bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Energy conservation literacy among households in Sub-Sahara Africa
Authors: Owusu-Manu De-Graft , Quaigrain Rhoda Ansah , Edwards David John , Hammond Mabel , Hammond Mavis , Roberts Chris 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
Energy conservation literacy within households is a contemporary and topical issue globally. However, scant research has been conducted on energy-saving literacy amongst Ghanaian households. To substantiate the problem, this paper aims to examine energy conservation literacy and behaviours among Ghanaian households in the Greater Accra Region.

Design/methodology/approach
The study assessed household electricity use and explored determinants of household energy conservation behaviours. Data was collected through a survey administered to households within the target region and analysed using descriptive statistics and Spearmen’s rank correlation.

Findings
Results showed electricity conservation among households is greatly influenced by the number of household occupants, household income levels, and the quality and quantity of appliances. The study also found that conservation behaviours are positively correlated to the number of occupants, household income levels, the quantity of electrical appliances, age of household members, number of rooms and level of urbanization within the home’s geographical region. Cumulatively, the findings suggest households held positive attitudes towards efficient energy practices. Enigmatically, the use of energy-conserving alternative technologies was not widely used by households; hence, this factor does not significantly affect household energy conservation.

Research limitations/implications
Although limited to Ghana’s capital region, the findings can be used to inform policy and regulations at the regional and national levels in designing an efficient and effective mechanism to reduce the country’s overall energy use.

Practical implications
Premised upon the findings, the study recommends an intensification of education and awareness-creation on various energy-saving regulations and initiatives and thorough education on the usage of standardized (approved) refrigerators to promote the consistent adoption of energy conservation measures among households.

Originality/value
This study pioneers investigations into the influence of household demographic variables on overall electricity conservation behaviours exhibited by Ghanaian households
Coping in supply chains: a conceptual framework for disruption management
Authors: Altay Nezih , Pal Raktim 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThe Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Attempts to deepen our understanding of the effects of the pandemic on global supply chains mostly offer anecdotal evidences and lack theory grounded research. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to help explain supply chain disruption management.Design/methodology/approachThis is a conceptual paper and uses a theory building approach. It develops a conceptual framework adapted from coping theory in psychology to explain supply chain disruption management. To refine the framework, the authors independently reviewed extant supply chain disruption management literature. The authors then studied the frameworks on stress theory in psychology. Following the review of both streams of literatures, the authors developed an initial draft of the conceptual model. This draft was then iteratively refined through extensive discussions among the authors.FindingsCoping theory can help revise supply chain disruption management with an alternative lens that has not been applied before in this domain. The proposed conceptual framework is generic and can be applied to disruption management strategies for any organization in any industry.Originality/valueThe conceptual framework proposed in this paper offers a new theoretical lens to supply chain disruption management discourse. It contributes to the operational understanding of supply chain disruption management.
Proactive personalities, trait competitiveness and well-being among retail employees: job burnout as a mediator
Authors: Wahab Mastura Ab. , Blackman Deborah 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
As the literature reveals contrasting arguments regarding the positive effect of a proactive personality on well-being, this paper aims to investigate the negative consequences of a proactive personality on employee well-being. The paper tests the relationships between a proactive personality, trait competitiveness and well-being. It also examines the mediating effect of job burnout on these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach
The data were collected from 213 employees working in the retail sector across Malaysia. AMOS’s structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses of the study.

Findings
Overall, the findings showed that a proactive personality negatively affected employee well-being. Job burnout had a partially mediating effect on this relationship. However, the effect of trait competitiveness on employee well-being was insignificant and the mediating effect of job burnout on this relationship also found no support.

Originality/value
The main contributions of this study are twofold. First, this study shows that a proactive personality can have negative repercussions for employee well-being. In contrast to many previous findings on the proactive personality, this study tests and verifies the possibility of an adverse impact of being proactive. Second, this study reveals that job burnout can play a vital role in mediating the adverse effect of a proactive personality on well-being. This suggests that depending on the context, being proactive will not always result in desirable outcomes, especially if job burnout is present. Therefore, organizations need to prepare contingency plans to offset the negative effects of such burnout.
A mathematical model and a simulated annealing algorithm for unequal multi-floor dynamic facility layout problem based on flexible Bay structure with elevator consideration
Authors: Zolfi Kamran , Jouzdani Javid 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
As far as the authors know, no research has already been carried out on the multi-floor dynamic facility layout problem (MF-DFLP) in the continuous form regarding the flexible bay structure, the number and the variable location of the elevator. Therefore, the present paper models the given problem and attempts to find a sub-optimal solution for it using a meta-heuristic simulated annealing (SA) algorithm.

