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This study illustrates the economic and financial dynamics of the sector, analysing the evolution of the main ratios of profitability and financial structure of 1,559 Italian real estate companies divided into the three macro-regions: North, Centre and South, in the period 2011–2020. In this way, it is also possible to verify the responsiveness to the 2020 pandemic crisis.

The analysis uses descriptive statistics tools and the ANOVA method of analysis of variance, supplemented by the Tukey–Kramer test, to identify significant differences between the three Italian macro-regions.

The study shows the increase in profitability after the 2008 crisis, despite its reverberation in the years 2012–2013. The financial structure of companies improved almost everywhere. The pandemic had modest effects on performance.

In the future, other indices should be considered to gain a more comprehensive view. This is a quantitative study based on financial statements data that neglects other important economic and social factors.

Public policies could use this study for better interventions to support the sector. In addition, internal management can compare their company's performance with the industry average to identify possible improvements.

The research analyses an economic field that employs a large number of people, especially when considering the construction and real estate services covered by this analysis.

The study contributes to the literature by providing a quantitative analysis of industry dynamics, with comparative information that can be deduced from financial statements over the years.

There are three aims of this research. One is to verify the mutual effects between internal collaboration and external collaboration, another is to prove performance improvement among different levels of supply chain collaboration, and the third is to analyze gaps between the two viewpoints. The population is Korean FDI firms in China and 208 data are used in the analysis. The data are treated with various methods: exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, SEM, cluster analysis, ANOVA, MANOVA and post hoc analysis. The results are as follows. First, external collaboration and internal collaboration have positive effects on each other, which have a positive effect on performance. This means that efficiency of internal processes is the cause of promoting connection with external processes and information generated from the market is the basis of a variance of internal processes, followed by high performance. Second, service performance improvement is more definite than cost performance improvement among different levels of supply chain collaboration. Firms can achieve more definite results in service performance when they perform supply chain collaboration. Third, this research verifies both the viewpoint of directions of supply chain collaboration and the strategic choice viewpoint of supply chain collaboration to better understand supply chain collaboration. Both viewpoints approach supply chain collaboration from different viewpoints but they do explain the methods for performance improvement.

While companies worldwide are largely comprised of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), a significant amount of management accounting (MA) research focuses on larger organisations, thus leaving MA practice in SMEs relatively under-researched. This paper aims to examine MA adoption (MAA) and its interfaces with MA challenges and business performance from a small business perspective.

A sample of 502 small businesses is investigated with an embedded mixed methods research design comprised of qualitative content analysis, factor analysis and analysis of variance.

Up to 78% of small businesses are facing MA challenges that stem from organisation, systems, personnel and/or resources. Based on the present findings, MA challenges do motivate small businesses to at least consider investing in MAA as small businesses facing challenges are more likely to acquire systems and services than those reporting no issues at all. Hence, small business managers seem to not only recognise where their challenges lie, but also seek ways to improve the situation through MAA. The analysis also reveals that companies with the highest MA know-how have the best average solvency, suggesting that small businesses indeed benefit from MAA. Interestingly, the performance at medium levels of know-how declines while investments increase, revealing a “decreasing solvency phenomenon”. Potential explanations are, e.g. the MA not fitting the company’s exact needs, or information usability and use being limited by poor MA understanding.

The originality of the research lies in exploring the interfaces between MA challenges, MAA and small business performance using distinctive embedded mixed methods research design.

This study aims to investigate the effect of vibration on ceramic tools under dry cutting conditions and find the optimum cutting condition for the hardened steel machining process in a computer numerical control (CNC) lathe machine.

In this research, an integrated fuzzy TOPSIS-based Taguchi L9 optimization model has been applied for the multi-objective optimization (MOO) of the hard-turning responses. Additionally, the effect of vibration on the ceramic tool wear was investigated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT).

The optimum cutting conditions for the multi-objective responses were obtained at 98 m/min cutting speed, 0.1 mm/rev feed rate and 0.2 mm depth of cut. According to the ANOVA of the input cutting parameters with respect to response variables, feed rate has the most significant impact (53.79%) on the control of response variables. From the vibration analysis, the feed rate, with a contribution of 34.74%, was shown to be the most significant process parameter influencing excessive vibration and consequent tool wear.

The MOO of response parameters at the optimum cutting parameter settings can significantly improve productivity in the dry turning of hardened steel and control over the input process parameters during machining.

Most studies on optimizing responses in dry hard-turning performed in CNC lathe machines are based on single-objective optimization. Additionally, the effect of vibration on the ceramic tool during MOO of hard-turning has not been studied yet.

