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Consciously or unconsciously, every management researcher adopts a certain philosophical perspective. In this chapter, I discuss the connection between philosophy and management research and show how philosophical perspectives affect the perception of empirical phenomena, choice of research methods, and interpretation of research results. The discussion indicates that the connection is far more crucial than what many management researchers may have thought. I then share my experience of studying philosophy and provide suggestions to those who are interested in enhancing their knowledge of the subject.

Researchers have been exploring the consequences of the hedonic adaptation process at length. This phenomenon is characterized by the reduction of pleasure with consumption experiences over time. Meanwhile, co-creation initiatives seem to be gaining traction in brand strategies. However, little is known about how individuals experience the co-creation effects in consumption. The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact of consumer co-creation experiences on predicting hedonic adaptation. Also, it aims to provide insights into the emotional aspects of consumption.

Three mixed-design experimental studies were conducted to explore the effects of co-creation on consumer hedonic adaptation, affective forecasting and emotional responses. Study 1 and Study 2 were conducted online with American participants. Study 3 was conducted in a laboratory setting in Brazil.

The research demonstrated that individuals predict that the path to consumption adaptation will be longer when co-creating their products co-create. However, this effect varies depending on the type of product. As for the emotional aspect, consumers attribute more positive emotions than negative ones in the context of co-creation.

This study manipulated different conditions considering specific product types. Future research should apply this framework to other products and services to confirm the generalization of the study’s findings. Also, the authors encourage future studies that explore emotions in different co-creation scenarios.

Elucidating how co-creation impacts consumers’ hedonic adaptation empowers companies to leverage co-creation to cultivate positive consumer attitudes and brand loyalty. Marketing campaigns can highlight the emotional benefits of ownership and personalization. It also provides a sustainable perspective for companies, which seeks consumers who remain present over time and trust the company. Furthermore, co-creation can be used strategically for innovation management. By co-creating limited-edition trial products, companies can involve new customers, foster a sense of ownership and potentially mitigate hedonic adaptation, while gathering valuable insights for new product development.

This research advances the limited literature on co-creation and customer hedonic adaptation, which lies at the interface between consumer behaviour and product development. It explores how product co-creation affects consumers’ predictions and shopping experiences concerning pleasure decrease, including product value and company feedback. Additionally, it examines the role of emotions in co-creation and hedonic adaptation. This research contributes by demonstrating the impact of co-creation on adaptation, affective forecasting and emotional responses during consumption.

Work–life balance (WLB) is necessary to allow organisations to innovate and develop markets. WLB enables employee development and influences employee motivation and productivity by helping retain employees and keeping them engaged. The aim of this study is to identify the causal configurations leading to employees’ perceived WLB.

Fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is used to identify the causal patterns of necessary and sufficient conditions that lead to WLB. Two dimensions of WLB are considered: (1) context (socioeconomic level and distance to work) and (2) organisation (work flexibility, job security and teleworking). These dimensions are studied to determine whether they lead to WLB. The study focuses on the city of Vila-real (Spain). The study data are sourced from male and female parents aged 19–56 years.

There are gender differences in perceived WLB. The observation that no single strategy leads to WLB is especially true for women, who achieve WLB through nine combinations of factors. For men, having a full-time contract is conducive to WLB. In contrast, women’s perception towards teleworking affects their perceived WLB.

The framework developed in this paper can be used to identify necessary and sufficient pathways to WLB to support the development of WLB policies and practices. It provides managers and policymakers with a framework to promote employee-centred WLB policies and practices.

This paper aims to evaluate the links between health importance, mindfulness aspects and positive mental health outcomes in consumers. It uses both symmetric and asymmetric methods to study these complex relationships.

A structured questionnaire was distributed to obtain data from consumers, and 721 completed the questionnaire considering our research objectives. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the links between the constructs, whereas Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) was used to find sets of conditions associated with beneficial mental health outcomes.

The study found substantial positive correlations between health importance and all aspects of mindfulness, including attention to one’s body, environment and emotions. Furthermore, attention to one’s body is identified as a strong predictor of positive mental health, highlighting the relevance of bodily awareness in promoting well-being. However, causal asymmetry is evident, implying that diverse combinations of causes result in higher or lower levels of positive mental health.

While the study sheds light on the relationship between health importance, mindfulness and healthy mental health, it is not without limits. The survey-based methodology of the research may create biases, and the sample is predominantly made up of customers, limiting the generalisability of the results. Future study could investigate these correlations in more diverse groups, using longitudinal designs to gain a better grasp of causality.

The findings have practical implications for programmes designed to promote positive mental health. Individuals’ well-being and resilience can be improved by emphasising the value of health and fostering mindfulness activities. Targeted therapies can use these findings to create successful strategies for improving mental health outcomes.

This study fills a gap in the literature by adopting a holistic approach to examine the interplay between health importance, mindfulness and positive mental health. Unlike prior research focusing on isolated mindfulness aspects or singular methods, it uniquely integrates symmetric and asymmetric analyses. This approach reveals novel pathways and causal configurations contributing to well-being. Highlighting mindfulness’s mediating role and multidimensional nature, the study offers actionable insights that bridge theory and practice, advancing mental health promotion and guiding more comprehensive interventions.