Design/methodology/approach
The efficient use of resources has always been a prominent matter for decision-makers. Many reasons including land use, construction considerations and proximity of departments have led to the design of multi-floor facilities. On the other hand, their fast-evolving environment calls for dynamic planning. Therefore, in this paper, a model and the SA algorithm for MF-DFLP are presented.

Findings
After presenting a mathematical model, the problem was solved precisely in a small size using the GAMS software. Also, a near-optimal solution method using a SA meta-heuristic algorithm is suggested and the proposed algorithm was run in the MATLAB software. To evaluate the presented model and the proposed solution, some test cases were considered in two aspects. The first aspect was the test cases that are newly generated in small, medium and large sizes to compare the exact optimal solution with the results of the meta-heuristic algorithm. Eight test cases with small sizes were solved using the GAMS software, the optimum solutions were obtained in a reasonable time, and the cost of their solutions was equal to that of the SA algorithm. Eight test cases with medium sizes were run in the GAMS software with the time limit of 80,000 s, and the SA algorithm had performed better for these test cases. Two test cases were also considered in large size that GAMS could not solve them, whereas the SA algorithm successfully found a proper solution for each. The second aspect included the test cases from the literature. The result showed that suggested algorithm is more capable of finding best solutions than compared algorithms.

Originality/value
In this paper, an unequal area MF-DFLP was studied in a continuous layout form in which the location and number of the elevators were considered to be variable, and the layouts were considered with flexible bay structure. These conditions were investigated for the first time.
Loneliness influences avoidable absenteeism and turnover intention reported by adult workers in the United States
Authors: Bowers Anne , Wu Joshua , Lustig Stuart , Nemecek Douglas 
Published: February 2022

