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1 – 10 of 20Robertico Croes, Valeriya Shapoval, Manuel Rivera, Monika Bąk and Piotr Zientara
The study aims to delve into the influence of tourism on the happiness of city residents, grounded in the overarching concept of livability. It posits that prioritizing residents’…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to delve into the influence of tourism on the happiness of city residents, grounded in the overarching concept of livability. It posits that prioritizing residents’ happiness is crucial for effectively addressing cities’ challenges in balancing development and distinctiveness. The study pursues three primary objectives: first, establishing a potential correlation between city tourism and residents’ happiness; second, examining the contributing factors to this correlation and third, identifying potential mediators that influence the connection between tourism development and residents’ happiness.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a quantitative single-case design and partial least square analysis, the study underscores the intricate nature of various tourism development components. It specifically explores the roles of cognitive flexibility and social comparison in shaping the relationship between city tourism and happiness.
Findings
The findings make a distinctive contribution by revealing that not all tourism domains contribute positively to happiness. Furthermore, it sheds light on how tourism development impacts the emotional and cognitive dimensions of happiness, emphasizing the adverse effects of inequality and feelings of insecurity.
Research limitations/implications
The study acknowledges certain constraints, including its employment of a cross-sectional design, the issue of generalizability, potential sampling bias and the reliance on subjective measurements when evaluating constructs like happiness and satisfaction with life. Using self-reported data introduces susceptibility to social desirability bias and individual perceptual differences, potentially resulting in measurement inaccuracies. Nevertheless, despite these limitations, the study’s findings offer valuable insights that contribute to both theoretical advancement and the realm of urban management.
Practical implications
The findings elucidated through the mediation analyses conducted for hypotheses three to seven shed light on the significant roles played by mental adaptation and social comparison mechanisms in shaping individuals’ happiness. These insights substantially enhance our understanding of this field. Particularly, the dimensions of social and environmental impact within tourism appear to counterbalance the positive effects stemming from the economic and cultural aspects. This suggests a scenario where an excessive focus on tourism development could potentially undermine the overall livability of the city. These outcomes further indicate the necessity for proactive interventions by destination managers. Their efforts should be directed toward enhancing the environmental and social domains, aiming to reinvigorate the sense of community among residents, which appears to be gradually waning.
Social implications
The outcomes of this study emphasize the utmost significance of prioritizing residents’ happiness above mere considerations of economic growth when formulating efficacious strategies for tourism. By concentrating on the happiness of the local population, a harmonious resonance is established with Sustainable Development Goal 11, which advocates for the creation of habitable cities founded upon the principle that “a city that is not good for its citizens is not good for tourists.” This alignment underscores the interconnected nature of residents’ happiness and the sustainable development of tourism. Moreover, residents’ happiness plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenge that cities face in harmonizing growth and their uniqueness, ensuring competitiveness and sustainability.
Originality/value
The research underscores the need for a people-oriented perspective in urban planning and tourism development initiatives. The study identifies diverse factors impacting residents’ happiness in city tourism, highlighting the complex interplay of environmental, cultural and socioeconomic elements. It emphasizes income’s role but underscores nonmaterial factors and individual preferences. Overall, the study offers timely and valuable insights into the intricate connection between tourism development, residents’ happiness, living conditions and human perception, guiding urban planners and stakeholders.
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Silvia Cachero-Martínez, Nuria García-Rodríguez and Noelia Salido-Andrés
This research analyzes the role of happiness associated with sustainable purchases in social enterprises (SEs) as a key precursor of prosocial behavioral responses through…
Abstract
Purpose
This research analyzes the role of happiness associated with sustainable purchases in social enterprises (SEs) as a key precursor of prosocial behavioral responses through satisfaction with such purchases.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper studies the relationships between past purchase in a social enterprise, consumer happiness, satisfaction and three indicators of loyalty: repurchase intention, word-of-mouth (WOM) intention and willingness to pay more. In addition, it analyzes the moderating role of altruistic motivation. A survey was designed to collect data from 380 consumers who had bought in a social enterprise.
Findings
Sustainable consumption is a source of happiness for ethical consumers to the extent that they feel that they meet a personal need or desire, and they contribute to achieving a social objective with their purchasing behavior.
