Alfonso Rosales, Adriana Yepes-Mayorga, Alejandro Arias, Fabiano Franz, Joanne Thomas, Jamo Huddle, Ramón Jeremías Soto, Maya Haynes, Monica Prado and Dennis Cherian
Zika virus (ZIKV) statistics in Honduras are the highest among countries in Central America. National risk communication strategies have primarily focused on vector control and…
Abstract
Purpose
Zika virus (ZIKV) statistics in Honduras are the highest among countries in Central America. National risk communication strategies have primarily focused on vector control and are integrated into existing approaches for Dengue and Chikungunya. Given the new evidence on ZIKV, there is a need to revamp risk communication strategies so that they are informed by dynamic listening methods such as knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional survey was administered to 604 respondents in 21 designated Honduran communities using a two-stage, 30-cluster sampling method.
Findings
Almost eight out of ten Hondurans knew that Zika can be transmitted by the bite of a mosquito; however, only 2 and 0.1 percent, respectively, were aware that Zika can be spread by sexual intercourse and from a pregnant woman to her fetus. In total, four out of ten Hondurans knew that there is a causal relationship between Zika and microcephaly in newborns, and three out of ten knew that there is an association between Zika and Guillian-Barré syndrome. Overall, 50 percent of respondents said that they did not have enough information about the disease.
Social implications
The findings of this study clearly identify information priority gaps that need to be urgently addressed by national stakeholders involved in public health activities to protect the most vulnerable population against Zika disease and its complications.
Originality/value
This study is the first of its kind in Central America to inform any national risk communication strategy since the inception of the ZIKV response, particularly among at risk populations.
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Ainsworth Anthony Bailey, Carolyn M. Bonifield, Alejandro Arias and Juliana Villegas
Service providers have a vested interest in enhancing adoption of technologies that improve the customer service experience. Buoyed by this idea, this paper aims to explore Latin…
Abstract
Purpose
Service providers have a vested interest in enhancing adoption of technologies that improve the customer service experience. Buoyed by this idea, this paper aims to explore Latin American consumers’ mobile payment (MP) adoption, conceptualized as bank-sponsored mobile wallets that facilitate payment at the point-of-purchase. This paper applies a revised unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT2) model as theoretical framework for this exploration.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the conceptual model of MP adoption in Latin America put forward in this paper, the authors used Colombia as a sample site and conducted two studies among a sample of consumers in this country. Completed questionnaires from 186 participants (Study 1) and 398 participants (Study 2) were used in data analyses, which were conducted using Mplus 8.4 and PROCESS.
Findings
In Study 1, performance expectancy, social influence, bank trust, confidence in MP system and consumer innovativeness all impact consumers’ MP use intention; and use intention impacts MP behavior. In Study 2, involving a wider sample, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, perceived quality of the MP system, bank trust, consumer innovativeness, consumer optimism and consumer insecurity all affect MP use intention; and use intention significantly impacts MP behavior. Across both studies, follow-up analysis showed that effort expectancy influences performance expectancy for MP and indirectly influences MP use intention through its impact on performance expectancy. Bank trust also indirectly affects MP use intention through its effects on system confidence. In Study 2, age did not affect MP use intention or MP use; however, education affected MP use.
Research limitations/implications
The theoretical underpinning for the conceptual model was the UTAUT2, and the results across the two studies support previous research in which this revised model has been useful in explaining technology adoption. Core elements of the UTAUT2 such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions and social influence had different impact on MP adoption in Latin America, depending on the sample. Technology readiness index motivators and inhibitors also aid understanding of MP adoption.
Practical implications
The research provides insights on the variables that members of the MP ecosystem in Latin America (e.g. banks and other service providers, card issuers) need to address in getting Latin American consumers to use MP.
