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Youngha Cho and Christine Whitehead
An important question from the point of view of neighbourhood dynamics is the extent to which households are satisfied with where they live and their mobility patterns. Many of…
Abstract
An important question from the point of view of neighbourhood dynamics is the extent to which households are satisfied with where they live and their mobility patterns. Many of these factors can be assessed by looking at evidence on moving expectations in relation to household, dwelling and neighbourhood attributes. In this paper we examine evidence from London to examine the major factors affecting expectations. The descriptive data make it clear that there are important differences between tenure, satisfaction and expectations of moving. Once these are examined more formally in a model which introduces background, accommodation and neighbourhood variables sequentially, it becomes clear that patterns differ between the private sector, where household variables remain important, and the social sector, where dwelling variables dominate. Across all tenures the impact of neighbourhood is surprisingly limited, given the extent of dissatisfaction expressed. In policy terms this suggests that, in the UK context, the policy emphasis should be as much on changing the nature of the social rented tenure as on improving accommodation and allocation.
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Christine Adel, Mostaq M. Hussain, Ehab K.A. Mohamed and Mohamed A.K. Basuony
This paper aims to report on the quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in S&P Europe 350 companies. The paper also examines the impact of corporate…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to report on the quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in S&P Europe 350 companies. The paper also examines the impact of corporate governance structure and other firm-specific characteristics on the quality of CSR disclosure in European companies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a disclosure index adopted from Jizi et al. (2014). Moreover, the paper contributes to the CSR disclosure literature by developing a new index that includes all the aspects introduced by the Global Reporting Initiative version 4.The data of CSR reporting are manually collected from the firms’ reports. The population and sample of this study are related to 350 companies operating in 16 European countries. Tobit regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results reveal that directors’ ownership, the presence of a CSR committee and firm size positively affect the quality of CSR reporting. Further testing of the independent variables on each CSR sub-category is made. The CSR sub-categories used are, namely, community involvement, employees, environment, social product and service quality, supply chain sustainability and business ethics. The presence of a sustainability committee inside the company is the only factor that shows a strong positive effect on the disclosure of every CSR sub-category and the CSR inclusive index.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of this research are that it focuses exclusively on the effect of the internal corporate mechanisms on the quality of CSR reporting; disregarding the economic, institutional, political and cultural factors that can play a role in influencing sustainability reporting of the companies.
Practical implications
Better CSR disclosure leads to the firm having a better image in the society; this, in turn, has implications on firm performance, attracting funds, as well as recruiting and retaining high profile employees. Stakeholders are placing cumulative significance to corporate transparency particularly in the area of CSR. Managers should exert more efforts into not only improving the disclosure of the various facts of CSR but also into using the various media available for disclosure. Companies should take the initiative of establishing a CSR committee to ensure effective formation and implementation of CSR policies and disclosure of CSR activities.
Social implications
The CRS research itself bears the merit of social implications. Moreover, the findings of this research pave the way for future researches to examine the effect of the adoption of global CSR initiatives and frameworks on the quality of CSR reporting.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the CSR disclosure literature by developing a new index that includes all the aspects of CSR and exploring the relation between the rarely explored “presence of sustainability committee” and CSR disclosure, as well as testing a vast number of CSR sub-categories that is not extensively covered in previous studies. Moreover, the paper covers a large sample of companies across 16 European countries, in terms of their stand-alone sustainability reports, dedicated chapters of CSR in annual reports, integrated reports, website CSR information and any attachments/links provided on the websites for further CSR documents, brochures or data sheets.
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Douglas H. Constance, William H. Friedland, Marie-Christine Renard and Marta G. Rivera-Ferre
This introduction provides an overview of the discourse on alternative agrifood movements (AAMs) to (1) ascertain the degree of convergence and divergence around a common ethos of…
Abstract
This introduction provides an overview of the discourse on alternative agrifood movements (AAMs) to (1) ascertain the degree of convergence and divergence around a common ethos of alterity and (2) context the chapters of the book. AAMs have increased in recent years in response to the growing legitimation crisis of the conventional agrifood system. Some agrifood researchers argue that AAMs represent the vanguard movement of our time, a formidable counter movement to global capitalism. Other authors note a pattern of blunting of the transformative qualities of AAMs due to conventionalization and mainstreaming in the market. The literature on AAMs is organized following a Four Questions in Agrifood Studies (Constance, 2008) framework. The section for each Question ends with a case study to better illustrate the historical dynamics of an AAM. The literature review ends with a summary of the discourse applied to the research question of the book: Are AAMs the vanguard social movement of our time? The last section of this introduction provides a short description of each contributing chapter of the book, which is divided into five sections: Introduction; Theoretical and Conceptual Framings; Food Sovereignty Movements; Alternative Movements in the Global North; and Conclusions.
