bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Beyond traditional synergies: exploring network, relational and nonmarket gains in European M&A
Authors: Sghaier Adnène 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
This study aims to explore the sources of synergy gains in European mergers and acquisitions (M&A) from 2010 to 2021, focusing on both traditional and emerging synergies. Empirically validate novel types of synergies, including relational, network and nonmarket synergies, alongside operational, financial and market power synergies. Examine the impact of firm characteristics, governance structures and market conditions on the magnitude and success of synergy gains postacquisition.

Design/methodology/approach
The research uses a quantitative approach, analyzing a sample of 342 European M&A transactions from 2010 to 2021. Synergy gains are evaluated through econometric modeling, examining the effects of various firm and transaction characteristics on value creation.

Findings
The study reveals that operational synergies, primarily driven by cost reductions and investment savings, are the most significant contributors to value creation in European M&A. Financial synergies, while present, have a more limited impact. Additionally, relational and network synergies emerge as crucial, enhancing firms’ positions within business networks. However, nonmarket synergies did not yield significant results, highlighting the challenges of quantifying intangible benefits. Firm characteristics such as board diversity and independence are found to positively influence the realization of these synergies.

Practical implications
For practitioners, the findings emphasize the importance of considering both traditional and emerging sources of synergies in M&A evaluations. Decision-makers should focus not only on operational efficiency but also on enhancing relational and network positioning to maximize postacquisition value. The study also highlights the role of strong governance, particularly board diversity and independence, in ensuring successful integration and synergy realization.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the existing literature by empirically validating previously unexplored synergies, particularly relational, network and nonmarket synergies, in the context of European M&A. By integrating network-based perspectives, it expands the scope of traditional synergy analysis and offers a more holistic view of value creation postacquisition. The research also provides practical insights by identifying key governance factors that influence the realization of these synergies, making it a valuable resource for both academics and practitioners.
Toward fast network intrusion detection for web services: partial-flow feature extraction and dataset construction
Authors: Wang Tianfeng , Xu Yingying , Tang Zhenzhou 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
Timely intrusion detection in extensive traffic remains a pressing and complex challenge, including for Web services. Current research emphasizes improving detection accuracy through machine learning, with scant attention paid to the dataset’s impact on the capability for fast detection. Many datasets rely on flow-level features, requiring entire flow completion before determining if it constitutes an attack, reducing efficiency. This paper aims to introduce a new feature extraction method and construct a new security dataset that enhances detection efficiency.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a novel partial-flow feature extraction method that extracts packet-level features efficiently to reduce the high latency of flow-level extraction. The method also integrates statistical and temporal features derived from partial flows to improve accuracy. The method was applied to the original packet capture (PCAP) files utilized in creating the CSE-CIC-IDS 2018 dataset, resulting in the development of the WKLIN-WEB-2023 dataset specifically designed for web intrusion detection. The effectiveness of this method was evaluated by training nine classification models on both the WKLIN-WEB-2023 and CSE-CIC-IDS 2018 datasets.

Findings
The experimental results show that models trained on the WKLIN-WEB-2023 dataset consistently outperform those on the CSE-CIC-IDS 2018 dataset across precision, recall, f1-score, and detection latency. This demonstrates the superior effectiveness of the new dataset in enhancing both the efficiency and accuracy of intrusion detection.

Originality/value
This study proposes the partial-flow feature extraction method, creating the WKLIN-WEB-2023 dataset. This novel approach significantly enhances detection efficiency while maintaining classification performance, providing a valuable foundation for further research on intrusion detection efficiency.
Investigating mobile blended learning adoption with usability factors: an empirical study
Authors: Chand Sailesh Saras , Kumar Bimal Aklesh 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
Mobile blended learning (MBL) is becoming common in higher education settings; however, the student’s intention to adopt such technological innovation is less explored. The purpose of this study is to measure MBL adoption using common variables used in the literature (supporting factors, learner attitude, learner perspective and learner effectiveness) and extending the model to include usability factors (ease of use, satisfaction and usefulness).

Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 322 respondents and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and partial least squares-structured equation modeling technique to assess the hypothesis. A five-point Likert scale instrument was developed using the existing literature for data collection.

Findings
The findings have both theoretical and managerial implications concerning MBL adoption. From a theoretical perspective, the findings provide a reconfirmation of the importance of usability in MBL adoption. From a managerial perspective, it will provide the necessary knowledge to incorporate relevant variables and factors that decision-makers could use to oversee a successful implementation.

