bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Technical inefficiency of the manufacturing sector in Laos: a case study of the firm survey
Authors: Sayavong Vanxay 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThis study aims to unlock the path of growth for sustainable economic development and accomplish the government's vision 2030 by ameliorating the productivity of the manufacturing sector in Laos.Design/methodology/approachThis study applied cross-sectional data of 2,009 firms from the national firm survey, namely the Economic Census Survey (ECS), in 2012/13 in addition to employing the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) to assess the production frontier and factors behind the technical inefficiency to arrive at policy recommendations.FindingsThe study found that the efficiency level varied across subindustries with an average of 72.51% in full potential production. Out of the five classified groups, Sub4 (chemical and plastic) was found to be the most efficient manufacturer, while the rest in order are Sub1 (food and beverage), Sub5 (furniture and others), Sub2 (garment and textile), and Sub3 (paper and printing), providing the evidence to improve the technical efficiency. This study discovered that the firm's size, accounting system and credit access are crucial to enhancing the production efficiency of all sampling firms. However, these factors might be subject to specific industries.Practical implicationsFor the implication to the business community and policymakers, the findings of this study could be a reference in terms of which areas they should concentrate on to improve the technical efficiency as a part of productivity in the manufacturing industry. For instance, it suggests that firms could improve their production efficiency by introducing the accounting system, laborers' skills (education of managers) and engaging in international trade activities. Additionally, it asks policymakers to help private firms by improving the infrastructure, credit access, training and trade facilitation.Originality/valueIt is believed that, as the major contribution in Lao literature, this study is the first research applying the largest data from the national survey – the Lao ECS – examining the technical efficiency in the manufacturing sector in the country, and overcoming the gap of the previous research which recruited few policy variables and applied a small sample size in one specific industry. Therefore, the findings of this study impart more insights into the analysis, providing more effective and credible recommendations to policymakers and firms to improve their technical efficiency and, consequently, their competitiveness.
Community, learning and leadership: reflections on the work of Karen Seashore Louis
Authors: Kruse Sharon D. , Walls Jeff 
Published: August 2021

PurposeSeashore Louis has enjoyed a long and productive career, contributing many key understandings to the field; among them, foundational theorizing regarding professional community, organizational learning and the role of principal leadership in organizational and student learning. In each, the role of organizational change and its bearing on school improvement has been a key focus of her research. Central to Seashore Louis' organizational change theorizing has been the contention that organizations are expected to produce outcomes (i.e. that they exist to do things), and in turn, those outcomes have consequences for the organization and its members. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the impact her work has had on the field of educational leadership research.Design/methodology/approachThis article traces the development of Karen Seashore Louis' contribution to and work in organizational theory.FindingsBy focusing on Seashore Louis' contribution to our understanding of how professionals learn, both individually and together, and what they do with that information and knowledge, this article will synthesize Seashore Louis' contributions to understanding how change is established, enacted and experienced in schools, as well as how those understandings are informed by theorizing about the role of school culture, openness to new ideas and understandings, alternatives and multiple perspectives, and caring as it relates to leading schools.Originality/valueThe authors’ experience of learning from and with Karen Seashore Louis has deepened the authors’ own understandings of how schools work, how teachers and leaders learn, and the ways in which school organizations can thrive. Key to her influence is her ability to generate and use conceptual and theoretical lenses to explain why people act the ways they do, and how understanding those actions can help us all to improve. Her theorizing has provided the field clarity about what works, where it works and why it works while still problematizing our understandings and pushing for greater depth of understanding and analysis.
International growth of SMEs: exploring the effects of adaptive selling, institutional knowledge, innovativeness and opportunity recognition
Authors: Aghazadeh Hashem , Zandi Farzad 
Published: August 2021

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effects of adaptive selling, as a high-level individual-level marketing capability, institutional knowledge, international opportunity recognition and general innovation-orientation of managers on the international growth of Iranian small- and medium-sized enterprises. Also, drawing on strands of research into early internationalisation firms, this study attempts to determine the impact of precocity and speed of internationalisation as a moderator of the relationship of antecedents to international growth.

Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on answers of 748 managers from 186 firms to a self-reporting questionnaire. The partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling approach was used to assess the measurement and construct the model. Furthermore, the study used a PLS multigroup design with four groups of firms to compare the paths with regard to precocity and speed of internationalisation.

Findings
Significant associations for seven out of eight hypotheses were found. The international opportunity recognition was found to mediate the relationship between institutional knowledge and adaptive selling-innovativeness. Additionally, the results of the comparisons found important implications to early and fast internationalisation.

