bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Challenges in public private partnerships in construction industry
Authors: Jayasuriya Sajani , Zhang Guomin , Jing Yang Rebecca 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
Public private partnerships (PPPs) face challenges in implementation and operation, and need efforts to improve their performance. The purpose of this paper is to review the PPP literature quantitatively and qualitatively, in order to establish challenge themes and set research directions.

Design/methodology/approach
More than 4,000 papers published between 2008 and 2017 were retrieved. From this collection, papers from five major international journals were selected to explore extant PPP research findings under six main PPP challenges including: challenges related to financial management, concession period and price determination, operational phase, risk management, PPP project procurement and stakeholder management (SM). Initially, the papers were categorised quantitatively into the identified challenges and subsequently the articles were qualitatively analysed and discussed.

Findings
Poor SM, the complexity of risk management models, project delivery time and cost overruns, inadequate consideration of whole life-cycle aspects and over-reliance on a Public Sector Comparator for evaluating PPPs are found to be the most commonly encountered issues. These all warrant more extensive attention and innovative solutions.

Practical implications
PPP projects have faced many challenges in practice and also existing research findings have limited application in practice. Challenges highlighted in this research can be a focus area in practice to improve the performance of PPPs.

Originality/value
No previous reviews have explored the challenges relating to PPP projects and how they can then addressed by further studies in the field. This review is intended to address that gap, and should help to shed light on further research directions to address the emerging challenges in PPP procurement.
Consumers’ perception of amaranth in Mexico
Authors: Rojas-Rivas Edgar , Espinoza-Ortega Angélica , Thomé-Ortiz Humberto , Moctezuma-Pérez Sergio 
Published: March 2019

PurposeDemographic and socioeconomic changes, and health issues, promote interest in emerging countries for healthy foods, taking traditional foods under the perspective of functional foods. Amaranth has moved from local to a wider consumption as a functional food. The purpose of this paper is to identify consumers’ perception about amaranth and its relation to consumption motives.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire was applied to 610 respondents, and free word association determined their perception about amaranth through categories. Cluster analysis identified groups of consumers according to their motives for consumption. Globalχ2and correspondence analysis related consumers’ perceptions in the groups were identified.FindingsA total of 16 word categories reflected consumers’ perception about amaranth. Most mentioned were: Traditional product, Hedonism and Health and well-being. Three groups showed significant differences regarding motives of consumption. It is concluded that perceptions about amaranth are closely linked to the motives of consumption. Perceptions of health benefits are related to motives for health issues and taste. There is a group that still consumes amaranth perceived as a traditional food.Practical implicationsAs a functional food, these results could be useful to promote amaranth from its perception as healthy. Producers might develop products based on amaranth that meet perceptions considering gender and age in Mexico and other emergent countries.Originality/valueThis work contributes knowledge to international research that analyses traditional foods as functional foods and consumer perceptions on these. It is a first approach to identify perceptions of Mexican consumers towards amaranth as a traditional and a functional food.
Is the Mediterranean Diet for all? An analysis of socioeconomic inequalities and food consumption in Italy
Authors: Cavaliere Alessia , De Marchi Elisa , Donzelli Franco , Banterle Alessandro 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the role of the main socioeconomic and demographic factors in affecting the consumption frequency of specific food categories with a view to highlighting differences across population segments. Second, to analyze whether socioeconomic status (SES) is ultimately related to the overall level of adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) of the Italian population.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were obtained from the Italian Household Survey covering about 36.000 individuals (18 years old and older). The Household Survey includes questions aimed at eliciting the consumption frequency of the main food items of the MD pyramid. Moreover, to assess the degree of adherence to the MD, the authors constructed an index (MDI) aimed at reflecting how much individuals follow the MD pyramid recommendations.

Findings
The results show that both socioeconomic and demographic factors play a relevant role in affecting the consumption frequency of the main food categories of the MD pyramid. More affluent people consume fish, fruit and vegeFis, wine and beer more frequently than their poorer counterparts. Moreover, higher income is associated with the lower consumption of meat and eggs, dairy products, cereals and starchy vegetables as well as legumes.

