bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Economic policy uncertainty and SMEs’ investment efficiency in France: does competitive pressure matter?
Authors: Hamza Taher , Barka Zeineb , Verdie Jean-François , Al Sayah Maher 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate empirically the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on small-to-medium enterprises’ (SMEs) investment efficiency and whether product market competition influences this association.

Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted on French SMEs listed on the “CAC Mid & Small” Index over 2008–2021. This paper proposes a quantitative approach to test the relationship between the EPU and SME investment efficiency.

Findings
These findings show that EPU significantly alleviates SMEs’ investment inefficiency, reflected in the reduction of overinvestment and underinvestment. As EPU increases, firms with more exposure to such uncertainty invest more efficiently, and their overinvestment tendency becomes lower, while reducing the risk of underinvestment. These results are still significant after a series of robustness checks. Further analysis shows that EPU mitigates investment inefficiency to a greater extent for firms operating in highly competitive industries, and better information environments.

Research limitations/implications
This study was limited to the French EPU index and could be extended to a European or even international scale. Moreover, using alternative uncertainty indexes across various European countries can be more advantageous in further studies. Although results suggest that EPU affects investment efficiency, future studies could further explore the mechanisms through which EPU affects SMEs’ investment efficiency and, in particular, across different industries. Understanding these variations due to the specific industry-EPU sensitivity can provide valuable insights. Finally, it would be interesting to examine the risk management strategies adopted by SMEs in the face of EPU, combined with other growing risks, such as climate risk.

Practical implications
In the face of high EPU, SME managers must improve risk management, adopt appropriate investment strategies, consider using predictive analytics or economic forecasting tools and embrace technology and innovation that enhance agility and responsiveness to policy uncertainty. Besides, political decision-makers should adapt their regulatory policies (tax, labor, housing, etc.) to preserve the efficiency of SME investment.

Originality/value
Although the debates on how policy uncertainty affects the investment and financing of large businesses have received a great concern of academia, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on the effect of EPU on investment distortions for SMEs.
Building a sustainable future: ideas and perceptions of university staff
Authors: Koivunen Tuija , Konst Taru , Friman Mervi 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThe universities of applied sciences (UASs) in Finland play a significant role in providing skilled professionals with higher education degrees to meet the needs of the labor market and society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to determine what the staff in these universities consider the role of UASs in promoting sustainable development (SD) to be.Design/methodology/approachThe qualitative research data were collected from a survey distributed among UAS staff in the spring of 2021. The data consisted of 831 responses to an open-ended question on how UASs could promote SD and a sense of responsibility for it. The method used for the data analysis was theory-led content analysis.FindingsStaff at UASs are actively promoting SD in higher education and have many ideas on how to do this, which is encouraging. With further processing of these ideas and support from management, UASs can play a more important role in sustainability work and set an example for how to build a sustainable future.Originality/valueThe promotion of SD is a timely topic, and examples of SD implementation and good practices can promote discussion of the role of higher education institutions in SD promotion and highlight collective ways to promote it.
Mapping covid-19 and transportation: a taxonomical study using bibliometric visualisation
Authors: Nobanee Haitham , Alodat Ahmad Yuosef , Chakraborty Dipanwita 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the progress and scholarly contributions concerning the effects of COVID-19 on transportation.

Design/methodology/approach
Using the SCOPUS database, an analysis was conducted on the output of 733 studies concerning COVID-19 and transportation from 2020 to 2022. Bibliometric visualization techniques were performed, which included funding sponsors, top-cited documents, top journals, top countries, co-authorship of authors, co-citation of authors and keyword analysis.

Findings
This study presents diverse findings encompassing influential authors, predominant countries, prominent journals, pivotal papers, funding institutions and affiliations engaged in COVID-19 and transportation research. The research offers a comprehensive assessment of the field’s advancement, addressing existing gaps within the context of limited pertinent literature.

Practical implications
These practical implications highlight how the taxonomical study using bibliometric visualization can inform various aspects of research, policy, practice and decision-making related to COVID-19 and transportation.

