Atif Mahmood, Amod Kumar Tiwari and Sanjay Kumar Singh
To develop and examine an efficient and reliable jujube grading model with reduced computational time, which could be utilized in the food processing and packaging industries to…
Abstract
Purpose
To develop and examine an efficient and reliable jujube grading model with reduced computational time, which could be utilized in the food processing and packaging industries to perform quick grading and pricing of jujube as well as for the other similar types of fruits.
Design/methodology/approach
The whole process begins with manual analysis and collection of four jujube grades from the jujube tree, in addition to this jujube image acquisition was performed utilizing MVS which is further followed by image pre-processing and augmentation tasks. Eventually, classification models (i.e. proposed model, from scratch and pre-trained VGG16 and AlexNet) were trained and validated over the original and augmented datasets to discriminate the jujube into maturity grades.
Findings
The highest success rates reported over the original and augmented datasets were 97.53% (i.e. error of 2.47%) and 99.44% (i.e. error of 0.56%) respectively using Adam optimizer and a learning rate of 0.003.
Research limitations/implications
The investigation relies upon a single view of the jujube image and the outer appearance of the jujube. In the future, multi-view image capturing system could be employed for the model training/validation.
Practical implications
Due to the vast functional derivatives of jujube, the identification of maturity grades of jujube is paramount in the fruit industry, functional food production industries and pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, the proposed model which is practically feasible and easy to implement could be utilized in such industries.
Originality/value
This research examines the performance of proposed CNN models for selected optimizer and learning rates for the grading of jujube maturity into four classes and compares them with the classical models to depict the sublime model in terms of accuracy, the number of parameters, epochs and computational time. After a thorough investigation of the models, it was discovered that the proposed model transcends both classical models in all aspects for both the original and augmented datasets utilizing Adam optimizer with learning rate of 0.003.
Ambreen Sarwar, Atif Khan Jadoon, Mumtaz Anwar Chaudhry, Ayesha Latif and Maria Faiq Javaid
Child malnutrition is a grave concern for Pakistan, as the country has one of the highest incidences of child stunting in the developing world. The present study examines the…
Abstract
Purpose
Child malnutrition is a grave concern for Pakistan, as the country has one of the highest incidences of child stunting in the developing world. The present study examines the relative significance of parents' education on a child's nutritional status in Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
For analysis, the study has used data from Phase 7 of the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) (2017–2018). Since the dependent variable ranges from 0 to 1 (1 indicates not a stunted child, while 0 represents a stunted child), binary logistic regressions are used for the analysis.
Findings
The results show that mothers' and fathers' education positively contributes to a child's nutrition. However, mothers' education is considered more significant, especially in the long run. The mother's education categories are positive and significant in the long run, while only their higher education is positive and significant for the father's. Moreover, the magnitude of the effect also shows that the probability of stunting is less if the mothers are educated. The long-run coefficient for mothers' higher education is 0.752, while that of fathers' higher education is only 0.232.
Originality/value
The present study compares the importance of mothers' and fathers' education in child nutrition and concludes that the role of the mother is more crucial for child upbringing. There are rarely any studies that focus on the role of fathers' education in child nutrition and compare whose role, mothers' or fathers,' is more important for child well-being.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2023-0483
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Sohail Raza Chohan, Guangwei Hu, Asad Ullah Khan, Ahmed Tisman Pasha, Fizzah Saleem and Muhammad Atif Sheikh
The public sector use of the internet of Things (IoT) technology is an emerging field with a potential for a variety of institutional applications in the fields of information…
Abstract
Purpose
The public sector use of the internet of Things (IoT) technology is an emerging field with a potential for a variety of institutional applications in the fields of information gathering and policy implementation to establish resilience for modern society. In this context, we aim to investigate the success factors which can positively influence the continuous usage intention of IoT service with the mediation effect of perceived public value.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model based on the strong literature and theoretical background is tailored to provide factors for IoT services success in the public sector. A quantitative survey was conducted through 381 citizens using IoT services to validate the proposed conceptual model using structural equation modeling approach in order to examine the influence of identified constructs on the continuous usage intention.
Findings
The results highlighted that the proposed model successfully accounted for about 59% perceived variance in public value creation and 63% perceived variance in citizens' continuous usage intention. IoT services success is best dignified by the perceptions of citizens who use the services, therefore, this study identifies the positive role of digital society affinity in context of social sustainability and it climaxes that the real value of IoT in public sector comes from establishment of services on top of the service delivery and that's where the public value is going to be created.
Practical implications
The use of IoT technology in public services will fetch much benefit to the citizens as well as to the government. The study findings are significant in identifying good practices for generating public value in digital society affinity.
