Hongze Yang, Zeyu Peng, Xitong Guo and Kee-Hung Lai
The purpose of this study is to identify patient experience unique to online pharmacy services (OPS) based on the characteristics of OPS (i.e. interactivity and virtuality) and to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify patient experience unique to online pharmacy services (OPS) based on the characteristics of OPS (i.e. interactivity and virtuality) and to reveal how patient experience is derived from OPS and thereby enhances patient adherence from both online social support and patient experience perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The Stimulus-Organism-Response framework was used to conceptualize this study; both primary and secondary data for 296 validated participants were collected on a real OPS platform. A structural equation modeling approach combined with partial least squares was employed for the quantitative analysis.
Findings
Social presence and user engagement can be identified as patient experience in the OPS context; online emotional support has a stronger association with patients' social presence than it does with patients' user engagement; patients' social presence has a stronger association with their medication adherence than it does with diet adherence, while patients' user engagement has a stronger association with their diet adherence than it does with medication adherence; patients' medication knowledge negatively moderates the relationship between user engagement and diet adherence.
Originality/value
This study identifies patient experience in accordance with unique characteristics of OPS, and it reveals the nuanced underlying mechanisms by which online social support is associated with patient experience and by which patients' experience is associated with their adherence. This study enriches the literature on patient adherence, patient experience and OPS, providing insights for healthcare providers, OPS designers and policymakers.
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Zhijun Yan, Roberta Bernardi, Nina Huang and Younghoon Chang
This study examines how informal business networks achieve marketing goals in socially uncertain contexts. Drawing from multiple historical sources, Shangbangs, a type of business…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how informal business networks achieve marketing goals in socially uncertain contexts. Drawing from multiple historical sources, Shangbangs, a type of business network that thrived in pre-1949 China, are analyzed.
Design/methodology/approach
The Critical Historical Research Method (CHRM) undergirds a study of Shangbangs’ historicity (i.e. their socio-historically embedded multiplicity, including organizational forms, activities and connotations.
Findings
As informal regional, professional, project-based, special-product-based or mixed marketing networks, Shangbangs relied on “flexible specialization” and coupled multiple business needs to market goods and services, business organizations, specific social values and, when necessary, to debrand business rivals.
Research limitations/implications
This analysis extends theories about marketing networks by probing their subtypes, diverse marketing activities, multipronged channels and relationship building with social entities (including underground societies, business associations and guilds) in response to pre-1949 China’s market uncertainties. Substantiating an alternative approach to “flexible specialization” and marketing innovations within the pre-1949 Chinese economy shows how a parallel theoretical framework can complement western-based marketing theories.
Originality/value
This first comprehensive analysis of Shangbangs, an innovative historical Chinese marketing network outside the conventional market-corporate dichotomy, can inform theory building for marketing strategy-making and management conditioned by social contexts.
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Many practical control problems require achieving multiple objectives, and these objectives often conflict with each other. The existing multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement…
Abstract
Purpose
Many practical control problems require achieving multiple objectives, and these objectives often conflict with each other. The existing multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement learning algorithms cannot achieve good search results when solving such problems. It is necessary to design a new multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement learning algorithm with a stronger searchability.
Design/methodology/approach
The multi-objective reinforcement learning algorithm proposed in this paper is based on the evolutionary computation framework. In each generation, this study uses the long-short-term selection method to select parent policies. The long-term selection is based on the improvement of policy along the predefined optimization direction in the previous generation. The short-term selection uses a prediction model to predict the optimization direction that may have the greatest improvement on overall population performance. In the evolutionary stage, the penalty-based nonlinear scalarization method is used to scalarize the multi-dimensional advantage functions, and the nonlinear multi-objective policy gradient is designed to optimize the parent policies along the predefined directions.
