bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Low interest rate environment: inventory management in Finland and Baltic states
Authors: Hilmola Olli-Pekka , Li Weidong , Tolli Andres 
Published: April 2020

PurposeFor decades, it was emphasized that manufacturing and trading companies should aim to be lean with very small inventories. However, in the recent decade, time-significant change has taken place as nearly all of the “old west” countries have now low interest rates. Holding inventories have been beneficial for the sake of customer service and for achieving savings in transportation and fixed ordering costs.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, inventory management change is examined in publicly traded manufacturing and trade companies of Finland and three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) during the years 2010–2018.FindingsInventory efficiency has been leveled off or falling in these countries and mostly declining development has concerned small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is also found that inventory efficiency is in general lower in SMEs than in larger companies. Two companies sustaining in inventory efficiency are used as an example that lean has still significance, and higher inventories as well as lower inventory efficiency should not be the objective. Two companies show exemplary financial performance as well as shareholder value creation.Research limitations/implicationsWork concerns only four smaller countries, and this limits its generalization power. Research is one illustration what happens to private sector companies under low interest rate policies.Practical implicationsContinuous improvement of inventory efficiency becomes questionable in the light of current research and the low interest rate environment.Originality/valueThis is one of the seminal studies from inventory efficiency as the global financial crisis taken place in 2008–2009 and there is the implementation of low interest rates.
On progress and reason: stories of gods, animals and humans
Authors: Thomas Alexander 
Published: April 2020

PurposeWhile transhumanists and posthumanists understand the human condition as mutable, for transhumanists, this represents the possibility for enhancement, opening up a teleological narrative of evolution toward. For posthumanists, it represents a fracturing of the liberal human subject, undermining its hegemonic principles. The former advocates the potentiality of instrumental rationality, the latter engages with values, demanding ethical consideration of the implications of the unmooring. This paper aims to conceive of a way to underpin posthumanist thought to enable to serve a more effective critique of transhumanist aims.Design/methodology/approachThis is a theoretical paper that outlines a history of transhumanist thought and the roots of posthumanism. It provides a partially reconstructed enlightenment humanist framework to bolster the effectiveness of posthumanism as a critique of transhumanist thought.FindingsThe paper recognizes Theodor Adorno's conception that the central contradiction inherent to enlightenment thinking is the entanglement of knowledge and power. Hence, the metanarrative of progress as historical fact is fundamentally imbued with an imperial, colonizing force. For reason to achieve its promise as the organ of progress, it must become self-aware of its own limitations and its own potential destructiveness. Humility is, thus, vital in the task of preventing instrumental reason leading to inhuman ends.Originality/valueWhilst developments such as “metahumanism” attempt to bring “posthumanism” and “transhumanism” into direct conversation, it is done from the perspective of uniting their positions. Here, the author endeavors instead to consider their antithetical nature and in particular whether posthumanism can provide an effective critique of transhumanism. Drawing on Adorno and Feenberg in particular, the author attempts to justify the posthuamanist theory but also to employ a partially reconstructed enlightenment humanism to bolster its fruitfulness as a critique of transhumanism.
Developing a storytelling experience: the case of craft spirits distilleries in Chicago
Authors: Williams Alistair , Atwal Glyn , Bryson Douglas 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify how craft spirits distilleries use elements of the storytelling narrative as part of a storytelling marketing strategy.Design/methodology/approachA case study approach was undertaken based on seven craft distilleries in and around Chicago, IL. Data were collected from various sources including direct observation and secondary data based on online press coverage company websites and social media.FindingsIn the sample of firms, the authors identified the following seven categories of storytelling themes: craft, innovation, origins, myth, celebrity, provenance and collectability. These categories comprise both functional and emotional components which are strongly associated with the concept of authenticity.Originality/valueThis research is the first of its kind to investigate storytelling within the craft spirits sector. The results are relevant to develop strategies for marketing craft spirits brands. Findings are relevant for spirits distilleries in Chicago, IL but have transferable learnings for beverage categories who desire to stage meaningful, valued customer experiences.
The workplace meal: a migrant workers' perspective
Authors: Turkoglu Hande , Brown Lorraine , Hudson Philippa 
Published: April 2020