Practical implications
SEs must appeal to the happiness of consumers as a strategic line to achieve their satisfaction and loyalty. Social enterprise practitioners and marketers should deploy organizational capabilities and resources in key performing areas such as communication, customer service or shopping experience, with the purpose of maximizing the happiness of ethical consumers with whom the firm is interacting for the first time.
Originality/value
This research highlights the importance of the social enterprise in the commercial setting, since it has been proven that purchases in these companies generate happiness and satisfaction in consumers. In addition, satisfaction has a great impact on their loyalty, which is a direct advantage for this type of company and an indirect one for society as a whole.
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You-De Dai, Giun-Ting Yeh, Tsungpo Tsai, Yi-Chun Chen and Yuan-Chiu Chen
This study develops a structural model to examine the relationships among subjective perception of health, subjective perception of economic and social support, the perceived…
Abstract
This study develops a structural model to examine the relationships among subjective perception of health, subjective perception of economic and social support, the perceived freedom in leisure, leisure satisfaction, and the well-being of elders. The subject of this study is the elderly who participated in leisure activities at Evergreen Academy in Kaohsiung City. Convenience sampling and quota sampling are adopted. 1,200 self-administered questionnaires are distributed, and 535 are valid, with a response rate of 45%. The results of this study show that subjective perception of health will positively affect perceived freedom in leisure; subjective perception of economics will positively affect perceived freedom in leisure and well-being; social support will positively affect perceived freedom in leisure, leisure satisfaction, and well-being; perceived freedom in leisure will positively affect leisure satisfaction and well-being; leisure satisfaction will positively affect well-being. There are significant differences in the subjective perception of economic and social support between male and female elders. There are significant differences in the subjective perception of economic, leisure satisfaction, and well-being among those with different education levels.
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Milda Longgeita Pinem, Tauchid Komara Yuda and Anqi Chen
The significance of well-being in social development policy and practice is increasingly acknowledged by scholars and practitioners worldwide. Nevertheless, when examining…
Abstract
Purpose
The significance of well-being in social development policy and practice is increasingly acknowledged by scholars and practitioners worldwide. Nevertheless, when examining well-being within the context of Global South trends, existing conceptualisations seem to yield incongruent indicators. Given the background, this paper aims to synthesise theoretical and empirical literature on well-being to foster an understanding of well-being in contemporary Global South.
Design/methodology/approach
This article reviews the now large literature on the well-being in the Global South. The article begins with a discussion of the contributions of state-of-the-art developments in well-being studies, a realm experiencing remarkable growth in social policy studies. It then turns to the prominent well-being constructs that have garnered considerable attention within the literature, with an examination of the Global North and Global South context followed by reinterpretation of these concepts to facilitate a comprehensive study of well-being beyond the realms of welfare states. Concluding the narrative, a succinct outline of potential pathways for future research is presented in the final section.
Findings
The review reveals that the concept of well-being in the Global South does not necessarily deviate entirely from the prevailing belief that the region is fundamentally distinct from the Global North on a conceptual level. The authors have discovered that three core dimensions of well-being, namely objective, subjective and relational, are observable across societal boundaries due to the diffusion of knowledge and social and cultural practices that have progressively aligned them with Global North-style modernisation. An exception arises in the relational aspect, where the attainment of positive collective relationships precedes individual happiness to some extent. The paper advances a renewed perspective on well-being, portraying it as a situational, interconnected, collective undertaking and continuous process. These approaches empower the researchers to address the overarching question of which analytical foundations can most effectively uncover the intricacies of well-being in diverse and contemporary circumstances.
Originality/value
This paper helps the researchers to address the overarching question of which analytical foundations can most effectively uncover the intricacies of well-being in diverse and contemporary circumstances, thereby facilitating future enhancements in social policy design.
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Tuan Duong Nguyen, Thuy Thi Nguyen and Phuong Cam Nguyen
This study aimed to investigate the impact of job embeddedness (JE) on the turnover intention (TI) of the public sector with the mediating effect of the individual factor (i.e…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to investigate the impact of job embeddedness (JE) on the turnover intention (TI) of the public sector with the mediating effect of the individual factor (i.e. life satisfaction [LS]) and the moderating effect of the leadership style (i.e. ethical leadership [EL]).
