bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The moderating effect of operator type: the impact of information technology (IT) expenditures on hotels’ operating performance
Authors: Hua Nan , Huang Arthur , Medeiros Marcos , DeFranco Agnes 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThis study aims to examine how operator type moderates the relationship between hotel information technology (IT) expenditures and operating performance.Design/methodology/approachBy adapting and extending O’Neillet al.’s (2008) and Huaet al.’s (2015) research, this study constructed an empirical model and tested proposed hypotheses, with Newey and West (1994) errors computed to accommodate potential heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation issues.FindingsOperator type moderates the impact of hotel IT expenditures on operating performance. In particular, it appears that the operator type of franchising exerts a stronger moderating effect compared with other operator types explored.Practical implicationsThis study, as the first of its kind, shows that the choice of operator type shapes how a hotel can effectively use IT expenditures to improve operating performance. This finding can be beneficial for hotel owners when making operator type decisions. In addition, operator type moderates the direct impact of IT expenditures on revenues and gross operating income. This study’s results show that franchised hotels seem to use IT expenditures more effectively compared with independently owned hotels.Originality/valueThis study contributes both theoretically and practically to understand how operator type moderates the relationship between IT expenditures and hotel performance. The research outcome provides a more holistic view that governs the relationships between IT expenditures, operator type and operating performance.
Resident attendees of Macao's Drunken Dragon Festival: a cluster analysis
Authors: Choi Suh-hee , Couto Ubaldino Sequeira , Imon Sharif Shams 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThe present study aims to investigate resident attendees' perceptions and attitudes towards a traditional cultural festival. It further clusters the attendees and identifies the profiles of each cluster based on its demographic, attitudinal and behavioral variables.Design/methodology/approachThe Drunken Dragon Festival, a traditional cultural festival in Macao SAR, which has been embedded in the local community for about a century, is used as a case. Data collected from 378 residents on the day of the festival were factor analyzed and then grouped by using cluster analysis.FindingsA two-cluster solution revealed that the two groups, overall, had distinct demographic characteristics and had somewhat different perceptions and attitudes towards the festival.Practical implicationsThe results not only show the overall perceptions of the Drunken Dragon Festival among the resident attendees, but they also imply that the government and the organizers need to communicate with and involve the two resident attendee clusters differently.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first attempts to investigate the residents' attitudes towards the transformational development of a traditional cultural festival as an effort to ensure the viability of intangible cultural heritage and to utilize it as a tourism resource.
Teachers' capacity to create inclusive learning environments
Authors: Leifler Emma 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore effects of an intervention designed for teachers' learning. This study investigates the effectiveness of a three-session professional development (PD) program based on the lesson study methodology. Lesson study was chosen as an intervention, attempting to strengthen teachers' awareness of and readiness to teach for student diversity.Design/methodology/approachThis study included 26 participants. The teachers took part in lesson study cycles during a period of four months. Effectiveness was measured using a pre-test/post-test within-subject design. The broad concept of inclusion and the characteristics of the research questions in this study demanded a mix of methods, a design in which qualitative and quantitative data are collected in parallel, analyzed separately and then merged.FindingsResults show an increase of teachers' readiness from baseline to post measurement to adjust the learning environment for increased inclusivity. The largest increase (88%) was seen in the themes in teachers' responses regarding accommodations for a student with special needs. Regarding self-perceived ability, the average increase was 50%. Results show significant changes in teachers' adjustment awareness ability.Originality/valueThis study contributes to educational research, as the focus is PD for general teachers. PD opportunities with teaching strategies related to special needs (e.g. neurodevelopmental conditions, NDCs) are seldom offered to general education teachers. Support from teachers is a key strategy for accommodating students with special needs in mainstream classrooms. Furthermore, there is a lack of literature of interventions aiming to improve teachers' readiness and preparedness for students with NDCs in mainstream settings.
Analyzing the relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion by microfinance banks in developing countries: social network theoretical approach
Authors: Okello Candiya Bongomin George , Mpeera Ntayi Joseph , Akol Malinga Charles 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to establish the mediating effect of social network in the relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion of the poor by microfinance banks in developing countries.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a cross-sectional research design and data were collected from the poor who resides in rural Uganda. Structural equation modelling (SEM) through analysis of moment structures (AMOS) was used to analyze the data. Bootstrap approach with 5,000 samples was run to establish the mediating effect of social network in the relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion of the poor by microfinance banks in developing countries.FindingsThe results showed that social network significantly and positively mediate the relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion of the poor by microfinance banks in developing countries. In addition, financial literacy also has a direct significant and positive effect on financial inclusion. Overall, the findings suggest that the presence of social network fully mediate the effect of financial literacy on financial inclusion of the poor by microfinance banks in developing countries.Research limitations/implicationsThis study adopted a cross-sectional research design and data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Future studies could adopt longitudinal research design to establish the dynamic characteristics of the samples under study over time. Besides, this study collected data from only poor households who were clients of microfinance banks located in rural Uganda. It ignored the other section of the population who were not the poor. Therefore, future studies could use the other section of the population who are clients of commercial banks.Practical implicationsThe advocates of financial literacy and managers of microfinance banks in developing countries should ensure using existing local structures such as community and village associations to conduct financial literacy training. The village associations help in mobilizing members who are close-knit based on the existing societal ties that can be used as a channel for disseminating vital financial literacy information. Indeed, financial literacy workshops, seminars, and business clinics can be easily conducted to individuals who are members of the village associations.Originality/valueThis paper integrates social network theory in the relationship between financial literacy and financial inclusion of the poor by microfinance banks in developing countries. Social network acts as a conduit through which financial knowledge and skills flow to increase the scope of financial inclusion of the poor in developing countries.
Exploring interpretations of blockchain's value in healthcare: a multi-stakeholder approach
Authors: Palas Md. Jahir Uddin , Bunduchi Raluca 
Published: June 2020