PurposeEmployees eat at least one meal per day in the workplace on a regular basis, carrying implications for their physical and emotional well-being. For migrants, this can be challenging, owing to food culture differences. This study explores migrant workers’ perceptions of the food eaten in the hospitality workplace.Design/methodology/approachEleven in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were carried out with migrant workers in three- and four-star hotels in the southwest of England.FindingsThe findings show that the food eaten in the workplace is perceived as unhealthy and fattening and therefore unappealing. This partly informs a decision to eat home country food away from work.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed across many more organisations to investigate whether this would actually have the positive impact on employee well-being (migrant or home national) and employer reputation.Practical implicationsProviding additional “off-menu” meals for migrant employees is recognised. However, staff turnover within the hotel environment may mean that dishes acceptable to one nationality may not be acceptable to another. Alternatively, it may be that attention to such details and the provision of a food offering that is seen as fit for purpose by staff may reduce turnover and demonstrate “care” on the part of the employer. An annual staff survey could be conducted to gauge employee opinion.Social implicationsThis study helps to show the significance of food for migrant well-being. It highlights that in increasingly globalised workplaces, food provision is important for both emotional and physical health. The study's findings have relevance to other multicultural workplaces where the food provided to staff may have consequences for employee well-being.Originality/valueLittle research has focused on the link between the food consumed in the hospitality workplace and migrant worker well-being. This study therefore makes an important contribution to knowledge by exploring feelings about the food eaten at work from the perspective of migrant workers themselves.
Preference for parboiled rice: empirical evidence from Sri Lanka
Authors: Pallegedara Asankha 
Published: April 2020

PurposeUnderstanding parboiled rice consumption trends by households is important because parboiled rice provides economic benefits as well as health benefits compared to non-parboiled ordinary milled rice. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the patterns and determinants of parboiled rice consumption by Sri Lankan households.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) data compiled by the Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) of Sri Lanka in 2002, 2006/2007 and 2012/2013. This paper analyses the parboiled rice consumption behaviour of households using information from 56,000 households. Specifically, present paper estimates the determinants of parboiled rice consumption within two-part model econometric framework controlling for demand side factors as well as location and time fixed-effects.FindingsDespite its nutritional and health benefits, results show that the likelihood of consuming parboiled rice has decreased over the years. There are significant ethnic and regional differences of consuming parboiled rice supporting the claim of heterogeneous distribution of rice consumption patterns even within the same country.Research limitations/implicationsUse of repeated cross-sectional data due to lack of panel data and missing data on several districts due to security concerns are limitations of the study.Originality/valueTo our knowledge, this is the first study for Sri Lanka that examines parboiled rice consumption behaviour using nationwide data for last 2 decade.
Contract farming and rice production efficiency in Ghana
Authors: Bidzakin John Kanburi , Fialor Simon C. , Awunyo-Vitor Dadson , Yahaya Iddrisu 
Published: April 2020

PurposeEven though many studies identify positive effects of contract farming (CF) on the livelihood of farmers, the use of CF as a tool to increase farm performance is unsettled debate. Information on CF is relatively not available in staple food chains. Theoretical considerations have shown that there are challenges in employing CF in staple food chains such as rice. With the increasing trend of rice CF in Ghana, it is very critical to establish its performance in rice production in Ghana. It is therefore imperative to analyse the impact of CF on the performance of smallholder rice farmers.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted where 350 rice farmers selected through a stratified sampling technique using structured questionnaires were interviewed. Descriptive and inferential statistics including stochastic frontier analyses and endogenous treatment effect regression were used to analyse the data.FindingsThe results from the endogenous treatment effect regression model show that CF improves rice farmers' technical, allocative and economic efficiencies by 21, 23 and 26%, respectively. Farm size and CF were identified as common factors influencing technical, allocative and economic efficiency measures of the farmers positively. It further identified age of farmer, educational level and household labour as factors influencing farmers' participation in CF positively.Research limitations/implicationsIt is recommended that CF is a good tool to enhance rice production efficiency, and hence, farmers should be encouraged to participate in CF as strategy to enhance the local rice production in Ghana.Social implicationsThe outcome of this study has the potential to influence rice production in the country. The country is a net importer of rice and just about 35% self-sufficient in rice production.Originality/valueThis study is the first to assess performance of CF in rice crop production in Ghana and also one of the few to use efficiency as a performance measure.
Corporate governance mechanism and the risk exposure of Islamic mutual funds: evidence from Islamic countries
Authors: Naveed Farrukh , Zain Ul Abdin Syed 
Published: April 2020

Purpose
This study aims to analyze the impact of corporate governance characteristics on the risk exposure of Islamic mutual funds prevailing in different Islamic countries (Pakistan and Malaysia).

