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This study proposes an analysis of the performance of companies that have assumed the responsibility of facilitating the digitalization of economic activities. Because of their potential to accelerate digitization, these companies have been financially supported. The monitoring of the performances recorded by these companies, including the evaluation of the impact of different determining factors, meets both the needs of the financiers (concerned with the evaluation of the efficiency of the use of nonreimbursable financing) and the needs of continuous improvement of the activities of the companies in the field.

The study assesses performance dynamics and the impact of its determinants. The model allows achieving a simplified vision of performance and its determinants, supporting decision-makers in the management process. The construction of an estimation model based on the multiple regression method was considered. Robustness tests were performed on the results, using parametric and nonparametric tests.

The results of the analysis at the level of the extended sample indicated that, during the analyzed period, the economic and commercial performances decreased, and significant influences in this respect include the financing structure, sales dynamics and volume of receivables. The analysis at the level of the restricted sample confirmed these interdependencies and provided additional evidence of the impact of other determinants.

The study contributes both to performance research and to the assessment of the prospects for accelerating digitalization in support of economic activities. Since the empirical research was carried out on a sample of Romanian companies that provide services in information technology, which accessed nonreimbursable financing, the representativeness of the results is limited to this sector. For the analyzed sample, the study provides support for improving performance.

The results of the study prove to be useful from a microeconomic and macroeconomic perspective as well, as they provide evidence on the performance of companies that have implemented information and communication technology (ICT) projects and on the efficiency of the use of non-reimbursable funding dedicated to business support.

The study fills the literature gap regarding the performance of companies that have developed ICT projects and received grant funding for the implementation of these projects. The literature review indicated that there are few studies conducted on these companies, which did not include Romanian companies.

Professional development (PD) is an essential component of continuing learning for in-service teachers. This paper discusses a school-based example of using the best practice of coaching in early childhood education supported by a professional development school partnership. We explain how a teacher identified need led to a collaborative, multistep approach to meeting that need in connection to State mandates.

In this research, we used a case study methodological approach with a team of preschool teachers at one school. The model combines use of PD sessions, classroom coaching, classroom observation and reflection.

Teachers’ feedback indicates that using the strategy positively impacted most of the participants’ ability to support communication, community-building and inclusive practices in their classrooms. The data that emerged in the following year evidenced increased use of visual supports in classrooms, use in connection with literacy goals and interest in creating new uses in the school.

This article contributes an action-oriented school-based example of bridging research to practice to support teachers’ needs through PD and coaching in a PDS. The design and practical implications may interest preschool educators, instructional coaches, administrators, professional development schools and others involved with monitoring teacher development initiatives.

This study’s main objective is to explore the ISO 9001 implementation model and identify a future research agenda. This is important because not all organizations find it easy to implement ISO 9001, and not all organizations get positive benefits after implementing it.

The paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature on ISO 9001 implementation models using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews (PRISMA) methodology to systematically review the existing literature on ISO 9001 implementation models. Relevant studies published from 2003 to early 2023 are explored to reveal the research landscape, gaps and trends.

Many ISO 9001 implementation methods have been developed for actual implementation in organizations, including models, frameworks, special variable considerations, application uses and integration. These methods were developed and applied to cover gaps regarding constraints, unbeneficial, special conditions, implementation objectives and organization types in ISO 9001 implementation. Current issues and future research on ISO 9001 implementation models were found, namely ISO 9001 implementation models specific to SMEs, ISO 9001 implementation levels, ISO 9001 implementation models that are agile to change, and affordable certification models.

Only a few researchers have systematically reviewed the literature or taken a bibliometric approach in their analyses to provide an overview of the current trends and links to ISO 9001 implementation models. The ISO 9001 standard is a general standard and can be applied by all organizations with the implementation method left to the implementer. Many implementation methods have been developed, but several implementation obstacles and disadvantages are still found. It is important to know the extent of current research and discover future research gaps regarding methods of implementing the ISO 9001 standard.

Research into older adults' use of social media remains limited. Driven by increasing digitalisation in China, the authors focus on Chinese older adults (aged 60–75)’ use of WeChat.

This study used a qualitative interpretive approach and interviewed Chinese older adults to uncover their social practices of WeChat use in everyday life.

By using social practice theory (SPT), the paper unfolds Chinese older adults' social practices of WeChat use in everyday life and reveals how they adopt and resist the drastic changes in Chinese society.

The study contributes to new understandings of SPT from technology use by emphasising the dynamic characteristics of its three elements. The authors synthesise both adoptions and resistance in SPT and highlight the importance of understanding three elements interdependently within specific contexts, which are conditioned by structure and agency.

This study aims to draw upon entrepreneurial network resource and social identity theories to advance the understanding of LGBT entrepreneurial behavior. The authors focus on what resources are acquired by LGBT entrepreneurs from LGBT-specific networks, such as entrepreneurs’ associations or chambers of commerce, and why they might engage with them.

As an initial scoping exercise, Study 1 quantitatively examined the different resources acquired via a survey of 109 LGBT entrepreneurs from the UK, mainland Europe and North America. Building on these findings, Study 2 qualitatively explored why LGBT entrepreneurs acquire resources from and engage with LGBT-specific networks via interviews with 23 LGBT entrepreneurs (with representation from the UK, Mainland Europe and North America).

Study 1 indicates that being more involved in LGBT-specific networks is associated with stronger resource acquisition, particularly those that are relational and psychological in nature. Study 2 reveals that such networks can act as psychologically safe holding environments where resources that fulfil needs for belonging and uniqueness are acquired. However, certain challenges and issues arise when trying to meet all members' needs.

