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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 6 February 2025

Marzenna Cichosz, Maria Aluchna, Ewa Sońta-Drączkowska and A. Michael Knemeyer

Organizational pursuit of sustainability in multi-tier supply chain systems operating in unpredictable environments is often associated with the emergence of paradoxical tensions…

Abstract

Purpose

Organizational pursuit of sustainability in multi-tier supply chain systems operating in unpredictable environments is often associated with the emergence of paradoxical tensions. This study aims to summarize and synthesize existing literature on managing various paradoxical tensions in supply chains (i.e. sourcing, making, delivering and reverse logistics) as organizations pursue sustainability transformation. It also strives to motivate new academic research inquiry into developing responses to sustainability paradoxes.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on a systematic literature review of 73 papers from the Web of Science database selected at the intersection of paradox, sustainability and logistics/ supply chain management (SCM). Applying paradox theory as a guiding lens, we investigate organizational strategies, practices and capabilities described in the literature to navigate sustainability paradoxes in supply chains.

Findings

The results assert that the success of sustainability transformation will depend on an organizational ability to recognize, accept and navigate paradoxical tensions in one's supply chain. This requires developing the dynamic capabilities of paradoxical leadership, strategic agility, innovativeness, collaboration with contextualization and governance. Successful sustainability transformation is not reliant on finding an optimal, final design but rather the continuous balancing of tensions inherent within or across the organizations that make up one's supply chain.

Practical implications

The research offers an integrative conceptual framework to guide organizations in navigating sustainability paradoxes in supply chains, embracing strategic, practice and capability levels. It also outlines opportunities for future research inquiries connected to this framework that are needed to build additional insight for addressing paradoxical tensions related to the pursuit of sustainable supply chain management.

Originality/value

This study takes a dynamic capabilities approach to navigating paradoxical tensions in pursuit of sustainable supply chain management.

Article
Publication date: 19 August 2024

S. Sridhar and M. Muthtamilselvan

This paper aims to present a study on stability analysis of Jeffrey fluids in the presence of emergent chemical gradients within microbial systems of anisotropic porous media.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a study on stability analysis of Jeffrey fluids in the presence of emergent chemical gradients within microbial systems of anisotropic porous media.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses an effective method that combines non-dimensionalization, normal mode analysis and linear stability analysis to examine the stability of Jeffrey fluids in the presence of emergent chemical gradients inside microbial systems in anisotropic porous media. The study focuses on determining critical values and understanding how temperature gradients, concentration gradients and chemical reactions influence the onset of bioconvection patterns. Mathematical transformations and analytical approaches are used to investigate the system’s complicated dynamics and the interaction of numerous characteristics that influence stability.

Findings

The analysis is performed using the Jeffrey-Darcy type and Boussinesq estimation. The process involves using non-dimensionalization, using the normal mode approach and conducting linear stability analysis to convert the field equations into ordinary differential equations. The conventional thermal Rayleigh Darcy number RDa,c is derived as a comprehensive function of various parameters, and it remains unaffected by the bio convection Lewis number Łe. Indeed, elevating the values of ζ and γ in the interval of 0 to 1 has been noted to expedite the formation of bioconvection patterns while concurrently expanding the dimensions of convective cells. The purpose of this investigation is to learn how the temperature gradient affects the concentration gradient and, in turn, the stability and initiation of bioconvection by taking the Soret effect into the equation. The results provide insightful understandings of the intricate dynamics of fluid systems affected by chemical and biological elements, providing possibilities for possible industrial and biological process applications. The findings illustrate that augmenting both microbe concentration and the bioconvection Péclet number results in an unstable system. In this study, the experimental Rayleigh number RDa,c was determined to be 4π2at the critical wave number ( δcˇ) of π.

