bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How education and training systems can support a digitally-enabled workforce for the manufacturing industry of the future: an exploratory study
Authors: Laundon Melinda , McDonald Paula , Greentree Jacqueline 
Published: August 2023

PurposeThis paper explores how education and training systems can support a digitally-enabled workforce for the Australian manufacturing sector.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on interviews with 17 sector-level manufacturing stakeholders from industry, government and education/training organisations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of how education and training systems currently support a digitally-enabled manufacturing workforce as well as opportunities for alternative configurations or developments.FindingsAnalysis revealed three themes reflecting core dimensions of a supportive education and training system: partnerships, pedagogy and prospects. Cooperative, integrated and sustained partnerships are needed between vocational education and training (VET) institutions, universities, government, industry, high schools and private training providers. Pedagogy emphasises the vital importance of infusing curriculum with digital and technology skills and capabilities, alongside innovative and experiential delivery modes including simulated environments, online learning, on-the-job training, flexible delivery and micro-credentials. Prospects reflects the need for forward-looking assessment and planning to respond to industry trends and develop associated qualifications, skills and investments required to meet future industry needs.Originality/valueWith growing demand for digitally-enabled skills to support manufacturing, an industry which is acknowledged as critical for economic prosperity and national sovereignty, the findings contribute novel insights into current limitations and future opportunities to bridge the gap between skills shortages in the manufacturing industry, and education and training systems that deliver graduate readiness and a digitally-enabled workforce.
Exploring digital transformation and technological innovation in emerging markets
Authors: Malekpour Mehrgan , Sedighi Mohammadbashir , Caboni Federica , Basile Vincenzo , Troise Ciro 
Published: August 2023

PurposeThis research aims to fill the research gaps regarding customer preferences for digitalisation to create value for retailers and customers, as well as focus on retail change and shopping behaviour in grocery retail stores in the emerging market.Design/methodology/approachThis paper contributes to the research in this area by evaluating customers' and retailers' attitudes towards digital transformation in retailing through interviews. Methodologically, 200 questionnaires were gathered, and data were analysed with the partial least squared structural equation modelling method.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal that the effect of digital transformation in the retail industry will be more apparent in an emerging market.Originality/valueThe paper's originality consists in understanding the future retail structure in an emerging market. Notably, focussing on business-to-consumer businesses appears helpful in distinguishing between behavioural (buying) intention and online buying behaviour (actual usage) in an emerging market.
Governmental financial resilience during pandemics: the case of West Africa
Authors: Agyemang Jacob , Azure John , Kimani Danson , Arun Thankom 
Published: August 2023

PurposeThe paper examines financial resilience responses/capacities of governments from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ghana in relation to COVID-19. It highlights the governments’ fiscal, budgetary and actions as either anticipatory or coping mechanisms towards the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachMultiple case studies and secondary data were used, including official government documentation/records, expert views, policy publications by supranational organisations and international financial institutions and media reports. Textual analysis was conducted to evaluate the case countries’ resilience.FindingsThe paper highlights how governmental budgetary initiatives, including repurposing the manufacturing sector, can sustain businesses, aid social interventions and reduce vulnerability during health crises. In addition, the paper highlights that external borrowing continues to be indispensable in the financial and budgetary initiatives of the case countries. The paper finds that lessons learnt from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa within the last decade have shaped the anticipatory resilience capacities of the case countries against COVID-19.Originality/valueThe paper uses the notion of resilience, the dimensions of the resilience framework and the resource-based view (RBV) theory to unearth resilience patterns. This sort of combined approach is new to financial resilience studies.
Social- or task-oriented: how does social crowding shape consumers' preferences for chatbot conversational styles?
Authors: Zhu Jiaji , Jiang Yushi , Wang Xiaoxuan , Huang Suying 
Published: August 2023

PurposeDriven by artificial intelligence technology, chatbots have begun to play an important customer service role in the online retail environment. This study aims to explore how conversational styles improve the interaction experience between consumers and chatbots in different social crowding environments, and the moderating role of product categories is considered.Design/methodology/approachThree studies are conducted to understand the influences of conversational styles, social crowding and product categories on consumer acceptance, assessed using situational experiments and questions.FindingsIn a low social crowding environment, consumers prefer chatbots with a social-oriented (vs. task-oriented) conversational style, while in a high social crowding environment, consumers prefer a task-oriented (vs. social-oriented) conversational style, and warmth and competence mediate these effects. The moderating effect of product categories is supported.Originality/valueThis study expands the application of the stereotype content model to improve the interaction experience level between consumers and chatbots in online retail. The findings can provide managerial suggestions for retailers to select a chatbot's conversational style and promote a more continuous interaction between consumers and chatbots.
Past, present and future of impact investing and closely related financial vehicles: a literature review
Authors: Chiappini Helen , Marinelli Nicoletta , Jalal Raja Nabeel-Ud-Din , Birindelli Giuliana 
Published: August 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the intersection of research on impact investing and its closely related financial vehicles.

