bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Linking manufacturing and competitive strategies for successful firm performance: a review and reconceptualization
Authors: Das Sidhartha , Canel Cem 
Published: July 2022

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to propose a framework depicting the dynamic links between a firm’s external environment, competitive strategy, manufacturing strategy, competitive advantage and firm performance. This is followed by articulating expected differences among the the content and process dimensions dimensions of a manufacturing strategy for different competitive strategies.Design/methodology/approachToday, manufacturing is widely recognized as one of the most important means of creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. This paper studies the emerging broader view of the strategic role of manufacturing by offering a manufacturing strategy model, showing its impact on competitive advantage and, ultimately, firm performance. This is accomplished by identifying and defining major content and process dimensions of manufacturing strategy and relating them to a firm’s strategic type. The paper uses an integrative competitive strategy typology (Segev, 1989) to clarify differences in manufacturing strategy dimensions and different competitive strategies. The concept of “fit as gestalt” among the dimensions of manufacturing strategy is also introduced. This study presents the implications of fit between manufacturing and competitive strategy and the contribution of content and process dimensions of manufacturing strategy to firm performance and concludes by providing implications for executives and future research issues.FindingsDifferences in content and process dimensions of manufacturing strategy for different competitive strategies are clarified.Research limitations/implicationsOther researchers may propose different frameworks for linking manufacturing and competitive strategies.Originality/valueThis paper presents an integrative view of competitive and manufacturing strategies. It highlights the numerous choices companies must make to ensure fit among the competitive strategic types and their corresponding manufacturing strategies. This integration adds coherence and parsimony to the literature. It provides a basis for conceptualizing manufacturing strategy, thus reconciling different strategic perspectives and reducing a potential source of conflicting research results.
Empirical study on consumers’ reluctance to mobile payments in a developing economy
Authors: Ghosh Manimay 
Published: July 2022

Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the effect of factors that inhibit adoption of mobile payments service in India.

Design/methodology/approach
Based on the extant literature on mobile payment service and other related literature, factors were identified that drive consumer resistance toward its adoption. It engaged “innovation resistance theory” framework for understanding consumer resistance. The framework addressed five categories of barriers, namely, usage, value, risk, image and tradition that lead to negative perception of innovation, and therefore, induces positive impact on its resistance. Additionally, the study considered a few lesser investigated barriers (habitual use of cash, surveillance, technology) for the study, thus extending the existing theoretical framework. Hypotheses were framed, field data were collected and then analyzed using multivariate techniques.

Findings
Few interesting observations were made from the study. Usage, image and value barriers hindered adoption of mobile payment service. In case of men, usage, value and image were the primary barriers. For women, usage, image, habitual use of cash and technology acted as barriers that curbed mobile payments service adoption. Additionally, except risk, tradition and surveillance barriers, relationships of all other constructs with adoption intention were moderated by gender.

Research limitations/implications
This research was limited to the views of the urban population in India who used mobile payments service. The results may vary across geographical contexts because of culture or socioeconomic differences.

Practical implications
The growth of mobile payment service has remained sluggish in India despite high levels of digitization. The study results will offer valuable insights to the Indian business managers and policymakers to identify what action plan needs to be instituted to make mobile payments service more attractive and acceptable to users.

Originality/value
This empirical study extended and tested the classical innovation resistance theory framework by adding three less studied barriers (surveillance, habitual use of cash and technology) in a developing nation, thus enriching the current literature on consumer resistance toward mobile payments. It also examined the moderating effect of gender on mobile payments service adoption.
Apples plus oranges: the role of business profile similarity in shaping M&A outcomes: textual analysis of transaction data from China
Authors: Mielcarz Paweł , Osiichuk Dmytro 
Published: July 2022

