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Purpose: This study aims to examine the cryptocurrency adoption (CA) level among Indian retail investors who use cryptocurrency as an investment and mode of transaction. Design/methodology/approach: Through self-administered survey questionnaires, data is collected from 397 retail investors of Haryana (India). This study adopted a quantitative method using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: This paper offered a robust model with a high explanatory value for CA in which four of the five proposed factors of diffusion of innovation theory (trialability, compatibility, complexity and observability) and one of the two proposed factors of consumer behavioral theory (perceived value) significantly influences CA. More specifically, the absence of regulatory support is a barrier to the broad adoption of cryptocurrencies, as its regulations are necessary to mitigate or minimize uncertain outcomes. Research limitations/implications: This research primarily focuses on CA in India. Thus, it can be extended to cover diverse other countries for more precise results. Practical implications: The results provide insights to the government to design the policies, better regulate and make investment strategies that can ultimately enhance CA. In addition, the study's results also inform financial educators, policymakers, employers and academicians about the significance of several variables affecting CA in India. Social implications: From a social standpoint, this study is an advance that directs central banks and governments to develop, regulate and manage digital currencies and implement a digital currency ecosystem. Moreover, the results assist in understanding investors' perceptions and decision-making perspectives toward cryptocurrencies through the country's digitalization. Originality/value: This paper fills the study gap to assist policymakers and cryptocurrency experts in broadening their knowledge base and recognizing prioritized intentions. Additionally, this study provides a theoretical model with the latent variable for a present and pertinent matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of extensible business reporting language (XBRL) technology and its functionality on various aspects of financial reporting and its overall quality. Design/methodology/approach: To conduct this study, data was collected from a variety of professionals, including accountants, auditors, tax advisors and others. A structured research instrument was developed, and the collected data were analysed using structural equation modelling and mediation analysis techniques. Findings: The study's results showed that XBRL technology and its functionality have a noteworthy impact on different aspects of financial reporting. Moreover, the various aspects of financial reporting positively affect the overall quality of financial reporting. Research limitations/implications: This study solely relied on the opinions of various professionals regarding the current issue under investigation and did not empirically assess the reporting practices of companies by examining their XBRL-based reports. Additionally, it concentrated solely on financial reporting aspects and did not account for non-financial aspects. The main theoretical contributions of this paper to technology in financial reporting, XBRL and accounting literature are that it sheds light on the influence of the use of technologies in the business reporting process and their influence on various aspects of business reporting, which has only received confined focus from earlier studies so far. Practical implications: This study's findings could provide valuable insights to the managerial teams of organizations seeking to digitize their business reporting practices, specifically in areas such as regulatory compliance, integrated reporting and timely dissemination of reports in a sustainable way. Furthermore, it could help these teams reap the benefits of technology for various regulatory compliance matters. Originality/value: This study could assist business organizations and regulatory authorities in adopting and implementing technology such as XBRL for accounting and business reporting. Furthermore, the study's findings can aid in enhancing financial reporting practices by considering emerging aspects such as ESG and sustainability aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to propose and assess a framework to analyse the institutionalization of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) through a framing analysis. Design/methodology/approach: The framework was developed by combining the institutional approach with orders of worth, drawing insights from a comprehensive literature review. To assess it, the authors conducted a qualitative analysis of annual reports from companies with the largest market capitalization over a six-year period and interviewed union representatives in Spain and Sweden. Findings: The framework comprises five dimensions (industrial, market, civic, green and connectionist). The empirical results reveal that companies consistently frame I4.0 with an emphasis on industrial and market perspectives. In contrast, unions place a stronger emphasis on civic issues, with Spanish unions holding a more negative view of I4.0, expressing concerns about working conditions and unemployment. Research limitations/implications: The proposed framework brings interesting insights into the dispute over the meaning of I4.0. Although this empirical study was limited to companies and unions in Sweden and Spain, the framework can be expanded for broader investigations, involving additional stakeholders in one or more countries. The discussion outlined using the varieties of capitalism approach is relevant for understanding the connection between the meso and macro levels of this phenomenon. Practical implications: In navigating the landscape of I4.0, managers should remain flexible, and ready to tailor their strategies and operations to align with the distinct demands and expectations of stakeholders and their specific institutional environments. Similarly, policymakers are urged to acknowledge these contextual intricacies when crafting strategies for implementing I4.0 initiatives across national settings. Social implications: Based on the empirical findings, this study underscores the importance of fostering social dialogue and involving stakeholders in the implementation of I4.0. Policymakers and other stakeholders should take proactive measures, tailored to each country's context, to mitigate potential adverse effects on labour and workers. Originality/value: The study presents a novel framework that facilitates the systematic comparison of I4.0 framing by different actors. This contribution is significant because the way actors frame I4.0 affects its interpretation and implementation. Additionally, the aggregate analysis of results enables cross-country comparisons, enhancing our understanding of regional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims at advancing the understanding of University-Industry Collaboration (UIC) by proposing an adapted conceptual model for comprehensive contextual analysis taking industry perspective and identifying effective mechanisms for stimulating UIC in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design/methodology/approach: This study was designed as a multicase qualitative study. Data were collected through interviews of focus groups representing 26 agro-processing companies operating in Rwanda. The process consisted of two sessions evaluating the current collaboration patterns, and two sessions identifying the desired future and the mechanisms to realize it. Data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti software with the grounded theory techniques. Findings: Findings indicate that current interactions are unidirectional and focus on educational collaboration. Results are short-term and do not yield sufficient benefit for the companies involved. Industry aspirations for future collaboration were identified, along with linkages between inputs, activities and outcomes. Research limitations/implications: This study has two noteworthy limitations. First, this study did not consider the capacity of firms to collaborate. Second, for simplification purposes, this study did not integrate other complementary sources of knowledge for firms. To overcome these omissions, a short introduction of University–Industry Collaboration (UIC) was presented to participants highlighting and justifying the scope of the study. As research implications, this paper presents a new integrated conceptual framework, which can be useful for studies focusing on a comprehensive analysis of the UIC context and identifying effective mechanisms for improvement in the future. A construct of policies that stimulate UIC is proposed, thereby facilitating further operationalization and testing of context-specific hypotheses on policy stimuli. Practical implications: In practice, the identified conceptual framework allows to holistically capture and reflect on the interrelationships between UIC factors and outcomes for a specific context, hence, informing better UIC decision-making. In this way, this paper advances the operationalization of the argument for reconciling organizational theories with their practices. Social implications: This paper presents a systemic means for organizational theories to perform their adaptive role in society. Indeed, as demonstrated by the empirical results, the proposed framework is effective not only in systematically assessing the current situation, but also in predicting the desired state in the future. In other words, the proposed framework facilitates prescience theorizing, which is a mechanism for ensuring that organizational theories adapt to future requirements of the society. Originality/value: This study develops a new integrative conceptual framework to accommodate the interaction between UIC's institutional decision-making and existing macrolevel frameworks of innovation ecosystems. In terms of methodology, the value of this study lies in its adoption of an ex ante approach to the development of mechanisms to stimulate UIC. This use of prescience theory (Corley and Gioia, 2011) constitutes an important – but long-neglected – approach to UIC and its adaptive role in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the technological, economic and environmental impacts of disruptive innovations in the transportation mobility market. Design/methodology/approach: The paper gathered data from World Bank and 13 open sources in an exploratory, descriptive and applied investigation on potentially disruptive transport innovations outcomes in G7 and BRICS (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa) economies, businesses and societies. Findings: The results suggest positive implications for technological leapfrogging of electric vehicles (EV), autonomous vehicles (AVs) and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOLs), such as gains in energy consumption, infrastructure improvement, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, economic growth and the opportunity for new disruptive technologies to improve or even revolutionize the transportation ecosystem. Research limitations/implications: This study has clear limitations as it compares G7 and BRICS hypothetical scenarios where internal combustion vehicles were replaced by new technologies, ceteris paribus. Even so, as theoretical implications, the study presents market scenarios for EVs, AVs and eVTOLs technologies, bringing benefits to the disruptive innovation theory by expanding the understanding of the subject and also opening avenues of investigation by exploring new technological, economic and environmental possibilities. Practical implications: This study emphasises potentially disruptive technologies' technological, economic and sustainable benefits to countries through technological leapfrogging. The organizations can delve into results to investigate forthcoming markets and seek advantageous positions. Economic and social gains from leapfrogging could motivate government bodies to finance research focusing on EVs, AVs and eVTOLs diffusion. Originality/value: The paper's originality resides in aggregating multiple data sources to compare technological leapfrogging in G7 and BRICS transportation. The different views allowed for exploring the potential outcomes of EVs, AVs and eVTOLs on economic, sustainability and market dimensions in developed and developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Our understanding of the influence of institutional conditions on process