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1 – 10 of 10Antonio Davola and Gianclaudio Malgieri
The attempt to establish a common European framework for core platforms' duties and responsibilities toward other actors in the digital environment is at the core of the recent…
Abstract
The attempt to establish a common European framework for core platforms' duties and responsibilities toward other actors in the digital environment is at the core of the recent scholarly debate surrounding the Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposal. In particular, the everlasting juxtaposition between the “data power” – as emerging from recent cases (Section 2) – that dominant tech companies enjoy and the concept of consumer sovereignty (Section 3) lies at the core of the proposal's attempt to identify digital core platforms as market gatekeepers. Accordingly, this chapter critically investigates the divide between power imbalance and consumer sovereignty in light of the architecture designed by the DMA, with a specific focus on its effectiveness in identifying gatekeepers' power drivers (Section 4). After highlighting the main critical aspects of the pertinent rules, opportunities for fruitful developments are then identified through the reframing of some of the notions considered in the proposal, and namely the role of “lock-in” effects and “data accumulation” (Section 5). Lastly, this chapter suggests that the DMA advancements – while desirable – are bound to be fragmentary in the absence of a wider appraisal of the nature of data power imbalance dynamics in the modern digital markets (Section 6).
Shubhomoy Banerjee and Abhijit Ghosh
The purpose of this study is to study the impact of relationship marketing orientation (RMO) and relationship quality on customers' commitment and pro-marketer behavior (positive…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to study the impact of relationship marketing orientation (RMO) and relationship quality on customers' commitment and pro-marketer behavior (positive word of mouth and external attribution) after negative brand publicity by using the combined lens of relationship marketing theory and the theory of cognitive dissonance.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted among banking customers in India using an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and the bootstrapping procedure using the SPSS process macro.
Findings
Contrary to conventional wisdom, findings of this study suggest that RMO and relationship quality are positively correlated to commitment even after negative publicity. The path between RMO, relationship quality and pro-provider behavior is found to be mediated by commitment. This indirect path is moderated by customers' cognitive dissonance arising out of the negative publicity.
Originality/value
The study establishes the combined roles of RMO and relationship quality in pre-empting the detrimental effects of negative brand publicity. Further, it establishes interactions of cognitive dissonance with these relationship variables, thereby bringing together literature from relationship marketing theory and cognitive dissonance theory.
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Bob Heere, Daniel Lock and Danielle Cooper
The purpose of this article is to propose an overall framework for brand community formation that separates antecedents that lead to the formation of a brand community from those…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to propose an overall framework for brand community formation that separates antecedents that lead to the formation of a brand community from those outcomes that are associated with established communities.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors approached this review through an interdisciplinary literature review that delineated psychological, structural and behavioral processes that underline the formation of the brand community, often illustrated by contemporary cases in the sport industry.
Findings
The findings outline 18 different constructs, categorized in three overarching dimensions, separating structural, behavioral and psychological constructs. The authors posit these 18 constructs are at the heart of brand community formation. These constructs provide managers with a guide to inform their efforts to form a new brand community.
Originality/value
It is emphasized that brand community formation is a complex process that is paradoxical in nature and requires organizations to balance a non-interventionist approach that would allow for consumer empowerment, with a pro-active approach that creates conditions for a successful brand community formation process.
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Owais Khan and Andreas Hinterhuber
The role of procurement managers is crucial for diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. Whether or not they are willing to pay for sustainability is an important and…
Abstract
Purpose
The role of procurement managers is crucial for diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. Whether or not they are willing to pay for sustainability is an important and not yet fully understood question. The authors examine antecedents and consequences of their willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a multi-level framework to examine the WTP for sustainability in a B2B context. The authors test this multi-level framework with 372 procurement managers from multiple sectors and countries using partial least squares structural equation modeling.
Findings
The authors find that individual values of procurement managers and institutional pressures directly, while ethical organizational culture indirectly influence WTP for sustainability. Functional and cognitive competencies of procurement managers improve the sustainability of procurement, but not WTP for sustainability. Importantly, WTP for sustainability directly influences the performance of the procurement function which in turn is positively associated with increased organizational performance.
Originality/value
The study, examining the interplay between individual, organizational and contextual factors, provides empirical evidence on the pivotal role of procurement managers in diffusing sustainability throughout the supply chain. The findings of the study, on the one hand, contribute to the literature on operations management and sustainability, and on the other hand, guide policy and managerial actions.
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Hande Argunsah and Begum Yalcin
Biofeedback is used for regulating vestibular adaptation and balance by providing real-time stimulus to the individual during physical activities. This study aimed at (1…
Abstract
Purpose
Biofeedback is used for regulating vestibular adaptation and balance by providing real-time stimulus to the individual during physical activities. This study aimed at (1) developing a wearable device, which tracks balance, counts the number and the direction of balance losses and provides haptic biofeedback through real-time vibration stimulus (2) investigating device efficacy on an adolescent medulloblastoma patient during static and dynamic tasks.