PurposeLoneliness is known to adversely impact employee health, performance and affective commitment. This study involves a quantitative cross-sectional analysis of online survey data reported by adults employed in the United States (n = 5,927) to explore how loneliness and other related factors may influence avoidable absenteeism and turnover intention.Design/methodology/approachWorker loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (Version 3). Composite variables were constructed as proxy measures of worker job and personal resources. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine independent variable effects on dependent outcomes of (a) work days missed in the last month due to stress (stress-related absenteeism) and (b) likelihood to quit within the next year (turnover intention).FindingsThe job resources of social companionship, work-life balance and satisfaction with communication had significant negative relationships to loneliness in the SEM, as did the personal resources of resilience and less perceived alienation. Results further show lonely workers have significantly greater stress-related absenteeism (p = 0.000) and higher turnover intention ratings (p = 0.000) compared to workers who are not lonely. Respondent demographics (age, race and gender) and other occupational characteristics also produced significant outcomes.Practical implicationsStudy findings underscore the importance of proactively addressing loneliness among workers and facilitating job and personal resource development as an employee engagement and retention strategy.Originality/valueLoneliness substantially contributes to worker job withdrawal and has negative implications for organizational effectiveness and costs.
Operation management of academic libraries in Hong Kong under COVID-19
Authors: Yu Pui Yik , Lam Ernest Tak Hei , Chiu Dickson K.W. 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThis research studies the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operation management of Hong Kong academic libraries for understanding the difficulties and challenges for librarians to adapt to the special arrangements during the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with librarians in major universities and higher education institutions of Hong Kong. Participants were interviewed either in the face-to-face format or text-based format.FindingsParticipants provided a broad scope about the actual library management and operation changes during the COVID-19. According to the respondents, the most challenging problem for librarians during COVID-19 was to strike a balance between concerns of library staff and users. While they described how these arrangements and changes affected the service quality of academic libraries from different perspectives, the pandemic situation also brought some opportunities, such as pushing the digitalization of all collections and using online resources for future development. A hybrid model for library service would be more common in the future with more demands toward online resources and digital collection, in which academic libraries should be prepared after the pandemic.Originality/valueThis paper provided broad insights into library management and the future development of academic libraries for the post-COVID-19 period. There are scant studies of this topic, especially in an Asian metropolis context with dense population, small campus and limited library physical spaces.
A study on listed companies' compliance with value-added tax: the evolving role of compliance officer in Oman
Authors: Thottoli Mohammed Muneerali 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to examine current companies’ compliance with value-added tax (VAT) and the evolving role of the compliance officer in the listed companies at Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX), Oman.Design/methodology/approachThe study has collected various compliance measures set by Capital Market Authority (CMA) from 2011 to 2019. On top of the websites of CMA, MSX, Oman Tax Authority and other related websites, the paper has considered real data of specific compliance or disclosure measures set by CMA on all companies listed under MSX. The focused period from 2011 to 2019 is where CMA has provided disclosure data as part of mandatory disclosure requirements.FindingsThis paper identified that there is a lack of timely compliance by companies under the existing law, and these companies may face pressures for compliance with VAT enforcement in Oman. Therefore, to comply with the disclosure requirements of listed companies, there is a growing need to appoint a full-time compliance officer and do a compliance audit.Practical limitations/implicationsThe results of the study indicate the value of full-time compliance officers and compliance audits. The findings are able to aid in the appraisal of VAT accounting, compliance audit research, and in the selection of proper assessment methods and criteria.Originality/valueThis paper reviews the literature and provides new empirical analysis that are possibly beneficial for both scholars and accounting practitioners.
The influence of ethical leadership in the delivery of agricultural advisory services in Tanzania local government authorities
Authors: Lameck Wilfred Uronu 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThis article discusses the consequences of unethical leadership, particularly, the leader-follower relationship in the delivery of agricultural advisory services in Tanzania. It analyses the means through which ethical leadership framework can be used to address the problem of unethical leadership in this context.Design/methodology/approachThe article uses a comparative case study design to explain the position of ethical leadership in the delivery of agricultural advisory services in two local governments: Morogoro Municipality in Eastern Tanzania, and Hai District in Northern Tanzania.FindingsThe research shows that the delivery of agricultural extension services in Tanzania is guided by formal rules, which define the roles and responsibilities of local government officials and field workers. These roles and responsibilities are driven by national-level guidelines written by the Ministry of Agriculture. The guidelines define the key responsibilities of village, Ward and District level Agricultural Extension Officers. In developing the working schedule, agricultural extension workers at the village and ward levels are guided by an annual calendar that defines the seasons of the year and the relevant knowledge required by farmers. Nevertheless, the implementation of these schedules is compromised by a lack of resources and morale of field workers who in turn, cope through charging for the services, which is considered as their prime motives.Originality/valueThe findings can be of interest to national and local government policymakers and officials dealing with the delivery of agricultural advisory services in Tanzania.
Multinational enterprises’ narratives about and approaches to modern slavery: an exploratory study
Authors: Robb Benjamin , Michailova Snejina 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
Globalisation plays a major role in the existence and persistence of modern slavery, one of the most extreme examples of human rights abuses in recorded history. This paper aims to explore how multinational enterprises (MNEs), as central players in international business (IB) activities, relate to modern slavery. This paper focusses on human rights–minded MNEs and investigates their narratives and proactive approaches to tackling modern slavery.

Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted 12 semi-structured interviews with managers and consultants with substantial knowledge on the topic. This study also gained insights from a business conference on modern slavery organised by a New Zealand ministry in 2021.

Findings
This study identified four MNE narratives and three approaches to responding to modern slavery.

Practical implications
This paper discusses the challenges faced by MNEs when addressing modern slavery and outlines the relevant implications for MNE managers.

Originality/value
The scholarly conversation on modern slavery in the field of IB is in its infancy. This paper offers an account of how MNEs deal with modern slavery. In addition, while most studies take a critical angle and focus on problems, this study focusses on progressive and human rights–minded MNEs.
Photo disclosure in human rights issues by fortune companies: an impression management perspective
Authors: Zeng Xianrui , Momin Mahmood , Nurunnabi Mohammad 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
This study aims to investigate the representation of human rights issues within photographs in the 2015 corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports of Fortune 70 companies.

Design/methodology/approach
Content analysis is used to examine human rights photos in CSR reports by Fortune 70 global corporations for the year 2015. Based on impression management theory and Roland Barthes’ work on visual rhetoric, a total of 744 photos are analysed.

Findings
The findings of this study reflect the main feature of the omnipresence of the linguistic in photographic human rights disclosure. Denotation and connotation in the photographs are inextricably intermingled; the linguistic message has the “anchoring” function that guides the interpretations of the symbolic message of the photos. The authors conclude what the proliferation of photos and associated text achieves, or attempts to achieve, is not only to provide information, but also carry visual rhetoric and impression management.

Practical implications
International accounting standard organisations, such as GRI, might provide guidance on the utilisation of photos in CSR reports to improve the realism of the reports. The principle of balance applicable to reported information should be extended to photos as much as possible. This may help ensure that the CSR reports reflect the reality of human rights issues within the organisations, rather than the construction of idealised images.

