bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A sequential logic model between sales performance and salesperson satisfaction in B2B markets
Authors: Rodríguez Rocío , Høgevold Nils , Otero-Neira Carmen , Svensson Göran 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to test the relationship between objective and subjective sales performance and salespeople’s economic and non-economic satisfaction in a sequential logic model.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on a questionnaire survey using a deductive approach. A total of 315 companies were ultimately selected for participation in the study, to represent a range of companies from different industries and company sizes in the product-oriented business sector of Norway. A total of 236 questionnaires were returned, generating a response rate of 74.9%.

Findings
The sequential logic of objective and subjective sales performance, in connection with salespeople’s economic and non-economic satisfaction, reveals an underlying structure that can link existing theory and previous studies on sales performance and salesperson satisfaction in business-to-business (B2B) settings.

Research limitations/implications
The results reported applying only to a B2B setting, to test whether the sequential logic model and mediating effects still hold in such setting. This study is also limited to product-oriented companies in Norway, which offers the opportunity for a future study to verify whether the refined research model also applies to service-oriented companies.

Practical implications
The results indicate that the constructs of objective and subjective sales performance and salespeoplés economic and non-economic satisfaction are intertwined in a B2B setting. Specifically, these constructs are related to one another sequentially.

Originality/value
Contributes to structuring in a B2B setting, the relationships between objective and subjective sales performance on the one hand and salespeoplés economic and non-economic satisfaction on the other. It also highlights two mediating effects, namely, subjective sales performance mediates the relationship effect between objective sales performance and salespeoplés economic satisfaction and salespeople economic’s satisfaction mediates the relationship effect between subjective sales performance and salespeople’s non-economic satisfaction.
The impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry in Ghana: the case of some selected firms
Authors: Agyekum Kofi , Kukah Augustine Senanu , Amudjie Judith 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
With its impact already felt, the construction industry worldwide is gradually reviving following the lifting up of lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Though some articles have been written regarding its impact on the construction industry in other countries, much is yet to be known concerning the current impact in Ghana. This study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on Ghana’s construction industry and assess how construction companies are contributing to the fight against COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews with nine key professionals working with D1K1 firms currently working on projects of almost similar sizes within the confines of a reputable tertiary institution in Ghana were conducted over a span of three weeks. Thematic analysis was conducted with Nvivo 12 Pro Application software.

Findings
From the findings, the major impact includes: a decrease in work rate, delays in payments and an increase in the cost of materials arising from border closure. On the measures by construction companies in contributing to the fight against the pandemic, findings indicated: educating the workforce on the virus, the provision of PPEs, regular and effective checks on entry and exit from the site.

Practical implications
The study is significant, as knowledge of the impact posed by the pandemic will provide some idea of the measures to put in place to ensure the gradual to full recovery of the industry.

Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in the fact that it is a pioneering study on the impact of COVID-19 on the Ghanaian construction industry.
Cognitive heuristics and risk evaluation in crisis fraud
Authors: Chang Joshua , Chong Mark David 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
The recent COVID-19 crisis has been followed by an epidemic of fraud. This study aims to evaluate cases of COVID-19-related fraud to identify cognitive heuristics that influence decision-making under the pressure of crisis conditions.

Design/methodology/approach
An analysis of fraud advisories and cases relating to COVID-19 is conducted and matched against various types of cognitive heuristics to explain their influence on victims of crisis fraud.

Findings
The affect, availability, cue-familiarity, representativeness and scarcity heuristics are identified and explained to have a substantial influence on risk evaluations of crisis fraud.

Originality/value
The findings from this study can help individuals avoid fraud victimisation by helping them understand psychological vulnerabilities that they may be unaware of under the pressure of crisis conditions.
A three-levels analysis of double stimulation in a Change Laboratory
Authors: Morselli Daniele 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to operationalise and apply a three-level analysis of double stimulation in a Change Laboratory with teachers.

Design/methodology/approach
Within qualitative inquiry, this Change Laboratory intervention was conducted as case study, by way of an intensive analysis of an individual unit. The macro-level deals with the societal problem and the collective solution found to tackle it. An intermediate level looks at the Change Laboratory as a methodology able to boost expansive learning through chains of first and second stimuli. The micro-level analyses the participants’ interactions during the sessions and traces the terms connected to the first and second stimulus.

