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This survey explores the application of real options theory to the field of health economics. The integration of options theory offers a valuable framework to address these challenges, providing insights into healthcare investments, policy analysis and patient care pathways.

This research employs the real options theory, a financial concept, to delve into health economics challenges. Through a systematic approach, three distinct models rooted in this theory are crafted and analyzed. Firstly, the study examines the value of investing in emerging health technology, factoring in future advantages, associated costs and unpredictability. The second model is patient-centric, evaluating the choice between immediate treatment switch and waiting for more clarity, while also weighing the associated risks. Lastly, the research assesses pandemic-related government policies, emphasizing the importance of delaying decisions in the face of uncertainties, thereby promoting data-driven policymaking.

Three different real options models are presented in this study to illustrate their applicability and value in aiding decision-makers. (1) The first evaluates investments in new technology, analyzing future benefits, discount rates and benefit volatility to determine investment value. (2) In the second model, a patient has the option of switching treatments now or waiting for more information before optimally switching treatments. However, waiting has its risks, such as disease progression. By modeling the potential benefits and risks of both options, and factoring in the time value, this model aids doctors and patients in making informed decisions based on a quantified assessment of potential outcomes. (3) The third model concerns pandemic policy: governments can end or prolong lockdowns. While awaiting more data on the virus might lead to economic and societal strain, the model emphasizes the economic value of deferring decisions under uncertainty.

This research provides a quantified perspective on various decisions in healthcare, from investments in new technology to treatment choices for patients to government decisions regarding pandemics. By applying real options theory, stakeholders can make more evidence-driven decisions.

Decisions about patient care pathways and pandemic policies have direct societal implications. For instance, choices regarding the prolongation or ending of lockdowns can lead to economic and societal strain.

The originality of this study lies in its application of real options theory, a concept from finance, to the realm of health economics, offering novel insights and analytical tools for decision-makers in the healthcare sector.

There is a paucity of published research regarding service employees’ side of gloomy consequences emanating from value co-creation (VCC). The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the activities and interactions of VCC that can result in negative well-being for service employees.

This paper is a theory synthesis paper and, as such, seeks to accomplish conceptual integration of multiple theories and literature streams.

The origins of negative outcomes of VCC are infinite, and for the purpose of this study, the potential triggers of negative outcomes are limited to typical processes and behaviours initiated by VCC of services. For the purposes of this paper, dysfunctional customer behaviour, customer incivility, value co-destruction, boundary-spanning activities, organisational structure and policies and resource integration are investigated as sources of negative well-being for service employees.

The first limitation is the focus on offline transactions. Although the accepted definition of a service ecosystem provides for it to be a “self-adjusting system” a need could emerge for some formal management structure to cope with the increasing complexity of service transactions. A theoretical implication of this paper is that it includes a few lesser researched elements in the context of VCC. A starting point to deal with undesirable VCC interactions is to distinguish between undesirable interaction outcomes that originated inside the firm (own service employees) and those that originated from outside the firm (dysfunctional customers).

A first suggestion on how managers could deal with undesirable VCC interactions is to distinguish between undesirable interaction outcomes that originated inside the firm (e.g. own service employees, firm policies and structure) and those that originated from outside the firm (e.g. customer incivility and dysfunctional customers), as these two types of interaction outcomes require different interventions. Firms will need to bring together, study, analyse and assess all service employee experiences and challenges generated by VCC interactions. The frequency and significance of negative incidents should indicate the amount of effort and time to be spent on types of negative incidents.

A challenge for service ecosystems is how they will adjust to comply with novel and traditional non-business objectives in the light of transformational, upliftment and other calls from society, whilst at the same time improving the well-being of the entire service ecosystem (i.e. providers, users and society). The improvement of well-being versus reducing suffering/losses/risks is not an option. The words of Hammedi et al. (2024, p. 159) “we move towards the conceptualization of service ecosystem health as a harmonious state in which private, public and planetary well-being merge” are exceptionally fitting here.

The negative consequences of VCC impact the well-being of service employees and are costly for a firm. Suggestions to prevent or limit the impact of undesirable or harmful consequences are made. This study is of value for service businesses, service academics and society. A greater awareness of the destructive nature of negative consequences of VCC will hopefully transpire from this study.

This paper explores theoretical perspectives on supervisors' pedagogical dilemmas when deciding whether to terminate or continue problematic supervision relationships. This paper aims to unravel the complexities and challenges inherent in such decision-making processes while also discussing potential support mechanisms for supervisors.

Adopting a reflective narrative approach, this paper presents a fictional narrative to illustrate the intricacies of doctoral supervision. The narrative is divided into three parts, each followed by an analysis rooted in theoretical perspectives.

This article offers guidelines across individual, departmental and organisational levels to address critical moments in doctoral supervision. By incorporating various strategies and perspectives, it helps to understand the dilemmas that supervisors may encounter. A decision-making support guide is also provided to suggest ways of handling these challenging situations.

