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This study investigates whether horizon problems affect the allocation of capital budgets and their implementation in a government setting.

We use data from 2005 to 2020 for local governments in Indonesia, which apply a limit of two five-year terms for mayors. We use regression analyses for panel data with total observations of 4,541 local government years from 448 unique local governments. We also use graphical analyses and t-tests to provide robustness to our results.

Mayors allocated lower capital expenditures in the second term than in the first. Capital budget allocation is lower for local governments whose mayors are older than 60. Our additional analysis shows that incumbents seeking re-election allocate more capital expenditure than those not seeking re-election.

This study contributes to the literature on the behavioral effect of term limits on local government's allocation and implementation of capital budgets. Limiting elected government officials to a certain number of terms will prevent the monopoly of power. However, it may negatively affect budget allocation on capital programs in their last term. Our findings should interest public policymakers in discerning the costs and benefits of term limits for elected offices.

Most studies on horizon problems have focused on the corporate setting. This study provides evidence of the effects of horizon problems in the government setting, especially in Asia.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how exporters’ time-out periods and re-entry to various export areas impact their knowledge stock and capacity to learn from foreign markets.

This paper introduces the concept of innovation divergent export areas (IDEXAs), which refers to a group of countries with relatively similar average levels of innovation capabilities (intra-area homogeneity), and different from other areas (inter-area heterogeneity), as measured by their R&D expenditures over gross domestic product (GDP). This paper tests the hypotheses on a longitudinal sample of Spanish manufacturing companies that exported to different IDEXAs from 1990 until 2016.

The findings suggest a positive effect of IDEXA re-entry on new product and process introductions and a negative impact of a time-out period of four or more years for those export areas with higher innovation levels.

Re-internationalization offers exporters the opportunity to reuse the knowledge gained in prior exporting episodes to increase their chances of success. Hence, it is important that managers make sense of the potentially damaging exit experience, to avoid repeating the same mistakes and perform better the next time around.

This study investigates for the first time the effects of re-entry to specific export areas on exporters’ capacity to increase their innovation output. Hence, it contributes to the international business literature by examining the performance consequences of companies’ re-internationalization, a key and under-researched topic. Furthermore, most studies focus on full withdrawal from foreign markets and ignore the more common microscopic decisions concerning withdrawing from one or more export areas.

This chapter aims to explore the potential for virtual reality (VR) technology to revolutionise human resource management (HRM) procedures. The comprehensive plan for integrating VR into HRM will positively impact various aspects such as recruitment, training, performance evaluation and employee engagement. This chapter provides practical insights and recommendations for organisations embracing this groundbreaking technology. It explores the design considerations, implementation techniques and potential impact of VR-based HRM programmes.

In recent years, the development of metaheuristic algorithms for solving optimization problems within a reasonable timeframe has garnered significant attention from the global scientific community. In this work, a new metaheuristic algorithm inspired by the inflection mechanism of the avian influenza virus H5N1 in poultry and humans, taking into account its mutation mechanism, called H5N1.

This algorithm aims to explore optimal solutions for optimization problems by simulating the adaptive behavior and evolutionary process of the H5N1 virus, thereby enhancing the algorithm’s performance for all types of optimization problems. Additionally, a balanced stochastic probability mechanism derived from the infection probability is presented. Using this mechanism, the H5N1 algorithm can change its phrase, including exploitation and exploration phases. Two versions of H5N1, SH5N1 and MH5N1, are presented to solve single-objective optimization problems (SOPs) and multi-objective optimization problems (MOPs).

The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using a set of benchmark functions, including seven unimodal, six multimodal, ten fixed-dimension multimodal to solve SOPs, ZDT functions and CEC2009 has been used to demonstrate its superiority over other recent algorithms. Finally, six optimization engineering problems have been tested. The results obtained indicate that the proposed algorithm outperformed ten algorithms in SOPs and seven algorithms in MOPs.

The experimental findings demonstrate the outstanding convergence of the H5N1 algorithm and its ability to generate solutions of superior quality.

Despite many studies on buildability from different perspectives and methods, the problems associated with buildability have not ceased from confronting the construction industry. This paper aims to determine the critical measures for improving the buildability of building designs in the construction industry.

A questionnaire was developed to address the aim of the study. Data were collected through the administration of questionnaires to purposively selected group of quantity surveyors, builders, engineers and architects. A total of 368 questionnaires were administered and a response rate of 60% (219 questionnaires were returned) was achieved. Data elicited were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results revealed that “the benefits of improved buildability should be made known to designers”, “more technical literature for improving buildability should be provided to designers” and “more education and training on buildability should be given to designers” are the top most important three measures for improving the buildability of building designs in the construction industry.

This study highlights the measures for improving buildability of building designs which are considered significant by construction professionals. An understanding of these measures is essential for reducing buildability problems as well as for improving and embedding buildability as a practice in the construction industry.