Design/methodology/approach
The paper explores 196 articles collected from Scopus and Web of Science using bibliometric and content analysis methodologies.

Findings
Despite a growing academic interest in impact investing, scholars generally investigate impact investing as a social phenomenon, using the specific financial mechanism of social impact bonds. This perspective potentially deflates the complex nature of impact investing, which actually combines both social and financial targets and uses a plurality of financial vehicles to reach its goals.

Practical implications
The emerging themes identified will provide both academics and practitioners additional tools to further the debate on impact investing and the understanding of its potential and limits according to the different financial forms it takes. This review should pave the way for a discussion about the boundaries of the social impact sector itself.

Social implications
Despite the strong international commitment toward impact investing, tensions still exist. A comprehensive overview on the relevant aspects not yet thoroughly investigated will foster the growth of impact investments.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first holistic overview of impact investing, that jointly examines both literature on impact investing and literature on the correlated financial products used in the industry. The result is a comprehensive report of what is known about impact investing in its different financial forms, opening up new pathways for future studies.
From words to action: unpacking the real impact of sustainability initiatives on carbon emissions reduction
Authors: Issa Ayman , In'airat Mohammad 
Published: August 2023

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze the correlation between a company’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions and its actual carbon performance. Additionally, the study investigates how female decision-makers may influence this relationship as moderators.

Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a data set consisting of 1,258 observations from companies listed on the STOXX Europe 600 index between 2009 and 2021. The study applies the ordinary least squares technique to investigate the connection between carbon reduction initiatives and actual carbon performance, taking into account the potential impact of board and executive gender diversity. To ensure the reliability of the findings, subsample analysis and a two-step generalized method of moments technique were used.

Findings
The results show a significant negative association between a firm’s commitment to environmental initiatives and its carbon emission intensity. Furthermore, the study explores the moderating effect of board and executive gender diversity on this relationship and finds that gender diversity has a significant negative impact on the relationship between emissions reduction initiatives and carbon emissions.

Practical implications
The study has practical implications for corporate sustainability efforts. It highlights the importance of implementing carbon reduction initiatives to effectively mitigate carbon emissions. This emphasizes the need for sustainable business strategies that prioritize environmental initiatives. Additionally, the study underscores the positive impact of gender diversity in leadership positions on carbon reduction efforts. Policymakers and organizations can leverage these findings to promote gender diversity and enhance sustainability practices.

Social implications
It provides evidence-based insights for policymakers to develop specific policies and action plans in priority areas such as climate change and emissions reduction. It also highlights the positive influence of gender diversity in corporate leadership on environmental initiatives, promoting inclusivity and equality in sustainability practices.

Originality/value
This study brings originality by investigating the direct impact of a company’s carbon reduction initiatives on its carbon performance. It also explores the moderating effect of board and executive gender diversity on this relationship. The study provides evidence-based insights for policymakers and applies neo-institutional theory to analyze the interplay between carbon reduction initiatives, carbon emissions and gender diversity in executive and board positions.
BMax consulting moves into Southeast Asia
Authors: Richardson Christopher , Foster Morris John 
Published: August 2023

Research methodology
The data for this case were obtained primarily through a series of in-person interviews in Penang between the authors and Pete Browning (a pseudonym) from 2017 to early 2019. The authors also consulted secondary data sources, including publicly available material on BMax and “Company B”.

Case overview/synopsis
This case examines a key decision, or set of decisions, in the life of a small- to medium-sized management consultancy group, namely, whether they might expand their operations in Southeast Asia, and if so, where. These key decisions came in the wake of their having already established a very modest scale presence there, with an operating base on the island of Penang just off the north western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The initial establishment of a Southeast Asian branch had been somewhat spontaneous in nature – a former colleague of one of the two managing partners in the USA was on the ground in Malaysia and available: he became the local partner in the firm. But the firm had now been eyeing expansion within the region, with three markets under particular consideration (Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand) and a further two (Vietnam and China) also seen as possible targets, though at a more peripheral level. The questions facing the decision makers were “was it time they expand beyond Malaysia?” and “if so, where?”

