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This study aims to examine the effects of industrial production (IP), inflation and investment on suicide mortality in Turkey as a developing country over the 1988–2018 period.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the effects of industrial production (IP), inflation and investment on suicide mortality in Turkey as a developing country over the 1988–2018 period.
Design/methodology/approach
Fourier cointegration test and dynamic ordinary least square regression were used in this study.
Findings
IP and investment have a statistically significant and negative impact on suicide mortality, whereas inflation has a statistically significant and positive effect on suicide mortality.
Research limitations/implications
The results of this study have important implications for policymakers and potentially the creation and implementation of suicide prevention policies. Not only do investment promotion, IP and disinflation policies in developing countries have a significant effect on economic growth but they also have a substantial impact on mental health.
Originality/value
Although previous studies have investigated the impact of economic growth and unemployment on suicide deaths in Turkey, no research has probed the effect of economic factors, except for unemployment and gross domestic product, on suicide. Thus, given the hidden unemployment and informal sector in developing economies, it is vital to examine the impact of IP, inflation and investment on mental health.
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Chris de Blok and Richard Page
Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to ‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’. To achieve this…
Abstract
Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to ‘conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’. To achieve this goal, we must rebuild the marine life-support systems that provide society with the many advantages of a healthy ocean. Therefore, countries worldwide have been using Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to restore, create, or protect habitats and ecosystems. Palau was one of the first countries to use MPAs as a tool to develop biodiversity within its exclusive economic zone. On 22 October 2015, Palau placed approximately 80% of its maritime territory in a network of locally monitored MPAs, which has now shown a population increase in stationary and migratory fish species. This movement towards a MPA was intentional and because of increased pressure from tourism and the increasing incursion of foreign fishing vessels in Palauan territorial waters. Since countries worldwide are using and looking towards MPAs, secondary protection projects are becoming more and more popular. This chapter highlights the practical implementations and results in Palau, how to theoretically apply this within the Greater North Sea in combination with Windmill Farms, and how the Marine Strategy Framework Directive stimulates these practices.
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Parul Manchanda, Nupur Arora and Aanchal Aggarwal
Purpose: This study analyses the mediating effect of parasocial interaction (PSI) in the link between hedonic motivation and impulsive buying intention (IBI) in fashion vlogging…
Abstract
Purpose: This study analyses the mediating effect of parasocial interaction (PSI) in the link between hedonic motivation and impulsive buying intention (IBI) in fashion vlogging about sustainable cosmetics.
Need for the Study: Due to the mass popularity of YouTube, vlogging has led to an augmented level of PSI of vloggers with consumers, which strongly impacts a consumer’s behavioural consequences and persuades consumers to indulge in impulsive buying. Thus, marketers need to comprehend the changing behavioural patterns, including sustainable products, as this new communication medium serves the future of promotion and advertising.
Methodology: Online questionnaires were administered to 349 Gen Z female fashion vlog followers. Structural equation modelling and Hayes Process macros were employed to test the model relationships.
Findings: Results indicate that PI with the fashion vlogger partially mediates between hedonic motivation and impulse buying intention for sustainable cosmetic products. Fashion consciousness (FC) was also established as a significant moderator between all the model relationships.
Practical Implications: The findings of the study would be helpful for fashion brands in the content development of visual marketing communications, which would tap the female Gen Z consumer. Improving the PSI between the follower and the fashion vlogger can be easily enhanced by delivering the right content through the vlogger’s videos.
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Mouna Zerzeri, Intissar Moussa and Adel Khedher
The purpose of this paper aims to design a robust wind turbine emulator (WTE) based on a three-phase induction motor (3PIM).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper aims to design a robust wind turbine emulator (WTE) based on a three-phase induction motor (3PIM).
Design/methodology/approach
The 3PIM is driven by a soft voltage source inverter (VSI) controlled by a specific space vector modulation. By adjusting the appropriate vector sequence selection, the desired VSI output voltage allows a real wind turbine speed emulation in the laboratory, taking into account the wind profile, static and dynamic behaviors and parametric variations for theoretical and then experimental analysis. A Mexican hat profile and a sinusoidal profile are therefore used as the wind speed system input to highlight the electrical, mechanical and electromagnetic system response.
Findings
The simulation results, based on relative error data, show that the proposed reactive power control method effectively estimates the flux and the rotor time constant, thus ensuring an accurate trajectory tracking of the wind speed for the wind emulation application.
Originality/value
The proposed architecture achieves its results through the use of mathematical theory and WTE topology combine with an online adaptive estimator and Lyapunov stability adaptation control methods. These approaches are particularly relevant for low-cost or low-power alternative current (AC) motor drives in the field of renewable energy emulation. It has the advantage of eliminating the need for expensive and unreliable position transducers, thereby increasing the emulator drive life. A comparative analysis was also carried out to highlight the online adaptive estimator fast response time and accuracy.