PurposeThe study aims at inquiring into the relationship between acquirer–target business similarity and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transaction outcomes.Design/methodology/approachRelying on textual analysis of acquirers' and targets' business descriptions from M&A transaction synopses, the authors establish that posttransaction operating outcomes are negatively associated with acquirer–target business similarity.FindingsWhile similar business profiles allow for optimization of overheads, sales growth and margins demonstrate better dynamics when acquirers and targets are more dissimilar, which allows for greater competitive gains. On average, targets are more dissimilar from acquirers than acquirers are from their competitors. The degree of competition within acquirers' industries and acquirer–competitors' business similarity are found to be positively associated with the likelihood of engaging in serial horizontal acquisitions involving more similar targets, mostly from the domestic market. Competitive pressure is evidenced to push acquirers for a faster completion of acquisition process. Cross-border acquisitions are found to be associated with lower acquirer–target and acquirer–competitors' similarity, which suggests that Chinese companies expand overseas primarily for strategic reasons of gaining a competitive edge rather than to simply improve sales.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the limited pool of empirical literature relying on text mining techniques to establish the determinants of M&A transaction outcomes. The methodology used in the study outperforms the conventional techniques of operationalization of business similarities through General Industry Classification Standard (GICS) industry matching. The study investigates the intermediating role of intraindustry competition in fostering firms' acquisitiveness.
The end of audit. Spectacle and love in the audit society
Authors: Löhlein Lukas , Huber Christian 
Published: July 2022

Purpose
A total of 25 years of research on the audit society has provided rich and engaging accounts of the ways in which rituals of verification have conditioned organizations and individuals to think and act. In contrast, this paper aims to explore the possibility of conditions through which things and spaces are enacted to be non-auditable.

Design/methodology/approach
Using the concept of proliferation and rarefaction (Callon and Law, 2005), the paper adopts a case-comparison design to explore two empirical sites. The first investigates a vast excess of audit structures against the case of the biggest corporate fraud in German accounting history, the Wirecard scandal. The second discusses the configuration of Tinder, the most popular provider of mobile dating and the absence of visible verification mechanisms.

Findings
The paper argues that things can become non-auditable through two mechanisms. Based on the two empirical sites, non-auditability can happen through an overload of auditable resources or, through the withdrawal of required resources. The paper discusses the consequences of this finding and suggests avenues for future research on non-auditability.

Originality/value
While accounting scholars have extensively addressed the audit explosion and traced how audit practices have journeyed into ever more novel terrains, this paper discusses forms of escape from the value-subverting and reductive accounts incorporated in the audit society. It thereby points to conditions under which accounting ends.
The problem with printing pitch: challenges in designing 3D printed claves
Authors: Evans Emmeline , McComb Christopher 
Published: July 2022

Purpose
Although music education has been proven to benefit students, music programs are often cut when public school funding is reduced. The cost of instruments is a significant financial burden on music programs, which restricts student access to high-quality instruments that would benefit their learning. Therefore, this paper aims to develop additively manufactured, polylactic acid (PLA) claves that could reproduce the sound of wooden claves and be printed by students in schools at a reduced cost to promote equal access to music education regardless of a school’s financial status.

Design/methodology/approach
This study developed a dual approach for analyzing clave vibration using mathematical analysis in MATLAB and SolidWorks finite element frequency simulation to predict the natural frequencies of 15 claves with varying geometries. To evaluate the performance of both models, the authors obtained natural frequencies experimentally by recording the claves and analyzing the resulting frequency spectra. The authors considered the possible effects of damping and determined the effective damping required in both models through comparison with experimental results.

Findings
Results indicate that PLA claves cannot easily be made to replicate the high pitch of rosewood claves while maintaining typical clave dimensions. However, PLA claves could still be suitable in instances where matching pitch is not a primary concern or improved durability is desired. The SolidWorks simulation approach could accurately predict clave pitch for all varieties of clave, whereas the mathematical approach was only accurate in predicting pitch for the filled claves.

