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Discusses customer service guarantees and customer service insurance as ways to reduce consumers′ perceived risk in service encounters. Looks at some examples of how these could work in service encounters involving the time component and non‐transaction encounters. Views customer service insurance as a way in which companies can differentiate themselves from competition.

A simulation methodology is applied to the loan loss reserve process of an agricultural lender. Weaknesses of the point‐estimate approach to estimating loan loss reserves are addressed with a “bottom‐up” model. Modeling includes consideration of the producer’s and the lender’s diversification efforts. Implementation of this model will provide the lender a better understanding of the institution’s portfolio risk, as well as the credit risk associated with each loan. This study compares the lender’s loan loss estimates to a distribution of losses with associated probabilities. The comparative results could provide the lender a basis for setting probability levels for determining the regulatory required level of loan loss reserve.

This study analyzes the effects of gender and occupational status differences on parents’ work-to-family conflicts, comparing COVID-19 pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. It is examined whether this association is mediated by parents’ telework. Theoretically, we use the work/family border theory and flexible resource versus greedy role perspectives to shed light on the gender- and status-related use of telework and illustrate the influence of flexible working practices on parents’ work-to-family conflicts. Using moderated mediation analysis combined with bootstrapping, we analyze data from two waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam), covering pre-pandemic (2017/18, 2019/2020) and pandemic periods (2020) (N = 3,315). Our results show higher work-to-family conflicts for parents with higher occupational status as well as teleworking parents. Furthermore, we find supporting evidence for the mediation from occupational status to work-to-family conflicts via telework, with a slightly stronger relationship among mothers than fathers. Under the consideration of the pandemic, the mediating effect was only provable for mothers but not for fathers. However, the mediating effect of telework does not strengthen under the pandemic conditions. Our findings support the greedy role perspective, in particular for employees with higher-status occupations, and the assumption of a negative influence of work–family integration through telework for work-to-family conflicts.

This paper aims to deal with a real-life strategic conflict in joint operations (JOs) for facility location decision and planning in an oil and gas field that stretches over two countries and tries to develop a basis for mitigating such conflict.

This paper develops a novel approach using integer linear programming (ILP) to determine optimal facility location considering technical, economic and environmental factors. Strategic decision-making in JOs is also influenced by business priorities of individual partner, sociopolitical issues and other covert factors. The cost-related quantitative factors are normalized using inverse normalization function as these are to be minimized, and qualitative factors that are multi-decision-making criteria are maximized, thus transforming both qualitative and quantitative factors as a single objective of maximization in ILP model.

The model identifies the most suitable facility location based on a wide range of factors that would provide maximum benefit in the long term, which will help decision-makers and managers.

The model can be expanded incorporating other quantitative and qualitative factors such as tax incentives by the government, local bodies and government regulations.

The applicability of the model is not limited to JOs or oil/gas field, but is applicable to a wide range of sectors.

The model is transparent and based on rational and scientific basis, which would help in building consensus among the dissenting parties and aid in mitigating strategic conflict. Such type of model for mitigating strategic conflict has not been reported/used before.

The article explores to what extent party politics has influenced the different trajectories in Spain and Italy in terms of gendered active social policies (ASPs) (i.e. ALMPs and WLBPs). Second, it investigates how social and political modernization in the two countries has facilitated or hindered party competition on gendered ASPs.

To investigate to what extent parties support gendered ASPs, the article relies on an original content analysis of party manifestos issued during the 2010s national elections. A total of 1387 quasi-sentences have been coded. The results were then quantified to graphically show how positions differentiate across parties and countries.

The content analysis of party manifestos displays that party politics matters: gendered ASPs are backed in a very different way by the Spanish and Italian parties. While in Spain all political parties have strongly championed ALMPs and WLBPs, this is not the case for the Italian parties. The research has also stressed that the specific path of social and political modernization is an important intervening variable that alters positively or negatively parties' support for gendered ASPs.

The article contributes to widen theoretically and empirically the literature on ASPs in the Southern European countries. Theoretically, it questions the supposed homogeneity of the Southern social model and investigated the alleged bifurcation between Italy and Spain, focusing on those policies – ASPs – that constitute the foundations of the Southern model: familialism and dualization. Furthermore, this bifurcation was analyzed adopting a gender perspective, and exploring adherence to or departure from the Southern model. Third, the article focuses on the politics of ASPs demonstrating that inspecting the political arena can contribute to explain policy change.

Digital inequalities are pressing concerns, especially for students in need of special educational support. In recent years, numerous reviews have been published on the use of learning technologies (LT) in inclusive and special education. They mostly provide findings for specific groups, technologies, and countries. This systematic review aims to identify changes in the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) as LT that evolved globally in inclusive and special education over the last 12 years.

Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCOhost were systematically searched for publications for 2012 to 2023. Only peer-reviewed English publications were included to ensure a comprehensive review. The findings of the 421 included papers were then analysed, reflecting diverse perspectives at the technology, learners, teachers, and institutional levels.

The most used devices were computers, iPads/tablets, and specifically designed apps. More studies were conducted in separate settings than in inclusive ones. The primary participant groups were students on the autism spectrum. More than half the research publications were related to technology use. Technology development was the most common research objective, with approximately 40% of test hypotheses based on standardised tests or observations.

By shifting the focus from specific disabilities to a more usability-based approach, we can envision a future in which the quality of education for all students is substantially improved.

LT have the potential to significantly contribute to creating the least restrictive learning environment for students in need of special educational support. One step for practitioners is to consider the interdependencies between the different dimensions of heterogeneity relevant to digital inclusion. In order to solve these complex pedagogical tasks appropriately, multidisciplinary cooperation is necessary, involving experts in technical, pedagogical, didactic and inclusive education in digitalised societies.

All data were meticulously collected and analysed to ensure credibility and originality.

This paper combines the literature on knowledge transfer and that on organizational behavior to analyze how perceived empowerment and perceived engagement affect knowledge transfer offices’ (KTOs’) performance, measured in terms of the number of license agreements.

The authors measured the cognitions which constitute perceived empowerment and perceived engagement through a survey sent to Italian KTOs’ professionals. The authors performed “fuzzy set qualitative analysis” to investigate if this cognition, together or in isolation, may influence KTOs’ management performance, measured by the number of license agreements.

The results highlight the role of individual cognitions in influencing KTOs’ performance. Furthermore, an important finding from the analysis of the main configurations is that the co-presence of perceived engagement and perceived empowerment leads to more license agreements only in the presence of specific individual cognitions. More precisely, the level of organizational citizenship behavior, the degree to which an individual influences results at work (degree of impact) and the value of a work goal (degree of meaning) are the cognitions which lead to a higher number of license agreements.

Despite the growing interest in the investigation of the determinants of KTOs’ performance, a relevant research gap still concerns the explanation of KTOs’ performance considering individual cognitions such as attitudes, norms, perceived behavioral control and intentions. This study looks at the combined effect of the individual cognition of perceived engagement and perceived empowerment on KTOs’ performances.

The COVID-19 lockdowns (2020–2021) disrupted all aspects of usual functioning of the criminal justice system, the outcomes and impact of which are largely still unknown. The pandemic has affected individuals across the wider society, this includes a negative impact on the social circumstances of children and young people involved within youth offending services (YOS) (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation, 2020; Criminal Justice Joint Inspectorates, 2021). This population frequently represents those from marginalised circumstances and are rarely given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the services they are involved in. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of the young people serving orders with the YOS during Covid19 lockdowns and requirements.

This paper outlines a creative methodology and method used to uncover the experiences and perceptions of young people undergoing an order within a YOS during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The arts-based approach entailed a novel and creative method using a lyric artist to engage with young people through a virtual platform, supporting them to create lyrics about their experiences of the YOS during this time.

The artist developed a successful rapport with young people based on familiarity with, and passion for, music. He promoted their strengths, improving their confidence which was perceived to elicit more in-depth perspectives that might not have otherwise been obtained using more traditional methods. As such, the method and methodology outlined developed the young people’s social and communicative skills whilst producing meaningful feedback that can contribute to the YOS recovery plan and thus future of the service.

This paper reports on a novel arts-based research methodology, implemented to capture meaningful data from participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This paper reports on a novel arts-based research methodology, implemented to capture meaningful data from participants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of the study is to investigate the role of service convenience in the relationship between organizational characteristics (such as brand equity, store ambiance, store layout, customer information and employee responsiveness) on customer engagement behaviors (CEBs), including service improvement, customer cooperation, positive word-of-mouth and customer helping customers. It examines two research models, with service convenience as a separate antecedent of CEBs (model A) and as a mediating variable between organizational characteristics and CEBs (model B).

Using a positivist paradigm, data were collected from 384 respondents representing the existing customers of grocery retailers based in India via a survey instrument. Data were analyzed using partial least squares (PLS) path modeling.

Results demonstrate service convenience as a motivational driver of CEBs. Results also show that the organizational characteristics significantly influence service convenience which in turn impacts CEBs.

The findings have important implications for store managers in effective management of customers' time and effort in terms of saving customers' time and effort as well as motivating customers to elicit their engagement behaviors.

The originality of this paper lies in identifying the impact of organizational characteristics in helping customers to save time and effort in their shopping activities and thereby elicit various types of CEBs. The paper also adds to knowledge by examining the role of service convenience in the nexus between organizational characteristics and CEB types.