bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
How can consumer involvement be changed through communication campaigns? An information content choice model applied to the olive oil case
Authors: Garrido-Castro Elisa , Murgado-Armenteros Eva María , Torres-Ruiz Francisco José
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Involvement has been one of the most studied variables in the field of marketing due to its determinant role in consumer behaviour, but always as a contextual or mediating variable. Taking its relationship with knowledge as the starting point, in this work, the purpose of this paper is to examine how to use the choice of information content in communication campaigns to drive up the level of involvement. A new method based on Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) models is applied to the case of olive oil.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research has been used for the proposed objectives of this work. Specifically, a computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) has been conducted in several Spanish provinces using a structured questionnaire. Data obtained from 829 consumers are used.

Findings

The results support that consumer involvement with the product is related to objective knowledge about the product and its demand. Moreover, involvement can be modified through objective knowledge or information. Specifically, consumer involvement can be increased by the choice and communication of an optimal combination of five specific pieces of information (SPIs)

Originality/value

In this paper, involvement is considered as a result variable, i.e. a variable that can be modified or increased. This greater involvement can be achieved by improving the level of objective knowledge about a product. In addition, a new model is used and its viability is demonstrated and its ease of application to agri-food context.
Strategic innovation and entrepreneurial ownership: an analysis using GEM data and fuzzy simulation
Authors: Dinesh Kamala Kannan , Sushil
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to study entrepreneurial ownership and technological input on product innovation globally and in the Indian context. The data used in this study is collected from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM).

Design/methodology/approach

The study evaluates strategic innovation and entrepreneurial ownership in global and country-level data. The study was extracted from global and country-level data by the GEM. One of the methods used is ordinal regression analysis to examine the importance of entrepreneurial ownership and technology usage on product innovation. Another technique used is the fuzzy-based simulation to simulate the scenario of entrepreneurial ownership and usage of technology in business processes impacting product innovation.

Findings

Results from statistical analysis indicate that entrepreneurial ownership is high in India compared to the globe. The usage of technology and its excellence is still lower than the global level and in other countries. In India, product innovation is achieved because of strong entrepreneurial ownership but, globally product innovation is achieved because of the higher level of technological excellence and technology usage in innovation activities. The fuzzy-based simulation shows that product innovation is at peak only when both technological input and entrepreneurial ownership are high.

Originality/value

This paper's original contribution is that the fuzzy-based simulations are applied to GEM data to study the relationships of entrepreneurial ownership and technological input on product innovation through simulation. The study has shed light on how entrepreneurial ownership and usage of technology are influential in product innovation.
Does the board diversity impact bank performance in the MENA countries? A multilevel study
Authors: Issa Ayman , Yousef Hesham , Bakry Ahmed , Hanaysha Jalal Rajeh , Sahyouni Ahmad
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of board diversity (e.g. nationality, gender and educational level) on financial performance for a sample of banks listed in 11 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses the system generalized method of moments estimation approach on the data of banks listed in the MENA countries over the period 2011–2018 to investigate the relationship between board diversity and financial performance. Also, the findings are supported by additional robustness tests, including ordinary least squares, fixed and random effect techniques.

Findings

The empirical results show that there is a significant relationship between board diversity and financial performance in banks. Specifically, the findings demonstrate that board diversity related to nationality has a significant positive impact on bank performance. The findings also show an insignificant association between gender and educational level diversity and bank performance. The robustness analysis supports the findings of the baseline model.

Practical implications

The study provides multi-country evidence on the importance of board diversity in the MENA region and it sheds light on possible tracks for future reforms aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the board’s functions.

Originality/value

This paper extends the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the association between board diversity and financial performance of banks in the MENA countries. This paper also provides preliminary evidence on the importance of board diversity to influence financial performance.
The effect of ESG on value creation from mergers and acquisitions. What changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Authors: Tampakoudis Ioannis , Noulas Athanasios , Kiosses Nikolaos , Drogalas George
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and shareholder wealth in the context of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) before and during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper uses a sample of 889 completed M&As announced by US firms between 1 January 2018 and 31 July 2020. Announcement abnormal returns are estimated using an event study methodology and the relation of ESG performance to shareholder value creation is tested with univariate and multivariate cross-sectional regressions.