Findings
This analysis suggests that the conflicts of motives experienced by the participants at the micro level refer to the aggravated contradiction identified at the macro level. Conflicts of motives seem to be superior in number during the first block of sessions, when the first stimuli are analysed. The micro analysis indicates the 6th session as the turning point of the intervention, when the participants take the auxiliary stimulus and turn it into and effective and meaningful sign. The intermediate level helps to trace the third transition from the formation of the second stimulus to its implementation, reflection upon and further development and generalisation.

Originality/value
Vygotsky’s method of double stimulation is crucial to develop one’s agency and to explain how individuals deliberately influence events. Yet the literature is fragmented and made of brief accounts, and this paper for the first time inspects double stimulation on different levels within a Change Laboratory intervention with teachers.
Organisational sustainability scale-measuring employees’ perception on sustainability of organisation
Authors: Balasubramanian Nataraj , Balaji M. 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise and develop a scale for measuring employees’ perception on the sustainability of service organisations. With several companies adopting sustainability initiatives, it is prudent to measure the sustainability performance of those companies. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the sustainability measures and its associated challenges, this paper attempts to develop a scale to measure employees’ perception of sustainability of an organisation.

Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire was developed and 977 samples were collected based on snowball sampling method. For scale development, this study randomised 586 samples to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and used the remaining samples for validation using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Findings
The existing literature on sustainability focusses on three dimensions, namely, economic, social and environmental sustainability measures. This paper explored the similarities of the three dimensions to serve as critical determinants for measuring employees’ perception of sustainability with the collected data from service industries. The EFA revealed that there were six factors for organisational sustainability with 26 questionnaire items. The six factors are as follows: environment management, employee-related sustainability, public related sustainability, financial sustainability, pollution control measures and governance sustainability. The identified factors were tested using CFA and the results are discussed.

Research limitations/implications
This paper will be beneficial for the academicians in sustainability and the policy-makers as it provides a scale to measure employees’ perception on the sustainability of an organisation. This paper adds value to the research by providing a six-factor measurement model for organizational sustainability of selected service industries.

Practical implications
The paper is highly beneficial to the organisations to measure employees’ perception on sustainability and ascertain their position in supporting the holistic development of environment and society, thereby improving the goodwill and reputation of the organisation.

Originality/value
This paper provides insights about measuring employees’ perception on organizational sustainability. A six-factor measurement model has been proposed for organisational sustainability.
Digital media investigators: challenges and opportunities in the use of digital forensics in police investigations in England and Wales
Authors: Wilson-Kovacs Dana 
Published: May 2021

PurposeIn-depth knowledge about specific national approaches to using digital evidence in investigations is scarce. A clearer insight into the organisational barriers and professional challenges experienced, alongside a more detailed picture of how digital evidence can help police investigations are required to empirically substantiate claims about how digital technologies are changing the face of criminal investigations. The paper aims to focus on the introduction of digital media investigators to support investigating officers with the collection and interpretation of digital evidence.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on ethnographic and interview data collected as part of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded project on the application of digital forensics expertise in policing in England and Wales, this paper examines the changing face of investigations in relation to escalating digital demand.FindingsThe analysis presents the national and regional organisational parameters of deploying digital expertise in criminal investigation and examines some of the challenges of being a digital media investigator (DMI). Through testimonies from DMIs, digital forensic practitioners, investigating and senior officers and forensic managers, the analysis explores the organisational tensions in the collection, processing, interpretation and use of information from digital devices for evidential purposes.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper offers an empirical basis for the comparative study of how the DMI role has been implemented by law enforcement agencies and its fit within broader institutional considerations and processes.Practical implicationsThe development of the DMI role has raised questions about the supply of digital expertise, especially to volume crime investigations, and tensions around occupational divisions between scientific and operational units.Social implicationsThe findings show that while the introduction of the DMI role was much needed, the development of this valuable provision within each force and the resources available require sustained and coordinated support to protect these professionals and retain their skills.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the growing sociological and criminological literature with an ethnographically based perspective into the organisational and occupational tensions in the identification and processing of digital evidence in England and Wales.
Do entrepreneurship ecosystem and managerial skills contribute to startup development?
Authors: Zaidi Raza Ali , Khan Muhammad Majid , Khan Rao Aamir , Mujtaba Bahaudin G. 
Published: May 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze the factors affecting startup development and the entrepreneurship ecosystem's contribution to it.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative methodology is used for data collection from different startup owners working across Pakistan. It is a cross-sectional descriptive study, which investigates the causal effect of variables at a definite point in time. Non-probability convenient sampling was used for selecting available startups from the incubation centers. The sampling framework consists of the founders of the startups that have been previously incubated at any of the selected incubation centers.FindingsRegression analysis results from 165 responses of entrepreneurs and incubation centers demonstrate that the most important factors affecting startup development were financial access, government support, marketing challenges, education, technology and managerial skills in order of occurrence. Entrepreneurship ecosystem also proved to have a very positive impact on the relationship of these factors with startup development.Practical implicationsIn this paper, the factors that affect the development of startup are analyzed and recommendations are provided.Originality/valueThis research is comprehensive, as we have collected data from actual entrepreneurs and incubation centers to explain how entrepreneurs initiate their startup business by considering their managerial skills. As such, this study is unique in that the data comes from newly developed incubations centers in one of South Asia's fastest-growing economies.
Role of digital technologies to combat COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Rajendran Ratchana , Piali Biswas , Chandrakala Panguluri , Gampala Veerraju , Majji Sankararao 
Published: May 2021