Findings
The penalty-based nonlinear scalarization method can force policies to improve along the predefined optimization directions. The long-short-term optimization method can alleviate the exploration-exploitation problem, enabling the algorithm to explore unknown regions while ensuring that potential policies are fully optimized. The combination of these designs can effectively improve the performance of the final population.
Originality/value
A multi-objective evolutionary reinforcement learning algorithm with stronger searchability has been proposed. This algorithm can find a Pareto policy set with better convergence, diversity and density.
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Rentian Zhang, Longhua Li, Honggeng Zhu, Linbi Yao and Wei Shi
There are three pumping stations in the first stage of Eastern Route S-to-N Water Diversion Project in China, where the mixed-flow pumps with guide vanes are installed, consisting…
Abstract
There are three pumping stations in the first stage of Eastern Route S-to-N Water Diversion Project in China, where the mixed-flow pumps with guide vanes are installed, consisting of Baoying, Hongze and the No. 2 Suining pumping stations. By using flow rate coefficient and head coefficient as expression, firstly the hydraulic performances of the hydro models used are analyzed. Secondly the structural features and system performances are compared. And finally the measurement results in site are comprehensively evaluated. The results show that the pump models both introduced abroad and developed at home and the pumping system types adopted in the three pumping stations have been confirmed satisfying the requirements of operational conditions and high efficiency, stable and safety operation in all working conditions can be ensured.
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Hanieh Shambayati, Mohsen Shafiei Nikabadi, Seyed Mohammad Ali Khatami Firouzabadi, Mohammad Rahmanimanesh and Sara Saberi
Supply chains (SCs) have been growingly virtualized in response to the market challenges and opportunities that are presented by new and cost-effective internet-based technologies…
Abstract
Purpose
Supply chains (SCs) have been growingly virtualized in response to the market challenges and opportunities that are presented by new and cost-effective internet-based technologies today. This paper designed a virtual closed-loop supply chain (VCLSC) network based on multiperiod, multiproduct and by using the Internet of Things (IoT). The purpose of the paper is the optimization of the VCLSC network.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed model considers the maximization of profit. For this purpose, costs related to virtualization such as security, energy consumption, recall and IoT facilities along with the usual costs of the SC are considered in the model. Due to real-world demand fluctuations, in this model, demand is considered fuzzy. Finally, the problem is solved using the Grey Wolf algorithm and Firefly algorithm. A numerical example and sensitivity analysis on the main parameters of the model are used to describe the importance and applicability of the developed model.
Findings
The findings showed that the Firefly algorithm performed better and identified more profit for the SC in each period. Also, the results of the sensitivity analysis using the IoT in a VCLSC showed that the profit of the virtual supply chain (VSC) is higher compared to not using IoT due to tracking defective parts and identifying reversible products. In proposed model, chain members can help improve chain operations by tracking raw materials and products, delivering products faster and with higher quality to customers, bringing a new level of SC efficiency to industries. As a result, VSCs can be controlled, programmed and optimized remotely over the Internet based on virtual objects rather than direct observation.
Originality/value
There are limited researches on designing and optimizing the VCLSC network. This study is one of the first studies that optimize the VSC networks considering minimization of virtual costs and maximization of profits. In most researches, the theory of VSC and its advantages have been described, while in this research, mathematical optimization and modeling of the VSC have been done, and it has been tried to apply SC virtualization using the IoT. Considering virtual costs in VSC optimization is another originality of this research. Also, considering the uncertainty in the SC brings the issue closer to the real world. In this study, virtualization costs including security, recall and energy consumption in SC optimization are considered.
Highlights
Investigates the role of IoT for virtual supply chain profit optimization and mathematical optimization of virtual closed-loop supply chain (VCLSC) based on multiperiod, multiproduct with emphasis on using the IoT under uncertainty.
Considering the most important costs of virtualization of supply chain include: cost of IoT information security, cost of IoT energy consumption, cost of recall the production department, cost of IoT facilities.