Findings

This study provides evidence for a significant negative value effect of ESG performance for the shareholders of acquiring firms during the entire sample period. The negative effect appears to be stronger, as the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. This suggests that, during the pandemic-driven economic turmoil, the costs of sustainability activities outweigh any possible gains, providing evidence in support of the overinvestment hypothesis.

Research limitations/implications

The results of the study have important implications for firms, investors and policymakers. Firms should be more cautious with regard to extensive investments in ESG activities, particularly during economic turmoil. For shareholders, the results suggest that ESG engagement is not a resilience factor in an exogenous shock such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of policymaking, the sustainability disclosure framework should remain voluntary allowing firms to report material ESG-related issues. The main limitation of the study is related to data availability regarding ESG performance.

Originality/value

To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the effect of ESG performance on shareholder value in the market for corporate control before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reflecting on knowledge management as an enabler of innovation in project-based construction firms
Authors: Sergeeva Natalya , Duryan Meri
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the ways innovation becomes enabled through knowledge management and sharing which has important implications for establishing and sustaining the culture of innovative thinking in project-based construction firms. This study adopts a reflective practitioner perspective to explore this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the construction sector professionals whose roles are most relevant in the connection between innovation and knowledge management. Thematic analysis and cognitive mapping techniques were used to analyse the interview data.

Findings

The research findings indicate that due to the complexity of project-based construction firms, a more holistic approach to knowledge management and organisational learning at the firm level is required. This would enable a culture of continuous and coordinated knowledge flow that facilitates innovation and continuous improvement in project-based firms.

Practical implications

This paper has important implications for practising managers in project-based construction firms. By better understanding the ways organisational knowledge can be managed to become an enabler of innovation would allow to build and enhance firms’ innovative capabilities, individual and team competencies. There is a real need for innovation knowledge managers as formal job positions in the construction sector.

Originality/value

This study contributes to construction innovation and project management research and practice by providing insights into establishing and sustaining the culture of learning and innovative thinking.
Dynamic interaction of urban development and rural–urban migration: an application of integrated urban metabolism analysis tool (IUMAT) for sustainable city planning
Authors: Roy Neha Chhabra , Thangaraj Viswanathan
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to gauge the effect of rural–urban migration and its challenges on the urban development of Bengaluru. This study examines the driving forces behind urbanization and its impact on social, economic and environment areas. The research helps to establish the sustainable city planning, after evaluation of specific challenges of zones, and this mitigation will optimize government investment and reduce cost.

Design/methodology/approach

Bengaluru is used as a study area to examine the interaction of migration and urban development. The study covers the period between 2011 and 2019. Panel data analysis is applied to measure the effect of urban development indicators on urban migration. The authors applied the integrated urban metabolism analysis tool to quantify the urban development indicators and identified the most critical areas for migrants. Later, authors proposed mitigation measures based on alternate scenario approach.

Findings

The authors found that there is a mixed effect of urban migration on urban development across various zones in Bengaluru. Besides, the authors suggest how planned collaboration should play a significant role in urban planning and optimize city planning judiciously. Effective mitigation measures should be developed based on zone-specific core issues, and practical trainings, research, public awareness campaigns and skill up-gradation of migrants would enhance the socio-economic and environmental conditions.

Research limitations/implications

The study will support the ongoing and upcoming initiatives launched by the Government of India i.e. Awas Yojna, Atmanirbhar Bharat and Swach Bharat.

Practical implications

The structured city planning suggested in the study will help to save wastage of resources and cost and time of developers and policymakers. This will also help to upgrade the status of migrants and enhance the ambience of city around social, economic and environment fronts.

Originality/value

The first of its kind of innovative model mapped in the study area establishes a link between strategic city planning under rural–urban migration and urban development.
M2R-Net: deep network for arbitrary oriented vehicle detection in MiniSAR images
Authors: Han Zishuo , Wang Chunping , Fu Qiang
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use the most popular deep learning algorithm to complete the vehicle detection in the urban area of MiniSAR image, and provide reliable means for ground monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach

An accurate detector called the rotation region-based convolution neural networks (CNN) with multilayer fusion and multidimensional attention (M2R-Net) is proposed in this paper. Specifically, M2R-Net adopts the multilayer feature fusion strategy to extract feature maps with more extensive information. Next, the authors implement the multidimensional attention network to highlight target areas. Furthermore, a novel balanced sampling strategy for hard and easy positive-negative samples and a global balanced loss function are applied to deal with spatial imbalance and objective imbalance. Finally, rotation anchors are used to predict and calibrate the minimum circumscribed rectangle of vehicles.