Originality/value
This study shows that international growth stems from individual innovation orientation. It sheds light on the importance of institutional knowledge, adaptive selling and opportunity recognition for early and pacey internationalisation. The findings contribute to the international entrepreneurship literature based on both the early and gradual internationalisation.
Mitigating information asymmetry in inventory pledge financing through the Internet of things and blockchain
Authors: Liu Lixin , Zhang Justin Zuopeng , He Wu , Li Wenzhuo 
Published: August 2021

PurposeRisks resulted from asymmetric information have become crucial barriers for commercial banks to implement supply chain finance (SCF) – mainly the inventory pledge financing (IPF). At the same time, online financial service providers (OFSPs) are emerging as strong competitors in the SCF market. As a result, commercial banks need to update their traditional SCF business models and alleviate their over-dependence on OFSPs.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ a multi-case-study method to investigate how the Internet of things (IoT) and blockchain technologies can be jointly leveraged to mitigate SCF risks. In-depth interviews were conducted to depict the business models and their novel ecosystem to reinforce traditional banks' ability in SCF services.FindingsFrom the perspective of information asymmetry, the authors categorize IPF risks into three groups based on the principal-agent theory: collateral, warehousing and liquidity risk. The findings suggest that IoT can primarily improve traditional banks' information acquisition ability, and blockchain can facilitate credible information transformation, enabling banks to acquire knowledge from collaterals. Besides, the e-platform in the new architecture increases banks' involvement in the supply chain and builds a fair network to curtail warehousing risks. The employment of smart contracts and collaborative mechanism ensure process and outcome control in mitigating liquidity risks.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the literature by confirming the role of emerging technologies in reducing information asymmetry risks. Besides, the findings provide valuable insights for practitioners to promote effective practices and approaches in IPF.
Lower-status experts' influence on health-care managers' decision-making
Authors: Liff Roy , Wikström Ewa 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate and theoretically explain how line managers and lower-status experts work together in public health-care organizations. Hence, this study explores how lower-status experts influence line managers' decision-making and task prioritizing in order to guide staff experts' cooperation and performance improvements.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a qualitative method for data collection and analysis of the experts' and line managers' explanations about their cooperation. A theoretical approach of experts' identity positioning, in terms of differences and similarities, was used in analyzing the interaction between managers and experts.FindingsThis study shows that similarities and differences in positioning acts exist simultaneously. Similarity is constructed by way of strategic and professional alignment with the line managers' core tasks. Differences stem from the distinction between knowledge-grounded skills and professional attributes such as language, analytical tools, and jargon. Lower-status experts need to leave their entrenched positions and match the professional status of line managers in both knowledge aspirations and appearance to reach a respected approach of experts' identity positioning.Originality/valueUnlike many previous studies, this study demonstrates that similarities and differences in positioning acts exist simultaneously.
Cross-border M&As and technological innovation: the moderating roles of formal and informal institutional distance
Authors: Zhang Hongxia , Yang Huixin 
Published: August 2021

Purpose
To reconcile the existing contradictory conclusions on the relationship between cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) and innovation, this paper aims to propose a theoretical model of the impact of cross-border M&As on technological innovation and explore the moderating role of institutional distance from the perspective of springboard theory and new institutional theory.

Design/methodology/approach
Through the use of the two-way fixed effect model and the U-test method, the authors test the hypotheses based on a sample of cross-border M&A events of Chinese manufacturing enterprises during the period from 2006 to 2019.

Findings
The research shows that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between cross-border M&As and technological innovation. Furthermore, formal institutional distance moderates the inverted U-shaped relationship in such a way that it reaches its turning point at a smaller scale of cross-border M&As, and the inverted U-shaped relationship is steeper when formal institutional distance is relatively high. The informal institutional distance moderates the inverted U-shaped relationship in such a way that it reaches its turning point at a larger scale of cross-border M&As and the inverted U-shaped relationship is flatter when the informal institutional distance is relatively high.