Drawing from theoretical perspectives, this paper offers practical solutions. A supervision support guide is developed to help establish support mechanisms at different levels, assisting supervisors in managing critical moments in doctoral supervision.

Addressing a rarely discussed issue, this paper highlights the complexity of supervisors' decisions regarding the termination of PhD students. It not only sheds light on these difficult choices but also offers practical guidelines for supervisors navigating such scenarios.

Given the growth of virtual reality (VR)-based tourism experiences in the past five years, this study aims to investigate the impact of VR-based interactions (ergonomics and embodiment) on memorable experiences and revisit intention mediated by cognitive and emotional responses.

This study has used an exploratory sequential mixed methodology research design to operationalise this research. Study 1 uses qualitative in-depth interviews to explore the proposed research questions, and Study 2 uses a 3 × 3 factorial experimental research design to test the proposed hypothetical model with 355 samples.

The results indicate that embodiment plays a more crucial role than VR ergonomics. Also, the cognitive response in the virtual tour indirectly generates a more memorable experience than the emotional response.

This research uses the theory of technological mediation as an overarching framework to conceptualise the research. Also, the research has applied the tenets of cognitive embodiment theory, metacognitive theory and other related theories to develop the arguments. Thus, the results of this research will extend the holistic understanding of these theories.

This research will guide VR tourism developers in understanding the requirements and expectations of tourists. It also serves as a manual to understand how tourists process the VR tour psychologically.

Very minimal focus was given to understanding the tourists’ interaction with technology in VR tours. The concept of ergonomics and embodiment investigated as an experimental variable is a novel approach in technology-based tourism research.

This paper aims to advocate for small-scale entrepreneurship with commercial cultivation to earn better profits at the farmer level. This paper explores potential value chain configurations of vertical coordination.

The aloe vera supply chain was examined for the study where aloe vera juice is the product. The various configurations are complete vertical coordination, semi-vertical coordination and non-vertical coordination. These were analysed to find feasibility and market prospects based on parameters. The cyclic view of supply chains, comparative analysis and fuzzy-analytical hierarchy process algorithm are presented.

The semi-vertically coordinated supply chain is indicated as the optimum setup to initiate value chains. The entrepreneurs in this configuration will be able to sell semi-finished produce to a brand that will process and distribute the final product. This B2B setup will help the farmer to earn better revenues in the post-COVID-19 scenario. Effective marketing with improved execution and innovation will boost the food processing industry.

This study uses an established methodology to distinguish among alternatives based on underlying factors. The study is based on data collected from stakeholders. The study reflects the most accurate picture of real-world scenarios at the farm and market level in the Indian context.

This study’s learnings will help understand the organisational approach to serve demand by designing unique business configurations. Adapting the fundamental model with technological intervention will improve supply chain performance and sustainability. The most modern approaches in agri-business, such as subscription models, vertical farming, corporate entrepreneurship and technological intervention, will be covered in future work.

This study will help stakeholders, including the government, decide whether to introduce training skills, subsidy policies, business expansion ideas and feasibility studies.

The study highlights the strategic role of developing the B2B platform to support customer values and customer ecosystem with better product availability.

This paper aims to contribute to understanding Brazilian fashion consumer behavior. The subsequent research question is formulated as follows: How are the consumers purchasing new clothes and disposing of used ones, and how is their awareness of sustainable fashion consumption and disposal of used clothes?

An online questionnaire was sent to nearly one thousand e-mails. A database was formed with 182 complete answers to 13 questions concerning consumer behavior toward sustainability, especially clothing acquisition, use and disposal. A multimethod approach was used to analyze the initial attributes, applying descriptive statistics, cluster analysis and data mining.

This survey obtained valuable answers from Brazilian fashion consumers grouped into four clusters. Age and yearly income were more critical in determining the clusters. Only four attributes were chosen by the algorithm to build the trees (age, annual income, yearly spending on clothes and how long the clothes are worn). The consumer's profile may help the fashion industry redirect investments in sustainability. The most critical factor leading to the sustainability of clothing fashion was the duration of the clothes. The study dealt with a limited sample size that was not representative of Brazil's broader population. Despite numerous attempts to seek responses through e-mail, the participant pool was predominantly composed of highly educated individuals.

This assessment of Brazilian consumer behavior toward sustainability and fashion presents essential knowledge to understand the relationships among variables affecting the purchase and discharge of clothes.

Cybersecurity has received growing attention from academic researchers and industry practitioners as a strategy to accelerate performance gains and social sustainability. Meanwhile, firms are usually prone to cyber-risks that emanate from their supply chain partners especially third-party logistics providers (3PLs). Thus, it is crucial to implement cyber-risks management in 3PLs to achieve social sustainability in supply chains. However, these 3PLs are faced with critical difficulties which tend to hamper the consistent growth of cybersecurity. This paper aims to analyze these critical difficulties.

