Search results

The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership competencies of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college athletes and assess the potential differences between domestic and international college athletes.

A quantitative, non-experimental research design was employed, including the use of an electronic survey to collect data. Survey research allows for extensive data management and a quick data collection method (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The survey was conducted using online Qualtrics software, which allowed convenience in administration, maintenance, nationwide distribution and data export and analysis.

The findings of this study suggest that domestic college athletes develop greater leadership competencies than their international peers.

The study implications include both practical and academic contributions. The research in the area of leadership development in college athletes has been growing. Previous research has focused on the benefits of the leadership development (Lewis, 2023); however, minimal research has been dedicated to exploring actual leadership constructs within the college athlete population. Moreover, this study focused on the differences between domestic and international college athletes’ leadership constructs. International college athletes go through additional challenges while balancing the academic part of being college athletes (Ridpath, Rudd, & Stokowski, 2020).

Minimal research has been dedicated to exploring actual leadership constructs within the student-athlete population. This study is the first study that explored leadership constructs from the quantitative lens and focusing on both domestic and international student-athletes. The literature on international student-athletes mainly focuses on the motivation arriving to the United States of America (Love & Kim, 2011) and their transitional experiences (Popp, Pierce, & Hums, 2011; Jolly, Stokowski, Paule-Koba, Arthur-Banning, & Fridley, 2022). However, limited literature focuses on the preparation of international student-athlete for life beyond their sport.

The maritime industry, a linchpin of global trade, has embarked on a transformative journey catalysed by the relentless advance of digitalisation. There is a discernible gap in the literature concerning the specific consequences of digitalisation within the maritime sector. This research aims to examine the current body of literature on the influence of digitalisation in human resource development (HRD) on the competitive advantage of organisations and its potential within the maritime industry.

This research paper conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis.

The findings of this research explore the literature landscape encompassing digitalisation in HRD, its influence on HR operations, learning and development, performance management, employee experience and strategic alignment within maritime organisations.

This research provides valuable recommendations for maritime organisations and HRD practitioners seeking to leverage digitalisation to gain a competitive edge. Thus, the maritime industry can adopt digital HRD practices to streamline operations, improve performance and align HR strategies with broader organisational goals.

In recent times, stakeholders have called on corporate organizations especially those charged with governance to embrace full disclosure on non-financial issues, especially sustainability reporting. Based on this premise, this study aims to examine the influence of corporate board and assurance on sustainability reporting practices (SRP) of selected 80 firms from 8 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

To measure the corporate board, the authors use both board variables and audit committee variables. Also, the authors adapted the sustainability score model as used by previous authors in the field of sustainability disclosure to measure SRPs. The analysis was done using both ordered logistic regression and probit regression models.

The results show that the combination of board corporate and assurance has a positive and significant impact on the sustainability reporting practice of selected firms in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study places emphasis on the need for strong collaboration between the corporate board and external assurance in evaluating and enhancing the quality of sustainability disclosure.

The study bridged the gap in the literature in the area of corporate board, assurance and SRP of corporate firms which has received little attention within sub-Saharan Africa.

This study aims to evaluate in situ oxidative polymerization of aniline (Ani) as a post-processing method to promote extrusion-based 3D printed parts, made from insulating polymers, to components with functional properties, including electrical conductivity and chemical sensitivity.

Extrusion-based 3D printed parts of polyethylene terephthalate modified with glycol (PETG) and polypropylene (PP) were coated in an aqueous acid solution via in situ oxidative polymerization of Ani. First, the feedstocks were characterized. Densely printed samples were then used to assess the adhesion of polyaniline (PAni) and electrical conductivity on printed parts. The best feedstock candidate for PAni coating was selected for further analysis. Last, a Taguchi methodology was used to evaluate the influence of printing parameters on the coating of porous samples. Analysis of variance and Tukey post hoc test were used to identify the best levels for each parameter.

Colorimetry measurements showed significant color shifts in PP samples and no shifts in PETG samples upon pullout testing. The incorporation of PAni content and electrical conductivity were, respectively, 41% and 571% higher for PETG in comparison to PP. Upon coating, the surface energy of both materials decreased. Additionally, the dynamic mechanical analysis test showed minimal influence of PAni over the dynamic mechanical properties of PETG. The parametric study indicated that only layer thickness and infill pattern had a significant influence on PAni incorporation and electrical conductivity of coated porous samples.

Current literature reports difficulties in incorporating PAni without affecting dimensional precision and feedstock stability. In situ, oxidative polymerization of Ani could overcome these limitations. However, its use as a functional post-processing of extrusion-based printed parts is a novelty.

