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This study identifies barriers faced by online e-waste collection platforms in India and proposes a novel approach to manage strategies that contribute towards making such online platforms economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable by mitigating their interacting barriers.

The approach consists of a barrier assessment process and a strategy evaluation and planning process. The barrier assessment process uses multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) based method to evaluate the interactive effects of the barriers to derive their direct and indirect impacts on sustainability. The strategy evaluation and planning process evaluates the overall contribution value of strategies for mitigating interacting barriers and then categorizes them into planning zones based on their contribution and feasibility.

The interaction among the barriers is a significant component of the overall impact of the barriers on sustainability. The most impactful barriers are the lack of dissemination of information, lack of government support, insufficient infrastructure, and awareness and attitude of consumers. Lack of government support is the most influential causal barrier. Lack of information dissemination is a significant causal barrier with the highest overall impact on sustainability. Priority strategies that must be implemented to ensure sustainability include government support, offering higher prices or discounts for giving up e-waste, and increasing information dissemination.

Different from existing approaches for evaluating sustainability strategies, the strategies in this study are identified and evaluated based on their overall contribution towards mitigating interacting barriers to sustainability. The approach is applied in the Indian context to reveal the most influential barriers to the sustainability of online e-waste collection platforms and the most effective strategies for mitigating these barriers. The outcomes of this study contribute to strategy planning for sustainable online e-waste collection platforms in India.

Following the advancement of financial technology (FinTech) in modern society to assist investment decisions, robo-advisers had become widely used in mean-variance analyses to allow investors to formulate efficiently diversified investment portfolios. However, the concept of robo-advisers is new, and few studies have addressed issues related to them. To help readers to better understand robo-advisor adoption by a wide range of potential customers, this study explores integrated models of the attitudes (ATT) and behavioural intentions (BI) of users towards robo-advisors.

A survey was used to gather data to determine how the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) applies to robo-advisors. A total of 242 valid questionnaires were collected.

The results of our study show that performance expectations (PE), effort expectancy (EE), and social influences (SI) may have indirect influences on robo-advisor behavioural intention (BI) through attitudes. Furthermore, behavioural intention was also positively influenced by facilitating conditions (FC). Moreover, the investment to income ratio (IIR) moderated the relationship between the PE, EE, and SI influence on ATT. Additionally, experience is found to positively strengthen the relationship between EE and SI on ATT, and it moderated the relationship between FC and BI.

This research is expected to expand the use of UTAUT to tools in the field of financial investments and help financial sectors formulate suitable marketing strategies.

We investigate the association between attributes of the audit committee of a firm and the likelihood of negative events occurring in the firm’s life in Israel. The mandate of the audit committee in Israel is substantially different from its mandate in the US. The responsibilities of the committee in the US are divided between two committees in Israel, one of which deals with reviewing the financial statements and the other one, titled “audit committee,” is in charge of the remaining tasks of the US-type audit committee. This allows us a unique opportunity to focus on the roles of the audit committee other than reviewing the financial statements. Using hand-collected data on firms traded on Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2010–2014, we find that the larger the audit committee size, the larger the likelihood of negative events, consistent with the cumbersome workings and potential conflicts of interests characterizing a large committee. The percentage of directors with accounting and financial expertise on the audit committee is associated with a lower likelihood of negative events, in line with the value of such experts in tasks beyond reviewing the financial statements. The fraction of independent directors on the audit committee is not found to be significantly related to the likelihood of negative events. This is consistent with the notion that some independent directors are independent in form but not necessarily in substance, which is surprising in light of the comprehensive regulation regarding audit committee independence imposed by the Israeli regulator.

The manner in which publicly traded companies’ management teams handle their firm’s free cash flows (FCF) has been an issue for many decades, because it is difficult to determine whether these management teams work for their own benefit or for that of their shareholders. Recent financial scandals have heightened mistrust of management. This mistrust, in turn, may have increased the pressure to reduce the portion of FCF left under management’s control. Boards of directors control dividend payout decisions, thus determining the portion of FCF available to corporate management. This paper examines whether the 2002 legal response to corporate financial reporting scandals, which came in the form of many new initiatives and requirements imposed by the Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) on all publicly traded firms, was relevant to dividend payouts. This question is investigated by noting that the impact of these new requirements differed among firms. Some firms had already introduced the use of independent directors and fully independent committees prior to SOX making them compulsory in 2002. This paper examines whether these “pre-adopters” experienced less change in their dividend payout policies than those firms that were forced to change the composition of their board and committees.

