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Article
Publication date: 9 May 2022

Sutinee Chao-Amonphat, Vilas Nitivattananon and Sirinapha Srinonil

This study aims to explain the existing adaptation practices in an urbanized sub-region in the lower Chao Phraya River basin (CPRB) across different scales and dimensions. It…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explain the existing adaptation practices in an urbanized sub-region in the lower Chao Phraya River basin (CPRB) across different scales and dimensions. It offers an overview of water hazards in urban areas along the river basin to discover ways to deal with and recover from hazards via understanding the implications of existing and potential practice for the mitigation of hydrological hazards.

Design/methodology/approach

First, this study collected current adaptation strategies and measures from interview, focus group discussion, workshop organization, etc. to get the current adaptation strategies/measures for the whole CPRB and each specific area. Second, this study identified a set of criteria for evaluation from review of current publications and official reports. Then, the current adaptation strategies/measures were examined through a set of criteria to obtain the current situation of existing practices. Finally, analysis of key challenges and opportunities was done to propose supporting guidelines to reduce hydrological risks and incorporate further adaptation measures needed to boost resilience in the area.

Findings

Adaptation methods should focus on mixed adaptation, which integrates structural, social, organizational and natural adaptation, and to develop multi-dimensional collaboration. The adaption strategy has restricted the usage of some technologies and technical know-how, particularly in the area of climate change. As a result, intentional adaptation to become more inventive is required, to reduce hazards and improve disaster-response capacity. The various adaptation measures should be more integrated or more adaptive and to achieve greater cohesion and mutual benefit of individual measures, such as community-based adaptation or community-driven slum upgrading.

Originality/value

Hydrological risks are wreaking havoc on social, economic and environmental elements, particularly river flood, flash flood and drought in the Asia-Pacific region. Twenty-two existing adaptation options were evaluated with evaluation criteria such as scales of risks/impacts reduction, benefits of environmental and socio-economic and institutional aspects. The findings highlight the current situation of existing practices, key challenges and opportunities, which emphasized on natural-based solutions, raising knowledge and awareness and lessons learned on adaptation of hydrological risks. The existing adaptation measures will be suggested as supporting guidelines and master plans to minimize the hydrological risks.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 September 2023

Michelle Carr and Stefan Jooss

COVID-19 has forced Big 4 firms to challenge existing management control arrangements and adapt their ways of working. Yet, we know little about how management control might be…

3917

Abstract

Purpose

COVID-19 has forced Big 4 firms to challenge existing management control arrangements and adapt their ways of working. Yet, we know little about how management control might be enacted in the future of the sustainable workplace. The objective of the study is to examine the patterns of management control change in the Big 4 accounting firms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting an exploratory qualitative research design, the authors draw on 42 interviews with directors and associates in the Big 4 professional services firms.

Findings

The findings reveal two pathways of management control change including alignment and displacement. The authors found that relatively minor adaptions to action and result controls were relied upon to respond to substantial cultural and personnel control changes.

Originality/value

The contributions are threefold: the authors take a temporal perspective to (1) unpack the changes to management control arrangements; (2) theorise the findings by developing a three-dimensional taxonomy of change pathways encompassing pace, scope and longevity of management control change and (3) contextualise management control arrangements in a hybrid work setting.

Highlights

  1. COVID-19 has forced Big 4 firms to challenge existing management control arrangements.

  2. Literature has focused on traditional, onsite work settings and largely ignored change pathways.

  3. The authors take a temporal perspective to unpack changes to management control arrangements.

  4. Big 4 firms adapted to hybrid work with substantial changes to personnel and cultural controls.

  5. The authors theorise the findings by developing a three-dimensional taxonomy of change pathways.

COVID-19 has forced Big 4 firms to challenge existing management control arrangements.

Literature has focused on traditional, onsite work settings and largely ignored change pathways.

The authors take a temporal perspective to unpack changes to management control arrangements.

Big 4 firms adapted to hybrid work with substantial changes to personnel and cultural controls.

The authors theorise the findings by developing a three-dimensional taxonomy of change pathways.

Details

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, vol. 36 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0951-3574

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 31 January 2023

Beshea Abdissa Chemeda, Feyera Senbeta Wakjira and Emiru Birhane

Background: A range of local social and environmental factors has an impact on farmers' views of climate change and choices on the use of coping mechanisms. This study examines…

Abstract

Background: A range of local social and environmental factors has an impact on farmers' views of climate change and choices on the use of coping mechanisms. This study examines the factors that are limiting farmers' perceptions of climate change and their coping mechanisms in Gimbi district, Western Ethiopia.

