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1 – 10 of 39Claudia Calle Müller, Piyush Pradhananga and Mohamed ElZomor
The built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of the world’s energy consumption, 30% of raw material use, 25% of solid waste, 25% of water use, 12% of land use and…
Abstract
Purpose
The built environment is responsible for approximately 40% of the world’s energy consumption, 30% of raw material use, 25% of solid waste, 25% of water use, 12% of land use and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, environmental improvement and decarbonization are becoming increasingly critical objectives for the construction industry. Sustainable construction can be achieved through several practices, including: considering life-cycle assessment, circular construction, resource efficiency and waste management and providing eco-efficient materials, reducing energy demands and consumption and incorporating low-carbon technologies and renewable energy sources. To achieve sustainable construction goals, it is critical to educate the future workforce about decarbonization, circular construction and how to overcome the challenges involved in transitioning to sustainable construction. This study aims to understand the gap in student knowledge related to decarbonization and circular construction and the importance of incorporating these topics in civil engineering and construction management curricula.
Design/methodology/approach
This study surveyed 120 undergraduate and graduate students at one of the largest minority-serving institutions in the USA to understand the gap in student knowledge related to decarbonization and circular construction as well as the importance of incorporating these topics in civil engineering and construction management curricula. The authors conducted several statistical measures to assess the consistency, reliability and adequacy of the sample size, including the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy, the normality test to evaluate the appropriateness of using an ordered probit regression analysis and a multicollinearity test to observe the correlation between independent variables. The data was analyzed using ordered probit regression analysis to investigate the need for a curriculum that serves in educating students about decarbonization and circular construction.
Findings
The results of this research highlight the gaps in students’ knowledge pertaining to sustainable practices and the importance of providing future construction workforce with such knowledge to tackle global inevitable challenges.
Originality/value
The findings of this study contribute to sustainable construction bodies of knowledge by advocating for a reformed curriculum to prepare the future workforce and adopt less carbonized, more circular approaches within the engineering and construction industry.
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Noel Scott, Brent Moyle, Ana Cláudia Campos, Liubov Skavronskaya and Biqiang Liu
João J. Ferreira, Claudia Dias, Pedro Mota Veiga and Justin Zuopeng Zhang
Based on the Natural resource-based view (NRBV), this study aims to analyze the association between the Sustainable Development Goals related to Gender Equality, Decent Work…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the Natural resource-based view (NRBV), this study aims to analyze the association between the Sustainable Development Goals related to Gender Equality, Decent Work, Innovation, and Climatic Action in the Food Industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study is adopted based on the 2019 World Bank Enterprise Survey microdata. The database includes 1,242 food enterprises from 16 European Union countries. We applied logistic regression with cluster robust standard errors.
Findings
Despite global efforts to promote decent work and gender equity, the anticipated results have not yet been achieved, suggesting varying performance in different contexts. Food firms, characterized by significant environmental impacts and seasonal tasks, employ diverse Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies based on whether they pursue innovation or environmental objectives. Grounded in the NRBV, our findings underscore the importance of investing in qualified workers and offering attractive wages to meet environmental goals, as well as providing stable contracts for female workers. The NRBV framework also highlights the crucial role of product and process innovations, whether green or not, in achieving climate action objectives.
Practical implications
European policies must be adapted to the human resources characteristics in the food industry, providing specific training on environmental and innovation issues and contributing to more work stability and gender equality.
Originality/value
Our study applies the NRBV to analyze how human resources and product/process innovations can boost environmental preservation in an industry characterized by strong environmental impacts, seasonal tasks, and financial constraints.
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Serena Summa, Alex Mircoli, Domenico Potena, Giulia Ulpiani, Claudia Diamantini and Costanzo Di Perna
Nearly 75% of EU buildings are not energy-efficient enough to meet the international climate goals, which triggers the need to develop sustainable construction techniques with…
Abstract
Purpose
Nearly 75% of EU buildings are not energy-efficient enough to meet the international climate goals, which triggers the need to develop sustainable construction techniques with high degree of resilience against climate change. In this context, a promising construction technique is represented by ventilated façades (VFs). This paper aims to propose three different VFs and the authors define a novel machine learning-based approach to evaluate and predict their energy performance under different boundary conditions, without the need for expensive on-site experimentations
Design/methodology/approach
The approach is based on the use of machine learning algorithms for the evaluation of different VF configurations and allows for the prediction of the temperatures in the cavities and of the heat fluxes. The authors trained different regression algorithms and obtained low prediction errors, in particular for temperatures. The authors used such models to simulate the thermo-physical behavior of the VFs and determined the most energy-efficient design variant.
Findings
The authors found that regression trees allow for an accurate simulation of the thermal behavior of VFs. The authors also studied feature weights to determine the most relevant thermo-physical parameters. Finally, the authors determined the best design variant and the optimal air velocity in the cavity.
