Pier Franco Luigi Fraboni, Andrea Sabatini, Maria Rosaria Marcone and Valerio Temperini
Starred restaurants, as significant outlets for small wineries, present a unique business opportunity. In this context, the sommelier, as a third actor, assumes a pivotal role in…
Abstract
Purpose
Starred restaurants, as significant outlets for small wineries, present a unique business opportunity. In this context, the sommelier, as a third actor, assumes a pivotal role in shaping the business relationships between these entities. This study, employing a grounded theory approach, delves into the sommeliers’ roles and activities in the initiation of relationships between small wineries and starred restaurants.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative methodology was adopted. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews, direct observations, and informal conversations with starred restaurants, small wineries, and sommeliers were collected and analysed using an abductive approach.
Findings
The findings suggest that the sommelier acts as a contributor to the business relationship initiation between the small winery and the starred restaurant, performing several continuous, simultaneous, and bilateral roles toward both actors.
Originality/value
The study sheds light on the role of wine stewards in the B2B context and provides useful insights to close the theoretical gap between business relationship initiation and the role of third actors.
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Andreas Walmsley and Ghulam Nabi
The purpose of this paper is to identify entrepreneur mentor benefits and challenges as a result of entrepreneurship mentoring in higher education (HE).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify entrepreneur mentor benefits and challenges as a result of entrepreneurship mentoring in higher education (HE).
Design/methodology/approach
An entrepreneurship mentoring scheme was developed at a UK university to support prospective student entrepreneurs, with mentors being entrepreneurs drawn from the local business community. A mentor-outcomes framework was developed and applied to guide semi-structured interviews.
Findings
Results supported the broader applicability of our framework, with a revised framework developed to better represent the entrepreneur mentor context. Alongside psychosocial and personal developmental outcomes, mentors benefitted from entrepreneurial learning, renewed commitment to their own ventures and the development of additional skills sets. Enhanced business performance also manifested itself for some mentors. A range of challenges are presented, some generic to the entrepreneur setting and others more specific to the higher education (HE) setting.
Research limitations/implications
The framework offered serves as a starting point for further researchers to explore and refine the outcomes of entrepreneur mentoring.
Practical implications
The findings serve to support those considering developing a mentor programme or including mentoring as part of a formal entrepreneurship education offer, specifically in a university setting but also beyond.
Originality/value
The vast majority of entrepreneurship mentoring studies focus on the benefits to the mentee. By focusing on benefits and challenges for the entrepreneur mentor, this study extends our knowledge of the benefit of entrepreneurship mentoring. It offers an empirically derived entrepreneur mentor outcomes framework, as well as offering insights into challenges for the entrepreneur mentor within an HE setting.
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Alessandro Cinti, Maria Rosaria Marcone, Andrea Sabatini and Valerio Temperini
This study aims to investigate the efficacy of the supply network approach in bolstering supply chain resilience amidst escalating global uncertainty. With enterprises worldwide…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the efficacy of the supply network approach in bolstering supply chain resilience amidst escalating global uncertainty. With enterprises worldwide facing increasing threats that disrupt supply chains, this research explores how firms enhance supply network resilience during crises.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a multi-case study design, this research thoroughly examines interactions within firms’ supply networks to uncover new insights on supply network approach and how firms enhance supply network resilience against global uncertainty. The selection of cases was methodologically aligned to represent diverse industries and geographical locations to ensure a comprehensive analysis.
Findings
This study’s findings reveal how firms develop supply network resilience during global crises. The supply network perspective provides a deeper understanding of how firms manage supply chain interactions, interdependencies and strategic positions to survive and thrive during crises. The conceptual framework developed here provides insights that can foster improved coordination and facilitate effective temporary organising. The framework highlights the need for firms to proactively seize opportunities and mitigate risks within their global supply chains during crises to boost overall resilience.
Originality/value
Offering novel insights into the domain of supply chain networks, this study underscores novel perspectives of the supply network approach when firms develop supply chain resilience during global crises. Highlighting the adaptive responses of firms that integrate these approaches enriches the understanding of strategic manoeuvres firms can use to navigate global uncertainty and secure supply chain continuity.
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The purpose of this study is to propose and test a model to explain users’ intention to adopt m-health devices and divide the importance of antecedents for users to adopt m-health…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to propose and test a model to explain users’ intention to adopt m-health devices and divide the importance of antecedents for users to adopt m-health devices based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework.
Design/methodology/approach
This research conducted an online survey with m-health app users and collected 562 valid responses. A hybrid SEM-ANN approach was employed to evaluate the research model and hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that motivation (M), opportunity (O), and ability (A) affect users’ flow experience and loyalty and further affect their adoption intention of m-health technology. Opportunity plays a more critical role in m-health adoption intention than ability.
Originality/value
This study comprehensively examined the factors that affect users’ deep engagement and m-health adoption from the perspective of MOA. It used the hybrid SEM-ANN method to divide the critical role of motivation, opportunity and ability, providing a new analysis approach for studying information technology (IT) behavior.
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Shuhao Li, Yuhang Zhang and Mimi Chen
This study aims to investigate the different effects of physical and social servicescapes on brand love for internet-famous restaurants, focusing on their pathways and strengths…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the different effects of physical and social servicescapes on brand love for internet-famous restaurants, focusing on their pathways and strengths of influence.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze data from 387 online questionnaires in China.
Findings
Results indicate that social servicescape directly influences brand love for internet-famous restaurants, while physical servicescape does not. The effect of physical servicescape on brand love for internet-famous restaurants is mediated by perceived coolness and perceived enjoyment, whereas social servicescape’s influence is mediated solely by perceived enjoyment. Overall, physical servicescape has a stronger impact on brand love for internet-famous restaurants compared to social servicescape.
Practical implications
The findings help internet-famous restaurants create effective physical and social servicescapes to enhance brand love, underscoring that physical servicescape is more crucial than social servicescape for cultivating this love.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by analyzing the heterogeneous pathways and strengths of physical and social servicescapes influencing brand love for internet-famous restaurants, while highlighting the mediating role of perceived coolness and expanding the application scope of cognitive appraisal theory.