innovation is still limited, despite managers' need to know which factors should be considered in decision-making and governments should be aware of how to foster process innovation through the provision of attractive institutions. Therefore, this paper aims to examine how institutional dimensions such as workforce, political instability, labor regulation, corruption, tax administration and transportation influence process innovation in smaller firms located in emerging countries other than the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). Design/methodology/approach: A data set from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys questioning over 20,000 companies from 41 emerging countries supplemented by the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita for each country was used and analyzed by the means of general linear mixed models. The analysis emphasized small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and excluded BRICS countries. Findings: The findings demonstrate which institutional factors matter for process innovation depending on company size and GDP. Research limitations/implications: This paper advances research on the influence of institutions on firm innovation – the institution–process innovation relationship in emerging countries other than the BRICS in particular. By considering the role of company size and GDP per capita on the institution–process innovation relationship, the paper offers more nuanced insights compared with prior studies and thus makes a strong contribution to the innovation theory. The data used are not suitable for a longitudinal study the same refers to capturing the variety found in the countries even those coming from the same geographic area. Practical implications: The results provide practitioners, e.g. managers of SMEs, with concrete ideas on how to improve process innovation in their companies. Other actors such as policymakers too can benefit from the results as they will allow the design of more target group-oriented measures, aspects that can ultimately lead to more sustainable businesses. Originality/value: By focusing on process innovation and emerging countries, the paper contributes to growing research efforts in emerging countries beyond the BRICS. Thus, the results add more diversity to the study of process innovation and its influencing external (institutional) factors. The emphasis on SMEs also allows us to highlight differences between different categories of SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the antecedents' factors that positively and negatively influence the intention to use big data analytics (BDA) by future managers of companies. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprised 364 business students from a public university in Brazil. The methodology had a quantitative approach, with the use of structural equation modeling. Findings: This paper presented a robust model with a high explanatory factor for the intention to use BDA, in which the elements of positive influence on the intention to use are expected performance, social influence and cost–benefit, and the negative influence factor is resistance to use. Research limitations/implications: Research on BDA has improved the understanding of the phenomenon, mostly emphasizing the technical dimensions of BDA and underestimating organizational and human dimensions. This research contributed to the literature by presenting new insights into these organizational and human aspects by presenting influencing factors for future managers. User resistance is a variable that can incorporate technology adoption theories in BDA. Practical implications: The results present a positive perception of future managers in the decision on financial resources in the acquisition of new technologies and enable managers to improve planning, investment and choice of technologies while presenting insights from the next generation. Issues regarding privacy, security and ethical aspects are key to minimizing user resistance. Originality/value: This paper fills a significant research gap on the adoption of BDA, presenting the perception of future managers on fundamental aspects of adoption in a developing country. In addition, the research offers a theoretical model with new latent variables for a current and relevant topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization declared the end of the Public Health Emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic across the planet. The authors highlight that high work demands, the perceived workload and work-family conflicts contribute to health-care professionals' intention to leave their organisations. In the second paper, [3] investigate the effects of various work-related stress factors (e.g. polychronicity, job autonomy, perceived workload, work-family conflict, and high work demand) on health-care employees' turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, more than encouraging people's engagement and the development of HC and organisations, we need to manage and improve this main element of the IC, working hard so that people are valued. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Strategic decision importance has rarely been investigated as a decision-specific characteristic in the strategic decision-making process (SDMP) literature taking into consideration information management while taking important strategic decisions. Here, the ability of decision importance to predict decision effectiveness as an outcome of SDMPs in higher education institutions (HEIs) is examined in the context of Bahrain. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual model is developed relating decision importance to decision effectiveness indirectly via the SDMP characteristics intuition, rationality and decentralization. Data from a cross-sectional questionnaire completed by leaders of HEIs and academics involved in strategic decision-making in Bahrain are used to test the model and hypotheses via correlation analysis. The paper also considers a literature review of the use of information management while taking a strategic decision. Findings: Decision importance is shown to positively influence decision effectiveness in Bahraini HEIs mediated by rationality and by decentralization in decision-making, although negative effects of decentralization are also demonstrated. However, decision importance does not influence decision effectiveness mediated by intuition. Research limitations/implications: Due to the small sample size, the results cannot be generalized to contexts beyond HEIs in Bahrain. Additional SDMP characteristics of significance in the context of HEIs could be future investigated, for instance, political behaviour and lateral communication, are not included in the model. Future research exploring the latter two aspects could provide deeper insight into the findings. Practical implications: The findings of this paper could be considered by HEIs senior management and members of the governing body while strategic decision-making, which could be at different levels, including strategic planning or assessing a strategic decision in terms of effectiveness. This paper will also provide insight one the use of information while considering strategic decision-making. Social implications: A model leading for effective strategic decision-making could be used by leaders of HEIs and regulators including licensing bodies and QA agencies to set standards for HEIs for sustainable performance and quality education in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Initiative. Strategic decision-making will have an impact on the overall performance of HEIs and serve all relevant stakeholder's including parents, students, employers and industry. Originality/value: Little research conducted in relation to strategic decision-making in the Gulf Cooperation Council therefore, this research will add original findings and the outcome of this study will lead to future research related to SDMP and the use of information management in the overall strategic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how the business model of the information and communications technology (ICT) industry has evolved and the general differences that evolution has made to information management. Design/methodology/approach: Literature review was carried out accompanied by conceptual analysis. Findings: It shows that changes in the business model of the ICT industry have been quite dramatic and have led to significant changes in the structure of the industry. Research limitations/implications: This research is based on analysis of the ICT industry. The analysis could be broadened to include other industries. Research into business model change should consider adopting the evolutionary approach taken in this paper. Practical implications: Managers in the ICT industry should factor the likely evolution of business models in their industry into their planning. Social implications: Government policymakers considering how to stimulate the development of the ICT industry in their country should be aware of the moving nature of their target. Originality/value: This is one of the first papers to apply the evolutionary approach to business model change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to empirically verify whether the development of improved relationships between higher education institutions (HEIs) and their stakeholders based on the principles of stakeholder theory creates more value. Design/methodology/approach: The methods involve a quantitative approach, with the data collection being carried out through a survey of 88 heads of HEIs in Brazil. The paper uses the Spearman's correlation coefficient to analyze the data and test the hypotheses. Findings: The findings reinforce the arguments found in the stakeholder theory literature, in which relationships are based on the following principles: knowledge and information sharing, mutual trust, involvement in the decision-makin g process and alignment of stakeholders' interests in the strategic planning process, all of which create more value for organizations. Practical implications: This study seeks to improve the knowledge of stakeholder theory in relation to HEIs. It identifies the stakeholder relationships that create the most value and have the potential to generate a sustainable competitive advantage. The results can help managers to improve their relationships with stakeholders and may encourage the implementation of practices and policies that consider stakeholders' influence on the strategic direction of HEIs. Social implications: The studies present a social contribution by evidencing the importance of the development of best practices, processes and strategies in the management of educational institutions, which are important actors in the development of society. Originality/value: The originality of this paper is that it empirically tests the principles of stakeholder theory and their relationships with value creation for organizations in the higher education context. Whilst stakeholder theory has been explored in multiples contexts, there is a lack of studies addressing stakeholder management in HEIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to answer two research questions: first, to study the factors that directly and indirectly influence the intentions of job-seekers and second, to examine the moderating role of gender differences in e-recruitment adoption through the application of technology acceptance model (TAM) in India. Design/methodology/approach: A convenience sampling technique was used to collect online data via GoogleDocs through various online channels such as social media, LinkedIn and email. The final data was collected from 364 final-year graduates and postgraduate students to confirm the impact of female and male differences, measurement invariance in composite models (MICOM) and multi-group analysis (MGA). Findings: The results indicated that perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) have a direct impact on attitude (AT), whereas PU influenced behavioral intentions (BI) of job-seekers, but PEOU did not. AT directly leads to the BI. The outcomes of mediation analysis show that AT partially mediates the relationships between PU to BI and PEOU to BI. Further, the findings of MICOM and MGA showed that gender significantly moderates all the relationships between the constructs except for the influence of AT on BI. Research limitations/implications: This study contributes to the current literature, revealing that the original TAM model is still pertinent and effective in prevailing periods in emerging markets. The significance of PEOU and PU