Originality/value
This paper contributes to the ever-growing body of literature on MBL through an analysis of students’ intention to adopt MBL using usability factors.
Financial analysts’ use of industry specific stock valuation models
Authors: Olbert Lars 
Published: December 2024

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the industry-specific preferred valuation model utilised by analysts’ in determining a stock’s target price. By understanding analysts’ use of industry-specific valuation models, we can enhance our comprehension of important aspects of value creation in these sectors. Therefore, understanding the industry context is crucial for accurately assessing the value of companies within that industry and selecting the most suitable valuation model.Design/methodology/approachThe method employed in this study is content analysis, examining the output of analysts’ valuation models within 25 Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) industry groups. I hand-collected 806 equity reports from Capital IQ, selecting the four companies with the largest market capitalization from each of the 25 industry groups.FindingsPrice/Earnings (P/E) emerges as the preferred valuation model in 20 out of the 25 industry groups based on the GICS, with some exceptions. Notably, EV/EBITDA is favoured in the telecom, energy and materials sectors, while the capital goods industry primarily relies on Price/Cash flow (P/CF). In the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) sector, P/AFFO (adjusted funds from operations) is the most commonly employed model. While earnings multiples remain the favoured valuation model for financial analysts, a noticeable shift away from multiperiod valuation models is evident after the first decade of the 21st century.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings can increase our comprehension of the interplay between valuation methodologies, industry characteristics and investment decision-making.Practical implicationsIt establishes a foundation for future research in this field and is anticipated to be of interest to analysts, fund managers and investors. The findings can increase our comprehension of the interplay between valuation methodologies, industry characteristics and investment decision-making.Originality/valueThis paper represents the first systematic and comprehensive examination of analysts’ utilisation of industry-specific stock valuation methods across all 25 GICS industry groups.
Unravelling the natural resources and capital flight nexus: evidence from BRICS nations
Authors: Pathak Shivangi , Pradhan Ashis Kumar , Thomas Ronny 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to focus on the impact of environmental factors on capital flight from BRICS countries. This study proposes modelling the different natural resource rents including coal, oil, gas, mineral and forests with capital flight outlining how the resource extraction cause corruption and rent seeking leading to outflow of resident capital.

Design/methodology/approach
World Bank residual method is used for estimation of capital flight followed by dynamic common correlated effect (DCCE) approach developed by Chudik and Pesaran (2015) for empirical analysis. To ensure the reliability and robustness of results, this study constructs a Natural Resource Rent Index (NRRI) using principal component analysis (PCA) of various resource rents including coal, oil, gas, mineral and forests.

Findings
The econometric analysis reveals that natural resource rents significantly contribute to resident capital outflows from BRICS countries. Furthermore, this study finds that increased government involvement in resource extraction significantly reduces capital flight.

Practical implications
The findings of this study emphasize the necessity of proactive policy measures to mitigate capital flight from BRICS countries, particularly through enhanced government engagement in resource management.

Originality/value
This study fills literature gap by identifying how environmental factors fuel capital flight in BRICS economies.
A re-design of intellectual disability undergraduate medical training and implementation of an e-learning tool; improving students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes
Authors: Challinor Alexander , Cawson Alys , Crouch Matthew Alan , Davies Tony , Hewitt Natalie , Harpin Gemma , Odiyoor Mahesh , Jaydeokar Sujeet 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
People with intellectual disability face extensive health inequality and premature mortality. Medical students have reported that they lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to work with those with intellectual disability and autism. This emphasises the need for tomorrow’s doctors to be adequately trained. This study aims to investigate students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes towards people with intellectual disability and autism, examining whether these outcomes change following curricula re-design and with implementation of an e-learning module.

Design/methodology/approach
The university curricula in intellectual disability and autism were re-designed and an e-learning module developed using co-production. This was delivered to fourth-year medical students with a subgroup receiving the additional e-learning. A controlled trial evaluated students’ knowledge, skills and attitudes using pre- and post-questionnaires. Statistical tests of difference were used to the scores obtained.

Findings
This study showed an improvement in knowledge, skills and attitudes with intellectual disability and autism after curricula engagement, with an incremental benefit observed for students also completing the e-learning module. There was significant difference in pre-and-post placement scores assessing student attitudes towards intellectual disability and autism teaching.

