G. Kelleher, A. El‐Rhalibi and F. Arshad
A logistics‐based project is described which addresses the need for better intermodal transport, whilst balancing economic and environmental gains through the use of Internet…
Abstract
A logistics‐based project is described which addresses the need for better intermodal transport, whilst balancing economic and environmental gains through the use of Internet technologies. Pipeline intermodal system to support control, expedition and scheduling (PISCES) provides an integrating platform for using these technologies in processing and sharing commercially sensitive data within transport chains (i.e. road, rail and barge). The paper demonstrates how information from an Internet‐based system can be used to drive a scheduling tool to provide appropriate routes for the transport of goods, using a multimodal transport model.
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Sohel Mehedi and Dayana Jalaludin
The purpose of this paper is to review the background of the theories, how they motivate corporations to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the background of the theories, how they motivate corporations to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and their application, focusing on the study context and corporate attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used Google Scholar as an online database and collected 170 published academic papers via a systematic search procedure; of these, 112 papers were selected as suitable for the study purpose. The selection followed the analysis of the abstract, the paper contents including the proposition of the theories, the literature review, the theoretical framework and the hypothesis development.
Findings
The study findings indicate that the cores of the proposed theories to explore CSR are not identical. The components of theories build a social value system, which intensely motivates corporations to engage in CSR activities and voluntary disclosure practices. A thorough analysis of the characteristics of the theories demonstrates that the choice of theories to explore both an endogenous variable like CSR and exogenous variables depends on the study context and the characteristics of the corporate attributes.
Research limitations/implications
The study considers only the most prominent theories in CSR research, but many other theories are also explored in CSR research. In addition, the study takes only academic papers in the English language into consideration, and the generalization of study findings is only for CSR research.
Practical implications
The study aims to provide guidance about the selection of theories based on the contexts and corporate attributes to explore both endogenous and exogenous variables. It draws policymakers’ attention toward the renovation and addition of motivational instruments in the context. The study also helps industry practitioners in realizing the principles and consequences of the theories and in taking strategic social and environmental obligations into consideration in their decision-making process.
Originality/value
This is the first attempt to conduct a literature review on the development of theories and corporate CSR engagement from 1975 to 2019, covering 112 published academic papers. A deeper understanding using theoretical conceptualization as guidance is beneficial, as it provides a strong basis for the enhancement of future CSR corporate activities.
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Saqib Mehmood, Samera Nazir, Jianqiang Fan and Zarish Nazir
This study aimed to explore the relationship between supply chain resilience (SCR) and organizational performance (OP), with innovation (INN) serving as a mediator and information…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to explore the relationship between supply chain resilience (SCR) and organizational performance (OP), with innovation (INN) serving as a mediator and information sharing (IS) acting as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
The study comprehensively examined the connections between SCR, OP, INN and IS. An exploratory approach and quantitative methods were employed. The data were collected from small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises of three cities Xian, Hainan and Guangzhou of China via online questionnaire surveys conducted through Emails and WeChat. SmartPLS-4 was used for data analysis.
Findings
The findings indicated that SCR has a positive effect on sustainability efforts. Additionally, INN and effective IS both mediated and moderated this relationship, playing crucial roles in improving sustainability within the supply chain.
Practical implications
The study offered practical insights for businesses to enhance their sustainability efforts. Managers can use these findings to develop strategies that improve SCR, foster INN and encourage effective IS, ultimately resulting in a more sustainable supply chain.
Originality/value
This study enriched the existing knowledge base by investigating the intricate relationships among SCR, OP, INN and IS, all within the context of achieving sustainability. By exploring these elements holistically, the research introduced originality and highlighted effective strategies for sustainable supply chain management.
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Saqib Mehmood, Samera Nazir, Jianqiang Fan and Zarish Nazir
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between supply chain resilience and organizational performance with innovation as a mediator and information sharing as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between supply chain resilience and organizational performance with innovation as a mediator and information sharing as a moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
The study thoroughly explored how supply chain resilience, organizational performance, innovation and information sharing are connected. It used an exploratory approach and quantitative methods. Data were collected from large manufacturing firms through online questionnaire surveys using Google Forms, emails and WhatsApp.