The current research conducts a comprehensive review on FishBAC (fishbone active camber morphing wing surfaces) for researchers and scientists and sheds light on challenges and opportunities of FishBAC development.

This is a review article and this study reviews previous research on FishBAC.

The current FishBAC applications could be upgraded into more efficient designs in materials, design and mechanisms with more perspectives involved. Then, this promising branch of morphing surface design could be integrated with rotor blades, unmanned aerial vehicle wings, general aviation aircraft surfaces and so on.

This is a review article.

The contributions of the study are summarized as follows: to provide an overview of FishBAC research; to compare various approaches and trends in FishBAC designs; to address the research gap in the roadmap for FishBAC design; and to discuss the challenges and opportunities of FishBAC development.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review on a promising morphing method and an alternative for conventional flaps and ailerons.

Previous literature has identified human resources as a key source of competitive advantage in organizations of all sizes. However, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) face difficulty in comprehensively implementing all recommended Human Resource Management (HRM) functions. In this study, we shed light on the field of HRM in SMEs by focusing on the context of Greek Small and Medium-sized Hotels (SMHs), which represent a dominant private sector employer across the country.

Using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and 34 in-depth interviews with SMHs' owners/managers, we explore the HRM conditions leading to high levels of performance, while taking into consideration the influence of internal key determinants.

We uncover three alternative successful HRM strategies that maximize business performance, namely the Compensation-based performers, the HRM developers and the HRM investors. Each strategy fits discreet organizational characteristics related to company size, ownership type and organizational structure.

To the best of the authors' knowledge this is among the first empirical studies that examine different and equifinal performance-enhancing configurations of HRM practices in SMHs.

The study aims to build upon the Resource-based view of the firm (RBV) and Dynamic Capability Theory (DCT) to perform a meta-analysis on the eco-innovation/SMEs’ sustainable performance relationship.

Employing a psychometric meta-analytic approach with a random-effects model, the study examines a sample of 134,841 SMEs covering 99 studies and 233 study effects. Subgroup and meta-regression analysis were used to test the study`s hypotheses in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) statistical software.

Results unveil that the average impact of eco-innovation on SMEs` sustainable performance is positively significant but moderate. Moreover, it was found that eco-process, eco-product, eco-organizational, and eco-marketing innovations positively influence SMEs’ sustainable performance, but the impact of eco-organizational innovation is the strongest. Findings further reveal that eco-innovation positively influences economic, social, and environmental performance, but its effect on social performance is the largest. Moreover, our findings reveal that contextual factors, including industry type, culture, industry intensity, global sustainable competitive index, and human development index, moderate the eco-innovation/SMEs’ sustainable performance relationship. Lastly, methodological factors, namely sampling technique, study type, and publication status, account for study-study variance.

Our findings imply that investing in eco-innovation is worthwhile for SMEs. Therefore, CEOs/managers of SMEs must adopt eco-innovation initiatives by establishing a sustainability vision, developing employee environmental development and training, building a stakeholder management system, and promoting employee engagement in sustainability activities.

The study develops a holistic conceptual framework to consolidate the distinct types of eco-innovation and their association with the sustainable performance of SMEs for the first time in this research stream, thereby resolving the anecdotal results and synthesizing the fragmented literature across culture, discipline, and contexts.

Although scholars have been studying human resource management (HRM) and open innovation (OI), yet there is less attention to this relationship in the context of small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper aims to bring some insights about the human side of inbound open innovation (INOI) in SMEs. The goal is to better understand the role of organizational trust (OT) and developmental culture (DC) in the interactions between commitment-based HRM (C-HRM) and INOI.

The present study employs partial least squares-structural equation modeling to investigate the interrelationships among constructs, utilizing data gathered from a sample of 206 SMEs.

The study's empirical results indicate that the presence of OT serves as a complementary factor in mediating the relation between C-HRM and INOI. Furthermore, the analysis shows that there exists a moderating influence of DC in the relationship between C-HRM and INOI.

The role of HRM practices is important in developing OT and consequently foster INOI in SMEs. To achieve INOI, SMEs need a DC that induces C-HRM toward an OI approach.

This study adds to the understanding of the interactions between C-HRM practices and INOI in SMEs. The comprehension of the mediating function of OT and the moderating effect of DC serve to enhance the scholarly understanding of the human dimension of OI research.

This paper aims to examine the effects of the 2014 European regulatory reform on auditors’ activity, the audit outcome and the audit market, with a focus on the Spanish market.

The research is based on in-depth, semistructured interviews with partners of the main audit firms operating in the Spanish market. This qualitative approach provides a precise identification of the cause-effect relationships of the new measures introduced by the European audit regulation.