Originality/value
The study uses bibliometric visualization techniques to provide a comprehensive overview of existing literature and research trends in COVID-19 and transportation. Its taxonomical approach categorizes the literature systematically, enhancing its originality. The comprehensive analysis contributes to understanding the research landscape, while visualization uncovers new insights. Overall, the study’s unique focus, visualization techniques, taxonomical approach and comprehensive analysis offer originality and potential for new insights in this field.
Students' emotional engagement in online classes: a conceptual framework
Authors: Prayogo Agus , Khotimah Khusnul , Istiqomah Lilik , Maharsi Ista 
Published: November 2023

PurposeIn this paper the authors have sought to create solid connection between theory and practices pertaining to the immense value of students' emotional engagement in online instruction. This conceptual paper is motivated by the inadequacy of literature translating the emotional engagement concept to the micro level of online instructions within the upsurge intention to the new trend of online teaching-learning. This paper aims to contribute by addressing the fundamental issues of emotional engagement starting from revisiting the roles of teachers in students' emotional engagement, reviewing and underscoring the importance of students' emotional engagement in higher education and finally conceptualizing and framing how to infuse emotional engagement into the instructions.Design/methodology/approachThe explanation of how to advocate for students' emotional engagement in online learning praxis is inadequately discussed although the library of literature has informed the fundamental role of students' emotional engagement in establishing successful online learning. This paper aims to address this practical need by interactively connecting the theory, empirical findings and pedagogical practices in the area to provide praxeological contribution to the development of quality online teaching-learning practices.FindingsThis study presents a framework that advances the existing body of research at the juncture of emotional engagement and online learning. This conceptual paper foregrounds an examination of the roles of teachers in students' emotional engagement and underscores the significance of students' emotional engagement in higher education. Moreover, it proposes a conceptual framework delineating effective strategies for the integration of emotional engagement within instructional methodologies. This framework comprises four key aspects: (1) fostering students' learning autonomy and ownership, (2) establishing socioemotional construction through verbal and non-verbal expressions, (3) integrating a multimodal approach to online learning and (4) honing the art of constructive feedback.Research limitations/implicationsThis conceptual paper is rooted in a nested theory and draws upon empirical studies. While the presented framework holds promise, its efficacy in the classroom setting requires validation through further empirical investigation.Practical implicationsThose proposed pedagogical strategies detailed with the practical examples explained in the previous part would afford students with a better socioemotional amenities of learning environment benefitting them with positive affective engagement.Originality/valueGiven the imperative to enhance students' emotional engagement in online learning and the limited discourse surrounding its practical implementation, the proposed framework stands poised to enrich and inform online pedagogical practices.
Drivers and barriers for implementing social sustainability in supply chains: a qualitative investigation of a developing country's multi-tier suppliers
Authors: Nath Shobod Deba , Eweje Gabriel , Barua Suborna 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate why multi-tier apparel suppliers integrate social sustainability practices into their supply chains and what barriers these suppliers encounter while embedding social sustainability practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a qualitative research design, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with 46 owners and managers from 33 multi-tier apparel suppliers in Bangladesh, an important outsourcing hub for the global apparel industry. To corroborate research findings, the views of owners and managers were triangulated by further interviewing 11 key representatives of institutional actors such as third-party auditors, a donor agency, industry associations, regulatory agencies and a non-governmental organisation (NGO).FindingsThe authors' findings suggest a range of divergent institutional drivers and barriers – coercive, mimetic and normative – that determine the implementation of multi-tier suppliers' social sustainability practices. The key reported drivers were buyers' requirements, external stakeholders' expectations, top management commitment and competition. Conversely, cost and resource concerns and gaps in the regulatory framework were identified as key social sustainability implementation barriers. In particular, owners and managers of second-tier and third-tier supplier firms experienced more internal barriers such as cost and resource concerns than external barriers such as gaps in values, learning and commitment (i.e. compromise for mutual benefit and non-disclosure of non-compliance) that impeded effective social sustainability implementation.Research limitations/implicationsSocial sustainability in supply chain management has received significant attention from academics, business practitioners, governments, NGOs and supranational organisations. However, limited attention has been paid to investigating the drivers and barriers for social sustainability implementation from a developing country's multi-tier supplier perspective. The authors' research has addressed this knowledge gap.Practical implicationsThe evidence from the authors' study provides robust support for key assumptions of institutional theory and has useful implications for both managers and policy-makers.Originality/valueThe authors' study contributes to the embryonic research stream of socially sustainable multi-tier supply chain management by connecting it to the application of institutional theory in a challenging institutional context.
The role of ethical leadership to employees work engagement: a social learning theory perspective
Authors: Junaidi Junaidi 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThis study examines the role of ethical leadership in building employee trust, knowledge sharing (KS), job satisfaction and then influencing employee engagement in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachThe sample included 610 employees of Indonesia Islamic Bank, obtained through an online survey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsEthical leadership actively contributes to the growth of employee trust, exchange knowledge frequent and job satisfaction and then become key points to enhance employees’ engagement.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research is required to validate across regions and organisations to in light of the findings of the topic study.Practical implicationsOrganisational leaders and employees obtain a better understanding of ethics and organisation management field, hence employees and leaders must encourage ethical values as code of conduct in the workplace.Originality/valueThis study demonstrated the extent of the Khan concept for a combination of employee engagement, ethical leadership and KS. It also incorporates employee job satisfaction and the organisational engagement among employees.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2023-0218
An industry 4.0 adoption in the circular economy application hierarchical model: driver, enable and barrier aspects
Authors: Abdul-Hamid Asma-Qamaliah , Ali Mohd Helmi , Osman Lokhman Hakim , Tseng Ming-Lang , Omar Ahmad Raflis Che 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThis paper aims to contribute significantly to the empirical investigations on adopting Industry 4.0–circular economy in the Malaysian palm oil industry. The paper also aims to theorise and empirically assess a comprehensive model incorporating three aspects and 51 criteria.Design/methodology/approachA two-stage methodology is proposed using the fuzzy Delphi method and the fuzzy-based analytical network process. Twenty-seven criteria on adoptability of industry 4.0–circular economy were selected for the first-stage methodology, followed by identifying each criteria's intersection with the overall objectives.FindingsThe findings indicate that financial constraints, the lack of a collaborative I4.0–CE model, laws and policy, low management support and the training of dedicated employers in I4.0–CE-application are the top five criteria requiring critical attention from the POI.Practical implicationsThe overall sustainability advantages of the POI are identified and discussed in depth to establish criteria for industry 4.0–circular economy applications.Originality/valueThis study fills the previous research gap by theoretically explaining POI's industry 4.0 adoption–circular economy from the perspective of two underpinning theories. Due to the pressure towards sustainability, the industry must be ready to adopt industry 4.0–circular economy applications, and resources must be managed appropriately and effectively by sharing and integrating. Advanced industry 4.0 technologies and pragmatic practices such as a circular economy are needed to achieve optimal sustainable development while retaining commercial success.
Financial inclusion and market-based performance: empirical evidence from Syrian banks
Authors: Alomari Masah , Aladi Ibrahim 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
Financial inclusion is considered one of the strategic tools for sustainable development and one of the types of corporate social responsibility disclosures. This study aims to focus on the association between the disclosure of financial inclusion activities and Syrian banking companies’ performance.