Findings
The findings demonstrated that supply chain resilience positively impacts sustainability efforts. Furthermore, leveraging innovation and effective information sharing mediated and moderated the relationship, playing pivotal roles in enhancing sustainability within the supply chain.
Research limitations/implications
The study provided actionable insights for businesses to strengthen their sustainability efforts. Managers could utilize these findings to implement strategies that enhance supply chain resilience, drive innovation and promote effective information sharing, ultimately leading to a more sustainable supply chain.
Originality/value
This study contributed to the existing body of knowledge by examining the complex relationships between supply chain resilience, organizational performance, innovation and information sharing in the context of achieving sustainability. The exploration of these components in a holistic manner added originality to the research and shed light on effective strategies for sustainable supply chain management.
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Bei Ma, Rong Zhou and Xiaoliang Ma
Integrating balance theory and social identify theory, this paper proposes a multilevel model to explain how abusive supervision climate of team impacts the relationship among…
Abstract
Purpose
Integrating balance theory and social identify theory, this paper proposes a multilevel model to explain how abusive supervision climate of team impacts the relationship among team members as well as subordinates’ behavior towards their teammates, especially organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted to collect two-wave and multi-source data from 398 employees nested in 106 teams from Chinese high-technology companies. Hierarchical linear modeling was conducted to examine the theoretical model.
Findings
The results indicate that there is an inverted U-shape association between abusive supervision climate and subordinates’ OCB towards coworker; team member exchange (TMX) mediates their inverted U-shaped link. Furthermore, we confirm that coworker support plays a vitally moderating role upon the curvilinear link of abusive supervision climate (ASC)–TMX; specifically, when employees perceive low coworker support, negative relations between ASC and TMX will be stronger.
Originality/value
This study identifies team members’ advantageous and adverse relational response to shared threat of ASC and examines coworker support as a moderator of ASC, which provides valuable insights into when and why employees tend to cooperate with their teammates to jointly confront their leader’s abuse and highlights the importance of coworkers, thus enabling organizations to deeply understand the wider influences of ASC on interpersonal relationship between team members.
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Medhat Abd el Azem El Sayed Rostum, Hassan Mohamed Mahmoud Moustafa, Ibrahim El Sayed Ziedan and Amr Ahmed Zamel
The current challenge for forecasting smart meters electricity consumption lies in the uncertainty and volatility of load profiles. Moreover, forecasting the electricity…
Abstract
Purpose
The current challenge for forecasting smart meters electricity consumption lies in the uncertainty and volatility of load profiles. Moreover, forecasting the electricity consumption for all the meters requires an enormous amount of time. Most papers tend to avoid such complexity by forecasting the electricity consumption at an aggregated level. This paper aims to forecast the electricity consumption for all smart meters at an individual level. This paper, for the first time, takes into account the computational time for training and forecasting the electricity consumption of all the meters.
Design/methodology/approach
A novel hybrid autoregressive-statistical equations idea model with the help of clustering and whale optimization algorithm (ARSEI-WOA) is proposed in this paper to forecast the electricity consumption of all the meters with best performance in terms of computational time and prediction accuracy.
Findings
The proposed model was tested using realistic Irish smart meters energy data and its performance was compared with nine regression methods including: autoregressive integrated moving average, partial least squares regression, conditional inference tree, M5 rule-based model, k-nearest neighbor, multilayer perceptron, RandomForest, RPART and support vector regression. Results have proved that ARSEI-WOA is an efficient model that is able to achieve an accurate prediction with low computational time.
Originality/value
This paper presents a new hybrid ARSEI model to perform smart meters load forecasting at an individual level instead of an aggregated one. With the help of clustering technique, similar meters are grouped into a few clusters from which reduce the computational time of the training and forecasting process. In addition, WOA improves the prediction accuracy of each meter by finding an optimal factor between the average electricity consumption values of each cluster and the electricity consumption values for each one of its meters.