The findings indicate that, based on auditors’ opinions, the costs of the main regulatory changes outweigh the benefits. The European Union (EU) Audit Regulation imposes more demanding provisions, such as an extended auditor’s report, mandatory audit firm rotation, more banned nonaudit services and stricter quality controls, resulting in substantial side effects on audit activity and the audit market. This could undermine the objective of enhancing the quality of audit services.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the effect of the 2014 EU regulatory reform on audit activity, audit market and audit outcome based on auditors’ perceptions. The findings may be of interest to academics, professionals and regulators alike, as they offer valuable insights for assessing the effectiveness of the new audit provisions. Additionally, the qualitative methodology used facilitates a causal analysis of the key elements introduced by the regulations, potentially paving the way for future research avenues.

Due to the nonrenewable nature of most geoheritage sites, restoration and reconstruction can be extremely difficult or even impossible. The purpose of this study is to create a model for the management of geoheritage conservation and vulnerability.

To develop the initial research model, two steps were taken. First, a systematic review of previous literature was conducted. Second, experts were asked to provide their input through semistructured and structured questionnaires. The statistical population of the research included experts and researchers in geoheritage. To analyze the data, the methods of meta-synthesis, thematic analysis and contextual analysis panels were used.

Based on research findings, a model for the management of geoheritage conservation and vulnerability has been developed. This model focuses on two key variables vulnerability and intervention, and it is based on three approaches: value-led conservation, preventive conservation and value-led management. The vulnerability variable has two dimensions: antecedents and drivers, while the intervention variable includes a management process with six dimensions: transparency, inclusion, institutionalization, communication, implementation and efficiency.

The management model for geoheritage conservation and vulnerability suggests that if the level of vulnerability of geological values can be controlled or reduced through management interventions, it is possible to achieve geoheritage conservation in three levels: physical, functional and visual.

由于大多数地质遗迹具有不可再生性, 修复和重建可能极其困难甚至不可能。当前的研究旨在创建地质遗迹保护和脆弱性的管理模型。

为了开发初始研究模型, 采取了两个步骤。首先, 对以前的文献进行了系统回顾。其次, 要求专家通过半结构化和结构化问卷提供意见。研究的统计人群包括地质遗迹专家和研究人员。为了分析数据, 使用了综合综合、主题分析和背景分析小组的方法。

根据研究结果, 开发了地质遗迹保护和脆弱性的管理模型。该模型侧重于两个关键变量：脆弱性和干预, 并基于三种方法：价值主导的保护、预防性保护和价值主导的管理。脆弱性变量有两个维度：前因和驱动因素, 而干预变量包括一个管理过程, 该过程有六个维度：透明度、包容性、制度化、沟通、实施和效率。

地质遗产保护和脆弱性的管理模型表明, 如果可以通过管理干预来控制或降低地质价值的脆弱性水平, 那么就有可能在物理、功能和视觉三个层面实现地质遗产保护。

Debido a la naturaleza no renovable de la mayoría de los sitios del geopatrimonio, la restauración y reconstrucción pueden ser extremadamente difíciles o incluso imposibles. La presente investigación se llevó a cabo para crear un modelo de gestión de la conservación y la vulnerabilidad del geopatrimonio.

Para desarrollar el modelo de investigación inicial, se siguieron dos pasos. En primer lugar, se realizó una revisión sistemática de la bibliografía anterior. En segundo lugar, se solicitó la opinión de expertos mediante cuestionarios semiestructurados y estructurados. La población estadística de la investigación incluía expertos e investigadores en geopatrimonio. Para analizar los datos se utilizaron los métodos de metasíntesis, análisis temático y panel de análisis contextual.

A partir de los resultados de la investigación, se ha desarrollado un modelo para la gestión de la conservación y la vulnerabilidad del geopatrimonio. Este modelo se centra en dos variables clave: la vulnerabilidad y la intervención, y se basa en tres enfoques: la conservación basada en el valor, la conservación preventiva y la gestión basada en el valor. La variable de vulnerabilidad tiene dos dimensiones: antecedentes e impulsores, mientras que la variable de intervención incluye un proceso de gestión con seis dimensiones: transparencia, inclusión, institucionalización, comunicación, aplicación y eficacia.

El modelo de gestión de la conservación y la vulnerabilidad del geopatrimonio sugiere que si el nivel de vulnerabilidad de los valores geológicos puede controlarse o reducirse mediante intervenciones de gestión, es posible lograr la conservación del geopatrimonio en tres niveles: físico, funcional y visual.