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1 – 10 of over 2000Annelot Wismans, Peter van der Zwan and Roy Thurik
Lockdowns and the forced closure of certain industries during the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted workers, particularly entrepreneurs, who were financially and emotionally…
Abstract
Purpose
Lockdowns and the forced closure of certain industries during the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted workers, particularly entrepreneurs, who were financially and emotionally involved in their businesses. Two studies have shown that entrepreneurs have a lower willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 than employees. In this study, the authors try to replicate the vaccination gap between the two groups. Second, the authors study whether the difference persists when controlling for demographics, vaccination attitudes and the COVID-19 context, including the financial impact of the pandemic, its effect on the wellbeing of workers, and government attitudes. Third, the authors study whether there are differences in how the context of the pandemic relates to vaccination willingness for entrepreneurs and employees.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conduct regression analyses using three large datasets. The authors study vaccination status (February 2022) in a 27-country Eurobarometer sample, vaccination intention (December 2020) in a Dutch sample from the LISS panel and vaccination status (July 2021) in a sample from the Understanding America Study (UAS).
Findings
All datasets confirm that entrepreneurs have lower vaccination intention and coverage than employees. Even when controlling for the variables described in the LISS and UAS datasets, this negative difference remains. The study results also indicate that demographics, especially vaccination attitudes, are much more important than contextual influences in the decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Originality/value
The authors are the first to dive further into the vaccination differences between entrepreneurs and employees. They advise further research into the drivers of this gap, specifically relating to the role of personality and social normative influences.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence and integration of red tape and how its negative effects on public sector organizations' performance have weakened the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the emergence and integration of red tape and how its negative effects on public sector organizations' performance have weakened the economies of developing countries such as Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire survey was completed by 121 respondents working in 35 government departments in Punjab, a province of Pakistan.
Findings
The findings revealed a link between red-tapism and employees' motivation and work. When there is excessiveness of rules and regulations, employees are prevented from completing assigned tasks, ultimately resulting in decreased work commitment. This indicates that the integration of red tape into public organizations not only affects employees' behavior and attitudes but also impacts the overall performance of public sector organizations.
Originality/value
This paper provides recommendations for the Pakistani government. For example, conducting training and motivational workshops for public sector employees can help them stay engaged with their work. Government departments should also review the steps and procedures involved so as to eliminate unnecessary steps and reduce red-tapism.
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Meri Pulkkinen, Lotta-Maria Sinervo and Kaisa Kurkela
In this paper, the authors focus on participatory budgeting (PB) as an organizational issue in local government. The aim of this study is to analyze the premises of PB becoming…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the authors focus on participatory budgeting (PB) as an organizational issue in local government. The aim of this study is to analyze the premises of PB becoming institutionalized in local governance by scrutinizing the factors that enable or disable PB as a collaborative innovation process, and that in turn build innovative capacity. The authors study how the collaborative innovation process constructs the innovation capacity of local government and further how this enables PB to institutionalize in local government. With this study, the authors deepen the understanding of PB as a collaborative innovation process that may encounter obstacles and hindrances, but also enablers and drivers for creating and transforming sustainable collaborative practices in local government.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the authors present a case study from one Finnish local government, the city of Lahti. The authors employ multifaced empirical data collected from the city of Lahti in two PB rounds between 2019 and 2022. Data include surveys for citizens and employees and municipal councilors and altogether 24 interviews with employees and councilors. The authors also gathered data by observing the PB process in Lahti, taking parts in workshops and meetings between 2019 and 2022. Municipal documents were likewise used as data in this study.
Findings
The institutionalization of PB in a local government organization requires organizational innovation capacity, not only individuals who are keen, motived and committed to work on PB. However, the Lahti case shows that successful PB results from the citizens' viewpoint can on one hand be reached while simultaneously the sustainability of PB needs more organizational commitment and support that materializes into managerial activities. The authors found that adequate resourcing is a key question in the institutionalization of PB.