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Sudarshan Dattatraya Kore, Babalu Rajput, Anil Agarwal and Amol Pawar
The growing quantity of waste is a worrying reality that has resulted in environmental sustainability challenges. Waste paper sludge (WPS) in large quantities from paper mill…
Abstract
Purpose
The growing quantity of waste is a worrying reality that has resulted in environmental sustainability challenges. Waste paper sludge (WPS) in large quantities from paper mill industry are produced every year. Their disposal in landfills, in general, pollutes the environment. Cement manufacture also contributes to global warming by emitting carbon dioxide. As a result, a novel use of industrial wastes as a supplemental cementitious ingredient in concrete formulation can help to mitigate the environmental problem. This paper aims to study the possibility of usage of WPS as partial replacements of cement for sustainable development of concrete.
Design/methodology/approach
This study aims at testing the mechanical properties of concrete that has been mixed with WPS. Between 5% and 20% of the weight of cement, WPS was used to substitute it. The water binder ratios of 0.55, 0.50, 0.45 and 0.42 were all considered for an experiment to better understand the impact of WPS on concrete. In terms of workability, density, water absorption (WA), compressive strength (CS) and flexural strength (FS), concrete mixtures were created, tested and compared to traditional concrete mixes.
Findings
According to the findings, the initial and final setting times of the concrete mixtures were both significantly delayed, and the workability and density of the concrete mixtures were both significantly lowered at all water binder ratios and replacement levels. Both compressive and FS of concrete made with WSP declined significantly at all water binder ratio. Substitution of cement by WPS enhanced the WA of all the concrete mixes. The mechanical performance of concrete mixtures that were made with a replacement level of 5% exhibited noticeable improvements. Whereas the more is the replacement levels the more the loss in the mechanical properties were noted. The ideal replacement levels for the WPS are up to 5% only.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature by exploring the ecological and sustainable effects of using WPS in construction materials.
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Naveed Ahmad, Amran Harun, Hafiz Muhammad Usman Khizar, Junaid Khalid and Shumaila Khan
The purpose of this study is to examine the drivers and barriers of travel behavior associated with tourist behavior during/post-COVID-19 pandemic to provide a knowledge base as…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the drivers and barriers of travel behavior associated with tourist behavior during/post-COVID-19 pandemic to provide a knowledge base as well as an agenda for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors utilized the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) technique for searching the articles published in Web of Science (WOS) and Scopus, to identify the main drivers and barriers affecting the tourist behavior during/post-COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, 47 articles were chosen for the final analysis.
Findings
The findings are reported in three sections, (1) quantitative research profile, (2) qualitative synthesis and (3) future agenda. This study addresses the nuanced questions regarding the significant change in tourist travel behavior, emotional dynamics and a detailed understanding of mechanisms, such as which drivers and barriers affect tourist behavior in a particular destination. Drivers and barriers to tourist travel behavior were characterized in personal-related, destination-related, and health-related factors. Moreover, this study provides thought-provoking ideas in theory, policy and practice in the field of tourism and hospitality.
Research limitations/implications
This study has three limitations, as follows. First, the authors searched only two databases, Scopus and Web of Science, due to which the authors might be missing some related studies existing on the other databases. Although these databases provide an extensive range of academic literature, further studies could extend the data collection from the other databases (e.g. via Taylor & Francis). However, our systematic literature review (SLR) coverage is quite extensive, since journals are listed on these three main databases. Second, the authors followed a main study search protocol based on the synonyms and related keywords, however, some of the studies that may be related to the tourist behavior towards the destination are missing on account of the lack of our keywords in there, title, author, keyword and abstract. Furthermore, future research could endeavor to add other keywords to expand the results of studies. Third, although the accurate analysis was conducted to reduce subjectivity in identifying themes for drivers and barriers of tourist behavior, future studies on categorization could work to ensure that other sub-themes categorize.
Practical implications
The recent study has some key practical implications. First, this study is valuable for all the stakeholders in a unique way, including destination managers, academicians and policymakers, because it provides insight into barriers and drivers that influence the development of tourist behavior towards the destination. Second, the current study also offers practical implications for people involved in tourism service industries including governments and private businesses. Policymakers and other leaders are increasingly interested in harnessing the economic potential of tourism. Therefore, identifying the barrier which is inhibiting the tourist traffic towards the destination is beneficial to understand and effectively develop strategies to minimize the effect of such factors. Moreover, drivers and barriers of tourist behavior towards the destination in the COVID-19 pandemic situation towards the destination may help to create a framework for the development of destinations according to the current vulnerable situation. Third, current findings suggest that tourism marketers understand the drivers and barrier constructs found in this study and tailor their marketing strategies for attracting existing and new tourists. For instance, marketers should understand the drivers and barriers of tourist behavior for effective strategy development to increase the positive effect of drivers and to reduce the negative effect of barriers.