This study explores the main factors considered when shippers and container shipping lines select their import/export and transshipment ports. In the present study, 38 container port selection indices were chosen from the previous research and field interviews. The scores of the 38 items were collected via survey to the three major maritime/port market players: shippers, shipping lines, and container terminal operators. In order to analyze the different priorities imposed on the port selection factors by the three market players, the ANOVA method has been employed. The empirical test shows the different perceptions about port selection attributes among service suppliers and demanders. In addition, the 38 items have been categorized into seven key factors through an exploratory factor analysis. The ANOVA technique was employed again to analyze the perspective differences for the port selection factors among the market players. The results show that there are significant differences among the players assessing the importance of the three port choice factors: liners and terminal operators give more weight to ‘hinterland and terminal basic conditions’ than shippers; terminal operators do not take ‘line operation’ as seriously as carriers and shippers; the factor of ‘terminal operation’ is more significantly considered by liners and terminal operators than by shippers.

This study aims to identify the major factors influencing the consumers to prefer milk products and also to analyze the awareness level of the Indian consumers.

In this study, the data is obtained through a structured questionnaire from Indian consumers considering convenience sampling under the nonprobability sampling technique. The consumer preference is explained using a multiple-regression model followed by analysis of variance (ANOVA), which shed insight on the significant differences between the variables that influence consumer preference for dairy products.

Investigation is done to analyze the factors influencing the consumers' buying behavior toward milk and its products. The results showed that quality, health consciousness, price and availability are the most influencing factors to buy milk products. Quantity of milk showed a significant relationship between age, monthly income and family size.

This study helps marketing managers to frame the marketing strategies based on consumer preference, quality, health consciousness, price and availability. The research outcome will not only be advantageous for the entrepreneurial perspective but also takes care of consumer likeliness. Though the research reveals the opinion of Indian consumers, it limits the likeliness of the western world. Because of the scarcity of resources, several dairy products are unexplored, which could pave the future scope of research.

The novelty of this study is to identify the quality, health consciousness, price and availability are the most influencing factors to buy milk products considering ANOVA and the multiple regression model.

The wide application of metal material extrusion (MEX) has been hampered by the practicalities associated with the resulting shrinkage of the final parts when commercial three-dimensional (3D) printing equipment is used. The shrinkage behaviour of MEX metal parts is a very important aspect of the MEX metal production process, as the parts must be accurately oversized to compensate for shrinkage. This paper aims to investigate the influence of primary 3D printing parameters, namely, print speed, layer height and print angle, on the shrinkage behaviour of MEX Steel 316L parts.

Two groups of dog-bone and rectangular-shape specimens were produced with the BASF Ultrafuse Steel 316L metal filament. The length, width and thickness of the specimens were measured pre- and post-debinding and sintering to calculate the percentile shrinkage rates. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate and rank the significance of each manufacturing parameter on shrinkage. Typical main print quality issues experienced in this analysis are also reported.

The shrinkage rates of the tested specimens ranged from 15.5 to 20.4% along the length and width axis and 18.5% to 23.1% along the thickness axis of the specimens. Layer height and raster angle were the most statistically significant parameters influencing shrinkage, while print speed had very little influence. Three types of defects were observed, including surface roughness, surface deformation (warping and distortion) and balling defects.

This paper bridges an existing gap in MEX Steel 316L literature, with a focus on the relationship between MEX manufacturing parameters and subsequent shrinkage behaviour. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the relationship between manufacturing parameters – layer height, raster angle and print speed and subsequent shrinkage behaviour, thereby providing further information on the relationship between the former and the latter.

The purpose this paper is to review some of the statistical methods used in the field of social sciences.

A review of some of the statistical methodologies used in areas like survey methodology, official statistics, sociology, psychology, political science, criminology, public policy, marketing research, demography, education and economics.

Several areas are presented such as parametric modeling, nonparametric modeling and multivariate methods. Focus is also given to time series modeling, analysis of categorical data and sampling issues and other useful techniques for the analysis of data in the social sciences. Indicative references are given for all the above methods along with some insights for the application of these techniques.

This paper reviews some statistical methods that are used in social sciences and the authors draw the attention of researchers on less popular methods. The purpose is not to give technical details and also not to refer to all the existing techniques or to all the possible areas of statistics. The focus is mainly on the applied aspect of the techniques and the authors give insights about techniques that can be used to answer problems in the abovementioned areas of research.

The purpose of the present paper was to explore the best practices of destination management in promoting tourist destinations through the Mozambique government website (INATUR) and identify strategies that enhance its visibility and online presence. This was only possible by (1) exploring if people are aware of the government website’s existence; (2) examining the existence of indicators of the engagement behaviors for the web-users (visitors) in their searching process on the government website; (3) exploring if the engagement behavior and website features have influence on the government website visitors’ satisfaction and (4) providing measures to enhance the popularity of the government website at INATUR.