This study aims to shed light on the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) decision-making process and how members’ participation affects the decision-making.

This study applied a qualitative approach to capture experiences, thoughts and opinions on NGO internal democracy. The study was conducted on the Tanzanian mainland, covering two NGOs. Data were collected through interviews and document reviews. The analysis of the data was conducted using a thematic approach.

The results reveal that, while NGOs are making promising progress in consolidating internal democracy and the annual general meeting remains the highest decision-making body, some members have been reluctant to attend such meetings, hence failing to participate. This has implications for NGOs strategic decision-making.

The study focused on only two NGOs. This opens room for more studies to capture members’ opinions and experience on NGOs decision-making processes.

This study suggests considering the use of digital platforms as a way of improving members’ participation in NGOs decisions, reducing costs and increasing flexibility. Also, NGOs have to educate members, improve the level of internal accountability and strengthen leadership to attract members’ participation. This would help to realize the Tanzania National Strategy for NGOs Sustainability 2022/2023–2026/2027 for enhancing the capacity of NGOs to deliver their missions. This is relevant, especially in developing countries where there is a struggle to establish strong NGOs.

Most studies focused on the role of NGOs in promoting democracy; few have interrogated their internal democratic arrangements. This study interrogated the internal democracy of NGOs and the way it affects members’ participation in decision-making.

The NHS long-term plan outlined that mental health services in the UK will be based on the trauma-informed approach in the next 10 years. Staff in leadership roles in those services will face a responsibility to lead the implementation of TIC; however, little is known about the experiences of these staff attempting to create change. Therefore, this study aims to gain an understanding of mental health staff (MHS)’s experiences in implementing trauma-informed care (TIC) in the NHS.

In total, 14 mental health staff (MHS), comprising ten psychologists and four multidisciplinary clinicians, were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted via Microsoft Teams to provide qualitative data. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) reflexive thematic analysis.

Five themes were found: 1) having a visionary outlook and high expectations for change, 2) professional growth and personal development, 3) affirmation of the role’s importance and impact, 4) psychological discomfort and 5) ways of coping. Participants strongly believed that TIC should be standard practice for all health-care staff, noting that implementing TIC led to their professional and personal growth. While they found satisfaction in influencing others to value TIC, they experienced negative emotions when their efforts were unsuccessful and used various strategies to overcome barriers and manage psychological discomfort.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore the experiences of MHS implementing TIC in the NHS. Support recommendations for staff in the role are made and future research is identified.

Although existing literature has highlighted the benefits of sustainability practices for business, few studies explore their potential downside. To address this gap, this study aims to examine the relationship between public sustainability mindset and financial misconduct in local firms.

Based on survey results from International City/County Management Association, the author aggregates data on public sustainability mindset at the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) level in the USA. The author uses linear regression analysis to investigate the hypotheses. Robustness tests are also performed using approaches such as propensity score matching, two-stage least squares, falsification test and alternative measure of sustainability mindset.

This study finds that in MSAs with a stronger public sustainability mindset, local firms are more likely to engage in financial misconduct. Moreover, this association is mitigated by the availability of employment opportunities in the area, indicating that job security concerns have a moderating effect. Additional test suggests that firms with more integrity culture are less likely to engage in financial misconduct, even in areas where residents have a strong sustainability mindset.

This paper could be of interest to both policymakers and managers as it illustrates an unexpected impact of public sustainability awareness on financial compliance issues. It also provides cautions when prompting sustainability mindset among the public and suggests potential solutions to address the problem.

This research aims at investigating how business process management capabilities (BPMC) impact the effectiveness of sustainable digital transformation (ESDT). Furthermore, it delves into the mediation of dynamic decision-making (DDM) in the relationship between BPMC and ESDT.

This research employed the hypothetico-deductive technique. The statistical database was generated from sample of 712 respondents from small and medium companies (SMEs) in Vietnam, utilizing convenience and snowball sampling methods. The two-step process utilizing structural equation modeling, supported by SmartPLS version 4.1.0.9 and AMOS 28, was employed to assess the measurement model, while SmartPLS version 4.1.0.9 was used to evaluate the structural model.

The results of the analysis emphasize significant and positive correlations between the proposed constructs related to significance and effect size. The statistical results indicated that BPMC had a significant and beneficial effect on ESDT. This relationship was partially mediated by DMM.

The salient point emphasized that practitioners should prioritize enhancing focus on BPMC and DDM, as this would significantly facilitate more comprehensive solutions, enabling SMEs to achieve optimal success in sustainable digital transformation. Policymakers and government influencers are urged to concentrate on innovative attributes and ensure a conducive environment for the implementation of innovation by enacting regulations that promote the application of digital technology.

The findings of this study will broaden scholars’ understanding of the influence of BPMC on ESDT. The originality of the research is to provide research directions for advancing studies on the role of DDM in the context of sustainable digital transformation.