Recent publications
Consumer identity work refers to the reflexive and ongoing process by which individuals create, manage, and communicate their sense of identity through consumption. Although the literature highlights the strategies by which consumers engage with marketplace resources, less is known about the more internal and reflexive aspects of identity work. In an environment saturated with identity choices and imperatives, our study seeks to understand how consumers’ experiences of silence—defined as the temporary absence of external stimuli—contribute to their identity work. Based on in-depth interviews, we demonstrate that the consumption of silence creates an “in-between space” in the dialectic of identification. Specifically, we show that silence functions as (a) a protective boundary that preserves consumers’ sense of agency from external demands; (b) a symbol of freedom for self-actualization used to present one’s identity; and (c) an inner space for reflection that fosters a transformative internal dialogue.
The diversity of business philosophies and practices across family firms suggests their performance is influenced by factors that can be hard to isolate or understand. Based on 215 observations of Vietnamese firms operating in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, we use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis techniques to discern the configurational relationships underlying their performance pathways. Of the 64 possible configurations, three pathways with a high consistency (95 percent) for high performance are distinguishable. These three pathways are characterized by varying degrees of family labor involvement, social network-based labor sourcing, and capital contributions from partners. They reveal how cultural factors, spiritual beliefs and practices, as well as the strength of firm networks influence the way these firms perform. Taken together, these insights offer valuable contributions to the theoretical understanding of family firm performance with practical and policy relevance.
This study addresses two central questions: (a) Do inward foreign direct investment (FDI) spillovers drive economic growth in emerging economies? and (b) How do the interconnectedness of inward FDI and energy demands cause economic growthin emerging economies? For the analysis, the study uses data from the World Development Indicators and Penn World Table 10.0, covering the period between 1994 and 2019. The results show evidence of bi-directional causality between inward FDI spillover and economic growth, and the relationships are negative. These results indicate that FDI inflows are less critical in economic growth in emerging economies and vice versa. Furthermore, non-renewable energy positively causes both economic growth and FDI inflows, whereas renewable energy negatively causes economic growth. More so, our results reveal a presence of bi-directional causality between FDI inflows and renewable energy in emerging economies. Finally, as these empirical insights have profound implications for governments and policymakers in these economies, the article proposes policies targeting sustainable economic growth and diffusions of renewable energy technologies through inward FDI spillover.
JEL Codes: 047, F35, P18, P52, C10
Our article offers insights on the role of operational research (OR) in understanding financial and economic systems' risks and dynamics. It presents the latest methods in OR to address risks and uncertainties in these systems, covering topics such as options pricing, portfolio optimization, banking resilience, and the analysis of financial and economic co-movements. The included studies utilize advanced analytical tools, like stochastic programming, decision analysis, and machine learning, to create robust models for complex systems. These contributions aim to be valuable for academics, practitioners, policymakers, and regulators in the field.
This study examines the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and pollution in Spain from 1961 to 2018 using an autoregressive distributed lag regression model (ARDL). Our analysis shows that FDI has a significant negative effect on the load capacity factor (LCF) in both the short and long term, with an average of -0.05% on the latter variable. The study frames our estimates among the pollution haven hypothesis and concludes that FDI in Spain does not contribute to the transfer of green technologies for cleaner production. We also verify the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and the load capacity curve hypothesis (LCC) in the Spanish context and find that income per capita has a positive impact on environmental sustainability and quality. Our results suggest that economic development and an efficient renewable energy infrastructure could effectively improve pollution indexes in Spain in terms of sustainability.
Purpose
It seems that some aspects of employees' experience can lead to their “losing faith in the system of paid employment”. This disillusion can be studied and measured through the theoretical construct of a psychological contract breach experienced by the employee. This exploratory article thus examines whether the conditions of paid employment could lead to a new dimension of psychological contract breaches: a breach with paid employment itself that could drive to self-employment.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a structural equation modeling on a sample of 403 people who have declared their intention to leave paid employment for self-employment.
Findings
The study's results show that working conditions affect psychological contract breaches in various dimensions. The authors propose a dimension of psychological contract breaches linked to paid employment, which can lead to the choice to leave paid employment and become self-employed. The authors also confirm the importance of working conditions as antecedents of psychological contract breaches.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this exploratory research are the use of unvalidated scales and a small sample size, with a population that could be better defined. As Murgia et al. (2020) point out, it is not yet clear at the moment whether this category is a special group, equivalent to traditionally distinguished groups of working people. The study's assumptions and these limitations lead us to propose the following avenues for future research.
Practical implications
For managers and the development of management, the possible relationship between working conditions and psychological contract breaches seems to be very important. In fact, a whole range of best management practices could be developed if this relationship is confirmed. Improving working conditions could thus be a way to repair psychological contracts.
Social implications
This research field is still quite underdeveloped in comparison to its importance to organizations because the increase in self-employment challenges traditional models and assumptions in human resources management.
Originality/value
This study aims to expand the theoretical frameworks of psychological contracts and breaches. It thus responds to recent calls for research on psychological contracts (Bankins et al. , 2020); Moreover, this research suggests, in line with the work of Aubert and de Gaulejac (2018), that there are relationships between poor working conditions and psychological contract breaches. To the authors' knowledge, this approach is missing from international research into psychological contracts, which focuses only on job characteristics and individual determinants (personality traits, etc.).