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the risks involved in modeling inflation volatility in the context of macroeconomic policy. For countries like Ghana that are always battling economic problems, accurate models are necessary in any modeling endeavor. We estimate volatility taking into account the heteroscedasticity of the model parameters.

The estimations considered the quasi-maximum likelihood-based GARCH, stochastic and Bayesian inference models in estimating the parameters of the inflation volatility.

A comparison of the stochastic volatility and Bayesian inference models reveals that the latter is better at tracking the evolution of month-on-month inflation volatility, thus following closely the data during the period under review.

The paper looks at the effect of parameter uncertainty of inflation volatility alone while considering the effects of other key variables like interest and exchange rates that affect inflation.

Economists have battled with accurate modeling and tracking of inflation volatility in Ghana. Where the data is not well-behaved, for example, in developing economies, the stochastic nature of the parameter estimates should be incorporated in the model estimation.

Estimating the parameters of inflation volatility models is not enough in a perpetually gyrating economy. The risks of these parameters are needed to completely describe the evolution of volatility especially in developing economies like Ghana.

This work is one of the first to draw the attention of policymakers in Ghana towards the nature of inflation data generated in the economy and the appropriate model for capturing the uncertainty of the model parameters.

This chapter describes the possibilities for fusing ethnography and evaluation to transform educational inquiry and educational entities (programs, systems, and policies). The central question explored is, how do we best pursue work connecting evaluation and ethnography to fulfill our commitments to diversity, justice, and cultural responsiveness in educational spaces, to make tangible transformative change? With 40 years of literature on ethnography-evaluation connections as a foundation, this chapter describes three coalescing themes: transformative, intersectional, and comparative. These themes are proposed as valuable for guiding contemporary educational inquiry that serves social justice. The transformative theme denotes educational inquiry in which the researcher or evaluator ethically collects data, makes defensible interpretations, and facilitates social change in collaboration with others. Doing transformative work that meaningfully fuses ethnography and evaluation rests on essential factors like time, values engagement, collaboration, and self-work. The intersectional theme describes intersectionality as an evolving analytical framework that promotes social problem-solving and learning via investigating the significance of intersecting social identities in (a) how people's lives are shaped, (b) their access to power across circumstances, and (c) their everyday experiences of subordination and discrimination. Finally, the comparative theme refers to sensibilities and practices gleaned from the interdisciplinary and transnational field of comparative education, including developing comparative cultural understanding and analyzing complex systems in one's inquiry projects. Across themes, this chapter emphasizes positionality, responsibility, and theory-bridging to make sense of the uses of ethnographic concepts and practices in transformative evaluation work in educational spaces.

Numerous studies have examined building information modeling (BIM) adoption in the built asset industry to understand its components, requirements and dynamics of this process. Further research is needed to follow this process, particularly considering emerging practices and technologies. This paper aims to characterize and evaluate the competency profiles underlying the BIM adoption and implementation process across distinct fields within the built asset industry, namely, owners, architecture, engineering, manufacturing, general and specialty contractors.

Using a quantitative approach, six fields of activity and 136 competencies were related based on data from 368 organizations. This approach, which includes univariate and bivariate methods (profiles and Chi²-test), enables the delineation and comparison of competency profiles underlying BIM adoption across fields of activity.

In all fields of activity, notable progress is observed in management and operational competencies, while administration, research and development (R&D) and implementation are progressing slowly. Sixty-two competencies are correlated significantly with fields of activity. Of note is the expertise of certain competencies in fields of activity (architecture excels in managerial, functional, technological, implementation and R&D competencies; engineering in administrative and normative competencies). Conversely, some fields of activity notably fall behind in most competencies, such as general and specialty contractors.

By examining the competencies development, this research identifies the key areas in which organizations in various fields of activity should invest to improve their BIM adoption. These findings can guide competency enhancement efforts in the built asset industry.

This study investigates Generation Z’s perceptions of entrepreneurial innovation through the Metaverse, including user perceptions of privacy and trust, and their impact on the acceptance of Metaverse technology.

Using a quantitative approach to examine relationships between the targeted factors, this study employs a structural equation modeling (SEM) based on the technology acceptance model extended with the variables related to privacy, trust and product innovation. The data were collected through a survey distributed to a representative sample of Gen Z individuals.

The results reveal that user perception of trust and product innovation positively influences attitudes toward using the Metaverse and the behavioral intention to use it. However, while privacy risk is found to significantly influence trust, it does not affect user attitudes or intention to use the Metaverse.

The results of this study provide useful insights for enterprises, raising considerations to maximize the innovative potential of the Metaverse in the current business ecosystem. The understanding of Gen Z’s perceptions can help enterprises to better adapt their innovation management practices so as to effectively engage this demographic, ensuring the successful adoption of Metaverse technologies.

This study is among the first empirical investigations on the impact of Gen Z on innovation management through the Metaverse, which is an emerging and increasingly important area.