Originality/value
In the present study, the authors approach the often-neglected topic of PB from the professional viewpoint in public administration. The originality of the empirical setting is the multifaced data collection during the first two rounds of PB in Lahti. It is highly relevant to analyze PB in its early stages as the organizational difficulties and resistance are at the time at their highest. This study offers a unique perspective on to the initialization of a novel participatory method in a city where no such efforts on this scale have been implemented before.
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Pakorn Opasvitayarux, Siri-on Setamanit, Nuttapol Assarut and Krisana Visamitanan
The introduction of quality management Internet of things (QM IoT) can help food supply chain members to enhance real-time visibility, quality, safety and efficiency of products…
Abstract
Purpose
The introduction of quality management Internet of things (QM IoT) can help food supply chain members to enhance real-time visibility, quality, safety and efficiency of products and processes. Current literature indicates three main research gaps, including a lack of studies in QM IoT in the food supply chain, the vagueness of integrative adoption of new technology framework and deficient research covering both adoption attitude and intention in the same model. This study aims to propose an analysis model based on the technological–organizational–environmental (TOE) framework and reinforced by the collaborative structure to capture the importance of the supply chain network.
Design/methodology/approach
The partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to test the impacts of the adoption factors on QM IoT adoption attitude and intention among 197 respondents in food manufacturing in Thailand.
Findings
The results indicated that compatibility, trialability, adaptive capacity, innovative capability, executive support, value chain partner pressure, presence of service provider and information sharing significantly impacted the attitude toward QM IoT adoption, while adaptive capability, innovative capability and information sharing directly influenced the QM IoT adoption intention. Furthermore, the attitude toward QM IoT adoption positively impacted the QM IoT adoption intention.
Practical implications
This study contributed to academicians by proposing a more solid adoption framework for QM IoT area. In addition, the business practitioners could actively prepare themselves for the QM IoT adoption, whereas the service providers could provide better and suitable service.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the building of a more solid framework and indicates significant factors that impact the attitude toward QM IoT adoption and adoption intention.
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Tobias Johansson-Berg and Gabriella Wennblom
The authors study how enabling perceptions (flexibility, reparability and internal and global transparency) of a budgetary control system are formed, and whether enabling…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors study how enabling perceptions (flexibility, reparability and internal and global transparency) of a budgetary control system are formed, and whether enabling perceptions empower lower-level managers and make them form less negative attitudes about red tape in the organization. This study research is warranted because of the lack of knowledge on how perceptual variation in flexibility, repairability and transparency of a control system within an organization, where managers experiencing the same control system design, can be explained.
Design/methodology/approach
Survey data with answers from 211 managers from a large local government organization in Sweden is analyzed with structural equation modeling.
Findings
The extent to which the budget system is perceived as having enabling qualities (being flexible, reparable and transparent) is explained by the safeness of the individual manager's psychological climate. This climate is characterized by trust and fairness perceptions in upper management. In turn, enabling perceptions positively affect a sense of psychological empowerment and reduces attitudes toward red tape in the organization.
Originality/value
The authors contribute by identifying an important factor explaining individual-level variability in enabling perceptions of control systems within organizations. Compared to previous research that has taken an interest in the organizational-level climate, the authors theorize about and investigate (parts of) the individual-level psychological climate as an explanation of within-system variability.
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Proactive firms recognize that environmental and social issues are sources of competitive advantages, but whatever the motivation, organizations face challenges when implementing…
Abstract
Proactive firms recognize that environmental and social issues are sources of competitive advantages, but whatever the motivation, organizations face challenges when implementing sustainable practices. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), sustainable practices have stemmed from multinational corporations (MNC), but SMEs cannot adopt sustainable practices from the knowledge and experiences of large corporations because the two entities differ critically. This study introduces an integrated model of employee adoption of sustainable practices in SMEs. It is based on five behaviors to select practical areas to which SMEs can make internal changes to achieve sustainable practices and the benefits gained from them. The theory of planned behavior is used to extend employee adoption of sustainable practices to SMEs.
