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Over the years, the impact of the business cycle on firm strategy has been neglected in the area of strategic management and remains one of the most important but least developed research streams in management scholarship. Studies in this area are scattered across time and domains, therefore, there is a need to consolidate this fragmented literature to provide a comprehensive review and thus avenues for further research. This study aims to address this gap.

In this study, the systematic literature review (SLR) method is used to select and examine research articles in the area of firm responses and decisions during recession. This SLR examines 127 studies and carries out a thematic synthesis of the literature.

Based on the SLR and thematic synthesis of the literature, the themes identified in this study include – severity of recession impact (Theme 1); firm specific characteristics (Theme 2); resource adjustment activities (Theme 3); and firm performance (Theme 4), based on these themes and analysis this paper maps and proposes various relationships and linkages in this research domain that can be explored further for the development of scholarship in this field of study.

This paper fulfills the need for a systematic review of the extant literature on firms’ responses during recession. The study synthesizes literature and carries out a thematic analysis from 1980 till the period February 2024 to provide directions to advance this domain of literature.

This research aims to reveal the working principles of the decision mechanism that affects the use of neural implant acceptance and to discuss the leading role of digital literacy in this mechanism. In addition, it aimed to examine the theoretical connections of the research model with the conservation of resources (COR) and technology acceptance model (TAM) theories in the discussion.

The authors collected data from 300 individuals in an organization operating in the health sector and analyzed the data in the Smart Partial Least Squares (PLS) 3.3.3. This way, the authors determined the relationships between the variables, the path coefficients and the significance levels.

The study has found that strong digital literacy skills are linked to positive emotions and attitudes. Additionally, maintaining a positive mindset can improve one's understanding of ethics. Ethical attitudes and positive emotions can also increase the likelihood of adopting neural implants. Therefore, it is crucial to consider both technical and ethical concerns and emotions when deciding whether to use neural implants.

The research results determined the links between the cognitive, emotional and ethical factors in the cyborgization process of the employees and gave original insights to the managers and employees.

1. Determination of antecedents that affect individuals' acceptance of neural implant use.

2. Application to 300 individuals working in a health organization.

3. Path analysis using the least squares method via Smart PLS 3.3.3

4. Significant path coefficients among digital literacy, positive emotions, attitude, ethical understanding and acceptance of neural implant use.

Determination of antecedents that affect individuals' acceptance of neural implant use.

Application to 300 individuals working in a health organization.

Path analysis using the least squares method via Smart PLS 3.3.3

Significant path coefficients among digital literacy, positive emotions, attitude, ethical understanding and acceptance of neural implant use.

This paper addresses the issue of the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions within the information and communication technology (ICT) and engineering fields. The study examines the complex issue of vertical segregation and gender equality by exploring the barriers that women encounter and the potential coping strategies they adopt to advance in their careers.

The study employs a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with 17 women at middle and upper management levels in the ICT and engineering sectors. This approach aims to better understand women's workplace experiences and gain deeper insights into the nature of the barriers they face.

The study identifies four main factors hindering women's progression toward senior management positions, namely working hours, work-family conflict, social role stereotypes and second-generation bias. The results also offer useful insights into the coping strategies adopted by women to overcome these barriers.

The study highlights the persisting underrepresentation of women in senior positions, indicating a societal and organizational lag in terms of inclusion and equity. It underscores the importance of developing effective policies to address the challenges faced by employees striving to balance their work and family commitments. Training is recognized as an important tool for raising awareness about gender stereotypes among employees and reducing second-generation bias.

This study provides valuable lessons derived from its findings, including potential strategies that organizations can implement to help women navigate and overcome workplace barriers in the ICT and engineering fields.

Music and sound have been used pervasively to enhance the tourism and hospitality experience. Incorporating music into a brand’s identity has the potential to influence consumer perceptions and decision-making. This study aims to identify how sonic branding influences consumer attitudes and engagement patterns with hotel brands by using feelings as information theory and applying the effects of music on neurochemical phenomena in the brain. It also explores how sonic branding differentially influences the decision-making of consumer segments.