Originality/value
This study highlights the importance of a multi-faceted, co-produced curricula re-design in intellectual disability and autism. The benefit of the e-learning module holds hope that the newly introduced mandatory Oliver McGowan training will be beneficial in the development of tomorrow’s doctors. Effective training in intellectual disability and autism is vital to improve the care and support delivered and reduce unnecessary deaths.
Packaging-free shopping: when retailers and consumers (re/mis)appropriate packaging functions
Authors: Reniou Fanny , Robert-Monnot Elisa , Lasri Sarah 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
Packaging-free shopping disrupts the usual retailing and consumption patterns in which packaging usually plays a central role. When manufacturers no longer offer predetermined packaging, how do retailers and consumers ensure packaging functions? Investigating the way packaging-free actors appropriate packaging functions during use is particularly important because they exert a new power over these functions, which can be challenging to appropriate. The purpose of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of why packaging-free shopping can be perceived as constraining.

Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from the literature on packaging functions and adopting Miller’s conceptual framework of appropriation, this research uses a qualitative method with a variety of discursive and visual data, including 54 interviews with experts from packaging-free product stores and consumers, 190 Instagram consumer posts and 428 in-store and at-home photographs.

Findings
This research shows that packaging-free actors jointly appropriate packaging functions through two modes of appropriation (assimilation and accommodation) each encompassing distinct strategies and highlights the misappropriation that actors can experience, especially when prioritizing one function over another.

Originality/value
This research contributes to the literature on packaging-free shopping, an emergent and growing trend that challenges conventional shopping models. The research reveals dark sides of packaging-free shopping – namely, the damaging effects on health and the environment and social exclusion. In particular, it discusses the ambivalence of the packaging-free shopping environmental function. This research also deepens insight into how individual acts of appropriation may lead to misappropriation.
Preparation and evaluation of pyrazolo[1,5-a] pyrimidine azo disperse dyes as colored materials in dyeing onto polyester fabrics
Authors: Ali Ali A. , A.M. Al-Zahrani Fatimah , Elgammal Walid E. , Ali Mahmoud , Mahmoud Ammar M. , Abd El-Wahab H. 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
This study aims to prepare some disperse dyes based on pyrazole derivatives and fully evaluate their use as azo-disperse dyes linked with pyrazolo[1,5-a] pyrimidine. This study aims to prepare dye polyester fabric at different conditions (pH and time) at a depth of 4% using a high-temperature pressure process in water.

Design/methodology/approach
The disperse dyes were created by dissolving enaminone and pyrazole derivatives in glacial acetic acid and fusing sodium acetate at reflux for 6 h. The chemical structure of the produced dye was studied using elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic analytical methods. The dyeing of Dispersed dyes 14–16 on polyester under diverse conditions was comprehensively investigated in this work.

Findings
The prepared Organic dyes 14–16 were found to be highly functional and suitable for this type of dyeing technique. High color strength is possessed by the materials dyed with Disperse dyes 14–16. Even in low alkaline conditions, these dyes exhibited a strong affinity for polyester fabric, changing just little in response to pH changes. The hue of the dyed polyester samples varied from beige to reddish brown and yellowish brown because of the coupler moieties.

Originality/value
This study is important because it offers novel dyes that may be used to dye polyethylene terephthalate fibers that exhibit remarkable brightness and levelness. It also offers a viable solution for creating a variety of colors in polyester fabrics.
Interlayer temperature optimisation: an approach to maximising strength in the large-scale additive manufacture of fibre-reinforced PETG
Authors: Storey Peter , Groom Allin , Perumal Vishak , Al-Ariss Shadi 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to establish a reproducible method for quantifying the anisotropy between printed layers based on interlayer temperature and, using this information, provide recommendations for maximising print strength. Fibre-reinforced polymers are gaining popularity in large-scale material extrusion, which involves the layer-by-layer deposition of melted polymeric granulates. However, the mechanical performance of 3D printed components is highly influenced by the quality of the interfacial bond between layers. Material data sheets often do not report the extent of this anisotropy, thereby making it challenging to account for during the design stage without mechanical characterisation.

Design/methodology/approach
This study investigates the effect of the temperature at the interface between layers on the ultimate tensile strength of 3D printed parts made with post-industrial polyethylene terephthalate glycol.

Findings
This study identifies an optimal previous layer temperature (Tp) of 130 ± 10°C, where interlayer bonding and material properties are maximised. An upper limit of 150°C is identified to avoid material sagging and a critical lower bound of approximately 113°C for achieving at least 80% of the maximum part strength. Moreover, this study underscores the importance of considering the effective cross-sectional area due to the ridged surface of printed samples. Recommendations include the use of infrared heat lamps for temperature control to ensure sustained interlayer bonding.

Research limitations/implications
The research does not address long-term effects and environmental factors affecting material properties, suggesting these as areas for future research.