Originality/value

The study’s novelty originated from its investigation of a novel and complicated system incorporating Jeffrey fluids, emergent chemical gradients and anisotropic porous media, as well as the use of mathematical and analytical approaches to explore the system’s stability and dynamics.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 35 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 20 February 2024

Vicente Peñarroja

Previous research has focused on the outcomes of telework, investigating the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking for employees. However, these investigations do not…

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous research has focused on the outcomes of telework, investigating the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking for employees. However, these investigations do not examine whether there are differences between teleworkers when evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of teleworking. The aim of this study is to identify of distinct classes of teleworkers based on the advantages and disadvantages that teleworking has for them.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used secondary survey data collected by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). A sample of 842 people was used for this study. To identify the distinct classes of teleworkers, their perceived advantages and disadvantages of teleworking were analyzed using latent class analysis.

Findings

Three different classes of teleworkers were distinguished. Furthermore, sociodemographic covariates were incorporated into the latent class model, revealing that the composition of the classes varied in terms of education level, household income, and the amount of time spent on teleworking per week. This study also examined the influence of these emergent classes on employees’ experience of teleworking.

Originality/value

This study contributes to previous research investigating if telework is advantageous or disadvantageous for teleworkers, acknowledging that teleworkers are not identical and may respond differently to teleworking.

Details

International Journal of Manpower, vol. 45 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-7720

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 23 December 2024

Ahmed M. Galal, Muhammad Zeemam, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Abdul Basit, Madeeha Tahir, Saima Akram and Jihad Younis

Nanofluids are used in technology, engineering processes and thermal exchanges. In thermal transfer processing, these are used for the smooth transportation of heat and mass…

Abstract

Purpose

Nanofluids are used in technology, engineering processes and thermal exchanges. In thermal transfer processing, these are used for the smooth transportation of heat and mass through various mechanisms. In the current investigation, we have examined multiple effects like activation energy thermal radiation, magnetic field, external heat source and especially slippery effects on a bioconvective Casson nanofluid flow through a stretching cylinder.

Design/methodology/approach

Several studies used non-Newtonian fluid models to study blood flow in the cardiovascular system. In our research, Lewis numbers for bioconvection and the influence of important parameters, such as Brownian diffusion and thermophoresis effects, are also considered. This system is developed as a partial differential equation for the mathematical treatment. Well-defined similarity transformations convert partial differential equation systems into ordinary differential equations. The resultant system is then numerically solved using the bvp4c built-in function of MATLAB.

Findings

After utilizing the numerical approach to the system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs), the results are generated in the form of graphs and tables. These generated results show a suitable accuracy rate compared to the previous results. The consequence of various parameters under the assumed boundary conditions on the temperature, motile microorganisms, concentration and velocity profiles are discussed in detail. The velocity profile decreases as the Magnetic and Reynolds number increases. The temperature profile exhibits increasing behavior for the Brownian motion and thermal radiation count augmentation. The concentration profile decreased on greater inputs of the Schmidt number and magnetic effect. The density of motile microorganisms decreases for the increased value of the bio-convective Lewis number.

Originality/value

The numerical analysis of the flow problem is addressed using graphical results and tabular data; our reported results are refined and novel based on available literature. This method is useful for addressing such fluidic flow efficiently.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 29 November 2024

Tatiana E. Bustos and Yamanda Wright

This book chapter briefly discusses the historical and cultural context of ethnography and evaluation as positioned in the United States and the opportunities made possible by…

Abstract

This book chapter briefly discusses the historical and cultural context of ethnography and evaluation as positioned in the United States and the opportunities made possible by merging techniques and methodology. By merging, methodological pluralism and increased responsiveness to cultural contexts are leveraged, and the critical relevance of engaging communities in evaluation processes is underlined. However, engaging with communities with marginalized backgrounds can present complicated power dynamics in practice that require the evaluator to rethink their role. Equity-centered research practices from the Equity-Centered Research Framework are linked to expound on the need for transforming the evaluator's role to shift and share power with communities throughout engagement. We expand on how transformative work also requires ongoing examinations of positionality in the evaluator role through the lens of relationships. Borrowing from ethnographic concepts, relational dimensions of positionality are conceptualized as alignment, temporality, and place. Each component is illustrated with details on how power dynamics may occur throughout community engagement as well as ways to manage and mitigate power differentials between the roles of the evaluator and community partners. We then offer three broad evaluator practices to support transformation: (a) identify positionality, (b) embed into everyday practice, and (c) negotiate in collaborations with communities. With these practices, we reflect on critical questions and position communities as critical learning partners to promote actions to mitigate and manage ongoing power dynamics. We close this chapter with our experiences interrogating positionality to illustrate distinct burdens and insights as evaluators of color.

