Kuo‐Fang Peng, Yi‐Wen Fan and Tong‐An Hsu
This study chooses the content perception perspective to develop a theoretical model portraying the psychological activities of Web surfers exposed to content Web sites. After…
Abstract
This study chooses the content perception perspective to develop a theoretical model portraying the psychological activities of Web surfers exposed to content Web sites. After collecting 549 empirical observations in a controlled lab environment, tests the theoretical relationships by using the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. The results strongly indicate that effective content perceptual dimensions can help content Web surfers to develop positive attitudes toward content sites, which in turn induce favorable behavioral outcomes such as frequent site usage and loyalty. Such a proposed theoretical model not only has the potential to enrich the theoretical underpinning of Internet studies but also presents a practical framework to guide content strategy formulations for the online content industry. Detailed implications for both managerial research and practice are discussed.
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The purpose of this paper is to aim at assessing the impacts of the embedded nature of ethnic Chinese businesses on the management of business failure in China ventures.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to aim at assessing the impacts of the embedded nature of ethnic Chinese businesses on the management of business failure in China ventures.
Design/methodology/approach
Upon reviewing the key literature on ethnic Chinese transnational business ventures and, in particular, the concept of embeddedness, the paper proceeds with a description of the data based on ethnographic research among ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs in both Singapore and Malaysia and a brief portrayal of the development of their investments in China since the 1980s. In subsequent sections the empirical findings are first presented and then analyzed. The conclusions reflect on the changing nature of the embeddedness of the ethnic Chinese in diverse but shared legacies.
Findings
The experience of business failure in China contributes to a reorientation among the ethnic Chinese towards both their national communities and each other – and finally affects their transnational business strategies. This process of re‐embedding identity is intertwined with the diverging ethnic politics of the Singaporean and Malaysian nation states and results in the redefinition of a shared identity.
Originality/value
While the literature on the ethnic Chinese business community is focusing on those factors that are conducive to business operations, little attention has been paid to the manners in which business failure is dealt with. In this paper, business failure will be investigated in terms of the impact emanating from the embeddedness of ethnic Chinese businesses in complex economic, social‐cultural, and political configurations.
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The digitalization of society places new demands on education. It is apparent since most countries have introduced curricula requirements to digitalize teaching. This study…
Abstract
Purpose
The digitalization of society places new demands on education. It is apparent since most countries have introduced curricula requirements to digitalize teaching. This study examines the organizational support teachers need to digitalize teaching. The study is being conducted in Sweden because they have experienced challenges with the introduction of new national digitalization requirements. Thus, this study explores the following research question: What organizational support do Swedish teachers describe they need to meet the curriculum requirements for digitalization?
Design/methodology/approach
Cultural–historical activity theory and qualitative methods have been used to explore the research aim and answer the question.
Findings
The results show that teachers need organizational support to gain equal and easy access to digital tools. Moreover, digital tools in an organization must be relevantly related to the requirements. Teachers also need support to increase their knowledge as well as the knowledge of the students. Also, organizations must support teachers by distributing the work of digitalization clearly and reasonably. These results, thus, show that teachers cannot be solely responsible for meeting these curriculum requirements. They need organizational support in the process.
Originality/value
The study reveals teachers' recurring problems concerning digitalized education and their need for organizational support. Thereby, the knowledge can be used to avoid similar problems, in organizations on different society levels. This contribution is useful for organizations, politicians, school leaders, principals and teachers who are introducing 1:1 and new curriculum requirements for digitalization of education.
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Hui Wei You and Rayenda Khresna Brahmana
This research aims to examine the moderating role of digital orientation (DO) on the relationship between innovation and internationalization by framing the relationship under an…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to examine the moderating role of digital orientation (DO) on the relationship between innovation and internationalization by framing the relationship under an agency, resource-based view (RBV) and organization orientation (OO) theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This study focuses on a sample of 392 listed companies in Malaysia from 2011 to 2018 and estimates the model under the double clustered regression, dynamic GMM panel model and one-lagged model to tackle endogeneity and reversal causality. This study also did a logit model as an additional robustness check.
Findings
The findings support the RBV perspective: Companies with intensive innovation have high internationalization. However, the findings refute OO theory by revealing the evidence that DO leads to low internationalization. Supplemental analysis suggests that innovation impact on internationalization occurs in assets and sales internationalization (exports).
Research limitations/implications
According to the RBV theory, innovation is strategic value creation for the organization to achieve competitiveness. A company can expand its market internationally when the business process is more productive and efficient due to innovation. The innovation process is closely related to DO. Hence, this research explores whether DO may strengthen the effect of innovation on the internationalization process.
