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The purpose of this paper is to describe first-line managers’ (FLMs’) experiences and reflections on structural conditions for management practice within hospital settings using Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment.

A qualitative deductive approach with a descriptive design was used. Interviews were conducted with 11 FLMs in charge of medical or surgical hospital units spread across Sweden. Data were analyzed using a directed content analysis, based on Kanter’s theory of structural empowerment, encompassing such as access to necessary and sufficient resources, information, support and opportunities to learn and develop.

Findings of this study from the FLMs’ descriptions and reflections shed light on the impact of power dynamics on the structural conditions for management practice. The availability of nursing staff was a fundamental resource in the FLMs’ work performance, ensuring delivery of care to patients and a sound work environment for staff. Additionally, the other structural elements outlined in Kanter’s theory were evident in the findings, as the FLMs wished for structured information flow, identified potential and challenged opportunities for development and emphasized the importance of receiving support from people with a genuine understanding of their work situation.

The results of this study contribute to the understanding of FLMs’ structural conditions for management practice in hospital settings. The paper’s originality stems from the use of a deductive approach, providing a structured lens with the potential to inform future research and practice in the field of health-care management.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between formal ethics and ethics in practice in the empirical context of real estate agents (REAs) working in the residential housing market, including owner-occupied houses and owner-occupied apartments, in Sweden. The paper investigates problems with the Swedish middleman model of real estate agency with regard to the acceptance among REAs of borderline professional behavior.

We report on a survey distributed to all Swedish licensed residential REAs to investigate their attitudes towards eight scenarios displaying borderline ethical behavior. Firstly, the means of each scenario were calculated, investigating signs of distance between formal ethics and ethics in practice. Secondly, logistic regressions were run for each scenario separately, thereby investigating factors affecting misconduct among REAs.

The empirical results show a clear difference between formal ethics and ethics in practice and also illustrate that some scenarios of borderline ethical behavior are creating greater problems for the REAs.

In Sweden, the seller is the principal, assigning the REA to sell a house or apartment, but the regulation is clear on the role of the licensed REA as responsible for promoting an informed and fair sales process where the buyer is safe to act without their own representative. Our study contributes with information to policymakers on possible areas for the development of the middleman model.

The paper is the first to empirically investigate the middleman model of a Swedish real estate agency in relation to the business ethics of the agents. The use of scenarios in close relation to the everyday working context of REAs as tests of ethics of practice is also of original methodological value to investigate possible diversions of professionals from national regulations.

Purpose: The business world has become more turbulent than ever. Organisations must be proactive to meet the challenges of the increasingly disruptive, dynamic, and unpredictable world. One technique that has supported leaders and organisations under challenging circumstances is ‘backcasting’, which works by envisioning a desirable future state and then working backwards to attain it. The current study aims to extend an understanding of the backcasting practices and strategic approaches that can be used by leadership teams in different industries in order to survive in turbulent times and can be adapted within and beyond any pandemic.

Methodology: The research employs a desktop research method to review and compare the most commonly used strategies that leaders from different sectors can use for their respective organisations to thrive in the VUCA world.

Findings: There needs to be more research on the applicability and relevance of backcasting that the leaders of different sectors can employ. The study would provide insights that would bridge the existing research gap and come up with suitable strategies that can be employed for dealing with VUCA challenges in the Indian context.

Significance: The outcome of the study will be helpful to the leaders in designing and aligning ‘out of the box’ backcasting strategies to survive in the highly disruptive world.

Over the past two decades, the construction sector has experienced a surge in projects fueled by substantial government investment in infrastructure. However, amid this growth, the industry grapples with persistent challenges. Meeting project deadlines and budgets remains a struggle, impacting the industry’s credibility. Therefore, this research intends to investigate the idea of lean construction in the construction sector and look at the obstacles facing the construction industry in implementing lean construction strategies.

The insights presented here result from content analysis performed on 206 articles, while the metadata analysis is based on 891 publications.

This study highlights numerous important characteristics that influence an organization’s capacity to accomplish lean construction using a systematic literature review approach.

For forthcoming research seeking validation, utilizing a mixed-method approach could prove advantageous. Yet, it is crucial to recognize the constraints of the present study, primarily centered on the scope of the literature review.

This assessment will enhance comprehension of the lean construction concept, potentially encouraging the adopting of lean construction practices. Moreover, it could provide insights into effectively applying these methods in practice.

The literature review highlights the necessity for organizations to identify and address potential challenges they might encounter in implementing lean construction. An essential step in overcoming these obstacles involves exploring the concept of lean construction within the sector and assessing the hurdles constraining the implementation of lean construction strategies in the construction industry.

This study examines how structured procedures and psychological safety can enhance six sigma processes’ effectiveness and foster individual creativity within an organization.

This study employs a novel methodological approach, combining structural equation modeling (SEM) and multi-value qualitative comparative analysis (mvQCA).This combination gave us a unique lens through which to view the complex connections between the constructs that were the subject of the investigation.

The results substantiate that a well-structured six sigma approach, paired with a psychologically safe environment, fosters knowledge exploration and exploitation as well as triggering conducive learning behaviors. These elements, in turn, augment individual creativity, which is found to be instrumental in boosting six sigma performance.

This study is one of the first to combine mvQCA and SEM to investigate the complex interplay between structured methods, psychological safety and individual creativity in enhancing six sigma performance. This research highlights the importance of fostering creativity in strategic management processes and the unrealized potential of combining these methods.