Complexity academic level
This case could be used effectively in undergraduate courses in international business. The key concepts on which the case focuses are the factors affecting market entry, particularly the choice of market and the assessment of potential attractiveness such markets offer.
Internal validation of reduced PCR reaction volume of the Qiagen Investigator® Argus X‐12 QS Kit from blood samples on FTA cards
Authors: Alwi Aedrianee Reeza , Mahat Naji Arafat , Mohd Salleh Faezah , Ishar Seri Mirianti , Kamaluddin Mohammad Rahim , Rashid Mohd Radzniwan A. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThe onus of proof in criminal cases is beyond any reasonable doubt, and the issue on the lack of complete internal validation data can be manipulated when it comes to justifying the validity and reliability of the X‐chromosomal short tandem repeats analysis for court representation. Therefore, this research evaluated the efficiency of the optimized 60% reduced volumes for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification using the Qiagen Investigator® Argus X‐12 QS Kit, as well as the capillary electrophoresis (CE) sample preparation for blood samples on Flinder's Technology Associates (FTA) cards. Good‐quality DNA profile (3000–12,000 RFU) from the purified blood sample on FTA card (1.2 mm) were obtained using the optimized PCR (10.0 μL of PCR reaction volume and 21 cycles) and CE (9.0 μL Hi‐Di™ Formamide and 0.3 μL DNA Size Standard 550 [BTO] and 27 s injection time) conditions. The analytical and stochastic thresholds were 100 and 200 RFU, respectively. Hence, the internal validation data supported the use of the optimized 60% reduced PCR amplification reaction volume of the Qiagen Investigator® Argus X‐12 QS Kit as well as the CE sample preparation for producing reliable DNA profiles that comply with the quality assurance standards for forensic DNA testing laboratories, while optimizing the analytical cost.
Land use and sexual harassment: A geospatial analysis based on the volunteer HarassMap‐Egypt
Authors: Al‐Sabbagh Tamer Ali , Li Yijing , Lee Yong Jei , El Kenawy Ahmed M. 
Published: August 2023

AbstractSexual harassment and gang rape in Egypt have garnered attention from both traditional and digital media. This study employed a volunteer HarassMap to analyse sexual harassment crimes (SHCs) across Egypt from a spatial perspective. The specific aims were to apply the Hierarchical Density‐Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (HDBSCAN) algorithm to locate clusters of reported SHCs, and to assess their spatial dependence on land use types. To accomplish this task, ring buffers of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 metres were established around each crime scene to determine which land use was mostly associated with the incidence of these SHCs. Local bivariate relationships were used to explore the associations between SHC and each land‐use category. Results from the HDBSCAN algorithm revealed four crime clusters within the study domain, mainly located in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Behaira. Notably, commercial establishments and transit stations showed a significantly positive correlation with SHC. The study shows how land uses shape SHC and showed that it is possible to identify environmental risk factors for harassment. These risk factors can help policymakers, urban planners, and community stakeholders prevent and reduce sexual harassment and gender inequality, and promote just and inclusive societies.
Exploring the geographies of transnational higher education in China
Authors: Li Yajuan , Song Congcong , Zhang Xu , Li Yibin 
Published: August 2023

AbstractThis paper contributes to debates about the globalisation of higher education by providing a pioneering geographical exploration of Chinese–foreign cooperation in running transnational higher education, or TNHE, programs. Departing from widespread neoliberal and postcolonial critiques of TNHE, which tend to emphasise liberal market forces and Anglo‐American hegemony in the circulation of academic knowledge, our study examines how the Chinese state’s developmental targets, strategic policies, and political–ideological considerations have shaped the evolutionary trajectory, geographical distribution, and cross‐border connections of China’s TNHE programs. We demonstrate that the place‐based development of TNHE is mediated by governments’ interventionist policies and embedded in existing higher education regimes, especially in the context of East Asian developmental states. By maintaining a higher education system dominated by public universities and by being the ultimate examination and approval authority, the Chinese government both determines the status of TNHE in the national higher education system, constrains the typologies and sources of knowledge flows, and shapes the national landscape of TNHE development. The territorial geographies of TNHE thus reflect complicated interactions between the state and the market, the global and the local, and economic and political/cultural forces.
Transferrin receptor levels and its rare variant are associated with human obesity
Authors: Qiu Jin , Zhang Zhiyin , Hu Yepeng , Guo Yuhan , Liu Caizhi , Chen Yanru , Wang Dongmei , Su Junlei , Wang Sainan , Ni Mengshan , Xu Sainan , Yu Jian , Hu Tianhui , Song Gaojie , Ma Xinran , Gu Xuejiang , Wang Jiqiu , Xu Lingyan 
Published: August 2023