Originality/value
In this work, the authors attempted to create an analytical process for simple percussion instrument design, which is typically done with trial-and-error methods. Instead, the authors developed a two-pronged approach in which experimental results were compared to results obtained both mathematically and from a finite element simulation. Additionally, we limited the materials and equipment used to those that would be available in a school setting so that the clave prototypes could be reproduced by public school students, the population this research is intended to serve.
Making rapid shifts in work roles – an essential teamwork skill. An exploratory study of facilitating and inhibiting factors
Authors: Sundlin Anna-Lena , Söderhjelm Teresa Martha , Sandahl Christer 
Published: July 2022

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore rapid role shifts at work and to describe the factors that facilitate or inhibit such role shifts, and how these factors affect the employee.

Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was conducted with 12 participants from four public sector organizations. The participants systematically documented their work role shifts over the course of three days. Based on these data, they were interviewed about their shifts in work roles. All data were analyzed thematically.

Findings
Rapid role shifts do not work without extensive mental preparation and commitment. The role changes were perceived as stimulating if there was clarity about purpose, context and the significance of one’s own role, and if there was time both to switch between different roles and to reflect.

Research limitations/implications
This study was only performed in public sector organizations, and with a relatively small sample of interviewees. To generalize the results a more comprehensive collection of data would be required, including independence between researchers and subjects.

Practical implications
Adequate work structures, well-thought-out plans, time set aside for adjustment and reflection, and, not least, well-functioning information technologies are essential to teamwork commitment and satisfaction. As occasional teams, virtual teams and remote work become more common in the future, attention must be paid to rapid work role shifts by governments, policymakers and employers.

Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic study of the challenges involved in rapid shifts in work roles.
Plasticity in female timing may explain earlier breeding in a North American songbird
Authors: Kimmitt Abigail A. , Becker Daniel J. , Diller Sara N. , Gerlach Nicole M. , Rosvall Kimberly A. , Ketterson Ellen D. 
Published: July 2022

Abstract

Many species have shifted their breeding phenology in response to climate change. Identifying the magnitude of phenological shifts and whether climate‐mediated selection drives these shifts is key for determining species' resilience to climate change. Birds are a strong model for studying phenological shifts due to numerous long‐term research studies; however, generalities pertaining to drivers of phenological shifts will emerge only as we add study species that differ in life history and geography.

We investigated 32 years of reproductive timing in a non‐migratory population of dark‐eyed juncos Junco hyemalis. We predicted that plasticity in reproductive timing would allow females to breed earlier in warmer springs. We also predicted that selection would favour earlier breeding and asked whether the temperatures throughout the breeding season would predict the strength of selection.

To test these predictions, we examined temporal changes in the annual median date for reproductive onset (i.e. first egg date) and we used a sliding window analysis to identify spring temperatures driving these patterns. Next, we explored plasticity in reproductive timing and asked whether selection favoured earlier breeding. Lastly, we used a sliding window analysis to identify the time during the breeding season that temperature was most associated with selection favouring earlier breeding.

First egg dates occurred earlier over time and strongly covaried with April temperatures. Furthermore, individual females that bred in at least 3 years typically bred earlier in warmer Aprils, exhibiting plastic responses to April temperature. We also found significant overall selection favouring earlier breeding (i.e. higher relative fitness with earlier first egg dates) and variation in selection for earlier breeding over time. However, temperature across diverse climatic windows did not predict the strength of selection.

Our findings provide further evidence for the role of phenotypic plasticity in shifting phenology in response to earlier springs. We also provide evidence for the role of selection favouring earlier breeding, regardless of temperature, thus setting the stage for adaptive changes in female breeding phenology. We suggest for multi‐brooded birds that advancing first egg dates likely increase the length of the breeding season, and therefore, reproductive success.
Diagnostic accuracy of C‐reactive protein and procalcitonin in the early diagnosis of infections after laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery
Authors: Yang Wenchang , Yang Lei , Huang Yongzhou , Wang Tao , Sun Xiong , Tong Xin , Liu Weizhen , Yin Yuping , Tao Kaixiong , Zhang Peng 
Published: July 2022