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative design to collect data from 236 employees working in the public sector in Vietnam through field research using structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The results show that JE negatively affects the TI of public sector employees through the mediation effect of LS. Additionally, this study indicates that EL moderates the relationship between JE and TI.
Practical implications
This study implies that public sector stakeholders should consider both individual and contextual factors to manage and retain employees. In addition to addressing employees' embeddedness with the organisation and community and their LS, public organisations need to focus on hiring, training and promoting ethical leaders.
Originality/value
This study highlights the role of embeddedness within both the organisation and the community, along with the role of EL in the LS and TI of public sector employees.
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Estela Núnez-Barriopedro, Azucena Penelas-Leguía, José María López-Sanz and María Cristina Loranca-Valle
The study of citizens' perceptions of the performance of public services and their relationship with the taxes allocated to them is of great interest in the context of public and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study of citizens' perceptions of the performance of public services and their relationship with the taxes allocated to them is of great interest in the context of public and fiscal management and the welfare state. This study has a twofold objective in defining a structural equation modeling (SEM) model: on the one hand, to measure the relationship between the perception of the performance of public services and the taxes allocated to them and on the other hand, to study the reflection of the perception of the performance of public services on the happiness and satisfaction of citizens.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this objective, a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out based on data from the “Public opinion and fiscal policy, 2022” questionnaire of the Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (CIS) through a survey with a sample of 2,543 citizens representative of the Spanish population. The partial least squares (PLS) method was applied to test the following hypotheses.
Findings
The result of this research allows us to know which variables in relation to citizens' perception of the functioning of public services have a positive influence on use of taxes and on citizens' happiness and satisfaction.
Originality/value
One of the novelties of this study is to analyse the effect of consumer perception on the performance of public services from the perspective of the welfare state by improving citizens' happiness and satisfaction.
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Puja Khatri, Preeti Kumari and Asha Thomas
The significant role of universities in generating and diffusing new knowledge in the interest of society has positioned faculty as knowledge creators. The present study…
Abstract
Purpose
The significant role of universities in generating and diffusing new knowledge in the interest of society has positioned faculty as knowledge creators. The present study contributes to the domain of positive psychology by heeding the happiness call in academia. The research intends to develop and validate a scale for measuring happiness at work (HAW) for knowledge creators.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is systematically designed across a series of four independent studies: (1) Dimensionality and item analysis, (2) scale purification, (3) scale refinement and nomological validation and (4) generalizability. Additionally, common method bias (CMB) was checked utilizing the marker variable technique.
Findings
HAW has been established as a second-order reflective-reflective construct with six factors, namely work satisfaction, self-directedness, self-love, positive thinking, positive social relationships and work-family balance. The nomological validity and generalizability of the scale have also been established.
Research limitations/implications
The study is an attempt to address an important topic of HAW among knowledge creators. By conceptualizing HAW as a combination of intraindividual and organizational factors, this study offers a comprehensive measure of HAW that was previously absent in the literature. The results of the study will assist management in making strategic decisions to ensure the HAW of knowledge creators.
Originality/value
Knowledge creators’ happiness is a major concern in academia and has received little attention till date. The primary contribution of this study is the conceptualization and development of a validated scale for measuring knowledge creators’ HAW. A valid and reliable scale for measuring HAW would enable researchers to gain fresh perspectives on the essence, attributes and quantification of this particularly noteworthy construct.
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Sreenu Telu and Rama Krishna Gupta Potnuru
In today’s competitive environment, understanding employee well-being and work engagement (WE) is crucial. This study explores the relationship between values, well-being and WE…
Abstract
Purpose
In today’s competitive environment, understanding employee well-being and work engagement (WE) is crucial. This study explores the relationship between values, well-being and WE within positive organizational behavior (POB). The research aims to provide insights for promoting employee well-being and enhancing WE.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a cross-sectional approach, three hundred and seventy-two teachers from higher education institutes in India participated by completing questionnaires. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM) was employed to examine the mediation effect.