Design/methodology/approach
A 16-year-old medulloblastoma patient used the device during 10-m walking and single-leg stance tests. The knee joint kinematics and the number and direction of balance losses were recorded for “with” and “without” biofeedback conditions.
Findings
The device helped regulate the knee joint kinematics and reduce the number of balance losses of the medulloblastoma patient. The knee joint movement pattern similarity of the control subject was highly correlated (R2 = 0.997, RMSE = 1.232). Conversely, medulloblastoma patient knee joint movement pattern similarity was relatively weak (R2 = 0.359, RMSE = 18.6) when “with” and “without” biofeedback conditions were compared. The number of balance losses decreased when the medulloblastoma patient was guided with biofeedback.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of this pilot study is the lack of a large and homogeneous number of participants. The medulloblastoma patient used the device while walking after she was given enough time to get used to the tactile biological feedback, so the long-term effect of the device and biofeedback guidance were not investigated. Additionally, the potential desensitization with prolonged use of the device was not evaluated.
Practical implications
Biofeedback reduced the number of balance losses; additionally, the knee joint movement pattern was regulated during static and dynamic tasks. This device can be integrated into the physical therapy of patients with balance, vestibular and postural control impairments.
Social implications
This is compact and has an easy-to-wear design, patients, who have balance and postural control impairments, can practically use the device during their activities of daily living.
Originality/value
The device promotes physical activity adaptation and regulates gait through continuous and real-time balance control. Its design makes it simple for the user to wear it beneath clothing while using the sensor.
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Hamid Moradlou, Samuel Roscoe, Hendrik Reefke and Rob Handfield
This paper aims to seek answers to the question: What are the relevant factors that allow not-for-profit innovation networks to successfully transition new technologies from…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to seek answers to the question: What are the relevant factors that allow not-for-profit innovation networks to successfully transition new technologies from proof-of-concept to commercialisation?
Design/methodology/approach
This question is examined using the knowledge-based view and network orchestration theory. Data are collected from 35 interviews with managers and engineers working within seven centres that comprise the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HVMC). These centres constitute a not-for-profit innovation network where suppliers, customers and competitors collaborate to help transition new technologies across the “Valley of Death” (the gap between establishing a proof of concept and commercialisation).
Findings
Network orchestration theory suggests that a hub firm facilitates the exchange of knowledge amongst network members (knowledge mobility), to enable these members to profit from innovation (innovation appropriability). The hub firm ensures positive network growth, and also allows for the entry and exit of network members (network stability). This study of not-for-profit innovation networks suggests the role of a network orchestrator is to help ensure that intellectual property becomes a public resource that enhances the productivity of the domestic economy. The authors observed how network stability was achieved by the HVMC's seven centres employing a loosely-coupled hybrid network configuration. This configuration however ensured that new technology development teams, comprised of suppliers, customers and competitors, remained tightly-coupled to enable co-development of innovative technologies. Matching internal technical and sectoral expertise with complementary experience from network members allowed knowledge to flow across organisational boundaries and throughout the network. Matrix organisational structures and distributed decision-making authority created opportunities for knowledge integration to occur. Actively moving individuals and teams between centres also helped to diffuse knowledge to network members, while regular meetings between senior management ensured network coordination and removed resource redundancies.
Originality/value
The study contributes to knowledge-based theory by moving beyond existing understanding of knowledge integration in firms, and identified how knowledge is exchanged and aggregated within not-for-profit innovation networks. The findings contribute to network orchestration theory by challenging the notion that network orchestrators should enact and enforce appropriability regimes (patents, licences, copyrights) to allow members to profit from innovations. Instead, the authors find that not-for-profit innovation networks can overcome the frictions that appropriability regimes often create when exchanging knowledge during new technology development. This is achieved by pre-defining the terms of network membership/partnership and setting out clear pathways for innovation scaling, which embodies newly generated intellectual property as a public resource. The findings inform a framework that is useful for policy makers, academics and managers interested in using not-for-profit networks to transition new technologies across the Valley of Death.
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This study aims to evaluate the suspicious transaction reporting (STR) as a financial intelligence tool to identify the potential strengths and limitations of STR and to come up…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the suspicious transaction reporting (STR) as a financial intelligence tool to identify the potential strengths and limitations of STR and to come up with the criteria, which will make this tool an effective one in early detection of terrorist financing activities.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the research aim, this research uses the funnelling method for identifying effectiveness criteria. Funnelling is a method of literature review that helps find pertinent literature by refining the search through filtering the available research (Ridley, 2008). Using this method, the researcher first applied the criteria of actionable intelligence to filter the financial intelligence tools to select the most promising and important tool (suspicious transaction reporting) for early detection of terrorist financing activities. The funnelling method was also applied to derive the effectiveness criteria from the operational features, and corresponding limitations, of the suspicious transaction reporting system. The funnelling method was also used to identify those operational features and limitations of suspicious transaction reporting that have the most direct relevance to the early detection problem of suspicious transaction reporting.