Design/methodology/approach
Different regression models were suggested to examine the hypotheses leading to a better understanding of the relationship between financial inclusion and Syrian banking performance for the period 2005 to 2020 using the STATA 17.

Findings
The results showed a positive association between financial inclusion disclosure and Syrian bank performance, with low participation in financial inclusion activities (8%).

Research limitations/implications
The study recommends that the Central Bank of Syria work on developing an index of financial inclusion for the Syrian environment, with the issuance of legislation and laws that obligate all listed banks to disclose their financial inclusion activities as a part of their social responsibility.

Originality/value
This study incorporates the relationship between the disclosure of financial inclusion activities and the performance of Syrian banking companies, which has been neglected by most studies on financial inclusion. Therefore, this study sheds light on this positive relationship, which could have important repercussions in reviving the deteriorating Syrian economy following the crisis it went through, which, in turn, led to Syria’s high inflation affecting the poor and vulnerable disproportionately.
Agile work practices and team creativity: the mediating role of team efficacy
Authors: Uraon Ram Shankar , Bharati Rashmi , Sahu Kritika , Chauhan Anshu 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of two dimensions of agile work practices (i.e. agile taskwork and agile teamwork) on team efficacy and creativity. Further, it examines the mediating effect of team efficacy in the relationship between two dimensions of agile work practices and team creativity.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 563 professionals working in 290 information technology (IT) companies in India using a self-reporting structured questionnaire. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypothesized model.FindingsThe results demonstrate that agile taskwork and agile teamwork positively impact team creativity and team efficacy, and team efficacy positively impacts team creativity. Furthermore, team efficacy partially mediates the impact of agile taskwork and agile teamwork on team creativity.Practical implicationsThis study shows the importance of agile work practices and team efficacy to enhance team creativity. The research offers managers strategies to boost team creativity.Originality/valueThere is a dearth of research examining the distinct effects of agile taskwork and agile teamwork on team efficacy and team creativity. Also, this study is one of its kind that examines the mediating mechanisms that explain the effect of agile taskwork and agile teamwork on team creativity.
Examining entrepreneurial successes and failures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2023)
Authors: Gambirage Cinara , Cyrino Alvaro Bruno , Caetano da Silva Jaison , Barbosa Luiz Gustavo Medeiros , Parente Ronaldo Couto 
Published: November 2023