Drawing on signalling theory, this study explores the daily cues provided by leaders to promote ethical voice, specifically examining the impact of ethical vision communication as the primary cue. We also investigate the moderating effect of LMX ambivalence as a secondary cue, and how this effect can be diminished by daily interpersonal justice. Our seven-day daily diary study, which involved 68 French police officers, tested this model. The findings indicate that ethical voice is dynamically impacted by ethical vision communication, LMX Ambivalence and interpersonal justice. Finally, we discuss practical implications and provide guidelines to train public leaders.
This paper investigates strategic orientations toward three key parties (customers, domestic competitors, and foreign competitors) and considers how each pressures small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reduce costs and innovate. We surveyed 2792 SMEs from 30 countries, about their business environment and firm innovation. Results indicate that SMEs are selective in responding to pressures from customers, and when they do respond, SMEs do so on their own terms. Further, SMEs differentiate their responses to competitive pressure based on whether pressure arises from foreign or domestic sources. Our study adds to the behavioral perspective of the market orientation literature by focusing on how customers and competitors drive SME behaviors aimed at achieving positional market advantages.
Committees multiply in firms, whether stakeholder boards or committees, multi-stakeholder initiatives, ethics committees, or oversight boards. These arrangements aim to organise and legitimise the social and political activities of corporations. This article raises the question of the appropriate form of such governance structures. The examples above illustrate three possible ways of legitimising corporate quasi-public social and political activities: deliberation within the company, deliberation outside, and an approach we label corporate constitutionalism. While the first two models have been tested in practice and assessed in theory, the third one is comparatively more recent, both in practice and in theory. This article focuses on the latter model and asks whether corporate constitutionalism offers a suitable addition, or alternative, to deliberation (with or within firms) for legitimising corporate quasi-public social and political activities. It examines the respective merits of the three models and argues that a corporate constitutional court may mitigate some of the limits of deliberative practices alone. It argues the court is needed in weak regulatory environments, whether they are failing or inherently limited.
Background
Side-stepping is a potential exercise program to reduce fall risk in community-dwelling adults in their seventies, but it has never been tested in nursing home residents. This was a pilot quasi-experimental study to examine the feasibility and potential mobility and balance benefits of an intervention based on voluntary non-targeted side-stepping exercises in nursing home residents who fall recurrently.
Methods
Twenty-two participants were recruited and non-randomly assigned to an intervention group ( n= n = 11, side-stepping exercises, STEP) participating in an 8-week protocol and to a control group ( n = 11, usual physiotherapy care, CTRL). They were clinically assessed at 4-time points: baseline, after 4 and 8 weeks, and after a 4-week follow-up period (usual physiotherapy care). Statistical differences between time points were assessed with a Friedman repeated measures ANOVA on ranks or a one-way repeated measures ANOVA.
Results
Compared to baseline, significant benefits were observed in the STEP group at 8 weeks for the Timed Up and Go ( p = 0.020) and 6-minute walking test ( p = 0.001) as well as for the Berg Balance Scale ( p = 0.041) and Mini motor test ( p = 0.026). At follow-up, the Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment and Berg Balance Scale significantly worsened in the STEP group ( p = 0.009 and p < 0.001, respectively). No significant differences were found between the groups at the same time points.
Conclusions
Our intervention was feasible and improved mobility and balance after almost 8 weeks. Studies with larger samples and randomized control trials are needed to consolidate our preliminary observations and confirm the deterioration of some tests when side-stepping exercises are discontinued.
Trial registration
Identifier: ISRCTN13584053. Retrospectively registered 01/09/2022.
Wine is a complex product, and numerous sensory evaluation methods have been tested to characterize it. Among these, new sensory analysis evaluation methods have been developed to allow consumers to describe products using their own vocabulary. Recently, Free-Comment Attack-Evolution-Finish (FC-AEF) was introduced to add the temporal aspects of tasting to the free description of wine. This method has been rarely used thus far, but as FC-AEF does not influence consumers by presenting them with predefined lists of attributes, it is of special interest to study the semantic aspects of sensory perception related to expertise and culture. FC-AEF was used to collect temporal data about two Bordeaux and two Rioja wines. Three panels of participants evaluated the products: French consumers at home (n=106), Spanish consumers at home (n=98), and international wine students (“connoisseurs”) in a sensory lab (n=47). Textual data were processed to extract relevant groups of sensory words and then used to characterize wines with and without considering the temporal aspects of tasting. The three panels were able to discriminate between the two Rioja and the two Bordeaux wines; however, only the French panel perceived differences between the two Bordeaux wines. Only the connoisseurs’ panel succeeded in perceiving temporal differences within the wines. However, the panels disagreed on the nature of the sensory differences between the samples. The impact of expertise on the ability to describe wines seems quite clear and in favour of experts. It is more difficult to conclude the impact of culture, as little agreement was observed in the wine descriptions of the consumer panels. An original framework based on a combination of semantic and statistical criteria was used to extract relevant sensory information from the wine comments. This article provides some methodological answers to challenges raised by the analysis of Free-Comment data and its application for the semantic investigation of differences in perception observed in wine descriptions collected with different panels.
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