Findings
There are some operational features of STR that give rise to certain limitations that undermine its effectiveness in terms of early detection of terrorist financing activities. The limitations of STR necessitate a search for criteria that will make STR effective in early detection of terrorist financing activities. Based on the operational features and their corresponding limitations, effectiveness criteria for STR have been derived in this study. It is shown how these effectiveness criteria can remove the limitations of STR.
Research limitations/implications
The list of operational features and the corresponding limitations based on which the effectiveness criteria have been derived may not be exhaustive. There may have other operational features, and corresponding limitations that also make STR largely ineffective in the early detection of terrorist financing activities, and for which more effectiveness criteria should also be derived.
Practical implications
The limitations and the effectiveness criteria will pave the way for redesigning STR in such a way that will make it highly useful for detecting financing activities relating to imminent terrorist attacks.
Social implications
The society will experience fewer terrorist attacks that will make the society peaceful, happy and vibrant.
Originality/value
In this study, the effectiveness criteria of STR for early detection of terrorist financing activities have been derived in an innovative way by deducing them from the operational features of STR and the corresponding limitations.
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Balan Sundarakani, Haile-Selassie Rajamani and Anas Madmoune
The UAE has set an ambitious target to become one of the most sustainable countries in the world. In addition, the country's infrastructure is playing a pivotal role in terms of…
Abstract
Purpose
The UAE has set an ambitious target to become one of the most sustainable countries in the world. In addition, the country's infrastructure is playing a pivotal role in terms of electric vehicle (EV) usability with regard to its roads, power generation capacity, availability of charging stations and the drive towards customer adoption. The readiness for EVs in the UAE is assessed in this study as part of its development towards its sustainable target. This research aims to study EV readiness among the UAE car users from a sustainability perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed methodology follows with a comprehensive literature review to identify the various drivers of EV readiness and their contribution to sustainability. A list of hypotheses was developed based on the identified drivers to EV readiness. A questionnaire survey was designed to validate the hypothesis, and data were collected from consumers in the UAE. In total, 140 complete responses were received across different consumers and the results were studied using partial least square based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method.
Findings
An initial framework for EV readiness was developed, and analyses of the variables that are driving the relationships was done. The analysis confirmed that quality of service, power quality and infrastructure are positively linked to EV readiness in the UAE. However, the role of blockchain as a moderator to enhance the relationship between power quality, infrastructure and sustainability is not significant, indicating blockchain adoption in the UAE is still nascent in nature. However, its adoption has some potential to save energy.
Research limitations/implications
The research is limited to the UAE region in terms of sample collection and respondents' profile. Further, research on EV readiness seemed to be early at present and therefore this research on EV readiness and its associated variables could set future research directions.
Originality/value
Logistics industry and automotive industries will benefit from the outcomes of the study especially while operating in the UAE. Also, the research recommends EV makers to understand the relationship between quality of service, power quality, infrastructure, EV readiness and sustainability in order to move towards a more sustainable transportation future.
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B.S. Patil and M.R. Suji Raga Priya
The purpose of this study is to target utilizing Human resources (HRs) data analytics that may enhance strategic business, but little study has examined how it affects components…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to target utilizing Human resources (HRs) data analytics that may enhance strategic business, but little study has examined how it affects components. Data analytics, HRM and strategic business require empirical investigations and how to over come HR data analytics implementation issues.
Design/methodology/approach
A semi-systematic methodology for its evaluation allows for a more complete examination of the literature that emerges theoretical framework and a structured survey questionnaire for quantitative data collection from IT sector personnel. SPSS analyses data.
Findings
Future research is essential for organisations to exploit HR data analytics’ performance-enhancing potential. Data analytics should complement human judgment, not replace it. This paper details these transitions, the important contributions to theory and practice and future research.
Research limitations/implications
Data analytics has grown rapidly and might make HRM practices faster, more efficient and data-driven. HR data analytics may improve strategic business. HR data analytics on employee retention, engagement and organisational success is insufficient. HR data analytics may boost performance, but there is limited proof. The authors do not know how HRM data analytics influences firms and employees.
Originality/value
Data analytics offers HRM new opportunities, along with technical and ethical challenges. This study makes a significant contribution to HR data analytics, evidence-based practice and strategic business literature. In addition to estimating turnover risk, identifying engagement factors and planning interventions to increase retention and engagement, HR data analytics can also estimate the risk of employee attrition.
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