Originality/value
This study is unique in four main aspects: the thermo-dynamic analysis is performed under different thermal masses, positions of the cavity and geometries; the VFs are mated with a controlled ventilation system, used to parameterize the thermodynamic behavior under stepwise variations of the air inflow; temperatures and heat fluxes are predicted through machine learning models; the best configuration is determined through simulations, with no onerous in situ experimentations needed.
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Andre Albuquerque, Claudia Becerra, Fagner José Coutinho de Melo and Denise Dumke de Medeiros
The aim of this research is to propose a quantitative approach to evaluating the quality of services provided, helping organizations to make strategic decisions by better…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to propose a quantitative approach to evaluating the quality of services provided, helping organizations to make strategic decisions by better understanding the characteristics that satisfy consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach was based on the integration of the Kano model with SERVQUAL, adapted by the satisfaction equations of Albuquerque et al. (2022) and fuzzy systems theory. Through this, it was possible to infer which attributes influence customer satisfaction, identifying the ranges of satisfaction and, with the help of fuzzy, reducing the imprecision of customer perceptions.
Findings
A total of 42% of the attributes were classified as unidimensional, with attribute 11 (Reliability) and attribute 9 (Courtesy) having the highest satisfaction values. Attractive attributes accounted for 38% of the sample, with attribute 29 (Variety of products) and attribute 7 (Location) having the greatest impact on satisfaction. On the other hand, attribute 30 (Order Delay) and attribute 31 (Waiting for payment) caused more dissatisfaction among consumers (ranges −0.6, −0.71, respectively). In addition, Variety of products was the most satisfactory, while Order Delay generated the most dissatisfaction among users.
Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in its contribution to organizations in relation to the services offered by investigating a gap in the studies that use the Kano model, integrated with SERVQUAL, which do not include reverse attributes in their equations and analyses. With the help of fuzzy sets, the subjectivity of the individual can be translated into data for greater clarity of information.
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Rosa Rodrigues, Ana Junça-Silva, Cláudia Lopes and Diogo Espírito-Santo
This study relied on the affective events theory to test the mediating role of the ratio of emotions in the relationship between employees' perceived leadership effectiveness and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study relied on the affective events theory to test the mediating role of the ratio of emotions in the relationship between employees' perceived leadership effectiveness and their well-being at work.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative methodology was used, based on a deductive approach of a transversal nature. Data were collected from a convenience sample consisting of 255 working adults.
Findings
Structural equation modeling results demonstrated that perceived leadership effectiveness positively influenced well-being and the ratio of emotions, showing that when employees perceived their leader as effective, they tended to experience more positive emotions and less negative ones (as indicated by a positive ratio). Furthermore, the results supported the hypothesis that perceived leadership effectiveness influenced well-being through increases in the ratio of emotions.
Research limitations/implications
The nature of the sample makes it impossible to generalize the results. Also, the fact that the questionnaires were self-reported may have biased the results because only the employees' perception of the variables under study was known.
Practical implications
This study highlights the fact that perceived leadership effectiveness can be seen as an affective event that triggers positive and negative emotional responses at work, which, in turn, will have an impact on employee well-being.
Originality/value
An effective leadership style has been shown to be pivotal in reducing the prevalence of negative emotions within a team. When leaders foster a welcoming work environment where team members enjoy their roles, it often results in heightened positive emotions and overall well-being.
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Thomas Trabert, Luca Doerr and Claudia Lehmann
The organizational digital transformation (ODT) in companies presents small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – who remain at the beginning of this transformation – with the…
Abstract
Purpose
The organizational digital transformation (ODT) in companies presents small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – who remain at the beginning of this transformation – with the challenge of offering digital services based on sensor technologies. Against this backdrop, the present paper identifies ways SMEs can enable digital servitization through sensor technology and defines the possible scope of the organizational transformation process.
Design/methodology/approach
Around 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts from different hierarchical levels across the German manufacturing SME ecosystem. Using the Gioia methodology, fields of action were identified by focusing on influencing factors and opportunities for developing these digital services to offer them successfully in the future.
Findings
The complexity of existing sensor offerings must be mastered, and employees' (data) understanding of the technology has increased. Knowledge gaps, which mainly relate to technical and organizational capabilities, must be overcome. The potential of sensor technology was considered on an individual, technical and organizational level. To enable the successful implementation of service offerings based on sensor technology, all relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem must network to facilitate shared value creation. This requires standardized technical and procedural adaptations and is an essential prerequisite for data mining.
Originality/value
Based on this study, current problem areas were analyzed, and potentials that create opportunities for offering digital sensor services to manufacturing SMEs were identified. The identified influencing factors form a conceptual framework that supports SMEs' future development of such services in a structured manner.