Purpose
The unexpected epidemic of the latest coronavirus in 2019, known as COVID-19 by the Globe, a number of governments worldwide have been put in a vulnerable situation by the World Health Organization. The effect of the COVID-19 outbreak, previously experienced by China’s citizens alone, has now become more pronounced. For practically every nation in the world, this is a matter of grave concern. The lack of assets to withstand the infection of COVID-19, mixed with the perception of overwhelmed medical mechanisms, pressured a number of places in a state of partial or absolute lockdown.

Design/methodology/approach
The medical photos such as computed tomography (CT) and X-ray playa key role in the worldwide battle against COVID-19, while artificial intelligence (AI) has recently appeared. The power of imaging is further increased by technology tools and support for medical specialists. In comparison to the related direct health effects because of the COVID-19 disaster, this research identifies its impacts on the overall society.

Findings
This paper hereby examines the rapid answers in the medical imaging community toward COVID-19 (empowered by AI). For example, the acquisition of AI-empowered images will significantly assist automate the scanning process and reshape the procedure as well. AI, too, may improve the quality of the job by correctly delineating X-ray and CT image infections, promoting subsequent infections, quantification. In addition, computer-aided platforms support radiologists make medical choices, i.e. for illness tracking, diagnosis and prognosis.

Originality/value
This research encompasses the whole medical imaging pipeline and methods for research related to COVID-19, include a collection of images, segmentation, diagnosis and monitoring. In drawing stuff to minimize the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic, this paper is investigating the use of technologies such as the internet of things, unmanned aerial vehicles, blockchain, AI, big data and 5G.
Recovery process of genetic diversity through seed and pollen immigration at the northernmost leading‐edge population of Fagus crenata
Authors: Kitamura Keiko , Nakanishi Atsushi 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThe range expansion of a plant species begins with colonization of ecological empty patches from posterior source populations. This process involves stochastic loss of genetic diversity. However, the founder population could restore genetic diversity by gene flow from posterior populations via seeds and pollen and its recovery affects evolutionary potential for species expansion. To clarify the recovery process of genetic diversity during species range expansion, gene flow via seeds and pollen was investigated at the expansion front of Fagus crenata. Based on eight nuclear microsatellite genotypes of a total of 150 individuals and 225 seeds at the northernmost leading‐edge population, genetic diversity, fine‐scale spatial genetic structure (FSGS), and genetic differentiation from other five northern populations were investigated. Moreover, both seed and pollen immigration and their effects on genetic diversity at different successional stages were analyzed. The leading‐edge population showed lower genetic diversity and substantial genetic differentiation, reflecting its strong genetic drift. Non‐significant FSGS and a negative inbreeding coefficient for mature trees may indicate that the earliest generation consisted of founders from foreign seed sources. The significant proportion of seed and pollen immigration increased the number of different alleles for later successional stages. The effective number of pollen parents from foreign sources (20.8) was markedly higher than that from the local source (2.1). These results indicated that pollen immigration incorporated new and rare alleles and increased the genetic diversity of the population. However, the proportion of foreign gene flow decreased during succession, probably due to the increased reproductive success of local individuals as they reached maturity and grew in size.
The effect of shocks to GDP on employment in SADC member states during COVID‐19 using a Bayesian hierarchical model
Authors: Strauss Ilan , Isaacs Gilad , Rosenberg Josh 
Published: May 2021