Originality/value
This research extends the exploration of MP to a region of the world that has not been the focus of prior studies on the adoption of this technology and responds to calls by some researchers to increase research in this region. The conceptual models in the two studies also incorporate trust in the banks that are part of the MP ecosystem in Latin America and consumer overall confidence in this MP ecosystem. The results show that both these factors are influential in Latin American consumers’ adoption of MP. System confidence also mediates the relationship between bank trust and MP use intention.
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Juan Felipe Parra, Alejandro Valencia-Arias and Jonathan Bermúdez-Hernández
Entrepreneurial intention is one of the main predictors of venture creation. However, the approaches used to analyze the entrepreneurial intention and venture creation are mostly…
Abstract
Purpose
Entrepreneurial intention is one of the main predictors of venture creation. However, the approaches used to analyze the entrepreneurial intention and venture creation are mostly linear approaches, leaving aside the fact that new ventures arise in a context characterized by fluctuations and instability, especially in emerging economies where economic and social factors are highly variables. Nevertheless, a dynamic approach could best represent its behavior. This study aims to propose an alternative approach and a starting point for more complex dynamic models in the entrepreneurship process that surpass the limitation of the current linear methodologies and allow gathering isolated studies' contributions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a method to shed light on the processes related to the venture creation process and entrepreneurial intention by designing a system dynamics simulation model.
Findings
The results reveal that the delayed effect of expectations produces a growing tendency in project creation, venture establishment and venture creation. Likewise, the entrepreneurial intention is not a static variable; it changes by the system’s dynamics and disturbs the venture creation process, which produces an increase in oscillations in the model and, therefore, reduces the project’s growth and venture creation.
Research limitations/implications
This model is a generic approach for the study of venture creation and entrepreneurial intention. The model can analyze entrepreneurial intention and venture creation in different contexts, adjusting the different model parameters. The authors run a sensitivity analysis to encompass deviation from the parameter established and the uncertainty about them. However, the empirical data used for the model’s testing, in this case, correspond to an approximation to the behavior of venture creation in Colombia, which is considered an emerging economy. The model proposed does not pretend to incorporate all the variables and phenomena about entrepreneurship.
Originality/value
The approach suggested in this work aims to conceptualize venture creation as a complex process that emerges from the occurrence and combination of simpler states, instead of activities that represent building blocks. In addition, the term “entrepreneurial process” is defined as a composite of different perspectives that use a series of multidisciplinary theories to address the topic.
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Alejandro Valencia-Arias, Diana Arango-Botero and Javier A. Sánchez-Torres
The purpose of this study is to verify some relationships between entrepreneurial attitude, university environment, entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial training, which can…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to verify some relationships between entrepreneurial attitude, university environment, entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurial training, which can be used to promote entrepreneurship among university students.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 3,005 questionnaires answered by students from ten universities in Colombia was gathered and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for the analysis.
Findings
The results show that the more a student perceives an entrepreneurial culture and the more training he or she receives, the more entrepreneurial attitude he or she will have. Also, it was found that entrepreneurial culture has a positive effect on university environment, and the latter has a positive effect on entrepreneurial training.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study was that only ten Colombian universities were sampled; therefore, general inferences cannot be made. Additionally, the variables investigated here may have not accurately measured the full scale of the entrepreneurship programmes in such universities or the way the culture of these institutions had a direct impact on students. Projects such as the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students' Survey (GUESSS), which measure variables related to entrepreneurship at the university level, enable universities to shape their policies around this important topic. This study indicates that universities should offer training in entrepreneurial, problem-solving and communication skills to produce entrepreneurs who can better face current challenges.
Originality/value
Other studies have discussed entrepreneurial culture, but they usually deal with university environment, entrepreneurial training and entrepreneurial attitudes separately. This study integrates all these factors and measures the level of interaction between them.