Data were sourced from 40 managers in Nigerian 3PLs with the aid of questionnaires. A novel quantitative methodology based on the synergetic combination of interval-valued neutrosophic analytic hierarchy process (IVN-AHP) and multi-objective optimization on the basis of a ratio analysis plus the full multiplicative form (MULTIMOORA) is applied. Sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis with other decision models were conducted.

Barriers were identified from published literature, finalized using experts’ inputs and classified under organizational, institutional and human (cultural values) dimensions. The results highlight the most critical dimension as human followed by organizational and institutional. Also, the results pinpointed indigenous beliefs (e.g. cyber-crime spiritualism), poor humane orientation, unavailable specific tools for managing cyber-risks and skilled workforce shortage as the most critical barriers that show the highest potential to elicit other barriers.

By illustrating the most significant barriers, this study will assist policy makers and industry practitioners in developing strategies in a coordinated and sequential manner to overcome these barriers and thus, achieve socially sustainable supply chains.

This research pioneers the use of IVN-AHP-MULTIMOORA to analyze cyber-risks management barriers in 3PLs for supply chain social sustainability in a developing nation.

This paper aims to recommend a method entitled “lean process mining (LPM)” for mapping, analyzing and improving the material/information flows in the value stream of manufacturing processes.

The method is developed based on literature review and in-depth explorative research in value stream mapping and process mining approaches. The proposed LPM framework consists of three phases including as-realized process state, improvement strategies and reengineered process state. Hence, firstly, extracts the as-realized model, measures the identified wastes and identifies the sources of wastes. Secondly, implements prediction-recommendation-prevention strategies. Thirdly, reengineers the process model and measures the improved wastes.

It presents the applicability of the proposed approach in (1) online observation of manufacturing process behavior and tracing the process deviations dynamically in real time to identify the sources of waste; (2) avoiding defective products occurring during the production and eliminating the relevant derived wastes including wasted material, wasted energy, waste of labor, excess inventory, increased production lead time and wasted operational costs.

The practical application of LPM is illustrated through implementing it in a real-life manufacturing case. The outcomes prove the remarkable applicability of this method in lean manufacturing to avoid waste occurrence in the value stream.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the free convection phenomena arising from a temperature disparity between a cold circular cylinder and a heated corrugated cylinder.

Numerical simulations were used to analyze the convection patterns. The inner cylinder, made of a thermally conductive solid material, was heated through its inner surface, while the space between the cylinders was filled with air. The governing equations for velocity, pressure and temperature were solved using a Galerkin finite element method-based solver for partial differential equations.

The study explored various parameters affecting the dynamic and thermal structure of the flow, including the Rayleigh number (10³ ≤ Ra ≤ 10⁶), the number of corrugations of the inner cylinder (3 ≤ N ≤ 18), the thermal conductivity of the hollow cylinder (1 ≤ K ≤ 200) and the angle of inclination of the inner cylinder (0° ≤ φ ≤ 90°). Results indicated a notable sensitivity of flow intensity to changes in the Rayleigh number and the inner cylinder’s inclination angle φ. Particularly, for Ra = 10⁶, the average heat transfer rate increased by 203% with a K ratio increment from 1 to 100 but decreased by 16.3% as the number of corrugations increased from 3 to 18.

This research contributes to understanding the complex interplay between geometry, thermal properties and flow dynamics in natural convection systems involving cylindrical geometries. The findings offer useful insights for improving the transfer of heat procedures in real-world situations.

This study aims to investigate the relationships between managers’ cognitive styles, dynamic managerial capabilities and firms’ perceived international performance. The study is based on cognitive-experiential self-theory, dynamic managerial capabilities and international entrepreneurship.

Data were collected from 283 managers of small medium enterprises (SMEs) in Türkiye, an emerging economy. The research was conducted using quantitative methods, and Smart partial least squares (PLS) 4 software was used for data analysis. The data were examined through structural equation modelling and mediation analyses.

Findings indicate that rational cognitive styles positively influence managerial human capital, managerial social capital, managerial cognition and perceived international performance. However, the effect of intuitive cognitive styles was confirmed only on managerial cognition. Additionally, it was found that managerial cognition positively affects perceived international performance, whereas managerial social capital has a negative impact. However, the effects of managerial human capital could not be confirmed. Moreover, a full mediation relationship of managerial cognition between intuitive cognitive styles and perceived international performance was identified.

This research carves out a unique niche by synergizing cognitive-experiential self-theory with dynamic managerial capabilities to investigate their conjoined effect on firms’ international performance, an area previously underexplored. Unveiling insights from burgeoning economies like Türkiye enriches the existing body of knowledge, offering substantial contributions to the field of international business.