Findings

By analyzing many groups of experiments, the validity and universality of the proposed model are verified. More importantly, comparisons with SSD, LRTDet, RFCN, DFPN, CMF-RCNN, R3Det, SCRDet demonstrate that M2R-Net has state-of-the-art detection performance.

Research limitations/implications

The progress in the field of MiniSAR application has been slow due to strong speckle noise, phase error, complex environments and a low signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, four kinds of imbalances, i.e. spatial imbalance, scale imbalance, class imbalance and objective imbalance, in object detection based on the CNN greatly inhibit the optimization of detection performance.

Originality/value

This research can not only enrich the means of daily traffic monitoring but also be used for enemy intelligence reconnaissance in wartime.
Exploring the relationship between failure factors and stakeholder coordination performance in high-rise building projects: empirical study in the finishing phase
Authors: Do Sy Tien , Nguyen Viet Thanh , Dang Chau Ngoc
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to discover the impact of failure factors on stakeholder coordination performance (SCP) in the finishing phase of high-rise building projects.

Design/methodology/approach

Firstly, this study identifies potential failure factors affecting coordination performance as well as criteria for measuring SCP in the finishing phase of high-rise building projects. Afterwards, a survey questionnaire is designed to collect data from high-rise building projects in Vietnam. Using the factor analysis method, the study discovers the failure constructs. A structural equation model is then built to uncover the relationships between failure constructs and SCP.

Findings

The study identified four failure constructs which could significantly affect SCP, namely traditional adversarial relationship (TAR), incompetent parties (IP), poor project planning and organization (PPO) and delays of parties toward construction works (DP). The developed model indicated that TAR, PPO and IP significantly affected stakeholders' coordination performance in the finishing phase of high-rise building projects.

Originality/value

The results of the study fill the gap in knowledge by discovering the causal relationships between failure constructs and SCP in high-rise building projects. The results might provide an initial guideline for stakeholders during the finishing phase of high-rise building projects to enhance their coordination performance.
Multi-phase lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulation for convective transport of nanofluids in porous structures with phase interactions
Authors: Xing Z.B. , Han Xingchao , Ke Hanbing , Zhang Q.G. , Zhang Zhiping , Xu Huijin , Wang Fuqiang
Published: March 2021

Purpose

A combination of highly conductive porous media and nanofluids is an efficient way for improving thermal performance of relevant applications. For precisely predicting the flow and thermal transport of nanofluids in porous media, the purpose of this paper is to explore the inter-phase coupling numerical methods.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the lattice Boltzmann (LB) method, this study combines the convective flow, non-equilibrium thermal transport and phase interactions of nanofluids in porous matrix and proposes a new multi-phase LB model. The micro-scale momentum and heat interactions are especially analyzed for nanoparticles, base fluid and solid matrix. A set of three-phase LB equations for the flow/thermal coupling of base fluid, nanoparticles and solid matrix is established.

Findings

Distributions of nanoparticles, velocities for nanoparticles and the base fluid, temperatures for three phases and interaction forces are analyzed in detail. Influences of parameters on the nanofluid convection in the porous matrix are examined. Thermal resistance of nanofluid convective transport in porous structures are comprehensively discussed with the models of multi-phases. Results show that the Rayleigh number and the Darcy number have significant influences on the convective characteristics. The result with the three-phase model is mildly larger than that with the local thermal non-equilibrium model.

Originality/value

This paper first creates the multi-phase theoretical model for the complex coupling process of nanofluids in porous structures, which is useful for researchers and technicians in fields of thermal science and computational fluid dynamics.
Reaction of users as potential victims of information security breach
Authors: Janjarasjit Suparak , Chan Siew H.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine whether users’ perceived moral affect explains the effect of perceived intensity of emotional distress on responsibility judgment of a perpetrator and company, respectively, in an ill and good intention breach.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants completed a questionnaire containing items measuring their perceived intensity of emotional distress, perceived moral affect and responsibility judgment of a perpetrator and company, respectively.