on AT and BI implies that job-seekers will strongly adopt e-recruitment when it is user-friendly and assist them to accomplish their tasks easily and efficiently. Moreover, gender has a vital moderating influence in e-recruitment adoption. In the case of females, the effect of PEOU is stronger, and for males, PU has a substantial impact on adoption. Practical implications: Developers and recruiters should provide significant information related to salary, location and job profile on e-recruitment to enhance the adoption rate of online recruitment. Further, the usefulness of e-recruitment systems was more significant for males compared to females, whereas female job-seekers prefer the e-recruitment system, which is easy to use and operate. Originality/value: This research fills a gap in the literature by examining the essential factors affecting the BI of job-seekers as well as empirically testing the impact of gender differences to adopt TAM for e-recruitment – an under-explored subject in developing countries like India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the role of knowledge management (KM) processes in enhancing competitive strategies of differentiation and cost-effectiveness and its impact on innovativeness in knowledge-intensive service organizations (KISOs) in India. Design/methodology/approach: This study collected data from 293 employees working in Indian KISOs through a questionnaire survey. After checking for reliability and validity of data, this study tested the hypotheses by structural equation modeling using AMOS 26. Findings: The results show that KM processes have a significant and positive relationship with competitive strategy and innovativeness. Competitive strategy partially mediates the relationship between KM processes and innovativeness. These KM processes promote differentiation and cost-effectiveness, which in turn enhances innovativeness. A differentiation strategy has a stronger positive relationship with KM processes and innovativeness than a cost-effective strategy. Research limitations/implications: This study's cross-sectional design limits its ability to establish a general cause–effect relationship. Even so, theoretically, the results corroborate the contingent view of KM in emerging economies such as India. The findings show the mediating role of competitive strategy on the relationship between KM and its processes with innovation and competitiveness – providing a better cost-effectiveness relationship and organizational differentiation capacity. Practical implications: This study suggests managers to adopt KM processes such as creation-sharing, acquisition and knowledge base enabling firms to be different and cost-effective than their competitors. This study provides evidence on how KISOs can leverage their innovativeness by using KM processes in congruence with its competitive strategy and gain competitive advantage. Social implications: This study emphasizes the development of KM processes in the management of KISOs, which contributes substantially to India's economic growth via Gross domestic product and employment. On the social side, this study suggests to manage cultural issues in KM processes, arising because of presence of multi-cultural workforce and a high-power distance society. Originality/value: This study bridges a research gap of previous studies providing empirical evidence regarding the mediating effect of competitive strategies in the relationship between KM processes and innovativeness. This study adds proof to the KM contingency view of firms, suggesting when KM processes are formulated to achieve competitive strategy; substantial benefits such as innovativeness can be realized. This study adds evidence from the emerging economy of India, where KISOs are increasingly creating value and employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the influence of accounting information system (AIS) success on planning process effectiveness (PPE) in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of Yemen, a less developed nation (LDN). Design/methodology/approach: This study developed a theoretical model based on IS success model (DMISS2003). The model's components were tested using structural equation modeling via SmartPLS on a sample of 325 SMEs. Findings: The empirical results imply that AIS success positively affects PPE if SMEs focus on AIS information quality, system quality, user satisfaction and usage. Research limitations/implications: This study focused on SMEs in Yemen. Thus, it can be expanded to include different other countries. Practical implications: The results of this study could be considered by owners and managers of SMEs, policymakers and AIS designers/vendors. This study could provide them insight into the role of AIS success in promoting PPE in SMEs. This study could assist policymakers in analyzing the work of SMEs and assessing their success, referring to AIS. Moreover, knowing the most critical determinants of AIS success could direct designers'/vendors' efforts toward upgrading and improving the present AIS. Social implications: Government policymakers in LDNs considering how to motivate SME development in their nation should be aware of the significance of AIS success and implementation among SMEs and its role in the nation's economic development. Originality/value: This research is one of the first that investigates the impact of AIS success on PPE in SMEs. Current literature largely lacks the investigation of such an impact, especially among SMEs in LDNs such as Yemen. Most AIS's prior research focused on SMEs in developed nations, which may not fully apply to LDNs such as Yemen. Indeed, no existing literature is available where AIS success impacts PPE in SMEs of LDNs. In this respect, this study claims its uniqueness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to underpin the impact of cloud computing in global accounting information systems (AIS). Moreover, it investigates the key aspects that ought to be considered by the organization before choosing to pick the correct accounting system. Design/methodology/approach: The study looks at and depends on narrative investigation of previous studies. In the examination talked about the principle issues with respect to the utilization of cloud and database the executives in the AIS through developing research model. Findings: The focal point of the paper is the impact of cloud computing worldview on the business area. This paper highlights different facts of cloud accounting, published research papers and the benefits and possible risks determined by the implementation of cloud services, mostly in relation to the accounting department. Originality/value: Considering the numerous ramifications of cloud advancements on the present business process, there is a need for an examination of how these innovations will be used in AIS to improve precision, benefits and risks. At the same time, there is need to investigate the determinant elements of actualizing cloud advances in the AIS. More importantly, to the author's knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on the number of published research works to show the importance of cloud computing in accounting and information systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review literature about the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in strategic situations and identify the research that is needed in the area of applying AI to strategic marketing decisions. Design/methodology/approach: The approach was to carry out a literature review and to consult with marketing experts who were invited to contribute to the paper. Findings: There is little research into applying AI to strategic marketing decision-making. This research is needed, as the frontier of AI application to decision-making is moving in many management areas from operational to strategic. Given the competitive nature of such decisions and the insights from applying AI to defence and similar areas, it is time to focus on applying AI to strategic marketing decisions. Research limitations/implications: The application of AI to strategic marketing decision-making is known to be taking place, but as it is commercially sensitive, data is not available to the authors. Practical implications: There are strong implications for all businesses, particularly large businesses in competitive industries, where failure to deploy AI in the face of competition from firms, who have deployed AI to improve their decision-making could be dangerous. Social implications: The public sector is a very important marketing decision maker. Although in most cases it does not operate competitively, it must make decisions about making different services available to different citizens and identify the risks of not providing services to certain citizens; so, this paper is relevant to the public sector. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first papers to probe deployment of AI in strategic marketing decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the problems of managing superprojects and identifies how a different approach to controlling them can reduce the incidence of cost and time overruns and benefit shortfalls. Design/methodology/approach: Literature review accompanied by conceptual analysis. Findings: Project cost and timing overruns and benefit shortfalls are very frequent in superprojects. These problems can be ascribed partly to the way in which they are planned is not taken into account in designing and implementing control systems, particularly the governance processes and the information they have available. Practical implications: This paper has serious implications for those designing control processes, governance and information management for superprojects. It suggests that if a new approach is taken, fewer superprojects will suffer from cost overruns and benefit shortfalls because remedial actions will be taken earlier for projects, which are experiencing problems, while learning will be fed back to those planning new projects. Social implications: There will be saving of public money and reduced deferment of benefits that normally result from failed or delayed projects and reduced allocation of large incremental budgets dedicated to resolving problems. Originality/value: The taxonomy of different types of superprojects is original, as is the idea of ambidextrous control, and the diagnosis of failure reasons lying in the nature of control and governance processes, and the lack of relevant information available during the control process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to find out how much the purchasing and lending of individual electronic books really cost. Additionally, this paper investigates which kind of approach would be cheaper and less time-consuming for library staff as well as library patrons – purchase or short-term loan. Design/methodology/approach: This study was conducted at the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) Library. This is the only university library in Estonia where the Ebook Central platform is adapted on a large scale. For background information, all statistical data of expenditures and average prices of purchases and short-term loans during April 2013 and December 2018 were calculated and analysed. Through a case study, the time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) method was used – all activities related to acquisition and lending of eBooks were identified, recorded in detail and analysed. More specifically, the study concerned eBooks offered in the Ebook Central platform and covered purchasing and short-term loan processes, such as receipt of order request, communication with the patron (if necessary) making a purchase or short-term loan, and feedback to the patron. Findings: While analysing the results, it appeared there are many additional activities libraries can avoid during the eBook short-term loan process compared to purchasing. As a normality in TalTech library, purchase is always followed by a cataloguing process which increases the time and cost of this process in turn. On the basis of the current study, it can be said that short-term loan is a cheaper way to use eBooks; many activities related to the short-term loan of eBooks take remarkably less staff time and financial resources than eBooks acquisition/purchasing activities. When analysing the literature reviewed as well as collected statistical data, the problem may arise when the decision-maker librarian is not experienced, professional or long-sighted enough to understand the future behaviour of the patron or the usage of the specific eBook. When the usage reaches a certain point, it becomes an indicator