Details

Theories Bridging Ethnography and Evaluation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83549-019-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 August 2024

Annie K. Lewis, Nicholas F. Taylor, Patrick W. Carney and Katherine E. Harding

Interventions that improve timely access to outpatient health services are essential in managing demand. This process evaluation aimed to describe the implementation, mechanism of…

Abstract

Purpose

Interventions that improve timely access to outpatient health services are essential in managing demand. This process evaluation aimed to describe the implementation, mechanism of impact and context of an intervention to reduce waiting for first appointments in an outpatient epilepsy clinic.

Design/methodology/approach

The UK Medical Research Council framework was used as the theoretical basis for a process evaluation alongside an intervention trial. The intervention, Specific Timely Appointments for Triage (STAT), is a data-driven approach that combines a one-off backlog reduction strategy with methods to balance supply and demand. A mixed methods process evaluation synthesised routinely collected quantitative and qualitative data, which were mapped to the domains of implementation, mechanisms of impact and contextual elements.

Findings

The principles of the STAT model were implemented as intended without adaptation. The STAT model reached all patients referred, including long waiters and was likely generalisable to other medical outpatient clinics. Mechanisms of impact were increased clinic capacity and elimination of unwanted variation. Contextual elements included the complexity of healthcare systems and the two-tier triage practice that contributes to prolonged waiting for patients classified as non-urgent.

Originality/value

This process evaluation shows how a data-driven strategy was applied in a medical outpatient setting to manage demand. Improving patient flow by reducing waiting in non-urgent, outpatient care is a complex problem. Understanding how and why interventions work is important for improved timeliness of care, and sustainability of public health services.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 38 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 February 2025

Dong Qian, Xuejing Wei, Guoqi Zhu, Xurong Ma, Beibei Hu and Xiaojun Pang

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of the influence of paradoxical thinking (PT), which characterizes the ability of college students to balance and integrate the…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the mechanism of the influence of paradoxical thinking (PT), which characterizes the ability of college students to balance and integrate the conflict between hedonic and normative goals, on their campus low-carbon behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual model of “PT − Paradoxical salience (climate change concern, CCC) − Paradoxical acceptance (support for low-carbon behavioral norms, SN) − paradoxical resolution (campus low-carbon intentions and behaviors, CLCIs and CLCBs)” was developed. Then, it was tested by PLS-SEM using survey data obtained from 501 Chinese college students, and the relative importance of each factor of CLCBs was determined by the importance-performance map analysis method. Finally, a mechanistic difference analysis was conducted.

Findings

PT, CCC and SN have the potential to influence the CLCBs of college students, with each of the three factors showing approximately 40% room for improvement in their impact. There exists an influential pathway of “PT → CCC → SN → CLCIs → CLCBs.” Notably, PT exhibits a stronger direct influence on college students’ private-sphere CLCBs compared to the public-sphere CLCBs.

Practical implications

Colleges should integrate the development of PT into the foundational framework of the entire education for sustainable development curriculum, while emphasizing the provision of opportunities for training in PT through pedagogical methods, and PT training can be integrated across various social levels.

Originality/value

This study offers a paradox theoretical framework for comprehending and elucidating the decision-making process underlying personal low-carbon behaviors, and advances the quantitative research of microindividual paradox processing by effectively conceptualizing and measuring paradoxical salience and acceptance.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 March 2024

Edicleia Oliveira, Serge Basini and Thomas M. Cooney

This article aims to explore the potential of feminist phenomenology as a conceptual framework for advancing women’s entrepreneurship research and the suitability of…

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Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to explore the potential of feminist phenomenology as a conceptual framework for advancing women’s entrepreneurship research and the suitability of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to the proposed framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The article critically examines the current state of women’s entrepreneurship research regarding the institutional context and highlights the benefits of a shift towards feminist phenomenology.