Design/methodology/approach
This study used dynamic panel regression model for analysis and estimated the results using system generalized method of moment technique. A sample of 185 Islamic funds is used in the current research, which is selected using judgmental sampling. The data span of this study consists nine years from 2009 to 2017.

Findings
The results showed that the corporate governance characteristics such as board independence, directors and institutional ownership and overall governance quality are helpful in reducing the total and downside risk exposure of Islamic mutual funds. The findings also suggest that board size and Chief Extractive officer duality play no role in mitigating the risk of Islamic funds prevailing in both countries.

Practical implications
This study has implication for industry practitioners and fund managers. This study showed that the corporate governance characteristics are helpful in reducing the risk exposure of Islamic mutual funds. Therefore, this study provides input to the investment firms to improve the quality of corporate governance for lowering the risk exposure of mutual funds.

Originality value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first attempt to analyze the impact of corporate governance characteristics on the risk exposure of Islamic mutual funds and hence provides significant contribution in the literature of mutual funds.
A prediction model for the secure issuance scale of Chinese local government bonds
Authors: Jia Bowen , Wu Jiaying , Du Juan , Ji Yun , Zhu Lina 
Published: April 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to calculate the local guaranteed fiscal revenue with the local fiscal revenue of 31 provinces, and predict their guaranteed fiscal revenue in 2018 with the artificial neural network (ANN).

Design/methodology/approach
The principal components analysis (PCA), particle swarm optimization (PSO) and extreme learning machine (ELM) model was designed to produce the inputs of KMV model. Then the KMV model was used for obtaining the default probabilities under different issuance scales. Data were collected from Wind Database. MATLAB 2018b and SPSS 22 were used in the field of modeling and results analysis.

Findings
This study’s findings show that PCA–PSO–ELM proposed in this research has the highest accuracy in terms of the prediction compared with ELM, back propagation neural network and auto regression. And PCA–PSO–ELM–KMV model can calculate the secure issuance scale of local government bonds effectively.

Practical implications
The sustainability forecast in this study can help local governments effectively control the scale of debt issuance, strengthen the budget management of local debt and establish the corresponding risk warning mechanism, which could make local governments maintain good credit ratings.

Originality/value
This study sheds new light on helping local governments avoid financial risks effectively, and it is conducive to establish a debt repayment reserve system for local governments and the proper arrangement for stock debt.
Convergent social responsibility as the key to corporate strategic success
Authors: Raikov Alexander Nikolaevich 
Published: April 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR), including business acting in an ethical and transparent way, through the prism of strategic conversation with applying the author’s convergent methodology that ensures the integrity, purposefulness and sustainability of development of corporations in the external environment.

Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on the integration of following approaches and methods: international CSR standards, strategic planning, networked virtual collaboration, group cognitive (conceptual) modelling, inverse problem-solving in topological spaces, categories theory, control thermodynamics, big data analysis for cognitive models verification and quantum semantic approach.

Findings
The convergent methodology helps to visualize the strategic situation in a corporation and gives more chances to get a clear feeling for every employee that his or her social responsibility helps to achieve not only his or her own goals but the goals of the company. This approach helps to accelerate the raising of the level of CSR.

Research limitations/implications
The strategic situation for raising the level of CSR has to be represented during strategic conversations. The strategic process should cover all the employees of the corporation. Groups can be hierarchically organized. The number of participants of one group can be about 35, and the duration of one conversation is up to 5 hours.

Practical implications
The convergent methodology was applied many times for creating a high-level CSR atmosphere by the collective building of companies’ strategies.

Social implications
The convergent approach provides proactive identification of adverse effects of the external environment on the level of CSR and prevention of such impacts. The approach also provides acceleration of corporate strategic planning, processes of network democracy and group decision-making processes.

Originality/value
The main developing problem, which is beyond the state of the art, is that the CSR situation cannot be described in a clear, logical and formalised way, and a traditional computer model cannot be created for this case with formalised approach. The proposed convergent methodology with cognitive modelling helps to do it.
Predicting entrepreneurial intention among business students of public sector universities of Pakistan: an application of the entrepreneurial event model
Authors: Soomro Bahadur Ali , Lakhan Ghulam Rasool , Mangi Shahnawaz , Shah Naimatullah 
Published: April 2020