Originality/value
This study’s findings are instrumental in establishing optimal printing parameters for large-scale material extrusion, thereby improving the reliability of 3D printed parts in industries like manufacturing and civil engineering.
Effects of environmental provisions in international trade agreements on businesses and economies – a systematic review
Authors: Gutsch Michelle , Mai Johanna , Ukhova Nelli , Dijkstra-Silva Samanthi 
Published: December 2024

Purpose
International trade and its effects on the environment are increasingly discussed both in academia and by policymakers. To counter negative effects of international trade on the environment, so called environmental provisions have been integrated in trade agreements aimed at businesses and economies. However, as both the intent and effectiveness of these provisions are controversial, this paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of research and identified key factors influencing their effectiveness.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors conduct a systematic literature review of 44 papers on the effects of environmental provisions in international trade agreements on the environmental performance of businesses, as well as economies from 1992 to mid-2024.

Findings
The integration of environmental provisions into trade agreements generally has positive effects on the environment while their effectiveness is influenced by their design and several boundary conditions. Alongside the importance of effective enforcement mechanisms, reputation concerns of businesses and lobbyism are discussed as intermediary factors in the design and impact of environmental provisions.

Practical implications
The insights can benefit policymakers to optimize future environmental provisions and advance the effectiveness of policies aimed at balancing the effects of trade liberalization with environmental protection.

Social implications
Social sustainability is increasingly relevant for creating more sustainable trade policy while societal mechanisms seem to be an adequate tool to ensure effective enforcement of ecological provisions.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is the first of its kind to provide a systematic overview of the literature on the effectiveness of environmental provisions that combines the micro-level of businesses and macro-level of economies, although the importance for trade in general and environmental protection, in particular, has been recognized in the academic literature.
Improving Innovation Quality in Responding to Rigorous Intellectual Property Logic in Emerging Economies? The Role of Subsidy Policy for Patenting Overseas and International Imprinting
Authors: Lin Ming , Wei Yingqi , Han Xia , Li Xuecong , Wang Yifan 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis study investigates the link between subsidy policy for patenting overseas (SPPO) and the innovation quality of emerging economy firms, focusing on the role of international imprinting. Through the theoretical lenses of institutional logics and imprinting, we hypothesize that SPPO, which embodies a rigorous intellectual property (IP) logic, enhances innovation quality, particularly in firms with international imprinting. Analysing Chinese listed firms in the computers, telecommunications and electronics sectors during 2004–2021 using matching and difference‐in‐differences techniques, we find that firms responding to SPPO show improved innovation quality. This effect is amplified by international imprinting at the board and organizational levels, both separately and jointly. These findings highlight that international imprinting enhances the effectiveness of government policy that embodies rigorous IP logic, offering valuable insights for managers and policymakers seeking to foster high‐quality innovation in emerging economies.
Who polarises? Who targets? Parties’ educational speech over the long run
Authors: GINGRICH JANE , GIUDICI ANJA 
Published: December 2024

AbstractHow do political parties speak about education? While struggles over education played a foundational role in structuring modern partisan cleavages, scholars debate the extent to which parties still adopt distinct rhetorical stances on education. Existing data, however, is limited to studying broad public support or opposition to educational expansion, restricting both our empirical knowledge of the politicisation of education and our ability to theorise parties’ incentives to speak publicly about it. This paper provides the first systematic examination of the post‐war evolution of partisan rhetoric about education in advanced democracies. We develop a novel dataset (Education Politics Dataset EPD) based on hand‐coded manifesto speech of the largest centre‐left and centre‐right parties for 20 countries in Europe and beyond, from 1950 to the present. The EPD distinguishes nine educational issues, grouped under the three fundamental policy dimensions of distribution, governance and curricular content. We theorise that parties use educational speech both to signal competence to a broader electorate and to signal credibility to a narrower base. The result is three distinct patterns of speech: consensual, differentially salient and polarised. Where education policies cross‐cut existing cleavages, parties devote similar attention to issues and adopt similar stances, creating a consensual pattern. We find this pattern for issues of participation and quality in education. Where education policies are universal but offer specific benefits to a partisan base, we find patterns of differential salience: some parties devote more rhetorical attention to the issue than others, but parties adopt common stances. We find this pattern for questions of spending and access. Finally, where education policies align with broader political cleavages and provide targeted electoral benefits to partisan bases, parties adopt distinct public stances leading to more polarised rhetoric. We find this pattern for issues related to academic tracking and traditional curricular content. In developing the first multidimensional theorisation and measurement of partisan rhetoric on education, the paper provides insight into parties’ evolving approaches to an area increasingly crucial to electoral and social life.