PurposeDrawing broadly from the technology frame (Davidson, 2002) and organizing vision perspectives (Swanson and Ramiller, 1997) which consider the business value of information technology as resulting from actors' efforts to make sense of new technology, the study applies Ojala's (2016) business model framework to examine how different sets of actors understand the value of blockchain within the healthcare sector.Design/methodology/approachTo include the perspective of different sets of actors, the research combines a systematic literature review to capture academic research, semi-structured interviews with blockchain experts, with an analysis of blockchain healthcare vendors.FindingsThe study finds a high degree of congruence between the perspective of different actors, with key sources of blockchain value concentrated around value proposition, particularly enhancing privacy and security; value capture, specifically cost savings, and value network, mostly enhancing data accessibility and reducing intermediation. Value delivery is the least emphasized value creation mechanism and concerns primarily improvements in supply chain transparency. Minor variations between actors' interpretations of value exist, mostly around the contribution of blockchain to support the value proposition and include the provision of social value, the creation of trust, supporting automation and improving employment.Originality/valueRecognizing that the value of new technology is as much the result of actors' interpretations, as the objective outcome of its deployment, this study takes a multi-stakeholder perspective to examine blockchain's business value and highlights new aspects of value associated with blockchain deployments. The findings include a value outcome framework that allows systematic comparisons between blockchain implementations across contexts.
Might the COVID-19 pandemic spur increased murder-suicide?
Authors: Joiner Thomas E. , Lieberman Amy , Stanley Ian H. , Reger Mark A. 
Published: June 2020

Purpose
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted concerns about an increased risk for psychological distress, broadly and suicide mortality, specifically; it is, as yet, unclear if these concerns will be realized, but they are plausible.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors demonstrate why researchers, clinicians, policymakers and other public health stakeholders should be vigilant to the potential increases in murder-suicide in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been reports of increased gun sales, alcohol sales, intimate partner violence and child neglect/abuse. These factors give one serious pause regarding the potential for murder-suicide, especially in the context of other pandemic-related stressors (e.g. loneliness, economic stress, health anxiety).

Originality/value
This paper highlights pandemic-related factors that might spur increased murder-suicide and encourages murder-suicide prevention efforts to take place alongside other pandemic-related public health interventions.
Modelling undesirable products in non-parametric performance analysis
Authors: Seihani Parashkouh Fateme , Kordrostami Sohrab , Amirteimoori Alireza , Ghane-Kanafi Armin 
Published: June 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is introducing an alternative model to measure the relative efficiency of observations with undesirable products. Describing the reference set and benchmarking.

Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, an alternative definition of weak disposability assumption is introduced to handle undesirable outputs. Actually, two types of undesirable outputs are addressed and a substitute definition of weak disposability is presented.

Findings
Using this assumption a linear production technology set along with a performance analysis model is constructed to assess the relative efficiency of the decision-making units. To illustrate the radial application of the proposed approach, a real case on transportation system of USA during 1992-2009 is given.