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Hao Sun and Kaede Sano
Smart tourism has become an inevitable trend in future tourism development. However, despite significant investment in its technological foundation, little is known about whether…
Abstract
Purpose
Smart tourism has become an inevitable trend in future tourism development. However, despite significant investment in its technological foundation, little is known about whether and when tourists are willing to be involved in smart tourism. This study explores tourists' willingness to contribute to smart tourism development by empirically examining their intention to share personal information and use smart technology.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on construal level theory (CLT), a 2 (far/near spatial distance) × 2 (gain/loss persuasive information frame) × 2 (altruistic/egoistic value orientation) laboratory experiment with different contextual features was designed to examine tourists' willingness to contribute to smart tourism.
Findings
Tourists are most willing to share personal information and use smart technologies when spatial distance aligns with information framing, spatial distance aligns with value orientation and information framing aligns with value orientation.
Practical implications
This study provides essential insights for destination management organizations (DMOs) about tourists' perceptions of smart tourism, enabling DMOs to develop more precise marketing strategies to encourage tourists to contribute to smart tourism development and enrich tourists' travel experiences.
Originality/value
This study enriches theoretical knowledge of DMOs' boundaries in encouraging tourists to contribute to smart tourism and provides critical insights into future smart tourism development for researchers and practitioners.
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Karolina Sallaku, Domenico De Fano, Van Su Ha and Angeloantonio Russo
Social media platforms facilitate brand-consumer interactions by leveraging principles from nudging, value co-creation and social identity theories. This study aims to investigate…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media platforms facilitate brand-consumer interactions by leveraging principles from nudging, value co-creation and social identity theories. This study aims to investigate how these interactions mask harmful practices and accelerate market access, perpetuating extreme consumerism. Specifically, the authors explore how value flow on social media, across distinct stakeholders, leads to value co-washing, revealing their collective unsustainable behaviours and related effects.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a mixed-methods approach, conducting content and sentiment analysis on nine TikTok videos featuring products from a leading Chinese company and analysing 19,816 user comments.
Findings
The value co-washing framework is developed across three building blocks: brands, creators and users. Findings uncover a paradigm shift in stakeholders’ dynamics, highlighting how social media collaborative engagements foster value co-washing. User involvement is categorized into three distinct clusters – brand lovers, saga creators and boycotters. The analysis identifies nine thematic patterns, including value co-creation, brand promotion, audience retention and calls for responsibility. Sentiment analysis reveals a dominance of neutral sentiments, reflecting a widespread unawareness and social adherence to value co-washing.
Originality/value
The proposed framework innovatively maps how distinct stakeholders contribute to extreme consumerism through value co-washing, providing foundational insights into the underlying mechanisms of consumer behaviour.
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Fatima Iftikhar, Suleman Anis, Umar Bin Asad, Shagufta Riaz, Muntaha Rafiq and Salman Naeem
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a hand disease caused by the pressing of the median nerve present in the palmar side of the wrist. It causes severe pain in the wrist, triggering…
Abstract
Purpose
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a hand disease caused by the pressing of the median nerve present in the palmar side of the wrist. It causes severe pain in the wrist, triggering disturbance during sleep. Different products like splints, braces and gloves are available in the market to alleviate this disease but there was still a need to improve the wearability, comfort and cost of the product. This study was about designing a comfortable and cost-effective wearable system for mild-to-moderate CTS. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy has been used to reduce the pain in the wrist.
Design/methodology/approach
After simulation by using Proteus software (which allowed the researchers to draw and simulate electrical circuits using ISIS, ARES and PCB design tools virtually), the circuit with optimum frequency, i.e. 33 Hz was selected, and the circuit was developed on a printed circuit board (PCB). The developed circuit was integrated successfully into the half glove structure.
Findings
The developed product had good thermophysiological comfort and hand properties as compared to the commercially available product of the same kind. In vivo testing (It involves the testing with living subjects like animals, plants or human beings) was performed which resulted in 85% confirmed viability of the product against CTS. A glove with an integrated circuit was developed successfully to accommodate various sizes without any sex specifications in a cost-effective way to mitigate the issue of CTS.
Research limitations/implications
Industrial workers, individuals frequently using their hands or those diagnosed with CTS may wish to use this product as therapy. The attention could not be paid to the aesthetic or visual appeal of the developed product.
Originality/value
A very comfortable glove with integrated TENS electrodes was developed successfully to accommodate various sizes without any sex specifications in a cost-effective way to mitigate the issues of CTS.
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Dang Thuan An Nguyen and Liwei Hsu
As humans are influenced by their environment, this study explores how different construal levels of ambient scent temperature affect consumers’ food choices.
Abstract
Purpose
As humans are influenced by their environment, this study explores how different construal levels of ambient scent temperature affect consumers’ food choices.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed a series of experimental methods from three studies, totalling five experiments. The experiments involved both laboratory and field settings, as well as neuroscientific techniques, thus generating empirical evidence.