Methods: A household survey and focus group discussion were employed to collect relevant data. A total of 402 randomly selected households and six focus group discussions containing 72 participants were used to gather data. Binary logit models were used to analyze the collected data.

Results: Farmers noted that some of the signs of climate change included increasing temperature, erratic rainfall, late onset of rainfall, and early cessation of rainfall. We discovered that there are three distinct sets of climate adaption strategies used by farmers: crop management, soil and water conservation and intensive farm management. The primary determinants of farmers' perceptions of climate change and adaptation techniques were household head age, education, soil fertility, market access, and agricultural training. Age, education, and soil fertility level were the characteristics that significantly impacted farmers' perspectives and coping mechanisms among the primary drivers evaluated in the area. Use of agroforestry, shifting planting dates, and fertilizer application were all essential farming practices used as climate adaptation measures.

Conclusions: Both socioeconomic and environmental factors have found to affect farmers' perceptions of climate change in the area. The existing socioeconomic and environmental factors, in turn, affect their choice of strategies to adapt to climate change. When implementing climate change adaption strategies, it is critical to assess farmers' level of awareness of climate change and their coping strategies, as well as the factors limiting their ability to adapt to climate change.

Details

Emerald Open Research, vol. 1 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3952

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 December 2023

Rahul Priyadarshi

The countryside population has always been depended on the revenues earned from agricultural yields. These yields often suffer losses in the absence of coordination guidelines in…

Abstract

Purpose

The countryside population has always been depended on the revenues earned from agricultural yields. These yields often suffer losses in the absence of coordination guidelines in the post-yield supply chains (PYSC). This study aims to identify, address and mitigate the post-yield supply chain impediments (PYSCIs) that lead to enormous amounts of waste and revenue losses. These are the parameters that require government and stakeholders’ attention for alleviation from losses.

Design/methodology/approach

Structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to categorise the identified PYSCIs as “standard measures”. The motive for SEM results is to attract the stakeholders’ attention toward PYSCIs for business sustainability. The PYSCIs were clustered into three “standard measures” (i.e. strategic, tactical and operational measures) for revenue generation and reduced fresh produce spoilage in the countryside.

Findings

The SEM results suggest that the focus should be on revising minimum support prices and government support for initiatives, subsidy schemes and incentives at the strategic level. Tactical initiatives focus on linking markets including exports, research and development, attitude towards certification, value addition process adoption and reduced number of stages in the supply chain. The operational initiatives are attitudes towards agriculture and entrepreneurship, transportation infrastructure, supply chain coordination, information visibility, scientific design for packaging and handling and storage space availability for both long and short term at the village level.

Research limitations/implications

This study was performed in India; thus, the research outcomes of this study are restricted to adaption into the developing sub-continents with sub-tropical climates.

Practical implications

The existing level of losses in the PYSC demands introspection and policy changes at the farm level. In the era of cold chains, the Internet of Things, and other advanced mechanisms, a few elementary parameters must be worked upon to reduce PYSC losses. These parameters were identified as impediments to PYSC, requiring public, government and stakeholders’ attention. There is an urgent need for guidelines to be issued to mitigate losses. SEM was performed to attract the public, government and stakeholders’ attention toward impediments to fresh produce spoilage, opportunity generation and business sustainability.

Originality/value

This study uses a novel SEM approach where the PYSCIs were identified and empirically validated in an Indian context. The SEM approach will help in effective decision-making. Similar studies to manage the PYSCIs to reduce fresh produce spoilage with standard measures have not been reported in the literature.

Details

Journal of Global Operations and Strategic Sourcing, vol. 17 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5364

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 November 2023

Fei Peng, Yaoqi Li and Wenting Xu

The high turnover rate among interns exacerbates the shortage of human resources in the hospitality industry. This study is based on previous concerns about the impact of…

Abstract

Purpose

The high turnover rate among interns exacerbates the shortage of human resources in the hospitality industry. This study is based on previous concerns about the impact of occupational stigma and internship on turnover intention. This study aims to explore how the career adaptability of interns influences their perception of occupational stigma and occupational identity.

Design/methodology/approach

By using stratified sampling, semistructured interviews were conducted with 34 respondents who had academic and vocational education backgrounds. The data analysis was performed using the thematic analysis method.