This investigation examines the effect on dividend payouts for listed firms attributable to the SOX and concurrent changes in stock exchange regulations that compelled increased use of independent directors and fully independent committees. To study the impact of SOX and the associated, required, changes in the composition of boards of directors for many firms, the difference-in-differences methodology is employed to overcome the endogeneity concerns that have consistently challenged prior governance studies. This was accomplished by examining the effects on dividend payouts associated with the exogenously forced addition of independent directors to the boards of publicly listed firms. The results reveal that there is a significant positive relationship between firms that were compelled by law to change their boards and increases in average changes in dividend payouts and percentage changes in dividends paid, when compared to firms that had pre-adopted the Sarbanes–Oxley corporate board composition requirements. A further exploratory analysis showed that the same significant positive relationship is detected for increases in average changes in total dollars distributed, where stock repurchase dollars are combined with dividend payouts. These findings imply that these board composition changes led to decisions that increased dividend payouts in percentage terms, as well as dividend payouts and total dollars distributed in aggregate dollar amount terms.

Little research has been conducted on the internal factors that drive green product (GP) innovation and how family influence affects firm adoption of GP innovation. This study aims to apply multiple perspectives to bridge this research gap, adopting the resource-based view (RBV) to examine what and how internal factors affect firm adoption of GP innovation, and using the behavioral theory of family firms to investigate whether family influence fosters or hinders firm adoption of GP innovation.

This study used a multichannel approach and adopted content analysis to collect and evaluate data on listed Taiwanese firms and used cross-sectional regression analysis to examine the effect of internal factors and family influence on firm adoption of GP innovation.

The results showed that the internal factors of green capabilities, R&D intensity and firm size significantly and positively affected firm adoption of GP innovation separately. Furthermore, the study found that family influence (ownership and control) significantly and negatively affects firm adoption of GP innovation separately.

This study contributes to the academic research of innovation management, green management and family firms in several aspects, but also has some limitations. This study examined only the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and GP innovation. Future research might test the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and adoption of green process innovation. In addition, such research can explore how integrated internal and external factors influence firm adoption of GP innovation.

From the RBV, the internal factors of green capabilities, R&D intensity and firm size that can exert crucial effects on firm engage in firm’s adoption of GP innovation. This study suggests that top managers in family-influenced businesses should maintain appropriate commitment and support for fostering and facilitating firm GP innovation.

From the RBV, this study examined how internal factors affect firm adoption of GP innovation. Moreover, based on the behavioral theory of family firms, this study further examined how family influence (ownership and control) affects firm adoption of GP innovation. This paper extended both perspectives to examine green issues.

From the RBV, this study examined how internal factors affect firms’ GP innovation. Moreover, based on institutional theory, this study further examines how a family firm moderates the relationship between a firm’s internal factors and GP innovation. The paper extended both perspectives to probe further the green issues.

The purpose of this paper is threefold: developing an effectiveness communication model for a city rotary event. Empirical validation of the new effectiveness model based on a city cultural festival event to explore the similarity and difference of perception change on event attendance. Providing a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of communication model for both professional event organizers and PCO guidelines when determining an event’s marketing strategy priorities.

The authors use SEM to verify the relationship between variables, and path coefficient comparison analysis which was adapted for model verification and hypothesis testing. Analytical methods included reliability analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, Hotelling T ²-test, SEM analysis.

This result demonstrates that attendee increased their emotion, attitude, city brand image as result of the event activities, and positive event emotions have the highest influence toward to a positive city’s brand emotion. A positive city brand emotion especially has the second highest influence on attendee next event retentions. A positive city brand emotion will lead to a positive city brand attitude, but city brand attitudes will not have a positive impact on retentions.

The contribution and value of this study is that the authors established a new effectiveness communication model which introduce the city branding concept into the research. The study provides empirical evidence of the effectiveness illustrations of the application in the communication model. The research meets the objective in this effectiveness communication model. It illustrates the directions for how an event should be designed in order to create a positive city brand attitude for retention.