Originality/value
To date, data envelopment analysis studies have investigated undesirable outputs by the assumption of weak disposability, defined as the proportional contraction of good and bad products, which leads to the null-joint assumption between good and bad outputs. Therefore, the only way to produce no undesirable outputs is producing zero desirable outputs. So the production process should be stopped while it is not economically cost-effective. However, in some processes there are some undesirable outputs, which are decreased with non-same percentages. So these undesirable outputs can be stopped while the good outputs have a strictly positive value. In this situation, the good outputs are not null-joint with this type of bad outputs. In the current paper, a new definition of the weak disposability of outputs was represented while two groups of undesirable outputs were considered. Hence, desirable outputs and the first kind of undesirable outputs were decreased proportionally. However, the reduction value was different for the second kind of undesirable outputs. Hence, the null-joint assumption is removed from the production technology. Then, a new technology was proposed based on five postulates as inclusion of observations, free disposability of desirable outputs and inputs, new weak disposability, convexity and minimum extrapolation.
Symbolic rationality in the public sector
Authors: Eriksson Rikard , Ellingsen Pål 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThe aim of this article is to describe work relations between leaders and counsellors in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV). The study focuses on communication, control, work ethos, worldview and digital production management (DPM).Design/methodology/approachThis article is based on two empirical studies from the same research project at the NAV in the south of Norway called “Leadership and client orientation in NAV”. The research design led to a qualitative interview method being used to collect and analyse the opinions and experiences of the interviewees (Merriam, 2009).FindingsThe study found that (a) leaders use DPM to control employees, (b) communicative and regulative aspects of working in NAV, (c) contradictory simultaneous work demands on leaders and counsellors and (d) the symbolic rationality of work in NAV. The aspects (a) to (d) show a specific worldview in NAV. The study also found aspects of work ethos in NAV, such as a strong will to help and do well for the user and at the same time meet NAV's financial and administrative requirements (Lundquist, 1998; Byrkjeflot, 2008). It is fruitful to describe this situation using the concept of symbolic rationality.Originality/valueThrough symbolic rationality, the study has identified the possibility for further research on the hybrid professionalism of leadership and counsellorship, at three levels in the ambidextrous public sector. The first is the epistemological level, where the concept sets limits on how a social situation such as NAV can be spoken about and understood. A second level is the theoretical level, where categories and logics can be formed and that are seen as being applicable to work in NAV. The third and final level is the practical level, where the concept of symbolic rationality and the meanings connected with it shape leaders' and counsellors' professional practice in the public sector.
Activation energy impact on radiated magneto-Sisko nanofluid flow over a stretching and slipping cylinder: entropy analysis
Authors: Sarkar S. , Jana R.N. , Das S. 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to analyze the heat and mass transfer with entropy generation during magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flow of non-Newtonian Sisko nanofluid over a linearly stretching cylinder under the influence of velocity slip, chemical reaction and thermal radiation. The Brownian motion, thermophoresis and activation energy are assimilated in this nanofluid model. Convective boundary conditions on heat and mass transfer are considered. The physical model may have diverse applications in several areas of technology underlying thermohydrodynamics including supercritical fluid extraction, refrigeration, ink-jet printing and so on.Design/methodology/approachThe dimensional governing equations are nondimensionalized by using appropriate similarity variables. The resulting boundary value problem is converted into initial value problem using the method of superposition and numerically computed by employing well-known fourth-order Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg approach along with shooting technique (RKF4SM). The quantitative impacts of emerging physical parameters on the velocity, temperature, concentration, skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number, Sherwood number, entropy generation rate and Bejan number are presented graphically and in tabular form, and the salient features are comprehensively discussed.FindingsFrom graphical outcomes, it is concluded that the slip parameters greatly influence the flow characteristics. Fluid temperature is elevated with rising radiation parameter and thermal Biot number. Nanoparticle concentration is reported in decreasing form with activation energy parameter. Entropy is found to be an increasing function of magnetic field, Brownian motion and material parameters. The entropy is less generated for shear-thinning fluid compared to shear-thickening as well as Newtonian fluids in the system.Originality/valueTill now no study has been documented to explore the impact of binary chemical reaction with Arrhenius activation energy on entropy generation in an MHD boundary layer flow of non-Newtonian Sisko nanofluid over a linear stretching cylinder with velocity slip and convective boundary conditions.
Breaking the code of silence: who are the women reporting sex-based discrimination in federal regulatory agencies?
Authors: Lee David , Yu Helen H. 
Published: June 2020