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José Arias-Pérez, Alejandro Coronado-Medina and Geovanny Perdomo-Charry
Big data analytics capability (BDAC) is the ability of a firm to capture and analyze big data toward the generation of insights. The literature has mainly focused on analyzing the…
Abstract
Purpose
Big data analytics capability (BDAC) is the ability of a firm to capture and analyze big data toward the generation of insights. The literature has mainly focused on analyzing the direct effects of BDAC on different aspects related to firm performance such as finances and innovation. However, the lack of works analyzing the intermediation role BDAC could play is noticeable, particularly in organizational situations that pose great challenges in terms of data processing. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyze BDAC mediation in the relationship between open innovation (OI), particularly customer involvement, and firm performance (financial and non-financial).
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed model with survey data from a sample of 112 firms.
Findings
The results show that BDAC has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between OI and financial performance, and between OI and non-financial performance. Nevertheless, this mediation is greater in the first relationship.
Originality/value
The main contribution of the study is to offer a broader research perspective regarding the role of BDAC in the relationship between OI and firm performance. This study ultimately questions that research tradition in which this role has been reduced to that of a simple application of data analytics techniques. Instead, the results show BDAC is primarily an organizational skill that should be articulated with key processes, such as customer involvement, to maximize the financial and non-financial use of the large flow of data coming from the main OI activity of low and medium-technology companies.
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The growing displacement of theory and other forms of wide-ranging knowledge of social phenomena by empirical research methods in economics is widely noted by economists and…
Abstract
The growing displacement of theory and other forms of wide-ranging knowledge of social phenomena by empirical research methods in economics is widely noted by economists and historians of economic knowledge. Less attention has been devoted, however, to understand the materialization of such changes in the scientific practices. This article studies the recent transformations in the epistemological practices at CEDE, a research center in Colombia. I use a machine learning technique called Topic Modeling, interviews to CEDE researchers, and exegesis of papers to characterize a shift in the production of knowledge in microeconometrics at CEDE during the years 2000 and 2018. I explain this shift by characterizing two sets of epistemological practices that implies a recent tendency to disdain research that cannot make a “strong” causal inference.
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María Isabel Roldán Bravo, Antonia Ruiz Moreno, Alejandro Garcia Garcia and Irene Huertas-Valdivia
This paper aims to investigate whether and under what conditions open innovation (OI) drives innovation performance (IP) in the financial sector. To this end, the paper first…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate whether and under what conditions open innovation (OI) drives innovation performance (IP) in the financial sector. To this end, the paper first analyzes in-depth the indirect effect of overcoming two attitudinal mediators, namely, not-invented-here syndrome (NIHS) and not-sold-here syndrome (NSHS). It then uses dynamic capabilities theory to hypothesize that the indirect effects are moderated by absorptive and desorptive capabilities, respectively.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors perform an empirical study of major Spanish financial entities. Data are collected from 288 questionnaires from employees at branches of 13 bank entities. Regression analysis tests the mediating role of overcoming syndromes and the moderated-mediating role of dynamic capabilities in the OI–IP relationship.
Findings
Results confirm the indirect effect of overcoming NIHS on the relationship between outside-in OI and IP, and the indirect effect of overcoming NSHS on the relationship between inside-out OI and IP. Further, absorptive capacity moderates the indirect effect between outside-in OI practices and IP by overcoming NIHS, and desorptive capacity moderates the indirect effect between inside-out OI practices and IP by overcoming NSHS.
Originality/value
This paper advances knowledge by explaining discrepancies in the sign of the OI–IP relationship. By introducing comprehensive absorptive and desorptive capacity models to explain OI, it advocates an integrative framework to understand OI activities and their outcomes. Managers should develop these capacities using human talent training and cultural values development to mitigate NIHS and NSHS and optimize firms’ OI efforts and the improved IP benefits derived from them.
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Carlos Alejandro Diaz Schery, Rodrigo Goyannes Gusmão Caiado, Soraida Aguilar Vargas and Yiselis Rodriguez Vignon
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present a rigorous bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review of the critical success factors (CSFs) for Building…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to present a rigorous bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review of the critical success factors (CSFs) for Building information modelling (BIM)-based digital transformation; second, to identify the relationship between the dimensions in favour of BIM implementation.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a two-step approach to combine bibliometric and systematic literature review to explore the research topic of BIM and CSFs. Bibliometric tools such as Biblioshiny in R language and Ucinet software were applied to this study.
