Search results

1 – 10 of 34
Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 July 2023

Weiyao Kang and Mengxi Yang

This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of investors’ cognition and decision-making process with regard to internet financial products. The objective is to…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide an in-depth understanding of investors’ cognition and decision-making process with regard to internet financial products. The objective is to effectively guide users’ rational investments.

Design/methodology/approach

First, based on grounded theory, this study develops a tool for measuring users’ perceived value (PV) of internet financial products via in-depth interviews. Then, after comprehensively considering users’ environmental, individual and psychological characteristics, this study proposes a theoretical model of internet financial product investment decisions based on the PV of users. Finally, an empirical study is conducted on 693 valid sample data from e-commerce and online banking financial platforms.

Findings

The empirical results suggest that network externalities influence users’ financial behavior by herding (HE) (imitating others and discounting their own information) and PV. PV and HE are key factors in users’ investment decisions with regard to internet financial products. Moreover, users’ self-efficacy (SE) and platform type play moderate roles in the influence mechanism.

Practical implications

The research conclusions provide valuable references for designing financial products and establishing regulatory rules, which will help the internet financial industry to grow soundly and innovatively.

Originality/value

This study uncovers the mediating effect of HE and PV between network externalities and users’ investment intentions in the context of internet financial products. In addition, the moderating effect of users’ SE and platform types is revealed.

Details

Journal of Electronic Business & Digital Economics, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-4214

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 August 2019

Adéle Da Veiga, Ruthea Vorster, Fudong Li, Nathan Clarke and Steven M. Furnell

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between South Africa (SA) and the United Kingdom (UK) in terms of data protection compliance with the aim to establish…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between South Africa (SA) and the United Kingdom (UK) in terms of data protection compliance with the aim to establish if a country that has had data protection in place for a longer period of time has a higher level of compliance with data protection requirements in comparison with a country that is preparing for compliance.

Design/methodology/approach

An insurance industry multi-case study within the online insurance services environment was conducted. Personal information of four newly created consumer profiles was deposited to 10 random insurance organisation websites in each country to evaluate a number of data privacy requirements of the Data Protection Act and Protection of Personal Information Act.

Findings

The results demonstrate that not all the insurance organisations honored the selected opt-out preference for receiving direct marketing material. This was evident in direct marketing material that was sent from the insurance organisations in the sample to both the SA and UK consumer profiles who opted out for it. A total of 42 unsolicited third-party contacts were received by the SA consumer profiles, whereas the UK consumer profiles did not receive any third-party direct marketing. It was also found that the minimality principle is not always met by both SA and UK organisations.

Research limitations/implications

As a jurisdiction with a heavy stance towards privacy implementation and regulation, it was found that the UK is more compliant than SA in terms of implementation of the evaluated data protection requirements included in the scope of this study, however not fully compliant.

Originality/value

Based upon the results obtained from this research, it suggests that the SA insurance organisations should ensure that the non-compliance aspects relating to direct marketing and sharing data with third parties are addressed. SA insurance companies should learn from the manner in which the UK insurance organisations implement these privacy requirements. Furthermore, the UK insurance organisations should focus on improved compliance for direct marking and the minimality principle. The study indicates the positive role that data protection legislation plays in a county like the UK, with a more mature stance toward compliance with data protection legislation.

Article
Publication date: 20 March 2023

Charalampos Giousmpasoglou, Adele Ladkin and Evangelia Marinakou

The emergence of dark kitchens in the restaurant industry is a contemporary phenomenon, arising most recently in the context of the so-called gig economy. This new business model…

Abstract

Purpose

The emergence of dark kitchens in the restaurant industry is a contemporary phenomenon, arising most recently in the context of the so-called gig economy. This new business model flourished during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on a global scale. Despite dark kitchens' popularity, considerable negative publicity exists in the news related to poor working conditions. To highlight this new phenomenon, this paper explores the existing literature on worker exploitation in dark kitchens in the context of the gig economy.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review of hospitality and tourism databases generated 1,430 articles, of which 18 met the authors' inclusion criteria for the final analysis, and 1,030 anecdotal sources, of which 47 were included. Thematic analysis was used to identify the key themes and summarise the findings to be used for further studies.

Findings

The popularity of dark kitchens as a business model is premised on the fact that dark kitchens' dramatically reduces the operational cost and increases productivity. On the other hand, the working conditions and contractual agreements of the gig workers in dark kitchens raise several questions from operational, legal and ethical perspective. These poor working conditions create the conditions for worker exploitation and further damage the sector's image.