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Cassandra France, Claudia Fernanda Gonzalez-Arcos, Anne-Maree O’Rourke, Amanda Spry and Bronwyn Bruce
While brand purpose has gained traction in academia and industry, it overlaps with other socially-oriented branding concepts, generating confusion and criticism around what brand…
Abstract
Purpose
While brand purpose has gained traction in academia and industry, it overlaps with other socially-oriented branding concepts, generating confusion and criticism around what brand purpose is and how it should be implemented. This study aims to clarify conceptualisations of brand purpose and related concepts, developing a managerial framework for effective implementation and contributing a future research agenda for scholars.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents the results of a systematic literature review on brand purpose, exploring the current knowledge. A total of 202 studies from 75 journals were drawn from a wide range of databases and met the identified criteria relevant to brand purpose, published up to and including 2023. Full papers were empirically analysed using qualitative iterative thematic analysis to identify common and emerging themes and synthesise this into a framework.
Findings
Beyond identifying the diverse applications of brand purpose, the BEING framework is proposed. This acronym captures five principles of brand purpose: beyond profit, enduring commitment, integrated values, nurturing stakeholders and genuine action.
Practical implications
The BEING framework provides clear managerial guidance for implementing brand purpose, urging brand leaders to enact meaningful brand purpose and champion purpose within organisations.
Social implications
As more brands pursue a higher purpose, this research elucidates the meaning of brand purpose and offers an actionable framework for brands to contribute to a better world.
Originality/value
This work examines the related branding concepts, clarifying the brand purpose concept and offering the BEING framework to articulate essential components of effective brand purpose.
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Nicolas de Oliveira Cardoso, Eduarda Zorgi Salvador, Gustavo Broch, Frederike Monika Budiner Mette, Claudia Emiko Yoshinaga and Wagner de Lara Machado
This paper aims to identify the impacts of sociodemographic covariates on behavioural biases (BB) scores; the psychometric evidence of the BB measurement instruments; and the main…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to identify the impacts of sociodemographic covariates on behavioural biases (BB) scores; the psychometric evidence of the BB measurement instruments; and the main BB that influences the decision-making of individual investors.
Design/methodology/approach
Papers were retrieved through search using keywords in ten databases. This systematic review is based on 69 peer-reviewed papers, most of which were published between 2017 and 2021. The relevance of the included papers was assessed through the analysis of statistical/psychometric methods used, and content analysis of the BB literature and its sociodemographic correlations.
Findings
Overconfidence is higher in men and not related to age. There was no consensus regarding the relationship between BB and other sociodemographic variables. Most measuring instruments are ad hoc, showing ≤ 4 types of psychometric evidence and assessing ≤ 9 BB. Therefore, the findings demonstrate that there is no gold standard instrument for measuring investors’ BB. Furthermore, 37 BB were cited as influencers of individual investors’ decision-making and overconfidence, herding, anchoring, representativeness and loss aversion were the most prevalent.
Research limitations/implications
Considering that very few systematic reviews have been published in the behavioural finance area, this paper highlights the current state-of-the-art and identifies significant gaps in the literature that can be explored by further research.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic review that analyses the psychometric properties of instruments used for individual investors BB assessment.
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Kyunghwa Hwang, M. Claudia tom Dieck, Timothy Jung and Ohbyung Kwon
The purpose of this study is to expand the experience economy model and to determine if this model provides a better understanding of the process of growing intention to continue…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to expand the experience economy model and to determine if this model provides a better understanding of the process of growing intention to continue using religious cultural heritage content delivered digitally and intention to visit religious cultural heritage sites. In particular, it examines the influence of spiritual experience on the evaluation of religious cultural heritage content, comparing delivery via virtual reality (VR) to a web-based experience.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a representative religious cultural heritage destination, Jerusalem, was chosen as an example for the application. Participants (n = 292) were randomly divided into two groups, one group using the web and the other group experiencing VR. After experiencing the destination virtually, participants completed a survey, the results of which were analyzed using path analysis and multi-group analysis.
Findings
The results suggest that spiritual experience mediates the four elements of Pine and Gilmore (1998) experience economy model and the intention to continue engaging with the content virtually. Intellectual awareness of religious cultural heritage strengthens the spiritual experience, which mediates educational and aesthetic experiences and the successful use of VR and the web. Additionally, for participants experiencing VR, the influence of spiritual experience on the intention to continue using the virtual media to consume content related to religious cultural heritage sites and to visit actual religious heritage sites was stronger than for participants using the web.
Originality/value
This study based on an expanded experience economy model explores the use of digital technologies for the enhancement of spiritual experience. Comparison of web-based and VR content delivery provides important implications for destination marketers in terms of promoting destinations online and encouraging intention to visit actual sites in the future.
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