Originality/value
The results foster the debate on how to guarantee healthy food accessibility to all population segments, thus having relevant implications in terms of food and health policies. The issue of MD adherence in Italy and its relationship with SES has been previously investigated on the basis of regional data, which make it difficult to extend the results to larger contexts, particularly in a country like Italy with remarkable socioeconomic differences between northern and southern regions.
Children’s organic fruit nectar satisfaction: an experimental economics approach
Authors: Ardizzone Antonella , Faralla Valeria , Novarese Marco 
Published: March 2019

PurposeOver the past several decades, studies regarding consumer satisfaction for organic food (OF) have increased along with the rise in OF consumption. However, empirical research into satisfaction for organic products with respect to conventional goods is still needed. Along this line, the purpose of this paper is to understand the role of information in children’s satisfaction for organic and conventional fruit nectar.Design/methodology/approachA satisfaction questionnaire on 92 primary school pupils was collected during the tasting stages. A questionnaire surveying the participants’ habits with respect to OF and fruit nectar consumption was also administered. Descriptive analysis and ordinal logistic regressions were used to investigate any correlation between the participants’ evaluations of fruit nectar samples and the other variables investigated.FindingsAccording to the results of this paper, children’s satisfaction scores are influenced by the information they learn regarding fruit nectar: satisfaction scores are higher when children know the fruit nectar is organic. Satisfaction is also influenced by age: older children are more likely to assign lower scores to fruit nectars. Also, the effect of information regarding the nature of fruit nectar (organic or conventional) on satisfaction scores is stronger in children whose families consume OF.Research limitations/implicationsDue to financial constraints, this research was conducted on a non-probability convenience sample and on a single food product (i.e. fruit nectar).Practical implicationsRegulatory policies should consider these influences when legislating on product labelling and the disclosure of product information. Consumer evaluations can be indeed influenced toward responsible, safe behaviour.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the investigation of the connection between product labelling and children’s food satisfaction. Particularly, this study has generated some important findings in the field of children’s perceptions of OF.
Challenges of disaster training: implication for federal and state university libraries in Nigeria
Authors: Ilo Promise Ifeoma , Ngwuchukwu Margaret , Michael-Onuoha Happiness Chijioke , Segun-Adeniran Chidi 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges affecting disaster training in federal and state university libraries in Southwest Nigeria with a view to finding ways of overcoming them.

Design/methodology/approach
Having adopted the descriptive research design, 14 university libraries (seven each of federal and state) were selected from the Southwest geo-political zone of Nigeria. The total enumeration sampling technique was employed. Questionnaire and interview methods were used for data collection. The three research questions that guided the study were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation and ranking. Judgments were drawn using real limit of numbers and 2.50 as criterion mean.

Findings
Results emanated from the study showed that university libraries in the studied region are more equipped to fight fire disaster than any other emergency which is why fire drills and exercises are the prevailing disaster training received by library staff. It was also found that inadequate disaster facilities and equipment as well as poor funding were the greatest challenges confronting disaster training. The provision of adequate disaster facilities and equipment with the constitution of disaster prevention and response team was found as the most potent strategy for addressing the identified challenges.

Originality/value
The study lends strong empirical evidence for the underlining factors affecting disaster training in federal and state university libraries as well as academic libraries in general. The strategies for addressing the identified challenges are of more significance.
Disaster relief trials: perceptions of a disaster-themed bicycling event
Authors: Kirkpatrick Sarah Bundy 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
Bicycling enthusiasts have been organizing community events in US cities to demonstrate how bicycles may be of use in the aftermath of a disaster event. The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceived value of these events and levels of engagement in the same amongst emergency managers, community organizers and bicycling advocates.

Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through 21 in-depth, telephone interviews with emergency management officials and bicycling advocates in bicycle-friendly jurisdictions in the USA and analyzed using initial and focused coding, analytic memos and theoretical sorting.

Findings
The study found that event organizers and other bicycle advocates widely embraced the concept as a means to change societal perceptions of bicycles as viable modes of transportation, indicating at least some level of interest in taking an active role in its pursuit. Emergency managers were generally receptive to the idea, but they largely saw the value as restricted to raising public awareness about hazards and individual preparedness measures; and they mostly envisioned for themselves a minimal role in event planning and execution.

Practical implications
The findings suggest that when operating in a resource-poor environment with limited public and political support, there are innovative partnerships and ideas that can be successfully leveraged to advance multiple purposes.