Originality/value
The research conclusions integrate heterogeneous views of the existing research, further clarify the influence mechanism and boundary conditions between cross-border M&As and technological innovation, identify the different moderating roles of formal institutional distance and informal institutional distance and enrich the literature on knowledge transfer and recombinant innovation during post-merger integration.
Customer acceptance of frontline service robots in retail banking: A qualitative approach
Authors: Amelia Amelia , Mathies Christine , Patterson Paul G. 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore what drives customer acceptance of frontline service robots (FSR), as a result of their interaction experiences with FSR in the context of retail banking services.Design/methodology/approachApplications of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and service robot acceptance model frame the exploration of customers’ interaction experiences with physical FSR to explain acceptance. A thematic analysis of information obtained through observations, focus groups and participant interviews was applied to identify themes.FindingsThis study identifies 16 dimensions that group into five main themes that influence customer acceptance of FSR in retail banking services: (1) utilitarian aspect, (2) social interaction, (3) customer responses toward FSR, (4) customer perspectives of the company brand and (5) individual and task heterogeneity. Themes 1 and 2 are labeled confirmed themes based on existing theoretical frameworks used; themes 3–5 are additional themes.Practical implicationsThis study provides actionable suggestions to allow managers to reflect on their strategy and consider ways to design and improve the delivery of services that involve FSR.Originality/valueThis study adds to our limited knowledge of how human-robot interaction research in robotics translates to a relatively new research area in frontline services and provides a step toward a comprehensive FSR acceptance model.
Organisational and environmental indicators of B2B sales performance
Authors: Høgevold Nils M. , Rodriguez Rocio , Svensson Gøran , Roberts-Lombard Mornay 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to confirm a conceptualised framework regarding organizational and environmental indicators of sales performance on sellers in a business-to-business environment. The study is based on the meta-analyses of sales performance by Churchillet al.(1985) and Verbekeet al.(2011).Design/methodology/approachA research instrument was used to establish whether three categories that were positioned into a framework of six dimensions can be perceived as valid and reliable. These categories related to organization and environmental indicators of sales performance. A wide variety of organization that are representative of different sectors and organizational sizes were included in the study. These industries and sectors are representative of the commercial sector of Norway.FindingsA six-dimensional framework of organizational and environmental indicators was tested with success in the study. The different dimensions encompass a focus on the external environment, market orientation (internal environment), teamwork (internal environment), positive behavioral feedback (supervisory leadership), transformational leadership (supervisory leadership) and positive feedback (supervisory leadership).Originality/valueA foundation is provided to structure the assessment of sales performance in business-to-business settings through the development of a business-to-business framework of organisational and environmental indicators in sales performance. In addition, a foundation for further studies on sales performance is delivered. Therefore, the study secures a practical orientation to organise and structure the process of business-to-business environmental and organisational planning through verified categories of organisational and environmental indicators, divided into six categories.
The prophylactic potential of Zingiber officinale flowers and leaves extract to mitigate hyperglycemia in Sprague Dawley rats
Authors: Tanweer Saira , Mehmood Tariq , Zainab Saadia , Ahmad Zulfiqar , Khan Muhammad Ammar , Shehzad Aamir , Khaliq Adnan , Chughtai Farhan Jahangir , Liaqat Atif 
Published: August 2021

Purpose
Innovative health-promoting approaches of the era have verified phytoceutics as one of the prime therapeutic tools to alleviate numerous health-related ailments. The purpose of this paper is to probe the nutraceutic potential of ginger flowers and leaves against hyperglycemia.

Design/methodology/approach
The aqueous extracts of ginger flowers and leaves were observed on Sprague Dawley rats for 8 weeks. Two parallel studies were carried out based on dietary regimes: control and hyperglycemic diets. At the end of the experimental modus, the overnight fed rats were killed to determine the concentration of glucose and insulin in serum. The insulin resistance and insulin secretions were also calculated by formulae by considering fasting glucose and fasting insulin concentrations. Furthermore, the feed and drink intakes, body weight gain and hematological analysis were also carried out.

Findings
In streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats, the ginger flowers extract depicted 5.62% reduction; however, ginger leaves extract reduced the glucose concentration up to 7.11% (p = 0.001). Similarly, ginger flowers extract uplifted the insulin concentration up to 3.07%, while, by ginger leaves extract, the insulin value increased to 4.11% (p = 0.002). For the insulin resistance, the ginger flower showed 5.32% decrease; however, the insulin resistance was reduced to 6.48% by ginger leaves (p = 0.014). Moreover, the insulin secretion increased to 18.9% by flower extract and 21.8% by ginger leave extract (p = 0.001). The feed intake and body weight gain increased momentously by the addition of ginger flowers and leaves; however, the drink intake and hematological analysis remained non-significant by the addition of ginger parts.