Findings

The results support the mediating hypothesis on responsibility judgment of a perpetrator regardless of intention. The mediating hypothesis is also supported in an ill intention breach in responsibility judgment of a company. However, the mediating effect is not observed in a good intention breach when users assess a company’s responsibility.

Originality/value

The findings support the notion that users use the consequentialism approach when assessing a perpetrator’s responsibility because they focus on the victims’ emotional distress and discount a perpetrator’s intent, resulting in similar mediating effect of perceived moral affect in an ill and good intention breach. The results also indicate that perceived moral affect increases the negative effect of perceived intensity of emotional distress on responsibility judgment of a company, suggesting that users may exhibit empathetic feelings toward a company and perceive it as a victim of an ill intention breach. The lack of mediating effect in responsibility judgment of a company in a good intention breach may be attributed to the diminished effect of a perpetrator’s feelings of regret, sorrow, guilt and shame for causing emotional distress to the victims.
Toward travel pattern aware tourism region planning: a big data approach
Authors: Han Qiwei , Abreu Novais Margarida , Zejnilovic Leid
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose and demonstrate how Tourism2vec, an adaptation of a natural language processing technique Word2vec, can serve as a tool to investigate tourism spatio-temporal behavior and quantifying tourism dynamics.

Design/methodology/approach

Tourism2vec, the proposed destination-tourist embedding model that learns from tourist spatio-temporal behavior is introduced, assessed and applied. Mobile positioning data from international tourists visiting Tuscany are used to construct travel itineraries, which are subsequently analyzed by applying the proposed algorithm. Locations and tourist types are then clustered according to travel patterns.

Findings

Municipalities that are similar in terms of their scores of their neural embeddings tend to have a greater number of attractions than those geographically close. Moreover, clusters of municipalities obtained from the K-means algorithm do not entirely align with the provincial administrative segmentation.
An intelligent framework for analyzing supply chain resilience of firms in China: a hybrid multicriteria approach
Authors: Zhang Zuopeng (Justin) , Srivastava Praveen Ranjan , Eachempati Prajwal , Yu Yubing
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The paper aims to identify the most supply chain resilient company suitable for the customized preferences of partner firms in the context of the Chinese supply chain framework during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

A hybrid multicriteria model, i.e. Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), was used to assign weights to each criterion, which was subsequently analyzed by three approaches, namely Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Fuzzy DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory), and Evaluation Based on Distance from Average Solution (EDA), to rank the top ten companies in descending order of supply chain resilience. Further, sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the consistency in ranking with variation in weights. The rankings are validated by a novel Ensemble Ranking algorithm and by supply chain domain experts.

Findings

The rankings suggest the company “China Energy Construction Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd” is the most feasible and resilient company, presenting interesting findings to partner firms, and Bosch is the least reliable supply chain company of the ten firms considered, thus presenting interesting findings to partner companies.

Practical implications

“Crisis Management Beforehand” is most critical in the current pandemic scenario. This implies that companies need to first prioritize taking proactive steps in crisis management followed by the need to minimize the “Expected impact of pandemic.” Performance factors also need to be regulated (sales, supply chain rank and financial performance) to maintain the company's overall reputation. Considering the consistent performance of the China Energy Construction Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd., it is recommended as the most reliable supply chain firm to forge strategic partnerships with other supply chain stakeholders like suppliers and customers. On the other hand, Bosch is not recommended as a supply chain reliable company and needs to improve its crisis management capabilities to minimize the pandemic impact.

Originality/value

The paper aims to identify the most supply chain resilient company suitable for the customized preferences of partner firms in the context of the Chinese supply chain framework during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rankings suggest the company “China Energy Construction Group Tianjin Electric Power Construction Co., Ltd” is the most feasible and resilient company, presenting interesting findings to partner firms, and Bosch is the least reliable supply chain company of the ten firms considered, thus presenting interesting findings to partner companies.
Investigation and modeling of lean six sigma barriers in small and medium-sized industries using hybrid ISM-SEM approach
Authors: Singh Mahipal , Rathi Rajeev
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Lean six sigma (LSS) has attained a prominent position in mature organizations but small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling in the proper implementation of LSS in their core business. This study aims to make a comprehensive analysis of LSS implementation barriers in SMEs so that LSS execution can be much fluent in SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach

This research work is carried out based on investigation of LSS barriers through extensive literature review. For validating the identified barriers, a questionnaire survey was conducted, and out of 400 samples, 260 responses received back. The collected responses are analyzed statistically and found 16 significant barriers. The finalized barriers are modeled using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and clustered them through matrice d’impacts croisés-multiplication appliquée a un classement (MICMAC) analysis. Furthermore, to check the consistency of results, ISM-MICMAC outcomes are validated through structural equation modeling (SEM).