Originality/value
The integrated conceptual model explores the driving factors of citizens' inclination towards IoT technology in a social context. Through this study, we can analyze the role of perceived public value in enhancing the citizens' engagement with IoT services. The government policymakers and ICT managers take help from this study to designing IoT public services with making the government more responsive to citizens.
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This study aims to conduct a comprehensive methodological review, exploring the strategies used to address endogeneity within the realms of corporate governance and financial…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conduct a comprehensive methodological review, exploring the strategies used to address endogeneity within the realms of corporate governance and financial reporting.
Design/methodology/approach
This research reviews the application of various methods to deal with endogeneity issue published in the 10 journals covering the corporate governance discipline included in the Web of Science’s Social Sciences Citation Index.
Findings
With a focus on empirical studies published in leading journals, the author scrutinizes the prevalence of endogeneity and the methodologies applied to mitigate its effects. The analysis reveals a predominant reliance on the two-stage least squares (2SLS) technique, a widely adopted instrumental variable (IV) approach. However, a notable observation emerges concerning the inconsistent utilization of clear exogenous IVs in some studies, highlighting a potential limitation in the application of 2SLS. Recognizing the challenges in identifying exogenous variables, the author proposes the generalized method of moments (GMM) as a viable alternative. GMM offers flexibility by not imposing the same exogeneity requirement on IVs but necessitates a larger sample size and an extended sample period.
Research limitations/implications
The paper sensitizes researchers to the critical concern of endogeneity bias in governance research. It provides an outline for diagnosing and correcting potential bias, contributing to the awareness among researchers and encouraging a more critical approach to methodological choices, recognizing the prevalence of endogeneity in empirical studies, particularly focusing on the widely adopted 2SLS technique.
Originality/value
Practitioners, including corporate executives and managers, can benefit from the study’s insights by recognizing the importance of rigorous empirical research. Understanding the limitations and strengths of methodologies like 2SLS and GMM can inform evidence-based decision-making in the corporate governance realm.
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Salman Mahmood, Shuhui Wen, Shoaib Aslam, Muhammad Rizwan Khan and Fahad Ur Rehman
This research aimed to find out both direct and mediating relationships between the fear of COVID-19 (FC) and the usage of digital financial services (UDFS) via mediator financial…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aimed to find out both direct and mediating relationships between the fear of COVID-19 (FC) and the usage of digital financial services (UDFS) via mediator financial anxiety (FA). It also attempted to ascertain the moderated effect of education of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners (ESO), i.e. business degree holders (BDH) vs nonbusiness degree holders (NBDH), in the relationship between FC and the UDFS.
Design/methodology/approach
This research employed a simple random sampling technique. In total, 387 complete responses were collected from Pakistani SMEs. The complete analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23, AMOS 24, Process Marco 4.1, and Interaction 1.7.
Findings
According to the findings, FC leads to UDFS and FA mediates this relationship. Additionally, the findings show that the ESO between FC and UDFS was moderated. However, conditional analysis shows that BDH-SME owners strengthened the moderated relationship between FC and UDFS compared to NBDH-SME owners, who did not show any relationship.
Research limitations/implications
Policymakers might use the study's findings to promote business education, which has been recognized as essential for making sound financial decisions. Finally, because the study is cross-sectional, the authors are unable to draw definitive generalizations.
Originality/value
The key novelty of this research work lies in the inclusion of FA as a mediator and the education of SME owners as a moderator in understanding the relationship between FC and the UDFS. This study illuminated the positive aspects of the COVID-19 epidemic based on the theory of emotional finance, risk avoidance theory and theories of emotion.
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Fatima Shaukat, Muhammad Shafiq and Atif Hussain
As a little research has been conducted to understand the factors influencing users’ intentions to adopt blockchain-based telemedicine (BBT), it is important to investigate BBT…
Abstract
Purpose
As a little research has been conducted to understand the factors influencing users’ intentions to adopt blockchain-based telemedicine (BBT), it is important to investigate BBT acceptance as incorporation of blockchain technology can solve telemedicine-related issues. Accordingly, this study aims to investigate the factors influencing behavioral intentions (BI) to adopt BBT.
Design/methodology/approach
An integrated model comprising the constructs taken from technology–organization–environment framework, technology acceptance model, unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and theory of planned behavior based on their relevance to the context and the objectives of the study has been used for this research. A quantitative approach has been used to test the hypotheses, for which the data was collected from 324 respondents through a self-administered questionnaire. Partial least squares structural equation modeling has been used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results of the study show that relative advantage, perceived usefulness, trust and perceived ease of use have a significant impact on BI to adopt BBT, whereas regulatory support, subjective norms and facilitating conditions do not have any significant impact on the same.