Originality/value
This study examines the effect of DO on innovation and internationalization implementation by contesting agency theory, RBV theory and OO theory within an emerging country context.
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Nada Alattar, Anne Felton and Theodore Stickley
Stigma associated with mental health problems is widespread in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Consequently, this may prevent many Saudi people from accessing the mental…
Abstract
Purpose
Stigma associated with mental health problems is widespread in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Consequently, this may prevent many Saudi people from accessing the mental health-care services and support they need. The purpose of this study is to consider how stigma affects people needing to access mental health services in the KSA. To achieve this aim, this study reviews the knowledge base concerning stigma and mental health in KSA and considers specific further research necessary to increase the knowledge and understanding in this important area.
Design/methodology/approach
This review examines the relevant literature concerning mental health stigma and related issues in KSA using the Arksey and O'Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses frameworks. As a scoping review, it has used a systematic approach in literature searching. The results of the search were then thematically analysed and the themes were then discussed in light of the concepts of stigma and mental health.
Findings
Stigma around mental health impedes access to care, the nature of care and current clinical practice in the KSA. The voices of those with mental health issues in KSA are almost entirely unrepresented in the literature.
Originality/value
The review identifies that mental health stigma and cultural beliefs about mental health in KSA may act as barriers to accessing services. The voice of mental health service users in KSA remains largely unheard. If public discussion of mental health issues can increase, people’s experiences of accessing services may be improved.
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Ali Padyab and Anna Ståhlbröst
The integration of internet of things (IoT) devices into daily life introduces challenges for the privacy of their users and those who are affected by these devices. This paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The integration of internet of things (IoT) devices into daily life introduces challenges for the privacy of their users and those who are affected by these devices. This paper explores the factors that affect individual concerns regarding IoT use and how those factors affect the dynamics of privacy management with the presence of an IoT device.
Design/methodology/approach
Four focus groups of individuals and IoT experts were studied to understand the groups’ privacy concerns. The authors adopted a qualitative research method based on grounded theory to find relevant dimensions of situational privacy concerns in IoT use situations.
Findings
The results revealed that fourteen dimensions of individuals’ privacy concerns regarding the IoT are relevant and can be categorized under four key influential factors: collection, IoT device, collected data storage and use of collected data. The authors also analyzed the focus groups using genres of disclosure theory and explored how privacy concerns affect individual privacy management regulations.
Research limitations/implications
This paper contributes to how future research can employ genres of disclosure as a theoretical framework to identify situations where privacy violations occur.
Practical implications
This study can assist service providers and IoT manufacturers in deriving design principles and decreasing concerns by addressing the information that must be communicated to their users.
Originality/value
As opposed to the previous research, which was more inclined to dispositional privacy concerns, this study provides insights into situational privacy concerns when individuals are confronted with the IoT. This study represents the first attempt to investigate the process individuals experience in managing their privacy.
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Zeng Huawei, Wang Chengtao, Qiao Jie, Zhang Bingjing, Zhao Bing and Dai Chuangyun
The Monascus pigment has been widely applied in the food processing industry as a functional additive. Lovastatin and polysaccharides are two important bio-active materials found…
Abstract
Purpose
The Monascus pigment has been widely applied in the food processing industry as a functional additive. Lovastatin and polysaccharides are two important bio-active materials found in Monascus. Citrinin is considered as mycotoxin. Thus, it is important to produce high yields of intracellular Monascus pigments with high yields of lovastatin and polysaccharides, while maintaining low citrinin yields under liquid fermentation.
Design/methodology/approach
The intracellular yields of pigments, lovastatin, polysaccharides and citrinin; biomass; and reducing the sugar content of Monascus purpureus HBSD 08 were determined every day during a 10-day culturing period using lactose, maltose, sucrose, glucose, glycerine and xylose as the sole carbon sources. Additionally, the pigment composition was analysed by a thin layer chromatography (TLC) and the in vitro antitumor activities of the pigments were determined.
Findings
The maximal yield of pigments (55.44 U/mL after six days of culture) and lovastatin content (1,475.30 µg/L after five days of culture) were obtained in the presence of glucose and maltose as the sole carbon sources, respectively. The suitable carbon sources for high intracellular polysaccharides yields were sucrose, maltose and xylose. Glucose should not be chosen as the sole carbon source because of its high food safety risk. In vitro antitumor activities of pigments in the presence of different carbon sources were in the order of xylose > glucose = maltose > glycerine > sucrose = lactose. The pigment compositions in the presence of different carbon sources were the same from the TLC analysis. Thus, maltose displayed high intracellular yields of pigments, lovastatin and polysaccharides; high food safety against citrinin, and high in vitro antitumor activity during the ten days culturing period.