of continuing future usage and so it makes sense to purchase the eBook, as the library pays no further charges once an eBook is owned. Originality/value: Most studies reviewed by the author are based on the statistical data collected about expenditure, costs, usage, cost-per-use, etc. of short-term loans and purchases. While acquisitions costs, average cost per acquired item per year and cost per usage are easy to identify, it has been difficult to measure associated costs of acquisition, cataloging and circulation. The TDABC methodology seems to be one of the best tools for understanding cost behaviour and refining a cost system for university libraries. Based on the information known to the author, there is no study carried out using the TDABC methodology for analysing costs of eBook programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the rise of geospatial data, its importance for business and some of the problems associated with its development and use. Design/methodology/approach: The paper reviews a certain amount of previously published literature but is based mainly on analysis of the very large number of responses to a consultation paper on geospatial data published by the UK Government. Findings: The findings are that while there is strong appreciation of the potential benefits of using geospatial data, there are many barriers to the development, sharing and use of geospatial data, ranging from problems of incompatibility in data definitions and systems to regulatory issues. The implication for governments and for providers and users of geospatial data relates to the need to take a long-term approach to planning in resolving the issues identified. Research limitations/implications: The research findings are limited to the UK, but similar findings would be likely in any other large Western country. Practical implications: This paper confirms the need for a strong and coherent approach to the planning of geospatial data and systems for the establishment of a clear basis for the different parties to work together and the need to clearly separate the roles of the government in establishing frameworks and standards and the role of the private sector in developing applications and solutions. Social implications: Society is increasingly dependent on the use of geospatial data, in improving living standards and dealing with social problems. The recommendations identified in this paper, if followed, will facilitate these improvements. Originality/value: The value of this paper is the tight synthesis that it provides of a wide ranging and complex range of responses to the UK Government consultation and placing these responses in the wider context of the development of geospatial data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify leaders and trends in branding research studies, undertaken during 2000-2019. Identification was made in the following categories: most popular subjects; most productive countries; most productive institutions; most productive scholars; most productive sources; most cited publications and most cited scholars. Design/methodology/approach: Bibliometric analysis based on data from Scopus and Dimensions. Findings: The majority of branding publications belong to business and management. The interest toward this research field, however, declines mostly in favor of cultural studies, psychology, sociology, etc. The majority of publications on branding are concentrated in the USA, UK and Australia. Griffith University has become a leader in the number of branding publications within 2000-2019. T C Melewar is a leader by the number of branding publications among scholars. Journal of Brand Management has been a leader among sources. Journal of Marketing is a leader by the number of the most cited papers. Research limitations/implications: The authors analyze the automatically formed results on search query without human meddling. Originality/value: For the first time, bibliometric analysis was carried out simultaneously upon the two bases – Scopus and Dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to study the effect of knowledge management in formulating competitive strategies for knowledge-based small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative approach of a survey was carried out on 135 owners and managers of knowledge-based SMEs in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling technique was used to investigate the relationship between knowledge management and competitive strategies. SmartPLS software is used to analyze the quantitative data. Only SMEs which are involved in R&D and innovation were selected to get the right respondents who meet the objective of the study. Findings: The findings show mixed results. Most dimensions of knowledge management have significant relationships to differentiation strategy except for knowledge creation and knowledge acquisition, with only knowledge acquisition showing a significant relationship to cost leadership. Findings reveal that knowledge management has a positive effect on competitive strategies with more inclination toward differentiation strategy, compared to cost leadership strategy which does synchronize with their commitment in research and development and innovation. Research limitations/implications: This study is only focused on knowledge-based SMEs in central Malaysia. Second, the use of a survey approach minimized the flow of information. Practical implications: SMEs do have knowledge management practices but may not be exploiting it well. Mapping knowledge management practices would help SMEs identify their strengths and weaknesses to explore better business opportunities. This proves that SMEs are leveraging their resources through knowledge application, dissemination, storage and protection to be different than their competitors. However, their apparent lack of knowledge in knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation should be addressed accordingly, as it is important for their future continuous sustainability. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature of knowledge management relating to competitive strategies in SMEs. The study offers insights on how competitive strategies were formulated through knowledge management. The mixed results reveal a new different outlook of knowledge management relating to competitive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the main characteristics of what have come to be called information nations and to identify some of the determinants of success in becoming an information nation. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on a critical review of the literature and of secondary data on information technology and services from studies of the innovativeness of nations. Findings: Success in becoming an information nation is not necessarily closely connected with investments in information technology and services by firms and policies supporting these investments by governments, or with education policies designed to support the development of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Other factors, such as the vibrancy of capitalism, particularly the funding of new ventures, the culture of the nation and its focus on non-scientific determinants of innovation, such as design, are also important. Governments should be careful not to take credit for achievements when their policies are merely coincident with those achievements. Research limitations/implications: The main limitations relate to the focus of this article on two sets of nations, South East/East Asia and two Western nations. The review of their performance is relatively high level and needs to be deepened, while the number of nations included in the research needs to be increased. Practical implications: This paper has substantial practical implications for government policymakers, in terms of whether and how they should make policy at all in this area, and for companies trying to establish a long-term position in the global economy, in terms of being careful not to go against the very strong economic forces which favour certain kinds of activities in certain countries. Social implications: This paper has significant social implications, because much of the thinking about developing information societies relies on generalisations about the creation of information nations that may not hold. Governments and social commentators are encouraged to approach the idea of making "big policies" in this area with some scepticism. Originality/value: The content of this paper is not original, but the challenge to policymakers is relatively original, as too often the work of academics is sponsored by governments that are trying to legitimate the value of their own efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the effects of hotels' brand attributes on consumers' (patrons' and guests') by fostering brand credibility and brand attachment towards the propensity of word-of-mouth. The study uses the signaling theory to assess the relationships among the constructs. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) approach to validate the research model and the research hypotheses. To test the hypotheses, 474 travellers in Malaysia were recruited. Findings: The empirical results reveal that hotel attributes have direct influence on brand credibility and brand attachment. Similarly, brand credibility has direct influence on brand attachment, while brand attachment also has direct influence on word-of-mouth. Consumers' brand credibility partially mediates the relationship between hotel attributes and brand attachment. Likewise, consumer's brand attachment also partially mediates the relationship between hotel attributes and word-of-mouth. Last but not least, brand credibility and brand attachment sequentially mediate the relationship between hotel attributes and word-of-mouth. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed together with its limitation and future research direction. Originality/value: First, in terms of measures, brand attachment construct is operationalised as a formative second-order construct, with three reflective variables (brand passion, self-brand connection and brand affection) as the first-order constructs. In addition, brand credibility is also operationalised as a formative second-order construct, with three reflective variables (expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness) as the first-order constructs. On the other hand, hotel attributes construct is operationalised formatively as a higher-order abstraction of three categories of hotel facilities, which were also operationalised formatively (essential, culture compliant and in-room facilities). Second, this paper offers new insight into how brand credibility and brand attachment influence the relationship between hotel attributes and word-of-mouth. In a sustainability era, dissemination of complete and correct information is vital, to ensure consumers' acceptance (e.g. likelihood to recommend to others). Thus, it is suggested that hotel managers to pay close attention to the role of brand credibility and brand attachment in tourists' hotel choice, to secure sustainable brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the continuance intention of Alipay by proposing an integrated model. This paper highlights how the capacity of providing context-based information to the users plays significant role in determining the continuance intention of mobile payment like Alipay. Design/methodology/approach: Data are collected from 336 Alipay users from Wuhan, P.R. China. To analyze the data, the authors apply structural equation modeling approach. Also, the authors perform importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) to identify the critical factors in explaining the continuance intention of Alipay. Findings: The results of the study reveal that confirmation and perceived usefulness significantly influence the continuance intention of Alipay through satisfaction. Also, perceived usefulness, satisfaction, context and ubiquity have direct impact on the continuance intention of Alipay through attitude. According to IPMA, perceived ease of use, confirmation and context require special managerial consideration to improve their performance. Originality/value: This research has proposed and validated an integrated model by incorporating context-awareness theory and technology continuance theory. This study provides significant insights that can assist respective decision-makers to formulate/adjust their strategies related to the retention of the existing users of mobile payment like Alipay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to review the status of literature