AbstractBackgroundWe aimed to examine the diagnostic accuracy of postoperative procalcitonin (PCT) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) in the detection of infectious complications in patients after laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery, as opposed to all colorectal surgery.MethodsBetween December 2018 and December 2020, 204 patients who underwent laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery were enrolled retrospectively. The PCT, CRP and white blood cell (WBC) count were measured before surgery and on postoperative days (PODs) 3 and 5. Diagnostic accuracy was determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Net Reclassification Index (NRI) was used to calculate the ability to correct reclassification.ResultsInfectious complications occurred in 36 patients (17.6%), including 17 cases of anastomotic leakage (AL) (8.3%). The AUCs of PCT and CRP in predicting infectious complications on POD 3 were 0.690 and 0.731, respectively, which were better than those on POD 5 (AUC 0.666 and 0.697, respectively). PCT with an optimal cutoff value of 1.10 ng/mL (AUC 0.792, specificity 78.6%, negative predictive value [NPV] 96.6%), CRP with an optimal cutoff value of 109.5 mg/L (AUC 0.760, specificity 78.6%, NPV 96.1%) on POD 3 had superior diagnostic accuracy in predicting AL, both better than WBC (AUC 0.627). The AUC of combining PCT and CRP on POD 3 in predicting AL was 0.851, with a specificity of 79.7% and NPV of 97.4%, and the NRI was estimated to be 7.0%.ConclusionsBoth PCT and CRP on POD 3 are excellent negative predictors for early monitoring of infectious complications, especially AL, in patients undergoing laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery.
Rates of severe complications in patients undergoing colorectal surgery for deep endometriosis—a retrospective multicenter observational study
Authors: Hudelist Gernot , Korell Matthias , Burkhardt Michael , Chvatal Radek , Darici Ezgi , Dimitrova Desislava , Drahonovsky Jan , Haj Hamoud Bashar , Hornung Daniela , Krämer Bernhard , Noe Guenter , Oppelt Peter , Schäfer Sebastian Daniel , Seeber Beata , Ulrich Uwe Andreas , Wenzl Rene , De Wilde Rudy Leon , Wimberger Pauline , Senft Birgit , Keckstein Joerg , Montanari Eliana , Vaineau Cloe , Sillem Martin 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIntroductionSurgical experience and hospital procedure volumes have been associated with the risk of severe complications in expert centers for endometriosis in France. However, little is known about other certified units in Central European countries.Material and methodsThis retrospective observational study included 937 women who underwent surgery for colorectal endometriosis between January 2018 and January 2020 in 19 participating expert centers for endometriosis. All women underwent complete excision of colorectal endometriosis by rectal shaving, discoid or segmental resection. Postoperative severe complications were defined as grades III–IV of the Clavien–Dindo classification system including anastomotic leakage, fistula, pelvic abscess and hematoma. Surgical outcomes of centers performing less than 40 (group 1), 40–59 (group 2) and ≥60 procedures (group 3) over a period of 2 years were compared.ResultsThe overall complication rate of grade III and IV complications was 5.1% (48/937), with rates of anastomotic leakage, fistula formation, abscess and hemorrhage in segmental resection, discoid resection and rectal shaving, respectively, as follows: anastomotic leakage 3.6% (14/387), 1.4% (3/222), 0.6% (2/328); fistula formation 1.6% (6/387), 0.5% (1/222), 0.9%; (3/328); abscess 0.5% (2/387), 0% (0/222) and 0.6% (2/328); hemorrhage 2.1% (8/387), 0.9% (2/222) and 1.5% (5/328). Higher overall complication rates were observed for segmental resection (30/387, 7.8%) than for discoid (6/222, 2.7%, P = 0.015) or shaving procedures (12/328, 3.7%, P = 0.089). No significant correlation was observed between the number of procedures performed and overall complication rates (rSpearman = −0.115; P = 0.639) with a high variability of complications in low‐volume centers (group 1). However, an intergroup comparison revealed a significantly lower overall severe complication rate in group 3 than in group 2 (2.9% vs 6.9%; P = 0.017) without significant differences between other groups.ConclusionsA high variability in complication rates does exist in centers with a low volume of activity. Major complications may decrease with an increase in the volume of activity but this effect cannot be generally applied to all institutions and settings.
Accuracy of fetal echocardiography diagnosis and anticipated perinatal and early postnatal care in congenital heart disease in mid‐gestation
Authors: Nurmi Max O. , Pitkänen‐Argillander Olli , Räsänen Juha , Sarkola Taisto 
Published: July 2022