Practical implications

This study advocates that companies and managers are responsible for implementing and monitoring fair working conditions in dark kitchens. The existence of poor working conditions increases employee turnover and, overall, affects the industry's reputation.

Originality/value

This explorative study provides insights into the working conditions and contractual agreements in dark kitchens. Currently, there is no other study (empirical or conceptual) to shed light on the working practices. The authors hope this study will trigger further discussion and empirical research in this field.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. 7 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 August 2018

Gianluca Ginesti, Adele Caldarelli and Annamaria Zampella

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the reputation and performance of Italian companies.

2570

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on the reputation and performance of Italian companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper exploits a unique data set of 452 non-listed companies that obtained a reputational assessment from the Italian Competition Authority (ICA). To test the hypotheses, this study implemented several regression analyses.

Findings

Results support the argument that human capital efficiency is a key driver of corporate reputation. Findings also reveal that companies, which obtained reputational rating under ICA scrutiny, show a positive relationship between IC elements and various measures of financial performance.

Research limitations/implications

The study focuses on a single country; it is not free from the imprecisions of Pulic’s VAIC model.

Practical implications

This paper recommends companies that are interested to achieve a robust reputation should consider the human capital as a strategic intangible asset. Second, the results suggest that companies with an ICA reputational rating are able to leverage their intangibles to potentiate performance and competitiveness.

Originality/value

This is the first empirical investigation on the contribution of IC in generating value for corporate reputation. Additionally, the study contributes to the literature on the link between IC and performance by examining a sample of firms not yet explored in prior research.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2013

Barbara Anne Sen and Hannah Spring

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between information and coping from the experiences of young people coping with long term illness.

2396

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between information and coping from the experiences of young people coping with long term illness.

Design/methodology/approach

Situational analysis was used as a methodological approach. It has roots in the Chicago Symbolic Interactionism School. Cartographic approaches enabled the analysis, mapping the complexities emerging from the data.

Findings

As the young people became more informed about their health conditions, and gained knowledge and understanding both about their illnesses, their own bodies and boundaries, their confidence and capacity to cope increased. Gaining confidence, the young people often wanted to share their knowledge – becoming information providers themselves. From the data, five positions on an information-coping trajectory were identified: information deficiency; feeling ill-informed; needing an injection of information; having information health; and becoming an information donor.

Research limitations/implications

The research was limited to an analysis of 30 narratives. The paper contributes to information theory by mapping clearly the relationship between information and coping.

Practical and social implications

The study establishes a relationship between levels of information and knowledge and the ability to cope with illness.

Originality/value

The information theories in this study have originality and multi-disciplinary value in the management of health and illness, and information studies.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 69 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 October 2015

Claes Axel Belfrage and Felix Hauf

– The purpose of this paper is to take conceptual and methodological steps towards the elaboration of the critical grounded theory (CGT) method.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to take conceptual and methodological steps towards the elaboration of the critical grounded theory (CGT) method.

Design/methodology/approach

Starting from conceptual issues with mapping everyday discourses and practices in their broader societal context in organisational ethnography, cultural political economy (CPE) is proposed as a suitable theoretical framework for integrating the cultural dimension of discourses and imaginaries into political-economic analyses of organisation and management. The CGT method is introduced for empirical operationalisation.

Findings

Grounded theory tools for working with ethnographic data can be employed within critical approaches such as CPE although they originate from positivist social science. The need to combine ethnographic fieldwork with substantial theoretical work and/or critical discourse analysis may be met by CGT, which affords the ethnographic strengths of grounded theory without, however, bracketing the critical-theoretical insights of CPE.

Research limitations/implications

The usefulness of CGT has been tentatively tested, but requires thorough meta-theoretical and methodological development, which is what is undertaken here.

Social implications

CGT expects and takes account of the social implications of its employment in the field.

Originality/value

First steps towards a new critical method for organisation and management studies are taken. Although originating from concern with CPE, the CGT method may appeal to a wider audience of critical scholars across the social sciences.

Details

Journal of Organizational Ethnography, vol. 4 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2046-6749

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 July 2019

Aliaksei Kichuk, Lorraine Brown and Adele Ladkin

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of employees excluded from a talent pool and to identify what career development is provided for them.

1832

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of employees excluded from a talent pool and to identify what career development is provided for them.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative approach was adopted, and narrative inquiry was selected as the optimum route to obtaining detailed and rich accounts of the experiences of employees excluded from a talent pool. Fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted with eight employees and seven managers in a small hotel chain in the south of England.

Findings

The study shows that employees who are excluded from a talent pool feel frustration, mistrust in the organisation, have low expectations of career development and show an intention to leave the organisation.