AbstractAimIron homeostasis is critical for functional respiratory chain complex of mitochondrial, thus potentially contributing to fat biology and energy homeostasis. Transferrin receptor (Tfrc) binds to transferrin for extracellular iron uptake and is recently reported to be involved in brown fat development and functionality. However, whether TFRC levels and variants are associated with human obesity is unknown.MethodsTo investigate the association of TFRC levels and variants with human obesity, fat biopsies were obtained from surgery. Exon‐sequencing and genetic assessments were conducted of a case–control study. For TFRC levels assessment in fat biopsy, 9 overweight and 12 lean subjects were involved. For genetic study, obese (n = 1271) and lean subjects (n = 1455) were involved. TFRC levels were compared in abdominal mesenteric fat of pheochromocytoma patients versus control subjects, and overweight versus lean subjects. For genetic study, whole‐exome sequencing of obese and matched control subjects were conducted and analyzed. In addition, the possible disruption in protein stability of TFRC variant was assessed by structural and molecular analysis.ResultsTFRC levels are increased in human browning adipose tissue and decreased in fat of overweight patients. Besides, TFRC levels are negatively correlated with body mass index and positively correlated with uncoupling protein 1 levels. Furthermore, a rare heterozygous missense variant p.I337V in TFRC shows a tendency to enrich in obese subjects. Structural and functional study reveals impaired protein stability of the TFRC variant compared to wild‐type.ConclusionsReduced TFRC levels and its rare variant p.I337V with protein instability are associated with human obesity.
Multi‐trait point pattern reconstruction of plant ecosystems
Authors: Wudel Chris , Schlicht Robert , Berger Uta 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Plants interact locally in many ways and the processes involved (e.g. competition for resources, natural regeneration, mortality or subsequent succession) are complex. These processes give rise to characteristic spatial patterns that vary over time. The corresponding spatial data, that is the locations of individuals and their specific characteristics (e.g. trees of a certain species and their diameters), are known as point patterns, and their statistical analysis can be used to study the underlying processes and their changes due to environmental scenarios. A special application of point pattern analysis is their numerical reconstruction, which is classically used (a) to generate null models that can be contrasted with observed patterns and (b) to evaluate the information contained in observed data using various summary statistics. Sometimes, the reconstructed datasets are also used to initialise individual‐based or agent‐based plant models with realistic but artificially generated data in order to analyse or forecast the development of plant systems.

Previous reconstruction methods of point patterns consider only one mark, or they consider several marks but neglect their correlations. We introduce a method that considers individual locations and two marks simultaneously (in our example information on tree species, and diameter at breast height). The method uses different summary statistics of the second‐order point pattern analysis, such as the pair correlation function and the mark correlation function. By successively modifying the reconstructed spatial pattern, the distance (also called energy), measured in terms of differences in the summary statistics between the generated pattern and the observed pattern, is minimised and a high statistical similarity is achieved.

After testing the method on different datasets, the suitability of our method for reconstructing complex spatial forest stands, including the spatial relationships of all considered marks, is shown.

The presented method is a powerful tool for generating point pattern data. With minor changes, it even enables the reconstruction of forest stands and plant systems larger than those used to collect the inventory data, and although we used two marks only to demonstrate the power of the method, it is easy to include more marks.
Accounting for unobserved spatial variation in step selection analyses of animal movement via spatial random effects
Authors: Arce Guillen Rafael , Lindgren Finn , Muff Stefanie , Glass Thomas W. , Breed Greg A. , Schlägel Ulrike E. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract

Step selection analysis (SSA) is a common framework for understanding animal movement and resource selection using telemetry data. Such data are, however, inherently autocorrelated in space, a complication that could impact SSA‐based inference if left unaddressed. Accounting for spatial correlation is standard statistical practice when analysing spatial data, and its importance is increasingly recognized in ecological models (e.g. species distribution models). Nonetheless, no framework yet exists to account for such correlation when analysing animal movement using SSA.

Here, we extend the popular method integrated step selection analysis (iSSA) by including a Gaussian field (GF) in the linear predictor to account for spatial correlation. For this, we use the Bayesian framework R‐INLA and the stochastic partial differential equations (SPDE) technique.

We show through a simulation study that our method provides accurate fixed effects estimates, quantifies their uncertainty well and improves the predictions. In addition, we demonstrate the practical utility of our method by applying it to three wolverine (Gulo gulo) tracks.

Our method solves the problems of assuming spatially independent residuals in the SSA framework. In addition, it offers new possibilities for making long‐term predictions of habitat usage.