PurposeThis study examines women's reporting behaviors in US federal law enforcement and provides an exploratory analysis of individual and occupational variables to describe the women who respond assertively to reporting unlawful workplace behaviors.Design/methodology/approachSurvey responses are collected from sworn female officers employed by two US federal law enforcement agencies who responded “yes” to having experienced sexual harassment (n = 368) and/or sexual discrimination (n = 410) in the workplace.FindingsThe findings suggest that individual characteristics such as age, as well as occupational variables such as grade level and tenure duration, significantly impact assertive reporting behaviors for sex-based discrimination.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample represents those respondents from only two organizations, limiting the sampling frame and generalizability.Practical implicationsWhile these findings are not promising for junior women working in law enforcement, they have important practical implications for agency decision-makers who want to eliminate or reduce unlawful behavior in the workplace.Originality/valueMost of the literature on reporting sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, has focused on why women do not report unlawful behaviors in the workplace, while a limited number of scholars have identified who will respond more assertively when encountering such discriminatory behavior. This article builds on the latter by examining additional occupational and individual variables to the discussion.
A study of rock ladder structure used in buffer storage of iron ore pellets: DEM simulation and analytical model
Authors: Madadi-Najafabadi A. Hossein , Masoumi Abolfazl 
Published: June 2020

Purpose
This paper aims to analyze the abrasive damage of iron ore pellets (IOP) during charge inside day-bins in iron making plants. The rock-ladder structure of day-bin is the spotlight of this study. A numerical-analytical method is used to investigate the main geometrical features of the mentioned structure. Practical results of this study are expected to result in optimization of rock-ladder structure to reduce fine generation and lump formation during pellets downfall on the floors of rock-ladder.

Design/methodology/approach
One effective stage of pellets downfall on the floor of rock-ladder was simulated using discrete element method. A special post-process code is used to calculate parameters of pellets collisions for an analytical model which estimates fine generation during collisions. The main damaging mechanism during pellets storage inside day-bin is determined based on the comparison of the numerical-analytical results and industrial reports. Different rock-ladder designs are simulated to find optimal geometry of the rock-ladder structure.

Findings
According to the results, 85.4% of fines generation takes place during downfall of IOPs on the floors of rock ladder, and the rest of the fine debris is expected to be generated due to flow down under compressive load and vibratory discharge. The present study suggests an increase in the rock ladder floors distance from 1.63 to 2 m, but this suggestion should be confirmed by another study focusing on the breakage damage of IOPs. The idea of chamfering the floors corners not only removes lump-formation zones but also results in an approximately 5.7% reduction in the fines generation rate.

Originality/value
According to the results, introduced modification ideas for rock-ladder structure can result in lower fine generation, lower lump removal cost and lower manufacturing cost of rock-ladder structure.
Nutrient limitation, bioenergetics and stoichiometry: A new model to predict elemental fluxes mediated by fishes
Authors: Schiettekatte Nina M. D. , Barneche Diego R. , Villéger Sébastien , Allgeier Jacob E. , Burkepile Deron E. , Brandl Simon J. , Casey Jordan M. , Mercière Alexandre , Munsterman Katrina S. , Morat Fabien , Parravicini Valeriano 
Published: June 2020

Abstract

Energy flow and nutrient cycling dictate the functional role of organisms in ecosystems. Fishes are key vectors of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in aquatic systems, and the quantification of elemental fluxes is often achieved by coupling bioenergetics and stoichiometry. While nutrient limitation has been accounted for in several stoichiometric models, there is no current implementation that permits its incorporation into a bioenergetics approach to predict ingestion rates. This may lead to biased estimates of elemental fluxes.

Here, we introduce a theoretical framework that combines stoichiometry and bioenergetics with explicit consideration of elemental limitations. We examine varying elemental limitations across different trophic groups and life stages through a case study of three trophically distinct reef fishes. Further, we empirically validate our model using an independent database of measured excretion rates.

Our model adequately predicts elemental fluxes in the examined species and reveals species‐ and size‐specific limitations of C, N and P. In line with theoretical predictions, we demonstrate that the herbivore Zebrasoma scopas is limited by N and P, and all three fish species are limited by P in early life stages. Further, we show that failing to account for nutrient limitation can result in a greater than twofold underestimation of ingestion rates, which leads to severely biased excretion rates.

Our model improved predictions of ingestion, excretion and egestion rates across all life stages, especially for fishes with diets low in N and/or P. Due to its broad applicability, its reliance on many parameters that are well‐defined and widely accessible, and its straightforward implementation via the accompanying r‐package fishflux, our model provides a user‐friendly path towards a better understanding of ecosystem‐wide nutrient cycling in the aquatic biome.

A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.