Experimental studies are used to examine how sonic brands influence consumer perceptions and engagement tendencies. Study 1 (n = 92) adopts a single-factor experimental design to investigate the main effects of sonic branding (presence vs absence) on customers’ responses. Study 2 (n = 204) uses a 2 (sonic branding: present vs. absent) × 2 (purpose of travel: leisure vs business) design to examine the interaction effects. Participants were recruited through Prolific.

Results indicate that the use of sonic branding increases engagement tendencies for a hotel brand. In addition, sonic branding interacted with the purpose of travel such that business travelers exhibited more favorable attitudes and higher engagement tendencies toward a hotel brand than leisure travelers when a sonic brand was used.

Given the proliferation of audio-centric environments, this research provides insight into how tourism and hospitality brands can engage and connect with customers by developing sonic brands that can be used throughout the customer journey.

音乐和声音被广泛用于提升旅游和酒店体验。将音乐融入品牌的身份有可能影响消费者的感知和决策。本研究旨在通过使用感觉作为信息理论和应用音乐对大脑神经化学现象的影响, 识别声音品牌如何影响消费者对酒店品牌的态度和参与模式。它还探讨了声音品牌如何对不同消费者群体的决策产生差异化影响。

采用实验研究来检验声音品牌如何影响消费者的感知和参与倾向。研究1（n = 92）采用单因素实验设计, 调查声音品牌（有 vs. 无）对客户反应的主要影响。研究2（n = 204）采用2（声音品牌：有 vs. 无）× 2（旅行目的：休闲 vs. 商务）设计, 检验交互效应。参与者通过Prolific平台招募。

结果表明, 使用声音品牌会增加消费者对酒店品牌的参与倾向。此外, 声音品牌与旅行目的的交互作用表明, 当使用声音品牌时, 商务旅行者比休闲旅行者对酒店品牌表现出更有利的态度和更高的参与倾向。

鉴于音频中心环境的普及, 本研究提供了旅游和酒店品牌如何通过开发声音品牌在整个客户旅程中与客户互动和联系的见解。

La música y el sonido se han utilizado de forma generalizada para mejorar la experiencia del turismo y la hostelería. La incorporación de la música a la identidad de una marca tiene el potencial de influir en las percepciones y la toma de decisiones de los consumidores. Este estudio pretende identificar cómo influye la marca sonora (o audio branding) en las actitudes de los consumidores y en sus patrones de compromiso con las marcas hoteleras utilizando los sentimientos como teoría de la información y aplicando los efectos de la música en los fenómenos neuroquímicos del cerebro. También explora cómo influye diferencialmente la marca sonora en la toma de decisiones de los segmentos de consumidores.

Se emplean estudios experimentales para examinar cómo influyen las marcas sónicas en las percepciones y las tendencias de compromiso de los consumidores. El estudio 1 (N = 92) adopta un diseño experimental de factor único para investigar los efectos principales de la marca sonora (presencia frente a ausencia) en las respuestas de los clientes. El estudio 2 (N = 204) utiliza un diseño 2 (marca sonora: presente frente a ausente) × 2 (Objetivo del viaje: ocio frente a negocios) para examinar los efectos de interacción. Los participantes fueron reclutados a través de Prolific.

Los resultados indican que el uso de la marca sonora aumenta las tendencias de compromiso con una marca hotelera. Además, la marca sonora interactuó con el objetivo del viaje de forma que los viajeros de negocios mostraron actitudes más favorables y mayores tendencias de compromiso hacia una marca hotelera que los viajeros de ocio cuando se utilizó una marca sonora.

Dada la proliferación de entornos audiocéntricos, esta investigación ofrece una visión de cómo las marcas turísticas y de hostelería pueden captar la atención de los clientes y conectar con ellos desarrollando marcas sonoras que puedan utilizarse a lo largo de todo el viaje del cliente.

Given the rise of sport non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and sponsorships from cryptocurrency companies in the sport industry during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, this paper aims to critically frame the partnerships between cryptocurrency and sport by exploring the reception of fan tokens amongst supporters of three English Premier League clubs: Manchester City, Everton and Crystal Palace.

Drawing upon the emerging critical scholarship on cryptocurrency and the political economy of professional football, this study uses digital ethnography in an attempt to understand the major themes emanating from the online forum discussions amongst fans in response to the issuance of fan tokens by the aforementioned three clubs, among other types of partnerships with crypto companies.