AbstractUsing a simple Bayesian ‘mixed effects’ hierarchical model we provide econometric estimates of annual 2020 employment losses in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic for 15 SADC member states on the basis of historical GDP data between 2000 and 2019 and 2020 forecasts. Our mixed effects model consists of country‐varying coefficients, as well as ‘fixed’ (pooled) coefficients. This allows us to fully explore variation between countries. The model provides estimates for losses in total employment and women's employment, from which we infer income losses. We find that roughly half of estimated SADC countries have total employment losses below or approaching 25% of all jobs, while the other half have total losses exceeding 25%. Around one‐third of all jobs for women risk being lost during 2020 for Madagascar, Comoros, Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Our model implies that most SADC countries will experience an equivalent loss of wage income in excess of 10% of GDP (whether through pure job losses and/or reductions in wages and working hours). Policy implications are briefly discussed.
COVID‐19 policy responses, inflation and spillover effects in the West African Economic and Monetary Union
Authors: Coulibaly Seydou 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper contributes to the emerging literature on the socioeconomic impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic by using a panel fixed effects model for estimating the impact of government policy responses to the pandemic and their spillover effects on the consumer price index for West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) countries over the period January 2019–July 2020. Across various robustness checks, the OLS and IV regressions provide three major pieces of evidence. First, the COVID‐19 confirmed cases positively affect the consumer price index while the overall government policy responses index has a negative impact on the consumer price index. Second, we find that government accommodative policies to COVID‐19 in other countries has a positive and statistically significant impact on the host country's consumer price index. Finally, the findings indicate that world food prices and oil prices positively affect the consumer price index. These results suggest that policymakers may consider intensifying the implementation of public policies in response to the pandemic for preserving the stability of prices when the sanitary situation of the COVID‐19 deteriorates. While confirming that international prices are among the key drivers of inflation in WAEMU countries, our findings also reiterate the importance of regional cooperation and coordination for fighting the adverse socioeconomic impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic.
Direct and Indirect Employee Voice and Firm Innovation in Small and Medium Firms
Authors: Della Torre Edoardo , Gritti Alessia , Salimi Meysam 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis study adopts an integrated approach to employee voice (EV) and analyses the impacts of direct and indirect EV mechanisms on firm innovation in small and medium‐sized firms separately. It also proposes a new categorization for direct EV, by distinguishing between verbal and written mechanisms, allowing us to take the level of formality of different EV mechanisms into account. The analysis of 17,890 European firms shows that verbal, written and indirect EV mechanisms are all positively related to a higher propensity of firm innovation in both small and medium firms. However, for verbal EV mechanisms the relationship is significantly stronger for small firms than medium firms. The results also reveal that medium firms derive higher benefit than small firms while combining and balancing EV mechanisms with different levels of formalization (i.e. verbal and indirect voice). However, the former also suffers from excessive formalization of employees’ involvement in the innovation process (e.g. through written and indirect voice). Overall, this study supports recent calls for the need to adopt an integrated, pluralistic approach to EV and has important implications for EV research in small and medium firms.
Missing Queens: Gender, Dynasty and Power in Vandal Africa
Authors: Whelan Robin 
Published: May 2021

AbstractThis paper reconsiders a curious aspect of the Vandal kingdom of North Africa (439–533 ce): the total absence of women called Vandals in extant sources. It argues that these missing Vandal women are the women of the Hasding royal dynasty. The non‐application of the ethnic terminology to the consorts, sisters and daughters of kings and princes corresponds to a broader dearth of contemporary discussions of their political agency. This reduced visibility reflects particular structural features of Vandal kingship – and, in particular, its succession arrangements – which reduced the significance of queens and princesses in both the representation and practice of governance at the royal court in Carthage.