized 4‐rated journals. Using choice‐set design and survey data from UK business and management scholars, we suggest and empirically demonstrate that the willingness to forgo citations to publish in 4* journals is strongest among academics who have already published in 4* and/or 4‐rated journals. Contrary to our expectations, we find that an individual's existing scholarly impact, as captured by prior citations, has no effect on this preference. We also show that academics working in high‐ranked institutions would give up more citations for 4* journal publication than those working at lower‐ranked institutions. We explore the implications of these findings for theories of academic status, journal rankings and research assessment systems.
The social meanings of PrEP use – A mixed‐method study of PrEP use disclosure in Antwerp and Amsterdam
Authors: Reyniers Thijs , Zimmermann Hanne M. L. , Davidovich Udi , Vuylsteke Bea , Laga Marie , Hoornenborg Elske , Prins Maria , De Vries Henry J. C. , Nöstlinger Christiana
Published: May 2021

Pre‐Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a novel HIV prevention tool. PrEP stigma is a frequently reported barrier, while social disclosure of PrEP use may be an important facilitator. We explored how PrEP users managed PrEP use disclosure using a symbolic interactionist approach. We interviewed 32 participants from two PrEP demonstration projects (Be‐PrEP‐ared, Antwerp; AMPrEP, Amsterdam). We validated qualitative findings through Be‐PrEP‐ared questionnaire data. A minority of participants had received negative reactions on PrEP. The way PrEP use was disclosed was highly dependent on the social situation. In a sexual context among MSM, PrEP use was associated with condomless sex. Friends endorsed PrEP use as a healthy choice, but also related it to carelessness and promiscuity. It was seldom disclosed to colleagues and family, which is mostly related to social norms dictating when it is acceptable to talk about sex. The study findings reveal that PrEP stigma experiences were not frequent in this population, and that PrEP users actively manage disclosure of their PrEP user status. Frequent disclosure and increased use may have helped PrEP becoming normalised in these MSM communities. To increase uptake, peer communication, community activism and framing PrEP as health promotion rather than a risk‐reduction intervention may be crucial.
From knowledge to a gendered event and trustful ties: HPV vaccine framings of eligible Finnish girls and school nurses
Authors: Virtanen Mikko J. , Salmivaara Saara
Published: May 2021

In the present study, we examine socio‐cultural and practical aspects of human papillomavirus vaccination (HPVV) through a multi‐sited study of framings. We ask how HPVV is framed in the daily lives of vaccination‐aged Finnish girls and in school nurses’ everyday work. We then mirror these framings against both each other and Finland's official vaccination campaign. Based on analysis of interviews with 24 nurses and 12 girls and the campaign materials, we argue first that the campaign frames vaccination as an individual, knowledge‐based decision reflecting the informed consent principle. Second, however, the vaccination is framed in the everyday lives of eligible girls through gendered social ties and as a gendered and cohort‐specific event pivoting around the needle prick. Third, HPVV is not primarily framed in the school nurses’ work as preparing the girls for the vaccination decision by sharing official information but through trust‐based social relationships with the girls and their parents. We conclude that, as the vaccination is not an issue of individually reflected and knowledge‐based decision‐making for the two interviewed key groups, the official Finnish HPVV campaign and the undergirding informed consent principle drift into problems in their practical implementation.