Originality/value
Conclusively, it was revealed that leaves have more hypoglycemic potential as compared to flowers.
Fostering sustainable relationships in Pakistani cellular service industry through CSR and brand love
Authors: Javed Ammar , Khan Zia 
Published: August 2021

PurposeThis study investigates the mediating role of brand love in two important relationships: first, corporate social responsibility (CSR)–word-of-mouth (WoM) intentions and second, corporate ability (CA)–WoM relationships.Design/methodology/approachData were collected with a sample of 359 respondents, and partial least squares-based structural equation modeling was utilized for data analysis.FindingsThe research reveals interesting findings as brand love fully mediates the CSR–WoM relationship, whilst it partially mediates the CA–WoM relationship.Practical implicationsThe results demonstrate that cellular service firms should strive to create brand love. This is because CSR investments can be diligently translated into WoM intentions through brand love.Originality/valueThe proposal and validation of brand love as a mediator in CSR–WoM and CA–WoM relationships in the cellular service context of a South Asian market is the key contribution of this research.
The influence of consumer Socialization agents and personal attitude in the consumption of alcohol among youth in South Africa
Authors: Matjila Kagiso , Ameyibor Leeford Edem Kojo , Saini Yvonne 
Published: August 2021

Purpose
This paper aims to estimate the effects of three socialization agents in the form of advertising exposure, parental influence and peer influence and effects of personal attitude on youth alcohol consumption behaviour in South Africa.

Design/methodology/approach
A structural equation model was used to test the proposed conceptual model of four hypotheses based on the validated survey data gathered from 300 youth in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Findings
Empirical results show that advertising, parental influence, peer influence and personal attitude has positive effects on youth alcohol consumption behaviour, with advertising and personal attitude exhibiting statistical significance on alcohol consumption behaviour.

Research limitations/implications
The study involves only youthful demographic in the age range of 18–35 and hence suffers from generalizability. The cross-sectional design also limits the findings with respect to time.

Practical implications
It provides policymakers insights into important factors to focus on changing drinking behaviour in South Africa.

Social implications
It also improves the understanding of how consumer socialization agents and personal attitudes affect alcohol consumption of young people in South Africa and help deal with the problem through policy changes and social marketing interventions.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to estimate three socialization agents and personal attitude of youth in alcohol consumption behaviour in an emerging market context.
Omecamtiv mecarbil attenuates length–tension relationship in healthy rat myocardium and preserves it in monocrotaline‐induced pulmonary heart failure
Authors: Lookin Oleg , Kuznetsov Daniil , Protsenko Yuri 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe cardiac‐specific myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil (OM), is an effective inotrope for treating heart failure but its effects on active force and Ca2+ kinetics in healthy and diseased myocardium remain poorly studied. We tested the effect of two concentrations of OM (0.2 and 1 µmol/L in saline) on isometric contraction and Ca‐transient (CaT) in right ventricular trabeculae of healthy rats (CONT, n = 8) and rats with monocrotaline‐induced pulmonary heart failure (MCT, n = 8). The contractions were obtained under preload of 75%–100% of optimal length (tension–length relationship). The 0.2 µmol/L OM did not affect the diastolic level, amplitude, or kinetics of isometric contraction and CaT, irrespective of the group of rats or preload. The 1 µmol/L OM significantly suppressed active tension–length relationships in CONT but not in MCT, while leading in both groups to a significantly prolonged relaxation. CaT time‐to‐peak was unaffected in CONT and MCT, but CaT decay was slightly accelerated in its early phase and considerably prolonged in its late phase to a similar extent in both groups. We conclude that the substantial prolongation of CaT decay is due to enhanced Ca2+ utilisation by troponin C mediated by the direct effect of OM on the cooperative activation of myofilaments. The lack of beneficial effect of OM in the healthy rat myocardium may be due to a relatively high level of activating Ca2+ in cells with normal Ca2+ handling, whereas the preservation of the tension–length relationship in the failing heart may relate to the diminished Ca2+ levels of sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Modelling of Chinese corporate bond default – A machine learning approach
Authors: Lu Zhou , Zhuo Zhuyao 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWe apply machine learning techniques to construct a series of models of corporate bond defaults. By combining Chinese accounting information and corporate bond data from January 2012 to December 2019, we construct an out‐of‐sample forecast that significantly improves the identification rate of corporate bond defaults, with an area under the receiver operating characteristics curve greater than 90 percent. Our models are robust to different machine learning models, including stacking, boosting, and bagging ensembling models. Our models consider cross‐sectional heterogeneity, such as different ownership structures, accessibility to external finance, industry heterogeneity, different sample periods, and government policy impact.