Findings
Human values i.e. benevolence (BE) and universalism (UN) significantly impacted teachers' WE. These relationships were mediated by positive emotions (PE), negative emotions (NE) and satisfaction with life (SWL). Interestingly, UN exhibited a positive relationship with PE and SWL and a negative relationship with NE. These findings contradict existing theories and may be attributed to India’s cultural aspects, particularly the concept of karma orientation.
Research limitations/implications
The quantitative results obtained through CB-SEM could be complemented by future qualitative studies. Employing longitudinal research might yield different results. Generalizing the findings to other populations requires caution.
Practical implications
Institutions should prioritize human values in teacher recruitment and development to improve engagement. Promoting PE, managing NE and enhancing SWL can boost WE. Future research should explore mediation with other variables and use longitudinal studies to understand cultural impact and intervention strategies.
Originality/value
The study contributes to knowledge on WE within positive organizational behavior by examining BE and UN. Additionally, exploring the mediating effect of PE, NE and SWL adds further value.
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Oscar Valdemar De la Torre-Torres, María Isabel Martínez Torre-Enciso, María de la Cruz Del Río-Rama and José Álvarez-García
In this paper, the authors tested if promoting the workforce's happiness (through high performance work policies or HPWP) and well-being in European Public companies relates to…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors tested if promoting the workforce's happiness (through high performance work policies or HPWP) and well-being in European Public companies relates to their profitability (return on equity, ROE), market risk (beta) and stock price return. Also, the authors tested if investors have a performance benefit if they buy a portfolio screened with companies with HPWP.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors proxied the quality of the HPWP efforts in the first method with the Refinitiv workforce score. They used this data in an unbalanced panel of eastern, western, northern and southern Europe companies from 2011 to 2022. The panel data also included the ROE, the market risk (beta) and the stock price return of these companies. The authors estimated the corresponding regressions with the panel data and tested the relationship between the workforce score and these three variables. In a second method, they simulated the weekly performance of a portfolio that invested only in European companies with high standards in their HPWP and compared its performance against a conventional market portfolio (with no HPWP screening).
Findings
In the first method, the authors found no significant relationship between the workforce score and the ROE, beta, or stock price return in the panel regression, controlling for random effects. In the second one, they found no over or underperformance in the HPWP portfolio against the European market one in the second method.
Practical implications
The results suggest that there is no risk or cost for European Public companies and investors alike if they promote, with better HPWP, the happiness and well-being of their workforce. The findings suggest that if European companies promote HPWP, there will be no adverse impact on their profits, market risk, or stock price performance. Also, investors will not lose performance (against a conventional market portfolio) if they screen their portfolios with this type of workforce-friendly companies.
Originality/value
Increase the scarce literature on the test of the workforce score with company profitability (ROE), stock market price variation and stock market risk level.
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Vinh Tuan Nguyen and Cat Tuong Phuoc Nguyen
The current study aims to examine the relationship between self-compassion and life satisfaction in Vietnamese adolescents and investigate the possibility that emotional and…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study aims to examine the relationship between self-compassion and life satisfaction in Vietnamese adolescents and investigate the possibility that emotional and behavioural problems mediate this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative means of data collection and analysis were used to investigate the relationship between self-compassion and life satisfaction and the underlying mechanism of this relationship. A set of questionnaires was presented to a sample of 828 adolescents (M age = 14.61; SD = 1.08) aged 14–17 years from two secondary schools and two high schools in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam. This helped to determine their self-compassion (self-compassion scale), emotional and behavioural problems (strengths and difficulties questionnaire) and life satisfaction (life satisfaction scale). Instruments reflected satisfactory reliability and validity.
Findings
The results show that self-warmth was positively associated with life satisfaction and that self-coldness was positively associated with emotional and behavioural problems and negatively associated with life satisfaction in Vietnamese adolescents. Emotional and behavioural problems fully mediated the negative relationship between self-coldness and life satisfaction.
Practical implications
It is implied that intervention programmes should be tailored to both promote self-compassionate behaviours and reduce self-coldness, to increase life satisfaction in adolescents.
Originality/value
The research available on the relationship between self-compassion and life satisfaction in adolescents, especially adolescents from Southeast Asia, is very sparse. More significantly, the underlying mechanisms behind this relationship are not yet fully understood.
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