on financial risk reporting practices (FRRP) for the purpose of synthesizing mounting literature to suggest the relevant risk reporting measure across the globe. Design/methodology/approach: Using a systematic literature review method, a total of 61 articles from 42 referred journals and international conferences published from 2000 to 2018 are reviewed. Findings: It has been found that despite the growing attention on and importance of corporate risk disclosure, academic literature on corporate risk disclosure is limited. Also, research linking risk disclosure with governance mechanisms is rare. Scrutiny of the literature on corporate risk disclosure shows that most of the researchers have focused on the limited or single period to examine the risk disclosure practices, determinants and corporate performance. The limitation of these studies is that with single period data analysis generalization of findings is limited. Findings of longitudinal studies are more reliable, and in extant literature, only a few studies have used data of more than a single period. Originality/value: This paper contains a comprehensive listing of publications on financial risk reporting and corporate disclosure and its classification according to various attributes. The paper will be useful to researchers, finance professionals and others concerned with risk reporting to understand the importance of risk disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of intellectual capital (IC) on sustainable economic and financial performance (EFP) and value creation (VC) in Brazilian companies. Design/methodology/approach: Based on finance and accounting theories, a quantitative and descriptive long-term study was carried out in the companies listed on the Brazil Stock Exchange and Over-the-Counter Market (B3), covering 20 years period. Findings: The results indicate that IC positively influences profitability, corporate return and organizational value sustainably; the most intangible-intensive Brazilian companies listed on B3 presented more robust results than the least intangible-intensive; and IC contributes to a systematic increase in EFP and VC over time. Research limitations/implications: Using a well-established metric, the IC-INDEX, the IC and its effects were measured, obtaining theoretical contributions (expanding the understanding of the IC influence in sustainable EFP and VC from a long-term perspective – one subject still unexplored in the literature); and empirical (increasing the understanding of the IC's role as a driver of competitiveness, performance and organizational value). Practical implications: This study increases the understanding of the theoretical and practical effects of IC, also providing a competitive benchmarking process to access sustainable EFP and VC of companies and their industries. Originality/value: The originally applied and validated proposal extends existing theory by offering a set of indicators to scale the contribution of IC to competitiveness from the perspective of long-term (historical) corporate outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Global digital payment transactions increase continuously. Due to the inconsistencies that occurred across the research findings, past researchers have called for further investigation to verify and empirically test the mobile payment acceptance model. The purpose of this paper is to develop an integrative model that is derived from the multiple technology acceptance models (TAM)'s a theoretical framework and past literature to understand how consumers decided to adopt mobile payment. By simultaneously testing mechanisms, namely, ease of use, usefulness and risk, the current study will be able to advance scholarly knowledge of the underlying consumer's attitude and behavior that link social influence to intention to use. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 370 valid responses were collected using self-administered questionnaires distributed via online platforms, a representative for Thai consumers. An ordinary least square regression and bootstrap analyzes were conducted through PROCESS Macro to analyze the moderated serial-multiple mediation model in the consecutive inducing of social influence, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and perceived risk toward the consumer's intention to use mobile payment. Findings: Within the context of consumers evaluating a mobile payment, statistics significant were found for the hypothesized direct and indirect effects of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on an intention to use. The results showed that Thai consumers' intention to use mobile payment was significantly affected by their attitudes in terms of usefulness and the less complication in using the applications. It is confirmed that social influence indirectly affects intention to use via the increase of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The study also found a significant interaction between perceived risk and perceived usefulness toward intention to use. Practical implications: It is recommended to service providers to continue improving the user-friendliness, navigation, integrity and furnish the system with more value-added activities within the mobile payment application. It is also essential for the company to deliver tutorials and clear and easy-to-follow instructions to customers. At the same time, the marketer should develop marketing strategies to promote the usefulness and simplicity of using the applications to the consumers. When consumers experienced the easiness and usefulness of the applications, these could overcome the resistance feeling to use due to the concern on any potential risk. Originality/value: The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on consumer usage behavior and TAM by integrating all important variables and developed a parsimony framework to explain consumers' usage adoption on mobile payment. Moreover, the current study was the very first that proposed and tested a serial of multiple mediations of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, moderated by perceived risk, in the relationship between social influence and consumers' intention to use mobile payment and discovered a moderating role of perceived risk toward the relationship between perceived usefulness and mobile payment usage intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a review on the latest developments, approaches and methods in intellectual capital (IC) performance measurement. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 53 research papers from high-ranking journals concerning the advances in IC performance measurement were thoroughly reviewed and classified to identify the advanced approaches and methods that have been used to evaluate IC performance. Findings: It is clear that the current application of advanced or intelligent methods in IC performance measurement is still at the primary stage. The reviewed approaches mainly focus on two core applications. First is to assist the data collection or data handling process and second is to enhance the result computation process to obtain a more reliable and realistic value that represents the performance of IC. Research limitations/implications: This study offers a foundation and guideline for the researchers who wish to integrate advanced methods into IC performance measurement based on the reviewed advanced approaches in terms of their respective functions, strengths and limitations. It stimulates the creation of new IC performance measurement models that use advanced approaches to cope with real-life problems and dynamic conditions. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the literature on IC performance measurement, in light of advances in technology. In general, five advanced approaches were identified, analyzed and discussed. Future research directions were presented to provide new insights for researchers to apply advanced methods in IC performance measurement, together with theoretical and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to check if an organization is ready to adopt an AI-integrated CRM system. The study also analyzes different situations which can provide a comprehensive check list in the form of indicators that could provide a signal indicating whether the organization is ready to adopt an AI-integrated CRM system by capturing actionable and appropriate data. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a general review, and appropriate literature has been used to support the conceptual framework. Findings: The key findings of this study are the different indicators that make up the conceptual framework. This framework can help organizations to check at a glance whether they are ready to adopt AI-integrated CRM system in their organizations. Specifically, it has been identified that different approaches are needed to tackle various types of customer data so that those may be made fit and actionable for appropriate utilization of AI algorithms to facilitate business success of an organization. Practical implications: The paper has elaborately discussed the different approaches to be undertaken to calibrate and reorient the various kinds of actionable data and the contemplated challenges one would face in doing so. This would help the practitioners that how the data so captured can be made fit for action and utilization toward application of AI technologies integrated with existing CRM system in an organization. Originality/value: This study is claimed to be a unique study to provide a conceptual framework which could help arranging and rearranging of captured data by an organization for making the data fit and ready for use with the help of AI technologies. This successful integration of AI with CRM system can help organizations toward taking quick and automated decision-making without much intervention of human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the conceptualisation of corporate communication management (CCM) and its dimensionality from the practitioners' perspectives. It proposes to validate an operational definition and dimensions of the CCM construct, which have not been identified in the literature.Design/methodology/approach The initial concepts are based on academic literature and followed by 12 face-to-face interviews with corporate communication practitioners and consultants from Malaysia to confirm the practicality of each dimension. QSR Nvivo Version 9.0 software is used to analyse the qualitative data. Then, the data are classified through deductive content analysis based on key words or themes.Findings The diverse perspectives are shown from the practitioners and consultants on the dimensionality of CCM. Most of the interviewees suggest that CCM dimensions include corporate advertising, corporate affairs, investor relations and employee communication within the corporate communication and other departments. They also found the public relations and media relations are clearly under corporate communications manager's supervision. This research confirms the concept of CCM and its dimensionality to operationalise the CCM construct. The CCM dimensions also offer opportunities for further research to develop the measurement scales.Originality/value This research contributes to the clarification on the subject matter by developing clear concepts of the CCM and by offering insights about the role of the CCM dimensions, which help managers to more successfully incorporate the CCM dimension into the corporate management strategy. This paper also examines the concept of CCM and confirms its dimensionality, which helps in developing the CCM measurement for further quantitative research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper reviews the literature on information mismanagement and constructs a typology of misinformation that can be applied to analyse project planning and strategic planning processes to reduce the chances of failure that results from information mismanagement. This paper aims to summarize the research on information mismanagement and provide guidance to managers concerning how to minimize the negative consequences of information mismanagement and to academics concerning how to research and analyse case studies that might involve information mismanagement.Design/methodology/approach Literature review accompanied by conceptual analysis.Findings Information mismanagement is widespread in organizations, so all those involved in managing and researching them need to be far more aware of the damage that can be done by it.Research limitations/implications The research is based on the Western society (Europe and North America). The same research