Originality/value
Almost no empirical research has looked at the disaster relief trial concept, given the relative newness and novelty of the idea. An examination of perceived value of disaster-oriented community bicycling events seems warranted as such events continue to grow in existing locations and emerge in new locales each year.
Relationship versus customer experience quality as determinants of relationship quality and relational outcomes for Kuwaiti retail banks
Authors: Al-Wugayan Adel A.A. 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which customer experience and relationship marketing (RM), as two widely used service management approaches, can effectively determine satisfaction and commitment as two relational quality constructs, and their impact on loyalty and word-of-mouth (WoM) as relational outcomes for retail bank services in Kuwait. This country is chosen as an exemplar of an Arabian Peninsula culture with a predominantly Islamic heritage and a capital-surplus economy.

Design/methodology/approach
The relational benefits scale and customer experience quality were used as independent measures to collect data using multiple methods (interview, paper and pencil, online) from 1,013 customers of local and international banks. Standard translation procedures, CFA procedures and parallel analysis were employed to examine the dimensionality of all scales. SEM procedures were applied for each approach to assess its impact on the four indigenous dependent constructs using a multitude of fit indices, examination of validity and reliability measures for all constructs as well as structural paths.

Findings
Results show the factor structure of both scales differed from their original conceptualization, with fewer items forming each latent factor when applied in Kuwait. The explanatory and predictive power of the EXQ model performed slightly better than RBS, although both explained substantial variance on dependent measures, confirming their relevance despite the lack of noticeable correlation between most factors contained in both scales.

Research limitations/implications
This study underscores the importance of establishing the validity of measures prior to their cross-cultural application, with particular focus on the content validity of scale items to measure the intended construct properly. It also shows how two approaches can complement each other rather than compete to effectively manage bank services. As is the case with all cross-sectional research paradigms, longitudinal analysis linking expressed loyalty/WoM with actual behavior can better assess tested relationships than the current research.

Practical implications
Retail banks’ marketing strategy should simultaneously address customer relationships and customer experience to reduce attrition and enhance customer life-time value.

Originality/value
Effects of service experience and RM are examined in a Middle-Eastern market, where internationalization of banks has created strong competition, leading customers to view bank services as less differentiated. Caution and examination of service quality measures are needed before using them as metrics in annual reports and performance reviews.
Assessing the emotional impact of virtual reality-based teacher training
Authors: Stavroulia Kalliopi Evangelia , Christofi Maria , Baka Evangelia , Michael-Grigoriou Despina , Magnenat-Thalmann Nadia , Lanitis Andreas 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose the use of a virtual reality (VR)-based approach to improve teacher education and life-long professional development. Through constant training in real-life based situations but within a safe three-dimensional virtual school environment, teachers are given the opportunity to experience and learn how to react to different types of incidents that may take place in a school environment.

Design/methodology/approach
The current paper presents the design cycle that was followed for the implementation of the VR teacher training system. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated with a case study that aimed to promote teachers’ understanding of student’s problematic situations related to substance use. As part of the experimental investigation, the impact of the VR system on participants’ emotions and mood states is evaluated through Electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements, heart rate (HR) recordings and self-reported data.

Findings
Results indicate significant changes to participant’s negative emotional and mood states, suggesting that the scenario and the VR experience had a strong impact on them. Moreover, participants’ HR was increased during the experiment, while the analysis of the EEG signal indicated that the participants experienced a stressful situation that could justify the change in their negative emotions and mood states.