Findings
Three studies were conducted to investigate how construal levels of both ambient scent temperature and tasks influenced food choice. Study 1 found that the construal level of ambient scent temperature significantly affected the type of food consumed. Study 2 included the task’s construal level as another factor to examine whether it interacted with the ambient scent temperature construal level. Both factors were significant, but only when perceived by the participants simultaneously. If the task’s construal level was manipulated before exposure to the ambient scent temperature, the latter did not have a significant effect. Study 3 employed a neuroscientific method to explore the mechanism behind the match between ambient scent temperature and food choices based on construal levels. The congruence of ambient scent temperature and food choice based on construal level enhanced positive emotions.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size, although in line with other neuroscientific studies, was not sufficiently large for robust generalizability. This limitation can encourage future research to increase the number of participants and thus enhance the accountability of the findings. Another limitation is the participants’ cultural background.
Practical implications
This study’s practical implications are twofold. First, odour intensity was perceived to be the strongest in hot samples (Kähkönen et al., 1995), and we confirmed how ambient scent temperature can influence one’s food choice. Thus, food business operators can use warm ambient scent temperatures to promote hedonic food or snacks. Second, participants’ positive emotions were enhanced by the congruence of ambient scent temperature and food choice.
Social implications
The association between ambient scent temperature and food choice has been extensively researched. However, this study provides an empirical explanation for the application of CLT. Accordingly, we performed a series of laboratory and field experiments using behavioural and neuroscientific approaches. The results confirmed that the construal level of ambient scent temperature significantly affected food choice. Moreover, the FAA revealed that one’s positive emotions would be prompted if there was congruence in the construal levels of ambient scent temperature and food choice.
Originality/value
This study has theoretical and managerial value because people’s poor understanding of food selection is affected by ambient scent temperature. Moreover, its novelty lies in the application of a neuroscientific approach to one experiment.
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Chih-An Lin, Yu-Ming Hsu and Homin Chen
During COVID-19 restrictions, people spent more time in cyberspace and consuming health-related information. An increase was also observed in mediated caring messages or…
Abstract
Purpose
During COVID-19 restrictions, people spent more time in cyberspace and consuming health-related information. An increase was also observed in mediated caring messages or health-relevant information sent to one another. This study aims to explore how the information and interactions around COVID-19 can provide a good learning opportunity for public health, specifically related to eHealth literacy and eHealth promotion.
Design/methodology/approach
While mainstream literature has concentrated on experimental designs and a priming effect, this study inspects psychological distance related to a health threat under real-life circumstances. The article adopted a survey approach and utilized PLS-SEM techniques to examine the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
Results indicated that whereas closer social support correlates with closer psychological distance and less usage of the social media approach, more substantial COVID-19 impacts were associated with closer psychological distance but greater use of social media. Since both closer psychological distance and social media approach contribute to eHealth literacy, social support from closer and virtual social networks should be embraced but utilized through different routes and for different purposes. The timing of messages but not psychological distance affects people's social media approach, indicating that morning messages should be employed. Moreover, eHealth literacy mediates timing preferences and leads to a preference for eHealth communication earlier in the day. Overall, morning messages create a virtuous circle during a health crisis.
Originality/value
This paper establishes a mechanism of virtuous cycles for eHealth communication during a health threat. Additionally, it bridges existing research gaps by expanding chronopsychology and CLT in the health domain using an empirical approach, a real-life case and an extension of performance regarding information-seeking and utilization.
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Rania Ali Albsoul, Muhammad Ahmed Alshyyab, Sawsan Alomari, Hashim AlHammouri, Zaid Al-Abed, Zaid Kofahi, Raya Atiyeh, Rana Alsyoof, Ashraf Jamrah, Abdulwahab Alkandari, Erika Borkoles, Sireen Alkhaldi and Gerard Fitzgerald
To assess patient safety culture in a teaching hospital in Jordan, identify the demographic and professional characteristics that impact safety culture, and benchmark patient…
Abstract
Purpose
To assess patient safety culture in a teaching hospital in Jordan, identify the demographic and professional characteristics that impact safety culture, and benchmark patient safety culture with similar studies in the region.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional design was applied. Responses were analyzed using SPSS software. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.
Findings
In total, 430 (80.5%) participants were nurses and physicians; 300 (56.20%) were females; 270 (50.6%) were in the age group 25–34 years of age. Participants provided the highest positive ratings for “teamwork within units” (60.7%). On the contrary, participants recorded a low positive reaction to the proposition that the response to error was punitive in nature. Of the participants, about 53% did not report any events in the past year.
Originality/value
The average positive response of PSC composites varied from 28.2 to 60.7%. Therefore, patient safety culture in this Jordanian hospital was revealed fragile. This research informs and enables managers and policymakers to plan for future interventions to improve patient safety culture in healthcare institutions.
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