Social implications
The findings have potential for global reporting institutions.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the impression management literature by analysing how companies present human rights issues and by demonstrating the way the photos are used to construct images of happiness, safety, diversity and mutual support.
CEO activism. What do we know? What don’t we know? A systematic literature review
Authors: Rumstadt Franz , Kanbach Dominik K. 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) activism, i.e. executives, publicly weighing in on sociopolitical debates, is an area of increasing interest in academia and business. This young research field provides valuable insights, but it still represents a scattered discussion in a variety of disciplines. Thus, this paper aims to present a guiding framework, integrate current knowledge, aggregate published findings and outline avenues for future research.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a systematic literature review building on a sample of 36 publications. In consequence, 1,146 lead themes were derived and studied in an in-depth qualitative analysis by deploying a pattern-inducing method.

Findings
Research on CEO activism can be placed on a time-oriented logic, giving insights into the realisation of activism, stakeholder reactions, moderators and perception effects. These four aggregate dimensions can be explained by 15 second-order themes and 48 more detailed first-order themes.

Practical implications
Considering the risks and benefits of CEO activism, top executives and communication professionals should be aware of its implications. This paper provides an integrated view of the different mechanisms and potential effects of CEO activism. Thereby, it proposes communicative planning from activism’s realisation to its perceptual results.

Originality/value
The study provides a holistic view of CEO activism as a starting point for further discussion. To the latest of the authors’ knowledge, this work is the first integrated conceptualisation of the discussion of CEO activism. The proposed avenues for future research stem from a detailed examination of published knowledge.
Expansion of bilin‐based red light sensors in the subaerial desert cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme
Authors: Xu Hai‐Feng , Dai Guo‐Zheng , Wang Yu‐Jie , Cheng Chao , Shang Jin‐Long , Li Ren‐Han , Liu Ke , Duanmu Deqiang , Qiu Bao‐Sheng 
Published: February 2022

SummaryLight is the crucial environmental signal for desiccation‐tolerant cyanobacteria to activate photosynthesis and prepare for desiccation at dawn. However, the photobiological characteristics of desert cyanobacteria adaptation to one of the harshest habitats on Earth remain unresolved. In this study, we surveyed the genome of a subaerial desert cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme and identified two phytochromes and seven cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) with one or more bilin‐binding GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylyl cyclase/FhlA) domains. Biochemical and spectroscopic analyses of 69 purified GAF‐containing proteins from recombinant phycocyanobilin (PCB), biliverdin or phycoerythrobilin‐producing Escherichia coli indicated that nine of these proteins bind chromophores. Further investigation revealed that 11 GAFs form covalent adducts responsive to near‐UV and visible light: eight GAFs contained PCB chromophores, three GAFs contained biliverdin chromophores and one contained the PCB isomer, phycoviolobilin. Interestingly, COO91_03972 is the first‐ever reported GAF‐only CBCR capable of sensing five wavelengths of light. Bioinformatics and biochemical analyses revealed that residue P132 of COO91_03972 is essential for chromophore binding to dual‐cysteine CBCRs. Furthermore, the complement of N. flagelliforme CBCRs is enriched in red light sensors. We hypothesize that these sensors are critical for the acclimatization of N. flagelliforme to weak light environments at dawn.
A Typology of Emerging Market SMEs’ COVID‐19 Response Strategies: The Role of TMTs and Organizational Design
Authors: Puthusserry Pushyarag , King Timothy , Miller Kristel , Khan Zaheer 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe unique challenges posed by COVID‐19 call for new insights into how firms respond to multiheaded and multistage evolving global crises. Whilst prior research acknowledges the potential role flexible organizational designs and top management teams (TMTs) have for crisis management, these bodies of literature have evolved separately with limited cross‐fertilization. In this study, we seek to provide a contextualized explanation of research phenomena by drawing upon multiple layers of context – namely the environment, TMT and organisational context. Our findings provide vital insights into how emerging market Indian SMEs’ organizational designs and TMT configurations led to differential COVID‐19 crisis response strategies. We develop a typology that identifies four strategic responses and illustrate that not all emerging market SMEs are vulnerable at the time of crisis. Our findings extend knowledge on how emerging market SMEs can navigate external shocks such as those caused by COVID‐19. In particular, our research has implications for policymakers and emerging market firms seeking to understand and implement effective organizational designs and policies that can weather the current COVID‐19 pandemic, as well as future multiheaded and multistage black swan crises.