Christine Armstrong, Alicia Kulczynski and Stacey Brennan
Online consumer complaint behaviour that is observable to other consumers provides the firm with an opportunity to demonstrate transparency and service quality to the public eye…
Abstract
Purpose
Online consumer complaint behaviour that is observable to other consumers provides the firm with an opportunity to demonstrate transparency and service quality to the public eye. The purpose of this paper is to assist practitioners with a strategy to increase perceived accommodativeness in complaint management on social media and reduce the social risk associated with online consumer complaint behaviour using a social exchange theory perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Six online experiments with 1,350 US Facebook users were conducted to investigate the effect of supportive and non-supportive virtually present others, and employee intervention on a consumer’s choice to complain, likelihood to make an observable complaint (on the Facebook page) and likelihood to make a non-observable complaint (via Facebook Messenger). The mediating role of perceived accommodativeness and subsequent social risk is also examined.
Findings
Supportive comments made to the complainant by virtually present others were found to influence participants’ decision to complain, heighten participants’ likelihood to complain about the Facebook page and reduce their likelihood to complain via Facebook Messenger. This effect was reversed in the presence of non-supportive virtually present others and was explained by perceived social risk. Further, a participant’s likelihood to complain about the Facebook page was increased when an employee intervention was directed at a non-supportive comment made to a complainant, by a virtually present other. This effect was explained by the perceived accommodativeness of the employee interaction.
Research limitations/implications
The findings advance research on online consumer complaint behaviour by investigating how employee intervention can be used to increase the likelihood of an observable complaint. This research is limited in that it does not incorporate individual characteristics, such as introversion/extroversion and propensity to respond to peer pressure, which may affect participant responses.
Practical implications
This research shows that perceptions of social risk are most effectively reduced by employee intervention directed at a non-supportive comment (made to a complainant) of a virtually present other. Consumer complaint management strategies aimed at minimising perceptions of social risk and encouraging observable online complaint behaviour are proposed.
Originality/value
This research extends the consumer complaint behaviour taxonomy by introducing the term “observable complaining”, that is, visible complaints made on a Facebook page, and broadens understanding of the organisation’s role in managing non-supportive virtually present others to assuage perceptions of social risk in potential complainants.
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Yasmine Sabri, Mohammad Hossein Zarei and Christine Harland
The purpose of this paper is to develop an existing collaborative research methodology process (Sabri, 2018), contextualise it for application in humanitarian supply chains and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an existing collaborative research methodology process (Sabri, 2018), contextualise it for application in humanitarian supply chains and test it empirically.
Design/methodology/approach
Building on collaborative research methodology and humanitarian supply chain literature, the Sabri’s (2018) collaborative research methodology process is further developed to comprise eight phases of collaborative research contextualised for the humanitarian supply chain domain. The process is applied in a collaborative research case of academia–practitioner knowledge co-creation in a humanitarian supply chain setting, focussing on environmental sustainability improvement. The collaborative case analysis suggests a number of refinements to the elements of the process. This study undertook two cycles of academia–practitioner collaborative research.
Findings
In testing the process, a noticeable improvement in the collaboration among different humanitarian stakeholders was observed, leading to improved stakeholder management. The implementation improved the sustainability awareness and social inclusion of the affected population. Rurality, remoteness, security issues and resistance of field staff against change were among the main challenges for supply chain researchers to engage in collaborative research in the humanitarian domain.
Originality/value
The paper addresses the rigour‒relevance‒reflectiveness debate in the humanitarian supply chain domain. A collaborative research methodology process derived from action research is further developed using humanitarian literature, and then it is applied in a humanitarian logistics case focussed on environmental sustainability. The present collaborative research process facilitates engaged scholarship among the humanitarian stakeholders, as the researchers’ roles move from observatory to participatory knowledge broker.