The supporters’ critical deliberations revolved around the contradictions of fan tokens (as a means for supposed “fan engagement” or for financial speculation) and the utility of cryptocurrency for the public. These reactions in turn showcase a larger tension underlying the financially unstable professional football industry: the contest between the owners and the fan bases over the exchange value (for profit) and use value (for community) of the clubs.

This paper is one of the first studies to adopt a critical framework to examine the emerging partnerships between sports and cryptocurrency companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also provides one of the first in-depth analyses of the critical receptions of sport NFTs amongst sport fans. While contributing to the literature on fan activism/protest in the context of the commercialization and commodification of sport, the paper also raises new questions on the responsible use of cryptocurrency/NFT in sport.

This paper reviews the recent collapse of two cryptocurrency enterprises, FTX and Celsius. These two cases of institutional bankruptcy have generated criminal charges and other civil complaints, mainly alleging fraud against the CEOs of the companies. This paper aims to analyse the fraud leading to these bankruptcies, drawing on key concepts from the research literature on economic crime to provide explanations for what happened.

This paper uses a case study approach to the question of how large financial institutions can go off the rails. Two theoretical perspectives are applied to the cases of the FTX and Celsius collapses. These are the “normalisation of deviance” theory and the “cult of personality”.

In these two case studies, there is an interaction between the “normalisation of deviance” on the institutional level and the “cult of personality” at the level of individual leadership. The CEOs of the two companies promoted themselves as eccentric but successful examples of the visionary tech finance genius. This fostered the normalisation of deviance within their organisations. Employees, investors and regulators allowed criminal and highly financially risky practices to become normalised as they were caught up in the attractive story of the trailblazing entrepreneur making millions in the new cryptoeconomy.

This paper makes a contribution both to the case study literature on economic crime and to the development of general theory in economic criminology.

This study uses social exchange theory to describe, explain and propose the influence of dyad partners' leadership position structure, which includes the roles they play and their existing and prospective common experience, on their commitment to their dyad and their cooperation.

The study uses the case of equally empowered co-CEOs in a family business, who play the roles of family member, owner and executive; co-CEOs in a startup firm, who play the roles of owner and executive; and co-CEOs in a merger and acquisition (M&A), who play the role of executive. Co-CEOs in family businesses benefit from longer existing and longer prospective dyad longevity than co-CEOs in startups, who, in turn, benefit from longer existing and longer prospective dyad longevity than co-CEOs in M&As.

The study proposes that the roles the partners play in the dyads, and the existing and prospective longevity of their relationship, positively influence the partners' commitment to the dyad and their level of cooperation.

The study offers a model that has the potential to direct scholars at the formulation of the theory of top management symmetric formal power dyads dynamics and assist family business owners, startup partners, board of directors and co-CEOs in formulating and implementing upper echelons leadership plans to enhance cooperation and coordination between equal partners.

This study proposes a novel method utilising a speech-word pair bipartite network to examine the correlation structure between members of parliament (MPs) in the context of the UK- China relationship.

We construct MP-word pair bipartite networks based on the co-occurrence relationship between MPs and words in their speech content. These networks are then mapped into monopartite MPs correlation networks. Additionally, the study calculates correlation network indicators and identifies MP communities and factions to determine the characteristics of MPs and their interrelation in the UK-China relationship. This includes insights into the distribution of key MPs, their correlation structure and the evolution and development trends of MP factions.

Analysis of the parliamentary speeches on China-related affairs in the British Parliament from 2011 to 2020 reveals that the distribution and interrelationship of MPs engaged in UK-China affairs are centralised and discrete, with a few core MPs playing an integral role in the UK-China relationship. Among them, MPs such as Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, David Cameron, Lord Hunt of Chesterton and Lord Howell of Guildford formed factions with significant differences; however, the continuity of their evolution exhibits unstableness. The core MP factions, such as those led by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon and David Cameron, have achieved a level of maturity and exert significant influence.