Findings

The result reveals that 16 LSS implementation barriers are finalized through expert’s opinion and validated through statistical reliability test with Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.820. The ISM model reveals that the management relevant barriers are exhibiting the leading role to influence the implementation of LSS in SMEs. Moreover, the obtained results validated through SEM are found in good agreement.

Research limitations/implications

During pairwise comparisons, there may be some prejudice and subjectivity as human judgments are engaged.

Practical implications

This study provides impetus to practitioners and consultant for the initiation of LSS in the business organization through tackling the LSS barriers as per their driving and dependence power.

Originality/value

In the past, limited studies had explored the LSS barriers, but a few studies analyzed the mutual relationship between barriers. No such study is reported in literature that validates the mutual interaction model of LSS barriers. Hence, this paper presents the original research work of identification and modeling of barriers associated with LSS implementation in SMEs through hybrid ISM-SEM approach.
The effect of preload force on damping in tendon-driven manipulator
Authors: Zhang Yudong , He Leiying , Wu Chuanyu
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the preload range of tendon-driven manipulator and the relationship between preload and damping. The flexible joint manipulator (FJM) with joint flexibility is safer than traditional rigid manipulators. A FJM having an elastic tendon is called an elastic tendon-driven manipulator (ETDM) and has the advantages of being driven by a cable and having a more flexible joint. However, the elastic tendon introduces greater residual vibration, which makes the control of the manipulator more difficult. Accurate dynamic modeling is effective in solving this problem.

Design/methodology/approach

The present paper derives the relationship between the preload of the ETDM and the friction moment through the analysis of the forces of cables and pulleys. A dynamic model dominated by Coulomb damping is established.

Findings

The linear relationship between a decrease in the damping moment of the system and an increase in the ETDM preload is verified by mechanics analysis and experiment, and a curve of the relationship is obtained. This study provides a reference for the selection of ETDM preload.

Originality/value

The method to identify ETDM damping by vibration attenuation experiments is proposed, which is helpful to obtain a more accurate dynamic model of the system and to achieve accurate control and residual vibration suppression of ETDM.
Ethical listening to employees during a pandemic: new approaches, barriers and lessons
Authors: Neill Marlene S. , Bowen Shannon A.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify new challenges to organizational listening posed by a global pandemic and how organizations are overcoming those barriers.

Design/methodology/approach

The researchers conducted 30 in-depth interviews with US communication management professionals.

Findings

Communication management professionals value listening, but do not always make it the priority that it merits. They listed lack of desire of senior management, time, and trust of employees as barriers to effective organizational listening. The global COVID pandemic has made it more challenging to connect to employees working remotely and to observe nonverbal cues that are essential in communication. Organizations are adapting by using more frequent pulse surveys, video conferencing technology and mobile applications. Most importantly, this pandemic has enhanced moral sensitivity and empathy leading organizations to make decisions based on ethical considerations.

Research limitations/implications

The researchers examined organizational listening applying employee-organization relationships (EOR) theory and found that trust is essential. Trust can be enhanced through building relationships with employees, ethical listening and closing the feedback loop by communicating how employers are using the feedback received by employees to make a positive change.

Practical implications

Communication managers need to place a higher priority on listening to employees. Their listening efforts need to be authentic, morally autonomous or open-minded, and empathetic to respect the genuine concerns of employees and how organizational decisions will affect them. Listening is essential to serving as an ethical and effective strategic counselor.

Originality/value

The study examines organizational listening in the context of a global pandemic.
The determinants of self-employment entry of Palestinian youth
Authors: Morrar Rabeh , Amara Mohamed , Syed Zwick Hélène
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to study the impact of micro-level socio-economic, demographic and geographical factors on the likelihood of self-employment entry of young adults in Palestine and filling a gap in the analysis of determinants of self-employment for young adults in Palestine.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design is based on a multinomial logistic (MNL) model and on the testing of seven hypotheses deriving from the review of the theoretical and empirical literature, using a micro-level longitudinal data set from the Palestinian Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) between 2009 and 2016. In the analysis, the dependent variable (employment status) is a discrete variable that takes four unordered and independent outcomes: wage employee, self-employed, employer and unpaid family member.