should be carried out in other parts of the world. Also, all the case studies could usefully be investigated in more depth to apply the taxonomy.Practical implications Managers should be much more aware of their own and others' tendencies to mismanage information to their own benefit.Social implications Stakeholders in public sector activities, including citizens, should be much more aware of the tendency of the government and the public sector to mismanage information to justify particular policy approaches and to disguise failure.Originality/value The taxonomy on information mismanagement is original, as is its application to project planning and strategic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to review the development of thinking about the information needed by companies to create an accurate picture of how well they manage their engagement with customers, taking into account the evolution of thinking and practice in this area over the past three decades towards the idea of data-driven customer engagement. It then describes the evolution and use of an assessment and benchmarking process and tool which provide the needed information.Design/methodology/approach Literature review, conceptual analysis and explanation of the management consulting process are used.Findings Companies can get an accurate picture of how well they manage customer engagement provided that a careful assessment approach is used where assessors are properly selected and trained and that there is a strong focus on compliance with requirements rather than "box-ticking" based upon managers' perceptions.Research limitations/implications The assessment and benchmarking process was developed mainly for use by larger companies, though the findings could be adapted for use by smaller companies.Practical implications Companies whose success depends upon customer engagement should consider using the assessment and benchmarking tool to guide their planning and implementation. They should heed the warnings about the risks of inaccurate assessments which may arise because of the incentives by which managers are managed.Social implications The assessment and benchmarking process has been used by the public sector and government, and given government's desire to engage citizens better, they should consider adopting the ideas in this paper to reform citizen engagement.Originality/value This is the only paper which reviews the development of the assessment process for customer engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Unlike the previous studies that examined the direct relationship between media attention on entrepreneurship (MAE) and entrepreneurship participation, this paper aims to examine the mediated link through entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach: The cognitive theory of media provides the foundation for predictions that primary outcome of MAE is the entrepreneurial intention which in turn affects the different types of entrepreneurship participation (early-stage startup activities, new product development [NPD] activities and informal investment activities). The test of the hypothesized model relies on panel data for 2010–2015 on 40 developing and developed countries taken from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report of 2015. Findings: MAE has an indirect effect on two types of entrepreneurship participation (early-stage startup activities and informal investment activities) via entrepreneurial intention, whereas there is no direct or indirect effect of MAE on NPD activities. The findings also suggest when the entrepreneurial intention is added as a mediator in the model; the direct effect of MAE on early-stage entrepreneurial activities becomes insignificant. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study in its nature which established the relationship between MAE and entrepreneurial intention. In addition, this study also explained the mediation mechanism between the relationship of MAE and entrepreneurship participation by using the panel data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of the inequalities in the usage of the internet and inequalities in the growth rate in the usage of the internet, and thus ascertain the possibility of convergence of the digital divide between the major regions of the world. Design/methodology/approach: The design was a longitudinal study of the usage of internet and growth rate in the usage of the internet in the different regions of the world for the period 2009–2019. The quantitative research method was used. Simple percentages and F-test were used in data analysis. Findings: The usage of internet in Asia and Europe is higher than all the other regions in the world but there is no significant difference in usage between the other regions. The results further showed that some of the digitally disadvantaged regions had higher growth rates in the usage of the internet and these digitally disadvantage states are not disadvantaged in access to smartphones and the emerging 5G technology, thus suggesting the possibility of imminent convergence in access to the internet given the increasing usage of smartphones for the internet subscription. Research limitations/implications: The focus on internet usage in the major regions of the world without recourse to the variability of the usage and growth rate of internet usage within the regions. The dearth of the empirical literature on quantitative research on the research problem was another constraint. Finally, restriction in available statistics on digital divide constrained the use of 2009–2019 as the periodic scope of the study. Practical implications: Inclusion of ICT in the school curricula of the component states to acquaint them with information and communication technology (ICT) usage at an early stage, as well as provision of the enabling environment for business to thrive and through a national culture that will encourage businesses to be vibrant, and thus lay a foundation for future convergence. Social implications: Enhancement in employment opportunities through the increased investment in the ICT facilities and the subsequent reduction in social vices. Originality/value: Use of secondary data through a longitudinal design to categorically indicate the differences between the different regions of the world in terms of internet usage, as well as the empirical determination of the discrepancies between the growth rates in the access to internet and usage of internet by different regions of the world, especially as regard some of the digitally disadvantaged regions having higher growth rates in the usage of the internet than the perceived digitally advantaged regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Mentorship is crucial to the success and accomplishment of librarianship in the contemporary era. This paper aims to investigate the need for mentorship and challenges besetting mentorship in librarianship with specific focus on academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study was 1,214 librarians in 102 academic libraries in Southern Nigeria. Total enumeration sampling technique was adopted for the study. Findings: It was reflected that mentorship, though beset by a number of challenges, is a necessity in librarianship. The hypotheses tested revealed that there is significant relationship between the need for mentorship and the types of mentorship adopted in academic libraries, and that there is no significant difference between the need for mentorship by male and female librarians. Practical implications: This study affirmed that it is through mentorship that librarians can meet their job demands. Mentorship should therefore be stimulated to bolster the professional and intellectual development of the librarians. The mentees should be carried along in mentorship partnership selection process, and training should be organized for mentors and mentees on mentorship. Social implications: The interaction of librarians in the course of mentoring can facilitate work cohesion and enhanced job performance. Originality/value: The needs for and challenges besetting mentorship in librarianship have been explored by collecting data directly from the librarians. The cloistered nature of librarianship, given the changing nature of the profession owing to massive deployment of Information and Communication Technology in the performance of library operations, means that mentorship should be encouraged in the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to review the information management aspects of the early months of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) coronavirus 19 outbreak. It shows that the transition from epidemic to the pandemic was caused partly by poor management of information that was publicly available in January 2020. Design/methodology/approach: The approach combines public domain epidemic data with economic, demographic, health, social and political data and investigates how information was managed by governments. It includes case studies of early-stage information management, from countries with high and low coronavirus disease 2019 impacts (as measured by deaths per million). Findings: The reasons why the information was not acted upon appropriately include "dark side" information behaviours (Stone et al., 2019). Many errors and misjudgements could have been avoided by using learnings from previous epidemics, particularly the 1918-1919 flu epidemic when international travel (mainly of troops in First World War) was a prime mode of spreading. It concludes that if similar outbreaks are not to turn into pandemics, much earlier action is needed, mainly closing borders and locking-down. Research limitations/implications: The research is based on what was known at the time of writing, when the pandemic's exact origin was uncertain, when some statistics about actions and results were unavailable and when final results were unknown. Practical implications: Governments faced with early warning signs or pandemics must act much faster. Social implications: If the next virus is as infectious as SARS-CoV-2 but much more fatal, the world faces disastrous consequences if most governments act as slowly as this time. Originality/value: This is one of the first analyses of information management practices relating to the pandemic's early stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate information management in a smart city. It identifies the main trends in progress and how innovation in information technology is helping all those in the smart city ecosystem in terms of generating new sources of data and connecting them. It investigates how information management in the smart city may go through several phases, but contests the notion that the co-ordinated information management that is the dream of many city managers is an appropriate vision, given the tendency in the private sector for competing information platforms to develop, giving value in different ways.Design/methodology/approach This paper has been written by using a combination of academic insight and literature, extensive research of relevant grey literature (e.g. blogs and industry press) and interviews and interaction with some of the organisations involved in developing and implementing the smart city concept, including public transport organisations, other data providers, analysts and systems and sensor suppliers.Findings Smart city concepts are evolving in different ways, with divergence of views which involves centralisation and control of information by city authorities and a more democratic view in which the information is managed on different platforms between which smart city stakeholders can choose.Research limitations/implications The research method is exploratory. Validating the findings would require a more structured approach in which stakeholders of all kinds are consulted.Practical implications All organisational stakeholders in the idea and delivery of smart cities need to consider how their interests in smart city information and those of other stakeholders are evolving and to what extent they should be in partnership with other members of the ecosystem in generating and using the information.Social implications Individuals, whether workers, commuters, shoppers, tourists or others, will be greatly affected by the evolution of smart city information, and their choices about whether to be smart themselves will have an important effect on the benefits they receive from city smartening and on the viability of the smart cities.Originality/value Little research has been carried out into the different choices organisations and individuals have in terms of how they will relate to smart city