The research has several limitations that warrant acknowledgement. First, we mapped the MP-word pair bipartite network into the MP correlation network for analysis without directly analysing the structure of MPs based on the bipartite network. In future studies, we aim to explore various types of analysis based on the proposed bipartite networks to provide more comprehensive and accurate references for studying UK-China relations. In addition, we seek to incorporate semantic-level analyses, such as sentiment analysis of MPs, into the MP-word -pair bipartite networks for in-depth analysis. Second, the interpretations of MP structures in the UK-China relationship in this study are limited. Consequently, expertise in UK-China relations should be incorporated to enhance the study and provide more practical recommendations.

Firstly, the findings can contribute to an objective understanding of the characteristics and connotations of UK-China relations, thereby informing adjustments of focus accordingly. The identification of the main factions in the UK-China relationship emphasises the imperative for governments to pay greater attention to these MPs’ speeches and social relationships. Secondly, examining the evolution and development of MP factions aids in identifying a country’s diplomatic focus during different periods. This can assist governments in responding promptly to relevant issues and contribute to the formulation of effective foreign policies.

First, this study expands the research methodology of parliamentary debates analysis in previous studies. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to study the UK-China relationship through the MP-word-pair bipartite network. This outcome inspires future researchers to apply various knowledge networks in the LIS field to elucidate deeper characteristics and connotations of UK-China relations. Second, this study provides a novel perspective for UK-China relationship analysis, which deepens the research object from keywords to MPs. This finding may offer important implications for researchers to further study the role of MPs in the UK-China relationship.

This study proposes a novel scheme for analysing the correlation structure between MPs based on bipartite networks. This approach offers insights into the development and evolving dynamics of MPs.

The purpose of this article is to investigate on changes of the microbial load and the chemical and physical properties of date fruits stored for 6 months under two different temperatures.

A composite sample of 100 kg date fruits from the Khalas variety, season 2019, was collected from the local market in Al Ahsa Province, Saudi Arabia, packaged in 1 kg lots, stored at room and refrigerator temperatures and the microbial contamination and the chemical and physical properties monitored over a period of six months of storage. Total bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, yeasts and molds were counted and representatives of yeast and mold contaminants were identified using morphological, physiological and molecular typing techniques. Changes in the color and texture of the samples were also monitored during storage.

The yeasts detected were two strains of each of Lachancea thermotolerans and Rhodosporidiobolus fluvialis and one strain of Cystofilobasidium lacus-mascardii. For molds, one strain of each of Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Penicillium chrysogenum and Aspergillus caespitosus have been detected. No significant growth of these microorganisms was observed, but enough load persisted during storage that makes the samples not meeting the microbiological standards. There were significant changes in the color and texture of the fruits during storage.

These findings add important information that can help producers and processors to improve quality and promote marketing of date fruits, especially to international markets.

This research aims to explore the research data ethics governance framework and collaborative network to optimize research data ethics governance practices, to balance the relationship between data development and utilization, open sharing, data security and to reduce the ethical risks that may arise from data sharing and utilization.

This study explores the framework and collaborative network of research data ethics policies by using the UK as an example. 78 policies from the UK government, university, research institution, funding agency, publisher, database, library and third-party organization are obtained. Adopting grounded theory (GT) and social network analysis (SNA), Nvivo12 is used to analyze these samples and summarize the research data ethics governance framework. Ucinet and Netdraw are used to reveal collaborative networks in policy.

Results indicate that the framework covers governance context, subject and measure. The content of governance context contains context description and data ethics issues analysis. Governance subject consists of defining subjects and facilitating their collaboration. Governance measure includes governance guidance and ethics governance initiatives in the data lifecycle. The collaborative network indicates that research institution plays a central role in ethics governance. The core of the governance content are ethics governance initiatives, governance guidance and governance context description.

This research provides new insights for policy analysis by combining GT and SNA methods. Research data ethics and its governance are conceptualized to complete data governance and research ethics theory.

A research data ethics governance framework and collaborative network are revealed, and actionable guidance for addressing essential aspects of research data ethics and multiple subjects to confer their functions in collaborative governance is provided.

This study analyzes policy text using qualitative and quantitative methods, ensuring fine-grained content profiling and improving policy research. A typical research data ethics governance framework is revealed. Various stakeholders' roles and priorities in collaborative governance are explored. These contribute to improving governance policies and governance levels in both theory and practice.