Giulio Ferrigno, Nadia Di Paola, Kunle Francis Oguntegbe and Sascha Kraus
Since Zuckerberg's announcement to change Facebook's name to Meta Platforms Inc. on October 28, 2021, the concept of the metaverse has gained unprecedented popularity in the…
Abstract
Purpose
Since Zuckerberg's announcement to change Facebook's name to Meta Platforms Inc. on October 28, 2021, the concept of the metaverse has gained unprecedented popularity in the business world. Tech giants, SMEs and start-ups across various sectors are making substantial investments in metaverse-related technologies. Despite this, scholarly research in entrepreneurship and strategic management regarding the metaverse remains limited. This paper, grounded in value creation theory, aims to analyze how value is generated in the metaverse era.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper conducts a thematic analysis of 895 press releases published by LexisNexis between October 28, 2021, and October 28, 2022. The analysis identifies the primary emerging themes related to value creation in the metaverse age.
Findings
The thematic analysis reveals four significant emerging themes concerning value creation in the metaverse age: (1) factors enabling value creation, (2) digital resources contributing to value creation, (3) motives driving value creation and (4) practices of value creation.
Originality/value
This paper represents the inaugural attempt to analyze the metaverse through a value creation lens. Given the substantial investments and growing academic interest in the metaverse, understanding value creation in this context is a pressing concern. Additionally, this study provides valuable insights and suggests critical questions for future research on the metaverse.
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The combination of strategic orientation and digitalization for sustainable competitive advantage among small businesses is still not given much…
Abstract
Purpose
The combination of strategic orientation and digitalization for sustainable competitive advantage among small businesses is still not given much attention in the literature. Therefore, this study aims to understand the influence of strategic orientation on sustainable competitive advantage while mediating the relationship with digitalization.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a cross-sectional design. This design helped collect data from 234 small businesses in Arusha city, Tanzania. Since the study used latent variables, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze relationships and conduct confirmatory factor analysis. Through bootstrapping confidence intervals, Hayes's Process was also used to test how digitalization mediates the relationship between strategic orientations and sustainable competitive advantage.
Findings
The strategic orientation attributes that include market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation and learning orientation were positively and significantly related to digitalization. Furthermore, the results on digitalization and sustainable competitive advantage show a significant positive relationship. Finally, digitalization was analyzed to mediate the relationship between strategic orientation, market orientation, entrepreneurial orientation, learning orientation and sustainable competitive advantage. Hence, all hypotheses were supported.
Research limitations/implications
This study adopted a cross-sectional design that helped to capture the quantitative information. In addition, the current study is limited to Tanzania's small businesses; thus, the findings cannot assure generalization of the conclusion to other countries because of the differences in social, cultural and technology across countries.
Originality/value
This study integrates the concepts of strategic orientation from the strategic management discipline and digitalization from a technology perspective. As a result, the study adds new knowledge about combining two aspects and determining whether they add value in terms of providing a sustainable competitive advantage. This knowledge comes from digitalization, which acts as a mediator between strategic orientation dimensions and a sustainable competitive advantage.
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Matthew Tickle, Sarah Schiffling and Gaurav Verma
This paper aims to explore the impact of fourth-party logistics (4PL) adoption on the agility, adaptability and alignment (AAA) capabilities within humanitarian supply chains…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the impact of fourth-party logistics (4PL) adoption on the agility, adaptability and alignment (AAA) capabilities within humanitarian supply chains (HSCs).
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews with individuals from a large non-government organisation were combined with secondary data to assess the influence of 4PL adoption on AAA capabilities in HSCs.
Findings
The results indicate that HSCs exhibit some of the AAA antecedents but not all are fully realised. While 4PL positively affects the AAA capabilities of HSCs, its adoption faces challenges such as the funding environment, data security/confidentiality and alignment with humanitarian principles. The study suggests an AAA antecedent realignment, positioning alignment as a precursor to agility and adaptability. It also identifies three core antecedents in HSCs: flexibility, speed and environmental uncertainty.
Practical implications
The study shows the positive impact 4PL adoption can have on the AAA capabilities of HSCs. The findings have practical relevance for those wishing to optimise HSC performance through 4PL adoption, by identifying the inhibiting factors to its adoption as well as strategies to address them.
Originality/value
This research empirically explores 4PL’s impact on AAA capabilities in HSCs, highlighting the facilitating and hindering factors of 4PL adoption in this environment as well as endorsing a realignment of AAA antecedents. It also contributes to the growing research on SC operations in volatile settings.
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Raghav Upadhyai, Neha Upadhyai, Arvind Kumar Jain, Gaurav Chopra, Hiranmoy Roy and Vimal Pant
This study integrates the providers' perspective as well as the patient's perspective in developing and validating a scale to measure hospital service quality in multispecialty…
Abstract
Purpose
This study integrates the providers' perspective as well as the patient's perspective in developing and validating a scale to measure hospital service quality in multispecialty hospitals.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory sequential mixed-method approach was used in this study. The strategies used included a thematic literature review, semi-structured interviews, modified Delphi and confirmatory factor analysis.
Findings
The reliability coefficient of 41 item scale was 0.963 with each attribute, that is, pivotal, core and peripheral, having a Cronbach's alpha of 0.907, 0.91 and 0.891, with scale content validity (S-CVI Ave) of 0.9151. The composite reliability scores of all constructs were greater than 0.7, with an Average Variance Explained (AVE) of all items greater than 0.5.
Originality/value
The instrument can be used to measure the difference between what service providers believe customers expect and customers’ actual needs and expectations. The scale can be used to measure the difference between what is delivered (as perceived by the provider) and what customers perceive they have received (because they are unable to accurately evaluate service quality). The dyadic approach of administering this questionnaire in measuring hospital service quality will lead to the identification of a knowledge gap and a perception gap in delivering hospital service quality.
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Oluwatoyin Esther Akinbowale, Mulatu Fekadu Zerihun and Polly Mashigo
A functional financial sector is a major driver of economic development. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive understanding of existing research findings, gaps…
Abstract
Purpose
A functional financial sector is a major driver of economic development. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive understanding of existing research findings, gaps in knowledge and emerging trends in the field of banking and finance.
Design/methodology/approach
By conducting a systematic literature review, a total of 98 peer-reviewed articles whose focus and relevance match with the subject matter were reviewed and synthesised to answer the research questions. Multiple regression was also carried to investigate the relationship amongst the identified probable factors affecting financial inclusions.
Findings
The outcome of this study highlighted some factors mitigating the growth of the banking sector in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). These include excessive or stringent regulations, market segmentation, high interest rates, information asymmetry, low credit status and uneven distribution of credit amongst others.
Practical implications
Some of the policy recommendations that could aid the development of the banking sector in SSA include: development and deepening of interbank markets, financial inclusion, improvement of overall market efficiency through redistribution of liquidity within the banking system, improvement of price and encouragement of competition. This study recommends financial inclusion by formulating policies that balances the capital adequacy requirements with the risk of insolvency to ensure credit flows and promotes financial stability via effective operations financial institutions.
Originality/value
This study contributes valuable insights to the understanding of banking and financial regulations in SSA, informing both academic research and policy development in the region.