Research limitations/implications
As the concept of BCT in Pakistan is at its nascent stage and literature regarding this technology’s adoption is also limited, researchers and scholars can apply it to several other fields in Pakistan. For example, this study can be extended to explore the factors influencing blockchain adoption in areas such as education, logistics, transportation, finances and management. This research only considers the direct effects of constructs on BI to adopt BBT and does not consider any mediation and moderations constructs. Future researchers can also study the influence of mediation and moderation constructs on BI to adopt BCT.
Originality/value
Although studies on the acceptance of telemedicine exist, there is a gap concerning the acceptance of BBT, which the current study helps to bridge. From a practical standpoint, the current study makes a highly valuable contribution toward understanding acceptance factors for BBT projects, leading to help policymakers devise policies to promote telemedicine.
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Linda Putri Nadia and Mamduh M. Hanafi
This study aims to examine the influence of board gender diversity on dividend policy and cash holdings in several emerging economies. This study also investigates the nonlinear…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the influence of board gender diversity on dividend policy and cash holdings in several emerging economies. This study also investigates the nonlinear impact of women on dividend policy and cash holdings and the differences between countries with one- and two-tier board systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample includes 103 firms listed in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. The data represent all industries except the financial industry. The sample period is the 10 financial years from 2010 to 2019. This study analyzed unbalanced panel data with fixed effect specifications for baseline model analysis.
Findings
This study finds robust evidence indicating that women’s presence negatively influences dividends and positively influences cash holdings. The findings in the additional analysis are significant and show a nonlinear relationship, supporting the substitution hypothesis.
Practical implications
The findings of this paper certainly provided a valuable contribution as a useful empirical guide for policy decision-makers in developing countries, regulators and corporate decision-makers related to board gender diversity. Developed countries have implemented a minimum quota of women boards in the composition of the board of directors. However, there are still few developing countries that implement these policies. Women can reflect or show their values in corporate governance, such as being careful in making decisions and being conservative about risk. These guides policymakers in implementing a minimum quota of women in the composition of the board of directors.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the debate on the impact of gender diversity on dividends and cash holdings, especially in ASEAN emerging economies because there is a notable empirical gap relative to developed countries. Moreover, this study contributes to the necessary nuanced understanding of the substitution hypothesis in emerging economies. The results also support the explanation of critical mass theory to account for the nonlinear relationship between the number of women board members and dividends and cash holdings.
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Farzana Parveen, Noor Ismawati Jaafar and Sulaiman Ainin
Based on the system of value chain theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media usage on the performance and the entrepreneurial orientation of…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the system of value chain theory, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media usage on the performance and the entrepreneurial orientation of the organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 174 organizations responded to the survey.
Findings
The result of the study showed that social media usage has a very strong positive impact on organizations’ performance, in terms of cost reduction, improved customer relations, and enhanced information accessibility.
Research limitations/implications
In the study, social media usage was categorized into three sub-constructs such as social media usage for marketing, social media usage for building customer relations, and social media usage for information search. This study investigated the usage of social media and its impact as a whole, considering all social media tools together. Finally, this study used a cross-sectional sample to collect data.
Practical implications
The result of the study benefits the managers to understand the various areas of organizational performance that can be improved by social media usage.
Social implications
The study also provided evidence that social media usage has strong positive influences on enhancing the entrepreneurial orientation of the organizations.
Originality/value
This study provides a clearer idea on the real importance of social media and its benefits. This study demonstrated the various areas of organizational performance that can be improved through social media usage.
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This study aims to analyze the firm- and country-related determinants and consequences on the firm value of the non-carbon-related environmental goals of the EU Taxonomy…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the firm- and country-related determinants and consequences on the firm value of the non-carbon-related environmental goals of the EU Taxonomy Regulation and the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards. In contrast to prior research on either total environmental or explicit carbon proxies, this work focuses on emissions, biodiversity, resource use/circular economy and water-related measures.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on legitimacy theory, a structured literature review drawing from 80 peer-reviewed empirical-quantitative studies was presented. As the primary contributors to environmental subitems, the results related to corporate and country governance and financial and sustainability determinants were highlighted. In alignment with the business case argument, the influence of environmental outputs on accounting- and market-based financial performance and other relevant firm proxies was focused.
Findings
Most included variables show rather inclusive significant results. However, the results clearly suggest that board gender diversity has a positive impact on environmental outputs, particularly in relation to emissions reductions and resource use efficiency/circular economy performance.
Research limitations/implications
This study mainly contributes to the growing literature on corporate environmental reporting and performance. Future research should analyze related subpillars in more detail and the impact of sustainable corporate governance on these dimensions.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first empirical study on environmental performance and reporting based on the environmental topics of the EU Taxonomy Regulation.