Findings

This study demonstrates that a high level of career adaptability helps to reduce interns’ perception of occupational stigma and strengthen their occupational identity. Students from academic and vocational schools display different levels of career adaptability in terms of job matching and career promotion. In addition, the long-term influence on occupational identity is more significant from professional development potential compared to job adaptation.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between occupational stigma and occupational identity from the perspective of career adaptability. Moreover, it highlights the importance of job adaption, matching, promotion and professional development in retaining talent within the hospitality industry.

Originality/value

This study innovatively focuses on job matching and career promotion for coping with occupational stigma. It also considers interns’ educational backgrounds, facilitating further understanding of occupational identity under the influence of stigma. A fresh perspective on talent adaptation and retention in the hospitality industry is provided.

研究目的

实习生的高流动率加剧了酒店业人力资源的短缺。本研究在职业污名与实习对离职倾向影响的研究基础上, 主要探讨了实习生的职业适应如何影响其职业污名感知和职业认同。

研究设计

研究采用分层抽样的方法, 对34名拥有学术和职业教育背景的受访者进行半结构访谈, 并采用主题分析法进行数据分析。

研究结果

研究发现, 良好的职业适应有助于减少实习生的职业污名感知, 并增强其职业认同。学术学校和职业学校的学生在工作匹配和职业晋升方面表现出不同程度的职业适应。此外, 职业发展潜力对职业认同的影响比工作适应更加长远。

研究意义

本研究从职业适应的角度对职业污名与职业认同之间的复杂关系提供了有价值的见解。此外, 它还强调了工作适应、匹配、晋升和专业发展在酒店业人才保留方面的重要性。

研究原创性

本研究创新地关注了职业匹配与职业晋升对应对职业污名和提升职业认同的影响。研究还考虑了实习生教育背景的差异性, 进一步深化对污名影响下的职业认同的理解, 为酒店行业的人才适应和保留提供了一个新的研究视角。

Objetivo

La elevada tasa de rotación entre los trabajadores en prácticas agrava la escasez de recursos humanos en el sector de la hostelería. Este estudio se basa en preocupaciones previas sobre el impacto del estigma ocupacional y las prácticas en la intención de rotación. Explora principalmente cómo influye la adaptabilidad profesional de los becarios en su percepción del estigma ocupacional y la identidad ocupacional.

Diseño/metodología/enfoque

Mediante un muestreo estratificado, se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas a 34 encuestados con formación académica y profesional. El análisis de los datos se realizó mediante el método de análisis temático.

Resultados

Este estudio demuestra que un alto nivel de adaptabilidad profesional contribuye a reducir la percepción de estigma ocupacional de los estudiantes en prácticas y a reforzar su identidad ocupacional. Los estudiantes de escuelas académicas y de formación profesional muestran diferentes niveles de adaptabilidad profesional en términos de adecuación al puesto de trabajo y promoción profesional. Además, la influencia a largo plazo sobre la identidad ocupacional es más significativa del potencial de desarrollo profesional en comparación con la adaptación laboral.

Limitaciones/implicaciones de la investigación

El estudio aporta información valiosa sobre la compleja relación entre el estigma ocupacional y la identidad ocupacional desde la perspectiva de la adaptabilidad profesional. Además, pone de relieve la importancia de la adaptación del puesto de trabajo, el emparejamiento, la promoción y el desarrollo profesional para retener el talento dentro de la industria de la hostelería.

Originalidad/valor

Este estudio se centra de forma innovadora en la adecuación al puesto de trabajo y la promoción profesional para hacer frente al estigma laboral. También tiene en cuenta los antecedentes educativos de los becarios, lo que facilita una mayor comprensión de la identidad ocupacional bajo la influencia del estigma. Se aporta una nueva perspectiva sobre la adaptación y la retención del talento en la industria de la hostelería.

Article
Publication date: 17 July 2023

Muhammad Nouman, Karim Ullah, Shafiullah Jan and Farman Ullah Khan

Islamic banking has undergone significant adaption since its inception. This study aims to investigate why and how Islamic banks adapt their services, using participatory…

Abstract

Purpose

Islamic banking has undergone significant adaption since its inception. This study aims to investigate why and how Islamic banks adapt their services, using participatory financing as evidence.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative study is designed, using working capital financing and commodity operations financing in Pakistan as analytical units. The data for each analytical unit is analyzed using a qualitative content analysis, while the findings are synthesized using a cross-case synthesis method.