Findings

This study has strong evidence that the likelihood of self-employment increases with age. However, results are inconsistent with the well-known curvilinear relationship between age and self-employment. Regarding the role of gender, results show that young men are more likely to become self-employed than young women. Results indicate that there is a significant and negative impact of an increasing level of education on self-employment entry for both youth and the whole population. On the opposite, training after graduation increases the likelihood of self-employment entry for youth with high education level. Besides, this paper finds that young workers living in urban areas have more likelihood to enter self-employment than those in rural areas and young workers in Gaza have more likelihood to enter self-employment than their counterparts in West Bank.

Practical implications

First, in both West Bank and Gaza, young women are less inclined to actively engage in self-employment, which confirms structural inequalities between men and women. Therefore, this study calls for social protection programmes and for national programmes that would promote and develop women’s self-employment. Second, because this paper finds that youth self-employment is more an opportunity-driven phenomenon than a necessity-driven one, this study calls for programmes that provide youth with small business grants and training on entrepreneurship and business models.

Originality/value

Insights are valuable as both government institutions and universities and entrepreneurial startups can benefit from knowing which factors contribute to the self-employment likelihood of youth in Palestine and use the policy recommendations to develop capacity-building programmes to provide the youth and women with skills and competencies which enable them to turn to self-employment.
Price discovery and pairs trading potentials: the case of metals markets
Authors: Thazhugal Govindan Nair Saji
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to validate the “expectancy theory” of asset pricing and explores the price discovery process in metals futures markets.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper adopts the Johansen cointegration and vector error correction model approach to investigate the potentials of Pairs trading in the metals market during the period 2008–2019.

Findings

The results find the price movements in metal markets are not random walk and the current “futures” prices are the reasonable estimate of the “spot” metal prices in future. This study does not notice any significant differences in the price efficiency across metals markets, which signal the effects of limited idiosyncratic forces in price transmission.

Practical implications

The research suggests the covert use of metal futures to make gains from arbitrage trading.

Originality/value

The study emphasizes the potential of “pair trading” in commodity market context that is seldom discussed in academic papers.
Evaluating negative attitudes of the students and shoppers towards halal cosmetics products
Authors: Islam Mohammad Mominul
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to reveal how consumers and shoppers are negative toward alcohol, animal fat, producers and certification issues concerned with halal cosmetics products.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 527 students of 4 public universities and a medical college across Bangladesh took part in a survey and 150 shoppers from 2 cities participated in the face to face interview with the structured questionnaires. Frequency distribution was used for categorical and numerical data, and the chi-square test with a binary logistic regression model has tested the association between gender and attitudes toward halal cosmetics. Besides, narratives of Sharīʿah regarding alcohol, meat, fat and halal certification have helped understand the halal issue.

Findings

In total, 83% of the respondents perceived negative attitudes against haram animal fat followed by alcohol (74%) and animal fat (64%). The chi-square test shows that consumers held a significant association toward haram animal fat, (p-value 0.000) alcohol, (p-value 0.000) non-Muslim producers (p-value 0.000) and non-Muslim countries (p-value 0.026). Imperatively, the binary logistic regression model has found a significant negative association to haram animal fat (ß2 −0.295) and alcohol (ß1 −0.200).

Practical implications

Marketers ought to avoid haram animal fat in halal cosmetics besides focusing on alcohol freeness. Also, non-Muslim marketers need to be extra cautious in showcasing their identities. However, Islamic marketers will enjoy a competitive advantage in the halal market because of their demographic factors.

Social implications

Islamic principles on alcohol, meat, fat and certification potentially can help other stakeholders sense the halal norms.