Selection of the optimal suppliers in each period and determination of the price of each returned product in virtual supply chain.
Solving and validating the proposed model with two meta-heuristic algorithms (the Grey Wolf algorithm and Firefly algorithm).
Investigates the role of IoT for virtual supply chain profit optimization and mathematical optimization of virtual closed-loop supply chain (VCLSC) based on multiperiod, multiproduct with emphasis on using the IoT under uncertainty.
Considering the most important costs of virtualization of supply chain include: cost of IoT information security, cost of IoT energy consumption, cost of recall the production department, cost of IoT facilities.
Selection of the optimal suppliers in each period and determination of the price of each returned product in virtual supply chain.
Solving and validating the proposed model with two meta-heuristic algorithms (the Grey Wolf algorithm and Firefly algorithm).
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Joseph Opuni-Frimpong, Modupeola Adefunso Dzorka and Isaac Boadi
This study aims to examine how the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG’s) directive on establishing a Cyber and Information Security Governance Committee (CISGC) affects banks’ financial…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how the Bank of Ghana’s (BoG’s) directive on establishing a Cyber and Information Security Governance Committee (CISGC) affects banks’ financial performance (FP) and efficiency. The FP of banks is measured by return on assets (ROA) and return on equity (ROE), while efficiency is measured by operational costs to operating revenue (CIR). The study examines the CISGC’s cyber and IT expertise, committee size, meetings and female representation features.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from 20 universal banks in Ghana between 2019 and 2022 was used to examine the impact of the CISGC features on Bank FP and efficiency using generalized least squares regression and robustness test.
Findings
CISGC’s cyber and IT expertise has a positive impact on ROA, but no impact on ROE or CIR. Their size, meetings and female representation do not affect performance. This highlights the need for key measures to be instituted for effective cyber and information security governance.
Research limitations/implications
This study has several limitations. First, the scope was initially limited to universal banks in Ghana. Future studies should cover all banks operating in Ghana.
Practical implications
When forming the CISGC, banks should ensure that cybersecurity expertise is represented, and that female representation is considered. Additionally, given the ongoing evolution of cybersecurity threats, banks should ensure comprehensive digitization and robust cybersecurity safeguards.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to investigate how CISGC impacts bank performance in Ghana following the BoG’s Cyber and Information Security directive.
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Ishita Afreen Ahmed, Shahfahad Shahfahad, Mirza Razi Imam Baig, Swapan Talukdar, Md Sarfaraz Asgher, Tariq Mahmood Usmani, Shakeel Ahmed and Atiqur Rahman
Deepor Beel is one of the Ramsar Site and a wetland of great biodiversity, situated in the south-western part of Guwahati, Assam. With urban development at its forefront city of…
Abstract
Purpose
Deepor Beel is one of the Ramsar Site and a wetland of great biodiversity, situated in the south-western part of Guwahati, Assam. With urban development at its forefront city of Guwahati, Deepor Beel is under constant threat. The study aims to calculate the lake water volume from the water surface area and the underwater terrain data using a triangulated irregular network (TIN) volume model.
Design/methodology/approach
The lake water surface boundaries for each year were combined with field-observed water level data to generate a description of the underwater terrain. Time series LANDSAT images of 2001, 2011 and 2019 were used to extract the modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) in GIS domain.
Findings
The MNDWI was 0.462 in 2001 which reduced to 0.240 in 2019. This shows that the lake water storage capacity shrank in the last 2 decades. This leads to a major problem, i.e. the storage capacity of the lake has been declining gradually from 20.95 million m3 in 2001 to 16.73 million m3 in 2011 and further declined to 15.35 million m3 in 2019. The fast decline in lake water volume is a serious concern in the age of rapid urbanization of big cities like Guwahati.
Originality/value
None of the studies have been done previously to analyze the decline in the volume of Deepor Beel lake. Therefore, this study will provide useful insights in the water resource management and the conservation of Deepor Beel lake.