Findings

Findings suggest that participatory financing has undergone extensive adaptation in the Islamic banking industry of Pakistan, in the wake of resolving constraints to participatory financing and increasing its viability. Consequently, participatory finance has emerged as an attractive and viable option in Pakistan. These findings suggest that unlike in the past, where Islamic banks used to buffer themselves from the environment and ignore the market demands, they have learned to respond effectively to the market demands and the challenges posed by the environment.

Research limitations/implications

Findings suggest that the adaptation strategy is more effective than the migration strategy, because it enables the financial service systems to reduce the underlying risks by avoiding emergent threats and eradicating the inherent weaknesses.

Originality/value

The extant literature provides a generalized view on the adaptation process that Islamic banks undergo to comply with their environment. However, it is limited in terms of conceptualizing the adaptations and innovations in their products and the underlying structural variations. The present study fills this gap.

Details

Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-4179

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2023

Jurgita Banytė and Christopher Mulhearn

This article seeks to offer an answer. It explores the criteria on which commercial property market participants can develop strategies in hugely challenging circumstances. For…

Abstract

Purpose

This article seeks to offer an answer. It explores the criteria on which commercial property market participants can develop strategies in hugely challenging circumstances. For this purpose, a survey-based approach was developed with work conducted with property-market professional in the United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany and Sweden to produce a criteria-based tool supporting adaption to changing market circumstances.

Design/methodology/approach

The data have been analyzed using statistical analysis. The data's statistical analysis included Cronbach's alpha's application to evaluate the respondents' replies' reliability. A entral tendency test was used to identify the means of relevance of the criteria. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to determine potential material differences between the UK and other countries with Bonferroni corrections applied to minimize type-I errors.

Findings

Thirty characteristics have been identified that impact the dynamics of the commercial property market. Their relevance to the commercial property market was determined using a survey. The literature analysis showed that the researchers paid more attention to quantitative criteria and their comparison. The survey showed that the relevance of criteria to the commercial property market dynamics is unequal. However, the survey results showed that it is most important to pay attention to emotional criteria to adapt to uncertainty changing conditions. The problem of the environment has been on the agenda for the last four decades. Therefore, the fact that the results of the study showed that the environmental criteria are the least significant is unexpected.

Research limitations/implications

The study involved economically developed countries of Europe. Extending the study's geographical scope would be valuable in revealing whether the same differences exist in other geographical areas (such as Australia or the USA).

Practical implications

The practical implication of the analysis may be to facilitate the decision-making process of either selecting a country for commercial property investment or selecting the most sensitive and relevant criteria for the decision-making.

Originality/value

Criteria for commercial property market performance which promote successful property investment have been developed. Moreover, the criteria affecting the commercial property market have been weighted by their relevance to the market and their sequence of relevance has been established. And finally, the developed criteria have been placed into five groups that could serve as a foundation for a macro-level assessment of commercial property market dynamics.

Details

Property Management, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-7472

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 April 2023

Puja Khatri, Harshleen Kaur Duggal, Sumedha Dutta, Preeti Kumari, Asha Thomas, Tatyana Brod and Letizia Colimoro

With new hybrid working models in place post COVID-19, it is requisite that knowledge workers (KWs) stay agile. Knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) can help employees with…

1457

Abstract

Purpose

With new hybrid working models in place post COVID-19, it is requisite that knowledge workers (KWs) stay agile. Knowledge-oriented leadership (KOL) can help employees with essential knowledge acquisition (KA) facilitating the journey toward hybrid work agility (HWA). This study, thus, aims to explore the impact of KOL and KA on HWA and reveal whether this effect stems uniformly from a single homogenous population or if there is unobserved heterogeneity leading to identifiable segments of agile KWs.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected through stratified sampling from 416 employees from 20 information technology enabled services companies involved in knowledge-intensive tasks. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling approach, using SMART PLS 4.0, has been applied to examine the effect of KOL and KA on HWA. Finite mixture PLS, PLS prediction-oriented segmentation and multigroup analysis have been used to identify segments, test segment-specific path models and analyze the significance of the differences in the path coefficients for unobserved heterogeneity. Predictive relevance of the model has been determined using PLS Predict.