Originality/value

This study has blended the elements of Sharīʿah with empirical evidence to shed light on the fundamental and trust factors for the marketing of halal cosmetics products.
Demystifying teaching, learning and research through institutional repositories in higher learning institutions in Kenya
Authors: Sang Lucy Jelagat , Odini Cephas , Wamukoya Justus
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of ways in which teaching, learning and research can be demystified in higher institutions of learning (HILs). Over the last decade, HILs around the world have faced various transformations to adapt to new opportunities for knowledge dissemination and utilization. Many benefits are gained from implementation of the platform including visibility, status and increased reputation. Despite the high uptake of institutional repositories (IRs) to guide teaching, learning and research of higher institutions learning's digital resources more effectively, little has been written on how IRs can be used for effective teaching, learning and research in higher institutions of learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Using analytical method, this paper analysed and presented various thematical issues on IRs in relation to its efficacy, while proposing solutions for its sustainability.

Findings

The paper found that most universities have embraced IRs as an option for increasing their visibility, status and researchers' relevance in the knowledge world. It is the conclusion of the study that IRs are currently recognized as an essential infrastructure to respond to the higher institutions of learning challenges in the digital world.

Practical implications

This paper provides higher institutions of learning an opportunity to prepare their IRs to demystify teaching, learning and research. Since IRs will make it possible to access variety of information at any time whenever required.

Social implications

Knowledge accessibility and utilization bring about social change in the society.

Originality/value

Little has been documented on how IRs can be used for effective teaching, teaching, learning and research in HILs. This paper provides an analysis of ways in which teaching, learning and research can be demystified in these institutions. Thus, it contributes new knowledge on demystifying teaching, learning and research through IRs in HILs.
Effects of emerging leadership styles on engagement – a mediation analysis in a military context
Authors: Ruiz Moreno Antonia , Roldán Bravo María Isabel , García-Guiu Carlos , Lozano Luis M. , Extremera Pacheco Natalio , Navarro-Carrillo Ginés , Valor-Segura Inmaculada
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This paper aims to report the findings of a study examining the relationship between different leadership styles and engagement through the mediating role of proactive personality.

Design/methodology/approach

Servant leadership, paradoxical leadership, authentic leadership, employee engagement and proactive personality were assessed in an empirical study based on a sample of 348 military personnel in Spain. The questionnaire data were analyzed through SEM using EQS and bootstrapping analysis using the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Findings

The results reveal that servant leadership style in officers partially impacts their cadets' engagement through proactive personality but that authentic and paradoxical leadership styles do not mediate the relationship. The authors also verify a direct relationship between proactive personality and engagement.

Practical implications

The study implications advance the literature on leadership in emphasizing new leadership styles to increase proactive personality and engagement in the military context. This study verifies the importance of military leaders fostering servant leadership as an antecedent of proactive personality. Finally, the authors show that servant leadership partially impacts engagement through proactive personality.

Originality/value

This study explores the relationship among servant, paradoxical and authentic leadership styles, proactive personality, and engagement – relationships that have not been explored theoretically and tested empirically in the military context.
The effects of pricing strategy on upgrade intentions
Authors: Liu Hsin-Hsien , Chou Hsuan-Yi
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Taking a mental accounting theory perspective, this study explores how pricing strategy (all-inclusive vs partitioned) influences consumers' perceived residual value of a product and their subsequent intentions to upgrade to a newer model.

Design/methodology/approach

A pilot study and two formal experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses.

Findings

A partitioned (vs all-inclusive) price causes consumers to later recall a lower total cost and perceive lower residual value for the existing product, thereby increasing upgrade intentions. This finding holds for both utilitarian and hedonic products. Perceived residual value mediates the impact of the pricing strategy on upgrade intentions. The pricing strategy effect is stronger for state-oriented individuals than for action-oriented individuals.

Originality/value

This study extends understanding of the impact of pricing strategies from consumers' short-term immediate demand to long-term upgrade intentions. It also identifies a previously uninvestigated moderator (action-state orientation), clarifying the boundary conditions of pricing strategy effects. The study's conceptual framework links pricing strategy, sunk costs, perceived residual value and upgrade intentions, providing rich insights and potential research paths. These findings further enhance understanding of upgrade intentions.
The nature of rapid response to COVID-19 in Latin America: an examination of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico
Authors: Pamplona da Costa Janaina , Sica de Campos André Luiz , Cintra Paulo Roberto , Greco Liz Felix , Poker Johan Hendrik
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic mobilized the international scientific community in the search for its cure and containment. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of the rapid response to the COVID-19 of the scientific community in selected Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico) in the period running from January to August 2020. Rapid response is reconceptualized from its original meaning in health policy, as the swift mobilization of existing scientific resources to address an emergency (DeVita et al., 2017).