PurposeThis paper tries to examine the entrepreneurial intention of business students of public sector universities of Pakistan through the entrepreneurial event model (EEM).Design/methodology/approachThe study is a quantitative study and is based on cross-sectional data. The data is collected through a survey questionnaire. The random sample technique is used for data collection. The respondents are the business students of different public sector universities of Pakistan. In total 310 valid samples are utilized for final analysis.FindingsBy employing to SEM through Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS) version 26.0, the overall findings show a positive and significant impact of perceived feasibility (PF), perceived desirability (PD) and self-efficacy on entrepreneurial intention (EI).Practical implicationsThe outcomes of the study may be helpful for policymakers to formulate the policies regarding the promotion of entrepreneurship and self-employment for reducing the burden of unemployment. Possibly, it may prove as an appliance for prosperity and income generation through boosting entrepreneurship. Moreover, it may contribute to the literature of entrepreneurship, mainly for Pakistan and the developing world.Originality/valueThe study would support in achieving economic development by diverting individuals' intention for entrepreneurship.
Huge bacteriophages: bridging the gap?
Authors: Brüssow Harald 
Published: April 2020

SummaryHuge bacteriophages display genome sizes that bridge the gap between viral and bacterial genomes. Large Pseudomonas phages elaborate a nucleus‐like structure in the infected bacterial cell and a tubulin‐like phage protein forms a kind of spindle apparatus. While this probably represents cases of convergent evolution, these observations revive the discussion on the origin of eukaryotic cells.
Continuing education: Toward a life‐course perspective on social learning
Authors: Giordano Peggy C. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSutherland's differential association theory and the life‐course perspective have at times been conceptualized as contrasting theories of criminal behavior. I argue instead that our understanding of delinquency, the dynamics underlying criminal persistence and desistance, and intergenerational patterns will be enhanced by a more explicit integration of these two traditions. I focus on family processes as these are foundational intimate relationships that remain underappreciated as a source of lifelong learning and influence. Although family support and variations in parental supervision have been amply investigated, “direct transmission” takes place within the family as well as within the confines of the more heavily studied world of adolescent peer groups. I identify five dimensions of direct transmission and illustrate these dynamic processes with qualitative data from two longitudinal studies and results of recent quantitative analyses. The analysis is generally in line with Sutherland's original formulation but includes several extensions and modifications. It is important to include a role for human agency, and for “noncriminal” definitions and lifestyle factors, in addition to the directly criminogenic definitions Sutherland and subsequent researchers have emphasized. The focus on social processes is, however, consistent with Sutherland's goal of highlighting limitations of psychological and biological differences explanations.
Population‐based analysis of treatment patterns and outcomes for pancreas cancer in Victoria
Authors: Pilgrim Charles H. C. , te Marvelde Luc , Stuart Ella , Croagh Dan , Deutscher David , Nikfarjam Mehrdad , Lee Belinda , Christophi Christopher 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe Victorian Pancreas Cancer summit 2017 analysed state‐wide data on management of Victorians with pancreas cancer between 2011 and 2015 to identify variations in care and outcomes. Pancreas cancer remains a formidable disease but systemic therapies are increasingly effective. Surgery remains essential but insufficient alone for cure. Understanding patterns of care and identifying variations in treatment is critical to improving outcomes.MethodsThis population‐based study analysed data collected prospectively by Department of Health and Human services (Victorian state government). Data were extracted from Victorian Cancer Registry (covering all Victorian cancer diagnoses), Victorian Admitted‐Episodes Dataset (all inpatient data), Victorian Radiotherapy Minimum Dataset and Victorian Death Index providing demographics, tumour and treatment characteristics, age‐standardized incidence, overall and median survival.ResultsOf 3962 Victorian patients with any form of pancreatic malignancy, 82% were ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), of whom 67% had metastases at diagnosis. One‐year overall survival for PDAC was 30% (60% non‐metastatic, 15% if metastatic). Median survival with metastases increased from 2.7 to 3.9 months, and from 13.3 to 15.9 months for non‐metastatic PDAC between 2011 and 2015. Thirty‐one percent of non‐metastatic patients underwent pancreatectomy. About 1.5% were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy/chemoradiation. Of patients undergoing intended curative resection, 77% proceeded to adjuvant therapy. Fifty‐one percent of metastatic PDAC patients never received anti‐tumour therapy.ConclusionsNearly one‐fourth of surgically treated patients never received systemic therapy. More than two‐thirds of non‐metastatic patients never proceeded to surgery. Further consideration of neoadjuvant therapy should be given to borderline resectable patients. Most patients with PDAC still die soon after diagnosis, but median survival is increasing.