information and how they can manage it. This research makes a start on this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the scholarly contributions to the field of marketing by analyzing top ten journals of marketing.Design/methodology/approach The marketing journals were selected using SciMago marketing journal list, and SCOPUS database was used to identify the publications of the journals. A total of 9,190 articles were analyzed having 562,322 citation references. Methodologies like Wordle and Gephi were used to understand the most researched keywords and co-citation analysis among top five researchers. This paper also captured the information on most cited article along with author, most published author, most publishing country, most publishing university, the year with maximum publications and most used keywords.Findings The analysis indicates that “Kumar, V.” is most published author, that is, 68 publications, the most cited article is “On the evaluation of structural equation models” by Bagozzi and Yi (1988) with 6989 citations. The USA contributed the highest 6,720 publications, while University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School topped the list with 235 articles. In 2009, highest publication work was done by publishing 382 articles. “Game theory”, “Pricing” and “Advertising” are most used keywords which have been discussed in the literature.Research limitations/implications This analysis will help researchers in understanding the growth in the field of the marketing in recent years and possible direction it could take in future. However, this paper considered only top ten marketing journals as listed in SciMago marketing journal list; therefore, future researchers may incorporate more research journals to get a clearer picture of the field of marketing.Originality/value This paper is one of the first attempts in recent time to understand the research work in the field of marketing considering top ten journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore very recent data about how large organizations are dealing with a shortage of information and communications technology (ICT) specialists, in terms of its implications for information management.Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on qualitative interview-based research with 11 large European companies, with an estimated ICT workforce of around 400,000 (about 14 per cent of ICT professionals in Europe), covering hiring, retention and upskilling of ICT staff, and expectations concerning graduates from European universities. These data are combined with International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst reports on the demand for different categories of ICT products and services, and data from the authors’ consulting work.Findings Larger organizations expect hiring to be a challenge, with strong competition for talent, whether from existing users or from the many rapidly digitalizing companies – digitalizing their organizations; their products and services; and their relationships with customer, suppliers and business partners. Upskilling and retraining workforces is seen by large organizations as a better approach than hiring, allowing them to create the right skills balance and retain their workers better. However, softer skills, such as communication and problem solving, are seen as just as important. ICT workers will benefit from a lifelong approach to learning, acquiring new skills and adapting existing skills. Many ICT companies have created academies for developing employee skills and certifications related to their own technologies, while the education sector has been working on creating curricula (alone or sometimes in partnerships with vendors) to improve graduate employability.Research limitations/implications The research is based on a small sample of large companies. The situation may be different in other companies and smaller organizations.Practical implications Organizations can cope with the skills shortage by anticipating and working with the market forces rather than trying to oppose them.Social implications ICT employees will show the way for employees in other sectors where skills are scarce, by demonstrating how to reinvent themselves as the skills needed change.Originality/value This paper demonstrates that employers have changed their expectations of universities. They expect less that graduates will be ICT-employment ready, and more that they will have the skills to make and keep themselves employment ready. This has significant implications for university course design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to examine how libraries can create relative bargaining power and presents a methodology for analyzing collections and preparing for negotiations.Design/methodology/approach A brief literature review of the current state of collection budgets and electronic resource prices is presented prior to proposing a methodology based on business analysis frameworks and techniques.Findings Electronic resource subscription prices are increasing at a rate significantly higher than inflation, while collection budgets grow slowly, remain stagnant or decrease. Academic libraries have the ability to counteract this trend by creating relative bargaining power through organizational efforts that take advantage of size and concentration (e.g. consortia), vertical integration through practices such as library publishing and open access and through individual efforts using information. This paper proposes metrics and methodologies that librarians can use to analyze their collections, set negotiation priorities and prepare for individual resource negotiations to create relative bargaining power.Practical implications The proposed methodology enables librarians and buyers of information resources to harness the information available about their electronic resource collections to better position themselves when entering negotiations with vendors.Originality/value This paper presents metrics, some not commonly used (i.e. average annual price increase/decrease), that aid in understanding price sensitivity. Pareto analysis has been traditionally used to analyze usage, but this paper suggests using it in relation to costs and budgets for setting negotiation priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to first bring to light the essential digital strategies to study organizations. Second, how businesses can improve their strategic capabilities by using the information gathered from internet sources or networks. Third, this study investigates how employees in an organization tend to engage in positive and/or negative gossip and how gossips affect coworker-rated informal influence in organization and supervisor-rated performance. Social network analysis is used to find the underlying relationships between gossips, coworker-rated influence and supervisor-rated performance.Design/methodology/approach This research paper is divided into two parts. The first study based on profound synthesis of literature. Major digital sources to study organizations are identified. The strategies requirement for each channel is identified. Suggestions are given to managers to improve strategic decision-making based on big data. The second study is a cross-sectional study where questionnaires (survey) are used to elicit data. Social network analysis is used to analyze the data using ucinet 6 software.Findings The findings of the study pinpoint the skills required to analyze large data, available in organizations. The second study finds out that close friends are more engaged in gossips than coworkers who have only working relationships. The friends having high structural embeddedness are more likely to be involved in negative gossips. Coworker perceives those employees who are engaged in negative gossips as having high informal influence. However, there is negative relationship between negative gossips and supervisor-rated influence.Research limitations/implications The research study is cross-sectional in design; however, longitudinal design can be used to gain more insights about negative gossips and their effects. Second, a very small sample is used in this study.Practical implications This study can be used to understand informal communication network in the organization. Managers can use this channel to pass information quickly, as informal channels are faster than formal communication channels. This research can be used to understand the underling relationships between the coworkers in organizationsOriginality/value This paper provides guidelines to organizational life and information on how the informal networks within organization can be studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The role of metaphors in information management has generally been acknowledged owing to their ability to convey immediately huge amounts of information and richness. Their role is more and more important in the current digital context of communication and marketing activities, as the decision speed and accuracy are crucial. The purpose of this study is, thus, to analyze physical metaphors as tools for making sequential decisions to achieve effective integrated corporate communication (ICC).Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on the critical analysis of literature on corporate communication and stakeholder management as building blocks for implementing an integrated approach to corporate communications.Findings A revision of two well-known physical metaphors in the communication literature (the “wheel” and “umbrella”) has been proposed. It is argued that integrated communication within corporate communications is more complex than in marketing communications, as it involves a greater variety of elements to coordinate and harmonize. The proposed physical metaphors suggest an effective sequential decision-making as they allow a clear distinction between different decision levels.Research limitations/implications The paper adds to the debate on the link between theory and practice of ICC. From a practical standpoint, the proposed metaphors as simple and concrete tools for handling complex information and ICC problems could aid novice practitioners and students of corporate communications courses.Originality/value The paper shows that while scholars have concurred that ICC is crucial for different type of organizations, the use of physical metaphors can be beneficial for the reality-based challenge of ICC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to provide a degree of clarity on the corporate communication management (CCM) concept, by building a conceptual framework that uncovers its underlying antecedents and consequences. Although it is consolidated that corporate communication and information together play an important role in strategic management planning because of the high relevance of managing positive relationships with multiple stakeholder that have a strong impact on corporate survival, extant literature suggests that there have been few empirical studies so far assessing the contribution of CCM to organisational performance.Design/methodology/approach The paper is conceptual, and a model is developed as a result of an extensive critical multidisciplinary literature review.Findings Findings of this study identify three antecedents of CCM, namely, culture, information and communication technology innovation diffusion and corporate leadership. In addition, the study highlights a potential positive relationship between CCM, financial performance and corporate mission achievement. An integrative conceptual framework and a detailed summary table are presented in the paper.Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive critical insight into a growing body of corporate communication and information business literature that offers the basis for a thorough assessment of CCM contribution to organisational performance. By doing so, it advances the body of applicable knowledge of corporate communication meant as a strategic management lever. Moreover, the managerial and policy implications provided in this paper may help corporate communication and information practitioners to identify the key guidelines for the design and implementation of an appropriate CCM programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study is to help gain an accurate and distinct understanding of information-based business concepts and critical steps in designing an appropriate business model, by providing a framework for designing an innovative information-based business to help fledgling businesses development in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry of Iran. What is a business model framework with the strategic innovation approach in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) of ICT industry? What are the components of this model and the relations between them? Business model is a logical response to how a business can create value. Changing business environment means that business models are rapidly growing; accordingly, innovation is no longer optional. However, innovation is important in general, but the kind of innovation that is widely and directly dependent on business model will be quite critical for all parts of the organization. In fact, business model innovation is an exquisite technic to create, deliver and earn value by changing one or more components of a typical business model. Business model innovation needs information and form business environment based on dynamic information system.Design/methodology/approach The present paper focuses upon SMEs in ICT. Grounded theory has been used for this purpose, with 15 interviews conducted.Findings An emerging market is one in which commercial exchanges of a particular industry between the countries are relatively new but possess great investment attractiveness and a high potential to grow (such as Iran).As the ICT industry of Iran is a leading industry, and the country itself is an emerging market, the main purpose of this study is to provide a framework for designing an innovative information-based business to help fledgling businesses development in the ICT industry of Iran.Originality/value The purpose of this paper is to help accurate and distinct understanding of the business model concept and critical steps in designing an appropriate business model. Studies conducted to simultaneously deal with the business model and strategic innovations are few, and by the time the proposal was written, there was no research observed from Persian sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this study is to measure the Arab States? innovation and imitation levels to understand the factors affecting their diffusion processes. The authors argue that sampling Arab States provides the literature on international diffusion with the ability to contrast between developing and developed countries regarding the diffusion process and to represent a different region with different characteristics both economic and cultural. As such, the authors investigated the diffusion patterns of seven Arab States, namely, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Egypt.Design/methodology/approach The present study mapped the respective Arab States’ diffusion patterns by applying the Bass model on their mobile cellular subscriptions data.Findings The paper’s contributions include estimating the Arab States diffusion patterns and distinguishing them according to their innovation and imitation coefficients. Findings indicate Kuwait and Libya as the most innovative countries, whereas Egypt and Lebanon ranked as laggards. The present study also reviewed each Arab State’s telecommunication sector which provided a theoretical interpretation for the differences found in their diffusion patterns.Originality/value The paper extends diffusion theory to encompass a region otherwise excluded from the literature’s generalizable findings. The present study’s sampling of countries from the Middle East and North African region and subsequent findings provide a stronger basis to draw empirical generalizations about international product diffusion process than previously suggested by the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the factors which influence mobile government (m-government) services adoption in India.Design/methodology/approach Adoption behavior of m-government services by 311 respondents is probed by using a multiple set of constructs drawn from technology acceptance model (TAM), unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), theory of planned behavior (TPB) and hierarchical regression analysis. Specifically, eight hypotheses were tested around constructs like Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (EOU), Compatibility (COM), Trust (T), Influence (I), Self-Efficacy (SE), Facilitating Conditions (FC), Attitude (ATT) and Behavioral Intention to Adopt m-government services (BI).Findings Results show that PU, EOU, T and ATT were found to have significant influence on the adoption of m-government services. Furthermore, demographic variables (age, marital status, occupation, educational qualification and frequency of using m-government services) were not found to be significant predictors for the adoption of m-government services in India.Originality/value While most of the technology adoption studies are focused on commercial activities, studies on internet interfaces vis-à-vis the public services are limited to investigation of e-government services. Besides, there are more studies contextualized in the developed countries as compared to developing countries. Academic research on m-government adoption is scant and the present paper is a significant contribution in the Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between community of place and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Lombard industrial districts in Italy.Design/methodology/approach A brief literature review of international authors from the stakeholder approach and Corporate Community Relations (CCRs) field is presented. This paper refers to a survey of Lombard industrial districts conducted by ALTIS. The data were collected via a telephone survey from 834 firms.Findings The main finding is that managing CCRs is of major importance for company success. The results of the survey show that there are some tools and actions that Italian industrial district SMEs use to interact with their particular communities of place to develop effective and coherent relationships with their stakeholder groups. Moreover, although the survey shows that though SMEs do implement different CCR activities, they are not able to communicate these effectively through systematic communication strategies. However, the narrow sample includes only a sample of some Lombard districts. Nonetheless, the findings indicate that effective CCR seems to confer competitive advantage based on stakeholder responses and rewards sought.Research limitations/implications The framework could assist in supporting CCR developments between industrial districts as various players would know how to improve CCR activities. One further suggestion is that University and Research Centers could have a role to play in creating and communicating codified knowledge concerning community relations in industrial districts, while other public players still have to develop specific tasks in improving infrastructures.Originality/value This study is in line with the main focus of CCR, which is in striving to meet stakeholder and societal needs. However, industrial district SMEs have to learn how to communicate their CCR activities from the examples set by large Italian companies. The paper links the notion of CCR with tools and actions to develop meaningful relationships with both community of place and interest. Moreover, considering the survey results, a new framework for local player roles is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Digital libraries promote and accelerate scientific research in academic institutions. The subscribed database resources of digital libraries have become an increasingly valuable asset for researchers. Database resources help generate new ideas, determine research directions and promote productive academic interaction between teachers and students in the information age. The purpose of this study is to examine the use of electronic resources by students in various databases, the research productivity of the faculty in the science network and the number of students who graduate each year. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a quantitative method to collect secondary data from the central database of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for the population of 26 universities for 2 years (2015–2016). In addition to the HEC digital library, data was also collected from the Web of Science to determine the quality academic performance of faculty and researchers. Moreover, in the study, the total strength of teaching staff and doctoral faculty was extracted from the HEC website for investigation. The authors applied the Spearman's correlation test to the secondary data using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25. Findings: The correlation results of the enrolled students and the downloaded papers from various databases were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). However, the result showed a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between the use of selected/known databases from a number of databases accessed by the HEC. More importantly, it turns out that the faculty's productivity in the scientific network and the number of students who graduated from public and private universities are found to be insignificant (p > 0.05). However, the authors found a positive correlation (p < 0.05) between doctoral and non-doctoral faculties, which show that a significant number of non-doctoral faculties are still actively involved in teaching and research. Originality/value: Research based on academic activities by faculties and students, performed for the first time on the basis of secondary data, will help the HEC and university management to determine the right direction and develop plans to improve academic performance and research quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Managers have mixed views of how artificial intelligence (AI) affects personnel management (PM). The purpose of this paper is to identify potential knowledge gap and bring new insights to the AI-personnel-management literature. Design/methodology/approach: Both applicability and theoretical perspectives are adopted to critically discuss the constraint and opportunity of AI in PM. Tables and narrative analysis are used to clarify the role of AI in managerial practices. Findings: Research findings have helped to develop a new model titled AI in Personnel Management (APM). The APM model unfolds itself in three levels, followed by potential outcome. The three levels comprise "organizational, managerial and individual job levels," and the outcome comprises "organizational performance, employees' well-being and staff turnover rate". Research limitations/implications: The APM model helps managers to understand the implication of AI in their workplace. With better understanding of AI's implication, managers are more likely to develop appropriate AI-driven managerial policies, which in turn benefit employees and their organizations. The APM model acts as a reference guide, helping managers to evaluate the AI's constraint and opportunity in their managerial practices. Originality/value: The APM model is valuable and informative to the academic researchers, as it has first responded to Malik et al. (2019)'s call (re: the absence of AI and management literature), and, more importantly, it has advanced the knowledge of AI–management relationship, supporting scholars to further understand the role of AI in PM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the dimensions of digital platforms' services quality and their impact on customers' purchase intent based on customer experience. Design/methodology/approach: The research has a mixed method. Qualitative data is gathered by using of systematic literature review and Delphi method and quantitative data is gathered through survey of 412 experts from three well-known restaurant industry platforms. These restaurant digital platforms were Snapfood, Changal and Chelivery. Findings: The results indicate the effect of platforms' service quality dimensions on customer hedonic and cognitive experiences. Also, the results indicate that the platforms' customers attach different priority to the various dimensions of platforms' services quality which are platform services' ease of use, platform information quality, services and products quality, platform customers interaction, platform design, platform response speed, platform services' trustiness, platform services' security and platform responsibility. Finally, the results showed that all of these dimensions have positive impact on customers' purchase intent based on their experiences. Originality/value: The development of digital service platforms despite being new, has recently great progress, but, many dimensions of digital platforms' services quality have been not well-known yet. The present research has cleared the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]