The findings underscore the need for LGBT networks that are run for, and by, LGBT entrepreneurs. Such networks allow LGBT entrepreneurs to be more authentic about, and empowered by, their LGBT identity in their business such that they can develop a stronger sense of individual and collective pride in being part of an LGBT entrepreneurial community. Yet, there is a need to understand the variety of identities and needs across the LGBT community.

The authors advance our understanding of LGBT entrepreneurs by connecting knowledge on entrepreneurship with that on applied psychology. The authors develop an original contribution by focusing on how LGBT entrepreneurs use LGBT-specific networks to meet important psychological and relational needs, thus speaking to the importance of developing an LGBT entrepreneurial community that enables LGBT entrepreneurs to express their LGBT and entrepreneurial identities.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many employees to work from home, resulting in new demands that might cause older workers to reevaluate their retirement decisions. Building on the extended Job Demands-Resources model, which explains work-related outcomes in times of crisis, this study investigated the change in older workers’ intention to continue working during COVID-19 and the role of ICT-related strain and social support during teleworking.

A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted among 1,406 older workers (i.e. 50 years or older). Data were collected before the COVID-19 pandemic (2019: T1) and during the pandemic (2021: T2). In total, 967 older workers completed the survey at both waves.

Older workers’ nearing retirement experienced a decline in intentions to continue working during the pandemic, while intentions of older workers further away from their retirement increased. At T2, the negative relationship between telework intensity and the intention to continue working was mediated by ICT-related strain. Perceived social support at work seems to buffer the negative impact of telework intensity on ICT-related strain.

This study provides valuable insights into factors that may stimulate older workers' workforce participation by investigating effects of ICT-related strain and social support during telework. Organizations can implement interventions that enhance job resources and reduce job demands during telework to help mitigate ICT-related strain and postpone retirement.

This study aims to examine the role of key network actors in relation to the discourse structure of a microblogging hashtag stream within a global agricultural educators’ conference over two years. Prior work in online networks suggests that participation is dominated by highly active members, and in this study, the authors focus on examining what types of discourse are shared and reshared by key actors.

The authors used a combination of social network analyses and qualitative discourse coding to examine approximately 1,390 posts associated with the conference hashtag over two consecutive years.

The study analyses uncovered a set of common key participants over both years and common types of discourse used by those key participants. Key participants took on roles of resharing messages and contributed to discourse by retweeting posts that highlighted participants’ thoughts and feelings related to the conference and the discipline.

This research has implications for encouraging diverse participants and diverse discourses related to key community goals. Design suggestions include identifying and inviting key actors as collaborators to reshare discourse that clearly aligns with community goals and using smaller hashtag spaces to encourage broader participation.

Prior work on microblogging has highlighted either the types of discourse and information sharing or the structures of the network interactions within conference hashtag streams. This study builds on this prior work and combines discourse and structure to understand the ways in which key network figures reshare discourse within the community, a facet that has been underreported in the literature.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the role of organizational culture in creating a supportive environment for business model innovation (BMI) by focusing on the mediating role of strategic flexibility and the moderating effect of technological capability.

To achieve this objective an empirical survey was conducted among 379 participant firms in Greece. CFA and finally hierarchical regression analysis were performed to validate the data and examine the hypothesized relationships.

The results show that strategic flexibility mediates the relationship between organizational culture and BMI. The effect of organizational culture on strategic flexibility is stronger for firms with increased technological capability.

Data were collected at only one point in time from one country, Greece. This might pose limitations on the generalizability of our results. Furthermore, we did not explore many internal or external mediating or moderating factors in the relationship between organizational culture and BMI.

Managers should consider incorporating a suitable organizational culture into their strategies to enable them improve their strategic flexibility, which further promotes BMI.

The current state of knowledge of both theory and practice for critical organizational factors such as organizational culture, strategic flexibility, BMI and technological capability will be extended.

Consumers often prefer sustainable goods and services but fail to follow through with purchases that reflect these espoused values. The green intention–outcome gap is studied in many contexts but has yet to inform deathcare decisions. Industry reports suggest that most Americans prefer sustainable deathcare options, yet unsustainable corpse dispositions dominate the market. The purpose of this paper is to understand how history informs this phenonea.

This study looks to the past – using historical narrative analysis of deathcare trends and influential intermediaries – to understand the future of sustainable deathcare and the prospective role that marketers can play in bridging the gap between decedents’ preferences and survivors’ purchase outcomes.

Historical ritualization, medicalization and commercialization have resulted in the monopolization of traditional deathcare services. Mortuary professionals remain unresponsive to consumer preferences for sustainable alternatives.

Socioeconomic shocks can allow humanity to reflect and transition from consumerism to sustainability. COVID-19 has led to greater awareness of self-mortality, and death has become less taboo. The slow market penetration of sustainable deathcare services suggests a lack of communication between a decedent and their survivors. Marketing scholars need to help marketing practitioners bridge the preference-outcome gap.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is amongst the first to examine how history informs the sustainable action–outcome gap for deathcare preferences in a post-COVID environment and the role that marketers can play in perpetuating change.

This paper aims to identify and prioritize the needs of coworking members. The authors focus on maintaining the existing members rather than attracting new ones.

The authors use two phases and multiple methods. The first phase focuses on a qualitative approach using observations and interviews to uncover and formulate the members’ needs. The second phase focuses on prioritizing the needs using a quantitative approach.

The authors discovered 19 member needs from the coworking spaces. Based on an online survey, the authors classified those needs into three main Kano model’s categories.

The resulting member needs and their strategic priorities provide a useful basis for coworking providers to direct their improvement efforts towards achieving greater member satisfaction.