Findings

Results indicate that KOL contributes to employees’ KA and HWA. A significant positive relationship is also reported between KA and HWA. The model has medium predictive relevance. A two-segment solution has been delineated, wherein independent agile KWs (who value autonomy and personal agency over leadership for KA) and dependent agile KWs (who depend on leaders for relational and structural support for KA) have been identified. Thus, KOL and KA play a differential role in determining HWA.

Research limitations/implications

The authors’ major contribution to the knowledge body constitutes the determination of antecedents of HWA and a typology of agile KWs. Future researchers may conduct segment-wise qualitative analysis to delineate other variables that contribute to HWA.

Practical implications

Technological advances necessitate that knowledge-intensive industries foster agility in employees for strategic agility of the organization. For effecting agile adaption of an organization to the knowledge economy conditions, it is pertinent that the full potential of this human resource be used. By profiling HWA of KWs on the basis of dimensions of KOL and the level of their KA, organizations will be able to help employees adapt better to rapidly changing work conditions.

Originality/value

HWA is a novel concept and very germane in a hybrid working environment. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to examine the effects of the dimensions of KOL and KA in relation to HWA, along with an empirical examination of unobserved heterogeneity in the aforementioned relationship.

Details

Journal of Knowledge Management, vol. 27 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1367-3270

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 December 2022

Rebecca Maughan

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretically informed analysis of the evolution of environmental management accounting (EMA) and social and environmental reporting…

5067

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretically informed analysis of the evolution of environmental management accounting (EMA) and social and environmental reporting (SER), and the accompanying development of a sustainability programme, in a large family-owned, unlisted corporation.

Design/methodology/approach

A longitudinal case study based on semi-structured interviews and documentary data was conducted. The main periods of fieldwork were carried out in 2007 and between 2010 and 2012. Sustainability reports were collected until 2019 when SER appeared to cease. The case analysis draws on the concepts of organisational identity (OI) and internal legitimacy (IL) to examine the decision-making and actions of a range of key organisational actors as they engage with EMA and SER.

Findings

The study demonstrates that a gap between an organisation’s identity claims (“who we are”) and its enacted identity (“what we do”) can enable the adoption of constitutive, performative and representational EMA and SER. It illuminates the nature of the role of key actors and organisational dynamics, in the form of OI and IL, in adapting these practices. It also demonstrates that, in giving meaning to the concept of sustainability, organisational actors can draw on their organisation’s identity and construct the comprehensibility of an organisational sustainability programme.

Research limitations/implications

More empirical work is needed to examine the applicability of OI and IL to other settings. It would also be beneficial to examine the potential for OI work to allow organisations to change and reinvent themselves in response to the evermore pressing environmental crisis and the role, if any, of EMA in this process.

Originality/value

The study enriches our understanding of why and how EMA and SER evolve by demonstrating that paying attention to OI and IL can provide further insight into the decision-making and actions of organisational members as they recognise, evaluate, support and cease these practices.

Article
Publication date: 16 October 2023

Jan Hendrik Blümel, Mohamed Zaki and Thomas Bohné

Customer service conversations are becoming increasingly digital and automated, leaving service encounters impersonal. The purpose of this paper is to identify how customer…

1162

Abstract

Purpose

Customer service conversations are becoming increasingly digital and automated, leaving service encounters impersonal. The purpose of this paper is to identify how customer service agents and conversational artificial intelligence (AI) applications can provide a personal touch and improve the customer experience in customer service. The authors offer a conceptual framework delineating how text-based customer service communication should be designed to increase relational personalization.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents a systematic literature review on conversation styles of conversational AI and integrates the extant research to inform the development of the proposed conceptual framework. Using social information processing theory as a theoretical lens, the authors extend the concept of relational personalization for text-based customer service communication.

Findings

The conceptual framework identifies conversation styles, whose degree of expression needs to be personalized to provide a personal touch and improve the customer experience in service. The personalization of these conversation styles depends on available psychological and individual customer knowledge, contextual factors such as the interaction and service type, as well as the freedom of communication the conversational AI or customer service agent has.

Originality/value

The article is the first to conduct a systematic literature review on conversation styles of conversational AI in customer service and to conceptualize critical elements of text-based customer service communication required to provide a personal touch with conversational AI. Furthermore, the authors provide managerial implications to advance customer service conversations with three types of conversational AI applications used in collaboration with customer service agents, namely conversational analytics, conversational coaching and chatbots.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 34 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

Keywords

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