AbstractIntroductionThe aim of this study was to determine discrepancies in fetal congenital heart disease (CHD) diagnoses and anticipated early postnatal care and outcomes.Material and methodsA retrospective review of 462 randomly selected cases (23% of all cases) referred to a fetal cardiac assessment during the second trimester (mean 26 weeks) at the Children's Hospital in Helsinki between October 2010 and December 2020. Discrepancy between prenatal and postnatal CHD case evaluations was assessed with independently provided cardiac severity and surgical complexity scores.ResultsIn all, 250 cases, 181 CHD and 69 normal, with complete prenatal and postnatal live birth data as well as seven fetal autopsy reports available were included in the analysis. There were 12 false normal and seven false abnormal prenatal assessments. The prenatally anticipated level of early neonatal care was actualized in 62% and prostaglandin infusion in 95%. In total, 32.7% (84/257) cardiac severity scores were discrepant and in 12,4% (32/257) cases the discrepancies were considered significant (≥ +/− 2 scores). Among significant discrepancies, CHD severity score was overestimated in 13 and underestimated in 19 in fetal assessment. Progression of CHD severity after mid‐gestation and during early neonatal phase explained eight of 19 underestimated fetal assessments. The most common discrepant diagnostic categories included ventricular septal defects (n = 7), borderline ventricles (n = 7; 5 left heart, 1 right heart and 1 double outlet right ventricle/transposition of the great arteries), arch anomalies including coarctations (n = 5) and tricuspid valve dysplasias (n = 4) with a significant change in postnatal diagnoses and treatment.ConclusionsAlthough fetal CHD diagnosis and counseling is accurate and reliable in general, the study elaborates specific areas of uncertainty in clinical fetal cardiology practice that may be important to consider in fetal CHD evaluation and counseling provided in mid‐gestation.
Not “My” crisis: Social identity and followers’ crisis responses to COVID‐19
Authors: Lau Vienne W. , Tse Dwight C. K. , Bligh Michelle C. , Hong Ying‐yi , Kakarika Maria , Chan Hoi‐wing , Chiu Connie P. Y. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractOperationalizing social group identification as political partisanship, we examine followers’ (i.e., US residents’) affective experiences and behavioral responses during the initial COVID‐19 outbreak in the United States (March to May 2020). In Study 1, we conducted content analyses on major news outlets’ coverage of COVID‐19 (N = 4319) to examine media polarization and how it plays a role in shaping followers’ perceptions of the pandemic and leadership. News outlets trusted by Republicans portrayed US President Donald Trump as more effective, conveyed a stronger sense of certainty with less negative affective tone, and had a lower emphasis on COVID‐19 prevention compared to outlets trusted by Democrats. We then conducted a field survey study (Study 2; N = 214) and found that Republicans perceived Trump as more effective, experienced higher positive affect, and engaged in less COVID‐19 preventive behavior compared to Democrats. Using a longitudinal survey design in Study 3 (N = 251), we examined how emotional responses evolved in parallel with the pandemic and found further support for Study 2 findings. Collectively, our findings provide insight into the process of leadership from a social identity perspective during times of crisis, illustrating how social identity can inhibit mobilization of united efforts. The findings have implications for leadership of subgroup divides in different organizational and crisis contexts.