Search results

This paper aims to examine the impact of dual-class share structures, where share structure is measured by the existence of a dual-class structure and also by excess voting rights and the proximity of the superior class shareholders in such structures, on financial constraints.

The study applies regression analyses to a sample of 2,466 observations on non-financial US firms over the period 2002–2018. The methods include regression with industry and year fixed effects, “propensity score matching” approach to match the dual-class firms with non-dual class firms and alternative measures of financial constraints.

The result shows that irrespective of how dual-class share structure is measured, it increases the level of financial constraints, except where dual-class share structure is measured by the proximity of superior class shareholders. Among the additional tests, the HM index has been used as a measure of financial constraints, and the findings show that the impact of dual-class structures on financial constraints appears to be driven by their effect on debt constraints. Finally, the findings are robust when the authors address endogeneity issues and remain consistent when the authors use alternative measures and tests.

The study has important implications for investors, regulators and policymakers, as it could help an understanding of the effect of the potential for conflict between superior class shareholders and other shareholders.

The results from the study support earlier literature on the impact of dual-class share structure on financial constraints. However, the study also provides new evidence on the different dimensions of dual-class share structure and financial constraints. Furthermore, the hand-collected data set on dual-class firms and the values of their voting wedge and the proximity of superior class shareholders may be useful to other researchers.

The present research investigates the effects of adopting Industry 4.0 technologies (ADT) on the Pakistani food sector’s sustainable performance (SP). Specifically, it focuses on the roles of green supply chain collaboration (GSCC), circular economy practices (CEP) and technological readiness (TR) as mediators and environmental dynamism (EDY) as a moderator.

This study is based on the natural resource-based view (NRBV) theory to determine the 14.0 adoption toward sustainable performance with mediators and moderators. The authors conducted an online questionnaire from 318 employees of the food manufacturing industries in Lahore, Pakistan, and applied the PLS-SEM approach to test the relationships of variables.

The findings of this study reveal that adopting Industry 4.0 technologies significantly influences sustainable performance through GSCC, CEP and TR in the Pakistani food sector. Moreover, the relation between industry 4.0 technologies, GSCC, CEP and TR is positively moderated by environmental dynamism.

The findings have marked implications for the literature on adopting I4.0 on sustainable performance in the Pakistani food sector. This research is based on data collected from a single country, and industry is the limitation of this study.

The present study provides conclusive evidence of the influence of the adoption of Industry 4.0 on sustainable performance through GSCC, CEP and TR in the Pakistani food sector. This study is the first to investigate the moderating role of environmental dynamism among industry 4.0 technologies, GSCC, CEP and TR.

We aim to investigate the impact of different story types on small fashion business brand trust and purchase intention, guided by signaling theory. We investigate two potential moderators – product aesthetic judgment (i.e. consumers’ responses to the aesthetic aspects of a product) and underdog positioning (i.e. brand’s positioning as a loser that is not a leader in the marketplace and has only a small market share but puts efforts into creating valuable products) – that may influence consumers’ responses to a story.

We developed video stimuli that tell business stories to empirically compare two story types bringing brand trust: identity-focused and product-focused stories. We conducted two experimental studies and tested six hypotheses with 302 datasets. Study 1 compared eco-friendly storytelling with product-focused storytelling, considering perceived product aesthetic judgment as the moderator. Study 2 repeated the experiment with a founder story and a product-focused story, considering the perceived underdog as the moderator.

The findings suggest that the influence of eco-friendly storytelling, compared to product-focused storytelling, on higher purchase intention is fully mediated by brand trust. Consumers’ perceived product aesthetic judgments toward an eco-friendly product can positively moderate the storytelling effect and brand trust. However, founder storytelling did not bring higher brand trust and, consequently, had no significant impact on purchase intention. Similarly, the perceived underdog did not moderate this relationship.

The study is novel as it is one of the first to compare story types based on story contents, whereas previous studies have focused on story delivery. Especially, we explored which story types and contents effectively build brand trust for small businesses, a critical factor for their success. Based on the extant literature, we categorized story types into identity-focused stories and product-focused stories based on contents. We hypothesized and concluded that an identity-focused story can be more effective in eliciting consumer responses. Furthermore, we confirm the critical role of brand trust as a mediator in bringing about purchase intention through eco-friendly storytelling.

The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the consumer payment behavior in Italy by correlating financial literacy with digital payment awareness, examining media anxiety and financial security, and including a gender analysis.

Consumers’ attitudes toward cashless payments were investigated using an online survey conducted from November 2021 to February 2022 on a sample of 836 Italian citizens by considering the behavioral characteristics and aspects of financial literacy. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses and to determine whether the model was invariant by gender.

The analysis showed that the fear of contracting COVID-19 and the level of financial literacy had a direct influence on the payment behavior of Italians, which was completely different in its weighting. Fear due to the spread of news regarding the pandemic in the media indirectly influenced consumers’ noncash attitude. The preliminary results of the gender multigroup analysis showed that cashless payment was the same in the male and female subpopulations.

