Verónica Escudero, Hannah Liepmann and Ana Podjanin
Outside of Europe and the United States, the knowledge on skills dynamics is scarce due to a lack of data. We therefore assess whether online data on vacancies and applications to…
Abstract
Outside of Europe and the United States, the knowledge on skills dynamics is scarce due to a lack of data. We therefore assess whether online data on vacancies and applications to a job board can help fill this gap. We propose a taxonomy with three broad categories – cognitive, socioemotional, and manual skills – and 14 commonly observed subcategories, which we define based on unique skills identified through keywords and expressions. The taxonomy is comprehensive but succinct, suitable for developing and emerging economies, and adapted for online data. We then develop a text-mining approach to implement the taxonomy. Based on Uruguayan data from the job board BuscoJobs, we find that our model is able to assign skills to 64% of applicants' employment spells and 94% of vacancies. While online data are usually skewed toward highly qualified work, we show that our data include meaningful numbers of vacancies and applicants of intermediate and even lower qualification levels. Our approach relies on data that are currently available in many countries, thereby allowing for country-specific analysis that does not assume that occupational skills are constant across countries. This is key as we find considerable differences between our findings and those using US O-NET data. Finally, we end with an illustration of how our approach can inform the analysis of skills dynamics. To our knowledge, we are the first to explore this approach in the context of emerging economies.
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Yam B. Limbu, Marta Giovannetti and Silvio Cardinali
The main objective of this study is to assess the applicability and robustness of the information motivation behavioural skills (IMB) model in determining dietary supplement usage…
Abstract
Purpose
The main objective of this study is to assess the applicability and robustness of the information motivation behavioural skills (IMB) model in determining dietary supplement usage of pregnant and breastfeeding women. More specifically, we examine the indirect effects of online social capital and internet use for health information on dietary supplement usage through self-efficacy and the moderating role of educational attainment.
Design/methodology/approach
Data was collected from 415 pregnant and breastfeeding Italian women using a self-administered questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using Hayes's (2013) PROCESS macro for SPSS.
Findings
Internet use for health information is directly associated with dietary supplement usage. Online social capital and internet use for health information positively influence dietary supplement usage through self-efficacy. However, the results from moderated mediation analyses show that the mediation effects are moderated by educational attainment so that indirect relationships were stronger among women with a lower level of education than among those with a higher level of education.
Practical implications
Dietary supplement marketers and public health agencies can develop and implement dietary supplement promotional materials and interventions by disseminating information through the internet and social media and by strengthening social ties on online networking sites.
Originality/value
The originality of this study lies in the use of the IMB model as a theoretical framework to examine the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating role of education in explaining the mechanism of how online social capital and internet use for health information influence dietary supplement usage.
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Maira Quintanilha, Maria J. Mayan, Megan Jarman and Rhonda C. Bell
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of household food insecurity among immigrant women connected to perinatal programs offered through a community-based…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the prevalence of household food insecurity among immigrant women connected to perinatal programs offered through a community-based organization in Edmonton, and to explore their experiences in coping with food insecurity.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilized a mixed methods research design. A community-based participatory research approach was used to engage health workers who were connected to immigrant women and families through the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative in Edmonton. Through the health workers a sample of 213 immigrant women connected to their perinatal programs completed the Household Food Security Survey. Following the survey, 17 women completed semi-structured interviews which were analyzed using content analysis.
Findings
The vast majority of women (94 percent (n=199)) lived in food insecure households, and 53 percent (n=112) in severely food insecure. In semi-structured interviews, women specifically described not having enough money to buy vegetables, fruit and meat, and perceiving a lack of control over foods they ate and offered to their families.
Practical implications
This study highlights the need for support to be provided to immigrant families for acquiring healthy food in Canada.
Originality/value
The mixed methods design with a decent sample of often underrepresented research participants highlights an area in need of further research and greater support.
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Arkadiusz Kawa and Justyna Światowiec-Szczepańska
The purpose of this paper is to identify the components of logistics value and examine their influence on customer satisfaction in e-commerce. This study investigates the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the components of logistics value and examine their influence on customer satisfaction in e-commerce. This study investigates the moderation effect between those two variables using the overall service level in the different industries of e-commerce.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 592 correctly filled questionnaires from telephone and web interviews (computer-assisted telephone interviews and computer-assisted web interviews) were scrutinized. Hierarchical linear modeling (as a part of a wider group of multilevel modeling studies) was used to verify the dependencies between variables from an organization and industry levels.
Findings
The logistics factors indicated and described in the paper differently affect the value for the customer. This value is subjective and dynamic. For this reason, the online seller should develop a system to create a sustainable value proposition. It is plausible due to the possibility of choosing the type of delivery, date of collection and change thereof, as well as that of returning the product. Because of all this, the customer decides on the way of the order execution and creates the value chain.
Research limitations/implications
The developed model is aimed at identifying universal relationships that create the customer satisfaction mechanism for the logistics value. However, this may result in other aspects of customer satisfaction being neglected. The authors are aware that the creation of value by a company in e-commerce must be approached in a systematic manner.
Practical implications
The results obtained and the representativeness of the surveyed sample of companies lead to the formulation of implications for business practice. The conclusions of the research definitely indicate a need to build awareness of logistics value and its influence on customer satisfaction through the service level in the industry. Because of the identified components of the logistics value and industry characteristics, managers of online retailers can better run their businesses, increase customer satisfaction, and thus improve their performance.
Originality/value
It is the first study that concerns e-commerce in individual industries, with particular emphasis on logistics and its impact on customer satisfaction.