Research limitations/implications

The study was conducted in a chain of hotels where talent management (TM) strategies are one of the key priorities in the organisation. The results may be different in hotels where TM strategies are less formal and talent pool segmentation is not clearly identified.

Practical implications

Hotel managers should consider employees who are excluded from a talent pool and build effective TM strategies and provide career development to minimise adverse reactions and improve commitment and motivation.

Originality/value

This research contributes to understanding talent pool exclusion and its consequences for the hotel sector. Narrative interviewing is used in this context for the first time.

Details

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 31 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-6119

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 April 2023

Leonore Riitsalu, Adele Atkinson and Rauno Pello

Financial well-being has gained increased attention in research, policy and the financial sector. The authors contribute to this emerging field by drawing attention to the…

Abstract

Purpose

Financial well-being has gained increased attention in research, policy and the financial sector. The authors contribute to this emerging field by drawing attention to the bottlenecks in financial well-being research and proposing ways for transforming and advancing it.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a semi-systematic review of the latest 120 financial well-being studies from both academic and grey literature and analyse the current issues in defining, conceptualising and measuring it.

Findings

The authors identify the need for a more human-centred approach across content and methodology, conceptualisation and operationalisation, research and practice, that focusses on how individuals experience, interpret and assess financial well-being. The authors highlight the lack of evidence-based interventions for improving financial well-being.

Practical implications

The authors propose applying design science approach for redefining the problems that individuals need help in solving and for developing and testing interventions that improve financial well-being and are in line with individuals’ needs and aspirations. The authors also call for international qualitative research into the human perspective of financial well-being.

Social implications

Financial well-being has a significant role in mental health and well-being; therefore, it affects the lives of individuals and societies far beyond financial affairs. Change of perspective can lead to evidence-based interventions that better the lives of many, reduce inequality and develop more balanced communities.

Originality/value

The authors argue that the human dimension has been assumed in financial well-being research, practice and police, rather than confirmed, based on flawed assumptions that what people experience is already known.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2022-0741

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 50 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Adéle Da Veiga

This study aims, firstly, to determine what influence the information security policy has on the information security culture by comparing the culture of employees who read the…

2022

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims, firstly, to determine what influence the information security policy has on the information security culture by comparing the culture of employees who read the policy to those who do not, and, secondly, whether a stronger information security culture is embedded over time if more employees have read the information security policy.

Design/methodology/approach

An empirical study is conducted at four intervals over eight years across 12 countries using a validated information security culture assessment (ISCA) questionnaire.

Findings

The overall information security culture average scores as well as individual statements for all four survey assessments were significantly more positive for employees who had read the information security policy compared with employees who had not. The overall information security culture also improved from one assessment to the next.

Research limitations/implications

The information security culture should be measured and benchmarked over time to monitor change and identify and prioritise actions to improve the information security culture. If employees read the information security policy, it has a positive influence on the information security culture of an organisation.

Practical implications

Organisations should ensure that employees have read the information security policy to aid in minimising the human risk, related errors and incidents and, ultimately, to instil a stronger information security culture with a higher level of compliant behaviour.

Originality/value

This research confirms theoretical research indicating that the information security policy could influence the information security culture positively. It provides novel and statistical evidence illustrating that if employees read the information security policy, they have a stronger information security culture and that the culture can be improved through targeted interventions using an ISCA.

Details

Information & Computer Security, vol. 24 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-4961

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 May 2018

Anja Svejgaard Pors

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relational consequences of electronic patient records based on co-produced data from pregnant women’s IT supported self-reporting. The…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relational consequences of electronic patient records based on co-produced data from pregnant women’s IT supported self-reporting. The analysis unfolds how the clinical encounter between patient and professional is reconfigured in the digitized society.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper provides a grounded theory analysis based on observations and interviews in an antenatal care unit. The study draws on empirical material generated through observations of the clinical encounters between pregnant women and midwifes, interviews with managers and midwifes, field notes and policy documents.

Findings

The author argues that the use of technology and co-produced data displace tasks and relations between healthcare professional and patient. The analysis shows that four modes of organizational patient involvement are enacted: involvement in administrative tasks, involvement in professional resistance, individualized involvement, and homogenized involvement of patients that tends to categorize the pregnancy roughly as either “normal” or “abnormal.”

Originality/value

This study contributes to qualitative research in digitization and patient involvement in health organization studies by showing how digital technology distributes the midwife’s autonomy, tasks and knowledge about the patient with both intended and unintended consequences. The argument goes beyond the prevalent prescriptive approaches to e-government and co-production, instead providing a critical analytical perspective on the promises of delivering efficient and patient-centered healthcare.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

1 – 10 of 34