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This study aims to examine variables and factors in vocational awareness and attitudes that affect the vocational aspiration of seafaring course students who are potential future…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine variables and factors in vocational awareness and attitudes that affect the vocational aspiration of seafaring course students who are potential future seafaring employees.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted to identify factors that prompt students in seafaring courses to pursue seafaring careers, followed by a design of preliminary questionnaire questions to survey students’ perception on the conditions of seafaring careers (i.e. vocational awareness) and their intention to pursue a seafaring career (i.e., vocational aspiration). A total of 744 seafaring course students in four Taiwanese universities completed a questionnaire developed according to the previous studies. A structured equation modelling was conducted in this research including model validity, goodness of fit, model correction and mediation effects.
Findings
With a model consisting of four factors for vocational awareness, three factors for overall attitudes and vocational aspiration as a dependent variable, the results showed that factors of vocational awareness and students’ overall attitudes were significantly correlated, and the factors of overall attitudes exhibit strong mediation effects on vocational aspiration from vocational awareness. The results confirmed that the factors are important determinants for the vocational aspiration of students.
Originality/value
The findings of this study provide a comprehensive approach to understand students’ seafaring aspiration for the universities, governments and shipping companies. Seafaring policies and management are discussed from the research findings.
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Abdulla Al-Towfiq Hasan and Md Takibur Rahman
The purpose of this study is to predict family takāful purchase intentions (FTPIs) using an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) with relevant mediating and moderating…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to predict family takāful purchase intentions (FTPIs) using an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) with relevant mediating and moderating factors.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on a survey of 384 Muslim employees who work in both government and private organizations. This study used partial least square structural equation model (PLS-SEM) for hypothesis testing, predictive relevance and measuring the effect size of the model.
Findings
The study found that attitude (ATT), subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioral control (PBC), saving motives (SM), promotional campaign (PC) and religiosity (RG) directly contribute to the prediction of FTPIs. Furthermore, ATT and SM partially mediate between PC and FTPI. Moreover, RG significantly moderates the association between ATT, SN, SM and FTPI, while RG insignificantly moderates the link between PBC and FTPI.
Practical implications
This study provides insight into understanding the factors leading to an enhanced understanding of FTPI in a country where the industry is growing very fast. Further, the study suggests informative and persuasive promotions to encourage FTPI in Bangladesh and similar countries.
Originality/value
This study provides insights into previously unaddressed FTPI among Muslim employees in Bangladesh and similar countries. Prior work on determining FTPI has not focused on promotional campaigns and saving motives, and thus, this study has extended TPB to understand the phenomenon.
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Hitesh Kyal, Anirban Mandal, Fedric Kujur and Sriparna Guha
This research would like to address the issues associated with individual entrepreneurial orientation, which involves entrepreneurial leadership and entrepreneurial ability as the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research would like to address the issues associated with individual entrepreneurial orientation, which involves entrepreneurial leadership and entrepreneurial ability as the key determinants of MSME growth. It will also explore both mediating and moderating roles of employee motivation and government intervention, respectively during the pandemic situation.
Design/methodology/approach
A purposive sampling technique was applied during pilot study and during the final data collection phases. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted using varimax rotation to reduce a large number of variables into a smaller set of interpretable underlying factors. Further CFA and SEM are respectively applied to examine the psychometric properties of the scales and test the hypotheses of the research model.
Findings
The study's findings revealed a favourable association between entrepreneurial orientation, business financing, management, market practices, and MSME growth performance. The results support the notion that government policy plays a significant role as a full moderator.
Practical implications
Although the MSME sector receives government support, its implementation requires a skilled leader who can run the business profitability. The findings support this objective.
Originality/value
This paper seeks to give important insights into one of the understudied but quickly expanding MSME entrepreneurship, and how this environment influences individual entrepreneurial orientation and the formation of entrepreneurial leadership. This opens up a previously unexplored area for fresh insights and future study on enhancing entrepreneurship development research and practice for the MSME sector.
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