Originality/value
This is the first systematic literature review on the impact of drivers and barriers of tourist travel behavior. This paper analyses the methods and approaches that have been used in the previous literature to examine the drivers and barriers of tourist travel behavior. The paper ends with the research implication and limitations of the studies.
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Muhammad Hafeez, Ida Yasin, Dahlia Zawawi, Shoirahon Odilova and Hussein Ahmad Bataineh
This study aims to investigate the effect of organizational ambidexterity (OA) and organizational green culture (OGC) on corporate sustainability (CS) while incorporating the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the effect of organizational ambidexterity (OA) and organizational green culture (OGC) on corporate sustainability (CS) while incorporating the mediating role of green innovation (GI) to provide a detailed insight into CS. The study also presents a research framework based on the Organizational Ambidexterity theory and Natural Resource-based view to explain the factors contributing to CS.
Design/methodology/approach
Using stratified sampling, the study collected data through survey-based empirical research from 307 textile companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) or the All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA). The collected data were analysed using path analysis, mediation analysis and moderation analysis through smart PLS-SEM version 4.0 to assess the composition and causal association of factors.
Findings
The study found a significant relationship between OA and OGC with CS. Furthermore, the study revealed that green innovation partially mediates the relationship between OGC and CS. The proposed research framework can be valuable for promoting and recommending actions to enhance CS.
Research limitations/implications
The study on CS in the textile sector of Pakistan has limitations such as a narrow focus, cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data. Future research should explore additional factors, conduct longitudinal research, investigate contextual factors, scrutinize specific green innovation practices and broaden the scope of the study to include SMEs and other textile organizations.
Practical implications
The research framework can help senior executives to foster CS by promoting OGC, OA and GI. Practitioners and academicians can also utilize or further investigate the proposed framework for validation and to foster CS.
Originality/value
This study fills gaps in the existing literature by investigating the mediating effect of GI between OGC and CS. The proposed research framework provides a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to CS based on the Organizational Ambidexterity theory and Natural Resource-based view.
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Shafique Ur Rehman, Stefano Bresciani, Khurram Ashfaq and Gazi Mahabubul Alam
This study aims to examine the influence of intellectual capital and knowledge management on competitive advantage with the mediation role of innovativeness in the Pakistan…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the influence of intellectual capital and knowledge management on competitive advantage with the mediation role of innovativeness in the Pakistan manufacturing industry. Moreover, differentiation strategy is used as a moderator between innovativeness and competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach
The data was collected from 387 manufacturing firms in Pakistan through questionnaires. Purposive random sampling was used to collect data. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is used to test the proposed hypotheses. This study followed multiple regression analyses to see the influence of intellectual capital, knowledge management, innovativeness and differentiation strategy on competitive advantage.
Findings
The results elucidate that intellectual capital and knowledge management significantly determines innovativeness and competitive advantage. Moreover, innovativeness significantly mediates between intellectual capital, knowledge management and competitive advantage. Besides, innovativeness significantly determines competitive advantage. Business strategies significantly lead to competitive advantage. Finally, business strategies significantly moderate between innovativeness and competitive advantage.
Practical implications
The research highlight an important issue that how manufacturing sector management uses intellectual capital, knowledge management, innovativeness and business strategies in determining competitive advantage. Besides, it covers the gap and assists the management of the manufacturing sector to focus on exogenous constructs to examine competitive advantage.
Originality/value
This study adds value to the body of knowledge by focusing on predictors that impact competitive advantage. This initial study determines intellectual capital and knowledge management influence on competitive advantage and innovativeness as a mediator by using resource orchestration theory. Moreover, differentiation strategy is used as moderating variable between innovativeness and competitive advantage. The managers, students and researchers can obtain benefits from this study.