Originality/value
This study shows us the benefits of using maltose as a substrate in the production of intracellular Monascus pigments while ensuring economic and food safety.
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Davide Settembre-Blundo, Alfonso Pedro Fernández del Hoyo and Fernando Enrique García-Muiña
The purpose of this paper is to develop an innovative branding method based on the hermeneutical approach and interpretive theory, to respond to the need of a simple and effective…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an innovative branding method based on the hermeneutical approach and interpretive theory, to respond to the need of a simple and effective tool to build corporate identity through an industrial brand identity design and, being a new business, has been considered the brand perception of their stakeholders as the main input to analyze.
Design/methodology/approach
The case study of a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME), that produces nanomaterials for the business-to-business (B2B) industrial market, is used to design the new hermeneutic branding method. The methodology process has been structured in four phases that have marked the investigation and that correspond to four different levels of knowledge that, in succession, between them, constituted the so-called hermeneutic circle.
Findings
This new approach allowed us to understand the social phenomenon related to the brand: its characteristic, context and the brand itself. Though hermeneutic analysis has confirmed that business strategy is only part of a more complex system of brand management, it must also consider the competitive environment and the views of the stakeholders.
Practical implications
This paper contributes to research on industrial branding by adopting the hermeneutical approach in managerial practice. This paper is the first of its kind in detail modelling the design phases of a B2B brand, providing an operational tool for marketing specialists.
Originality/value
There is a lack of research studies in the methods for designing industrial brands. The contribution of this paper lies in proposing a new interpretative approach that, acknowledging the different expectations of the stakeholder in the supply chain, allows to draw a B2B brand that communicates the system values of the product and company.
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Maria Kontesa, Andreas Lako and Wendy Wendy
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between board capital and firm earnings quality with different controlling shareholders for a sample of 252 listed firms…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between board capital and firm earnings quality with different controlling shareholders for a sample of 252 listed firms in Indonesia over the period 2011–2017.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a two-step dynamic generalized method of moments panel regression to estimate the board capital effect on earnings quality. The board capital measure is constructed from educational capital, networking capital and experience capital. Meanwhile, discretionary accrual is used as the proxy for earnings quality. All financial data is from the annual report. Board capital data is a combination of an annual report, RelSci data, Linkedin searching and Bloomberg data.
Findings
The findings of this study report that board capital has a significant effect on earnings quality. Higher board capital may result in better earnings quality. In further investigation, this study finds that firms with higher education backgrounds tend to have better earnings quality. Meanwhile, firms with higher experienced board members tend to have bad earnings quality. Additionally, networking capital does not have any impact on earnings quality. The findings of this study also document a strong size effect of controlling shareholders in moderating the relationship between board capital and earnings quality.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to upper-echelon, institutional, positive accounting and agency theory. It implies that agency cost plays an important role in that relationship. In a more deep analysis, this study records different board capital effects on earnings quality across controlling shareholders.
Practical implications
Shareholders should elect board directors following their competencies and should note that not all competencies will give a quality earning report. The educational background of board members will enhance earnings quality, but the experience of a board member will reduce the earnings quality. Further, the relationship between board capital and earnings quality is significantly moderated by controlling shareholders, implying that different controlling shareholders need different board capital.
Originality/value
This study examines board capital effects on earnings quality with different controlling shareholders using four major theories. The board capital measure is tedious and detailed allowing to capture the comprehensive human capital.
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In this study, the authors provide a systematic literature review of articles in the emerging areas of green finance and discuss the status and challenges in sustainability…
Abstract
Purpose
In this study, the authors provide a systematic literature review of articles in the emerging areas of green finance and discuss the status and challenges in sustainability disclosure, which is crucial for the efficiency of green financial instruments. The authors then review the literature on the economic implications of green finance and outline future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use the analytical framework – Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis (SALSA) to conduct the systematic review of the literature.
Findings
Increasing public attention to the environment motivates the use of green finance to fund environmentally sustainable projects, and the rise of green finance intensifies the demand for environmental disclosure. Literature has documented tremendous growth in sustainability reporting over time and around the globe, as well as raised concerns about how such reporting lack consistency, comparability, and assurance. Despite these challenges, the authors find that in general, the literature agrees that a firm’s green practice is positively associated with its financial performance and negatively related to a firm’s cost of capital. Green finance is also found to bring about enhanced risk management and economic development.
Originality/value
The authors provide one of the first reviews of green finance, sustainability disclosure and the impact of green finance on financial performance, capital market and economic development.