Originality/value
The proposed VR-based approach aims to provide an innovative framework to teacher education and the related training methodology. In the long-term, the proposed VR system aims to form a new paradigm of teacher training, an alternative safe method that will allow user-teachers to learn through trial and error techniques that reflect real-life situations within a three-dimensional school space and without the risk of harming real students. To the best of our knowledge this is one of the first systematic attempts to use a VR-based methodology to address real teachers’ needs. The development of the VR application is linked to both strong theoretical foundations in education derived from the literature but also from real teachers’ problems and requirements derived from an extensive literature analysis, survey and interviews with experts including teachers, school counselors and psychologists. The VR tool addresses specific teachers’ competences as outcome, after an extensive documentation of existing Teachers’ Competence Models and significant guidance by experts who pointed specific competencies of primary importance to teachers.
What do we know about the dividend puzzle? – A literature survey
Authors: Al-Najjar Basil , Kilincarslan Erhan 
Published: March 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on the ongoing debate of dividend policy, which is considered one of the most controversial topics in corporate finance literature.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a survey of literature; it, first, outlines the main theoretical arguments of dividend policy and then critically discusses the most important and influential previous empirical studies in the dividend literature.FindingsThe analysis of literature review detects that no general consensus has yet been reached after many decades of investigation, despite extensive debate and countless research. Consequently, the main motivation for paying dividends is still unsolved and thus remains as a puzzle. In addition, there is no doubt that carrying the dividend debate into the context of emerging markets attaches more pieces to this puzzle.Originality/valueThis paper offers an updated and more comprehensive survey of literature by examining the relationship between theory and practice from both developed and emerging markets.
Effect of behavioral variables on organizational
citizenship behavior (OCB), with job satisfaction as moderating among Jordanian
five-star hotels
Authors: Alsheikh Ghaith , Sobihah Mutia Abd Alhlim 
Published: March 2019

Purpose
In the current competitive world of business, it is important that every
individual strives to be competitive to elevate his/her life status and
creates a bright-looking future. The purpose of this study is to lay
emphasis on the Jordanian hospitality industry in light of the investigation
as to how organizational commitment, leadership style and organizational
culture influence organizational citizen behavior (OCB) with the moderating
role of job satisfaction in the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach
The study explores the determinants based on the responses obtained from the
employees working in five-star hotels in Jordan. A small sample was exposed
to SPSS software analysis for instrument validity, reliability and data
normality.

Findings
The study validated the reliability of the instrument in conducting a
preliminary study, obtaining reasonable normality and highly reliable
coefficients of measures (0.753-0.938).

Originality/value
The study validated the effectiveness of the instrument that examined
different specific antecedents of OCB.
Quality management as a determinant factor of productivity
Authors: Ruales Guzmán Bertha Viviana , Brun Alessandro , Castellanos Domínguez Oscar Fernando 
Published: March 2019

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to analyse the current state of the literature on the relationship between quality management (QM) and productivity as a performance indicator; second, to identify the key constructs of QM practices related to productivity; and, finally, to reveal whether QM can actually be regarded as a determinant of productivity.Design/methodology/approachThis research was carried out through a systematic literature review, considering 150 papers that studied this relationship between 1997 and 2017 and another 37 papers on the internal determinants of productivity.FindingsThe findings revealed that human resource management, top management and process management were the more relevant constructs of QM practices related to productivity. In addition, 89 per cent of the internal determinants of productivity were related to the proposed constructs of QM practices, which suggest that QM is a determinant factor of productivity.Originality/valueThis review analysed the literature on the relationship between QM and productivity, as few studies have done before, generating original, interesting and useful findings that can guide future research and that also represent a useful tool for researchers, practitioners, managers and policy makers.
Experimental design and analysis of matching design
Authors: Jeang Angus , Ko Chang Pu , Chung Chien-Ping , Liang Francois , Chen Guan-Ying 
Published: March 2019

PurposeThis study considers the five factors of a car rotation system: angle (F1), arm length (F2), toe in and out (F3), width (F4) and length (F5). The purpose of this paper is to fine tune the design so it produces the smoothest response to various rotation angles.Design/methodology/approachIn the case of Ackerman’s principle, the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze data when encountering different quality characteristics at various rotation angles.FindingsIn this study, RSM was used to obtain the best factor and the best reaction value for the five factors of a car rotation system.Practical implicationsIn this study, the four-wheel steering of a car is taken as an example. When the current wheel is turned, the intersection of the left and right wheels of the front axle falls on the extension line of the rear wheel. In this case, the steering will be the smoothest. In this example, we selected angle (F1), arm length (F2), toe in and out (F3), width (F4) and length (F5) as experimental factors, hoping to satisfy the Ackerman principle.Social implicationsTraditionally, when dealing with four-wheel steering problems, solutions may be based on past experience or on new information used to formulate R&D plans. In this study, the combination of statistical factors and optimization is used to find the optimal combination of factors and the relationship between factors.Originality/valueIn the past, most literature relied on kinematics to study the car rotation system due to a lack of experimental design and analysis concepts. However, this study aims to achieve the above goals in finding the solution, which can be used to predict reaction values.