The study combined a qualitative and quantitative methodological approach from the primary data collected via an online questionnaire survey of 269 random respondents, and the selected data was analyzed and processed using Stata 13 with the descriptive statistic and ANOVA [Analysis of Variance (an econometric model)] technique. The data was collected from secondary sources and from the interview, a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis was applied with an interpretive approach.

The government website presents the minimum of relevant information to respond to the users’ needs and expectations. There is little knowledge regarding the existence of the government website for tourism destination marketing. Few respondents were surprised about this website’s existence. The optimistic side of responses came from those peple who used the website and it helped their expectation. The correlation analysis showed a significant positive relationship between the government website features and the visitors’ searching satisfaction; the interview outputs noted that the shortage of staff at INATUR with knowledge of digital marketing engagement plays a role in solving the problem of the visibility and online presence of the website.

One of the apparent limitations of this research was the world pandemic situation (Covid-19), which influenced to make abrupt arrangements in conducting the questionnaire survey and interview compared to the planned schedule. The interview was supposed to be a field research to have direct contact with her respondents and collect nonverbal information through the respondents’ body language, but unfortunately, it was not possible. Improvising was one of the solutions and had to design an online questionnaire survey for national and international tourist respondents and an emailed interview with INATUR director. Because of that, the results showed a very significant gap between African nationals and international respondents in number of 264 and 5, respectively (about in 98,14%) caused by the lockdown and traveling limitation.

The adoption of the contents in “Recommendations for policy and decision-making” can help in synergizing an integrative marketing communication strategy that enables all actors to maximize local economic benefits without spending many financial resources, and support sustainability, different tourist destination suppliers, authorities and local communities’ development. Ensuring effective and efficient communication, and above all, enhancing the provision of reliable information. Reinforce the importance of the practical teaching and learning of digital platforms in tourism schools and universities; offer a thematic tool to serve as an analytical basis in future studies, encouraging continuous scientific research on the subject under study.

Raising the awareness of the government website among tourist consumers; promoting Mozambique as a reference destination and its tourist diversity through the use of the government website; capitalizing tourists’ enterprises for communities’ development; improving the competitiveness of destinations through greater exposure of tourism products and services on the government website boosts the economic gains for the development of the tourism sector in the country. Accessibility to the information channel of Mozambican tourist destinations via the government website, and stimulating the desire to visit; improve and enrich the visitor’s experience quality on the government website in the tourist information consultation.

It is the first research in the country about tourism destination marketing using indicators like customers’ behavioral engagement levels based on social interactions such as likes, shares and comments on the government website, as well as its awareness and performance aspects, to analyze if the INATUR government website is being successful on its tourism destination marketer role. The research was also done to bring solutions to the current trends of the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected and disrupted the tourism industry.

This paper aims to identify the occupational profiles of a logistics and a supply chain (SC) controller, both promising SC professions, examining the required competences and tasks undertaken while taking into account current trends in supply chain management and its wider dimensions.

The study used a content analysis based on job advertisements for the position of logistics controller and SC controller. The collected material allowed the construction of an occupational competence mix model in the style of Cheetham and Chivers for the logistics and SC controller, and the identification of the level of competence of both professions, using the model proposed by Czapla. In addition, the analysis of the data was supplemented by use of the Anova test and a radar chart.

The SC and logistics controllers have a high degree of similarity in both the meta and core competences areas. Similarities also occur in the case of the analysed groups of tasks undertaken by these professions. Tasks in the areas of “definition” and “maintaining” prevail. The SC controller and the logistics controller are considered “engaged inspirers” because they have reached this level of professional competence. Both these professions can ensure an effective, sustainable and transparent SC through direct cooperation with the SC manager and/or logistics manager.

This study uses a content analysis based on job advertisements addressed to the German market. These job advertisements are standardized, and therefore, provide only a general outline of the competences and tasks of the SC and logistics controllers.

The study provides information to practitioners by identifying the competences and tasks assigned to the SC and logistics controllers that are needed to improve the efficiency and transparency of the SC and its management. The research is an incentive for people involved in education to adapt changes in curricula in the business (accounting, controlling and logistics) and engineering (related to logistics) fields of study by creating courses based on SC controlling or/and logistics controlling.

The study shows the current, necessary changes for SC professionals (e.g. the appointment of a SC controller and/or logistics controller) resulting from changes in business and the challenges for SC management (e.g. transparency and sustainability).