Findings
Besides identifying the two most influential authors (e.g. Bryde and Antwi-Afari), the key journal for disseminating articles, and the most influential countries in this discourse (e.g. Hong Kong and Australia), the study also identifies four pivotal research themes derived from the co-occurrence analysis of keywords: the fusion of sustainability and technology with BIM; practical application and its integration within construction management; innovation and engineering paradigms; and the advent of emerging technologies (e.g. Blockchain) within developing nations. Additionally, the paper introduces a comprehensive framework for selecting CSFs pertinent to BIM-centred digital transformation as viewed through the lens of dynamic capabilities.
Originality/value
This paper establishes a link between dynamic capabilities theory, CSFs, and BIM dimensions, presenting a multifaceted framework guiding future paths and offering practical insights for managerial and political decision-makers engaged in digital transformation endeavours. The study positions dynamic capabilities as pivotal, aligning digital technologies with continuous business performance, and advocates for a strategic focus on digital transformation.
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Gonzalo Lorenzo, Juan Antonio López-Núñez, Alejandro Lorenzo-Lledó and Jesús López-Belmonte
The aim of the study is to conduct a thematic review of assessment tools and types of activities in the application of robotics to autistic students during the period 1996–2021…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study is to conduct a thematic review of assessment tools and types of activities in the application of robotics to autistic students during the period 1996–2021 using Web of Science and Scopus. The sample consisted of 119 documents.
Design/methodology/approach
Nowadays, emerging technologies have become increasingly prevalent across various fields of knowledge. In this regard, robotics is being increasingly applied in the educational environment. The characteristics of this tool are the ones that best suit the needs of autistic students.
Findings
Results reveal that 16.80% of the studies used automatic measurement systems, whilst 15.96% of the studies used user observation and recording techniques. As for the tasks, 37.80% were focussed on imitation tasks. Amongst the practical implications is the need to include tasks that could be developed collaboratively in the regular classroom.
Originality/value
With this research, it is intended to disseminate in the scientific community what are the characteristics that should have the interaction activities between a robot and autistic students. In addition, the type of tool needed to evaluate the improvements in the interaction is proposed.
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Letícia Oestreich, Álvaro Neuenfeldt Júnior and Alejandro Ruiz-Padillo
Unplanned urban mobility causes negative effects on the population and the environment. This study aims to understand how higher education institutions (HEIs) are managing the…
Abstract
Purpose
Unplanned urban mobility causes negative effects on the population and the environment. This study aims to understand how higher education institutions (HEIs) are managing the transportation issues related to their activities and how they are implementing actions towards more sustainable practices in this regard.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review and bibliometric analysis were performed using the Proknow-C method, and the bibliographic portfolio was evaluated to answer guiding questions about distribution of articles over the years and around the world, the most relevant and frequent topics, the travel behavior of university life and the main methodologies used. The meta-analysis was modeled using a programming language in R to execute Bibliometrix package.
Findings
Sharing systems, active transport, public transport, urban planning, car parking management and travel behavior are the most relevant topics related to sustainable mobility in HEIs. Different strategies to reduce car use are adopted, and the geographic location of the university and the availability of housing and shopping services in close proximity directly influence travel patterns. As a result, seven guidelines and strategic actions associated were proposed to promote the engagement of institutions in the development of sustainable transport and guide future studies about new solutions to promote sustainable university commutes.
Originality/value
This paper presents a new perspective by performing a critical literature review based on the experiences reported by several isolated studies on the subject. Initiatives of sustainable transport guidelines can be used by academics, urban planners, higher education administrators and other stakeholders to make universities more environmentally friendly, inclusive and accessible.