PurposeWhen entrepreneurship scholars and policy makers turned their attention to entrepreneurial ventures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2023), its full effects on entrepreneurial firms and systems presented radically challenging questions and unresolved puzzles. In this paper, the authors shed light on these questions and puzzles with a large-scale empirical examination of the pandemic's overall effects on entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial firms, entrepreneurial environments and responses with a view toward success and failure over time.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopt a broad exploratory approach and examine different perspectives to develop a deeper understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial firms, entrepreneurial environments and responses especially regarding the success and failure of entrepreneurial ventures during the pandemic. Thus, the authors built a dataset with 10 survey waves from 2020 to 2021, with an average of 7,000 Brazilian entrepreneurial ventures (SMEs) in each wave of the survey. The authors used this data to examine their performance and survival.FindingsThe findings suggest that the increase of the COVID-19 virus contagion per se did not severely affect entrepreneurial ventures' performance and survival. However, the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic did weaken entrepreneurial ventures' performance and survival. Moreover, the findings suggest that entrepreneur education has an inverted U-shaped relationship with entrepreneurial ventures performance. Indigenous, Brown and Black entrepreneurs experienced decreased entrepreneurial ventures survival compared to White entrepreneurs. While entrepreneurial ventures that adopted digital technologies and had access to loans increased their performance and survival during the COVID-19 pandemic, those who failed in these aspects experienced negative performance and survival effects. Thus, although the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted many entrepreneurial ventures and even forced some to close, others survived and even prospered during the environmental shock.Originality/valueThe paper sheds light on a little understood topic: entrepreneurial venture success and failure in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adding hope to mitigate defensive responses: the effect of guilt+hope appeals in road safety campaigns
Authors: Mao Bingjing , Carcioppolo Nicholas , Tian Shiyun , Harrison Tyler R. 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
Guilt appeals are increasingly being used in road safety campaigns, despite recent research that has raised doubts about their effectiveness and the potential for triggering defensive responses. Building on the extended parallel process model, this study aims to add to this growing body of research by evaluating whether combining a hope message with guilt appeals can solve this problem.

Design/methodology/approach
An online experiment with a 2 (Appeal type: Guilt vs Guilt+hope) × 2 (Language intensity: Low vs High) between-subjects design was conducted. A total of 399 participants recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk were randomized to view one of the four advertisements discouraging texting while driving (TWD). Their affective responses, perceptions about the advertisements and intentions to not TWD were measured.

Findings
The results showed that compared to guilt-only appeals, guilt+hope appeals directly reduced defensive responses (i.e. perceived manipulative intent and anger) across varying levels of language intensity. In addition, guilt+hope appeals mitigated the negative impacts of manipulative intent on intended emotions and intentions to not TWD.

Originality/value
Findings of this study mark the first to support the idea that communicating hope within guilt appeals is a promising social marketing strategy to discourage TWD.
Project portfolio selection and scheduling incorporating dynamic synergy
Authors: Bai Libiao , Yang Mengqin , Pan Tong , Sun Yichen 
Published: November 2023

PurposeSelecting and scheduling optimal project portfolio simultaneously is a complex decision-making problem faced by organizations to realize the strategy. However, dynamic synergy relationships among projects complicate this problem. This study aims at constructing a project portfolio selection and scheduling (PPSS) model while quantifying the dynamic synergetic effects to provide decision support for managing PPSS problems.Design/methodology/approachThis study develops a mathematical model for PPSS with the objective of maximal project portfolio benefits (PPBs). To make the results align with the strategy, comprehensive PPBs are divided into financial and non-financial aspects based on the balanced scorecard. Then, synergy benefits evolve dynamically in the time horizon, and system dynamics is employed to quantify them. Lastly, a case example is conducted to verify the applicability of the proposed model.FindingsThe proposed model is an applicable model for PPSS while incorporating dynamic synergy. It can help project managers obtain the results that which project should be selected and when it should start while achieving optimal PPBs.Originality/valueThis study complements prior PPSS research in two aspects. First, financial and non-financial PPBs are designed as new criteria for PPSS, making the results follow the strategy. Second, this study illuminates the dynamic characteristic of synergy and quantifies the synergetic effect. The proposed model provides insights into managing a PPSS effectively.