Findings

The prevailing disembodied and gender-neutral portrayal of entrepreneurship has resulted in an equivocal understanding of women’s entrepreneurship and perpetuated a male-biased discourse within research and practice. By adopting a feminist phenomenological approach, this article argues for the importance of considering the ontological dimensions of lived experiences of situatedness, intersubjectivity, intentionality and temporality in analysing women entrepreneurs’ agency within gendered institutional contexts. It also demonstrates that feminist phenomenology could broaden the current scope of IPA regarding the embodied dimension of language.

Research limitations/implications

The adoption of feminist phenomenology and IPA presents new avenues for research that go beyond the traditional cognitive approach in entrepreneurship, contributing to theory and practice. The proposed conceptual framework also has some limitations that provide opportunities for future research, such as a phenomenological intersectional approach and arts-based methods.

Originality/value

The article contributes to a new research agenda in women’s entrepreneurship research by offering a feminist phenomenological framework that focuses on the embodied dimension of entrepreneurship through the integration of IPA and conceptual metaphor theory (CMT).

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 30 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 1 October 2024

Giuditta Farina, Mirta Casati and Paolo Sckokai

The main objective of this study is to analyze consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for country-of-origin (COO) labels of two processed food products, disentangling the value of…

Abstract

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to analyze consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for country-of-origin (COO) labels of two processed food products, disentangling the value of information (VOI) that consumers place on COO information from the value they place on specific countries of origin.

Design/methodology/approach

A convenience sample of 96 university students completed a face-to-face experiment that included a multiple price list and a discrete choice experiment. Data are analyzed employing interval censored regressions, and random parameter logit models.

Findings

Our results indicate that, on average, consumers place a higher value on origin information when a country name is explicitly mentioned. Furthermore, COO information is, on average, more relevant to consumers for products with low involvement than for products with high involvement. Finally, the effect of ethnocentrism is heterogeneous across product categories.

Research limitations/implications

Mandatory COO labeling may or may not reinforce domestic bias, depending on the rationale behind consumer support. If consumers are driven by blind ethnocentrism, it may lead to market inefficiencies. However, if they use COO as a cue to align their stated preferences with their choices, it will not. For this alignment to occur, consumers must be fully informed about product attributes, which requires new and smart methods of communicating product attributes.

Originality/value

The present study contributes to the literature on COO food labels, being the first in Italy to disentangle the VOI consumers place on origin information itself from the value they place on specific countries of origin. In addition, it is the first study that applies this methodology across different product categories, each of which has a different level of cultural sensitivity to consumers.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 126 no. 13
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2023

Janice Wobst, Parvina Tanikulova and Rainer Lueg

The purpose of this article is to synthesize the topics, conceptualizations and measurements of value-based management (VBM) and to suggest a research agenda covering its next…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to synthesize the topics, conceptualizations and measurements of value-based management (VBM) and to suggest a research agenda covering its next evolution as sustainable governance.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a systematic literature review of 80 seminal studies published between 1979 and 2022. The authors synthesized the studies by their conceptualizations of VBM in an inductively developed framework.

Findings

The authors find that scholars explore diverse topics related to VBM with a prevailing focus on shareholder primacy. There is a paucity of studies that focus on the integration of shareholder maximization and stakeholder management practices. The authors explain which studies will form a promising foundation for advanced research on sustainable governance that will reach beyond current VBM research.

Originality/value

The authors' research agenda addresses new future topics on conflicting goals within and between shareholder groups, offers specific suggestions for using new research methods and untapped data sources for VBM and paves the way to substantially extend the boundaries of the firm in VBM research to include stakeholders, strategic alignment and new sustainability measures.

1 – 10 of over 1000