The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the impact of board financial expertise on the shareholding of foreign institutional investors in an emerging equity market of China and to explore whether ownership concentration moderates the relationship between board financial expertise and foreign institutional investment.

To test the hypothesized relationships, this study uses panel data regression models, i.e. static (fixed effect and random effect) and dynamic (two-step generalized methods of moments) models. Further, to control the possible endogeniety issue, this study uses two instrumental variables, namely, board size and industry average financial expertise of board to proxy board financial expertise. This study covers a period from 2006 to 2015 for 169 listed Chinese firms.

The results revealed that foreign institutional investors positively perceived board financial expertise and holds more shareholdings with the increasing level of financial experts at boards of directors. Moreover, ownership concentration positively moderated this relationship. It means that in highly concentrated firms, the board financial expertise conveys a stronger signal to foreign institutional investors that firms can manage financial resources rationally by controlling negative effects of ownership concentration. Further, the robustness model also confirmed the relationship between board financial expertise and foreign institutional shareholdings.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate board-level financial expertise as a determinant of foreign institutional ownership. Further, no previous study has used ownership concentration as a contextual variable on the relationship between board financial expertise and foreign institutional investment.

The work sequence indicated by a production schedule generated by existing scheduling techniques may not necessarily meet the need for efficient sequencing of day‐to‐day shop floor operations in a dynamic job shop environment. The purpose of this paper is to present a new practical approach to efficiently sequencing day‐to‐day shop floor operations of a job shop.

A color coding and priority system is introduced to identify production jobs that are to be processed at work centers which have a work sequence preference for performing various jobs. Based on a realistic production schedule, a three‐phase sequencing method is developed to create a truly feasible shop schedule, with the most efficient work sequence possible.

Specific features of the approach are presented and illustrated with a numerical example. It enables production jobs to be run in the best possible way at individual work centers. Various options of implementing the approach in practical applications are discussed.

The approach serves as an enhanced supplement to a job shop operations scheduling system for efficient sequencing of shop floor operations. It is to be implemented at the shop floor level.

The approach can be implemented as a real‐time computer integrated shop dispatching system to ensure an efficient work sequence for shop floor operations of job shops in actual industrial settings.

The paper addresses the need for effectively coordinating production jobs of varying routings on the shop floor, which cannot be met by existing scheduling techniques or shop dispatching practice. It provides manufacturing practitioners with a structured approach for managing shop floor operations.

Presents a customer‐focused approach to effective planning of make‐to‐order production, in which production activities are driven by customer orders and all products are made to customers’ specifications. The approach plans, schedules, and co‐ordinates production activities, based on the needs of individual customer orders. In particular, an integrated bill of material and routeing data structure is used to effectively organise production data in response to product specifications of customer orders. It facilitates the creation of production jobs with varying routeings and material requirements. A job‐oriented finite capacity scheduling system is used to effectively accommodate specific needs of individual customer orders. It allows for realistic setting of delivery dates and negotiation of order changes. Key features of the approach presented show its effectiveness in planning multi‐item customer orders and multi‐level products.

Peer‐to‐peer (P2P) streaming quickly emerges as an important application over the internet. A lot of systems have been implemented to support peer‐to‐peer media streaming. However, some problems still exist. These problems include non‐guaranteed communication efficiency, limited upload capacity and dynamics of suppliers which are all related to the overlay topology design. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel overlay construction framework for peer‐to‐peer streaming.

To exploit the bandwidth resource of neighboring peers with low communication delay, application of the grouping method was proposed to construct a flexible two‐layered locality‐aware overlay network. In the proposed overlay, peers are clustered into locality groups according to the communication delays of peers. These locality groups are interconnected with each other to form the top layer of the overlay. In each locality group, peers form an overlay mesh for transmitting stream to other peers of the same group. These overlay meshes form the bottom layer of the overlay.

Through simulations, the performance was compared in terms of communication efficiency, source‐to‐end delivery efficiency and reliability of the delivery paths of the proposed solution currently. Simulation results show that the proposed method can achieve the construction of a scalable, efficient and stable peer‐to‐peer streaming environment.

The new contributions in this paper are a novel framework which includes the adaptability, maintenance and optimization schemes to adjust the size of overlay dynamically according to the dynamics of peers; and considering the importance of locality of peers in the system.