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The literature on precarious and insecure work rarely examines how workers with jobs in large bureaucratic firms experience insecurity. Current theories suggest two approaches…
Abstract
The literature on precarious and insecure work rarely examines how workers with jobs in large bureaucratic firms experience insecurity. Current theories suggest two approaches. First, workers might focus on their individual occupation and detach their commitment from firms that no longer reciprocate long-term commitments. Second, employees might respond with increased organizational commitment because leaving an employer creates risks of uncertainty. Based on in-depth interviews with 22 financial services professionals, this paper refines our understanding of when workers focus on intra-organizational career development. This happens when large firms offer opportunities for advancement and foster loyalty. I develop the terms spiral staircase and serial monogamy career. A spiral staircase career results when workers take entrepreneurial approaches to advancement that include lateral job changes and vertical promotions within a firm. When the local labor market has multiple firms in their sector, career advancement may take an intermediate form, in which workers spend medium-to-long-term stints with multiple organizations. I call this the serial monogamy career. My research shows how sector characteristics and geography can impact worker commitment and mobility in insecure environments.
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The model of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in the United States has (for better or for worse) influenced the development of MMT elsewhere. This paper sheds light on the…
Abstract
The model of methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) in the United States has (for better or for worse) influenced the development of MMT elsewhere. This paper sheds light on the origins and progression of MMT and its application today. This perspective may prove helpful to persons and agencies attempting to develop MMT or whose MMT programmes are being subject to ever‐increasing restrictions. The demographics, social and economic risk factors, impact of poly‐substance use and co‐occurring psychiatric disorders (dual diagnosis), and existing evidence supporting dosing and therapeutic interventions in MMT are reviewed and illustrated with a case study.
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Shadma Shahid, Rehan Husain, Jamid Ul Islam and Linda D. Hollebeek
Masstige (mass-produced and affordable luxury) goods are receiving increasing literature-based attention. However, despite existing advances, insight into how different cultural…
Abstract
Purpose
Masstige (mass-produced and affordable luxury) goods are receiving increasing literature-based attention. However, despite existing advances, insight into how different cultural backgrounds shape consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward masstige goods remains tenuous. Correspondingly, this study aims to examine the association of masstige luxury with customers’ love for and brand engagement with masstige products across cultures.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a sample comprising 342 Indian and 354 Canadian masstige customers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.
Findings
The results corroborate brand prestige and identification as key antecedents to customers’ love for masstige brands, which in turn impact their brand engagement. Surprisingly, the authors find that the effects of brand prestige and brand identification on brand love and customer brand engagement do not significantly differ between Indian and Canadian customers. However, the positive effect of brand identification and brand love on customer brand engagement is stronger for Indian customers than for Canadian customers.
Research limitations/implications
This study addresses an important literature-based gap in understanding how cultural backgrounds shape consumer perceptions of masstige brands. It offers key theoretical and practical implications for masstige marketing.
Practical implications
Identifying differential effects among Indian and Canadian customers provides a foundation for tailoring marketing approaches in the masstige sector.
Originality/value
This study addresses a critical literature-based gap in understanding how cultural backgrounds shape consumer perceptions of masstige brands, offering key theoretical and practical implications for masstige marketing.
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Prisca Aude Eutionnat-Diffo, Yan Chen, Jinping Guan, Aurélie Cayla, Christine Campagne, Xianyi Zeng and Vincent Nierstrasz
This paper aims to evaluate and simulate the impact of the build platform temperature of the three-dimensional (3D) printer, the structure and heat transfer of textiles on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to evaluate and simulate the impact of the build platform temperature of the three-dimensional (3D) printer, the structure and heat transfer of textiles on the adhesion and durability after washing properties of 3D printed polymer onto textile materials using thin layers of conductive and non-conductive extruded poly lactic acid monofilaments (PLA) deposited on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) woven fabrics through fused deposition modeling (FDM) process.
Design/methodology/approach
Prior to FDM process, thermal conductivity, surface roughness and mean pore size of PET woven fabrics were assessed using the “hot disk,” the profilometer and the capillary flow porometry methods, respectively. After the FDM process, the adhesion and durability after the washing process properties of the materials were determined and optimized based on reliable statistical models connecting those properties to the textile substrate properties such as surface roughness, mean pore size and thermal conductivity.
Findings
The main findings point out that higher roughness coefficient and mean pore size and lower thermal conductivity of polyester woven textile materials improve the adhesion properties and the build platform presents a quadratic effect. Additionally, the adhesion strength decreases by half after the washing process and rougher and more porous textile structures demonstrate better durability. These results are explained by the surface topography of textile materials that define the anchorage areas between the printed layer and the textiles.
Originality/value
This study is for great importance in the development of smart textiles using FDM process as it presents unique and reliable models used to optimize adhesion resistance of 3D printed PLA primary layer onto PET textiles.