Using the consumption values theory (CVT) as a baseline model, this study aims to evaluate the factors that influence farmers' decision-making behavior regarding interest-free agricultural financing products.

Data were gathered from 321 banking customers using questionnaires who are engaged with the agriculture sector and wish to obtain finance related to Islamic agriculture products.

The findings demonstrate that the decision behavior for Islamic agriculture financing products is highly influenced by epistemic, emotional and functional values. On the contrary, conditional and social values do not influence farmers’ choice behavior for Islamic agriculture financing products.

There are a few limitations in this study. Initially, the study's geographic scope is limited to bank customers within the agriculture sector who live, in particular, in Southern Sindh province, Pakistan. Next, researchers extended the CVT to a specific focus on agricultural financing products by Islamic banks. Future researchers should take these concerns into consideration for better applicability, and it is anticipated that the research approach will be refined to best expand the results. Lastly, future researchers are expected to broaden the theory's relevance by considering the socio-cultural environmental conditions (culture, religious values and approaches) and social conditions in a wider range of Islamic agricultural financial instruments.

The findings are beneficial for practitioners intending to advance innovative Islamic agriculture financing products to cater to Pakistani farmers’ needs.

This research extends the CVT that offers valuable information for the development of consumers’ behavior in the setting of interest-free agricultural financing.

The purpose of this paper is to show the benefits of bridging the gap between supply chain management (SCM) and political philosophy to challenge the underlying assumptions about SCM concepts and open doors to novel theory building.

A thought experiment is conducted to illustrate how the two philosophers Niccolò Machiavelli and Jürgen Habermas would tackle sustainability issues in coffee supply chains from a research perspective. The thought experiment is carried out using data from 30 semi-structured interviews with actors from the coffee industry. Supplementing the thought experiment with empirical insights allows for a deeper understanding of supply chain dynamics and how these are impacted by the application of the philosophical viewpoints.

The research stresses the importance of SCM scholars being aware of the underlying assumptions of their research, as these have a remarkable impact on theory building. A combination of empirical insights and philosophical understandings makes it possible to reflect on the underlying concepts of SCM, providing suggestions for reimagining SCM.

The contribution of the research is twofold. First, the paper presents an original view on SCM, as the thought experiment is introduced as an approach to better understand SCM concepts. By challenging the underlying assumptions with political philosophy, researchers will be better equipped to address grand challenges in the twenty-first century. Second, this is exemplified by the case study of the coffee supply chain, which provides the reader with insight into the dynamics of supply chains with prevalent power differences.

This study aims to expand understanding of the diversity of virtual influencer forms by investigating their nonhuman-like, animal and graphic or cartoon variations.

A three-year multisite longitudinal netnography studied 174 virtual influencers and spanned ten social media platforms. Typological categories were constructed from the data set, focusing on 14 influencers located across quadrants. In-depth findings were then developed for eight illustrative cases.

Findings deepen the knowledge of the virtual influencer sphere by highlighting diversity in human-like, nonhuman-like, imaginative and realistic forms. The authors postulate four types of virtual influencers: hyper-human, antihuman, pan-human and alter-human. These forms are linked to specific personalities and communication styles, addressing various consumer needs. Imaginatively represented virtual influencers may prompt audiences to reevaluate beliefs, values and behaviors. These findings challenge prior work’s focus on attractive, hyperreal and human-like virtual influencers, encouraging consideration of divergent types engaged in novel meaning-shaping activities and targeting different segments.

This research paves the way for consumer and marketing researchers and practitioners to broaden their representations of virtual influencers beyond the human-like, beyond the commercial and into new worlds of fantasy, imagination and posthuman possibility.

Different types of virtual influencers speak to diverse audiences and convey marketing messages in subtly different ways. Some forms of virtual influencers fit into roles like defiant voices, oppositional characters, activists, educators, entertainers and change leaders. As the universe of virtual influencers diversifies, this research opens new avenues of marketing for brands.

This study pioneers comprehensive qualitative research across the universe of virtual influencers and their communities, exploring links to popular culture. It offers connections between virtual influencer forms and communication strategies for marketers.

The study aims to investigate factors impacting consumers’ intention to adopt collaborative consumption (CC, hereafter) services. It extends the existing knowledge of CC services by testing and validating the moderating role of coercive power and the mediating role of attitude.

Applying random sampling, the data was collected through the mall intercept method across four cities in India and was analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling and artificial neural network to test the proposed hypotheses. A follow-up qualitative study consisting of 15 in-depth structured interviews helped validate the results of the quantitative research.

Results of the conducted survey revealed that a sense of community, reason-based trust and enjoyment positively impact consumers’ attitudes toward CC services. Attitude positively impacts intention and shows a partial mediating influence on the relationship between motivations and intentions. Furthermore, the results revealed the moderation of the perceived coercive power of the service provider. The results of the follow-up qualitative study validated the results of the quantitative research.

Managers of CC firms must understand the relative importance of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in formulating the attitudes of consumers and intentions toward CC services. CC managers should acknowledge the influence of the consumer’s perceived coercive power of service providers and consumer’s reason-based trust.

To the best of the authors knowledge, the current research is the first of its kind. It has justifiably and logically applied self-determination theory and a slippery slope framework in a single context. By testing the moderating impact of coercive power, the research extends the existing literature on CC and the applicability of coercive power in CC. The present study extends the knowledge regarding the consumer’s perception of reason-based trust and the perceived coercive power of service providers in CC.