Design/methodology/approach

The paper explores the rapid response of the Argentinian, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian and Mexican scientific communities from the perspective of bibliometric and altmetric data. The authors will examine scientific publications indexed to the Web of Science (WoS) dealing with COVID-19. Besides patterns of scientific output and impact as measured by citations, the authors complement the analysis with altmetric analysis. The aim is to verify whether or not factors that explain the extent of scientific impact can also be identified with respect to the wider impact made evident by altmetric indicators (Haustein, 2016).

Findings

The authors identified a somewhat limited response of the Argentinian, Brazilian, Chilean, Colombian and Mexican scientific communities to COVID-19 in terms of quantity of publications. The authorship of publications in the topic of COVID-19 was associated with authorship of publications dealing with locally relevant diseases. Some factors appear to contribute to visibility of scientific outputs. Papers that involved wider international collaborations and authors with previous publications in arboviruses were associated with higher levels of citations. Previous work on arbovirus was also associated with higher altmetric attention. The country of origin of authors exerted a positive effect on altmetric indicators.

Research limitations/implications

A limitation in the analysis is that, due to the nature of the data source (WoS), the authors were unable to verify the career status and the productivity of the authors in the sample. Nonetheless, the results appear to suggest that there is some overlapping in authors conducting research in Arboviruses and COVID-19. Career status and productivity should be the focus of future research.

Practical implications

In the context of countries with limited scientific resources, like the ones investigated in our Latin American sample, previous efforts in the study of locally relevant diseases may contribute to the creation of an expertise that can be applied when a health emergency brings about a novel disease.

Originality/value

The originality of the paper rests on the fact that the authors identified that previous work on arbovirus contributed to the scientific visibility of publications on COVID-19.
Wellness tourism: customer-perceived value on customer engagement
Authors: Xie Lishan , Guan Xinhua , He Yingxin , Huan Tzung-Cheng
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the process of value co-creation within wellness tourism by constructing a structural equation model of customer interactions with the environment, service employees and other customers relating to customer-perceived value and customer engagement.

Design/methodology/approach

Questionnaires, including wellness tourists’ customer-environment interaction, customer-service employee interaction, customer-customer interaction, customer-perceived value, customer engagement and demographic background, were developed and distributed at well-known wellness tourism destinations around Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China. This study collected 528 valid questionnaires from hot spring resorts, national forest parks, mountain parks and spa wellness facilities located in Guangdong Province, China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the obtained data.

Findings

The results reveal that all three types of interactions, which include the customer-environment interaction (CEI), the customer-service employee interaction (CSI) and the customer-customer interaction (CCI), have positive effects on customer-perceived value (CPV) and that CPV positively affects customer engagement (CE). Based on these findings, recommendations for the management of wellness tourism service enterprises are given.

Originality/value

The causes and effects of CPV in wellness tourism, from the perspective of value co-creation, is a rather unexplored area of study. It contributes not only to knowledge about factors that foster CPV but also to the understanding of connections between CPV and CE.
Seasonal marine microorganisms change neighbours under contrasting environmental conditions
Authors: Lambert Stefan , Lozano Jean‐Claude , Bouget François‐Yves , Galand Pierre E.
Published: March 2021

Marine picoplankton contribute to global carbon sequestration and nutrient recycling. These processes are directly related to the composition of communities, which in turn depends on microbial interactions and environmental forcing. Under regular seasonal cycles, marine communities show strong predictable patterns of annual re‐occurrences, but little is known about the effect of environmental perturbation on their organization. The aim of our study was to investigate the co‐occurrence patterns of planktonic picoeukaryote, bacteria and archaea under contrasting environmental conditions. The study was designed to have high sampling frequency that could match both the biological rhythm of marine microbes and the short time scale of extreme weather events. Our results show that microbial networks changed from year to year depending on conditions. In addition, individual taxa became less interconnected and changed neighbours, which revealed an unfaithful relationship between marine microorganisms. This unexpected pattern suggests possible switches between organisms that have similar specific functions, or hints at the presence of organisms that share similar environmental niches without interacting. Despite the observed annual changes, the time series showed re‐occurring communities that appear to recover from perturbations. Changing co‐occurrence patterns between marine microorganisms may allow the long‐term stability of ecosystems exposed to contrasting meteorological events.