This research is noteworthy because of its interconnected examination. It examined the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s payment choices, assessed their knowledge, and considered the influence of media-induced anxiety. By combining these factors, the study offered an analysis from a gender perspective, providing understanding of how financial behaviors were shaped during the pandemic.

Rice is an essential determinant of food security in some developing countries as it has become the state’s staple food. Due to its essential role, rice supplies have been studied over the years. For this reason, it is essential to ensure quantity and quality availability, safety, distribution and affordability from input suppliers, farmers and milling industries to consumers. This study aims to assess and evaluate the relationship between sustainability risk factors for each rice supply chain actor to minimise uncertainty and losses in the supply chain and achieve a sustainable rice supply chain (SRSC).

A total of 50 sub-risk factors for the rice supply chain, divided into four sustainability dimensions, were derived through a literature review. Next, it was identified through interviews with 12 experts in 2 stages: the first stage, reviewing the literature review results, and the second stage, finalising with Pareto analysis. Each stage produces 28 and 21 sub-risk factors. Fuzzy-decision-making trial and evaluation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between sub-risk factors in the context of SRSC.

The sub-risk factors that need to be managed to achieve SRSC are climate change risk (floods and rainfall) from the environmental dimension (case group) and operational risk (loss of low-quality results) from the process dimension (impact group). These practical findings provide actionable insights for supply chain actors and contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of the rice supply chain.

This study underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of the risks faced by all actors in the rice supply chain. Such an understanding is crucial for future research and practical applications, and it is the key to ensuring the sustainability and security of the rice supply chain.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study in the context of SRSC that evaluates the relationship between risk factors to achieve food security in developing countries.

Electric vehicle adoption (EVA) drives sustainability by significantly reducing carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Despite EVA’s notable advantages from existing literature and its evolving nature, a gap persists in evaluating EVA research. This research presents a systematic literature review, offering insights into the current state of EVA advancements.

This study amalgamates various factors influencing EVA and elucidates their associations, fostering sustainable transportation. To evaluate progress in this domain, we adopt the Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology (TCCM) framework, systematically assessing the theories, contextual factors, characteristics and methodologies employed in EVA research to support efficient decision-making.

The study reveals 18 theories, prominently including the theory of planned behavior, innovation diffusion theory, technology acceptance model and UTAUT. The study identifies diverse factors such as perceived risk, effort expectancy, social norms, performance expectancy, government policy, personal norms, attitude, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, demographics and ecological knowledge as pivotal in shaping attitudes and intentions toward electric vehicle adoption. Furthermore, structured equation modeling emerges as the predominant methodology, while including alternative approaches enriches the methodological landscape, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the factors driving EV adoption.

The insights gained from this research can inform policymakers, manufacturers and researchers, ultimately contributing to the global transition towards more sustainable transportation solutions.

This research’s cardinal contribution lies in developing an integrated theoretical framework, a novel approach that offers a structured and holistic perspective on the multifaceted determinants of EVA. This framework not only illuminates the intricate relationships among these variables but also opens up exciting avenues for future research.

Whilst there has been much research examining risk management in construction supply chains, there is a relative dearth of knowledge concerning small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in this context. SMEs are considered vulnerable economic agents due to their financial constraints and reduced viability compared to large firms. This study aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive review, identifying key challenges in the research and generating a future research agenda.

A structured literature review was conducted in this study, resulting in the identification of 106 articles that relate to construction SME risks. Thematic analysis was then employed to determine the supply chain risk themes. Additionally, VOSviewer was employed to depict content frequency and, most recently, trends based on the timeline.

This paper uncovers eight distinct supply chain risks pertinent to construction SMEs, arranging these into three themes from the standpoint of supply chain risk management. Moreover, it identifies six gaps in the existing body of research on construction SMEs and puts forth prospective research directions and questions to address each of these identified gaps.

The practical significance of this study is to provide SMEs in the construction industry with a comprehensive framework for identifying and categorizing risks related to management and strategy, operations and processes and sustainability. With this framework, SMEs can systematically assess potential risks at all stages of a project.

This study aims to investigate the impact of brand engagement on consumer responses to brand extensions, particularly in terms of value perception, attitude and purchase intention in a masstige context. The study examines low-fit/high-functionality and high-fit/low-functionality products. It also explores the crucial role of self-congruence in enhancing brand engagement, which leads to positive consumer responses towards brand extensions.

After establishing the theoretical foundations, pre-tests identified the product types and their fit level. In this quantitative study, 464 questionnaires were administered. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling validated the model and tested the hypotheses for low-fit/high-functionality and high-fit/low-functionality products of a masstige brand.

Data analysis shows that brand engagement positively affects value perception, attitude and purchase intention. However, consumers’ responses to brand extension differed for low-fit versus high-fit products. Moreover, social self-congruence and actual and ideal self-congruence positively impact consumers’ active engagement with masstige brands.

This research shows that low-fit extensions of masstige brands can succeed with high functionality, while high-fit extensions mitigate the negative effects of low functionality, a key attribute of masstige brands. The study adds to the limited literature on self-congruence and engagement by identifying actual and ideal self-congruence as determinants of brand engagement. It is also among the first to demonstrate that social self-congruence drives brand engagement for masstige brands.